Nippori Nick comments

The average cost of a dozen roses in the US is about $80~$100. 

No it is not...buy them at Costco or a grocery store.

Consumerism at it's most unattractive level. Watermelons that cannot be eaten at a super-expensive price.

Anyone trying to sell those in North America (or Europe) would be laughed right out of the room

Gaijinjland--is that the voice of experience talking? Tell us more....

Take a look at photos of Brits out and about in the UK. They look very well fed...too well fed actually.

Prayer, pilgrimage, hardships, fasting, add life to one's lifespan.

Please provide proof of this.

Perhaps because the driver was disabled and doesn't hold a license.

So the 26 yr old isn't really a driver are they !

He was driving a car. How you call that not really a driver is beyond me.

If this had been the 86 year old as the driver, many commenters here would be saying these "oldies" need to get off the road as they are a danger.

Here we have a 26 year old driver. Why no comments about young people and their poor driving?

True, QB House is the popular chain that charges 1000yen per haircut but have a big sign that says they can refuse you if you don't speak Japanese.

Kind of silly, really. I have had my hair cut in foreign countries just using sign language. Point at the head, hold the fingers for how much you want cut off. Point at a picture if neccessary.

Easy.

They should use a sniffer dog to find him. Just look for the bad smell from his apartment/house.

Every generation thinks morals are decreasing. Even the ancient Romans and Greeks wrote about it.

Jeff Lee-I agree with you. Ponderous is the correct word for their "music". Let's not fool ourselves into thinking those lyrics are some kind of literary masterpiece.

One important factor in preventing dementia is stimulation of the brain. It's a good idea to wear clothes of colors not previously worn, for instance, or to go shopping at new establishments.

Totally foolish advice. Who wrote it? A shopping mall?

Stimulating the brain is good. Do crosswords, mental activity, do research, learn new things.

Casinos are basically all the same. Doesn't matter what part of the world.

questioning him and the bar owner over what they were arguing about.

What difference does it make in regards to the argument topic? All that matters is he assualted her.

42 year old man assaulting a 68 year old woman. Disgusting.

Must admit I find this suprising---3 pm in a small place like Matsumoto. I could see it in a dodgy part of Osaka or Tokyo at 2am, but this?

It's really strange how the Angels with 2 of the best players in the world can't get their act together.

To those saying bear meat is fatty--it is not

I see they have the usual thing going with the sandwich looking very thick on one side (the side you see behind the plastic wrap) yet the rest of the sandwich has almost nothing.

I have not used a credit card since I relocated to Japan and that was in 2000.

Cash is best to measure your spending.

No it is not. Credit card data can be downloaded to financial software. It's easy as pie.

> Wallace:

The country with the greatest division between the rich and the poor.

Actually it is South Africa.

 And it found that people tend to walk more and sleep less on the days they drank coffee.

That would seem to be self evident.

I would swipe my card, and I would just kind of cross my fingers and hope that it wouldn't be declined."

Not a very mature approach for someone getting a university education.

All I can say is there are a lot of nervous people out there. I am definitely not in that 86% group of worry warts.

Ok, he was arrested. What will his likely sentence be? My guess-nothing or suspended. Waste of the taxpayers money.

He is complaining about rich countries? Meanwhile he is the highest paid politician in the world. What a hypocrite.

António Guterres tops annual list of highest-paid politicians

In 2020 it looked like the politician’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Friday (March 3) that Guterres is the highest-paid politician in the world, pulling in an astonishing $75 million between February 2022 and February 2023, a nearly $40 million lead over his closest competition.

All those NK missile tests and also the Russia-Ukrainian war give you a clue why there’s more activity

That is not the case at all. Missile tests like the ones you have mentioned haver zero potential impact on earthquakes and the war in Europe certainly does not affect earthquakes in Japan (or anywhere)

He was brilliant as Earl Canonbert on SCTV.

Yes he was--and other great roles as well. PS-his name was actually Earl Camembert (as in the cheese).

Since contracting the virus last year, I’ve yet to have symptoms a second time which proves to me that natural immunity is the only way to prevent infection

That is not proof...it can be conincidence.

Contra that with my experience...have had the vaccinations, never have contracted covid.

I mind my own business and the only place in Tokyo I ever felt really unwelcome was around Kamata Station. Very seedy.

Wow. You must not get around much.

There is no way I would consider Kamata as dangerous. I go there all the time and have stayed in that area many, many times. Never once felt in danger. Not once.

The prices in N. America on vegetables, fruits and meat are still much higher than Japan but for how much longer.

Fruit is much cheaper in N America than Japan. Most vegetables are cheaper. Meat? I don't buy much of that so can't truly compare.

Anyone visiting Japan from N America is stunned the first time they see the price of fruit in a Japanese supermarket.