Posted in: Do you acknowledge the reality of human-caused climate change? See in context
When it comes to respecting the Earth, the environment, and the gift of everything this beautiful world naturally offers. As human beings we can't wait for usless entities like countries to do something about this problem. We must empower ourselves to respect this Earth and treasure its beauity because its the only place we have. Be empowered and take things into your own hands and show respect for the world around you!
8 ( +10 / -2 )
Posted in: What do you think of restaurant guides like Michelin? See in context
In my opinion, these guides are completely over rated and meaningless. In the end how the food tastes is for my own or my families judgment.
10 ( +10 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan reaches its lowest-ever ranking on Education First’s 2024 English Proficiency Index See in context
おめでとう, English is not my native language and Im pretty bad at it too. My Japanese which is the same level as my English. The only reason why I can speak English is I spent five years in the US. The only reason why I can speak Japanese is because I have lived in Japan for 18 years, I enjoy it and my wife doesn't speak German or English. I'm not afraid to make mistakes and fail.
32 ( +40 / -8 )
Posted in: Gov't eyes ¥30,000 cash handouts to stimulate Japan's economy See in context
One of the biggest arguments for high prices and price increases is the costs of logistics and moving freight from the supplier to the buyer due to fuel costs. How much is the government getting every time you go to the gasoline stand and fill up your car?
ガソリン税 (Gasoline Tax per litre) 53.8
石油石炭税 (Oil and Coal tax per litre) 2.8 yen
To top it all off the 消費税 Consumption Tax per litre (10% of the cost per litre)
In Ishikawa prefecture the cost of Gasoline per litre varies. I live in Oku Noto and the Gas is the Most expensive in the prefecture here at 181 per litre but in Kahoku city close to Kanazawa it costs about 164 at the Kahoku Aion.
How much is the government making every time I fill up my gas tank here in Noto Cho in Oku Noto area.
My K car takes about 21 litres of Gas and my car is fule efficient.
21 x 181 = 3,801 Yen
How much Gas tax is actually in that 181 Yen per litre? Here is how to calculate it.
53.8 + 2.8 = 56.6 yen per liter of Gas just for the Gas tax.
181 x 10% = 18.1 yen
56.6 + 18.1 = 74.7 yen in Gas tax per litre. Lets make it even to 74 yen per litre.
How much of that 3,801 yen is tax?
74 x 21 = 1,554
I am paying 1,554 yen to the government every time I get gas. The actual cost of gasoline is only 2,247 yen.
Lets say I go to the Gas station once a week to get gas which many Japanese do some go to the Gas Stand more often. Lets see how much the Japanese government is making if you go to the Gas stand one a week. There are 52 weeks in a year.
1,554 x 52 = 80,808 yen per year in gasoline tax a lone. My car is a simple K car and not a 乗用車 (regular car). Not a K car.
Lets do the same for a regular car at an average price of 165 yen pre litre.
Regular car takes about 30 litres of Gas.
53.8 + 2.8+ 16.5= 73.1 yen per litre of Gas
73.1 x 30 = 1,633 Yen
1,633 x 52 = 84,916 yen per year.
On top of the Gasoline tax if you own a regular car there are a lot more taxes taken out per year. The Car tax is about 60,000 yen per year. On a K car is between 7,000 yen and 12,000 yen much more cost efficient.
Gas Tax per year and the Car tax per year together
84,916 + 60,000 = 144,916 yen per year in taxes just for your car. On top of this there is also 車検 (Car inspection which the government gets a cut of as well)
Just to own a car and use it your paying an extra 144,916 if you own a regular car to the government. For a K car 90,808. I didn’t even calculate the price of Car inspection which the government does get a cut of.
Getting back to the argument of price increase due to logistics. Just imgine how much it costs to fill up a truck with a tank of Gas and the absolute Huge amount the Government is making on them per year. Let a lone the cost of the car tax on a truck.
It looks like the government, with its high taxes on Gasoline, Car tax, and car inspection tax, is also part of the cause of the high costs of inflation on food and products. Instead of giving these ridiculous cash handouts of 30,000 yen do something that will ease the problem entirely and help the consumer. Let the consumer can keep that 144,916 yen or 90,808 money where its supposed to be in people banks for savings accounts.
Do this by the following:
Get rid of the Gas 53.8 yen gas tax. Make it 0.
Keep the 2.8 Oil and coal tax for the environment.
