Tall Poppy comments

I was really confused when I happened to switch channels and catch this on TV, assuming it was an extended preview or something... and then it just kept going!

I might get a lot of hate from the Ghibli fanatics, but it really made me question the creative choices that led them in this direction. The studio's old-school trappings are one of their major selling points, so why you'd abandon that in favour of unexceptional CGI and give up your competitive edge is something that beats me.

Not saying it was "bad", per se, but I could hardly distinguish it from the CGI Lupin that was on a month or so earlier. Generic is not a term that has been applied in Ghibli up until this point.

A bit of knowledge, a lot of curiosity, and a passion for learning - that's all I can say on the personal front!

Interesting info, thank you! In that case I can certainly see the need for euphemistic terms in the Japanese promotional material. It doesn't work at all in translation though, and there isn't a need to soften the notion of a "red light district" in English, regardless of its legality.

I plan to watch the show at some stage (if only to see what all the fuss is about) but I have to say this insight only heightens my confusion as to why it's so popular among young children. The violence was enough to make me wonder, and now this...?

Really can't figure out what "licensed quarters" is supposed to mean without the original Japanese here. Or is this an in-universe term used in the show?

Interesting, because when the word "CLOSE" is used on doors of shops intends to mean "closed" but it actually means nearby. To totally different words.

"Close" ends up on store signs because the verb/adjective pattern in English is inconsistent (and nobody puts an ounce of effort into checking):

Verb: open close

Adj.: open closed

It's got nothing to do with being confused for the homonym "close" (meaning "near").

In fact, I am not so blessed. That's right. I don't want to go into detail of my personal situation, but I am the father of a mentally and physically disabled child and I know first hand the incompetence and stupidity that let that happen. You should presume less.

Perhaps I should, but if the presumption is that a parent is able to find worth in the existence of their child - quite apart from their ability to contribute financially to wider society - then I will wear my naivety as a sign of virtue.

Let's be honest here; what you're saying - in thinly-veiled fashion - is that it's sad that a wholesale eugenics program hasn't been adopted in the 21st century.

I quote myself below. Please tell me what part of you be you without me or us confused you:

I mean if you decide you want a baby with defects after you have been notified in advance, that's great and more power to you. But you should be the one paying, not me, and not the system which is already deep in the red.

It's this part that's fairly hard to interpret any other way:

In the 21st century its sad that seriously disabled babies are still being born and in such numbers. Japanese doctors do not even so much as recommend tests for various things, not even something as common as Down's [SIC]. And so many ultra-sound technicians are not skilled enough to notice problems.

I can't speak to the particulars of your case, nor is it in any way my place to do so (indeed, being sidelined by the mainstream is one of the hardest aspects of this to come to grips with, I'm finding), but I would ask you to extend the same courtesy to others in facing their own unique circumstances. I'm loathe to condemn anyone for how they react in such challenging circumstances.

In the 21st century its sad that seriously disabled babies are still being born and in such numbers. Japanese doctors do not even so much as recommend tests for various things, not even something as common as Down's. And so many ultra-sound technicians are not skilled enough to notice problems. And when your baby is born with unexpected defects they just shrug their shoulders and say that the system will pay for it (it pays more than you might know), as if money will compensate for your future hardship and money is growing on trees. I mean if you decide you want a baby with defects after you have been notified in advance, that's great and more power to you. But you should be the one paying, not me, and not the system which is already deep in the red.

Japan needs more kids, but obviously it needs more healthy and normal kids to carry this country forth. But, you know, matriarchal thinking being what it is....

Let's be honest here; what you're saying - in thinly-veiled fashion - is that it's sad that a wholesale eugenics program hasn't been adopted in the 21st century. Judging people according to their social and/or economic utility is dehumanising and abhorrent, regardless of their physical or mental abilities.

As a parent of just such a "special needs" child, I will merely point out the vast difference between "choosing" to have such a baby and merely coming to accept it. Count your blessings that you can never know the vast depth and breadth of hardship that parents of these children face on a daily basis, including attitudes such as your own.

Does that mean I regret any part of my situation or would change it if I could? Not a single thing about it.

If you can't see the value of such people beyond their impact on GDP, it is you who are deficient.

and? motive? more info?

You raise a good point. The nature of the Japanese prosecutorial system (i.e. leaning on suspects until they supply a confession) creates a scenario wherein offenders are basically given the power to assign whatever motive they see fit, with little questioning. That's probably why so many crimes get waved away with the old "I was stressed and wanted to let off some steam" chestnut.

When the onus is on prosecutors to investigate and present an argument regarding motive there is a chance to look deeper into individual psychology in a public forum. Whenever trends emerge it gives legislators the chance to try and address the social factors that might be leading to such offenses in the first place, with the possibility of preventing future cases.

When you allow perpetrators to self-diagnose their issues you forfeit that chance.

The government will allow only male adults from the imperial family to attend the ceremony because the Imperial Household Law stipulates that only males can ascend the throne and minor members customarily do not take part in succession rites.

Why wait to be told? Female Imperial family members should boycott any such ceremonies until their right to ascension is granted. Their status is nothing but ceremonial in nature these days, so denying half (or more) of the constituency from attending in ceremonial affairs essentially invalidates their continued existence at all.

What is a "Japanese style pub"??

Text book translation of izakaya.

One of the repeated mantras used to justify his incarceration has been the potential for him to tamper with evidence. An apartment would be one of the logical places to find such evidence (relating not just to Ghosn but to Nissan as well), so shouldn't cancelling the lease and removing his possessions also count as such?

Not having a private residence also makes him more of a flight risk in the eyes of the judges, so this seems very calculated on the part of Nissan.

Despicable.

... didn't the Japanese meteorological agency make a statement about the rainy season being over last week? I guess they were wrong!

The term "Rainy Season" is a misnomer, which is why every year results in a slew of incredulous comments on this and other notable websites. The facts are these:

Yes, there is an identifiable weather pattern that falls around the same time of the year, every year.

Yes, there are clear, appreciable signs allowing meteorologists to determine when it starts and ends.

Yes, the nature of this weather pattern makes is statistically likely to result in a higher chance of rainfall.

That last part is key, as it is only a tendency. Failure to rain does not mean that the weather pattern itself is not present and exerting influence. Obviously other weather patterns, particularly typhoons, can result in the same or greater rainfall too, which is what makes the name itself a nonsense.

Bottom line, I really wish the Japanese meteorological community would adopt some less suggestive name for the phenomenon in English, if only so we can avoid this pointless run-around each year.

Of course this is no consolation for the families of those affected by rain-related deaths. Tragic in any respect.