Becky ate bird's tongue and frog legs in Taiwan. (Nov.16, Channel 4 Nihon TV).

...when you can justify your own self-righteousness to yourself while thinking that others are just being self-righteous in a silly way. Or, at least somebody thinks so ;)

Let the whine breathe 6 years and it will become better here. This is a proven scientific fact.

Hilarious!

But isn't it funny how the ONLY bus in Tokyo that doesn't have audio English announcements is the bus that goes to immigration in Shinagawa? At least that was still the case as of two years ago when I last had the pleasure of going to that office.

Soc-ed for being epic and practical. I am totally on the side of one must chew one's food a lot. Chewing = good

DBR I'll go along with that!

...that are mostly based on age and experience.

Looking back at the home country with rose coloured glasses is definitely an issue - whenever I hear people complaining about immigration or some official thing taking too long I think to myself - in what country is bureaucracy NOT a pain in the ass?

Don't have an answer to the headline, but I do have a submission for the Ampontan post linked: You know you’ve been too long in Japan when you make lists of qualifications other people must obtain to have a "valid opinion" on Japan.

You are right Freedomwv - and I would never knock someone who's having a hard time. Still..... honestly there are people I have now known for years who since day 1 have little positive to say about Japan. I really cannot imagine living their day if that is really how they feel.

Some people whine so much because they are having a really hard time adjusting. Although, there are those who complain no matter what country they are living in.

Hahaha - I like it : ) Although kvetch..... makes me think of retch!

The Japanese language will not die away forever. It will take a lot more than just more people speaking English to kill of their language. They need not worry.

Makes sense.

Crazy laws indeed. There was a huge pro-pot rally and march on April 20th of this year in Tokyo.

"whines and kvetches"- sounds tasty. Where can I get this wine and a kvetch?

Soc'd, half because I'm curious to see what kind of creative additions people can add to the list, and half because it should be interesting how people respond to being told that their opinion on Japan isn't qualified enough to matter.

Japan has a zero-tolerance for all non-prescription drugs (because the feds don't profit from it), and there is a very different opinion of the medicinal or harmful effects of many illegal substances in this country compared to many European or North American nations. Since I don't use the stuff (anymore) and have not met any people in this country that are interested in using it, the drug laws seem to fit right in with all the other crazy laws in effect :P

Maybe I read JapanSoc too much. I keep having deja vu... http://www.japansoc.com/Food-and-Drink/Lets_go_to_prison_for_dinner_tonight/

No Osaka castle? Maybe it didn't qualify because the most amazing things in it are the modern air conditioning and elevators. :-P

Vending machine are always an interesting topic. Although, the information about the cig vending machines is a little dated.

It is interesting how much English you hear in everyday Japanese speech,though, whether on the train or TV news. Japanese culture and language have a long history of adopting from other cultures so perhaps it's natural, or perhaps it's a trend that will be replaced by some other ku-ru language next. Of course, English is such a mutt of a language that it's not a bad candidate for a universal tongue!

Dick Cheney has one of these in his office, doesn't he? lol

Japan is a vastly homogeneous country, foreigners are being hired in management positions all the time and cultural differences can cause major problems if not dealt with properly. It makes total sense for surveys like this to be undertaken by those involved. The questionnaire is completely balanced and unbiased in its language and is just like surveys I have seen concerning women as managers or hiring mothers in Australia - not very PC but necessary to reveal the attitudes. It's not the surveys that are the problem (assuming they are properly balanced) but what is done with the information.