JayJayE comments

sorry not pot, marijuana.

I think the bigger point is not which is worse, it's that prohibition on a substance doesn't work. Never has. Never will. The US tried making alcohol illegal and it failed miserably. When it looked like all the cops chasing alcohol bootleggers might be out of the job, one Mr Ansliger changed his focus to Cannabis (which he renamed pot, because it was a Spanish name and hence linked to Mexicans) and started a fear campaign to make it illegal, which worked. The most famous example is the film "Reefer Madness". One man is almost solely responsible for pot being illegal.

Now Cannabis is bad for you, I won't try and deny that. The issue here is how much tax payers money is wasted on "The War on Drugs". And more to the point, what does it achieve? Public authorities have made much more progress on another dangerous drug, tobacco, despite the fact that it's "legal". Plus Portugal and the Netherlands have also made much more progress which drugs than the US or other Western nations.

I guess what it boils down to is that drugs are NOT a criminal issue, they are a public health issue and should be treated as such. They do ruin lives, true. But it's not something anyone should be arrested for and nobody has until 70 or 80 years ago (VERY recent). People with drug problems need help, not jail time.

And if anyone doubts the facts I've stated, you're on the internet, look them up. Start with Angslinger.

Rugby Union and now League is the only sports NZ is great at (beside sailing). Australia wins just about everything else. And before I get flamed, I am a Kiwi. It's true and I know it.

I think people should stop whining about the Haka and just accept the rugby is NZs game. If they are not at the top, they are always close. That's something for a nation with the population of Yokohama City. And if other nations want to do war dances I'm fine with that, but I don't think any other nation except other Polynesian nations or maybe South Africa could match it.

"I also like "Star Wars" but not as much as "Trek." In terms of storylines, Gene Roddenbery was way ahead of George Lucas. The first two series were often allegorical, dealing with current social issues in a futuristic setting. "Star Wars" was good on special effects but weak on serious themes. Interestingly, though, Abrams' film has more than a few homages to "Star Wars" (notably a bar scene), so maybe he is a big fan of Lucas."

I'm afraid I have to disagree. Star Wars has some pretty deep themes when you read between the lines and George Lucas was deeply versed in mythology and philosophy.

But I do agree with you in a round-about way. Star Wars (and people may disagree) is Space Fantasy, not Science Fiction. Star Trek however is science fiction. This is because Star Trek is soundly grounded in actual science (there is a reason for everything in Star Trek) whereas Star Wars doesn't bother to explain how a hyperdrive works, and the audiance doesn't care.

Star Wars deals with more primitive elements of the human condition like religion and spirituality, whereas Star Trek is more about sociology, which Star Wars lacks. I like both and I think both have great stories, but they are completely different in their message.

I used to play at a lot of these places in my former band. The scene is pretty "alive" but a lot of bands are s*7t and some are great. I think the thing is, anyone can play, the owners aren't that picky. But some bands have been around the block a few times, have a decent fanbase and put on a good show.

The thing the irks me is all bands can only play for 20 minutes, not enough and they try and cram in 5 or 6 bands on the night. Bands don't get paid usually and sometimes they have to pay to play.

But the thing I've noticed is that they all know J-pop rules Japan. Noone has any hope of making it big so they just do what the F*&k they want. Some of the weirdest and most original music you've ever heard can be found in these places......on a good night

't will be an epic game, All Blacks s Wallabies, if it happens. Both are class teams, rivals yet close in playing style. Each time one wins, the other ups it's game. And I'm sure the ex-pat Aussies and Kiwis will give a good crowd, not to mention the avid Japanese Rugby followers.

On the subject of the Brave Blossoms (Japan) they have gotten better. Granted they are no match for the top teams but they (in my opinion) have graduated from a low class team to a middle class team, in a short time. They could give many European teams a run for their money, and gave France a shock in the World Cup last time.

Plus I like their playing style, run the ball, attack any chance they get. They are my favorite team besides the All Blacks (pretty good considering I'm Kiwi)

Drugs are not good, Full stop. But they are with us and they have always been with us. They are more of a problem now than ever before yet anti-drug laws are relatively new (20th century). Perhaps the question we should ask is, why?

But I digress. Drugs are bad but people will do them. I myself smoke and drink (both are drugs, don't kid yourself). I used to smoke pot but don't anymore. I'm not against it, just doing what the Romans do.

Now on the subject, locking people up who put trash in their bodies will do nothing, NOTHING. It didn't work in the 1920-30s in America and it won't work now. Granted pot is NOT safe (you can't overdose, but it can cause cancer) and yes, it is less harmful than (cough, cough) tobacco, but all this is not the point.

