NambanOnigiri comments

Monopolies are not good for business as there is no competition, hence most developed countries have monopoly and mergers commissions to ensure fair business practice. If Murdock buys all the shares he has a virtual monopoly on UK media, not good considering how media affect peoples opinions. Should one man be able to have so much power over a countrys media, no. We need conflicting opinions in media so people can make up their own mind.

Great world cup prep, they started the training already.

Take a quote from Keisuke Honda to see where this comes from, when im on the pitch its important to be the best player and the best looking! Sums up a lot of these lads in a nutshell. I have a shower, brush my teeth, cut my nails, wash my clothes = great personality, fit wife. Mascara, manicure, pedicure, facials - shallow, self absorbant = fit wife (maybe), shallow and as uninteresting as they come.

The monetary policy of having a single currency in Europe was a good idea to free European trade and compete as Europe not smaller countries. However its only a good idea when the individual governments arent reckless with their money. Ireland/Greece/Portugal may be in the Euro but cant compete with Germany and France but they spent / didnt save like Germany and France can. I objected to the UK not joining the Euro at the time but now it doesn`t seem like such a bad idea. I wonder if this is what the UK politicians foresaw. As for the comment above about anglo-saxons wanting the Euro to fail, can you enlighten me with your pearls of wisdom on this. BS.

Had some yesterday, tasted great i thought. Not powdery at all.

Eat sensibly (not snacking, eating late at night, lots of fast food), just exercise then its all plain sailing. If i want to eat something ill eat it, i dont think of fat/carb content. Just eat and enjoy. I go to the gym 4-5 times a week for weights and run 2 times a week. Not rocket science. I`m no adonis but 178cm and 75kgs is not too shabby.

About time, partly. I totally agree with getting those capable of work off their arse and into a job. Why should taxpayers subsidise people who dont want to work. But there are people such as those with new born babies who see a drastic fall in wages and big increase in expenses due to one parent being out of work, they need this money. Also it should be impossible to make more money on benefits than with a job, this is something the govt. needs to address by increasing the minimum wage. The govt. has to be careful otherwise people are going to start askingwhy are we paying such high taxes, what are we getting for our money`.

The Russian bid leader was trying to taint Englands bid to host the cup by saying London has a high crime rate and lots of underage drinkers (both of course true), but to come from a Russian! Pot and Kettle.

Its a great pic but i can't help wonder these girls are going to get some serious stalkers over here. They'll need taxis to and from the doors.

Poor fella and family. No excuse for driving off ever, take responsibility for your actions. May well have not been the drivers fault but the simple fact is that you hit someone and left them for dead, unforgiveable. When people stop driving cars like dodgems maybe this will stop happening, whats the point in undertaking, tailgating, ill see you at the next set of lights anyway (you`re never more than 1km from them over here)

In the UK they dont get tips like in the States/Canada and wont expect it in a family restaurant but if you ask for something a little different youd get it. Similarly, if you asked the waiter how they were, theyd have a bit of banter not look at you like a escapee from the mental asylum. Cultural - yes, just depends on what you class as customer service, Japan wins hands down for Service, for the Customer bit give me the UK anyday. Paris has got to be the worst, no service or customer, if you dont like it eat elsewhere! Sterile is the only word to describe it. Irashaimase (theres noone in a 10 meter radius of you), is a classic point. Looking at noone walking around a shop saying it doesnt equal customer service. I think a relevant point is that Japanese business is just plain stingy, its the way the system is. They dont give anything to anyone as a gesture of service. I had a wedding, 30 guests came to stay at the hotel for 2 nights, not even a complimentary packet of crisps. We couldnt eat the meal at the reception as we were too busy (so didnt order any meal for us two), they asked us to pay 3000 yen for 2 tuna sandwiches we had to eat in a backroom whilst we changed clothes!

mikehuntez - the dad telling authorities about his son was in the news in the UK about 5-6 years ago i think, my memory fails me in being more accurate, it was in Leeds/Bradford area. His Dad was horrified he was planning attacks so gave him up when he found out. As for the network, i only know as a family member is working for the counter terrorism unit in the UK, i was told of the networks and police controlled/guided groups that are monitored and then nipped in the bud if things advance to threat level. The police actually have too much information from informers (muslim and non muslim) and can`t follow everything they have been told.

