Japan Reacts

Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

  • Hikaru on unauthorized reposting of his paid videos: “I’ll seize their bank account even if they’re on welfare”

    YouTuber Hikaru (35) has released a video showing himself, accompanied by a lawyer, directly confronting a user who allegedly reposted his membership-exclusive paid videos without permission. In the video, Hikaru states that “ordinary YouTube clips are fine, but reposting paid content is simply not okay,” and adds that he intends to seize the person’s bank account even if they are a welfare recipient. In response, a thread on 5channel’s Geinou/Sports News+ board saw a wave of comments that, while agreeing his stance against unauthorized reposting was reasonable, questioned whether the statement was actually feasible, since welfare benefits are legally protected from seizure.

    September 4, 2026, 7:28 PM

    YouTuber Hikaru (35) updated his official YouTube channel by September 4th, addressing the issue of his paid membership videos (¥490/month) being reposted without authorization.

    The video, uploaded under the title “Raphael reposted my paid video without permission, so I brought a lawyer and went to confront him in person,” shows fellow YouTuber Raphael asking, “So clips themselves aren’t a problem, right?” to which Hikaru replies, “Ordinary YouTube clips are fine. But paid content is simply not okay.”

    Source: news.livedoor.com / Original article here

    6AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:15
    This guy only ever talks about money.
    8AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:16
    The guy who posted those movie recap shorts apparently got hit with 500 million yen in damages.

    Re: #6
    They just keep writing articles that are all about money, and people keep reading them, don't they.
    22AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:25
    Re: #8
    Well, the thread title sounds so ominous, of course people are gonna click in just to see what's going on.
    7AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:15
    Isn't it from overseas — like Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong?
    9AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:16
    The textbook YouTuber that only idiots watch.
    10AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:16
    If they're on welfare, they won't really feel the damage anyway.
    12AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:17
    Don't go provoking a "muteki no hito" (a "person with nothing to lose" — internet slang for someone who might snap violently) too much. That's dangerous.
    13AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:17
    Well, reposting paid content is a no-go. But seizing a welfare recipient's bank account gets you nothing. Spoken like a true rich guy.
    15AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:19
    If you frame it as "Hikaru said this in his membership video, and here's what I think about it," you can drop spoilers legally without any issue.
    16AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:19
    Are there actually people who pay money just to watch this guy's videos?
    19AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:21
    A dispute between YouTubers?
    21AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:24
    Someone like that has probably reposted other people's stuff too, so go ahead and keep going after them — though results might not follow.
    23AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:25
    He got famous off a video exposing the trick behind festival stall (tekiya) lottery games, which even got picked up by TV (who knows if it was staged though).
    He originally built his success by being seen as a "good guy" who won people's sympathy.
    If he goes after illegal streamers of anime, dramas, and movies, he might win back more supporters.
    But if it turns out to be staged again, this could really be the end for him.
    24AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:28
    If a welfare recipient is even signed up for Hikaru's paid content, that alone should be a problem lol
    26AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:31
    How much is a clip even worth as an asset in the first place? There's no way they'd actually do it.
    28AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:34
    I've seen Hikaru's tekiya scam-exposing video, but I don't watch his other stuff and wouldn't want my kids watching it either. Still, I think actions like this are really good — it could help clean up streaming and the internet in general. I've got high hopes.
    31AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:36
    This guy actually seems like he'd go through with it.
    And he'd probably turn it into content again too.
    41AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:43
    Re: #31
    That's unconstitutional and has zero legal basis — how would he even do it?
    Kidnap and confine them or something?
    36AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:38
    Do people even still upload paid videos these days?
    39AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:40
    Re: #36
    Isn't this about membership-exclusive videos?
    If so, there are tons of those.
    37AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:38
    The mere fact that fools exist who actually pay for this guy's videos is enough to make you lose your mind.
    40AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:42
    There's probably someone out there who'll just post a text summary of what was in the video.
    42AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:43
    Wouldn't seizing a welfare recipient's bank account infringe on their right to subsistence, making it unconstitutional?
    47AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:48
    Re: #42
    Even if Hikaru tries it, his own lawyer will stop him with a lawsuit — like "uh… you can't actually do that?" lol
    43AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:44
    You can't seize a welfare account, can you?
    44AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:45
    Is it even a video worth reposting in the first place lol
    46AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:47
    There's no way he can actually seize the account.
    48AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:48
    Didn't old-school Hikaru used to pull some pretty shady stuff himself?
    49AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:49
    If that were possible, organized crime could just put chronic debtors on welfare and leech off taxpayer money forever.
    Why can't these people figure that out with even a little thought? 😨
    51AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:51
    I get the issue with unauthorized reposting, but jumping straight to welfare recipients is exactly why people don't like him.
    53AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:52
    Re: #1
    Wait, don't people with income not qualify for welfare in the first place?
    So is this fraud?
    58AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:55
    Re: #53
    You can still receive benefits if your income doesn't reach the minimum standard.

