The Cellar  

Go Back   The Cellar > Main > Nothingland

Nothingland Something about nothing - game threads, diversions, time-wasters

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11-16-2007, 08:56 AM   #31
Mockingbird
Master of hand to mouth living
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tulsa, Okla
Posts: 189
That inspires fear in the heart of evil doers!

One thing that's kind of struck me as telling in Japan is the drug law. Speed and other 'uppers' carry a much lower sentence compared to marijuana use. I don't think they care what you do as long as you're nice and productive.

Shame, though. The one time I went to visit I remember telling my friends that if there was one place in the world that needed weed, it had to be Japan. It's crazy, the one connection I was able to find was a known member of the Yakuza and he charged about $500 US for an ounce. (!!!) Those folks just don't like chilling out.
__________________
When you're low it's either wave that flag or stand there empty-handed. -- Achewood
Mockingbird is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-16-2007, 09:09 AM   #32
ZenGum
Doctor Wtf
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Badelaide, Baustralia
Posts: 12,861
Indeed, the "zero-tolerance" idea has never caught on here. Funnily, a lot of the young posers aspire to the image of the drug culture but don't actually do (can't get, possibly) drugs. There are plenty of wannabes with dope-leaf jewelry or T-shirts, but who've never smoked in their lives.
Similarly when the ecstasy set in the west were all going on the dance floor with bottles of evian, the Tokyo set were going dancing with their evian bottles... without having drugs.
Drugs are available here, if you look hard enough, but I am not risking the law here. In South Australia, possession for personal use = on the spot fine, pay at the post office, no record. Here, the cops can hold you for 21 days on suspicion without bail or a lawyer, and any conviction would cost me my job, apartment, and visa, plus probable prison time. I'll pass, thanks.
__________________
Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008.
Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.
ZenGum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-16-2007, 09:39 AM   #33
Mockingbird
Master of hand to mouth living
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tulsa, Okla
Posts: 189
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZenGum View Post
Indeed, the "zero-tolerance" idea has never caught on here. Funnily, a lot of the young posers aspire to the image of the drug culture but don't actually do (can't get, possibly) drugs. There are plenty of wannabes with dope-leaf jewelry or T-shirts, but who've never smoked in their lives.
Similarly when the ecstasy set in the west were all going on the dance floor with bottles of evian, the Tokyo set were going dancing with their evian bottles... without having drugs.
Drugs are available here, if you look hard enough, but I am not risking the law here. In South Australia, possession for personal use = on the spot fine, pay at the post office, no record. Here, the cops can hold you for 21 days on suspicion without bail or a lawyer, and any conviction would cost me my job, apartment, and visa, plus probable prison time. I'll pass, thanks.
Yeah, it was risky but I was in country for ... similar activities. Did you ever read that blog about the guy that was detained for 21 days in Japan? I'll try to find it, it was an interesting look at the Japanese prison system.
__________________
When you're low it's either wave that flag or stand there empty-handed. -- Achewood
Mockingbird is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-16-2007, 09:48 AM   #34
HungLikeJesus
Only looks like a disaster tourist
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: above 7,000 feet
Posts: 7,208
That's how they keep Japan elephant-free.
__________________
Keep Your Bodies Off My Lawn

SteveDallas's Random Thread Picker.
HungLikeJesus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-19-2007, 09:26 AM   #35
ZenGum
Doctor Wtf
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Badelaide, Baustralia
Posts: 12,861
Not content with heart-shaped bubble wrap, some genius came up with a bubble-wrap calendar:

Name:  Bubble calendar.jpg
Views: 499
Size:  69.7 KB

Quote:
Japanese bubble wrap manufacturer Kawakami Sangyo Co., Ltd employee Ayaka Sugiyama shows the company's bubble-wrap calendar named "Puti puti calendar" in Tokyo November 12, 2007. Stress relief, diet aid, lucky charm: few can resist the allure of bubble wrap and now a Japanese company is finding new reasons to pop till you drop. Picture taken Nobember 12, 2007. REUTERS
__________________
Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008.
Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.
ZenGum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2007, 11:39 AM   #36
ZenGum
Doctor Wtf
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Badelaide, Baustralia
Posts: 12,861
Cute toilet cleaning robot

From here.

