Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Stand up, dammit!

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

“But what about the lurkers?”

Consistently wrong since 2002

If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Stay strong, because they are weak.

Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

You would normally have to try pretty hard to self-incriminate this badly.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

Decision time: keep arguing about the last election, or try to win the next one?

A fool as well as an oath-breaker.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Back from Japan!

Back from Japan!

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Back from Japan, Juicers! Wow, I’m only gone for two weeks and look at everything that’s been going on here! People have been buying homes, rescuing sweet dogs, getting shortlisted for major prizes, and cited by major newspapers. Great work everyone!

Here are some of my recent accomplishments:

1) Managed to NOT confuse the “flush” button with the “emergency” button in the toilet, as I did last year when accompanying my partner to a meeting at Doshisha University in Kyoto. (Nothing like exiting to the sounds of an alarm and into a concerned crowd!) Partly this was due to excellent signage, as per this on the Shikansen (bullet train):

toilet sign shikansen

In Doshisha everything was in Japanese, so I made my best guess, and guessed wrong.

2) Hung out in a Catbus. Happy to report that the Ghibli Museum (dedicated to the works of anime master Hayao Miyazaki), which has always had a Catbus for kids, now also one for adults. It’s fun! Even if all we boring adults did was sit sedately in it instead of crawl all over it. (Internet photo because you’re not allowed to photograph in Ghibli.)

3) Visited a coed onsen (spring-fed hot bath). Hey, even most Japanese women won’t do this! No pics, because what happens in the onsen stays in the onsen. However, let me just say that it’s amazing—at least to this insular American—how nonsexual a room full of naked, sweaty people can be.

4) Got to watch superb, nearly commercial-free, jingoism-free, and unobtrusively commentated Olympics coverage on the Japanese equivalent of PBS. (Which again raised the perennial expat/tourist-in-Japan question: “Why can’t we have such nice things back home?”) And, finally…

5) Remained blissfully removed from all things Trumpian—seriously, it was a downer to arrive at Narita airport for departure and see The Odious One on TV for the first time in weeks.

More to come…it was a successful vaca in that I wasn’t ready to return. But I did miss you all, and am happy to be back and posting!

Reader Interactions

130Comments

  1. 1.

    PaulW

    5) Remained blissfully removed from all things Trumpian—seriously, it was a downer to arrive at Narita airport for departure and see The Odious One on TV for the first time in weeks.

    Didn’t anyone in Japan ask you “Gai-jin, what the f-ck with your Trump, hey? It’s crazy! Why you do this to the rest of us?”

  6. 6.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Welcome back, Hillary! Have been wondering about your trip, and hope you’ll provide additional narrative, or at least anecdotes, as you resettle.

    The entire Walter story is well worth your time. Can’t recall if it started before you departed (Thursday, August 4 was the day John found him and began posting) but I recommend you prowl through back issues if you haven’t already.

  7. 7.

    Brachiator

    Funny. I was just talking about the Cat Bus to a co-worker yesterday.

    Time to visit Japan (preferably before Olympic Fever takes hold of the country).

  12. 12.

    magurakurin

    If you think NHK is like PBS (it is more like Tony Soprano) or that NHK is unbiased, then you don’t know much about Japan at all.

  13. 13.

    Hillary Rettig

    @Shell: did that last time! will try to dig up a pic. honestly, I was a bit disappointed; the cats were not all that interactive. plus it was expensive, like $25 per hour door fee.

  14. 14.

    Hillary Rettig

    @SiubhanDuinne: thanks! i’ve been keeping semi informed based on availability of internet connection. am I right that Walter is now officially a “failed foster?”

  15. 15.

    Baud

    However, let me just say that it’s amazing—at least to this insular American—how nonsexual a room full of naked, sweaty people can be.

    It’s harder when you’re as attractive as I am.

  17. 17.

    Hillary Rettig

    @Baud: :-) :-) you’re really the best!

    also, please note that it took a full 15ish comments (not including mine) for someone to address the “naked, sweaty” part of my post.

    you carry the honor for this whole blog!

