I am currently watching a game between the Yokohama Baystars and the Hokkaido Fighters. Sitting with me here is my wife, Hiromi.
（妻は肖像権を主張し、一緒に映るのを拒否！）
9連敗中の横浜、今日こそ勝って欲しい！
With the Baystars having been on a 9-game winning streak, I am anxiously hoping that they win today.
でも相手のピッチャーは日本を代表する大谷翔平。こりゃまたダメか？To make the chances of victory even slimmer, Shohei Otani – one of the greatest pitchers in the NPB is playing for the Fighters; this may not be an easy win.
なにをやってもうまくいかない時期ってだれにでもある。There comes a time that everything ends up as a failure for everyone.
でもどん底の下はない。あとは上にあがってゆくだけさ。 Though this period of seemingly unending negative results keep coming, know that you are at the bottom, and the next step is to go up once more.
Would You Change Your Name to Avoid an Airline Fee? This Teen Did
Holy mistake, Batman! Adam Armstrong became Adam West to avoid a Ryanair change fee. (Photo: Adam West/Facebook)
What do you do when an airline wants to charge you $337 after you discover that the wrong name was accidentally listed on your plane ticket? Why, legally change your name, of course!
That’s what 19-year-old British citizen Adam Armstrong did when he realized that his girlfriend’s father had booked a Ryanair plane ticket for him under his Facebook moniker — Adam West — instead of his real name. (Yes Adam West, as in the Batman character.)
“Her stepdad got my name from Facebook, but I had put it as Adam West as a joke, because he was the actor who played Batman on TV,” he told the British newspaper, The Sun.
Armstrong appealed to Ryanair, but the budget airline wouldn’t budge: it wanted to levy £220 ($337) in fees to fix the mistake. This is actually double the normal name-change fee of £110 because Armstrong shared the booking with his girlfriend, so both tickets would need to be amended. Ryanair is known for its strict and hefty fees, including £45 ($69) to check-in at the airport and up to £75 ($115) to check a suitcase.
The savvy teenager discovered that it would actually be cheaper to legally change his name (free!) and get a new passport for £103 ($158). And so he did it, legally changing his name to his Facebook pseudonym.
Ryanair is known for its fees. (Photo: Phillippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images)
Armstrong (now West) told an Irish radio show, Today FM why he took such an extreme route: “I’m not giving Ryanair a penny.“
In response, Ryanair issued a statement to explain why the airline is so strict about change fees: “A name change fee is charged in order to discourage and prevent unauthorized online travel agents from ‘screenscraping’ Ryanair’s cheapest fares and reselling them on to unwitting consumers at hugely inflated costs.”
Fish Net Hauling
Recently, Jibiki Ami, or Fish Net Hauling, a practice done by local fishermen to bring in large quantities of fish by pulling them onto the shore by a net, is becoming very popular among native Japanese and foreign tourists from around the world. Since 2014, Hokkaido has become a destination of choice for this kind of activity. Locals and visitors alike join in hauling in… large nets, set up to catch some fresh fish and experience the excitement of dragging multiple kilos of them to be then sold at an auction.
Tourism in Hokkaido is expected to further expand with companies from many countries such as Korea, Taiwan and Philippines, sending their best performers to take part in this great tradition, as a reward for their hard work.
Last autumn, I got married with my husband who was born in Hokkaido. And I saw the old year out and the new year in at his parent’s house. What was amazing was that on New Year’s eve, many delicacies were placed on the table such as Osechi (traditional Japanese New Year’s food), Sushi, King Crab legs.
In the Kanto area where I was born and grew up, New Year’s eve is usually spent with such simple food as buckwheat noodles and tangerines that are eaten while watching TV. Lavish food are not served until January 1st.
So having leant that Hokkaido people eat gorgeous food on Dec.31st, I was curious what they’ll eat on Jan. 1st. Discouragingly enough though, it was rice cakes with soup. I felt out of rhythm.
政府は１日、2014年4月の消費税率8％への引き上げを決定しました。
The government decided to raise the consumption tax
from the current 5 percent to 8 percent in April 2014.
安倍首相は、増税に備えて企業向け減税に加え、
5兆円規模の経済対策を策定すると表明しました。
Prime Minister Abe announced that, along with the
sales tax increase, new economic policies would be decided such as the reduction of corporate tax rates and stimulus packages
totaling five trillion yen.
3％分の引き上げで消費税収は年8兆円増える見通しですが、
初年度の14年度は約5兆円増にとどまる見込みとのことです。
The three percent raise is expected to bring eight trillion yen to the national treasury on an annual basis except for the first fiscal year producing five trillion.
全くおかしな話です。
これでは5兆円の無駄遣いをするために増税するのと同じです。
This is quite ridiculous. It is like raising taxes to waste money.
消費増税は税制改善のためにやるべきことなのに、
全くそうなっていません。
The original purpose of the consumption tax raise is to improve our tax systems but it hasn’t been that way.
