Matt Canada comments

Gross on so many levels.

Looks like an alligator to me.

This is great news. But the cynic in me wonders how long it'll be before some BS scandals pop up out of nowhere and force many of these women to step aside.

I hate that United is part of the Star Alliance with ANA. I don't know who calls the shots with the Star Alliance partners, but hopefully ANA will try to distance themselves from United after this. Flying from Narita to the US on an ANA flight is always a pleasure, whereas my transfer home from within the US via United is always a huge pain in the ass.

Well, I met my wife at a Starbucks so I'm kind of biased. I do like the ambiance of the traditional kissaten, but they're always so full of smoke that it's impossible to enjoy the flavor of anything. They also tend to be quite expensive, even more than the major chains. So because of that I'd have to go with the major chains.

So I guess we should also ban hanami and picnicking in the park since that's frivolous as well, right? While I would agree that the A-bomb Dome, cenotaph, children's monument, and museum should not be gyms or stops, I say the rest of the park is fair game. It's too large and too beautiful a park to be treated exclusively as a place for solemn contemplation.

Kris is right. I've been to that particular ski resort and was pretty shocked at the poor slope etiquette displayed by just about everyone. Groups of 5-6 people just plop down literally in the middle of the run just to rest or chat or whatever. They don't even bother bunching up either, they sit 5-6 across, forcing people to make sharp turns to the outside of the slope. I can't speak to other ski resorts as this one was the only one I've been to, but it was far more frustrating than fun. Obviously I have no idea if that kind of behavior resulted in this particular accident, but I am surprised this kind of thing doesn't happen more often. I feel terrible for that little girl, her family, and her classmates. There's also a pretty good chance that this will result in next year's elementary school ski excursions being cancelled.

Yubaru said it best. That's all there is to it, really. Be aware, be alert, be mindful. Nobody seems to do that here. If people in old Japan were the same way, imagine how easy it would've been to be a ninja.

10,000 for a wedding? In what part of Japan? In Hiroshima, 30,000 is customary. More if you're a close family member or their boss. It's insane.

Ah, still not as bad as Rob Green letting that ball through in the England v. USA match in 2010.

Yeah, but how did those old people get to be so old? The Japanese are the longest-lived and healthiest people in the world. Surely the medical system plays a part in that?

No doubt it does. But how does that help me? There are fewer and fewer new doctors practicing but the number of old people are increasing exponentially. More old people and less doctors to take care of them equals less adequate care for you and me in the coming years, especially at these smaller clinics. Last time I went to one my wife had to drag me out of bed because I was so sick. The guy hooked me up to an IV and tried to send me home with some cold medicine. My wife suggested as we were walking out the door that I ask the doc to check for the flu, which he then did, and it turned out I indeed had the flu. What kind of doctor wouldn't bother checking for the flu in the middle of flu season with a patient displaying flu-like symptoms? Of course the clinic was overflowing with old folks, many of whom were hypochondriacs or were just there for social hour or to visit with their "sick" friends. Careless doctors like this seem to be pretty normal over here at these smaller clinics, as evidenced by other posts in here. So I'm just going to stop going to them if I have anything other than a common cold.

Hospitals, on the other hand, I have very high confidence in. I am fortunate in that I've never had to be a patient in one, but I've visited several friends and family members, and have heard nothing but great things about both the care and the cost.

Major hospitals seem pretty good. I agree that the smaller private clinics should be avoided unless all you need is some cold medicine. Those private clinic docs are just babysitters for old people anyways. They seem to be somewhat out of touch with modern medicine and modern methods.

Mirai Hayashi, yes! I know exactly what you mean. For a while I thought Shakira was maybe the name of the main protagonist, but after watching a few episodes with no appearances by anyone named Shakira, it dawned on me that it's just a really stupid title.

I'm sure most people know by now, but Costco decided not to go ahead with the insane 3000 yen/hr parking scheme. Instead, shoppers get 3 hours of free parking when they spend any amount. And 2 hours of free parking on game days. If you stay longer than that, you'll be charged 300 yen per 20 minutes.