Gaijin thieves dump 5 million yen on side of road....No way Jose
Thieves dump bags containing 50 million yen on side of road
(Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Oct. 19, 2004)
UTSUNOMIYA -- Thieves who stole a whopping 524 million yen from a transport company here on Sunday have abandoned several bags on the side of the road that contained about 50 million yen, police said.


Foreigners blamed for massive heist
(Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Oct. 18, 2004)
UTSUNOMIYA -- A group of four or five men believed to be foreigners have made off with 524 million yen in cash following a daring raid on a transport company ...

Just say NO to NHK fees
Topic: adviceS

Pay NHK?
Gee, just say NO.

NHK has no method of enforcement for payment of fees (unlike the UK's BBC). Just say "no thank you" everytime they come to the door. Even though I don't have to pay because I'm "special," I enjoy saying NO with a big smile.

Top Secret! Yokohama train bomb simulation drill
NHK TV News just reported that Yokohama conducted a train bomb simulation drill today. Mmmmmmm.
Wonder if they know something they are not divulging since there are no signs in the train stations or anything.
It is strange that this seems to be the first time they have done this kind of drill, even though previous threats against Japan have been made over a year ago.

The City of Yokohama Emergency Preparedness homepage says nothing about a drill, go figure.
I guess we need to go in to get our brain stem implant so we receive the NHK sub-band signal to warn of things like this and the Official Must-start-wearing-your-salaryman-trench-coat Day that is coming soon.

Puking on the 8am train is "normal: in Tokyo
You've been in Japan too long ....
...when you think some suit puking their guts on a 8am train is normal.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a rapidly rising disorder
Medical News Today, UK - 24 Augminutes ago
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is characterized by severely elevated levels of eosinophils -- a type of white blood cell-- in the esophagus. These eosinophils grow in an uncontrolled manner and attack the gastrointestinal system, leading to vomiting and difficulty with growth and swallowing food (dysphagia). EE differs from esophageal reflux in the magnitude... is just one a group of disorders called eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases that are often associated with allergies. EE is an emerging disease throughout the world, as documented by recent series of cases in the United States, England, Japan, Spain, Australia, Switzerland and Italy. ...
Geigh-sha?

Puking on the 8am train is "normal: in Tokyo
You've been in Japan too long ....
...when you think some suit puking their guts on a 8am train is normal.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a rapidly rising disorder
Medical News Today, UK - 24 Augminutes ago
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is characterized by severely elevated levels of eosinophils -- a type of white blood cell-- in the esophagus. These eosinophils grow in an uncontrolled manner and attack the gastrointestinal system, leading to vomiting and difficulty with growth and swallowing food (dysphagia). EE differs from esophageal reflux in the magnitude... is just one a group of disorders called eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases that are often associated with allergies. EE is an emerging disease throughout the world, as documented by recent series of cases in the United States, England, Japan, Spain, Australia, Switzerland and Italy. ...
Geigh-sha?

USB Sushi and followed by a USB vibe

(USB sushi)
And afterwards, get ready to ?Plug and Play? with the usbvibe

Naked sushi on CSI: Kabukicho
CSI: NEW YORK INTO THE WORLD OF THE RICH AND POWERFUL
'Grand Master' Promo - copyright CBS

[Stella and Danny walk into a restaurant.]
[Several guests sit around a young semi-naked woman with sushi on her body.]
[A waiter places a tray next to the woman.]
[A well-dressed woman with chopsticks enjoys her sushi.]
[Close-ups of sushi on the woman's body.]
[Stella and Danny look at the scene.] Stella: "I heard about these naked sushi parties, but... a restaurant?" [Someone picks a piece of sushi of the woman's body.] [We see the sushi woman in the front as Stella and Danny look on in the background.]

Abandoned love, japaneseque


Abandoned love hotel

.... call it "urban exploration," "modern archaeology" or what have you, but it's a fairly common pastime among certain people with a taste for adventure, and as a result there're dozens of sites in Japan devoted to information on haikyo (literally "ruin" but usually taken to mean "abandoned area"). Some of them have gotten faily popular, to the point where Toru Kurihara of Haikyo Explorer has published a bestselling book based on his exploits.

