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Articles by Tom Aaron

• English for ESL Students in Japan II
  This article on English for ESL Students in Japan presents three topics: connecting words in translation, the responsibility of the writer in English, and the changing American family.
  Published 23Jun2010, viewed 325 times

• English for ESL Students in Japan
  This article discusses sentence length when translating from Japanese to English, how ESL students can improve their English writing, and handshaking in Japan.
  Published 09Jun2010, viewed 326 times

• Tokyo: Housing for the Financially Challenged
  Housing for the financially challenged in Tokyo includes capsule hotels, closet houses, manga coffee shops, and Internet cafe couches. As the Japanese economy continues to stagnate, the homeless and working poor are being squeezed tighter and tighter. This is a modern version of George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London".
  Published 12May2010, viewed 389 times

• Rules, forms, acronyms, bureacracy and an epiphany
  This article discusses bureaucracies and acronyms. I've always been somewhat contemptuous of bureaucracies in that they have too many rules, too many forms, and too many acronyms. This morning, however, I had an epiphany. We had become a bureaucracy. We had acronyms, and we were creating more of them.
  Published 18Jan2010, viewed 331 times

• How To Start Writing an Essay: The Five Paragraph Essay Model Shows The Way
  If you're trying to write an essay, this five paragraph model might help get you started. The sample essay is about computers. The first paragraph introduces the topic.
  Published 22Dec2009, viewed 1150 times

• Technology and the changing language
  Along with each new technological development, whether the development is mobile phones, cars, or computers, comes a new vocabulary. What is notable about the new and not-so-new technological vocabulary is its sheer size and volume. Perhaps that is not so surprising given the impact that computers have had on most of us working and living in the computer world.
  Published 11Dec2009, viewed 218 times

• Japan: Sudden Change or Glacial Change?
  At times, Japan as a nation has vigorously embraced change. Since the 1970s, however, change in Japan has moved at what some see as a glacial pace. Enter the consumer-oriented Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Japan will change. The question is how much as the Japanese consumer waits and hopes for a more egalitarian society.
  Published 11Nov2009, viewed 432 times

• Fame, fortune and the Golden Gate Bridge
  The Golden Gate Bridge is the oldest, longest, tallest single span bridge in the United States. The bridge is a uniquely special bridge because of age and construction. Plus from the bridge, you can see Alcatraz and Angel Island, which makes it even more special. Right? What we're saying is true, right?
  Published 14Oct2009, viewed 319 times

• Four more mistakes to avoid in teaching English communication in Japan
  In this article, I would like to present four more mistakes for teachers teaching English communication in Japan to avoid. Some are mistakes that I have made and some are mistakes that I have seen in teaching English communication in Japan. Mistakes are inevitable for both students and teachers; mistakes are the diving platforms for teachers to find success.
  Published 10Oct2009, viewed 470 times

• Four mistakes to avoid in teaching English communication in Japan
  For both students and teachers, teaching is a learning process. Teachers may make the most progress in the first years of their career, but the learning should never stop. The learning stopping is a dangerous sign indicating that the teacher needs to be doing something new to continue becoming a better teacher. Mistakes are a part of learning. This article will present some mistakes I made in teaching English communication in Japan.
  Published 07Oct2009, viewed 440 times

• Japan and Reservations For The Holiday Season: New Years Cards and Fried Chicken
  In Japanese to English dictionaries, definitions of "yoyaku" include reservation, appointment, booking, subscription, and advanced order. Japanese communicating in English almost always use reservation, but advanced order may be the most appropriate of these terms for New Years cards and fried chicken in Japan. This article will discuss why advanced orders are relevant to New Years cards and fried chicken in Japan.
  Published 03Oct2009, viewed 375 times

• Taiji: Sister City Status of Commercial Dolphin Hunting Town Threatened
  This article discusses the suspended sister city relationship between Taiji, Japan, and Broome, Western Australia. Today in Taiji, commercial dolphin hunting is a major business. Dolphins are either sold to aquariums or slaughtered and sold to eat. Broome, subject to criticism and pressure concerning the sister city relationship, suspended their relationship with Taiji until commercial dolphin hunting stops.
  Published 30Sep2009, viewed 332 times