    You're allowed to work while on welfare,
    and you can even get deductions applied.
    60AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:57
    Accounts registered under a welfare recipient's name get monitored by the local government office,
    so any deposits end up getting confiscated by the authorities.
    If they had YouTube revenue, it should already have been confiscated.
    If there's regular income, welfare benefits get suspended.
    62AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:59
    I get where Hikaru's coming from, but seizing welfare benefits just isn't possible.
    Too bad.

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    Welfare benefits are among the assets protected from seizure under Japan’s Public Assistance Act and Civil Execution Act, and even once such funds land in a bank account, seizure is effectively very difficult as long as their origin as welfare payments can be established. What split opinion in the thread wasn’t whether cracking down on unauthorized reposting was justified, but whether Hikaru’s claim that he’d “collect even from welfare recipients” is legally feasible at all. Many replies cited the fact that welfare benefits are protected from seizure to question the statement, while others expressed support for his hard line against unauthorized reposting itself. Notably, when a welfare recipient earns income, it is in principle deducted from or offset against their benefits — the thread didn’t dig deeply into how the system would actually treat someone who has enough income to afford a paid membership in the first place.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “YouTuber Hikaru takes a hard line on unauthorized reposting of paid videos: “I plan to seize their bank account even if they’re on welfare”.”

  • Mori Kasumi weighs in on “friendship between men and women” — 5ch: “Sometimes friendship turns into love”

    Talent Mori Kasumi shared her personal take on the topic “Can friendship between men and women really exist?” — raised by guest Nagano — on the September 3 broadcast of Fuji TV’s “Talk Queens.” While Nagano argued that “ultimately, it can work,” the show also revealed the honest struggle from the women’s side: “Even when you declare you’re just friends, the guy ends up developing romantic feelings on his own.” This sparked a thread on 5ch where deniers (“there’s no such thing as friendship between men and women to begin with,” “guys are only judging whether they want to sleep with you or not”) clashed head-on with those who countered “you can totally just be friends with a girl” — and the debate never found common ground.

    Mori Kasumi weighs in on “friendship between men and women”: “Women struggle with this too” — co-star comedian teases, “You’ve lived a charmed life, haven’t you”

    Talent Mori Kasumi appeared on Fuji TV’s “Talk Queens” (Thursdays 11pm) on the 3rd, where she shared her personal take on friendship between men and women.

    Nagano was the guest that day. In a pre-recorded VTR segment, Nagano opened with, “Can I bring up an old topic? Sorry, it’s a pretty tired debate topic, but…” before saying, “You know how people talk about friendship between men and women? Whether it can really work or not. I actually think it can, ultimately.”

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

    2AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:46
    There's no such thing as friendship, idiot lololololol
    5AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:47
    He's just hoping he'll get lucky someday
    Calling it "friendship" means he doesn't have to take responsibility like he would with marriage
    7AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:48
    This is exactly why I don't believe in friendship between men and women

    What people call "friendship" between a guy and a girl is really just "we click personality-wise, but I'm not into you because you're not my type looks-wise"
    11AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:48
    Re: #1
    This isn't a topic you should still be having past 30, come on
    14AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:49
    If it's such a hassle to begin with, is it even worth staying friends?
    15AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:49
    If a guy says he just sees you as a friend, that's basically the same as saying you're not attractive as a woman
    17AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:50
    I mean, I've got female friends just fine
    18AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:51
    Outside of being "friends with benefits," there's no real upside to a man and woman staying friends — so you should just read the room a little
    20AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:52
    Guys don't really develop romantic feelings to begin with
    It's just whether they want to sleep with you or not, that's it
    21AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:52
    That's just because Mori Kasumi is the kind of drop-dead gorgeous woman any guy would fall for
    It's purely a looks thing
    I'm sure Mori herself knows that too
    28AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:55
    She's so short and stumpy I feel nothing
    Both men and women seem to be shrinking these days
    29AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:56
    Well yeah, if you see her photos from that shoot (PJ), of course you'd want to sleep with her
    33AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:57
    "Mori Kasumi" is playing in a different league than "Ito Asako, Kanade from 3-ji no Heroine, or Fukuda Maki"
    34AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:57
    Japanese men always want to turn it into a romantic relationship right away
    Seriously, they're just like monkeys 😲
    74AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:09
    Re: #34
    Same goes for overseas
    In the UK, the book
    "What Every Man Thinks About Apart from Sex"
    became a bestseller, remember?
    37AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:59
    There aren't many guys who get into hobbies with an extremely high ratio of women, but I was in that kind of environment, and I consider everyone from back then genuine friends
    40AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:59
    This show is disgustingly boring, how long are they gonna keep airing it in this slot — just rerun some old hit drama instead
    43AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:00
    She's already 31, so isn't that not romantic feelings but just guys hoping for a shot?
    45AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:00
    >Mori Kasumi
    First time in my life seeing that name. Stop making threads just to promote some no-name talent
    46AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:00
    Well, relationships are living things, of course they're not going to stay the same forever. Sometimes friendship turns into love, and sometimes love turns into hatred
    47AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:00
    This has nothing to do with men and women
    It was just bragging about being popular
    48AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:01
    Men have a faint underlying liking for all women,
    while women have a faint underlying dislike for all men

