divinda comments

Designed after its namesake

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

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.

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

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

Sound like Rubin Carter.

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

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/

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

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.

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.

Seems like Premium Fridays has morphed into Overcharged Weekends.

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.

sake + coffee = vomit

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....

@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...

Gotta keep the war machine churning!

National news?

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.

Wishful thinking and sound public policy are not the same.

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.

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).

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

But when the government wants to cut down a bunch of historic ginkgo trees in central Tokyo's Meiji Jingu Gaien so they can build ever more skyscrapers, its OK.

20 years ago, especially when flying throughout Asia, I was asked if I spoke English and if I was physically capable to assist if there was a problem, and after affirming I was, I would then be put in the emergency exit row so that I could more astutely follow instructions and help in case people needed to evacuate.

Now, any non-English speaking and/or physically inept customer willing to pay more for this "premium" seat is instead tasked with the responsibility of this position.

Imagine an AP article of equal length distributed for re-print globally promoting the idea that white people "need doctors who look like them"? The backlash would be insane.

Isn't science supposed to be colorblind?

If you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem.

a steady stream of tour buses arrive at a base station of Japan's Mount Fuji

To access this "base station" that is 2300 meters up (higher than nearly any mountain in Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, western Honshu, and most of Tohoku) it should be noted that ALL buses need to go through a toll gate near the actual mountain base.

So instead of lamenting about how Japan and/or Fuji is a victim of its own success in attracting foreign tourists, they can begin immediately right at that toll gate with limiting the number of buses they let in, and this could easily be expanded further with selling buses their access permits in advance for the season.

Obviously the Come-One-Come-All policy they currently have isn't working, and there is nobody who the Fuji authorities can blame but themselves.

Seoul Fashion is an oxymoron.

The name is OK, but they just mis-spelled it. Should be:

Seoul Fashion Weak

Fashion tends to be one of the most avant-garde parts of culture...

...yet the Goth-Loli look has been around longer then the two girls in the pic have been alive.

Why no mention in this article that Apple (via Taiwan-owned producer Foxconn) started last month with having some iPhone 15 production being done in India, and plans to shift the entire iPhone production to there in the coming years.

I'd imagine a bit of angst about this was at least a part of the Chinese decision to ban the iPhone.