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Old 2021-10-26, 10:00   Link #3781
SeijiSensei
AS Oji-kun
 
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
So now the happy couple are united. Here's a cute photo of them from their press conference yesterday.


Mako is now a commoner which just exacerbates concerns over the line of succession in Japan. They are moving to New York where Komuro works in a law firm. She has a degree in art history and museum work so she might try to find a job in New York's art scene.

Quote:
Japan’s male-only succession laws mean Mako can never be a reigning empress. If she has a son he will be raised as a non-royal and will not ascend the Chrysanthemum throne.

Her departure from the palace has highlighted the dearth of heirs to the throne, while pressure to reform the succession laws has failed to gain traction under successive conservative governments. Mako’s father is first in line, followed by her younger brother, Prince Hisahito. If Hisahito does not have a male child, the line of succession will be broken.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...s-royal-status

Last edited by SeijiSensei; 2021-10-26 at 10:11.
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Old 2021-10-26, 19:27   Link #3782
Guardian Enzo
Seishu's Ace
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kobe, Japan
I have a completely unsubstantiated theory that breaking the line of succession is exactly what the Imperial family wants. They’re ready to be rid of their involvement altogether. Somehow against the run of play they seem to collectively be a fairly sensible and progressive group - to the extent they can given the strong taboos against their involvement in politics, both the retired and current emperor have expressed disapproval over Abe’s nationalism, COVID policy and the Olympic debacle.

Last edited by Guardian Enzo; 2021-10-27 at 05:37.
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Old 2021-10-28, 00:45   Link #3783
Yu Ominae
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Coquitlam, BC, Canada/Quezon City, Philippines
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Now I REALLY REALLY need to get back to write my story based (partly) on that idea.
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Even if we were at odds with each other, I still thank you for training me, Instructor Bowman - Yu Ominae, reflecting on Bowman's death after killing him in Phantom Island
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Old 2021-12-15, 11:32   Link #3784
SeijiSensei
AS Oji-kun
 
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
Japan goes for the gold

The kanji character for kin (金), which means gold or money, has been selected as the character that best summarizes the year, a Kyoto-based academic organization announced Monday.

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Japan’s athletes won a record number of gold medals — 27 in all — at the Games, smashing the country’s previous record of 16 set at the 1964 Tokyo Games and again in Athens in 2004.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/20...in-kanji-2021/

The character was chosen by public vote. Kin won with a mere 10,422 votes out of a total of 223,773. It beat out wa (輪) ("ring") for the top spot by a mere 118 votes. This was the fourth victory for kin since the custom of choosing an annual kanji began in 1995.
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Old 2022-01-13, 11:47   Link #3785
SeijiSensei
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Age: 74
WHO says closing borders is ineffective in fighting COVID. Japan says it doesn't care, it's closing them anyway.

https://asiatimes.com/2022/01/no-for...ron-hit-japan/

Quote:
On January 11, at an evening press conference, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced his government had decided to strengthen border measures, extending a prohibition on foreign nationals from entering the country.

That decision maintains a tough framework of strict frontier controls.

[P]olls show massive support for the government’s ultra-prudent measures. Meanwhile, foreigner support groups railing against the measures have been unable to effectively mobilize or generate a significant voice.

Even so, there is at least one prominent local dissenter.

Japanese billionaire and business leader Hiroshi Mikitani, the founder of e-commerce giant Rakuten, has spoken out in public against the decision to keep the borders closed.

“What’s the point of not letting in new foreigners now?” he said. “The decision is totally illogical. Does [Kishida] want to shut Japan off from the rest of the world?”

Mikitani’s outburst could be significant. While foreigners clearly lack a voice, Japanese business could feasibly compel Tokyo to crack open the gates.
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Old 2022-01-13, 16:38   Link #3786
Last Sinner
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Age: 42
Quote:
Originally Posted by SeijiSensei View Post
WHO says closing borders is ineffective in fighting COVID. Japan says it doesn't care, it's closing them anyway.

