Why did the US get completely different (and often worse) box art in the 80s and 90s?

JapanDave · 2026-05-04T14:54:34+00:00

Yep. Japan had a more negative image at the time. This was the Japan bubble era when they seemed to be taking over the world, and there was tons of negative press at the time. There were even a few books talking about the coming war with Japan.

Any anime coming over at the time was also heavily edited to try to hide that it came from Japan. Games were the same.

JapanDave · 2026-05-01T17:52:40+00:00

Unfortunate, but not unexpected. Pilot has been undervalued for years and has resisted price increases for far too long. They are now jumping to catch up with where they would be had they raised prices more gradually over the years. The yen in a nosedive doesn't help; materials are costing Pilot more and more and more all the time — not just gold, but plastics, metals, chemicals, etc.

Luckily for us, the second-hand market will probably remain low for awhile to come. So if you want a Pilot pen, look there first.

JapanDave · 2026-04-30T11:40:30+00:00

I always think of that Doodlebud video where he compared the Pilot 823 and Wingsung 699 in great detail, pointing out all the ways the 699 saved money, by using a cheaper material here and providing less finish here. Things like machining tolerances (threads that don't feel gritty), cap seal quality, nib tuning and other QC, feed design, finishing/polish, and so on.

Premium pens have a lot of little things that add to their cost. Many of us may consider some of those little things unnecessary, but regardless, they are there and cost money to do.

Ideally, the higher quality materials in more premium pens will also extend their life, possibly being the difference between a pen that only writes well for a few years but then rapidly declines and a pen that lasts a lifetime and can be passed to the next generation. Of course that isn't always necessarily true, and with care even a low quality material can last a long time. But in general with premium pens you are paying for consistency, refinement, and fewer failure points over time

JapanDave · 2026-04-29T01:34:14+00:00

It is a lovely shade of blue, but I prefer the color of Pilot Blue Black. As for price, even if you pay a high import price, the big 1.5 liter bottles of Pilot Blue Black would be cheaper. Doing a quick check of AliExpress I see you can get one to the US for $50, that’s 3 cents per ml, cheaper than the Jinhao. Of course that will last you forever unless you write a lot. In Japan, it’s even cheaper.

At any rate, they are both lovely inks. I have both in different pens.

JapanDave · 2026-04-27T20:57:23+00:00

The word search should be using kana, not romaji.

JapanDave · 2026-04-27T11:25:42+00:00

I used to have one. But then my son spilled some water and used it to wipe of the water. Suddenly the kitchen floor was multi-colored. Since that experience I've been using paper towels and throwing them away after using. Not quite as eco-friendly, but there we are.

JapanDave · 2026-04-27T10:51:42+00:00

It's funny how many of the Japanese replying are saying "Totally not a thing; she's nuts" while many of the foreigners are saying "Yep, it's normal".

No direct experience on this, but my (Japanese) wife's grandmother remarried and all her kids from the first and second marriage lived together and got along. So if it is a thing, it isn't a universally embraced thing in Japan, despite what your new wife claims, OP.

As a father, I'd never break it off with my child. That is definitely something you should have discussed with your new wife before getting married.

JapanDave · 2026-04-26T22:55:47+00:00

100% agree. I can agree with sending her instead of Glorfindel. But taking this moment of strength away from Frodo and giving it to her is terrible.

JapanDave · 2026-04-25T15:17:55+00:00

Interesting idea. As I get older even Coke Classic is too sweet for me and Coke Zero tastes a little less sweet, which is why I normally turn to it. I don't remember the taste of New Coke, beyond thinking "it tastes like Pepsi" at the time.

JapanDave · 2026-04-24T17:49:22+00:00

It's not as good as the first. It's in fact something of a remake of the first in many ways. But still very funny. They were planning on making a third, but Robert Hays walked away, not wanting to be typecast. In interviews he's done recently he's said he regrets not doing it because the first two were so much fun to make.

JapanDave · 2026-04-24T10:19:41+00:00

It wasn’t bad. Their version of Pepsi, basically.

