Japan Social Issues- Aging Population

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/06/21/japans-aging-population-and-public-deficits/

Throughout our adventures, we have noticed that in Japan... we don't see many children. All we see is the older generation. So we decided to look more into detail about this and figure out how we can help.

Through families we have talked to, we found out that the aging population is making it more difficult to have children, thus decreasing the population rate. The older generation is now in need of more benefits and social security, which is bad for their economy. Japan is now aging faster than any other nation. It is difficult for the economy to keep up.

We proposed two solutions to this problem:
1) Even though the generations are older now, there is still a chance for them to have children. With all the benefits they're getting, it wouldn't be hard to raise them.
2) Help the economy by possibly raising taxes. I know no one likes this idea, but the more money the government gets, the more benefit that comes out of it.  

Works Cited

Works Cited:

1) "Japan, Nine Months after the Tsunami." Rescue and Refugee Support. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2012.
2) Bray, Adam. "Vietnam's Own 'great Wall' Uncovered." CNN. Cable News Network, 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 18 Dec. 2012.
3) "JAPANESE CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS." JAPANESE CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2012.
4) "Culture of Vietnam." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Dec. 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2012.
5) http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2012/06/21/japans-aging-population-and-public-deficits/


6)Harney, Alexandra. "OPINION; Without Babies, Can Japan Survive?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Dec. 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2012.
7)Fuller, Thomas. "Property Crash in Vietnam's Cities Drags Down Nation's Economy." The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Aug. 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2012.
8) Vietnam Today Problems. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2012

Vietnam Social Issues- Poverty

http://www.haivenu-vietnam.com/vietnam-today-problems.htm

Today, we decided to head out to the rural areas of Vietnam. And to our surprise, we came across a lot of homes that were non-existant. Poverty had overcome these areas. We talked to a couple families and asked them how this came to be and whats happening to these places. They told us that everyone is moving to more city areas, but that leads to more social issues such as unemployment rates rising very quickly. We also learned that 3/4 of Vietnam was in poverty in the mid-1980's, and the government was pretty successful in dealing with this issue. That being said, you can't fix everything.

My friend and I were thinking about ways to fix this and we decided to volunteer a little bit. We're going to spend tomorrow working with the families and helping them make food for meals for a week. But for the long run, the only thing that we really can do is talk to the government and make sure that they are continuing to think about and consider the poverty that still exists in Vietnam. Every little bit counts.

Vietnam Economic Situation

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/business/global/23iht-vietnam23.html?pagewanted=all

We've been touring Vietnam and asking people what they thought about the economic situation of their country. Many of them answered that they were afraid of an economic meltdown. When we went to go investigate more about this, we came across the building as shown in the picture. We learned that this was supposed to be a Saigon Residence, or an apartment building, and they only got as far as the first floor when they didn't have enough money to finish the project. This is not the only place where we have seen this. Many projects lay in a pile of moldy bricks, rusted pipes, and rusting steel rods. This, apparently, is not an uncommon thing to see in Vietnam. However, it surprised  us.

Japan Economic Situation

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/opinion/sunday/without-babies-can-japan-survive.html?ref=economicconditionsandtrends&_r=0

My friend and I wanted to explore the education systems today in Japan, we decided to go to an Elementary school in Nanmoku where there is a whopping ONE student in the first grade class. We asked around about why there aren't more students in these classes and the only response is that the generations are getting too old to have kids anymore and there is not enough money to go around for the education system. We learned that more than 56% of Nanmoku's population is over the age of 65. At this rate, the sales of adult diapers will exceed that of baby diapers. We went around talking to different couples who all agreed that they would like to have more than two children, but can't because of the economic situation they are dealing with. And no one is doing anything about it. They would rather spend the money on useless construction than the education of their children.

Vietnam Characteristics!

Connection to our culture!! The Vietnam like to play chess too! :) Their's however, it a lot bigger version. They like to play it outside in the yard on a big board marked out on grass. They follow the rules of the Chinese chess.

In the past, marriage was a huge tradition in Vietnam. People were getting married at young ages and the wedding was planned by parents and extended family. However in the modern days, as I witnessed today, people are free to marry whom they choose. Yes thats right, I went to a Vietnamese wedding today :) There are two different ceremonies during a Vietnamese wedding, the Lễ Ǎn Hỏi and the Lễ Cưới. Where the main focus is on the grooms family. Sometime before the wedding, they visit the brides family and on the wedding day they go to the brides house and ask permission for the groom to marry the bride.



Video!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG2JbbZqkoQ







http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Vietnam

Japan Characteristics Im Finding

I am learning so many things on my adventure! I have learned so far that Japan has one of the oldest literary traditions on earth. One of the earliest works of literature was Kojiki or record of ancient matters written in 712 A.D. I have also learned about the Japanese cuisine. Rice porridge, okayu or kayu, is very popular because it is easily digestable. A lot of Japanese have this for breakfast in the mornings or top them with vegetables or chicken for a dinner meal.

Video!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvksaZp-s34

http://www.csudh.edu/global_options/375Students-Sp96/Japan2/CultChars.html

First stop in Vietnam!

On my first day in Vietnam, we went exploring and encountered the newly found "Great Wall" of Vietnam. In the mountains of a providence in Vietnam, we found a 79 mile long wall where there are more than 50 ancient forts are located. We also learned that it will help promote historical ecotourism, meaning it would create the greatest trek in Southeast Asia. Cycling may become a popular way to see the wall, also promoting the tourism. It was a great experience seeing all of the forts and learning about their history. More to come soon!

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/25/vietnam.wall/index.html

First stop in Japan!

It has been 9 months since the tsunami here in Japan. I am seeing that things are starting to come together and there is a lot of help still here trying to figure everything out and help anyone who needs it. Taking about $235 billion out of the economy for this disaster, as well as leaving as many as 22,000 people dead, it looks like things are finally starting to come back together. I’m hoping that this will increase tourism in this area as people are wanting more and more to help out.

http://www.rescue.org/blog/japan-nine-months-after-tsunami

Getting Started!

First stop: JAPAN! :)

Second stop: Vietnam! :)