@wayneocohen
Maryland native, adopted New Jerseyan, current Tokyoite whose heart's in Hong Kong. Syracuse grad; postgrad at Gutenberg Universität Mainz. Entertainment writer formerly of Japan's Mainichi Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun. Interests: Media biz, Asian history
Absolutely ridiculous. I haven't seen the "Star Trek" content in question, but I'm sad to see that so little thought went into its production. If Okinawa has anything in common w/ HK, it's that it's home to a hybrid culture distinct from that/those of the larger political entity that controls it.
The website of the Sarah Duke Gardens at Duke University in North Carolina offers some info about the blossoms of plums, peaches, almonds & other stone fruits related to cherries. Stateside, we used to go to see them in the county-run Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ. gardens.duke.edu/cherry-bloss...
This identification guide was prepared by US Nat'l Park Service for the cherry trees that line the Tidal Basin in DC. It was updated in 2024. Kinda surprised it hasn't been deleted by Trump's DOGE doorknobs. Y'know, 'cuz it's all about "foreign" trees. Have a look: www.nps.gov/subjects/che...
Yup. Seagulls & other waterfowl are rather famous for tagging along w/ passenger-filled boats. Some've learned to accept food from people while on the wing. It's one thing to feed a seagull on the ground; it's quite another to do so while it's in mid-flight. Some unlucky folks probably get bitten.
Can't think of a similar spot near us. I suspect older Japanese who exercise prefer to do so in private. I see none of the public dancing or aerobics that I used to see in HK. It's possible the gym in a nearby elementary school hosts adult exercise sessions in the evening. Place is always active.
What's odd is that these ads are among the few that air in English. Nearly all others are in Japanese, w/ the occasional exception of ads promoting S'pore as the ideal hub for business in Asia. But they're infrequent. Fellow expats & I wonder how Google & advertisers decide which ads to serve here.
Hope someone claims the sub before Russell can sink his teeth into it. That'll teach him to spend his money at a supermarket chain run by a Trump-loving heiress of the worst kind. Some spread cash around to a bunch of bad actors: www.forbes.com/sites/tylerr...
In part, it goes "洋梨割り箸 (yonashi waribashi)," w/ 洋梨 referencing European pears & their bulbous, bottom-heavy shape to describe the male torso & waist, and 割り箸, or disposable wooden chopsticks, calling to mind the men's skinny legs.
C'mon. This photo has gotta be AI-manipulated. Look at those teeny-weeny legs. They're like toothpicks wearing floodwater pants as they swim around in giant shoes. I'm trying to recall a Japanese phrase I heard long ago that was used to describe the physique of the middle-aged Western male.
My name is indeed Wayne, though. A beer geek friend & fellow writer suggested my handle as a pen name for my column about beer, bars and brewing when I left the Mainichi & my new employer wasn't interested in publishing it. I decided to give it a rest & focus on the next chapter of my career.
Will have to see if the two relatively large parks in the area have anything formal planned. I avoid Yoyogi Park like the plague, but still occasionally put in an appearance in Asakusa, along the Sumida River, and Ueno Park, aka Ueno Koen. (You must've gotten my handle by now.)
Guess that means the blossoms are on their way up north. Here in Tokyo, I briefly noticed what I believe were plum blossoms on a small, untended tree in the large yard of the abandoned apartment complex behind our building. It's gov't property, but remains untouched aside from yard work 2x a year.
Wasn't sure how to read the final sentence. Are the hot dogs also of the craft variety & from the PNW? Not nitpicking. Love the high-quality sausages & hot dogs made by Olympia Provisions in Portland, not the Washington city of that name. Sold at Murray's Cheese in NYC. www.olympiaprovisions.com
The earliest ads were explicitly aimed at men 50+. Recent ones target women. But the bulk follow a pattern: Shirtless, bald, middle-aged Asian male w/ 6-pack abs & generic US accent claims older men can get buff w/ Tai Chi. The setting is the "mysterious Orient" & classes always start next Monday.
