sk4ek said...

sk4ek at 09:21 AM JST - 13th August

I saw a documentary on Kongo-gumi a couple of years ago. Whether or not it can strictly have been called a "company" throughout its history, just the fact that it has been in continuous operation for that entire 1400+ years, is incredible.

Other than that, I don't see that longevity…

Posted in Over 20,000 firms in Japan aged 100 or older: survey at 09:21 AM JST - 13th August
sk4ek at 12:20 PM JST - 11th August

You'd think they'd have worked these issues out ahead of time among themselves, in the privacy of their own home. Hillary certainly has every right to assert her authority as SofS but someone needs to keep Bill on a tight enough leash to prevent him from interfering with her work.

Posted in Angry Hillary Clinton: 'I'm secretary of state, not Bill' at 12:20 PM JST - 11th August
sk4ek at 03:32 PM JST - 8th August

I wonder if temples and the like are still places of refuge (the old 'kakekomi-dera'), off-limits to police without the cooperation of the temple's person in charge?

Posted in Actress Sakai arrested over drug use; admits to allegations at 03:32 PM JST - 8th August
sk4ek at 02:39 PM JST - 8th August

And people wonder why that one hospital insisted that the whole "baby-hatch" idea was an important and much-needed measure...

Posted in Couple, aged 18 and 19, arrested for death of infant left in bicycle basket at 02:39 PM JST - 8th August
sk4ek at 02:38 PM JST - 8th August

Well I suppose the nice thing about having so many hotels to choose from is that you can usually find one that suits your needs, personality, and preferences to a "T"... :)

Posted in Trouble in the hotel industry at 02:38 PM JST - 8th August
sk4ek at 02:35 PM JST - 8th August

The talk going around in the Japanese media is that she's taken refuge in a "religious facility" in Yamanashi. Meanwhile, her lowlife brother (an official member of the Yamaguchi-gumi) was also arrested for drug possesion, and the oddly swift completion and announcement of DNA results on the "smoking equipment" (crack…

Posted in Actress Sakai arrested over drug use; admits to allegations at 02:35 PM JST - 8th August
sk4ek at 12:38 PM JST - 8th August

Strictly "by-the-book" service, however outstanding, is what keeps most Japanese-owned high-end hotels off of leading global best hotel lists. Places like the Ritz-Carlton, which give individual employees the freedom to make customer service decisions on the fly, while also holding those employees to a high standard of quality and accountability,…

Posted in Trouble in the hotel industry at 12:38 PM JST - 8th August
sk4ek at 08:25 AM JST - 4th August

I guess they're counting on there not being too many electric vehicles on the road anytime soon, if they're giving away the power. This in a country where (at least in Tokyo) most coffee shops even refuse to provide access to outlets for charging notebook PCs and mobile phones... (Tully's…

Posted in Lawson begins installing electric-vehicle chargers at 08:25 AM JST - 4th August
sk4ek at 07:37 AM JST - 4th August

Obviously, the risk is part of the thrill. If they just wanted to see (and touch) naked women, they'd just be normal guys, right?

Posted in Ex-TV commentator and economist jailed for groping at 07:37 AM JST - 4th August
sk4ek at 08:42 AM JST - 2nd August

And in fact, in the U.S. the battle hinged not so much on the fact that people came down with catastrophic illnesses--to this day, most of those lawsuits have been won by the tabacco companies--but on the emergence of proof that the tabacco companies intentionally manipulated nicotine levels in their…

Posted in 3 Japanese wage court battle against Japan Tobacco at 08:42 AM JST - 2nd August