J-Station

The economic boom in English-speaking countries like the US and Ireland together with the stagnation of the Japanese economy has made Japan a less popular working location in recent years. The chances of meeting a wealthy Japanese person in a bar or on the train who is willing to give you wads of cash just to sit and chat in a cofee shop are not what they used to be. But the obsession with learning English continues and the fact that it's still possible to get a reasonable, or better, working wage simply by virtue of being a native speaker of a foreign language continues to bring new faces to the country every year.

many people see Japan as a land of future opportunities. Changes to the economic landscape are being wrought by deregulation and the Internet and more foreign companies than ever are expanding into this, the world's second-largest market. Language and cultural barriers have long been embedded in the distinct Japanese style of doing business, but even this is beginning to change. There is hope for a higher English fluency rate in the not-too-distant future but teachers will always be needed.
Long-standing cornerstones of business practice, such as guaranteed lifetime employment and rigid keiretsu corporate affiliations are being undermined. Foreigners have been brought in to make some painful changes, such as the massive cuts at Nissan, that local managers just can't seem to bring themselves to carry out. So whether you're interested in making some yen to finance a back-packing trip around Southeast Asia or taking over the helm at a future multinational corporation, we hope we can be of some assistance.

Bonsai, on the other hand, means 'pot plant' and the art form involves raising living trees, often over a period of several years. While they are small, bonsai are not actually different from the trees we see around us, they are not miniature species. Rather they are small branches of a tree, carefully chosen, pruned and cultivated so that they look like smaller versions of their own species. They are also displayed in a way that shows off their best features, usually in a simple, shallow pot.

Bonsai is about the combination of the plant and the pot. There are many different styles of bonsai such as: broom style - a tapered trunk topped by a symmetrical area of foliage; cascading style - the pot is kept on a platform and the branches 'cascade' down below it; windswept style - resembles a tree that has grown up in an area exposed to strong winds. Saikei is similar to and often confused with bonsai, but is actually closer to ikebana. Different species of small trees as well as other plants, rocks and sand are used to create miniature landscapes.
Gardening in many forms has been enjoying something of a boom in Japan in recent years and those with limited space have been rediscovering the charms and challenges of this part of their native culture. As I said, bonsai are real trees in miniature and are not usually suitable as houseplants (some species have been developed for indoors). Usually they are hardy and can handle most weather. In fact, their growth may be adversely affected by artificial (ie. indoor) light and heat conditions, depending on your climate and the origin of the tree species. Even a small city apartment balcony can be big enough to build up a collection, something of an oasis for many urban dwellers. The smallest of bonsai, called mame (bean) can be just a couple of inches tall and a collection may also have trees a couple of feet high. The most popular are about 6 inches to a foot.

Lolita is a childlike innocence and old-fashioned elegance. It's distinctive style is most obviously from the Victorian and Rococo eras to look like porcelain dolls, but you will see a lot of influence from the Edwardian period and even some 40s and 50s American clothing styles - any time period in which fashion was elegant and beautiful. The bell-shaped skirt provides the typical silhouette, but it is neither what makes something lolita nor is it required of all lolitas. There is no one item of clothing or a color or trim that embodies all that is lolita - it is a unique aesthetic that's hard to perfect. To some there's a lifestyle attached - not only wearing the clothes as often as possible but also taking part in lolita activities and following a certain code of etiquette - but to others it is merely a clothing style. Lolita can be an escape from the mundane, or an attempt to return to a more innocent time in life. It's something a little bit different to everyone, but what lolitas have in common is a shared desire to wear really awesome clothes.

Elegant Gothic Aristocrat (EGA) (also sometimes referred to as Gothic Lolita Aristocrat (GLA)) is a line of Aristocrat fashion-style clothing created by Japanese musician and fashion designer Mana for his store, Moi-même-Moitié. It has branches in Shinjuku and Nagoya, Japan as well as online through CDJapan. Another brand that makes EGA/GLA-like clothing is Atelier Boz.

Aristocrat fashion as a whole is often labeled in Western fashion as “Elegant Gothic Aristocrat” or “EGA”, but the term applies only to the line of clothing in Moi-même-Moitié.

The style itself centers on the concept of androgyny and often has identical outfits for both men and women. The clothing is usually limited to black, white and dark colors, and the main image is founded on elegance and simplicity. EGA makes up half of the Moi-même-Moitié fashion lines; the other half being EGL, or Elegant Gothic Lolita, which differs from EGA in that it’s strictly dresses, combining Goth fashion with Lolita fashion: the image of expensive French porcelain collectors’ dolls.

The clothing lines are usually simple and tight, with pants or long skirts that stand in contrast to the Lolita style. Typical gothic piercings and tattoos are not particularly compatible with the clothing; however dark, heavy makeup may be worn by both sexes.

EGA is a preference among older people who feel they’ve outgrown or are too old for the Lolita fashion and Gothic lolita styles. Many of these people will turn to EGA as a more mature alternative