VoiceOfReason comments

Always the same old, same old.

Japan has overtourism because of the weak yen, a problem of Japan's own making.

This is yet another case of Japan biting the hand that is feeding it.

Imagine caring so much about a Disney fairy tale movie you publicly complain about its cast. What a bunch of whiny babies.

I just shake my head when adults make these kinds of comments. What's the point? To strongarm people into being silent with their opinions unless they align with yours?

I have been to China and I would never due that. Exposing an orifice in China is an invitation for smog, yellow sand and other pollutants to enter your body. lol

Look, I know that seeing someone in the flesh is better than on TV, but the dude is literally plastered on everything in Japan. From banks, furniture...ECC! When I got back from America after winter break Ohtani's image was there to great me at the airport.

And now Family Mary has him advertising Onigiri and the message is essentially you can be a 2-way player like Ohtani by eating 2 onigiri at the same time.

As someone who works in that specific sector I can personally say that there are tons of qualified foreigners who want to be full time but are forced to be on rolling contracts for years.

In my opinion, this is about a shortage of "Japanese" full-time workers.

How hard would it be to go back to your original seat after the couple got off the train? Not exactly rocket science, Japan.

US is now that loud American tourist on holiday that nobody wants to be hear or be around.

Just get lost. Really. The world doesn't need or want you and your has-been nation anymore.

As an American I can say we are blessed with many privileges many other countries don't have. That being said, people need America more then we need them so I say if you want us to devote our resources to a country that is not yours I'm all for it.

The whole Zelensky / Trump squabble centered around ingratitude. We don't have to help. People need to realize that.

How crazy is it that Putin has so easily manipulated Donald Trump into doing every single thing Putin wanted? His biggest threat just rolled over and now sits on his lap.

Name a single action done by Putin that had a direct influence on Trump. Explain the manipulation. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Trump said he will deport the 240,000 Ukrainian refugees in the US.

If they are in the U.S. illegally or if their current stay has expired then he has every right to.

We drill for oil in the Middle East, do we not? Receiving scores of native people from where we drill is not a part of the business deal

Yawn, for years it was "Trump is Hitler!". Now that he won, the best the left has is "Trump is in bed with Putin!"

It's exhausting to listen to

Extortion

Give away everything for free and get nothing in return, you will be left with nothing. I wouldn't call that extortion.

We import too much. And I think we need to invest more heavily in farming. A friend of mine has been going through red tape for a couple years now to rent land from JA and start his own little farming business. He tells me there is tons of unused farmland in Japan that no one is making use of.

Bananas used to be 100 but now are 150 yen for 4 lower grade bananas. Vegetables up, fruit up. Any time I see an apple for 150 yen or less I jump on it. 400 yen for a small container of grapes. Absolutely ridiculous.

QB House is my go-to for a cheap haircut. It recently upped it's prices again to 1400 yen a haircut. I can remember the good old days right before the pandemic started when it was 1000 yen a haircut.

I have an electric shaver at home. I am half tempted to ask my wife to give me a buzz cut to cut back on spending a little

As an expat who reads JT regularly and sees case after case of rapists and murders getting 10-20 years in prison, or less, I welcome harsher penalties.

Hopefully there will be more reform so people can't get away with "I don't remember" as an excuse for minor offenses committed

It's frustrating to see how much the USA has given to Ukraine, far more than Europe, and here the USA wants peace and an end to the bloodshed and Europe wants to puff out its chest and act like top dog as if they had really done anything for Ukraine these past years.

Yes Europe has given money to Ukraine. But like NATO, Europe wants the USA to pay for everything so now Europe as all about "We're taking the moral high ground and maybe we can shame the USA into taking on more of this burden" strategy

People seem to think that any lack of support for Ukraine is support for Putin. This is simply not the case.

Commonly used words, phrases by Pro-Life / anti-abortion advocates: Responsibility, setting boundaries

Commonly used words by abortion advocates: "Reproductive health" "right to choose"

Side-bar: the second group also uses the term "Gender Affirming Care" for permanent life-altering surgeries for children.

I live in Saitama. We have 5 kids…on my modest salary with my wife staying home to take care of the kids

Wait a minute, you did say you live in Japan, with 5 kids, and yet you're telling everyone Japan is overpopulated? How does that logic work?

Personally, I believe having fewer children at this point in Japan's history is prudent.

I'm happy to know it sounds exactly as intended.

You think Japan should have fewer children? You thumb your nose at Westerners for pointing out how Japan got to this point?

You talk like someone who doesn't live in Japan. When you live in Japan, NOW, you see prices going up. You see wages not going up (and for perspective it is harder for foreigners to get full time positions, and contract salaries tend to not budge so if there are increases in wages it is likely NOT going to expats).

