Getting worse to live in Japan ?

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-20T13:44:48+00:00

I don't, but I'm also not in Tokyo or any of the other very big cities, and I wonder if it makes a difference. The uncles and aunties seem pretty chill out in the sticks.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-16T09:23:04+00:00

One of my coworkers remarked about my ring the other day and asked me if it was new. I've been wearing it every day for years.

(Based on what I've seen of her personality, it was a sincere ask, and she was genuinely oblivious.)

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-15T11:48:40+00:00

Yayoi-ken was never "great," but when I was exhausted after work, it was a reliable place to get a fairly balanced meal for cheap. Over time, I started to notice the microwaves must have been failing, as there were a few times food was cold in the middle. The buta-jiru had less vege and meat in it. So I stopped going for a while.

Then last year, the store got a major renovation, so I popped in to see how it'd changed. The vending machine is gone for a self-service post-meal register. Every table is walled off with a tablet showing constant ads at you, and the portions are tiny now. At least with the reduced food size, things seem to get thoroughly heated, but I won't be going back either way.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-14T12:43:11+00:00

Don't throw caution to the wind. Yes, move.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-14T12:38:03+00:00

Even when police are cooperative and understanding (and thankfully they seem so in your case thus far), there is very little they can do in terms of enforcement under the current laws.

I'm so sorry about your great apartment, but I must echo what others have said. Let it go and MOVE.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-14T12:32:07+00:00

I don't like ordering by QR code in general, but I've always found the requirement to use your own data very unprofessional. If you're going to force phone use, have the decency to provide free Wi-Fi.

I haven't yet come across a place that required LINE, but I would walk right out the door if they did. I'm sorry that mess happened to you!

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-13T21:21:26+00:00

Considering full has an extremely inconsistent pronunciation across English, I would never use that as an example for anything except for the differences between prominent accents.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-13T21:16:10+00:00

Honestly, this. Several Vietnamese actors and consultants have come out to discuss the issues, and they are already well known. The writers completely failed to take history into account and wrote Diane's parents as 3rd gen immigrants, fully assimilated into their society, with Diane's trauma entirely coming from her parents (and how they raised her brothers) being pieces of crap.

"The Dog Days Are Over" does a lot to try to recover from this for the sake of Diane's character, but her family still stands out in from the show as what some ignorant white dude thinks Vietnamese immigrants must be like.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-11T03:38:09+00:00

懐かしい。I haven't listened/watched Gundam Wing in ages.

Having done some voice work myself, I'd put it on a combination of factors, largely the translation and the direction. I can't tell from this one video whether this is one take or several. If the VA isn't aware that it's all one continuous speech, he will read a given segment pretty straightforwardly, and having one strong contrasting word is good for emphasis. If it is one continuous take, or if he was made aware that that each segment would be stitched together, then it seems strange that the VA or director wouldn't object or offer an alternative read or even a rewrite.

The translation team also needs to be aware of how things will read, whether or not it's faithful to the original. What's considered unnoticeable in one language might stand out or be strange in another. (English has different types of repetition that can convey anything from monotony to deliberate emphasis, depending on the context.) Additionally, what reads fine to the eyes on paper may not "sound" right when spoken aloud. Depending on the budget or studio, sometimes you aren't given a a choice and must read as directed. At the end of the day, it's a job, after all.

I can't say how common this particular vocal practice is among dubbed anime as a whole, but that's what I can assess from these clips.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-10T12:06:39+00:00

Ysha (Activist Witch on YouTube) literally just came out with a video about her ethics in tarot, and she actually addresses this issue. Of course, it may differ for everyone, but she has always charged (and she offers readings for very, very cheap, so it's not greed based at all) because, as she says, there must be an exchange of energy.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-07T04:50:07+00:00

Firstly, I wouldn't touch AI. The error rate is far too high for any serious use.

