ex-japan-visitor comments

Posted in: You know you’ve been in Japan too long when… See in context

I am british (my ancestory) and I have always thought that we british are the most open to sarcastically chastising someone who is doing something wrong. The British invented stinging sarcasm for the whole world.

You could say to your friends:

Do you think it takes more effort to clean dirty carpets or to simply remove your shoes when you enter a home?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan berates China's Xi over Nanjing remarks in Berlin See in context

Why dont people promote individual freedom - i.e. liberty, instead of democracy? Democracy means one group can control another group with concentrated power. Why do people need concentrated power in the form of central planning?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: You know you’ve been in Japan too long when… See in context

In Canada, no one wears their shoes indoors. This notion that Japanese people are cleaner than Western people just isnt true.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan-N Korean talks resume See in context

Government loves more spending, planning and control. The Japanese officials are benefiting from this just as much as N Koreans are.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Miho Nakayama reportedly to get divorce after 12 years See in context

'I have to live my own life'. That says it all.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Posted in: Japan says N Korea's missile launches won't affect bilateral talks See in context

It's amazing that the U.S. has invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, sent weapons to Al Qaeda in Syria and is trying to stop Putin's invasion of the Ukraine, but North Korea does what it does an the world sends them money and food, with little a word about it.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: 6 things Japanese expats miss most about Japan See in context

The Japanese healthcare system is the best I have seen in the world. A hernia operation in Nagoya is $3500, with a wait time of 5 days. In Ontario, Canada, it is $4000, with a wait time of 4 - 7 months. No comparison at all. I always laugh when I hear Canadians tell me they have the best healthcare in the world.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Posted in: BOJ minutes: Economy, prices on track with forecasts See in context

bfg4987,

Research the US Treasury report which was just released, detailing foreign holdings of US Treasuries by various countries. The US treasury released numbers in the morning that detailed Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Belgium etc. holdings of US Treasuries, and then, just 3 hours later, they changed the numbers and re-reported what they claimed were the actual amounts. There is no way the numbers were 'mistakenly' reported incorrectly. This was done on purpose. The US government has Trillions of dollars to run itself, yet it cant even report the amount of debt that foreign nations purchased in a 30 day window. How can they possibly get these numbers wrong, by billions of dollars, per country?

Why dont you admit that governments around the world, including Japan, purposely play with economic indicators so as to benefit themselves and those that are connected to them?

What is in it for you to defend the world's central planners?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: BOJ minutes: Economy, prices on track with forecasts See in context

Does anyone realize that governments around the world lie about economic numbers - inflation, growth, employment, etc?

As a Canadian, I will cite how the Bank of Canada distorts real price increases. I am sure the Japanese Central Bank operates the same way.

From a 2008 speech by Bank of Canada Deputy Governor, John Murray, I will cite the following:

'Measures of core inflation are usually calculated in one of two ways. The "exclusion method" is the most straightforward and, as the name suggests, involves excluding the prices of those goods and services that typically display more than a predetermined amount of variability.'

Plain English translation: When we measure inflation, we take out any item that would increase the reported inflation rate more than we want it to.

John Murray then continues:

'The "reweighting method," in contrast, doesn't exclude the prices of any goods and services. Instead, it assigns a weight to each component that is inversely related to its volatility. In other words, more volatile price series are given a lower weight.

Plain English translation: When prices on certain items go up too much, we give it less importance, as a percentage, in our calculation of the inflation rate. Inflation will then stay in the range that we want it to.

The public is SO DUMB that even when these guys admit to what they are doing in their speeches, nobody objects. And journalists are so dishonest, they dont call out officials when they are up to these wrongs.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Japan racks up record deficit; lowers growth estimate See in context

What happens when more money continues to leave Japan? Who is going to buy all the Japanese government debt? Japan is headed off the cliff.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Posted in: Gov't speeds up stimulus package as tax hike looms See in context

Do you realize, Jeff, that currencies have collapsed multiple times throughout human history?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Revelry See in context

Oriental women dont look good when they go for the trashy look.

-3 ( +7 / -10 )

Posted in: 10-year-old letter arrives from daughter lost to tsunami See in context

Why dont Japanese people ever express their feelings directly to the people they care about?

