Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • Takafumi Horie Baffled by ‘I Hate Him But I Like Him’ Comment — 5chers: ‘Why’s He So Bothered?’

    Entrepreneur Takafumi Horie shared on X that he’d stayed at a “high-end sushi restaurant you can stay overnight at” in Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture. In response, a regular user wrote, “I hate Horiemon, but just for spotlighting Toyama, I might end up liking him.” Horie shot back with a question: “Why bother saying you hate me at all?” — and the exchange blew up on 5ch. In the thread, opinions split: some found it surprising that Horie, who’s supposed to have thick skin against criticism, bothered to respond at all; others coldly noted that given his usual behavior, being disliked is only natural; and still others took issue with the very habit of prefacing a compliment with “I hate you.”

    Entrepreneur Takafumi Horie posted on X (formerly Twitter) on the 24th, raising a question about a comment directed at him.

    It started when Horie shared on X that he’d stayed at a “high-end sushi restaurant you can stay overnight at” in Shinminato, Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture.

    In response to the post, a regular X user commented, “I hate Horiemon, but just for spotlighting Toyama, I might end up liking him.”

    Source: ggtnews.net / Original article here

    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:30
    Guess even Horiemon gets bothered by being called ‘hated’ lol
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:31
    Probably because anyone who says they like him gets treated like a weirdo
    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:31
    And besides, they never actually said they liked him
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:32
    He's an ex-con (a jab combining ‘Horiemon’ with 前科, meaning ‘prior conviction’) — guess he hasn't learned any humility
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:32
    I hate Horiemon, but if he gave me 100,000 yen I'd probably like him
    So it's only a little bit of hate, huh
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:33
    What a petty guy
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:33
    That's literally what you do all the time — slapping an ‘I hate this’ disclaimer on your opinions
    Does this guy not own a mirror?
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:33
    Horiemon's shadiness is off the charts too. I saw a documentary that followed him around back in the Livedoor days — the guy would turn into a sulking kid just because the internet wasn't working in the morning
    21AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:33
    Saying ‘I might end up liking him’
    means they don't like him yet
    So it's either ‘I hate him’ or ‘neither like nor hate’

    Going from hate to like
    and going from neutral to like
    those are probably very different journeys
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:34
    Horiemon's greatest quotes

    • Cried 4 times watching Poupelle (his animated film)

    • Jungle-ia Okinawa is fun (his theme park)

    • This token is amazing
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:34
    ‘Might end up liking him’ → Nope, couldn't do it!!
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:35
    He should just eat his veggies, drink some milk, and calm down
    27AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:35
    He probably just wants to stress that ‘I'm in the negatives right now, but getting closer to zero’
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:35
    Bare minimum, at least be self-aware that people generally hate you lol
    29AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:35
    Don't act all hurt like you're somebody
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    He never says anything but stuff that gets him hated
    so why's this guy so bothered by it lol
    33AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    It's the ‘delinquent version’ of the effect where a bad boy doing one good thing gets his rep boosted
    52AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:48
    He was promoting Jungle-ia too, if I recall
    though that one's not exactly a lucky charm lol
    73AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:57
    Re: #52
    Honestly, that's kind of what set things off, right
    54AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:49
    Let's stop slapping ‘-emon’ onto ‘pig’ — it's disrespectful to Fujiko Fujio (creator of Doraemon)
    Unless you're using it to mean ‘dozaemon’ (slang for a drowned corpse), in which case, fine
    57AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:50
    Pot calling the kettle black much (‘look who's talking’)
    Does he not realize he's the one who always says stuff he doesn't need to say?

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    Beyond his work as an entrepreneur and media personality, Horie has a criminal conviction for violating the Securities and Exchange Law (the Livedoor scandal), and he’s frequently in the news for his blunt remarks on TV and social media. The nickname “Zenka-mon” used in the thread (a pun combining “Horiemon” with 前科, meaning “prior conviction”) isn’t mere slander — it’s a jab rooted in this well-known fact about his past, something readers unfamiliar with the reference might misread as a baseless insult. What sparked this particular discussion was the divide in how people read a common online phrasing pattern: prefacing a compliment with “I hate you.” In the thread, some saw it as petty that Horie, who’s supposedly used to criticism, bothered to respond at all; others said the split reaction is only natural given his usual conduct; and still others pointed out that “I might end up liking him” itself signals a subtle distance — he’s still not liked yet. The responses ranged well beyond a simple nitpick over wording.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Takafumi Horie questions comment ‘I hate Horiemon but I might end up liking him,’ asking ‘Why bother saying you hate me at all?’.”

  • Sakushin Gakuin Baseball Coach Kobari Removed From Duty After Making Players Kneel in Seiza for an Hour: ‘Inappropriate by Today’s Standards’

    At Tochigi baseball powerhouse Sakushin Gakuin, it has emerged that head coach Takahiro Kobari (43) made about 20 first-year players kneel in seiza on the ground for roughly an hour starting around 9am on August 20 — a fact that surfaced through an anonymous tip sent to the Japan High School Baseball Federation, and which has now led to the coach being pulled from coaching duties. While the school called it “inappropriate coaching by today’s standards,” it also offered the excuse that “he simply forgot to tell them they could relax into a more comfortable position.” On the forum thread, discussion ranged from how weak that excuse sounds, to fact-checking that the weather that day was actually cloudy with a temperature around 28°C rather than blazing sun, to the fact that the same coach had broken a player’s finger last year by having him field the ball bare-handed.

    It was learned on the 25th, through reporting on the school, that Takahiro Kobari (43), head coach of the baseball team at Sakushin Gakuin (Tochigi), has been removed from coaching duties over inappropriate coaching — making about 20 first-year players kneel in seiza for roughly an hour during practice in August.

    The matter came to light via an anonymous tip sent to the Japan High School Baseball Federation. After confirming the facts with Coach Kobari and others, the school concluded that coaching out of step with the times had taken place, and said it would decide how to handle the coach in line with the federation’s judgment.

    According to the school, the incident in which roughly 20 first-year players were made to kneel in seiza for about an hour took place around 9am on August 20. At the time, the second-years were away watching a Koshien broadcast, leaving only the first-years to handle grounds maintenance and practice prep. Sensing a lack of focus — the first-years working too slowly and sloppily on the grounds, with balls even left lying around the field — Coach Kobari gathered them beside the dugout to tighten up their attitude, said “let’s sit down here for a moment,” and had them kneel in seiza on the dirt infield.

    Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here

    2AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:04
    Is this really enough to get him pulled from coaching?
    9AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:05
    Re: #2

    An hour of seiza kneeling in the blazing midsummer sun

    Yeah that's a foul, lol
    21AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:11
    Re: #9
    It was cloudy though
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:12
    Re: #9
    Utsunomiya around 9am on 8/20 was cloudy, about 28°C
    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:04
    This is the kind of school that still does that old "essa-ssa" chant routine at sports day (a traditional group cheer/exercise associated with old-school discipline) — 30 years ago they'd casually beat kids bloody
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:05
    He's the one who made them kneel and watched it happen the whole time, and now it's "oh, he just forgot to mention they could relax"?

