The Original Wing comments

Maybe just when it's too crowded

This was my experience too. I love Japanese gardens, and was excited when I finally got to Kanazawa to see Kenroku-en, one of the "Three Great Gardens of Japan." But I knew it was going to be trouble when I got there and saw the pack of tour buses out front. Huge groups of people swarming everywhere in the garden. Want to see the pond? You need to fight your way through 300 people holding up iPads over their heads to take photos, rowdy children (and adults too), selfie-sticks, people loudly having video chats via their phones... it was awful. The garden is beautiful, but gardens are meant to be tranquil places to enjoyed peacefully. It was a miserable experience and I left very disappointed.

I'm no expert, but I'm not sure if the "overhead chop" is really a wise maneuver.

@Antiquesaving and @piskian

Genuine question: What specifically are you worried about happening if you called the police? I never have, so I'm missing what you're implying here as the potential problem.

However, Komine’s lawyer told the lay judges that his client was an alcoholic and was intoxicated at the time [of the crime], and thus not criminally responsible.

Does being intoxicated make you not criminally responsible for crimes committed?

Watching Alcaraz in recent tournaments, I've found myself thinking "How can anyone actually beat him?" That he could main that impressive, impressive level through five sets vs. Djokovic of all people at Wimbledon... this kid is crazy, crazy good.

@CDMX: I'm with you 50%. I think we're definitely in a new era, in the sense that Alcaraz has arrived big-time, and will be a factor in all tournaments going forward. However, I can't call it a "passing of the torch" because Djokovic is still playing at an unbelievable level, and he's not on his way out at all.

browny1: Soon the pressure started from the husband and in-laws to produce children.

I have a Japanese acquaintance with a similar story. Her mother-in-law (who lived nearby) rallied all the neighborhood ladies, who would all stop by and put pressure on her to have a baby. She said the pressure was unbearable - everywhere she turned, the people around her were harassing her about it.

And why did she and her husband live near the mother-in-law in the first place? Because MIL "didn't allow" her son (my friend's husband) to move out of the area after getting married.

Back to the "Smart women don't get married" issue - I think that the younger generations of Japan are much more open and willing to change these outdated and sexist patterns, which should be good for women in STEM. But part of the problem is that the younger generation remains subservient to the older generations, who are still stuck in their old-fashioned ways. From my Western perspective, my friend's stories seem unfathomable - why wouldn't she just insist on leading her own life? But from a Japanese perspective, that's a very difficult thing to do. And that perpetuates the societal patterns that make it difficult for smart women to pursue their high-level careers.

That Alcaraz/Rune match was a lot closer and more exciting than the straight sets score would suggest. Those two put on a very high-level and entertaining show. Cheers to Rune for a match very well-played against the world No. 1. Add in Sinner, and the future of men's tennis is in very good hands with these guys.

Nevertheless, go Novak!

It's a hard life for lonely young foreign trainees with no one to turn to

The trainee conditions discussion above is of course the most important point.

But as the title of the article suggests, socially, it's a tough life as well. As many of us can attest to, it can be hard to make human connections here. I can only speak about my own experiences in coming to Tokyo, but it took me several years to find a reliable circle of friends, and those first few years were quite lonely. And I speak English - an international language. For trainees coming from, say, Vietnam, it'd be much harder for those who only speak Vietnamese. Social networks are very important for your mental health and overall well-being, and without that, the difficult life of a foreign trainee becomes that much harder.

That first set disappeared on him after a brief hiccup. Beyond that, Djokovic was smooth and dominant. His strengths counter Rublev's game very well - that's a very tough match up for the Russian.

Very much looking forward to Alcaraz vs. Rune tonight.

The problem with "marketing" the outstanding natural environment is that the most beautiful areas are difficult to access. If you don't have a driver's license, public transportation options are poor. That trouble is compounded assuming that travelers have limited time available - if you need to spend a full day to get somewhere because buses run only twice a day, and then spend a full day to get home, that cuts into the time you have available to enjoy your destination.

If we're talking about marketing to overseas tourists, the other problem is the language barrier - the further away from the cities you get, the more likely you are to have major communication problems if you don't speak Japanese.

In my backpacker days, I met plenty of around-the-world travelers in hostels around Asia. Most of them were skipping Japan due to the cost. That said, those aren't the people Japan has ever targeted for tourism. Japan has always attracted people who have more money available and are looking for higher-class experience, and I think those people won't be dissuaded much by the increase in costs here. A little? Sure. But not enough to matter.

I had a partnership with a domestic company that got bought by Rakuten (but has nothing to do with Rakuten's main business). They had the English language rule implemented on them as well. After three rounds of TOEIC tests in which most workers were still unable to score the minimum required score, they set up a new deadline after which people's salaries would be reduced if they couldn't get the required score. Our partnership ended before I could hear the results of that, but I've always been curious.

@Babe Ruth - You're quite wrong about the Vegas fanbase. For a group in a non--traditional market who probably didn't know the first thing about hockey a decade ago, they picked it up quickly and have embraced it. The "experiment" of putting a team in Las Vegas has been nothing short of a big success, and the market is a great addition to the league.

@Clay

From what I've heard, the half of the draw that includes the #1 seed is typically not given the late night time slots, to give them a slight reward in added recovery time before the next round.

Those first two sets certainly lived up to the lofty expectations for this match. What a fantastic, high-level display. Pity it couldn't last.

As boos and jeers rained down, Djokovic...

Anti-Novakism is ugly and childish. Booing him for taking a toilet break, while showering Alcaraz for doing the same not long after... And yet he is nothing but gracious in interviews, complimenting and thanking the fans. The man has nerves of steel.

