tonttu2012 comments

People simply prefer to believe what they think is less disturbing. You want to believe someone who "scientifically predicts" that no "major earthquake" will likely happen in the next fifty years, but are ready to criticize if someone "unscientifically claims" that the next one may hit Japan by 2020 insisting that there is no such thing as earthquake prediction.

Thanks to Mr Snowden, we all know that it's not lonely crackers that are dangerous, but those insiders who have legitimate access to the database. The perp says he didn't know he had Benesse's data, and the buyer, Justsystems, says they didn't know they were buying Benesse's data. And Benesse's says it didn't know that its subcontractor was outsourcing their jobs to a third company. I am outrageous.

No one I know can ever afford a room like the picture above at home. This is like showing a room in a rich aristocrat's or merchant's residence with a caption that claims as if it used to be a typical residential room in Europe.

The police probably has spent a huge amount of money and time just to locate a single cat in Enoshima and a single smart phone somewhere near the Arakawa River bank. This all seems to imply that the police and the prosecutors have got no convincing piece of evidence against the hacker yet. They are desperate.

It seems that "economic policy" is synonymous with manipulation of mass psychology by means of numbers and statistics. It's superior to fortune-telling based on intuition and contemplation. Speculation is the common denominator.

Hope their meeting was so historic that Mr Obama will miss Tsukiji''s sushi and want to visit the restaurant the second time as a tourist.

I wish those 'baby cars' were smaller.

As a Japanese, I just don't understand why Emperor Showa failed to apologize to the Korean women. That would have solved the issue decades ago.

What is the annual growth in the total population of foreigners? In case 8% is greater than that, this story is not good news.

Don't forget that ethnic Russians are not indigenous to Crimea. Russians are latecomers in many parts of the former Russian Empire. The British Empire has been relatively easy to disintegrate, because most of its fomer colonies are overseas. The disintegration of the Russian Empire is much more difficult, because its colonies are in what Russia calls "Near Abroad."

Mao Asada failed us. Period.

Call it "Nippon" in English, but "Nihon" in Japanese. For example, "nippongo," "nipponshoku," etc. sound bizarre and "nipponjin", "nippon bunka," etc. nationalist in Japanese. Romaji is not here for us native speakers of Japanese, but there for non-speakers of Japanese, so "Nippon Ginko" is OK.

It is regrettable that the state of Virginia has decided to permit their school children to think that the Pacific Ocean together with the Sea of Japan lies to the EAST of the United States. Personally I will never ever call the Sea of Japan "the East Sea" because in my view it still lies to the NORTH-WEST of the Japanese Archipellago rather than to the east thereof.

Japan cannot afford to have such an "inexperienced" mediocrity at the top of its national broadcasting cooperation.

I was born in Japan and am a permanentti resident in Tokyo. I have been a client of NTT all my life. I just don't understand way I am discriminated against vis-à-vis temporary visitors.

Tell me who on earth is Mme Riri. A Japanese expat living in Japan? Sorry for my ignorance, but I have never heard of such a name.

No use arguing whether Japan has apologized or not. The difference between the two former "war-criminal" states is evident: neighbors don't trust Japan in East Asia, whereas Germany is relied upon in the EU, Japan should seriously consider where and how things went wrong in its post-WWII history. One thing is absolutely clear: "reviving" the country in its pre-WWII regime is not a solution. We cannot afford to allow Abe to make history repeat itself.

I still don't understand why 'New Lagoon' becomes 'Eternal Force Blizzard.' By the same (il)logic, Iwate could become 'Golden Hand.' Incidentally Fukushima means 'Good Luck Island.' Both Fuku-i and Fuku-shima are associated with nuclear power plants.

Those women simply remind me of "obatarians." The word was first used in the mid-80s, but the phenomenon it refers to apparently dates much farther back. For those who read Japanese, see http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AA%E3%83%90%E3%82%BF%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2%E3%83%B3

will advise the conservative prime minister on policies affecting women,

Isn't this a clear instance of sexism?

Instead of criticizing the Koreans and complaining about President Park's view, it is time for us Japanese to contemplate why Japan has totally failed to become a Germany in East Asia. The Germans used be as barbaric in Europe and Russia as the Japanese in East Asia and the Pacific. The Japanese have a lot to learn from the Germans.

Here's a proposal for McDonald's: Put a touchscreen at the entrance and ask each customer to confirm that they are not a homeless just the way you are asked to confirm you are over 20 when buying sake at a Lawson.

"11 cases of people falling off station platforms while texting occurred nationwide in 2010, and the figure rose to 18 in 2011." -- Is this particularly alarming?

To distrust the U.S. government and military, which I do, is one thing, and to hate or dislike the Americans as a nation, which I don't, is another. It is unfortunate that people in China don't seem to know the difference. They should know that many, if not all, of us Japanese do not trust our government much the same way they don't theirs. The reason we can NOT hate the Americans is simple: we can talk about history with some of them without us nor them ever getting emotional toward each other.

If I am not mistaken, the New Oxford American Ditionary recognizes "salaryman, pl. salarymen" as an American English word.and "coin laundry" and "morning call", for example, are legitimate words in Standard Japanese English. To hell with purists! English is after all an international language, which means it is not a property of the descendants of the Anglo-Saxons who colonized the island calle "Britain."

Whiskeysour san. In Japanese language media the hospital was identified as Takashimadaira Chuo Sogo Byoin, Itabashi-ku. Since I am an Itabashi resident, I know where it is.

Good news! Only Ishihara & co want the Olympics to Tokyo. I hate the public money being wasted on this crazy campaign initiated by Ishihara. After those days of anti-Japan terrorism, I am relieved to find that there is still something I can thank China for.