Kano Abe comments

Neither I'm Japanese, nor I live in Japan, but I love Japan. I usually take my shoes off before entering home. It's a very nice custom and helps keep the floor clean.

Or maybe that was part of his "shinobi" training :P

An additional quote:

We DO NOT adore images nor statues. Nor these are gods. These are images of good people that once lived life serving others with true love and care. That's why they are considered saints and seen with reverence...and again...read the Holy Bible or study.

About the virgin Mary, she is mother of Jesus since she conceived him by the Holy spirit. I will not go further since I'm not the best one to explain in the right words to people from other religions and I do not wish to introduce "noise". Study! or ask a catholic priest.

WHAT A SHAME THAT SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT CHRISTIANITY MEANS HALLOWEEN AND FAT "SANTA CLAUS" LAUGHING AS WELL AS OTHER PARTIES!

THAT'S NOT CHRISTIANITY!!!!!!!!!

Those are mostly pagan feasts, or derived from highly-consuming societies like that from USA.

PLEASE GUYS, STUDY A BIT ABOUT RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD BEFORE SAYING FOOLISH THINGS! :S

And WAKE UP! Japanese society has become highly consumer-demanding of many non-sense things! I could be wrong, but I think you are forgetting about your folklore.

PD Santa Claus NEVER existed, it was Saint Nicholas image - a true saint that lived long ago - that was deformed I think by Coca Cola, to promote their product around the 1950's --- I dislike the fat santa Claus! I realized it was a fake when I was a kid!

All you guys that think Christianism is a bad religion are WRONG.

Indeed, there are many christians that like to bow before a statue. Statues and images should be seen pretty much like pictures or statues of somebody loved or cared of. What I see wrong is that a lot of people do this but do not go and visit Jesus, which we believe - as told by Jesus himself, see New Testament - is present in a "hidden" way in the Holy bread. And indeed there have been wars, and capital punishment - fatal errors from leaders.

Nevertheless, what Jesus of Nazareth left us, was His word of Love and care for each other , which ultimately lead us to eternal Life. Please do not judge Catholic religion - or more generally, christian - just because of the mistakes of some peoples. Christianism in its true sense is a religion of love and respect!

In my personal opinion, I do not find reincarnation promising, but I respect your beliefs.

Peace and well!

Imagine to build a Mazinger Z (who can learn) with aid of novel carbon nanomaterials and alloys, mechas, transformers and Megaman!

Scary, maybe also the T-800!

My votes for 18-meter tall Mazinger Z and Megaman! Who wants to be Dr. Willy?

Stupid parents come in different races and ages...same happens around the world. Seems that some parents need a lot of common sense!

How stupid to leave a toddler alone, inside a car, with nobody taking care of her. Temperature can easily reach 60 °C!

Poor little girl, you are at Heaven now little one.

and leaving my family for years until I get a job, that sucks!

It is a pity that I can't go to Japan for living there...as a young researcher I cannot get a job until doing several posdocs there...since I'm married and have kids, scholarship won't be enough for sending money back home, saving for paperwork and the trip, saving for buying a house and all furniture and appliances, and leaving a bit for me to live there...I regret of doing phd studies...

By the way, though I'm mexican, I also consider Japan my home (never been there). Someday, It will be! Sorry to say, but Mexico is no longer (has ever been?) a good place for living.

I find it offensive. Of course you may say "I'm japanese (since I was born in Japan) but my parents are mexicans, french, etc...).

Note that in Mexico, everybody born and grown here calls him-/herself mexican, even if her/his parents are not. Consider also the great variety of races mixed here. By the way, as long as I know (please correct me if wrong) the American man (precolombinan-races) came through Bering Pass, so it would be interesting to analyze how much do American peoples (not from the US, America means ALL the continent) resemble to Asian (some mexicans look very japanese, and viceversa (I apologize if some gets offended by this, no offense intended!)