    That's a stretch 🤔

    > The school says: "[Coach Kobari] forgot to say 'you can uncross your legs and sit comfortably while we talk,' so as a result the students had no way of knowing it was okay to loosen up."
    36AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:20
    Re: #5
    He's really bad at admitting defeat, it's funny lol
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:05
    This is probably why they haven't been able to make it to the summer Koshien lately
    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:05
    An hour of kneeling? That's basically a lucky break compared to the usual stuff
    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:05
    For fielding a bunt, catching bare-handed is fine
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:06
    No wonder baseball's numbers keep shrinking ("yakyuu" here spelled in that mocking internet style) — let it just die out at this point, honestly
    12AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:07
    Re: #1

    Sakushin Gakuin's Coach Kobari had a player field a fungo bare-handed, broke his finger, and got pulled
    https://medaka.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/hsb/1749822556/
    60AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:31
    Re: #12
    That's rough, lol
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:09
    The kneeling I get
    Making the catcher field bare-handed is way too far though
    19AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:10
    Funny how most of the Yahoo News comments are defending the coach — people saying stuff like "this used to be totally normal back in the day"
    38AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:20
    Re: #19
    Yahoo News comments do seem to skew older than 5ch
    Probably mostly people 75 and up
    63AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:32
    Re: #19
    There was a great reply to one of the comments defending the coach — something like "oh, so this builds character for becoming a corporate slave later?" ("shachiku," slang for an overworked company employee treated like livestock) — dead on, honestly
    94AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:53
    Re: #19
    Well yeah, the average age on Yahoo comments is past 50, lol
    20AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:10
    No no
    Dunno about now, but 30 years ago you'd genuinely get beaten bloody
    This school's always been unhinged
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:11
    Honestly, baseball coaching is still pretty tame compared to other sports — judo is a real hell
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:13
    The school calling this "inappropriate by today's standards" — that framing itself is out of touch with the times
    27AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:13
    Forget the kneeling — the weirder thing nobody's questioning is why only the first-years have to handle practice prep. I'd get it if this were a paid job, but why are only the first-years stuck doing chores while the second-years watch the Koshien broadcast? Treating upperclassmen like kings, PL Gakuen-style (referencing a famously hierarchical baseball powerhouse), is messed up — and if nobody questions that, you'll get another scandal like Koryo (the school recently hit by a bullying scandal)
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:14
    Isn't seiza bad for your knees?
    Seems irrational and unnecessary for training athletes
    46AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:25
    Bare-handed catching and an hour of kneeling are both old-school methods, but isn't it because they each had some real effect that people kept doing them?
    If you're going to reject them outright, you'd better have solid grounds for it, or it just turns into coddling
    56AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:29
    Re: #46
    For last year's incident, people were pointing out — why was the ball even coming in fast enough to break a finger during a bare-handed catching drill in the first place
    57AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:29
    Forget which sport it was, but punishment laps were a hot topic too recently
    68AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:34
    Re: #57
    The manager who resigned over assaulting his daughter
    [Yomiuri Giants] Farm team loses to Waseda… Manager Abe has the whole team run punishment laps: "Those guys balance it with studying, too…"
    https://hochi.news/articles/20200323-OHT1T50017.html?page=1
    66AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:34
    Ichiro was full of praise for Chiben Wakayama's coach Nakatani — strict coaching, but somehow the players never turn around and report him
    Guess it takes hitting exactly the right distance
    72AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:36
    Re: #66
    Ichiro alone isn't going to change baseball at this point
    He's only got 7 innings left in him anyway
    81AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:44
    Re: #66
    "This is off the record."
    "If you report this, that player is finished."
    "You'll never set foot on this field again — you sure that's what you want?"
    Being skilled at wielding intimidation and psychological pressure like that is apparently what makes a "legendary coach" in baseball
    69AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:34
    Way too many people here have no idea how brutal seiza actually is
    Try sitting like that for 20 minutes — it hurts so much you can't take it
    70AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:35
    Re: #69
    Monks can do a full 60 minutes no problem while chanting sutras
    73AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:38
    Re: #69
    A lot of monks and rakugo storytellers end up with bad legs
    It's basically an occupational hazard from sitting seiza all the time
    77AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:42
    Re: #69
    I used to take calligraphy lessons, so 2 hours is nothing for me
    101AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:55
    > This is Coach Kobari's second instance of inappropriate coaching, following one last year. During practice in late May last year, he had a player catch throws bare-handed to get a feel for receiving the ball, which left the player with two broken fingers on his right hand — a serious injury requiring one to two months to heal.

    Why wasn't he fired back then?
    106AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:58
    Re: #101
    He's the one who built them into a powerhouse, so realistically Sakushin doesn't want to let him go
    118AnonymousSep 25, 2026 15:03
    This is all it took?
    He must be seriously unpopular with someone
    119AnonymousSep 25, 2026 15:05
    Re: #118
    Isn't this just the tip of the iceberg
    He was probably doing even worse Showa-era spartan coaching that never came out
    120AnonymousSep 25, 2026 15:05
    Re: #118
    "This is all it took"?
    Why don't you go kneel in seiza for an hour yourself, in the blazing midday heat of August

    Background and key points of this discussion

    The Japan High School Baseball Federation has a system that lets third parties anonymously report inappropriate coaching, and that’s how this case came to light. Thread users fact-checked that Utsunomiya’s weather around 9am on August 20, when the seiza punishment happened, wasn’t actually blazing sun but overcast with a temperature around 28°C — worth noting that the real point of controversy wasn’t the heat itself, but the shape of the coaching: lining up only the first-years and making them kneel for about an hour while the second-years watched the Koshien broadcast. On top of that, the same coach caused an incident last May in which a player broke two fingers after being made to catch bare-handed, meaning this isn’t his first controversy. The school’s explanation — that he “simply forgot to tell them they could relax out of the position” — still concedes that he made them kneel in the first place, and it’s worth noting that, separate from whether the coaching itself was justified, many questioned how consistent that explanation really is.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread “[High School Baseball] Sakushin Gakuin’s Coach Takahiro Kobari removed from coaching duties after making players kneel in seiza for about an hour, deemed “inappropriate by today’s standards” — last year he had a player catch bare-handed.”

  • ‘The Two Who Smoke Behind the Supermarket’ Finale Sparks Cries of ‘Bring On Season 2’

    The TV anime “The Two Who Smoke Behind the Supermarket” reached its finale on September 24, 2026, airing 30 minutes later than usual. The series, which portrays the relationship between a middle-aged man and a woman in her twenties, drew a wave of reactions on social media after it ended, with fans posting things like “I cried so hard,” “Thank you for these happy times,” and “Please give us a Season 2.” On the official X account, the directors even ran a special event, posting behind-the-scenes commentary in real time as the episode aired. On 5ch, though, the praise wasn’t universal — some threads pointed out that “it’s just been repeating the content of episode 1 the whole way through,” criticizing the slow pace of the source material, while others said they’d dropped the show partway through. Opinions were split. The threads also lit up with casting debates over who should play the leads in a hypothetical live-action adaptation.

    The 12th episode of the TV anime “The Two Who Smoke Behind the Supermarket” (Episode 12, the finale) — “The Two Who Keep Going Behind the Supermarket” — aired on Thursday, September 24, 2026. The broadcast ran 30 minutes later than its usual slot, but many viewers were waiting regardless, posting things like “Already feeling the loss before it even starts” and “Today I’m definitely watching live.” The official X account also held a “real-time viewing party,” with the directors posting comments and behind-the-scenes tidbits as the episode aired.

    The anime, nicknamed “Yani Suu” (Smoking), closed out its run to a chorus of praise: “Thank you for these happy times,” “Best three months ever!,” “So satisfying,” “I cried so hard,” “I want to keep watching this forever, next week and beyond.” Social media is already flooded with calls for more: “Season 2… please, give us Season 2…!,” “Please give us Season 2!,” “This absolutely needs a Season 2!!,” “I’ll wait however many years it takes.” Whether fans will get the chance to see “The Two Who Keep Going Behind the Supermarket” again remains to be seen… As for this writer, being a non-smoker, I’ll just wait eagerly while snacking on some tasty rice crackers.

