rizaric comments

Posted in: Japan plans futuristic farm with robot workers in disaster zone See in context

What I gathered from the article is that, the aim of the project is not the produce.... it is the development of the system, implemented on a significantly large scale which can be then used or reproduced elsewhere. Nowhere does it say that the produce will be eaten, and I really hope that it doesn't make itself onto the market.

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Posted in: 'Mezamashi TV' anchor Otsuka sends message from hospital See in context

It says in the article... the anchor of Fuji TV’s popular morning news and variety program “Mezamashi TV”.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

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Posted in: American serviceman in Okinawa held for allegedly assaulting hotel security guard See in context

Thank you Fadamor for saying what I was going to. Drunks without borders, as it were.

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Posted in: Burger King to offer all-you-can-eat Whopper campaign for two weeks See in context

There are some pretty decent 'real' burgers to be found, unfortunately the thing is that they are definitely not as cheap as BK or McD though. In a pinch... the double quarter pounder with cheese is not too shabby though.

Burger Mania, Firehouse, REG-ON Diner and Brozers all serve a pretty darn tasty grilled beef patty on a nicely toasted bun with the fixings of your choice. Avocado, chili cheese, mozza + mushroom, bacon double cheese... ahh I'm making myself hungry now. I think I even had a nice smoked meat sandwich with gherkins at one of the Burger Manias. Ok, time to stop thinking about burgers... until the weekend, maybe.

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Posted in: The definitive Japanese bar code of conduct See in context

Hmm... I think this is a decent article, but the title is off.... it refers to a certain type of establishment, in some ways akin to a sushi bar. The title should perhaps be 'Ginza' bar code of conduct. I have been to a couple of them, and they are a bit pricey, but overall they were enjoyable experiences. The selection of ice, shaking and stirring of drinks etc. are down to a science/art and it is a treat to watch the bartender ply his/her craft from the moment of the order to the receipt of the drink. As far as I know, people often bring business clients to these places, so you can understand the desire for a 'professional' environment. At these establishments and 'higher end' bars it is one thing to make small talk with another person, but I believe what is frowned upon are 'cat-calls'. Also, while izakayas will (fortunately or unfortunately) let you drink until you puke, the bartenders at these places wouldn't hesitate to cut you off.

While from time to time I may happen upon one of these places, there are many, many other fine friendly and affordable drinking establishments in Japan where you can have both good drinks and meet people easily... far more often I can often be found at these :). Well, my comment applies to watering holes all over the world but I guess my point is try to give things a chance and keep an open mind, you may be missing something if you believe everything you read on the internet.

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Posted in: Here are some dieting methods you might not have thought of yet See in context

@smithinjapan HAHA you should write for JT

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Posted in: KanjiSpy iPad app ends Tokyo street-walking frustration See in context

@southsakai, fds, It"s ME

Yeah, I have a version on my android softbank smartphone that does this already, been out since last Dec. It is good for translating bits of writing up close on a document, or computer screen for example.... but haven't tried it with a street sign yet and I am not sure if they optimized it for many different fonts. If I remember correctly it works both ways though...J-E/E-J.

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Posted in: Ebi-chan celebrates 32nd birthday with release of photobook See in context

I think it might be correct, my guess is they are referring to the French confection macaron and not the Scottish or North American macaroon (I didn't see the cake though).

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Posted in: After a half-century in Hiroo, National Azabu to close Oct 31 See in context

There is a message on their website, in Japanese as well as English. Not sure if this link will work, but (http://www.national-azabu.com/pdf/info_110926_eng.pdf)

They want to reopen as soon as possible, it says.

Haha, I had thought that you guys were referring to Nissin- the instant noodle company.

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Posted in: Japan to give additional $21 mil in food aid to Horn of Africa See in context

It's money.

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Posted in: Tokyo to Yokohama on 40-km bar crawl See in context

I find nothing wrong with this article... the author is simply sharing his experience and offering some knowledge... what is so bad about that?

