TrevorPeace comments

Can't see how it was considered for this publication. Who cares about a Soviet-era lens? I've got dozens of better shots from the rose garden at Zao, not to mention my own garden, with the latest Nikon DSLR. Sheesh, what a waste of space!

Looks like a different way of cooking ribs, which I do quite often, so I think I'll hit the kitchen and see what I can do with that crispy coating.

Nice photo, and lucky timing.

As a Canadian football fan, and former player and coach, I'll be one of the first to say Canada's team played dreadfully and showed absolutely no commitment to winning They actually appeared lazy. The Matildas, on the other hand, were aggressive, accurate and obviously better skilled. The final 16 will be a pleasure to watch.

Where I live - an urban/rural metropolitan area of about 350,000 people - it's quite common to see cougars and bears. And in my own 1/2-acre yard, I regularly see deer, raccoons, hares, squirrels and plenty of birds including hawks and owls. As for zoos, I think they should be banned.

What's it matter? Japan is not a bilingual country. Here in Canada, where I learned French as a second language from the time I was 12, it's different. We have two official languages and it's been that way since the '60s. But, that said, we have a huge immigrant diaspora, and they speak their own languages. They're encouraged to learn English or French, depending on where they choose to settle, but it's really up to them. If they ultimately want to take the citizenship test, it's different, but no different from any other country.

I've visited Japan many times since 2011, and I get by perfectly well with my phrase book and practice. And I've met many Japanese people, young and old, who communicate well in English. I think this test and the article are hugely overblown.

As a 65+ retiree who uses an ATM and a debit card regularly, I hate the term 'vulnerable'. I'm anything but, and whitewashing everyone my age and older is a pathetic ploy being used by the stupidest of people.

Silly looking sail on that boat, but what the heck, it's live anime. Not my bag, but there are obviously fans of it so let them drool.

The numbers are insignificant relative to Japan's population, BUT, that said, cops shouldn't be drinking and driving. And I agree with @albaleo, there is a real difference between drunk driving and driving while over the blood-alcohol legal limit, WHEREVER you live.

As a writer I did a little research on the sex shop industry in Tokyo, early in my spring 2011 first visit to the country. And no, I didn't buy any toys or other stuff.

But I did notice something that shocked the hell out of me because I raised a daughter alone from the time she was 5 years old, and I'm a very protective father. I even had one of her boyfriends arrested for physically abusing her. But that's another story.

Concerning the issues raised by this story and all prior comments, I have this to say: Every customer I saw in the two stores I visited (and subsequently wrote about for Canadian media) were teenage girls who took the longest time inspecting everything and talking freely about it. Not laughing, but serious, and walking out with bags of merchandise.

Go figure!

And I agree wholeheartedly with the restaurant's action.

quercetumToday 10:03 am JST

Older people can’t stand noise and are even bothered by the sound of good laughter. The elderly in Japan want peace and quiet so much they’ll protest against building elementary schools in their neighborhoods citing noise disturbance.

I'm an older person, and like the majority of older people I suffer hearing loss. So noise and the sound of 'good' laughter (is there any other kind???) don't bother me. I'll agree with you that some seniors In Japan protest schools and kindergartens being built or operated next to their homes are intolerant of such things, but don't throw us all under the same bus. I live on a dead-end street, otherwise known as a cul-de-sac, and there are almost a dozen youngsters in neighbouring homes. They play hockey and basketball out there, and on several occasions I've given them packages of sidewalk chalk so they can express their artistic desires. In my opinion, you either love kids because you were once one, or you've forgotten what it was like. And to me, that's a pity.

Just another narcissistic appeal for attention.

opheliajadefeldtToday 12:35 pm JST

Hey Mr Orban, their were gay people around in Greek and Roman times, in fact and through European history. So what ever you do they will survive, because you cannot stop someone who is gay. I am a gay female and nothing will ever change that, I just cannot stand having any man too close to me.

Lady (you probably hate being called that), until the last eleven words of your post, I was going to give you an up-vote because I know gay men and women, and I support their life-choice. It's 'live and let live' in my world. But none of them would say what you said. You've transformed your gay-ness into hate, and that's pitiful.

Just another crazy fad. It'll be short-lived. And I wouldn't be seen dead in pink!

The tears still flow when I hear and sing along to 'I left my heart in San Francisco'. Saw Mr. Bennett perform once, many years ago, when I was in my thirties and still rockin' and rollin', and I was awed. Truly, a man's man.

wallaceToday 02:18 pm JST

With all the top passports you can travel to more visa-free countries than you are ever likely to visit.

Well said. My Canadian passport allows me to visit only 185 countries according to the consultancy's new list. How many years and how much money would that take? I think this has to be one of the stupidest 'polls' I've ever seen. It's easy to visit the Canadian government's website and see what countries require a visa and which don't.

Don't sweat the small stuff, people (and it's all small stuff).

Got a laugh from the headline. The way it reads is she stole the ice cream because it was hot. Who steals hot ice cream? Doesn't it melt when it's hot?

I don't live in Japan, but I visit often. And I'm not crazy so I don't worry about it.

Gee, I was thinking of taking an afternoon walk through that area when I visit in October. And since it seems the activity mentioned in the article is an evening or late night thing, I'll probably do it. As a white foreigner I doubt I'll get propositioned.

In my community there are several young men and women elected to councils. As someone who was involved in politics (provincial and national, here in Canada) from the time I was 21, I wholeheartedly support the legal challenge that's mentioned in this article. There's nothing wrong with young minds in politics.

And, @Ricky Kaminski13, throwing a J pop idol suggestion into the argument is beyond specious; it's irrelevant to the discussion and borders on inane, suggesting also that you don't know any young people who are interested in politics.

Almost three years after they found the guy fit to stand trial. That's disgusting. He should have been in court long ago, and in jail for life or hung by now.

It was fun to watch. Until Djokovic smashed his racquet against the net pole, right in front of the umpire - the most unsporting and disgusting action I've ever seen in tennis. All I could do after that was fervently hope Alcaraz would put him down.

The overt reference to violence in a commercial product's name is what disgusts me most.

@Speed, I think Musk bought it so he can use it as an immense tax loss.

One thing about trying to grow Japan's population that simply won't work is immigration. I hate to say it, but in my opinion - and this is from personal observance during my many trips to the country - 'mixed-race' families in Japan are generally considered some kind of cancer. And I've seen corroborating comments from several writers on this website. On top of that, I doubt that people who want to leave their third-world countries will consider Japan as a hopeful destination. They've been inundated with the thought of a 'better life' in the US or Europe. And not only is the language barrier easier to overcome than trying to learn Japanese, but in other countries the different cultural diasporas actually group together and aren't forced to assimilate for fear of rejection or racism. Yes, rejection or racism exists everywhere, but not so much as in Japan.

Price gouging, pure and simple. And @DavidBrent, that includes Asian carriers. You should see my ANA invoice for an October Vancouver-Haneda return flight. It would make your hair curl.

@Lepyon, yes. You can get a deep-fried Mars bar burger at a small fish and chip shop in Sidney, BC.

I've watched a lot of Wimbledon matches and I can't see the Saudis allowing those very short skirts and tight tops worn by the women. Maybe the 1920s calf-length dresses will come back as fad?

A ¥100,000,000 fine would certainly have done a better job than a pointless suspended sentence.

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