peachy871 comments

I have had great customer service in Japan. I have had moments of frustration too, where inflexibility reigned. But for the most part, I have been to places where they are usually willing to accomodate. But then again, I am not referring to McDonald's or other cookie-cutter type places. Try going to places that are either higher-end international chains (ex. Lawry's) because they do have higher standards and are trained to go the extra mile for customer satisfaction. Of course high-end = expensive, so go to one-off type restaurants (ex Baan Thai in Kobe) and Mom and Pop type places. Small places that don't have to adhere to some head office protocol is where you are going to get the real warmth, flexibility and true customer service we all want.

To be honest, most of us living in Japan tend to put on rose-coloured glasses with regard to what certain things (such as customer service standards) were like "back home" vs. Japan. I just recently arrived back home to a slightly rude awakening with regard to how customer service standards don't quite measure up to what I thought I remembered. And they certainly didn't measure up to Japanese standards, that is for sure.

Actually it is newsworthy and relevant...just because violence doesn't end in death doesn't mean it is a "silly" story. Really??? In fact, because it didn't end in death, it is a very good story, just pathetic this idiot had to commit violence in the first place. As for not printing his reason, the news source prints news as they get it. There was likely no statement released yet as to what the suspect said...perhaps because they hadn't gotten that far with him at first. But if you read Japan Times long enough, you will know that they usually print updates as they come in.

Actually northlondon...either you misquoted or they edited it after your commented. The article does state that it was "the birthplace of such famous brands as...", not that the Genius Group created these brands. The brands listed were all known as the Genius Group.

That being said, I do like Diesel. They are definitely not individualistic in that they mass produce and are a huge chain but individualistic in that they are pretty trend setting and stand out from other big chains.

Moderator: The paragraph was changed to make it clearer.

LoveUSA....You think something as graceful and beautiful as rhythmic dance makes her look mannish? I must be missing something here. When I was a little girl I wanted to be a rhythmic dancer; I loved the pretty costumes and the flowing grace of it all.

LOL @DarkKnightNine....best post on here yet! It is funny because it's true!

For the rest that think xenophobia is driving the robotics industry...are you frikkin serious???? Desire for advancement and to be number one in the field is driving it. Cost efficiency is likely right behind that. Trying to keep foreigners out? Not likely why robots are being made. Seriously could not believe my eyes when I read that.

All that aside...those robots creep me out. Saw on the news a couple of years ago, one of these robots that could do certain tasks based on watching a human do it first. It had a video camera in its head through which it "watched" a person do something like sweeping or chopping a carrot. It then mimicked those actions afterward. Really freaked me out watching that. It learns by watching and doing without actually knowing what it is watching or doing...how many ways could that go wrong? The robot was creepy-looking to boot. In fact, it looked a lot like the silver HRP in the background up there. Anyone else see that on the news back when it was on?

Sarge, don't forget the very exciting activity involved too...Let's Facelift bar! Sounds almost as fun as staying at home with crappy imitation beer!

This shows how it's actually impossible to be a true Christian and follow the teachings of the Bible. This guy is clearly picking the teachings of the Bible and ignoring the bits he doesn't like.

As do many radical Muslims. No difference! The guy is obviously a "moon bat", but I just don't like the hypocrisy that when Christians burn a Qu'ran its blasphemous, but if Muslims persecute Christians it is acceptable.

When did folks ever find that acceptable? It is completely unacceptable on both sides of the coin.

These kind of acts should be condemned by all rational thinking people.

These kinds of acts are.

The man simply is not a true Christian. He may follow his Church but he doesn't follow Christ or any of Christ's teachings. Radical Christians are very similar to radical Muslims; they may not use the physical violence but they still employ and spread hate and are in no way representative of those who really understand the word of the teachings of their religion.

Sorry...typo!

This:

One of them is also Halloween...it explains just what I was talking about.

should have read as:

The Wikipedia source about Halloween also explains just what I was talking about.

Kyrie, please do more than check Wikipedia real quick. Yes, there are several sources with regard to Halloween and its origins. One of them is also Halloween...it explains just what I was talking about. So do many other websites. But the point is, these traditions, in their original form are all very similar all around the world across several cultures. In this case, I was drawing a parallel between Obon and our own tradition of Halloween...or the origins of Halloween, that is.

By the way, yes, you are right, All Souls' Day is Catholic. They had to sort of re-do the pagan tradition called All Hallows' Day, in order to make it more palatable for pagans to convert. As you will see for many Christian traditions, if you were to delve into them. But I digress...

