Nihon-go

Today, Japanese language is mixed with other languages to a large extent. Some people believe that more than 30% of daily conversations are English idioms and phrases used in a variety of levels. These words, however, are pronounced according to Japanese pronunciation/alphabetic system. For example, "World" changes to "Waado" or "Air" is pronounced as "Ea:"
Japanese also are professional in abbreviation of words. "Television", for example, is used as "Terebi"; "Remote control" is "Remo con" and so on.
There are also some words taken from languages other than English. Examples are "Arubaito" for "Part-time job" and "Pan" for "Bread" taken from German and Spanish respectively.
This looks quite helpful to the foreigners, especially those who know English. The problem, however, arises in understanding specialty words. As a matter of fact, Japanese (as leaders in many technical fields) use their own idioms in scientific fields. For instance, "Sanso" stands for "Oxygen" and "Handotai" is used for "Semiconductor". This makes the technical conferences difficult to understand.

Q- In your opinion, is it needed to use a worldwide-accepted dialect for specialty words?

Request

As of the establishment of the blog, I have received many emails from the visitors. So,hereby, I'd like to:

-Thank all of you for sharing your kind suggestions, opinions,...
and
-Ask you to share your thoughts through posting comments. This will be more helpful as the idea can be discussed by more people this way.

Made in China

Several years ago, there was a huge temptation to purchase Japanese products. Japanese companies, recovered from the recessions due to the second worldwide, came to the market again; strong and confident so that they moved to the top of technology mountain.
And still many people are looking for Japanese products. However, the phrase "Made in Japan" is going to join the legends as the market is full of other east-Asian (especially Chinese) tools and materials.
Believe it or not, the Japanese stores are full of (electronic) stuff made in China, Malaysia,...
You can hardly find a device fully made in Japan. Even those labeled "Made in Japan" are using non-Japanese parts.
Here is the point: "Devices made in countries other than Japan, are of higher quality if going to Japanese market" says a Japanese salesman here.

Edit:
The truth is that the products of Japanese companies, whether they are made in Japan or any other country for non-Japanese, are not as good as those produced for Japan. This is in contrast to the policies of producers in undeveloped countries as they do their best to export their fine/high quality products.
The second point, I'd like to emphasize is that distributing factories around the globe may bring some advantages like reinforcement of the cooperations but is it a real collaboration? I believe that the answer is negative because the knowledge is not transferred to the poor producers only the machines.

Team-work

I heard this two years ago:

One Iranian = 3 Japanese
Two Iranians = 1 Japanese
Three Iranians = Nobody

If true, why we have deep problems in team-working?

A sad experience

Finding my uncle's son-in-law (and his kid) dead as a result of gas leakage in their house, I had a sad experience (during my trip to Iran) of how my field of study could be helpful in a real world.
Today, you can hardly find a Japanese house without tens of gas sensors in it. Some for smokes and gas leakage, some for air quality control, etc.
The devices, small and relatively cheap, can save many lives specially in those countries with low safety standards. Many people are really unaware of the dangers around them and many do not care. But I think it is a duty of the authorities to give them enough information and force them to care about their own safety anyway...

Diligence

"I've not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work"
This is a quoatation from Tomas Alva Edison showing his diligence. Now I understand. I feel it here in Japan remembering what my professor said when we were trying hard and hard without a positive result. He said: "We never stop. If this idea does not work, we'll try another one".
No way!

Money money money

Bee Gees? No!
Actually it does not have anything to do with music. This is kind of thought I've had always in mind.
I remember a friend of mine, Mr. Ooji who was very inerested in design ( the story backs to about 20 years ago). I gave him a notebook asking for his best designations once. A week ( or so) later, he came with my notebook full of nice designs among which, new plots for money (notes) were quite interesting. Sophisticated drawings bringing nice pics on notes were fascinating.
It is almost 20 years and I'm still thinking to the topic. You know, money is a part of our daily life ( please forget about credit cards for a while) and it was wonderful if the authorities could ask the people to share their ideas for designation. Just take a look: Notes are coming with some faces on them. Depending on the type of government and its views, it can be a politician, a scientist, an artist etc. And a picture of a political, historical,... place on the back.
By the way, how do you like the designations?

Persian !

Some friends asked me to write my posts in Persian. I'm not sure if it helps visitors to a large extent as I can not write Persian better than English. What a shame! Writing in English is an excuse itself but persian (as my first language with all its beauties) leaves no excuse!
Anyhow, I'll try to write some memories in Persian as of today but will save them as drafts . I believe that putting these stuff on the net may force me to move out of the ring bit by bit. So, I'll continue my way until the next notice. Yes!Thoughts will be written in English as before in order to keep the BREEZE on air!

