smartacus's past comments

  • 0

    Brainiac

    Students are often beaten in Japan. What about that case last year when the school coach slapped the club captain in the face 40 times and the boy committed suicide? That coach almost certainly considered that corporal punishment.

    I'll wager there are a lot more cases than just these ones reported in Tokyo schools.

    Posted in: Tokyo Board of Education publishes names of schools using corporal punishment

  • 0

    Brainiac

    This is not about about daylight saving time in summer, as many readers seem to think. It is about making the change permanent all year. I think it will cause a lot of chaos. And in winter, we'll be going to work at 8 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. and it will still be dark. In the afternoon, it will be dark at 3 or 4 - weird. It will also impact farmers -- tell the cows to produce their milk two hours later.

    If the sole object is to realign Japan's financial markets, then I agree with a poster above and just open the Tokyo Stock Exchange at 8 a.m.

    Posted in: Gov't considers setting clock ahead by two hours

  • 14

    Brainiac

    A couple of friends from Australia were in Tokyo last weekend after completing a cruise from Yokohama all around Japan. They loved every minute of it and all the places they visited such as Kobe, Ishikawa, Aomori etc. They said it was the best cruise they had been on and were very impressed with the people, food and beautiful nature. Their favorite was when they got off at Kanazawa and a bus took them through those huge ice canyons in Toyama, I think. They also saw a traditional wedding ceremony

    It was really wonderful hearing them chatter away at how beautiful the women dress, how immaculate things are presented in department stores, restaurants etc, and how polite everyone was. For long-term residents such as myself, it is easy to sometimes forget the positive aspects of living in Japan.

    Posted in: Cheaper yen attracts record number of visitors to Japan

  • 3

    Brainiac

    Poor Masako. The prison doors have closed again. The strain of going to the Netherlands must have been too much for her.

    Posted in: Crown prince to visit Spain June 10-17; Masako not going

  • 3

    Brainiac

    I think everyone is used to the fuel surcharge now and know that they will have to pay an extra 25,00 - 30,000 yen more than the advertised fare. What I don't like is the way airlines want to charge more for seats at the front of each section just because you get a bit more legroom.

    Posted in: Do you think airlines are sneaky about fuel surcharges, fees for extra baggage and other charges for various services?

  • 26

    Brainiac

    Somebody put a muzzle on this guy.

    Posted in: Defiant Hashimoto says U.S. troops abused women during occupation

  • -2

    Brainiac

    I wonder how Chiaki will sound. Zoe is hot, much better than the original Uhura (sorry Nichelle).

    Posted in: Voiceover

  • -2

    Brainiac

    It's possible the mother couldn't swim.

    Posted in: 2 children almost drown in river

  • 3

    Brainiac

    It's an interesting shape and may be very effective, but 10 meters doesn't seem high enough to me.

    Posted in: 2.4-km-long X-shaped seawall being built in Iwate

  • 0

    Brainiac

    "The Man From UNCLE" casting seems offbeat.

    Posted in: Hi Ho Silver

  • -1

    Brainiac

    I'm a fan of the golden age of sci-fi films of the 1950s with Ray Harryhausen special effects, so in no particular order:

    The Thing From Another World, Earth vs the Flying Saucers, It Came From Beneath the Sea, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and Them!

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

  • 1

    Brainiac

    I think that foreigners who don't wish to learn Japanese are quite fortunate in Japan. When I first came in the 1980s, I was surprised that many TV programs were bilingual, that signs were in English and that there were four English newspapers. It made me very lazy about learning Japanese.

    Posted in: Why you shouldn’t learn Japanese

  • 3

    Brainiac

    I like the Starbucks atmosphere. It is a good tonic for when I am feeling tired. I always walk out feeling rejuvenated. The staff at my neighborhood store know me, so that helps. And I like some of their food items, too.

    Posted in: Starbucks on track to open 1,000th store in Japan

  • 1

    Brainiac

    World class, at least in Tokyo. Les Saisons at the Imperial Hotel for French, and Elio's in Hanzomon (I think) for Italian are outstanding, but there are so many more. There are so many fine young Japanese chefs who trained in Europe and are now setting up their own restaurants here.

    Posted in: What do you think of the quality of French and Italian restaurants in Japan?

  • 4

    Brainiac

    I've just been watching his movies during Golden Week and the DVDs had special interviews with him. Farewell Ray. Thanks for the memories.

    Posted in: Film special effects legend Ray Harryhausen dies at 92

  • 0

    Brainiac

    I hope they don't dig up any dirt on Benny Hill or Terry-Thomas. Those are the only two British comedians left whom I enjoyed when they were around.

    Posted in: British comedian Tarbuck arrested over child abuse claim

  • 1

    Brainiac

    It depends what you watched while you were growing up. I loved the Three Stooges and still watch them on DVD. But some of my relatives, who never watched them, can't understand what is funny about guys poking each other in the eyes and hitting each other on the head with a hammer. That's one reason why the Farrelly brothers' film on the Three Stooges a couple of years ago wasn't a big hit. I couldn't identify with it and I am sure modern audiences didn't understand the film's pedigree.

    I didn't see much of the Marx brothers or Laurel and Hardy as a kid, so I don't particularly find them funny today. Interestingly, I recently saw a Charlie Chaplin silent film and got tired of it after a short time. Yet I know he was hugely popular in his day.

    So I guess some forms of comedy stand the test of time and others don't. My all-time favorite is the 1960s TV series "Get Smart," which I think does hold up well even today.

    Posted in: What do you think of old-time comedy acts such as the Three Stooges, Marx Brothers, Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy? Do you think their brand of comedy still holds up today?

  • -1

    Brainiac

    I wonder how he'll go against Usain Bolt.

    Posted in: Japanese teenager tipped to become fastest Asian runner

  • 2

    Brainiac

    In my company, there are fewer staff than there used to be due to cost-cutting measures, so everyone has to do more. The Japanese staff are working hard in my company; they're not wasting time.

    I've also noticed that most of my foreign friends in various companies also work long hours. Whenever we arrange to meet up for drinks or dinner, it invariably is 8 p.m. and not 6 p.m., which I wish it could be.

    Posted in: Why do Japanese work such long hours?

  • 4

    Brainiac

    Where's Masako? They make this big deal about her making her first official overseas trip in 11 years, put her on the plane and then she skips the banquet. Poor dear. It'll be tough on her to sit through the coronation, I'm sure.

    Posted in: Royal gathering

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