jonobugs comments

Having the study that shows the efficacy of a single flossing is just silly. If anything, these studies have shown that many people do not know how to floss properly and need to be shown.

Yesterday, I went to renew my driver's license and when I finished, I realized I forgot my keys at home. I have a bicycle lock that doesn't require a key to lock, but you definitely need one to open it up.

I wasn't allowed to leave my bike at the registration office so I ended up carrying it back home (about 5km). Along the way you can probably imagine all the stares I got. A foreigner carrying a locked bicycle (not super expensive, but it's definitely NOT the cheap kind).

I passed by one group of hard core cyclists that eyed me for a whole block, but not one person stopped me, or even asked what I was doing.

I passed by several kobans and one marked car with it's lights going and I passed through all that without being stopped.

Although I've never been stopped I'm not under any delusion that there is no racism going on. In fact, if anything, my situation even strengthens that argument. Why the heck was I NOT stopped carrying a locked and expensive (looking) bicycle?

If I were an officer, I would definitely have stopped someone doing that just to make sure things were on the up and up.

I marked the top of my stamp with a black marker. I guess I just saved myself a whole lot of money.

I hope he is treated or put away soon. I imagine that he will only become more aggressive as time goes on.

If this game continues to be popular or just level out, I foresee that the developers will be able to make a ton of revenue to have companies, etc. to set up meeting points in or near their stores. While ultimately it should remain the responsibility of players to be sensible and careful when they venture out in search of Pokemon, I think the creators would be wise to be careful about having their Pokemon lurking about in dangerous areas such as near traffic, in rivers and on private property where owners may not appreciate trespassers.

It's really nice to get a "follow up" story that's positive. I believe that the parents really did not intend to lose their child and perhaps were trying (very poorly) to teach him a lesson and ended up learning a big lesson themselves.

I think that punishing the parents with jail time would be a waste of energy and money, however. I think that instead, they should be forced to undergo training for parenting (at their own expense, of course) and be monitored rather than what others here have suggested.

I also think that they should be somewhat accountable for the time and money that it cost to find their child, but it would do the boy no favours if they forced the parents into poverty because of this situation.

I was thinking that iPhones MUST have some sort of feature to make them traceable once they are activated. However, by then the thieves won't have them anymore. A hapless buyer will have it by then. You can easily get an iPhone that is unlocked. I bought mine that way.

In this case, I would consider charging anyone with attempted murder or attempted manslaughter if they are found intoxicated but still decided to drive a motor vehicle. "I was drunk" should not be an excuse, it should compound the crime.

And these are the people, supposedly on the same political spectrum, who are vying for the leadership of the country. Kind of says something, I think.

I think what Tes tes is saying is to hang up your laundry to dry in the house, which is what a lot of Japanese people do.

While there are loads of conflicting information out there, this really isn't one of them. They are just saying that there are CERTAIN people at risk. I think for most people, having more HDL is still beneficial. In any case, it's better to raise your HDL levels with exercise rather than get it through drugs.

60 years old is not too old to be driving, but it's definitely old enough to know better than to keep driving after you hit something regardless of what you 'thought' you might have hit. There are only a few things that could have been in the middle of an intersection. Another vehicle, a person or an animal. What did he 'think' the bump was (assuming he really didn't know?). I don't accept potholes, etc since he was a tour bus driver so he would well know the route.

What is wrong with the foreigners who want to change Japan and make us think our ways are like theirs. This is a domestic issue and the teacher had no right to interfere with parental rights. Now with this said it does not mean that a parent should beat their child in such a way to inflict harm but that is up to each household and not foreigners opinions.

I agree that foreigners should really stop trying to "change" Japan into what they feel is "the right way". However, since when is ignoring a crime part of the Japanese culture? I think you're confused about that. Yes, I believe many Japanese people overlook small transgressions but from what I can tell many Japanese people DO 'interfere' when they see a crime being committed. It's only when it's not clear that people tend to ignore these situations.

I'm more worried about the people that are texting while they are riding bicycles, bikes and/or driving cars.

Doesn't this type of car defeat the whole purpose of a self-driving car? If I buy something like this, I would buy it because I would want to engage in another activity or take a nap. If I have to pay attention to the road, etc., then I would just rather do the driving in the first place. It has nothing to do with not trusting the car or the idea that of self-driving cars, but rather it would be a waste of time to watch something else drive, just in case I'm needed. If I was needed, then I would be kind of worried that the technology just isn't ready yet.

I just don't understand how people still do these things in this day and age. There are no shortages of information about this out in the world and there are so many alternatives. What a waste of life, both the victim and the perpetrator.

I wouldn't be too hard on the 12 year old child for telling on his big brother. He was being questioned by seasoned officers who probably used every trick in the book to get him to tell all. It seems to me that most adults in Japan also confess to a lot of stuff, so to expect an immature boy to withstand a police inquisition is pretty unrealistic.

that he got upset when she saw her come back to her apartment

I'm confused by this part. Did they mean to write 'when he saw her'?

If there is no error in the original, who's the other women they're talking about?

Moderator: Sorry, that was a typo that has been corrected.

Not only that, if it had been you this article would've repeated the fact that you're a foreigner over and over and over and .

This is about Japan, so when they are talking about people in general it's assumed they are Japanese. I believe that there is probably large percentage of people who find it important to know the ethnicity/gender of people so that they can make their judgements.

For me, I find it a bit disheartening to hear about young people commiting crime, but I guess that it does fit in with the stereotypes.

@Jim

I didn't thumb you down, but what you're talking about is actually legitimate, regardless of how you feel. This article is talking about someone scamming stores by demanding money or goods when they haven't even shopped there to begin with.

I think that the level of formality really depends on who you are addressing the email to. Of course when I'm writing to my friends I don't use formality such as Mr. or Mrs. but I do use that when I am talking with colleagues or people who I conducting business.

Regardless of the formality, I almost always include some sort of salutation and close the email with with my name. If I'm writing to a business and there is an ongoing conversation via email I always include the previous emails because I need to assume that they may not remember or know about the previous conversations.

I think the main thing to be aware of is how the other party views emails. If they are very informal they may not look at formality as a good thing and if they are very formal you can be sure that being formal will not upset them.

I have a feeling that this has nothing to do with a smart phone.

katsu78 something I can just plug into my TV, and then stream things like Netflix

If you have any game systems like a PS3, Xbox, or Nintendo Wii you can use those as well. I'm not 100% sure on the Xbox because I don't have one but I have the other game systems and they work.

Sounds like the company should have done more than just demote him in the first place. It's fortunate that no one was seriously hurt by this man's actions.

Sounds like a waste of time and tax payers' money.

She got lucky! It seems that most people don't pay any attention to parked cars in Japan since so may people pull over illegally to read a text they just got.

I'm supposed to ask for permission before "drinking alcohol against [my] will"??? This doesn't make any sense

Drinking against your will is not illegal so of course you don't need permission. It's "forcing a fellow employee to drink" that's illegal.

It's the only one on the list that should be obvious, although I think you should always ask before you do something at work you're not supposed sure about.

I'm sure that if you asked a similar group of Canadians similar questions about Japan they wouldn't do much better. It's just so sad that the only famous person they knew was J. Bieber.

Well, I guess that answers the rhetorical question my mom used to always ask. "If your friends jumped off a bridge would you do it too?"

It makes me wonder if more awareness needs to be raised among the Japanese about help that is available. Too many people here think in absolutes and believe that their situation is unique and hopeless (which it almost never is).