Yes, I agree, many come out on Obon. Originally to nurture their dead, but these days, as others mentioned, that is not really what people are thinking about when they come out. They are out to socialize, have fun, party, etc. The fact that people also visit family graves and pay respect to their family members who have passed is indeed very similar to when people visit graves and put flowers on them in the U.S. How odd that you find the tradition in Japan to be creepy but the U.S. one you seem to be ok with...or did I misunderstand?

Yes, there are probably many Japanese who strongly believe in the reasons behind these traditions. There are also many Westerners who also hold very strong beliefs with regard to things such as the afterlife. I can respect that. There are also very many people in both cultures who don't hold those beliefs but still love the traditions.

kyrie....Halloween originated because folks believed that was the night that the dead return to walk the earth. The costumes today are a sugar-coated, cutsey version of the fact that many disguised themselves to protect themselves from the spirits they believed were roaming. Treats? Originally offerings to the returning spirits to appease them so they will leave you alone. All Souls' Day was also to honour the spirits of folks' ancestors. It is all very, very similar to Obon traditions. The difference is, Obon traditions here are more well preserved and stayed true to their ancient roots and still have a level of respect present in them that got lost in our culture through the Americanization of Halloween. In fact, Halloween pretty much died out in the places where it originated.

While Obon traditions may not have as deep meaning as they once did, the bottom line is, it is all about remembering and honouring the memory of your family members who came and went before you. I think it is great that people have that kind of respect. And what better way to show that respect than through fun, family getting together and celebration?

If you find that deep kind of respect creepy, no problem, that is your take on it.

P.S. Kyrie, I don't know where you are from, so perhaps your culture doesn't celebrate this, but millions of people do...ever hear of Halloween? It also has to do with the dead returning.

Most people in my neighbourhood get very excited about Obon matsuris! I love going to them too; there is always such a good buzz in the air! Everyone has a great time, lots of socializing, the dancing is always graceful and at the matsuris, (not the parade itself), lots of locals jump and try to dance along. Tons of fun to be had if you enjoy having time away from being uptight.

As for not having enough pizazz, not everything entertaining has to be an over the top production. Simple down-home fun can be really great. Also, I don't really think dancing for the dead is their motivation for this, either. That is how it started thousands of years ago, but now it is a time-honoured tradition that gives everyone a festival with food stands, dancing, drinking and lots of fun. Oh, and holidays too.

Holding doors for others, holding out a chair, etc, are all just common human courtesies; random acts of kindness. I sincerely appreciate when someone does something like that for me and I do the same for others. It just makes people feel good when someone does something considerate for them. The small things like that really count.

And of course, it should go without saying, in this day and age, that women and men should be able to extend little kindnesses like that both to each other and members of their own sex. Just because a member of the opposite sex happens to do something nice for you does not mean anyone needs to jump to conclusions about it being a sexist gesture; that individual could just be (gasp!) genuinely kind and thoughtful toward their fellow human beings!!!

Thoughtful gestures and good manners go a long way and you never know, by being polite and doing something as small as taking a few seconds' break out of this rat race and opening a door for another person, could just make that person's day!

Needs to get rid of that thing going up and down her neck.. muscle or something.

LOL...I suppose she could do that if she suddenly thought that not being able to turn her head or even hold up head, would help her to win!

Seriously, the photo is absolutely stunning and definitely a piece of art. Haven't seen national costumes from anywhere else but from this, it looks like she is definitely going to be tough competitition for others!

About 100 demonstrators chanted, “The whole world is watching! The whole world is watching!’”

Yeah, and the protesters are getting a bad rap because of a few idiots. Wow...set police cars on fire? Looted some shops? That hasn't been done a zillion times before. Not really sure how stealing crap and costing taxpayers more money is getting the message across or helping the cause of the protesters who want real issues to be heard. Who cares what the real issues are when you get to say, "Hey, bro! check it out! We set that there car on fire, eh! Wicked!"

What a bunch of knobs.

