perspective comments

Posted in: Plus J Girl See in context

Bad photo, but fine woman. I don't care about her shoes to be honest.

Her shoes??!!! Who gives a flying f about her shoes? I would make her see God, man, who cares about her shoes?

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Posted in: In Japan, the customer is not king See in context

So many replies from people who ought to know better - if you've been in Japan for even a short amount of time one knows that you encounter these difficulties when you ask for something that was outside the parameters of their programming.

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Posted in: What's the best way to deal with screaming or badly-behaved children at airports and on planes so that they don't drive other passengers crazy? See in context

understand that most parents are doing the very best they can to entertain their children and keep them from being a nuisance.

This is not always true. The same kids that act up on the airplane are often the same kids that you see pitching fits in the restaurant, supermarket or department store while mom and dad do nothing about it.

If I see the parents are trying their best, I usually don't say anything, but if the parents are just sitting there, I'm going to start a running dialog with them, usually the father.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me are the numbers of parents with very young children that don't bring anything on the plane to keep the kids occupied and expect to get through a long flight without the kids getting antsy.

I'm a parent and I've taken many flights with my kids and never once did we have a problem - because I was prepared and my kids knew from an early age how to behave in public. I would bet that a lot of the parents upbraiding the single people here are the same ones who let their kids do whatever they want.

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Posted in: When the Democratic Party of Japan, led by Yukio Hatoyama, swept to power a year ago, there were high hopes that they would bring about positive change in Japan. What do you think went wrong? See in context

They talked a lot of stuff without having a clue about how they were going to accomplish it. Still going on to this very day. There are folks that will say that Okinawa did Hatoyama in, Okinawa was just one factor, he resigned because he wasn't able to do anything. Seemed like he enjoyed playing PM after he was elected, went on some trips, and people took him seriously for a while. But when it came time to go to work, he bailed.

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Posted in: Execution chamber at Tokyo Detention House opened to media See in context

So why is the murder rate in Europe, which has no death penalty, so much lower than it is in America? Why is the rate so much lower in Japan, which uses the death penalty very, very sparingly, than in America, where someone is executed every week?

Easy question to answer - in America there is an out of control drug problem and anyone can have access to guns.

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Posted in: What can be done to lower the number of deaths from heatstroke? See in context

Dark are actually better at protecting you from UV rays.

The opposite is true.

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Posted in: What can be done to lower the number of deaths from heatstroke? See in context

I told her she should have at least one hot meal a day.

Why?

By the way, I read somewhere that drinking too much water on a hot day is also not good for you and will make the body languid. Does anyone know if that is true? The report might have been saying that too much water and not enough food leaves the body without energy.

This is dangerous misinformation. It is not keeping your body properly hydrated to replenish what you lose when you sweat and urinate that causes heat exhaustion and potential heat stroke. The Japanese eat foods that are high in sodium, which require even more water to dilute the level in the bloodstream, combine this with the need to replenish water from sweating and you have a potentially dangerous situation.

For someone to develop hyponatremia, you would have to drink an excessive amount of water continuously, i.e. really work at it and forcing yourself to drink more than a liter per hour.

Elderly people often have other medical conditions, and take medications, that make the heat hard to deal with. People with asthma often have attacks in high heat and humidity.

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Posted in: What can be done to lower the number of deaths from heatstroke? See in context

Drink lots of water? Turn on the A/C? Don't work outside in the heat of day if you are elderly. Just really use common sense - of course that is often a problem with people.

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Posted in: What can be done to stem the rise of child abuse in Japanese society? See in context

One thing would be to change the child custody laws to keep the father in the child's life.

Japan already HAS laws on its books but you get this whole "what can we do" attitude towards actual enforcement. Everything from family relations to traffic law is basically letting people do whatever they want until it's too late. Then you get these "tragedy" stories in the newspaper, people sigh and do nothing, and then it just keeps on happening. Look at all of the stories in the last six months about kids falling off of balconies - it's not kids somehow finding their way onto the balconies, it's the parents and grandparents putting them there.

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Posted in: Serial groper apprehended through computer profiling See in context

Wonder how many graduate to actual rape because they know they can get away with it?

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Posted in: What do you think of the word "hafu," the Japanese term used to describe anyone who is half-Japanese? See in context

Hafu, gaijin, whatever, they're all ways to distinguish true Japanese from everyone else in the country.

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Posted in: What do you think of the word "hafu," the Japanese term used to describe anyone who is half-Japanese? See in context

If a black person( easy to identify ) who is later become a japanise citizen and then in the system leagly identyfy as japanise (nihon jin). but in socily he is a still Guyjin

This is a perfect example of Japanese thinking - Japanese is more than just a nationality, it is also a race, and only Japanese with Asian features are TRULY Japanese. Just ask the minister Renho.

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Posted in: Mother of falsely accused groper who killed himself seeks justice See in context

Why weren't the people who beat him up charged with assault?

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Posted in: 3-year-old boy falls to death from 13th floor of Nagoya apartment See in context

If I were a member of the Japanese government I would propose a law that states windows that can be opened on the second floor and higher MUST have bars installed, and that all balcony doors must be self-closing and automatically lock. A method (key lock?) to open the doors can be placed above the reach of an average toddler on both sides of the door - so no one gets locked out on the balcony.

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Posted in: Police recapture escaped peacock See in context

The next day, the Yachiyo police reported the peacock confessed to several unsolved crimes. The police chief commended the force for its exceptional police work n clearing the cases.

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Posted in: 3-year-old boy falls to death from 13th floor of Nagoya apartment See in context

Every week we have one of these. Sorry folks, it's NOT a tragic accident, it's a death due to negligence.

