toolonggone comments

zones2surfToday  08:11 am JST

I think the writer overestimates the current interest in the Olympics, especially amongst Americans, particularly when compared to a few decades ago.

That is not for the lack of efforts by TV networks and advertisers to generate interest. They clearly are trying to ensuring they make money off of the money spent.

However, for the most part, I just don't see much interest, especially among younger people. Particularly in comparison to past generations.

I’ll be showing my age here, but past generations don’t have much to watch on television. First it was just a few basic channels but even with the advent of cable, we still didn’t have the myriad of options people have nowadays, so it may be less about the age of the viewers and more about everyone just having more choices.

GuruMickToday  07:27 am JST

.{ In another case a Chinese woman drowned at a nearby beach a few days before this.}

Here, Swimming a 7.30pm , no life guards on duty, on a floaty ring. Found 36 hours later. 

She should buy a lottery ticket....and she didnt think to call out as she was drifting AWAY from the beach. ?

Stupid.

And, you know that she didn’t call out, how exactly?

TokyoLivingToday  07:57 am JST

Their country, their rules..

What’s that mean?

WandoraJune 29  06:09 pm

No idea what this means. I presume this reporter is pre-pubescent so I didn't read the rest. How about some quality, Japantoday? Or just delete this post for being Off Topic™. Problem solved. For now.

Really? So you never encounter words or phrases that you don’t know and you’re never able to guess at the meanings based on context? Let me help you out since you’re seemingly unable or unwilling to look things up.

“Smashmouth entered the English language during the 1984 football season to describe the brutally hard-hitting play that is characteristic of the game. It has since been used to describe similar physicality in other contact sports, such as hockey and basketball, and has even the realm of politics; it’s been used to describe hardball tactics in politics since the 1984 U.S. presidential elections.”

Wesley: I guess it's no wonder that the flesh-eating virus has suddenly flared up in Japan. Gee, I wonder who brought it in here?

It is unclear at this point what is driving the surge in GAS infections in Japan over the last two years, experts told Healthline.

“We need a lot more information to sort this out,” said Schaffner.

He did offer one theory though: infections of many varieties have been on the rise in the post-pandemic era.

During the pandemic when individuals were quarantining at home, avoiding social gatherings, and keeping children home from school, there were global reductions in respiratory infectionsTrusted Source

. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reported a 25% drop in the number of GAS infectionsduring that same time.

In the years since pandemic-era restrictions and quarantines have eased, other infections, strep among them, have been gaining steam.

“Now that we’ve all started to come back together again, these illnesses are, not surprisingly, coming back too. With group A strep, it came back to normal and then exceeded the norm. This has been seen in this country and in many other countries around the world,” said Schaffner.

Amesh A. Adalja, MD, a Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, echoed those sentiments, telling Healthline, “The most likely hypothesis is that decreased circulation of the bacteria during the pandemic years left an immunity debt and the increase is related to that phenomenon.”

But sure, let’s make sure and give this a racist twist, right? Unless of course, you have some expertise that others don’t.

Robert Cikki

We're not on the same page. Japanese citizens are under no legal obligation to carry any form of identification or to identify themselves. And they don't normally carry one because they don't have to. I am a Japanese citizen for more than two decades and normally I do not carry any document. Except my Visa cards with my name on them. So it all comes down to the fact that in order for someone to get a discount or have the privilege of paying more, then they have to show some sort of ID.

And now that you, and most anyone who follows the news, are aware of this possible change, then bring appropriate i.d. when you visit Himegi castle, assuming this even goes into effect.

And it's still an open question as to how they're going to implement that in practice. The fact that someone "will just identify themselves" is one thing, but it is still not clear how they will implement the actual check. Whether they will check all visitors (And this brings us back to the beginning, not to mention adjusting the legislation at the national level) or whether they will check visitors visually - in which case there will be a situation where a Japanese with foreign citizenship and only here on a tourist visa will be let in at a lower rate because he "looks Japanese" and conversely a naturalised Japanese (my case) will be asked for a document on the basis of a visual check - and we are back to square one.

What legislation would have to be adjusted? No one is obligated to visit Himegi. If you want to visit and want the resident’s rate, that’s your choice but it comes with an obligation. There is no legislational changes needed.

Now try to imagine E.g. in the USA, in France, in Germany, in Spain (you name the country) a system of admission fees based on race or ethnicity only would be introduced. Or, for example, if admission to a museum in some country was X for everyone, but only for Japanese for 2x as much.

