@amake: "Discretion" isn't a very good translation, either. Frankly, I think that discretion is an even worse translation than "For the manufacturer" because you're not really even using the word discretion properly in English (discretion refers to the potential or freedom to make a decision; where this sentence is…

You call that rap? Where's the old school West Coast? If they wanna make a rap game they need some Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Warren G., Spice 1 and Snoop Doggy Dogg. 1994 was the year for rap, man. The selection they've got there is pathetic.

I saw it in Toyama. There was a gap in the clouds at just the right time, so I was able to see it at its peak (around 11:07). I had sunglasses and it looked like a very, very bright crescent moon. They said on the news that 74% of the sun's surface was covered. It was cool.

Congratulations on the translation into French!

Maybe you should first explain to her what a barbecue actually entails because the Japanese seriously have the wrong idea about that.

I didn't know Mario was in There Will be Blood.

Europe isn't a continent; it's a state of mind!

I don't see what the big deal about Rapeplay was. I mean, I haven't played it, but it seems pretty tame by Japanese ero game standards. First of all, there is no incest (and they still have the gall to call it a ero game!) and, second of all, all of the characters appear to be at least 13 years old (i.e. old ladies).

Ah, the US consulate. Or, as I like to call it, McDonalds.

You can use Hulu if you're signed on to AOL because AOL uses a generic US-based IP address. That's right, I'm saying to use AOL. You think I'm mad, don't you?

@denki: Words also change meaning within their original language. Ask a Japanese person 「オタクってどんな人？」 and you will probably get a description that at least mentions anime and, possibly, figurines. Although there are train and history otaku, if you compare their numbers with that of anime/manga/game otaku, you'll…

@GDW1017: The parents in those anime are intentionally designed to be completely at-odds with social norms and this is done for humorous effect. The same thing can be said about most characters in most anime.

Also, make sure that the money you give as 線香代 is all worn, tattered notes. 5000 yen is the standard.

I've got it: they're making the fifth MGS into a hardcore erotic dating game! It makes perfect sense.

Hello nifty America. This is your president...

A friend of mine who works for a company in Tokyo said that, in her company, anyone who was sent on a business trip to another country would have to spend a week at home after returning to Japan. Which is pretty sweet when you think about it.

What's really ironic is that it doesn't even matter if the R4 is legal because there's no way anyone is ever going to get it. Those games are a rip-off.

That must be an Osaka thing. I've never had a salesperson do that to me here and, although they've told me that it'd be better to make the decision as soon as possible (and that was for plane tickets), they also add that I can take as much time as I need.

@PurpleMoose23: After all that time they still haven't gotten around to getting you a teaching license? Why work as an ALT (read: Japanese teacher's tool) when you can easily get a teaching license and become a real teacher? That's what I did.

I think that the problem with historical games, including the ones that are being mentioned as exemplory, have the problem of taking the personality out of history. Yes, in Civilization you interact with people who have the faces of Stalin, but you don't really get to see the real Stalin. I think that strategy games…