Cos comments

Obama could even join 21st century. Maternal leave is obsolete. Now, modern companies have a parental leave plan, it's an insurance system that allows mothers or fathers to get several months of paid leave whenever they have a new child (by birth or adoption). That's in addition to having sick leave covered by health insurance, for all the medical care that a pregnancy may entail, and sick child leave in case the kid requires special cares.

We don't have the funds for it.

That could have been said about slavery. Plantation owners had surely not the funds to pay the workers.

Like all extreme positions Kondo is wrong.

He is not as extreme as the article suggests. For his books, he has researched which types of cancers could be treated with positive results and those for whom there is no amelioration with a heavy treatment, and those where you tend to survive a little longer and with less pain without the heavy therapy. He does recommends treatment in the first case. What he criticizes is that most doctors prescribe everything available even when it's useless. And recently, the trend is increasing as they do more high tech screenings, so when they find something that might someday become suspect, they treat it "just in case" and put the person on lifelong cancer-stopping drugs... but as it's ineffective, mortality rate is not lowered. For instance prostate cancer, they've done more early ops, and many more men where left impotent earlier... but not living longer. And in Japan, not only patients get no health improvement, but they pay a lot (the 30% of a cancer treatment can ruin a family) and the social security pays a lot. I've seen that with acquaintances. Roughly, the doc was afraid to say "I don't know any effective treatments for your case...." because the guy was very optimistic, not at all aware of his poor chances. So he prescribed operations, radiotherapy, chemo... Later, the patient was in palliative care in hospital, after months of tiring treatments that he did in addition of his work, so the family asked to the doctor : "So now that's the end ?...OK. And 6 months ago, you thought the treatments could work ? -Er... er... er...Well, we never know... but...but... but, you wanted to try, no ?" . The truth is they didn't know the real situation so they couldn't have an opinion. The doctor has decided for them, and particularly for the patient that might have preferred spending his last months taking a big holiday and doing whatever he liked with the help of painkillers. For instance, as he was "in treatment", his son postponed his wedding of a year to let time to his dad to recover . Had they known, he'd have advanced the party. A while ago, the doctors wouldn't let you know you had cancer, you were just told to get a series of treatments and someday, oh surprise, you had everybody around your bed crying and : curtain ! That's nearly the same.

noone wants to lose a child to cancer and even a few extra months would be precious.

Months of life or months of torture ? There was the really heartbreaking case of a little British girl, maybe she was 9. She went through very heavy treatment. Unfortunately, with no success, so a few months later, doctors wanted her to do it all again. She had made a petition to be allowed to not go to hospital again and wait for death at home with family and friends around her.

The same logic applies to pets.

No. One thing is your pet is not able to discuss it with the vet.

Without government intervention, how else would young couples know that starving children could lead to severe malnutrition, or in this case, death?

There is compulsory education. The 2 KNEW well they had to feed the kids, and even give them extended care, be with them 24/24 or ask someone else to relay. Like the guys that rob a bank know well that's not legal.

A knock on the door asking if they can help is too much bother?

Easy to say. We don't know the background of the family. There are neighbors you just avoid for your own safety. Besides, as others said, some babies cry a lot, often... and they cry the same way for colics and growing teeth or for being left starving, and the cries from this flat were probably nothing unusual. You wouldn't go to check your next door every night.

What does "girlfriend" mean here?

It's written it's the mother's "domestic partner". Whatever their relations, that was an adult living in the house, and she has let the kids starve too.

between the ages of 22 and 39

Isn't the list the same as the ranking of fav dishes of primary school kids that we saw recently ?

Not all gaijin play the language clown. I know I certainly didn't.

Well, that's not given to everybody to be a circus artist. That doesn't matter, that's not how you do your work. That's the situation before you step in... and it's still there after you, if you refuse to sing the song, they replace you by the next "clown" . Or did you succeed in making j-edu and the Monkasho change in anything ? You know well that Rola could be at the Diet and they'd take her for a clown, whatever she'd do and say, while they treat with respect Aso, Abe, and all the real jokes in that clique. I can't blame her for playing the girlie card to make a living in geinnokai. You said she could do something else ? Yes, as I said she could sew the clothes 12 hours a day. That would be wonderful if she could reverse the stereotype and make the show biz change.

The comments are very hypocritical as most guys seem to know that Rola, which means they watch her in her revealing outfit. And they'll be commenting the next bikini pin up JT will post too. Also, except the skater skirt (which is a pandemic), the clothes on the video are more for the Audrey Hepburn wannabe bachans.

There is nothing wrong with a young women dressing sexy.

