Wednesday February 15, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

irishosaru's past comments

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irishosaruJan. 13, 2009 - 08:48AM JST

Sarge, I think that is her real hairstyle, actually. Not great looking hair I admit, but she's my pick of the bunch.

Posted in: Coming-of-Age Day
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irishosaruJan. 10, 2009 - 11:14PM JST

Gotta say that the attitudes of some poesters here that the marine must have been responsible in some way for the incident, or that the Japanese guy reacted after persistent bad behaviour by the military in his town, are simply ignorant.

A drunk Japanese guy hit a marine, then lied and said he had been attacked first. The marine didnt retaliate, despite being injured ( he didnt know the extent of his injuries at the time I suppose, but I guess it hurt like hell).

Don't try to make anything more out of the story than it is.

Posted in: Man arrested for assaulting U.S. Marine in Kanagawa
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irishosaruJul. 23, 2008 - 12:07AM JST

Given that judges will be part of the jury, the term "lay jury" is a bit misleading.

I don't think it will work well at all.

I think is is just more lip-service towards the international community while maintaining the status quo.

Posted in: How effective do you think the lay jury system will be when it starts in Japan next year?
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irishosaruJul. 13, 2008 - 11:42AM JST

I voted "yes", but I should clarify.

For the most part, the issue of whether political leaders would attend or not is about the human rights situation in China, and China's actions in Tibet.

If you are the leader that enjoys trade with China, then you should attend. Any leader not attending (and publicising that fact) is trying to score cheap political points at home by saying "Look, I didn't go to the opening ceremony, because like you, I care about the human rights situation there, and I'm concerned about the Tibet situation", while still supporting China by trading millions, or maybe billions of dollars with China.

If your distaste at what China is doing extends to the point that your country doesn't trade with China, and therefore doesn't offer financial support for the current regime, then you have a principled reason for not attending.

Posted in: Should world leaders attend the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony?
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irishosaruJun. 08, 2008 - 11:08PM JST

I dropped my wallet yesterday as I left the station on my way to teach a private student. I didn't realise it until I accepted the cash payment after the lesson, at which point the student insisted on accompanying me to the station to talk to the staff.

The wallet was there, and both the staff and student were happy to receive my profuse thanks.

All people involved probably felt some pleasant emotion - relief on my part, and I'm sure the anonymous person who handed over the wallet felt a certain self-satisfaction.

There - I've managed to outdo the original article in terms of value and meaning.

Posted in: Lost and found in Tokyo and London
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irishosaruApr. 29, 2008 - 03:02PM JST

Good news for the "kappa-slappers" in Britain and Ireland.

Posted in: Chinese firm to buy Japanese sportswear maker for 1 yen
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irishosaruApr. 22, 2008 - 10:36PM JST

This entire comment is based on having read only translations of his novels, so the fault may lie with the translation but -

Murakami is a terrible writer. He's incapable of creating even remotely interesting characters, and his plots are meandering and pointless.

Having said that,

His much-hyped magic realism seems feeble in comparison to, say, the work of Gabriel Garcia-Marquez. And, crucially, Garcia-Marquez actually has something to say

to compare him to Garcia Marquez is ludicrous. It's like comparing happoshu to a premium beer and being surprised the former cant equal the latter.

Somebody mentioned him as being touted for a Nobel Prize - I hope he doesn't win one, ever. He doesn't even try to make any meaningful statements about any important themes in life.

Posted in: Japan’s best-known novelist fails to deliver—again
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irishosaruApr. 18, 2008 - 07:36PM JST

14 posts do far, and nobody has mentioned Volkswagen.........the best "affordable" car out there.

Posted in: Which company or alliance makes the best cars?