  19. 19.

    Anoniminous

    However, let me just say that it’s amazing … how nonsexual a room full of naked, sweaty people can be.

    Dancing naked in the full moonlight is also less exciting than it sounds.

  21. 21.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Baud: lol!! Probably for the best that you dropped out of your run for President then. We wouldn’t want another Monica incident in the White House.

  27. 27.

    Hillary Rettig

    @Jsinla: BECAUSE JAPANESE TOILETS ARE AMAZING

    We stayed at a farmhouse one night and the “bathroom” was actually a suite consisting of three rooms: (1) for toilet, (2) for sink, and (3) for bath. It just made so much sense.

  30. 30.

    singfoom

    Did you get any pictures of the adult cat bus? That’d be my #1 stop on any tour of Japan. Nice that they have one for the kids to crawl around on too. Jealous. Glad you had a great time!

    ETA: I can haz reading comprehension, no pictures allowed. I’ll have to look online.

  31. 31.

    Shell

    No American returns from Japan without at least one picture of Japanese toilet controls.

    Cause they’re always fascinating. Like the toilet instructions in the film “2001”

  32. 32.

    Mike in NC

    jingoism-free

    Oh, yeah. We didn’t watch a lot of the Olympics but it seemed every ten minutes they had to review what country was winning the most medals. U-S-A! U-S-A!

  34. 34.

    Hillary Rettig

    @singfoom: i didn’t see any pictures of the adult one online. it looks the same as the kid one only we’re all just sitting around being boring. (Compared to the littles who are all climby and explory.) But it’s nice and fun and relaxing.

  36. 36.

    Robert Sneddon

    @singfoom:

    Did you get any pictures of the adult cat bus? That’d be my #1 stop on any tour of Japan. Nice that they have one for the kids to crawl around on too.

    It’s the other way around, the original cat-bus was kid-sized and adults bitched and whined until Ghibli gave in and had a full-sized cat-bus built just for the special snowflakes.

    Hillary, did you get to see the kitten-bus movie at Ghibli? It’s never been released for showing elsewhere, you can only see it at the museum.

  38. 38.

    Hillary Rettig

    @Mike in NC: I almost never watch the Olympics here in the US, but watched a few hours of it in Japan. Absent all the junk it was really interesting and fun!

  39. 39.

    Hillary Rettig

    @Robert Sneddon:

    >Hillary, did you get to see the kitten-bus movie at Ghibli? It’s never been released for showing elsewhere, you can only see it at the museum.

    I DID. :-) I won’t lie — it was pretty awesome. It also featured a looooong cat-shikansen (bullet train) and gigantic grandparent cat-spaceship.

    It’s actually one of several short animateds that you can only see at the museum. You see one per visit and I feel really fortunate to have seen this one. How did you happen to hear about it?

    Note for anyone reading this who wants to visit Japan / Ghibli: Here in the US Ghibli tickets go on the market about three months in advance, and sell out fast. You get them from JTB. They’re great people – they helped a ton when we were screwed over by American Airlines – and very knowledgeable. (You can also get air tickets and JapanRail Pass from them.)

  43. 43.

    magurakurin

    @Mike in NC: uh, that’s what they do here, too. Believe me. I love Japan. I’ve lived here for 18 years now. But the Olympics are just as jingoistic as anywhere. The coverage is anything but unbiased and you really, really, really don’t want NHK. NHK is not a “nice thing ex-pats/visitors want back home.” It is a quasi-criminal orginaztion that basically tries to extort payment from everyone for their vapid dramas and biased news reporting. The director was heavily critizized last year for his racist “hate speech” against Koreans and ethinic Korean-Japanese people. Fuck NHK.

    But the toilets are awesome. Wash-lets are the thing you want to have but just don’t know it yet. Also, too, onsens are nice. I’ve been to many.

  45. 45.