Tai Chi, eh? In recent months, I've been bombarded on YouTube here in Tokyo by English-language commercials for an exercise called Tai Chi Walking when I stream the US network MS Now. They've been joined by an ad for Chair Tai Chi. Don't know what to think, as the dialogue addresses ripoff fears.
Haven't watched any of the late-night shows in ages. Gotta get back in the habit, even though streaming them overseas is a wee bit inconvenient. Fallon's the host I watched the least. Will give him another chance, but Kimmel & Colbert are my faves.
Topped only by Trump's "show some guts, there's nothing to be afraid of" comment directed at merchant mariners. I laughed when I heard Rep. Seth Moulton tell MS Now's Jason Johnson that cowardly Donnie dodged Vietnam due to a "sore foot." He's the last one who should be talking about courage.
Despicable behavior on the part of Trump. Talking about punching down. Cassidy Hutchinson did the nation a big favor. The country owes her one.
I only recently learned that the Benny Hill theme is Boots Randolph's 1963 hit "Yakety Sax." Actually, I've known the name of the song since I was a kid. I just never matched it to the music, possibly because boyhood imagination rendered the spelling as "sacks," resulting in all sorts of rude jokes.
Best comment at the OP: "Our warfighters will unleash kinetic lethality. 🤡" It's so preposterous that I can actually hear himself saying it.
If this war weren't so deadly serious, I'd bust out laughing at this sorry-ass doofus. His acting skills are atrocious, so he ought to quit the tough-guy routine. I can't decide if he wrote those words himself. Might be the work of a pro speechwriter, but one who's gotta put up w/ lots of meddling.
Such ghouls. It's unclear if the boy is proficient in any sign language. ICE facilities can't accommodate Deaf people w/o assistive devices, which are hard to replace.
"Hearing aids are highly customized to an individual’s hearing loss, & quality hearing aids can easily cost thousands of dollars."
@takeshelter.bsky.social: This is a developing story that you might want to follow.
Note to self: Don't jump to conclusions. I admit I feared the worst for the former Dead Kennedys frontman, but the thread clarifies he's hospitalized in stable condition. His sense of humor is intact, too. Recounting his fall, he uses a classic line from the notorious '80s Life Alert TV commercials.
Here in Tokyo, I listen to WFMU's eclectic programming online. Fave DJs include Suzy Hotrod, Paul Bruno (@unblinkingear.bsky.social), Evan "Funk" Davies (@efd.bsky.social) & Todd-o-phonic Todd. Jesse's 2012 book "Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo & the Rise of Indie Rock" may be trickier to find. wfmu.org
I've yet to listen to Jesse's "The Frow Show" on WFMU (@wfmu.bsky.social), widely regarded as one of the best free-form FM radio stations in the US. Gotta do that soon. The all-volunteer station's studio is less than a 5-min. walk from our old digs in Jersey City's Paulus Hook neighborhood.
No, that's not a lollipop. Boy, do I feel stupid now. Fool me once ... uh, shame on me. Just figured that's what 34-year-old candy looks like.
I might've seen Lee Rocker solo at some blues or Cajun festival when he was playing straight-up blues & releasing albums on the niche label Alligator. Can't be sure. Gotta check the lineups from past editions of the Louisiana-focused Crawfish Fest in rural northwest NJ.
Guana Batz! Haven't heard that name since I studied at the Syracuse University London Centre in the mid-'80s. Never saw them live, but came across lots of ads for shows in NME & Melody Maker. SU, in upstate NY, gets lots of students from the Stray Cats' native Long Island, so the band was big there.
Good to hear Brian Setzer's well again. Saw him solo at the now-defunct Punk Spring festival just outside of Tokyo in the early 2000s. Lars Frederiksen of Rancid introduced him with a heartfelt "Much respect!" Summer Cats tour includes stops in the south Jersey / Philly & north Jersey / NYC areas.