Japan Today

rzadigi comments

Posted in: Number of New Year postcards nationwide 33% lower than in 2024 See in context

I think it’s quite a nice tradition that helps bind the social fabric. When I was growing up in the US many years ago my mother and her friends had a similar habit with Christmas cards.

This year we’ve only received about a dozen cards whereas a few years back it was close to 100. It does require some effort (thank you wife) but it keeps people connected and reminds them of who is important in their life. In another year or two I believe my wife will go with the flow and break the tradition.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Posted in: Dolphin attacks on rise at Fukui beaches; 18 injured so far in 2024 See in context

This article in the NYT states twice the number of attacks and attributes them to mating behavior.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/16/world/asia/japan-dolphin-attacks.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan school children wilt in under-insulated classrooms See in context

The elementary school near my house just got air conditioning three years ago. I’m guessing insulation will never happen here.

Also, none of the school gyms in my city are air conditioned. Some schools have their PE classes in the gym to avoid the summer heat but you can imagine the gym isn’t much cooler.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan swelters through hottest July since records began 126 years ago See in context

Lately it seems that each season is becoming less and less predictable. This past winter was the warmest I can remember here in Miyazaki, while the previous was the coldest. This year the rainy season ended three weeks early and gave way to intense heat, only to return two weeks later. And while this summer is clearly scorching, it has been a dry heat here with low humidity, thus making it more bearable than the usual oppressive humidity. I do know that other parts of Japan have different weather.

Also evident is the apparent difficulty in forecasting the weather. Forecasts seem much less reliable than a couple years ago and the long range forecasts are usually wrong.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Posted in: Inaba advances as Igarashi, O'Leary are dumped from Olympic surfing See in context

Thanks Hawk!!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Inaba advances as Igarashi, O'Leary are dumped from Olympic surfing See in context

By all accounts yesterday was the day of days. Unfortunately I only saw a couple of heats. Does anyone know of a way to watch a replay? Nothing at all on Tver.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Junior high school boy drowns in Tama River in Tokyo See in context

I was swimming today in a river with some high school boys. They had a few inner tubes but I could see immediately that some couldn’t swim. Even though the water was low there were areas with strong currents where the boys were panicking. I helped a few of them and gave a bit of instruction and after a few hours they were doing much better.

Whenever we are in the water we should always be watching others. Even experienced swimmers can find themselves in trouble unexpectedly. Hopefully accidents this summer can be kept to a minimum.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Posted in: Top execs resign at Japanese supplement firm linked to dozens of deaths See in context

Hopefully the victims’ families will put together a class action lawsuit and suck this company dry.

Executives losing jobs is in no way a deterrent to other companies that produce dangerous products. More like an inducement.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Trump holds first rally after assassination attempt with his new running mate, Vance, by his side See in context

“I shouldn’t be here right now," he went on.

the only true words he’s ever said.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Posted in: Japan likely spent some ¥3 tril on intervention as yen jumps See in context

It appears to me that on Friday the yen strengthened twice. After the first drop I read a story about how Japan had intervened - they said there was an anonymous source. But then the yen dropped again overnight. I’m wondering if they were both interventions or if the first drop was only due to the CPI report and maybe the second drop was only due to a rate check, which would mean no intervention at all.

Time will tell but either way I’m happy to see it strengthen.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan to replace cedars with low-pollen trees to tackle hay fever See in context

Down here in Miyazaki and Kagoshima we have a massive industry based around sugi. New areas of forest are constantly being felled with new saplings planted soon after. It can take 40 years before they reach maturity and can be harvested. Introducing new low pollen varieties is great but any possible impact is decades away.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Posted in: Feeling flush: Japan's high-tech toilets go global See in context

We live in an old house and had a simple dry toilet for years that emptied into the septic tank. But then we got connected to city sewage and the landlord decided to put in a new basic toilet. The plumber offered to put on a washlet lid for an extra ¥15000. It had all the same features as the more expensive toilets. I was loving it until the spray strength function malfunctioned. After which upon pressing you would wait in horror for two seconds before you received either a light gentle spray or full force firehose. I had to stop using it until my wife told me the bidet function will also work when adjusted. Now I’m happy and fully clean again.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Foreign thieves likely behind stolen Japan bonsai amid boom abroad See in context

What a shame. But it seems like they may have figured out a solution. An AirTag placed in the soil of each pot will allow them to track the plants and shut down these operations.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Posted in: Solar storm puts on brilliant light show across the globe, but no serious problems reported See in context

There were some solar flares seen in Hokkaido yesterday. I wonder if the rest of Japan has any chance of seeing them? Especially as places like Florida have seen them and their latitude is lower than even Kyushu.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Kenyan Olympic marathon medalist referred to prosecutors over assault See in context

The young girl may not have been as innocent as her defenders believe. If she was grabbing this man to keep him from leaving then she went too far. Especially if she was just upset about him using a phone on the train. That is hardly something worth holding him in the station and calling the police.