Not assuming...just being hypothetical. There are probably lots of factors at play that none of us really know about. Too many on here were just too eager to condemn in a situation that we don't have all the facts for. Just saying they could be right and they could be way off base. Sorry about missing that last sentence in the article above (am almost positive it wasn't there when I read it originally, but my brain might be hitting old age faster than the rest of me!) And you are completely correct: the school is in no way responsible but just the same, I am sure they are all wishing they had just even mentioned the baby's name to the grandfather. I am sure every party involved, especially the grandfather, is just sick over the fact that something so small could have made such a huge difference.

my2sense...hahahaa!! Loved your response! :-) Seriously, you would actually have to be living in a vacuum to not know that boars are common in Japan and that they are not always far away from cities. And actually, the research I did re guns here had nothing to do with college (if only I were that age again!); had to do it for my job. That being said, most Japanese have no clue about guns in their own country. And despite all that rigorous testing and regulations about having one, it looks like actual skill or proper precautions when out hunting are not deemed important enough.

Still sounds like a fishy story though.

my2sense...yes there is indeed hunting in Japan. Actually, due to the strict gun laws, hunters are among the very few permitted to have guns here. And even then, they are usually rifles only. They have to go through a LOT to be permitted to have a firearm, and have to renew that license every few years, going through all the courses and testing again each time. (If memory serves...had to do research on gun control in Japan a few years ago).

As for wild boar in Japan...you just gave yourself away as either not living here or as not having been here very long. It is very well known that inoshishi are around and abundant...and occasionally you will hear a news report of one that wandered down out of the mountains, attacking and injuring people in more urban/suburban areas in its confusion and panick.

Anyway, as for the point in the article above where they say they heard gunshots...perhaps was a bad translation. Can't imagine the guy being able to shoot himself more than once (if he hadn't offed himself with the first shot). And if shooting his friend was truly accidental, he probably killed himself out of shame and to atone for what he did. If it was murder, well, if he was cowardly enough to kill another, then he was obviously too cowardly to stay around and face the consequences.

My heart goes out to the families of both hunters.

TSRnow...LOL...thanks! I just felt the need to say more than "What a stupid comment"...sometimes folks just need to have it spelled out to them as to what exactly was stupid. ; )

Yes, the nursery is in no way responsible but just a simple "Oh, is little Hiro not joining us today?" would have made all the difference. But then again, having worked at a nursery in the past, it comes to mind that perhaps it was routine for Grandpa to bring the 2 year old in from the car first, then bring in the infant afterward. Perhaps the staff never had the opportunity to question where the baby was after he dropped off the sister as they were used to him going back out for the baby. That particular morning, it tragically slipped his mind and he never came back in,so the staff figured the baby wasn't coming to school that day. If nothing had ever been amiss before, they would have had no reason to worry about the fact that he left after dropping off the oldest child.

There are just so many variable and possibilities to this situation that really, no one on here can pass any sort of judgement. The whole story is not reported. Simple as that.

elbudamexicano at 11:56 PM JST - 4th June Why are both parents working!

Hmmm...perhaps to make money to support their children? Just a hunch. Unfortunately not every family can afford the luxury of a stay-at-home parent these days and pay for the upbringing of a brood. It is ridiculously expensive in Japan to raise a child, let alone 2 or more.

If Japan had more self respect, they would let the mother take a vacation from work for a year or 2, and this kind of idiotic accident would not happen. RIP baby boy.

Full time workers are entitled to a full year of parental leave, by law. Perhaps the mother had reasons to return to the workforce before the 12 months were up (i.e. financial...parental leave does not cover full salary), perhaps she had started her parental leave a little early for some reason so the 12 months was up while the baby was still less than a year old. Or perhaps she only works part time. None of those details are apparent in the story. And for the record...parental leave is in no way, a vacation.

A baby and a 2 year old in daycare? Why have children at all if you're going to fob them off on the grandfather,

Well, firstly, they were not fobbed off on the grandfather (as you noted when you asked why the kids were in daycare), he was merely transporting them to the daycare. Secondly, why is it wrong for working people to have children? The world is an expensive place. Many couples simply cannot afford to have children and have a parent stay at home. Some can, but that number is decreasing rapidly due to societal and economic situations.

And just for the record...yes he should be held accountable. I feel for him and for the whole family but anyone who made such a mistake would be held accountable no matter how badly they feel about it.

shufu at 01:35 PM JST - 4th June

wow... I hope this poor kids parents feel happy with their choice of free childcare. Jesus ... a hoikuen is as low as 2-man a month for 2 kids.

Umm shufu....correct me if I am wrong, but I assumed that a "nursery" was English for hoikuen or something along those lines.. Which is where the grandpa was taking the kids. He was not taking care of them all day long. I don't know where in there that it shows information that the nursery was free or how you assumed the parents were getting free daycare but it juuust a hunch on my part that perhaps you didn't really take in what you were reading. He was merely transporting the children to a nursery where they take care of children.

