Posted in: Hokkaido may pull out of race to host casino resort See in context
Smart move! No self-respecting city is going to want to deal with the headaches associated with these casinos here in Japan!
Well, yeah, but we're talking about Tomakomai. Other than the bit near Lake Shikotsu, Tomakomai is a total hole.
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Posted in: Doobie Brothers re-unite with Michael McDonald for tour See in context
Their poor mother!
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Posted in: Swift says AMAs performance in jeopardy over music dispute See in context
Live by the copyright, die by the copyright.
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Posted in: Japan to tighten tax rules on wealthy people See in context
Are they going after unpaid income taxes, or is this about capital gains from overseas investments?
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Posted in: Killer Japanese fungus found in Australia See in context
Does Fire Coral-chan have a mascot yet?
Corosshi?
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Posted in: NZ store of Japanese sports brand Asics apologizes over porn played on big screens See in context
"Just do it. "
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Posted in: Registers, rates and points: Tax hike woes for Japanese retailers See in context
However, recall that the purpose of the tax system, is to collect tax revenues.
Tax systems have multiple purposes. One is to collect revenues. The other is to modify behavior, such as by discouraging consumption through "sin taxes" (cigarettes, gasoline) or promoting consumption through "virtue tax refunds" (electric cars, exemptions for marrieds, etc.).
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Posted in: Road rage suspect arrested after dashboard camera records assault See in context
I happened to watch a "wide-show" story on this incident, and the list of laws he broke both regarding the assault and the road laws is quite long, there were something like 15 different laws that he broke, each with hefty fines and jail terms, if added together, would put him away for quite a long time!
"...Improperly disposing of an auto body..."
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Posted in: 7-Eleven mobile payment users lose ¥55 million by unauthorized access See in context
The users lost money? Don't they mean 7-11 lost the money. Isn't it 7-11's responsibility to cover the loss?
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Posted in: What part of Japan has the best food, and what should you eat there? See in context
I love goya, but living in Hokkaido, the best I can say about Okinawan food is that it wasn't quite as bad as I'd been told. I was pleasantly surprised with the fine food in Miyazaki.
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Posted in: Diet OKs simultaneous streaming by NHK See in context
"subscription" is not the correct term to use for NHK.
That's not the correct term. "Contract" is not the correct term.
The correct term is "an offer you can't refuse".
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Posted in: Russia’s Nicholas II is scarred for life in 1891 Japan See in context
Left quite a czscar
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Posted in: Osaka red light district to be closed during G-20 summit See in context
The last time the entire district was closed was during the funeral of Emperor Hirohito on Feb 24, 1989, according to the association.
Thev seem to have bounced back nicely from the loss of imperial business.
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Posted in: Gov't says official translation for next era name Reiwa is 'beautiful harmony' See in context
令和 = harmony/Japan imposed from above.
“Peace...Or Else”
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Posted in: Yakuza population hits record low in 2018: police See in context
Whoa, they better get crackin' on those casinos or the yaks will have nothing to do.
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Posted in: TEPCO loses damages suit filed by Fukushima evacuees for 10th time See in context
I hope the engineering department at Tepco is better staffed than their legal department.
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Posted in: JOC head Takeda likely to retire amid corruption probe See in context
Step 1: Boycott the Olympics and Olympic advertisers.
Step 2: Get off the couch.
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Posted in: Rights groups criticize Japanese gov't over bill on Ainu ethnic minority See in context
they want official recognition for what they truly are, culturally and racially: the original Native Japanese.
They were not the original natives of Japan--not even of Hokkaido. There were many distinct cultural groups before the Ainu culture.
Anyway, I've read some of the plans for the complex they're making in Shiraoi: The "Symbolic Space for Ethnic Harmony" is what they're calling it. Lots of nods to cultural harmony and education, but it looks like it will be a big theme park. At least Ainu will be involved in creating and running it, or that's the plan, anyway.
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Posted in: No need for Abe: Trump already nominated for Nobel Peace Prize See in context
If the Committee insists on secrecy for 50 years, doesn't Trump's blowing his own trumpet about his nomination automatically disqualify him?
The requirement is for committee members. Do you really think Trump is one of the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee?
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Posted in: 'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett charged with faking racist attack See in context
He doesn’t get raided at 6am by the FBI? Why does he get to negotiate his surrender whenever he feels like it?
He has no incriminating documents to shred so no warrant was needed.
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Posted in: 3 areas in Japan to bid to host casinos; many others reluctant: survey See in context
Tokyo and Yokohama, which are seen as attractive areas for hosting casinos by resort operators, said they are weighing up the pros and cons, while Hokkaido, a popular tourist destination, said the city of Tomakomai could be a leading candidate site.
Not a fan of casinos, but at least Tomakomai is a port that could handle cruise gambling business, and there's not much you could do to that city to make it any less attractive.
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Posted in: Californian student remains in detention 8 months after breaking lamp in Tokyo bar See in context
The Japanese police can and do have every right to ask for your passport according to Japanese law. Its illegal to travel in Japan without a passport being on your person. That means, every time you leave your hostel, you have to legally bring it with you. OR if you are a long term residence, a residency card. Failure to do so can lead to a big fine or jail time ( though it rarely does). Better to be informed before saying any nonsense like this.
The police are first required to show their own ID.
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Posted in: Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival: An annual winter wonderland in the heart of a national park See in context
Worth visiting if you're seen the Sapporo Yuki Matsuri and you're into onsen.
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Posted in: Cohen says he rigged online polls for Trump in 2014, 2015 See in context
Never trust online polls that isn't 100% of the population. They are self-selecting and worse than useless.
You can have reliable results with small sample sizes, provided that they're properly randomized. The problem here is the self-selection, not the small sample size.
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Posted in: Foreign tourists spend record ¥4.5 tril in Japan in 2018 See in context
$41.5 billion and immigration wants 1000 yen per head?
Dont forget this is all tax free. Japanese will be paying 10% but tourists pay nothing.
The majority is taxable, in addition to the income taxes on profits generated among Japanese businesses serving tourists (hotels, electronics retailers, transport companies, restaurants...).
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Posted in: Trump awarded nearly $300,000 in legal fees in Daniels defamation lawsuit See in context
If it ends up helping to get him impeached, it'd be cheap at twice the price.
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Posted in: Ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist Buckingham says his lawsuit is settled See in context
Fleetwood Mac keyboardist Christia McVee wrote Don't Stop; Buckingham wrote Go Your Own Way.
He's incredibly talented, from songwriting to playing to producing, but he sounds like a real prima donna piece of work. Not all your music heroes can be heroes in every way.
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Posted in: UNESCO adds reggae music to global cultural heritage list See in context
Steel Pulse is a fine example of Reggae-Rock crossover. Check out "Sound System" and "Drug Squad".
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Posted in: 3 men use stun gun in ¥500,000 robbery See in context
Who walks around with half a million yen in a bag? Was this guy going from business to the bank?
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Posted in: Tokyo hotel to trial newly-developed wooden straws, ban plastic See in context
Who are all these people who are too precious to sip their drink directly? This is why I order drinks without ice.
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The kind of fool that thinks about politics when he buys a car is probably the kind of fool that…
Posted in: Tesla sales fall in Germany as Musk backs far right
Posted in: Ishiba heads to U.S. for Trump summit
1st World Problems. The world seems to have nothing better to do.
Posted in: Netflix drops 'Emilia Perez' star Oscar bid over offensive posts: reports
Posted in: Ishiba heads to U.S. for Trump summit