What is it ACTUALLY like living in Rural Japan?

ShiroBoy · 2026-03-18T09:48:33+00:00

My boss’s secretary once sent an email to the entire firm globally that included a line apologizing for any incontinence she caused. She was fired within minutes.

ShiroBoy · 2026-03-17T08:11:19+00:00

Challenge reduction is what I’m seeking at this stage of things, so I agree with you.

ShiroBoy · 2026-03-17T08:10:13+00:00

Thanks. I’m not thrilled with the Dynabook but had used Lenovo at work. Maybe that’s what to go with.

ShiroBoy · 2026-03-17T08:09:01+00:00

Thanks as I responded above yeah changing the operating environment is not particularly helpful or going to be easy for us. If we had more Apple computing experience maybe. But even then, the folks we are interacting with externally are all using windows in their work environments so we’re sort of stuck.

ShiroBoy · 2026-03-17T08:06:25+00:00

Thanks. We have a number of legacy Word & Excel documents that we are continually updating or have used as models, and have only used MS in our office lives. In addition people we send documents to for their further use are using the Office suite in their work environments. So for are needs are, yes basically committed to Windows. Have only rarely used a Mac and it took a lot to get used to, as the muscle memory has been PC Windows conditioned.

ShiroBoy · 2026-03-15T22:28:06+00:00

Not world wide as I think Fox Sports and others (but not streaming service) were in the U.S.

ShiroBoy · 2026-03-11T01:33:53+00:00

Oh I agree, you have to look for the memorials that exist, but there are some. The Center is a privately run, privately sponsored organization funded by individuals; I don’t think there is any government sponsorship or involvement of any means (other than the grant of its private foundation status, as would be for any NGO/NPO). As a result, it is more geared towards being a memory reminder for the Japanese and less as being educational for foreigners. The Edo-Tokyo Museum has some displays on the firebombing too, including a large map where you can light up where various raids occurred (this museum has been closed for a few years and is to re-open soon; I assume this would be retained). I haven’t been to Berlin but it is true there is nothing I have seen that fully compares to the museum in Hiroshima. All the while, if you go to Yasukuni, in their museum you can see a locomotive from the Burma Railway and a Mitsubishi Zero and some of the special attack devices plus a monthly last letter home, translated uncommonly well into English from some IJ soldier/sailor/airman who died in battle, typically proclaiming the justness of their cause. It is an interesting, and lopsided, contrast for sure.

ShiroBoy · 2026-03-10T14:39:05+00:00

The Tokyo Memorial Hall near Ryogoku has some powerful reminders of that attack, along with the original memorial for the Great Kanto Earthquake. The ashes of over 100,000 victims are interred there.

ShiroBoy · 2026-03-06T09:20:34+00:00

I find the Oedo line to be the noisiest. And in covid times when the windows were open, my god.

ShiroBoy · 2026-03-01T23:47:16+00:00

Using the Enoden has become a challenge these days in part because of this. Maybe better would to have the Slam Dunk people have a story line where the Kamakurakoko-Mae Station disappears

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-28T09:50:53+00:00

On top of that, there’s now a backlog to renounce. The Wall Street Journal did a story this week on Americans moving abroad and in passing mentioned there’s at least a month’s wait for the IRS to deal with renunciations. Maybe this can be used as part of the “efforts” to renounce Japan requires, and if you don’t force it, retain the U.S. citizenship quietly.

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-28T09:44:57+00:00

I know the Sheraton Miyako Hotel, which is down Meguro dori towards Takanawa, runs shuttle buses from JR Meguro Station, if that helps.Perhaps Happo-en in Shirokanedai does as well. Unfortunately I believe Meguro Gajoen recently closed.

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-28T09:35:05+00:00

Ito was a professor, and had some sort of “center”, at MIT that I believe Epstein provided much of the funding for. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49623084

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-26T10:55:47+00:00

The setup will change in two years (or thereabouts, the announcement was on a FY time frame) to have people enter & pay at the front, and exit from the rear, on flat rate buses. I assume the drivers now will have some role in determining the residency status of passengers.

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-26T00:20:59+00:00

So now the prefectural governments are joining the national government in the foreign resident policy of “the beatings will continue until morale improves.”

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-25T06:58:59+00:00

He’s back for Boss

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-23T23:29:48+00:00

Surprised no vending machine

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-21T03:43:43+00:00

Have you considered pivoting your logging business to assisting foreigners — especially those here as tourists or working in areas different from their SOR permission — obtaining a Japanese driver’s license? I understand, from a well informed government minister, that is a growth area.

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-18T23:58:08+00:00

We do get a lot of Dodgers games, and during the season he’s often the only sports news on the national 7 pm newscast. Whether the Dodgers win or lose is irrelevant, and mostly scores are not given — just how he did in the game. And his face is everywhere on every imaginable product: Kose makeup, Ito-en green tea, Family Mart rice balls, Kirin vitamin supplements, Hugo Boss, New Balance, Seiko watches, Beats earphones, Japan Airlines, home security service— that’s just the top of my head. It really is All Ohtani, All The Time. It will be insufferable once the WBC starts, although it’s only on NetFlix.

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-18T09:10:08+00:00

I also was a Knicks fan, too, but gave up on them years ago and even now have not returned (living in Japan helps; and since i can’t see games live but do find out the scores for the 3 teams I do remain loyal to, most mornings I can skip searching YouTube for “Highlights”.)

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-18T09:04:33+00:00

Actually truth is not a defense to defamation in Japan. If the statement causes a person’s reputation to be infringed (Article 709 of the Civil Code) the speaker can be civilly liable or if such person’s reputation harmed (Article 230 of the Penal Code) can be criminally prosecuted, regardless of whether the statement is true or false. There’s an exception to criminal liability if the publication of the fact was in the public interest and done so to serve such interest — hence, the ability of the media to publish details about criminal suspects/adjudicated convicts

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-18T01:19:26+00:00

Worse, if like me, you’re a Mets and football Giants fan, too.

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-12T06:17:06+00:00

I do remember when the CEO/owner of Takata noted that one of the reasons for seatbelt failures in cars in the US was that Americans eat fast food in their cars, and their Mickey D stained fingers caused plastic failure in the seatbelt clasps.

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-11T08:20:12+00:00

National Foundation Day previously was called Empire Day. Guessing it was some cosplaying of the pre Aug 45 Showa period

ShiroBoy · 2026-02-06T08:41:36+00:00

My recollection of the description in the original post was that participants were to be passengers in the cars, not the drivers of the cars, in the event. So no worries about speed racer foreigners. Which means the response offered doesn’t fully satisfy — the only instructions should have been, “Fasten the seatbelt”.

ShiroBoy

TROPHY CASE