• English Education and Business in Japan: Another Step in the Nova Saga
  In late August of this year, the Osaka District Court handed President Nozomu Sahashi of Nova a prison sentence of three and a half years for participating in skimming off employee funds. The crime was committed in 2007, a little before October, when the giant foreign language school went bankrupt. Nova was Japan's biggest foreign language school chain and employed more foreign nationals than any other company in Japan.
  Published 29Sep2009, viewed 302 times

• Christmas in Japan: From Mesopotamia to Colonel Sanders
  This article discusses Christmas in Japan. December 25 has been a holiday going back to at least the Mesopotamian festival of Zagmuk. Now, thousands of years and thousands of miles later, Japan has its own form of Christmas, shaped by some of the old aspects and some new ones: Kentucky Fried Chicken and Fujiya Food Service Co., Ltd. These two corporations, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Fujiya, have helped to shape modern Christmas in Japan.
  Published 24Sep2009, viewed 582 times

• Six Suggestions for Treating Writer's Block
  Writer's block is what happens to writers when they cannot think of what to write. They are unable to write. Something is blocking them from writing. Some varieties of writer's block are short-term, while some writer's blocks can be longer. Writer's block can be related to an actual writing project or something else. We have six suggestions that may help you to recover from writer's block.
  Published 21Sep2009, viewed 403 times

• Your email messages and landing a job
  Getting an interview is a major accomplishment in this dismal job market. If you've been looking for a job, I suspect you've sent out dozens of email messages but not received dozens of responses. In this article, I'd like to offer some suggestions based on our experience of screening applicants via email.
  Published 15Sep2009, viewed 346 times

• Six tips for living in Japan
  Japan is an awesome country to live in. In this article, we would like to present our top six tips for living in Japan so you can get the most out of your expatriate experience.
  Published 10Sep2009, viewed 478 times

• Summer Food in Japan: Cold Noodles
  This article discusses cold noodles eaten in the summer in Japan. Ramen, soba, and udon may be the three most popular types of noodles that can be served hot with a broth, or cold without one. Most ramen is made from wheat flour, salt, water and kansui. Soba is made by combining buckwheat flour with wheat flour. Udon is made from wheat flour. Soba noodles are probably the thinnest with ramen not that much larger. Udon noodles are thicker.
  Published 07Sep2009, viewed 439 times

• Twelve Small Steps to a Healthy Life
  This article discusses whether or not you live in accordance with your image of the healthy life. If you do not, we would like to suggest taking small steps to move you closer to your definition of the healthy life.
  Published 05Sep2009, viewed 432 times

• Teaching English Communication in Japan: Teaching Alternative American Lifestyles
  In Japan, students are taught grammar and vocabulary in much the same way as Americans generations ago were taught Latin. Many students who want to learn to communicate in English go outside the normal school system to study languages in private language schools. In this article, we present one topic that we have found of interest to students in Japan who want to practice their English: alternative American lifestyles.
  Published 02Sep2009, viewed 591 times

• So you wanna be a proofreader: Ten tips for better proofreading
  This article provides ten tips to help proofreaders. Follow these ten tips; you will learn and get better. Writing, editing, and proofreading are not mysterious skills that come to us naturally. If we work on them, we will get better.
  Published 29Aug2009, viewed 469 times

• Hachiko, the loyal dog, and Richard Gere: A new Hachiko movie to be released
  This article is about Hachiko, the loyal Akita dog, and the Richard Gere movie. Next month a remake of Hachiko starring Richard Gere will be released in Japan. I believe we take to this narrative of Hachiko because Hachiko becomes the symbol of unconditional love and loyalty in a world in which both have conditions. I'll be able to forget the sometimes harsh realities of life and enjoy vicariously participating in Hachiko's world.
  Published 21Aug2009, viewed 1614 times

