number9

Not sure why you'd expect a Japanese language paper to cater to foreign readers when the readership is 99% Japanese. Anyways, disregarding the ranking order, it looks like a good mix of resorts for various purposes. Though, since Hakkoda didn't make the list, it's not "hardcore" enough eh.

Japan wants to increase foreign tourists with the Yokoso initiative, so Niseko must be helping it quite a bit.

Great match! I saw it online. Really is too bad Chelsea caught up in the end, but it seemed inevitable for the entire second period (though, it would've been nice had that shot off the woodwork gone in instead). Artificial cap on player salaries will drive the top players away to other leagues, if the revenue flow is there to pay for them (in the future?). How is the inflation in European football? In MLB it's an astounding 10%/year, approximately. Pro athletes are just like other entertainers, the top ones have an economic impact to so many people around the globe that they are actu

Quote: Originally posted by Creek Boy: You can play the gaijin card with this one most of the time and get away with it And you complain about being treated differently from Japanese people?

People vote for all sorts of reasons (platform, party alliance, charisma, familiarity, etc.) Giri is an additional reason in Japan (but not like it's a totally foreign concept in other democracies).

Are you crazy!? I love my vending machines, they don't necessarily have to be lit though, just on, depending on how much light there is at the location. All those super bright combinis and train stations can be made dimmer, but that's a bum/loitering deterrent..

Written by a Japanese person who learned English as a foreign language? Then there isn't much point in reading into the subtleties and nuances of their lines.

Consumers aren't always (usually?) rational. Plus it probably has more to do with short term gratification and money rather than long term planning (PS3 price will drop in the future anyways, maybe making the current $120 PS2 price tag essentially free). So, maybe it is rational if you have no must buy PS3 titles for a while.

Hakuba's in Nagano. Should keep Hokkaido as one of your options though.

Yeah, the PS2 outsold every next gen console in the States this past December. Though that's partially due to lack of supply, you can't deny the great library for PS2. http://www.slate.com/id/2161405/ There was an amusing poll lately, do you prefer relaxing onsen or amusement park fun for a holiday? And the results were overwhelmingly onsen.. except for Akita and Kochi whose majority preferred amusement parks.. maybe because they live relatively far away from decent amusement parks? More often than not though, it's Kansai that comes out with a different result from the rest of the cou

The Rockies are getting absolutely dumped this season, so it's not the entire hemisphere, just the reverse of last season.

I've only seen gaijin with beer cans in onsens though.. And the atsukan floating in onsen thing seems to be purely fictional as well. Then again, only drunk oyajis and gaijin drink on commuter trains, so why worry..? Asahi article provided a nice local twist to the usual Niseko article. So, how was Gold Coast after the Japanese bubble burst?

Japan makes a lot more sense when you realize that it's an Asian country underneath all the modern western trappings (probably similar thing can be said about Korea now too). Anyways, it's practically impossible to kick out a tenant in Japan once he moves in, barring something like half year of back rent. Which partially explains why landlords get overly zealous when choosing tenants. Certain jobs get screened out by some landlords and agents as well. But if they don't want to bother with a more precise screening process for a potential tenant, that's their loss (but they probably th

Wow, four times in the face didn't kill her? Must be some kinda alien!

Quote: Originally posted by LiquidX: Although I'd rather play games on one that vote in silly polls. You can do that too! Not like you're ever really forced to use any particular game or app on any console..

Quote: where as a few of my neighbors are less welcoming and frantically scurry away when ever i am in sight. [/QB] Maybe they know that you want to debate about dolphins, whales, or politicians

Hey, that's what a game console is for!

Wait, but Jguys would diggit because they're gay!

Is democracy perfect? Japan's version of democracy is far from it but..

He's so good he'd look good with or without poles though. Then again, there's really no use for poles in parks, so it's a good move going without. Damn, iron crosses rock!

Quote: Originally posted by charlotte: When you live near the snow, you can be a snob. It must be more difficult when you travel from afar. Aha haha. Actually, when you have to travel from afar, pursuing fresh snow every weekend during the high season adds up to a huge amount of yen expenditure. So I can't really afford to go spring skiing (prefer the higher probability of powder in Jan-Feb anyways) because I spend money on other things too during the non-winter months.

Niseko seems to be popular with Aussie families though, or maybe it's popular with the agents. But there's lots of English language service in the resort and the shops in the area (even saw a pizza restaurant with only English signs on the outside, not sure if they do Japanese ), and it's a nice little village where everything's walking distance (by staying in the Hirafu side). Hakuba's difficult to get around without a car. And Nozawa's nice too, but smaller traditional hotspring town. Shiga Kogen's a big skier's resort, a huge place that looks like it'd be worth a week long visit to exp

Pfft, Tokyo people

You mean when the hostesses hit on their customers?

Maybe, maybe not. Ducking rope depended on drop in point. Yeah, there seems to be less rope and barriers at Japanese resorts every year.