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

    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:34
    I only know the synopsis, but did she actually blurt out
    'that's me' in it?
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:37
    Re: #4
    She suspects it, but hasn't said anything.
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:35
    Creepy structure where middle-aged guys project themselves onto the male lead
    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    I thought 'Mii-chan and Yamada-san' was about this
    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    Guys who smoke look like the type who'd watch baseball
    9AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    Spinoff

    Three People Drinking Canned Beer Behind the Driving School
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    Oh, the Netflix one?
    This is actually good
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    People who started smoking after watching this anime increased, huh
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:37
    For a live-action version, who'd play opposite Hiroshi Tamaki?
    64AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:00
    Re: #16
    Mei Nagano (heated tobacco device) https://image.news.livedoor.com/newsimage/stf/3/f/3fa2b_249_20240130011.jpg
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:38
    I watched up through about episode 3,
    but the pacing was so slow I dropped it — still, I'm curious how it ends, so I recorded the finale. Is it good??
    34AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:45
    Re: #17
    If you only watch the finale it won't make sense, delete that recording right now
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:38
    I just read the newest chapter and thought 'wait, it's not over yet!' — oh, they mean the anime lol
    49AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:51
    Re: #18
    As a manga reader, it's like 'Anime finale? What's that?' lol
    19AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:38
    Oh, it's on Netflix?
    I've been curious, might give it a watch
    20AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:38
    Re: #16
    If Anna Tsuchiya were around 20
    22AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:38
    Re: #1
    Between this and 'Smoking Cat' (a separate viral cat character), is smoking trending or something lol
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:39
    An unlucky anime that got completely overshadowed by 'Smoking Cat'
    26AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:40
    Re: #23
    Wait, they're different? lol
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:39
    I've only read the manga so I don't know if the anime included it,
    but there's a scene where the women rate the men like a beauty pageant — made me realize this kind of thing is still fine as long as the genders are flipped
    27AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:40
    By the way, if a celebrity smokes on TV it gets complaints and WHO warnings, but anime gets a pass?
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:42
    It was good —
    a genuine romance between a man just under 50 and a woman in her mid-20s,
    but the content felt oddly aimed at a young audience
    29AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:42
    A 'third place' story about a middle-aged guy moping around
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:43
    If these two actually dated, I bet the guy would get sarcasm and violence from her every single day
    33AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:45
    One of those typical manga that's all viral-bait setup and nothing else, from old Twitter
    from episode 1 all the way to episode 12's finale, it's just been repeating the content of episode 1 the whole time
    they just diluted the viral bit and stretched it out forever
    37AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:47
    One of my little joys has come to an end

    By the way,
    where's Ishura Season 3,
    I Parry Everything Season 2,
    and Kinnikuman Perfect Origin Arc Season 3?
    41AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:49
    Re: #37
    They're all such polarizing shows, I can't tell if you're joking for laughs or dead serious lol
    51AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:52
    This is a show anti-smokers and virgins hate
    63AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:00
    Re: #51
    Huh, it doesn't smell so I watched it just fine
    66AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:02
    Re: #51
    I hate smoking too, but is there really anyone who confuses a fun anime with real life?
    52AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:53
    I was looking forward to it, but ended up dropping it partway through.
    The middle-aged male lead was too pure/naive, so I couldn't really get invested.
    61AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:58
    Re: #52,53
    Yeah, that's really the whole problem right there
    54AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:54
    That was truly the best finale
    67AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:03
    If both Yamada and Tayama confessed to you, which would you pick?
    70AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:05
    Re: #67
    It's basically got to be Tayama, no other real option — that's the issue
    78AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:09
    Am I right that this is pretty rough/hardcore content aimed at smokers?
    86AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:10
    Re: #78
    Not even close — this is the kind of show where even people who normally can't stand anything cigarette-related suddenly start calling it 'so emotional' once it's animated
    88AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:11
    People compare it like 'Smoking Cat is dirty, the Supermarket one is classy,'

    but either way they both reek of cigarettes
    93AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:12
    Re: #88
    There's a girl like that at my workplace, but that indescribable chemical smell from her IQOS (heated tobacco device)…

    Background and Key Points of Discussion

    “The Two Who Smoke Behind the Supermarket” reportedly started life as a single-panel comic that went viral on social media, before being expanded into a serialized manga and later an anime — the TV series ran for 12 episodes over three months. Where opinions in the thread split was mainly the pacing: criticism that “it’s just been stretching out the content of episode 1 the whole time” coexisted with praise for how “it took its time developing the relationship, and that was great.” Several posts also confused the show with “Smoking Cat,” an unrelated cat character that separately went viral on social media — the two are easy to mix up but have nothing to do with each other. There was also some back-and-forth over the show’s depiction of smoking itself, though the backdrop here is that anime, unlike live-action TV, faces much looser regulation around depicting smoking.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “‘The Two Who Smoke Behind the Supermarket’ Finale Is Too Emotional — A Storm of Praise!! ‘I Cried So Hard,’ ‘Thank You for the Happiness,’ ‘Please Give Us Season 2!’.”

  • 69-Year-Old Father Marries 29-Year-Old Woman — Daughter Protests: “Come to Your Senses”

    A 40-something unmarried woman was told by her 69-year-old father that he was marrying a 29-year-old woman — and her account, posted to Yahoo! News’ life-advice column, has become a hot topic on 5channel. The new wife is younger than his daughter, and alongside the shock of “a little brother might be born when I’m 44,” she voiced her anxiety over how the inheritance will be divided and who will handle her father’s future care. The thread saw a stream of practical takes on inheritance shares, forced-heirship calculations, and the risks of having children late in life — but plenty of commenters also questioned the article’s credibility, calling it “smells like fiction” and pointing out that the site is “a regular offender for clickbait pieces.”

    “A Little Brother Bursting Into Existence at 44…?” Speechless at the Age of the New Wife Her 69-Year-Old Father Brought Home. The “Shocking Response” from Her Father After the Unmarried 40-Something Daughter Pleaded “Come to Your Senses!” [Expert Advice]

    (details omitted)

    Apparently, her now-69-year-old father suddenly told Sumire, “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

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

    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:46
    Well, guess that solves the caregiving worries
    21AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:48
    Re: #7
    Right, though on the flip side there's the money problem (the inheritance split)
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:48
    Re: #7
    There's a real chance the father gets sick and needs care while the little brother's still a minor, though…
    199AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:29
    Re: #7
    Maybe he's loaded enough to just dump the caregiving on a facility instead of doing it himself
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:47
    Re: #7
    She could claim a third of the estate, right?
    Probably fiction though
    130AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:11
    Re: #13
    Old man cheats, a birth (shussan) follows, he loses his cut of the estate, and now the settlement (kessan) is a mess.
    Wife (kassan) blows her top, dad's fist (tossan) comes flying, and he's so broke he can't even afford a Nissan.
    What a disaster (hissan) — (this is a chain of puns riffing on the "-san" sound across 出産/決算/嚊さん/日産/悲惨, basically untranslatable wordplay)
    137AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:13
    Re: #130
    The one asking for advice is the daughter, lol
    Meaning the new wife walks off with half the inheritance
    209AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:30
    Re: #130
    All the daughter can do is vent (hassan — the pun chain from above continues, playing on 発散)
    24AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:48
    This reads like AI wrote it, but it's probably one of those real stories that just happens to sound like AI
    188AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:26
    Re: #24
    These guys have been running this racket since before AI even existed — churning out clickbait "kotatsu articles" (pieces written from home with zero real reporting) for pageviews.

