NHK is the national public broadcasting station in Japan. They send subscription fee collectors to seemingly every front door in the nation on a semi-regular basis, and in my experience, get turned away more often than not. 1.17 mil. households refuse to pay NHK subscription fees People usually try to get out of paying by saying that they either do not own a TV, or do not watch NHK. The latter isn’t an excuse at all; you’re supposed to pay anyway. I always used to use the former until a few years ago when the NHK guy pointed out my newly-purchased satellite dish and I had to explain it wasn’t…

This sounds like a scene straight from Ishi the Killer: …Nagasawa then punched the victim in the face, saying he did not answer politely enough… …Nagasawa then allegedly followed the victim into his apartment and forced him to take off his contact lenses… “Are you wearing contact lenses now? Put them in my eyes,” Nagasawa told the 31-year-old victim…. After Nagasawa’s arrest Thursday in Kawasaki, just south of Tokyo, police put on display what they confiscated from his home — 124 pairs of glasses and 30 pairs of contact lenses of a wide variety… …Police did not comment on his motive but Nagasawa reportedly said: “I felt good when I…

Uninspiring story #1: The Japanese girl who really went to Los Angeles in pursuit of life ala Beverly Hills 90210. (seriously.) Uninspiring story #2: Her best friend, who followed two weeks later. Inspiring story #1: My former female coworker, who taught herself English by reading the newspapers used as stuffing in the pineapple boxes shipped from Hawaii to the fruit stand she worked at as a child. Inspiring story #2: Japanese (especially schoolkids) who can’t even return basic greetings in English, yet can instantly extend a middle finger and shout a healthy “FAKKU YOU!” like it’s second nature. On a related note, I’m one of those people who learn languages…

So it has finally come to this: The incidental tourist An American woman opts to pay $4,300 for a ten day vacation/medical trip to Hungary where she gets dental work done that would have cost an estimated $11,150 in the states with insurance. No word on whether she will play the next Jaws in the 007 series… Apparently it worked out well for her, though. Come to think of it, the hospitals and clinics I’ve been to in Thailand were cleaner than what I’m used to seeing in Japan or the US – and they were a hell of a lot cheaper to boot (another fact – completely irrelevant and…