Posted in: Brian Wilson, Beach Boys visionary leader and summer's poet laureate, dies at 82 See in context
I'd rather hear "Good Vibrations" than anything by the Beatles.
What's with all this comparison going on?
I'd rather live in a world where I can listen to the Beach Boys AND the Beatles. Because both of them give me good vibrations.
RIP Brian Wilson.
5 ( +5 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan’s most popular curry rice restaurant chain losing customers as it raises prices See in context
@commanteer
People who say they prefer the Indian, Nepali, etc. curry shops over Coco seem to miss the point. Coco is a Japanese curry shop, not an Indian curry shop. Its fine for what it is, and having 1200 shops pretty much testifies to that. But uninformed food snobbery abounds. Saying that a local Indian curry shop is better than Coco is like saying that Italian food is better than French. They are two different cuisines.
Not exactly. It's more like comparing a local Italian restaurant to Domino's Pizza. Nobody is dissing Japanese curry. They're just pointing to the fact that if you had the choice between home-made curry and mass produced curry, you might choose the chain restaurant if it were cheaper... but not if they were the same price!
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: 'Bumping men' are a uniquely Japanese class of criminals that are hard to deal with See in context
For many of these guys I think this is an expression of their insecurity, frustration or powerlessness, be it sexual, work, family or in some other sphere of their lives. There are various forms of this, and within each of those I think you'll find some of these dudes do it very intentionally whereas others aren't even fully aware they're doing it: they just feel that they own the space around them and want to challenge anyone who disagrees with them by walking in a straight line.
Of course confrontation often causes them embarrassment, and hopefully encourages to rethink their behaviour. And it makes for great anecdotes--I enjoyed all the stories in the comments! But folks, do be careful... there are some real wackos out there!
5 ( +7 / -2 )
Posted in: Nagoya pays people to stand on escalators for six hours a day See in context
Others feel that [...] the bigger cause of injuries is people running or not watching their step because they’re looking at their phone instead, and that those are the behaviors that should be prohibited instead.
This is exactly how I feel. At least the escalator walkers are watching where they're going. Some people with their eyes glued to their phones will walk random trajectories like zombies. The worst of them will crash into you, then shoot you a nasty look like it's you who should have been watching out for them coming!
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: Top court rejects claim dual nationality ban is unconstitutional See in context
No surprise, given all the baby boomers in office whose only motto is "because that's the way we've always done it." We'll have to wait for the next generation of lawmakers to get more sensible laws.
3 ( +5 / -2 )
Posted in: Saitama women arrested for dueling See in context
Legal or not, fighting "to protect one's honour" is petty and should be left in the 19th century where it belongs.
-3 ( +2 / -5 )
Posted in: Trump administration halts scheduling of new student visa appointments See in context
Welcome to Trump's America.
MAFA.
Make America Fascist Again.
7 ( +10 / -3 )
Posted in: Man jumps from apartment building, hitting cyclist in Osaka; both dead See in context
The number of people I see on a daily basis crossing the road without even bothering to look around them is horrifying. This guy chose to cross into the otherworld in the same fashion. He obviously didn't intentionally take down the cyclist, but it's involuntary manslaughter all the same (he committed an act which is an obvious endangerment to anyone nearby).
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan moves to ban Google, Apple from blocking app store competitors See in context
@owzer
I dunno. If I tried to set up my own entrance to Disneyland and charge access to visitors, I don’t think I should be allowed.
This is exactly the kind of logic Google and Apple are going to try to use. Except that it's a completely invalid analogy.
You ought to phrase it like this instead: "If I tried to sell my strawberries in the supermarket and charge money for them, I don’t think I should be allowed."
You see where this is going, right? Because that's basically what you are implying.
0 ( +1 / -1 )
Posted in: Japanese 'salarymen' inspire with cheerleading acrobatics See in context
@Speed
Interesting how this is the top National News while a WWII bomb on a college campus is second.
I'd personally much rather start my day reading an uplifting story about people inspiring others to fulfil their dreams, think outside the box and look beyond their mundane boundaries. Wouldn't you?
5 ( +9 / -4 )
Posted in: China to release movie on Japan biological warfare unit in summer See in context
Japan should reply by making a documentary about how China systematically tortures its political prisoners. This is something that happens now, and on a daily basis, not 80 years ago. The hypocrisy of the CCP knows no bounds.
2 ( +3 / -1 )
Posted in: Global warming may stop summer school sports in Japan from 2060s See in context
Funny how for the people who think global warming is a hoax, it's a political issue rather than a scientific one. Some of these people must have had a smart person back in their school days who outshone them, and now they're forever mistrustful of anyone with an ounce of intelligence. Anti-intellectualism at its finest!!
-1 ( +4 / -5 )
Posted in: U.S. to screen social media of immigrants, visa applicants See in context
...for what it called antisemitic activity
...has attempted to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests
Being antisemitic and being pro-Palestinian are two entirely different things.
Saying they are the same is called fascism.