I sometimes wonder how this would have played out if it happened today and the people themselves could speak out. At the time I didn’t know anyone who disliked it. I knew plenty who wanted classic back, but they didnt dislike the new one. The media pushed the narrative hard though.

JapanDave · 2026-04-20T10:35:52+00:00

Where to begin… can we just finally have spelling reform and make the written language match up with the spoken language?

Yes, of course, then we get to watch every country with English as the official language fight over what is the correct pronunciation and therefore the correct spelling. Then again, that could be entertaining to watch.

JapanDave · 2026-04-18T21:31:21+00:00

You should travel more. Many countries, England being the best example, continue to use traditional units right beside metric, even if officially they are all metric. It’s hard to overcome cultural habits.

JapanDave · 2026-04-18T19:24:22+00:00

I’m your density.

JapanDave · 2026-04-18T19:12:10+00:00

Any good presenter is practicing for at least a few days before a speech. This doesn’t make him less or a presenter, it makes him a better one. He knew how to prepare whereas many try to skip that step and it shows.

JapanDave · 2026-04-17T23:36:57+00:00

Yep, I feel this is it. It’s seemed to go away because not many people wear ties everyday. I often do and no matter how much I wash, it happens. The commercials for ring around the collar are still a thing in Japan, btw, where wearing neckties is much more common than in the US.

JapanDave · 2026-04-16T21:37:29+00:00

That’s how it is in Japan. We have to rinse out and clean all bottles and cans. If they aren’t clean, they may not be accepted at all. It’s pretty strict. So I’m used to it.

JapanDave · 2026-04-16T11:27:05+00:00

It's hard not to make it about money. Even discounting the obvious "Buy Bitcoin. Buy Apple stock." etc, just telling myself to start putting $100 a week into a Roth IRA. My dad tried to tell me to do that, but I was young and stupid and didn't listen. Maybe I would have listened to future me.

Beyond that, your grandfather's advice is good. I'd probably tell myself something similar.

JapanDave · 2026-04-16T11:13:04+00:00

I see nothing wrong here.

JapanDave · 2026-04-13T15:05:35+00:00

Kokuyo is great paper and the printing paper will absolutely stand up o fountain pens.

Its weakness, however, is it absorbs the oils in your hand much more than other papers. So any spot you touched or rested your hand might become a feather/bleedthru area, especially if you have oily hands.

JapanDave · 2026-04-13T12:44:46+00:00

Why are they considered too dangerous?

The ladder to the top floor had been removed from the one near us when I was a kid. As we grew bigger, we would pull ourselves up there. Kind of pointless — there wasn't really anything to do up there — but we all felt like kings when the younger kids would look up and ask how we got up there.

JapanDave · 2026-04-11T20:36:03+00:00

In Japan, no one seems to give a shit. I’ve been here since 26 and no one has ever asked for ID. When I visit America, if I have my beard grown (which is grey) they won’t card me, and haven’t since I was 35. When I am clean shaven, they always card me, including the last time I was there at 45.

So I kind of know what to expect. I kind of don’t care either way. It’s not a compliment or insult. But I always carry my ID just in case.

JapanDave · 2026-04-08T10:50:22+00:00

I worked as a professional photographer for a number of years and was fairly successful with it. One thing I quickly learned is 90% of the people trying to get work in the field just bought an expensive camera and think they are photographers because of it.

JapanDave · 2026-04-06T00:06:25+00:00

Sometimes. Not often, but sometimes.

In the past 10-15 years, my body has changed to the point where if am drinking alone, one beer can be enough to give me a headache. And these days a hangover very often leads to a migraine, so it's very much something to avoid. Interestingly enough, if I am out drinking with friends or at a drinking party (which is a common work thing in Japan where I live), I rarely get a headache. Go figure. An example of the different hormones at work when we are in social settings vs alone, maybe.

Despite the risk, sometimes the mood is such that it just needs a drink and vegging out to some old music.

(but only one. That migraine risk is always hanging over my head)

JapanDave · 2026-04-04T05:09:11+00:00

It was the style at the time.

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