KSB1978 comments

what are social skills if you can't type an email?

Are you having a laugh? If you have social skills, it's not difficult to use it in it's written form. Where as having perfect email etiquette does not always convert to face-to-face interaction.

old farts

Proper old farts would know how to write letters... which would traslate quite easily to emails... it may however, take extra time to be typed out, as they will possibly use the "hunt and press" type typing technique...

Interacting on the internet is not socialising... Kids these days have no social skills because they do not learn these important life skills using the internet.

pfft. Prices in Japan is not expensive. When I was growing up in tokyo 20 years ago, it was around 110yen. It's now 25-30% more. At least Japan gets like a 96 Octane fuel as standard. In Australia, 20 years ago, it was 45-50cents a liter and now, it's $1.40. That is a price rise! And it's only 91 OCtane as standard. 95 or 98 Octane stuff is like $1.60.

China is now getting a bit cocky because they have superior economic powers?

LOL 'Subtle'...

I don't remember any pot head blowing up buildings or starting wars in the name of the hemp

You may not, but "assassins" derives a name from 'hashish eater'... No, they did not fight in the name of hemp, but they did fight for power and money, and the mind control was done utilising canibis. another story...

Only in Japan can porn stars be used to promote a big-ticket Hollywood movie.

Funny that, considering Stallone started off his career as a porn star.

Maybe this is a source of income for Yakuza groups.

It is...

Just disgusting.

Sex industry is the oldest industry in the world. Let's face it. Everyone has sex and everyone has libido... unless in very special cases.

As for porn on trains, may be there should be some discretion. But "anime" and "manga" are art. Like modern day "Ukiyoe". Besides, what is legal in one country is not in another. The legal system is based on the moral judgement of the masses. It should be up to the voting member of the country to decide. Not some foreigner with no cultural understanding to say what is wrong and should be illegalised.

Back in the days, things like these actually did instill some solidarity amongst the students. Now days, with the over protective ways that Japan has been infected with (from the Western world of crazy political correctness gone wrong), it doesn't really matter. Kids are going to grow up being little brats anyway.

And the Randoseru is selling for 9800yens. That is TRUE despite the fact that some schools may not allow the use of them. There is no disputing the fact that it is. I'm sure even if the school specified shops, they would not expel your kids from the school for having a wrong one... What if you were a "tenkousei"? Expect you to buy a new one?

I have no memory of this... i.e. "Kioku ni gozaimasen" has been a very old trying to get out of jail free card used by politicians for years...

I prefer police doing silly things like this than going around beating people senseless like they do here in Australia and many other parts of the world. The bad thing about excessive use of force by police is, they never get done for it.

He was in the bathroom with a electric cooking stove? That is mysterious...

It's a bit like the Abbey Road thing by the Beatles :)

Most Japanese weddings are a rather extravagant affair. The money envelope is to cover the costs... 20,000 yen is about going rate, 30,000 if you want to show a bit of extra respect, more if you really think highly of the person. What? That's about equivalent of $200 US for a going rate? not all that much for a fancy dinner and a bottomless bar. After all, you are there to celebrate someone's wedding. It's not like you are pissing it up against the wall. Anyway, I can sympathise that the author of this has been a little embarrassed, but trust me, you can get away with it because you are a foreigner. They will give you a lot more leniency for not knowing. Too bad if it was me. I'm a Japanese grown up in foreign soils. If I did something wrong, people would judge me so harshly.

It's like that lady on the youtube video who fell in a shopping mall fountain because she was texting. It's her own fault. But too bad if one steps out in front of a car and some innocent person is charged and jailed for manslaughter...

I am not buying one until I can get my personal Astro boy or "tetsuwan Atomu"!

Preying on the elderly is one of the worst crimes of all. Yay! for sticking it to them!