Tokyo Tower VS Thai Airlines

Plane nearly hit Tokyo TowerOct 18 TOKYO (Reuters) - A Thai charter plane veered off course while approaching a Tokyo airport last month, almost hitting the Tokyo Tower, a well-known landmark in the centre of the Japanese capital, a newspaper says.
The Orient Thai charter jumbo jet came within 200 metres of striking the tower, a 333-metre high copy of the Eiffel Tower, when it veered to the north during the final stages of its approach to Haneda airport just after midnight on September 19, the Mainichi Shimbun said on Monday.

Posted by trek/taro at 2:58 PM KDT
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"I could not get a Gucci handbag and had to end up with a Japan-made. I want to die.'

Strangers in Life Join Hands in Death as the Web Becomes a Tool for Suicide in Japan
NYTimes.com > International > Asia Pacific By JAMES BROOKE / October 18, 2004[/url] TOKYO--
..."When they come across a minor trouble, they get distressed," said Dr. Harufusa Higano, a psychiatrist who directs a clinic here. Recalling one young woman who had attempted suicide by cutting her wrists, he said: "She told me:

' I could not get a Gucci handbag and had to end up with a Japan-made. I want to die.'

Nissan's CEO Carlos Ghosn likes to FUGA
Name game's getting goofy; Uliou? Tiida?
Global push alters language
AutoWeek - 13 Sept
OKYO -- Nissan Motor Co. is considering selling the Tiida in the United States....
...."As more and more products move across borders, you'll see more unusual names," says Steve Wilhite, Nissan vice president of global marketing. .... There is "tremendous cachet in a name a little bit foreign but indicative" of the car's origins, Wilhite says.
... To be sure, some names don't travel well. Nissan will introduce a luxury sedan in Japan in mid-October under the Fuga moniker, but it will be known in the United States as the Infiniti M45. Toyota Motor Corp.'s Kluger V is known in the United States as the Highlander.
And some odd names won't show up outside their home markets simply because the cars are not meant for export. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. never exported its Toppo BJ minicar. And China's Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. has not shipped the Beauty Leopard, Haoqing or Uliou to America - yet....
---See also the old forum thread: The Best, Worst & Weirdest Car Names

Car Name Is Karma
J@pan Inc Magazine newsletter No. 293 Oct 18
...Fuga is Italian for harmony and is also homophonous with the Japanese word for elegance. The Nissan model has a V6-cylinder engine and body parts including doors made of aluminum, such that it is more than 30 kilograms lighter. The Fuga retails in the 3,410,000 - 4,930,000 yen range. Nissan expects to sell 2,000-odd units per month. The Cedric, for more than 40 years a synonym for luxury among Nissan models, will become mainly the name of taxi cabs and other commercial vehicles. Fearing the loss of a cadre of Cedric aficionados, some Nissan execs opposed the name change. Their objections were swept aside by President Carlos Ghosn....more...

Q: Where should go drinking in Tokyo?
Topic: adviceS
Q: Where should go drinking in Tokyo?
A: ANYWHERE.
Japan is a drunk's paradise.
Bars are the second industry here--- the first being sleaze. Every meter of street has a bar; pick one you'll be puking and poorer before you know it.

PLEASE do not be scared to go into those tiny bars with only 5 stools. Often those places are the single guy's savior.

I was once dragged to a sleaze bar and one of the hostess upon learning that I lived in Sugamo-Komagome area DEMANDED that I go to her sister's 5-stool bar. Standing outside a tangled 2-meter lane, I felt real dumb going into microscopic, 2-story, wooden establishment. The 90 year old place was so small I could just about touch the opposite walls with my outstretched arms. It seems just too Japaneseque for a f'ed gaijin like me.

To make a long story short, the mama-san there ended up cooking me a home-cooked Japanese meal, with a few drinks for 3 nights a week for my first few years in Tokyo ...all for 1,200yen. I would have death-by-cup- ramen malnutrition without that lady. Hell on real slow nights, she would close up early and she'd take me upstairs. :wink:

WHERE are good places to hang out?
"Sister Chill" (Jude Brand) has written the book on that and at the TokyQ.com she's has writtten "Hangouts, Places to chill " column for years. Here's a typical review...

