NagoyaGaijin comments

Smokers know the risks, especially anyone who began smoking after around 1980. I started at the tender age of 16 because, back in the 80's, it was still "cool." As long as I can remember, my friends and I always called cigarettes "coffin nails" and "cancer sticks." We knew, and we were young and dumb and didn't care.

Now that I am a bit older...yes, I want to quit. Yeah, it is VERY difficult. But to blame anyone but myself for any health problems smoking has given me is pathetic. People should take responsibility for their own actions and choices. This goes for all habits good and bad.

Sarge--definitely not a new moon..It's a full moon (had to do ithaha)

Cool pic. I wish I had taken it!

At least this time the ban is on the particular shipper/supplier instead of the entire industry!

Man, I want a rib-eye...time to call The Meat Guy...

I am SO happy that I am not one of those poor folks!

Currently, it is BARELY a category 2. When it makes landfall, it is expected to be a high Cat 1 or low Cat 2. I wouldn't call this "major" by any stretch. Granted, I grew up in Northwest Florida, and only evacuated for one hurricane in my life: Fredrick back in the 70's. Generally, Cat1 or 2 is some crap weather for a little while, a day or two off, and some canned food. Granted, here in Japan, it will be more like some crap weather, and the day off part depends on whether JR suspends operations tomorrow...(I am hoping that they do). No need to panic, everyone. Close the windows, and enjoy the day off. I have a feeling that my apartment won't even lose power. Time for DVD's and a 6-pack!!

dano2002--why does a 38 yr old man need a love hotel? Prolly cos his wife is at home...

Ontopically, this is quite possibly the funniest story I have seen in a while... I know ole Bopp is gonna get some serious crap from his comrades and commanders. As far as the severity of the crime...I think he should definitely pay the hotel for a new ceiling, as well as shell out some cash for the disturbed couple. Maybe--pay about 1man for the view, and another 2man for them to have an undisturbed night at another hotel sometime...that sounds reasonable to me. Jail time? At most, 30 days in the brig should be sufficient. I think he will probably have more than enough punishment from his peers before even dealing with the authorities.

OK, if the Yaks are misunderstood..How about if the author of the article would enlighten us? Either they are criminals ore they aren't...which is it?

UMMM, did some of you guys miss one part of the article... USAExpat--you say that Tokyo is not below sea level... From the first sentence of the 3rd paragraph

In the Tokyo area, an estimated 116 square kilometers of land lies below sea level...

I won't go into the number of failures that precipitated the Katrina disaster in New Orleans. Despite the fact that several towns on the Mississippi Gulf Coast were completely wiped off the map, people only noticed New Orleans. The massive loss of life was caused first and foremost by hesitation in the local government. Mandatory evacuation orders were not given until it was basically too late to get people out of the city safely. From there, was apathy of the population--after the evacuation order was given, MANY people DID NOT GET OUT!! THEN, add in the fact that the levee and pump systems were decades out of date (every year, the corps of engineers asked for the budget to update the system, and every year, they were ignored), then add in the fact that local government didn't want to ask for state help, then that state government didn't want to ask for federal help....people blame FEMA, and yes, they were pretty much in over their heads, but at the same time, part of the slowness of the response was due to the law--the federal government is NOT allowed to send FEMA in until the governor of the state ASKS for the assistance. The governor of Louisiana didn't immediately ask for federal assistance. She waited a couple of days...(oops, I guess I DID go into some of the main failures after all...)

Please mods, bear with me--there is a point, and this is ON TOPIC...

So, with all that bit of background, IF Tokyo experiences the level of flooding that New Orleans experienced, I think the level of disaster will be a bit less. Tokyo has different flood controls in place. However, an evacuation plan should be in place. The biggest potential for trouble in a Tokyo flooding scenario IS one of the main problems that New Orleans faced, at least, according to Yasuda...

“One of the biggest problems we face now, though, is apathy among the Japanese population,”

You can show the people where to go, but unless you go house by house, and force people at gunpoint (or some similar drastic means), some people will just stay put and try to ride the storm out.

But..why don't the cheating guys get any crap? The women are supposed to feel so terrible for the role as homewrecker, I suppose..but what about the married guys who are romping as well..why aren't they taken to task as well?

