Pixilated comments

Personally, I'm all for heightened airport security. I can live with having to get to the airport a little earlier to go through all the security checks if it means less chance that someone's going to be able to sneak a weapon or explosive device onto my flight.

Looks like a poster for the next edition of "Charisma Man."

Even though they say “I’ll leave it up to you,” they complain about your choice.

I think that's universal. Women hailing from just about any country always seem to have the habit of saying "I don't care, you choose" but then will complain later about how you never do or choose things that they like and always pick things they hate.

As for numbers 1 and 7 (about losing weight and putting on makeup), most Japanese females tell me the reason is that Japanese men only like thin women, and that Japanese men expect that as a woman gets older (and by older we mean over the age of 28) she must always have make up on to hide her age as much as she can.

I know I've lived in this country for too long when I can say that this isn't the first time I've read a news story about someone using a fishing rod to try to snag panties hehe.

Oh, the inevitable macho posturing! What makes either of you think you could hurt this guy? For all you know he's built like a brick shthouse and could tear you apart with his bare hands. He's already proved he's a nut. These "If that were my daughter...." rants are pathetic.

I was about to post the same response until I read that kyushujoeu beat me to the punch. Everyone seems to think that, similar to in comic books and action movies, having someone's loved one harmed or killed will make them into an unstoppable he-man action guy. The truth is, just because a man beats up on women and children does NOT automatically mean he can't also kick a full-grown man's behind as well. And simply being furious over having one of our loved ones wronged isn't enough to automatically give you some edge in armed or unarmed combat against someone who might simply be far more dangerous and better trained than you are in one way or another.

However, if this were the Marvel or DC Universe, having our parents, spouses, and/or children murdered would always result in us becoming someone of the same level of Batman or the Punisher heh.

Moderator: All readers, stay on topic please.

The funny thing about the article is, it seems that these three young comedians were physically assaulted (or nearly so) by this Shimada when he completely snapped and went nutzoid on them on live TV, needing to be restrained by staff, simply because he didn't approve of them looking bored or chatting during commercial breaks, and yet it's the three comedians who had to go apologize to HIM over the situation?

Now THAT's funny. In other countries, the three younger comedians would have been slapping Shimada with a lawsuit for assault if he did actually manage to get his hands on them, and if not would likely be turning the public's image around on him.

Not that I'm condoning it or anything, as it's a terrible thing that these two men did. But thinking about it, Christmas Day (with Christmas eve being like Valentine's Day for many Japanese), a woman meets two guys in a cafe, an hour later invites them back to her place for drinks, goes upstairs to take a bath while they're there. Sounds like it could have been a wild threesome that just went too far, and in their panic the guys tried to make it look like a robbery afterwards.

It's a sad story, but still I don't think it's called for to immediately jump on the parents, teachers, and principal. Unless the kid is being visibly bullied, it's really difficult for teachers to step in if it's not happening right in front of them, in which case it becomes one kid's word against another, which is difficult to prove if the bully's friends all vouch that said bully didn't do anything and in fact it was the other kid who was the one starting trouble. And let's face it, these are teachers, not police detectives. It might have been really difficult to figure out whose handwriting it was, and simply asking "Who wrote 'die' on ____'s notebook please confess now" probably wouldn't have received an honest confession.

As to the parents, I don't know if Summer vacation is over yet for elementary school kids or not, but it sounds like both parents work, and since day care centers are usually unheard of, and as for babysitters that's only if there is a grandparent around. Otherwise after school most kids are assumed to be kept busy with club activities, cram school, other extracurricular activities (like sports teams, music lessons, language classes, etc.) or they just go home.

Anyway, yeah, it's a sad story but unless some evidence of real neglect is later found in this case I don't think it's really anyone's fault except whoever the kids were who actually did the bullying.

I am totally in support of this. Though I do see what shufu is saying. Why should it be socially acceptable for a guy with cerebral palsy to pay 3,500 yen for a 15-minute hand job but not a guy with asthma, or a fellow suffering clinical depression? Or any perfectly healthy guy (or perhaps woman) for that matter? I'm not against this service at all, but I do think that in all fairness it should be available to anyone who is willing to pay for it.

Bon dances are the most boring dances ever created. As mrhatoyama pointed out, it's mostly old women dancing slowly, separately, yet in unison, performing the same gestures over and over again in a circle or parade. Not enough flair, pizazz, or personal uniqueness or creativity added into it.

*tokyokawasaki at 02:02 PM JST - 11th August

Pro wrestling is for little boys isn't it?

I fail to see what mature grown adults see in it (apart from the sex appeal of the Bella Twins). But if it makes you feel good and helps you to escape then I can understand that.*

I feel the same way about most sports: baseball, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, golf, volleyball, etc... all can be summed up as watching a bunch of people run back and forth while chasing balls around. Booorrriiinngggg. At least pro wrestling is MEANT to be entertaining.

Unenforceable rules are stupid and just make everyone frustrated, no matter how well-intentioned they are. A small phone signal scrambler in each car would solve the issue and render the signs unnecessary, because there's no need to tell people not to use their phones if they can't get a signal.

And what happens when there's an emergency on the train and nobody can call for help? Or one of your relatives needs to contact you about an emergency at home, but you miss the call and proceed to wherever you're going anyway rather than getting off at an earlier stop to turn around?

I swear, it's like any time I read about celebrities of any kind getting married in Japan, it's almost always the case that the husband is 10, 15, or even 20 years older than their wife. I think there must be some mathematical formula in which the wealth, power, status, and success of a man is directly related to how much younger his wife is.