annemarie08 comments

Posted in: Japanese soccer fans turn to drink as Nadeshiko sink See in context

Funny headline, re. turning to drink. It's only soccer people. I like it myself but still it's only soccer/football whatever you like to call it.

Kevin McGue's point was on the ball (pun intended). if it's a bad result, they're alcoholics. If good, they're toasting the team.

Surprised to hear they were drinking that early in the morning.

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Posted in: Gackt lashes out at Cool Japan: 'Almost no results of Japanese culture exported overseas' See in context

I don't see any mention of where he was when he was visiting friends? It just says an overseas production so it could be in a country not yet aware of Japan's 'cool' campaign.

I think he is just annoyed for his friends that the play did not attract an audience. As for this guy, I don't think I have heard of him despite his unusual name. In some countries, not even relatively well exposed actors like Watanabe would pull in a crowd because he is just well known enough. So imagine what it's like for this guy Gackt - even if he was not performing, just visiting, and whoever his friends are.

Regarding Japanese actors making a name for themselves, has he not heard of Hiroyuki Sanada? Who was in that same film The Last Samurai. He has been in almost as many western films as Ken Watanabe and is probably just as good an actor if not better. And The Last Samurai was an American film, mostly filmed in NZ and sets in LA, with only a couple filmed in Japan, for e.g. Himeji castle. And why was that? Because authorities in Japan made sure that filming in Japan was too expensive!!

To a lesser extent, Tadanobu Asano.

Hirokazu Kore-Eda's films are well known to film fans who appreciate Japanese-made films. Beat Takeshi also (I have watched Zatoichi just as many times as The Last Samurai if not more).

Anyway, Japan calling itself cool is cringey and try-hard. A lot of people go to Japan unaware of this 'cool' campaign and enjoy it just fine, as people have been for decades, so Japan does not need to try so hard.

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Posted in: South Korean novelist admits to plagiarizing Japanese author See in context

As A Realist points out, plagiarism is a deliberate act of stealing someone else's work yet this author acts like it happened without her input or knowledge and she can't remember it happening. Great example to show to future generations of writers in South Korea.

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Posted in: Skinny jeans could make you a fashion victim: doctors See in context

Very worrying.

I agree with Tenguleavings, what a strange thing to wear if you're going to be doing something so physical as moving boxes and so on as house moving entails. And no, she can't have looked too fashionable!! She's lucky she was not somewhere like aboard an airplane where the dvt risk would have added to the existing problem and she might have been stuck on the plane in extreme pain or she could have died.

The report makes no reference to the woman's size. This could have happened to any woman wearing skinny jeans, whatever her size. I have a pair myself and am nowhere near fat and though I have had no problems so far I do wonder about it, even if my pair has zips at the leg hems which aid circulation I think. I had no plans to buy anymore anyway nor wear them for activities such as moving boxes for house-moves (or for travelling on planes!!) but this has cemented that decision. They are not the most flattering jeans on a lot of people, slim or not. I don't like seeing men wear them and it has also been reported by scientists that it does men no good anyway.

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Posted in: Ireland says big 'Yes' to gay marriage in world first See in context

By the way the person in the picture is known as Panti Bliss not just Panti and given the result making a lot of gay people blissfully happy (knowing they have the choice, if they even want to make that decision, to get married), it IS quite appropriate.

People who feel the need to call gay people freaks probably have issues with their own sexuality....?

Human Rights is ALWAYS an issue worth getting 'worked up' about.

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Posted in: Ireland says big 'Yes' to gay marriage in world first See in context

Well done to the person who corrected joeintokyo. If you can't even get simple geography right joeintokyo, you should not be commenting on issues such as this.

Ireland has come a long way from being under the power of the Catholic Church. The referendum was about giving gay people the opportunity to marry. Ireland voted yes. Get over it.

