Stewart comments

There are good and bad everywhere and I have experienced both in the Japan and the UK. One aspect that I do like here is choice - in the UK you must go to see the GP / family doctor you are registered with and they choose the hospital they might refer you to - here you can ask and shop around for the best you can get.

At last some real diplomacy. See that wasn't hard, was it?

Depends on whether the country was occupied by Nazi Germany or not - you'll find that it is crime in many countries that were occupied (+ Germany itself) but not in those that weren't (e.g. the UK) - context is everything.

In a similar situation with the girl on the train, I have asked the girl if she wants to swap seats with me - the perv usually doesn't want to chat to a 50 year old white guy and leaves.

I know it is only part of the picture but I think that elderly people working (part time or otherwise) is a good thing - far better than rotting in front of the TV until they die. It is good for them physically, psychologically and socially. My father-in-law is 73 and still works full time driving a small truck for family firm. The old folks in my village all have vegetable gardens and some have chickens, which they tend daily - all very healthy at many levels.

Never heard of this Captain EO.

On one point I agree totally - lottery tickets are a stupidity tax.

Interesting.

I have been on the other end of this is the UK working in a chain liquor store. Our cash resister was programmed from HQ hundreds of miles away so we could never vary anything. E.g. when a customer did not want their free gifts of potato chips etc I would have to ask if I could have them - the customer would say no - just ring up the beer and I could not do that because the register would not let me + at the end of the week everything would be stock checked.

Oh, and yes - a minimum wage does not get you staff that care much.

So, maybe not just Japan.

My mother-in-law was diagnosed by liver cancer and went into a coma after having 70% of her liver removed - she was then in hospital for a few weeks - of course this was followed by on going support and treatment - she died 6 years later.

Without the Japanese system we would not have coped:

she was in the public system through city hall we paid 30% of the fees each time (which for the first surgery etc was 1.3 million yen) we then got everything over 65,000 yen refunded each time (I believe it is now 85,000) through the city hall she died in hospital with dignity with her close family near her.

The treatment was kind and responsive to her needs and wishes to the extent that she attended her doctors wedding a few years into the treatment.

Overall, the Japanese system worked well and as it should.

And, when the great Olympic gravy train starts in Tokyo there will be even fewer workers heading north.

Excellent - I will eat there to express support.

Godan - interesting - I got a 100% housing loan from Mizuho but was refused by some other major banks. And I am a 51 year old English teacher + single. Perhaps they know something about me I don't.

Pay peanuts - get monkeys

1) Asking the university to punish them would be quite normal here. 2) They are legally kids til they turn 20, so they could be kids AND university students.

Maybe for the top 30 universities......better than PR to a bunch of eikaiwa teachers who happen to get married here.

Why on earth does anyone care about their spending habits being recorded...... just 'So, what'.

When I was at school in the UK, we had to pass a police run course and got our 'Cycling Proficiency Certificate' to be allowed to cycle to school - we showed to certificate to our home room teacher who gave us a sticker for our bikes. No sticker and we were stopped at the school gate and not allowed to bring the bike into the school bicycle park. Being young kids the course was fun and a good way for the police to make a good impression - it also drilled basic cycle safety and maintenance into it us at an early age.

A serious option for those without family to care for their grave.

I had this exact problem in Seoul. I was in a bar about 10pm and the Korean barman asked if I had photo ID coz from 11pm the MPs would be patrolling to catch servicemen breaking the curfew - no ID you get taken away til you can prove you are not a serviceman, as happened to a Canadian customer the previous night.

I have heard William perform several times in different sized venues and he is a consumate performer where ever he takes the stage. He handles both his audience and his music with equal care - a classic artist.