Armel MALEJACQ comments

You'll find the same in some (not all) Starbucks trash cans asking you to separate plastic cups from paper cups. And Most staff , when told to re-use the same cup for that second 100 yen coffee will throw it away anyway. VERY irritating. I also found some bottle trash bins in a service area that had 4 different slots for plastic bottles, metal can , cup and plastic caps that all led to the same container .

I miss the Dunkin Donuts I used to eat in London around 1998. Best flavors and a LOT of filling ! Their apple donut was insane. And 2 for 1 £50 !

As a shop owner, I couldn't be happier with that. Saves me giving 3,5% on every transaction to card companies !

It was a beautiful show and nothing can defend what they did to it in the very last episode. but this is what happens when the writer of the original books gets lazy and relies on the success of a show to make money and not get involved with it. The writers HAD to come up with something, and it clearly showed they had no connection with the books. They made up what they thought was most logical. But it was stupid.

Samit Bas, Absolutely 100% true. How many victims have had to apologize for the "inconvenience" while the perpetrators were back in business as normal after a few weeks out of the limelight ? It's sickening.

Probably rperinted the ticked right after and went to ask for a refund. These moronic youtubers are sooooooooooooo boring....

I'm 46 and my parents never had to "discipline" us apart from the occasional slap on the butt as a kid when we were misbehaving. Punching a kid is not discipline, it's abuse.

"the country is bracing for an influx of foreigners"...Hardly....The new visa system is a joke and smoke screen. They're expecting 300.000 foreigners within a few years. They'd need 10 times more. Meanwhile, they do nothing to retain those who've been working here for years because they don't want you to stay and change the image of Japan.

I'm more amazed that this guy is 53 and yet looks like a 30 year old !!!

Let's see how these cost in Spain because the price hikes from Europe to Japan are insane. Most of the time, they leave the original label on with a Yen sticker on top and the prices go up as much as 30% ! I've stopped buying Zara products long ago !

That's gonna make some expensive crap !

I hope she helds her head high and shows them that she can do a really good job. And become the boss lady I know she can be !

There are shop in ASAKUSABASHI who sell ivory products and supplies openly with only a sign warning tourists not to buy their products . Ivory is still very much sold around Japan !

I had that shock after 2 years only when I returned to France. Litterally stayed indoors for most of my stay. Now I just see it differently and get into the "going back" mood every time I travel and i do enjoy it more. And it's true that you see things very differently and in a more positive way. I appreciate things I didn't appreciate before !

I had it easy ! Everything I wanted to see was right there in the changing room ! Naked guys everywhere ! Didn't have to climb walls ! Just sat down and enjoyed the view !

There's a huge distrust in banks from elderly people. Add to that the non-existing interest rates and people don't really see the need for a bank account. With all the houses left vacant by old people there's bound to be fortunes getting lost when those house are left to rot and then destroyed.

Where I used to work, I've seen countless people bring back broken or damaged items with the most absurd claim that "it just turned like this after a few days use" : a pillow brought back with holes in it just turned up like that (customer had a dog and the holes looked obviously chewed!),a pair of metal earrings all bent out of shape which had obviously been stepped on...etc. But shop staff will almost never question their customers. I'd rather loose a dishonest customer than backdown when faced with BS ! The good thing is that they don't usually try it with me because I'm not Japanese but when it does happen, talking back a little louder and in a more assertive way works 99% of the time.

A whole article about adoption. And Japan is not mentionned. We all know why. I had 2 conversations about adoption in 10 years. They both left me fuming. Japanese people would rather stay without kids than adopting. And orphanages are full of kids that have not been officially abandonned which makes them anadoptable. And NOTHING is done about it.

Feel free to slurp anything you put in your mouth ! Yes. I mean exactly what you think I mean .

It won't change anything because the authorities are still not enforcing anything. There are countless fathers who cannot see their kids because in Japan, the mothers are still given priority, be they good or bad. It's even worse if you're a foreigner . Just look at the number of onstances where the kid has litterally been kidnapped by the mom. Also, ANY family matter always remains just that. A family matter. I tried to alert the police about the possibility that my neighbour was mistreating her kid a few years ago and they did NOTHING . They basically told me that it should be reported by a family member and with detailed occurencies. It made me sick!

It's surprising there aren't more accidents actually. Just stand at ANY traffic lights and counts the cars passing the yellow and red lights. It's beyond believable. The country needs money ? Just put those useless policemen (that sit in their koban all day) at those crossings and fines will be piling up !

In a country where clinics and hospitals close over the week end, is it really surprising ? I had to go to the ER on a sunday, arrived to a single nurse who told me there was no doctor or staff .Asked why she was there ; "to let people know"....

I'd like to know why so many Japanese sunscreen products contain alcohol ! Some absolutely reek of it !!!

"Meghan, who is mixed race, was an actress in the United States before marrying Harry last year at Windsor Castle." Is this ALWAYS gonna be there as a reminder she is not white and a "commoner" ????? Why the constant need to point out her skin color and background ???

How about just a simple ice coffee rather than some fancy sugary drink that has absolutely nothing to do with coffee ? And maybe Starbucks could also start to offer mugs for that , like they do for hot coffee , instead of the compulsory plastick cup and straw ! And in the meantime, also train their staff about what recycling is. When I ask for that second "100yen" iced coffee and ask to keep the same cup, I have to insist on it otherwise they just throw it away and give me a new one !

Avoiding once again the real issue....The population is aging fast so what do they want? A country full of old people stuck in their homes ? How about making better bus routes in less populated areas where older people have no choice but drive to get basic necessities ? How about making cab fares lower for them ? As for every issue, japan is just creating a smoke screen to hide it...

Here goes my own list then after 10 years here:

-3 months after arriving, with a 3 year visa and work contract in hand, tried to open an account at Mizuho with a Japanese friend and ended up stopped by the front desk staff : "it would be very difficult to do" (but we have all the necessary papers and letter from his employer aswell !) "yes but you need many more papers" (which ones?)"ah...quite many" (well wich ones?)"ah...it's better to try a different bank" (could we please see a clerk?) "ah...they are quite busy, you really should try another bank"....(hopped to SMBC and it was done in 15mn)

-stopped counting the number of times when people have either stood up or not sat next to me on crowded trains (and yes, I smell very nice, keep my legs together and don't speak to other people)

-been singled out by policemen for ID check when cycling while other japanese cyclists go by without problems numerous times

-been told twice by agencies that they didn't have rentals for foreigners or that they had to check with the owners if they accepted foreigners

-went to a Jazz bar with a friend, walked in and the staff rushed to tell us it was a private party (all the while another staff member was putting a sign out for happy hour and only 2 patrons were sitting at the counter)

-seen constantly the attitude of the people I work with change drastically when they had to deal with Chinese customers

And the list goes on.

BUT I've never had any problems with administration staff or shop staff or post office staff or doctors...etc. They were always accomodateing and willing to find a common way of communicating. And lastly,the best thing is that it has made me realize my own prejudices and forced me to work on them. Having never been faced with racism directed towards me, I am now far more alert when it's directed to others .