Japan Today

Khuniri comments

Posted in: Ex-lawmaker gets suspended sentence for raping junior high school girl See in context

"dmhondz Today 12:06 pm JST

Despicable sick man and he got away by paying money and apologizing.

How did a 12yr old girl end up alone in a karaoke room in Kabuki-cho, a well know red light district, with a 58 yr old ex-politician?"

Yes, indeed. How??

I see that the usual J-bashers are out in force, so this most relevant question is particularly welcome.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Posted in: Japan to halt funding for U.N. women's rights panel over call to end male-only imperial succession See in context

englisc aspyrgend, Deo Gratias, among others, put it very well...Hypocritical, money-grubbing UN bureaucrats have nothing to say in this. As Japanese citizens, my family members and I greatly admire Aiko-sama and hope that one day she is the empress. But the matter is for the Japanese people to decide.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: Adult video actresses face competition from AI-generated 'perfect beauty' See in context

To TaiwanisNotChina

You make my point for me...Running or working in a brothel was never regarded as morally equivalent to running or working in, for example, a restaurant. Prostitution has been (fatalistically or cynically) tolerated, but it has never been considered to be anything but a vice. That was true of ancient Rome. It was true of Edo-period Japan.

"One to a customer" is a reference to monogamy.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Adult video actresses face competition from AI-generated 'perfect beauty' See in context

Both commanteer and Zaphod miss my point—and the larger picture, the moral, human question…Yes, left to their own amoral devices, males will bed as many females as they can. That is why rules are needed, including one to a customer. The “sexual revolution” was not liberating; instead, it brought neo-barbarism. I am an old man, with children and grandchildren, and I remember it all...I fully expect to get thumbs-down, because this is an unwelcome message from the real world.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Posted in: Adult video actresses face competition from AI-generated 'perfect beauty' See in context

The commonly held view of not so very long ago, both West and East, is that sex is rightly restricted to marriage and is not simply an appetite, a form of recreation. My guess is that the majority of JT readers have no use for such thinking and thus give thumbs down to anyone who dares to suggest that pornography is anything but morally neutral.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Posted in: Porn for women in Japan: No plumbers or pizza delivery men here See in context

This article should never have been published, as it treats something that is socially and spiritually destructive as morally neutral or even positive. It's encouraging to read comments that deplore "the industry," but it's all the more dismaying to see the "thumbs-down" they consistently get....Women of all people should be adamantly opposed to prostitution, and this is no different.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Biden blocks Nippon Steel's proposed deal to acquire U.S. Steel See in context

I agree with Rick Kaminski13, except in this regard: I don't think that Joe B gets to choose anything, not even his ice-cream flavor...It's encouraging to see that most commentators here, the usual bashers notwithstanding, recognize the "Biden" administration's move as lose-lose.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Posted in: Woman arrested on suspicion of strangling her 79-year-old mother to death See in context

Japan has such a low homicide rate that these stories get a lot of attention. I am the same age as the victim in this case, but I rather doubt that I shall suffer the same fate, as my children live too far away and are much too busy with their own lives. Think of 東京物語...

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Posted in: Bethlehem plans another somber Christmas under the shadow of war in Gaza See in context

RichardPearce writes: "It's not 'the war in Gaza'. It IS 'the genocide against Palestinians.'" No, it is a war against Hamas. The word "genocide" has been watered down to the point of meaninglessness.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Why Americans in Japan must file U.S. taxes See in context

I know Americans who simply don't file, not out of defiance but rather out of sheer inertia. They have lived here most of their lives and are not high-income earners. The IRS is quite incompetent, as well as corrupt, and that is both good news and bad news. The good news is that Big Brother usually has other fish to fry. The bad news is that if one is caught in its net, even quite mistakenly, it can be quite a nightmare.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan criminalizes cannabis use as revised laws take effect See in context

I belong to the generation that came to regard smoking dope as somehow evidence of intellectual and moral superiority. My guess is that many of the commentators here, i.e. those who give thumbs-down to anyone who dares to suggest (rightly) that getting stoned is stupid, have inherited the same misguided mentality. (I'll check later to see whether I wind up getting similarly treated.)

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Posted in: Shibuya’s Hachiko statue will be covered up for New Year’s Eve, pedestrian barricades installed See in context

"Why not shut Meiji Shrine as well? It would save a lot of people a thoroughly unpleasant time. I went there once many years ago. It was freezing cold and once you got in the shrine there was a one-way syste, There was noturnback, no escape. You had grin and bear it until you eventually got out again. In contrast many tourists actually enjoy a visit to Hachiko.™

gaijintraveler makes a good point...The obvious problem is overtourism, the tabi-no-haji-wa-kaki-sute mentality, and the inconsistency of Japanese policy, i.e. seeking the tourists and then resenting them.

