papasmurfinjapan comments

Posted in: Happy 50th birthday See in context

Looks like a Softbank poster.

And like another poster mentioned, what is with the perforated acoustic panel as a background??

But still, happy birthday Masako. I hope it's a good one and you are getting better.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: Foreign brands still minnows in Japanese car market See in context

Actually right now I wish Hyundai would start selling in Japan again. The Hyundai Veloster is the best looking small car on the road, and the new Genesis sedan is up there with the best with regards to quality. Korean car manufacturers have really come a long way in the past 10 years.

Mechanically Japanese cars may be great, but Mazda is the only company that has any idea about styling.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Posted in: NHK announces lineup for 'Kohaku Uta Gassen' on New Year's Eve See in context

Why anyone would want to spend their NYE sitting in front of the boob tube for 5 hours is really beyond me. I know it's a Japanese "custom" and all, but honestly... put on a jacket, and go to a Shrine (who cares if you don't believe in the Japanese gods- neither do the Japanese), come home, eat some toshi-koshi-soba, drink some hot sake and have a great conversation with your family - sounds much better than spending an evening watching SMAP, AKB and Arashi on TV.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Posted in: Foreign brands still minnows in Japanese car market See in context

“They sell at a loss.”

VW sell at a loss? I thought they were already overpriced in Japan as it is.. I guess I was wrong.

Like almost everyone else, my neighbourhood is full of Mercs, BMWs, Audis, VWs and believe it or not, Peugots. There are also plenty of Minis, Volvos, Fiats, Alfa Romeos, the odd Jag or Porsche Cayanne etc. I live in average middle class suburbia. Sure there are rich people, but many normal people are also driving foreign cars.

What I rarely see are American and Korean cars, but they only have themselves to blame for choosing not to concentrate on the Japanese market.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Japanese fans fondly remember JFK 50 years later See in context

@globalwatcher

I was born over a decade after JFK was assassinated, so perhaps the lack of nostalgia on my part is one thing that fuels my inability to understand the American psyche... that and the fact that I'm not American. Thanks for the the link. : )

@hoser

oh like this..

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_did_people_love_John_F_Kennedy_so_much#slide2

Q: Why did people love JFK so much?

A: He was shot and people appreciated those who were murdered.

Kennedy may have had a great speechwriter in Ted Sorenson, but beyond that, didn't his misguided policies put the world to the brink of nuclear war?

Furthermore, regarding his morality, wasn't he a philanderer? Look how much Clinton was dragged through the mud over the Lewinsky scandal, whereas JFKs affairs were are overlooked, or even add to his charm?

I think "nostalgia" rather than "substance" is really what elevates the man to greatness.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: Roppongi Hills Christmas See in context

Beautiful yes, but completely devoid of the "spirit of Christmas"..

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Posted in: Japanese fans fondly remember JFK 50 years later See in context

No offense intended, but I don't really understand why people love JFK so much. Because he was killed? Just because he was assassinated doesn't make him a good president, nor even a good person.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Posted in: Honda Accord named Green Car of Year at LA Auto Show See in context

Impressive mileage, but shame about the look... The Accord Euro Tourer was nice, but this new one wreaks of "grandpa".

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Thousands protest against tough new official secrets law See in context

Some of my Japanese friends have posted about this on Facebook for the past month or so, and they usually garner no likes and maybe one or two comments. Then they'll post a photo of their cat and get 100 likes and 50 comments. I don't know if Japanese people are indifferent towards this or just prefer to keep it all bottled up inside, but I'm happy to see some people attending the protest. Given tokyo's population I wish the number was more like a million though. What Abe is doing is down right scary.

18 ( +21 / -3 )

Posted in: Tokyo Motor Show opens with eco-friendly theme; U.S. makers stay away See in context

I love the Subaru Cross Sport Concept aka BRZ Shooting Brake.. Let's hope they make it.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: Who was Lee Harvey Oswald? Many questions linger See in context

He was a Patsy.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Posted in: China praises Korean assassin whom Japan calls a 'criminal' See in context

I'm all for paying tribute to those soldiers who fought and died for their country but not war criminals What goes round come a round !!

Sorry, but the only difference between a "war criminal" and a "war hero" is who won the war. War itself is criminal.

-3 ( +8 / -11 )

Posted in: China praises Korean assassin whom Japan calls a 'criminal' See in context

But the fact is Japan still kicked Korea and China's butts, and I have little doubt they would kick them again if pushed.

Both China and Korea suffer from an inferiority complex, which is why they always feel the need to entice anti-Japanese sentiment. Sad, really..

-1 ( +12 / -13 )

Posted in: Oxford Dictionaries: 'Selfie' is word of the year See in context

Unfriend, selfie, what a sad world we live in.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Posted in: Japanese automakers to showcase green vehicles at Tokyo Motor Show See in context

I'm holding out for the 2015 model DeLorean that runs on garbage.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Pen-shaped IC recorder See in context

Armed with this kind of evidence I would have filed criminal charges against him and sued the company as well.

Good luck with that. The Labour Bureau and court system will never go out it's way to help a disgruntled foreigner - no matter what "evidence" you may have. They'll tell you "this is Japan, that's the way things are done here, just leave quietly and find a job somewhere else and everyone will be happy".

If you really want something from your boss, forget the court system, just get some dirt on him and blackmail him. That's the way the cookie crumbles.

Or you can anonymously destroy his reputation on-line.

