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Izakaya

An izakaya  is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks. The food is usually more substantial than that offered in other types of drinking establishments in Japan such as bars or snack bars.

They are popular, casual and relatively cheap places for after-work drinking.

The name "izakaya" is a compound word consisting of "i" (to sit) and "sakaya" (sake shop), showing that izakaya originate from sake shops that allowed customers to sit at the premises to drink.

Izakaya are sometimes called akachōchin (red lantern) in daily conversation, because these paper lanterns are traditionally found in front of an izakaya.

Depending on the izakaya, customers sit on tatami mats and dine from low tables in the traditional Japanese style, or sit on chairs and drink/dine from tables. Many izakaya offer a choice of both, as well as seating by the bar.

Usually, you will be given an oshibori (wet towel) to clean your hands with; next an otōshi or tsukidashi (a tiny snack/an appetizer) will be served. This is local custom and usually charged onto the bill in lieu of an entry fee. Japanese people in Kantō region call it otōshi and Kansai people call it tsukidashi.

The menu may be on the table, or displayed on walls. Picture menus are common in larger izakaya. Food and drink are ordered throughout the course of the session as desired. They are brought to the table, and the bill is added up at the end of the session. Unlike other Japanese styles of eating, food items are usually shared by everyone at the table.

Common formats for izakaya dining in Japan are known as nomihodai ("all you can drink") and tabehodai ("all you can eat"). These formats are especially popular in large, chain izakaya. For a set price per person, customers can continue ordering as much food and / or drink as they wish, with a usual time limit of two or three hours.

Docomo to release SIM locks on mobile phones, other companies still cautious

NTT Docomo has announced they will be the first cell phone company in Japan to release the SIM locks on their phones that prevent users from using their phones with other carriers.

Other cell phone companies, however, are cautious, suggesting users will have to wait some time before they can freely choose a carrier separately from their phone.

A SIM lock refers to the restriction on a phone that only allows it to be used with its associated Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card, which contains a user's contract information with a particular carrier and restricts them to using that carrier.

By announcing the removal of SIM locks on their phones, Docomo is leading the industry and pressuring its rivals to follow. After other carriers unlock their phones, the company appears to believe customers will migrate to Docomo for reasons such as its phone line quality.

However, in addition to the cautious stance of other companies, there are other problems yet to be solved, such as some services being inaccessible with other companies' phones, so it is not clear that things will go according to Docomo's plans.

Among Docomo's competitors, Softbank Mobile in particular will be in a tight spot. They have publicly made it their policy not to unlock Apple Inc.'s iPhone and other popular devices, using SIM locks as a "weapon," in the words of company president Masayoshi Son, to fence in their customers. If they unlock their phones, they will have to consider how to prevent their customers from going to Docomo or KDDI, another of Japan's major mobile carriers.

Another obstacle is that each carrier's network services, such as Docomo's i-mode, could not be accessed by someone using a SIM card from another company's phone. Currently, it looks like only smart phones, not designed for any particular carrier, will keep full functionality when switching carriers.

Obama Urges Congress: Reform Immigration Rules

TOne of Barack Obama's campaign promises was to reform immigration policies. On Thursday he gave his first major speech on the issue as president.

BARACK OBAMA: "In sum, the system is broken. And everybody knows it."

One reason for the speech was the state of Arizona's recent passage of its own law against illegal immigration. That law has led to protests around the country. However, in public opinion surveys a majority of Americans support it. Mr. Obama criticized the law, but said such laws are the understandable result of inaction at the federal level.

After his speech, religious leaders demonstrated to call for Congress to act this year. Rabbi Michael Feingold works with immigrant and low-wage workers in New York.

MICHAEL FEINGOLD: "The way the system is now works for no one. It doesn't work for the immigrants themselves, it doesn't work for the government and it doesn't even work for some employers."

The president said reform must be comprehensive, dealing not just with future immigrants but also those here now. An estimated eleven million are undocumented.

BARACK OBAMA: "They must be required to admit that they broke the law. They should be required to register, pay their taxes, pay a fine and learn English. They must get right with the law before they can get in line and earn their citizenship."

In his speech the president did not announce any new proposals. Even after his appeal, Congress may consider the issue too divisive to deal with before the November elections.

In Arizona, officers are now being trained in the new law set to take effect July twenty-ninth. It requires police to confirm the immigration status of a person they meet during a lawful stop. That is only if the police have "reasonable suspicion" that the person is in the country illegally.

The law bars police from detaining anyone based on ethnic or racial appearance. But Hispanics and others say it could still lead to racial profiling. They say people, including legal residents and American citizens, could be unfairly targeted. Police say one thing that makes discussion of this law difficult is that many critics have not read the law.

Tucson police Sergeant Fabian Pacheco also notes that forty percent of officers in his city are Hispanic. Still, he says he worries that more people will avoid cooperating with the police, and that officers will have less time to fight more serious crimes.

Some also worry that officers could be sued under the law by people who accuse them of not doing enough enforcement. At the same time, civil rights activists could accuse them of being too aggressive.

The Obama administration and some Arizona cities hope to persuade a judge to block the new law.