I agree as long as they are not too young. She's 24, she knows what she does. That's probably poor quality outfit and customers don't care, they wear stuff 2 or 3 times at best, then go to buy a new one. I find the waste is way more shocking than bad fashion. And those girls in Bangladesh's sweatshops... are they happy that their compatriot Rola does the add ?

I could imagine having a job where one had to behave like an airhead all the time to get a paycheck.

Why imagine ? You've not done the JET ? Well, you didn't have the same fashion requirement. Probably the income is proportional to the surface of flesh shown.

Bassfunk, it's because many other neighboring (Taiwan, China...) have already similar visa exemptions and ultimately, they'll do it for all. So far, no problem with these tourists. Eligible people are their country's upper middle class, they're not terrorists and they're not interested in illegally slaving in Japan's underworld, if that's what you fear. And anyway, such people get shipped in by gangs regardless of the laws.

How many times people want Japan to apologise,

As many times as they allow a clown like that to be in a representative position and let him say offensive nonsense.

What happened is a mother threw herself and three children off a building and they're all dead. What could possibly be any sound excuse for murdering your children?

Being pushed by someone. I mean that wouldn't be the first suicide, but that wouldn't be the first murder either. The police investigates for a reason.

Japan has 4 possibilities. The least likely (I hope) is described in the book "the submersion of Japan". The second, just as unlikely, is J-government seeing the light in the next 5 years, and taking in massively Chinese migrants, as they can chose them educated and already fluent in kokugo, and establish closer relations with China like an economic union, and well, even if Japanese ends up as the Luxembourg in E.U,, that would be a comfortable situation. The third is they just wait, and they'll got massive Chinese immigration by armies and settling colons sent by Chinese government and Japanese culture would be preserved like...Tibetan culture, maybe. Then the most likely is Chinese investors will buy everything in Japan (and they've started), then at some point, the new owners will totally own the political class and will decide for them, and they'll bring a few millions of their compatriots to work and live in Japan. In the 2 last scenarii, what would be the fate of the masses of aged Nihonjins ? Well, start learning Mandarin...

$12 million for one million people ($12 each)

That's probably enough for 2 or 3 weeks of food at local prices then...

Congress is reviewing a $1 billion order of arms, including Humvee vehicles, to Iraq. Etc. Etc.

... Good news for US industry, obviously. Worrying for people there.

Gambare ! I'm amazed by the negativity. The guy is starting a business. He has already 3 customers. Great ! He may not go far with this venture, nor the 10 next ones, but in a Japan where 99% of people will never have the guts to ever start a project, he is in the elite.

company name NEET株式会社, so I assume he is in fact employed

Why don't you assume he's owner-shacho.like Zuckerberg ?

I was raised to ... never think I was/am "too good" for a job.

And that education failed totally as you are dishing at someone's job as if that was not good enough.

I would however advise him that he is dressed for business,

I had that thought 2 seconds Jax, but then no... perfect, because he really rocks that job hunting suit with the lost puppy face and the pants not at his size, and that goes well with his dry humor.

Why do we have to discuss everything?

Yep, tastes and colors... The only question is where they can find their size. It's particularly tough to find feminine shoes for long feet in Japan.

How can you justify the extra expense for space that would only be useable about four months a year -- October/November and April/May?

What's the problem ? They use mostly spaces that can't be built in solid for security reasons. The beach, park and temple eateries don't require much maintenance when they are closed, they move away most of the equipment. The beer gardens are either building top spaces not useable otherwise, or they transform some parking/market place for the season (like behind Shin-Osaka station, they even install a sort of cage to play soccer...). And the shotengai are working year round.

.Outdoor heaters and blankets, fans in the summer.

Ridiculous waste of energy. If you can't bear the weather, go indoor. I sign all petitions to get those horrors banned in Europe.

I really think that there is no custom of eating in public outdoors

You mean in private ? Sure, no custom of eating on your veranda or in your backyard (and that was not done in Europe either until the 60's/70's). But in pre-war, the houses were opened all around half of the year, often continuing onto the patio and the so that looked like eating outdoor. And in public that's totally wa. I don't know for the rest of Japan, at least that's the traditional lifestyle of Kansai. Hanami, tsukimi, yatai... It's eating and drinking inside that is "Western style" and has been nearly forced on people to modernize the country post-war.

Urban planners in Japan could learn from planners around the world

Just what they did, but clearly authorities never liked the South Asian market image. They said that was part as the "anti-slum" policy. In 1946, over 80% of Osaka was "slum" with people eating outside and that's not that aspect that bothered them. Later, the fight against yakuza was a pretext to clear the streets (there are definitely less yatais, but less yakuza ?). And it's still the "war" as now many Osaka shitamachi bar/eateries do as if their glass wall was broken and they are opened on the street with half of the tables spilling outside. Ethnic and historical areas have to discuss very hard to not get modernized and pushed indoor. You can still see grandpas eating and drinking outside 24/24 and nearly 7/7... and I know some of them that live under perfusion permanently outdoor. You can't do that in most other countries. I don't think it's less popular with the youth. On good weather days you have to fight for picnic and bbq spots. People mostly go to the beach and events (fireworks, matsuri, outdoor shows, thema parks...) to eat while the mosquitoes eat them.

