Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • The Real-Life Inn That Inspired ‘Kamaitachi no Yoru’ (Banshee’s Last Cry) Sparks Buzz on 5ch

    A thread popped up to discuss the Super Famicom mystery-suspense adventure game “Kamaitachi no Yoru” (Banshee’s Last Cry). Nostalgic stories poured in — from the classic first-playthrough experience of getting stabbed to death with a ski pole by the heroine Mari, to bragging rights from players who nailed the culprit on their very first try, to posts from people who’d actually stayed at Pension Knulp, the real-life inn that inspired the game’s setting.

    1AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:57
    Too scary lol
    2AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:59
    I just typed in a random name for fun and realized I'm actually terrible at deduction
    7AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:02
    On my first playthrough I got stabbed with the ski pole by the trio of college girls…
    19AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:09
    Re: #7
    You mean the heroine, right?
    Most people's first playthrough goes: fight off the three girls after they attack you, then get stabbed to death by the heroine with the ski pole.
    9AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:02
    Honestly, anyone who nails the culprit on the first try is the weird one. Has to be a fluke.
    29AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:11
    Re: #9
    I actually got it right because I'd properly read shin honkaku (new orthodox-style) mystery novels.
    I'd also read other work by Abiko Takemaru — the game's actual author — like '8 no Satsujin' and the Marifu one.
    50AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:23
    Re: #9
    By process of elimination, there's really only one answer it can be.
    10AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:02
    Having goofy gag routes like that is exactly what makes the scary parts hit so much harder by contrast.
    11AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:04
    Honestly I think it's overrated. You're just mashing the A button.
    13AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:06
    The 'the culprit is Yasu' meme got way too widespread.
    16AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:08
    Re: #13
    That's the culprit from the Famicom game 'Portopia Serial Murder Case.'
    15AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:08
    1: masterpiece
    2: masterpiece
    3: decent
    Shin (the 'true' sequel): garbage
    That's my mental image of the series
    18AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:09
    Re: #15
    If you only count the main story, 2 could be called a masterpiece, but they padded it out with so many filler endings it drops down to just 'decent.'
    35AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:14
    For this genre, nothing beats 'Machi' and '428: Shibuya Scramble,' honestly.
    36AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:15
    Re: #35
    I know I'll get flak for this, but
    I like 'Kuro no Jūsan' (Black Thirteen).
    38AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:15
    The ending where you get lost skiing and stumble into the pension late at night was terrifying.
    39AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:15
    Re: #38
    That bloody hand was so scary.
    41AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:16
    Why's the rate of getting stabbed by Mari so high?
    Is the flowchart just built that way?
    Or is the ski-pole stabbing basically a twisted reversal of wanting to stab Mari?
    43AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:18
    Re: #41
    Yeah, that's just how the flowchart's built.
    Getting stabbed by Mari is basically always a bad ending.
    44AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:18
    Re: #41
    At the start, the branch points haven't been unlocked yet.
    45AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:19
    Right around when everyone starts holing up in their rooms and the culprit starts going wild, the pension's doorbell rings — that part's insane. First time through, you can't help but think the culprit's the one ringing it.
    57AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:26
    Re: #45
    That doorbell is terrifying. I think it happens right after you find a few new bodies too.
    46AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:19
    I'd love to stay at Pension Knulp.
    47AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:21
    Re: #46
    I've actually been there.
    It was moving how exactly like the game it is, but there's nothing to do there, so I just spent the whole time reading 'Gaku' (a mountaineering manga).
    58AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:26
    Don't bother — it's a half-baked port.
    61AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:28
    Re: #58
    Apparently it only has the main story, lol.
    60AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:28
    My impression is they've just been cranking out sequels forever, riding on the first game's reputation.
    63AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:30
    Re: #60
    Kind of like Steins;Gate, huh.
    68AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:32
    I totally fell for Mari. The fact that she's only ever shown as a silhouette is such a perfect touch.
    77AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:41
    Re: #68
    I used to swap out Tooru and Mari's names for my own name and whatever girl I had a crush on at the time.
    72AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:37
    https://gzo.ai/i/jppbcdN.jpg
    It's literally just a blue blob, so why did it feel so sexy?
    76AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:41
    I'd think porting it wouldn't be a problem at all — if anything, why do they stubbornly refuse to just port it as-is?
    83AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:45
    Re: #76
    Because it wouldn't sell.
    82AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:43
    The scariest moment in Kamaitachi no Yoru has to be when you go with Mari at night to the kitchen where the Kobayashi couple died, and behind the terrified Mari, a shadowy figure flickers through the hallway for just a split second.
    89AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:49
    Re: #82
    That 'Huh?' sound effect (that little jingle)
    followed by the cave-like BGM was terrifying.
    Just remembering it gives me goosebumps.
    84AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:45
    It was scary precisely because of the Super Famicom's graphics. Something about 2 just feels different.
    93AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:51
    Re: #84
    2 is less scary and more just unsettling.
    97AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:54
    The ending where Toshio kills himself was brutal. That one's just not right.
    104AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:59
    Re: #97
    Right after you expose the true culprit, solve every mystery, restrain them, and go 'phew, glad that's over' — bang, right after that.
    102AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:57
    So I actually played 2 without ever playing the first game.
    Early on it asks something like 'Did you play Kamaitachi no Yoru?' and for some reason I answered yes.
    Then it asked something like 'Do you remember who the culprit was?' and I panicked — 'Uh… what do I do… guess I'll just type in some random character name from the manual' — so with zero clue I typed in 'Mikimoto,' and it replied with something like 'Oh, so you DO remember!'
    Somehow I ended up spoiling the twist for myself, by myself.
    103AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:58
    Re: #102
    Nobody asked, buddy.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyō G) thread “That Game Called Kamaitachi no Yoru.”

  • Hiroshima to Become Japan’s ‘Secondary Capital’? Governor Yokota Announces City-Prefecture Talks Have Begun

    Hiroshima Prefecture Governor Mika Yokota has revealed that working-level discussions have begun with Hiroshima City and other relevant local governments over a “secondary capital” concept — a plan to take over capital functions from Tokyo in the event of a major disaster. On 5ch, opinions clashed over whether correcting Tokyo’s over-concentration is even desirable, comparisons with other candidate cities like Osaka, Okayama, Sendai, and Niigata, and Hiroshima’s own weak points, such as poor airport access and a shortage of land.

    Regarding the “secondary capital,” which would serve as a backup for capital functions in the event of a major disaster, Governor Yokota revealed that working-level discussions have begun with Hiroshima City and others.

    A secondary capital would take over Tokyo’s functions if maintaining them in Tokyo becomes difficult due to a major disaster or similar event. In July, Governor Yokota indicated an intention to seek designation in cooperation with Hiroshima City and other parties. At a press conference on the 25th, Governor Yokota revealed that working-level discussions had begun with Hiroshima City and other relevant local governments, and stated her intention to move forward toward designation while gathering information from the national government and other sources.

    Hiroshima Prefecture Governor Mika Yokota

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

    8AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:40
    This region gets hit by way too many disasters already, so where exactly are they gonna build a secondary capital?
    More importantly, do something about that mystery-spec MOBIRY DAYS system lol
    98AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:36
    Re: #8
    The MOBIRY DAYS terminals started supporting nationwide transit IC cards like ICOCA last month.
    You can now get off through any door.
    Though the response time is still slow.
    14AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:43
    Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) submitted the bill.
    The selection judges are also Ishin.
    Do you seriously think anywhere other than Osaka is going to get picked in this situation?
    36AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:18
    Re: #14
    >Do you seriously think anywhere other than Osaka is going to get picked in this situation?

    Start with Osaka.
    Get the secondary capital up and running in Osaka, get it on track,
    then expand it to Fukuoka, Sapporo, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Sendai, Matsuyama, Kanazawa, and Niigata.

    In the end this becomes a de facto regional-bloc system (doshusei).
    No need to merge prefectures either.
    Just organize regions around secondary-capital cities as hubs.
    That's a much less forced approach.

    Since you're not cramming everything into fixed regional blocks,
    areas can belong to multiple regional blocs,
    and they don't have to be bound by geographic distance.
    22AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:06
    I thought Hiroshima said it wasn't going to run for this though
    39AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:23
    Re: #22
    >I thought Hiroshima said it wasn't going to run for this though

    When it was 'Osaka only' as the secondary capital, people opposed it out of regional self-interest.
    Now that it's 'anywhere goes' for the secondary capital, people support it out of regional self-interest.

    The Tokyo bureaucratic establishment — which hates Ishin, hates Osaka, hates western Japan —
    screamed 'It's Osaka or nothing!' and the moment that turned into 'anywhere can be the secondary capital,'
    Pandora's box flew open lol
    45AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:37
    Re: #22
    Guess we've entered an era of chaos at this point
    24AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:07
    Since not having an airport near Hiroshima City is a weakness, why not build an airfield on Etajima or Ninoshima Island and shuttle people to Ujina by hovercraft?
    Also, the lack of land is a problem, so just level the mountains to the east and west — all they ever produce is landslides anyway — and use the rubble to reclaim land from the sea.
    And there are way too many rivers for no good reason, so bury all of them as giant culverts except the Ota River floodway.
    40AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:24
    Re: #24
    You don't need to go through all that hassle — there are plenty of candidate cities that already have flat land.
    52AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:43
    Re: #24
    >Since not having an airport near Hiroshima City is a weakness

    Just use Iwakuni Airport.
    It's on the coast, so it can be expanded as much as needed going forward.

    It's only about 43km from Hiroshima —
    roughly the same distance as the access route to Hong Kong International Airport,
    so all you'd need is to set up high-speed rail access.

    From Hiroshima Station to Shin-Iwakuni Station is just one stop, a mere 14 minutes.
    Just extend a branch line to the airport and it becomes an airport with unbeatable access.

    Making Hiroshima the secondary capital would bring infrastructure budget too,
    and the secondary capital's key airport development could cross the prefectural border.
    Since it's an ideal wide-area collaboration project, the budget would pass easily too.
    29AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:10
    Hardly any countries even have a secondary capital.
    Bottom line: a secondary capital is unnecessary.
    63AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:53
    Re: #29
    >Hardly any countries even have a secondary capital.
    >Bottom line: a secondary capital is unnecessary.

    That's true for normal countries that don't have everything piled into one city the way Tokyo does.
    Politics in Washington DC, economy in NYC, culture in LA.
    Politics in Berlin, economy in Frankfurt, culture in Hamburg.
    Politics in Canberra, economy in Melbourne, culture in Sydney.

    Even in the UK, which people call over-centralized,
    they set up a satellite office of the PM's residence, moving it from London to Manchester.
    In France too, more people are moving away from Paris.

    Even in London and Paris, only about 15% of the population is concentrated there.
    By contrast, Tokyo/the greater metro area's concentration rate is 33%.

    Tokyo's over-concentration is abnormal, distorted, and just plain messed up on every level.
    31AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:11
    Hiroshima kind of gives off an isolated vibe, you know?
    Can't quite put my finger on why.
    Anyway, setting that aside, the secondary capital should be somewhere near Tokyo.
    90AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:23
    Re: #31
    Somewhere around Ichikawa would be good, no?
    37AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:22
    Well, there's nothing wrong with wanting to become one — after all, Osaka's only getting attention because it's loud about it too.
    71AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:57
    Re: #37
    >Well, there's nothing wrong with wanting to become one
    >Osaka's only getting attention because it's loud about it too

    So confident, even as a siege around Tokyo is steadily forming lol
    The powerful regions break free of Tokyo's control and become self-sufficient.
    Tokyo's job ends up being to look after whatever depopulated areas are left.
    65AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:54
    Better than Osaka I think, but splitting the difference, Okayama would be even better.
    72AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:58
    Re: #65
    That's the 'Oka-kyo' (a play on Okayama + "capital") you hear about in those conspiracy theories of unknown origin.
    75AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:00
    116AnonymousAug 26, 2026 01:28
    Re: #75
    I wonder if Tottori Prefecture was evenly split between Hiroshima and Tokyo.
    82AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:14
    Hiroshima's a no.
    The real candidates would be the Kansai region, the Chukyo (Nagoya) region, Sendai, and Niigata, wouldn't they?
    87AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:18
    Re: #82
    Kansai region? There's no way anywhere in Kansai other than Osaka would put its hand up — not with (Osaka Governor) Yoshimura watching like a hawk.
    93AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:25
    Re: #82
    There's no way western Japan would accept Sendai or Niigata as the secondary capital — it'd start a civil war.
    83AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:15
    I was surprised the Hiroden streetcars depart from the 2nd floor at Hiroshima Station.
    Thought I was looking at the elevated monorail at Tachikawa Station or something.
    84AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:17
    Re: #83
    I'm actually from Hiroshima, but I haven't seen that yet.
    I do know Hiroshima Station has changed a lot though.
    85AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:17
    Your place doesn't even have flat land, and your airport's a weird setup too.
    88AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:19
    Re: #85
    Still, all the G7 leaders gathered there though.
    115AnonymousAug 26, 2026 01:27
    No worries about tsunamis.
    Not much earthquake activity either.
    117AnonymousAug 26, 2026 01:32
    Re: #115
    There's still the risk of landslides and mudslides from the mountains collapsing though.
    120AnonymousAug 26, 2026 01:36
    What kind of capability does Hiroshima even have, when it takes 50 years just to extend a bypass road?
    125AnonymousAug 26, 2026 01:43
    Re: #120
    The urban expressway got built in no time though lol
    121AnonymousAug 26, 2026 01:38
    I think Hiroshima City is fine.
    Better than Okayama City, which looks cramped.
    151AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:34
    Re: #121
    Reality is:
    Okayama City has land to spare.
    Hiroshima City is short on land.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “‘Hiroshima Prefecture Is Already One of the Hubs Supporting Japan’ — Hiroshima Moves Toward Becoming a Secondary Capital, Prefecture and City Reveal They’ve Begun Talks — Hiroshima Governor Yokota”.

  • Jockey Christophe Lemaire’s ‘Horse Racing Is Japan’s Second Most Popular Sport After Baseball’ Claim Draws Fire From Soccer Fans

    Jockey Christophe Lemaire told French media that “in Japan, horse racing is the second most popular sport, right after baseball,” a remark that sparked discussion on the “Nanademo Jikkyo G” (live-sports chat) board.

    The thread split over whether horse racing or soccer is actually more popular. Some backers pointed to the fame of the Arima Kinen (the year-end Grand Prix race) as evidence for racing, while others pushed back with “nobody would watch it without betting on it” and “is it even a sport to begin with?”

    Well, he really went there.

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:09
    On the popularity of horse racing in Japan, he explained: "Japan is a country where horse racing is massively popular — it's the second most popular sport after baseball. About 6 million people watch racing every week, and it gets huge coverage on TV, in newspapers, and other media. The jockeys are very well known. You might walk right past one on the street without noticing, but say the name and people instantly recognize it. Trainers' and horses' names are famous too. A horse in good form or a top jockey becomes the star of the moment. Almond Eye was on the level of a world-famous athlete, and since she's the winningest horse in Japanese G1 history, she naturally became a legend."
    98AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:42
    Re: #2 Maybe that was true back in the 1990s
    4AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:10
    If you count horse racing as a sport, it's absolutely bigger than soccer
    7AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:11
    I get that he's trying to say it's popular, but isn't sumo actually above it?
    8AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:11
    A nation of gambling addicts — someone fix this double taxation already (Japan taxes racing winnings both as "miscellaneous income" and again via the payout structure, a frequent complaint)
    9AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:12
    Once you've bought a ticket, you're locked in watching for sure. That's the power of horse racing.
    12AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:12
    I wonder how many years of a normal company's tax revenue the JRA rakes in from a single year of race meets. Though with jockeys mired in scandal after scandal, the people involved might be rotten to the core.
    62AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:26
    Re: #12 Even Urawa Racecourse alone pays something like 2 billion yen in taxes every year
    13AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:13
    Lemaire used to show up at Panasonic Stadium (Suita) back in the day — does he still go these days?
    15AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:13
    Wouldn't it make sense for horse racing to be right after baseball? Though sumo's in the mix too.
    16AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:13
    There's a chance horse racing is actually #1 🤔

