THE GRAND-PATH » Others

Free Distribution of iPad in One University in Japan

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:35:47 +0000

Nagoya Bunri University determined to give iPad away free to all of its new students, who enter its Department of Information and Multimedia in next April in order to put it to practical use in its lessons and then cultivate human resources who can active in information society. Its students circulate the digital information to their colleagues and leave a message on the board by using iPad. It is the first university to do such a thing in Japan. The department is making efforts to develop applications for iPhone, too. The university would like to collect examinees as much as possible by appealing that it is concentrating on the field of leading-edge intelligence.

Japanese newspaper plus Twitter

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 22:29:32 +0000

Most newspaper companies in the world are annoying decreases of ad revenue and circulation figure. Japanese newspaper companies are no exception. On May 7th, 2010, “Mainichi Newspaper Co., Ltd.”, one of them, announced that the company launches “MAINICHI RT”, daily paid paper for young adults, from June 1st, 2010. “MAINICHI RT” puts the popular news, which were post on “Mainichi. Jp (online news site)”, their related information, dope stories and so on. And also it puts Tweets in order to be new media with net users.

Flyby-night arranger

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 22:13:19 +0000

The following column was inserted : Recently, nearby Mickey D’s and Yoshinoya, popular beef-over-rice-bowl chain, closed their shutters one after the other. After their closing, their advertising displays and so on were taken away immediately and were reduced to atoms. Those things were as if they skipped town.

Mickey D’s which had a plan to set up in front of each station within Tokyo announced to close 433 shops in Japan until March, 2011. The consolidated accounting of Yoshinoya as of February in 2010 advises it is Japanese Yen 8.9 billion in the red, which is the worst figure since it is listed.

They were popular because customers could make use of them at a low price even late at night. However, they brought down needless price competition at regional shopping centers. Bricks-and-mortar eating places, i.e. sushi shops, tearooms and so on, had gone out.

There was no cycle parking place in front of the Mickey D’s, so there were a lot of illegally-parked bicycles and they interrupted smooth walking of old men and women. Its stuffs acted as if someone didn’t know. They should have gotten over such bicycles.

It seems they had been unable to make profit and therefore they skipped town after siphoning off regional money as much as possible with the arm of low cost & convenience. It found they are not community-based business.

Only Japanese has to pay a donation to visit the Lake District.

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 22:12:48 +0000

Every year, 35,000 Japanese tourists visit the Lake District, which is known as the locale of “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”, in the middle of Britain. From now, each Japanese tourist has to pay a donation of starling pound 5 to visit there. Such an institution was determined by the chamber which is consisted of the local tourism industry and Japanese tour companies, and is applied for Japanese tourists only. According to interested persons in UK, it depends on each one whether he pay it or not. Most of Japanese tour companies present the tour cost including starling pound 5., so he has to pay it against his idea. He can get badge of Peter Rabbit as an amenity. The other day, media reported that the most popular hotel guest in the world was Japanese. Soon, they may say the most popular tourist to the Lake District.

NRIAFRA succeeded in the full culture of eel.

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 22:11:51 +0000

National Research Institute of Aquaculture, Fisheries Research Agency succeeded in the full culture of eel for the first time in the world. If the way of eel culture, which cultivates from its spawning to its glass eel, can be built up at a low price, it leads to supply the adequate amount of adult fish of eel. It has still big problem. Because there is some limit to be able to cultivate the number of its larva in an aquarium.

Present eel culture is only to cultivate natural glass eel, which is captured at the mouth of a river and so on. Somebody says it is almost impossible to make it spawning and hatch eggs. The amount of adult fish of eel, which can be shipped, is greatly affected by the fish catches of natural glass eel. Recently, the fish catches is decreasing drastically. It becomes serious problem.

A user ordered iPad via mail-order but received an air in a box.

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 10:15:18 +0000

In Japan, there are many people who ordered iPad to mail-order companies in USA and received empties. JP Service begins to look into the matter. According to JP Service, its Tokyo International Branch, which handles international mails, has received plural claims, which receivers obtained empty boxes, from the middle of this April. Although the service begins to do a search, it considers there was no possibility such articles were lost within Japan. It requested USPS, which undertook their shipping within USA, to look into the matter. In Japan, iPad is to release from May 28th, 2010. Its pre-order sale at shops was closed a book within 3 days. Therefore, many Japanese may well think to obtain them from USA directly.

Exchanging views with Old Boys

admin — Mon, 17 May 2010 22:08:54 +0000

On April 30th, 2010, Hanshin Tigers, professional baseball team in Japan, announced to sell its first official mobile phone from May 24th, 2010. This team has a lot of wildly enthusiastic fans, and then they can share some perceptions with several Old Boys of the team by using these phones and Twitter.

We consider this is quite nice idea. There are many professional teams, i.e. football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey and so on, in Northern America, so somebody had better sell such phones. It is quite splendid to be able to exchange views on how to play with popular old boys of teams by seeing games and using Twitter.

A dream comes true.

admin — Mon, 17 May 2010 22:08:21 +0000

”Live out a dream in your boyhood!” The Isumi Railway had recruited some trainees of motorman. This is quite unique attempt. Because such trainees have to pay the expense and cost needed in order to receive the training by themselves. It is Japanese Yen 7,000,000 (US$ 77,777) per each. It is the distressed-company and its president has taken various measures to reconstruct it. This attempt is one of them. 24 persons applied it.

On April 28th, 2010, the company announced to take in four applicants as trainee from May 10th, 2010. They will work as part-time worker after the training for two years.

6.8 million yen and Garbage-Disposal Plant

admin — Wed, 12 May 2010 22:07:49 +0000

On April 28th, 2010, a male staff found the case, which contained Japanese Yen 6,800,000 (US$ 75,555), when he made the selection of garbage at garbage-disposal plant in Miyazaki-pref. The facility took around it to Nobeoka Police Station. The police station is searching for its owner.

According to the announcement of the police station, there were 5 envelops, which contained cashes, in the case with cover. Kazumi Hayashida, plant manager, wondered that somebody abandoned such a big money in such a bad economic times.

According to Lost Goods Act in Japan, the person who reported it can obtain it if actual owner is not found for three months. In this case, however, Nobeoka-city becomes its owner after three months because it was found within the city’s facility.

Reversal Mirror

admin — Wed, 12 May 2010 22:06:22 +0000

When we see our head shots, we sometimes feel they are different from those things in mirror. Because the image in mirror is left-right reversal one. If we use “Reversal Mirror”, we can see our actual faces. This article consists of two mirrors, which fit together at an angle of 90 degrees. The image appeared in one mirror appears in another mirror. As a result, we can see our actual faces in this mirror. A female may be able to make better job than usual if she wears makeup by using this one. Please make use of our service (http://www.butler-japan.com/) if you cannot purchase it in Northern America. Its price is Japanese Yen 7,350.