Posted in: Legal hurdles keep high-profile rape victim's film off Japan screens See in context
Japan should be ashamed of itself for refusing to release Black Box Diaries in their local cinemas. Not only is the reluctance to screen the documentary extremely telling but the fact that it's been nominated for an Oscar and there's been no? coverage or congratulations for this honour is another very telling sign of them attempting to pretend Ms. Ito and her case doesn't exist. Not that it's going to work; the documentary has already made its rounds at popular and notable film festivals around the world last year, and did I mention it's been nominated for an Oscar? That alone is going to get the documentary a ton of media coverage. The international spotlight is shining very brightly on this case and Japan had better buck up and get ready to eat crow when they can no longer stick their heads in the sand.
I sympathize with the victim but she does seem to have made a career out of it, to the point that she is now being looked on negatively.
She's only being "looked on negatively" in Japan. Elsewhere, she's being hailed a hero for taking a stand, reporting the heinous crime, and taking the perpetrator to court. She was also already a journalist before all this happened and she decided to report on her own story because no other Japanese media outlets, newspapers, or journalists had the guts to do so. Even her family wanted her to keep mum and there's a gut-wrenching scene of her on the phone to her parents about this. In end, she chose justice. Her high-profile case will hopefully give women in similar situations in Japan the courage to come forward and put their perpetrators behind bars.
5 ( +23 / -18 )
Posted in: Ishiba says Trump isn’t as frightening in person as on TV See in context
The only frightening thing about Trump is his continued insistence on looking like a deranged oompa-loompa. Hard to take someone seriously when they're stained orange and signing off on executive orders to ban paper straws.
12 ( +24 / -12 )
Posted in: What do you think about all the various products to combat the effects of hay fever? What do you recommend? See in context
I recommend stocking up on allergy and hay fever OTC meds when abroad because the ones in Japan are useless.
3 ( +3 / -0 )
Posted in: Ishiba heads to U.S. for Trump summit See in context
I'm looking at the two photos above. Is this all USA and Japan can come up with? Sweet mother of Jesus.
It's quite disconcerting how similar they look...
-2 ( +2 / -4 )
Posted in: 'Riverdance' tour celebrates its 30th anniversary with a pair of siblings leading the way See in context
Seen a couple of Riverdance shows. Always a grand time. Best of luck to these siblings!
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Employees of pet shops fear retaliation, such as being fired or having their wages cut. As a result, there is often insufficient evidence to prove mistreatment. See in context
Adopt, don't shop. Also, get rid of those horrendous animal cafes.
4 ( +6 / -2 )
Posted in: Credit card ticketing on public transport nationwide planned for 2026 See in context
2026? How ambitious! Why not try for 2050 instead? I've been to so called "third world countries" that have had this system in place on their public transport for years and Japan, a supposedly "first world country", is just thinking of implementing such a system? Unbelievable.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Elon Musk now has an office on the grounds of the White House. What do you think is his political game plan? See in context
Clearly he's using his connections to kickstart an AI apocalypse. It's going to be death by zombies or death by AI with these berks in positions of power. Take your pick. Personally, I'm Team Zombie.
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: Starbucks to introduce location-based pricing at some stores nationwide See in context
This idea is going to go down about as well as sour milk.
0 ( +1 / -1 )
Posted in: Little-known porn 'white post' boxes fading into Japan's lurid past See in context
And uh, where does all of this discarded paraphernalia go exactly? Something tells me they aren't being destroyed...
I also find such a system and reason behind said system rather ironic considering some of the racy and eyebrow raising magazine covers I've seen at Japanese convenience stores - it's just sitting on the shelf in plain sight with no censorship bars or pixelation.
-1 ( +2 / -3 )
Posted in: The operator of Narita airport plans to raise the annual cap on the number of takeoffs and landings from the current 300,000 to 340,000 later this year. What do you think of Narita airport? See in context
It's frustratingly far and if I had to choose, I'd go with Haneda but some international flights only fly into Narita, so sometimes there's no choice.
3 ( +4 / -1 )
Posted in: Japan #MeToo survivor says media failing to report sexual assault cases properly See in context
Japanese major media had always reported or featured whenever something "Japan" is nominated to overseas prestigious film awards such as Cannes, Venezia or Oscar, but they still ignore her film or herself completely.
It's also the first ever Japanese documentary to get nominated for an Oscar. The fact that there's no coverage about it in local Japanese news and media outlets speaks volumes.
5 ( +6 / -1 )
Posted in: Japan #MeToo survivor says media failing to report sexual assault cases properly See in context
That Shiori Ito's documentary "Black Box Diaries" has not been shown here is nothing short of a farce.
Ms. Ito talked about this at the premiere. Japanese networks and studios apparently show reluctance to "getting involved" and she and her team are having issues getting it greenlit to be shown in Japan. If it wins the Oscar, it'll hopefully force Japan to confront the very glaring issue they have regarding sex crimes. The documentary has made it rounds at all the big and popular film festivals around the world already, so the story's out there. Can't hide now!
