JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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Freespeech
No, it's not a cult. But you cannot understand the democratic ideal if you do not have the capacity to tackle abstraction and a little visionary thinking. Which is precisely what monotheist religions are based upon, if you strip them of their rituals and imagery. Of course democracy, like religions, lends itself to all sorts of exploitations (your example is one I can agree upon). But I do believe that democracy should mean progress ; I am only sad that the Japanese deny to themselves the full benefits of democracy because they are inert in front of the basic necessities of democracy : to participate to the process and to express one's opinions. It is so much easier to leave it to the "professional politicians" of LDP or NK or... (fill the blank yourself) and to not express your ideas in the name of "social harmony".
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Freespeech
Yeah, good, just develop their taste for everything that cuts into the flesh. Good investment.
Posted in: Surgery workshop for children
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Freespeech
isthistheend and J rock :
I have this deep feeling that the Japanese collectively (and in that they are very similar to the Chinese, is this an Asian damnation ?), that the Japanese have no real deeply rooted desire of democracy.
Why is that so ? In my little awkward analysis, mainly the fault of the religious void that dominates the country, or even of the very low demands that buddhism puts on individuals ; the Japanese society, like the Chinese, has pursuits that are plainly and dominantly materialistic, and with no spirituality and no abstract ideals being cultivated, you cannot expect democracy to be perceived as a supreme value.
The result is that they have the instruments for democracy, but they are content with not making them work ; the preeminence of LDP and its cronies over years is but one facet of this situation. Another facet, bordering on paradox, is that the buddhists of NK, whom you could expect to be more "enlightened" and more progressive than most (if at least they were living by the teachings of Buddha) are in fact siding up with the most conservative party on the stage.
I am dumbfounded by the attitude of my step-daughter who is 33 years old and finds it perfectly OK not to have voted a single time in her life.
There is no hope for progress, my dear friends !
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Freespeech
Thanks to Seiharinokaze for correcting my mistake about pre-war popes.
Posted in: The Catholic Church and Yasukuni shrine
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Freespeech
Mr Grimm,
Good thoughtful article!
But please tell us who this "Vatican cardinal" was, and his whereabouts after that period ; was he influential in Rome's church ?
Another point of interest for the readers would be a reminder about who was pope in the late '30, and how grimly he illustrated himself. Actually, the pope was Pius XII, formerly known as cardinal Pacelli, and he is the one who closed his eyes about the nazi atrocities and particularly the jewish tragedy. So, if the unnamed cardinal was in tune with the pope's stance, no wonder he was so tolerant of the Yasukuni Follies.
A Catholic.
Posted in: The Catholic Church and Yasukuni shrine
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Freespeech
What an interesting discussion ! A majority of the posts is of great value for reflection ; I am just sad thinking that this will only benefit the brains of the participants to this forum, and that JapanToday journalists will not be able to exploit (and even less to make known) the substance we have here, not to speak of other Japanese media. In other words, it is very unlikely that a politician or some kind of opinion leader will ever become aware of the ideas exposed here (or rather of their authenticity and strength). Intervening in the debate between ChimpsAhead and TheCode, I want to prod TheCode's brains by retorting to his "... the Japanese have proven that it is possible..." that if it is possible for the Japanese to leave peacefully and without fear in a country deprived of nukes, it might well be that they enjoy the so-called "umbrella" extended to them by the US, and that this treaty of assistance would have very little credibility if it was not resting on the might and "force of dissuasion" (as we say in France) of a nuclear power.
Posted in: Hiroshima mayor hopes next U.S. president will back ban on nuclear weapons
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Freespeech
All mayors of Hiroshima plod forward with this traditional role, which I feel sorry for them to accept without trying to expand the celebration in order to promote open unbiased discussion and review of historic facts. Instead they make it into a litany that serves no purpose, not even (I believe) the one of soothing the pains of the survivors and the relatives of the victims. I think Japan would be well inspired to reflect about a day of meditation for the fate of the 27 million (the figures may differ, these are all estimates) human beings in Asia and in the Pacific whose deaths were the responsibility of Japan over 14 years of warfare (some were killed outright by the Japanese forces, some were immolated by the fault of the Japanese regime and that includes the civilian deaths in Nihon as well as the dead Japanese military, the forced laborers etc, and some were killed by the starvation and epidemics caused by the Japanese abuse, example the 1 million in Vietnam's Tonkin area who were deprived of food because His Majesty's army was confiscating all of the crops). Really, I cannot stand Japan's collective attitude any more, and the mayor of Hiroshima is only increasing my irritation.