    Trollhattan

    Jeez, I didn’t think Trump would be using $cientology schemes. Silly me.

    Not that it’s an especially new tactic, but literary genius Donald Trump tried to make his own book a bestseller by buying thousands of copies using campaign contributions, as one does, of course. Recent FEC filings show that Trump spent $55,000 at Barnes & Noble to buy a whole bunch of copies of the book, titled Crippled America in hardback, then actually re-titled Great Again: How to Fix Our Crippled America when it went to paperback. It’s unclear why the rechristening happened. Either the original hardback title was such a downer that nobody liked it, or perhaps every time he saw a copy, the candidate felt compelled to twist his arms all funny and do his hilarious impression of that New York Times reporter with the muscular disease. Trump, that kidder, he just can’t get enough of that! Oh, yes, and depending on how he handled the royalty money from the huge purchase, Trump may have violated campaign finance laws, although those really are just for little people.

    A spokesperson for the Republican nominee told The Daily Beast the books were purchased “as part of gifting at the convention, which we have to do.” Sure enough, delegates in attendance at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July were given canvas tote bags, stamped with the Trump slogan, and filled with copies of Crippled America, as well as Kleenex and Make America Great Again! cups, hats, and T-shirts. Delegates were also given plastic fetus figurines.

    “Battlefield Mirth”

  47. 47.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Hillary Rettig:

    am I right that Walter is now officially a “failed foster?”

    Oh, I don’t think so! At least I have never seen anyone apply that term to him. He’s with John for another three days, then on Saturday he’s going to live forever with big-hearted commenter debit, who lives in Minnesota. S/he expects him Sunday, and I think Walter must be one of the luckiest pooches on the planet. Nothing “failed” about him, unless I missed some crucial information along the way.

  50. 50.

    Robert Sneddon

    @Hillary Rettig:

    [Me] did you get to see the kitten-bus movie at Ghibli? It’s never been released for showing elsewhere, you can only see it at the museum.

    I DID. :-) I won’t lie — it was pretty awesome. It also featured a looooong cat-shikansen (bullet train) and gigantic grandparent cat-spaceship.

    I’m a big fan of Japan and visit regularly so I know about the Ghibli museum but it’s not actually the sort of place I tend to go to, but I’d heard about the animated shorts they only show at the museum itself.

    My own favourite places in Japan are a bit off the beaten track, not much frequented by Western tourists, places like Onomichi, Atami and Ito. I have plans to visit the Miura peninsula for a few days some time in the near future but it’s poorly served by regular transport so I might need to hire a car to get around. I’d also like to visit Mount Aso down in Kyushu but again it’s not easy to get to.

    I don’t go to Japan for the food, I tend to eat at cheap noodle places and Yoshinoya beef-bowl stores rather than gorging on wagyu beef and exotic sushi. I’ve learned the secret places to shop like food halls in the basements of superstores, it leaves me more cash for places like Yodobashi Camera and Akihabara.

    As for Magurakin’s comment above, Japan and its people are xenophobic, some of them rabidly. They are, though, unfailingly polite about it. My solution is to be polite back at them. Being able to hold a (very) basic conversation with someone in Japanese really helps even if my accent is atrocious. My experience is that the rural places are more friendly than the big cities, possibly because they’re not exposed to brash gaijin tourists quite as much.

  52. 52.

    West of the Rockies (been a while)

    Missed you, Hillary. Glad you’re back. I hope to maybe go teach English in Japan in a year or two. Been teaching in CC’s for 14 years and need to recharge, experience some new. Ghibli rocks! I understand the studio is sort of on hiatus, is producing no new films.

  53. 53.

    bluefish

    I love “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” Being out of Trump’s reach sounds swell. So does decent coverage of the Olympics. What we got here was the usual schlock coverage. On time delay for opening and closing.

    Welcome back. Sounds like a wonderful trip. Cheap noodle places resulting in great cameras would be the way to go!

