griff comments

filthy lucre

Wrong, the patrol cars also say "POLICE" in letters bigger than the Japanese writing. And the reason? The J authorities are scared sh*tless of having us all here.

don't be silly. police is in the international lexicon with words like ok, yes & no. police in many countries use the english unless it's languages where the native word is more or less the same

makes perfect sense

i'm dubious about google moving into hardware. with them with the software, though

we're not learning, we just keep on burning

yes... this is certainly a cultural tendency with a very marked upside and downside

america became unattractive when it decided to stop welcoming outsiders for the talent they could bring, in favour of protecting against the "danger" that they might bring... this change of focus will be its inevitable downfall

well if you must just go with the herd, don't be surprised if the experience is a little less than fulfilling!

Japanese traditions are still very much alive.

a little bit too alive, it seems

seems all that 8 years of "heightened" security has achieved is unhappy and violated travelers, power crazed staff and 0% increased safety

Just another soul being used by the media.This happens to be a person who at first was ridiculed by her first appearance on TV and then when they heard her voice they realised that here was another cash machine.

watch the video again, you can practically see the dollar signs flashing in front of cowell's eyes

regarding this case, for once i'm on microsoft's side

i'm sure she put out like a trooper back in the day. now, however, i'm sure she has the kekkon hunting plague like your wouldn't believe

unless, of course, she's just living her life, in which case i'm in search of her phone number

i suppose in japan she'll be known as SuBo.

oh, hang on, that's what she gets called in the uk :/

such a shame that air pollution so often obstructs views in the tokyo area. on a clear winter's day, the flatness of the kanto plain allows for wonderful views of the surrounding mountains if you can get up a little from street level

i always hoped to be up the tocho on a particularly clear day but was never lucky enough, unfortunately

the myth of japan being an electronics buyer's paradise is generally long out of date. i frequently had to disappoint visitors expecting to be able to pick up exclusive models for the best prices. singapore/hong kong are where that scene's at these days

america really loves a system where, when you're up, you're up, when you're down you're DEAD, with absolutely no middle ground whatsoever

pretty sad.

i wouldn't kick koyuki out of bed... but she's popular because she fits that more traditional j-woman stereotype. which is fine, i just hope she's also someone who's fun to be around. for her sake

beautiful. not.

yikes. that's some hot womenz

i thought that when i left japan i could leave behind these kinds of out-of-date chauvinistic tv pairings. then i watched strictly come dancing

left = yes, please! right = no, thank you

if something is decreed to be beyond criticism then it would rather suggest that without protection it wouldn't be able to stand up to criticism

i'll say what i always say when this topic comes up: we have nothing to fear from islam. they hate each other at least as much as they hate us

The picture is so beautiful and romantic but there will be several comments here that will kill the romance and one of these comments always belongs to you, Sarge. I do not know how a person can associate such beauty with the washroom lines. what were you thinking?

unfortunately, grossly overpopulated japan leaves little room for romance and excellent photography often masks these realities

This "traditional" wedding ceremony was invented in 1904. Pre WWII it was considered "untraditional". It became tradional post 1945.

this really wouldn't surprise me. people have very short memories. just present something as odd and traditional and pretty soon people will forget that it really isn't

of course, this doesn't just apply in japan

That dress looks ridiculous.

seems the more ridiculous the better in the world of "fashion"

seems in j-pop quantity is an oft used substitute for quality

Monetary reward is not necessary for citizens with ethics - just the satisfaction of having helped take a dangerous criminal off the streets is ample reward. If people need a cash incentive to do the right thing, it does not say much for their honesty.

meanwhile, in the real world...

the low rate of violent and petty crime in japan has next to nothing to do with the police, and everything to do with organised crime and social tendencies.

fantastic news. this is really one chapter of my time in japan that i'm glad to see (hopefully) nearing a close. at least there's now some hope of finding out what happened

Apple machines were never best for running Windows, because of the drivers in-compatibility.

that's a load of rubbish. macs these days mostly use the same kinds of components to pc boxes