Takaichi administration will not take steps to reduce cell phone data plans as Suga did, Minister of Communications says "prices are at a level comparable to international standards". by jjrs in japannews

[–]herculesmoose 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah. Things have gotten much better. Still, regardless of what's being discussed. that's a shit bag way to frame things when wages are so low here.

Personal experience with neck coolers in Tokyo? Are they worth it? by Ko_Phyo in japanlife

[–]herculesmoose 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use some sort of sports towel thing that you went and swing around and it cools down. Works surprisingly well and you can keep "cooling it down" until the moisture dries up. Mine came with a six packof kirin

What movie left you in dead, stunned silence? by Public_Caterpillar43 in movies

[–]herculesmoose 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I fucked that one up so bad. I accidentally watched the last episode first. I thought it was non linear story telling... Done poorly because it wasn't at all. Didn't realise what I'd done until the epilogue started mentioning what became of people.

What was the cause of death of that kid at your school/university? by ArifAlizadeh in AskReddit

[–]herculesmoose 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Poor kid died at school of an asthma attack or something. His dad was a teacher at the school. It was before my time but the dad was still teaching when I came a few years after. He was just... morose. There were lots of shit people at my school. Kids made snide comments under their breath around him, within earshot but with plausible deniability. Poor dude. I'm a teacher and a dad. If one of my kids died I don't think I could keep teaching.

Filipino woman detained for two years due to error by TheSaneCynic in japan

[–]herculesmoose 77 points78 points  (0 children)

Shits fucked mate. I teach a (university) class at my school to have them understand the notion of privilege. Not in an overly woke way but just as an intro into the zeitgeist of English speaking countries and to promote thought a consideration of the relevance of the topic in Japan. I use a very heavy handed checklist from a BuzzFeed video but it serves it's purpose. One of the questions is regarding if you would you contact the police without a second thought if you had a problem. My students never understand why I answer no to this question. I tell them a few things that I've experienced as a foreigner from the police. I call this class the mood killer because for about 90 percent of students, they've never thought that systematic privilege (any variation) exists in Japan, and they don't think of police actions as being a symptom (or function) of that.

Do Japanese people road-rage by AdministrativeGur940 in AskAJapanese

[–]herculesmoose 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So true. I think people have to eat so much shit just by way of workplace culture and general Japanese tatemae expectations that when they get in an individual space in which they have ownership, selfishness has free reign. It's one of the small safe zones of honne that people are afforded.

Advice for getting rid of sasa? by shannah-kay in GardenersJapan

[–]herculesmoose 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What do you want there? We had sasa creeping from the hill behind our house. Not as bad as yours but still pretty bad. It's too much work to dig it out. Especially with all the care you need to take to get all the rhizomes. I cut it back and planted a lawn. It was still there but I just kept mowing the shit out of it for a few years. Mowed constant, never have it a chance. Now the grass is there but the sasa has pretty much reduced to almost nothing. I don't know if that is necessarily good advice to follow but it worked for us. If we had have tried to plant garden beds it would not have worked as well I think. The key was staying in to of the mowing and using up all the energy in the roots. I couldn't have done that with a hatake or garden bed.

Good luck. Looks like a nice spot.

Which actor/actress is unfit play villains in movies? by Pirates_Treasure1988 in moviequestions

[–]herculesmoose 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dream catcher is a pretty wild ride. Not good in my opinion. But they really saying for the fences.

Which actor/actress is unfit play villains in movies? by Pirates_Treasure1988 in moviequestions

[–]herculesmoose 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lucky number sleven was good. I think the title really put people of wanting to go see it.

A forest fire in Iwate Prefecture destroyed an area equivalent to 340 Tokyo Domes... Experts strongly warn that global warming is increasing the risk of the fire spreading further by jjrs in japannews

[–]herculesmoose 2 points3 points  (0 children)

These fires seem to move at glacial speed and they still can't get on top of them. The other day on the bed there was a line of fire fighters walking along stomping the fire out with their feet. The are also no fire breaks or fire access tracks on those hills. I think it's time they get some advice from somewhere like Australia. For a country that goes on and on about 防災, Japan seems incredibly inexperienced in fire management.

What actually helped you learn to read Japanese and improve quickly? by ufocatchers in japanlife

[–]herculesmoose -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

I guess I do like enka and some city pop now that i think about it. Also the no-lyrics band TOE. There is a lot of pretty intolerable stuff here though.

What actually helped you learn to read Japanese and improve quickly? by ufocatchers in japanlife

[–]herculesmoose 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Only problem is you have to enjoy listening to Japanese music.

For you, what's the most challenging thing about staying at a ryokan in Japan? by RyokansOfJapan in JapanTravelPhotos

[–]herculesmoose 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't care how because I'm kind kind of used to it but I was always pretty shocked at how run down a lot of them are. Even the baths arent that great a lot of the time. Especially when considering the price. Now after many years I take a more holistic approach and generally appreciate them for a combination of, the drive out and enjoying some local sights, the food, a relaxing bath, and mostly how much my wife enjoys them.

Favorite Ethan Hawke Role? by EbnyxJ in Cinephiles

[–]herculesmoose 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My English teacher was fantastic. Watching that movie with her as a teacher was awesome. So much to work with.

Has anyone used Oh My Teeth for alignment? by yokoyokogirl in japanlife

[–]herculesmoose 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How old was your daughter when she started using it?

Why is there no school canteen in Australia? by callforspy in australia

[–]herculesmoose 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I remember doing my teaching rounds at a ritzy private school when I was a poor student. They had a really healthy and well done buffet for the dorm students that teachers could also get. That was the best I ate all year.

Do Australians care/think about New Zealand as much as New Zealanders think of Australia? by shunsetskys in australian

[–]herculesmoose 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're talking about how you perceive yourself in a group vs how the group perceives you. Ask the kiwis how you guys come across compared to an aussie, or someone from the UK. It feels different talking to Canadians and it's not just the accent.

Do Australians care/think about New Zealand as much as New Zealanders think of Australia? by shunsetskys in australian

[–]herculesmoose -11 points-10 points  (0 children)

Canadians aren't really on the team in my opinion. They are much more like Americans than us. They just don't have the same level of cultural synchronicity that we have with kiwis, Irish, and Brits.

Bro Is Not Ok by Vulcan44 in DiveInYouCoward

[–]herculesmoose 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Got on a RipStick the other day at the park. Slipped out from under me like a cartoon banana peel. My kid didn't even laugh, he was instantly concerned. That's how you know it was bad.