American Workers in Japan

At the end of the presentation, one of the questions I asked, "Because of the popularity of Japanese media in America, a lot of young Americans want to learn about Japan and work/live there. Do you feel like these people will be met with open arms, or face obstacles."

In short, the answer I got, was that it's not easy getting a job as a foreigner in Japan. The easiest way would be to work for an American company that has operations in Japan, or work for the American government. There are programs to help you, but only for up to 5 years.

This seemed silly to me, because earlier they talked about the decline of the working population in Japan. With the rise of their aging population and the dropping birth-rate. They explained the lowering birthrate due to the direct correlation between female education and birthrate. There is a direct correlation that shows the more educated a woman is, the less likely she is to have a child.

I do not see this as a problem that needs fixing, but rather an obstacle to be worked around. If the Japanese government and companies are really in need of a higher population to sustain their economy, they should look to being more welcoming for people willing to work in Japan. 

Not even just Americans, but rather make it easier and more appealing for foreigners to come to live and work in Japan. It might be more expensive at first, however, as more people live and work in Japan, the higher chance of them having kids, and the kids then will join the workforce. You'd not only be investing in 1 person, but the potential of a family. 

With the popularity of Japanese culture and media in America, there is a whole generation of people who see living and working in Japan in an attractive light. All they need is the motivation and the opportunity to get there. If Japan invested in having more companies build facilities in America, with the purpose of helping Americans make that leap. They might be surprised.

No I don't have any evidence to go off of, however, I feel like it might be wasted potential, with the popularity Japan has.

Japanese - American Relations

Indiana has the most Japanese relations than any other state in the country!? ,何!?

Kero Kero Bonito

One of my favourite bands is a group that goes by the name, "Kero Kero Bonito". The singer, Sarah, was born and raised in Otaru Japan, before moving to the U.K where her father is from. She met the other 2 members, Gus and Jamie there, and that's when they formed the band.

Their sound now is very different than what it used to be. It used to be very J-pop and bubbly with a healthy mix of English and Japanese lyrics, though now they have more of a melancholic, london grunge sound. I still love their music no matter what it sounds like, though.

One of their more popular songs is called "Flamingo", with the more bubbly sound, and one of my favourites of their newer sounds is the radio edit of their song "Only Acting"

I am having a lot of fun in this class. Although a lot of it I already know, I am learning many things everyday. I am very lucky to have this opportunity

Introduction

                INTRODUCTION

               My name is Jaran Crane, and I am a baker from South Bend Indiana. I am 19, and am currently working for Au Bon Pain catering as a baker at the Center for Culinary Excellence at Notre Dame Indiana. Thanks to the educational benefits offered at the university, I was able to take the class, Elementary Japanese.

               I first had an interest in learning Japanese after developing an interest in linguistics. I had self-taught myself Sign Language, and wanted to move onto other languages that interested me; Chinese, Korean, Arabic, and Japanese all were languages I had studied at one time or another, but I fell in love with Japanese the most. Everything about the language: writing, speaking, listening, reading, sparked my interest and infatuation.