A smile just for you

Do you know that there is a society, on this planet (yes, on the earth) wherein everybody has a smile on face? Believe it or not, here everybody smiles.
No doubt. Wherever you go in this beautiful country, you'll see people smiling so you'll never get tired of doing your affairs. Shopping centers, city offices, gas stations,...Wonderful...
This, for sure, gives a good image and feeling to the people. To me, however, it is a little bit different. How come? Because in my opinion, it is impossible to have a population of about 120,000,000 and all be the same in behavior and habits. As a matter of fact, having a smile on face is a must here whether they like you or dislike. Wait... I have some reasons to prove my idea: Firstly, if you go outside early morning, you'll see people (employees, workers,...) lined up and practicing how to treat customers through bowing, saying "Irasshaimase" (Welcome), "OhayooGozaimasu" (Good morning),...
Second of all, taking a public transportation vehicle during rush hours you'll see many people in the bad mood. Later on, they change to nice persons for a few hours. This of course can not be extended to all (as there are many real-kind people here), but gives a rough estimate.
And thirdly, statistics show that Japan is among those countries with low job-satisfaction (only 5% is fully satisfied according to this). So, there is a big contrast: almost 100% of the employees treats you with his/her pretty smile but out of this, only 5% is really happy with his/her job.

Now, agree?
Anyhow, this is a society with a spectrum of citizens and it is natural/normal to see people in different moods or with different characters. In my experience, for example, I've made lots of nice friends who I can trust when they smile. My professors, some colleagues in the lab, and some friends who visit quite often are among them.

Stars on the earth

"Chijo no Hoshi" is a song by "Miyuki Nakajima", Japanese singer. The title means "Stars on the earth" and the song, released by Yamaha music in 2000, has been prepared for a TV program called "Project X". So far, it has the record of the longest-selling CD in J-Pop history.
Here is the English translation of the lyrics (taken from jciti.com with some edits):

**********
(Oh...) Subaru(Swallow) in the wind, Galaxy in the sand.
Where did they (the stars) go?
Doesn't anybody notice?
(Oh...) Pegasus in the field,Venus on the street corner.
Where did they (the stars) go?
Doesn't anybody care?
No one remembers the Earthly Stars.
We only look skyward.Tell me, swallow, from high above, where are they?Tell me, swallow, where are the Earthly Stars now?

(Oh...) Jupiter on a cliff, Sirius under the water.
Where did they go? Doesn't anybody care?
We seek fame, we seek glitter,People are like ice.
Tell me, swallow, from high above, where are they?Tell me, swallow, where are the Earthly Stars now?

We seek fame, we seek glitter,People are like ice.
(Oh...) Subaru (swallow) in the wind,Galaxy in the sand.
Where did they (the stars) go? Doesn't anybody notice?
Tell me, swallow, from high above, where are they?Tell me, swallow, where are the Earthly Stars now?
**********

The song, with impressive voice of the singer and glorious sound of Taiko, inspires everybody even those who do not know Japanese language. And when accompanied with the scenes of reconstruction of Japan after second world war, it gives you an incredible feeling with joys and sorrows...

Okuni wa dochira desu ka?

As a visitor, you should have heard this question when meeting a Japanese guy. In fact, those who have had a chance to go to Japan know that one of the very first questions is "Okuni wa dochira desu ka?" which means "Where are you from?"
This, in my opinion, is one of the strange habits here. Almost every single Japanese asks about the nationality of the people they meet as his/her first question. Most of them, in fact, want to know if you are an American. So that the question (before introduction) is "America kara desu ka?" meaning "Are you from America?".
The question, though not so important to many people, brings a message to all non-Americans so that many non-Americans introduce themselves as natives of the United States in order to get closer to the society. Do the Japanese really dislike other nationals? Asking my friends (from a variety of countries), some people beleive that Japanese people hate us. Others say that the main problem comes from lack of communication; if you can communicate, you'll be accepted. To me, however, it looks more complex. For sure, these people prefer to stay in touch with themselves rather than foreigners. Problems in speaking English, their personal character (most of them are shy), and the thoughts they grow up with, could be other reasons.

Fortunately, the huge number of programs and activities organized by schools and institutions seems to be helpful in providing a good image of other nationals to the Japanese, especially the young generation.

How big is your house?

Let me explain. It is not a stupid question...
I live in a house less than 30 square meters here in Japan and perhaps my room is even larger than that of many Japanese who live in an area smaller than 20 square meters. However, I do my career in a university which is standing on top of the mountain of gas sensor technology. A Big lab with everything you need.
When I was in my beloved country, on the other hand, houses were big (really big) but the schools and educational/research institutions were small. Many schools were nothing but a small building for which there was a probability of collapsation at any instant. Moreover, you could hardly find a teaching-aid facility in there. No lib and labs...

OK. What I want you to think about, is the big difference. Big houses and small schools there and, small houses and big schools here. Which one do you prefer?

Civilizations

Today, I've got a question to ask:

Q- Why the old civilizations (Persia, Greek, Rome,...) are left behind the development line?
(Development can be interpreted or viewed from different aspects and point of views such as education, technology, stability, etc).

Sign here please...

