2020 Japan Olympics

[Yokohammer]

Just to second Russell's sentiments, yes to the NO! to the 2020s. Whadda shameless waste of resources and effort. BUT, holding any events in a region that removed from Tokyo would make a mockery of the chosen location and the bid itself. There seems to be a soccer game or games in Miyagi, wherever that is, but other than that the very idea is outside the purview of the bid itself. Not to mention that nobody should be forced by such nakedly political maneuvering to attend an event they (wrongly) believe is not safe. Sadly, it's a bait and switch shell game. A desire to hold the Olympic Games is unworthy of anybody from a developed nation, even allowing for the Asian Thing where they simply love that BS. Leave that sort of froof for the flag waving middle rankers. Like London..........

Ah see, ye goeth off half cocked (again).

Miyagi prefecture (which is where I am located) is the next one up from Fukushima. I myself am located in southern Miyagi, not terribly far from the Fukushima border and about 80 kilometres from what's left of the the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Fuckup. In fact, I drive into Fukushima quite often. I'm not terribly far from the Rifu stadium when this olympicness is supposed to happen either.

Yes, part of the soccer program in Miyagi, maybe. There's some noise about the paralympics too. To get to the stadium in Miyagi the players must travel through Fukushima (OMG! EEEK! THE HORROR! THEY'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!).

I give up. The whole Fukushima-is-dangerous thing is just too fucking moronic.

[kurogane]

I give up. The whole Fukushima-is-dangerous thing is just too fucking moronic.

I don't think anybody on here would even think about disagreeing with you there. Maybe we just got to the resignation part faster? I gave up trying about 2 years ago. Still, even for a sham like an Olympics it would be really weird to hold events that far fom Tokyo at a Tokyo Olympics. The soccer thing must be the logistics. At least committee beanheads didn't suggest they build 5 new white elephants in the Tokyo area just for that. I was thinking that if it were to happen the equestrian events would be a good candidate; if it is safe nothing changes, and if it's not, everybody wins.

[Mike Oxlong]

Why not Toyotashi? Don't they have a basically empty stadium that gets used for the occasional wedding built for the dual-host 2002 soirée?

[Coligny]

I give up. The whole Fukushima-is-dangerous thing is just too fucking moronic.

Because it was not the core of the issue. Governmental reaction and protocol was.
Like for Osanto eruption, the priorities are near impossible to understand from a modern first world viewpoint.

It was 1986 all over again. Except that unlike for the tainted blood scandal back then, officials escaped jail terms on the novelty basis. 30 years later it was not admissible. The tech can fail, and if it fail you are told to suck it up. What's not to like...

[Coligny]

Why not Toyotashi? Don't they have a basically empty stadium that gets used for the occasional wedding built for the dual-host 2002 soirée?

We got a stadium !? I know of the zoo (not my place, a real zoo with bigger, angrier cats) but a stadium...

[Mike Oxlong]

Why not Toyotashi? Don't they have a basically empty stadium that gets used for the occasional wedding built for the dual-host 2002 soirée?

We got a stadium !? I know of the zoo (not my place, a real zoo with bigger, angrier cats) but a stadium...

No, dem guys up nord where da car boiz iz.

[matsuki]

Why not Toyotashi? Don't they have a basically empty stadium that gets used for the occasional wedding built for the dual-host 2002 soirée?

We got a stadium !? I know of the zoo (not my place, a real zoo with bigger, angrier cats) but a stadium...

No, dem guys up nord where da car boiz iz.

More empty stadiums?



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denka_Big_Swan_Stadium

Kuro- they prefer the term swan over elephant....not that it makes a difference

[Yokohammer]

More utterly unbelievable news from our host nation:

Tokyo Olympics Announce TEPCO As Main Sponsor, While 140,000 still displaced by Fukushima

The Japanese Government has announced that TEPCO ( Tokyo Electric Power Company ) will be the Main Sponsor for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Truth is stranger than fiction, you just can’t make this stuff up.

EDIT: Still looking for reliable confirmation of this in the local media. Anyone have anything?

EDIT 2: Still searching, but so far nothing. I'm beginning to suspect that someone actually did just "make this stuff up." Not funny.

