Posted in: Man arrested for biting female bar employee's finger, punching her in the cheek See in context
Where I live, he'd have been arrested in the hospital later, where the other bar patrons would have sent him.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Trump elected U.S. president in stunning comeback See in context
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3 ( +8 / -5 )
Posted in: Japanese job-hunters reportedly dismayed by requests for 'photos showing who you are as a person' See in context
I enjoyed my time on JET, and I love our yearly family visits there.
But why the hell anyone from a Western country with job prospects beyond Starbucks would want to live long-term in Japan is beyond me.
-8 ( +5 / -13 )
Posted in: Man arrested for hugging woman after she gets into her car See in context
I saw a drunk salaryman do basically just that on a street in Fukushima years ago. I gave him a big "Oi !!!" and started marching toward him like I meant business, and he scampered away.
Makes me wonder, though... In this story a man physically subdued him until police arrived. Had a gaijin been the subduer, would the story read the same, or would the gaijin have been in trouble for assault and/or holding someone against their will?
-4 ( +1 / -5 )
Posted in: Trump boards a garbage truck to draw attention to Biden remark See in context
I’m not a huge Trump fan, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to sitting back with a good IPA next week after he wins and watching some YouTube montages of liberals going absolutely bananas.
-6 ( +6 / -12 )
Posted in: Foreigner accidentally allowed to vote in Japanese election; ballot will remain valid See in context
@tokyo_m
I don't think I was unclear, but I'll explain it just for you:
"People in our positions in our home countries" refers to foreign residents who are not naturalized, but who are rather there on non-permanent work or educational visas.
And yes, I am assuming that that is the status of most here who are complaining, because if they were naturalized, they would be able to vote and wouldn't be complaining.
0 ( +3 / -3 )
Posted in: Foreigner accidentally allowed to vote in Japanese election; ballot will remain valid See in context
It’s fun to sit here and pretend that we, mostly educated white people from Western countries, are getting our turns in the sun to be some kind of minority civil right victims, we aren’t Rosa Parks; we are guests. This is not our country, and if we’re unsatisfied with that, we can pack up and go back to where we came from.
Don’t like it? Go take the oath of citizenship and give up your foreign passport. If you aren’t willing to do that, you shouldn’t be able to vote. Voting is for birthright and nationalized citizens. People in our positions shouldn’t be able to vote in our home countries, and we shouldn’t be able to vote here.
-2 ( +7 / -9 )
Posted in: 'Luffy’ gang member goes on trial for robbery, murder of 90-year-old woman See in context
I hope the cops tuned him up real good when he was in custody.
"He only had 2 teeth when we arrested him, your honor."
2 ( +4 / -2 )
Posted in: Ishiba pledges to bring back abductees from N Korea in 1st meeting with families See in context
Good luck with that.
4 ( +4 / -0 )
Posted in: Cross-dressing man arrested for entering women's changing room at bathhouse See in context
In Japan, he’s a criminal.
In the US, he’s brave and beautiful (or some bollocks).
The majority of Americans think this should be a crime, too, but nobody dares to say anything because the progressive patrol will try to come after you and get you fired for daring to disagree with them. People who identify as very liberal make up about 9% of the US adult population, but they have the other 90% or so walking on eggshells, and they basically control the media.
I’m glad to see that Japan has common sense yet.
6 ( +17 / -11 )
Posted in: Japan slips to 4th in Asia-Pacific power ranking: think tank See in context
Oh no!
Quick! We need to make at least 50 more UN World Heritage sites by the end of the year so people notice us!
-10 ( +7 / -17 )
Posted in: Police officer from Aomori arrested for assaulting man in front of Sendai Station See in context
Well I bet the 19 year old will never say that to anyone again…
-7 ( +1 / -8 )
Posted in: Police step up patrols against prostitutes in Tokyo park See in context
Great. So now what are we supposed to do? There's no way I'm paying soapland prices.
5 ( +8 / -3 )
Posted in: U.S. helicopter makes emergency landing on beach in Kanagawa See in context
Yet another manifestation of lack of discipline and professionalism by the US military. America’s best and brightest do not go into the armed forces.
@Meiyouwanti - How's that? Make a statement, back it up.
3 ( +7 / -4 )
Posted in: Kyoto is so swamped with tourists that it has started a program to solicit donations from foreign visitors to help pay for the upkeep of temples, shrines and Zen gardens. Do you think this is a good idea? See in context
It's better than a 2% temple surcharge on hotel stays, I guess.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan real wages log 1st fall in 3 months amid continued price rises See in context
It's been easy to visit Japan these past several years from the US and be overjoyed at how far the dollar goes, but anyone with family in Japan knows that Japanese folks are generally having a tough time at it. It's amazing how little most Japanese people earn at their jobs.
Even JET hasn't had much of a pay increase in the 20 years since I was on it. Eikaiwa jobs? Forget about it. Sometimes I poke around on the Gaijinpot job ads that pop up here, and an English monkey gig pays like $20K US per year now. Good luck with those Christmas trips to Thailand, or trying to get into skiing or snowboarding, complete with a small car to get you to the mountain.... the types of things that were once all staples of living and working in Japan for a few years a generation ago. You'd be lucky if you even can afford to go party every weekend on those wages.