• Teaching American Culture Abroad
  American culture, and culture from around the world, fascinates English students in Japan. Many English students around the world share this fascination. In this article, we would like to share two pieces of culture that we teach about in Japan: handshaking and the changing American family. If you teach English in Japan or anywhere else around the world, these two items may be of interest to your students too.
  Published 18Aug2009, viewed 942 times

• Japan, the myth of the middle class, poverty, and single mothers
  Up through the 1990s, you could meet hundreds of Japanese people and they would all be middle class. Then came the recession of the 1990s, the recession that has been continuing on and off and since then, but mostly on. Japanese today no longer all say they belong to the middle class. The Japanese underclass is growing as the recession continues and single mother families increase.
  Published 07Aug2009, viewed 960 times

• Dateline Japan: Tightening oversight on foreigners
  In Japan, the current Diet session has bills in progress for revising the immigration law. The bills are expected to pass. Human rights groups are concerned that the Immigration Bureau will be able to access the personal information of all documented foreigners in Japan, infringing their privacy.
  Published 04Aug2009, viewed 404 times

• Tanabata: A Japanese Star Festival via China and Across the Stars
  Much of what we see and experience in Japan has roots in China and farther West to India over the past thousands of years. These roots are the same as the roots and heritage of Western civilization arriving in America after a journey of thousands of years from ancient Greece and Rome across Europe to North America. This article discusses Tanabata, the Japanese Star Festival, an example of this Japanese borrowing from China.
  Published 28Jul2009, viewed 1477 times

• The do it yourself legal remedy: What to do when someone owes you
  This article discusses going to small claims court as a legal remedy if someone owes you money.
  Published 26Jul2009, viewed 444 times

• Corporate Social Responsibility
  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the United States is self-regulating corporate behavior. In theory, the corporation has an ethical responsibility to contribute to the health of the community and avoid harming the community. This article, however, is not about theory, but about practice. Unfortunately many corporations with CSR programs do harm, significant harm.
  Published 23Jul2009, viewed 377 times

• Valuable Free Photo Resources for Your Small Business Website: Try Flickr
  This article discusses using photos to improve the surfing experience for potential clients. As beautiful photos require more resources than we have, we are unable to take all the photos that we need. Flickr has the answer for us, providing us with many beautiful pictures.
  Published 18Jul2009, viewed 263 times

• Free Photos and Text From Creative Commons: Resources for Your Small Business Website
  Most small businesses lack the resources to create large websites from scratch. The demands of creating or buying text and photos are too great. Today, the Internet has the answer: Creative Commons. In this article we will show you how you can make a page with free text and free photos from Creative Commons licensed materials.
  Published 15Jul2009, viewed 329 times

• How to understand yourself by noticing: Six constant things you notice
  Noticing is what we do in our daily lives. We notice the weather and the scowls and smiles on the faces of people we pass on the street. We notice the traffic and the litter and the frisky puppy coming towards us. Noticing is how we learn and how we change, grow and interact. This article will discuss six constants in noticing.
  Published 11Jul2009, viewed 862 times

• Strunk and White on audio: I wonder what Strunk would have commented
  Millions of students and writers have read "Strunk and White" over and over. Now "Strunk and White" is available on audio. This article discusses "Strunk and White" on audio and what Strunk might have said about his book being on audio.
  Published 06Jul2009, viewed 352 times

• Mark Twain and Adjectives: Follow Twain's advice to strengthen your writing
  Adjectives weaken writing; most writers overuse adjectives. Strong writing comes from strong verbs and nouns. Writers can also use similes and metaphors instead of adjectives. Mark Twain cautions us on using adjectives: "As to the adjective, when in doubt, strike it out." This article will discuss striking out adjectives, writing with strong verbs and nouns, and similes and metaphors, instead of adjectives.
  Published 06Jul2009, viewed 673 times

• Three Japanese dishes to try if you can find them: Cold ramen, okonomiyaki and takoyaki
  Japanese food offers more than sushi, sashimi, sukiyaki, teriyaki, and tempura. This article suggests three Japanese foods to try if you can find them: cold ramen, okonomiyaki and takoyaki. The author had never heard of these foods before visiting Japan.
  Published 05Jul2009, viewed 322 times

