GaijinSince74 comments

Awhile before the 11/3/11 big one, one of the TV networks showed this really scary documentary about what scientists say could actually happen if Fuji were to have a major eruption, complete with that really scary music and graphics before and after every commercial break that Japanese TV channels always love. It was really an eye-opener and the facts noted really rang true so they didn't need the scary music to freak me out! Basically, it's all about wind direction. In the event of a major eruption, if the wind was blowing the speed and direction that it usually does, -right towards Tokyo, then the most populated areas of the Kanto plain would have tons of ash, razor sharp microscopic glass-like particles, that shred the inside of your lungs, dumped on it, so that literally millions would die, since the same ash particles would also clog all machinery so all traffic (trains,planes and cars) attempting to flee the ensuing chaos would be stopped along with all electricity and communications. Pretty scary stuff for those of us who live in the Kanto area.

I'm staying in a little business hotel in downtown Tokyo on the 8th floor. I had just turned on the TV to listen to the news while in the bath, so I was standing in front of the TV completely naked. The moment I turned on the TV, the little digital reading on the screen said 5:59 and the building started swaying and then bouncing up and down. It does make a person feel a little vulnerable. "Should, I put my clothes on?", I asked myself. "No, just pop open that ice-cold Grapefruit Chu Hai and get in the bath!", the little voice in my head answered. As I obeyed the voice, and got in the bath, I pictured them pulling my naked body from the rubble, still clutching my tall 8% Chu Hai can. Does this mean I've been in Japan too long? I don't know. We're all going to go sometime, right?

I knew a guy whose name was just "I". I-san had it rough when he would call someone on the phone and have to just say, "I desu". "Eh?" "Ya ano, I desu kedo." "Eh? Nani ga ii desuka?"

Do they have Viagra in the vending machines?

Awhile before the 11/3/11 big one, one of the TV networks did this really scary documentary about what scientists say could actually happen if Fuji were to have a major eruption, complete with that really scary music and graphics before and after every commercial break that Japanese TV channels always love. I swear it was really an eye-opener and the facts noted really rang true so they really didn't need the scary music to freak me right out! Basically, it's all about wind direction. In the event of a major eruption, if the wind was blowing the speed and direction that it usually does, -right towards Tokyo, the most populated areas of the Kanto plain would have tons of ash, razor sharp microscopic glass-like particles, that shred the inside of your lungs, dumped on it, so that literally millions would die, since the same ash particles would also clog all machinery so all traffic (trains,planes and cars) attempting to flee the ensuing chaos would be stopped cold, along with all electricity and communications. Wow, why am I still not a flyjin? I really don't know. Sweet dreams all!

I always liked Clint Eastwood, but it's just so sad to see him make a fool of himself like that. Maybe he was nervous and had a few too many drinks beforehand? His act was rambling, disjointed and well, just lame. I felt embarrassed for him.

I'd be interested to see scientific evidence regarding actual physical differences in high and low temperature comfort and tolerance levels between different cultures or races. It does seem that there is a difference between male and female comfort levels. I always prefer it to be cooler than my (Japanese) wife likes in both winter and summer and others I talk to all say the same thing with men generally preferring a cooler temperature than women (regardless of race.) It has always seemed to me that the Japanese can tolerate much hotter temps than I can (caucasian from the USA) -when before "cool biz" started, I would often see salarymen in the middle of the Japanese summer, standing calmly with a full, 3 piece suit, & long sleeve shirt with necktie, not even breaking a sweat after running to catch the train. I had always heard that the standard comfortable room temperature was between 18C and 23C, so 28 seems ridiculous to me, but my Japanese co-workers seem generally able to accept it without too much fuss. What gives?

So, dear Softbank, if the service has been "launched" why does my 2012 iPad still just say, "SoftBank 3G" in the top left hand corner? Signed, Impatient Early Adopter!

There should be a better resolution graphic for that map, it's basically unreadable as is.

I just wish they would make it be a cell phone too! I love my iPhone and my iPad but they overlap in usage scenarios, and I have to carry two devices and pay for both as well. I wouldn't mind holding a seven+ inch iPad/Phone ("iPhad"?) up to my ear for the, increasingly-less-frequent phone call, even though it looks stupid, I don't care, I do not operate under a "worry what people think about me" mentality anyway! I have big hands so I don't mind and I usually use texting to communicate anyway.

Arguing over personal preferences regarding substances to use or not use to get a little high after work or during times of relaxation could go on forever -I mean "different strokes for different folks" right? IF Legal! The problem this article (and a steady stream of recent, similar articles) brings up regarding these synthetic herbs that are being marketed here in Japan as a legal alternative to marijuana, is the trouble that the Japanese authorities are having trying to control substances that may be technically legal but could be harmful to public health.

It seems to me that there is a subculture here in Japan that is definitely 4:20 friendly. Western drug culture and values are being disseminated through music, the net, movies, and even television from outside Japan, and many Japanese people seem open to it and even desire to partake of that culture (as well as the substance!) while foreigners bring that attitude with them to Japan. The problem is that the legal system here in Japan is in no way going along with these changes in people's thinking and still deals very harshly with any drug-related offenses. Will that change in the future? Maybe, check back in 2050! In the meantime, the situation creates a huge vacuum for borderline legal alternatives, and people will continue to get hurt. Proceed with caution. Have a glass of beer or wine and just chill, I guess.

GoGoGoHanshinTigers, you nailed it man! In this country of endless contradictions and paradoxes, the foreigners who have decided to stay long-term cannot help but partake of that same spirit which prompts us to say, "Never a dull moment in Japan. I love it so much -- and hate it at the same time." I almost laughed out loud when I saw that as I sit here on the Yamanote line reading JT on my iPad.

Many of the packages say "not for human consumption" but the guys selling it in the head shops describe the effects it has on you when you smoke it and sell pipes and smoking paraphernalia in the same shop. Nobody really knows what effect it has on the human brain yet. If you use it moderately, you may have a pleasant experience but you still don't know what it is doing to you, long term. Putting synthetic chemicals into your brain puts you into the position of being a guinea pig for a substance that very little is known about. The guys who sell it don't care -obviously somebody is making a crapload of money off of it. I say ban the fake stuff and legalize the natural green stuff.

Actually the chemicals coating the herbs they are selling in Japan to smoke, is pretty much the same as the stuff they sell in the US to snort, called Bath Salts. It might be what prompted some nut-case to eat another guys face in Florida recently. This stuff is dangerous. Inexperienced, curious young Japanese folks who have never been stoned can absolutely panic, go berserk, or go into convulsions and die! Even experienced stoners should stay away. It's ironic that this dangerous, untested supposed "synthetic THC" is legal here in Japan, but the natural green stuff that has been proven to be pretty harmless for years and years by happy potheads all over the world is illegal and carries very serious legal repercussions even for possession of small amounts. If you are living in Japan, you should steer clear of both, the former for your health sake and the latter to keep you out of jail.