In my long-lost youth, I used to meet people at Hachiko, but certainly not on New Year's Eve. There is (or at least used to be) something quite special about Japanese o-shougatsu. It is/was a quiet time, a family time. I am not a Buddhist--except for a few minutes when the bells toll after 紅白.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

Posted in: Mayor considering increasing Himeji Castle entry fees for overseas visitors See in context

I completely agree with Gene Hennigh: "Now, my eyesight isn't what it used to be, so correct me if I'm wrong. Doesn't the article say that he is considering it? Why all the panic and I-hate-Japan rhetoric? Wait till it happens (if it does) and then go back to your bashing. Well, I might be wrong. Maybe 'considering' means 'it's a done deal.' I'm old, so maybe I'm all wrong here."

Furthermore, this is not another example of "racial profiling." As others have pointed out, it's simply a matter of showing one's ID.

I've spent most of my long life in Japan but have never been to Himeji Castle. Those whose idea of "doing Japan" is joining the crowds should be allowed to do so--but at a price...Last year I was annoyed with an old European friend who came for another visit, the cheap yen clearly having gone to his head. I love Nippon; I am much less fond of "Japanland."

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Posted in: Japan now able to deport people with multiple failed asylum claims See in context

Great story from nukkuheddo!

'one year...went home for Christmas...bought my little sister pearls...she asked for them...the customs guy asks if I have anything to declare...I told him I did and presented the gift & receipt...but in the next lane was some commotion...some guy from

Shri-Lanka who had been granted asylum (in Canada) had returned there for a "holiday"...the guy in my lane said they had bigger fish to fry than me that day..."Merry Christmas"...was the last thing he told me before he told me to leave.'

If my neighbors consist of a "dysfunctional family," I shall not be expected to take in the children as "refugees." That is where the police and family services come in...But nations are sovereign or semi-sovereign: let us hope that police and family services never come to resemble, let us say, the United Nations! The fact that Japan "lags far behind" other nations in recklessly opening its doors ought to be encouraging...

How desperate or endangered does one have to be to qualify as a "refugee"? If an American from Chicago were to show up in Switzerland or Monaco, claiming to seek asylum from street gang violence, how do you think s/he would be treated?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: Japan to build anti-tourist fence at another Mount Fuji viewpoint See in context

I once lived in Hawai'i and still have family and property there. My wife worked in the tourist industry and, though quite loyal to Japan, as am I, noted with chagrin when Japanese tourists, usually in groups, yielded to the temptation of 旅の恥はかき捨て. Since then, overall behavior has vastly improved, at least to judge from my visits...I am very much hoping that the yen will again appreciate and that the tourist industry will shrink. Stories about misbehaving visitors, taking advantage of Japanese patience (or passivity), seem to bring out those non-Japanese living here with their own axes to grind.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Posted in: High-profile opposition figure Renho to run for Tokyo governor See in context

Some choice...Another reason for being grateful that we do not live in Tokyo.

-5 ( +9 / -14 )

Posted in: Actor Dabney Coleman, villainous boss in '9 to 5,' dies at 92 See in context

In You've Got Mail, he plays Joe Fox's father. There's a great scene in which, on his boat, having just been dumped by his umpteenth female mate, he sips a martini and munches on nuts, as he refers to his second wife. Joe reminds him: "My nanny." Surprised, he responds: "She was the nanny?...Now that's ironic."

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Law change lets Japanese police crack down on rule-breaking cyclists See in context

Particularly in Japan, behavior improves through consensus, though such can be aided by laws. Smoking is a good example. I did not pay much attention to bicycles in Japan until I started riding one myself. Accustomed to strict rules in northern Europe, I was surprised at how otherwise admirably law-abiding and considerate people could become anarchists on wheels...But again: consensus. Part of the problem is the difficulty of making bike lanes on already narrow streets and roads...By the way, as I understand it, people my age are allowed to ride on sidewalks. I do so--riding very slowly.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Posted in: Teenager referred to prosecutors for using smart glasses to cheat on university entrance exam See in context

piskian-san:

"If you can't pass entrance exams for high schools or universities in this country nowadays,you must be severely lacking.

Plus the obligatory Kyodo gaslighting last paragraph to include 'foreigners' in the crime.

Timeless."

As someone who once participated in preparing university entrance exams, I'll readily concede that they are far from a perfect measure of knowledge or aptitude. But that they are nonetheless quite competitive. It's survival of the fittest (of sorts)--弱肉強食...I don't see any "gaslighting" here. I taught both Japanese and non-Japanese, and the cheaters (a minority) were of all nationalities.