Of course any violence is not acceptable but the girl seems to have been provoking him and escalating the situation. If this was a Japanese man it would surely not be a news story.

Let him do some community service and continue living in Japan.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Posted in: Japan enacts revised law for swift removal of defamatory online posts See in context

As another poster mentioned the Ocean Dome closed 16 years ago. The attraction was massive but too ambitious. It cost too much to run and operated at a loss.

But the Miyazaki area has been booming since 3/11 with many families relocating and enjoying the mild weather and low costs. Aoshima particularly has developed quite a bit recently and attracts visitors from all over Japan and Asia.

This was a wise purchase by the Fortress group as the area will continue to attract more people.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Posted in: Yen briefly rises to 151 in New York after weak U.S. labor data See in context

Back in 2019 the yen was around ¥110/USD when the US interest rate was 2.5%.

Then in 2022 the yen went up to 148 as the US increased interest rates from 0-4%.

The BOJ will probably intervene as much as necessary to keep the yen from free falling and the speculators guessing.

For everyone living in Japan let’s hope the yen returns to a reasonable level.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Posted in: Another suspected market intervention likely cost Japan ¥3 tril See in context

The yen has fallen so much this year that some traders and investment banks are taking gains off the table. Two interventions in one week will definitely cause concern among traders.

This may or may not be true but I’ll take any strengthening of the yen as a positive.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Biden blames China, Japan and India's economic woes on 'xenophobia' See in context

As an American I do agree that immigration has been great for America. But adopting similar policies does not work for every country. Immigration has clearly failed in many European countries.

And the best and the brightest of many countries still feel the urge to come to America. This is clearly not the case with China, Japan and India.

1 ( +23 / -22 )

Posted in: On first day of Trump hush money trial, prosecutors say he corrupted 2016 election See in context

Michael Cohen was found guilty in a federal court of campaign finance violations over the hush money payments to Stormy and McDougal. This was way back in August of 2018.

There is no question that Trump will be found guilty as well, especially considering all of the newer and more incriminating evidence that will be presented.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan seeks to reclaim tech edge with overseas help See in context

As others have hinted, innovation is a foreign word here in Japan. It is not possible to train an adult to be innovative or to accept innovation. By then it is far too late. These mindsets are nurtured in schools where creativity is encouraged and supported.

IT literacy is uncommon in Japan, with many families not having computers and most people fearing the internet. The high schools teach Microsoft Office and a handful teach programming at the most basic level. By the time students reach university they ranked near the bottom of computer competency.

The USA and Japan pumping money into semiconductors and AI is more about geopolitics than giving Japan any chance of becoming an international leader again.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Posted in: Ohtani's ex-interpreter negotiating guilty plea: New York Times See in context

Until this issue is completely investigated and resolved I am a skeptic. Otani has more than enough money to make Mizuhara an offer he can’t refuse. Paying him off to take the full blame now or whenever he’s released from prison would be in both of their interests, along with the Dodgers and the MLB.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Posted in: Song lyrics are getting simpler, more repetitive: study See in context

I’m guessing most of the people commenting here used to spend much time consuming music years ago. It was a different world and entertainment choices were much fewer and we were all less busy. People nowadays don’t have the time or desire to read the liner notes and uncover the mysteries of their favorite bands. There are also more artists than at any time in history all competing for the same short attention spans. The lyrics have clearly been dumbed down, notably today’s rap music which is an embarrassment to the greats of the 90s.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Posted in: 2 die, 100 hospitalized after consuming Japan drugmaker's health supplements See in context

The company will consider compensation for those companies that have been asked to conduct voluntary recalls.

But will they consider compensation for the dead and ill? And will this product be taken off the market until the investigation is complete?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Sumo great Hakuho could lose stable over protege's bullying: reports See in context

I wonder if it was difficult for a Mongolian to master the art of bullying. Good to see that he feels remorse and takes responsibility for his mistakes.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

Posted in: Takarazuka Revue director to quit post after death of actress See in context

Didn't this unfortunate suicide happen about a year ago? Why has it taken so long for this resignation?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Takarazuka Revue director to quit post after death of actress See in context

 …..conveyed to the bereaved family his intention to apologize.

This says a lot about their lack of shame and responsibility.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Unusually warm weather in northern Japan puts damper on winter events See in context

As others have mentioned the cause is probably the combination of global warm and El Niño. This may be a very wet rainy season as El Niño ends and leaves its moisture in the Indian Ocean which then comes our way.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: University of Tokyo to launch new 5-year program with 50% foreign students See in context

This is definitely a step in the right direction when Japan’s universities are already competing for students as the population drops. The only way to maintain status quo is to find a source of students from outside Japan and then recruit enough to keep the universities full.

Unfortunately the program goal is 25 years from now and the final outcome is really just a few dozen students a year. More needs to be done faster.

It would also have to nice to know how many other universities in Japan have implemented similar programs and what the numbers are.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Posted in: Nikkei briefly hits 34-year high, with many Asian markets shut for Lunar New Year holiday See in context

The more they gain the more the poor fail.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

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