I pay a ridiculous amount into the pension system with every paycheck. My residence tax gets higher every year. And with fewer people and no real solutions, the government continues to do what it has done which is to tax people more. There will even be a new Self-Defense force tax in 2027 from what I understand.

And with the one child I have, the government throws 30K-60K a couple times a year but that doesn't make much of a difference. Covers a few months of daycare at best.

Unless you are insanely wealthy and are living in a protective bubble, I don't think you live in Japan because these realities would smack you in the face everyday and you wouldn't be on here looking down on your fellow expats.

Westerners know better, I know better…is what you’re getting at

I don't think that's exactly fair. It sounds like you're thumbing your nose here, like "look at this foreigner who came to Japan and thinks he knows better than the Japanese themselves."

The Japanese have a famous jukugo called 現状維持 which means "maintaining the status quo". It doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at the last 30-40 years and see that there haven't been big changes to solve big problems and those problems get worse as a result. Westerners can't vote, even with PR, so every mess in Japan is of Japan's own decisions or lack thereof.

There is a cultural element in play that forces people into their hierarchical place, which likely keeps most opinions quiet.

Westerners are known for being outspoken and have a hard time pretending a problem isn't there when it is right in front of our faces. Let me use one of our idioms, "the elephant in the room".

Been here long enough to apply for permanent residency. I have a lovely Japanese wife and a very young son. Having that son, and trying to get a loan for a home, in so many ways it's like Japan, on paper, wants to keep foreign families in apartments and as a result limit them to one or no children.

Many expats are not "new grads" and we don't have the benefit most times of starting from our 20s, so to be middle aged and make a decent salary that will cover mortgage payments until retirement and beyond (with most home loans being a 35 yr period) is incredibly difficult.

Having had worked for many years for a very large Japanese company I learned that no level of mastery of the language would put me on par with my Japanese peers and rarely do you see foreign, full-time employees promoted.

This country already struggles with not enough immigration, but they also do a very good job of making things very difficult for those already here who want to grow families and help with the population problem.

I also don't think it helps when you turn on the TV and at any given time it's a food channel and the food is 100% delicious...every time. Really the only show with foreigners is "Why did you come to Japan?" and it highlights foreigners who put Japan on a pedestal. Serious issues are rarely talked about in favor of discussing how great Japan is at all times (although we know you can't really openly speak out against the government here).

What I'm getting at with this last point is there is an unparalleled level of hubris in this country that keeps everyone's head in the sand, and until you can get the native people to realize how their policies are hurting the country there will be no change.

Case in point, we see these articles and it's all foreigners who get it in the comments, but rarely any acknowledgement from a native.

And Trump wasted much more than that with his one visit to the Superbowl, which did nothing to decrease the price of groceries. Oh, and it was also much less than the wasted money spent on Trump's stint at Daytona. And it was considerably less than NASA and SpaceX launching a rocket recently. It's also less money than Trump's use of taxpayer's money on his trips to the golf course so far.

With math like that I am really glad you are not my accountant.

You might be right but will it end without Trump being massively humiliated as the first president to increase the size of russia and reduce American influence in 80 years?

Careful now. Trump will also be the reason why Taiwan doesn't get absorbed into China in the next 4 years. Don't bite the hand that feeds you

All sexual assaults should be severely punished.

For perspective though, let's remember that there are people here who commit murder and get sentences of 10 years or less!

Man, people here who think any individual can bring down costs within a span of weeks don't know basic economics and are incredibly deluded. It's just people wanting any excuse to bash Trump.

If someone said, "hey, if I give you a cold for the short term you will develop an immunity for a longer term,* most of us would take that deal. This is no different.

I married a Japanese woman, and while I will say she is an amazing mother and incredibly competent, like most Japanese I would describe them as "emotionally unavailable" and that can really chip away at you over time.

Incorrect, because DEI staff are just as competent.

There are multiple reports of jobs for skilled labor not getting filled because of DEI. HR is forced to turn away qualified applicants because they are the wrong race and either the job is left open, which hurts the company, or ultimately they cave to an intersectional quota and hire someone unqualified.

DEI is a poison and I am glad it is dying

Rejoice together, just wait until occupier want more pieces of Palestinian small lands.

Dear radical jihadist, please let me know where in Japan you live so I can keep my family safe away from you.

Fox News? ROFL..I could give you 787 million reasons not to believe them...

What's funny about this is that they regularly posted stats on how bad inflation was during the Biden administration. The Biden administration kept denying it and the voters made their choice.

You don't have to believe everything Fox News says, but if they say the sky is blue, if you can't acknowledge that much is true then there's no saving you.