JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

smithinjapan's past comments

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  -5

  smithinjapanJan. 17, 2012 - 12:32PM JST

  Good thing they've got Ichiro showing up, or else no spectators would. This opening the season thing is a gimmick that makes no sense save to make a quick buck. Hope the players aren't too jet-lagged in Japan or on return home.

  Posted in: Oakland manager excited about opening Major League Baseball season in Japan

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  2

  smithinjapanJan. 17, 2012 - 12:29PM JST

  KariHaruka: "Well if its in our long established exclusive economic zones..."

  That's the point, isn't it? The islands lie in economic zones established BY JAPAN. Hence, the debate.

  Posted in: Japan to name islands in disputed area

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  2

  smithinjapanJan. 17, 2012 - 12:27PM JST

  "He said the move was not intended to stir debate about ownership of the islands."

  But clearly he knows that will be the end result and is carrying on with the naming plans regardless.

  They've probably already got Chinese names anyhow.

  Posted in: Japan to name islands in disputed area

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  1

  smithinjapanJan. 17, 2012 - 12:24PM JST

  I don't think these guys should be fighting anybody... looks like there'd be a lot of broken hips in the geriatrics ward.

  Posted in: Let's fight!

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  1

  smithinjapanJan. 17, 2012 - 12:22PM JST

  Star-viking: "NHK News reported that the rocks were shipped before the mandatory evacuation order was made, so the workers though that if they were safe to work in Namie, then the rocks were safe too."

  Simply an excuse. They could have had the materials checked ANY TIME while building, which would not have been completed AFTER the mandatory ban and fears of radiation had started.

  Can I get a big 'shouganai' from the public?

  Posted in: Gov't to probe radioactive apartment block

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  1

  smithinjapanJan. 17, 2012 - 10:50AM JST

  Yeah, sure it will... and WHO appointed the panel again and WHOM is it funded by?

  Posted in: Independent panel on Fukushima crisis says it will go much deeper than gov't one

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  smithinjapanJan. 17, 2012 - 10:49AM JST

  I hadn't read about this in detail so I was not aware that the captain and some crew had bailed before the evacuation procedures formally began. For that, I'm sure, and I hope, they'll be in some serious trouble. As for the 29, I hope at least a few, if not all, can be found alive. To those dead, RIP.

  Posted in: Italian liner toll up to 7, 28 missing as captain questioned

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  3

  smithinjapanJan. 17, 2012 - 10:47AM JST

  Arrrr.... mateys! I be here to plunder yer riches fer me own intrests!

  Posted in: Noda appears in eye patch for tax fight

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  4

  smithinjapanJan. 17, 2012 - 10:36AM JST

  "The three-story condominium was constructed in July with concrete made from gravel taken from a quarry near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in April, one month after it began spewing radiation into the air and sea."

  Well, gee... hmmm... let's see... now how could the building contain radiation? What a complete bunch of idiots. They know the company that sold the gravel -- and I guess they made a handsome profit -- so ARREST the company executives and throw them in prison. I'm tired of this 'no immediate threat' and 'not reached the government (newly) set limits' crap. No WONDER everyone is skeptical. I'm simply amazed these people are allowed to ship ANYTHING from within the no-go zone at all! And if they found radiation in this one building, you can bet your bottom dollar it'll be in others. The families living in that condo should sue (but they won't).

  Posted in: Gov't to probe radioactive apartment block

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  smithinjapanJan. 16, 2012 - 09:43PM JST

  Good on her, and I wish her the best. It's unlikely she'll up her game all that much, but symbolically she's doing a great thing by continuing... and if she loves doing it and that's why she is continuing, all the better.

  Posted in: Veteran Date-Krumm 'may play until she's 50'

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  -3

  smithinjapanJan. 16, 2012 - 09:41PM JST

  "Gambling is allowed and top riders can make millions of dollars a year."

  In a nation where gambling is illegal? Interesting.

  Anyway, RIP, Ms. Sakai. It sounds like a big loss to the sport.

  Posted in: Japanese woman speedway racer killed in crash

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  -1

  smithinjapanJan. 16, 2012 - 08:55PM JST

  yagura: "At some point, if you're choosing to live in Japan then constantly comparing your life to how it might be somewhere else seems to be counterproductive."

  Fair point, although you need not necessarily be comparing cost of living to what it might be if you were living somewhere else, you could simply be contrasting with other places to prove that it is simply too expensive here ('it' being the thing you wish to buy). I've stopped doing the mental conversion you speak of for the most part, but in particular with movies and pizza and produce I simply cannot, and I've been here near as long as you. Other things, like the cost of commuting and what have you, I've stopped comparing (until I travel to another country and realize how cheap it is).

