Willie Be comments

After 12 years here, I've become pretty desensitised to this kind of treatment. That said, I do make a point, however, to illustrate these instances to my Japanese wife. She used to brush it off but eventually, after experience situations with me, she could't deny it any more..and for those alluding that only foreigners are capable of being late to appointments/frequent cancellations, maybe I'm associating with a different group of Japanese people(hehe) cause they have no qualms about turning up late/flaking out.

Wow. I've read some strange rulings but this certainly is near the top.

Hopefully, this ridiculous sentence will be overturned SOON. It would be a shame if Driver B had to spend years of his life trying to recoup the cost of this nonsense much like the soccer ball kid's family.

Ironically, I would welcome the noise of children playing in the park, rather than the family living above me that insists on airing out their futon between 6am-8am on Saturday & Sundays. Having lived in Tokyo for quite a while, I can deal with the noise that accompanies the surroundings. However, I'm not so thrilled when the family insists on airing their futon at the break of dawn. Bang, bang, bang rattling my ears( lol ).

I saw her on SMAP SMAP a few weeks ago. I thought she did pretty well considering her limited Japanese. Even when the interpreter tried to jump in, she would often try to answer in Japanese on her own. Kudos for handling herself well.

As Stephen Knight & Wipeout have alluded, I'm going to assume some connection to the yakuza simply because of the graphic nature of the beating. That said, when I worked in a Japanese publishing company about 7 years ago, I saw the leader of the sales division straddling the line of discipline/bullying. One of my Japanese peers told me to "ignore" it. The top-down mentality permeates all walks of life here.

I went to boarding school in the US back in the early 90s with 2 of the 16 Moon children. I didn't know about their family background so I never really questioned why they both seemed a bit "odd." Sadly, one of his sons, Phil(can't recall his Korean name) committed suicide shortly after graduating university. After learning of his family's history, I always wondered if he simply couldn't handle the connection to his father.

I'm curious whom he was headed to meet. Anyone willing to steal a rescue vehicle to keep an appointment is up to no good. Or he's just not too bright...

The drama's pretty entertaining. I've seen far worse J-dramas throughout my time here.

for slapping a 22-year-old woman and stealing her high heel shoes and smartphone

Wel, something's clearly amiss with this dude. Not sure what he was planning to do with those heels.

I agree with everyone who say that J-dramas are a good vehicle for learning or improving one's Japanese. I'll watch them on tv and then go to one of the J-drama online sites to get the English subtitled versions. It's a great way to expand vocabulary and day-to-day vernacular.

I'm surprised the article didn't mention the famous Brazilian enclave around Oizumi in Gunma Prefecture, which is accessible by Tobu trains.

I think that's because the focus is on Tokyo-based locations. That said, you're spot on about the Brazilian population in Gunma. I lived in Gunma 10 yrs ago and would go to awesome restaurants in places like Isesaki & Ota.

Thank goodness the child survived. Hopefully, there will be someone able to help take care of the baby.

I'm glad it ended without any injury. Perhaps, he can get the help he needs.

Wow! Very sad. Naruto & One Piece are my favorite. If it does come to an end, thank you to Kishimoto san for a wonderful read.

Kei- good luck with the remaining tournaments leading up to London. I hope that you can make a showing in Shanghai this week and accumulate some additional points. Stay healthy and don't overdo it. I understand that you were somewhat injured during your Tokyo run but your commitment to qualifying for London encouraged you to play through some pain. You and your team know your body the best so please rest up and hopefully, you'll be the first Asian man to qualify for this tourney. Although I've been a big Nadal fan the last 5 to 6 years, it's great to see you making your mark on the ATP. Wishing you the best.

I'm with Vernie Jeffries. The story just gets sadder and sadder. I was going to post something as simple as that earlier today.

