afanofjapan comments

I dont want to sound like I am uncaring, but why do i need to change my diet to support overpopulation caused by other people?

By my calculations if people stuck to 2 children or less, world population wouldnt have gotten this ridiculous and we wouldnt be asked to postulate over a sliver of meat every week.

@Yubaru/Zaruma I didnt say that to brag. I know that Africans often have well above 2.0; I was just saying i use screens alot and I still have 1.6, which is above the standard measurement of good eyesight (1.0).

I get my eyes tested as part of my yearly health checkup and thats all their machine goes to. I have tried at a few other places with similar results (and similar upper limits in the testing device). I dont really think i need to go to an ophthalmologist to find out exactly what my upper limit is - would they give me a gold star or something? All i know is my eyes are good enough to read small text on my laptop screen which is more than arms length away. And that i am fine with a 5" phone screen, no need for these monstrous phablet phones.

I am generally against whaling, but i am pleased with this news. No more whaling in international waters, no more shady "research" whaling. What happens now is up to economics. If nobody is buying, then whaling will die off.

I have been working in IT for over 15 years. Staring at computer screens day in and day out. I have had a smartphone since before the iPhone made them popular and i use it an embarrassing amount. Yet i have perfect vision. 1.6 on the Japanese tests, which is the highest that the measurement machine goes to (i'm probably not much more than that though). Of course old age will do what it does to all of us, and sooner or later my close up vision will start to fail, but for now, 12+hrs of screentime i have per day has had any effect.

I am just one person though, and my experiences dont prove anything. I did read somewhere that the reason that Japanese kids have poor vision is because they are not encouraged to play outside as much (since so many live in apartments). The article said that the outdoor activities are vital to growing kids eyes (focusing on near and far objects), and without it, certain parts of their eyes dont grow properly.

Is it bad that i thought this was somewhat funny? I bet this was an extension of one of those silently aggressive peak hour train fights... the ones where they yell at each other and shuffle-kick each other because they didnt get enough sleep and are all grumpy and stuff.

Backpacks crept up to #1 because they have only recently become popular with Japanese people (Annelo bags for younger kids, and smart backpacks for business people). Until now it was always shoulder bags or briefcases. Backpacks take up space directly behind you, and it is human nature to try to keep some personal space in front of you - This makes for quite a bit of space usage for one person. For example, if you keep your backpack on your back while you are standing in front of the seats, people will have trouble passing behind you. If you shift your backpack to your front, you not only guarantee that bit of personal space in front of you, you dont take up any unnecessary space behind you. This is why they say to shift your backpack to your front on trains.... Unfortunately not many people understand this, and hence you have the #1 annoyance for other passengers right now...

My first experience with Sushi was in a small mom and pop store like this. At the time i didnt even eat cooked fish, but i decided to give it a try. I have since had sushi at much cheaper places, and MUCH more expensive places, but nothing tasted as good as the sushi that came with the conversation and atmosphere at that place. Sadly, as indicated in the article, the place shut down in the years that followed - nobody to take over the business since the chef's son wanted to become a salaryman.

@John Beara

As the others have said, the ability to travel to unknown African countries might be nice and all, but holding two passports gives your kids CHOICE to decide if they want to live/work in Europe, or Japan. Quite selfish to decide that they dont need that freedom, but then its your kids, you raise them how YOU see fit.

I dont care which passport holds more power or which country is better for living. I will do whatever i can to make sure my kids have as much freedom to choose their future. One of those choices will be where to live.

Anyway, all this talk about immigration lines... I think that the foreign residents line at Narita is the shortest of all three (Japanese nationals, Foreign tourists, Foreign residents). So i am usually waiting on the other side for my wife and child.

Anyone who has ever rented an apartment here will know there are a bunch of BS fees and extra charges they lay on when you move in.

