Nick Ramsay – Page 33 – THE LONG COUNTDOWN

Comparing the UK and Japan’s Fingerprinting Plans

November 16, 2007November 19, 2007 Nick RamsayJapan

There’s an awful lot of talk, and rightly so, about Japan’s implementation of biometric fingerprinting at international airports this month. As I understand it, any foreigner over the age of 16 who doesn’t have diplomatic status or a “special” permanent residency visa will be photographed and fingerprinted on entry to the country. Here’s a poster and more official information on the new entry procedures. Foreigners outraged by new security measures […]

Sleep Better with a Nose Band Aid

November 15, 2007 Nick RamsayMiscellaneous

In my previous post about sleeping, I said that I get about 8 hours sleep a night, usually from 3am to 11am. What I didn’t tell you was my secret for getting a good night’s sleep. A big nose doesn’t help you breathe more easily I blogged about my big nose before, and while it may make me look dashingly handsome to Japanese women, it definitely doesn’t help me breathe […]

If You Could Only Sleep for 1 Hour, Would You?

November 14, 2007November 14, 2007 Nick RamsayJapan

One of my students was telling meÂ about a magazine article she read on the topic of sleep. Apparently,Â a famous doctorÂ claims that if you sleep on a hard floor, you only need two hours of sleep each night! How much sleep do you get? It seems most people agree on the need for 7-8 hours sleep. My typical sleeping hours are 3am-11am. Not ordinary, but that’s what happens when you’re an […]

My Wife Has Gaming Skills

November 9, 2007 Nick RamsayFamily

She denies it now, but when the Nintendo DS was released, Mami begged me to get her one. Like most husbands, I thought it would be a great chance to get my wife into gaming, so I rushed out and got her a little, white DS Lite with Tetris and Super Mario Bros. Hooked on the Nintendo DS MamiÂ was over the moon and played it day and night. Some nights, […]

Rikuto Playing with his Pooh

November 9, 2007 Nick RamsayFamily

Our three and a half month-old son, Rikuto, went for his BCG jab today and cried louder than he ever has. When he got home though, he found one of his favorite toys, the Pooh Carousel, recharged with new batteries. He went crazy trying to grasp the dangling Pooh, and had more luck off-camera, but you can still see how much Rikuto loves his flying Pooh. If you can’t see […]

Gifu Kakamigahara Incinerator

November 8, 2007November 8, 2007 Nick RamsayJapan

A five-minute drive from our house into the mountains and we’re at the Gifu Kakamigahara Incinerator. Yes, if you read Oh My Gomi – Part 2, you’ll realize this was the place I finally disposed ofÂ a bug infested, five-year-old bag of rubbish. Living near an enormous, heavy dutyÂ incineratorÂ The convenience of living so near to a giant incineratorÂ outweighs the fear of toxic clouds or other environmental concerns. Okay,Â I realize there […]

Queen Himiko – Empress of Japan

November 7, 2007 Nick RamsayJapan

On September 6th, 2006, Prince and Princess Akishino gave birth to their third child. It was an important event because at 39 years old, it was looking unlikely that the couple would have another child, and had it not been a boy, Japan would have had no heir to the Emperor’s throne. The birth of Prince HisahitoÂ finally ended the debate over whether the country should allow female succession. The Japanese […]