I tell everyone in my life exactly how I feel.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Husbands aghast at wives' infatuation with rightwing causes See in context

This is evidence of the rise of Statism. There is a woman named Yoko Maeda, who lives in Fukuoka, Japan. She has a Youtube channel named randomyoko2. On this channel, she vents about everything political, but mostly claims that the Japanese are victims of past wars and of the misinformation of other races and nations.

She broke up with her American boyfriend and has decided to devote her time to promoting Japanese strength and unity.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Posted in: 'Joshi' or 'josei' - At what age does a 'girl' become a 'woman?' See in context

When she has her first period. That means she can get pregnant and give birth. In present day terms though, I would say when she turns 16. At 16, most girls are fully developed - body wise. In Canada, the age of consent is 16. It used to be 14, but they raised it a few years ago.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Posted in: Man freezes to death in car stuck in snow in Gunma See in context

In Canada, someone would of stopped to help such a man. I wonder why no one stopped to help him. He would of been stranded for over 5 hours. You cant freeze to death in a short period of time unless you are without clothes and in extremely cold weather (-20 degree weather). I doubt it was that cold in Japan on the day he died.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Posted in: Japanese women discuss pros and cons of being a guy’s first girlfriend ever See in context

Maria, you describe much of adult society. Most adults are narcissists these days. When I went to Japan, I thought Japanese people were shy and polite. But, then I realized they are simply self-involved. North Americans are the same.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Gov't speeds up stimulus package as tax hike looms See in context

Historically, Japan has borrowed at an average of 4% interest. When rates hit 4% again sometime in the future, the J government will have to declare bankruptcy. Rates wont stay below 1% forever.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Posted in: Life is sweet for Godiva Japan See in context

Godiva, like many premium brands such as Lindt, uses more sugar than many store brands. More sugar means poorer quality and taste that is too sweet. Sugar is the ingredient that cereal manufacturers and others use when they want to make something less expensively.

It amazes me that people will spend top dollar for a product like Godiva. Look at how much sugar is used as a percentage of the serving amount suggested, and you can determine how much quality your chocolate holds. Cocoa butter is what chocolate really should be. Cocoa butter is much, much more expensive than sugar and that's why companies use so much sugar - to keep the cost down, to make it super-sweet, and to make people think they are eating something great. Dont be fooled.

And by the way, Cadbury 'Dark Chocolate' is the lowest quality dark chocolate of them all.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Japanese women discuss pros and cons of being a guy’s first girlfriend ever See in context

Most guys lie when they say they are inexperienced with women. I told my girlfriend I was inexperienced so as not to freak her out with my past.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Posted in: What do you think about the way Valentine's Day is celebrated in Japan? See in context

I was in a relationship with a narcissist while staying in Japan last Valentines Day. I knew Valentine's Day in Japan was for the men, but since I was with a narcissist, she simply bought herself some alcohol for us to 'share' on the 14th. Ironic thing is that she knew I didnt like alcohol and rarely drank any as a result. However, she is an alcoholic, so I gave her a bit of a pass on her actions. It is hard to not endulge in drinking in Japan.

So, a few days before Valentines, she ended up getting drunk on the wine she had bought for my 'big day' and that was that.

Moral of the story: Dont date a narcissist. Or, if you are going to date one, make sure you have the same likes and dislikes.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: New NHK head's 'comfort women' remark stirs controversy See in context

JTDDanMan,

If consumers are unhappy with a particular business - the service, values, statements, quality etc. - the way to get that business to change is to stop giving them money.

In the U.S., people complain about the Chinese government all the time, yet they refuse to stop buying things that are 'made in China'. People care more about saving $10.00 than they do about anything else. So, their outrage about the Chinese government is not even worth the money they save on the goods they buy.

I used to run a dollar store and would hear people complain about 'made in China' on a daily basis. I would tell them 'if you want, I can sell you things made in North America, but I dont think you would be willing to pay more for such goods.' And of course, they admitted that they didnt want to pay the higher price to substitute for Chinese goods.

In terms of Chinese people, they care more about getting their Honda Civic than they do about the issue of 'comfort women'. So, I say, either take action and vote with your dollars, or shut up about it and put it in the past. One cant continue to support Japanese companies and then complain about Japanese behaviour.