The point is why, in only the last 100 years (in all of history) have laws been passed on how we poison ourselves? And why are people who (maybe foolishly) do so treated as murderers or rapists? People forget this is very recent.

I legalize all of it and put in under government control. Hell, the new Kanagawa smoking law has worked well on me, can't smoke at stations, can't smoke on the street, I've pretty much quartered what I smoked and I must say, I'm annoyed and grateful at the same time.

Pot legalized would mean age limits, tax, tough laws as to were to smoke it and how much a person should be allowed to carry. Those right wing Christians who harp on about "legalizing pot will hurt the children" are DEAD wrong. If anything, it will help keep it out of the hands of children (unless they are as lax as they are in Japan with tobacco).

And again, why do so many people now take drugs (including alcohol and tobacco). This is the question we really need to be asking.

911 is a different story. Anyone with any sense knows it isn't what we were told. Buildings hit by airplanes don't collapse straight down. They just.. don't (if you don't believe me do some research).

Though I must give credit to a mate of mine who still believes El-Quida did it. He said they had suicide bombers on every floor to bring it down like it happened!

Don't agree of course, but even he knows that something isn't right with the Western worlds greatest building's steel melting causing it to collapse straight down.

Now I'm not saying I know who did it, and I certainly don't believe the US government (directly or wholly) had anything to do with it, but something is off.....

sharky1, agreed almost entirely. Almost.

Marjuanna has been shown to be more harmful to the lung per dose than tobacco but the difference is it is rare to find even a heavy marijuana smoker who smokes more than two or three joints a day. A average tobacco smoker will smoke ten times as many. Also I only believe THC is a gateway drug because at present, it's in the hands of criminals, who DO have access to harder and more dangerous drugs.

However I agree it seems Japan seems to have a problem with drugs (either legal or illegal). I put this more down to lifestyle (Tokyo area anyway) than anything else. Here, on JapanToday, it was reported almost 45% of people in the Tokyo area needed alcohol or sleeping pills to get to sleep.

Maybe rather than demonizing drugs, we should take a look at why people take them. Stress, busy lives, insomnia are all factors, in my opinion. Maybe if people lived less busy schedules and took the time to unwind naturally, maybe many wouldn't need drugs at all, legal or illegal.

isthistheend you're comparing mj to tobacco?

I think it's you that needs to get facts straight. Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs known to man (and yes I do smoke, not trying to get the high ground here). Scientific fact, marijuana has been known to cause lung cancer in heavy users, but it has not been shown to be as physically addictive as other drugs (including alcohol and caffeine) and moderate smokers have shown little effects other than slight loss of short term memory.

Again I do smoke (tobacco) and ironically I totally agree with your assessment of THAT drug. Marijuana however is a completely different drug and different rules apply. An average tobacco smoker can consume up to 20 or more cigarettes a day. Even a heavy Marijuana smoker rarely consumes more than two (and that's pretty heavy.)

I'm not saying marijuana is good, how can it be, but it is in the same ball game as alcohol and tabacco (some may argue tabacoo is worse). Because it is harmful yet safe in moderation, it should be legalised and put under STRICT regulation and tax by the government, as well as education.

Prohibition hasn't worked before, doesn't work now, and will never work. Only when it is legalized will any headway be made.

In typical Japanese fashion, I bet Monta Mino get's paid so much because of his age not talent....

It's ironic because a lot of "talento" get paid next to nothing. Most Johnnies guys are on a monthly salary as are Aya Ueto, Misono and others.

Not saying I feel sorry for them, they were dumb enough to sign these contracts just to be "famous" and their "talento" is in question, but anyone who thinks most Japanese celebrities are rich, doesn't know how it works. It's just powerful rich corporations using dumb naive youngster to make millions and sell keitais.

I say down with the whole system.

Athletes,

How big do you think the New Zealand navy is? Just curious. And do you have any idea how big New Zealand waters are? How many other ships do you think would be in the middle of nowhere besides the whalers and Sea Shepherd? It is NOT New Zealand's fault. The Southern Seas are dangerous and far from any help. Losing a mans life is tragic and I don't agree it was "karma" but the whaling fleet choose to go there. If anything blame the Japanese whaling commission.

Next point, New Zealand is bound by international law to perform search and rescue IN it's waters. Japanese whalers are also BANNED from New Zealand waters. So if we are wrong for not helping, then the Whalers are breaking the law for being in NZ waters in the first place. New Zealand has helped Japanese whalers out plenty, despite everything. Last year we chopper out an injured whaler to Christchurch, on our dime. Did Japan listen to us after that? No.

Next point, Japan is a big donor. So what? The US is too, does that mean the Iraq war is okay? Does Japan donate money to New Zealand? No. Invest, yes, donate, no.