Please see my post above. There are plenty of museums in the US that offer discounts or free days to residents. The assumption that this will turn into a racial issue is yours. Honestly, I find your issue with this a little sad and confusing given that you’ve chosen to become a citizen of a country for which you seem to have rather negative opinions. I’ve got my issues with Japan, believe me. There are things I love for sure, but this country is no more perfect than any other. Still, this isn’t something I see as an issue at all. If you’re truly that concerned about it then maybe your energy would be better spent writing to the mayor and the museum director with constructive ideas as to how the potential change could best be implemented without causing offense to those who reside here but don’t “look Japanese “.

SapperJonToday  06:32 pm JST

We visited for the fifth time in May. Our first time was in 2002, much has changed in those years. We were approached by a group of school children in 2002 whilst visiting Nara, so they could practice their English. This time in Kyoto we were approached by three very polite young male students from Osaka Kaimei High School, who again asked us questions to improve their English. They were pleased that we were English rather than American. and even more so that we were staying in Osaka!

We noted that more people could speak English this time but where we couldn't speak Japanese nor they English, Google Translate came to the rescue.

This was our final visit due to our age, I wish the Japanese people well and thank you for your understanding and politeness over the years.

Pity you couldn't practice some of that politeness yourself by leaving out your rather unsubtle and unnecessary dig at the States.

Fighto!June 12  11:56 am JST

Their country, their rules.

She is French, born and raised in Paris so it is her country too.

theGrigioJune 19  07:28 pm JST

I'm pretty sure the MET in NY had a local donation based entry for locals and state residents and a seperate charge for visitors. Since like the 1970’s ….

It's not all unusual for US museums to offer free days to residents. For many of them, you can only purchase tickets online and your residency is proven by the address you provide although I suppose you could lie, if you're so inclined. I don't know if they check.

*The Chicago Field Museum is free on Wednesdays for Illinois residents.

*The Art Institue of Chicago is free for Illinois residents on Thursday evenings, 5:00–8:00,

*In San Diego several Park museums offer free general admission on a rotating basis throughout each month to residents of the City and County of San Diego, and to active military personnel and their dependents.

*At the Le Brea Tar Pits & Museum L.A. County residents receive free Museum Admission 3-5 pm Monday through Friday.

*The 9/11 Museum is free all day to NYC residents every first Monday of the month beginning June 2024.

Patricia YarrowToday  08:31 pm JST

WHERE is this display? Really frustrating that JT does not even give the name of the storefront.

It's not that hard to work out if you take a minute and really want to know.

https://www.seiko.co.jp/en/seiko_house_ginza/display/

tigerjaneToday  08:29 pm JST

toolonggone, OMGoodness, you have no sense of humor at all. I get what this individual was saying, in another country this would most likely not be making headlines first off. Second off, the way the story has been written it is quite humorous and it is a pity you don't have a funny bone in your body.

I'm glad somehow you know me well enough to say whether or not I have any sense of humor, especially as it applies to a bear that's likely going to be killed and yet another, yawn-inducing "unique to Japan" comment which is provably untrue.

Robert Cikki

Citizens, even naturalised ones, are not really required to carry or provide any form of identification. Another thing is that although (foreign) residents here must carry 在留カード, only a limited circle has the right to check this. For example, an immigration officer has the right to check 在留カード upon request and the resident is obliged to produce it. On the other hand, e.g. Japan Post, Bank, hotel does not have this right - although it can ask to see 在留カード, there is no legal basis for this. Same with, e.g. 住民票 - the ticket seller may want to ask for, but it would trigger so much uproar.. Not to mention handling of sensitive information.

It's not a matter of who has a right to ask for your i.d. but whether or not you’re willing to show it in order to get the hypothetical residents’ discount. The issue so many seem to be asking is how will they know if you’re a resident or tourist and showing your i.d. solves that, if that’s what one is after.

So to suddenly have a situation where they check absolutely everyone is rubbish. Moreover, it would make the situation where a customer comes, pays and buys a ticket very complicated - someone would have to check everyone's ID, which would be time-consuming. Or to employ another person just to check.

I’ve never been to Himeji Castle so I’m not sure how you purchase tickets for it but if it’s a face-to-face purchase, how long do you really imagine it takes to show your i.d.? Again, I’ve not said one way or the other if I agree with the proposed two-tiered system. There are arguments to be made for and against it but having to show an i.d.to get the cheaper fare, doesn’t seem like the strongest counter argument.

With this twisted logic, they can "solve" the matter in an absolutely brilliant way - free for some and a current fee for others... Makes sense, ey?

Who's it free for now, other than those under 18? Perhaps I’m just not understanding your last point.

