2017/05/27

early days - Okayama Field Station (early 1950s) social science hub

Soon after WWII and during the time of occupation governance the Center for Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan (one of the war-time language centers to train personnel headed to Japan) got permission and assistance to establish a 3-part research location in rural Okayama prefecture. One team focused on agricultural livelihoods, another coastal resource base, and the third centered on mountain economic patterns of life. With a selection of social scientists using various approaches and projects, a lot of good fieldwork was conducted from which several books, many articles and conference presentations were produced. In recent months the U-M CJS has been uploading selected photos from the collection via their Facebook account. This screenshot gives a sampling of the 57 images as of May 27, 2017.
LINK to Facebook album, https://www.facebook.com/pg/umcjs/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1278945605481806
screenshot 5/2017 from U-Michigan Center for Japanese Studies, Facebook

2017/05/26

Japan projections, low-income living, economic base of young people


This (Japanese language, well illustrated) PDF from METI presents the familiar elements converging in Japan (and elsewhere) for a slow-motion disaster of social fragmentation, isolation, and ever increasing numbers of cracks one can fall through, http://www.meti.go.jp/committee/summary/eic0009/pdf/020_02_00.pdf
www.meti.go.jp
The graph showing rates of single-parent household poverty puts Japan at one extreme; something many people do not know about or understand.

English language article based on much of the same data is online at http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-fertility-crisis-2017-4

2017/05/19

Japanese lessons online, anybody? Duolingo tries on Japanese

There are limitations on language learning online, but here is one way to gain more Japanese exposure and experience, newly launched and likely to have updates as users chime in, http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/duolingo-helps-you-learn-japanese/

www.makeuseof.com
Duolingo has been helping people learn languages since 2011. However, it doesn't yet offer courses in every language, including Japanese. Until now...