clive1 comments

France can not have it both ways. If they want to stop Muslims praying openly then more Muslim mosques need to be built and until this happens, then Muslims have little option but to pray outside.

France needs to adopt a model based on fairness and not discrimination.

Until France allows more mosques to be built then I support Muslims praying outside.

However, I don't need Islamic kitman!

BLACKLABEL....your presumptions are just that, presumptions.

The article gives info, for example, "More problematic than this, was my ex-girlfriend who had died young and in tragic circumstances. Her spirit still remained within my soul and now was not the right time for me to tie the knot and settle down."

And further down -

"My only regret in life while I lived in Tokyo was not being more patient with Chung Ae. Looking back, she was the nicest lady that I ever met and while we no longer keep in touch, I certainly think about her from time to time but in a realistic way."

TAJ - Maybe tripe to you....it was just his account....nothing more, rather tedious, maybe was.......but tripe, not really...

GOGOGO, DRACONALIS, SAYBROOK07 and PIXILATED Exactly.

FOXIE - I think he sounds more sincere than you - he says that his ex-died and then far away from his host country and I presume feeling lonely because of linguistic reasons - and near the end, his only regret was the nice South Korean lady..........maybe you are perfect....I think not, because nobody is perfect

Hello FireyRei

Yes, like you say "There are good & bad on dating websites, like meeting in a bar. You just have to use care & careful consideration."

I　think the writer was just saying similar.

Michel Le Bon says the same, met someone stuck up but met nice people - and, it seems, he passed up the chance of meeting a nice lady.

But earlier on he does say "More problematic than this, was my ex-girlfriend who had died young and in tragic circumstances. Her spirit still remained within my soul and now was not the right time for me to tie the knot and settle down."

So I hazard a guess that he was just being honest to himself and caught in a mega city, isolated, and just looking for the feeling of not being so lonely or bored....or whatever.

Hello It's ME - I　share similar thinking and I couldn't agree more with what you said....thanks.

You say the following:

"Like with many other posters(here and on other forums) they seem to be set in their ways and only want what they think is good for them. Be adventurous and enjoy what each relationship can offer and where it can take you."

"Don't matter if you met via the Net or not, have had friends with good and bad experiences. No different from guys that meet ladies in the local pub, international parties, etc."

Tokyo dating: individual account of internet dating

The above is the title of the article. Japan Today changed the title name...at no point does he claim "pros and cons."

"Internet dating was not so difficult and maybe this was much easier than going to any nightclub. Also, my Japanese was very basic but I enjoyed myself while searching for and meeting new ladies. Therefore, I would certainly recommend it for people who are new to Japan, irrespective of sexuality and gender, because it is easy to become isolated in any new nation, and not just in Japan."

I fail to see any malice - the only malice is the replies by some individuals who either presume too much or have read something into something which was not stated.

The writer also says this "My only regret in life while I lived in Tokyo was not being more patient with Chung Ae. Looking back, she was the nicest lady that I ever met and while we no longer keep in touch, I certainly think about her from time to time but in a realistic way."

Article - not for me, I like international relations and politics - but I fail to see all the negatives that have been stated by individuals who are very opinionated.

Look in the mirror - so to speak, article was just about an individual who seemed to find Tokyo a lonely place because of language and cultural factors.....

Writer says - "I am sure that people will have mixed views about Internet dating but the real outcome of it being a success or failure depends on your own personality and the individual you meet being sincere, open and honest."

Hmmm, I fail to see anything negative.

Yes, not the most of interesting topics......granted

Writer states "I don’t understand Japanese people. Forgive the crude analogy, but studying the Japanese is like observing an exotic species in the wild. You can dedicate your whole life to understanding your subjects but eventually, inevitably, they will do something that surprises and confounds you."

"This revelation stems from an unfortunate falling out I had with a Japanese friend recently."

