TrevorPeace comments

$20 (roughly speaking) for a burger you can't fit in your mouth is insane. But it would make a really great pig-out eating contest, instead of that annual Coney Island hot-dog spectacle, don't you think?

@Yrral, quit beating a dead horse.

And as for the annual reminders of the terrible way WW2 ended, I think quieter reminiscence is appropriate. Not all this media/political hype. It's over. Get over it. You want to protest war? Try those many genocidal wars in Africa, and that really ugly one in Ukraine. And put your money where your mouth is - contribute to the decent charitable agencies that are trying their best to care for the dispossessed and displaced. Especially the children.

Lecture over.

We're about 10 hours away from kickoff, as I write this. My projection (bet, wishful thinking?) is Sweden 2, Spain 1.

But, watch it I will, in spite of the starting time of 1AM, here in BC. Gotta love the game!!!

If you've ever been on a cruise, and I've been on two (only because of my former wife's desire) you'll recognize they're nothing but floating prisons with the occasional very short stop in harbours you should avoid because of the overpriced land sightseeing packages. On top of that, the average cruiser does nothing but eat and drink and then get off at home or the cruise's final destination ten pounds heavier.

That's not an exaggeration. Try it once, and shake your head in disgust.

Just bought two pair. Both good North American brands, and they cost a total of $70. What's the big deal? Designer crap? Not me. Jeans are jeans. Cheap, long-lasting denim pants. Nothing more, nothing less.

Easy to understand. It's all CGI these days. Nothing but AI cartooning.

Seems a bit odd, if not a complete cover-up, that the company has put its own 'investigators' on the case. Reeks of (I can't say it, here).

At this moment, I'll add only MASH and Cheers. And I'd add the Kelsey Grammer one but I forget its title. And let's not forget All In The Family.

Love the photo!

Back to the article's theme - in all my travels to Japan, and there have been many of them, I've never seen an izakaya with a sign that said 'pub', or even a graphic of a pint of ale. Forget the lanterns and kanji. But, I have to agree with @JeffLee - I'll look for an English pub, maybe an Irish one, when I return in October.

This will probably date me, but when I was 18 I bought a 1967 Corvair - a truly beautiful car for its time - and dropped a Chevy 283 in the back seat, turning an iffy rear-engined Ralph Nader hate-mobile into a mid-engined, excellent handling performance monster, and the fastest thing in my city. So if you really want a muscle car, build one. Of course, I'm too old for that stuff now. And after my Lotus was slammed head-on by a wayward transport truck, I'll stick with my 25-year old Plymouth Breeze and its 2.4 litre four.

Watch it when you're on the road, folks. The young testosterone-filled guys who drive these new racers are not the most careful or considerate people on the road. And I don't think anyone can argue with me about that.

If you're into buying precious metals, forget overpriced coins, even Canada's gold maple leaf and South Africa's rand. Stick to wafers or small bars. the silver, gold, and platinum I've bought in those forms are worth a lot more today than when I bought them. Without the fancy overpriced collectors' imagery.

What a great game! And several tongue-biters with shots from Japan that just didn't go in. Worth getting out of bed at 12:30AM, here in BC.

@Tell_me_bout_itToday 06:30 pm JST

While Chinese tourists are indeed loud and inconsiderate most of the time,

Let's not ignore the fact that Tokyo is currently overcorwded by the whites. I cant book hotels for business travels. Around all hotels you see hordes of white tourists. And they arent any much better than the Chinese. at least Chinese are spending tons here and contributing a lot to tourist revenue.

I miss the time when there werent tourists of any color.

As a white Canadian who is coming to visit for a month in October, and I guarantee who is appreciated by his Japanese friends, I can only say this: tell me where you live and I'll avoid you and your hometown like the plague. You're really quite the racist ass, you know?

So the opinion of the people who work on the mountain doesn't matter to the government. I suppose the $$$ rules. No change there.

@Meiyouwenti, the Japanese government has never registered a truly balanced budget. But I'll agree with your opinion about three decades of havoc on the country's economy being exacerbated beyond belief by the country's government. And its central bank. That's what you get when you print your own money and tell your citizens to believe in the durability of their currency to the point where they behave like financial lemmings.

It's been an incredible tournament thus far. I don't have a favourite, I just love watching the games, in spite of the fact that most of them have started in the very early hours of the morning here in Canada (as in 12:30AM or 2AM). But, that's the way it is. What's in store for us as fans will be memorable, to say the least. Wish them all luck because they all deserve it.

Game on!!

"I was very scared that I was not able to be Megan Thee Stallion no more,"

She certainly has problems with her grammar.

I haven't worn a watch in more than 40 years, and in spite of appreciating Rolex watches, I certainly wouldn't try stealing one. Or two. Checking the time is not only unnecessary, but wearing fancy watches is egotistical.

What shocks me the most is the age of the cop and the fact that he's a 'sergeant'. That rank comes with a lot of responsibility, at least in my country. The young fool should be demoted or dismissed. Not realizing your gun isn't on your hip for 35 minutes is beyond the pale.

And now, thanks to some previous comments, I can alter the itinerary for my 4-week visit in October. Thanks for the mentions of Kinugawa, Chichibu, Ono, Onomichi and Iizuka. More homework!!!

Came back to see what other people said, and remembered a wedding in a cavern chapel in Karuizawa, in October 2017. The young couple invited me after I got lost the year before and they helped me get the right train out in the country. Got an invitation in late 2019 to the early 2020 birth of their daughter, but couldn't go thanks to new Covid travel restrictions. Already had experience with Japanese hospitals thanks to the imminent departure of my calligraphy teacher in Sendai, so was worried about being allowed into the maternity ward. A blessing and a curse, considering both ends of the argument.

And what's not to like about Nagasaki? Loved the tall ships event when I was there, and it's old-time Dutch neighbourhood and gardens are quite the thing.

"Suspected" of selling combat drones to Russia? There's already plenty of proof. And for Kishida to look so smiley-faced hosting a representative of an oppressive regime that supports Russia's hostilities against Ukraine is an insult.

I've visited more than a hundred of all sizes, from the coastlines to the mountains in all seasons except winter, and picking one would give me an awful headache. But, I'll take two aspirins or just open a decent bottle of wine and give it a go. In no particular order:

Kanazawa for its gardens and crafts, and memories of a deceased friend and the gift his wife gave me.

Sendai because of the people I call my Japanese family who live there, have hosted me in their home and whose patriarch taught me calligraphy. The festivals are great, too.

Aomori for the floats, the harbour and apples.

Kumamoto, where a falling rock during an earthquake broke two of my toes while I was volunteering with emergency services for which I was rewarded with a beautiful doll in a glass case.

Okayama for a very long and walkable open promenade to the castle and gardens, and some really great art galleries.

Hakokate for its seafood and its nice street of 1800s European architecture.

But that's a lousy list considering how many other places I've visited and the new ones that are on my 4-week itinerary for this October.

This should have been updated. South Africa lost five hours ago.

It was certainly worth getting up at 1AM to watch!

The Smithsonian is following its own exhibition's purpose. If you want to see a museum dedicated to those two A-bombs do what I did - go to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The world doesn't need a third one.

I just watched Japan beat Norway, 3-1, an amazing game, but I'm more am amazed that JT reports the Spain/Switzerland game first.

Mr KiplingToday 04:28 pm JST

OK, now I understand why he has split with his wife. But Taylor Swift? Who wouldn't!

Agree with your tongue-in-cheek observation about his wife splitting from him (she finally woke up, in my opinion), but must add my own about Taylor Swift: As a Canadian male, I wouldn't go anywhere near her.

Tell that to little Kim in NK.