KazukoHarmony comments

Ideally but you can't even reserve anything anymore. At least not the country pavilions. We were lucky to get Italy via the lottery the first time we went - now people are waiting like 5-6 hours for that one. The second time I chose less popular ones for the lottery but still got nothing.

This first-hand account of the on-site conditions paints a very unflattering picture, especially with half of the Expo still to go.

Personally, I don’t want to be standing in long lines in this heat!

Thanks for that, Asiaman7. Surprised to see visitor numbers that include staff!

I think staff are usually included in venue attendance figures. But doing that does seem a little shady, doesn’t it?

wallace

Last year, I was able to buy new rice for ¥283/kg from a local farmer.

The non-Japanese version of the aloof, out-of-touch sacked farm minister Taku Eto.

Cue the overtourism deniers!

They’re never Japanese.

helps tackle overtourism woes

> frequently turns heads in Osaka's bustling Dotombori entertainment district

Dotombori is not overcrowded??? Really???

The Dotonbori vicinity is probably more crowded than any other downtown area in Japan!

Is this just a lot of reporters looking for a headline?

"only young women can have children."

said childbirth for women in their 60s or 70s remains extremely difficult

Difficult, if not impossible! I don’t know any women in their 60s who have had children!

So, yes, only young women — which apparently means “women under 60.” Nothing wrong with that statement.

We currently have five stadiums/grounds crammed in that limited downtown space. Does that area really need five stadiums/grounds?

The proposed plan seems best, i.e., to transition to three stadiums/grounds (which still seems like a lot), thus increasing open space and greenery percentage, while preserving the vista of Yoyogi’s ginkgo-lined street and limiting the height of buildings around those trees.

Police said Friday the deceased were Sadayoshi Imai, 85, his wife Miyoko, 85, and their son Joji, 62, a local government employee.

Society should provide a more dignified, compassionate way for elderly individuals who choose euthanasia, ensuring their final moments reflect respect, autonomy, and humanity.

The matcha boom has been fueled by online influencers like Andie Ella, who has more than 600,000 subscribers on YouTube and started her own brand of matcha products.

It’s always amusing when people claim to love matcha but go straight for strawberry or white chocolate “matcha” concoctions.

If you really appreciate matcha, you’d respect its unique bitterness and complex umami rather than masking it with sugary flavors that turn it into a dessert gimmick.

It’s like saying you love coffee but only drinking caramel frappes — you’re not tasting the real thing, just candy in disguise.

EvilBuddha

My wife demands my phone and goes through my chats regularly.

Wow, real top-shelf choice of a wife you made there. The dream partner — how lucky can one get?

If you have a girlfriend or boyfriend who suspects you of cheating and DEMANDS to see your phone, politely decline and find a new girlfriend or boyfriend.

No kicking is necessary.

Gaijinjland

They overstayed their visas. They broke the law. 

Just because someone overstays their visa doesn’t give authorities the right to unjust physical restraint.

Such action is prohibited by Japan's immigration law and violates the International Covenants on Human Rights. And that is exactly what the Japanese district court recognized.

GuruMick

Stop complaining and move to cooler mountain areas.

Completely out of touch.

Would likely be impossible for an elderly person living off ¥65,000 a month to move. They can’t afford A/C, and you’re suggesting they take on moving expenses!?

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14970236

Hard to imagine how the mentioned 78-year-old woman living off “64,000 yen a month in public pension benefits and a livelihood assistance of a little more than 1,000 yen” survives in this oppressive summer heat without A/C.

Hakuho was also handed an embarrassing demotion for failing to control the behaviour of Hokuseiho, who allegedly punched his lower-ranked stablemates and stole money from them.

How many Japanese stablemasters have been demoted for the improper behavior of their youthful wrestlers?

How much of our taxes were used?

Happy to have never read she was pregnant.

It seems the most successful couples are the ones that think, well my husband is American. I will let him be American. My wife is Japanese. I will let her be Japanese.

Wise words.

Seems like a lot of the older men claiming to have healthy long-term relationships spend an awful amount of time each day posting comments online.

Maybe that’s the secret sauce that Hilary, the writer of this article, missed.

sakurasuki

If you were to be an employee for that company would you try to find a new job and leave the company in your own terms, or just trust the official and wait for the layoff really happen to you?

I guess it depends on the employee’s age and their family and employment conditions.

But most should probably be exploring opportunities elsewhere.

Advice: If communication is a struggle, don’t marry. Find a partner with whom communication is easy.

'Unscientific' Japan megaquake rumors

Was the news source NHK?

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/3910/

Japan's mega-quake death toll estimated at about 300,000 in worst-case scenario

Tuesday April 1, 2025

A government panel has revised its damage estimate for an anticipated mega-quake in the Nankai Trough off Japan's Pacific coast. It predicts that an earthquake of up to magnitude 9 will claim about 298,000 lives. Seismologists say there is a roughly 80 percent chance of such a quake occurring in the next 30 years.

maxjapank

if you have extended family in the countryside or access to a plot of land

Thanks, but doesn’t apply to most people, does it?

@I'veSeenFootage

it's the end of "them and their dream". That's exactly why they are seeking asylum.

The pursuit of “their dream” is not an eligible reason for asylum in the US.

the Expo organizers demonstrated last week when they initially claimed to surpass 1 million “visitors” on Day 11 by including pavilion workers, media, and stakeholders. 

Your post left me curious: Does Disney include cast members in their published visitor numbers?

Google AI says “No.”

It leaves me wondering why the Expo even try such a stunt? It just seems so pathetically desperate, doesn’t it?

What a demented, controlling woman!

I hope the torture she dished out receives a punishment equivalent to what we would expect to be imposed on an awful domineering man convicted of the same offense: stealing his girlfriend’s bankbook and smartphone, hatcheting off her ring finger, and snipping off her nipple with scissors.

Cruel! Just cruel!

The organizers seem more focused on achieving certain “visitor numbers” instead of providing a remarkable “visitor experience.”

Shouldn't he be accompanied by Akie Abe, the widow of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe?

Right. If her visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence didn’t help a few months ago, why would it help now?

Snarky, snarky! @HappySmiles elicited a smile.

“Visitor satisfaction” is unfortunately lost among those consistently focused on greater attendance numbers.

Don’t take advice from serial daters (unless you want to be one).

Do take advice from people who have been able to successfully cultivate long-term partnerships.