    Financial Field
    Bengo4.com
    Bengoshi JP
    FORZA STYLE
    Diamond Online
    THE GOLD ONLINE
    Business Online
    Norimono News / Kuruma no News
    J-CAST (mocked as "J-trash")
    Pinsuba News
    Yorozu News (Kobe Shimbun)
    Maidona News (Kobe Shimbun)
    Daily Sports (Kobe Shimbun)


    These are the usual garbage outlets for clickbait armchair pieces — worth remembering
    36AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:50
    If he's the Hiroshi Tachi type, he could totally pull it off
    49AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:52
    Re: #36
    Just found out Hiroshi Tachi is 76
    What a monster (in the best way)
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:51
    What would you guys do if your 69-year-old mother brought home a 29-year-old man?

    No matter how old you are, that's gotta feel awful from the kid's side, lol

    Assuming this isn't fiction
    58AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:54
    Re: #45
    Parents have their own lives to live, and the money is primarily theirs to begin with. I'm not planning my life around an inheritance anyway
    51AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:52
    It's the old man's life, nothing to be done about it
    60AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:54
    If you think of it as her taking over his caregiving, that's a good thing
    Assuming she can actually stand on her own two feet
    77AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:59
    Re: #60
    No way she's doing that. She'll take the money and vanish
    78AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:59
    Didn't people say a guy in his 40s can't marry a woman in her 20s even on a ¥20 million salary?

    Need ¥10 million if she's 4 years younger, ¥20 million if she's 8 years younger… The misguided 40-year-old man who can't land a single match even after applying to 100 women a month
    https://president.jp/articles/-/118877?page=1
    97AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:02
    Re: #78
    Normally even with billions in the bank, women in their 20s are out of reach
    Maybe if you're a celebrity
    If this case isn't an "usomatsu" (an obviously made-up sob story), then the guy's incredibly blessed (the original phrasing here is garbled/nonstandard Japanese)
    100AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:03
    If it were a single son in his 40s
    People might feel differently
    108AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:05
    Re: #100
    Son's fantasy: "Mom! You can't do that! Dad's gonna come back!"
    101AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:03
    Rich guys are prime targets
    Half the estate goes to the wife
    The other half split evenly among the kids
    124AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:09
    Re: #101
    Yeah, exactly this
    No matter what the will says, forced heirship means the wife walks off with half
    Since they're already legally married, there's nothing left to do but accept it

    Also, leave an elderly father living alone and cults or "widow hunters" (women who target and marry rich elderly men for their money) will come after him
    You really need to move in with him
    110AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:05
    Rough if the old man's aged sperm ends up causing a disability in the kid
    114AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:06
    Re: #110
    Apparently the odds of ADHD go up quite a bit
    159AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:17
    Re: #114
    So you're saying if you want a genius kid, you should wait until you're old to have one?
    217AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:33
    Re: #114
    The genetic effects actually come from the mother's age, not the father's
    133AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:12
    Even if the guy dies early, she just ends up a single mom who owns land and a house
    So what's even the problem here
    136AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:13
    Re: #133
    Her share is gonna be hell
    147AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:15
    I was thinking "do whatever you want," but then the rest of the article…

    >My father only ever takes her side. On top of that, he's started making snide remarks about me being single, even at this point… A few days ago he hit me with the final, lowest blow (details omitted) Why should I — the one who handled my mother's nursing care and even looked after my father's daily needs — be the one blamed now as if I'm the one who destroyed this family?

    Reading this part, yeah, this father is genuinely the worst
    194AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:28
    Re: #147
    Ah, if she was the one handling his caregiving and daily needs, she can file for a contribution share (a legal provision letting caregivers claim extra from the estate) — I'm rooting for the daughter here
    Especially with caregiving — without family help, you end up giving up your job, marriage, all kinds of things…
    150AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:15
    If he's rich, this is basically a hostile takeover of the family
    157AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:17
    Re: #150
    If this daughter's the only child, the family line dies out either way
    156AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:17
    A guy in his 40s could normally marry a woman in her 20s just fine, right?
    160AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:17
    Re: #156
    The guy is 69
    166AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:20
    Re: #156
    Can you not even read the thread title?
    170AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:20
    Half the estate goes to the young wife
    The other half gets split with the new baby brother
    Rough deal
    180AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:23
    Re: #170
    Say it's Tokyo, 50 tsubo (about 165 sqm) at ¥2 million per tsubo, that's ¥100 million
    Wife inherits ¥50 million
    The 40-something daughter and her new half-brother get about ¥25 million each

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    Under Article 900 of Japan’s Civil Code, a surviving spouse’s statutory share of an estate is one-half, and forced heirship generally follows the same ratio — so in this case too, the new wife stands a good chance of receiving close to half the estate. That’s the legal backdrop behind the thread’s repeated focus on inheritance shares. The claim that “an elderly father’s sperm raises a child’s risk of developmental disorders” isn’t baseless folklore either — it echoes actual research on the accumulation of sperm mutations with age. That said, commenters singled out specific outlets like Financial Field and Bengo4.com as frequent culprits in writing up these “life advice” testimonials purely to farm pageviews, so it’s worth keeping in mind that the story’s authenticity remains very much in question.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Breaking News Plus) thread “69-Year-Old Man Marries 29-Year-Old Woman — Unmarried 40-Something Daughter Pleads “Come to Your Senses!”: “A Little Brother Bursting Into Existence at 44…?”“.

  • Beauty trend of men cutting their eyelashes short goes global — 5ch: ‘A middle-aged guy with long lashes? Gross’

    A beauty trend of men cutting their eyelashes short to “look more masculine” is spreading overseas, with videos of barbershops and salons trimming lashes using clippers and scissors being posted on social media, Nikkan Gendai reports. Overseas media have reportedly been covering this phenomenon repeatedly since around last spring. On 5ch, the discussion ranged widely — from body-hair trivia like “unlike head hair, eyelashes grow back after cutting, so they’ll return,” to questions about the very concept of “masculinity,” to fun facts about how deep-set eyes and skull shape change how long eyelashes appear.

    Are shorter eyelashes more “manly”? A bizarre beauty trend as cutting videos flood social media | Nikkan Gendai DIGITAL

    Published: 2026/09/25 06:00　Updated: 2026/09/25 06:00

    Long eyelashes have long been coveted by women, but a strange beauty trend is spreading among men: cutting their eyelashes short to “look more masculine.” Videos of barbershops and beauty salons trimming male customers’ eyelashes with electric clippers and scissors have been posted on social media, and overseas outlets have been covering the trend one after another since around last spring.

