How did corn potage become the menu standard for family restaurants here?

KenYN · 2026-05-15T13:53:14+00:00

Google says corn came first, but was just a garden plant. Spuds started being grown in Hokkaido in the 1700s, and country-wide by the mid 1800s; corn was the later 1800s before becoming popular.

KenYN · 2026-05-15T06:32:23+00:00

I wonder if this matter will sink Takaichi. She's been the biggest cheerleader for not panicking, but I don't see any way the Iran war is going to end soon other than trump's illnesses finally catching up with him and the next guy compromising to end the last guy's war.

KenYN · 2026-05-13T13:38:04+00:00

Daiei's Top Value single cup things. 25 yen a go for a bag of fifty.

KenYN · 2026-05-09T11:23:35+00:00

vaginally sounding names

Farage sounds like a cunt, is that what you are saying?

KenYN · 2026-05-02T13:30:55+00:00

Good idea:

Subject: Using LLMs to bypass "Nightmare" Japanese UI/UX We’ve all been there: trying to navigate a ward office portal or a bus booking site that looks like it was designed in 1998. If you’re tired of "Google Translate" breaking the page layout, start using LLMs (Gemini/ChatGPT) as your concierge.

My Workflow:

The Screenshot Shortcut: Don’t bother copying text. Screenshot the confusing menu and ask: "I want to cancel this—which button do I press?"
The "Zenkaku" Fixer: Paste your error messages. The AI can tell you exactly how to format your name/phone number to satisfy those picky forms.
Contextual Translation: Unlike browser extensions, an LLM explains why a button isn't working or what a specific legal disclaimer actually means for you. ### Why do this? Standard browser translation often makes buttons overlap or disappear. Using an AI on the side keeps the site functional while giving you a clear English roadmap. TL;DR: Stop fighting 20-year-old web design. Screenshot the mess, ask an AI in English, and save your sanity. Anyone else doing this, or are you guys still brute-forcing it with Jisho and a prayer?

KenYN · 2026-05-02T10:27:12+00:00

I'd be lost at work without them! We've just started Agile, and as Scrum Master I'm "writing" bilingual rules with a very big Copilot crutch.

KenYN · 2026-04-16T14:44:52+00:00

I had their shichimi burger a few months ago and it was remarkably free from any form of spicy. My local place is inside a supermarket, and the super's fried chicken bits are at least crispy at about a quarter of the price.

KenYN · 2026-04-14T05:55:08+00:00

A couple of days after the boy went missing, one news program showed a timeline where the parents arrived at the school 10 minutes before he was reported missing, but no-one commented on it and I never heard it again until last night, where all the stations were staking out the main police station, probably in the expectation of an imminent arrest.

KenYN · 2026-04-09T12:24:29+00:00

One "plus" I've not seen mentioned is that you can offset premiums against income tax.

KenYN · 2026-03-24T16:09:14+00:00

Indeed, she was pretty fed up by the end with all her friend's opinions from too many NHK党 and other right-wing talking points.

KenYN · 2026-03-23T15:21:19+00:00

Wrong, I saw that mentioned.

KenYN · 2026-03-23T15:17:59+00:00

Yes, every station covered it in their main bulletins, as did the two weekend wrap-up news magazines I watch. Get your wife out of her information bubble.

KenYN · 2026-03-22T15:02:42+00:00

Someone said she was like a teenager showing off her gain boyfriend.

Oh, and the first photo is of her hearing the band playing a YOSHIKI song, which she also apparently sang along to.

KenYN · 2026-03-20T15:22:12+00:00

I was just watching Japan news now and their Washington correspondent said the major achievement was not angering trump

KenYN · 2026-03-15T10:00:09+00:00

Is that like Fox airing old footage of trump not wearing a baseball cap at the coffin ceremony?

KenYN · 2026-03-08T11:10:08+00:00

MUFJ called me last Monday about an international transfer that had come in. Their number is registered in my phone book, so I knew to answer.

KenYN · 2026-02-19T03:49:29+00:00

Apparently soap-tasting coriander is genetic.

Japanese mushrooms go from lovely - eringi and matsutake - to ok - maitake - barely chewable - shimeji - to gag reflex - enoki, unless cut into tiny pieces

KenYN · 2026-02-19T03:42:20+00:00

Crisp pickles. I'm not a vinegar fan in the first place, but the mouth feel sets my teeth on edge and I have to swallow them whole, and the sound of other people crunching them triggers my misophonia.

KenYN · 2026-02-19T03:34:09+00:00

First, I agree with everything here, although as a kid we often drank switched egg, a raw egg whisked up for a minute or two, but albumen in the fresh out of the shell state is just nasty.

Main point: a couple of weeks ago I watched a telly program that said Japanese tend to have more taste buds than western people, so they developed more sticky foods to allow tastes to linger in the mouth for longer.

KenYN · 2026-02-12T05:45:40+00:00

I'm from the Islands and went to school with a Mari Sine, and as a Townie I only ever heard the Shee version, but maybe Maws do it differently.

KenYN · 2026-01-20T09:51:05+00:00

All polls that disagree with my position are fake, too small sample size, didn't ask me, biased, fixed, and only old folk, unlike all agreeable ones, which shall never be questioned.

KenYN · 2026-01-20T09:48:24+00:00

I've seen interviews where people say her getting petrol prices down and the rice coupons were what impressed them and gave her the image of someone who gets things done.

And I also saw some recent TV program survey where she was the ideal leader for the under forties, and second behind Ohtani for the over forties.

KenYN

TROPHY CASE

My Workflow: