Great Chitter Chatter - Stories from Loud Voices

A huge website in its own rite, Yahoo Japan is widely popular and financially worth almost as much as the U.S. based Yahoo site. These two websites have several similarities, but if you take a look at the Japanese style website, then the differences between them clearly jump out at you. The U.S. based Yahoo Company actually owns around 34% of the Japanese site.

The Yahoo site in Japan offers several different categories of interest to those who use it. They offer a broadband service, the ability to shop online, a business solution center and an auction site, among many other items. This is most likely why this site is so widely popular with the Japanese people. They of course, also offer many traditional items that one would expect to find on a yahoo site. These include email, the ability to set up web pages that can be personalized, and message boards. There is also a social network available that is named Yahoo Days.

If you took a look at the Yahoo Japan website, then you would notice significant differences from the U.S. Yahoo site, other than the use of the Japanese language. To those who are not familiar with the site, it would most likely look very cluttered and perhaps even a bit unorganized. For the Japanese people, this is not the case. It is true that the front page of the site contains a lot of information, but start pages that are crammed full of information are expected in the modern Japanese culture of the internet. Another item that might shock those not familiar with the Japanese internet is the fact that while the Japanese people love their online auctions, Ebay is not an auction craze. Ebay actually opened an office in Tokyo back in 1999, yet it could not compete with the Japanese Yahoo auction site.

While there are some similarities between the U.S. Yahoo website and Yahoo Japan, the differences greatly outweigh them. The Japanese Yahoo site is widely popular, as it is the U.S. site, and garners a huge amount of traffic each month. This website contains several different elements, including an auction site, online shopping, and broadband services. The front page offers a huge amount of information that keeps the Japanese people who are surfing online, updated on everything from business news on Japanese companies, to the latest happenings in pop culture and celebrity news.

You’re neat, detailed, organized… always have been, always will be. Lists are your thing, your desk is often immaculate, and even when clutter springs up, you’ve usually tackled it within a week. You planned your wedding from start to finish, you planned birthday parties for the children, graduation parties, surprise anniversary parties, Thanksgiving dinners, retirement celebrations. So why not plan your funeral arrangements in advance to control the final details of your life and lessen the burden on your loved ones?

The casket can be the most expensive part of the traditional family funeral. Loved ones feel especially torn when selecting an appropriate burial container. They wonder if you would have wanted pine or mahogany, they wonder if people will think they are cheap. The truth is, after the funeral, no one will ever see your casket again! Therefore, you may want to look into renting a casket and selecting a less expensive burial container. If your family is low-key and doesn’t care much for appearances, then a simple casket made of plastic or pine will be just fine. You can also choose from fiberglass, wood, plastic or metal, and you can even find them online! If you do purchase your casket online, then be aware that federal regulations state that funeral homes cannot charge you extra for supplying your own casket.

Instead, you may choose the direct cremation option (which runs from $300 - $600). If direct cremation sounds appropriate to you, then you’ll only pay for the funeral director’s consultation, a non-metal body container, hearse fees for crematorium transport, and an urn or container for the ashes. Some Christians desire burial of the ashes, in which case you’ll need to buy a grave site, marker and hardier container. Even so, this option is generally cheaper, though it doesn’t allow people that elaborate face-to-face mourning.

What is a grave liner or vault, and is it really necessary? A grave liner or vault is required as an outer burial container to surround the casket in the grave and prevent the ground from settling or sinking over time. The necessity of a grave liner depends upon the individual cemetery, so you may want to shop around at a few places. If this is not feasible, then don’t fret too much - liners usually don’t cost too much.

Think about your family and friends. Do they need to see you one last time before they can say goodbye? Or will a cremation and memorial service suffice? You can even go so far as to plan out your post-funeral arrangements as well. Did you have a favorite breakfast restaurant or buffet? Or perhaps you feel it’d be appropriate for the family to celebrate your life outdoors at one of your favorite parks. These are all things to think about and put in writing now.