  56. 56.

    hovercraft

    Can someone please get me some smelling salts, Andrea Mitchell just told Tweety that there is nothing as far as we know that is remotely wrong with what Hillary did, there is nothing she did that every elected official doesn’t do everyday. She said that Trump and Gulliani are just making noise because of politics.

  58. 58.

    Helen

    LOL. Trump picks a fight with Cher.

    Says Hillary’s supporters “celebrities that are not hot anymore.”

    Never change Donnie.

  59. 59.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @hovercraft:

    REALLY? I heard her with Chuckles Toad a couple of hours ago, and the two of them sounded just about ready to string Hillary up (and Bill too, just for shits and giggles) because Clinton Foundation and State Department and emails. I don’t recall hearing the word “Benghazi,” but it was implied.

    Is Mrs Greenspan just a Vicar of Bray?

  60. 60.

    Baud

    @hovercraft: My Twitter and RSS feeds indicate that liberals are pushing back hard against the most recent bullshit. But I don’t know what’s going on with Andrea. That’s crazy.

  61. 61.

    magurakurin

    @Robert Sneddon: all quite accurate, I’d say. I too, am a fan of working people’s Japanese food, gyudon, okonomiyaki, tacoyaki, yakisoba, tonkatsu, onigiri, ramen, udon, etc.

    Kyushu is very nice. I have been there many times. Aso has been errupting a bit as of late and the road up to the crater and the acid lake gets shut from time to time. Kirishima, between Miyazaki and Kagoshima, is also very nice for hiking and onsen. The shikansen now goes all the way to Kagoshima, so a bit more accessible. Renting a car is probably the best way to tour Kyushu, though. And the driving isn’t so bad as much of the island is countryside and lava plains, so it is a bit flatter than other areas (but not flat at all, of course)

    I live on Shikoku and if you wanted to see off the beaten track Japan, this is probably the best island for that. Most people in Tokyo can’t name or probably locate the four prefectutes on Shikoku (literarly “four countries”) Not much in the way of onsen here though. Very little volcanic activity on Shikoku island.

  63. 63.

    hovercraft

    @Trollhattan: @SiubhanDuinne:
    I saw her with Chuckles too, I’m not sure if the campaign has taken someone hostage or found some naked pictures of her somewhere, but I am shocked. She did leave the “so far” hedge out there, but she was very definitive on her statements about there being no wrong doing.

  64. 64.

    Robert Sneddon

    @Major Major Major Major: They’re not advertised or promoted and being in the basement you don’t see them from street level. I’m referring to stores like Matsuzakaya and Fukuya which are upmarket high-street places selling Louis Vuitton and the like on the ground floor. There are food supermarkets and regular stores, of course, and konbinis (convenience stores) but the Matsuzakaya food halls have a big selection, limited-time sales and cheap specials if you search for them.

  66. 66.

    magurakurin

    @Robert Sneddon: again, sound advice. Pretty much every large department store has a food area in the basement. The ones in the Kansai area are epic..as food is just better there in my opinion. The prices tend to be a bit higher, but the quality is usually better as well. Plus, you can see everything laid out before you. That way you can browse around, try stuff, and remember the name for future use. The food areas of department stores is something of an unsung hero of Japanese food as far as traveler’s go. Not quite a secret, but not as common knowledge as say wagyu, which is so expensive that normal people here rarely eat it. Normal, Japanese raised beef we eat, but the actual, real, genuine Kobegyu…no way. That stuff goes for as much as 300 dollars for 100grams in the super exclusive expensive shops.

  70. 70.

    Robert Sneddon

    @magurakurin:

    all quite accurate, I’d say. I too, am a fan of working people’s Japanese food, gyudon, okonomiyaki, tacoyaki, yakisoba, tonkatsu, onigiri, ramen, udon, etc.