The fourth-ranked Ruud has never won a set against Djokovic in four meetings

Onto the final, and perhaps unprecedented history for Nole.

Aly is right. On the surface it sounds like a simple thing: "I'd just say no, and walk away!" But it's a good deal more difficult once you're actually doing it.

Besides, just because you're quitting doesn't mean that you're immediately excused from decorum. These people may have been good to you, or maybe they took a chance by hiring you in the first place, or spent a lot of time teaching and developing you. Also, leaving at the exact moment that you want to leave may cause them problems. That's not to say that you're eternally in debt to them, but it is reasonable that you'd want to be considerate of their position.

I've had a handful Japanese colleagues who attempted to give their resignation notice, who were either convinced by the boss not to quit at all, or were convinced by the boss to delay their resignation until a better time for the company - and sometimes that delay was well over a year.

It was my first time to watch Etcheverry play, and I was very impressed by his defense. Great job for him to reach the QF, and put up a good fight vs. Zverev.

I typically underestimate Ruud. He consistently gets better results than I expect. Didn't see his match vs. Rune, but it's a good win vs. an opponent who had a lot of momentum through the clay season.

Bring on Djoker vs. Alcaraz!

Most anticipated match probably since Federer Djoker Wimbledon 2019.

Exactly. I'm really excited for this. Hoping that whoever wins doesn't suffer a letdown in the following round when the final feels a bit anti-climatic after the huge match up in the semi.

Alcaraz looks unbeatable with the way he's played recently. But Novak is a master strategist and plays the mental game better than anyone. Let's see if he can find an angle for stopping the seemingly unstoppable.

Seems the match is set for 21:45 Japan time. As Clay mentioned, the speed of a daytime match favors Alcaraz.

Idemo Nole!

In addition to the above points (which I think are very valid), I have an addition that's maybe a little outside-the box:

A lot of it boils down to people who just aren't good at written communication. I know plenty of very nice people who just aren't good writers. On top of that, social media tends to reward (or require) short, concise posts, which are harder to construct and inadequate for nuanced explanations.

Combine those two things, and I think you end up with decent people whose comments come across poorly, poorly thought-out, poorly-worded, poorly-explained, poorly-constructed. And that type of comment can end up sounding abrasive, and then other people respond with their own abrasive comments, and things devolve from there.

The Zoom era has taught me that 80% of matters can be effectively dealt with by video conference, but that face-to-face meetings are indeed much better for relationship building. Even if the G7 summit didn't yield any major announcements of tangible achievements, I'm perfectly fine with sporadic gatherings like this to foster cooperation and understanding between powerful nations in the world. As in the business world, sometimes in the long run beers around a table can accomplish more than suits in a meeting room.

Djokovic is still active

I think the tennis world is predicting his demise a bit prematurely (not saying you are). Yes, the young guns are powerful, and yes, Djokovic is getting up there in age, and yes, his results have been less than stellar thusfar in the clay court swing. But the man won a grand slam 4 months ago, and I think he's clearly dealing with some injury issues that he's not talking about. He'll return to form, I'm pretty confident, and will be right up there with the best in the game.

The next big three are already on the stage (Alcaraz, Rune, maybe Sinner)

Definitely Sinner. And I hope Korda joins them in the future after some development (both technical and physical).

the future of tennis looks good

Couldn't agree more. The next chapter has some interesting characters and great talents.

Shohei Ohtani homered on the 100th anniversary of the original Yankee Stadium, following Babe Ruth’s example

This "news" is rather tough to get excited about because it's not the same stadium. The original Yankee Stadium is not the current Yankee Stadium, despite the name, and any efforts at glossing over that fact (like this article) are just nonsense. This is a total non-event, and the Yankees (and supporting media) are just clutching at straws here.

Note to Tokyo: if you want to retain history better than that, preserve Jingu Stadium.

Of course Yes. Illegal gambling is absolutely rampant in Japan anyway. So anything 'legal' is better and controlled.

I agree with your reasons, but not your conclusion.

Illegal gambling may be rampant (I have no idea, but I'll take your word for it), but participating in illegal underground gambling is only for a certain personality type - someone who's willing to risk going to a dodgy place and participate in dodgy activities with other dodgy people - to do something illegal. That keeps the problem small and relatively isolated, because most people aren't willing to do that.

A nice, luxurious, legal casino resort takes away all those problems, and would therefore welcome a much, much wider audience of "regular" people across Japan, allowing the negative sides of gambling to spread and become a much bigger problem.

there is hardly an American program on the TV that does not feature people running around with guns and shooting people

That would've made "Friends" a lot more interesting

I recently used a hotel that had a digital kiosk for checking in/out, and another that had a human at a desk. I much preferred the human at the desk, even though it took a bit longer. She welcomed me, told me about local restaurants, and added a touch of elegance and hospitality to the hotel experience. Would gladly pay a slightly higher rate for that person's salary if it meant we could keep the human interaction.

What a photo. Wow!

Jannick Sinner of Italy stunned top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz

No. Alcaraz was clearly the favorite, but no real tennis fans were "stunned" by this result. Sinner is a fantastic player, and I suspect the Sinner/Alcaraz rivalry will be a very big one over the years to come. Two incredible young players who will be dominant for a long time.

Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza player Riko Ueki

Now there's a team name we can all rally behind

@Rory Koelewijn

Isn't that the same as power-harassment?

No, I don't think so. Most companies have uniforms, or at least dress codes, don't they? This is no different.

Some people don't like wearing gloves or suits or caps or etc., but they have to as employees of a company. This would be the same. It's not power harassment.