RonJB comments

So the "rat" fell/jumped into the bowl while they were preparing other ingredients and just died? No struggles or attempts to get out of the bowl which might have alerted the staff presumably working in the same room.

I'd say the whole thing sounds very fishy.

a concentrated syrup made from Japanese Sekiyama cherry blossoms, a cultivated double-flowering sakura variety with an elegant floral flavor.

Wow! A syrup made from flowers that has a floral flavour.

Most cities in Europe charge a tourist tax for hotel visitors, of around €1-€1.50 per person per day. It's nothing special to Japan.

It's sad that children today won't get the chance to find some hardcore German porn ripped up in an alleyway (like I did as a lad 50 years ago), and then spend hours trying to piece the magazine together and more hours trying to work out what they were doing.

:-)

Tokyo Godfathers!

Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya has said that the extradition request was "an issue of law enforcement at sea rather than a whaling issue".

Was it in Japanese waters? No? Well, then maybe it shouldn't be up to Japan to pursue Mr Watson.

PS I'm enjoying all the pro-whaling comments on here. Very subtle.

the number of imperial family members has been dwindling. The current total stands at 16, with 11 of them women.

Is that the total gene pool available to choose from, or are there lower levels of aristocracy to choose from?

If it was an anime, the 11 women would form a harem with the 18 year old boy. Of course, that wouldn't reduce the inbreeding which comes from a limited selection or romantic partners.

So basically, if the store has a ridiculous policy of customer service based on a true lack of common sense, I should be the one to change and go along with the same stupid thinking? Most Japanese bring their own bags for this reason probably, instead of speaking out and saying something to effect change.

So you're happy to go to the store and buy 20 plastic bottles of water and carry them back to your workplace in plastic bags, but you're too precious to carry a reusable bag to the store? And you wonder why I am being sarcastic? The UK now makes retailers charge customers for their plastic bags. Maybe that's the change you would like to see effected?

when I complained about the aforementioned issue (It happens weekly for me about the bag issue),

So you order 20 waters on a weekly basis and have never thought to bring your own (sturdy) bag to avoid wasting all those flimsy plastic bags every week?

Hmmm

But the Association of the Presidential Press (APP), which groups together reporters covering the head of state, said Macron had "seriously questioned the ethics of the press, which investigates and cross-checks its sources rigorously."

Maybe if there hadn't been a serious emasculation of journalists over the last couple of decades, as the "media" now relies on press releases/Twitter/Facebook/TikTok/etc for a lot of its stories, this would hold more weight. In the UK, US and Australia (which I know from personal experience), the large print and TV companies are reducing staff even more, as they think AI will be able to write the news for them.

I do remember that Dante's Inferno had one of the lower circles (7th?) for those who sold religious indulgences, which was a big scandal in the Catholic church in the 14th century.

The Immigration Services Agency will revise its guidelines, which have been criticized for being vague, to ensure they clearly state that job transfers are allowed if interns are abused or sexually harassed or there has been a malicious violation of laws and regulations at their workplaces, including a breach of contract.

Ah, but will they still allow those employers who abuse or sexually harass trainees, or those who maliciously violate laws and/or regulations at their workplaces, to keep hiring trainees?

The same hack would be impossible with smartphones. Not enough space for explosives and a trigger.

The problem is that smartphones can be compromised in other ways by intelligence operative, which is why Hezbollah had gone back to dumbphones and pagers.

The big worry now is, what other devices have been intercepted and made into a remote bomb by Mossad? And what is to stop terrorists around the world joining in?

This is a blatant example of suppression of speech. No matter where we side politically, we should all push back against this.

Um no. This is a blatant example of one specific private social media company being banned in one country for contravening their laws. Other platforms and other countries are available for you to say whatever you want, as long as it's not against the rules/laws.

It's nice to have the occasional positive story. And 69 is much too young to consider retirement if you're doing something you love.

The obsession with whales is a selective one.

Whales are a vital part of the ocean biosphere. You would think a country that loves fish so much would be more averse to killing such an important part of the oceans food chain.

Brings to mind the old adage about killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

Dolly Parton is a treasure. Long may she bring joy to the world.

If you have never heard his routine about Introducing Tobacco to Europe, do yourself a favour. It's still hilarious 60 years later (a lot of his comedy hasn't dated and is recommended)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4ZLb4afIJw

Yep...a poster will help.

I see a "poster led recovery " in Japan's economy. Printing industry in boom times.

Let's treat everyone like morons and have posters.....for everything.

So you think the government will soon be releasing an instructional poster on having more babies?

Hahaha

The UK is constantly on a war footing with metal thieves. The most ridiculous ones are those who steal the copper wiring from the rail lines, often electrocuting themselves, and always causing chaos on the railways for tens of thousands of people. All for a couple of hundred pounds worth of copper, while causing millions of pounds in damage.

Japan ranked 118th among 146 countries in the 2024 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report.

I wonder if that is one of the reasons why 90% of the Japanese people I meet who have chosen to live in the UK are women?

There's a delightful (and free) hot spring in the mountains above Beppu, which I have visited a couple of times. Sure, it's a hefty uphill walk after the bus drops you off at the sulfurous springs above the town, and there are no signs pointing out where to go (you can follow the road or drive if you're inclined that way).

Once you get to the four or five concrete dishes (with gradually lower temperatures) and the little creek, you realise how delightfully secluded it all is. I spent hours just soaking and chatting to fellow bathers. Bring your own snacks.

Become a naturist.

Live underground or in a forest.

Plant grass on your roof.

Open the windows but keep the curtains closed.

Spend all day mooching around the frozen food section of the supermarket.

In February, Spotify said it paid $9 billion to musicians and publishers last year, about half of which went to independent artists.

But how much did Spotify pay to itself in profit?

he held the microphone close to the lower body of the mayor's daughter, who is in her 20s. Nagata said earlier this week that he wanted to set the mood for the party

Naah, that's not creepy at all from a 71 year old.

I've stayed at some lovely ryokans over the years and always try to follow the rule of keep the place neat, but it's getting hard to find them for future bookings since Covid.

I certainly don't want to be reduced to standard western-style hotels for my next trip!

So she scammed 155 million yen out of the three men, yet evaded income tax by hiding around 40 million yen derived from the scams.

Does that mean she declared the other 115m yen? Nine years does seem a little harsh.

It's an excellent show. Why should the kids have all the good stuff to themselves?

Man, that's some strong lipstick!

Meanwhile, the foreign national population rose 243,000 to about 3.16 million.

OK, but how many Japanese people left the country in search of job/life opportunities?