Next time I am in Shinagawa I may have to stop at the Bar Monde if I have some extra time!

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Posted in: Gaijin -- just a word or racial epithet with sinister implications? See in context

Actually it says gai'koku'jin torokusho :) Just saying.

Agree that it is what it is. How it is used determines the meaning behind it. I have very rarely heard it used in a derogatory fashion, and believe that most people don't use it as such.

The kanji of the word 外人 literally refers to someone from outside. It is likely more of a slang/abbreviation than anything. 外国人 refers to a person from another country. I may be wrong but the Japanese people using the term 外人 other countries are mostly tourists and are with a group of other tourists, or Japanese speaking people... in this case they are referring not to the country, but outside their group. It is not so much a case of discrimination as a conceptual shift that has not been made. As one poster above said, the open minded person will make the shift. At least in my experience, once they make that shift (i.e. it is called to the attention, or they consider themselves a part of another group, etc.), they cease to refer to people as 外人. It is simply how they have perceived things for a most of their lives.

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Posted in: Market cycle See in context

I agree with billyshears... it is hard to tell if she is moving or not. If you look at the reflection on the mirror and the background in general, there is little discernable motion blur. Of course the camera could have been an amazing one.

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Posted in: Maomi Yuuki guest of honor at Best Kisser awards See in context

Also, these 'awards' are usually from magazines and the like, and are a part of 'entertainment culture'... most Japanese people don't even care about them.... saying there is 'no intelligent life left in Japan' is just ridiculous.

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Posted in: Maomi Yuuki guest of honor at Best Kisser awards See in context

As there is no photo posted, I highly recommend any interested parties do an internet search on her...

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Posted in: Rilakkuma official goods shop re-opens at Tokyo Station See in context

So what? Now all companies have to sacrifice their business plans and profits because of Tepco's mismanagement of the crisis?

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Posted in: M5.4 quake jolts Nagano; 7 hurt See in context

About the often and more intense thing it is a matter of perspective.....the world is billions of years old... even if humans have measured and experienced earthquakes for 5000 years, there have been many, many more. As yildiray implied above... natural disasters have become 'disasters' cause humans have populated the earth... they are otherwise simply nature running its course. Hopefully the earth will have some patience and give us time so we can be more ready for the next one(s) .

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Posted in: Fukushima's cesium spew - deadly catch-22s See in context

@Bazza

People have been aware of the risks from the beginning.. from Cesium as well as Iodine...this is just one article that has come out right now...

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Posted in: Fukushima's cesium spew - deadly catch-22s See in context

Agree with the message of the article, but is it really necessary to use phrases like 'mutagenic havoc'?

Decorporation drugs like KI or PB usually don't go to the hospitals or clinics... they are actually stockpiled by governments because 1)Supply is limited and manufacturers/factories are very small, 2)They are not useful in times other than emergencies. Since the manufacturing companies are small they have no capacity to ramp up production during times of need. One would assume that at least part of the reason that the drug may not be being made available to everyone right now is that the supply level is just too low and that the government is keeping stocks for distribution for those who need it the most (to prevent panic buying, etc).

Just a couple of weeks after the disaster began, the American and Japanese governments were apparently in talks with 'Heyltex' in order to discuss this drug.... we can only speculate at this time how much stock is available and hope that there will be enough when the time comes (it may be now for those living in/near Fukushima, etc.).

http://www.heyltex.com/blog/2011/03/30/heyltex-corporation-working-with-united-states-and-japan-to-add-production-of-radiological-antidotes/

The time period that any new drug has to go through for approval is long in any country.... even with documentation and tests in other countries, it is nothing new for a long testing period to be implemented before a drug can be introduced. Also drug patent law is a sticky thing... it is not so easy to legally immediately manufacture generic drugs. If it is necessary in this case, hopefully these processes can be somehow expedited or bypassed.