While I think 'HaraldBloodaxe' may have been a bit harsh in his assessment, I think he raises a point several commenters have mentioned. Wouldn't it be nice if they elderly had someone real that could hug them or talk them? I can't blame the elderly if most of their children/grandchildren have moved to urban centers and don't take the time to call, etc. If this hugging chair can bring them a little happiness and an extra smile, I don't think it's harmful. I make a point to hug my friends(Japanese, etc) and call them when I can. I've been living here 11 years and yes, at first, some of my Japanese friends were surprised by the affection but they've grown accustomed to it and now naturally do it themselves.

I didn't know of her but from the little I've read today she seemed pretty awesome. RIP and hopefully, more female politicians will have the gusto she seemed to have possessed.

It's actually quite good and I'm looking forward to Season 3. It's a fictional drama for God's sake so of course, the producers are more than welcome to push the envelope.

I lived in Fukui Prefecture 11 years ago and Tojinbo was one of the first sightseeing places I visited. To my dismay, I learned about the other side of Tojinbo. I'm so glad to hear of Shige's tireless efforts. I imagine that they're more people like him here in Japan than we hear about. My ex suffered from depression(ups/downs) and like Shige suggests sometimes the worst thing you can say is "think about the others you'll affect. " Instead, I tried my best to help my ex by improving her situation. Thankfully, she's doing much better now and has actually been able to lend an ear to others. Good Luck with your efforts, Shige!

I'm not so shocked that he was only given 4 years considering the paltry sentences that many mothers/fathers get for abusing/killing their children. We've seen several repeat offender cases there too. What will it take to make real changes to the judicial system? Perhaps, it'll take the death of a high profile police offer or politician to get people's attention.

This is great news to read this morning. There are wonderful people all over. I applaud Kaneko san and his colleagues for taking the initiative to find that bum that hurt the precious dog Oscar and endangered the life of the visually impaired man.

I'm glad Japan hasn't tried to blacklist her with the issues around her father, though they inevitably were unable to charge him with anything. I was hoping they could separate the two and it seems they have so that's my positive spin on this.

Well, it seems that the purse snatcher was clever enough to wear the most non-descript and general disguise possible. Perhaps, if he/she continues the spree, they'll stumble over during the getaway wearing that one piece.

I used to live in Fukui City, Fukui 10 years ago and Kanazawa was a 45 min Limited Express ride away. It was always quite difficult getting to Hokuriku. The Tokaido Shinkansen takes you to Maibara and then you change to a Limited Express to Fukui. This still takes about 3.5 hrs + (depending on start point within Tokyo). I wonder if they plan to extend the Shinkansen from Kanazawa to Fukui. If so, that would make the trip to Fukui a bit more manageable. Either way, this is great news. Kanazawa is known as Little Kyoto and has a lot to offer.

Yikes. Very sad news indeed. I wonder what he and his older brother were doing at the time. Either way, I pray for the family to get through this.

Wish he was smart enough to have stopped at the initial comments. Makes you wonder what sent him over the edge! Perhaps, it was the exhaustion. No excuse for his threats though.

Well, at least, his friend actually reported this to the police. I suspect there are some "friends" who actually might keep these things a secret.

Glad the older gentleman seems to be in stable condition.

To Himeros

I can understand your hesitation to make yourself stand out any more than you already do as a foreigner. I have 2 friends who lived in Toyama Prefecture years back who went through the same situation. Interestingly, they came at the same time but took opposite approaches. One did friend decided to keep his sexuality to himself, while the other was fairly open about it. My open friend received mixed reactions but overall he was treated very positively. Granted some people couldn't "understand" it but he never faced any direct discrimination, etc. They've both since moved to Tokyo and seem to be much more comfortable in this environment as there's a real community that exists, people seem much more receptive to it.

Like anything, progress takes time and Japan seems to be going in the right direction. That's a good thing.

To those posters who suggest gay people should shut up and be quiet, you miss the mark. Shutting up and hiding it only reinforces the notion that "being gay" doesn't exist.