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April 29, 2024
 

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Ashley Thompson

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Ashley Thompson
Ashley Thompson writes Surviving in Japan, a blog supporting expats living in Japan. She has been writing The Japan Times' Lifelines column since 2011.
For Ashley Thompson's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 28, 2011
Permanent residency, legal query, a lost friend
Mike has a question about applying for his permanent resident visa:
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 21, 2011
Permanent residents, mind the 'gap years' in your pension payments
In response to our previous pension articles, "Japan pension answers often case-specific" (April 19) and "Pension 'gap years' and missed payments" (May 10), we've received several reader inquiries and comments regarding kara kikan, or "gap years."
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 14, 2011
Support network backs Japanese-Filipino kids abandoned by fathers
We regularly receive emails from Japanese-Filipinos searching for their Japanese fathers. Many of these adults were abandoned as children, along with their Filipino mothers, while others were forced to leave Japan for various reasons.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 31, 2011
English magazines run gamut from poetry to prose, Kanto to Chubu
We received several additional English-magazine suggestions in response to our May 17 column, "Print is suffering, but English readers have never had it so good."
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 24, 2011
Pension payout query: to leave it or lump it?
Marc has a question about pension refunds for foreigners: "I was a resident of Japan for about 25 years and I paid into the system for about 20 years. Six years ago my Japanese employer transferred me to Vietnam. Since then we did an employee exchange with a South African company. This company has been paying my salary in Vietnam, but not my social benefits in Japan.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 17, 2011
Print is suffering, but English readers have never had it so good
Returning to Osaka after several years, James wonders what became of Kansai Time Out, the magazine that served the English-speaking community in that region and beyond:
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 10, 2011
Pension 'gap years' and missed payments
Responding to our April 19 column ("Japan pension answers often case-specific"), KW suggests that there are further conditions — aside from the special exemptions we mentioned — under which foreigners may be able to receive a pension without paying in for 25 years.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 3, 2011
Leaping the digital TV divide
Reader JC asked about the upcoming analog-to-digital TV changeover on July 24 and how to prepare for it. The available options are so varied that it can be overwhelming to sift through and try to understand exactly what you need, especially if you can't read Japanese. We did some searching, and here's what we found.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 19, 2011
Japan pension answers often case-specific
JM has a question about the Japanese national pension system: "I am an American citizen and permanent resident of Japan and have been living and working in the country continuously since 1988. During most of this time, I have been employed as a "local" hire by my company, and contributed to the Japanese pension systems. However, for two periods together totaling 68 months I was employed in an expatriate capacity, and did not contribute to the pension systems. Is it possible for me to make back contributions to the national pension system, and thus "recapture" the lost 68 months?
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 12, 2011
Quake aid, local services
For relief organizations, groups or individuals needing translators, Taichi W. sent information about the Japan Guide Consortium Volunteer Interpreters, a group of translators initially formed at the request of the government. Four are working in Sendai with the Indian National Disaster Response Force; other volunteers are available upon request. For more information, see the JGC Volunteer Facebook page ( www. facebook. com/ pages/ Japan- Guide- Consortium- Volunteer- Interpreters-Earthquake-Relief/ 149712655091836 ) or ( sites. google. com/ site/ jgcvolunteers/ ).
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 5, 2011
Quake aid, pet predictions
Reader D.C. recommends the Japan Chernobyl Foundation as a charity for victims of the earthquake and nuclear disaster. He writes:
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 29, 2011
Hosting, contacting survivors
Reader DB says: "I've created a Facebook group to provide Japanese victims with accommodation. Right now there are about 20 offers from different countries around the world. We need help contacting Japanese locals and/or organizations so people can actually get help."
COMMUNITY / LIFELINES
Mar 22, 2011
The relief effort: how you can help
A few readers have questions about donating supplies.
COMMUNITY / LIFELINES
Mar 15, 2011
All is not lost when 'carded'
Reader SW writes:
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Putin’s war will soon reach Russians’ tax bills
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting in St. Petersburg on Friday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

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