One of those fees is 消毒 or sanitization; this is usually around 30k yen, and they really upsell this to you (its optional, but they wont ever tell you that - but you can just say "dont do that" and they will take it off the quote). Even with a cost conscious wife, we were nearly pressured into this until i looked it up. Any home center sells the exact same products as they use for this, usually just a spraycan you sit in the center of the room. Or at most a spraycan to spray into the nooks and crannies. Apaman went an extra step though, and offered "smell removal and antibacterial" service, for which they charged an extra 15k (this is on top of the sanitization fee).

Not only did they pressure/push this on new lessees, it turns out they didnt even do the stuff they were paid for. I am willing to bet that this is not just them, and that this cover-up extended to the sanitization service as well. Rental agencies here really are all a massive scam. They are usually all searching off the same central database, and end up costing both the lesser and the lessee a bunch of money for nothing.

This accident should have blown the cover off this whole scam of an industry (pun intended), but of course that will be glossed over and by april next year Apaman shop will be pushing for the next round of rental shuffling

Heartbreaking. 20 hours in the cold and no food either. At 8 months old they cant walk they dont know whats going on. Should have been charged with attempted murder.

I wonder if this is enough to grant custody to the father... i guess not though.

I remember when this was becoming a buzzword, and they were showing grown salarymen using the word on the news. To me, that phrase should have died right there. Picture adults in suits trying to use Bae and Lit or AF in sentences while 'dabbing', thats how cringey it looked.

15 minutes was insanely short. I dont know of any other airport in the world that lets you check in 15 minutes before departure (feel free to correct me though, i didnt look it up). Most other airports/airlines will require you to be checked in at least an hour before the departure time.

Who spends 1hr each way walking to and from work without thinking "oh maybe a bike or scooter would be a better option"... until the boss pointed it out?

Never understood why coco is so popular with tourists. Its the same taste you get from the roux packs you get in supermarkets, and its a dish that even the most inept cook can prepare themselves for 1/10 the price. Toppings always look so bland and unimaginative (not to mention unhealthy as indicated in the article).

Much more fun to prepare it yourself with a bunch of veggies (whatever is in season), big chunks of meat and simmered until everything is melt in your mouth soft.

From what i read in the Japanese articles, it appears that the man found under the bridge was the culprit, and it is looking like a murder-suicide incident. In the house they found his father (72), mother (66), wife (41), son (21) and daughter (7)... And one of his coworkers Fumiaki Matsuoka (44).

While it is very early to speculate, my suspicions are on an affair between his wife and this Matsuoka guy. Or Matsuoka was just an innocent bystander in a meltdown of tragic proportions. Still not sure how he could manage to kill all those there without being overpowered or anyone escaping. So so sad...

Can they please get rid of the useless Luddite in charge of cyber security first? The one that has never used a computer. I'm sure his first suggestion would be to send faxes to hackers asking them to stop.

There has not been a single wrongful arrest.

I guarantee that it just means nobody has managed to endure the forced confession attempts, or been successful in their appeal against the charges, using frivolous excuses like DNA or alibis.

I kind of want one. Is that being narcissistic?

I never got the flu shot, but i also never got the flu. Then last year at 37 years old i caught the flu for the very first time. And subsequently infected my wife and child.

My wife had taken the flu shot, yet she got it too... Useless you may say? No, she was back up and healthy after 2 days whereas i felt like death for a full week (apparently if you do get the flu after the vaccine its usually goes away quickly).

But the worst was the fact that i gave it to my daughter; so from this year on, i will be getting the shot. Its funny, people will make fun of anti-vaxxers till the cows come home, but when you ask them if they get the flu shot they will say "ah no, i dont think its effective" or "i dont need it, i just avoid sick people". Dont do it for yourself, do it for the off chance you might pass it onto someone who is too weak to fight it off...

2,000 ATMs, including unmanned machines installed outside of the banks' offices

Ah-hah! so they are saying they have ATMs that are 'manned', this explains why their ATMs arent 24-7, i always suspected that they dont have a computer behind it, and in fact its just a little ojichan sitting in there taking your card, faxing details to head office, receiving the OK and then pushing money through the slot...