EDIT 3: Looking more bogus by the minute. So much for Natural News.

[yanpa]

Nah, it's a totally believable source...

The Tokyo 2020 Organizers have stated that their goal for the games is ‘ to achieve a warm n cuddly Games ‘ and statements like “Hug Fest’s between athletes like those seen in the Women’s Snowboard Competitions at Sochi – will be mandatory. All athletes regardless of sexual orientation, will hug their teammates before and after each event. For spectators, flash-mob hugging sessions are encouraged “.

[Yokohammer]

Yep, that site will be going on my "check here first list" ... (not).

These c*nts deserve a swift kick where it hurts the most for unnecessarily raising my blood pressure to danger levels this morning.

[kurogane]

Really? I thought it was sort of funny, or at least mildly clever in a badly written National Lampoon sort of way. He's actually trying to make a very cogent argument, but he doesn't write well enough or was simply lazy. If the writer had put his back into it it might have actually been good. Mind you, that wasn't my morning read, which probably helped.

I would have at least gone for a few obvious puns, like their plans to name the TEPCO sponsored stadiums Dai-Ichi and Dai-Ni, and referring to the practice area of the swimming facilities as the containment pools, in keeping with company tradition.......

[Yokohammer]

I would have at least gone for a few obvious puns, like their plans to name the TEPCO sponsored stadiums Dai-Ichi and Dai-Ni, and referring to the practice area of the swimming facilities as the containment pools, in keeping with company tradition.......

How about the "Spent Fool Pools."

[Russell]

Speaking of TEPCO, they seem to be back to making tidy profits recently...

[matsuki]

How long til some fucked tohokujin, living in a non-insulated "temporary" shitbox goes terrorist on them?

[kurogane]

I would have at least gone for a few obvious puns, like their plans to name the TEPCO sponsored stadiums Dai-Ichi and Dai-Ni, and referring to the practice area of the swimming facilities as the containment pools, in keeping with company tradition.......

How about the "Spent Fool Pools."

Ha hahahaha.

Frighteningly funny, and sadly appropriate.

[kurogane]

Okay, BOT: has anybody heard any news or plans to deal with the need for an entire army of English speakers?

I dearly love the Bunka Centre oba-chan volunteers, but I think the scale of this goes beyond their abilities. So, it's 5 years to go, and they need to start training a corp of translators, interpreters and guides. Any news on that front?

FYI, I am rather eagerly expecting a complete linguistic debacle that should rival the mountains of plastic wrappers and disposable food containers that will make the Pacific Plastic Pool look like a piece of child's play and horrify western garbage nazis. I am particularly optimistic that the information signage will outstrip any yet seen for incomprehsnibility and incomplete coverage. It seems snarky, but it really is time to show the Olympics for the farce they are.

BRING ON THE CONFUSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[matsuki]

FYI, I am rather eagerly expecting a complete linguistic debacle that should rival the mountains of plastic wrappers and disposable food containers that will make the Pacific Plastic Pool look like a piece of child's play and horrify western garbage nazis.

Same ol "but terroism!" excuse for the lack of public garbage disposal is going to be hilarious. I wonder how "because setsuden!" will be received by all those unplugged/covered hand dryers. (which I've come to hate anyways...they always seem to smell like crusty bandaids. Japanese that went to LA with me last year were in awe of the the "blow your skin off too" powerful hand dryers)

[Samurai_Jerk]

Japanese that went to LA with me last year were in awe of the the "blow your skin off too" powerful hand dryers)

Bullshit. Hand dryers here are generally much stronger than in the US. I've seen some strong ones at nicer restaurants in the States and they're always Toto brand.

Anyway, is this going to be any different from the W-Pai in terms of services available in Engrish?

[Russell]

I like the hand dryers they have in Italy: stainless pipes with tiny holes in them that blow very strong wind on your hands. Water from your hands drips to the floor, where it evaporates. Smart design!

I remember these to be in use in Leonardo Da Vinci airport.

[Salty]

Japanese that went to LA with me last year were in awe of the the "blow your skin off too" powerful hand dryers)

Bullshit. Hand dryers here are generally much stronger than in the US. I've seen some strong ones at nicer restaurants in the States and they're always Toto brand.