Get rid of the ridiculous 10% consumption tax. (Which your making over and over and over and over again from the producer, to the supplier, to the transporter, to the store, and to the consumer).
Note my home countries gas tax is higher however with the take home income of the average Japanese family this tax is truly painful at the Gasoline stand and at the check out counter at the Supermarket.
12 ( +14 / -2 )
Posted in: Ishiba eyes utility bill subsidies, cash handouts as fresh stimulus See in context
Just as the DPP proposed lower the higher the tax wall from 103 to 178. Lower the gas tax or get rid of the consumption tax! This will put food on families tables and extra money in their pockets where their hard earned money should go!
5 ( +5 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan opposition gets 1st key Diet post in 30 years, in blow to PM See in context
This is really a time of waiting and seening. Ishiba should stay as Prime Minister at least until the house councelors election next year. 国民民主党 (DPP) has really taken a step up to get his policy out there and heard to the people of Japan. He has really steped up and has been more vocal of change and future policy than Noda. Tamaki Policy of changing the taxable income wall from 103万 to 178万 would be a steep tax cut for everyone and very welcomed when companies refuse to increase pay and lessen the burden of the price increases. The CDPJ or Noda is not really proposing much of anything except watch and see approach. Just remember why Noda was the best prime minister the LDP never had and put there conor stone policy through against much of his own party and the people of Japan.
Here is a link to educate yourself about the the opposition party DPP its in Japanese if you are a long term resident like me who has lived here for 18years or even if your here for just 7 years or more and know understand Japanese. This is Tamaki Sans you tube channel.
https://youtu.be/A2xE8gucaDc?si=3-AKvFjkS77Yhbfb
Get to know the oppostition!
5 ( +5 / -0 )
Posted in: History, nature and delicious cuisine in Ishikawa and the Noto Peninsula See in context
I live in Yanagida in Noto Cho in Okunoto. My wife and I have lived here for seven years now, survived the events of January 1st, and still love it here. Noto cho has very fresh food, the Sushi is inexpensive from local restaurants like Benizushi, and Mori Mori Sushi in Ushitsu. Everything here is locally run, including all restaurants and many supermarkets. There are several Bread shops in Noto Cho, Uwami Pan, Noto Pain, and Sato Pan. The nature and views of Noto Cho are breathtaking, especially if you drive along Route 35 on Toyama Bay. On very clear days, when you drive along Route 35, you can see the snow-capped peaks of the Northern Alps across Toyama Bay. I really enjoy driving my motorbike around Noto on my day off, which is also a lot of fun. You can also visit Yanagida Shokubutsuen (Noto Botanical Gardens) to enjoy nature. One of the reasons my wife and I love living here is because we love the tranquility of the nature of Noto and the beautiful night sky. You can clearly thousands of stars here at night. Noto really is a beautiful place. The summers here are relatively cooler than most areas south of Noto. Noto is a great place to visit but right now we are still slowly recovering from the Earthquake. Just another thing to factor in if your planning to visit Noto.
3 ( +3 / -0 )
Posted in: Consumption tax cut unlikely after Sunday's election See in context
Anytime the price rises this is nothing but an added bonus to the consumption tax because it increases the tax without having to raise it. These politicans will hold on to this as it were gold.
2 ( +3 / -1 )
Posted in: Voters in Noto hit by quake, rain call for support to rebuild See in context
I am a resident of Noto cho and have been living here since 2016. My wife and I bought a home here, it was built in the Meiji era. My home is located about 19 km from the epicenter in Suzu. Like many other homes built in the Meiji era, Noto was spared much of the devastation due to how and where they were built. Just like other residents who live in Noto, we are still live in our home, but other than cleaning it up and doing minor reforms to it that I can do on my own, our home is still in the same state as it was on January 1st, just after the Earthquake.
The absolute slowness of the reconstruction is really insanity. We can't rely on local carpenters because there is at least three-year waiting list. Most people in my area are on that waiting list.