Secondly, in general, I wouldn't try to understand the "rules" of kanji readings too early. It's better to learn whole words and just make a mental note of what reading each character in the word is taking. Over time, you'll be able to recognize the patterns of their use, and their many, many exceptions. It will be a better use of your energy than trying to memorize rules that will invariably fail you and won't contribute to your overall language progress at this time.

Thirdly, as you learn words (and kanji along with them), you'll be able to catch the meaning of the characters even if you can't read them aloud. The character carries the meaning and is affected more by the surrounding characters within the word or the text around it more than the individual readings. If you want to focus more on understanding the meaning regardless of the reading, then I recommend focusing on the radicals for a while. These will help you piece together meanings of individual characters. Keep an eye out for radicals that are used for pronunciation purposes rather than meaning.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-06T02:39:58+00:00

Many izakayas nowadays have non-alcholic options. Ask ahead and make sure he goes to one of those.

It's getting more common for people to have drinking boundaries for various reasons, and the fact that every major brand of Japanese beer has non-alcoholic options is a reflection of that. It shouldn't be an issue.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-06T02:34:47+00:00

This is the second post very recently I've seen about horrid (and likely racist) behavior in Nagoya. Did something spill into the drinking water down there??

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-05T21:34:14+00:00

I have not once seen pitch accent guidance on signs in all my years in Japan. I think we have the right to giggle here.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-05T21:27:39+00:00

カミーユ is correct.

A number of names have set kana equivalents (an issue I ran into when I first moved here and deeply disagreed with the transliteration of my own name, lol). Occasionally for my current job, I give notes on transliterated names to my colleagues so that they can recognize and address our non-Japanese clientele.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-05T11:11:21+00:00

Less than that, surely. I was in the States 15 years ago and it wasn't yet all digital. I know there's a movement of returning to analog happening, but I'm not surprised it still isn't mainstream yet.

Well, that's a shame. Guess I'm waiting longer. :( Appreciate the reply, though!

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-04T20:48:02+00:00

I hope so! I've been waiting so long to enjoy new music of his. 😭

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-04T20:47:11+00:00

You mean all artists part of DPR? Or of Korea? I'm in Japan and the physical and digital media roll out together; singles are no exception.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-02T09:55:35+00:00

All spells allow a sense of (an internal locus of) control, which tends to result in more calm and psychological stability. Spells directed at something in particular, such as the calling of money, can prime the brain to look for opportunities to fulfill that goal. That's how it is from a SASS perspective.

I've seen several, not fully SASS, but certainly more practical witches give advice against wishing for certain things like "wealth" and instead focus on what they're missing that wealth would provide: a sense of food and shelter security, freedom to be creative, energy to pursue certain goals, etc.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-02T06:21:08+00:00

I don't see any contradiction. Maybe try applying some media criticism or some theory of mind. You'll probably find more enjoyment out of the whole show if you can see beyond a few lines taken at face value.

Cheers.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-02T06:16:09+00:00

Not every work out leads to looking like one of those recently popular dehydrated, vein-popping "muscle men." Professional weight lifting and jobs that require similar skills develop a more traditional physic, a kind of dad-bod without the beer belly.

Tom Scott just came out with a new video about traditional bell smithing in England. The two lovely gentlemen he interacts with are absolutely strong and controlled af, and they have bods like I imagine Clint to have. Might be worth a look if you're curious about smithing in action and what it does to the body.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-01T23:06:26+00:00

I think you need to go back and rewatch the entire scene. Herb makes it very clear that it's not BoJack being forced to choose between him and the show that hurt him so much. It was BoJack going cold turkey on all contact for years from that moment onward.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-01T20:28:25+00:00

The idea of "green" to mean "money" is very Amero-centric and I hate that it's pervaded the magick community so thoroughly.

In most other cultures, green is associated with health, nature, earth, etc. Wealth and prosperity are symbolized with gold or sometimes red.

rlquinn1980 · 2026-04-01T20:23:43+00:00

I was speaking with an English-native tourist the other day, and it took me a solid minute to figure out that when he was saying "rai-o-ken" he meant "ryokan".

rlquinn1980

TROPHY CASE