Negative Nancy comments

Poor guy, his life must be torture. Dementia is an awful thing for the people themselves and of course for their loved ones. I hope Tsutomu finds some relief and closure, but I fear the worst for Yasuko.

I'm tried my hardest to maintain the things that were special to me when I was a child so my family can share and enjoy them with me. Sod everybody else and what they do. Christmas has certainly moved away from its roots and many of the associated traditions, but when it is done right, it still has the same magic. I missed out on it for a while until we had kids, and then it all felt magical again. There is nothing in the world like the magic of waking up on a freezing cold Christmas morning and having that excitement, followed by the warmth, security and comfort of being with your loved ones. If I didn't have Christmas to look forward to, I don't think I could tolerate winter at all.

I remember the event in 1991, and 'dump truck' (Konishiki) was the star at the time because he was so vast. I was only little then, but if they made enough of an impact to register with me then, they must have done well.

Its very interesting that they chose the Royal Albert Hall again. Its a beautiful building with a great atmosphere, and somehow very suitable in size and shape for sumo.

Good luck everyone, and forget the shallow, uneducated comments about 'fat people in diapers', etc. Morons are always going to be morons.

Night action is nothing to do with work! This is not news, it is tabloid tittle-tattle with a political agenda. As other have said above, there are much bigger problems in this country than this.

Honestly, I never heard of the UNESCO until I came to Japan. Have there really been tangiable benefits of promoting things as UNESCO?

Proper fish and chips.

Proper roast beef and yorkshire puddings with all the trimmings.

Licorice allsorts.

Decent sandwiches.

Good luck convincing your teenage daughter, or any Japanese woman for that matter! Meh, people like what they like. It’s like telling American guys to stop wasting their time watching MMA or wrenching around on their cars.

My wife is not interested in brands at all, thank god. I don't think I could tolerate being with someone who considers shopping to be a hobby. Such people deserve pity.

Why single out MMA as a waste of time?

Brands and fashion are the biggest scam in history. Stop buying it!

What is the pupose of the poll other than to cause a stink?

I'd love to know what the actual questions were, and how the interviewees were recruited. When this kind of information is not properly reported, it suggests that the results are meaningless.

Let's all be nice to each other and stop it with the xenophobia.

It might have been a good idea to include the list...?

i think that smart phone games have really decimated the industry. I don’t know anyone who buys these anymore. They used to have lines in front of the stores when they went on sale. Now you can get top quality interactive games from your App Store.

People don't line up for games anymore because they are bought as digital rather than on disc. My PS5 doesn't even have a disc drive. From what I understand, the market for console games and mobile games is quite different. There is a huge market for console games. Mobile games tend to be fairly basic and repetitive, and they are perfect for playing on the train, for example. Console games have two broad categories- the online genre is huge (fortnite, minecraft, etc.), while immersive, story-driven games with vast budgets (Ghost of Tsushima, Hogwarts Legacy, GTA, etc.) make up the other side. Its also interesting to note that the Japanese and Western gaming audience is also quite different.

Nonetheless, I believe the video games industry as a whole is worth, without exaggeration, more than Hollywood movies these days,

I go to precisely one of these every year. I don't personally drink alcohol at all, and I'm not particularly motivated or excited by so-called 'good food'.

However, I do see the benefit of these things. Last year, I was seated with a group of five others, three of which I had never really spoken to before. It broke the ice and I've spoken to them almost every day since. At 9pm, however, when the first party was over, I was done. Cannot be arsed to spend time or money on my coworkers.

Too much of a good thing. Every single day, and sometimes morning and afternoon, is just overkill.

The benefits- exericise, a social cricle, etc., are still there from three times a week.

My kid will be encouraged to do activities that are not connected to the school and thus not every day. I think he needs some time to relax, unwind, and to experience other things.

Very interesting about the idea of rebranding games to no longer be a exclusively a child's toy. Sony have mostly stayed on brand too, and most of their flagship games are designed with adult in mind.

I personally think gaming has exclipsed film and television and it has become a genuine artform. It took a long time for it to shake off the image of being a nerdy pastime (when that was openly frowned upon) and its a big-money industry now.

Congratulations Playstation. I think I love you.

No. The points you have made a very valid- the fear of death and torture and the systemtic nature of this treatment. Nobody in their right mind would deny how terrible it is. But the regime changed. They were granted the freedoms that are cherished by most societies, and how long did that last?

