zaichik said...

zaichik at 05:49 AM JST - 28th April

They must have been coming in on the Dalavia flights from Khabarovsk, if they were using those particular airports. There are always tons of Russian hostesses at Niigata airport on the days of the Khabarovsk flights.

Posted in Police dragnet for marriage scam leads to additional 11 arrests at 05:49 AM JST - 28th April
zaichik at 05:17 AM JST - 28th April

Rather lovely article....

Posted in Dreams take flight with paper planes at 05:17 AM JST - 28th April
zaichik at 05:15 AM JST - 28th April

Sounds like a girl after my own heart, Sarge. I never bothered with an unbrella when I first moved to Japan (although that did change over time). Have managed in rainy Auckland without an umbrella for over a year now.

Posted in Putting discarded umbrellas to good use at 05:15 AM JST - 28th April
zaichik at 04:47 AM JST - 23rd April

Full of sugar, almost certainly.

Posted in Suntory to export Iemon green tea to U.S. at 04:47 AM JST - 23rd April
zaichik at 11:58 AM JST - 22nd April

I hope these philistines get gangrene in their spray-painting fingers. I have fond memories of a number of visits to Zenkoji and am most unhappy to hear of this vandalism.

Posted in Temple sprayed with graffiti after withdrawing from Olympic torch relay at 11:58 AM JST - 22nd April
zaichik at 08:43 AM JST - 21st April

Where I used to live in Niigata, there was a slot on the beer vending machine, into which you had to insert your driving licence in order to buy beer after 11pm. This isn't exactly new technology....

Posted in Cigarette vending machines to accept driving licenses for age checks at 08:43 AM JST - 21st April
zaichik at 08:41 AM JST - 21st April

I know from my experience in Japan and NZ that being able to speak another language is not the be-all and end-all in the job market. You definitely need to be able to demonstrate other skills. However, if you have those skills plus a second or third language, then your…

Posted in Trilingual ability lowers hurdles at 08:41 AM JST - 21st April
zaichik at 05:33 AM JST - 20th April

Considering Masako's situation, it's all for the best.

Nicely put, Ness :-)

Posted in Ryoko Kuninaka hasn't found her prince yet at 05:33 AM JST - 20th April
zaichik at 04:58 AM JST - 20th April

The first "kid dies in hot car while parent plays pachinko" story of the year. Must be summer.

Posted in 1-year-old boy dies after being left in car by pachinko-playing mother in Kagoshima at 04:58 AM JST - 20th April
zaichik at 09:42 AM JST - 7th April

I used to climb at an indoor wall in Swansea when I was a teenager, and we'd climb at some of the beaches on the Gower Peninsula in summer. The sense of achievement when you complete a climb is amazing. Alas, gravity is even less on my side these days…

Posted in Rock-climbing opens up to the masses in Tokyo at 09:42 AM JST - 7th April