In my country of Canada, we have a large population of Koreans. I have dated Korean girls and have interacted with Korean students while in school. In my experience, I have never met a Korean person who didnt think that their Korean ancestory made them special, above and beyond all other people. I really dont like that way of thinking, and hence, I decided not to support that way of thinking. Specifically, I wont buy Korean products. So, I dont buy electronics or vehicles or even go to restaurants that are operated by Koreans. When I ran my business, I wouldnt buy services, nor hire anyone of a Korean background. That was my way of not continuing to turn a 'blind-eye' to the obvious 'superiority complex' Koreans display.

-8 ( +0 / -8 )

Posted in: New NHK head's 'comfort women' remark stirs controversy See in context

Comfort women were obviously brought into the country against their will. They were obviously forced into sex against their will. It is obvious that Japanese politicians wont admit that this was wrong. It is obvious that the Koreans and Chinese will become upset at this. Everything is SO EXPECTED!

Reading this story and getting upset about it is equivalent to staring at the sun and then complaining that your eyes hurt. What do you expect?

If people really want the leadership of Japan to change their attitude and stop showing disrespect, all they have to do is to stop buying Japanese products. Within 3 months, the Japanese would be making 100s of apologies.

If China really wants Japan to change, as do the Koreans, stop importing and consuming Japanese products. But, in reality, Chinese consumers LOVE Japanese products. Almost every Chinese person in my country drives a Japanese car, but then complains about how the Japanese are 'Devils'.

If you keep supporting Japan, Japan will not change. Japan is a country that relies on GNP (Gross National Product) and exports moreso than almost any other country in the world. Take away their profits from exports and GNP and you will see a change in their behaviour.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Posted in: Crime prevention hints to keep burglars at bay See in context

166 per day? That probably happens in Detroit each day, alone.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Foreign men sound off on difficulties of having a Japanese wife See in context

My ex-girlfriend wouldnt:

Turn on the heat, because it was expensive, I wanted it to be warmer than 7 degrees Celcius in the house Told me that not wearing slippers in the house was dirty - I prefered to just wear socks and mop the floor once a week Didnt want to wear nail polish because she thought it made her look 'slutty' Wouldnt help me carry items downstairs because she didnt want to park the and pay for parking

I challenged her by pointing out her odd ways:

She purchased and consumed alcohol almost everyday - but couldnt afford to turn on the heat She rarely washed her hands with soap even after going number 2 in the bathroom She had 3 boyfriends in the previous one year time period before she met me - intimate with them all - but thought that wearing nail polish in public looked unbecoming She bought 'organic' food, costly 3 to4 times more than 'regular' food because it was healthier, but again, she drank alcohol almost every day and ate sweets at least twice a week.

Of course, she told me I was disrespectful because I didnt follow her ways - the Japanese way.

1 ( +5 / -5 )

Posted in: No. of murders in Japan in 2013 drops to postwar low See in context

Police forces often falsify data and guide arrests to support different areas of crime. There is no way that human behaviour changes 8% in one year.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Posted in: Vice economy minister signals hope for BOJ easing to limit tax hike impact See in context

Jeff Lee,

If QE is good for the economy, why stop increasing the ratio of money to goods? If QE works well, why hasnt Japan improved their economic position? Why is America, like Japan, in so much debt, if they too, like Japan, have had massive QE. And please stop saying 'QE'. 'QE' is a fanciful way of saying central governments are increasing the money supply relative to the number of goods available for purchase. No one wants to tell the public that they are increasing the money supply relative to the number of goods because then people will strat to understand that represents a tax.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Rodman sings happy birthday to North Korean leader See in context

The North Koreans are paying Rodman huge sums of money in order to have him proclaim the humanity and greatness of the little boy leader from North Korea. If the U.S. is upset about it, they could offer him more money to switch sides, and therefore, promote the humanity and greatness of America's little boy leader.

-8 ( +4 / -12 )

Posted in: Big jumpers See in context

I guess when all your women are 5'0" tall and 100 pounds, you have an advantage at flying though the air on skis.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Posted in: A minicar named Hustler? Japan's brand names raise eyebrows See in context

I know! Pocari Sweat! I see this all the time in Canada - in the Chinese grocery stores. Who wants to drink sweat? That's nasty.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

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