If wikileaks can get a hold of these info, I'm sure it's not that hard for a terrorist organisation to access them either. If the states want to keep a hold of their secrets, put more emphasis on security. don't blame wikileaks for exposing what they have been able to access.

These are the rules in Japan... No phone conversation on public transport. Just obey it.

They are trying a "quiet carriage" in Brisbane, Australia at the moment. Which is one carriage in every train is designated "quiet", where you are not supposed to talk loud on the phone, talk loud in general or listen to loud music. It is not exactly policed, but the idea is starting to infiltrate. I prefer these trains because I don't have to listen to some idiot talking about their sexual exploits or have to listen to some crap music in a really tinny sound.

My mum used to make it every year when I was little. It matures nicely upon storage. I have some 30yo vintage now. very nice. The Ume is called Ao-ume (blue plums). If you pickle it in salt and dry it in the sun, it becomes ume-boshi. Preserve it in sugar and white liquor and it becomes Ume-shu. you can do the same thing (preserving in sugar and alcohol) with virtually any fruits. You can use sho-chuu or vodka if you like, but it will have to have higher alcohol percentage than 30% for it to work well. I prefer to use 40% or more, because it will sterilise, nullifying the need to sterilise the jar.

"Fridge gives food longer life compared to other fridges".

I know. I was just taking the piss.

Most fridges I know will give food longer life than if it was left outside. I thought that was the basic function of fridges :S

I'm a Japanese guy living in Australia... I think Aussie girls are the same as the guys mentioned above in a lot of sense. Except for some, of course.

1. He’s always bragging about what car he drives or what school he graduated from.

They are always going on about shoes and dresses they bought from some high fashion place... Channel, Versace, Prada, Louis Vitton etc... or some exclusive clubs or restaurant they hang out at. Who cares?

2. He acts superior and critical of others and makes comments like, “That guy is completely useless.”

The girls are often talking about other girls commenting things like "she has no fashion sense" or "she's a b#tch" etc

6. He tells pointless stories that make you think, “So what?”

I have that with a lot of the girls I hang out with.

There are probably more, but I can't be bothered listing them all...

"Global warming" has been proven to be a hoax.

Where do you come up with a statement like that?

Global warming is not a hoax... Earth's average surface temperature has been rising consistently for the last 45years or so. Global warming is not a hoax. It is purely the cause of the rise that is in question, and no one can prove.

was tried in Australia already in the late 1980's

I think the level of intricacy involved is a little further ahead in this project than the one in Australia.

the government monitors your power usage

It is not the government providing you with power. It is the electricity company.

There's a Pizza Hut that will deliver to the house 10 meters to the right of mine, but not to me because my post code is different.

You'd have to draw a line somewhere... If someone kept going "you deliver to the house 10m away, why not me??", one store will have to deliver to the whole nation. Surely you would have thought of this already? At least post code is an already established system that is clear cut and consistent.

Australians and Americans. Islaeri and Germans are bad in SE Asia as well...

yeah, TV invented molestation and rape.

Of course it did. There were no rape and molestation before 1930s. When the TV became widely available.

I hold the door for both men and women. It's just good manners. What the hell is wrong with American society? You can't file a sexual harrasment charge for that??

Samsung being the number one electronics company in the world right now

Most revenue. Yes. Revenue equal No.1? probably not.

Obviously has potential, comes prematurely then breaks down over and over until it disappears from everyone's radar. It's probably a bad investment option for all owners.

The reason why anti whaling becomes anti Japanese is because of the close traditional ties with the culture and whaling. There are a variety of arts and crafts (which I suspect you guys would never have even heard of) that stems from whale parts, which would die out if no whaling is to be done.

Also, in most nations, traditional hunting is accepted outside of banned hunting (aboriginal australians hunting dugongs, turtles etc, eskimos hunting seals and other examples around the world), but when it comes to whaling, even a negotiation for legalising reduced quota for any purpose is not an option. I am yet to fully understand the reasons of keeping the status quo myself, but...