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Posted in: Film starring Matthew McConaughey, Ken Watanabe booed at Cannes See in context

Yardley, I appreciate your pedantry if no one else does. Someone else made a joke about it above. I thought it sounded strange, to ovate.

It's possible that through the many websites sadly in existence nowadays that are apparently dedicated to suicide that his character will have learned of the place from that.

I'm really looking forward on the other hand to HIrokazu Koreeda's new film Umimachi diary. His films are sometimes slow-paced but I'd rather them any day to a film about suicide.

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Posted in: Step aboard the Penguin Train See in context

Given the colours on the train, I thought this was a promotional thing for Penguin Publishing!! Same colours. You could maybe get a free novel? Anyway, this would make an interesting afternoon out.

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Posted in: Five of Japan’s most beautiful and unique hidden train stations See in context

That one from Ehime looks fantastic. Agree with others about lack of photos.

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Posted in: Depp storms off 'Pirates' set in pursuit of wife See in context

I was glad to see Depp was forced to have his dogs taken home. I used to be a fan of him but I haven't for years. He even looks a bit plastic. I can't stand it when celebrities/famous actors think a country's laws don't apply to them.

As to him storming off the set of that rubbish movie, who really cares. They could get that guy he based the character on (from the rolling stones) to replace him. Wouldn't make that much difference appearance wise. I'm glad to see that the rest of the crew and actors will get paid though if it does not go ahead. Only fair having to deal with divas like him. Still, at least he hasn't attacked any of the crew, verbally or physically. He's not that bad yet.

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Posted in: Rape, torture claims at Australian asylum-seeker camp in Papua New Guinea See in context

Yes, Australia has taken in refugees in the past, and criminals as well including Irish and British, but why not now then? They have no problem taking in economic refugees if you want to call them that - people who head for a new life in Australia to escape recession in their own countries - some of these are young people who line up with genuinely homeless people at soup kitchens because theyve spent all their money on drink which was meant to be spent on living expenses (paid for by their mammies and daddies back home no doubt) and hassle aborigines out of boredom. Yet, just as there are people who genuinely want to enjoy their new life in Australia and can afford to and dont deserve to be tarred with the same brush as these idiots, the genuine political refugees should not be tarred with the same brush as the bad ones.

If people have loads of money to come all the way from Iran I am betting they sold every last possession they had or had been secretly saving money for years waiting for their chance to escape.

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Posted in: Rape, torture claims at Australian asylum-seeker camp in Papua New Guinea See in context

Australias behaviour is disgraceful really. What makes it so special that it will not take in asylum seekers like other countries?? Is there not plenty of space? The few victims of violence in these camps in PNG should not be put in the same barrel as the bad apples that are the rapists and other criminals. Whatever is done about the latter, the people who ended up in the camps and then got raped or attacked in other ways probably feel bad enough about their situation as it is. by the way, nobody WANTS to have to take a raft out to sea cramped with other refugees. Its hardly their first choice of transport and yes as someone pointed out they are duped into paying money and believing theyll get to their destination trouble-free. They are obviously desperate to escape from where they come from. Otherwise they wouldnt put their faith in complete strangers.

Unfortunately, asylum detention centers are bad everywhere (but not as bad as Papua New Guinea it seems) and asylum seekers find this out soon enough once they`re in there a while. In my own country, for example, the maximum amount of time people are supposed to stay there are 6 months but some are now there 6 years and families have to share their rooms with complete strangers, sometimes single men or women. There is also a lot of depression among asylum seekers. I could go on but the point is all countries have an obligation to help and Australia should not be let away with this.

Nice to see there are some compassionate people on this board. Tiger in the hermitage, Scott J and Tamarara from what I see so far. Oh and Hide Susuki to an extent. I tend to agree with you somewhat about Australia seeming to care less about people and more about nature. I was shocked myself this week by those numbskull American pilots who bombed the Great Barrier Reef this week because they were basically in too much of a rush back to base and couldnt decide where to drop their practice load. I understood Australias outrage. And youre right theyre always complaining about the treatment of whales. However, Australia is right to care about whales and the Barrier Reef. Only a pity it doesn`t seem to care as much about humans in need. It is a bit isolationist in its attitude at times.