Mikehuntez - you think peaceful muslims dont do this, an alledged terror plot was foiled in the UK a few years back when one of the terrorist plotters was given up by his dad, who until that point had no idea what his son was into. Your average terrorist doesnt advertise hes going to blow something up, it kind of takes the suprise element out of it. There is actually quite an extensive whistle blowing system set up, certainly in the UK, that keep authorities well informed, where do you think the tip offs come from?

This not a Muslim - non Muslim thing, these fanatics just hide behind Islam and use it as their excuse much like the Europeans did throughout the world in 15, 16, 17 centuries when they took whatever they wanted and killed those who opposed all in the name of God. These terrorists are simply horrible people, who deserve all the pain they may receive in their lives. Dont make it a religious thing, theres enough prejudice in the world as it is! There are bad so called Christians, Muslims, Hindus and any other religion, bad Brits, bad Americans, bad Japanese. Can`t see the forest for the trees.

Chinese have got to take the biscuit for me along with Israelis. Ive been lucky to have travelled quite a bit in my time and these two really push the limits of what is generally accepted by people. It aint cultural just, plain rude. In Southern Europe the title unfortunately (im a Brit) would go to young Brits on package tours.

Give back Tibet and Japan will give back Popeye, fair trade i think. China is the new bully in town, Japan the old one - interesting.

Really Kurumazaka? Didnt notice his wife was feeling sick a lot for a few months, then looking radiant in the face, gaining a bit of weight, not having periods for months on end, a bit emotionally different be it either happier or sadder. Really - a husband cant tell this!! Sounds like a marriage made in heaven/hell. If the girls was a bit plump to start with then the belly might not be a giveaway but the parent/s, sister not noticing anything just shows how unloved this poor girl was. Have to say though, putting a new born body in the garbage is unbelievably cold and disturbing. Needs some serious psycological help that she`ll probably never get.

Take a leaf out of the UK book on reacting to terrorism. We were terrorised for many a year by Irish Fanatics funded by America. We ditinguished the fanatics from the normal populace. There were some horrible people from Ireland at that time just as there was from the Britain and Northern Ireland but we didnt classify it as them and us. It was simply a bad minority doing bad things. Something Americans as a majority cant seem to grasp. Christian fanatics Vs Islam fanatics = not a match made in heaven!

You cant spend what you dont have, quite simple economics. The wages are a fraction of what they were in the bubble economy, how can you spend if you get 2.500.000 yen a year. If women workers were valued here then the economy may have some real go getting women helping driving the economy. Instead of my wife working 12 hours a day and getting 200.000 a month they should be paid a fair salary, given promotions over male deadwood but the old greys would never see that happen. Myself personally i would rather travel every few months than buy a great car or buy the missus louis vuitton bags. Some posters said travelling doesnt show ambition i have to strongly disagree, someone who saves up for a trip off their own back then travels for a year or two has shown tremendous ambition in my eyes. I wish i was as ambitious as the old shichi san brigade and give my wife and family no attention whatever, go to karaoke twice a week and then off to club de la snack every night possible, holiday in Hawaii in the Japanese restaurants and when they feel adventurous go off to Bankok to hang out with other Japanese people- yeah real stimulating ambition there.