    17AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:14
    If you couldn't bet money on it, wouldn't nobody care?
    18AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:14
    If you ask who's more recognizable — the current top horse in the JRA or the current top player in the J.League — the horse probably wins
    26AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:15
    Re: #18 The J.League survived 30 years on Kazu alone, don't mess around 😤 (Kazuyoshi Miura, the league's ageless veteran star)
    34AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:17
    Re: #18 Jockeys are probably better remembered by name among the general public, honestly. Racehorses retire after three years at the most.
    20AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:14
    If soccer-loving Lemaire is the one saying it, it must be true
    21AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:14
    As far as fan behavior goes, he's not wrong — you don't see racist banners at horse racing, and you don't see fans surrounding the team bus
    25AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:14
    My image of soccer is that it only really gets exciting during the World Cup
    27AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:15
    Like others here have said, I don't think of it as a sport. The jockeys riding the horses are definitely athletes, sure, but horse racing itself is gambling, not a sport. It's like saying horseback riding is Japan's second most popular pastime.
    28AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:15
    It's on terrestrial TV more than baseball or soccer, honestly
    29AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:16
    Horse racing's economic impact is definitely #2, no question
    32AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:16
    Is horse racing actually a sport though? 🤔
    39AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:18
    Re: #32 It's a sport — the whole point is determining the strongest horse
    40AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:18
    Re: #32 It gets covered in the sports section of the paper, so it's a sport (weak logic, I know)
    61AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:26
    Re: #32 Jockeys genuinely risk their lives out there, and it takes core strength, not just fingertips. Sure, there's an element of depending on the horse's raw ability, but I'd say it counts as a sport. Though watching it isn't really "watching a sport."
    63AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:26
    They've got a soccer league that draws 13 million fans a year, and people still wildly underrate how popular soccer is in Japan
    70AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:29
    Re: #63 Because nobody knows the winning team, let alone the top domestic player
    69AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:29
    I heard the J.League is at risk of losing out to Korean baseball in attendance
    76AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:32
    Re: #69 How bad is Korean baseball's attendance then, seriously 😩
    75AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:31
    The Arima Kinen has basically become a national event — it draws more attention than baseball's All-Star Game or the Japan Series
    78AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:32
    Re: #75 That's probably just because you like horse racing — the general public isn't that into it. Nobody actually knows who won.
    81AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:34
    Re: #75 Even people who never follow horse racing otherwise will place a bet just for the Arima Kinen. Meanwhile soccer went and moved the Emperor's Cup final off its New Year's Day tradition slot — what a dumb move that was.
    85AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:36
    I don't know if it's above or below soccer, but does horse racing really pull in 6 million viewers a week?
    88AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:37
    Re: #85 TV ratings run around 5%. For a G1 race, that's probably about right.
    95AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:40
    It's not a sport, it's just gambling. The number of people who'd watch a race with no money on it and go "wow, that was exciting!" is a tiny minority.
    97AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:41
    Re: #95 Soccer has the toto lottery too, you know (toto = Japan's official soccer betting pool)
    114AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:46
    Re: #95 I've never bet on it and I still enjoy watching. Even human track and field — basically a worse version of horse racing — is popular, so of course horse racing is entertaining on its own.
    103AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:44
    Re: #97 There's definitely a good chunk of soccer fans with zero interest in toto who just watch the matches
    112AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:46
    Re: #103 That's becoming more common in horse racing too these days — credit to the JRA's efforts

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nanademo Jikkyo G) thread “Jockey Lemaire makes an enemy of soccer fans. Tells French media: “In Japan, horse racing is the second most popular sport, after baseball”.”

  • Onyanko Club’s ‘Yuyu’ Is 58 Now — 5ch: ‘Shows You How Old We’ve All Gotten’

    A thread titled “Yuyu was so cute, wasn’t she?” popped up on 5ch’s Hello! Project board, and posters were stunned to learn that Yuyu — a member of Onyanko Club’s sub-unit Ushiroyubi Sasare-gumi — is now 58 years old. The discussion spread to cover the idol landscape of that era, memories of her solo career, and broader theories about ’80s idols.

    1AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:10
    I want to see Yuyu again
    2AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:12
    Isn't she basically a grandma by now?
    8AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:38
    I went to that "Touch Yuyu" year-end festival — or was it a year-end party?
    12AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:41
    Yuyu, 58 years old
    Can't believe it
    Shows how old we've gotten too
    13AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:42
    Yuyu's 58, huh
    Still, I bet she's cute even now
    14AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:42
    That cute high school girl is 58 now lol
    16AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:43
    She's literally our generation, though
    We're washed up too then
    19AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:44
    No matter how much time passes, Yuyu is still Yuyu
    20AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:44
    Yuyu, 58 years old, lmaoooooooooooooo
    22AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:46
    There was a photo of her past 40 and honestly she just looked like a regular middle-aged lady
    25AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:50
    The fact that she WAS Yuyu is what matters — even looking like a middle-aged lady now doesn't change the value of having been Yuyu
    26AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:51
    She was 150cm, 39kg
    It was printed in Dunk magazine (an idol data/photo mag)
    27AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:51
    She kept going as a solo singer after Onyanko Club broke up, but her music lost direction and just didn't sell, so she shifted into being a variety-show idol. Her last single, "Mou Ichido Peter Pan," was actually a great song, but that's where her singing career ended
    28AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:51
    Middle-aged lady, fine
    But grandma is pushing it
    29AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:52
    "Tenshi no Bodyguard," "25-Sen no Mangetsu," "Sayonara Shigan" — she had a lot of great solo songs too
    30AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:53
    The scary thing about Hello! Project members is how many of them are under 150cm
    31AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:55
    So who did Yuyu end up marrying anyway?
    34AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:57
    Re: #31
    A regular guy, not in the industry
    I think he was the manager of some restaurant or other
    33AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:56
    "Haro haro, doumo Yuyu dasu!" she'd say
    Some mysterious made-up way of talking she had
    37AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:58
    Oh really? So she's not exactly rich then
    I wonder how she's doing these days
    39AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:59
    Wait, Yuyu was in Onyanko Club?
    Oh, that's the lady from the variety shows, brings back memories
    40AnonymousAug 26, 2026 03:59
    To me Yuyu's less "Onyanko Club" and more "Ushiroyubi Sasare-gumi"
    41AnonymousAug 26, 2026 04:02
    Rumor is she married a restaurant owner
    Can't really say for sure though
    43AnonymousAug 26, 2026 04:35
    Never was that into Yuyu or Takai
    The one who really won over the stylish '80s guys was Fukunaga… Fukunaga Eki
    44AnonymousAug 26, 2026 04:36
    Re: #43
    This
    Fukunaga Eki
    48AnonymousAug 26, 2026 04:41
    The guys in my class were all over the map with who they liked
    Really taught me how different people's tastes can be
    That's exactly why Onyanko Club hit the mark so well
    With that many members, there was someone for everyone
    57AnonymousAug 26, 2026 04:45
    Re: #48
    Same weird thing happens with Hello! Project members
    Even the ones you'd think "no way" about have their own devoted fans
    49AnonymousAug 26, 2026 04:42
    Re: #44
    Right?
    You really get it, old-timer
    For the All Nighter crowd (a late-night idol lineup/event), it'd be Nemoto or Shimano
    50AnonymousAug 26, 2026 04:42
    But Fukkun's little sister(?) or Kihara Aki types weren't popular at all
    At least nobody around me was into them
    56AnonymousAug 26, 2026 04:45
    Re: #50
    Kihara and the Shoujotai Miho type are like that
    Kind of like the purple ranger in a Toei Sentai show
    51AnonymousAug 26, 2026 04:43
    The Houga crowd was fair game too, honestly
    54AnonymousAug 26, 2026 04:43
    Got dazzled under the night-game lights and ended up falling for two of them at once
    58AnonymousAug 26, 2026 04:47
    Wanted to watch Yuuyake Nyan Nyan so badly
    I used to skip club activities for it all the time
    59AnonymousAug 26, 2026 04:47
    Bulging in the middle — hey, it's Wednesday today
    61AnonymousAug 26, 2026 04:49
    Yuyu really shined
    Seriously, she was the only one sparkling — insane aura

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “Yuyu was so cute, wasn’t she?“

  • Rui Kurihara Donates 31cm of Hair, Trades Long Locks for a Shoulder-Length Bob

    Model and actor Rui Kurihara updated X with a makeover shot showing off a fresh cut — 31cm chopped off hair that used to reach past his chest, donated for a hair donation program. On 5ch, users discussed how hair donation works and the workload it puts on hairstylists, while others posted photos from his modeling days a decade ago, with many reacting to catching up on him for the first time in a while.

