Funny Things Japanese Taxi Drivers Say

I have some Japanese friends who are taxi drivers. They are all cool guys and have a very dry sense of humor.

One guy's name is Takahashi and he has the driest sense of humor you'll ever hear.

One time I was drinking wiht him and he said,

"Okane ga nai kara nomanai" (I don't have any money so I can't drink). "Okane" is money. "Ga nai" means, "I have none." "Nomanai" means "I can't drink." But "Nomanai" sounds very close to "No money." "No - Ma - nai" (No money)... Get it? 

Still don't get it? It's OK. I was there and I didn't get it at first either.

I didn't catch the joke and if you don't speak Japanese, you probably won't. I didn't get it because I am often dumb drunk and didn't realize he was making a play on words.

To the dim, slow or drunk (of which I was all three) It sounds like he is saying, "I have no money so I have no money."... But he is actually saying, "I have no money so I can't drink." It's a play on the sound of the words and mixes English with Japanese....

Anyway, I was riding in a taxi the other day with Takahashi san driving. We were crawling in a traffic jam due to road construction on "Meguro Dori." (Meguro Road). 

Meguro Dori is one of the oldest and most well know roads in Tokyo. I guess it's been there for over 200 years... 

Anyhow, we were driving down Meguro Dori and, SURPRISE! there was a ton of road construction going on! There's always tons of road construction going on on that road!

As we sat there, Takahashi slowly turned around to me, cracked a wry smile and slowly and quite cynically said, 

"World War Two ended 65 years ago but construction on Meguro Dori is still going!" 

I cracked up! It was really funny since, just a few minutes before we were talking about how absurd it is that people, on the one hand, think the government are all dishonest and useless, then, on the other hand, a half second later, claim that we should give more tax monies and power to the government so that they can fix the weather (Global Warming and all that nonsense!)

Ha! The government can't even fix a pothole in the road on time and under budget! How in the hell do people think they can fix the weather? Hilarious!

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Here's a video of some guy riding his motorcycle and getting on Meguro Dori near my house.

Why Getty Images Cannot Sue You For Damages in Japanese Court and Win; Why Japan Doesn't Allow For Damages Claims in Court

The article about Getty Images and being threatened by their lawyer got lots of reaction and lots of reads and comments. Thank you.

Japanese businessman (use this image freely!)

There is something that some people wrote to me privately and asked about and that is the tactic that Getty Images uses to claim that monies are owed for "damages."


Folks, Japan doesn't allow for "damages" claims in court. Getty cannot sue you in court for millions of yen and win. 


Japanese courts only allow for claims consistent with a loss of income. Now I am no lawyer but I do  know for a fact and have confirmed this with several professional Japanese lawyers; Japanese law does not allow for damages claims.


In the USA, a woman can spill a cup of hot coffee on her lap while driving a car and sue McDonald's and win $2.8 million in court in punitive damages. That could never happen in Japan. A person can only sue for loss of income.


What that means is that Getty Images can only sue you in court for the regular licensing fees for unauthorized use of images. If, say, you use a Getty licensed image for a year and they find out, you are legally obligated to pay for the standard one year fee. They cannot arbitrarily claim a massive amount of damages and win in court against you.


In many cases in Japan, Getty has claimed that licensing an image was, say, $200... But with penalties and fees, they claim that a users owes $5000 for that image. They could never win this case in court.


That's why they use lawyers that sound like Yakuza to try to scare people. 

Flowers (use this image freely!)

Why doesn't Japan allow for damage claims in court? There is a historical reason for it and it's never going to change. Not, at least, in our lifetime it won't.


Here's why:


In World War II many Korean women were captured and used as sex slaves, called "comfort women," by the Japanese Imperial Army. After Japan surrendered, she made war reparations with the then government of South Korea. It was a part of the deal that this payment to Korea ended Japan's obligation and all responsibility for war damages.


Years later, many of these former comfort women became old and needed care. The former corrupt government of South Korea took these payments from Japan but did not distribute them to the victims and instead pocketed the money. In order to obtain payment, many of these former comfort women and their families sued the Japanese government. 