Posted in: Hiroshima mayor hopes next U.S. president will back ban on nuclear weapons
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Freespeech
The Parisian who writes under this pseudo says "it's all good and sound advice, make a copy of the article before you embark". Of course, you are all hurt by the Euro/Dollar or Euro/Yen exchange rate, plus the fact that flights from Japan are expensive (if you compare two-way ticket price on the same airline, same class same constraints, either starting from Paris or starting from Tokyo, you will be amazed to discover that the "French" ticket, although handicapped by the Euro, is about 30% cheaper). What is definitely expensive in Paris (and also Rome ecc ecc) is hotel accomodation. A New-Otani-standing room at for instance the Meridien is going to cost on a standard basis something like 400Euro per night ; multiply by 167 for Yen and you start screaming. So, if you are not a wealthy and fussy person, look for something else and in any case look at the "package" offerings and at the internet. If you are curious of adopting the French way of life (and not think "ramen" every minute), I reckon that you can eat in cafés for about 20Euro : just look at the day's fixed menu, or even "plat du jour" which ordinarily comes with sufficient supply of veg, it will cost something like 13Euro, and with a glass of wine and a cup of café you will reach the 20Euro level. And it will teach you something about French society and popular habits. When I see Japanese tourists (either in groups or just couples) who put their fates in the hands of travel agencies, I cannot help but think "poor people, they will leave without having understood anything, and in addition they may realize that they have been tricked". These agencies (just guess the names) very often know very little about the places where they send their gullible clients, and if Mr and Mrs Suzuki are looking for the lowest possible cost, sure they will be dumped in unconvenient suburban hotels, or in central location but really dingy conditions. Of course, the hotel will not be far from the depaato, and for the average Missus looking at the map this will seem to be great, but beware ! And to make matters worse, the level of service that the local offices of said "famous" Japanese agencies offer is sometimes pathetic : I personally have had to "rescue" a couple who had just plainly been abandoned by their agency because they missed their connection in Rome the JAL flight having arrived late (you see : Tokyo to Paris you have to make a connection in Rome, agency logics or economics...) and the agency made it clear to them (they had a 3G telephone and called the Paris office) that they would not go fetch them upon their arrival at CDG airport "because they had already gone once" ! So, I played St Bernard doggy from Rome airport, where I had met them, and I did well because at CDG airport they discovered that their baggage had not been put on the connecting flight. At that time (about midnight), their agency office downtown Paris was on russuban, of cours... So, I taught them how to use a French ATM for a few Euros, and brought them to their hotel in my own car. The next day, they just had to stay sitting in their hotel until baggage was delivered... The good point is : we are now friends. I could write chapters about how poorly the Japanese travel when they come to France, but this will be for another time. I will gladly give more advice. For a conclusion and for those who think that the Champs Elysées is an interesting place (apart of course from the magnificent perspectives on the avenue) : I think it has become a vulgar fairground, with high potential for paying extravagant prices and higher still for falling victim to the pickpockets or grab-and-run thieves (mind those gipsy women and kids, they are incredibly astute).
Posted in: Paris doesn't have to be expensive
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Freespeech
Just as indispensible an object as the Honda humanoid robots !
Posted in: Toyota unveils next-generation scooter
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Freespeech
Thankyou upnorth71. On the MP issue, and to confirm that we share the same and sane point of view : I believe that with film technology a good 35mm frame (good meaning with fine-grain low to medium sensitivity emulsion) had no more than 7MP (i.e. silver particles) in the best case... And great photographers were happy with the resolution. Of course, other photographers were able to obtain plenty MP working with larger formats ; is it that now the average Japanese tourist wants to shoot himself with the Missus in front of Mona Lisa with 15MP put behind a crummy lens with plenty aberrations ? Coming back to my "dream" of a viewfinder digital, I forgot to say that I am expecting a body with "M" lens mount. Of my beloved Leica M6 I have kept two great lenses, although I sold the body. These lenses have got to be used some time, you know !
Posted in: New Lumix digital cameras
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Freespeech
Humongus numbers of MP are not all that important, if you consider that most people content themselves with compressed formats and that picture files larger than 1MB are a scare for many. Why have 10 or 12 or 15 MP at hand for shooting a JPEG-mutilated picture ? I would like to ask one question to the competent and passionate ones : does one know anything about when a new rangefinder digital body could be released, and by whom ? I just regret I did not have the good idea to buy the interesting EPSON RDs-1 when it was available ; not perfect, say some, but not as outrageously priced as the Leica M8 (which has expensive shortcomings though). What next ? Thanks for any piece of info.
Posted in: New Lumix digital cameras
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Freespeech
To Sarge, ExPrinceska, KissMint : in French, the word "décolletage" exists, but... it has a meaning that you could not guess, being a technical word for precision-turning of mechanical pieces. The meaning that you expect it to have belongs to a remote past. Maybe today's Québecquois use it in that acception, I leave it to them to tell me. When you refer to cleavage, if you want to be snobbish and use a French word you must speak of "décolleté". Décolleté is both a verbal adjective (coming from the verb "décolleter", meaning opening/removing the collar or revealing the neck) e.g. "this dress is too décolletée for me", or a substantive e.g. "he was looking straight into my décolleté". Japan has an unfortunate tendency for misusing or distorting French words or creating "French" words that do not exist in reality (like "anime", "esthé"...). Let the Japanese with a taste for correct speech and the Gaijins pay attention to this !