    Tue, Aug 25, 11:12 AM

    Model and actor Rui Kurihara (31) updated X on August 24, posting a makeover shot showing off a dramatic haircut done for hair donation.

    Kurihara wrote, “I had my hair cut for hair donation this time. I hadn’t cut it in a while, so I’d been hoping to do this whenever the next chance came up,” alongside photos taken at the salon. His hair, which had grown down past his chest, is now a bob above the shoulders — a striking change in look. In an Instagram post the same day, he also revealed that 31cm had been cut off.

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

    6AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:52
    Did he always have a face like Matayoshi's? (Naoki Matayoshi, the comedian/author)
    7AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:53
    Pretty much what I pictured… but it's still long!
    8AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:53
    I've known this guy since he was 10.
    10AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:55
    彡 ⌒ ミ
    (´・ω・｀) what am I even gonna do with my hair…
    11AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:55
    Huh, so even this guy's got some ambition to survive in the industry.
    61AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:45
    Re: #11 Re: #22
    He was diagnosed with fairly serious ADHD as a teen, so regular society probably would've been the harder path for him.
    12AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:56
    Half-measure if you ask me.
    Should've just gone all the way short.
    13AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:56
    What's with the super-humble '(let me) do this for you' phrasing?
    34AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:16
    Re: #13
    That's exactly what the double-honorifics police are here to crack down on.
    15AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:56
    The non-bald guy from comedy duo Kinzoku Bat cut his hair too, back when he still had it — hair-d-donation!
    19AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:59
    Wait, he's only 31?
    Feels like he's been on TV forever, like way back.
    20AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:59
    Wasn't he on Waratte Iitomo!? Or am I misremembering?
    21AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:59
    Whoever's in charge of the photos should study up on shooting technique —
    making the talent (who's basically a product) look good is literally the job.
    22AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:01
    I like the guy, but he seems too sensitive/delicate for showbiz.
    25AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:03
    He's making that stunned-pigeon face (a Japanese idiom for a blank, startled look).
    26AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:05
    This guy looks insanely cool when he's modeling at Paris Fashion Week and stuff.
    28AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:07
    Re: #1
    I saw the photo thinking it was volleyball player Megumi Kurihara and did a double take.
    29AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:08
    Isn't hair donation kind of a hassle for the salon?
    71AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:00
    Re: #29
    These days the customer sends it to the donation organization themselves, so it's not that much extra hassle.
    32AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:14
    Hair donation really doesn't add much extra work for the stylist — if anything they're totally into it.
    36AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:18
    Good on him for not being bulked up at all.
    Way too many actors these days are needlessly jacked.
    40AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:24
    He's still young, huh. Feels like his heyday was ages ago.
    41AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:24
    His Egashira impression on the Iitomo! extra-long special was legendary.
    44AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:26
    Whenever this guy's name comes up, it's like 'I know he's not the drinking old guy, but I can't remember that other name.'
    And whenever Rui Yoshida's name comes up, it's like 'wasn't there some young model named Rui who came out about having ADHD? What was his last name again?'
    Either way I never remember on my own and end up googling it.
    I know they're different people, I just can never recall either one's surname.
    45AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:28
    Maybe I should try it too — hair donation.
    56AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:41
    Re: #45
    Don't force it.
    It's fine to admit some things just aren't for you.
    46AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:28
    Can hair that frizzy and curly even be made into a wig?
    47AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:30
    He used to look like Lucci from One Piece.
    64AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:47
    He looks awesome as a model

    69AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:00
    Re: #64
    Damn, that's cool. Looks like a totally different person lol
    72AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:02
    Re: #64
    That's Fall/Winter 2015-16, so yeah, 10 years ago.
    78AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:09
    Re: #64
    Unusual-looking guy — good thing he got into modeling.
    66AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:48
    Is it 31cm because he's 31 years old?
    76AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:05
    Re: #66
    Gonna give you a real answer here: this organization's (JHD&C) minimum accepted hair length is 31cm.
    92AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:35
    People I stopped seeing once Iitomo! ended:
    Rui Kurihara, Shuko Ito.
    95AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:38
    Re: #92
    That's just how it goes if you don't watch his stage work.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Model/actor Rui Kurihara cuts 31cm off his long hair, reveals makeover shot — “I had it donated”.”

  • Hayashiya Peeko Struggles to Walk, Husband Pe Reveals Her Hardship — 5ch: ‘Dementia With a Healthy Body Is the Toughest Kind’

    On August 25, comedian Hayashiya Pe revealed on X the current condition of his wife, Peeko. He said she suddenly began suffering leg pain so severe she could barely walk, prompting her first visit in decades to a neighborhood orthopedic clinic. Her dementia and hearing loss are also reportedly worsening, and online reactions split between people urging a proper hospital exam instead of a chiropractic clinic, and others expressing concern over how hard caregiving must be.

    8/25 (Tue) 14:07

    Hayashiya Pe, a yose (traditional variety-hall) performer and TV personality whose home was completely destroyed in a fire last September, updated X on the 25th to share his wife Peeko’s current condition.

    The couple’s home burned down entirely last September. Peeko’s dementia has reportedly worsened, along with her hearing loss. That day, Pe explained, “Just as an aside — one day Peeko suddenly started having leg pain so bad she couldn’t walk.” He continued, “We rushed her to Kodama Orthopedic Clinic nearby, the one she’s gone to since childhood, for the first time in decades.”

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:04
    Feel bad for her, but once you can't walk anymore, that's the beginning of the end.
    11AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:14
    Re: #2
    Dementia with a healthy body is the toughest kind.
    Honestly, caring for someone who's bedridden but mentally sharp is way easier.
    Though in her case, it sounds like it's both.
    7AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:11
    Given her age, shouldn't a hospital be the first stop, not a chiropractic clinic?
    8AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:11
    He calls it the neighborhood clinic she's 'always gone to,' but if it's been decades since her last visit, is that really a regular clinic? lol
    12AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:14
    Dementia and hearing loss…