Several years ago, a movie (of which, I do not have the faintest idea about cast and crew) was broadcasted by IRIB. The story, anyway, was quite simple but annoying. A man (I think from eastern Europe) was wondering about a painting hung at the wall just over his desk. It was loose and could fall down right on the head of the miserable employee.
OK. He wanted to fix it but his colleagues said that it needs to be approved by the head of the office (or whatever) they worked for. So, he started to do the bureauctratic works needed. Years were passing and the man was still on the way...

I don't know if you've been stuck in such a process or not. But, I'd like to point two extremes:

1- You are in need of something so you got to meet all responsible (?) authorities asking for their signature under your request letter; a boring process which sometimes seems to be endless. This depends on both sides: you and the system. As long as you have enough energy and time, and depending on the mood of the system (and its workers), it may go ahead and there is a chance to win this rally.
2- You are in need of something. A responsible guy receives your request and asks you to sign it and leave it to the system. Here, after a proper time, you reach your goal.

The first case, needless to say, is still operated in many countries were there is almost no responsibility and time is priceless. In contrast, the second one belongs to the systems with high responsibility. In such a system, people care about your time and are really helpful. Things go ahead and come to conclusion.

Random walks

Have you ever been to undeveloped countries?
Or you live there? Anyway, what I'd like to tell today, is nothing but a visible scene you can see almost everyday in such countries. What? Well, just take a look at the streets; occupied by people who seem to be in rush. Think about it please. Thousands of people are just moving (it is mostly like a marathon) bumping and hiting eachother. But are they really in rush? Is someone waiting for them? Or is a job delayed? Not sure but most of these are just random walks for nothing. They just want to show themselves in this style.
Developed countries, on the other hand, do not suffer from such a disease (if I can call it this way). It seems to be no rush there or at least poeple do not pretend. Here, almost everything goes well without such sorts of shows...

All I really need to know

Today, I was thinking to the past: What I've done?
Well, here is the answer: Studying, research,...
So, here comes the second question which looks to be more important: What I've learned?

To each of us, obviously, our findings during our educational period is important and valuable as the future will be constructed based on the knowledge we earned during several years of our school life. However, the most important and invaluables are those we received in Kindergarten.

Robert Fulghum says:

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.
These are the things I learned:
Share everything.Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

Remember? Everybody has lernt enough. However, many of us leave them with our childhood. Lets try them again...

Dissapearing cities

Have you ever heard of dissapearing cities? Well, lets focus on this topic which seems to be a problem worldwide.
By dissapearing cities, here, I mean those small towns which are losing their population as a result of migration to the large cities.
According to Michael Donovan (as published by The Japan Journal), some towns are to be wiped off the map of Japan officially. Examples are Nishiki and Yamatsuri both located in Kyushu island. Young residents escape for life in the big cities, and the towns, unable to sustain their annual budget, will cease officially.
So, is there any solution to save these towns? Sure there is. In Yamatsuri , for example, an incentive program is launched in order to reverse the decline by offering a cash award (worth about 9600 US$) to each female resident who has a third child. The eligible women must have lived in Yamatsuri for more than a year and payments are made in installments until the child reaches the age of eleven (These are to avoid problems and discourage people who look for a million yen overnight).
So, here is the point I'd like to emphasis: The solution offered by the local authorities, mentioned above, seems to be applicable to any country, territory, whatsoever as it has less expenses compared to the long-term detrimental results of migrations. What do you think?

A useless man

Four months ago (Thursday, Jan 20th, 2005), I was talking to my ex-professor, N. Yamazoe, about my future plan; where I want to go after graduation? What I want to do?...
After a short talk, I asked him about his current situation (He was retired in March 2004). How is it going these days?
Nothing, he answered. And continued: I’m working for a university one day a week and am studying and taking a rest the rest of the week. I’m a useless man.
“You have been so helpful to the people so far. Don’t say that”, I replied. Then I was thinking to his words and was trying to understand his feelings. Why a man who devoted his whole life to the science and people should say that. A man with about 700 hundred international journal papers, 60 patents, 10 books and …
The main reason, in my opinion, is his viewpoint to the life. As any other Japanese, he has learned to work hard and hard. To the Japanese, in fact, working makes the foundation of life. They feel better when at work or on duty. Therefore, retirement could be supposed to the end of everything as it brings a gap to their lives. However, I think there is a dual feeling. The other side of the coin is that they want to be free after years of hard work. Having another talk with my professor, he said that there has been some requests by publishers to provide new editions of his books or those which he published as editor. “Do you really want to do this job?” I asked. “NO. I’d like to be free” he replied.
He is still doing his job as a great scientist and I’m sure that he’ll continue this way...

Just at the begining...

It is more than two years and a half as of my arrival to Japan. Before departure, I promised some friends to share my memories and experiences. This, however, could not be done because of the lack of time or my laziness. Thinking to my life here, with all its ups and downs, I decided to start writing via organizing a weblog; and hope that you find enough time to share your opinions, viewpoints, and so on.
The aim is clear! To breeze my mind; to revitalize those memories and thoughts; and to share my feelings...