divinda comments

Posted in: Kenya's Kipruto, Ethiopia's Kebede win Tokyo Marathon See in context

Congrats to everyone who "funished".

-3 ( +12 / -15 )

Posted in: ChatGPT maker OpenAI's new text-to-video generator: Here's what we know about the new tool See in context

To see the videos created by this is utterly amazing. Shocking, actually. And to read the limited detail command prompts for what it was told to do and then see the highly complex results is even more unreal.

Though close, its not perfect yet (it seems to distort proportions sometimes between near-ground and far-ground), but to watch it, its almost like watching the imagination of a child. And once this thing matures more (next year?) it will be impossible to distinguish from reality anymore.

This isn't merely a game changer. Its an entirely new game, and many many other games out there are on the brink of deletion.

The dawn of the Matrix is upon us.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Bali $10 tourist e-tax comes into force See in context

Kyoto should do the same.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: U.S. supports Japan's push for talks with North Korea, envoy says See in context

And here I thought Kim Jung-un's sister (Kim Yo-jung) was the only one with an impenetrable look of steel... Touche' USA!

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Posted in: Many Japanese outside major urban areas do not engage with foreigners: survey See in context

As someone who lives in the Japanese countryside, I can say that most Japanese here do not engage much with other Japanese.

17 ( +42 / -25 )

Posted in: Hafu: Dating as a ‘half Japanese’ woman in Japan See in context

Being a hafu woman should be less of an issue as of today...

Just last night, the new Miss Japan 2024 was crowned... and she is a full-blooded Ukrainian (both parents). But she is a Japanese citizen (she acquired Japanese nationality in 2022, after spending much of her life in Japan).

So the officially crowned most beautiful Japanese woman this year has no Japanese DNA.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Posted in: The 'textbook' evacuation from Japan jet inferno See in context

"Passengers seemed to have followed instructions in a textbook manner,"

Kudos to the flight attendants, but I would wonder how it would have unfolded if this wasn't a domestic flight packed with Japanese traveling for New Years, and instead was an inbound flight from abroad half full (or more) with non-Japanese.

Apparently one of the biggest benefits to the evacuation was that nobody was seen carrying anything as they slid out and ran from the plane. I highly doubt most other citizens of the world would willingly abandon their stuff so readily.

The Japanese characteristics of abandonment of material things and group-think obedience (both of which are constantly lambasted by non-Japanese, especially in JT comments) seemed to have saved them.

7 ( +15 / -8 )

Posted in: Japan eyes shipping Patriot missiles to U.S. upon easing export rules See in context

This article failed to state why the US would need to import US-licensed surface-to-air Patriot missiles?

Is the US in need of defending itself from an air attack?

Or has the US depleted all of its stockpile of Patriot missiles by giving them to Ukraine and Israel... and now the US will buy more from Japan so they can also give these to Ukraine and Israel.

Congrats Japan, you are now supplying weapons to wars.

Its more than ironic that the provision in the Japanese constitution banning such exports was written at the behest of the US.

3 ( +9 / -6 )

Posted in: Japan plans stamp price hike for letters to 110 yen from 84 yen See in context

@MichaelBukakis

No, that's a 31% increase for letters and a 35% increase for postcards.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

Posted in: Add the Cove drip kettle to your coffee nook this holiday season See in context

Designed after its namesake

A wise PR campaign would point out that no dolphins were harmed in producing this kettle.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Osaka expo careens toward a looming disaster, for an event that few even want See in context

Shimizu added that with very few exceptions, most of the pavilions on the site will be demolished at the end of the exposition. Where else can you find waste of that order?

Perhaps the worst part is that nowhere in this article, nor anywhere within the comments above, does anyone acknowledge or even realize that the site of this Expo once it is done is slated to become the location of Osaka's new casino complex, to be opened in about 2029 or 30.

So all this bloated overspending on development there, on train line connections, ferry ports, roads and bridges, drainage, electrical connection, sewers, and overall prevention from the island sinking... its all being done at taxpayer expense to put in place a base for private casinos whose sole intention is to further fleece populace of their wealth through odds-weighted gambling.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Posted in: Cargo ship operated by Japanese firm seized in Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi group See in context

An AP article elsewhere gives more insight on the Israeli connection:

"Israeli officials insisted the ship was British-owned and Japanese-operated. However, ownership details in public shipping databases associated the ship’s owners with Ray Car Carriers, which was founded by Abraham “Rami” Ungar, who is known as one of the richest men in Israel.

Ungar told The Associated Press he was aware of the incident but couldn’t comment as he awaited details. A ship linked to him experienced an explosion in 2021 in the Gulf of Oman. Israeli media blamed it on Iran at the time.

The complex world of international shipping often involves a series of management companies, flags and owners stretching across the globe in a single vessel."

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15061589

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Posted in: Unification Church in Japan offers to set aside up to ¥10 bil in compensation fund See in context

Setting up this fund in anticipation of payouts is an admission of guilt.

15 ( +19 / -4 )

Posted in: Retrial of man accused of 1966 quadruple murder begins See in context

Sound like Rubin Carter.

Would be even more similar if the guy's boxing nickname was "Typhoon"...

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Posted in: Bear bounty introduced by Akita governor pays ¥5,000 per bear to hunters See in context

In most rural prefectures (therefore most prefectures in Japan), registered hunters get payments for shooting or trapping deer, boar, and monkeys (due to the crop damage they cause), and often the local city or town governments give even more funds.

In total, deer and boar can be worth 15,000 to 20,000 yen for the combined prefecture and municipal payouts, and monkeys get 20,000 to 30,000+.

