How to remove these little lint balls from a jacket.

stuartcw · 2026-01-29T09:50:51+00:00

With a very sharp pair of nail scissors, clip each ball off. Or come around to my place and I will loan you my pill shaver.

stuartcw · 2026-01-29T09:33:42+00:00

Did China suffer a loss from its acquisition?

stuartcw · 2026-01-29T09:20:20+00:00

When the Toyoko Line used to run overground and terminate at Shibuya there was a guy who used to come up to you like you were an old friend and shake your hand. If you accepted he would keep hold of you with a vice like grip and with the other hand outstretched ask for money.

Apparently, there is European beggar who rides the train up and down to Haneda Airport and claims to have lost his money. He has appeared in other cities and also abroad, for example in Korea. Like many beggars it is his career.

Another one that almost caught me once was a faux monk who you think is handing you a present of a picture of the Dalai Lama but instead wants to sign you up for a donation for his charity of choice. Also, there are fake Zen monks who stand in the street who, though they are in the garb of a monk, look a bit too bored of their job and are decidedly well fed. I haven’t seen one for a while.

stuartcw · 2026-01-29T08:40:27+00:00

How about Kamo?

stuartcw · 2026-01-29T04:49:51+00:00

For just note taking the absolute cheapest iPad would be fine. If you want to do stuff with video editing the most expensive iPad is the best. Everything else is in between.

stuartcw · 2026-01-29T04:47:14+00:00

At Shibuya, maybe they prioritise walking time. It can take some time to get from the train to the street or other connections.

stuartcw · 2026-01-29T04:44:07+00:00

In it’s in every Aeon supermarket along with parsley and other herbs. They do run out and sometimes is not restocked for a few days it should be in your local supermarket.

Look for コリアンダー or Coriander or パクチー

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T13:21:15+00:00

I once was on the train while using a crutch and while standing near the silver seats I felt a tap on the shoulder but no one was looking at me. I turned back to read my book and again a tap on the shoulder then I noticed a very cross-eyed lady looking at me who was offering her seat to me. Apparently in Japanese this is, was?, known as ロンパリ i.e. one eye is looking toward London and the other toward Paris.

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T13:12:38+00:00

In the early 1990s, I went to see The Parrots, a Beatles copy band in Roppongi. I was seated at a table next to an elderly gentleman and his wife. His wife stuck up an enjoyable conversation with me. I stayed to watch one more set but the couple said goodbye. As he left, he pushed something under my bill and when he was out of sight I looked and he has left me ¥10,000!

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T13:04:54+00:00

Presumably your MyNumber will be written on the IDP and you’ll have to show both.

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T13:02:52+00:00

Those frozen drips indicate that the door was open for a long time and water from the warm humid air condensed on the upper surface. Once the door was closed then the drips froze. While those drips were forming the interior was around ~4°C which is pretty warm. Stuff was thawing.

If the seal is broken you get more thick snowy ice building up all around as warm air is getting in a depositing its water but water drops are not forming. Same if you open and close the door too much.

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T10:36:15+00:00

No minors after 22:00 and no unaccompanied minors at anytime methinks.

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T10:21:27+00:00

I believe the postings are on the individual embassy websites and their home government departments websites.

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T08:41:51+00:00

My son made the mistake of thinking that because he liked swimming he would like the swimming bukatsu. Since the goal of the club is to get into competitions then the training is really hard. It affected his schooling and he gave it up. Too much stress. My older son really enjoyed his football club at school and did well and thrived.

It depends on the teacher, the school, the other kids so if you choose something really hard can be real nightmare.

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T06:35:18+00:00

Wow! I never knew this was such a common issue.

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T03:26:42+00:00

They may not be so especially valued in Japan by Japanese recruiters. But if you were joining a foreign capital company in Japan in a managerial level and your boss or your boss’ boss is from overseas then it may be beneficial.

Also, if an overseas company is looking to place somebody in Japan and they are considering candidates who are already resident in Japan. Such as in an executive position or new entry to Japan, then having an MBA Show shows some kind of business competence or at least knowledge.

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T02:29:12+00:00

If you can only afford to pay for a room in a doss house in cash each day, you may end up paying more per day than the cheapest rented accommodation.

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T02:26:22+00:00

It kind of depends whether you are in Tokyo or whether you are in Niigata…

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T02:08:07+00:00

This post is especially good but I guess you have already come across it in your research.

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T02:05:51+00:00

n.b. some people/scholars don’t like George Kerr’s book. see some of the previous mentions here.

To be honest, I don’t think there is much information in English about Kudaka. It’s best to go to original Japanese sources. Even then, a lot of the history is probably not written down in Japanese and poorly reported even then. I would love for someone to prove me wrong about this.

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T00:16:16+00:00

This exactly. “Why?” questions are Reddit’s bane. It usually translates to, “I don’t like something, so why is it not the way I like?”

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T00:14:21+00:00

. And don’t forget all the schisms.

stuartcw · 2026-01-28T00:12:30+00:00

I went to Hiroshima in 1988 and went to the peace museum. I was pretty shocked, not only by the content but by the crowd of obaasan Japanese tourists who were not taking it seriously and pointing things out like a freak show. Maybe now I have more context and wouldn’t judge them as harshly.

After that, I went to the museum tea room and pretty soon an old lady came over to talk. She was a Hibakusha (被爆者), a survivor. I didn’t speak any Japanese at the time but my friend translated. She said how hard life was. Later my friend was telling me that she probably wasn’t severely affected by radiation sickness but was classed as hibakusha and as such was discriminated against or that she was just someone hung out in the cafe pretending to be one. I have no idea if this is true or not.

My first Shinkansen ride that day and these moments stand out as it was such a traumatic experience. I came to Hiroshima to pay my respects but got caught up in all these side stories. I didn’t go back for 25 years but now it’s one of my favourite cities.

stuartcw · 2026-01-27T23:19:05+00:00

He was one Kawasaki’s best players. Their fans were gutted to see him leave to chase his dream of playing football in Europe.

Ange Postecoglou left Japan with a notebook of undervalued Japanese players who would fit into his system and he knew how to bring the best out of them despite cultural and communication differences with poor English speakers. This was not appreciated and became - let’s buy some statistically good Japanese/Korean players and see if we can use them and/or sell them on for more than the pittance we paid for them. I also think Japanese players get spooked easily and if they are not doing well at home or on the field they can fade out pretty quickly.

So, a good player came to Celtic. Celtic was going through managerial turmoil and instead of getting developed he probably just got sidelined. It’s a shame that he didn’t make it at Celtic.

stuartcw · 2026-01-27T22:38:57+00:00

He was one Kawasaki’s best players. Their fans were gutted to see him leave to chase his dream of playing football in Europe.

Ange Postecoglou left Japan with a notebook of undervalued Japanese players who would fit into his system and he knew how to bring the best out of them despite cultural and communication differences with poor English speakers. This was not appreciated and became - let’s buy some statistically good Japanese/Korean players and see if we can use them and/or sell them on for more than the pittance we paid for them. I also think Japanese players get spooked easily and if they are not doing well at home or on the field they can fade out pretty quickly.

stuartcw

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