recherche88 comments

@Reckless - Tokyo humidity slightly higher than Miami in July. In August they are about the same, but, yeah - AC everywhere.

Other than a small failure to vaccinate Japan has not lost its organizational flair.

Stewart, I'm not even a Japanese voter (long-time resident) and I'm embarrassed.

I wonder if numbers of reported infections increased by a shocking amount sometime after Golden Week, let's say around the first week of June, I mean by a surprisingly shocking number, if the IOC might consider cancelling the Olympics (and let Tokyo off the hook)?

Yes, it employs actual actors who can actually act! My wife and I enjoyed it.

@VirusRex - the risk is not 1/100,000,000 for individuals who have anaphylactic reactions. People with these reactions are advise not to take the vaccine. I'm guessing organizations who would be held responsible would rather not give the vaccine than assume the risk.

Personally, I will try to get the vaccine when it becomes available. I will try to make sure the people giving the vaccine are aware of the risk and are able to deal with the situation if I should have an anaphylactic reaction (I will also carry my own epipen).

Monty, well said.

@peach1967

"According to the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council, CPR skill retention declines within a few months of initial training – and continues to decline as time goes by. In addition, the council found that less than half of course participants can pass a skills test one year after training. This means that just one year into your two-year CPR certification, you may not remember how to help when you're needed most."

http://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr/cpr-training/cpr-renewal

"a total of 17 fire trucks have been deployed.." That can't be right, can it? Was that a misprint? Surely a fire of that size involves more equipment?

Weird

Doh!

That's actually inside LaQua, across the street from Tokyo Dome.

I used to have students who made money playing Pachinko (they don't seem to do that anymore) and one told me the secret for finding a paying machine. Haven't found one yet to tell me how you spot a winning ticket (before the draw).

@shonabb Fire House in Hongo Sanchome 4-5-10 Hongo Great cheeseburgers

Miyazaki's films absolutely wonderful. Well worth your time if you haven't seen them. And if you've seen them, you already know that.

How can one watch Thrones in Japan?

I find "Japan must eliminate misogyny" not a helpful contribution to the problem of women in the workforce, but "deeply entrenched sexism" further down in the article right on the money. I've been in Japan for decades and don't see much evidence of women hatred, but but plenty of sexual discrimination in the workforce. The most glaring in my view is the age limit on hiring women. A friend of mine, before she quite her job at a particular company, had the job of filtering applications for a job (only women need apply for the particular position) and was told to toss any applications from women over the age of 30. Good luck getting a job if you are a woman and have reached that ripe old age.

Honda's DN-01 is an automatic transmission with a 680cc 52 degree v-twin and their VFR1200F 1200cc street bike sells with either a manual or automatic transmission.

I got my first cello complete with bow and handmade corduroy carrying case for $75 dollars which I found in the newspaper ads (pre-Internet days). Never had tapes on the fretboard and never heard of anyone doing that. Agree with the hours practice everyday. Making the time is the hard part.

@Chubbinessfan

You were lucky. I was pulled over for making an illegal U-turn (which I thought it was semi-legal; I was on a bike and pulled over to the left side of the road after the turn and then proceeded when the light changed. Anyway, my wife riding on the back told me to. That must make it pretty much legal, right?). The sharp young lad in the police box discovered my license had expired which I hadn't been aware of.

I had to wait for 3 detectives to show up in a squad car and was then driven sandwiched between 2 cops in the back seat to the main police station where I was held in a small room in the back for six hours. Then I had to make an appointment with the prosecutor's office and show up for court, another 3-4 hours affair. The upshot was a six thousand yen fine for the U-turn.

re. the international driver's license and renting a car in the US: I rented a car in Utah with my Japanese license and no international permit which I discovered I had left behind. Same trip I also rented a car in NY under the same circumstances. Not problem (but I've been very careful to make sure I have my international permit with me since then).

