T.I.J. (This is Japan)

[mr. sparkle]

Yup. Works pretty well. You know, you can buy them in the U.S. now.

I know, but I wanna confuse my houseguests with kanji on the buttons.

[Kijimuna]

-- Hostages are billed for their own release and rescue missions..

---You get billed for land/mountain rescues, but not for rescues over/on water.

[yakinoumiso]

"toriaezu" is a perfectly acceptable acceptable explaination of why something is a certain way.

[Oradea]

why is it that one of the most 'developed :P ' countries in the world has so few ATM's that are actually 24 hours? and here the sewers are a public street decoration?????

[yakinoumiso]

and here the sewers are a public street decoration?????

Could it be that people walk with their heads down most of the time, so having pretty sewer lids gives 'em something to focus on occasionally?

[cstaylor]

They can take pride in the more insignifigant elements of Japan and therefore feel proud.

Like superior public transportation, excellent cell phones, good service, lightning-fast internet service, low crime rate, etc...

and not doing anyting to make it better.

I'm not sure what is more annoying: foreigners that endlessly complain about Japan, or those that complain about endlessly complaining foreigners.

[bejiita]

Yup. Works pretty well. You know, you can buy them in the U.S. now.

I know, but I wanna confuse my houseguests with kanji on the buttons.

Just pick one up from the Mikado store in Kintetsu mall in Japantown. They have them there. Don't know if these are imported with the Kanji or not.

I ended up ordering mine online as a gift. She still hasn't installed it yet. I think she's scared of it.

[canman]

Here is the story. Last year I bought my wife a Calvin Klein watch at a local jewelry store. Later on I bought her another one. At a different location same store I got her a ring, and a bracelet. Fast forward to yesterday, the battery had died and we took it in to get the battery replaced. We left the watch and did some other shopping. Returning 30 minutes later, we saw the worker outside smoking, then when he saw us he rushed into the store. He brought out the watch on this trayand put it in front of all these watches that had been lined up on the counter, but the tray was scattered with glass and this tool. I'm thinking what the f@ck is up with that, is this some kind of display, because it looks really bad. Well what happened was when they worker tried to open the back something happened he broke the glass, and smushed all the workings. So they began apologizing telling us what happened, and then offered my wife any watch she wanted. Now I will be honest the watch I bought cost 20 000 yen. They were offering one that cost 96 000 yen. I couldn't believe it. Anyway my wife felt bad and ended up taking one that cost 36 000, which was the cheapest they were offering. Now my questions are these, would this happen in North America or Australia etc. And what would you do if you were given the choice. Should she have taken the most expensive one. I just felt that would be taking advantage of them.

[Manbiki Boy]

What's the deal with that small kink in the toilet paper rolls here in Japan? Everytime you roll to get some wiping paper, it makes that "clunk, clunk, clunk" sound. Is it so everybody in the whole bathroom knows you're gonna wipe? Or is it so you can hear how many rolls the guy in the stall next to you needs to wipe....

[Taro Toporific]

What's the deal with that small kink in the toilet paper rolls here in Japan? Everytime you roll to get some wiping paper, it makes that "clunk, clunk, clunk" sound...

It's a tensioning spring that's supposed to "encourage" you to use less paper by making the sheets seperate at each rotation (and making that noise).

[Manbiki Boy]

A tension spring? I always thought it was because the old janitorial ladies like to put a dent into the cardboard tube in the middle for some reason....But come to think of it, it does make the single ply paper tear off sooner than I've got a good wiping bundle. Ahh....the miracle of the butt sprayer.

[canman]

I just read in the Gomiyuri newspaper that a man has been charged with running a green light. Yes that was green light. It seems last year, as he was driving on a national road, he was going fast I will admit it said he was travelling 90 kph in a 60 kph zone, when another car ran the red light. He hit them broadside and killed the two passengers in the other car. At first prosecutors dropped the case saying they "he could not expect a car to drive through a red light." But the family of the deceased pushed and now the driver has been charged.
I know this is not appropriate but it reminds me of the old joke, the tourist visits New York and gets into a taxi, tells the driver the address and off they go. The driver runs every red light, which makes the passenger really nervous, but when they get to a green light the driver stops. The passenger is surprised why the driver did this and asks, to which the driver ansers I have to be careful my brother may be coming the other way.