4 (Shi): Shibuya
4 (shi) has one of the best and wackiest locations for a bar. It is tucked in right under the Yamanote-sen tracks where they lead south out of Shibuya Station. Every time a train pulls in, the room shakes and the music takes a back seat to the commotion above. But you'd be surprised how quickly you become accustomed to this...
... a collection of top-shelf spirits, among which tequila and rum are most prominent. Something special like a Jose Cuervo Reserve de la Familia will set you back 3,500 yen a shot, so I would advise checking the prices before indulging. I was most impressed with the range of rum, which included my favorite Haitian label Barbancourt, with a 15-year old version going for a mere 1,400 yen a shot ... more...

Posted by trek/taro at 9:50 AM KDT
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"Well that's fine, but what about the moons of Uranus?"

The Moons of Uranus
the 5 largest satellites of Uranus are:
Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon.

However, there's 27 moons counted so far and many more to find no doubt:
Ariel, Belinda, Bianca, Caliban,Cordelia, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Miranda, Oberon, Ophelia, Portia, Prospero, Puck,Rosalind, Setebos, Stephano, Sycorax, S/1986 U10, S/2001 U2, S/2001 U3, S/2003 U1, S/2003 U2 , S/2003 U3, Trinculo , Umbriel

ARBEIT MACHT FREI!
Topic: Me

War is Peace!
Ignorance is Strength!
Celebrate Homogeneity!
Hate Osama bin Taro!
Love Big Brother Dubya!
Winston Smith lives!

"Prestigious Blinds" kanji tattoos gone bad

Via the grrreat
hanzi smatter:一知半解 website, "Dedicated to the misuse of Chinese characters (Han Zi; or 汉字) in Western culture" with zillions of f'ed kanji tattoos I bring you all Mr. "Prestigious Blinds" ...

"Prestigious Blinds" the tattoo

威 = prestigious
簾 = blinds, window curtains
It's an attempted phonetic translation of the name "William". The correct phonetic translation for "William" is:
威廉

Devilman VS Hellboy in Japan
"Devilman" and "Hellboy" are both playing in first-run theaters here in Japan. Hell, is that devilish, or what?

"a victim of bad publicity" and Japan

Great white shark is seen as a victim
tTelegraph.co.uk / 13/10/2004
The great white shark, traditionally seen as an avid consumer of human flesh, is to be protected from the people it terrifies, an international wildlife conference decided yesterday....
Presenting the proposal to protect the great white, Ian Cresswell, of the Australian delegation at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species meeting in Bangkok, said the fearsome fish had been the victim of bad publicity....

Hello Kitty panties made of Swarovski crystals? Ouch.
Ooooo..that's gotta be uncomfortable.
10 October 2004 /AFP/Getty Images / TOKYO, JAPAN: ...Wacoal unveils a pair of underwear with Hello Kitty character made of swarovski crystals for the celebration of Hello Kitty's 30th birthday...Wacoal are selling only 1,000 limited underwears (500 blue and 500 pink colors) 10 October with a price of 6,000 yen (55 USD).

Banjo kanojo - - Japanese engineer plays the axel-housing banjo

AFP/Getty Images -- Oct 11 -- TOYOTA, JAPAN: An engineer of Japan's auto giant Toyota Motor Corporation, plays the banjo made from a car part during the Toyota Idea Olympics in Toyota, central Japan... The banjo is made from a rear axel housing.

Nanjing massacre funny papers not funny in Saitama Japan
Cartoon strip on Nanjing massacre draws flak
TOKYO (AFP) Oct 09, 2004t
... The publisher of the Weekly Young Jump comics magazine had received strong protests for printing the 'inappropriate' strip by 57-year-old cartoonist Hiroshi Motomiya last month, the conservative Sankei Shimbun daily said... ...The Sankei did not say who made the protest, but Kyodo News agency reported that those responsible included a group of 37 members of local assemblies including those from Saitama City, north of Tokyo.
<--Hiroshi Motomiya--"Dilbert with an attitude"