    Source: nikkan-gendai.com / Original article here

    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 08:49
    I think I heard somewhere that eyelashes and eyebrows don't grow back, so you shouldn't do it.
    Also, if you cut your lashes too short, sweat gets in your eyes and stings.
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 08:55
    Re: #6
    They do grow back — who said they wouldn't? Eyelashes shed and regrow just like other hair.
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 08:56
    Don't eyelashes thin out with age too?
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 08:58
    Re: #14
    Depends on the person. But yeah, as you age your body's hair-growing function ages too, so it's fair to say they thin out as a result.
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 08:59
    When I took finasteride, my face got weirdly feminine-looking. I was wondering why, and then I remembered — my eyelashes had gotten longer lol
    30AnonymousSep 25, 2026 09:08
    Re: #18
    So your lashes grew back but your hair didn't, huh
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 09:07
    Aw, I actually like guys with long eyelashes — like Middle Eastern guys, Italians, or Kazuki Kitamura (Japanese actor)
    67AnonymousSep 25, 2026 09:57
    Re: #28
    People from Kagoshima seem to have long ones too. Actually, my parent's from Kagoshima and my eyelashes are super long — long enough to rustle when I blink.
    34AnonymousSep 25, 2026 09:18
    I think people with long eyelashes just don't groom their face — their eyebrows are probably left to grow wild too
    53AnonymousSep 25, 2026 09:43
    Nobody's looking at some middle-aged guy's eyelashes anyway, right? Maybe only gay guys?
    64AnonymousSep 25, 2026 09:54
    Re: #53
    These days all sorts of industries are experimenting with how to sexualize middle-aged men to monetize it — after all, the guys who don't care about this stuff are the ones with money.
    77AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:18
    Didn't everyone agree we should drop this whole 'masculine'/'feminine' framing?
    83AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:24
    Re: #77
    Can't help it — the article was written by some old guy from the Ice Age or Bubble generation (Japan's tough-job-market and economic-boom generations).
    87AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:39
    Yeah, honestly a middle-aged guy with long eyelashes is kind of gross. Long lashes on a man are only forgivable if he's young and good-looking.
    111AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:13
    Re: #87
    Apparently Ryusei Yokohama (actor) went through a phase where he really hated how his eyelashes curled upward.
    114AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:16
    You should shave off your eyebrows too and draw them on with a brush — looks cooler
    149AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:34
    My eyes are deep-set, so even though my lashes are really long, most of them are buried in the eyelid and only a little sticks out — if I cut them they'd basically disappear!!!
    153AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:36
    Re: #149
    Oh, so that's how deep-set eyes work! I see! Since the eye itself sits back, the lashes sit back too… guess it's exactly what it sounds like.
    164AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:49
    Re: #153
    It's eyes like this — this person's half-American, right? I'm mixed-race too. Since it's set back in the eyelid, even from the side you're not seeing the true length, just the tips poking out. Classic deep-set-eye thing.


    166AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:51
    Re: #164
    So that kind of thing happens too when your bone structure is different. Makes sense.
    186AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:44
    (　ﾟ∀ﾟ)
    　(　　∩ミ 　Shorter is more "manly"
    　 |　 ω |
    　 し ⌒Ｊ
    195AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:15
    Re: #186
    Ever since I got hospitalized, it shrank and I turned into a kid

    Background and key points of the discussion

    The thread repeated the urban legend that “cutting your eyelashes stops them from growing back,” but like other body hair, eyelashes naturally cycle and regrow, so they’re said to return to their original length within a few weeks to months even after being cut. The trend itself reportedly took off on Western social media around last spring, apparently sparked by barbershops and salons offering lash-clipping services, and overseas media have covered it repeatedly ever since — Japanese outlets are only now picking it up after the fact. Where opinions in the thread split was over the very definition of “masculinity”: some argued that not bothering with grooming is fine as is, while others countered that keeping a groomed, clean-cut look is exactly what makes a good impression. Posters also swapped personal accounts of how deep-set eyes or differences in skull structure change how long or visible eyelashes appear — a point about individual variation beyond simple “long vs. short” comparisons that the original article doesn’t really convey.

    ※ This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “[Looks…] Are shorter eyelashes more “manly”? A bizarre beauty trend as cutting videos flood social media.”

  • Fukuoka Assemblyman Used Anonymous ‘Burner Account’ to Attack Whistleblower Colleague — Ex-Secretary to Former Speaker

    It was revealed on the 24th, at a press conference, that Taisuke Hayashi, an assembly member from the Liberal Democratic Party’s prefectural caucus — the largest bloc in the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly — had repeatedly posted attacks under an anonymous account called “Mimizu-ya-san,” targeting both the assembly member who exposed a money-for-favors scandal and reports covering the broader assembly controversy. His identity came to light after the same phrasing turned up on his own official account, prompting Hayashi to apologize. On 5channel, posters pointed out the irony of how the mix-up exposed him and how Hayashi himself had voted in favor of measures to combat online harassment, though some comments veered into partisan labeling.

    Regarding the money-for-favors scandal in the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly, Taisuke Hayashi — a member of the LDP prefectural caucus, the assembly’s largest bloc — spoke to reporters on the 24th and revealed that he had used an anonymous account on X (Twitter) to post attacks targeting the assembly member who exposed the scandal.

    He had also repeatedly attacked posts that referenced the broader assembly controversy. Asked whether he had tried to steer public opinion while concealing his identity, he said, “I’m well aware that’s what I did,” and apologized: “I recognize this was inappropriate conduct, and I offer my sincere apologies.”

    According to Hayashi, the anonymous X account was named “Mimizu-ya-san” (since deleted). It had posted mockingly about assembly member Motoaki Yoshimatsu — who exposed the money-for-favors scandal — after Yoshimatsu was covered by a weekly magazine over an unrelated matter. The account also repeatedly quote-posted content covering the scandal and assembly controversy with jabs like “lol, this guy doesn’t even realize he’s riding the old media’s coattails” and “pathetic writer, staking his life on toilet-wall graffiti.” Online, people had already been speculating that the anonymous account belonged to Hayashi.

    Source: mainichi.jp / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 25, 2026 01:44
    Seriously, this is beyond pathetic
    46AnonymousSep 25, 2026 03:13
    What kind of smug clown pulls something like this? (referencing "Doya Konga," a meme image of a smirking gorilla used to mock arrogance)
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 01:56
    He slipped up and posted from his official account by mistake
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HSjp-gIaUAAT3CY?format=jpg&name=small
    90AnonymousSep 25, 2026 05:13
    Re: #8
    Re: #5
    Ugh… For him to still be sucking up like a lackey at this point, there must be a serious payoff in it for him (lol)
    106AnonymousSep 25, 2026 06:21
    Re: #5
    Every time I see someone slip up like this, I wonder why people manage multiple accounts on one phone. If an account posts stuff that'd be disastrous if exposed, just run it from a separate device — you could grab a cheap phone for like 10,000 yen.
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 01:56
    This "underboss" will do anything for his "boss," huh (lol) (yakuza terms used mockingly for a political flunky)
    43AnonymousSep 25, 2026 03:06
    Re: #6
    Guess that's exactly it.
    It's messed up.
    192AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:06
    This whole thing only became a story because he's a blunderer who got his burner account exposed, as in Re: #6 — this kind of posting itself is pretty common.
    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 01:59
    Wait, how did he even get caught?
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 02:26
    Re: #8
    He was slinging insults from an anonymous side account called "Mimizu-ya," then slipped up and used the same phrase Mimizu-ya used — "love hotel cheer squad" — on his own official account, which is how he got busted.
    21AnonymousSep 25, 2026 02:36
    What's the proof that account actually belongs to him?
    23AnonymousSep 25, 2026 02:40
    Re: #21
    He admitted it himself on a live evening broadcast yesterday (Mentai Wide). There's footage on Yahoo News too.
    30AnonymousSep 25, 2026 02:50
    Re: #23
    Yeah, there's no wiggling out of that one. He's the only one dumb enough to use a phrase like "love hotel cheer squad."
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 02:53
    Re: #30
    Maybe he's got other stuff that'd be way worse if it came out, and doesn't want people digging further into this?

    He's going out of his way with a weird excuse, after all:
    > He stressed, "Aside from this incident, I don't believe I've ever acted in a way unbecoming of an assemblyman."
    33AnonymousSep 25, 2026 02:57
    "I thought this was the only way to cool down an overheated situation."