Posted in: Young women’s summer fashions show too much, poll reveals
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Freespeech
The core of the problem is that Japan is not a democracy. It has democratic institutions, but they do not work ; they don't because the japanese citizens in many many cases do not have the desire of making them work. This is the price paid to this culture of "consensus", which actually means accepting archaic social patterns and uniformity as a value. But (I write this to placate the timid ones amongst you) Japan is not unique in this non-desire of democracy ; other developed countries in the far-east have the same widespread democratic impotence, prominent amongst them is China. In any case, I had never thought that in a country with democratic institutions and law I could hear loudspeakers blaring a slogan like "death to the communists", all this in a carefully orchestrated and police monitored motorcade.
Posted in: It’s time for emperor to rev up his own sound truck
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Freespeech
Chinpira : are you sure ? Pedophile porn is not illegal (for buying or possession) ? I had already understood that Japan is one of the biggest brothels on earth (although not as much advertised for that as some other countries of the area), but what strikes me now is the perversity. Obscenity is not in the porn (which every person is free to view or not) but in the japanese society itself.
Posted in: 11 men arrested in record porn DVD bust
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Freespeech
Careful Aki !! Do not mess up your shirt. If you come back home with a grease stain, the Missus is going to give you hell tonight ! Not to mention the fact that the Grand Stewart will no longer allow you to go out so freely in the future.
Posted in: Emperor
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Freespeech
Look ! If he learns really hard chances are that at the end of the process he can make himself useful !
Posted in: Emperor
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Freespeech
There are things that a mechanical engineer can notice, from the pictures and the accounts, and this is the basis for my "theories" as Mr Gibson says, or hypotheses if you prefer. On the oxygen cylinders : one is missing, is it because it exploded and that no trace (repeat : no trace) of it can be found, or is it because the loss of fuselage skin in this area pulled it away ? If a cylinder exploded, well, it is an explosive device like another (maybe less powerfule than a chemical explosive), but I would expect the fuselage skin to show metal pushed to the outside, with irregular contours. It all looks like this fairing was neatly taken away, so I cannot help but think that even an O2 cylinder explosion must have benefited from bad "stitching" of this skin panel. What could make a panel so easily detachable in the event of a pressure surge on the inside of the holds ? Anything of structural weakness induced by corrosion (not "rust", you ignorant journalist) or by metal fatigue or by shoddy assembly or shoddy repair,... or a combination of several. Now to a more "philosophical" approach : we are in presence of an accident which, having caused no human loss thanks to God, is extremely interesting to analyze because it gives insight on a rarely (if ever) described situation i.e. the dynamics of an "explosive decompression". We have hundreds of valuable witnesses for describing what happened, what they heard, saw and felt... It seems that some description has been given of massive air movement in the cabin at the time of the decompression. Now remember the tragedy of JAL's flight 123 in 1985, in which the loss of rudder system was attributed to the failure of the rear cabin bulkhead with explosive decompression. The only survivor -a stewardess- was later asked whether she had experienced a "wind gust" in the cabin, and (correct me if I am wrong, I am working out of recollection), she said there had been no such thing. Her statement was disregarded and the japanese investigators pushed their theory regardless (the committee of "ah sooh" men against the lone person). We now have substantial information at hand on what happens in a cabin under a condition of explosive decompression, and it is my impression that it should be used for good cause. By the way, has anything be disclosed about the condition of the floor separating the passenger cabin from the holds on the Qantas aiplane ?
Posted in: Oxygen cylinder eyed as cause for Qantas fuselage blast
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Freespeech
If Ciron, Dixon and Gibson had said nothing we would be just as wise about the case... Don't misunderstand, northlondon, it is highly likely that the explosive decompression is the consequence, not the cause, of this aircraft suddenly losing a large piece of its fuselage skin. Additionally, I believe that if there had been an explosive device inside the holds of this Jumbo, the wound would have a completely different aspect, with torn and distorted metal ; instead, it is "clean" as if a skin panel had been removed. Now why ? Structural failure, or structural failure accelerated by corrosion (corrosion, not rust, you idiot) : this would mean that all aircrafts of this family have to be grounded ASAP for accurate inspection and that corrosion -if such is the case- has to be explained. Another possible explanation, that QANTAS certainly would hate to have to give : the piece that separated from the fuselage (actually a piece of the fairing blending the wing's leading edge with the fuselage) is in a location where damage could have been inflicted earlier, for instance in a collision with ground handling equipment, and the repair would have been botched. Anybody has any other explanation to propose ?
Posted in: Oxygen cylinder eyed as cause for Qantas fuselage blast