Here is another problem, my wife and I found out local carpenters don't specialize in fixing homes from Earthquake damage. We attended an event in Wajima in August about reforming homes that have sustained Earthquake damage. A carpenter who hosted the event who was from the Nagoya area specializes in Earthquake disasters. He reformed homes in the Tohoku area and Kumamoto. He fixes older homes with 曳家工事(hiya Koujii). We told him about our home and he wanted to see it. He visited the next day and took a look at our home and made his calculations, and he could fix it faster and at a much more affordable price than what the local carpenters were telling us. Most local carpenters would say it is impossible to repair just by hearing how old our home was. Even the ones who did visit our home also said the same thing but most didn't even access the foundation, which I knew was ridiculous from the start. The ones who did quoted us a somewhat affordable price but we would have to be put on a waiting list that would take years before we can fix it. We are hoping we can get the hikiya Kouji done around December and from there we are going to reform the home. When we reform the inside after the hikiya kouji hopefully everything would be done by the middle of next year.
As Suzu and Wajima both of these cities are in a sad state many homes are still wrecked and debris are everywhere. Streets are still in disrepair. How slow the reconstruction is going is really embarrassing for the Japanese government. It too three times to get our 罹災証明書 (disaster certification done properly), it finally arrived on September 28th. That just shows you how slow this country is in the recovery. It really is going to take more than three years for there to be a recovery. Even though my wife is from Aomori and I'm from Germany, my wife and our daughter love Noto because of its peacefulness and natural beauty. The locals of Noto are in my opinion the most friendly people in Japan that's why we love it here and won't leave.
10 ( +10 / -0 )
Posted in: Concerns persist over Osaka Expo preparations 6 months before opening See in context
Lets waste a galactic amount of money playing fantasy future. While this money could be used toward natural disaster recovery and prevention of future natural disasters.
0 ( +2 / -2 )
Posted in: Hokkaido sunset See in context
Nice but you can see that view anywhere on the Sea of Japan. Where I live in Ishikawa has much more breath taking views especially from August to the beginning of November.
-4 ( +0 / -4 )
Posted in: Ishiba to dissolve Diet for 'honeymoon' snap election See in context
I completely dispise the LDP but I completely dispise Noda even more for his sell out of his own party when he was PM.
Ishiba better be careful with this because if the LDP does loose seats but still wins his stint as PM might be over before it starts and then we have to deal more than likely with Takaichi who to me is on the same level as Noda.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Looking at the state of global financial markets, what would you advise people to invest their money in? See in context
Making money through royalties and other forms of passive income.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Netanyahu vows to use 'full force' against Hezbollah and dims hopes for a cease-fire See in context
The flag of this group says who and what they are. The Hezbolla flag is yellow, with green word Alla written in there form of Aribic (not interested in mid east languages so not sure what form it is) and on top of the name is a green I machine gun. That just says who, they are, what they support, and what they will do to achieve all of their goals.
Even in my home country as of late stabbings and other forms of terror have been rising given rise to parties like the AFD. Groups like Hezbolla are a cancer on its host country and plague to there neighbors.
-4 ( +5 / -9 )
Posted in: Japan ruling party leadership race begins with record 9 candidates See in context
Same policy different face for LDP. Noda the worst of all of them is running for CDP president.
0 ( +3 / -3 )
Posted in: Japan wants its hardworking citizens to try a 4-day workweek See in context
You want to end extreme overtime in Japan. Than the government needs to create stiff laws with penalties if violated.
Stiff laws that create manditory pay for all time logged in. If the government wants to end 残業for good all the government needs to do is to make any form of work after your scheduled to leave any time after your salary will go up two times what you are paid during normal work hours! That will end usless afer working hours and benefit empolyees.
4 ( +4 / -0 )
Posted in: Ex-PM Noda to run in Japan's main opposition leadership race See in context
If the definition of sleaze and corruption had a picture in the dictionary, Noda's face would be there. He would be an excellent chief of the politburo of a country long since gone.
The last time he had the reigns he did the LDPs bidding implemented the unpopular sales tax that was both unpopular to many in his own party and the rest of the country. Now the LDP is in trouble and this creature comes out of hole.
This party has no direction or manifesto that will gain any kind of support from the people of Japan. You need a policy to counter the LDP you need to bring new life into this country not do the same thing over and over again. If in the slighest chance he would become Prime Minister which is unlikely. What is he going to do higher the Sales tax again to 15 or 20 percent so the LDP can come back in victorious as ever again.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Concerns over rice shortage growing in Japan See in context
No shortage of rice in Ishikawa in fact the shelves in the rice area are as full as they were in June all local supermarkets. We get our rice at the local JA anyway to support local farmers in Noto.
