thywillbedone comments

It is erroneous in the extreme to say that Japanese dislike this PSY fellow because he is Korean. Korean television dramas are held in very high regards here in Japan, and have a large and devoted fan base among middle aged and older viewers. As for youth oriented entertainment, I was recently in Akihabara, and I saw a massive throng of young girls and women in queue for an event. As I passed by, I asked one of the women what she was waiting to see, and she told me a Korean singer was holding a fan appreciation even, and she waiting for her chance to meet see him.

As for PSY's lack of traction in Japan, who knows the reason? It would make for an interesting discussion, but any suggestion that it has to do with his being Korean is wrong imho.

I often wonder why there is no cheese in Chinese cuisine. Not everything is liked everywhere.

"A child's cry is part of the human music", my friend said to me. After that, I've come to find delight in hearing a child cry, even though I know we must find the cause, and comfort him or her without frustration. How is it my friend was so enlightened to say something like this, and others resort to violence? It is a mystery.

Yes chucky3176. In your country, and in my home county it would newsworthy if a day passed without shoplifting from an airport store. In Japan, petty crime is definitely newsworthy, thankfully so.

It would be helpful if this topic was discussed with less euphemistic acronyms such as NEET or SNEP. I understand it is part of Japan's refined culture to discuss these problems as politely and delicately as possible, and people don't want to imply that the parents share blame. The use of more accurately descriptive adjectives and nouns to describe these selfish lazy, irresponsible, leach-like, slovenly dependent bums, might help to effect positive change, because addressing the problem with correct language is essential to finding a solution.

What's the big fuss? 100yen/dollar has been a historic average for decades. 80yen/dollar was a 3 year anomaly. This is just means regression. When you see 120yen/dollar, short the dollar with both hands (ie buy the yen), and when you see 78yen/dollar, short the yen (ie, buy the dollar). Easier than putting off a trip to the gym.

There used to be a really great Japan-bashing music video on Youtube by a Chinese hip hop artist. The video was well produced, clever, and the level of hate-spewing toward Japan was so exquisite and rich. I would watch it with some of my Western friend and the only impression we were left with was that that the video was actually trying to make Chinese people look like they suffered from a debilitating inferiority complex. I have not been able to find that video on Youtube in the last few years though I've tried many times.

I can only guess that the Chinese government, or other concerned Chinese people, prudently figured out that this constant Japan-bashing does absolutely nothing to harm the image of Japan, but does wonders for making Chinese seem primitive and backwards to Westerners, thus, the video seems to have vanished from the internet. It's a pity I did not have to forethought to record it for posterity.

I would like to promote a festival in Japan and other countries showing these hilarious Japan-bashing fantasy films. I've seen one of them recently. I am sure cosmopolitan, educated Chinese would cringe in shame if the rest of the civilized world could see the kind of hate mongering rubbish which is produced in their country in these modern times, and the fact that many of their country men seem to love this kind of vulgar trash which in reality, insults the Chinese themselves, and makes them appear imbecilic to non-Chinese viewers.

Kazuaki Shimazaki, thanks for your well written response. What you said about China's relative strength vis a vis Vietnam is certainly true at present, but China would be foolish in the extreme to make any aggressive move against VN because VN has a white-hot loathing hatred of China, and would not hesitate for a micro-second to engage China in a hot war, even if it were suicidal for her to do so. VN regards China as an existential threat, and has a 1000 year history of resisting Chinese imperialism, and the world now sees that the era of Chinese expansionist ambition is not over. The rest of the world will not stand still.

NeonFraction: great comment and observation. Lolita fashion is anti-sexual if anything. They wear more clothes and cover more skin than a burqa clad Wahhabi. It's just an interesting and wonderful arrangement of garments. I admire the women who do this seriously, and I sometime think of them as modernized Maiko and Geisha insofar as their pleasant visual and aesthetic impact on the urban landscape. We are fortunate to witness these dedicated and creative women here in Japan.

The reason China is continuously making these outrageous territorial claims is simple: China is hemmed in on all sides. Of course China has a very long coastline to the southeast, but her navy will always be sitting ducks for land based assets of Korea and Japan to the east, Vietnam and the Philippines to the south, who are all just minutes out to sea from China's coast. Just look at a map. China can never be a major sea power as a result. All her surface vessels would be at the bottom of the sea 30 minutes after any major sea battle. China has pushed all her neighbor into the arms of the United States. Vietnam would not shy way from a hot war with China, and soon, the Koreans will finally figure out it is China that is propping up North Korea, and causing their country to be fractured. China would dare not embark on any sea invasion of her neighbors, mainly, because it is impossible, and finally, and the world would finally lose it's irrational deference towards China, and the rich ruling elite know this.

I love reading the pretentious highbrow put downs of Kyari here. It's amazing how anyone thinks that reporting what they like or don't like means anything to anyone else. Kyari is tremendously popular around the world for simply wearing decora cloths and lip-syncing catchy cute songs. That just seems to annoy some people who can't seem to keep themselves from watching Kayri Pamyu, and offending their delicate cultural sensitivities. A pity.

I'm a bit chagrined to read comments from Canucks that safety in Canada had deteriorated. That certainly wasn't my impression, but I haven't been there for over 10 years.

Does anyone know the derivation of the word "ランドセル (randoseru)", the school packs used by Japanese children? It sounds like a loan word to me, but nobody I know can confirm that.