WilliB--in saunas, they dont pour water on the stones to make it hotter. They pour water on the stones to get steam.

As far as the sniping regarding this idea of pouring water on the street to cool it off. . . I dont know JUST how effective it is. I am willing to bet that the people who really believe it works will FEEL a bit cooler...and those who believe that it will only make things worse will FEEL a bit hotter...the mind is a powerful thing.

I think, as with all TV, there is some decent stuff, and some utter tripe. I quite enjoyed Debuya and IQ suppli...sadly, I think both of those programs are no longer on the air. There is one show, I think on Friday or Saturday nights, kinda late. . it is actually a political discussion. They don't try to be funny, they don't usually shout over each other trying to show each other up...but it is a serious, and sometimes very intense, discussion about a range of issues. I wish I could remember the title :P

Reminds me of my great-grandfather...Every weekend of every summer, he would go in search of the perfect watermelon..and this one looks just his type... The perfect melon, he always said, was "Big as a whiskey barrel, and red to the rind." Great-grampa would definitely approve of this pic.

taj--I think it has more to do with the creation of a single world government being a precurser to armageddon...I might be wrong, as it has been a while since I took a look at the good book.

I would really like to see where the author of this piece gets all his information. I wonder. . would he care to cite a source or two?

I wonder if this was any sort of gang activity? I dont mean yakuza, but..it sounds amazingly like the street gangs back in the US...

And I know people who want it....

USAR--the problem is that he didnt make the deal. It isnt like he signed up for the military and knew coming in that he would have to get a haircut or something. He worked for the post office with the moustache for 14 YEARS before someone changed the regs. If he had been a rookie and signed on after the no 'stache regs came into place, I would side with the post office on this. But, seriously. . 14 years with no problem, then suddenly the post office decides it is a problem??? I am with the letter carrier on this one.

I am curious to see the regulation itself...anyone know where to find it?

I would just say "It ain't a mustache. . I just forgot to shave...a lot. . . every day. . . "

It is one thing for a company to have standards. And I am, in general, in favor of at least some semblance of a dress code. . no offensive clothing, hair kempt, body and hair washed, clothing clean, that sort of thing. Mr PatSmash's take against jewelery or hair length is, in my mind, just about as rational as the Post Ofice's fear of any facial hair. (In other words, completely Irrational). If ya dont like long haired freaky people, that is your choice. And if you dont want to hire a NEW recruit who doesn't fit your high standards of aesthetic sensibility, that is also your choice. But, having an employee who serves the company for 14 years, then popping up "You! I dont dig the 'stache. Lose the facefur or lose yer job" smells to me quite a bit like bovine excretia. The man had a 'stache for 14 years before the new rules popped up. And when the new standards came out, he took a stand. I say, Good on ya Postman!! Keep your stache neat and trimmed. . Hell, take it farther and grow a Van Dyke (what many people mistakenly call a goatee).

Geeze Zen..it's just a CARTOON!!! Chill out man :P

I have heard that it was a fun flick, and I am looking forward to seeing it. I have been a fan of Jack Black for a while now..though sometimes, he needs to calm down ;)

gokai_wo_maneku at 08:55 AM JST - 16th July

That hardly seems like something to boast about. Why are they commiting crimes at all? Aren't they here to protect?

Gokai...yes, they are here to protect. General Rice's point was that, no matter what, EVERY profession has some bad folks squeak into the group. His point was that, despite media attention, and attitudes displayed by people such as yourself, the proportion of bad folks is LOWER in the US military stationed here than in the general population. Is it sad that there are some bad guys that get in?? Of course. Is the US military nothing but a bunch of murdering, raping hooligans like the media and people like you seem to think?? Absolutely NOT.

looks to me like a bunch of people having a good time. Nice pic. and yet some of us still find something negative to say...

Ummmm...Oops?

Actually, I had a fairly similar incident happen to me a few years back--fortunately, the damage was only to my own fence. A rainy day, wet shoes..my foot slipped from the brake to the gas and instead of stopping gently, I slowed down briefly, only to race ahead and plow into the back yard. . .Definitely feel for the woman who was inhured, and can empathize with the driver.