[kurohinge1]

I just read in the Gomiyuri newspaper that a man has been charged with running a green light. ... he was travelling 90 kph in a 60 kph zone, when another car ran the red light. He hit them broadside and killed the two passengers in the other car. ... and now the driver has been charged ...

Probably "negligent driving resulting in death".
Seems fair, if he was doing 90kph in a 60 zone,
even with a green light.
Is that a conviction I smell ...

[FG Lurker]

Probably "negligent driving resulting in death".
Seems fair, if he was doing 90kph in a 60 zone,
even with a green light.
Is that a conviction I smell ...

The guy was definitely driving too fast... But the other guy ran the red light. I'd say it was 50-50, each driver responsible for their own injuries/damage.

[kurohinge1]

The guy was definitely driving too fast... But the other guy ran the red light. I'd say it was 50-50, each driver responsible for their own injuries/damage.

The other two passengers were given a death sentence by him - wouldn't 50-50 mean he should be killed twice?

Think of it this way: Just because kiddies shouldn't cross the road against the lights doesn't mean I can mow them down if they do.

Call me the hanging judge ( ) but he was negligent in driving at that speed and it resulted in two deaths. Fits that charge perfectly.

[FG Lurker]

The guy was definitely driving too fast... But the other guy ran the red light. I'd say it was 50-50, each driver responsible for their own injuries/damage.

The other two passengers were given a death sentence by him - wouldn't 50-50 mean he should be killed twice?

No, it would mean that the driver who ran the read light was responsible for what happened to his car and the passengers in it. He *did* run the red light after all.

Driving 90 in a 60 zone is over the limit and therefore illegal. Running a red light is illegal. Why do you think one is worse than the other? *Both* drivers were negligent.

If the guy was doing 150 in a 60 zone then clearly it was reckless driving. But in Japan (Osaka at least) 80 in a 60 zone is the *normal* speed. Certainly 75. 90 is over that, but not by as much as it seems at first. (If you tried to drive 60 in a 60 zone in Osaka you would have a long line of very angry drivers behind you.)

Think of it this way: Just because kiddies shouldn't cross the road against the lights doesn't mean I can mow them down if they do.

An adult driver with a drivers license should know better than to run a red light. Kids, especially small ones, often don't understand road rules yet. Certainly they don't have an understanding of what the possible consequences might be.

Call me the hanging judge ( ) but he was negligent in driving at that speed and it resulted in two deaths. Fits that charge perfectly.

I would say that you don't drive in Japan, at least not in a city. 90 in a 60 zone is about the same level of "illegalness" as running a red light. Depending on the situation the red light running might even be worse.

[kurohinge1]

Sorry FG Lurker, I wasn't taking sides, I understood "He ... killed the two passengers in the other car" to mean that the other driver didn't survive. I can't find the article to check. In context, I guess it is ambiguous. If the other driver did survive, I agree, they should also be charged - same offence. Likely the same result.

I'm not familiar with the particular wording of the offences but I suspect that once you're found negligent, the fact that someone died will mean that you're guilty of the higher offence, regardless of which car the victims were in.

An adult driver with a drivers license should know better than to run a red light. Kids, especially small ones, often don't understand road rules yet. Certainly they don't have an understanding of what the possible consequences might be.

Sorry, my point was that in considering what is negligent, you still owe a duty of care even to rule-breakers, within reason.

I would say that you don't drive in Japan, at least not in a city. 90 in a 60 zone is about the same level of "illegalness" as running a red light. Depending on the situation the red light running might even be worse.

Immediately around my outlaws place (Nara), we're lucky to get over 30kph as it is a rabbit-warren of high-walled, one-car-wide roads with mirrors on every corner and pedestrians, scooters and bicycles added for fun. The near-by larger roads have realistically higher limits but the traffic rarely allows us to achieve the limit for long.

In any event, assuming the other driver did survive, I suspect that we agree that both drivers would be likely to be found negligent in this case. I was simply ignoring the other driver as I suspect they were killed.

Hope that clears it up.

[erbilicus]

Why is it that when you order a draft beer in Japan about 1/3 of it is head? That much head on a beer would get you shot back in the states.

[NeoNecroNomiCron]

Why is it that when you order a draft beer in Japan about 1/3 of it is head? That much head on a beer would get you shot back in the states.

Germans actualy do it too. Its done because if you drink beer slowly the head stays all the way to the bottom. This is a barier that stops the oxidation of the beer and turning it bad. Like when you drink a can of beer (there is no head) when you reach the bottom it tastes foul.