7 ( +7 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan #MeToo survivor says media failing to report sexual assault cases properly See in context
I had the privilege of going to the UK premiere of Shiori Ito's Black Box Diaries and Ms. Ito herself was in attendance. It was a very insightful documentary and her Q&A after equally so. It rightly deserves its Oscar nomination, and hopefully the international attention her documentary and story are receiving will actually force the Japanese government to do something about their appalling approach and treatment towards victims of sexual crimes, as well as encourage more of these victims to come forward and report what happened so they can get justice.
5 ( +8 / -3 )
Posted in: Ghibli Park announces new ticket system, adds flexibility and low-priced options See in context
It's easier to track down a unicorn than it is to get tickets to stuff in Japan. I do not understand their need for convoluted ticket buying systems and lack of being able to purchase tickets online.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Osaka bans street smoking ahead of World Expo See in context
1000 yen fine? What is that, like 5 quid? I don't think Japan understands the concept of fines.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Man arrested after pinning 1-year-old son's upper body between his thighs, leaving him unconscious See in context
He wasn't violent? How thick can he get? He pinned a hapless infant between his legs and covered his head with a blanket, thereby cutting off his air supply. At the bare minimum, he should get charged for attempted negligent homicide.
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: 10 tourist mistakes in Japan See in context
I always thought as a common courtesy, people should limit themselves to 10 items or less at these places since everything is overpriced to begin with
I don't know what reality you live in but this has never been a thing. There are express tills at supermarkets if you have 10 items or less (unsure about supermarkets in Japan) but asking customers to limit the amount of items they buy is absurd.
0 ( +3 / -3 )
Posted in: 10 tourist mistakes in Japan See in context
Eh I disagree about the toiletries. The toiletries section in Japanese supermarkets and pharmacies lack certain things like a good selection of deodorant and tampons are hard to find.
-3 ( +4 / -7 )
Posted in: Do you use TikTok? See in context
Nope. I'm not even exactly sure what it's used for - it is a shorter video form of YouTube?
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Toilet seat up or down after use: What's the rule in your home? See in context
Toilet seat and cover down because when you flush, droplets get ejected out from the toilet bowl. You don't want to be brushing your teeth with a toothbrush containing urine and faecal matter now, do you?
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Osaka woman causes 8 separate traffic accidents in 35 minutes See in context
She needs to be rubbed down with salt and go bathe in some mystical hot spring that has been blessed by the gods because she is clearly carrying heaps of bad luck. What a way to start the morning! Yikes.
0 ( +2 / -2 )
Posted in: There are even people who say they will pay 20,000 or 30,000 yen if they can live here forever See in context
Does Japan not have retirement homes and community centres where the elderly can go to mingle and socialise? I mean paying to stay in prison seems a bit extreme.
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: Coughing and sneezing without consideration for others topped the list of annoying behavior on trains in a survey by the Japan Private Railway Association in 2024. What tops your list? See in context
It's not necessarily on trains, but the sound of people blowing their nose is the most disgusting sound to me. Someone once told me that it is considered rude to do so in public in Japan. If so, there are plenty of people around me who like to be rude.
I'd rather someone blow their nose and get it over with in a few seconds then spend my entire journey listening to them sniff and sniffle every 5 seconds. Drives me round the bend.
8 ( +9 / -1 )
Posted in: Japan Post to stop delivery of live reptiles See in context
I'm sorry, what? How did they even allow such a thing in the first place??
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Do you miss speaking to a receptionist when you call a business, instead of being directed to press various buttons to finally talk to someone? See in context
Absolutely because these phone menus, AI customer service reps etc. just beat about the bush and waste time. I call because I want a direct, quick, and straightforward answer. The same goes for online customer service messaging options - they make you click and click and click this and that option/response until they transfer you to a real person. It's infuriating.
6 ( +6 / -0 )
Posted in: Is there any item with 'older' technology you still use because you are not interested in the modern version? See in context
A toothbrush. Having to charge a toothbrush just feels like one step too far in absurdity.
3 ( +3 / -0 )
Posted in: Man arrested for attempting to kill father after argument over taking out trash See in context
He's 25, unemployed, and still living at home. He was the trash that needed to be taken out.
-1 ( +2 / -3 )
Posted in: David Lynch, visionary filmmaker behind 'Twin Peaks' and 'Mulholland Drive,' dies at 78 See in context
We lost a genius creative. Condolence to his family and friends. The first Lynch film I ever saw was The Elephant Man and it left quite the impression. He has an interesting if somewhat disorienting style to his films that will be sorely missed.
2 ( +5 / -3 )
Posted in: Participate or keep it quiet? Recent sing-alongs tap into larger discussion on moviegoing etiquette See in context
I hope Wicked introducing sing-a-long versions in cinemas kickstarts a trend of offering sing-a-long versions of musical and concert films in the future. Some films of this genre have done it in the past but it's not commonplace. It's good to give fans the option instead of potentially having your movie going experience ruined by some off-key berk thinking they can sing like Celine, Barbara, or Whitney when in reality they couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.
0 ( +1 / -1 )
Posted in: Trump announces 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, risking inflation on promise of more jobs
Posted in: Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation
Posted in: What would happen if Japan is attacked?
Posted in: What would happen if Japan is attacked?