richlook comments

Posted in: Nara Park issues feeding tips for tourists after increase in deer bites See in context

That photograph....the obottchan has just thrown some biscuits to the deer. And the family looks familiar. Imperial Family members? Does anybody recognize them?

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Posted in: What do you think of the new Japan Today design? See in context

Superficially, I love it! I am certain that you will quickly address the multiple bugs and issues that are mentioned in the comments others have made. But my first reaction is: "finally!".

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Posted in: 22nd anniversary of Great Hanshin Earthquake observed See in context

Rana Sochi what was it you chanted in Sanskrit? Was it perhaps the famous line from Baghavad Gita, usually translated as "Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds"?

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Posted in: U.S. Marine jet crashes off Okinawa; pilot ejects safely See in context

Thankfully no casualties. This news brought to my mind a similar but tragic incident in 1959 on Okinawa. A US Air Force F-100 Suoer Sabre based at Kadena experienced an engine flame-out while on a test or training flight. The pilot ejected safely. He testified later that he had headed the plane out to sea before ejecting. But the plane turned itself around and crashed into an elementary school, killing 11 students and 6 people in the neighborhood and injuring over 200 people including 156 students. This is a matter of record. What is not known widely is the following. In the immediate aftermath of this tragedy, there was a memorial service for the dead. A Buddhist memorial service. Okinawa was at that time still a U.S. military administrative territory, and the top US military general was expected to attend and read a statement. He initially refused, saying that he was a devout Christian and could not participate in a Buddhiiat ceremony. He was finally persuaded that his duty as the person of ultimate responsibility and as human being made it imperative that he attend. I know this because my father, who worked for the Office of Public Information of the administration, was the person who pursuaded him to change in his mind and who also wrote the statement he delivered.

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Posted in: Trump: Japanese will 'watch Sony TV' if U.S. is attacked See in context

I'm a bilingual American songwriter who lived in Japan as a boy in the 1950's. In 1988 I wrote a satirical rap song, Heisei Rap, inspired in part by Trump's headline-grabbing anti-Japan comments at the time (Japanese companies were out-bidding him for NYC real estate), and also by the amusing (to American ears) sound of the new Emperor's reign name - "Hey-Sey". The lyrics include Japanese gibberish and the rap ends with this final stanza, offered here in the tongue-in-cheek spirit in which I wrote it: Yakitori yakinori kabushiki-kaisha Mitsukoshi Mitsubishi rikishi no bunka It's a Sony it's a phony feeling of a yen pump The only one to save us now is Donald Trump

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Posted in: China food scandal drags in Starbucks, Burger King and McNuggets in Japan See in context

OssanAmerica, that is very funny!

There is always a chance that what is described on a Chinese menu as "pork" or CHicken"or "beef" is actually "cat" or "dog" or I guess "fox". This is something I've heard for decades. Here in New Orleans my wife was involved as a broker representing the buyer of an old Victorian house that had been occupied by a Chinese restaurant for years. When they went to inspect the kitchen they opened the walk-in freezer and there were three or four skinned dogs hanging from hooks. The prospective buyer backed out immediately.

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Posted in: Pirates raid Japanese tanker in Malacca Strait See in context

Gogogo I share your suspicion. It was the first thing that crossed my mind when I read the line.

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Posted in: Lawmaker breaks taboo by handing letter about nuclear fears to emperor See in context

This was a bold move, taking on the form of the ancient practice of petitioning the sovereign. In the video, the Emperor's body language reveals a kind and sympathetic person, as does that of the Empress. The members of the Imperial Household Agency, however, being the pros that they are, are well-drilled to handle any situation. The woman standing next to the Chamberlain and behind the Empress has the face of someone not to be trifled with.

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Posted in: Sendai rejoices in Japan Series title See in context

Congratulations to the Rakuten Eagles of Sendai! Celebrating the victory of a sports team is one of the most potent morale-boosters there is for a city or region suffering from a disaster. I observed this in New Orleans when the Saints American football team won the NFL Superbowl shortly after hurricane Katrina. Boston, which had that awful bombing during the marathon last Spring, is experiencing a similar euphoria now following the Red Sox victory in the MLB World Series. Sendai and all of Tohoku will feel like they're going to be okay, and they will! Never underestimate the power of professional spectator sports to rally a city or region.

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Posted in: Japan's wartime brothels were wrong, says 91-year-old veteran See in context

I, too, admire his courage and his timing. I'm not surprised that he waited. As reader Shimazaki points out, it's in human nature to simply not discuss atrocities you have been involved in. But given the firestorm around this issue and its prominence in the press, what perfect timing for a "confession". He was there, part of the efficient machinery that exploited those women. A "credible witness." The truth is powerful beyond words.

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