cleo said...

cleo at 01:21 PM JST - 1st July

Plus tree in Japan would be pronounced tlee

No, the pronunciation is tsuree, with the r halfway between an r and an l.

And as the Republic of T points out, it don't really matter anyways.

Posted in Tokyo Sky Tree unlikely to take root at 01:21 PM JST - 1st July
cleo at 12:39 PM JST - 1st July

tkoiind2 -

I was just trying to put your mind at ease; Even if every single channel has nothing but 'mindless slapstick idiocy' 24/7, there is no reason at all for you to 'have to suffer'. There is quality TV to watch, it's just that you have to pay for…

Posted in Japanese game shows coming to America at 12:39 PM JST - 1st July
cleo at 05:30 PM JST - 30th June

such acts are banned under Tokyo Customs’ in-house rules

Tokyo Customs said it has banned its officers from putting drugs in travelers’ luggage without notice

Something a bit off there - if such acts are already banned, what's the point in Tokyo Customs banning them again?

Posted in Customs say officers have planted drugs in unwitting travelers' bags 160 times for training at 05:30 PM JST - 30th June
cleo at 01:41 PM JST - 30th June

ihope2 -

According to that graph the numbers of fin whale have gone from 5,000 in 1996 to 10,000 in 2002 (but then down again in 2004). While it's good to see an increase, however small, those are not huge numbers.

I could say my savings have doubled in the…

Posted in DNA tests uncover undocumented whale meat on sale in Japan at 01:41 PM JST - 30th June
cleo at 10:47 AM JST - 30th June

Good advice maybe, but if everyone is sitting away from the galley, the restrooms and the middle of the row, isn't the plane going to be rather empty? And if everyone is in the Clear line, won't it be just as long?

Reminds me of an announcement they used to…

Posted in Pre-empting air rage at 10:47 AM JST - 30th June
cleo at 10:39 AM JST - 30th June

A question is asked and children are supposed to get it right the first time.

Plus the widely-held assumption that, like mathematics, there is and can be only one correct answer.

Posted in Why don't Japanese speak English better than they do? at 10:39 AM JST - 30th June
cleo at 10:02 AM JST - 30th June

Isn't it bad enough to have to suffer through the mindless slapstick idiocy of shows here?

Great news - you don't have to suffer, either here or in the US. Or anywhere. (Except maybe North Korea, where watching state-run telly might be compulsory). All TV sets now come with two…

Posted in Japanese game shows coming to America at 10:02 AM JST - 30th June
cleo at 09:56 AM JST - 30th June

It's one of the only avenues

It's one of the few avenues. or It's the only avenue.

the most consistent themes in Japanese game shows are humiliation and embarrassment — sometimes to the point of sadistic

Yup, only ever happens on Japanese TV.

Ever watched Big Brother?

Posted in It's one of the only avenues they have for release, where they can actually let go and not be conservative anymore. at 09:56 AM JST - 30th June
cleo at 09:53 AM JST - 30th June

Molenir -

By that logic, we shouldn't have the Blue whale (5,000~12,000) on the endangered list because there are more of them than there are eg baiji dolphins (close to 0 - last confirmed sighting in 2004).

And it's OK to hunt the cheetah (less than 15,000 in the wild)…

Posted in DNA tests uncover undocumented whale meat on sale in Japan at 09:53 AM JST - 30th June
cleo at 09:40 AM JST - 30th June

memorization, memorization, memorization. This simply doesn't work for languages.

Dead right. Yet the schools reinforce the idea that English can be 'learned' like history can be 'learned'. It's a completely different animal.

the fear of making mistakes

This too can be laid at the feet of the schools.…

Posted in Why don't Japanese speak English better than they do? at 09:40 AM JST - 30th June