    and leg pain…

    Are those even related?
    89AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:34
    Re: #12
    They are.
    It speeds up brain shrinkage.
    13AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:16
    Once she's in a wheelchair, it won't be long after that.
    14AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:17
    You guys can't even walk straight through your own lives, yet here you are acting so high and mighty.
    72AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:18
    lol Re: #14 is acting the most high and mighty of all
    15AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:19
    Pe (84)
    Peeko (78)
    This is rough…
    Even Pe must be hitting his physical limits
    16AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:20
    I wonder if they're getting a pension?
    Did they even pay into one?
    17AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:20
    Whatever medication she's on might not be doing her any good.
    Maybe she should stop taking it for a while.
    19AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:22
    First chiropractic visit in decades…
    On top of dementia and now hearing loss, shouldn't she get checked at a real hospital?
    Every time I hear stuff like this I think, come on, think it through a bit more.
    29AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:36
    My grandfather (91) used to walk every day,
    but then his spinal stenosis suddenly got worse,
    and it wasn't just trouble walking — he couldn't even get out of bed anymore,
    completely bedridden, doing everything, even meals and the toilet, in bed.
    It got so rough we started looking into a care facility for him,
    but he gradually improved and ended up fully recovering in about three months.
    He's back to walking every day now, same as before.
    36AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:39
    Re: #29
    Yeah, that's exactly why it's important to hold off on surgery and just monitor things with medication sometimes.
    82AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:27
    Re: #29
    That's a nice story. Guess that kind of thing does happen.
    85AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:31
    Re: #29
    Sounds like it was just a temporary flare-up and not actually anything serious.
    30AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:36
    Ordinary people out here just scraping by on government services.
    Doesn't Yoshimoto Kogyo — the agency skimming off the top of entertainers' earnings — do anything for them?
    42AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:44
    Re: #30
    Are they even signed with Yoshimoto?
    31AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:37
    Dementia plus being unable to walk on her own — that's basically end-stage.
    32AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:37
    Once you're past 80, decline can hit fast.
    You lot should watch out too.
    33AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:37
    Sounds like spinal stenosis to me.
    She needs an MRI at a real hospital, not a chiropractic clinic.
    37AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:39
    How's Pink Telephone doing these days? (a fellow veteran comedian)
    38AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:40
    Sometimes it's just cartilage wear in the knee from age, and a simple injection is all it takes to fix the pain.
    92AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:39
    Re: #38
    What kind of injection?
    46AnonymousAug 25, 2026 16:47
    Hah-haa! (Pe's signature catchphrase)
    90AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:34
    Re: #46
    Tears aren't just for show!
    65AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:07
    Guess old age and illness really can hit you all of a sudden.
    77AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:24
    Same pattern as Osugi and Peco — both going downhill at once. (a famous celebrity twin duo)
    Guess you really do need to raise the next generation, or you end up struggling in old age.
    79AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:26
    Re: #77
    Hmm…
    When Peco passed away on September 3, 2024, Osugi technically served as chief mourner, but apparently couldn't even recognize that his own brother had died, and didn't attend the funeral.
    99AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:55
    Don't they have any kids or grandkids?
    103AnonymousAug 25, 2026 18:01
    Yeah, if you don't have kids, you end up with no one to lean on in old age.
    108AnonymousAug 25, 2026 18:06
    Re: #103
    If they'd put what they saved from not having kids into savings instead, they could've covered something like 10 years in a care facility.
    But apparently these two somehow have zero savings…

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Hayashiya Peeko Struggles to Walk, Husband Pe Reveals Her Condition: ‘Suddenly, Her Legs Hurt So Much She Couldn’t Walk’ — Netizens Voice Concern”.

  • New Single Stalls at #372 on Amazon — 5ch Thread: ‘Reasons We Want Nijigasaki to End’

    On 5ch’s Love Live! board, a thread titled “Reasons We Want Nijigasaki to End” filled up with complaints about live show pacing, fan manners, and sluggish CD sales.

    The fact that AZUNA’s new single only reached #372 on Amazon’s chart on release day also became a talking point, with many voicing concern that the series is losing momentum.

    1AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:11
    Previous thread
    Reasons Nijigasaki Won't End
    8AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:15
    Because there are people who skip out even on Love Live Fes.
    9AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:16
    Because there are people posting YouTube videos that hype up Nijigasaki while bashing the other sub-series.
    10AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:17
    Because there are people spamming slander at other series' cast members on X (Twitter).
    11AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:18
    Because they drove Kerorira to delete her account and step down.
    12AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:20
    Because 'Ai-san' whined 'I just can't accept this~' and got the tournament restarted.
    13AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:20
    Because a fan got arrested for a knockout robbery (drugging/mugging victims).
    14AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:20
    Because even though the story is set in Odaiba, they never hold live shows around there anymore.
    16AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:23
    Because they take a 30-minute break after singing just one song at the start of the live.
    17AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:23
    Because the diehard fanatics dogpiled on anyone who complained about the setlist.
    21AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:25
    Because the slander directed at the SIF (School Idol Festival) writers was awful too.
    22AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:26
    Because it's cringe watching the voice actors ogle figures' underwear on a livestream.
    25AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:29
    End of template.
    Feel free to use the rest of this thread for complaints or bashing about Niji-shin (Nijigasaki fanatics) or Nijigasaki itself.
    27AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:31
    Oh right, AZUNA's new single drops tomorrow.
    No serial code bonus attached as usual, so it's basically confirmed to sell under 10,000 again.
    29AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:35
    Checked the Amazon ranking and it's losing even to Ren's CD that isn't out until October — is that okay? Today's the early-purchase day, right?
    30AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:37
    Everyone was so hyped about the unit's new song dropping, but nobody's actually buying the CD.
    32AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:42
    Listened to what sounded like a radio drama on the Nijigasaki radio show —
    I can tell they're trying to emulate Tomori's style, but it still comes off flat, like 'Shokupanman' (a plain, bland bread-head character).
    34AnonymousAug 25, 2026 15:45
    Tomori really was great after all.
    They should never have let her leave Nijigasaki.
    Everyone's been miserable since she quit.
    63AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:43
    Niji-shin used to brag nonstop about how strong Nijigasaki's songs were,
    but lately none of the new songs stand out at all.
    65AnonymousAug 25, 2026 17:58
    Re: #63
    Honestly, the songs were always weak.
    μ's and Aqours both had Hata Aki writing for them the whole way through,
    so Love Live! fans were already calling the music weak long before this.
    72AnonymousAug 25, 2026 18:15
    The sports festival segment is terrible
    https://fate.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/lovelive/1787632066/

    If this is the quality of the junior members, no wonder they can't wrap the series up.
    73AnonymousAug 25, 2026 18:18
    Re: #72
    Even watching it over and over, it's just awful.
    Feel sorry for the Superstar!! fans (星信) who have nothing left to do but praise this…
    80AnonymousAug 25, 2026 18:30
    Nijigasaki only sang one song at the start of the show, then took a 30-minute break,
    but Liella! did about 15 songs in roughly an hour during their live segment — genuinely moved me.
    82AnonymousAug 25, 2026 18:34
    Re: #80
    Impressive that you can be 'moved' by a show you didn't even watch.
    84AnonymousAug 25, 2026 18:40
    Instead of blindly hyping up Nijigasaki, shouldn't Niji-shin be saying 'take a page from Liella!'s book' by now?
    A 30-minute break right after the opening song is rough, no way around it.
    85AnonymousAug 25, 2026 18:48
    Re: #84
    86AnonymousAug 25, 2026 18:50
    Re: #85
    This guy's even better than me at pissing off Niji-shin.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Love Live!) thread “Reasons We Want Nijigasaki to End”.

  • Consumption Tax Cut Comes With Payouts for Small Farmers — 5ch: “Because They’re the LDP’s Voting Base”

    Even as the government moves to cut the consumption tax on food to 1%, it is reportedly also coordinating a plan to offset the resulting lost revenue for small and micro-scale farming operations through subsidy payments tied to sales volume. On 5ch’s Newsflash+ (News Speed+) thread, arguments flared over the mechanics of tax-exempt and simplified-taxation businesses — with posters asking “why do only farmers get special treatment?” — alongside debate over how to fund a scheme estimated to cost several trillion yen.

    On the 25th, the government began coordinating a plan to pay a fixed amount in subsidies to support small and micro-scale farming and fishing operations that stand to lose revenue from cutting the consumption tax on food and beverages to 1%. The scheme envisions offsetting the lost revenue based on the scale of each business’s sales, cushioning the blow to their operations. Details of the program and the payment amounts will be worked out during the compilation of the draft FY2027 budget, with a final decision by the end of 2026.

    The government has presented an outline of the support plan to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The goal is to ease the anxiety of businesses affected by the tax cut and ensure a smooth rollout of the reduced rate starting in April 2027.

    Small-scale operators make up the vast majority of Japan’s agriculture and fisheries sector. Under the current system, businesses are exempt from remitting all or part of the consumption tax they collect on sales, and can keep that money as income instead. Businesses with annual sales of ¥10 million or less are fully exempt (“tax-exempt businesses”), while those with sales up to ¥50 million are partially exempt (“simplified-taxation businesses”).