Google this for copious details about the perpetrator: 大阪2児餓死事件

Smithinjapan - Japan cannot be embarrassed by this, because everyone else on the world stage thinks the Chinese and Koreans are suffering from an inferiority complex for constantly bringing up a dead issue. Everyone else sees this.

Germany is often held up as an example of a remorseful and contrite country, and thus the other European countries don't harp on Germany. That's a laugh - Euro history is so convoluted, with so much blame shared by all sides, that anyone thinking such a thing is embarrassingly naive and stupid about modern European history. Japan is right to just ignore this whole "comfort women" non-sense.

It's tough, and judgment must be withheld. We have a family-friend situation - the daughter is severely mentally handicapped, and flails wildly if not drugged - while medicated, she is in a noticeable stupor, drooling, defecating in diapers,and incapacitated - this is the constant situation - either wild flailing, or drugged stupor. We've been close to them for 30 years. Now, the parents are in their mid 70s, and daughter is a robust, physically strong mid-30s adult, that must be spoon feed like a teething baby, and diaper changed, but unlike a baby must be restrained and drugged daily.

The only thing we ever think about in their context is what will become of the girl when the parents become infirm, and are gone. I admire the parents greatly, though we think the unthinkable and unmentionable always, the same you.

Novenachama, your comment was very nicely written. There are many fanatic comments on this article. I enjoyed nearly all of them very much.

Mark BradleyOct. 04, 2012 - 01:17PM JST ...For example, some kind of radar that could detect a collision and then generate a large blast of compressed air that would deflect a jumper out of the way, potentially back onto the platform.

Mark - I can't get your "Radar - Air Blast" suicide avoidance system idea out of my head. One second I'm despondent, standing on the track waiting to be pulverized by the train, and the next, I'm blasted by compressed air back onto unto the platform.

I'm thinking an air blast powerful enough to blow an adult body out of the way of a speeding train might cause as much carnage as the train itself, and probably more collateral damage. Anyway, I give you much credit for imagination, that's for sure.

The reason China is stoking this issues is because she needs unencumbered access to the sea. It may appear China as sea access, but she does not have free strategic military access. Just look at a map. China is hemmed in, starting clockwise from the direct south, by Southeast Asia (Viet Nam, Myanmar) , then India to the south-west, and to the direct west, by all the Islamic "...stan" countries, and to the north Mongolia, and to the north east, by Russia. So, China's access to the sea is via her east and south eastern coastline. However, look closely. The south-eastern part is surrounded by Philippines/Indonesian Islands chains, and to the direct east, it is dotted by the southern islands of the Japan archipelago.

If the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan are hostile, China's navy is sitting ducks to land based military assets. The Chinese navy would have to maneuver through very narrow channels to access Chinese territory. Thus, China's ability to project major naval power is limited because it lacks untrammeled access to the sea. China is challenging Japan's claim to her southern-most islands for this reason, because they are a the biggest impediment to China's free military access to the sea.

"Über..." (I know it's German but it's been adopted in the USA to replace "very") "baby bump" Misuse of: "that begs the question..."

Hansaram, let us return to the topic, a Nuclear Armed Japan. It is necessary for Japan to possess nukes, because your Chinese government has indoctrinated her population to hate modern Japanese people. They do this by constantly trying to link "Japanese" and "war crimes". Many countries committed war crimes, including China.

As this indoctrination is so clearly entrenched, and the irrational hatred of modern Japanese is so prevalent in China, it is foolish for Japan to not have nuclear weapons. So, I will say it for the JT moderator: Back on topic please.

Those posting that Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is a Lady Gaga wannabe are either hopelessly America-centric, painfully frumpy haters of both artist, or simply negative about everything new and fresh.

Lady Gaga is naturally brilliant, yes, but so is Kyary in a totally different way - she is no rip off artist. She is a 100% genuine exponent of a totally Japanese, home grown decora culture and this has a tremendous world-wide appeal among young people (and many older people too).

So, stop your matronly, culturally pretentious finger waving and disapproval, watch Pon Pon Pon, and have a good time like the rest of us.

I think she's the real deal - very fun to watch - not contrived. Her popularity grew naturally.

"Mother" and "Father" will eventually become obsolete designations. "Parent" suffices for any and all persons who take responsibility for raising a child. The shape of ones organs is irrelevant to this noble calling.

I'm from the US, and nearly the exact height/weight as the writer (5`10"/175lbs), and in no way do I sense that I'm taller than Japanese people in general. I see many local men and women as tall as, or taller than me, thus, I feel quite average in height, although I do feel a few kilos heavier.

Fragging might be in order. These guys bring shame upon the rest.

yawn

It is probably not so much as a desire to prevent Japanese from visiting red china, but a desire to shield the Taiwanese musicians from a likely first-hand display of vulgarity from Chinese audience members.

This of course would leave the Taiwanese with no uncertainty about the level of barbarity of their mainland China cousins, and cause the refined & cultured nature of their Japanese fellow musicians shine that much more brightly, as it does for us in the West.

Also, since when do Japanese need visa to visit China? I though they were issued automatically for 30 days. Anyway, no not visit China is NO loss for anyone.

Any Japanese parent that allows their child to consume food imported from China is guilty of child endangerment. This has nothing to do with the island conflict, or the threat of food terrorism. Chinese themselves are poised by Chinese food. Don't forget the 2008 Chinese milk scandal where Chinese dairy producers were adding industrial chemical to milk - You are INSANE if you knowingly consume Chinese sourced food.