Khuniri comments

Those who blame it all on “xenophobia” art misguided. Our ex-daughter-law, Japanese, alcoholic, abusive, and adulterous, walked off with the daughter of our gullible son, also Japanese, knowing that the absurdly unjust law was on her side. Not being able to see his daughter, now for years, has sent him into a tailspin…All those we know, including former Ai-chan fans, are disgusted with the piggish ping-ponger.

For instance, a well-dressed older man is referred to as a ダンディ (dandi, or “dandy”) in Japanese. While the term is dated, it’s still comprehendible. The same cannot be said for クラクション (kurakushon, or “klaxon”), the outdated proprietary eponym for “car horn.”

"Klaxon" may be obsolete in English but not in French and Italian.

The Oxford English Dictionary's last entry for "klaxon" is as recent as 1973.

Another example of words for tools derived from brand names is ホチキス (hochikisu) 'stapler'.

When I lived in Korea, I was happy to add two years to my "real" age, as I wanted to appear older; being a cheolmeun saram (a young person) tended to put one at the bottom of the totem pole. Ah, but that was long ago! Sixtieth birthday celebrations were a big deal, as many didn't reach that age. Life expectancy since then has risen by more than twenty years.

Seigi-san, you can get your hair cut for a most reasonable price in Japan…And why should the barber be able to speak English? ここは日本ですよ！

The Korean in the 焼きそば sign is also amusingly wrong, as is, I think, the Chinese.

There are many dreadful nations from which any of us would seek to escape, were we there. But even relatively just, peaceful, and prosperous nations cannot absorb an endless supply of refugees. And let us not forget that those who manage to flee tend to be the relatively privileged. I expressed this same view, with reference to the irresponsible and cynical “policy” in America, and had my comment removed. The excuse? Off topic. No. Not politically correct. I speak as a Japanese citizen…

Yes, just what Japan needs…I hope the well-heeled visitors bring us lots of crickets…

My guess is that among the 61%, most can’t spell, without relying on spellcheck, which they may not be able to use either…AI is simply a tool, a tool that can be misused—by humans, Machines are not conscious and never will be.

Teenagers can be breathtakingly stupid—gullible and impulsive. These kids may be rehabilitated, but the necessary measure will be terribly harsh: no smartphones for the next seven years.

"Seigi

In Europe, parents would just call this as a 'phase' in a teenage girl's life..."

There are irresponsible parents in (northern) Europe, particularly in the supposedly "educated" upper-middle classes, who put their unmarried daughters on the pill at a young age. But even they do not condone prostitution.

I have four grown children and, to date, four grandchildren. That does not entitle me to feel morally superior to some of the commentators here, though I do think: Thank goodness that they, being so happily wrapped up in themselves and so very smug, will not become parents.

My wife and I own property in Hawai'i and pay taxes on it. When, decades ago, we lived there, we enjoyed going, for example, to Hanauma Bay, where we would snorkel. One parked one's car and walked down to the beach. Now one is lucky even to be able to park just off the highway, and then one must pay. Non-residents must pay another fee, a hefty one, to go down to the beach, and one needs a reservation to boot....We don't particularly care, as our "beach days" are long over, but there are two sides to this story. Yes, there are "bad tourists," but then laying guilt trips on those who are sinful outsiders from the Hawaiian paradise is an old and all too familiar game.

Whenever I journey overseas, I prefer Japanese airlines, as Japanese flight attendants are both kind and competent. Though an aging male, I am not unaware of how charming they are as well, but that should be all the more reason to treat them,　with full respect.

Men and women are profoundly the same in their humanity and profoundly different in so many specifics, whatever contemporary ideologies may claim. Most of the commentators here seem to presuppose that Japan should become an American clone—or forever live in shame. No! Japanese women are neither weak nor stupid. If the silly people who “rank” countries in their Alice-in-Wonderland way place Japan next time at #105, hurray!

Why “polyamorous”? It suggests that Shibuya is promoting an ideology and is not simply a sex criminal. That would further suggest that he is somehow a victim of prejudice and discrimination. No. If he did what he is alleged to have done, he is one bad dude. End of story.

"Refugee-averse Japan..." Given the opportunity to escape from poverty and/or war, millions upon millions of people would attempt to go to (relatively) rich and peaceful countries. But to paraphrase Dirty Harry, those countries have to know their limitations. Japan clearly does not wish to wind up like "border-security-averse" America.