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Posted in: 3-year-old boy dies after being hit by car in Iwate See in context

Elbuda - calm down. Murder???

I agree with you Yubaru about leashes (and your comment about coming to old age and having your kids put you on a leash made me laugh out loud and its so true - my parents always jokedont put me in a home let me go if I lose my marbles!! ). Whether keeping them on a leash at home or walking around an urban area, I think it is wierd.

Otherwise, if you are out walking around town with your kid and DO have a leash and for some reason you have to let go for a second or loosen your grip for one second - the child could run off and either run off (into the way of a car/bike whatever) or trip over the long leash and hurt him/herself.

If you choose to use a leash at home and you turn your back, if the child is of a certain size he could move around and get strangled by the leash.

Playpens are mostly gone out of fashion and they could probably climb out of those anyway if big enough (or clever enough) if not get their heads stuck in the bars while messing around in them!!

If you choose not to use a leash around the house, then you can only do your best. Children can escape tight vigilance as openminded pointed out. You only have to turn your back for one second and theyre gone like Houdini!! This probably happened to the parent/guardian in question. Openminded is absolutely right in that parents should not be made guilty for the escapades of their curious kids even if it ends in tragedy. They most likely feel bad enough already. There are so manyperfect parents` on this discussion board.

Even Yubaru who I have been otherwise agreeing with about the leash blamed the parents and yes it is their responsibility to look after their kids - of all ages - but if you have to turn your back or leave the room (say to use the bathroom), the child could just as easily hurt himself in some other way as go out on the road and get hit by a car. Out in the countryside, or even in urban areas, people are more relaxed and probably dont lock their doors because either the handle is high enough that the kid cant reach it or its a sunny day and they want to encourage their kids to go outdoors but be able to come back in again. If this 3 year old got out of his house, he may have been following another child (who isnt mentioned in the article) or aiming to find another child in the area who he knew. Children are adventurous and curious and will take advantage of any chance to go off somewhere.

As for the driver, if the house is hidden from sight by tall trees then a child could just appear suddenly from view, whether the driver is driving along a straight road or not. He was most likely cruising along because he knew the speed he was allowed to go at and saw no reason to go any slower.

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Posted in: 5 children swept out to sea in Miyazaki; one drowns See in context

I agree Burakumindes. You hear so much about kids being too selfish these days and not caring about others and yet those kids went in after the girl and her friend and tried to save them. They really are heroes.

I think kids are daring at that age and even like to defy their parents (who I imagine did their best to warn their kids about the sea). Though this was a little too daring it`s not only kids who like to be daring. It could just as easily have happened to adults who were caught out at sea and needed help from other adults.

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Posted in: Korean campaigns for removal of Japanese flag from French stores See in context

France is a free country but why did Fnac have the Japanese flag displayed anyway? Maybe they had a Japan week or a Japan month where they had special offers on all things Japanese and that was the only reason? Did she bother to find out? And why did Fnac not explain why instead of bowing to this student`s demands so quickly? In any case, Fnac have set a precedent for giving into such demands.

CGB spender - I agree that the flag with the rays coming out of the sun is beautiful but I argue with your other point in that Jews know by now that the nazis totally corrupted the buddhist symbol that is the swastika for their own disgusting agenda. Whereas the flag in question has been in use as someone else pointed out for centuries and unfortunately was the chosen flag by a bunch of crazy japanese war criminals which should not otherwise tarnish the reputation of a very fine country (just as the use of the swastika by nazis should not tarnish the reputation of Germans around the world).

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Posted in: TPP or not TPP See in context

Also, Japan is also well known for kawaii-ness as part of its modern culture so using a part of modern culture to protest about something serious is actually not a bad move (its used everywhere to protest about serious things). The protester could be sayingYes we may be seen as kawaii but were not stupid.