The article also mentions the ridiculous situation in America.... but people overwhelmingly voted for that particular administration... twice! Don't blame those who took power and made laws, blame those who let them!

There are a number of protesters in Afghanistan, but there are a heck of a lot more women who are complicit to their rights being removed by doing nothing at all about it. Are they really crying out for help, or do they simply prefer the lifestyle under that regime? From our point of view, the treatment of women under that regime seems barbaric and wrong, but perhaps it is not seen in the same way there owing to different cultural norms. Its good to be empathetic to people, but perhaps they don't even feel like they're in need of help?

The tree and decorations are up from December 1st to January 5th. The music also subtlely changes to Christmas music (carefully curated) throughout December, but reaching a crecendo and culminating on Christmas day itself.

Incidentally, we tend to migrate into the kotatsu about the time the tree goes up, because the tree necessitates a change of room layout. That stays until February.

Disgusting truths. Not cool, Japan.

God, the WINGING by heterosexual men who are butthurt that some women, goddess forbid, don't WANT them, is absolutely MUSIC to this bisexual feminist's ears, LOL.

Keep the comments coming, guys. You're making my day brighter!

I don't think anyone is butthurt that women are getting some external help. I applaud it. I think the issue is that it is being described in a positive way here, while it would be described in a very negative way if straight men were doing it.

What we can agree on is that marriage being some kind of special magical thing that should dissuade someone from doing whatever they like with their own body is ridiculous in 2024. I've never understood why its socially OK to go for a massage, for example, but not a 'happy-ending massage' or more?

Double standards. This kind of thing is lauded, while the heterosexual version of the exact same thing is frowned upon. I like the framing of it as healing, while for the continually repressed heterosexual male it is framed as seedy or dirty.

Its a sad state of affairs that this kind of thing is needed, but it is great that it is being used and getting recognition. Well done to all involved.

As many have commented already, its hit and miss. The larger places are OK, but some places don't even have proper pavements!

As an exceptionally tall person, I feel the need to state that there is very little accomodation for taller or larger people. I have to continually bend down to reach for things and to read things, and I don't have acccess to inward facing train seats, low-lying kotatsu tables etc. If I stand on the train, the handles are at eye-level. And don't get me started on buying clothes and shoes! These are genuine barriers to a lot of people, and not just foreign-born people either.

Another supporter here for widening the type of students- mature students could be a massive business opportunity.

We're a quarter of the way through the 21st Century. Why should we care about marriage like it is some sort of special magical thing? I hold the opinion that hanging around with younger women is the more natural and honest position than pretending you only want to be with your wife for the rest of your life. His social habits and the company he keeps have nothing at all to do with whether he would be a good politician.

I think its a logical means of avoiding the succession crises, but I totally agree that the UN should keep their noses out.

I'm curious how this is in any way related to Japan, but anyway.....

I used to love Hollywood movies. Now, I have begun to feel like they're becoming a relic of days gone by. The experience of going to the cinema, of sitting for a couple of hours and being engrossed in the world being portrayed... I just don't have time for it all now. I miss the artistry of days gone by, when things felt like they were crafted with care and love. I'm sorry Hollywood, I've fallen out of love with you. And I loved you so much!

Grow up and have a party in the proper place. History has proven that there is massive potential for a large-scale disaster by people congregating in places without proper organization. With nobody footing the bill for policing and tidying up, why should they allow such events?

What a strange article. It seems like the only thread tying it all together is the consistency of the 'woe is me' attitude in the people featured in it.

A lot of people find themselves in unhappy family situations, especially those whose jobs require unsociable hours etc. While I have my sympathy for them, there has to be a point where they have to let go of their ties and start again. If that guy's wife and children are not giving him any happiness, why didn't he just leave them properly?

Kataoka is earning 7 million and living rent free! Poor old diddums! Private education and sending your children overseas are luxuries. You have to be realistic. If its not within your means, either make the necessary changes, or put the idea out of your head. What is wifey doing? Are the kids doing part time jobs or something to help themselves?

That's a no from me. Even if i received some for free i would bin it. They are taking the hiss with those prices too! Mountains of that stuff will be incinerated after the EXPO finishes, or they will be giving it away to schoolkids.

People whose interests fall out of tthe mainstream. Thankfully, in the past several years, there has been a greater awareness and acceptance of non-mainstream interests, and the derision people once faced for having innocent hobbies has faded.