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Hello from Japan. We've been having some
off-and-on problems with the J-List server, which we've gotten
under control again, we think. As before, if you ever experience
slowness with the site, please try again shortly and it should
work for you. We'll get this permanently fixed soon!
Okinawa is the southernmost prefecture in
Japan, a volcanic atoll of small islands that fell under
Japanese control in 1609 and became a modern prefecture in 1879.
Although Okinawa is part of Japan today, it has a unique
language and culture that's very different from the rest of the
country. Surprisingly, Okinawa is also the name of a town in
Bolivia, which was founded by 278 Okinawans who migrated there
in the aftermath of World War II. The Okinawan islands were
devastated during the war, and without prospects for work, many
locals were forced to leave their homes forever and start new
lives in South America. The original immigrants who founded the
colony in Bolivia had to cut their way through dense jungle, and
many died from local diseases, but they eventually prospered.
Tens of thousands of Japanese made their way to countries like
Bolivia, Peru and Brazil at different times during the 20th
century, and there are sizable minority populations of nikkei
(Japanese-descended) people throughout South and Central
America. Japanese immigration law grants special visa status to
people with Japanese ancestry who want to come work in
Japan.
Tomo is a happy man today -- he'll finally get
the Mazda RX-8 he ordered a month ago. The way new cars are sold
in Japan is quite different from the U.S.: instead of going
through third party dealers, most every new car is sold through
a showroom operated by each auto manufacturer, such as Toyota's
Netz and Nissan's Blue Stage showrooms, located in each city. If
you've ever bought a Saturn, all of this might sound familiar to
you, since GM based the brand directly on this Japanese model.
In Japan, rather than choose a car from the dealer's stock, you
order your car new, and they make it in the factory and deliver
it to you in a month or so. This insures that you get exactly
the car you want, and you also get to enjoy the anticipation of
waiting for your car to come, which really is fun. Like most
Japanese, Tomo went out of his way to ensure that he received
his car on a lucky day. The old lunar calendar used by Japan
featured weeks with six days, and the Japanese believe that some
days are inherently lucky or unlucky. The six days are Taian
(the luckiest day, most weddings and construction groundbreaking
ceremonies are held on this day), Butsumetsu ("Day of
Buddha's Death," very unlucky), Senpu (the afternoon is
lucky), Tomobiki (never have a funeral on this day, or it will
cause bad luck for everyone who attends), Sensho (a good day to
do something on the spur of the moment), and Shakko (an
all-around unlucky day, except for an hour around lunchtime).
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