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Posted in: 4-yr-old girl falls to death from 6th-floor hotel window See in context

Well, folks, I have kids and when they were young I never left them unattended in a car even for a few minutes; always made sure (to this day) that they wear seatbelts in the car; and made sure that I did everything I could to prevent accidents - i.e. was diligent about looking for potential trouble.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize the potential for disaster when a child is jumping on a bed that is less than a meter away from an open window. In my time here in Japan it's become apparent to me that many Japanese parents just let their kids do what they want to do without disciplining them or ensuring their safety. just look at how many kids under 5 are walking around cars while their parents drive.

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Posted in: 4-yr-old girl falls to death from 6th-floor hotel window See in context

Yet another "kid goes out the window/off the balcony because the parents weren't paying attention" story.

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Posted in: Do you think Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama knows what he is doing on the Futenma base relocation issue? See in context

Add in the fact that the majority of Japanese (1) want the US military to protect them but (2) don't want the US military anywhere near where they live but (3) don't want the expense/responsibility of providing for their own military and you have a situation that is impossible for anyone.

Not impossible to solve. Inform the Japanese government that the US will remove its troops and equipment from Japan on a gradual basis and that it is willing to provide support to the Japanese only on an equal and reciprocal basis, which would mean Japan would have to increase its military and staff the bases themselves, and pay for every associated cost.

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Posted in: Do you think Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama knows what he is doing on the Futenma base relocation issue? See in context

Why limit the discussion to the Futenma issue? Does anyone think he knows what he's doing on just about any issue? Has he kept one of the campaign promises that he made? And can anyone name one substantive improvement or action that his government has initieated and completed in the 6 months they've been in power?

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Posted in: Anti-base ad See in context

I think it's pretty sad when you have to play to public opinion in another country when your own government can't come up with a plan to locate the bases elsewhere. What does that say about Japan and the way it looks at Okinawa?

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Posted in: How safe do you think Japanese society is, compared to other countries? See in context

Their police force is proactive in seeking out threats to the community rather reactive like 99% of the world's police forces

Frungy, you've got to be kidding, right? All the police here do is sit in their little kobans or ride around (slowly) in their cars with the lights on not actually doing anything - that is when they're not getting drunk and groping women or committing other crimes. Ask your average J citizen, especially a woman, if they trust their police force.

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Posted in: Woman stabbed at random in Tokyo park See in context

Now everyone will talk about how distraught she was, and because she's a woman, she'll be allowed to apologize, pay some money, and go free. Perhaps to stab someone else in the future.

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Posted in: Woman stabbed at random in Tokyo park See in context

Looks like the boyfriend made the right call.

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Posted in: 2-year-old girl dies in Kawasaki apartment fire See in context

What does it matter who left the kids alone in this circumstance, just how old they are or what generation? This type of behavior is common in Japan across ALL generations/ages/socioeconomic status. Every week there is/are another story(ies) about young children being left unsupervised or alone in any one of a number of settings, and getting seriously injured or killed.

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Posted in: Car fire in Miyagi caused by children playing with lighter See in context

This thing will continue to happen until Japan starts to charge parents with negligent care of their children and collect a hefty fine for each offense.

Parents leaving children alone at home with access to a balcony;kids walking around in the car while it is in motion;mothers holding children while they drive;parents leaving toddlers alone in a car (even worse - with the engine running!); I can go on and on, we've seen these stories many times here. What gets me are the people who come here and say that it is an acceptable practice to leave young children alone - perhaps someday we'll be reading about you and your children here.

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Posted in: Train shame See in context

Perspective at 12:19, I disagree with your comments of "stupid rules" and "miserable life." It is true that some Japanese have forgotten the "Edo manners" based on consideration for others. However, being a gaijin does not give you the right to do whatever you want on the trains. I commend people who actually speak up to point out bad behavior. I usually give people who use their phones a good glare. That shuts them up.

Well, Bicultural, you can disagree all you want. Do you dispute that Japanese society is just chock full of rules and obligations that control just about every facet of life? And often not in a positive way? Every society has its definition of proper manners and correct social behavior, the Japanese take it to a higher level. You can argue the point all day whether this is a source fo their greatest strength or a cause of unhappiness. Necessary because it keeps people who live practically on top of each other from killing each other, or excessive when children are taught from birth to live their lives according to what the neighbors might think? You think about that and how anyone that deviates, in the slightest, from "norms" of appearance, speech or thought is treated here, and get back to me.

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Posted in: Train shame See in context

After turning down the volume, the second time he interrupted my listening pleasure I would have calmly suggested that he go.... well, can't say the rest here.

When they glare at you, I just smile and wave at them. When they don't want to sit down next to you, I don't mind, more room for me. When it's rush hour and people push against me, I push back. When they sit and sniff for a long time without blowing their nose, I start sniffing loudly each time they do.

I'm not Japanese, and as such I am not bound by some of their more stupid rules or those who try to selectively enforce them. I will NEVER apologize for being a foreigner, I openly call myself gaijin because I'm not deluded like Debito that I am ever going to be accepted here. I kind of feel sorry for Japanese people, because all of their social rules make for a miserable life and probably contribute a LOT to the suicide rate in this country.

One other thing, the poster that recommended hitting the guy - you're gonna end up in jail with a trainload of witnesses testifying against you, the gaijin, no matter what the provocation is.

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Posted in: Hatoyama, fish dealers welcome tuna ban rejection See in context

Raise the price of the tuna by 5000% - curious if they would still pay.

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Posted in: Torso identified as that of missing Fukuoka woman See in context

Neighbors say that at about the same time Moroga had disappeared, an argument between a man and a woman could be heard, as well as the sound of breaking glass.

And, of course, no one called the police.

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