My own view is that the system should be reformed, with a reduction in the "hierarchy." Universities should be relatively easy to enter, with much stricter standards applied, so that those who are either unable or unwilling to study seriously are weeded out. What graduates actually know and can do should be much more important than the "brand" on their diplomas.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

Posted in: Aso's comments about Kamikawa expose Japan's ongoing sexism impasse See in context

Being an old reactionary, I hope that Japan “advances” to at least 140th. But Aso is an obnoxious blue-blood. If he did not exist, the “progressive” media would have to invent him.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Posted in: Hawaii may allow Japanese tourists to pass border checks from Japan See in context

Those who mention the current exchange rate should be reminded that Hawai’i was a popular destination when the yen was much “weaker” than it is now. The Japanese love affair with the islands will continue. (I speak as an absentee landlord with a red passport.)

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Knife-wielding man shot by police after Osaka apartment quarrel See in context

Who among the commentators here is qualified to second-guess the police?

10 ( +13 / -3 )

Posted in: 'Like a video game': Japan's gangs hire online See in context

Even the fatherless, such as Risa Yamada, learn somewhere along the way: "Thou shalt not steal."

I wonder what percentage of the crooks get caught--and whether those near or close to the top are ever caught...

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Posted in: Okinawa pub posts 'Japanese only' admission sign based on some shaky logic See in context

Captdingelheimer: Well put! I knew 出人, a self-seeking provocateur…I am one those Euro-Japanese, and though holding a red passport, do not look like Yamada Yukio. I remember when there was what can fairly be called discrimination. There has been a transformation…Are there still glitches? Yes…My elder daughter, back from years abroad, tried to open a bank account, showing her red passport and speaking her first language, Japanese. The clerk wanted to see her visa status…Annoying? Yes. But not the end of the world.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Shibuya mayor says 'Don't come' for Halloween See in context

I'm with Meiyouwenti (没有問題) and don't understand the thumbs-down...I was in Ibaraki one afternoon many years ago, when I found myself in a kissaten called Halloween (in katakana). Back then, Halloween was all but unknown in Japan, so I asked the middle-aged proprietress whence the name. She looked anxious and asked whether it was somehow insulting. Iie, I reassured, her, saying I thought it rather kawaii. She said that her children had suggested the name...Halloween began as a, yes, pagan Celtic custom, celebrating the beginning of autumn. It then spread to America with Irish immigrants and became thoroughly Americanized, having nothing to do with All Hallows Eve. I remember how it was first introduced in Germany, much to the disgust of those around me...There's nothing inherently wrong with the custom itself, but even in 19th-century America it became an excuse for vandalism and mayhem...I support the mayor!

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Posted in: Why doesn’t the U.S. adopt the metric system? See in context

To Gene Hennigh: Didn't you learn the metric system in school? I think that American pupils all learn it--or at least used to learn it, before their curriculum was watered down and ideologized...kaimykahi's explanation is excellent...By the way, the size of Japanese bicycle tires are measured in inches, as I remember.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Gov't may seek to dissolve Unification Church: source See in context

It's Sо̄ka-gakka (創価学会) 'value-creating society', not *Sokka-gakkai, so those who spell it incorrectly may not know what they're talking about...My family is well acquainted with ardent members of SKGK, and whenever there is an election the matriarch comes round to us, asking us to support their party. We listen politely and then vote otherwise. No harm done...The Unification Church is a very different kettle of fish.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

Posted in: Wedding in Paris See in context

Jonathan Prin, je suis d’accord avec vous! I adore la France, except for the Paris and the politics.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: In Japan, which bans dual custody, a table tennis star refuses to hand back her son to her ex See in context

Those who blame it all on “xenophobia” art misguided. Our ex-daughter-law, Japanese, alcoholic, abusive, and adulterous, walked off with the daughter of our gullible son, also Japanese, knowing that the absurdly unjust law was on her side. Not being able to see his daughter, now for years, has sent him into a tailspin…All those we know, including former Ai-chan fans, are disgusted with the piggish ping-ponger.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Posted in: From English to Japanese: A word’s journey into another language See in context

For instance, a well-dressed older man is referred to as a ダンディ (dandi, or “dandy”) in Japanese. While the term is dated, it’s still comprehendible. The same cannot be said for クラクション (kurakushon, or “klaxon”), the outdated proprietary eponym for “car horn.”

"Klaxon" may be obsolete in English but not in French and Italian.

The Oxford English Dictionary's last entry for "klaxon" is as recent as 1973.

Another example of words for tools derived from brand names is ホチキス (hochikisu) 'stapler'.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

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