http://www.hodakapottery.com/pottery/500-bowls/ Handmade stoneware pottery by Hodaka Hasebe Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:36:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.hodakapottery.com/pottery/500-bowls/comment-page-1/#comment-13 hodaka pottery Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:09:00 +0000 http://www.hodakapottery.com/uncategorized/500-bowls-2/#comment-13 Hi, Lee I have grown up in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Back in primary school days, we sneaked into and played the baseball in Fujifilm's ballpark for their housing. <br/>It seems "life long employment" was the way of the past in Japan. Hope the economy turns around quickly. Hi, Lee I have grown up in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Back in primary school days, we sneaked into and played the baseball in Fujifilm’s ballpark for their housing.
It seems “life long employment” was the way of the past in Japan. Hope the economy turns around quickly.

]]> http://www.hodakapottery.com/pottery/500-bowls/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Lee Love Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:52:00 +0000 http://www.hodakapottery.com/uncategorized/500-bowls-2/#comment-12 My mother's family lived behind their coffee shop in Sakai, Japan. My father bought the property for them as a sort of dowry gift when he married my mother. For years, they ran a coffee shop and supported themselves. Most of their customers were from the Fujifilm housing and recreation center across the street from them. When the Fuji film plant closed in the '70s, their business went downhill. They eventually turned the coffee shop into a karaoke bar, which never made much money. My uncle retired and closed the family business and passed away within a year of retirement.<br/> We have always had an incorrect idea about "life long employment" in Japan. In addition to regular employees, they hire "part time" employees. Most foreign workers fall into this category. The part time workers are being laid off in droves and company housing pulled from under them. Things are tough everywhere. My mother’s family lived behind their coffee shop in Sakai, Japan. My father bought the property for them as a sort of dowry gift when he married my mother. For years, they ran a coffee shop and supported themselves. Most of their customers were from the Fujifilm housing and recreation center across the street from them. When the Fuji film plant closed in the ’70s, their business went downhill. They eventually turned the coffee shop into a karaoke bar, which never made much money. My uncle retired and closed the family business and passed away within a year of retirement.
We have always had an incorrect idea about “life long employment” in Japan. In addition to regular employees, they hire “part time” employees. Most foreign workers fall into this category. The part time workers are being laid off in droves and company housing pulled from under them. Things are tough everywhere.

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