mattnumbe

AdBlock is a given but I really like rikaikun which translates Japanese kanji on hover.

I like it!

Way to represent Japanese food mikekchar. In what countryside are you residing. I could point you to some fantastic wine producers here. But, like everything, quality comes at a price.

>zucchini cost like $10 a piece

Out of season? We buy them for 100 yen, which is still more than free, but they they taste better than the huge ones I've had in the US.

Tomatoes tend to be beefsteak, so not very good for sauces, but big and nice in salads, or mini tomatoes.

The difference between saying that the meat isn't high quality and saying whether or not you liked it are the difference between fact and opinion.

>Japan breeds special chickens for raw consumption

Are you sure about this? I've always heard from izakaya owners here that it has to do with the processing of the meat and the amount of time that has passed since slaughter. It's also rarely seared when I get it.

To me it's like comparing bacon to pork chops. I like them both in different situations, but there's no reason to compare them.

Thank you!

> The fruit and veg tend to be larger

The natural size of the fruit/vegetables here are exaggerated when you go to a normal supermarket. Chain supermarkets only sell visually appealing fruits and vegetables. Throwbacks go into juices, restaurants, and B-grade supermarkets, where you can buy a 5 kilo bag of "misshaped" carrots for a few hundred yen.

The taste also seems to be standardized. For example, I prefer the carrots you can buy in the US to those you find in Japan. Japanese supermarket variety carrots have a much milder flavor than those I've had in other countries.

Standardization is a key word in Japanese society ensuring a certain type of quality at a cost.

>Kobe is a relatively rare exception

What about Hida? Not as well known in the US but many believe it's better than Kobe beef.

Japanese style beef is just different than the types found abroad. Every piece of Japanese raised beef I see in the supermarket here is beautifully marbled with fat and extremely rich in flavor. High quality Australian and American beef are also imported but are used for different purposes and lack the white flecks of fat.

The only time I've ever used it they double booked our hotel. They put us in a place that was 3 times more expensive (at no additional cost) but the location was really poor.

I agree. I find that if I'm in a place where it's easy to pick out expats (Asia), you can get some really good information about the uniqueness of the place you're visiting.

I just finished reading that Ricky Jay story. Fantastic! I only knew his face from movies but never had a clue about his magic.

"24,025 cases of suicide were still reported in 2015, meaning that an average of 65 people killed themselves every day in Japan last year."

How can you address a problem of this scale in a society where talking to others about person issues is taboo?

I read some articles on this a while ago and the answer is quite interesting. Other animals do cry, but crying with tears is learned behavior. It all boils down to getting attention for the purpose of getting fed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/08/health/a-darwinian-look-at... http://www.froes.dds.nl/Tears.htm

I think that although SAD and being a recluse are linked, they aren't the same thing. It's interesting that the reported amount of people with SAD in the US is so high compared to Japan [0] so I also did a little searching in Japanese. It seems that because of the availability and access to psychological treatment in Japan[1], the reported number of cases of SAD is possibly 5 times lower than the number given (0.7%)

[0] WHO World Mental Health Survey Consortium: 2004

[1]http://pax.moo.jp/sadjournal/2014/01/24/日本人は社会不安障害にならない？/

This is much more than just being introverted or working a job that has little social interaction. This is complete withdraw from society. Many of these people don't even use the internet for communication. They don't go outside. Usually a parent takes care of them but never sees them. Their care taker leaves their meals at their bedroom door and walks away. It's incredibly sad.

According to the documentary I watched, a lot of these people are very intellectual but have some kind of falling out with society. Since Japan bases a lot of it's social norms on or around shame, these people become recluses because of their "failure" not because they want to play video games and be on the internet. A half a million people not contributing to a society that is already lacking in labor force cannot be called a good thing.

Does any one know if this happens in other countries? I remember watching a documentary about the social workers that help these young people make transitions from recluses to members of society. Although the article says that the number has decreased in recent years, I'd be surprised if it hasn't increased globally because of online gaming/communities. (EDIT: The documentary I saw was called "Japan's Missing Teenagers" which aired on SBS in 2003. Really interesting but I can't seem to find it anywhere.)

It's a shame hate is such a strong form of motivation. The things people like this could do to make the internet a better place...

hipster is such a conundrum because every person I've ever met who'd be considered one claims to hate everything about hipsters.

Your post makes me think of that old picture of guys smoking during the Tour De France.

More than an identification guide, you need an experienced friend or someone who knows what they're doing. There are way too many poisonous mushrooms that look like edible ones (death cap/inky cap).

It's worth the read. Like a drama/horror/science journal blend.

This does not seem like a safe idea.

Although extreme, Japan does prove a good point. It's hard to kill a lot of people when you don't have the tools. Making firing/ownership restrictions incredibly tight and equal (including for law enforcement) will have a positive effect.

That site is unbelievably sad. Just from randomly clicking on links to the news stories so many of them seem incredibly unjustified.

This article focuses a lot on how to search twitter for the echo which probably won't help reduce harassment.

What if you answered "Si!" but you couldn't read the article?

Ive got a friend at Sun Corporation who, a few weeks ago, when I congratulated her on the recent (unconfirmed) news of her company, she said it was Cellebrite's news and not theirs.