Posted in: Tourist arrested in Japan for striking convenience store clerk over 3-yen bag altercation See in context
Typical ill-mannered UK yobbo behavior.
0 ( +7 / -7 )
Posted in: Osaka into first semifinal since 2022 See in context
It should be noted that barley and top 10 ranked players are participating in this tournament - nonetheless a win is win!
-5 ( +2 / -7 )
Posted in: Overseas people see Japanese women as sexual beings and think they don’t speak up for themselves, but I’ve always thought that is not true. See in context
So, when she says “overseas people” does that include all the people of southeast Asia as well?
-1 ( +1 / -2 )
Posted in: Seven & i takeover bid by Canadian retailer faces Japan gov't review See in context
If Japan deems a certain category to be subject to government approval then the SEC should subject Japan to a restriction on the same category of business in the US.
-1 ( +1 / -2 )
Posted in: Foreigner climbs onto FamilyMart roof in Shibuya; yells 'I did it!' before police step in See in context
Yes, Japanese people do engage in bad behavior, but the issue is that foreigners are less common and tend to stand out more.
I worked at a chain restaurant in Tokyo for many years and witnessed plenty of misbehavior from Japanese customers, such as:
-Dine and dash (leaving without paying)
-Kicking the automatic door in an attempt to break it
-Stealing all the eco-bashi from the table
-Being drunk and disorderly
-Using their own chopsticks directly from the shared condiment container instead of using the tongs
-Being abusive to the staff
On the other hand, I would occasionally serve foreigners—maybe 5 to 10 a year.
There was one incident where a foreigner pulled a dine and dash.
From a perception standpoint, that one incident stands out as 1 in 10, while I served thousands of Japanese customers. In contrast, when a Japanese customer behaves badly, it feels more like an extreme outlier because of the sheer volume of Japanese customers I serve. So, if I had the misfortune of two foreigners pulling a dine and dash, I might be tempted to see it as typical, even though the reality is very different.
Unfortunately, this is a common cognitive bias and I am not sure how to overcome it, but I don't think articles like this help the situation or facilitate constructive discourse.
1 ( +4 / -3 )
Posted in: Surge in inbound tourists pushes Japan to explore dual pricing See in context
I don't think there is really a fair way to implement it as it will inevitably end up being race-based.
ID checking everyone is not possible, as not all Japanese people carry IDs all the time - so only foreign looking people would be subject to the check.
Also, Japanese or people of Japanese descent residing abroad would be able to take advantage of the system unfairly.
6 ( +9 / -3 )
Posted in: Ceremony marks launch of Japan's Paris delegation See in context
I love how the coverage here immediately stops for any sport as soon as the Japanese athlete is eliminated.
-4 ( +5 / -9 )
Posted in: Japan constructs world's 1st wooden satellite See in context
A laudable project. It may make a difference but unfortunately most of the components inside the satellite have to be made from metal or other materials due to their functionality. The waveguides, filters, antennas, multiplexers and such cannot be made of wood thus making it a solution that, while helpful, is limited in scope.
1 ( +2 / -1 )
Posted in: Lucas on 'Star Wars' critics, diversity, and sneaking into Cannes See in context
Disney is just one casualty.
But it isn’t. As already established Disney has continued to return record profits.
Yes, but I wish that would be reflected in the stock. Still not back at later 2019 levels.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: New Tokyo restaurant charges higher prices to foreign tourists than Japanese locals See in context
Does the owner realize that not every country has an exchange rate benefit over Japan?
Also, I guessing Japanese people aren’t getting checked and only foreign looking residents have to go through getting carded. Imagine one’s kids or family being subject to this. I don’t think this should be promoted or encouraged which this publication is clearly doing by putting business hours and pricing…
8 ( +10 / -2 )
Posted in: Is Japan’s custom of slurping noodles irritating, and why do people do it? See in context
I don’t mind the slurping of noodles at all as it’s the custom here. However there’s a certain subset of people that slurp EVERYTHING which is irritating. They will be eating a bowl of rice or anything for that matter and loudly suck each bite into their mouth no matter the food.
0 ( +1 / -1 )
Posted in: Ukraine-born Miss Japan relinquishes crown after reported affair See in context
This is a situation of "everyone sucks here."
But one does notice that Japanese society seems to put pressure on the woman to take the fall in these types of cases. In my company I have seen several cases where women employees were pressured into quietly resigning due to affair situations while the male employees actually cheating on their spouses were pretty much allowed to carry on free of any criticism.
5 ( +6 / -1 )
Posted in: How Mexico City influenced the icy Alaska mystery of 'True Detective: Night Country' See in context
Somewhere along the line True Detective became Pretentious Detective.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Fire destroys JAL plane after collision with coast guard aircraft at Haneda; 5 dead See in context
Alan Harrison Today 04:48 am JST
BBC coverage of this incident is, at the moment, focused on the professionalism of the pilot, crew and firefighters, along with sympathy for the five killed. (BBC news has described it as a miracle that all passengers were evacuated).