So 5,000 for a bear is either a typo (missing a zero) or a reflection of how the Akita governor Satake (note the typo in the article calling him the governor of "Akira") is a 50+ year career politician who is so out of touch that does not know the reality of daily costs. In the past week he literally had to apologize to the entirety of all 4 Shikoku prefectures for slandering their food.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20231025_33/

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Posted in: International visitors to Japan reach 96% of pre-COVID level in Sept See in context

The dude waiting at the steps seems like here's there for a bit of yokozuna training himself. Couple of the ladies, too.

2 ( +8 / -6 )

Posted in: Saudi Arabia, Japan to cooperate to ease Middle East tensions See in context

Lets hope Japan can avoid the oil crisis it had in 1973 which erupted from a similar situation. Its gotta walk a tight-rope between the G7 and OPEC.

Because if the Middle East oil tap gets cut off, Japan and all its residents are utterly doomed.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Posted in: International visitors to Japan reach 96% of pre-COVID level in Sept See in context

figures from mainland China that are still 60% below 2019

Imagine if the Chinese tourist numbers were also now back to previous levels, or even at the same "record levels" as they are with all the other countries?

The strain on the infrastructure and Japanese population would be insane. Japan would be at a breaking point of internal collapse which no train fare increase would ever simply mitigate.

-1 ( +8 / -9 )

Posted in: Japan to OK train fare hikes for holidays, weekends due to 'overtourism' concerns See in context

Seems like Premium Fridays has morphed into Overcharged Weekends.

22 ( +33 / -11 )

Posted in: Japan has interfered in the internal affairs of other countries and stepped up the overseas advance of the Self-Defense Forces, pursuant to the U.S. strategy of hegemony. See in context

NK and SK both use Japan (and vice-versa) to be the eternal boogie man in order to keep their own citizen in a constant state of external rage and fear.

As if Japan has the will or capacity to somehow invade North Korea (and/or South Korea).

Or as if North Korea can somehow ever invade Japan.

The only invasion potential would ever be between North and South (in one direction or the other), but since they are both Korean, (and by their own definition victims), neither can slander one-another the way they both can more acceptingly do to Japan.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Posted in: Japanese coffee business teams up with sake brewers to make Sake Coffee drip packs See in context

sake + coffee = vomit

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Biden says there's not much time to keep aid flowing to Ukraine and Congress must 'stop the games' See in context

To date the US has given Ukraine about $76 billion - for this, the Ukrainians have;

Sunk the flagship Moskva - $750 billion...

Put an unrepairable hole in the new submarine Rostov-on-Don - $300 billion...

At least one thousand turretless Russian tanks litter Ukraine - $100 billion....

Yeah, the US gave $76 BILLION, but you are off by a factor of 1000 with those other numbers:

Moskova cost: $750 MILLION

new sub: $300 MILLION

Russian tank losses: $700 Million - $1 Billion (estimated)

No longer the "deal of the century" when correctly calculating....

2 ( +13 / -11 )

Posted in: Biden says there's not much time to keep aid flowing to Ukraine and Congress must 'stop the games' See in context

@lincolnman

You forgot:

Destroyed the Nord Stream Pipeline - $11 billion...

Made Europe, especially Germany, dependent once again on receiving Russian gas via existing pipelines that transit through Ukraine and for gas produced in Ukraine by companies like Burisma - priceless...

6 ( +18 / -12 )

Posted in: Biden says there's not much time to keep aid flowing to Ukraine and Congress must 'stop the games' See in context

Gotta keep the war machine churning!

-3 ( +15 / -18 )

Posted in: Man arrested for failing to pay hotel bill after one-night stay in Hokkaido See in context

National news?

23 ( +30 / -7 )

Posted in: Osaka World Expo organizer to raise construction cost estimate again See in context

another pit for tax money.

who needs that expo at all?

Ever wonder what will happen to all this overpriced construction and development once the Expo is over? Well, the answer is all about the location...

The event, to be held from April 13 to Oct. 13 2025 on the man-made island of Yumeshima in Osaka Bay,

...and Yumeshima will be the location of Japan's first casino, um, I mean "Integrated Resort", set to open in 2029. (somehow all the Expo articles always fail to mention this). Yeah, pretty convenient for the casino operators (MGM and Orix) to be able to move onto the island with all that taxpayer subsidized infrastructure and no-longer-necessary leftover buildings.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Posted in: Kishida unveils gist of new economic package as support for his government dwindles See in context

Wishful thinking and sound public policy are not the same.

15 ( +19 / -4 )

Posted in: Is Japan’s new Asahi Super Dry beer better or worse than the original formula? See in context

Masami had always thought that the Super Dry’s selling point was its ease of drinking, but as it turns out it did have a sharp bitterness that may have been too strong for first-timers.

Verdict: Asahi succeeded in making a tasteless beer even more tasteless.

Should call it Superer Dry.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Posted in: Nozomi shinkansen bullet train abolishes low-priced unreserved tickets during peak travel seasons See in context

The company says the new policy is a response to overcrowding of the unreserved-seat train cars during those peak periods.

During peak holiday times, more people ride the trains than there are seats available. So the aisles end up filling with people standing.

Making all seats reserved-only will not reduce the number of people who travel, so the aisles will be just as full.

And if this new policy also prevents anyone from standing in the aisle in these reservation-only Nozomi trains, then all the non-Nozomi trains will therefore be even more overcrowded.

And if people are allowed to still stand in the aisle of reserve-only Nozomi trains, it could easily mean that a reserved seat that is used only (for example) from Tokyo to Nagoya and is then empty after that would be unavailable for someone standing (whereas previously that person could just take that seat).

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Posted in: Why China’s real estate crisis should make global travel industry nervous See in context

The "travel industry" are probably the only ones unhappy with the lack of additional hordes of Chinese tourists.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

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