nandakandamanda comments

My first summer in Japan I thought I was going crazy with the oppressive heat and the monotonous aggressive shrieking of the cicadas.

This crime has made the news surely because of its very rarity.

The only thing we can say with certainty is that bear reactions can be extremely unpredictable. So if you enter or live near the mountains of mainly Hokkaido and Honshu, then study wild bear behaviour and be prepared, but ultimately each close encounter will end with different results, and luck will surely play a part.

Too lopsided. Maybe two or three characteristically good shots from Anisimova and then masses of unforced errors. She never found her pace, and never even got warmed up. Hard to watch.

Such a shame for Anisimova, and the absence of almost any fight-back even took some of the glory out of Swiatek's win. Unbelievable anti-climax, but Anisimova definitely has what it takes (we saw that against Sabalenka a few days ago), so better luck next time around!

Disgusting, inhuman behavior just to maintain the old lie used to justify Putin's attack on Ukraine.

Edit, ...an investment or an albatross?

@kohakuebisu

Agreed, although the term akiya means any kind of currently vacant or empty house, including traditional houses like Kominka, Nihon Kaoku, Samurai Yashiki, or farming and fishing houses etc. There was a wonderful old spacious one in our previous village, but having a free-drop WC etc., it was wanting a large cash injection to balance traditional and modern, i.e. to make it comfortable for the present day. Would it have been an investment of an albatross?

Having lived in two or three Showa-era akiya rentals, I have never particularly wanted to own one.

One thing about keeping an old house, without knocking it down, is the curvy old roof beams, the woven roof supports, the intricacy of the inner sliding doors, the tatami floors, the old staircase, all the darkened traditional things around you that give your heart peace and satisfaction. Every set of sliding shoji might be of a different design, a tour-de-force, and you wonder if they could ever realistically be replaced when there are so few traditional carpenters left in Japan. For me the very age of the place is a great part of the attraction.

Pretty sure this is last-resort stuff. There have been incidences where a bear has for example entered a supermarket and caused havoc for days, but they have been unable to catch it or stop it legally any other way because it's not classified as a hunting area.

If bear spray had been effective then I do wonder why they didn't use it. Jay, are you suggestiing above that all residents of contiguous or likely areas should be carrying a canister of bear spray?

If you're exporting larger and larger quantities of domestic Japanese rice, it does kind of make sense to grow more.

Motor Racing

Wish I could have watched this race, but prior commitments and all that. Tough setback for Oscar, but well done to the team as a whole.

Ferrari cementing themselves in second place in the Constructors' Championship!

We bought one and ploughed some cash into improving it. The previous owner kind of passed us the baton, so it was mostly in full working order. If it had been abandoned for years, then the whole place might have needed stripping down and rebuilding. The key word in the question though is 'investment'. If we can hand ours on down to the next generation, then it will have been a good investment, a working household on a piece of land in a country village location, not far from amenities. We are not thinking of resale, but by keeping it in its present condition, it is eminently livable, there is potential for family holidays, and it will probably hold its value into the future. The local community seems friendly enough, but we have made certain basic efforts to integrate, like cooperating with the trash regulations, passing round the kairanban and cleaning the shrine with our designated group.

Teaching in the summer in Japan was a nightmare for finding mutually agreeable classroom temperature. Some kids throw open the windows. Despite the Don't Touch sign, with the controller set by the university at 27, others will walk in and turn the aircon down fully to 22 or below.

How is the teacher supposed to teach when no-one can feel comfortable with others' choices, and you end up with the air con on full blast and the windows wide open?

This Shinkansen weak air conditioning sounds like an interesting experimental medium, for a limited number of carriages/cars only.

Is there really any need to make this political?

It sounds as if some brave leader needs to introduce sensible gun legislation, as an absolute top priority for the U.S.

For those who did not read the article, the sap on your skin is activated by UV rays from the sun. Yesterday someone sent me horrific photos of what look to be severe burns down people's arms and legs. Like urushi poisoning, but worse.

In Japan they call it "Baikal Hana-udo."

The mountain trails around here are flanked by miles of boar fencing, with gates here and there. You need to make sure to close each gate behind you when you venture into the wild. One aluminum gate was bent and twisted and covered in mud, as if boar had been charging it, trying to break through. The single gravity latch lock did not look very secure. One farmer assured me that they are more active at night, and not to worry too much in the daytime. Nature in the mountains of Japan can be pretty harsh.

From the comments here, a good case could be made either way, but, Wallace, sometimes you do have a way with words! :-)

There are many bear sightings all the way down to Shimonoseki in Honshu, with some in Kyushu, and possibly a few remaining in Shikoku too.

Wallace, was your bear near Nishi Akashi, or Himeji, or even Ako, or further north?

Miles and miles of wire net fencing in the hills around here, but primarily to keep boar and maybe deer away from farmland, I would imagine.

With his second word he shot down any chance for peace.

"This victory..." is great for the home audience, but even when true, mirrors Iran's claim of victory, and is not a good start for diplomacy with Iran or any Iran-affiliated faction.

The grainy footage of movement on TV could have been anything. In the UK they would have said it proves the existence of the black panther.

There were two other bear sightings in the Tohoku yesterday, including a bear attack on two forestry workers.

The newscasters warned people heading to the hills to carry noise-makers, such as jingly bells.

Waterworld. Fantastic. Actually makes me kind of jealous. Wonderful journey, and congratulations on making it!

Oh, or 'necklacing'.

Kneecap could be renamed Slit-throat, or ConcreteShoes, but that would be a subtle change of political message. Grim stuff.

Taiwan cannot ‘declare’ independence anyway as they have always been independent. No need for any declaration, and no need for China to keep bringing the subject up …and then forbidding it.

If the time is right China and Taiwan might merge some day, but the Chinese government should not force it.

Forcing it would be an invasion.

Sadly we are fed-up with warmongers as said above.

Japan needs to show some kind of muscle in return, or the three chief warmongers in the vicinity will feel free to expand some more.

Typically diplomatic of Japan to do these tests in Hokkaido, though. Nuff said.

Sadly, Ossan is correct here.

(Obviously from Moscow's one-sided POV there is no dispute!)

No numbers of wounded or dead for the attacking side?

Heard some rumors as to possible cause but they stop with me.

Horrific tragedy. And so many doctors killed in the hospital buildings below. Awful.

If you are going to go the wrong way, chose something better than the Kei car illustrated! Very little crumple zone...