    Source: 47news.jp / Read the original article here

    10AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:40
    Wait, what? Why do the guys who were skimming off the consumption tax get a handout?
    26AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:49
    Re: #10
    Because they're the LDP's voting base.
    12AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:41
    Why would cutting the consumption tax make businesses lose revenue?
    Isn't the consumption tax something consumers pay, with businesses just collecting it and passing it on to the government?
    If the consumption tax goes down and prices drop, sales volume should basically go up, right?
    So shouldn't businesses end up making MORE money?
    24AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:48
    Re: #12
    It's shown that way on receipts, but structurally it was never actually set up as businesses collecting it as an agent on the government's behalf.
    25AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:48
    Re: #12
    Micro-businesses were allowed to just pocket the consumption tax under the old rules. The invoice system was brought in specifically to shut that down.
    13AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:41
    If most farmers aren't even registered under the invoice system, does that mean selling them fertilizer or seedlings doesn't count as a taxable transaction?
    71AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:50
    Re: #13
    It's recognized just fine.
    20AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:45
    Consumption tax rates

    Denmark: 25% (food 25%)
    Norway: 25% (food 15%)
    Finland: 24% (food 14%)
    Japan: 10% (food 8%)

    Japan's consumption tax is already low, so there's no need to cut it — or scrap it.
    32AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:54
    Why isn't the "But-Where's-the-Funding" crowd (a jab at people who always cry "zaigen ga!"— what about funding?!) making noise about this one?
    35AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:54
    Re: #32
    This whole "windfall tax" setup, where you get to just keep the consumption tax, was cooked up by the idiot crooks at the old Ministry of Finance.
    Since it's a system the big senpai rigged up, nobody gets to complain about it now.
    40AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:00
    Stop coddling farmers all the time.
    These are crooks who force-split their operations into multiple companies, each kept under ¥10 million in sales, just so they can dodge the consumption tax and pocket it themselves.
    42AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:01
    Re: #40 Re: #1
    Farmers are citizens too, you know?
    Rice prices really should have risen in line with overseas inflation, which would have raised farmers' incomes.

    The reason Japanese real wages aren't rising (why farmers' sales aren't growing) is that more and more people are relying on social security to live.

    When you hand money to people like pensioners or welfare recipients — people whose income doesn't grow through economic activity — they try to stretch that money as far as it goes, so they buy the cheapest goods they can find.

    Trading companies chasing that demand then import cheaper substitutes from third countries, and Japan's market fills up with cheaper goods.

    Domestic-demand manufacturers respond to rising import costs for raw materials by holding down employee wages, just to meet the demand from people dependent on welfare.

    For Japan to raise real wages, there's no way around it: cut pensions and welfare benefits for people under 80, and put to work the people who are healthy enough — thanks to longer healthy life expectancy — but choose not to.
    44AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:03
    Feels like the COVID subsidy days all over again — fraudsters are going to come crawling out for this too.
    54AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:19
    Re: #44
    Politicians are cooking up slush funds, and citizens are running subsidy fraud.
    That's Japan's "national character" for you, lol
    46AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:07
    Do a real, fundamental fix instead — a flat, across-the-board tax cut would solve this.
    Or solve it with individual compensation schemes.
    55AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:21
    Re: #46
    Cutting taxes during inflation is the dumbest of dumb policies.
    It'll accelerate inflation.
    An "inflation tax" is scary stuff.
    50AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:14
    The funding bill just keeps ballooning.
    53AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:19
    Re: #50
    Tax cut + 1% subsidy: roughly ¥5 trillion
    Making up the shortfall in local consumption tax: ¥1.6 trillion

    Subsidies for restaurants dealing with different tax rates for eat-in vs. takeout: undecided — maybe several trillion yen?
    Compensation for non-invoice-registered farmers and sole proprietors with ¥10 million in taxable sales: undecided — maybe several trillion yen too?


    And the Takaichi administration says it won't issue deficit bonds for this?
    No way that adds up.
    68AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:46
    Re: #53
    Then just skip the consumption tax cut entirely — whatever happened to the cost-of-living countermeasures?
    61AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:37
    Saw this coming. "Small and micro farmers" mostly means part-time farmers who already get all kinds of subsidies — the amounts are just pathetic.
    Being a lawmaker is basically just being the cheerleader-in-chief for a pack of freeloaders anyway.
    63AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:40
    Re: #61
    The restaurant industry and others are going to keep filing requests one after another, and I bet the payouts keep coming.

    Just like the COVID subsidy gold rush, it'll turn into a world where whoever pushes hardest wins.

    And the public foots the bill.
    72AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:50
    Re: #68
    They campaigned on expansionary fiscal policy (old-school Keynesian handouts, basically) in the first place — of course they're not actually going to do anything about the cost of living.
    90AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:11
    Re: #72
    Either they don't understand that expansionary fiscal policy is an anti-deflation measure (i.e., a policy that accelerates price rises), or they're counting on the public not understanding it…

    Well, they're pushing expansionary fiscal policy (anti-deflation), tax cuts (anti-deflation), and continued monetary easing (anti-deflation) all at once — they must figure the public is dumb enough to be talked into backing a total U-turn.
    74AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:51
    If you're going to support anyone, it should be large-scale farms, not small and micro ones.
    It'd be better to consolidate small farmers' fields into large-scale operations.
    77AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:55
    Re: #74
    The Abe administration aimed for large-scale corporatization of farming, but local agricultural committees teamed up with the Communist Party and put out statements opposing it, remember?

    Japan's agriculture problem is that cultivated land per farmer is too small. But you can't buy or sell farmland without approval from the local agricultural committee.

    I'd say the real problem with Japanese agriculture isn't JA (the farmers' co-op) — it's the agricultural committee system.
    76AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:53
    The invoice system stripped this loophole away from ordinary sole proprietors — so why are farmers the only ones getting a pass???
    79AnonymousAug 25, 2026 22:56
    Re: #76
    Sole proprietors get the exact same treatment if they're not invoice-registered either — it's the so-called "windfall tax" problem.

    The invoice system was introduced specifically to fix that windfall-tax problem, you know.
    86AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:01
    So it's just a sales tax renamed "consumption tax" — an indirect tax?
    Are you okay in the head?
    94AnonymousAug 25, 2026 23:25
    Re: #86
    You clearly don't understand the difference between a sales tax and a value-added tax.
    124AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:14
    Somebody seriously explain this to me.
    What's the actual POINT of this tax cut????
    125AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:16
    Re: #124
    Because a lot of people are struggling to get by. Otherwise why would they cut taxes? You don't get that much?
    126AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:18
    Re: #125
    Is a two-year tax cut really going to fix things for people who are struggling? Is this something that gets sorted out in just two years?
    129AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:20
    Re: #125
    If you cut taxes while inflation is running, it'll accelerate inflation and make life even harder on the poor.

    Meanwhile, people who already hold assets just watch their asset values rise with inflation.
    135AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:26
    Re: #129
    You've been played, man.
    Cutting the consumption tax isn't the problem — if they're going to cut it, they should just raise the corporate tax to cover it.
    Every single time they've raised the consumption tax up to now, they've paired it with a corporate tax cut, lol
    Don't tell me you're one of the suckers who actually believed Abe's line that the consumption tax funds social security?
    144AnonymousAug 26, 2026 00:32
    Re: #135
    Then income tax should go back to what it used to be too.

    The consumption tax was originally introduced to shift the ratio of direct to indirect taxes, and income tax was lowered alongside it. The bottom income tax bracket needs to go back to 10% (excluding resident tax).

    Also, Japan's corporate tax hasn't actually come down as much as people claim — that's exactly why, until fairly recently, Japan's effective corporate tax rate was the second-highest in the world.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Newsflash+) thread “Consumption Tax Cut: Subsidies for Small Farmers, Offsetting Lost Revenue Based on Sales.”

  • Mushoku Tensei III: Fans Finally Get Why Roxy Skipped the Trip — 5ch: ‘Demons Aren’t Allowed’

    Following the broadcast of the anime “Mushoku Tensei III,” threads buzzed with questions about the royal family’s murderous power struggles, why Roxy didn’t join this expedition, and whether portraying the Demon Continent’s language as an untranslated mystery tongue was the right call.

    History buffs brought up Japan’s ancient Jinshin War for comparison, while others traced the lineage of “characters desperate to return to their original world” across isekai reincarnation and transportation stories — altogether a lively deep-dive into the show’s worldbuilding.