1 ( +2 / -1 )
Posted in: Musk calls Trump aide Navarro 'dumber than a sack of bricks' in tariff spat See in context
I thought Musk only had the vocabulary of a third grader. I was wrong: he's been bumped up to fourth grade!
11 ( +13 / -2 )
Posted in: Trump praises Ohtani in celebrating Dodgers World Series championship See in context
@JJE
Winners unite
Ohtani is a winner. Trump is not.
8 ( +10 / -2 )
Posted in: Unification Church appeals Japan court's decision to revoke legal status See in context
Headline should read, "Unification Church appeals Japan court's decision so that it can continue to extort large sums of money from its most gullible members."
4 ( +6 / -2 )
Posted in: Cherry blossoms, free visas and stronger ruble see Russians flock to Japan See in context
It's not fair to dehumanise an entire population based on the decisions of their leader. If anything, promoting friendly relations between normal citizens will have positive long-term effects.
-4 ( +7 / -11 )
Posted in: At least 176 harassment cases reported at Japan fire stations in FY2023 See in context
@koiwaicoffee
Seriously Japan, WTF? It's 2025 already, aren't we done with abusing people whenever there's a chance?
As much as I want to agree with you (and I admit, I often find myself saying very similar things), when you look deep into it, harassment is hardly a problem specific to Japan. Many other supposedly developed nations report a similar amount or even more cases of workplace harassment than Japan does.
1 ( +2 / -1 )
Posted in: U.S. embassies told to prepare for staff cuts as Trump overhauls diplomatic corps See in context
@Blacklabel
I go to the Embassy once every 10 years. They will be fine.
Typical Trumpy outlook. If it doesn't affect you, it doesn't exist. Everything revolves around you.
2 ( +7 / -5 )
Posted in: U.S. embassies told to prepare for staff cuts as Trump overhauls diplomatic corps See in context
At the current stage, First Lady Trump will do whatever President Musk tells him to. This will continue until they have a fallout. The best thing we can do is to encourage this fallout to happen sooner rather than later. Calling Elon "President Musk" is one thing we can do to encourage that. Anything that will hurt Trump's ego will serve this cause.
0 ( +6 / -6 )
Posted in: Trump says he is serious about Canada becoming 51st state See in context
@Chico3
I'm sure my American friends and family would love to have affordable healthcare for openers.
Affordable health care!? Don't say that too loudly! Most Trumpies I know think that means "communism."
4 ( +6 / -2 )
Posted in: Trump tells prayer breakfast he wants to root out 'anti-Christian bias' and urges 'bring God back' See in context
Ironic, isn’t it, that the most anti-Christlike president you could think of wants to “bring God back.”
10 ( +17 / -7 )
Posted in: Musk, Wikipedia founder in row over how to describe 'Nazi salute' See in context
I'm no Musk fan, but I do think this has been taken out of proportion. It's not the supposed Nazi salute that bothers me about this picture, it's the "f-you" that appears to be on the edge of his lips. Musk shows only pure hatred towards anyone he determines has contradicted him.
2 ( +11 / -9 )
Posted in: Republican senators mostly quiet on Trump's sweeping pardons of Jan 6 rioters See in context
Unfortunately it seems more and more that America's future is being decided by illiterate, uneducated thugs.
5 ( +10 / -5 )
Posted in: Retro cafes bring sips of nostalgia to Japan's social media-driven youth See in context
Showa atmosphere is great... just as long as it's not inundated with tobacco smoke like all the kissa back then used to be.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: TV host issues on-air apology to Djokovic over 'insulting' comments See in context
There's something extremely unlikeable about people who are unable to take a joke.
8 ( +15 / -7 )
Posted in: PM Ishiba struggling to find time to smoke at work See in context
@Jay
Shigeru, how about using your time at work to serve the people, NOT feed a disgusting habit?!
As much as I agree with you that smoking isn't such a great habit, you have to give people some leeway. Otherwise you're just asking him to be a robot. Nobody can survive like that for very long.
1 ( +3 / -2 )
Posted in: Resona Bank hit again by suspected cyberattack See in context
Jay, I'm intrigued. Do you have programming experience? And can you enlighten us, and the countless corporations who have come under cyber attack in recent years, on how to prevent the cybercriminals from "waltzing in and wreaking havoc." I'm all ears!
4 ( +7 / -3 )
Posted in: Japan logs its hottest year on record in 2024 for 2nd straight year See in context
Isn't it funny how the deniers love to disparage science, yet as soon as the subject turns to climate change they become expert scientists!
1 ( +7 / -6 )
Posted in: Tuna fetches ¥207 mil at year's 1st auction in Tokyo See in context
Assuming the edible yield is 55% (it's typically 50-60% depending on the other dimensions of the fish), the edible weight of a 276 kg tuna is roughly 151.8 kg. If you assume 100g servings, that makes around 1500 servings from this tuna. In other words, 138,000 yen per 100g serving!
-2 ( +0 / -2 )
Posted in: Japan, China trade barbs over fighter jet maneuvers
Posted in: Israel attacks Iran's nuclear and military sites
Posted in: Israel attacks Iran's nuclear and military sites