The official Japanese government line and law stated that all reparations had been made and no claims for damages were recognized by the post war government of Japan and her people. The United States supported Japan on this. 


It was a devastating blow for these poor victims of Japanese Imperial aggression and who were cheated by their own government's corruption.


This is why Japan cannot and will not ever allow for damages in court. It is why, after massive government coverups and scandals, that people were paid paltry sums for environmental damage caused at Minamata and other incidents that caused deaths and horrible birth defects. And it is why, today, Japanese courts are not tied up with long litigations concerning damages.


One can only sue for loss income. Damages are not recognized in Japanese courts.


Getty Images cannot win against you in a Japanese courts for "Damages." They can only sue for income not realized. 


Don't be scared if they come threatening you that they will. 


If Japan changed the law, and allowed damages, you can image how it would open her up for hundreds and hundreds of millions in damages claims from World War Two victims ranging from Australia to China and Korea and beyond. Like I said, this isn't going to happen.


Getty Images cannot sue you in court for damages and win.


NOTE: This came in from an anonymous reader:


"I can back up what Mike says about the comfort women. The English/Korean economist (University of Cambridge) Chang, Ha-Joon tells how South Korea used the funds for industrialization in his book, '23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism'. He talks about the Pohang Iron and Steel Company (POSCO) *
"Undeterred, the Korean government managed to persuade the Japanese government to channel a large chunk of the reparation payments it was paying for its colonial rule (1910–45) into the steel-mill project and to provide the machines and the technical advice necessary for the mill."

*Chang, Ha-Joon "23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism", "Thing (Chapter) 12,"Governments can pick winners", Paragraphs 4-9, Bloomsbury Publishing, USA, Jan 2011."

"Used by the State, Even in Death" New Article at Lew Rockwell

I have a new article on Lew Rockwell that was an extremely difficult article to write. It is about my father's military burial at sea and the glorification of the US military and American exceptionalism...

While it is not readily apparent, this is a fraud. Read the article to see why.

I think it might be very disturbing to many people.

Used by the State, Even in Death

http://lewrockwell.com/rogers/rogers250.html

"In Japan, the old order before World War Two told people that they went to war in China and Asia to bring peace and to fight for the emperor. In the USA, the old – and current – order tell people that they go to war to be free and to protect American freedoms.

These things are all lies.


In this regards, the Japanese are decades ahead of the average American; they figured out long ago that the propaganda was a lie. The average American still buys this trash hook, line and sinker."

Read more here.

Here's some excellent letters from ex-military readers that I received:

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Appreciated your article. As an Army trumpeter who has performed Taps for over 1,000 funerals, I can agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments. While the service itself, when done properly, is very reverent and moving, I have seen the deaths of young men and women exploited by the government in shameless self-promotion time and time again. Ironically, I intend to state in my will that I do not want Taps, or any kind of military burial when it is my time to go, for the exact reasons you so eloquently stated...

James

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Mike (in Tokyo) Rogers,

Thank you for your recent posting on LewRockwell.com [Used by the State, Even in Death]. I am a veteran who served in both the Army and the Navy. It took me a long time to get passed the propaganda and revisionist history before I could see the world for what it is. I’m making up for lost time by reading Lew Rockwell everyday. I’m sure you’ll get some hate mail, but not from me.

Thanks,

Dave  

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Mike,

As a multi-military brat, I have an idea of the pride with which your father

wore his uniform.  I would not have wanted my USAF father or my Army aunt to have understood - in their old age - that they were put in harm's way in

WWII (and Viet-Nam) by a group of international bankers for profit and

control.  The shock would have been too depressing. But I hope they know and

understand, now, somewhere.  I hope hundreds of millions of soldiers from

all times and places (but especially the modern era) understand how badly

they have been used by their supposed 'leaders'.

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Mike,

I, too, came to this same conclusion many years ago... The hype and the yard of bull crap about the sacrifices necessary to protect us from communism had me fooled for a long time ... To see the broken bodies of the current warriors is sad... And the politicians make sure to stand beside these poor souls in their quest to gain reelection...