    1AnonymousAug 21, 2026 02:52
    ↑ When starting a new thread, don't forget to include this line 3+ times:
    Something precious, found after standing back up.
    ―――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
    10AnonymousAug 21, 2026 07:35
    Thanks for starting the thread!
    Why doesn't Ghislaine ever spill out (of her outfit)?
    Let's discuss!
    11AnonymousAug 21, 2026 08:02
    Re: #10
    https://x.com/isiyumi/status/1604133945016483840
    "Guardian Ripuru" (fan art caption/pun)
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FkMHTJPaAAE3lRM.jpg:large
    16AnonymousAug 21, 2026 09:10
    Re: #11
    This is amazing! What an invention!
    19AnonymousAug 21, 2026 09:20
    Re: #16
    Apparently there are quite a few spells used in similar situations
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FkMIh8CaYAABVLm.jpg:large
    115AnonymousAug 22, 2026 19:55
    Whoa, Ariel's only up until tomorrow!

    https://x.com/mushokutensei_A/status/2091001285164355755
    Last week's live ABEMA special
    [Commemorating the start of "Mushoku Tensei III's" new arc —
    Onward to the Aerial Fortress Chaos Breaker!]
    Free archive streaming until tomorrow, Sun 8/23, 21:00!
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HQS52xkaUAAFbEP.jpg:large
    135AnonymousAug 23, 2026 08:46
    For some reason the royals in Mushoku Tensei just end up killing each other.
    In reality, even when rivals clash, it rarely escalates all the way to murder.
    Is this just some odd assumption on the author's part?
    Rivalry instantly turns into a killing spree.
    138AnonymousAug 23, 2026 09:05
    Re: #135
    Probably only Ariel is actually at risk of being killed — the other rival candidates likely won't go that far (probably just lifelong house arrest).
    146AnonymousAug 23, 2026 09:49
    Re: #135
    The Ottoman Empire seriously did stuff like that, and so did that thing from Hunter x Hunter.
    152AnonymousAug 23, 2026 11:49
    Re: #135
    Even in ancient Japan, the princes of Emperor Tenmu's line ended up wiping each other out, and after losing the Jinshin War, succession reverted back to the previously sidelined line of Emperor Tenji.
    Royals and nobles killing each other really is just history as usual.
    137AnonymousAug 23, 2026 09:05
    That assassin girl who got sent flying in season 2 was seriously skilled too.
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0W5yhkaUAI6vlo.jpg
    Night-Eye Hawk
    In the novel and manga it's "Crow"
    I mean, crows can obviously see at night too, right? lol
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0W5z6kacAI3xxe.jpg
    227AnonymousAug 24, 2026 00:40
    Why didn't Roxy come along?
    She speaks the demon language and is used to traveling —
    she'd be the most reliable one to bring.
    228AnonymousAug 24, 2026 00:42
    Re: #227
    Because demons aren't allowed into the teleportation magic circle.
    230AnonymousAug 24, 2026 00:42
    Huh, Calorwente and Almanfi have the same voice actor.

    Re: #227
    The teleport route goes through Chaos Breaker
    No demons allowed
    231AnonymousAug 24, 2026 00:43
    Re: #227
    To reach the Demon Continent you have to use the teleportation magic circle in kindly old Perugius's aerial fortress (that's the underground-looking scene right before arriving at the continent), but Perugius — who absolutely refuses to tolerate demons — won't let Roxy into the fortress, so she can't come along.
    276AnonymousAug 24, 2026 01:43
    Re: #263
    I've got a feeling maybe time flows differently between his original world and this one, and only growth/aging follows the original world's timeline.
    > She knew about Ariel, right?
    Now that you mention it, yeah, that's true too…
    277AnonymousAug 24, 2026 01:46
    Nope, that's not it. Go ahead.

    285AnonymousAug 24, 2026 01:52
    Re: #276
    Well, who knows…
    It's possible…

    Re: #277
    Yeah, true, that's not it!
    288AnonymousAug 24, 2026 01:56
    Re: #277
    Hard to believe this is even the same series.
    This guy's living in a completely different world from everyone else.
    290AnonymousAug 24, 2026 01:59
    "Mushoku Tensei III: Jobless Reincarnation" TV Anime Official
    @mushokutensei_A
    "#MushokuTenseiIII"
    Appearing in Episode 9, "Wailing"!!
    Yuruzu the Atoner, one of Perugius's Twelve Familiars.
    Voiced by #IkumiHasegawa.
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HQOJBGbaMAAlQhf.jpg:large

    ↑ That's Übel from Frieren
    and Kiriko from Iron Wok Jan
    354AnonymousAug 24, 2026 08:00
    Had the same thought back in season 1 — having the Demon Continent language come out as an untranslated mystery language is a questionable creative choice…
    369AnonymousAug 24, 2026 08:39
    Re: #354
    Wasn't Nokopara's dialogue entirely in the demon tongue?
    Atofe was speaking demon language in the PV too.
    Kind of wish that once Rudeus switches over, Atofe would just talk normally, sounding like Japanese to us.
    Zanoba and the others can stay in human language at that point, lol.

    That's what happened when he reunited with Nanahoshi wearing the white mask —
    only Sylphy got switched to human language.
    She's actually speaking demon language the whole time normally.
    454AnonymousAug 24, 2026 11:41
    Re: #354
    Setting aside whether the multilingual staging was even necessary, Nokopara's voice actor's performance was really great.
    465AnonymousAug 24, 2026 12:05
    Re: #354
    Whenever there's a character present who can't understand the language, it's mystery language plus subtitles.
    But like when Roxy went back home and there was nobody around who didn't understand it, they just do it in plain Japanese.
    398AnonymousAug 24, 2026 09:33
    Putting a little girl in a sexy outfit in this day and age…
    Shows like this are an embarrassment to the Japanese anime industry.
    400AnonymousAug 24, 2026 09:34
    Re: #398
    Yeah, exactly.
    They should be putting it on Nanahoshi or Eris instead…
    401AnonymousAug 24, 2026 09:35
    Re: #398
    Huh, right.
    Now that I look closely, Lady Kishirika's outfit is pretty racy too.
    406AnonymousAug 24, 2026 09:44
    Re: #398
    That's exactly why they play up Kishirika as such an over-the-top gag character.
    488AnonymousAug 24, 2026 13:01
    Is it actually rare for a reincarnation-story protagonist to try this desperately to get back home?
    491AnonymousAug 24, 2026 13:19
    Re: #488
    "The Rising of the Shield Hero" —
    I recall it was something like, defeat the enemies, save the world, and you get to go home.
    Though how it actually ends is a mystery to me.
    492AnonymousAug 24, 2026 13:21
    Re: #488
    Nanahoshi's case is a "transportation," not a reincarnation.
    Among transportation stories, plenty of series have characters desperately trying to get home — like "Arifureta," "Instant Death Cheat," "Reject Class," etc.
    494AnonymousAug 24, 2026 13:24
    Re: #488
    "Woltania War Chronicle"
    It's a transportation story.
    The protagonist does wail "I can't go back! I can't go back!"
    Though he's just a regular DK (high school boy).
    510AnonymousAug 24, 2026 14:13
    It's kind of odd that with dragonkin, elves, and demons all around, only the Man-God gets to exist, right?
    Maybe the other races have their own gods too, and the Man-God lost to them, so now he's manipulating Rudeus through prophecy as revenge for something from the past.
    517AnonymousAug 24, 2026 14:36
    Up through "The Familiar of Zero," desperately wanting to go home really was the standard theme, huh~
    I guess it was really Konosuba and Tensura that changed that.
    Even "Shambala wo Yuku Mono" had a shocking ending for its time.
    521AnonymousAug 24, 2026 14:40
    Re: #510
    There's Orsted the Dragon God, y'know!
    Lord Perugius said the demon god Laplace is coming back — is that even for real?!

    Back in season 1, after getting wrecked by Orsted, when he explained the situation to Ruijerd, Ruijerd said something like "The Ancient Six Gods, huh. Hard to believe right away, but I doubt you're lying," so the Ancient Six Gods probably did exist.

    Re: #517
    In Tensura too, Rimuru's a reincarnator so he doesn't really want to go back (since he knows he's dead, going back isn't even an option), but the transported/summoned girl from Falmuth did want to go home.
    Another transported character mentioned that the curse-word kept her from acting freely enough to even explore ways of getting back.
    582AnonymousAug 24, 2026 17:07
    Re: #517
    Tensura isn't an "isekai transportation," it's an "isekai reincarnation via death," so going back to the original world wouldn't really mean much anyway —

    that said, the ending is technically a "return home" ending, isn't it.