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Posted in: TPP or not TPP See in context

Anyone consider that monkey is saru in Japanese, which can also mean leave? So the protestor could be asking Japan to try and get out of the treaty if it has already entered it (and possibly that Americas forces should leave too). Maybe youre all underestimating the intelligence of this protestor. Maybe he/she is also saying that Abe is acting like a trained monkey of the US (and he wouldn`t be the first politician outside of the US to be seen as a trained monkey to any other nation). Who knows.

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Posted in: American denies intent to kill Irish woman in Tokyo hotel See in context

It has been reported that his friend has got 3 years for attacking the victim`s friend, and another girl prior to that. This is good but it kind of makes you think, if she had not been killed, the actions of these guys would probably have gone unpunished, and they would have gone onto do it to someone else. Good for the Japanese court to punish him. He might have got away with it elsewhere even if he had been brought to court.

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Posted in: American denies intent to kill Irish woman in Tokyo hotel See in context

Konsta: I hope you understand why so many people have thumbed-down your comment. You can be as smart as you like but if you happen to meet the wrong person - who takes advantage of the fact you are drunk (mixed with either xanax or a date rape drug - both have the same effect anyway, it is said), it is still in NO WAY your fault. Do not blame a woman for not being smart enough if she ends up raped or in this case killed. We are all told to watch our drinks when we go out - and she seems like a sensible girl just out having fun who would have tried to do that - but if a drug was slipped into her drink, then the guy must have been extremely sly about it. If not, then the xanax which she needed to take for her anxiety, caused her to become unconscious along with her being drunk. But still, he took full advantage as he and his friend said they would do in the taxi, knowing full well the girls were barely conscious. Earlier on in the evening, the girl and her friend both told the two guys they were not interested in them sexually but obviously this was ignored.

I hope he gets what he deserves.

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Posted in: Creative Japan finds a hundred uses for humble oven toaster See in context

I cant understand the fascination with mayonnaise that exists in Japan. Otherwise, thanks for this article - very useful to know these things for an easy life in your little Japanese kitchen (I dont mean that in a patronising way)

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Posted in: Kabuki star Kanzaburo Nakamura dies at 57 See in context

Lowly: Speculating about someones condition saying he may have had AIDS just because hes in the entertainment industry (listening to too much elton john, who doesn`t have it?/Queen, who did?). Let the man rest in peace.

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Posted in: Japanese man sentenced in Cambodia for sexually abusing 13-year-old girl See in context

This is a joke sentence. The pedophile scum that Cambodia seems to attract just get away with anything. I went to Cambodia and I thought it was a very nice country generally. This was after 2003 when this supposed anti-paedophile push was in action and I was unaware of said push when I went there. I agree there are probably local criminal elements too who make it worse and I dont think Kobuta is wrong here. Hes not just being offended because the offender is Japanese. He is making a valid point (as long as he is not saying blame the locals for the girl even being available to the culprit in the first place That does not make the culprit any less guilty). Cambodia is still dealing with the leftovers from the Khmer rouge era by jailing the main culprits (or not) but I consider this vulnerability to paedophiles to have been an issue even longer (same in Vietnam) and probably will be for a long time yet if they don`t deal with these scum properly (and any equally scum locals who may or may not be encouraging them).

I was at an orphanage in one city hanging out with the children there and teaching them English phrases. That is encouraged by posters being put up everywhere around town and you are encouraged to bring food or toys. Thats great but if you ask me, this kind of thing may attract paedophiles and there arent enough staff in these places to keep an eye on whoever may come along with actual sinister intentions. It needs to be controlled.

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Posted in: More Japanese youth wearing surgical masks to hide their face See in context

I think it is a bit creepy and the only reason people should wear them is when they have a cold and that`s if they really have to (I even find it creepy then).