Or you can just forget about the bastard and get on with your life. That's what I did.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Japanese automakers to showcase green vehicles at Tokyo Motor Show See in context

Shrek green, Monsters Inc Mike green, Oscar the Grouch green, and just plain old Puke green.

I hope Toyota can nail the fuel-cell car... Honda's FCX is great, but without other makers getting in on the action, costs will remain high and the infrastructure to support them will never materialise. With Toyota's backing however, it may shake up the hybrid market.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Paul McCartney urges Putin to help free Greenpeace activists See in context

Is Putin a Beatles fan? If not, then why on earth would he care what Paul McCartney thinks?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Nikon sticks to camera guns while rivals reload in other sectors See in context

if something you have painstakingly done for your lively hood is suddenly cheapened by a quick and easy way to achieve a similar effect, you would be angry too no

Like I said, pros are bitter that technology has made taking a great photo easy.. sour grapes if you ask me.

Of course I agree, if you are a professional, then by all means invest in a camera and some decent glass - but 99.9% of the world isn't - sure a photo taken on a camera phone may never be considered "worthy" by Getty Images, but most people don't care - nor print anything larger than the A4.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Nikon sticks to camera guns while rivals reload in other sectors See in context

A year or so ago, Time Magazine devoted a whole issue to photos shot solely with phone cameras, and the photos were pretty damn good.

A "purist" is really a person who will be happy to use anything - be it a P&S, DSLR, camera phone or disposable camera to get the shot. They understand that photography is about the photographer, not the equipment.

An "elitist", on the other hand, is bitter that now amateurs are taking photos on their phones that for most purposes are just as good as his/hers taken with their expensive "professional" equipment. Many pro photographers decry things like Instagram because they are so "fake", then go ahead and extensively tweak their own photos in Photoshop. Rather hypocritical, no?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: Retro style DSLR with full size sensor See in context

I don't have any ancient Nikon lenses to put on it, but still want one, even if it is a bit gimmicky.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Long queues at 'Star Wars' auditions in Britain See in context

I wanna be a storm trooper.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Luxury Okura hotel chain ensnared in food-label scandal See in context

I bet right now what is taking up most of the time in management meetings of other hotel chains is, "when should we come clean?" Okura obviously made the decision to do it now to minimise the damage - better to be caught when surrounded by a group of other guilty hotels - rather than singled out 6 months down the road.

I'd wager they are all dishonest to some degree.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Posted in: Iraq attacks kill 30 ahead of Shiite pilgrimage See in context

Ahh, gotta love Islam.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Posted in: Housewife wins National Beautiful Witch Contest See in context

I would be ashamed to see my mom wearing any costume like those :(

Funny, I would be extremely proud.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Anti-whaling activist Watson tells U.S. court: 'We're not pirates' See in context

I agree, he's not a pirate. As far as I know he isn't stealing and plundering from the Japanese.

Since he is intent on the wanton destruction of other people's property, and the complete disregard of their safety though, he's still a criminal. The much debated term "eco terrorist" is much more fitting.

2 ( +12 / -10 )

Posted in: Housewife wins National Beautiful Witch Contest See in context

@maria

lol. The point is you are claiming the term "housewife" is out of date. The fact is the word is still commonly in use around the world and has never really been considered derogatory except among over-sensitive feminists, who demand to be called "home managers" or other ridiculous terms.

A "housewife" (a wife who stays at home) is no more or less a "homemaker" than a man is who is out working. Surely the person who finances the home is just as much a "homemaker" as the person who runs the daily affairs of it? Without an income, there is no home to make, wouldn't you agree? The term "homemaker" therefore, is derogatory towards working men.

Anyway, back on topic, congratulations to the witch and all the participants. They all look stunning.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Posted in: Housewife wins National Beautiful Witch Contest See in context

But I thought we had left the 80s behind, and along with it the word "housewife". Update your dictionaries please. the word is "homemaker".

Indeed, one of my wife's favourite shows is "Desperate Homemakers"... oh, uh... oops.

I guess Hollywood needs to update their dictionary as well - or perhaps you should just update yours. It might be easier.

19 ( +20 / -1 )

Posted in: Modern etiquette: When striking up conversation, it's not about you See in context

If you want to be truly interesting to your conversational partners, be interested in them.

This is the key. When trying to start a conversation, you are neither giving a speech nor conducting an interview - just show interest in the person, and as long as they are socially adept, a normal conversation should follow.

Strange that this is a pattern in your life. Is language skill an issue?

I'm not Frungy, and I speak fluent Japanese, but this happens to me occasionally too. Although I dislike people who constantly talk about themselves, I prefer them to strangers who bombard me with questions about my personal life (my country of origin, age, job, marital status, how long I've been in Japan, favourite food, whether or not I can use chopsticks etc.) while refusing to divulge even the smallest personal detail about themselves.

Conversation is a two-way street, and despite your best efforts, sometimes others are only intent on going one-way.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Aichi man arrested for threatening Nagoya boy who committed suicide See in context

I doubt that 100,000 was the only thing that he demanded.

I doubt he demanded it for no reason either. I doubt the kid was picked out randomly for beating and blackmail as well. Something was going on between those two...

But yeah, in the end the kid was a victim of a crime... but come on, go and kill yourself over it? Really... grow some balls.

Tell your parents, go to the police, go to your principal, tell your mates at school, hell, get a baseball bat and threaten the guy back - but just wimper off and go and kill yourself? Sad..

4 ( +4 / -0 )

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