Name:  Robot 1.jpg
Views: 768
Size:  61.2 KB

Name:  robot 2.jpg
Views: 444
Size:  143.2 KB
Quote:
Cleaning grimy highway rest stops is a job barely fit for humans, but never fear: the disturbingly cute, talking Lady Bird robot will begin scrubbing Japanese public toilets in 2009!

Lady Bird was conceived and built by a consortium of robotics companies commissioned by the West Nippon Expressway Company Limited (NEXCO).

Lady Bird features obstacle sensors that help it avoid collisions with restroom fixtures and the occasional user. Speaking of the latter, Lady Bird is designed to be cute, friendly and helpful - this is Japan, after all. It displays a smiling face and a pair of stubby antennae that enable a very unique feature: speech recognition capability via a built-in voice synthesizer. Lady Bird can make conversation if spoken to!

Don't get too excited, you won't be engaging in any philosophical discussions with Lady Bird - but you're at a highway rest stop, remember? Instead, Lady Bird gives out useful information such as the latest traffic & weather conditions updated by Internet - probably "spoken" in a childlike female voice.

Choose to ignore Lady Bird and "she" will industriously go about the business of scrubbing toilets and the surrounding areas. At 39 inches tall, 56 inches long and equipped with an on-board water tank, Lady Bird is anything but small and that goes for the price as well: a cool $30,000 per robot.
So you're staggering home from a hard night on the town, and you stop by the public toilet ... and there is this giant, glowing-eyed robot lady bird that starts talking to you in Japanese about road weather and traffic conditions .... I tell you, the Japanese don't need drugs.
__________________
Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008.
Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.
ZenGum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2007, 12:57 PM   #37
Cloud
...
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 8,360
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZenGum View Post
So you're staggering home from a hard night on the town, and you stop by the public toilet ... and there is this giant, glowing-eyed robot lady bird that starts talking to you in Japanese about road weather and traffic conditions .... I tell you, the Japanese don't need drugs.
__________________
"Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"
Cloud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2007, 01:02 PM   #38
Madman
has left the building.
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 455
I don't get it??? She looks perfectly normal to me...
Madman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2007, 07:53 PM   #39
ZenGum
Doctor Wtf
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Badelaide, Baustralia
Posts: 12,861
Quote:
Originally Posted by Madman View Post
I don't get it??? She looks perfectly normal to me...
You mean ... normal ... apart from the fact that she's talking to a giant lady bird toilet-cleaning robot with glowing red eyes?
__________________
Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008.
Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.
ZenGum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-25-2007, 09:12 AM   #40
Sundae
polaroid of perfection
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 24,185
I can get round any number of toilets in a day for $30,000 thank you.
And I'll put on a childlike female voice if you like.

PM me for details!
__________________
Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac
Sundae is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-25-2007, 03:30 PM   #41
Cloud
...
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 8,360
I'm wondering how that thing possibly cleans toilets. I guess oriental, hole-in-the-ground squatting toilets? it could just, you know, roll right over those. Otherwise, it would have to hop up onto western-style toilets.

and that would be just too disturbing.
__________________
"Guard your honor. Let your reputation fall where it will. And outlive the bastards!"
Cloud is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-25-2007, 04:05 PM   #42
slang
St Petersburg, Florida
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 3,423
I was going to ask about the toilets there in Japan. More western style or squat type?

My only restroom experience in Japan was at Narita airport.

It was surely better than the Pakistan restrooms but much less than the US standard.

Don't even ask about the toilets here. It's scary.
slang is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-25-2007, 04:09 PM   #43
Sundae
polaroid of perfection
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: West Yorkshire
Posts: 24,185
I'll wait for Zen but my understanding is within homes and hotels it's mostly Western style - better than Western because they include so many added extras. But a (small) majority of public toilets are still traditional.

But then I've used hole in the ground toilets in both France and Italy, so it's not just a East/ West divide.
__________________
Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac
Sundae is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-25-2007, 04:29 PM   #44
slang
St Petersburg, Florida
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 3,423
Yes, I've read stories about Japanese toilet accessories. Sounds like a wide variation from hole in the ground to cologne automatically sprayed on your rear when your done, sorta thing.
slang is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-26-2007, 09:22 AM   #45
ZenGum
Doctor Wtf
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Badelaide, Baustralia
Posts: 12,861
I see I have some homework to do. I'll get back to you with photos.
Yes, I am going to go and take photos in public toilets.
__________________
Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008.
Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.
ZenGum is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:18 AM.


Powered by: vBulletin Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.