Sad that people are speculating who is to blame at this time.
While the above is important, it’s not unreasonable for people to want answers and know who or what was at fault for the loss of the crew’s life and endangerment of 379 passengers.
1 ( +2 / -1 )
Posted in: Accused train groper claims he has been arrested on trumped-up charge See in context
…saying he has been arrested on a trumped to charge.
The correct expression is “trumped up.”
Moderator: Thanks for spotting that. It has been corrected.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Controversial U.S. livestreamer 'Johnny Somali' arrested in Osaka See in context
A nice stint in a Japanese prison followed by a unceremonious deportation and lifetime ban from entering Japan would the minimum I would hope for these scumbags.
-1 ( +3 / -4 )
Posted in: New Trauma Curry retort pouches are traumatic…in the best sense of the word See in context
Ok for the domestic audience I suppose, but I would not try to market "Trauma Curry" to an English speaking audience any time soon. Overall this is just an example of poorly thought out branding combined with a throwaway design that's typical of most mediocre agencies in Japan.
-1 ( +0 / -1 )
Posted in: For climate activists, New York's lights shine too bright See in context
This is one of the consequences of having large cities. However noble the cause, removing outdoor lighting could have unintended consequences.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Kishida, in U.N. speech, vows to spend ¥3 bil to help achieve world without nuclear weapons See in context
Basically he needed some excuse for an otherwise meaningless visit to the UN.
No doubt his staff came up with this one in the eleventh hour.
0 ( +2 / -2 )
Posted in: Tokyo’s newest ultra-cheap, no-barista cafe has a secret See in context
zulanderJuly 20 12:43 pm JST
I've never found UCC beans that are even remotely fresh.
As I like to say Ueshima Commodity Coffee.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: NATO leaders send mixed messages in Japan office controversy See in context
Maybe they should create an Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization or IPTO as a new entity. Charter members could include India, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore, USA to name a few.
7 ( +11 / -4 )
Posted in: Does capital punishment make Japan a 'barbaric' country? See in context
Oshima's Koshikei (Death by Hanging) is an excellent film that examines the death penalty as well as guilt and justice. Truly a masterpiece of Japanese film. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in this topic.
-1 ( +1 / -2 )
Posted in: WHO fires Japanese director in Asia, accused of racist misconduct See in context
A disgrace to be sure. Unfortunately, these types still pervade many corporate and governmental organizations. I had to report one such person for making racist remarks in our US office but they just covered the repeated incidents up and quietly transferred him back to a management position in Japan.
8 ( +16 / -8 )
Posted in: Message to foreigners at Japanese convenience store sparks controversy online See in context
I worked at chain restaurants in Japan for a couple of years when I was younger and plenty of Japanese customers would point their finger at menu pictures and say "kore" when ordering (this would happen to both me and my Japanese co-workers) - so I'm kind of surprised to see combini staff get flustered by that kind of behavior. Also, they probably have a customer service manual that instructs them to confirm the item before taking the nikuman and packaging it (like how they are trained at McDonalds to point at the counter menu to confirm foreigners' orders)...
5 ( +5 / -0 )
Posted in: KFC releases overflowing lobster fillet burger for winter in Japan See in context
Hmmm...the product seems ok but the product photography is quite unnatural and feels kind of gross.
0 ( +1 / -1 )
Posted in: One of Japan’s best revolving sushi chains lets you check online if your favorite fish is in stock See in context
This is actually an excellent feature.
I would easily say that Sushiro is the top in quality of the major inexpensive kaitenzushi chains followed by Hamazushi. Kura strikes me as gimmicky and low-quality. Kappa is also quite mediocre - and it also turned out their CEO Tanabe-san was arrested....
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Sushi fans mark your calendars! All sushi is half off in unprecedented Kappa Sushi one-day offer See in context
Now their CEO was arrested. This guy was actually in the US for a while when he worked at his old company. I have heard stories that he was arrogant, entitled, and regularly mistreated restaurant waitstaff and service workers wherever he went.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: At 50, TV's ‘The Waltons’ still stirs fans’ love, nostalgia See in context
Among the Waltons, Walton Simons was always the most influential.
-1 ( +0 / -1 )
Posted in: World’s first Takoyaki Guitar created in Japan; features a gas grill and octopus balls See in context
In 2022 Yamano music gave us the Takoyaki Guitar- and we gave it back, almost immediately.
1 ( +2 / -1 )
Posted in: Japan protests Chinese navy sailing near disputed islands See in context
How very regrettable.
-6 ( +0 / -6 )
Posted in: Another prosecutor resigns in latest fallout from Justice Department turmoil over NYC mayor's case
Posted in: Anger, chaos and confusion in U.S. take hold as federal workers face mass layoffs
Posted in: After scrapping Honda merger, Nissan may struggle to find new partner
Posted in: Musk's tactics frustrate some White House senior officials