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Posted in: SMAP to release charity album See in context

I remember reading that they gave personal donations up to 400 million yen right after March 11... a lot of money, so I wouldn't say that they are simply greedy. However I agree that 200 yen is a ridiculously low amount... and probably the Johnny's management who has put this into play.

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Posted in: Woman dies after being stabbed in Saitama car park See in context

@BlueWitch

There deficiencies in the systems are not unrecognized....the definition of paramedic differs depending on country, state and even city in some cases. In comparison, other countries have programs extending back to the 70s or 80s. However, for many reasons, there have been in the past a greater 'emergency medicine' culture in many western countries (St. John's Ambulance, etc, or legions that were originally military medics). In contrast, in Japan, originally it was the fire department providing an emergency transportation service, with minimal medical care. It is not so much the difference in time or advancement of treatment as how the systems have developed, and the fact that for whatever reason, until recently, that the concept of emergency medical services has been implemented... hopefully soon better training programs will be in place and we will see an increased role of paramedics and an increase in the quality of pre-hospital care.

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Posted in: Woman dies after being stabbed in Saitama car park See in context

@bluewitch, smithinjapan

It is not true that there are no defibrillators inside ambulances however it is true that paramedics here have only recently (last 5 years?) been allowed to administer drugs. Reason for this being that the paramedic program started no more than twenty years ago as compared to other countries, and up till a few years ago, many of them were active firemen as well. I hope their is some change in the works with the system ... but it is unfair to say that they don't have any qualifications and are not trained... they are by law only allowed to do a certain amount of things.

For this particular article, as Badge said, there is nothing saying that it took over an hour to get this person to the ER, only that it was an hour later that she was pronounced dead. As for rules about people being pronounced dead.. they vary from place to place and are a sticky subject. In some countries, only a MD, medical examiner or registered nurse can pronounce a death, some controversies having stemmed from people pronounced dead by paramedics and coming back alive.

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Posted in: 71-yr-old man arrested for beating 32-yr-old son to death See in context

Impact to the head and resulting to injury of the brain can be very damaging and may sometimes result in death... it is entirely possible that the man fell and hit his head after the initial blow. RIP.

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Posted in: Edomae Sushi See in context

While I wouldn't eat fish coming directly from around Fukushima, it is important to note that just because Sushi is a kind of Japanese food doesn't mean all the fish comes from around Japan... in fact a great deal of it is fished all around the world.

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Posted in: Pizza and Pizza Chefs in Japan See in context

There's a decent(but a bit pricey) western style pizza joint in Roppongi called Pizzakaya, for anyone who is interested...

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Posted in: Korean Air to launch A380 flights to Tokyo, Hong Kong See in context

ilcub76... it's going to

"gradually expand its A380 service to Bangkok in July, once its second A380 arrives. The third A380 will launch service to New York from August, and fourth A380 to LA in October."

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Posted in: Stirring up a hornet's nest See in context

"(plus special guest, Japanese actress Ryoko Shinohara, 37, present for no apparent reason)"

It is a movie premiere... it is common for socialites, actors and actresses to attend them, isn't it? Thus they promote themselves, the movie, and in this case possibly whatever cause the 'green carpet event' was held for.

Well, may check out the movie when it comes to the rental shop...

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Posted in: Mirror thermometer See in context

I think the point is that it greatly improves upon the sanitation aspect of sticking a thermometer under your armpit, in your mouth, or ear. Reducing the likelihood of germ transfer in health care settings is definitely a positive thing.

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Posted in: What do you think about the quality of reality TV shows? See in context

Don't love em, but they can be good for a laugh. I think in many cases that they are designed for people who are tired from work and want to unwind while not having to think and can just half pay attention to while relaxing... and while I generally watch other genres more, at times they fit the bill.

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Posted in: Santa Claus Academy See in context

@herefornow

They might just be not very manly men... hahaha.

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