Vanillasludge comments

I worked in a Big Boy restaurant when I was a teenager and I can tell you this happens way more than you want to know.

We had a lunatic cook who trapped a RAT (not a mouse) and deep fried it.

I quit after three weeks and as a rule never eat at chain restaurants that hide their cooking areas.

Oops..Man this quote thing messes me up

blackpassengerToday  12:20 am JST

Looks like Japan is getting better. If my memory serves me well it was around 90th place in 2004.

Congrats,

It’s a joy festival!!

bass4funkToday  04:04 pm JST

I’m happy, I can live in both countries, love Japan and the US, love Fukuoka and love Texas, it just all depends on what you make of life and how you see it, most Americans that live away from the West and East Coast and live more in middle America are happier overall. Been to Finland, nice country, but not for me. Each to his own

Ten people taking the time to down vote this very reasonable comment says a lot about “happiness” these days.

VanillasludgeToday  05:17 pm JST

We need more information to understand this headline. “Land” is pretty vague. 

Farm land? Given the plans to increase rice production that might make sense.

Sorry, to clarify what I said..Just saying prices are up across the board doesn’t mean much. Residential prices up, from what? Akiya prices?

Also, if half are up, half are not, which is not exactly a raging success.

We need more information to understand this headline. “Land” is pretty vague.

Farm land? Given the plans to increase rice production that might make sense.

Residential? I don’t see rural residential property as an enticing investment for foreigners as there is more of it available than can be used. Also, Japan isn’t on the BS “home appreciation cycle that has crippled the markets in the USA. Homes go DOWN in value here.

YubaruMar. 17  06:37 pm JST

This is why cults are so bad. 

All religions are cults, and all should be closely monitored, taxed, and kept separate from the "state". All people who join are brainwashed into believing one thing or another!

Absolutely right! A “religion” is a cult that has stuck around long enough to build a political power base. They are all just praying on people looking for direction in their lives.

GuruMickToday  07:14 am JST

Shimo San.....sounds like the time of Admiral Perry and the Black Ships, by your description.

Japan is slowly dying demographically, so need some new thinking about "foreigners

We can also consider that a decrease in population does not mean the country will end.

Japan had far fewer people than today for all of its history until the 21st century.

Population decline is an issue across the developed world. Governments and corporations need to reconsider how success is measured. Focusing on productivity per person vs gdp is a start.

One thing I can absolutely guarantee…No amount of negotiations and tarrifs will sell American trucks in Japan. They simply don’t fit the market.

America is reverting to a commodity based economy, selling natural resources and unprocessed goods. This won’t change until American workers and companies are willing to be paid what Chinese/Vietnamese/etc workers are for the same amount and quality of labor.

I’m not holding my breath waiting for that to happen.

The kind of people who are in the market for an electric car will not be impressed by Donald Trump buying one.

The kind of people who are impressed by Trump supporting Tesla are probably older, white, rural voters who are very unlikely to buy an electric car.

The type of rice Japan prefers has a lot to do with the prices.

The price of short grain rice in the USA is equal to or higher than in Japan. I wonder where this type of rice could be purchased for import at a lower cost?

Poor Elon. It’s not easy being a Bond villain.

You can replace “could” with “will”.

> 藤原Today  11:14 am 

Higher prices = Higher consumption tax revenue for the Government

This is quite correct. Also, in countries that run massive budget deficits inflation has the effect of reducing the real cost of the debt by increasing revenues and reducing the value of the debt already accumulated.

> WeiWeiToday  11:13 am 

> That is false. Wages NEVER keep up with inflation, anywhere in the world.

I encourage you to do a bit of research and you will see there have been many eras of wage growth that matched or exceeded inflation, both in Japan and elsewhere.

Inflation is a basic part of a capitalist system, particularly in a deficit economic model.

Keeping it within the guardrails of the spending power of the public is the key. Japans economy is unique in the world for its inflation resistance, to its detriment.

Inflation is only a problem if wages don’t keep up and that’s the primary issue with the economy.

Actually, the Japanese economy and resulting price increases have stagnated ridiculously since the bubble burst. (ex: I recall paying 199 yen for Meiji chocolate almonds in 1992 and they are barely above that price now.)

Incentivizing companies to increase wages relative to inflation is a way to get big corporations off the dime and regain some balance

It’s both cool and horrifying at the same time.

I’ve noticed that “over tourism” is a block by block phenomenon. Walk three blocks away from Dotonbori and it’s beautifully quiet.

Same here in Matsumoto. The Castle and the surrounding block gets the activity and after that, crickets

I suggest taking them for a visit to Kabukicho. Let’s see if their strict morals will then keep them from accepting a handout from “heathens”. I think they’ll still take the cash.

I just don’t see the Japanese government letting them fail.

They got here by running the same way Stellantis did…Bad product decisions, constant budget cuts and silly tie ups to sub-par European makers

In the US Nissan has the reputation of being the car you buy when your credit score is sub 500. That’s hard to shake even if you do start making competitive products.

I can tell you from my own business that the beginning of inflation in durable goods in America began when tariffs were levied on Chinese imports.

At the time we believed we could make up the slack with domestic production but there were simply no options that provided the quality, quantity and price the Chinese did.

The surprise was that instead of factories moving back to the USA, they popped up in Mexico and Vietnam!

Beyond cost, the quality of American labor is a big issue for manufacturers.

Even though the pay can be quite high, we have massive issues with finding workers who can pass drug tests (for hard drugs) or show up for work regularly

The way back for America is long and hard.

I’m sure everyone here knows it, but just a reminder. Tarrifs are taxes paid by the importer, not the exporter. Foreign governments will not be paying any tarrifs.

I’m not saying this won’t work because I don’t know and neither do any of the “experts”. We just need to be honest about who will take the first hits in this economic experiment.

As was explained to me quite pointedly 30 years ago, coming home half drunk and smelling like beer is not a turn on.

Only 85000 people following her is sad. She should have 3 billion followers. Unlike the sociopathic nuts the world chooses to listen to, this person speaks truth from experience.

With exchange rates so low thats a mere $1,300,000. What a value!

Brought to you by the industrial food complex. The profit in the food business is in the processing. Check out how corn oil is made and if you’re still good with eating it, good on you.

Domestically, the electric infrastructure is not ready for mass adoption of ev’s. Japan already has a shortage of generating capacity.

Toyota is one of the few automakers willing to be honest about the current viability of ev’s for the mass market

Angry old man doing his angry old man act for the saps

Is this a reprint article from 1997?

There are certainly some grumpy, unhappy people around here.

I’m sure her fans really enjoy seeing this.