• How to improve your writing: Enrich your punctuation
  We enrich our punctuation the same way we improve our writing. We edit our rough drafts. Editing to include variety in punctuation marks can enrich your writing. This article will discuss punctuation including paragraphing and punctuation marks.
  Published 02Jul2009, viewed 540 times

• Stephen King on how to write
  If you want to write, you need to read books on writing; you need to surf the web to see what other writers are doing; you need to look at articles and other resources. In addition to reading on the craft of writing, you need to read. This article will discuss how reading makes you a better writer.
  Published 01Jul2009, viewed 404 times

• Stephen King and the road to hell for writers
  Adverbs, like adjectives, can help your writing in moderation, but many writers overuse and abuse them. This overuse and abuse has resulted in today's overly strong reaction against adverbs and adjectives. As King says, ""The road to hell is paved with adverbs." This article discusses editing adverbs out and improving your writing.
  Published 26Jun2009, viewed 1388 times

• William Safire and his Great Rules of Writing
  William Safire offers us his Great Rules of Writing. Safire joyfully breaks each rule as he writes them down. This article examines each of these rules. Following rules is not always the best way to write. Breaking the rules can result in better writing. Without rule knowledge, however, breaking the rules rarely results in improved writing. We recommend that you follow Safire's rules unless you know exactly why you are breaking them.
  Published 21Jun2009, viewed 398 times

• Honda Insight is No. 1
  In April, the Insight was Japan's best-selling vehicle. The car accelerates reasonably considering the 30 km per liter mileage and handles just like most other Japanese cars. The Insight is also under the important 2 million yen barrier. All over Japan, people are buying environmentally friendly cars like the Insight. The memory of gas at approximately $6.47 dollars a gallon in 2008 has been a powerful incentive.
  Published 12Jun2009, viewed 329 times

• Unemployment, underemployment, and other financial pain in Japan
  Japan is now facing high unemployment, underemployment, and other financial pain. The jobless rate in Japan of 4.8% may seem like nothing to Europeans and Americans, but Jiro and Akiko Sato know that 4.8% in Japan is much higher for structural and cultural reasons.
  Published 08Jun2009, viewed 334 times

• Warm Japanese Furniture: The Kotatsu
  A kotatsu kept me warm my first winter in Japan, while bringing me back to my childhood of making caves in the winter. Many apartments in Japan come without heating. The kotatsu, a table with a heat lamp underneath, is one answer. Due to high electric prices, lack of proper insulation, and building codes and laws not requiring heating, people turn to devices like the kotatsu.
  Published 07Jun2009, viewed 834 times

• Hot Japanese Buns in the Winter: Pork, Curry, and Salty Caramel
  Hot buns in the winter in Japan include pork, curry, and salty caramel buns. The buns are based on the Chinese pork buns and are a fast food available at convenience stores and other places. Biting into a hot bun on a cold winter day is one of the small pleasures in life.
  Published 03Jun2009, viewed 527 times

• Surgical Masks, Avian Flu, Swine Flu, Hay Fever, Cosmetics and Japan
  Visit Japan today and observe a sea of masks. Only some of these masks are due to the swine flu outbreaks spreading around the world. Japanese wear masks for many reasons, some effective and some not.
  Published 01Jun2009, viewed 416 times

• Talk radio and American society: Talk radio host not held responsible for damage
  Melissa Feroglia called a nationally syndicated talk show to talk about a jet ski she had purchased. She complained and the talk host, Tom Martino, encouraged his listeners to contact the store and the manufacturer. Callers flooded the phone lines and threatened the store owners, who claimed they lost approximately $600,000 in business. The owners sued Martino and lost. Talk show hosts are not responsible for damage, even when they cause it.
  Published 29May2009, viewed 298 times

• Curry and the Japanese Diet
  Curry rice is one of the most popular dishes in Japan. The curry rice served in Japan differs greatly from the curry and rice eaten in most of the world, tasting more like a curry flavored stew. Curry is also used in other dishes in Japan including curry udon and curry buns.
  Published 24May2009, viewed 503 times