    Though it might just be a pseudo return home.
    607AnonymousAug 24, 2026 18:13
    Re: #517
    Konosuba's the same — he's dead too, so going back wouldn't mean much.
    686AnonymousAug 24, 2026 21:59
    Guess his hair and nails didn't grow.
    Finally feels like the story's moving forward.
    He's not bringing his master along, even though it's her hometown?
    The horse doesn't remember him.
    That was found awfully easily.
    690AnonymousAug 24, 2026 22:07
    Re: #686
    Come on, Nokopara's shown up plenty of times already~

    759AnonymousAug 25, 2026 00:55
    Well, Rudeus's whole story is literally "Jobless Reincarnation" after all.
    https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81OZnAhp5TL.jpg

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and summaries of the 5ch (Anime board) thread 「[NO SPOILERS] Mushoku Tensei ~Jobless Reincarnation~ 137」.

  • Rice Prices Plunge as Reserve Rice Floods the Market — 5ch: ‘We’re Laughing All the Way to the Bank’

    Private-sector rice inventories hit a record 2.43 million tons by the end of June, and prices have kept falling. Experts point to the government’s massive release of reserve rice as the cause of the glut, and on 5ch opinion split over how successive agriculture ministers Ishiba, Eto, and Koizumi handled it, and over whether JA (the agricultural co-op) or wholesalers bear the blame.

    During the “Reiwa Rice Crisis,” the agricultural cooperatives’ rice collection and distribution practices were repeatedly blamed for driving up prices. But what’s happening now is the reverse: rice wholesalers who bought up 2025-harvest rice at high prices are dumping it at a loss, with some driven out of business or into bankruptcy — while newly harvested rice that has nowhere else to go is flowing back to JA.

    Many in the rice industry and among experts point out that the government released far too much reserve rice, flooding the market. Private inventories hit a record 2.43 million tons at the end of June. With the previous year’s rice still piled up as the 2026 harvest comes in, farmers, JA, and wholesalers alike are all left bearing the burden of the collapsing rice price.

    Expert commentary and analysis

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:08
    Obviously it's the JA (farm co-op) and the wholesalers who jacked up prices, you idiot.
    51AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:16
    There was a time you could buy 2kg for 500 yen. Has it ever been cheaper than that?
    9AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:09
    If rice was really flooding the market, prices should've fallen way more than this, don't you think?

    So seriously, who's to blame?
    169AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:27
    Re: #9
    The trash media that hyped it up.
    11AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:09
    JA and the middlemen were hoarding rice and refusing to release it, so the government had no choice but to release the reserves.
    14AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:10
    JA Pearl Rice: 'We're making so much money we can't stop laughing'
    75AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:19
    Re: #14
    Guess they'll have to kick back plenty to their pet Diet members…
    110AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:21
    Re: #71
    ⇒ Re: #14

    Pearl Rice and Kotoku Shinryo are both capital-affiliated with JA

    "JA Zen-Noh invests in Kotoku Shinryo" — Nikkei
    https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO28942700T00C18A4TJ2000/?n_cid=dsapp_share_android
    17AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:10
    Rice balls that used to cost 100 yen went up to 200 yen at both supermarkets and convenience stores. Supermarkets have since dropped back to 100 yen like before.
    So why do convenience stores only knock 10 yen off, down to 190 yen?
    46AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:15
    Re: #17
    The parent companies of the 'big three' convenience store chains are the 'big three' trading houses — they're deeply embedded in the rice business.
    31AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:13
    Still way too expensive
    https://imgur.com/nT92gHr.png
    109AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:21
    Re: #31
    The public had already stopped buying rice by last December, yet prices were mysteriously high.
    Go find whoever was manipulating the market, you idiots lol
    253AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:35
    Well, at this rate there'll be an even bigger rice glut and crash next year.
    If the provisional payment for the 2027 crop looks like it's heading toward 12,000 yen per 60kg around next June, that's when they should step in.

    Current prices aren't exactly cheap as it is.
    271AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:37
    Re: #253
    Yeah, prices are still abnormally high — see Re: #31.

    We should keep boycotting for a few more years.
    33AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:13
    Re: #11
    When the reserve rice was released, stores actually had rice on the shelves — it was just expensive.
    They released 2,000-yen reserve rice as an election ploy,
    but since it wasn't very tasty, it stopped selling within a month.
    And then for some reason, people saying stuff like Re: #11 suddenly started popping up all over the internet lol
    But they still lost the election lolol
    62AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:17
    Re: #33
    The triple-old rice ("koko-komai") was perfectly edible though?
    The people calling it gross probably can't even cook rice properly 🙄
    73AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:19
    Re: #62
    Mixing up your personal opinion with the overall trend…
    is that a 🤤 move?
    85AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:19
    Re: #62
    I bought it from 3 or 4 different places and the taste — or really the smell — varied a lot.
    The strong-smelling batches were fine once I added a splash of cooking sake though.
    38AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:14
    We need to nail down exactly who's at fault here, or this'll just happen again.
    So, who screwed up?
    283AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:38
    Re: #38
    If you trace it back, it's the Japan Meteorological Agency for hyping up the Nankai Trough earthquake risk.
    41AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:14
    Releasing the reserve rice wasn't the wrong call — it was just too late and way too much at once.
    That's on Ishiba, Eto, and Koizumi.
    197AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:30
    Re: #41
    Kishida and Sakamoto are the real culprits, but Ishiba and Eto were way too relaxed about it too.
    By the time Shinjiro took over it was already late, but the fact that prices dropped this much
    is partly thanks to him.
    45AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:15
    Sure, Koizumi's reserve rice release did bring prices down, but there was a policy shift afterward and prices went back up.
    It's less that the reserve rice caused a glut and more that people have simply stopped eating rice.
    49AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:16
    Re: #45
    People just won't buy expensive rice.

    Staple food? Never heard of it.
    111AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:21
    Re: #45
    Well, prices for anything other than the reserve rice barely dropped at all.
    71AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:19
    This is obviously the wholesalers' fault, not JA's — whoever's out there pinning it on JA must be shilling for the wholesalers, right? 🤣
    98AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:20
    Re: #71
    Wasn't it said the wholesalers and trading companies were hiding stock?
    154AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:25
    Re: #71
    'JA is the villain,' lol.
    Both the Ministry of Agriculture and JA itself admit that 'negotiated prices are set by JA's provisional payment amount.'
    146AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:24
    So what actually caused this?
    Don't tell me the answer is just 'supply happened to run short so prices went up.'
    159AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:26
    Re: #146
    During COVID, rice was oversupplied, so they cut production to balance it out — and overdid it.
    173AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:27
    Re: #159
    That's probably not true.
    There was actually enough rice.
    188AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:29
    Re: #173
    The data's already out there.
    https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/media/2025/09/20250919-OYT1I50097-1.jpg
    177AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:28
    Last year 5kg was going for something like 6,000 yen.
    That's insane.
    209AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:31
    Re: #177
    It was about 4,500 yen in the Kanto region.
    239AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:34
    Re: #177
    Prices vary by region.
    Where I live, at its cheapest I could get 5kg for under 2,000 yen.
    224AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:32
    Re: #1

    It's just that the 2025 crop was abnormally expensive — it's still high now.


    For reference, here are the provisional payments for the 2023 and 2024 crops
    234AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:33
    Japan Meat (supermarket chain)
    Koshihikari rice, 1,999 yen


    240AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:34
    Kansai region

    New-crop rice, 5kg for 1,980 yen


    282AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:38
    Re: #240
    Kansai really is cheap — new-crop rice going for what the old reserve rice used to cost.
    241AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:34
    Well, word got out that pasta's actually healthier for you 🥺
    249AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:35
    Re: #241
    Rice spikes your blood sugar fast, so it'll give you diabetes.
    263AnonymousAug 25, 2026 21:36
    Re: #241
    Three times a week is about my limit for pasta.
    Gotta expand my sauce repertoire or I get sick of it.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Express+) thread “Behind the Rice Price Crash: Koizumi’s Reserve Rice Release Hailed a Win — the ‘Flooding Operation’.”