Unfortunately, grandpa committed a horrible screw-up that will never be reversed. He probably loved those kids like mad. It is very possible that he never had a problem before and this was a first time mistake. And the worst possible one.

And for those of you on here implying that elderly people should never be left alone with infants or shouldn't drive, etc. I hope you remember that when you are old and I hope that you are on the receiving end of the very same attitudes. Everyone is different and for some, being 73 would not be an issue with regard to driving skills, memory, etc. For others, being 73 could mean being as frail as a dry stick and having the worst memory in the world. It all depends on the individual. With this man, it is possible he never showed signs of poor memory and everything was fine until that day. We don't know. And there is no indication in this story that he was ever left alone with his grandchildren other than the drive to the nursery each day.

ivancoughalot...according to the very first words of the article above, one theatre dropped it.

sarcasm...part of the regulations on the "research" whaling is that the whale not go to waste, it must be consumed. Lovely little loophole they created there. The IWC needs to buck up and change its regulations.

The case between the two is not going to be an easy win. They both have their arguments, unfortunately, Japan's whaling is covered...they are toe-ing the line with regard to the legality of what they are doing. Yes, they are indeed doing research. Yes, it is published on the IWC website. And yes it is legal; they are following the guidelines. Of course we all know the real reason for their "research", especially if you read their research, it is pretty easy to tell it is very superficial; just enough to keep their butts covered.

Australia taking them to court over somewhere Aus has no jurisdiction and over something that Japan is doing legally (I don't agree with whaling but as I said, they made sure to cover their butts) isn't going to stop what they are doing. But hopefully this sort of thing will spur the IWC to take another look at its guidelines and revamp them. Make it mandatory to do non-lethal research! Allow only traditional whaling in local waters. Traditional whaling would at least keep things sustainable because catching an overly large number would be impossible. If countries won't accept traditional whaling methods, fair enough, but make it mandatory to whale only locally. Those countries who whale their shores to depletion will just have to suffer the consequences and deal with not having any whale. If whale meat really is something folks want that badly, they will be very into sustainable whaling real quick.

I would really like to see the end of whaling altogether but I don't have a leg to stand on in arguing against a certain type of meat. I am an omnivore and always will be...I don't have the right to tell another culture what to eat and what not to eat. I do have a right though about arguing the sustainability and greed of with which they go about procuring that meat without a thought or care of shred of responsibility to the generations who come after them.

They probably all just woke up. Likely got on the wee train and, since it is a train, instantly fell asleep. Would have happened without the jetlag, I am sure!! lol

This is Japan where the interest rate under your mattress is higher than what the banks offer...he likely had a lot more than a jar of coins at home. No matter how much he did or didn't have at home, no amount of money is worth a person's life. Hope they caught the right culprits and if they didn't, hope they find them soon.

Watched the video posted above. I know that most performers lip-sync during performances but they usually do their best to make it all look real. Erika didn't even give a half-hearted try at some points! She just would smile through the singing...it was great! Had a good laugh!

I don't think the one on the right spent the night with Big Bird, I think she might be the offspring of Big Bird...

Wow, I thought lingerie was supposed to make a woman look good and feel sexy. I was obviously way off track.

First off, Nagoyalove was being sarcastic and mocking about the fourth hand smoke stuff, smoks and Mr. Donuts truck. Unfortunately chose to do so after about 10 cups of straight caffeine, apparently! If you had been saying that stuff out loud, Nagoyalove, I think you would have passed out for failing to take a breath!!! LOL

Secondly, although I am on the anti-smoking side of the fence, I have to say...huh????:

Heard yesterday that 50% of all smokers in the US try to quit every year but only 2.5% of all smokers succeed. JT has you hooked.

How did JT manage to get folks in the U.S. hooked on cigarettes? I am confused.

I might be against smoking but I am not close-minded and don't think smokers are pathetic. I don't like the smoke, abhor being subjected to second-hand smoke, and yes, I wish cigarettes didn't exist. However, they aren't going to go away tomorrow and in the meantime, if there is a tobacco product that I don't have to share, against my will, with the person smoking it, I am all for it. As for people smoking, yep, cigs are horrid, poisonous and awful...but people who smoke them know this; the education and information is out there, they are grown adults, let them poison the crap out of themselves if they are consciously choosing to do so. As long as the poison is kept from harming others who do not choose to partake in smoking, I can live with that.