7 ( +8 / -1 )
Posted in: Ex-main opposition CDPJ chief Edano eyes comeback in leadership race See in context
Potential contender Noda, 67, who has become a CDPJ advisor since his stint as premier over a decade ago, will likely decide whether to run in the coming days, in response to calls from relatively young fellow members who have high hopes for his return. Former acting CDPJ leader Kenji Eda, 68, is also a possibility.
Noda is among the worst politicians there are. In 2012 Japan didn't want to raise the sales tax. It was very unpopular and one of the reasons why 民主党 at the time was in power. The sales tax was an LDP policy and this party elected this clown who fulfilled the LDPs bidding. They laughed there behinds off in the next election and wipped out your party. This led to Abe's policy, weak yen, and hyper inflation where this country is today. Noda is the most horrible politican around and should never be supported.
This party has no future if it continues to support baffoons like Noda. You have to counter the LDP and create policies that will improve this country not destroy it.
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: Nissin warned for pressuring retailers to raise prices of 5 products See in context
The five products are Cup Noodles and the same series of Curry and Seafood Noodles, Nissin Donbei Kitsune Udon and Nissin Yakisoba U.F.O.
According to the commission, Nissin asked retailers to raise prices by by 5-12% in June 2022 and 10-13% in June 2023. In addition, the company also decided the in-store prices when retailers planned special sales
Rip off for food that is one of the most unhealthy and un natural foods around!
11 ( +14 / -3 )
Posted in: Temperatures forecast to remain high in September, October See in context
Here in Ishikawa in Noto this summer has been fairly normal like many others here. Temperatures average between 27 and 31 degrees in the day and around 19 to 23 degrees at night. One of the reasons why I love living here other than its natural beauty.
When I lived in Nagoya the worst year I can remember was 2007 by far. From seeing the temperatures in the news this year in that area of Aichi I would say this year is on par with 2007. In that year from the mid July until mid september almost everyday was above 35 degrees and at its hottest during the beginning of August to the end of Obon it was over 38 and 41 degrees that year. The best summer in Nagoya was 2009 which was far cooler than 2007 due to the extended rainy season of that year. As I hate hot summer weather this is one of the reasons why I never go south of Kanazawa from the beginning of June to Mid September unless I absolutely need to. My wife is from Aomori so I enjoy visiting there during August and always enjoy the drive up there during the mid summer.
3 ( +3 / -0 )
Posted in: The public should not be deceived by the LDP's survival tactic of changing its leadership and thus the prime minister to divert attention from its past whenever it suffers a crisis. See in context
I dispise the LDP but what does your party have to offer? Why is Ozawa and the absolute worst politicians of all Noda trying to find a way to over throw you in your parties coming presidential election in the near future? Because your an ineffective leader Izumi! I do support Ozawa but will never support that absolute horrible politician Noda.
If you want to defeat the LDP you have to be effecitive and counter them and offer this country a good reason to vote for your party!
8 ( +9 / -1 )
Posted in: What is Japan's 'megaquake' warning? See in context
You can prepare yourself with supplies but when an earthquake of that maginatude occurs no one is prepared for that can unleash. Living near the January 1st Earthquake epicenter I am fimilar with this all to well. Yes there was a lot of destruction here and the earthquake here had a depth of 10 kilometers.
My home is about 100 years old and sustained minimal damage. The home next door to ours was built in the 1970s and it was destroyed. From experience homes and buildings buit from the end of the edo period to 1949 faired very well. Homes and buildings built from 1950 to 1990 faired extremely badly against the earthquake. Homes built after this time were also sustained minimal damage.
If a mega quake occurs home built between 1950 and 1990 are going to really face a lot of damage when this earthquake occurs in the near future or decades to come.
6 ( +7 / -1 )
Posted in: M5.3 quake jolts Kanagawa Prefecture; no tsunami alert issued See in context
My home is located 19 km from the epicenter of the January 1st earthquake in Noto Cho. I was home at the time with my family when the earthquake hit. There were two earthquakes one at 16:05 which was a very ominous, very similar to a warning of what was to come. The first one was at least a lower 5. Noto also experienced two larger earthquakes on May 5th 2023 that were over 5. The first one was similar to the first one on May 5th. The second one that followed was bigger. From the May 5th 2023 experience, after experience that same kind of earthquake I knew there was something bigger coming how soon I had no idea at the time. Sure enough at 16:10 the main earthquake occurred. If you have not experienced a strong 6 or above what you will go through in that minute or two is unfathomable because of sheer power of what that can do. My family and I decided to run outside because we were right by the entrance way of our home. Just trying to get out is difficult because you can hardly move because of how fast the earth is moving under your feet. My family made it outside safely but the earthquake continued and got worse. The earthquake lasted about a minute but even though the shaking stopped around you there was a very weird sensation that you felt from the ground at the bottom of your feet as if some massive rock feel deep with in the earth. The ending was the most strangest part of the quake I experienced. My family was fine my youngest daughter was in shock she didn't speak for two days after the earthquake but returned to normal cheerful self afterwards.