    What a dumb excuse (lol). Explain to me exactly how hiding your identity to hurl insults is supposed to calm anything down.
    136AnonymousSep 25, 2026 07:35
    Re: #33
    (Face twisted in agony) "This… is the only way!" → "Yo, love hotel cheer squad! (lol)"

    The fact that this guy represents the people of Fukuoka as their assemblyman is seriously messed up.
    51AnonymousSep 25, 2026 03:23
    If even a local assemblyman is doing this, you know paid astroturfing outfits like Lancers are probably still operating in some form (referencing past scandals where politicians hired freelancers via the crowdsourcing site Lancers to post favorable comments online)
    53AnonymousSep 25, 2026 03:26
    Mimizu-ya's past posts

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HSoE_TGa8AAF-B_?format=jpg&name=900×900
    135AnonymousSep 25, 2026 07:34
    Re: #53
    That's awful… not just as an assemblyman, but as a human being…
    87AnonymousSep 25, 2026 05:05
    This is the guy who called for a no-confidence motion, lol
    89AnonymousSep 25, 2026 05:10
    Re: #87
    It wasn't actually a no-confidence motion.
    94AnonymousSep 25, 2026 05:29
    The real issue is that Fukuoka voters chose a guy like this as their elected representative in the first place…
    99AnonymousSep 25, 2026 05:54
    Re: #94
    Well, true, but on top of that this guy… won his seat unopposed, without a single vote being cast (lol)

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    The backdrop here is a money-for-favors scandal that surfaced in the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly, first exposed by assembly member Motoaki Yoshimatsu. The burner-account story came to light after Assemblyman Hayashi accidentally posted the same distinctive phrase (“love hotel cheer squad”) on his own official account that his anonymous account had used — a textbook case of writing habits giving away an anonymous poster’s identity. Many commenters pointed out the irony that Hayashi had himself voted in favor of measures against online harassment then under assembly review, while other posts tried to frame the incident along partisan lines with labels like “net-right” or “left-wing,” leaving reactions divided. Separately, deliberations continue on the truth of the underlying money-for-favors scandal itself, apart from this incident.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Breaking News Plus) thread “Fukuoka Assemblyman Used Anonymous “Burner Account” to Attack Whistleblower — Ex-Secretary to Former Speaker.”

  • ‘The Only Game Console Is the Switch’ Post Goes Viral — 5ch: ‘It’s Not Becoming That Way, It’s Been That Way for a While’

    A story spread online after someone, when asked about home consoles, reportedly replied, “Aren’t game consoles just Switch?” The tale became a hot topic on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (“Geha”) board. In the thread, comments poured in saying “Switch is basically synonymous with game consoles now,” with many pointing to the gap in name recognition compared to PlayStation. Meanwhile, some argued the pecking order for gaming devices runs “smartphone > PC > Nintendo > PlayStation,” sparking further debate over whether that ranking itself holds up.

    1AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:25
    lol (5ch laughter slang, literally "grass")
    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:26
    Lmao, they're just plain ignorant
    57AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:13
    Re: #3
    Saying "real gamers use PS5" is the ignorant take here
    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:33
    That's about the level of its name recognition these days.
    Though Madoka Magica Portable was a masterpiece, mind you (PSP spin-off of the anime).
    39AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:05
    Re: #38
    Correction:
    Home console: ✕
    Digital download: ○
    41AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:06
    Re: #39
    Maybe they mean the Vita TV
    46AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:08
    Knowing "Portable" because you memorized it for a vocab test is kind of cute, lol
    49AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:09
    Re: #46
    Right
    Such a student thing to say
    That freshness and innocence is different from us
    47AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:09
    No, there's value in it — now they know PlayStation exists. Once they look it up, they'll realize the Switch was garbage all along.
    50AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:10
    Re: #47
    Guess it'll come out that PlayStation isn't worth buying
    56AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:12
    Re: #47
    At this point, just learning it exists isn't enough anymore. For this person, dedicated home consoles have already become a thing of history, so the bar is set incredibly high.
    63AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:15
    "Game console" basically means Switch now —
    that's becoming the common perception.
    74AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:22
    Re: #63
    It's not "becoming" that — it's been that way for a while now
    67AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:18
    PlayStation was the #1 game console 25 years ago, but if you rank today's gaming devices by purchase priority, it's smartphone > PC > Nintendo > PlayStation — dead last at #4. It's in a spot only hardcore enthusiasts bother with.
    73AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:20
    Re: #67
    Slightly off — "PC" in everyday use includes PCs without a graphics card too
    97AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:32
    And even my parents back home only ever owned a PS1.
    Even people from that generation say PlayStation stopped at the first one, lol
    116AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:39
    Re: #97
    The real phase is coming next, where even parents won't know what PlayStation is. If you're already losing it over stuff like this, you won't last.
    123AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:42
    This really shows the kind of intelligence level Nintendo has cornered the market on
    126AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:43
    Re: #123
    Name recognition and intelligence level are two different things
    130AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:45
    Re: #126
    Isn't the whole point of name recognition how well it reaches even idiots?
    136AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:48
    Re: #130
    Oh, so PlayStation is "for people with high intelligence," is it?
    This one's a classic.
    138AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:50
    Re: #130
    Then PlayStation has even less name recognition, doesn't it

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    Platform rivalries are a frequent sight on the Hardware/Industry board, but this particular spark appears to have come from an offhand remark that took on a life of its own. In Japan, the Nintendo Switch has spread across a wide range of age groups and is increasingly used as a stand-in term for “home game console” itself. PlayStation, meanwhile, has a long history but is often cited as lagging behind in recognition among younger generations. The “smartphone → PC → Nintendo → PlayStation” purchase-priority ranking that came up in the thread is based on individual impressions rather than any official statistics. Indeed, some replies pushed back on the simple ranking, pointing out that “PC” as a category also includes ordinary computers with no gaming use in mind. The fact that what “game console” even refers to is shifting depending on generation and use case appears to be the underlying reason this reaction spread as widely as it did.

    ※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hardware/Industry, “Geha”) thread “Gamer: ‘What’s a home console? Aren’t game consoles just Switch?’ → Goes massively viral lol”.

  • Lifetime singlehood rate tops 30% — 5ch: “Doesn’t matter if you’re a man or woman, being single means you’re done for”

    News that Japan’s lifetime singlehood rate has finally topped 30% sparked a reaction thread on 5ch’s Nanjaku (Livegalileo) board. Pushback against the “it’s your own fault for not having 3 kids” argument pointed to countries with even lower birthrates than Japan’s, like Taiwan (0.69), Singapore (0.87), and South Korea (0.89), setting off a clash between those who blame declining births on personal choice and those who blame social structures. Opinions also split over marriage-agency experiences and the everyday question of whether living alone or living with a partner is more cost-effective, turning the thread into a debate over familiar numbers close to home.