"Whales are the kings of the Ocean & eat a lot of helpless smaller fish. There is something imbalanced in the cruel & injustice nature."

I've heard this from many older Japanese, a pre-programmed quote straight from the LDP, as absurd as Nihonjinron like "Japanese has longer stomaches than foreigners". Whales have been around far longer than people, and there has never been an imbalance until people showed up. The argument that people need to kill whales for nature is absurd in the extreme. Add to that the fact that most whale species DO NOT EAT fish. They eat krill.

Last point, I may be sensitive but I seem to recall Japanese people getting sensitive every time a Russian or Chinese ship enters it waters. On top of that Japan has territorial disputes with EVER ONE of it's neighbors. If that wasn't enough now Japan even has disputes with Australia and New Zealand with are nowhere near Japan.

Yes you and I have freedom of speech but with that comes consequences. If Japan won't listen to the countries whose toes it's trending on, Japanese people shouldn't be surprised if the citizens of the countries concerned get upset.

Now I've lived in Japan a long time, and I don't blame Japanese people as much as the stubborn LDP. I know majority of Japanese don't eat whale, don't like whale, and couldn't care less one way or the other about the issue.

This is all about old LDP oyaji's saving face. The more we say "don't" the more they do it just to prove a point. Is it any surprise or accident whaling is done so near countries that oppose it? I don't think so. Not only did this lead to the tragedy of lose of life this year and last year, but the ever increasingly aggressive tactics of Sea Shepherd (who I don't support by the way, Greenpeace was right to kick the loon out).

This sort of accidents can be happened everywhere. If a helpless Kiwi floating near the Japan coast, there will be different story. Japan helped Kiwis a lot for the economic development & advancing technology.

Whales are the kings of the Ocean & eat a lot of helpless smaller fish. There is something imbalanced in the cruel & injustice nature.

As for New Zealand not helping the Japanese sailor, this is such arrogant cheek. New Zealand doesn't want Japanese whalers in the South Pacific, Japan knows this yet they do it anyway. New Zealand has helped th Japanese whalers many times in the past, but Japan keeps arrogantly ignoring our calls to stop, so maybe we should stop helping the whalers.

Many Kiwis feel this is nothing more than economic bullying. No, Japan wouldn't help a Kiwi fisherman off Japan because a Kiwi fisherman wouldn't be there in the first place. If we started catching, say, prized Tuna, in international waters off Hokkaido, Japan would go ape sh*t, slap sanctions on us, and completely ruin us. When Japan does it to us there's very little we can do, I'm glad Australia is finally standing up to the real bully. This is why it makes my blood boil when Japan cries "victim".

Finally I have nothing against whaling. Its a Japanese tradition so DO IT IN JAPAN!

<"quote"> That’s why one of our Japanese heroes, Gekko Kamen (a masked Japanese avenger on a motorcycle), has a motto ‘Don’t kill him, forgive him.’ It is different from the American mindset.” </"quote">

Correct me if I'm wrong, but neither Superman nor Batman kill people. In fact, which American superhero's do? (The X-Men and Spawn are the only ones that immediatly come to mind).

I mean, I'm not American so I couldn't give a damn what Japanese think the "american mindset" is, I just found this comment a little odd.

On top of that I love Japanese people, they are very patient and slow to anger (sometimes too slow IMO) but one thing they are not (in my experiance) is especially forgiving.

just to add, I used to play gigs with a band which is pretty cool. Their name is Ol' Dick Foggy. They are this mad band of Japanese playing Irish folk punk. They were always proper pissed when they played but always did a great show. One of the best I've ever seen in this country.

Boom Boom Satellites are awesome. In the tradition of Aphex twin, Squarepusher and the like. I heard them before I came to Japan but when I got here got extremely disappointed. Funnily they are amongst the most forward thinking original musical artist in Japan. Yet almost know Japanese people know who they are (more foreign people know). They have become more popular recently because they have done some tracks for anime (sigh).

I've been playing live in Japan for a bit and I wouldn't say Japanese music is shit. There's a lot of good underground stuff and some good DJs. It's just sad none of it sees the light of day. Asian Kung Fu Generation, Dragon Ash and Doping Panda are some good semi-mainstream acts. Polysics are cool but only popular amongst a few in Japan and indie nerds in the West. I've been told by people in the know that Jannies and AVEX have a strangle hold on the radio. If they don't get what they want, they won't let that radio station play their music (no KAT-TAN, SMAP, Arisha, Hamasaki, Koda Kumi, nothing) so that keeps everyone in line. The reason it's changes a little recently (aka Asian Kung Fu Generation) is because of the internet. There is hope I guess.