kintaro

Badmigraine-san, How do you say that? Romaji de onegaishimasu!

I hear BBC TV is also a mandatory cost for TV owners. Is that true? How much? And if so, do most people pay?

an after thought...no offense ski people but I really hate moguls!!

I was at Appi for the first time so I didn't know the runs. I went up on the first gondola of the morning after a big night of snow...pow everywhere! Anyway, 10 meters down, 9:10am, I hit a mogul that I couldn't see...not even going fast and I actually heard my bones cracking. The ski patrol dudes worked about 3 hours to get me out of there. Cast comes off in 2 weeks!!!

I scored 612 on the obove site but a 997 on a test at dslreports.com. I'm using fiber optics...talk about not reaching your potential!! I should have 100Mbps!!

The only thing I achieved was getting all new stuff: board, bindings, boots, and goggles. Happy I also wanted to go 50 days, only went 25 (broke my leg pretty severely) I focused the season on riding fakie and did get better but not as natural as my goofy/regular style. I also didn't get to go to Hachimantai...I broke my leg the morning b/f I was going while at Appi. I really should have skipped Appi on my little tour of Tohoku!!

My yakuza neighbor and his hooker looking wife and their punk ass son. They smoke in our elevator!

Not much of a beer drinker but... Sierra Nevada Pale and Guieness from a tap are my favs. I also like to drink a cold Corona w/ a lime in any tropical setting. J'biiru- Asahi Super Dry ..karakuchi! BTW beer people, Yebisu is usually most expensive (in the convini's, etc) and it's a malt beer. In the US malt liquor is usually cheapest and not very good (and comes in a 40 oz. bottle) I've noticed many on this topic like Yebisu. Why the diff?

I bought a couple of TV's at LAOX and apparently LAOX sent in my forms for me b/c the NHK dude said he knew I had bought a TV. I just told him it was a gift to my wife's (NHK paying) parents.

Purchased?? Are you kidding? Why purchase unless it's an underground (way underground) band that can't be found to download? This window of opportunity won't last for ever, trust me. We'll be able to tell our kids that "there was a time when music was free Johnny...it came just after the time when CD's were 1,800 yen a pop!" I bought lots of those CD's and now its payback time as far as I'm concerned. I'm getting all I can now and not ashamed to admit it. BTW, I like Kazaa Lite.

It's Japanese style to give in these situations. I broke my leg snowboarding this winter and got around 40,000, food, and flowers from various people. But, when you get better you are expected to give something about equal value back to anyone who gave to you. Taihen da yo ne!

I read that Fattwins quit/doesn't pay. Me neither bra! It costs a minimum of 14,910 per year and it is the law that if you've got a TV you must pay. I don't watch it nor want it. I feel public television stations should be funded a donation basis..not by law! I told the NHK guy that I don't have a TV and he hasn't come back yet. Am I wrong? Is this a social responsibility?

rubbah slippahs all the way baby!

I've bodyboarded down the snowcapped slopes of Maunakea (Big Island, Hawaii). There's no lift though so you need a buddy to take turns with you to drive the car up and down.

I came here originally to study Japanese. I studied at the U of Hawaii and wanted to keep studying. Still not pera-pera! I'll probably stay here for another few years...money's pretty good.

Loving life in Sendai, Japan. Hey Tohoku is the best place (exluding Hokkaido) to live for skiiers and boarders....and maybe surfers too! Slopes/beaches not crwoded and the onsen scene is excellent

Kamoshika, this was the first time I've heard your less sleep theory. I'm stoked if it's correct, I've never been able to sleep more than 5 hours in a day.

Thank you France! Hhhhm, what would it be like today "as we know it" Fattwins?

Ocean, I agree with you to a point but what would you have done to solve the problem? Sanctions obviously didn't work. Saddam didn't appear to be on the verge of retirement or a change of way. Day to day life for an Iraqi not in the Bath party cirle was miserable. And what do you mean by saying that Americans call going and killing a lot of people is 'helping them'? What American said that? Not me!! The mission wasn't to "kill tons of people" and you know that.

Fattwins, you think the US went to Iraq just to "kill a hell of a lot of people" and that's all they did? What about liberating a country from the rule of a tyrant. I think in the long run history will tell us this was a good thing. How many more would have needlesly died had the regime gone on for another decade or two? What did your beloved Canada do to help the poor people of Iraq or any country that needed help for that matter???

check out the "Foreign Buyers' Club" at www.fbcusa.com/public2/search.php3. They have tons of good stuff to order and quiet often will ship it to you for free. They are located in Kobe and once you join the club they send you emails about their weekly specials. I think you have to pay 1000 yen or so to join the club though.

I got a speeding ticket...that's all for me but a gaijin buddy of mine got stopped once on his scooter for not having a helmet. The police searched his backpack and found a swiss army knife. They detained him for most of a day and wouldn't let him go until his Japanese wife came in to take responsibility for the knife (who knows what a gaijin might do with a swiss army knife!!). She finally came, big gomens and the police released them on the condition that the wife carry the knife out. imi wa?

True! Especially the snowboarder "gangsta" look.

snowboarding only. Never tried skiing (and I'm not dissing it) but always wondered why skiers wear those rediculous outfits..purple with yellow pants and green boots, etc. Snowboarders don't look so goofy in my opinion. What gives?

Wow, lots of Jack Johnson fans. Is he from Hawaii? Anyway,if you like Hawaiian music/musicians, check out John Cruz Ka'au Crater Boys Iz (Isreal Kamakawiwo'ole) Ho'aikane Hapa Mana'o Co. Keali'i Riechell.... Let me know if you want more. Also, if your looking these up on Kazaa, etc., my spelling could be iffy on the names but close.