Stephen Knight's past comments

  • 2

    Stephen Knight

    I remember my taxi driver friend in Hawaii telling me about their radio codes--a "544" was a bathroom break, as in "I have to go shishi" (shishi being a somewhat childish Japanese term for urination). Dunno what Japan's taxi drivers use for this, though...

    Posted in: The secret slang of Japanese cabbies

  • -1

    Stephen Knight

    In no particular order:

    2001, A Space Odessey Dark City The Matrix Blade Runner Terminator I

    And, in the great science fiction fun but not necessarily indelibly great movie-making category:

    The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension Star Wars Episode IV Men in Black I Independence Day Total Recall

    Posted in: What are your five favorite science-fiction movies?

  • 2

    Stephen Knight

    Actually, the article does mention it:

    Nadal will play 113th-ranked Pablo Andujar of Spain, who ousted Kei Nishikori 6-3, 7-5 the day after the Japanese player upset Federer.

    Posted in: Nadal rallies past Ferrer; Nishikori ousted in Spain

  • 0

    Stephen Knight

    Dunno why the article doesn't mention it, but Nishikori lost to Pablo Andujar 6-3, 7-5 in the quarterfinals.

    Posted in: Nadal rallies past Ferrer; Nishikori ousted in Spain

  • 4

    Stephen Knight

    This is such total BS.

    If this is how the opposition chooses to kick off a new session, it can only worsen the image of politicians as useless back-biters and infighters.

    Meanwhile, ex-PM Mori gallivants around the world, apparently free from any restraints.

    Posted in: Kawaguchi censured in upper house for extending China trip

  • 1

    Stephen Knight

    Well, other reader-centric news sites such as Jan-Jan haven't exactly taken off like rockets here, it's tough to see what approach Huff-Po can take that might drive more intelligent news gathering and discourse. Bears watching, though.

    Posted in: Huffington Post launches Japanese edition

  • 1

    Stephen Knight

    No Miso--good points, yes, in the end the government doesn't lose out, JAL lives to fly another day, and at least some semblence of competition is retained in the domestic market. And really, ANA's continuing tantrum over the issue is mostly an attempt to make an emotional issue out of a business circumstance...

    Posted in: ANA profit soars 53.1%; JAL's profit falls 8%

  • 2

    Stephen Knight

    Well no, and this is a bone of contention for ANA--regulations and JAL's deal with the government allows it to offset any taxable profit with the losses it booked at the time of its civil rehabilitaion/bankruptcy filing. The amount was such that they are not expected to pay any corporate taxes on profits for several years, something which ANA management considers an unfair competitive advantage. Meanwhile, ANA is still running a tighter, smarter ship, and may have little to fear from JAL anyway.

    Posted in: ANA profit soars 53.1%; JAL's profit falls 8%

  • 0

    Stephen Knight

    I've never heard of anyone getting beaten up for being gay and never heard a gay joke.

    Believe me, it happens. And not just in the "Dude, that's so gay" context.

    I've even seen anime episodes (popular kids shows) where the fight scenes include characters screaming things like "Kono okama yaroooooo!!"

    But the lack of the kind of blatant homophobia seen in other countries doesn't change the fact that LGBT couples are denied equal treatment under the law when it comes to the essentials of a stable life, including employment (companies generally face no legal penalties for firing workers based on sexual orientation), inheritance, insurance, and housing (many landlords will not rent to same-sex couples, especially men, though this has gotten somewhat better in Tokyo).

    The general preference for privacy in the workplace and elsewhere means that these issues gain no traction because no one wants to be the one to speak out. To put it more strongly, the LGBT community here is largely complicit in its own social and legal subjugation. If you were to take a survey, though, I'd think you'd find that most of that community is satisfied with the status quo and doesn't see a need to participate in any call for change.

    Posted in: Thousands march for gay rights in Japan's first 'Rainbow Week'

  • -1

    Stephen Knight

    Gay marriage has no legal standing in Japan despite growing legal recognition elsewhere in the world.

    More generally, LGB individuals have no presence **whatsoever **in Japanese law (transgendered individuals have been singled out for certain rights and protections, their condition having been officially recognized as a "disease"), the government insisting, as usual, that the broad terms of the constitution with regards to human rights are sufficient protection.

    That, and the restrictive provisions of the family registry system, are why same sex marriage will never get off the ground here as a social issue.

    Posted in: Thousands march for gay rights in Japan's first 'Rainbow Week'

  • 6

    Stephen Knight

    Plenty of guys in and watching the parade in "everyday clobber." The media just doesn't bother to photograph them.

    Posted in: Rainbow Pride

  • 4

    Stephen Knight

    Has it been two years already!? Funny, I don't feel as though I've been holding my breath for that long...

    Posted in: Tomoko Nakajima restarts blog, promising to talk about what happened during past two years

  • 0

    Stephen Knight

    For Uniqlo "high-ranking employees and store managers," it's more about working hours than base pay. The company has an internal minimum standard of 240 hours a month for its upper ranks and store management, most of whom, as salaried rather than hourly employees, are not eligible for overtime pay. I wonder what standard of pay Uniqlo will use in determining a globally acceptable level of compensation?

    Posted in: UNIQLO introduces equal pay system across its stores worldwide

  • 2

    Stephen Knight

    Uniqlo is determined to screw its already-overworked global staff just as it forces its third-world suppliers to screw their below-poverty-wage workers. Deflationary times or no, people need to seriously re-think their support for products from so-called fast-fashion magnates like Yanai, one of the richest men in Japan.

    Posted in: UNIQLO introduces equal pay system across its stores worldwide

  • 1

    Stephen Knight

    Of the places in my own area (Ueno/Okachimachi) I've always been partial to Andersen--lots of variety, baked on site, great baguettes and peasant loaves.

    Nothing decent in the neighborhood supermarket...

    Posted in: Where do you shop for high-quality French bread in Japan?

  • 15

    Stephen Knight

    For a minute there, I thought Jay Leno was in town...

    Posted in: Shake

  • 2

    Stephen Knight

    Most of the time, the people at the Taito Ward office are actually really helpful and very competent (compared to some of the other ward offices I've had to deal with). But I guess we've all got hidden pressures...

    Posted in: Ward office worker arrested for assaulting cop in Tokyo

  • 8

    Stephen Knight

    Those "direct to your table" high-speed lane systems are actually pretty cool.

    And really, a lot of the sushi going around on conveyor belts really doesn't look very appetizing--I can see why people prefer to order fresh if they can. The operators can still save money--they're using the same rice-dispensing equipment and labor as with traditional conveyor systems, only the method and timing of delivery is changed.

    Posted in: Customers’ behavior changing sushi culture in Japan

  • 16

    Stephen Knight

    The police are just as much of a disgrace for not enforcing--through arrest of the perpetrators--any of the half-dozen or so laws against defamation, intimidation, terroristic threatening, etc. that exist in place of (or as an excuse for not establishing) clear anti-discrimination legislation. In a similar demonstration in February, ample eye-witness and video evidence was left of the hateful language and actions of these nationalistic protesters, and yet not a single arrest resulted...

    Posted in: Pro-Korean, anti-Korean forces face off in Shin-Okubo

  • 0

    Stephen Knight

    Well the time may be right, but according to many reviews so far, the technology isn't, at least not yet. We'll see what the big players come up with, but they'll have to do better than the clumsy, limited functionality models that have been announced so far.

    Posted in: Time is ripe for smartwatches, analysts say

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