The wording used 'lewd act' and the price paid makes me think he didnt actually touch the girl. Just paid her money to watch him or something disgusting like that. Either way its disgusting and i am happy he was arrested.

Insane Wayne, not all people who commit domestic violence are gangsters. Japanese companies are full of bullying behaviour, and even if he is not a tough guy at work, it would seem that he has some unresolved stress management issues. Some time in the slammer should hopefully teach him a lesson.

They cant seem to work out how to make ATMs (with the emphasis on "Automatic") work 24-7, yet they are busy working on adding AI to them??

The line up for the ATMs on Friday evenings is always a laugh to me.

Alfie, i was there 2 years ago as well. And the year before that too. Year by year it is getting worse and worse. The first year i went it was 80% costumes, and a really good time. 2 years ago it was less than half costumes, half tourists and photographers. Last year there were only a few costumes, or at best just girls with some blood marks drawn on their faces, and guys with Donki character hats. Each year more and more people are going just for the chance to get drunk and do nampa.

Looking at the pics this year it was mostly non-costumes, and mostly just drunken idiots. Twitter searches show a lot of really disturbing behaviour. Just too many people in one area, so of course there will be a few bad eggs there doing their best to ruin it for everyone.

If the police manage to shut it down hardcore. Block off Center Gai and the surrounding streets, people might start to bring the halloween spirit to other areas. Stop concentrating in one area and i think that the bad behaviour will stop happening. Some of the other cities in Japan could get into it too... no need to have all the country bumpkins travelling to tokyo to rage out in Shibuya

Maybe one in 10 kids will try to go out to be 'competitive in the world'. Actually that goes for most countries. I know that i am the only one out of my school friends who works in a different country now. And those that do go for overseas jobs would have no trouble learning the different comma systems, just as they would have to learn the language.

Computer programs can be patched to handle the commas very easily. Internally no commas are used. Programs already have to deal with the various thousands and decimal separators used around the world

This is only confusing to foreigners in Japan. but you are a very tiny minority here. Have you ever watched a japanese person count digits trying to work out how much a large number is? Thats because they are converting a 3 digit separation into their own language. That problem goes away if you separate digits as they are used

kawabegawa198, I also used to hate him but if you actually listen to what Matsuko says, you will realise its not because of his/her weight or crossdressing, but because he is incredibly witty and a straight-talker. He is now probably one of the few comedians who i will intentionally watch on TV. There are much worse 'talents' out there who are famous only for one-line gags or childish behaviour.

Two that come to mind are Tomio Umezawa, famous for joking about all the times he has cheated on his wife, And sunshine ikezaki whose entire comedy routine is based around screaming random words at the top of his lungs. Get them both off TV please.

One more reason why i will make sure my daughter doesn't go to university here in Japan.

How did they know the residents were on a trip as opposed to just out at work, school, shopping, and errands?

Instagram and Facebook posts about being on holiday is one method. Scoping out the houses over several days is another method. They organised fake passports, came to Japan and robbed 150 houses, its likely they are pretty good at what they do.

Japan probably has a bit of a reputation overseas as a soft target for crime like this. Coupled with the love of hoarding cash, I hope this doesnt become a regular occurrence.

Lets hope they arent just deported for not having valid passports/visas. I hope they get a lengthy jailterm here in Japan, to send a message to others thinking of doing the same thing.

I wonder if he was allowed to go into the cockpit to meet the pilot?

Of course not. Because terrorism messed that up for us. Glad i got to do it when i was a young kid, and i wasnt even a champion at anything!

You cannot compare australia's economics to Japan. Completely different countries with totally different economic factors. Australia's cost of living is high because inflation has been at an almost constant 2%, not because of the GST. Japan has been close to zero for as long as i can remember.