Godan comments

Jeff nailed it. I remember in the 80s and trying to find wine and cheese here - hardly existed. Reason? Oh it was too strong for the "delicate" Japanese palate or some such excuse. 30 years later and wallah! Many here love nothing better than a fine wine with dinner and cheese sells quite well, too. Even blue cheese!

Nah, this guess needs to praise the locals to make business that's all. A shame that many here fall for it, too.

Pain management in Japan is "interesting" to say the least. Had a kidney stone attack while on vacation in America. Went to the emergency room and eventually was given morphine. Pain went away in the blink of an eye. Oh how that felt good! Anyway, I return to Japan and talk with some colleagues about what happened and they were shocked that I was given "such a strong narcotic" for the kidney stone attack. SMH. And I know morphine is available in Japan. If they don't give you that (or something similar) for an excruciating pain episode, WTH do they give it for???

I do not look forward to ever getting ill in Japan.

Loved him and the show "Vocabulary Tengoku" - learned a lot about Japan and the Japanese language from that show back in the day.

Otsukarasama!

It's a win-win. He lives and gets one last hurrah. However, if the games flop or there's a scandal or something goes wrong, well he takes the blame - alive or dead, what's the worst that could happen to him? Always go for the older dude, then he's the perfect scape goat. Have seen it far too often here. :-(

Most political positions are up for sale - at least this is being up front about it.

Kickboard - did you read my full post? I said I got approved from the two other major banks. As have many friends J and NJ - who have all been refused by Mizuho in the past. Has nothing to do with my income or job situation, IMHO. Mizuho is unprofessional and this news story comes as no surprise to me.

I was refused a housing loan from Mizuho as have been many Japanese friends. Now I understand that if we had been "connected" or made guys, we would have got some yen. Doesn't matter as the other two major lenders were more than happy to have my business. Mizuho stinks!

Hey, Mr. Aso, they have accepted you as a politician, so anything is possible in Japan. :-(

How about stopping in the middle of a turn on a green arrow?

How tailgating is not on the list blows my mind! Can't tell you how many times I have had dudes just ride up to within inches of my bumper - and I have nowhere to go as there is traffic in front of me. Mindless and reckless!

Another one? How about driving at night (or dusk) with the headlights off? Have even seen this in stormy weather at night, too. Some people here most definitely should not be allowed to drive!

As for the illegal parking on the side of the ride? Just ridiculous! Wanna fix the budget crisis in Japan, enforce the laws and ticket the people more. Would create a budget surplus in about a year.

Bank teller machines have improved VASTLY! Used to be open during banking hours (9-3?) only and closed on weekends and holidays. Remember forgetting to get money before a long weekend once in '92 and lived on 300 yen for 3 days!

As for manners and trains, used to be back in the '80s when an elderly person boarded a train, people stood up. Was warned at 16 that I shouldn't even be sitting. And there was no need for the "seats for the elderly." The need for such signs is NOT a good thing. And you see so many people ignore them anyway. This is sad.

Prices on more or less everything have come down -- a lot! There were no 100 yen shops or the such back in the day. Of course the flip side to this is that wages have also come down. But if purchasing power is still the same, is that such a problem? (That's a real question, FYI.)

Lastly, I have to agree with others, I think that I am more or less accepted in many aspects of society in Japan regardless of my nationality. I think this has changed for the better. If there is an issue of growing animosity towards NJs, I don't think it is any different than in the past.

And like everyone has said, the issue of smoking has improved. There is more room for improvement, but it is much better than it used to be.

I have been using the automated gate system since they first started it. Good point? No one seems to know it exists. Seriously, I have never seen anyone else use the gates.

BTW, it isn't really "automated" as there always seems to be someone running over to "man" the automated gate. They ask if I need a stamp for my passport and do something or another. Quite a strange system in place, IMO.

Highly recommend them, Magnet. I would be very surprised if you were disappointed.

No one has mentioned them, but the fries at the New York Bar in the Park Hyatt are awesome! Not cheap mind you, but cooked in duck fat and just so good. Even the ketchup is better/real.

Recovery was "a few years away" 20 years ago.

When these two laugh, an angel gets kanchoed. And the taxpayers of Japan get much worse! :-(

Doesn't take much to see a future where Tokyo loses its bid for the 2020 Olympics and then the 15 women who "started" this are ostracized here in Japan. Just as screwed up as the ijime, turning a blind eye to something that is obviously wrong, and reflexive obedience, is the concept that the victim of a crime also bears some responsibility for the wrongdoing. But this all too true of present-day society in Japan and won't be going away soon, IMHO.

Every time I read "stimulus package" I can't help but think of my taxes being raised. What's the point? REALLY! What's the point?

It’s because of the cultural taboo over talking about toilets, said Hiromichi Tabata, head of the international division at Washlet-maker TOTO, a company that also makes bath tubs, kitchen taps, basins and plumbing fixtures.

No idea what Mr. Tabata is talking about! If this were true, why are there so many ways to refer to a bathroom in English? Like others have had said, poor marketing and prices are main obstacles to washlets not becoming the norm in America. I have always thought Toto was sitting on a goldmine with their wonderful products - tis a shame the company has employees that don't know how to do their job.

Same here, Pamelot. Wonder if I can use "parp" in Scrabble.

Nov. 1 release date in Singapore, too. Sucks we gotta wait - hear Skyfall is a great film. As for Daniel Craig not wanting to play the role, kind of a shame as I think he makes a great Bond! Then again, all kinds of actors hated playing their most famous roles. Peter Sellars was said to have hated doing Pink Panther movies - but he was the best!

Gotta agree with Knowbetter. The fact is in the next 20-30 years there will be a steep decline in power demand as there will be an inevitably shrinking Japan. In the future, I am sure people will only shake their heads at decisions made by the LDP in the "good old days." 50 plus reactors in Japan - absolutely ridiculous!

Good on ya, Felix! You are a great, young pitcher with many years ahead of you! Can't wait to see you throw another perfect game in the future! Wonderful!

Scuttlebutt has it that political parties in Japan are approaching her to start a career in politics. Hope she does the right thing and tells them to stuff themselves. You are too good to be wasted in Nagatacho, Sawa-san! Become a coach or teacher - someone who will make a difference in the lives of the youth of Japan.

Why is the tax increase necessary? - Good question that is more or less ignored/unanswered by the author. The real reason is the amount of money wasted here on pork barrel projects is galling to say the least. Love watching perfectly fine streets ripped up on a yearly basis to make sure a budget is fully utilized to avoid being cut. Multiply that situation by a thousandfold in a myriad of bureaucracies and you have a an obvious reason for a deficit.

Congrats to Farah for running a masterful race! And to see the camaraderie between him and Jalen Rupp was great! Congrats to the both of them.

Gotta agree with Cracaphat. Everything you say makes perfect sense - though I still sense there is more to this story. Wonder what the fans reaction will be at tonight's game.

Unbelievable that they have money for this, but when it comes to actually supporting the athletes to make it to the Olympics it is always, "Sorry, you're on your own."

Says a lot about priorities in Japan. :-(

Ivan nailed it - though keep in mind that this whole process has to be reactive, never proactive! Never proactive! :-(

Well said, Zichi, well said!

As for Mr. Hirose, if he is baffled by the criticism of TEPCO, then I can only conclude he is a psychopath. Yale is good at making them.

And they are wonderful when you are traveling with children!