AND: a side story—I was driving though a small town in Massachusetts in a rental car, this time had the permit with me. I was pulled over by a patrol car with two officers in it. The officer who came to the window said, "Residents have been complaining of people driving through here too fast." Okay. He didn't say I was driving too fast. He demanded my license and when I handed over my Japanese license and international permit he said, "No, you license." I told him that was my license. He went back to the patrol car with my documents and several minutes later he came back and handed my stuff back. "I had to show my partner; he's never seen one of these."

Okay, glad to oblige.

@John Occupythemoon Daly Those were my thoughts exactly. Ambassador Kennedy has no government experience (she does have a smidgen of political experience—helping out in Obama's election campaign). She has said she wants to get into politics and, referring to her lack of experience, has said "there are many ways into public life and public service" (like being appointed because you helped in the election campaign of the sitting president—not an unusual qualification for people being appointed to ambassadorships). She was approved by unanimous consent of the US senate. Even given the political nature of such assignments, and hers in particular, it says something about the confidence that senators had in approving her that there was not even one dissent.

However, by her own admission she is green and referring to her lack of experience has said she, "will have to work twice as hard as anyone else." She has, however, given early hints that she may be prone to tripping over her tongue. She has tweeted her personal views on the killing of dolphins in Taiji which would have been fine if she were still writing for Rolling Stone, but as ambassador one of the things she's going to have to "work twice as hard as anyone else" at is keeping her personal views under her hat and if the US has policy on a particular issue such as dolphin killing to make such views known through the proper channels.

So, it seems reasonable that the embassy would think it wise keep the ambassador on a short leash. Ambassador Kennedy had said at her confirmation that she would focus on trade, military ties, and student exchange. Good places to start (hmm... student exchange?). No telling at this point what sort of ambassador she will make, but easy as she goes seems a good policy at this point.

I bought an electric foot warmer for my cats (for their whole bodies, not their paws), but they weren't interested. Now I put it in the foot of my bed where it performs its intended function. The cats still prefer to lie on my chest ; (

When my Japanese wife and I both realized if I want a cashier to answer my questions to me rather than turn to my wife, my wife will have to drop back 10 paces and pretend to be looking at a magazine.

I've read here that this all started with Ishihara a year ago... but have been reading stories of incursions by Chinese ships, planes, and the occasional submarine for years. Just did a quick Google search and the first story was about a Chinese fishing captain appearing to deliberately ram his boat into two Japanese Coast Guard vessels near the islands back in September 2010 and that was by no means the beginning of these Chinese provocations.

@hiding out

(Putin) Maybe a crocodile tear?

@Smith

"China is definitely upping the ante, and they are doing so in response to the same from Japan."

Does it appear to you that Chinas (now) 10-dot line was in response to anything Japan has done?

3 assemblies that were damaged BEFORE the nuclear accident. Moved when the proper equipment, including a computer-controlled crane for precisely locating and lifting the rods so that criticality is not triggered when 2 or more rods are not kept the essential minimum distance from each other (no longer available) were in operation. Moved before building 4 and its fuel assemblies began tipping at a 'slight' angle. Moved before debris (including the crane) fell into the pool on top of the assemblies (which TEPCO claims has been removed--oh except for the 'small' pieces which "will be removed along with the fuel assemblies using a newly constructed special tool to lift out the assemblies" [TEPCO].

I live here, work here, have loved ones here, own property here (Tokyo) and am hoping for the best, but if odds were being given, not saying where I'd put my money.

This is not a dispute between China and Japan, but part of China's expansion throughout the East China Sea and South China sea against the nations of Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam.

Interesting report with visuals and audio about Chinese actions in the South China sea against the Philippines:

http://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2013/10/27/south-china-sea/?emc=eta1

@ Thunderbird2

Not sure what you mean about tourists needing to learn some manners. My wife is a tour-leader for a company that arranges for tourists to visit peoples homes to learn various things including making sushi. This is done, obviously, with people interested in hosting foreign visitors in their homes and it's a win-win for both the tourists and their hosts.

@Cleo

For people with asthma and more serious breathing problems, being forced to breath tobacco smoke is not a nuisance, it is assault.