You have picked a very good example in David Nugent as someone who just wasnt good enough, ditto Michael Chopra etc. I entirely agree with the Carlton Palmer example. However Kieran Dyer (he was brilliant, obviously not for the last 5 years), Tim Cahill are equally compelling cases for trying players from lower leagues. Cahill was overlooked for years then Everton took a chance and he blossomed into his potential, Dyer was a young 18 year old lad when he got his chance. At 6 million he was a lot of money for an 18 year old lad from the championship and Newcastle bought silvio maric for 4 million (flop) dimitris for 2 million (flop) Diego Gavilan for 2 million (flop), i support Newcastle btw for my sins. My point being, there are players in the championship who could play in the premiership and can only fulfil their potential if they are given the chance to play and learn from better players. Shearer was released by Newcastle as a youth (idiots), now we have Nile Ranger who looks likes good little player but we bought Xisco for 6 million which bumped him down the pecking order. Xisco is not the best player ive ever seen but limits the chances Ranger will get as a kid which will stuntkill his development. As for Englands national team, no passion, technique or application. We were made to look terrible by an average German team which tells it own story.

If something is factual how can it be xenophobic, its merely a fact. People are always looking to make something racist this, xenophobic that. Simply, foreign players came to the premier league and made it better, no doubt about it, technique improved and British players learned a lot from overseas players, no argument its a fact. The issue is when players are bought from overseas merely because they are cheaper than buying domestically, im fully aware that it is the fault of the British clubs. Thus domestic players cant play as the club has bought players from overseas and of course is going to play them if theyve payed for them. You only improve if you play games, as such it prevents players getting a chance. Bholder - id imagine they do eat local food as it will be the freshest available, nutrition being a very important element of a footballers life. Id be a bit foolish being xenophobic as i work in Japan at a Japanese company doing a job that a Japanese person could.

When you know something about football then please write another article. Football is a game where one team can get hammered and still get a result. Playing like its a final is very real phenomonen - why do you think lower league teams beat higher league teams because they manage to run the extra mile due to the adrenalin, obvious to anyone who knows anything about football. When did germany struggle? (embarass themselves) I saw them deserve to win on three occasions. Spain Struggle - same as above. Too many players from foreign leagues is a very real problem, of course it prevents young domestically produced players getting a chance, how you fail to see that shows you know nothing about football. To say Portugal are in the same situation as South Korea, Paraguay and Japan is ludicrous, Portugal - due to great coaching and a healthy base of domestic players produce world class players and have done since year dot. Landon Donovan - standout player! Now now, me thinks someone has been gettig their newly acquired 'soccer knowledge' from NHK!

Those clearly ethical, purer than the driven snow citizens that mugged me of my money in Buenes Aires at gunpoint. Mmm... obviously a country with impecable morals. You must have forgotton the dirty war (high quality morals by argentinians) Don`t judge a whole group of individuals until you meet everyone of them, just like i dont judge Argentinians from a handful of shady ones i encountered.

netrek - you obviously didnt watch TV when Katrina happened in Orleans. Cant remember reading reports of citizens shooting each other in chile (Katrina). These two events both have people fearing for their immediate future hence looting. If a massive quake hit my city and theres no water and food coming and no communication i think id be prepared to raid 7/11 for the onigiri stack. Its not a cultural thing, its called human nature and survival of the fittest coming into play.

When you write english it looks like youre still learning your abcs but when a foreigner writes it looks like heads, shoulders, knees and toes - get the nuance? Simple solution - Pay for articulate, qualified teachers and see results, pay peanuts and get monkeys.

biglittleman - indeed you are. How you could say someone deserves that is beyond reproach. You dont know what youd do in that situation. Youd probably be the architypical biglittleman and get deported so you would never have the possibility to see your child again no matter what. As someone who is married to Japanese national for a number of years i have yet to think of myself as a baby gravy donator, maybe i should have asked my wife on the first date. You seem to be confusing normal relationship strife which happens in every western country in the world, not only Japan, with your own twisted and bitter opinion of Japan. Possibly you couldnt join the ill get a better looking girl over here` group and thus .... This law obviously needs overhauled and will only be done (slowly -unfortunately) through political means. I applaud the author and others in this situation who are trying to lobby no matter how frustrating.