https://asiatimes.com/2022/01/no-for...ron-hit-japan/
Good. They should. Australia would very much like to have a word with the WHO and their corporate overlords because we were doing more than fine until our borders were forced open and now we've gone to heck. Japan is doing the right thing.
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Old 2022-01-13, 16:53   Link #3787
Guardian Enzo
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No they're not. They're only closing borders to foreign nationals (even legal residents and visa holders), not Japanese natives. And comparing the effectiveness of closing international and prefectural borders is pointless, because in pandemic terms it's apples and oranges.
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Old 2022-01-14, 06:30   Link #3788
Last Sinner
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo View Post
No they're not. They're only closing borders to foreign nationals (even legal residents and visa holders), not Japanese natives. And comparing the effectiveness of closing international and prefectural borders is pointless, because in pandemic terms it's apples and oranges.
It beats what Australia and some other countries are doing was my point. At least Japan is doing something. Definitely lacking but better than nothing. But indeed, having state/prefectural borders open is a mistake.
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Old 2022-01-15, 00:00   Link #3789
BWTraveller
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Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Texas
Something I've been wondering for a long time: is there a specific cutoff date for grades in Japan, or does it differ year to year. Like, is there a specific set date where if you were born on X day of Y month you're put in one grade, but if you were born one day later you're in the lower grade? I know that grades are based on your age by the end of the school term (enter first year when you'll turn 7 by that time) but I've never seen anything more specific. All I know is that it's not April 1 (or at least not all years if it differs) since there are characters that're specifically noted as being youngest in their class due to being born on that day.
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Old 2022-01-15, 03:39   Link #3790
Guardian Enzo
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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Originally Posted by BWTraveller View Post
Something I've been wondering for a long time: is there a specific cutoff date for grades in Japan, or does it differ year to year. Like, is there a specific set date where if you were born on X day of Y month you're put in one grade, but if you were born one day later you're in the lower grade? I know that grades are based on your age by the end of the school term (enter first year when you'll turn 7 by that time) but I've never seen anything more specific. All I know is that it's not April 1 (or at least not all years if it differs) since there are characters that're specifically noted as being youngest in their class due to being born on that day.
See below.

Quote:
Children who have their 6th birthday on or before April 1 enter the first grade of elementary school of that year. School year starts in April and ends in March. For Japanese nationals, six years at elementary school and three years at junior high school (total nine years) are compulsory.
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Old 2022-03-02, 15:58   Link #3791
SeijiSensei
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
From the BBC: How the Japanese dance form Butoh has expanded across the world.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1499118736846082051
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Old 2022-07-03, 06:01   Link #3792
SeijiSensei
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
How social conformity rather than government mandates helped keep Japan's rate of COVID infections below the rest of the industrialized world. (Article is "gifted" and free to read.)

Japan’s Secret to Taming the Coronavirus: Peer Pressure https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/w...DzgID60HiXMP3g
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Old 2022-09-11, 11:16   Link #3793
SeijiSensei
AS Oji-kun
 
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
What if a gaijin fell in a hole?

https://twitter.com/GaijinMommy/stat...02816388501504
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Old 2022-10-15, 06:49   Link #3794
SeijiSensei
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
The famous Halloween tree

https://twitter.com/GaijinMommy/stat...PurfR6m4A&s=19
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Old 2022-10-18, 16:44   Link #3795
Guardian Enzo
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Location: Kobe, Japan
Did you ever read that book? One of my favorite sci-fi novels as a kid.
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Old 2022-11-06, 19:59   Link #3796
SeijiSensei
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
There are only two Japanese universities in the top 200 worldwide as ranked by thr Times of London. Here's some possible reasons why.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/With...ion-is-sinking
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Old 2022-11-06, 23:23   Link #3797
Guardian Enzo
Seishu's Ace
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SeijiSensei View Post
There are only two Japanese universities in the top 200 worldwide as ranked by thr Times of London. Here's some possible reasons why.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/With...ion-is-sinking
I can’t disagree with anything she writes. It goes deeper but as far as she takes it, her arguments are all on the money.
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Old 2023-01-19, 13:57   Link #3798
SeijiSensei
AS Oji-kun
 
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
https://twitter.com/Colin_P_A_Jones/...54247295471618

Quote:
This is reported to be from an explanation given by a Japanese kindergarten regarding things parents need to prepare for their children in advance, including no less than 9 different types of bag, including one exclusively for potatoes (all with name tags sewn on, of course).
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Old 2023-06-25, 20:55   Link #3799
AnimeFan188
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Japan's 'evaporated': Why do some people choose
to disappear?


"Every year, around 90,000 people are reported missing in
Japan. Most of them are found or return home, but
thousands of others simply vanish. It seems they don't
want to be found. There is even a Japanese word for the
phenomenon: "johatsu", or evaporation. Many make
meticulous plans for their disappearance and cut all ties
with their families to build new lives elsewhere. But why
do they do it? And where do they end up? Our reporters
spoke to investigators, experts and left-behind families to
try to shed light on Japan's "evaporated" people."

See:

https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows...e-to-disappear
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Old 2023-08-04, 08:13   Link #3800
SeijiSensei
AS Oji-kun
 
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Age: 74
Can the Matsuri survive?

Quote:
For many smaller festivals that lack willing organizers and resources, COVID-19 and the restrictions imposed on gatherings were the final nail in the coffin. The annual Bon odori festival in the town of Tanashi in western Tokyo, for example, has been canceled permanently as of this year. And for those that weathered the health crisis, this summer is the first real test of whether these traditional matsuri — considered a key tourism draw by the government — can have life drummed back into them.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture...ht-to-survive/
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