    1AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:51
    Damn, that's rough
    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:53
    Forget the guys — women need to get married
    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:53
    Re: #3
    Doesn't matter if you're a man or woman, being single means you're done for
    9AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:55
    Re: #3
    It's basically 1:1, though
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:55
    No wonder we're headed for extinction with this birthrate
    Population will be 8 million by 2200, extinct by 2500

    Why didn't you guys get married and have 3 kids?
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:57
    Re: #6
    How many kids do you have?
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:55
    In the end, it's your blame-everyone-else mindset that paved the road to extinction
    If you'd taken initiative, gotten married, and had 3 kids, this country wouldn't be in decline
    21AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:59
    Re: #10
    Go ahead and go enlighten Taiwan (0.69), Singapore (0.87), and South Korea (0.89) — the countries with the worst total fertility rates
    86AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:39
    Re: #10
    I've got 2 kids — how about you?
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:55
    That's really reassuring
    Being single makes life hard, after all
    13AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:57
    Re: #11
    No matter how many single people there are, that's not reassuring in the slightest
    19AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:59
    Re: #11
    Life's incredibly easy, actually
    34AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:14
    It's kind of telling that it's always the ones who can't handle being alone who end up single
    37AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:16
    Re: #34
    Married people are the weak ones, if anything
    42AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:19
    When you stop and think "would a kid really be happy being born into this Japan?" it gets complicated
    47AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:22
    Re: #42
    At this rate we'll be extinct in a few hundred years, you know?
    Not enough sense of urgency
    51AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:23
    Re: #42
    This hits way too close to home
    A country where becoming a civil servant is the "safest" option — no dreams, no hope
    68AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:31
    Honestly, I think living alone is tougher money-wise
    Even leaving out the cost of kids, two incomes together is just too strong
    75AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:34
    Re: #68
    For someone who doesn't mind pinching pennies, living alone is way more cost-effective
    To put it in split-the-bill terms: even if you order just the cheapest single item on the menu and drink nothing but water, if your partner orders a bottle of wine and a full course, splitting it evenly ends up costing you a fortune — the whole point of saving is lost
    Since spendthrifts tend to be men more often, women who can enjoy being frugal keep their costs down more by living alone
    79AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:36
    Re: #75
    I don't want a life like that, always scrimping
    With two incomes, having your partner's whole paycheck coming in too is just huge
    87AnonymousSep 25, 2026 13:40
    Re: #75
    You can cut costs that way, but I don't think it's actually good value
    Is a life of scrimping alone, eating meals without talking to anyone, really fun?
    As a couple, even when money's tight you can still find ways to enjoy it
    126AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:08
    If you guys had enough money to support 10 people for life, you wouldn't be talking cheap like this — you'd just get married
    Being untalented really is cruel
    127AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:09
    Re: #126
    Right, why were talentless, worthless "weak men" that nobody likes even born in the first place, huh?
    134AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:12
    Re: #126
    There are also ugly guys who can't get married no matter how much money they have
    132AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:11
    It's simply that once people have so many options they can feel fulfilled on their own, they stop having kids
    Even in Africa, birthrates drop once people move to the cities
    No country has ever solved this
    137AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:16
    Re: #132
    Israel's the only exception, and that's a special case
    140AnonymousSep 25, 2026 14:18
    Re: #132
    A lot of people don't realize it's basically a kind of "luxury disease"
    Trying to just "increase the numbers" instead of changing the social model is way off base

    Background and key points of this discussion

    The lifetime singlehood rate (the share of people who have never married by age 50) is a figure calculated from the national census and updated every five years. In the thread, the “it’s your own fault for not getting married and having 3 kids” argument drew pushback citing countries with even lower birthrates than Japan’s — Taiwan (0.69), Singapore (0.87), and South Korea (0.89) — splitting opinion between those who blame declining births on personal choice and those who blame social structures. It was also pointed out that the lifetime singlehood rate and the divorce rate are separate statistics: since the lifetime singlehood rate only tracks whether someone has ever married, it doesn’t capture the rising number of people who are single again after divorce. Differing everyday impressions of whether living alone or living with a partner is more cost-effective was another point where opinions diverged.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nanjaku/Livegalileo board) thread “[Sad News] Lifetime singlehood rate goes and tops 30%wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

  • Is a Weak Yen Good for Japan? 5ch: ‘It’s Like Arguing Over Ideal Temperature’

    A thread titled “Is a weak yen actually in Japan’s national interest?” on 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo G” board sparked a heated debate over currency policy. Opinions clashed between those who see the weak yen as a symptom of declining national credibility and worry about eroding asset values, and those who point to the room it gives for low interest rates and the boost to exporters’ earnings. Some even proposed switching to a fixed exchange rate system. The discussion also spilled into tax policy, debating how the pace of tax hikes and the fiscal deficit relate to the weak yen — with no consensus emerging even among experts.

    1AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:48
    Feels like the conservative-leaning crowd won't tolerate anyone opposing the weak yen these days
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:50
    If you want a weak yen, bring in immigrants.
    Japanese people don't want blue-collar jobs, so the weak yen barely helps anyone.
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:53
    Re: #6
    Why would anyone bother coming all the way here to work for a weak currency?
    161AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:34
    Re: #6
    To bring in immigrants in the first place, you need to keep the yen's value up.
    There's no way elite foreigners — the kind who can learn Japanese and handle Japan's advanced jobs (even convenience store shifts here count as advanced by global standards) — are coming to earn some garbage currency.
    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:51
    Too strong is bad, too weak is bad — there's just a sweet spot. That's all this is.
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:52
    Re: #8
    Nobody actually knows where that sweet spot is.
    11AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:52
    Re: #8
    Then couldn't we just fix the exchange rate at that ideal number?
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:54
    This is as much a false binary as asking "is it better to be hot or cold?"
    Obviously a comfortable temperature is best, and obviously no sudden swings is best.
    45AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:03
    Re: #18
    Going by that logic, couldn't you just peg the rate (temperature) at the comfortable level?
    55AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:07
    Re: #45
    A "fixed" exchange rate only looks fixed — behind the scenes the government is constantly buying and selling currency to hold that level.
    If Japan declared a fixed rate, it would just mean intervening endlessly to keep it at, say, 160 yen.
    Not that different from now.
    95AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:18
    Re: #45
    Maybe water temperature is the better analogy then?
    Air temperature changes on its own, but water temperature has to be actively adjusted to suit the season.
    60AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:08
    The weak yen is dragging this country further into decline though
    63AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:09
    Re: #60
    Nice try, hater — this country's been declining for 30+ years, that's old news.
    67AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:10
    Re: #60
    You talk like Japan's decline would just stop if the yen got stronger.
    74AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:12
    Re: #60
    You've got the causality backwards.
    The yen is weak because national credibility is declining.
    If credibility rose, the yen would strengthen.

    Tax cuts erode credibility, so they weaken the yen.
    Tax hikes build credibility, so they strengthen it.
    65AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:09
    Japan's economy boomed during the weak-yen years.
    It stagnated during the strong-yen years.
    71AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:12
    Re: #65
    Abenomics saw GDP drop 30%, so that logic doesn't hold up.
    73AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:12
    Re: #65
    What do you even mean by "economic growth"?
    Stock prices or something? lol
    80AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:13
    Re: #65
    What matters is that the yen was stable during Japan's actual growth years. These days pretty much only Yoichi Takahashi (a well-known pro-Abenomics economist) claims a weak yen equals growth.
    115AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:22
    Are you seriously happy watching your own currency lose its value?
    How would you feel if your car or your house dropped in value like that?
    130AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:25
    Re: #115
    Exactly.
    People holding assets right now lose out,
    which is why they hate the weak yen.
    142AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:28
    Re: #115
    That's just because other countries printed too much money and got forced into high interest rates.
    Japan having room for low rates is actually an advantage.
    120AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:23
    Re: #115
    Which is exactly why the only way to get a stronger yen is to raise taxes.
    136AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:27
    Re: #120
    So why does the yen keep weakening even though taxes have kept going up…?
    140AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:28
    Re: #136
    Because spending on the public is growing even faster —
    the national budget keeps ballooning faster than the tax hikes can keep up.
    148AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:30
    Re: #136
    The pace of tax hikes is nowhere near enough.
    We're not running a fiscal surplus, so of course it gets worse every year.

