tideofiron's past comments

  • 3

    tideofiron

    The absence or inadequacy of a scientific explanation or theory for an event does not automatically validate claims of supernatural causation.

    Posted in: Life after death? Yes, says one doctor

  • 0

    tideofiron

    Board game? Hmmm...Advanced Squad Leader.

    Posted in: Which toy, board game or other playthings from your childhood have stood the test of time and are still popular with children today?

  • 7

    tideofiron

    I haven't noticed a real difference perhaps because I feel so attacked by this topic all the time. I'm so sick about hearing about food in Japan. The topic is so banal and yet inescapable here. Don't the Japanese have anything interesting to say beyond food? I watch TV at night and it's hours and hours of programming about food - so much so that one show blends into the other seamlessly. Perhaps if people didn't obssess so much over food, they could fix their broken economy, broken political system, broken education system, etc.

    Posted in: What differences in regional food culture in Japan have you noticed whenever you visit various parts of the country?

  • 0

    tideofiron

    I've been to restaurants like this and the food is usually pretty bad. I think it's because the manager is so busy thinking about this kind of crap rather than focusing on the issue of making good food and running a decent shop. Usually these kinds of places die out pretty quickly or they eke out a poverty-line existence for years and years.

    Posted in: Beijing restaurant removes 'racist' sign after fury, but manager refuses to apologize

  • -3

    tideofiron

    It's a nice story but Canada and/or Russia will absolutely crush them and ask for seconds.

    Posted in: Japan's women ice hockey team hits big time

  • -2

    tideofiron

    E-mail comes from a specific person but faxes are sent from "an office" usually without a specific name attached. This conveniently removes the onus of personal responsibility from the sender, hence their popular use in Japan.

    Posted in: The fax was such a success here that it has proven hard to replace. It has grown unusually deep roots into Japanese society.

  • -2

    tideofiron

    I don't think it had much popular appeal around the world. The scoring system is difficult to understand and judo had really replaced it because it made so many rule changes to be more Olympics-friendly. The Japanese only loved wrestling because they won so many gold medals. If it weren't for having so many gold medals in the sport, they wouldn't bat an eyelash over it. How many wrestling clubs do you see in most normal high schools throughout Japan? I've been watching the news channels all this morning and they've come extremely close to saying that the decision was anti-Japanese without really coming out and saying it. It has nothing to do with Japan - the truth is just that no one really cared much about wrestling. Sorry.

    Posted in: Japan shocked by IOC decision to body slam wrestling

  • 16

    tideofiron

    Actually, a radar acquisition and lock is indeed considered an act of war by many countries, including the US. I well remember during the 90s that the Americans would destroy Iraqi radar sites that attempted to lock on to American fighter jets patrolling the No-Fly Zone.

    Posted in: Chinese frigate locked radar on Japanese navy vessel

  • 4

    tideofiron

    This is just more evidence that Fukushima has been written off by the government (although they will NEVER admit this publicly). There is no clean up because this area of Japan will simply be closed off like a condemned building for the forseeable future. The government has no clue how to 'fix" the problem so it has simply given up. In any other civilized country, heads would roll. In Japan, it's business as usual.

    Posted in: This isn’t decontamination — it’s sweeping up dirt and leaves and is absolutely irresponsible.

  • 1

    tideofiron

    I would say it's the "gaman" mentality and also the increased reluctance to stand up in a group and say, "You know what, I know all of you want to climb this mountain but I think it's a bad idea with the weather forecast." It's a mix of culture and social psychology (groupthink).

    Posted in: 8 mountain climbers still missing

  • 6

    tideofiron

    I'm not sure if it's knee jerk when you're talking about vandalism on that kind of scale. Drunk young hooligans would probably tend to vandalize a couple of random cars and then run away. Here you're looking at something that looks like it took a coordinated effort and it was aimed at a specific target. I'm not saying that's a certainty but I would strongly agree that this has some kind of link to organized crime, especially considering what's been happening in Fukuoka lately.

    Posted in: 6 cars torched; tires on 32 others punctured in city hall parking lot

  • 3

    tideofiron

    Japan, Korea, and China truly deserve each other. It's so fitting to see them just go back and forth with one another, at each others' throats, forever and ever.

    Posted in: Abe wants to replace landmark 1995 war apology

  • 0

    tideofiron

    The strangest part of the story is that someone would think that 50K is anywhere near enough for a retirement fund.

    Posted in: 87-year-old man robbed of Y5 mil he carried everywhere

  • 3

    tideofiron

    This is probably one of the best articles I've read in the last six months. I hope JT has more of these kinds of articles in the future.

    Posted in: Despairing correctly about Japanese agriculture

  • 0

    tideofiron

    This article is jam packed full of things that no one ever did or said but that's RocketNews24 for you. Fun read though!

    Posted in: What shocks Japanese country folk about city life

  • 1

    tideofiron

    It was pretty funny and entertaining but the Gangnam Style craze is so over right now.

    Posted in: 'Gangnam Style' becomes YouTube's most watched video

  • 1

    tideofiron

    I can agree with lots of these comments but I haven't seen anyone acknowledge the huge amount of hidden private debt that many people incur in Japan. The number of people who are in big financial trouble is underreported because a lot of lending in Japan happens outside of the banking system. When the economy crashed after the bubble years, a lot of people turned to different "sources" within the community to stay afloat financially. In desperation, a lot of older people have turned to gambling as a way to both earn enough to stay alive and to pay off their creditors. Of course, this doesn't work very well and only helps to encourage a gambling addiction. Finally, people find themselves in dire situations, vainly gambling away pension checks and committing petty theft just to get by.

    Posted in: No. of elderly criminals soars in Japan

  • -4

    tideofiron

    haha I'm sure people will be lining up for blocks to get tickets!

    Posted in: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's world tour to start in February

  • 1

    tideofiron

    I suspect it's an attempt to make Japanese people feel better for the huge success of "Gangnam Style" and the lack of success of any Japanese equivalent. Kind of sad, isn't it?

    Posted in: New animated music video 'Transfer' wins fans the world over

  • 0

    tideofiron

    Thank god I can finally quit teaching English!

    Posted in: DOCOMO launches real-time phone translation

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