Meguroman comments

We bought one from someone who imports them from the US - huge discount over what was available here in Tokyo then and cheaper than renting here in Japan. I rented my tux and those for the wedding party - worked out well.

Reading this really makes me cringe. Somehow she is determined and smart enough to stay on the run for 17 years, not even leaving the country. Yet, she doesn't have clue about making the sarin or the bomb. Kikuchi is obviously a Sith lord (Darth Naoko) using the dark side to control the prosecutors' minds. She'll get off and be heading to the nearest Aleph temple ASAP.

Graft, fraud and waste is widespread there. Watch your wallets!

I'm against any additional presence of US troops. Intel or consulting from FBI is fine. Nigeria has a large military & wealth from oil & the fact that they are too corrupt to fix this on their own doesn't make it our problem. Heinous acts are committed every day, all over the world - we can't stick our noses in everywhere. I say this as someone who has lived in Nigeria.

Staying at the official guest house is probably a pain in the arse in regards to increased protocols, etc. Perhaps if his wife had been with him it might have been more of an option. Since The Okura is next to the embassy and the US Ambassador's residence, they've been working with the embassy since it was built (with a bit of a gap in the early '40's). It is a complete time slip going in there though - I instantly think of the Brady Bunch for some reason. Sometimes they have pretty reasonable rates and if someone is working in Kamiyacho for example, you can't beat the location. I've recommended it to some high-level clients and all of them were pleased enough since they weren't here to hang out in the hotel anyway.

Avast ya matees! Man the poop deck!

That'll be a fun posting. Bring lots of manga...

One of those "trends" that's about as trendy as straight teeth here. A sub-set of a sub-set of people.

Simply reduces places to hide a bomb and of course, POTUS won't be riding any subways. If he'll be driving anywhere, they'll fly his limo here from the US on a C-5A. The logistics involved are pretty amazing.

I'll raise your Japanese constitution written and imposed by an occupying Allied military government with Costa Rica....where the constitution has forbidden a standing military since 1949. (So Asahara Shoko, the Aum death cult guru extraordinaire could be a Nobel Peace Prize winner? Kewl.)

I'm sure it will be interesting movie and a bit awkward to see in a theatre here. I'll stream it or something myself instead of waiting. Bushido (as interpreted and corrupted by Imperial Japanese Army), had little empathy for enemy soldiers who got captured or who surrendered.

If you think it is "strange" or "odd" please open Google Earth take a gander around that part of the world - massive empty space. Then add the depth. Now factor in the tides. Lastly, consider that a month has passed. When you consider all of this, it easy to understand why they can't find anything.

Just like there are excellent wines available from various regions, at various price points in many countries, it is similar with beef. Then factor in how it is treated (frozen, dry aged, etc) and cooked obviously will affect the taste greatly. Many of the finest cuts of US beef are only available in a few restaurants here. Most people only have access to the discount stuff in their local supermarket or famiri restoran. I have had some underwhelming Aussie beef but I certainly don't judge all the beef based on some cheap crap from in my local Daiei.

Should choose better victims - ¥1,000? Why doesn't he pawn the purses? Genius keeps 60 pieces of evidence at work.

Yeah, FAIL. Drink real beer - life is too short for ersatz products. Will kids drink this for cheap thrills?

April Fools

Abe looks bemused and slightly uncomfortable. Probably wondering how to establish rapport with a woman who feels the need to wear a tent. He's definitely thinking about lunch.

Darn I was next to there today. My favorite airline, I'm a loyal Krisflyer member. The staff are awesome.

Great if you never saw it before but that is one show I'll never watch in reruns, ever. The premise works to create suspense...when you know what will happen then the twists and turns and time limit mean nothing. Same thing with LOST, never watch it again (in fact for that show I want my time back).

Definitely good news and long overdue. Many major world cities (in 1st world countries) have 2 or even 3 airports serving them. In most cases they are 24 hours and have always served both int'l and domestic flights. For a lot of people Narita is a pain in the arse to get to.

Am I missing something? Still pay taxes with Rakuten, right?

He's a comedian on a TV channel called Comedy Central, hmm, might be clue that his comments shouldn't be taken seriously.

From Singapore you can easily go to islands in Thailand, the Philipines, Malaysia & Indonesia (not to mention Palau & the chains in the S. Pacific). Given that, not sure how much more interesting Okinawa is but good luck.

Only 3% increase, no real point unless you are buying something that is actually expensive. I always have backup food, water & batteries so good to go on that front.

At 35,000ft there is zero chance of cell phones working on their own no matter where the plane is flying. Do the math.

Sorry, I read books and I'm not brainwashed, simply zero interest in manga. I don't look down on them, just not my cup of tea. There are 330,000,000 million Americans with all sorts of interests & hobbies.

Great post "fishy" - agree with everything you said. My wife's parents live far away and my parents...well. We have only had actual friends, relatives and next door neighbors (parents) babysit our 2 children. So maybe two dozen times in 9 years. Simply the reality of living in Tokyo. Now I know there are a couple of really high-end services that are "safe" but they send a sitter to your house who has been checked out and they are extremely pricey but I did consider it a few times when it seemed no one else was available. Frankly, this woman took unreasonable risks and has the rest of her life to wonder if her weekend without the kids was worth it. I wouldn't have left a pet rabbit in this type of situation.

Allowed? That doesn't factor into it. Did they have internet service in that aircraft? Doubtful. If not, moot point. Passenger cell phones don't work at 35,000ft, which is almost 10 kilometers high, no matter where they are and this plane was over the ocean.

I'd rather work in the Middle East or Africa than China. (Already have actually...). I visit Hong Kong enough to know that even just a few days there during the wrong time can be pretty nasty. Great to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

The reactors were planned by, ordered by and maintained by TEPCO. They worked as designed and TEPCO is clearly responsible for not addressing any concerns pointed out in 1990, 2004. At $3 million per plaintiff, why not go after GE's deep pockets? Morons.