Patricia YarrowJune 18  06:22 pm JST

Love that this is "news" in Japan. :-)

Why? Do you love that wild animals have had so much of their land encrouched upon by humans that they end up "invading" human spaces, thus endangering their (the animals) lives? Do you imagine that this doesn't happen in other countries or get reported on in other countries? It's really not anything to delight over and it's not unique to Japan, neither the fact that it happens here nor that it's reported on.

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/bear-break-ins-animal-enters-5-different-homes-sierra-madre/3436383/

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/video-big-black-bear-breaks-into-florida-home-opens-familys-fridge

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/36039283

https://theworld.org/stories/2016/07/31/polar-bear-breaks-newfoundland-home-terrifying-attack

https://www.facebook.com/WorldNewsTonight/videos/polar-bear-breaks-into-norway-hotel/10156038584599818/

TokyoOldManJune 18  12:19 pm JST

So how you distinguish an overseas tourist from a foreign permanent resident ?

Make everyone show i.d. It's really not rocket science. By law you have to carry i.d. and if you're a resident or non-resident, that will be reflected in your i.d. I get not liking the idea of two-tiered pricing but fail to understand the outrage over how they'll know if you're a resident or not.

WandoraToday  11:25 am JST

UAfanToday  10:09 am JST

not good for client like me who wants a human interaction while in restaurant.

On the contrary, you can take and distribute the dishes yourself, and these things don't interrupt your conversation.

Yes, that’s true if you’re dining out with others but there are plenty of people who dine alone, for any number of reasons, and look forward to actual human interaction with waitstaff, cashiers and so on.

My feelings regarding the possible two-tier pricing system aside, I don’t get the complaints about proof of residency. By law you have to carry i.d. and if you’re a resident the card will show that.

kurisupisuJune 13  05:41 pm JST

Why didn’t the taxi driver stop in time?

Definitely. Should take some percentage of the blame!

No doubt he will. In road accidents in Japan, it's very rare for any 1 driver to be assigned 100% of the blame.

I used to work in a part of town frequented by the right wing black vans. Sometimes, when standing outside waiting for someone or walking to the train, the noise coming from the vans was so loud it would literally make me nauseous. I can't imagine how the police in the nearby koban can stand listening to this man screaming like that.

albaleoJune 4  06:34 pm JST

A guy once walked (stumbled) into our apartment and fell on the floor. He was quite drunk. However, he probably did make a mistake as he lived in the apartment above us. If the policeman lives in the same building as the woman, he may have a valid excuse.

I walked into the wrong apartment a couple of times when I'd moved to a new place where loads of buildings all looked the same. I wasn't drunk and the thing is, I realized it pretty darn quickly and left immediately, without trying to steal anything.

Some 45.8 percent of Japanese who have worked with foreign colleagues experienced communication difficulties, a private firm's survey results showed Sunday, with language issues blamed in the majority of cases.

Language issues were chosen by 57.3 percent of respondents in a multiple choice section as a cause of difficulties in communicating. Misunderstandings or mistakes arising from insufficient Japanese comprehension were cited by 32.3 percent.

When Japanese say "communication difficulties" they often mean cultural difficulties, as in, the gaijin, doesn't understand our culture.

When it comes to "language issues" that can be a two-way street. I don't mean that Japanese need to learn the language of the non-Japanese worker but that often more support could be extened to the non-Japanese person attempting to speak Japanese, based on the context of the situation. Too often a sharp "ehhh?" is the go-to response rather than simply endeavoring to understand what the person might be trying to say. Yes, it's Japan. Yes, it can be tiring trying to understand less than ideal Japanese but so many Japanese do love to go on about how difficult Japanese is. If they really believe that, they show a little grace to those trying to learn and speak it.

grundMay 29  02:21 pm JST

Would be interesting to know what he said.

Who cares what he said in so far as it wasn't libelous. The idea that one group of people, the royal family, should be protected from comments they don't like simply by merit of having been born into this family, is grossly ridiculous and shameful on Thailand's part.

tom totoMay 29  11:37 pm JST

he should be in jail regardless for his acts while in power.

If a court can fairly prove him guilty of illegal acts, then, yes.

He's greedy for {{content}}power which is why his sister was in power and now grooming his kids to be also in power which in itself insult Thais ability to lead country because in his objective it is only reserved for Thaksin's.

It may be insulting but it's not illegal. Plenty of people "groom" their children to take over family businesses or to follow in their footsteps. If the Thai people vote for them, then that's on the Thai people. They can't really claim to be a democratic loving country as long as long as Lèse-majesté is part of the criminal code.

Bummer. The Celtics are great but I was looking forward to a Timberwolves - Pacers matchup. It looks like the Timberwolves are unlikely to make it to the final too.

bass4funkMay 28  12:14 pm JST

Yes, but way more advanced than that crumbling system China has.

