Posted in: Japan to oblige businesses to reduce 12 disposable plastic items See in context
Excess use of plastic bags was the most disappointing thing on my last trip to Japan. Bought 2 pairs of shoes and asked not to have the boxes. They put each pair in a labeled plastic bag and then both of those in a bigger bag.
Confused the bakery attendants when they wanted to put each item into a separate bag and then a big bag. When asked for them to be all in one bag they freaked out.
Need to seriously start with reducing pointless bag use
4 ( +4 / -0 )
Posted in: What's your favorite coffee shop chain in Japan? See in context
Iki Espresso is the best in Tokyo with a decent real coffee. It is not full of sugar and syrups that mask the taste of the coffee and adds unnecessary empty calories. Multinational chains are so formulaic.
6 ( +8 / -2 )
Posted in: Geshary Coffee: Tokyo’s finest speciality coffee shop See in context
Coffee in Japan is hit and miss. However some really good coffee shops now. Best on our last trip was IKI in Koto near the Sumida River with great food too! Can't see what locals see in Starbucks and places like that. Most of the coffee is full of sickly syrups.
Need to check out the machine and if push button don't order. If they don't know the difference between a flat white and a latte also don't order.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: New Zealand lawmaker quits after allegedly sending lewd pics See in context
Headline is misleading, he is not a lawmaker but an opposition MP / politician who also happens to have acted inappropriately on more than one occasion.
-1 ( +1 / -2 )
Posted in: Photo finish: End of an era as Olympus sells camera division See in context
They are selling not liquidating - JIP aren't going to pay good money and then shut it down so don't panic people. The cameras aren't gonna fall to bits just because the company is changing hands.
They are great cameras - light weight and great images.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Ending coronavirus emergency raises hope, sparks some concern See in context
There must be a lot of un-diagnosed cases in the community with such low testing numbers (under 300,000) for a population of 127 million. NZ who have all but kicked it have done 250,000 tests for a population of 5 million. Seems a lot of people may be asymptomatic and not even know they have been exposed. Hopefully there is not another significant outbreak if people take personal responsibility for personal hygiene (hand washing, sneezing, coughing)
16 ( +20 / -4 )
Posted in: Lettuce wraps are the perfect low-carb vehicle for chicken See in context
Rice is definitely not low carb. 17.5g carbs per serving is high for one meal especially when not much fat you will be starving in an hour. Lettuce is a great wrap replacement but misleading headline.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Why is Japanese customer service so amazing? Because in Japan it’s one strike and you’re out See in context
Customer service is great in Japan. However there are some odd quirks. A lot of young Japanese are so scared to think for themselves - like crossing against the lights in an out of the way corner in Hiroshima these two girls had a major dilemma - will I or won't I even though not vehicle in sight.
We recently tried to get close to the Skywalk in Mishima to catch the stunning sunset but it closed at 5 and sunset was at about 5.30 - the poor guy at the gate was beside himself that he couldn't let us in but terrified he might get into trouble with his employers.
Last gripe is no flexibility to give an extra shot of coffee because their I-Pad system doesn't allow it and they didn't know how to charge us for it. The number of coffees we didn't buy because it was impossible for staff to give us an extra shot of coffee was quite a bit. However on the plus side we did find a few amazing cafes that gave us great coffee. The Bluebird Cafe on the wharf in Hiroshima and Myajima Coffee on Myajima. Great service as well.
I do think part of it is being more worried about the boss than the customer but some bosses need to realise some flexibility or research into what customers want is useful too
6 ( +7 / -1 )
Posted in: Messenger app tops a billion downloads at Google Play See in context
Only have so many downloads because users had no choice because they couldn't read their messages on mobile. I didn't agree with the terms and conditions but had no choice but to accept them if I wanted to see messages.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: IAEA chief visits Fukushima as Japan returns to nuclear power
So what if he he lives till 83 ? life is sour and ugly at those ages.
Posted in: Man gets 30 years in prison for arson-murder of 2 nephews
Posted in: Man gets 30 years in prison for arson-murder of 2 nephews
Posted in: Pope has pneumonia in both lungs but remains in good spirits, the Vatican says