  One more thing I meant to add that is extremely expensive: CHEESE! And now, I don't mean the sawdust they sell off as 'shred cheese', or the edible oil cheese slices, smoked cheese snacks, or the low quality brie or what have you -- I mean an honest block of cheese. It's hard enough to find a block to begin with, but the biggest block you can get you get at CostCo or some food import place and it's about 1kg for more than 2000 yen.

  Posted in: Six things that foreigners feel are overpriced in Japan

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  -2

  smithinjapanJan. 16, 2012 - 08:47PM JST

  Sensei: "Don't assume it was a woman, maybe he broke off a relationship with a male partner. Either way, definitely a crime of passion."

  Good point, but do you think a man would do that to another man? Possible, I guess, and I agree with the crime of passion thing.

  Posted in: Body of naked man with genitals sliced off found in apartment

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  1

  smithinjapanJan. 16, 2012 - 12:52PM JST

  So they should immediately stop wasteful spending. They won't, though... this will just be more fuel for the 'raise tax' fire they're quickly trying to start.

  Posted in: Azumi worried about Japan's debt rating after EU downgrades

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  1

  smithinjapanJan. 16, 2012 - 12:49PM JST

  Anyway, I agree with the list, more or less, although I've always found alcohol to be relatively cheap in Japan. A bottle of whisky or case of beer in Canada is a LOT more than here, thanks to high alcohol taxes in Canada (although the beer's a lot better and there are far more varieties).

  And pizza isn't a LITTLE more expensive, it's a LOT more expensive (to have delivered), and the sizes much smaller (forget about 2 for 1, too!), but some companies are starting to offer half price pizza all through the month.

  And yes, food at the grocery store is generally more expensive, especially produce and rice. I remember when I first noticed that many people go shopping only for that night's dinner, and the ingredients can cost up to or more than a meal out at a mid-range restaurant. Hopefully Japan joins the TPP sometime this century and that changes (or at least brings the OPTION to change).

  Posted in: Six things that foreigners feel are overpriced in Japan

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  smithinjapanJan. 16, 2012 - 12:44PM JST

  FamilienProblem: "Movie tickets might be more expensive, but the seats are clean and in good condition and you don't walk out with bubble gum stuck to your shoe."

  In the days of old movie theaters in North America were as you mention; sticky floors, no reservation system, somewhat dirty feeling, but these days those are few and far between, if at all. What's more, theaters in some nations are CLEANER, and still a fraction of the price of a ticket in Japan. In Korea your average movie ticket (cheaper for matinees, another thing Japan doesn't do!) is about 800 yen and the theaters are VERY good. And what's with "Ladies' Day"? Ladies' Night was a thing created for BARS to bring in more women, because that in turn would bring in more men, who tend to drink more. It makes ZERO sense to have a cheaper day for ladies but not for EVERYONE once a week. Some theaters are fortunately starting to realize this, and one movie theater company has been talking about lowering ticket prices across the board (not by much -- only to 1600, but it's better than nothing).

  Posted in: Six things that foreigners feel are overpriced in Japan

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  smithinjapanJan. 16, 2012 - 12:28PM JST

  ElvanSilvan: "I always thought that international flights have banned carrying lighters on board, and even have posters specially the check-in counters and the one right after that."

  They used to, and maybe still do, collect all lighters when you go through security (as well as liquids and what not), but I believe you can still buy them AFTER at duty free shops (hence all the people smoking in the smoking rooms). That was one of the chief complaints a lot of people had when they banned all liquids on flights after the shoe-bomber's attempt; that the things you can get to make a bomb are STILL available at the airport before flight, you just have to buy them again.

  Posted in: Sydney-bound JAL flight turns back after seat fire

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  -1

  smithinjapanJan. 16, 2012 - 03:03AM JST

  Of all the things I've ordered online that come as tangible items (ie. not just songs from iTunes or what have you) I order food the most (FBC, CostCo). Once in a while something I ordered ends up being sold out, and on rare occasions a bottle got broken in transport, but that's understandable and acceptable. The only time I've ever been surprised was when I ordered a Nintento DS game from Amazon Marketplace (used); it was literally only the software -- no case, no manual, nothing, but the shop that sold it gave it five stars and said it had everything. That was the shop, though, not the service, and besides that one single incident I have found used goods you can order online from Japanese shops to be near perfect condition.

  Posted in: Online shopping: Have you had any trouble, such as items taking an unusually long time to arrive; they did not arrive at all; they were defective when they did arrive; or they were the wrong items?

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  3

  smithinjapanJan. 16, 2012 - 02:59AM JST

  Personally, I love it. More specifically, I love that it's an option instead of a faux pas. Watching shows on Showcase or HBO or what have you that have swearing and nudity is refreshing -- because it's real.

  Posted in: How do you feel about the use of swear words in TV programs?

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  0

  smithinjapanJan. 16, 2012 - 02:44AM JST

  Why would you throw a cat at someone?

  Posted in: Falling cat leaves Argentine woman critically injured

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