Isubari8 comments

Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander in WWII, warned us about the Military Industrial Complex. Didn't do a bit of good, of course. It's stronger than ever. War is where the big money is. People just can't stop killing each other and the war mongers just love making money from it.

. . . the word "wealthy" also means "older", which means even less tolerance for messing about with public transport, carrying luggage, and other hassles. The big trend for older person travel is cruises, where everything is done for you.

True. Older folks tend to go for the convenience of mass tourism, where everything is taken care of. However, a growing number of people are seeking more authentic, sustainable experiences, and this trend has been growing post-pandemic. On April 1, the Japanese government modified transportation law, making it easier for tour providers in rural areas to provide transportation for their customers. Typically unclear and open to interpretation, this modification should have a positive effect on rural tourism once people figure out what it means.

visit and see/do what exactly? - I'm sorry but if I have a couple million yen to spend on sightseeing, I certainly would not be spending that in rural Japan.

Curious to know what high value sightseeing is for you. For many people, it seems to be crowding into the exact same places everyone else goes, taking the exact same photos, and wondering why you're not having a unique experience. For others, discovering awesome scenery, having encounters with people who are genuinely curious and happy to see you, and having unique stories to tell people is more valuable. You're going to find the latter in rural Japan easier than it Kyoto.

Agree. Rising costs of living and raising children are lowering birthrates across the world. The highest birthrate continues to be in the poorest countries.

This always seems like one of the strangest conflicts. If rising costs equal lower birthrates in rich countries, why are birthrates higher in poor countries?

Is it because parents in poor countries see having children as an investment in their future? Is it due to a lack of or aversion to birth control? And while there are many stories of poor, desperate people dying on their way to make better lives in rich countries, many more children are raised with love and support in poor countries.

Internet connected smart phones came to life about 20 years ago, so anyone over 30 should remember premobile life. However, in that short amount of time, that little device has changed our world more than any other invention in history - even the television.

I've been shocked, awed, disgusted, and positively transformed by this thing. The smart phone is like the Borg from Star Trek - everyone is assimilated, and resistance is futile. The smart phone is absolute reality for many young people (and old), and the world outside of that three inch screen has little meaning. Whatever you do outside of your smart phone - eat, sleep, work, consume - is to support your life inside of it. An experience is not real until it is posted on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, etc.

As long as there are people old enough to remember life without it, there will be people who see it only as a powerful tool. Companies continue to improve the psychologically addictive appeal of apps and content, so after another 20 years, reality will be something quite different than it is today.

tamanegi May 23 04:13 pm JST

Racist lies.

Par for the course for this 30 year foreign resident of Japan. So glad to be leaving for good in September.

So I guess you're going somewhere where there is no racism. Where might that be?

Most people know little about mental illness. Unfortunately, we seem to care little about it as well. This woman has the classic symptoms of schizophrenia.

Inoue went to a Tempe police station Saturday morning and told officers that “she was hearing voices telling her to kill her children,” according to charging documents.

From the Mayo Clinic

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning, and can be disabling.

Schizophrenia hallucinations: These usually involve seeing or hearing things that don't exist. Yet for the person with schizophrenia, they have the full force and impact of a normal experience. Hallucinations can be in any of the senses, but hearing voices is the most common hallucination.

If we were just a little more aware of mental illness and what to do about it, we might be able to prevent a lot of horrible tragedies like this.