Liking_Japan comments

It's funny until the Secret Service knocks on your door.

I wouldn't blame this on Honda or any other Japanese car maker. Since the plug is a one time purchase it can't be compared to BETA vs VHS tapes.

However if you want to point a finger than you should point to:

Panasonic - the battery side of things.

TEPCO - the infrastructure in Japan.

ENEOS - the traditional "distributor".

Let's look at the numbers. Most of the Olympic sports encourage "participation". Team sports are are usually tournaments with 12 or more teams. So...

Softball (6 teams), Baseball (6 teams), 3x3 Basketball (8 teams)

Surfing (8 individuals)

If you can't find 12 good teams or 32 good individuals, then the sport shouldn't be in the Olympics.

People are talking about the relationship between Tokyo and the IOC. Here are 3 other things to look into.

1 - The relationship between Tokyo and Sapporo.

The vice-mayor's reaction was "It would be an honour", not "It's Tokyo's Olympics. Have the IOC and Tokyo give us a call and then we might consider it."

2 - What is in the Tokyo Olympic Contract?

Note that Tokyo doesn't pick up the full bill for the Olympics. Federal funding was guaranteed.

The Prime Minister was equally involved in the sales pitch which makes the Olympics a National Event.

I would love to see the fine print which says that the IOC can move events anyplace with suitable facilities. (Probably any venue which has ever hosted National or an Olympic Qualifying Event).

3 - HIstorical Weather for Olympic Marathons.

You can't count Rio or Sydney because they were in the opposite hemisphere. London is also not known for its heat. Atlanta's race started in the evening after the day had reached 32. Barcelona was also held in the evening. And then there was DOHA this past summer....

I forgot that Australia also requires a passport.

Japan will be joining a number of countries which require photos of passports for SIM cards. Currently a passport number is needed but no copy of a passport. (I got one for my niece last May)

Indonesia, South Africa, and Singapore require passports. Some countries require a "local" address or a "local" credit card which can be more of a hassle than a passport.

At least payment methods should be unrestricted.

This story is important because of how these people are currently are a drain on social services. If people never worked then they will need social security. These people will also need extra care that is currently provided by family members.

My biggest issue is the "Definition of Terms" - RETIRED. I define retired 3 ways:

1- Baseball players - too old to compete at the top levels. These have usually competed for over 10 years. If they competed for only a few years then they QUIT or Didn't MAKE THE CUT.

2- Reached the mandatory retirement age. This tends to be in the 60's. Some professions are younger (Air Traffic Controllers)

3- Financially independent - Stock Brokers - They have enough money to support themselves until they can receive a pension of some sort.

Therefore how are over 1/3 of these 40-64 year-old people retired. Those that worked either quit or were fired.

What do others think about the "Retirees" in this survey?

CHECK IT ALL - I would like to see the "Overhead Storage" shrunk to the size found on intercity buses. Get rid of the wheeled cases. Some people have wheeled bags plus a monster shoulder bag. If everything was checked then you'd eliminate one more thing to fight about. Don't always be envious of the people in business class - The first row's overhead is filled with emergency equipment and there is no seat in front for things to go under.

Re: Kids. There are kids in business and first class. The difference is that those who travel in business tend to be seasoned travelers. They've seen it all and have usually worked out ways to minimize the disruptions.

Re: Seats. Some airlines in the US have locked their seats upright on domestic flights. This is even true in business. I had it on red-eyes from Seattle.

Re: Japan vs World. This doesn't really count because so many people in Japan ship their baggage with Kuro-Neko (Fed-Ex). It is cheap and they find their bag(s) in their hotel room. No escalators. No stairs. No baggage check-in. No baggage claim.