This sounds terrible - is the writer trying to claim that Japanese people are to be studied like pets? Also, a lot of generalizations going on and "This revelation stems from an unfortunate falling out I had with a Japanese friend..."

Great, an article based on a flimsy email....hmmm, rocket science!

Also, "inevitably, they will do something that surprises and confounds you." - Oh, well; racial thinking theories are alive and well - the writer now sounds like Ishihara during one of his racial outbursts....an entire race does this, an entire race thinks like this.............

Therefore, does the writer desire all Japanese people to say "yes sir, thank you" - tut, tut!

Terrible...............

But a pat on the head to the writer for speaking Japanese so well.....if only the entire population would praise you in order to calm you down from your mass generalizations.

I only wonder why it took Yuko so long to switch on to your own insecurity....................

PS - The above is not a complaint because the best intentions were meant by Japan Today.

Cat cafes are not my cup of tea but I know several people who get great pleasure from visiting them and it seems that the cats are well treated and the clients are happy.

Hello SPANISHEYEZ37

Sadly, the title name was changed by Japan Today and I agree, it does not sound nice!

http://moderntokyotimes.com/2011/08/04/tokyo-cat-cafes-meow/

The Original title is Tokyo Cat Cafes: Meow

Thanks!

BurakuminDes...exactly, the economy over the last 20 years was not so good. Low groth to stagnation and back again but the yen is really strong and it is not all about carry trade.

Other nations would be in dire straits and unemployment would be much higher; the currency would lose its strength after twenty years of negativity (on the whole) and existing companies that survived the initial period would find it hard to survive the high valued currency..........but Japan keeps on ticking and not only this, is helping the EU and other nations despite everything.....and even helping after the crisis of March 11.

It seems like an enigma..........and look at the social tensions in the UK, Greece and other nations.....but where are the social tensions in Japan?

Reckless...your point is also, what?

Twenty years of negative economic growth in Japan on the whole - unemployment is much lower than America but did America have 20 years of negativity?

Look at Spain, Greece and other convulsions. Japan remained steady and despite countless problems it is Japan which is trying to help Europe...not America.

Did you see tens of thousands of individuals losing their home in Japan like what happened in America in such a short time, added to unemployment rises and social issues related?

Scare mongering all the time about Japan and so forth.

China is unhappy with America and Russia - and a host of othe nations. And what is America doing to stabilize the dollar?

I do not mean to sound cold but 33,000 Japanese nationals kill themselves every year and some people think that the figure is even higher.

Suicide appears to be an easy option in a time of crisis and in the last ten years more than 320,000 thousand Japanese nations have killed themselves (figure fluctuates between 31,000 to 33,000 a year).

Katrina took America a long time and given the vastness of the area which was hit in Japan then the crisis is complex.

I remember that people in Kobe who didn't have adequate insurance were demanding help for a very long period............

Yes, of course it is very sad that this individual died like this - but something is in the psyche....... and suicide is part and parcel of the downside of Japan.

KAMINARIOYAJI - Japan is a corporate state so the political situation is not infringing on the mega-companies which is where the real power is.

I agree with you that Japanese politicians do not have any clear direction; this is obvious because they do not stay in power long enough.

However, I fail to see the direction in America apart from more debt and of course it is China and Japan which holds much of this debt and Japan says little about America manipulating the dollar.

At the same time Hispanic immigration is changing the map and sooner or later traditional power bases are going to clash and the two party system is not helping because of limited diversity.

The narcotic wars in Mexico is because of the high rate of drug usage in America and Europe is beset with many problems also.

Overall, thumbs up!

I see!

However, what about America and the spiral of debt and it is China and Japan which owes much of this debt.

I guess the bail out of banks in America and other financial institutions is deemed to be a role model and the same applies to Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Kosovo, and other great ventures of chaos and destruction.

Look in the mirror and high crime rates and the ethnic bomb in parts of the south is ticking and you have a narcotics war in Mexico because of drug consumption in America.