What's China got to do with it? While I may disagree with Chuck, because I do think Japan has a great transportation system, even with its flaws, I still don't see the need to denegrate any other country's system. It just seems negative, spiteful and petty and for what?

It just seems like such a hostile, badly-thought out, knee-jerk reaction to what could have been an opportunity for this town to have made some money and created good feelings.

RedemptionMay 20  12:30 pm JST

Japan has a good and solid traditional diet and they should stick to that as a cultural treasure.

Many places have good and solid traditional diets, yes, even the US. Japan is not unique in that respect. Good traditional diets revolved around what was in season and available. The advent of mass food production, a lack of food self-reliance and processed food is where diets started to suffer. As for the meal at the beginning of the article, tomatoes are originally from Mesoamerica, carrots came to Japan in the 16th or 17th century and lettuce is believe to have been brought to Japan by Dutch traders in the 17th century. The notion of being so tied up in what is and isn't part of a culture's traditional diet is a bit of not seeing the forest for the trees. Super processed food is not a part of any culture's traditional diet and isn't good for anyone.

They are questioning the child's mother on whether or not he has abused the girl before.

It's kind of hard to imagine that putting a three-year old in a washing machine and then turning it on was the first incident of abuse by this guy.

Desert TortoiseToday  04:23 am JST

Not defending the guy by any means but the article said the suspect was intoxicated at the time of arrest. That was probably later in the day. Still, the gun needs some time alone in a prison cell.

Okay, you say you're not defending him and I'll take you at your word but then what is your point? Are you just being pedantic with regards to when exactly he became drunk?

Wainaina and the woman allegedly got into a fight on a train over the use of a smartphone and got off the train at the station.

Who was using the phone? Was Wainaina angry that the woman was on the phone or was the woman angry that Wainaina was on the phone? It seems kind of relevant to the story but regardless, as others have pointed out, being on the phone whilst on the train is not a crime.

He is suspected of slapping her when she tried to stop him from walking away

How did she try to stop him? Depending on her method, wouldn't that also possibly be considered assault? If someone got physical with me to try and stop me from walking away, I might well slap them in self-defence.

...and slapping the station employee who responded to the case.

Probably should have stopped with the first slap.

Nah. They know what they're doing. Clever marketing.

RotenMay 7  08:56 am JST Japanese who see the poster and then see any foreigners who are not getting the vague point can assume that the foreigners just don't care, rather than don't understand Japanese expressions and sensitivities. Let's be kind to everyone, and make posters that have some meaning! (See the little red heart in the upper right of the poster, where the English is so small)

You're probably not wrong but I do wonder what they think when they see Japanese who don't seem to care. To be fair, I'm not so sure either foreigners or Japanese don't care so much as they are just doing what works for them within the confines of crowded trains where you might get pushed past your bag if you do manage to get it on an overhead rack.

3RENSHOMay 7  08:05 pm JST

"It would be nice if trains in Japan had a dedicated luggage space."

Trains in Japan DO in fact have a dedicated luggage space, as illustrated in the Tokyo Metro poster...

Good luck getting anything larger than a small shopping bag or purse on the racks. There's no way a proper backpack or even most luggage that would fit in an airplane's overhead bin will fit on those racks.

Gene HennighToday  12:57 am JST Yes yes yes. The trains are bad, Japanese people are bad, riding on the trains is bad. At least there is this attempt with the poster there is an effort to make things better. Effective? Maybe not, but an attempt. All the posters like this one I saw when I was there had non-Japanese people. It isn't a racist thing, but like anime, Most of the characters look like non-Japanese people. It is something very typical.

If the Japanese are so bad and if the trains are so bad, then move to a rural area or go back to your countries where the people and transportation are oh so perfect.

Or, maybe accept the fact that in a democratic country with constitutional freedom of speech, people are allowed to complain. You may not like it but that's your problem. Many of the posters live, work and pay taxes in Japan. In so far as they are following the laws, it's no one's business whether or not they want to complain. Those complaints may be perfectly legitimate and coupled with attempts they've made to improve on life in Japan or they may simply be ways of letting off steam. They may be complaints I'd agree with or not but either way, they don't bother me. If they bother you that much I'd suggest going to a site where the news and comments are nothing but sunshine and lolly pops and staying off ones where the comments aggrivate you.

SpeedToday  11:14 am JST

This wouldn't even come close to making the news in the US. Nice to see incidents like this make it into the news. It shows how relatively peaceful it is here.

Really? That’s your takeaway from this? This has absolutely nothing to do with the US. It happened it Japan, at a Japanese school and involving an angry, criminally violent Japanese parent . All hands clap for this making the Japanese new though, right?