Thankfully our home had only some minor damage. The entrance way doors came off the house. Some of the old siding fell off but nothing major, broken glass, some of the dressers fell down, etc. We had no electricity, gas, or water. We stayed in a 避難所 (hinanjo) ,eveacuation shelter for 2 months before we returned home we just wanted to be at home. Our water finally was fixed in June of this year almost six months after the earthquake occurred. We going to do another reform to our home in the autumn of this year. Things are improving on a daily basis here.
My advice is be prepared, if you own a home near a mountain research a hazard map if your area is prone to landslides this is especially important during earthquakes. Learn what a 罹災証明書 risaishomesho is. Know your towns disaster procedures. Have a plan of where to go incase of a tsunami. Know where you local shelter is. Look at what kind of fire insurance you have. Make sure you have enough water and food prepared. Even if your local government or municipality says its prepared its probably not because what ever can go wrong will go wrong in a major earthquake and you will never know what streets what areas its going to really effect the most.
6 ( +6 / -0 )
Posted in: Alpinist Ken Noguchi said tighter restrictions are needed to protect Mount Fuji from overtourism, including a much higher mandatory fee of 10,000 yen to climb the mountain. What do you think? See in context
I have been living in Japan for over 18 years now climbed Iwaki San, Asama San to the farthest you can, and various other mountains around the country. I have never climbed Fuji San for one reason. There are to many people.
5 ( +8 / -3 )
Posted in: A major Japanese escalator maker has launched a website explaining why it is dangerous to walk on escalators, as people continue to go up and down them despite railway companies asking them not to do so. What do you think about this? See in context
Where I live the closest station is 30 km away and most of the stations between Anamizu and Kanazawa have no escalators. When ever I need to take the train while I am in the Kansai region or while I am in Aichi most stations also have stairs. I always used the stairs over escalators I find it easier and less annoying.
11 ( +12 / -1 )
Posted in: Japan must strengthen NATO ties to safeguard global peace, PM says See in context
Falling population.
Many places in Suzu city still don't have water from the earthquake on January 1st. The water in my own home in Noto cho was just restored early last month.
Still many house still damaged in Noto.
Wajima still looks like some cities in my home country at the end of the second world war.
Inflation
Yen rate is at its lowest in years to the Euro and the Dollar
Make your country stronger first before you go off playing the fiddle around the world as Japan burns.
-2 ( +4 / -6 )
Posted in: Do you think that constant use of abbreviations while texting messages or sending email is having an adverse effect on your spelling, grammar and punctuation? See in context
Not a native English speaker. I get messages from clients from English speaking using abbreviations I have a veiy hard time understanding what they mean. Especially with Americans when using slang terms. For Japanese when talking to someone from Kanto and they abbreviate places in Tokyo. Abbreviations and slang can be difficult for non native speakers of any language.
4 ( +4 / -0 )
Posted in: What do you think of travel sites like TripAdvisor? Are you guided by them when making travel plans? See in context
Travel a lot. I have never used it and more than likely never will!
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Michelin Guide unveils Japan hotel ratings for 1st time See in context
Well thats nice but for me a good hotel needs
1 Friendly staff
2 温泉や銭湯 public bath
3 Breakfast normally free
Usually all three of these describes the Route Inn one of the best Hotels in Japan and quite inexpensive.
14 ( +16 / -2 )
Posted in: Emergency dispatches by Tokyo Fire Department in 2024 exceeded 930,000
The one with Canada for one if this keeps going. Canada would lose, they can huff and puff all they…
Posted in: What would happen if Japan is attacked?
For one, what money do NATO or Japan ask for from the US? They have been allies to the US…
Posted in: What would happen if Japan is attacked?
Posted in: What would happen if Japan is attacked?