Otaru comments

My very favorite place in all Japan! I would recommend anyone going to the snow festival to make the trip by JR as the article says. It's very beautiful at night especially. But dress warmly as it can get a bit windy in the winter months.

Yay, finally a story on Hokkaido! Make sure you take the train from Sapporo to my little town of Otaru. I promise you will like it very much.

I enjoy some j-pop and would love to see some of the acts over here in North America. Or even a j-pop section at HMV would be nice. I am a big music fan but was just really never exposed to j-pop/rock because it is so hard to find here. I usually end up with a backpack of cd/dvd's every trip to Japan. Now I listen every day.

Not sure why people think you need talent to be in music? If this was true I would have stopped playing guitar years ago!

Why didn't the guy take the Shinkansen. It's only about 10,000Y. I think that is fairly reasonable and a heck of a lot faster.

I actually like many of the J-Pop acts. Some song arrangements are quite good. Maybe they are not everyone's cup of tea but what music style is? They sell lunchboxes and t-shirts to pay the bills just like any other managed act on earth...so what? Someone mentioned that Japanese is not a very pretty language to sing but I would have to disagree, I think it can be quite expressive. I love music!

PROTIP: He should have waited until after dinner.

What it should say is "Sell now, before Q4 results are announced"

Living in a semi rural area I really depend on my car. In fact I have two Honda's...well three if you count my scooter, because I love cars. I have only traveled to Tokyo a few times but I could see how ownership of a car is somewhat unnecessary in a city where the public transport is quite good and many services are within walking distance. I don't think everyone needs a car but there are some wonderful products out these days and I would encourage young people to be excited about this.

My mom used to make a beer shampoo for our dogs 20 years ago. I thought she was crazy...and then I came to Japan!

I WALK to the 7-11 for some yummy snacks and then WALK back home. Sometimes I drive though.

Wow, what a cool shot. I love it!

noborito- I like your tour ideas, but you forgoy to include my favorite part of Japan..JR Trains!! I spent a whole day just riding any train I could and getting off at random stops, I really saw places that I might have never seen and it was fun to just "get lost".

Picture menu restaurants because staff can't communicate

Hey, I like those picture menus!

I always wondered why this was a tourist attraction anyway, it's not like I am going to buy a tuna.

Unbelievable. Isn't the defining trait of an American "Freedom'? So if someone tells me I can only buy a certain brand of product, how is that freedom? I wish we had more models of vehicles to choose from in N.America. Why can't I buy anything I please, it's my money, if I want to support Japan I will support Japan. Buy what you want and don't believe this 'Buy American' scam. These are the same people that outsourced pretty much everything. Go to a WalMart and try to find 10 items that are not made in China. Yet more people than ever go to WalMart. So if you believe that is America taking care of 'itself' then fine, you are delusional.

Well now that the Aussie dollar is in the toilet I was actually considering going. All without seeing the film.

Oh, I liked that movie. Some Hot Fuzz indeed:)

Sarge, did I actually just hear you say you liked a Japanese product? Who knew?

I have to admit, I do love the Quarter Pounder! brb...McDonalds.

I think I have studied enough years to become a "beer adviser". Maybe Sapporo will hire me!

realist - that was sarcasm...right?

I really like the redesign, it has a little more style than the old Z. Still no sunroof though, still I would like one.

I think with the changing demographics this should be expanded to 18-55yrs.

I love this car! I wish I could afford it, all wheel drive twin turbo, sign me up! Good for Nissan to still have an eye on performance cars, something Toyota and Honda are forgetting about...where is my new NSX or Supra guys??

I would love to see a MT comparo with the GT-R and new Corvette ZR-1. I would love either one.

I missed the Sapporo show last time. I would love to see him play.

Visa?? Best thing you can do with you Visa in Japan is jimmy open a door lock. I hope it says "learn to carry large amounts of cash, because your Visa will be useless."

Needs a set of sweet wheels, those wheel covers are awful! I like the dark tint on the back.

I have never really viewed Japan as a tourist destination. Although I enjoyed it here so much that I now have a part time residence, but I am sure that I am in the great minority. There are parts of Japan which are beautiful, Hokkaido which I love of course! I think I liked coming here because it wasn't a tourist trap like Thailand or Hawaii. But then again i'm not much for warm weather and beaches which is what most people are looking for. I rarely feel discriminated against or uncomfortable here although being able to read, write and speak some Japanese is of great benefit to me. I was fairly intimidated my first few times here and I could see how that may leave a bad impression to some. My worst experiences in Japan have been at the traditional "touristy" areas such as Kyoto. It seemed like the Japanese who encountered more tourists seemed to be the most rude and short tempered. I found this to be uncommon with everywhere else I had been. So what to do? It can be expensive, yes. The transportation system is wonderful and easy to use. The country is very safe. The food is good. But people who come to Japan probably are looking for a "learning" holiday rather than a relaxing holiday. Focus on festivals and events like the Snow Festival, it's really wonderful. Show off the technology and manufacturing processes of Japan. Make it fun and interactive! Well maybe i'm just dreaming. Japan is not for everyone I guess.

This looks very nice. I want some of those LED's in my backyard.

Way to go USA! I hope this will energize and inspire your great country once again. Well done.

ugh..is Thane Camus the only annoying white guy who speaks Japanese?