    You’re making me hungry, and homesick too. The salaryman noodle place at Ueno station taught me there is no polite way to eat cheap udon, not if you’ve got a train to catch, just slurp it up and scoot. I had a bowl of ramen in a roadside shack in Onomichi for my 60th birthday, I ate gyoza and drank beer next to the Zoom Zoom stadium in Hiroshima during an earthquake, itzakayas in Shibuya in a pub crawl, what Tokyoites pretend is okonomiyaki…

    Nice little manga that got made into a short anime series, Wakako Zake tells of an OL (Office Lady) and her after-work search for local cheap food in lunch counters and small dining establishments, following her nose most of the time. Alcohol is involved, a delightful series to watch.

  71. 71.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @shomi:

    I gotta stop reading comments because there is just too much stupidity in here.

    Splendid! If you stop reading them, you’ll stop commenting. Win-Win!!!

  74. 74.

    satby

    @SiubhanDuinne: No, Walter isn’t a failed foster as John never intended to keep him in the first place. He’s a successful foster, he became well, healthy, and happy and is ready for his forever home. Happy tails!
    I should probably have answered Hillary,not replied to you ;)

  75. 75.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @satby:

    Thanks for confirming. That’s pretty much what I thought.

    How’s your own move going? And how are you handling your menagerie as you trek back and forth? Wish I lived closer so I could give you a hand and put my SUV to work for you.

  82. 82.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Major Major Major Major:

    Careful there, or you might get an unimaginative nickname.

    As long as some variant of “Always Wrong” is in there, it hardly matters.

    ETA: And just out of curiosity, how long has it been since MisterMix posted? I wish he would — don’t get me wrong — but it’s weird to see I’mFromMisery keep referring to “MuckyMuck” when there’s no there there.

  87. 87.

    Hillary Rettig

    @magurakurin: The coverage seemed to favor Japanese athletes, but that was understandable. But I saw no “talking heads” (only off-camera commentators), gauzy profiles, and other boring stuff–and literally only one commercial (or less) per hour. So – even though much of what you say may be true, this was still a vast improvement over US Olympics coverage which I heard was even more terrible this year than usual.

  94. 94.

    magurakurin

    @Hillary Rettig: Was it worth 40-50 dollars a month whether you watch it not? Because that’s what NHK tries to get from everybody who owns a television. NHK, not yours or anybody’s friend. Just believe me on this one.

  95. 95.

    Hillary Rettig

    @Robert Sneddon: that all sounds awesome. we took a car ride around Tohoku and so got off the beaten path, too. I understand about the xenophobia – it seems like one big divider between expats who stay and those who leave is whether they can tolerate being seen as an outsider for decades…or forever.

    I feel really fortunate to have gone twice in the last two years while my kid was a JET. I may not get to go again any time soon, but will keep my fingers crossed.

  98. 98.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Oh, I know, but You. Are. Not. A. Troll.

    Also, you don’t assign unimaginative nicknames.

    Trust me, I would never conflate you and shomi.

  99. 99.

    Hillary Rettig

    @magurakurin: the food areas of department stores are unbelievable. acres of gorgeous food that looks like art. $10 pears. $40 bunches of grapes!

  100. 100.

    Roger Moore

    @BR:

    Crazy ipsos poll update at 538.

    I’m happy to see that Hillary is leading California by a substantially larger margin than any other state they polled- though they didn’t include DC, which would probably have an even larger one.

  105. 105.

    Robert Sneddon

    @Hillary Rettig:

    $10 pears. $40 bunches of grapes!

    Those are luxury gift items, not “food”. I once saw a box of expensive sushi on sale somewhere, a presentation gift for a prospective father-in-law or a boss considering which kouhai to promote. Translating the price I was shocked to realise I could have bought a decent second-hand car for the same amount of money, about five thousand dollars or so.

    Another discount place worth a visit in Japan if you’re passing is any of the big Book-Offs, the ones that sell hardware, clothes etc. (they’re labelled Hard-Offs in some places). Some of them have really good quality kimonos and other traditional Japanese clothing at ridiculously low prices since second-hand clothing is a bit of a grey area for many Japanese people who prefer to buy new stuff whenever possible.