-1 ( +5 / -6 )
Posted in: Japan voted Best Country in world for 2nd year in a row in Conde Nast Traveler poll See in context
I can think of about six best countries in the world off the top of my head, and I’m not even as well-traveled as some. Japan is on that list though, for sure.
-6 ( +6 / -12 )
Posted in: Israel begins Lebanon ground invasion with 'limited' raids on Hezbollah See in context
Welp, all I know about that leader of Hezbollah guy is I bet he won't try that again.
1 ( +3 / -2 )
Posted in: Are you satisfied with the service the airline industry generally delivers on planes and at airports? See in context
I'm satisfied. We can get to the other side of the planet in less than a day for short money. We're in the small sliver of human history where that's possible, and we shouldn't;t take that for granted. It's a bus with wings. Bring your snacks, bring your book, and hunker in.
For what it's worth, Air France has the worst food in coach. Who'd have thought. Still, I can get to France in 6 hours so they can serve cat food for all I care.
3 ( +5 / -2 )
Posted in: Marley Brothers upholds father's legacy with first tour in 2 decades See in context
Love this.
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: Three 16-year-old boys arrested for throwing fireworks at police station See in context
They should claim they did it because they were mad about the patriarchy and intersectionality.
Here in the US, that would get them released on a $10 surety bond, and then they'd eventually have their cases thrown out.
1 ( +2 / -1 )
Posted in: Japan's longest-serving death row prisoner seeks acquittal in retrial See in context
Just remember, allowing the prosecutors and the MOJ to save face is much more important than letting an innocent man on death row get another shake at it.
-3 ( +7 / -10 )
Posted in: Japan ruling party to hold unpredictable vote for next leader on Friday See in context
$50 bucks says they go with the guy in the middle. He looks like just another boring old man afraid of new ideas, so he'll be great as a Japanese PM.
No way in hell is Japan going to let a woman run things, too threatening for the status quo. NO WAY.
And Koizumi's kid won't get it, either. Equally threatening with young, fresh ideas. Can't have that.
Old bespectacled bald guy all the way. (slams a crispy $50 bill on the table)
-3 ( +6 / -9 )
Posted in: Japan's revised laws criminalizing cannabis use to take effect Dec 12 See in context
My college-aged niece is your run-of-the-mill normal, good Japanese kid. She studies hard, doesn't really party, follows the rules, and being a Disneyland officionado is probably the biggest facet of her identity. Her friends, many of whom I've met in Japan, seem similar.
She came to the US for a solo visit not long ago, and was constantly exposed to weed, as you can smell it being smoked all over and you see the dispensary stores all over. She asked what the smell was as she didn't know, and then she smelled it everywhere. Especially Boston and NYC.
I asked her if she ever came across it in Japan, and she said that she has friends who smoke weed. I asked if this was unusual, and she thought that it was somewhat common in her generation. That's a big shift from when I lived in Japan about 20 years ago, when a mere question about weed would trigger the usual responses of "abunai!" and "kowai!". I was lucky to include in my friendship circles a local band of hippies so I always had weed to smoke, but they were unusual.
So the times they are a-changin'. I wouldn't be surprised to see decriminalization continue to advance, as the old guard dies off and the younger generation begins to take the reins of power. The number of young Japanese travelers who take advantage of legal cannabis on trips to North America aren't few, and it's hard to try it and not realize that you've been lied to with all the hype about how evil and dangerous it is. And those laws don't go unnoticed in Japan, where social trends tend to somewhat mirror those in the US by 10-20 years or so (think non-smoking sections in restaurants).
Weed is coming to Japan, like it or not.
-2 ( +3 / -5 )
Posted in: JR East to operate self-driving bullet trains on some sections in FY2028 See in context
It's going to work, and it's not going to have a big impact on the economy. There probably aren't more than 1,000 "drivers". Still, that kind of sucks. Safer? Sure, perhaps, but there's never been a death from an accident.
It sucks because that's traditionally been a well sought after job, something lots of kids aspire to be, as a dream similar to the kids who want to be pilots (another profession likely to automate in coming decades.
3 ( +4 / -1 )
Posted in: Mother gets 10 years for fatal child abuse of 6-year-old daughter See in context
Only 10 years?!?
I hope someone shanks her in the throat in prison.
3 ( +5 / -2 )
Posted in: McDonald's ends hair color rules in Japan to attract workers See in context
I don’t know man, people with blue hair don’t wash their hands after they take a dump.
-7 ( +1 / -8 )
Posted in: 81-year-old man in Saitama City swindled out of ¥288.11 million See in context
Smart enough to make $2M, but not to keep it.
5 ( +7 / -2 )
Posted in: Australia plans age limit to ban children from social media See in context
I like the idea, but good luck policing that one...
5 ( +7 / -2 )
Posted in: Japan slow to cater for vegetarians despite growing demand See in context
Stay home if you don't like it.
-3 ( +3 / -6 )
Everyone's going to blame this to Japan again
Posted in: Vietnamese boy killed in car-crane truck collision in Nagoya
Posted in: WHO members' pandemic accord talks to spill into 2025
Japan should reciprocate and sample water being discharged by Chinese nuclear power stations
Posted in: China to conduct sampling of treated water at Fukushima nuclear plant
There is no room for racism in football or any sport. Fans caught making racism need to be banned.
Posted in: Crystal Palace to investigate racial abuse of Kamada