I support the efforts of the misguided  military people... They in fact do a good job...but to what end..

I still do not believe or understand how the national guard became our fighting force in foreign countries...Did I miss the memo changing them from home guard in the states to what they are now?... Old guys with families dying or maimed in combat...

While the bureaucrats stand firm about this constant battle to protect us (we) citizens from harm from the invisible terrorists with our own form of terrorist called the TSA..

As the saying goes freedom isn't free. And we are losing it fast...How easy to fool the masses of sheeple...Wave the flag and play the national anthem...gets them every time...

P T Barnum had it right...a sucker born every minute...or was that a fool and his money will soon be parted ...either way we lose in the eyes of the rest of the world...we are tolerated not loved by them...and they want to come here to get on the gravy train not because its the last best place...

Charlie  Schumer's bill will disallow leaving with your money... so we are trapped inside this monster...the politicos want your money and will legislate it into the coffers of the govment...if all is not lost where in hell is it hiding...

Sorry for the loss of your father and also sorry it was not a proper ceremony with respect to his service...

I  believe political war (and most are) is wrong...except for the revolutionary war...and I now think that outcome (constitution) is slowly being stolen from us... With that in mind... Keep the faith

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You`re not at all insane when criticizing the abuse of even an individual`s death by the criminal state and its military. Plain abuse of every individual not belonging to the ruling elites by the state is the truth and you should never be ashamed or afraid of the truth even if it concerns matters of family and heart. The sacrifices of soldiers were never made for protecting the freedoms of their loved ones back home but always for the interests of the ruling elites. If you are a moral and honest person and use your brain the only choice you have in life is to detest the military and say so explicitly. It doesn`t matter at all if you will be criticized for your article by people without a functioning intellect. The only thing of importance is that you always remain sincere vis-a-vis yourself!

Best regards 

Ferdinand

--------------

My condolences twice. Once for your loss of your father and then for the
thoughts that you must hold under the circumstances.

Having said that, this old Vietnam veteran jar head laughed out loud
(really) at your last line.

Peace,
Dave 

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To read that last line Dave is talking about, click here.

Prostitution in Japan is Illegal but the Police Often Look the Other Way! Prostitution Should Not be Illegal!

My best friend, Ken, just went to a birthday party at Yoshiwara. Lucky guy. Yoshiwara is the traditional "Red light district" in Tokyo that is full of the, er, "prostitution parlors" No! I mean, the "health massage" parlors.

Yeah. "Health massage" that's it.

 Ukiyoe print of Japanese prostitute preparing for a client (circa 1765).

This is a blog post about prostitution in Japan. I've wanted to write about this subject for a very long time. I don't mean "prostitution in Japan" I mean prostitution in general. 

Folks, in Japan or any other place on earth, the utter notion that prostitution should be illegal is complete and total nonsense.

The idea that prostitution is illegal is ridiculous. What two consenting adults want to do is none of your business or mine. If some guy wants to pay some woman for consensual sex, then what do you or I care? It's none of our business. I certainly don't want to pay taxes to stop some guy (who I don't even know) from meeting with some other guy or girl (that I don't even know) and having sex. Who cares what they do?

In Japan, prostitution is illegal on the books, but it is going on, everywhere, even as I write this post. In fact, right after the big March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster of 2011, sex-services were some of the first to get back into business and get the economy back on track.

Sex-services provide a much needed service to society. Please refer to Sex Services in Japan First to get Back to Business After Earthquake:

Well, hats off to the world's oldest profession. It seems that right after the Tohoku disaster,  sex- related  service industries were the first back to business. 

The excellent Tokyo Reporter has the story for us:

Even the horrifying death and devastation that struck northeastern Japan on March 11 could not suppress the human sex drive for long. Friday (June 10) reports that sex businesses were among the first to recover, many as soon as one week after the disaster.