Ossan...Just a point. . being west coast or NYC does not necessarily mean a thing. I come from a small town in the South. We use ohashi for Asian food.

I have long had mixed feelings about the death penalty. In cases such as this one, it seems fine and dandy to me. In other cases, I have too much of a doubt... I think the arguments regarding the death penalty as a deterrant are misguided. History has shown repeatedly that some people will commit crimes no matter what the penalties are. However, One could argue that in a case such as this, the death penalty is a sort of safety measure for the public. After all, now that he has been executed, Miyazaki can never escape prison to kill again. (THAT, IMHO, is in fact a good thing). As for leaving someone in a hole to rot..well, is that not just a form of SLOW execution?? My point here is simply that life in prison (with the chance of escape--however slim) is really nothing more than a more drawn out process of execution. Some might even say it is LESS humane than most modern methods of execution.

My heart and prayers go to the families and the souls of Miyazaki's victims. I hope that they can find some sort of peace.

Similar to the TBS drama thing, good move on the part of the game company. (anybody care to say it is just a move for brownie points?)

As far as the cabinet ministers discussing ways to regulate knives..in a way don't they already regulate cutlery? That whole thing about no imports of katanas and whatnot... I will say that regulating cutlery would get into a lot of diffficulty. There would HAVE to be exceptions out the wazoo, so much so that the idea would be nearly pointless. I think they are trying to look at a symptom instead of the disease.

northlondon--I havent seen any gang rapes or truly pornogaphic vids, or naked women on regular old TV here. (I have seen a very very few topless ladies, but not on a regular basis, and usually well after 9 PM. Most often, I see this stuff in the foreign movies broadcast on TV.) I think you are mixing up the internet with TV. I also think you are engaging in a bit of hyperbole here... Then again, I usually don't watch much TV here after midnight...maybe in the wee hours of the morning, such crap is on.

Geeze, the amount of sniping here is just sad.

Two people helped the fallen dude in the picture. GOOD. One is appearantly Asian. One is appearantly caucasian. So what??

The Akihabara incident on Sunday was a terrible tragedy. The policeman who responded to the call did what he could. He made a good arrest. One of the stabbing victims was found to have HepB...bummer, but at least there is treatment. Anyone who gave CPR should get themselves checked out just in case. That is one of the risks of helping people when there is blood or any other bodily fluids involved. Whether or not to take that risk of disease is a personal decision. If a person chooses to directly help, despite the (relatively low, but statistically significant) risk, then good on him or her. If a person chooses not to directly provide assistance because of that risk, I can understand that also. I don't think either choice is "more human" or "more humane" than the other.

I think TBS made the right choice. I don't see them milking the situation for brownie points, however. (milk and brownies?? YUM!) They made a wise business decision. Had they allowed the drama to air as originally scheduled, the outrage would be potentially devestating. (And certain naysayers here would certainly harp on the insensitivity of TBS airing such a programme so soon after the Akihabara incident).

As for criticizing TBS for filming the drama in the first place..well, TV stations are in business to entertain people and make money through ad revenue. They make what they think the people will want to watch.

Considering some of the stuff I have seen from TV shows in other countries, a stabbing on a crime drama here is nothing. CSI anyone???

That is a pretty light fine..But in comparison...10,000 yen for a 300 (or if really fancy, 350!) yen pack of smokes is pretty steep.

Overall..I would say they both made a pretty stupid mistake. (I guess little Taro-kun has to go to the conbini from now on. . Or mama gotta buy his smokes...)

I think the general sense of "Japanese police incompetence" comes from the reports we see. The good things that the cops do just don't really get much attention. After all. . "Local Cop helps lost foreigner" doesn't really sell advertising space. At the same time, there have been some very high-profile mistakes (Lindsay Hawker/Ichihashi). When all we see are those BIG mistakes, then we tend to get a negative impression of the local po-po. In a way, it's very similar to the general sentiments against American military personnel...we see reports of the bad stuff..not of the good stuff.

So, in short...I don't think anyone would be as incompetent as we JT posters tend to make the police out to be. We just comment on the incompetent ones we read about.