• Americans studying language and learning new vocabulary
  Accumulating new vocabulary is a challenge in learning a second language. This article suggests three tools for learning and remembering new vocabulary: writing down new vocabulary and creating cohort groups, diagramming, and visual images. The three tools help you to remember new words because you are linking new vocabulary to something else you already know. These tools will help you to steadily progress in your language learning.
  Published 20May2009, viewed 313 times

• Teaching English Writing to Japanese and Other Nonnative English Speakers
  For the nonnative English speaker, writing is a challenge. Writing demands that we craft our words, which is the editing process. Nonnative speakers, however, often lack the ear or a sense of the language, complicating the process. Nonnative speakers write by combining their knowledge from English and their first language. Knowing about the influence of the first language can help us to better teach these students.
  Published 16May2009, viewed 366 times

• Attacked for liking English
  Fred is attacked for linguistic insensitivity when he returns to America for vacation.
  Published 09May2009, viewed 408 times

• Internet Death Threat
  Fred receives a death threat via the Internet.
  Published 06May2009, viewed 332 times

• Why we write: Arthur Plotnik and what's burning inside you
  Arthur Plotnik's quote tells us why we write: "You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke." This article discusses what is burning inside of writers and how we can improve our writing.
  Published 30Apr2009, viewed 332 times

• Women's basketball and women's sumo
  Fred, back in the states, is amazed to see women's college ball on TV. Comparing Japan and the states, he considers women's sumo and wonders when it will become mainstream.
  Published 26Apr2009, viewed 354 times

• Shoes and life in Japan
  Fred's mother visits Fred in Japan and is fascinated by people taking their shoes on and off without using their hands. Even little children seem to do it effortlessly with shoes that have laces. When we live abroad, we can forget what we have adapted to. When visitors comes, we get a fresh look.
  Published 22Apr2009, viewed 375 times

• Japanese writing and Chinese characters
  Fred explains why Japanese characters should no longer be called Chinese characters. Hundreds of years ago they were the same, but they are not today. The word Chinese should be used to refer to things that are Chinese, not things that are no longer Chinese.
  Published 19Apr2009, viewed 337 times

• Japan and the philosophy of garbage
  Many Japanese parks and other locations fail to provide garbage cans. Local municipal governments hope that people will take their garbage home with them, but this does not always work.
  Published 14Apr2009, viewed 442 times

• Improving your writing: deleting unnecessary words
  Deleting unnecessary words is one way to improve writing. As Strunk and White tell us in their "Elements of Style", deleting unnecessary words strenthens our writing. Follow their advice to be a better writer.
  Published 12Apr2009, viewed 748 times

• The religion of the Japanese
  Accosted by a drunk Japanese Christian, Fred beats a hasty retreat to discuss what Fred believes is the true religion of the Japanese: being Japanese. Fred may go a little overboard here, but he is right in one respect: being Japanese definitely means subscribing to a strict set of beliefs and rules.
  Published 08Apr2009, viewed 395 times

• Caucasian faces, Asian languages, and English
  While many Americans often assume that everybody should be able to speak English if they try, especially for people who have been in America for many years, other views exist in other parts of the world. Japanese and other Asians often assume the opposite - that people from different cultures, especially Caucasians, cannot speak their language and should not be expected to.
  Published 05Apr2009, viewed 379 times

• Japan: Pachinko fatalities
  Every year in Japan, gambling parents leave their children in the car or home alone while they go to play pachinko, a modified pinball game. A few of the children die.
  Published 01Apr2009, viewed 338 times

• Immigration and the changing face of Japan: Indian restaurants
  The spread of ethnic restaurants can tell us much about a country and immigration. Looking at Japan, we can see Indian restaurants run by Indians spreading across the country. The Japanese are torn between wanting immigrants to work in Japan and wanting to keep their "homogenous" society. The Indian restaurants may be a hint that Japan will one day be a vibrant and energized multi-ethnic country.
  Published 30Mar2009, viewed 439 times