Anyway, is this going to be any different from the W-Pai in terms of services available in Engrish?

I routinely adjust the settings of those public hand dryers - upping them to their highest settings. They are often set low, presumably to lessen the noise they produce.

[kurogane]

FYI, I am rather eagerly expecting a complete linguistic debacle that should rival the mountains of plastic wrappers and disposable food containers that will make the Pacific Plastic Pool look like a piece of child's play and horrify western garbage nazis.

Same ol "but terroism!" excuse for the lack of public garbage disposal is going to be hilarious.

And yet they still have coin lockers before security at the ariports. Very convenient, mind. So, yes, Garbage. I envision a slightly more visually copacetic but sinister scenario: rows and rows of those solar powered composting public garbage bins which will be filled and refilled and then disposed of after the Big Event, thereby creating yet more garbage and economic waste. At any rate, it is my sincere belief that 2020 will come to be known as The Disposable Games; not because of the events themselves, of course, but because of the mountains of plastic bricabrac that will be deployed to deal with the mountainous needs of the mountains of visitors.

As for hand dryers, if we went old school all informaiton sites would simply suggest people bring a bandanna to wipe their hands, like we all figured out to do after a couple of visits to public toilets. But that would be a face issue so there will probably be a handwiping boondoggle as well. I though Vancouver 2010 was a sufficient sham but I think Tokyo will make it look like a local weekend festival/farmers' market.

[matsuki]

Japanese that went to LA with me last year were in awe of the the "blow your skin off too" powerful hand dryers)

Bullshit. Hand dryers here are generally much stronger than in the US. I've seen some strong ones at nicer restaurants in the States and they're always Toto brand.

When is the last time you went back? These are everywhere now:

31c8uoRoQAL[1].jpg

brushed-front[1].jpg

Like I said, even the Japanese with me were making comments about how these actually worked unlike the weak ass ones in Japan.

I routinely adjust the settings of those public hand dryers - upping them to their highest settings. They are often set low, presumably to lessen the noise they produce.

Where are the adjustments made?

[Samurai_Jerk]

Maybe that's just a California thing. I went to NYC and NOLA in September. Most places sill had these.

hand_dryer_white_01.jpg

[matsuki]

Ahhhh, could be a west coast thing. They were all over Las Vegas as well. Anyhow, they totally own the Toto hand dryers.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Ahhhh, could be a west coast thing. They were all over Las Vegas as well. Anyhow, they totally own the Toto hand dryers.

You know what works really well? Paper towels.

[matsuki]

Ahhhh, could be a west coast thing. They were all over Las Vegas as well. Anyhow, they totally own the Toto hand dryers.

You know what works really well? Paper towels.

How often do you see those anymore?

The worst are those never ending loop towels...those are probably more bacteria filled than the catch tank of the hand dryers.



yumm yumm

[kurogane]

Ahhhh, could be a west coast thing. They were all over Las Vegas as well. Anyhow, they totally own the Toto hand dryers.

You know what works really well? Paper towels.

Amen. Also your hand wiping hankie, or your pants. I used to love watching GFs faces when they thought I was using my booger bank to wipe my hands. The secret is to carry 2 identical hankies.

Actually, this idea of going back to evrybody carrying a hankie is starting to look better. Hand dryers are pretty gay in that Japanese Male OCD sort of way. Not as gay as washlets but still.............

[Samurai_Jerk]

Ahhhh, could be a west coast thing. They were all over Las Vegas as well. Anyhow, they totally own the Toto hand dryers.

You know what works really well? Paper towels.

How often do you see those anymore?

I've never seen them much in Japan.

[Russell]

Ahhhh, could be a west coast thing. They were all over Las Vegas as well. Anyhow, they totally own the Toto hand dryers.

You know what works really well? Paper towels.

How often do you see those anymore?

I've never seen them much in Japan.

I sometimes see them at conference venues.

But these can afford it due to the high fees for renting some rooms or halls.

[Salty]

... Where are the adjustments made?

Some have a small panel on the side that hides the on/off switch and speed dial, while some have the controls hidden above the slot for your hands. Just take a good look, bending down to do so if necessary....