garypen comments

Spitfire

Man, that dreaded hat has made another appearance.

It's a real "Aso Hatto", alright.

piskian

Quick question.

Have any of you downloaded an app here?

I am always reticent,due to my experiences with workplace naivety.

I have a few payment apps, such as PayPay, D-barai, and Rakuten Pay. Although, I usually use PayPay.

And, a number of point card apps, including the big three, D point, R point, and Ponta, and a bunch of store apps like Kaldi, Nitori, and DCM.

Food apps like Starbucks, Burger King, and UberEats come in handy, too. And, Go Taxi worked well, the one time I used it. (Uber, OTOH, did not.) And, the ICOCA app works fairly well for public transport. But, man, was it ridiculously complicated to setup.

Overall, these apps have made many aspects of life in Japan easier or less unpleasant.

T-Point is is given by so few retailers compared to D-Point or R-Point, anyway. It's probably on par with Ponta, maybe even less. I typically choose D-point at places that offer a choice.

If I use PayPay, I get points there, too. Or, if I use my ANA credit card, I get miles. All that stuff adds up.

But, I I hate when stores have their own rewards programs. It's a bit annoying with all the apps. But, it sure beats carrying a ton of point cards around, like a few years ago. That was nuts.

During questioning, the man told the police officer he hit, “I’m sorry for doing that,” and then began speaking incoherently.

Someone is in dire need of therapy and medication.

owzer

I'm suggesting that you are confusing physical punishment with physical abuse.

And, almost everyone else is pointing out that there is no confusion, as they are one and the same.

Redemption

I find it very interesting that the murderers drove 2.5 hours into the deep woods to dump the bodies but the bodies were essentially discovered the next day.

The plume of smoke gave away the location. If he (they) would have just buried the bodies, they probably would never have been found.

BigP

Nice of one of the culprits to drop into the police station and give himself up.

But why?

Because the boss told him to.

DanteKH

And people are still voting for LDP, a party that works 100% for the big Corporations, and 100% against the middle class work force.

No different than people voting for Republicans in the US or Tories in the UK. The irony is that a large number of those voters are working class who consistently vote against their own economic self-interest because those parties tap into their racist, xenophobic, and nationalistic emotions, which are apparently more important to them than their actual well-being.

This one was on at a crazy 5am here. But, I did get to watch yesterday's game, which was great. Maybe I'll record tomorrow's and watch it during breakfast, before hitting the interwebs, to avoid spoilers.

A sweep would be sweet. (I'll start rooting for Ohtani again after the Mets series.)

Stewart Gale

How can there be a possibility of Donald Trump becoming president of the USA again?

I completely despair of America that this can even be a possibility.

It’s completely unfathomable to me.

It's truly mind-boggling.

nonu6976

He can could even bring Trump a morning "cofeffe" so he stops dozing off in court.

And some hamberders for lunch.

Strangerland

Companies will sometimes tell employees they are too busy for the employee to resign at that point in time. 

The proper response to such nonsense is, "Sorry. But, I cannot work here any longer. And, your request that I ignore my own well-being to serve the company, is a perfect example of why I cannot."

Stop that!

It should be interesting. I think there's a good chance that one or both of those proposals are voted down. But, we'll see.

I don't understand why a third party is necessary.

Is there some contractual obligation that needs to be dealt with legally in order not to be held financially responsible or something?

Or, are these employees just too chicken to give notice and resign, by themselves?

OssanAmerica

So what was in the bag that was allegedly stolen?

The presentation he was supposed to give on that business trip that he definitely finished preparing beforehand and would have been totally great, if only his bag wasn't stolen.

Daninthepan

He'd rather stab himself than go on holiday with the friend?

"...arranged to meet a friend at 6 a.m. on April 9 on the street near his home to go on a business trip..."

I think lately Yamato and even JP have resorted to "gig" and arubaito workers using their personal vehicles, just like Amazon has been doing for a while.

Labor protections in Japan seem to be even worse than in "right-to-work" states in the US. But, at least even in those anti-labor states, there is still some protection at the federal level. Here, it seems like there is almost none.

Fighto!

Shocking and tragic news, Rest in Peace.

I've said on here at least 20 times before: why isn't safety netting underneath ALL balconies mandated by law? I guarantee another such tragedy will happen again soon without the mandatory netting.

Mandatory safety railings of minimum height around balconies, and childproof latches on balcony doors and windows, would make much more sense.

The koinobori in my town doesn't start until Golden Week. So, it's gonna be stupidly crowded.

The koi will be hung before then. So, that'll be nice for strolling and pics. But, the festival with food trucks and stuff is during GW, so that's a big nope.

Horrible tragedy. Is childproofing not a thing here? In the US, there is a whole industry of products to prevent infants and toddlers from getting into places they shouldn't get into, touching stuff they shouldn't touch, banging their heads, electrocuting themselves, etc. Most parents outfit their homes with the full gamut of childproofing devices.

A childproof latch on the veranda door would have prevented this senseless tragedy.

wallace

The bodies were burnt instead of burial probably to try and hide their identities.

Just as likely to destroy any evidence that might lead to the killer, such as fingerprints, hair, blood, fibers, etc. that he/she might have missed. After all, bodies consumed by fire are usually identified, as one of these poor victims already has.

Speed

God, I hope they weren't burned alive.

A horrific thought. But, the plastic bags taped shut does indicate that they most likely suffocated, with the fire used only to destroy evidence. Not a very pleasant way to go, either. But, at least no excruciating pain.

WA4TKG

I know someone who’s son did this sort of thing repeatedly, stealing things of very little value, all the while actually having the money to pay.

Some people have a mental condition. It’s not always about money and a thrill.

METATTOKYO

It could be a combination of things such as boredom, frustration and ADHD.

Except the perpetrator has confessed, and stated "he didn’t have enough money to buy something to eat." Add to it that he was "self-employed", and it appears to be an economic issue, not a mental/emotional disorder.

OssanAmerica

Articles like this don't bother me. I grew up in New Jersey where "Driving while Black" was sufficient reason to get stopped and pulled over.

As such, I would think it would bother you more. (Assuming you were stopped for being Black, or why else bring it up.)

...quoted him as saying, “I don’t remember doing anything like that.”

I guess that "I was stressed from work" or "I didn't intend to kill them" wouldn't have worked here.

piskian

A mousetrap.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner.

Thankfully, I don't have any business associates to greet. But, on a social level, I usually give a little downward nod. It's kinda the opposite of the "hey" head nod used casually in the US.

Strangerland

Only someone with a broken worldview would ever blame this on anyone other than the thief.

I would say that a worldview that thinks one shouldn't leave $65,000 sitting out, unprotected, in a high-foot-traffic public space because of a high risk of theft is not only not broken, but working quite well.

Ken Holcomb

Are you suggesting it was the child's fault? Of course it's the driver's fault for not being fully aware of his surroundings.

When one accepts their driver's license they then assume responsibility for ALWAYS being aware of pedestrians, animals and other driver's around them.

What a ridiculous thing to say. Of course, there are times when it wouldn't be the driver's fault.

If an animal or human suddenly darted into the street from some hidden place, it wouldn't be the driver's fault, as there would be no way to be aware of them. It would be the fault of whomever was hit, as tragic as that may be.

It's no different than if a car or bicycle suddenly came through a blind intersection or from a hidden driveway. Are you saying it's the driver's fault there, too, if they hit them? (Because it wouldn't be.)