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Posted in: Fury at Kyoto Aquarium plan See in context

I read that this is an attempt to lure Chinese tourists, whom surveys have revealed to be uninterested in temples.

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Posted in: 'Harry Potter' finale, part 1, leads year-end film lineup See in context

ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz

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Posted in: What are some of your candidates for the worst movie of all time? See in context

SmithinJapan I think you've missed the point of this string with your reasoning (that even the worst A-movie is better than a B-movie, thus only B-movies should be submitted here [if I understand you correctly]).

Of course B-movies are the worst, technically speaking, but bad A-movies, made with budgets exponentially higher, are the most inexcusably, and thus disappointingly and maddeningly, bad. And thus it's far more interesting and amusing to ridicule them.

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Posted in: What are some of your candidates for the worst movie of all time? See in context

AVATAR

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Posted in: 'Avatar' returns to 3-D theaters worldwide See in context

The message of this movie - that hunter-gatherer society is actually more 'progressive' than post-industrial - shows how woefully poor the average person's knowledge of anthropology has become.

James Cameron has apparently never read so much as a magazine article about tribal societies in his life. If he had, he'd know they're not all about respect for life, equality and brotherly love.

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Posted in: Historians rethink key Soviet role in Japan's defeat in WWII See in context

By all means don't take my word for it. Just search "Operation Downfall" for a picture of what was expected in the invasion of Japan.

Besides that, you address alot of issues I never said anything about, so I'm not sure who you're talking to.

I merely said Japan was compelled to surrender by a combination of three things: 1)the US offer to let Hirohito stay on the throne, which is all that fink cared about, anyway2)the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, which convinced the real holders of power -the generals- that the jig was up, and 3)the atomic bombings, which allowed all of them to save face [of paramount importance in this culture] by claiming they surrendered out of concern for the people, whose deaths, as you pointed out, never seemed to bother them before.

And I learned these things by reading the journals and records of Japanese leaders, not American, whom I think are the real authority on why Japan surrendered. But you're right, everything can, and should be questioned; keep up the good work!

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Posted in: Historians rethink key Soviet role in Japan's defeat in WWII See in context

The kind of fighting that would have taken place during an invasion of Japan - with just about the entire population (women, kids, etc) throwing themselves at US troops in human waves, cannot be compared to the kind of fighting that took place during the Pacific campaign up to that point, right?

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Posted in: Historians rethink key Soviet role in Japan's defeat in WWII See in context

The demonstration of power to Stalin was only one of many reasons for dropping the bombs.

Undeniably, the US wanted to end the war without an invasion, mostly out of concern for its own troops, but it's generally agreed that millions of Japanese also would have died, so what exactly is the "cute silly joke?" And by the way, between '41 and '45, the US fought a hell of a lot more "actual Japanese troops" than the Red Army did that week in August.

Anyway, from what I've read of the journals of Japan's wartime politicians, the US offer to Hirohito to let him stay on the throne is what REALLY convinced him to surrender, and the Soviet invasion is what convinced the generals.

Neither the emperor nor the generals could've cared less about the incineration of civilians. The atomic bombs just let them save face by pretending they surrendered for the good of the people.

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Posted in: Titan Arum See in context

It smells like rotting flesh to attract flies, right?

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Posted in: Two Somali soccer fans executed, 30 arrested for watching World Cup See in context

Pretty accurate charaterization of soccer, though.

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Posted in: What do you think Yukio Hatoyama's legacy as prime minister will be? See in context

Has a Japanese PM ever had a legacy?

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Posted in: Anti-base ad See in context

Um... Shouldn't they be appealing to their own government?

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Posted in: Expo fashion show See in context

Expo 70 was one of the coolest things in the Showa period. All of the country's top designers and artists (Kenzo Tange, Isamu Noguchi, et al) did the remarkably trippy pavilions, fountains, and uniforms. One of the highlights was the Mitsubishi "Mirai Kan," Japan's equivalent of the famed 'Futurama' at the '64 fair in New York.

Check out the movie "Nihon Bankoku Haku," a feature-length documentary that played in theaters in '71 - it's amazing.

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Posted in: Triumph of the spirit See in context

Not any different than what you would see on a Shonan beach in the summer. Bodies are soooo average. Honestly, you guys commenting sound like a bunch of horny teenagers who've never seen a girl wearing underwear...or maybe you actually haven't. Gimme a girl with little more shape and sex appeal.

And you sound like a dullard with no understanding of the subtleties of beauty; "Haw? She aint got no big knockers!"

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Posted in: Oops See in context

Is that a bruise?

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Posted in: Suspect who escaped from police station while cop slept turns himself in See in context

"Why did you fall asleep?"

"Because I was tired."

"Oh... OK."

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Posted in: What should the international community do if North Korea launches a rocket? See in context

"Rocket"... meaning ballistic missile, or orbital payload delivery system? In either case, there's nothing to do, since both China and South Korea want to keep Kim Jong il in power as long as possible so they don't have to take care of all those refugees.

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Posted in: Cruise Control See in context

I saw Valkyrie when I was home last Christmas. It tries to be suspenseful, but that's kind of hard when we already know how everything turned out. Its pretty interesting to see the details of the incident, but a Tom Cruise movie just doesn't seem the best forum for that. Don't get me wrong; I think he's a great movie star, and I usually like his movies. This one was too entertaining to have an informative feel, but too grounded in fact to be very entertaining. Maybe not worth 2000 yen.

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Posted in: 'Terminator 4' exhibition to be held in Tokyo See in context

Terminator 3 was something of a disgrace. Surely this new one will be better than that, but I admit I'm concerned by anyone who calls himself "McG."

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Posted in: Lawmaker demands Aso apologize over his family's use of POW labor See in context

During or after WWll many thousands of japanese POW-s got enslaved all over the world in harsh labor or concentration camps. Why should not those governments apologize for their slavery act?!

Because the Japanese POWs were enslaved by the Soviet Union and China. Nobody expexts these countires to show any honor or responsibility whatsoever. They are held to a lower standard.

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