I remember one's incredularity in Europe on finding out that the tables inside a cafe were cheaper than those on the terrace outside. He thought it should be the way round.

Consumer tax is higher indoor. But well, special tourist prices are calculated differently.

Because there yatais and beer gardens.

here are already GPS tracking bracelets for the elderly. I've never seen one in use in Japan

I have seen many J-elderly with them. The issue is dementia people are able to take the bracelet off, like they take the wallet and phone out of their pocket, and then they go wandering, Now putting them the type used for convicts... I dunno, that's a bit too much. And that doesn't solve the problem that relatives can't always be there to run after them.

That's going to become like the number of heatstrokes, from now, they'll announce broken record every season. Even if children live with them, they can't spend 24/14 at it. Only a team of pros in a special facility can do it.

wander off without their wallets, cell phones with GPS tracking systems or any ID.

In my family, we have our names on our clothes and accessories but...

police have no way to identify them.

... but, but... isn't that convenient for the families ? I wouldn't blame them. Many are desperately waiting for a room in a specialised nursing home, so police custody is not a bad alternative and it's free. That even works as a temporary accommodation. Let's say you are going on a 2 week vacation, you let granny in a park next to a koban... and you go claim her when you're back. Then in case the elderly is involved in an accident, JR and other companies won't be able to identify and sue the relatives.

Miki Wada stabbed her son Tomoya to death...she saw no hope for his future, TBS reported. Wada contacted her father

If the son had no future at 22, what about the grand-dad ?

The mother was the mental case

Exactly. I don't even want to know what was wrong or not with the victim. You don't go lower as becoming a parent that kills his/her own kids.

I don't see why an entertainer that makes a legal offense not related to his/her job, with no victim, should be banned for life... while most politicians that commit crimes, whose victim is usually taxpayers and voters, are let free to continue their careers and their wrongdoings.

How can you "bar" anybody in the entertainment industry?

In Japan it's pretty simple. There is a club of a few agencies and companies that control 100% of mainstream media. They can decide to terminate someone's career. Then the person can still continue to perform his/her art, but on a much lower scale. Indie scene is nearly inexistent.

Finance Minister Taro Aso

I've never cashed loads of tax money to chronically bring shame to a whole country with stupid declarations. It's not fair to anyone that this guy doesn't get fired already.

a son of the chief priest of the Izumo Taisha

So her hubby will soon get that position. Her life won't change much.

We didn't want to sleep on the floor, so that was what we wanted; but most folk wanted to sleep on tatami.

Yeah ? I would say that in Kansai most people have/want a yoshitsu for bedroom as they have beds (even beds with futons) and closets/dressing rooms to hang cloths, and at the limit if it's tatami, they still put a carpet and a bed on it, so that doesn't matter much. But most like having a washitsu opening on the main big living room. They don't give it a special use, it can either extend living room space and kids play there, when they have too many guests for the high table (and that often starts for over 6 persons) or for the sofas (that may be only for 4 persons), for cha no yu and such, as occasional guest room.... or yes, as many have no social life, no guests, no kids, no hobbies beside shopping, it often turns into a warehouse to store stuff when their closets are too full, but nobody will admit it. Also as people age, they want to keep an altar for their dead relatives and they prefer a washitsu. Actually, if people have large houses feel less the need as they can have a large dedicated dining-room, multiple sofas, even suites for guests... so further in the suburbs, you see less washitsu. But the trend is people are deserting the new towns and going back into city centers.

One way they might survive is okidatami, tatami mattress that can be just placed on wooden flooring, which is probably easier to handle than usual tatami and they don't need washitsu.

No, that's not the mat that people would miss the most, but the concept of a room/space that can transformed in a few minutes.

Kansai, so it's probably a bit behind the times compared to Tokyo,

Or in advance. In the 90's, they build most mansions and houses without any washitsu, and that was the main complain, beside the lack of separated toilets. People found that if the house was not designed for it in the first place, installing a washitsu later was very complicated and expensive. I know people that ending up selling their flat for that reason. So now the design including a washitsu is coming back even in the most high tech high rise mansion. From what I understood from chirashis for new mansions, when you buy the new flat, you may pick yoshitsu style flooring and walls and you don't install the sliding doors, but the frame is made for them, so you can change your mind.