    Debt: 1,000 trillion yen.
    Spending this year: 120 trillion yen.
    Tax revenue after the hikes: 70 trillion yen.
    Debt grew by 50 trillion yen.
    Of course the yen weakens.
    If you want a stronger yen, raise taxes more and actually pay down the debt.

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    A weak or strong yen cuts through the economy via multiple channels — exporters’ earnings, prices, and the real value of held assets — so it doesn’t reduce neatly to a simple “good” or “bad.” The fixed exchange rate idea raised in the thread is also easy to misread: in practice it just means the government and the Bank of Japan buying and selling currency without limit to hold a target level, which is really an extension of the current floating-rate system rather than something fundamentally different. It’s also worth noting that “record-high” nominal GDP or corporate earnings figures partly reflect the boost from a weaker yen, so confusing them with real, inflation-adjusted figures can distort the picture. On the link between the fiscal deficit and the weak yen, some blame the slow pace of tax hikes while others point to ballooning government spending — and even experts remain divided.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[In-Depth Debate] So, Is a Weak Yen Actually in Japan’s National Interest? Even Experts Are Divided.”

  • Kubo Takefusa’s “Boo the Opponent Too” Comment Sparks Debate After Uruguay Match That Drew 40,000 Fans

    On September 24, Japan’s national team beat Uruguay 3-1 at Q&A Stadium Miyagi. After the match, reports emerged that Takefusa Kubo had said something to the effect of “I’d honestly rather you boo when the other team gets a chance.” The comment split opinion on a thread in 5ch’s Geinou/Sports Breaking News+ (“Geisoku”) board. Some praised the “good manners” of applauding the opponent’s fine plays, while others fired back harshly, pointing to Kubo’s own form and his limited playing time at Real Sociedad, telling him to “let your own results speak first.”

    “I think the atmosphere was good, but…”

    On September 24, Japan’s national team faced Uruguay at Q&A Stadium Miyagi and won a close contest 3-1.

    [Photos] Ratings for all 19 Japan players who played against Uruguay, plus the manager! Top marks went to the 23-year-old midfielder who made a stunning debut, while Ueda (1 goal, 1 assist) and match-winner Shiogai also earned high praise

    Source: soccerdigestweb.com / Read the original article here

    2AnonymousSep 25, 2026 09:51
    Think he can catch up to Lee Kang-in? (the South Korean winger, a common comparison point for Kubo)
    6AnonymousSep 25, 2026 09:58
    Re: #2
    Whoa, that was fast
    Are you just refreshing the thread list nonstop?
    36AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:41
    Re: #2
    Dude already lost out to Minamino, Ito, and Nakamura, lol
    77AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:15
    Re: #2
    Probably a lost cause at this point
    3AnonymousSep 25, 2026 09:56
    Re: #1
    He doesn't need to show up for the national team for a while
    though he might already be done for good
    4AnonymousSep 25, 2026 09:57
    Holding back on booing the opponent is actually something to be proud of, if you ask me
    5AnonymousSep 25, 2026 09:58
    Winning or losing a friendly doesn't matter at all — honestly getting thrashed would help the team more
    Someone tell the JFA to book tougher opponents
    7AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:01
    Maybe focus on doing well for your club first
    8AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:03
    This made it crystal clear Kubo's useless out on the right
    He was only ever a functional player centrally, fed passes by Ito
    16AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:06
    Re: #8
    Anyone who actually watches Sociedad already knows that
    27AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:20
    Re: #8
    He's useless in the middle,
    that's exactly why they stick him out on the right
    9AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:04
    How could you possibly boo a team that flew in from literally the other side of the world in Europe to give a friendly their full effort
    10AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:04
    Don't ask the impossible from a fair-weather national-team crowd
    It's not like they're Urawa Reds ultras
    14AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:06
    They just keep chanting "Oh, Nippon!" nonstop regardless of what's happening
    15AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:06
    What is this guy even talking about
    Reminds me of Honda
    17AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:07
    In Japan, if you boo at a soccer match, you're the one who ends up getting criticized for it
    18AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:09
    Japan still isn't a truly hardcore soccer nation

    It's often said the fans, refs, and coaches haven't caught up with how much the players themselves have grown
    19AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:09
    A Sociedad bench-warmer sure has a way with words
    25AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:19
    No one better than Kubo has come along
    and even if someone does, they'll top out at Kubo's level anyway
    28AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:22
    Typical Spain, where slurs fly around freely
    29AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:22
    A bench player from a club that's nothing special is the face of the national team
    and yet that national team is actually pretty strong
    Guess that really is down to manager Moriyasu
    30AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:35
    I get wanting to play comfortably at home, but
    I don't think it's good to turn into one of those foreign crowds that boo whenever the other team attacks
    And this was just a friendly, remember
    We might come off as pushovers for it, but I think good plays deserve applause even when they're from the away side
    If that's not acceptable, then soccer just isn't suited to Japanese fans
    32AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:36
    > He doesn't want the crowd getting hyped up when the opponent gets a chance

    What a gentle world
    Nothing wrong with just enjoying the soccer for what it is
    Drawing 40,000 people to Miyagi on a Thursday night right after a long holiday weekend is impressive though
    33AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:37
    A foul is one thing, but booing the opponent just for getting a scoring chance seems like bad manners to me.
    35AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:39
    Have people already forgotten how pathetic the World Cup showing was?
    Given his own situation at his club, he's in no position to be telling fans something like that
    Way too embarrassing
    38AnonymousSep 25, 2026 10:45
    Not booing Japan's own pathetic play, you mean? (lol)
    54AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:29
    Where exactly is Kubo supposed to play to actually be effective?
    57AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:33
    Re: #54
    Next to the commentator in the broadcast booth
    65AnonymousSep 25, 2026 11:57
    Re: #54
    Sitting quietly on the bench
    82AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:26
    When did it get like this?
    Back in the day people booed normally, and Jo (Shoji Joe, the former Japan striker) even had raw eggs thrown at him
    Somehow it turned into players going home happy, praised for picking up litter in the stands instead
    88AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:33
    Re: #82
    I'd guess the top supporter groups have just been tamed by the federation
    91AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:41
    Is "as long as it's entertaining, it doesn't matter who wins, even in an international match" a uniquely Japanese attitude?
    96AnonymousSep 25, 2026 12:47
    Re: #91
    Number magazine reported that at this World Cup, Mexican fans were the most easygoing of all — even after a loss, neither the fans nor the media went hunting for a scapegoat

    Background and Points of Debate

    Even though it was only a friendly, the match drew over 40,000 spectators to Miyagi, and Takefusa Kubo’s comment drew attention against the backdrop of Japan’s soccer-watching culture. In some European leagues it isn’t unusual for fans to boo the opposing team’s good plays, whereas in Japan applause for the opponent and “omotenashi”-style (hospitality-minded) support have become the norm — Kubo’s request can be read as acknowledging that cultural gap. Opinions on the thread split over one specific point: whether to praise the suggestion as a matter of courtesy and fair-play spirit, or, given Kubo’s limited playing time and position at his club, to see it as a case where “results should come before words.” Kubo has been the subject of ongoing reports about his lack of playing time at Sociedad, and that context appears to be fueling much of the critical reaction.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Breaking News+) thread “[Soccer] “I want you backing us up” — Takefusa Kubo makes an “unusual” request of a crowd of over 40,000: “I’d honestly rather you boo…”“.