[Big Booger]

Why is it that when you order a draft beer in Japan about 1/3 of it is head? That much head on a beer would get you shot back in the states.

Germans actualy do it too. Its done because if you drink beer slowly the head stays all the way to the bottom. This is a barier that stops the oxidation of the beer and turning it bad. Like when you drink a can of beer (there is no head) when you reach the bottom it tastes foul.

If you are drinking that slowly, you're not drinking...

[Taro Toporific]

Only in Japan...

Subject: Why don't guide dogs learn Japanese?
Newsgroups: sci.lang.japan
Date: 2005-02-10 05:50:54 PST

I noticed on telly that guide/helper dogs get trained in Japan to
respond to English, or more precisely katakana eigo, but why? Do any
other countries teach their dogs a foreign language? What would a
Shiba-ken be taught?

]

[erbilicus]

Why do the Japanese insist on wrapping everything to an obscene amount. Ordered a burger and a coke and they came back to me packed in three bags. 1 for the coke, 1 for the burger and the coke , and a bag for the bag that had the burger and coke in it.

[erbilicus]

Found out the hard way that whisteling in a Japanese school is taboo. There I was all chipper in the morning whisteling away when I was pulled aside and told that such things in Japan aren't done. So I'taken up humming. No complaints yet :P

[American Oyaji]

Why?

[erbilicus]

God knows why. Their explanation was that it is a Japanese tradition. Kinda like the "it`s unlucky to trim your nails at night" thing. When asked why, the response is "I dunno, it`s just tradition".

[Ketou]

Only in Japan...

Subject: Why don't guide dogs learn Japanese?
Newsgroups: sci.lang.japan
Date: 2005-02-10 05:50:54 PST

I noticed on telly that guide/helper dogs get trained in Japan to
respond to English, or more precisely katakana eigo, but why? Do any
other countries teach their dogs a foreign language? What would a
Shiba-ken be taught?

English is apparently a more abrupt language and more suited for commands. Go! Here! Down! No! Attack nads! And all that stuff

[FG Lurker]

God knows why. Their explanation was that it is a Japanese tradition. Kinda like the "it`s unlucky to trim your nails at night" thing. When asked why, the response is "I dunno, it`s just tradition".

Whistling (especially at night) is said to attract snakes.

Bullshit of course, but many Japanese dislike whistling because of this.

Trimming your nails at night isn't unlucky in particular... It's supposed to result in you not being able to be with your parents when they die.

Well, those are the "Kansai versions" that I have heard over time anyway.

[erbilicus]

When was the law passed that every Japanese girl under the age of 40 has to have something dangeling from their bags and cell phones at all times. What is the punishment if caught without said dangely things? And if Pooh san is so popular, why can't he afford pants?

[Charles]

Why do the Japanese insist on wrapping everything to an obscene amount. Ordered a burger and a coke and they came back to me packed in three bags. 1 for the coke, 1 for the burger and the coke , and a bag for the bag that had the burger and coke in it.

Ah, but wrapping is an artform in Japan. I still vividly remember one of my first encounters with Japanese things, back when I was a young art student. One of our teachers passed around an old book from the 1950s, it consisted solely of B&W photographs of Japanese wrapping techniques. But this was no ordinary book, the pictures showed how merchants wrapped eggs with plant fibers. At least a hundred pages, showing different wrappings of eggs, each purchased from a real vendor in various places across Japan. And that is ALL that was in the book, just dozens and dozens of variations of a bunch of eggs tied together in indestructible, crushproof bundles made of palm fibers or something like that. Apparently even today, you can find a few old ladies at stalls out in the inaka who can still whip together a fiber wrapping quicker than you could believe.

[canman]

I just came back from the Onsen. Put in a long day outside raking and getting the yard ready for spring. Took my wallet and keys out of my pants, thorugh them into the basket. Put my wallet and keys, glasses on this cabinet top to be put away when I had finished undressing. Stupidly left everything sitting on top of the cabinet and went in to take a bath. 55 minutes later I come out and head over to my basket.. When I look over there are my keys, wallet, glasses just where I left them, nobody had even touched them. I had about 55000 yen in the wallet at the time. I would hope that back home the same thing would happen, but I don't think so. And just to let you know, I go to this place once in a while but nobody knows me, so its not like I'm a regular, or anything like that.