• Japan: Where is the iki?
  This article details the travails of Fred as he suffers through a Canadian woman abusing the Japanese language and discusses how Westerners abuse Japanese, Japanese abuse English, and people like to announce the languages they can speak.
  Published 25Mar2009, viewed 299 times

• Japanese and guns: Linguistics and caution
  Looking for a Halloween party, Japanese exchange student Yoshihiro Hattori went to the wrong home. He rang the bell only to be greeted by a Dirty Harry wannabe with a .44 magnum revolver with a laser sight. Hattori became yet another victim of American gun culture.
  Published 22Mar2009, viewed 355 times

• Honda Man: What do you do?
  While Americans generally identify the most strongly with what they do, many Japanese tend to identify more with the organization they work for. This article discusses an American, meeting with a Japanese, who tries to ask what the Japanese does.
  Published 21Mar2009, viewed 306 times

• Japanese food culture: Eating parent and child together
  Japanese cuisine includes a number of dishes combining parent and child together, an image that seems to resonate with the Japanese public. In sushi, eating male and female reproductive organs together does not resonate with the Japanese public, but eating all the different parts of both genders of the same fish does resonate with some.
  Published 20Mar2009, viewed 346 times

• My natto-eating friend
  My friend Fred eats natto, which is fermented soybeans, just as he does other things for his health. He tries to avoid talking about it with Japanese as natto is just a food, not a topic worthy of such great interest and discussion. Fred's perspective differs from that of many Japanese.
  Published 05Mar2009, viewed 521 times

• Japan: Who wants whale for dinner tonight?
  While pro- and anti-whaling groups feel very strongly about saving or consuming whales, most Japanese do not appear to have strong feelings on this topic. Mercury poisoning from eating whales, dolphin, and large fish is not a major topic of interest either, but it should be.
  Published 03Mar2009, viewed 381 times

• Teas of the world: Black, green, or wasp?
  This article looks at teas around the world: black, green, and wasp. Black and green teas both offer many health benefits although research is still in its infancy. For Japanese, green tea is important for cultural reasons too. Americans are interested in tea as a drink and for health benefits, but tea is only a drink to most Americans.
  Published 03Mar2009, viewed 351 times

• Japanese Diet Fads: Bananas, Natto, and Agar
  This article examines three Japanese diet fads in recent years: bananas, natto, and agar. The Japanese population now faces problems with metabolic syndrome and obesity due to prosperity and lack of exercise. More and more Japanese are interested in diets every year. When diet fads appear, millions of people try to lose weight with yet another diet scheme. None of the diets have yet provided the magic answer though.
  Published 27Feb2009, viewed 514 times

• How to improve your writing: Anton Chekhov and the glint of light on broken glass
  Anton Chekhov tells us not to say that the moon is shining, but to show him the glint of light on broken glass. Showing, not telling, is one way to improve your writing. This article will provide examples of showing instead of telling and suggestions to help you improve your writing.
  Published 17Feb2009, viewed 462 times

• Got a cold in Japan? Go to the doctor's!
  Japanese with colds usually see a doctor for medical care as this may be cheaper than buying non-prescription medications. Visiting the doctor can be a speedy process or take hours depending on the timing. Many Japanese with colds act differently from most Americans in at least four major ways: masks, gargling, carrying on to show their fighting spirit and not burdening others, and IV (intravenous) cocktails.
  Published 11Feb2009, viewed 2247 times

• Devil's tongue kills 17
  The September 2008 death of a 1-year-old Japanese boy from choking to death on devil's tongue jelly brought the death toll to 17 victims since 1995. Devil's tongue jelly, unlike other jellies, does not melt in the mouth. The Japanese government moved to pressure the manufacturers of devil's tongue jelly to prevent additional deaths. Yet, the government has not taken steps concerning food products with far higher fatality counts.
  Published 11Feb2009, viewed 450 times

• English teachers wanted in Japan
  This article examines the qualifications for becoming an English teacher in Japan, and discusses job hunting and pay. Finally, the article looks at the adventures that you can have overseas, including carrying a shrine and eating grasshoppers.
  Published 10Feb2009, viewed 444 times

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