“I was back at my job on March 18,” says Kitty-san, a 21-year-old employee of a delivery health (out-call sex service) service named Ainori in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. “From the day we reopened demand was even higher than it was before the disaster. Many customers had suffered from the catastrophe, and had even lost family members. They justified their urges, saying they ‘sought psychological relief’ or ‘wanted to be consoled.’ 

Prostitution is one of the oldest professions on earth. No amount of legislation is going to change that. Like I wrote, when two consenting adults want to meet and have sex, then that is none of anyone else's business. Whether money changes hands is also not important.

Ask any guy if they've ever spent big money on a date in the hopes of getting a girl in the sack! Ask any employee if they trade their time for money at work. 

Who is it to judge what is morally correct or not. Hell, Jesus hung around with prostitutes and drunks... Sounds like a fun crowd to me!

And why can't a person sell what is theirs? Be it time or their body (I do not subscribe to the idea that prostitution is selling one's body. Prostitution is selling one's time). The only things that any one of us truly own, without any argument, is our bodies and our time. Those are two things which we, as free adults, have the inalienable right to do with as we please as long as we don't bother, burden or interfere with others. 

If a person can sell, say, a car they own, then a person can surely sell their time (or, "body" as some claim)* 

The idea that this sort of legislation of morality can and should be controlled is madness. And how can we be sure that a money exchange is occurring? By police entrapment? Oh, yes, I'm sure that's what we are paying taxes for. So that the police can go undercover as prostitutes to entrap guys who need some kicks.

Nonsense.

I didn't always think this way. I used to think that prostitution should be illegal. But a good Japanese friend of mine once pointed out to me, "Prostitution in Japan is illegal, but if two people fall in love for fifteen minutes, what's to stop them from falling in love?" When he first told me this, I thought it was completely crazy nonsense, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the nanny-state morality that most people have up their arses is what the really complete nonsense is here.

Prostitution should be legalized. Period. (Let me also give a disclaimer here that I have never paid for prostitution services and have no interest in them. But I am certainly not interested in paying taxes so that the police can spend hundreds of millions of yen running sting operations to bust prostitution parlors!)

The biggest place in Japan where prostitution is traditionally going on, and everyone knows it, yet the police look the other way is Yoshiwara, near Asakusa. Like I said, prostitution in Japan is "illegal" but, well, like I also said, "if two people meet for 15 minutes and fall in love, what's to stop them?"

Wikipedia says about Yoshiwara:

Yoshiwara (吉原) was a famous Akasen district (red-light district) in Edo, present-day Tōkyō, Japan.

In the early 17th century, there was widespread male and female prostitution throughout the cities of Kyoto, Edo, and Osaka. To counter this, an order ofTokugawa Hidetada of the Tokugawa shogunate restricted prostitution to designated city districts. These districts were Shimabara for Kyōto (1640), Shinmachifor Ōsaka (1624–1644) and Yoshiwara for Edo (1617). The main reason for establishing these nightless cities was the Tokugawa shogunate's trying to prevent the nouveau riche chōnin (townsmen) from political intrigue.

The 1923 Tokyo Earthquake fires destroyed this town. Then, the US air force bombed the hell out of it during the war (what for?) so it is a shadow of what it used to be. And, you won't find it on any maps. But, I've found it for you so that when you visit Japan so can go see it for, er, "research purposes"... Or, who knows, it might even be "healthy."

Prostitution is illegal, but the police often look the other way. Especially in Yoshiwara. These places are not called "prostitution parlors" they are called "Soapland"... Sounds like good, clean fun, no? Isn't that hilarious? And so Japanese. I love this place.

HOW TO GET THERE: To go to Yoshiwara, go to Minowa Station on the subway Hibiya Line (two stops past Ueno station heading away from Akihabara) and take Exit #3. Walk left (south-east) on Meiji Dori until you come to a big fork in the road. Take the right fork (not Meiji Dori) and continue on for 13 short blocks. That intersection is called Yoshiwara Daimon, and is where the old gate used to be. Turn right and you’ll be in the district. If you need directions, ask for Senzoku 4-chome.

*Prostitution is not selling one's body. Slave trading is selling human bodies or trading human body parts. Those are a different subject for a later time.