Parents really need to work with their children to make them more confident about communicating with the outside world. Hell even with their own parents!! But then their peers and eventually the adult world. But what do I know. Im not a parent. Actually no you dont have to be a parent to work that out.

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Posted in: Kabuki star Kanzaburo Nakamura dies at 57 See in context

Ewan: Sometimes, pneumonia is just pneumonia and not a euphemism for anything. Poor man had cancer which will always weaken your immune system and in this case it unfortunately led to pneumonia.

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Posted in: When do Japanese people have their first kiss? See in context

Like Tmarie I have to ask - what is romantically aggressive? And who would want their men to be aggressive towards them? What a strange choice of words.

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Posted in: 16-year-old girl arrested for abandoning body of newborn daughter See in context

Elbuda Mexicano - Youd be surprised how many women - of any age, social status or stability - do not realise theyre pregnant until months into their pregnancy. Womensbodies are different, periods might not have been regular to start with and bellies dont always grow that big.

I feel sorry for her. I doubt she meant for any of this to happen. Remember she is only 16 years old and she was probably terrified (and who knows what the circumstances of the conception were - she could have been raped). In many countries now (I`ve heard of them in Poland and Germany among others), there are safe places where people can leave their newborn babies - usually a hatch in a wall which is the wall of a hospital or health centre. Whatever you may think of the mother, at least the baby is kept safe in these situations.

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Posted in: Fukada hopes air traffic controllers will watch her new drama See in context

I agree with Brainiac. I dont know how more planes dont crash in that show. Still Ive only watched 3 episodes (since my last comment I found it online and decided to check it out) so theres time yet. Its not actually bad, its funny in some scenes - couldnt be further from Pushing Tin though as they all look so glamorous. Im glad though that they have subtitles for their ATC-lingo because as a native English speaker I find their pronounciation all wrong, and unclear, and so its very hard to understand what theyre saying. Sorry!! They really should have worked harder on that aspect of it. Then again the pilots coming in in their jumbo jets would be familiar with that lingo and would probably know what they mean (you would hope!!)

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Posted in: U.S. author Julie Otsuka wins top French book prize for story of Japanese brides sent to Calif See in context

Sounds really good - hope to find it in my local bookshop (and the 1st one she wrote too).

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Posted in: Fukada hopes air traffic controllers will watch her new drama See in context

I went for an air traffic controller job interview once and I was way out of my depth. The airline industry is lucky I didnt get in. Its a very intense, high pressure job (which by the way does not sound dull to me at all).

This Fukada person sounds a bit superficial. It would be nice if by cool (saying she found her character cool) she meant calm under pressure, but I somehow doubt it. It seems as long as she thinks real air traffic controllers are cool people and that they`re cool with her attempt at representing them, then all will be cool.

I kind of agree with smithinjapan that the air controllers will be more concerned about whats on their work screens, not their tv screens, but I dont think he should go calling any profession dull. I thought Pushing Tin was good as far as I can remember and sorry Frank Vaughn but if Hollywood took liberties with the profession, then thats Hollywood and you cant expect anything else.

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Posted in: Usain Bolt to appear on SMAP TV program on Monday night See in context

I think a lot of countries seek validation from visiting guests. Its not just Japan. I agree SMAP (I almost wrote SPAM - same thing though) are annoying. I remember watching it a few times while in Japan. No talent between them, though one was in a really good film at one stage called Love and Honour so I had to lay off him for a bit (but the others...). It seems celebrities have to put up with a lot of the same questions ordinary foreigners in Japan do - about natto and other food. I cant say I feel sorry for them (the celebrities I mean).

What Bolt, or any other non-Japanese celebrity, thinks of Fukushima isnt going to have much effect on the governments handling of it. As serious as Fukushima is, its not Syria or Africa so it doesnt interest people in the same way. No offence. They probably cant ask anything too personal either as most celebrities probably have a long list of topics they wont talk about, which they have to present to the producers of the show beforehand.

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