The choice is pure taste. The hygiene, cost and durability are not issues particular to tatami. In the rooms where a family spends lots of the time, if you want it to look good, you redo the decoration every 5 yrs or so anyway, and you end up paying just as much as for changing tatami. The "there were bug nests under..." stories are just as common in Western houses with other types of floorings, that's not better to find green-red-purple fungi under a flooring that trapped humidity. Unless you have tiles or stones, which are hard, cold, radioactive and can get ugly scratches. The anti-dirty super materials are often toxic. There is no perfect flooring.

If you're renting, Tatami floors are just another thing the landlord will make you pay for when you move out.

As you move in. Otherwise, he'll make you pay for the flooring, carpet, scrubbing+waxing of wood flooring, refreshing of tile joints... Most landlords are partner with a house revamping business, they need to work.

I think its natural for people to prefer to fill such a void with real furniture and enjoy what space is left. I hate sitting on the floor. It cuts off circulation.

Natural for fashion victims that can't resist the call of marketing on a weekly basis and fill their houses with useless crap, and useless crap containers (AKA 80% of furniture). Actually, the hipsters are now going back to mininalism. I hate sitting on chairs, it cuts off circulation (and there is medical evidence).

After a year or two, the tatami tics start appearing.

Like you can get bed bugs in a yoshitsu and it's easier to clean a tatami in any coin laundry than an infested bed (even expensive bug extermination specialist don't want to bother with beds). They are getting epidemic now.

OK.. cool... you found an organic insecticide for the tatami mats? Please let me know the brand.

Hinoki. The frame and all the room's closets should be made of it. It's expensive, but then you're good for 60 years. Then move into a rojin home. I never vacuumed the tatami (to spray the dust into the air I breath, no thanks), just cleaned with micro-fiber. Once in a while spray baking soda, spritz mist. For gokiburi, all your building (so neighbors have to help) should put housu balls and renew 4 times a year (in every room, in entrances, even some outside).

This poll says out of 500 people 82% preferred yoshitu.

That means what ? The question can't simply be "you prefer yoshitsu or tatami" ? That has to be: "Do you want at least one washitsu in your house or not ?". Or asking the choice for a bedroom, for a dining room, etc.

Sounds like the cops covering their butts again.

And they'd better do that. Look, the youth was psychopath and criminal, but wait in 2 minutes, his parents will sue the cops for his death and for not preventing him to go bonkers... The authorities had not yet confirmed the identities of the shooter that already the family's lawyer was reading the disclaimer saying the parents had taken the guy to mental care treatments and they had warned the police about his delirium on social media.

I hope they recover well, I'm particularly sorry for the kid. Well I was already sorry for all these young girls for working at letting creeps touch them all day instead of living their childhood and teens.

naive in the extreme for management

These pimps are anything but naive.

I suspect that the entertainment companies ask these girls not to go to the police so as not to stir up any controversy that might harm their business.

Unless they find that could be used to promote the said business....

those not allowing a time period of acclimatization risk injury - any lense will damage the ear without this.....

Well if you put them in the ear, of course ! Great typo.

It takes time to adjust to lenses,

For non-corrective contact lenses, you get used to them in 1 or 2 minutes from day one, otherwise bring them back to the shop, that model is not for your eye shape or something. The "acclimatization" is for a new correction because switching too quickly may give headaches. Also for glasses/spectacles as the shape forces your eyes to stick to a certain angle, and that may tire the muscles.

Wearing contacts for no medical purpose? No sympathy from me.

Wearing a necktie for no medical purpose ? Whether a product is useful or futile, the maker always has the obligation to make sure it is safe for expected use.

Rain day.

Are they less flexible, or what?

I guess that's those that are "painted". They are not so smooth. It's usually OK if you wear them on occasions, for a few hours and most people do that. But if it's everyday all day, that rubs too longly on the eye and there is no time to recover, so after a while that does micro-scratches on the cornea....

The center has asked that citizens consult a trained ophthalmologist for proper instructions when considering purchasing colored contacts.

Sure. I was prescribed contacts (for astygmatia) with a point drawn of them and I was feeling it. The ophthalmologist said "no, no, that's OK". Then after a few months he agreed my cornea had become sensitive. Previously I had worn plain contacts during 15 yrs without any problem, and since then I can no longer , The doc had more than insisted (refused a prescription otherwise) to make me take the colored model, but he did not apologize.

. with Japan not being a country where people / corporations sue each other so readily.

That's a myth many Japanese people love telling to tourists. Japan is the country where everybody can be like Michael Jackson. After your suicide, the train company, the hotel, or whoever think your dead dirtied their property will send you the cleaning bill and if you don't pay, they will sue you (as your dead, that will be any relative still alive). But no worries for Paul, he's eaten a bad sushi but now he's OK..