I remember the mood at the time of the reversion. It was not a “right” vs. “left” question, though one sensed that for some people there was more fervor for the cause of reversion in the abstract than for the actual welfare of Okinawa’s citizenry. Fortunately, that is not true of the imperial visitors, past and present.

I’m a retired prof at a prestigious university, so I can’t be accused of either ignorance or sour grapes when I express hearty agreement with those skeptical of the ratings racket. I’d sooner trust a chap in dark glasses evaluating telephone scam artists.

Glad I’ve switched to non-alcohol beer, though my wife says that too is expensive. The only thing that could drive me again to drink is the shrill cry of the neo-Prohibitionists—allied with the usual Japan bashers.

The problem is not “religion”; the problem is people. People are are prone to greed and hunger for power. There are those who think that if the beliefs they happen to reject would just go away, we would all live in some sort of utopia. Ah, such touching faith in flawed humanity!

What does “overcoming challenges in the region mean”? One is sorely tempted to wax cynical here…

"It depends how one defines 'religion'. The need for a belief system is built-in to humans. Where traditional religion does not meet that, a majority will turn to pseudo-religion. In Japan, that means the 'religion' of most people is simply endless navel gazing about 'being Japanese'. In the West, we see the rise of pseudo-religions like climatism and wokeism."

WiiliB puts it well. Sino-Japanese 宗教 (shuukyou) tends to refer to organizations rather than faith systems. If many Japanese are skeptical about or even hostile to "shuukyou," that may have more to do with a negative view of "groups" rather than of ideas...The Japanese tend to be eclectic in their beliefs and unlikely to pass any sort of "theological literacy" test, but they are also remarkably tolerant...One is arguably safer being a practicing Catholic in Japan than in some parts of the United States.

Not so long ago, there were no non-Japanese retail clerks. Whenever I make a convenience-store purchase and note that the person ringing it up has a non-Yamato-minzoku name, I want to say encouragingly; 日本で頑張って下さい。Why must so many articles of this kind dwell on the negative? The good news is that Japan is facing up to the fact that it now has immigrants. (I just hope that it has better sense than some other countries one might mention.) I find this story quite fishy...

What a wimp! I'm not snickering!

In a perfect world, there would be no violence. In our imperfect world, we try to limit violence by establishing some sort of rules. But then circumstances, along with advancing technology, undermine those rules. The lamentable destruction of human life and property is undeniable; the moral label we would put on it, alas, makes for endless discussion...My family has an old friend who lost a cousin in the Hiroshima bombing--and yet she is among those Japanese who say that she might otherwise have wound up dying, as she and her classmates fought American troops with make-shift pitchforks. I don't presume to question her judgment, as I was but a few months old at the time...

What an interesting and most heartening story!

The Japanese, including their politicians, are hardly known for their theological sophistication. Ask Japanese students about religion and you're very likely to get a stereotypical answer, indicating both ignorance and indifference. Shuukyou (宗教) is typically associated with organizations, not ideas, and organizations in Japan tend to be very demanding and even coercive, so it's no wonder that most people don't want to get involved. But then there are those "looking for something," and, alas, too many of them are gullible. The Moonies are not Christian, and what they teach makes the "moon as green cheese" theory seem almost plausible...My family and I support the LDP and admired Abe-san, but we have no illusions about the opportunism of most all politicians. We still don't know the full story, but anyone who would have anything to do with the Moonies is guilty of very bad judgment.

A friend of mine was living in a thatched-roof house in the countryside in the early 1970s. To get there, one had to take a bus, which ran only every two hours. More than once we sat waiting in a cafe, listening to AP. I never cared all that much for American pop music, but AP was somehow quite enthralling.

In the wake of a terrible event, there is often the strong urge to “make sense” of it by seeking someone to blame…Those who loathe religion (as they think they understand it) are now out in force. Well, let us imagine that the suspect’s mother had lost a lot of money investing in a dishonest convenience store chain, with supposed ties to the LDP. Would anyone now be calling for outlawing all convenience stores?

There is a crucial moral difference between allowing nature to take its course and actively engaging in "euthanasia." Those who argue, quite nihilistically, about a "right to die" should consider that such leads all too quickly to a "duty to die." It might be remembered that even before the Nazis began systematically to murder in the name of "race," they were killing people because they were judged to be infirm...Beware of those who engage in word games.