  107. 107.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Roger Moore: Nope. Not sure which comments Shomi is reading. Everyone here is pretty much supporting Secretary Clinton and dismissive of all the so-called scandals.

    Some of us just need to take breaks from politics from time to time before we snap.

  108. 108.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Robert Sneddon:

    they’re labelled Hard-Offs in some places

    Trying to avoid obvious joke.
    Trying to avoid obvious joke.
    Trying to avoid obvious joke.
    Trying to avoid obvious joke.
    Trying to avoid obvious joke.
    Trying to avoid obvious joke.
    Trying to avoid obvious joke.
    Trying to avoid obvious joke.
    Trying to avoid obvious joke.
    Trying to avoid obvious joke…..

  109. 109.

    bmoak

    @magurakurin:

    I got out of paying the fee by inviting the NHK person inside my apartment to confirm that I did not have a television. Isn’t NHK modeled after the BBC, which is where the household fee idea came from?

  110. 110.

    hovercraft

    The Trump campaign is full of the most bizarre notions, last night it was the hidden undercover voters who will only admit their support for their candidate in online polls. Tonight they are in MS with Nigel Farrage to emphasize that Trump is the leader of a global populist wave sweeping the world. Um, even if there is such a wave, they do know that only Americans can vote here right. Everyone who was pro=Brexit has not fared very well. Maybe English Trump is the exception.

  112. 112.

    Major Major Major Major

    @hovercraft:

    they do know that only Americans can vote here right

    Given the amount of concern they have about undocumented immigrants voting and the urgent need for voter ID laws, no, I don’t think they do know that.

    (I know that the actual PIC know that voter ID is a smokescreen, but their base doesn’t)

  113. 113.

    bmoak

    Despite a long history with Buddhist-based vegetarian cuisine, Japanese can be a tough country for vegans, mainly because dried fish-based dashi stock is the foundation of almost all Japanese soups, broths, and sauces.

  114. 114.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @SiubhanDuinne: I am an amazing man. And humble too. Have I told you how humble I am lately? I am very humble. Just ask me.

    Nighty night. (until my severely jet lagged wife shows up app 11 pm)

  115. 115.

    hovercraft

    @Major Major Major Major:
    Well I wasn’t talking about all those illegals that ACORN will bring in on the white buses on election day. I meant those other populists in Western Europe who are also trying to save Western civilization, they can’t vote here.

  117. 117.

    HinTN

    @HillaryRettig @top

    However, let me just say that it’s amazing—at least to this insular American—how nonsexual a room full of naked, sweaty people can be.

    I learned as a young man (OK teenager) that nakedness might often be seen but never looked at. I think that came from Heinlein…

  125. 125.

    KlareCole

    @SiubhanDuinne: I heard what you heard Siubhan. Missed what hovercraft heard. I’m pretty sure I would have fainted if Andrea Mitchell said Hillary was innocent (my paraphrase) of wrong doing regarding CGI. My husband & I have been raving, even in the middle of the night, over the beating on Hillary & CGI and so little said about Trump’s massive debt held by China, Russia & Germany. Don’t suppose Trumpie will close all his for profit businesses will he? So he wouldn’t be tempted as (shudder) president to give access & favors to reduce his own debt? Now that is a conflict of interest.

  127. 127.

    Miss Bianca

    I was just wondering when we’d hear from you! Sounds like an awesome trip! Welcome back, sorry about the Trump storm!

  129. 129.

    Rafael

    Can I ask, what onsen was this? I thought the coed ones were almost all gone. Were they cool about foreigners there?

  130. 130.

    grumpy realist

    @magurakurin: You’ve got a few onsen in Shikoku. A bunch of friends and I ended up sharing a ride with some hip-hop fanatics who dropped us off at a rotenburo up in the hills. (We hope we convinced them they wanted to visit Seattle rather than NYC)

    Best weekend ever.

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