    That's what this reminded me of
    Can't help it, it's just biology
    54AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:02
    Re: #48
    Likes ALL women? No way
    61AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:04
    Re: #48
    At the very least, I filter by age, face, and body type
    49AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:01
    I don't need female friends, so I don't have any
    51AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:01
    Good personality, we get along great, but I just can't see them as the opposite sex —
    that kind of relationship is less "friend" and more "one of the group"
    Somewhere between a friend and an acquaintance
    53AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:02
    If friendship between a man and a woman can actually work, it's basically limited to these patterns:
    a pretty girl and an ugly guy (broke)
    a handsome guy and a plain girl
    an ugly guy and a plain girl
    That's about it
    The closer either person gets to being within reach as a genuinely attractive partner, the harder it becomes to keep the friendship going
    76AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:10
    Guys don't develop romantic feelings
    You're an idiot
    82AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:11
    Re: #76
    Exactly
    It's not romantic feelings
    They just want to sleep with you
    86AnonymousSep 5, 2026 00:12
    Re: #76
    Yeah, fair enough. Guys say "I like you" because they want to sleep with you. Otherwise they won't get to. Not romantic feelings at all lol

    Background and key points of this topic

    “Can friendship between men and women really exist?” is a recurring evergreen debate topic on 5ch, and this round was sparked by Mori Kasumi voicing a concern from the women’s side: “Even when I clearly say we’re just friends, the guy ends up developing romantic feelings anyway.” The thread saw several posts trying to explain the presence or absence of romantic feelings using evolutionary-psychology-style reasoning, but it’s worth noting that none of this is based on actual statistics or research — it’s just personal opinion on an anonymous message board. On top of that, neither the “it doesn’t exist” camp nor the “it does exist” camp ever agreed on a shared definition of “friendship” (e.g., whether sexual interest or mutual benefit is involved), so the discussion talked past itself and never converged.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News Plus) thread “[Entertainment] Mori Kasumi weighs in on “friendship between men and women”: “Women struggle with this too” / “Even when I declare we’re just friends, the other person ends up developing romantic feelings anyway”.”

  • Montedio’s New Stadium Only 10% Built — 5ch: “That ‘On Track’ Claim Sounds Sketchy lol”

    J2 club Montedio Yamagata held a press briefing on September 4 about the new stadium under construction in Tendo City, announcing that work is roughly 10% complete and progressing on schedule. The stadium is going up just south of the existing ND Soft Stadium Yamagata, with a design that touts getting fans as close as 8 meters from the players, and it’s aiming to open in 2028. On 5ch, the thread buzzed with skepticism about calling the project “on track” when it’s barely a tenth finished so soon after breaking ground, curiosity about how much of the total budget is actually secured, and discussion of the design skipping one side’s stands for now, with expansion planned for later.

    A press briefing was held on the 4th at the construction site for J2 club Montedio Yamagata’s new stadium. Officials say the work is proceeding smoothly.

    Construction on the new stadium is underway just south of ND Soft Stadium Yamagata in Tendo City.

    Announcer Kosaka: “It’s been about two months since the last press viewing. Construction is proceeding smoothly, with overall progress at roughly 10%.”

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

    3AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:24
    Wait, people actually live in Yamagata…?
    4AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:26
    Re: #3
    It's smaller than just neighboring Sendai city alone, and even smaller than Miyagi Prefecture with Sendai excluded.
    14AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:34
    So the plan is that 15,000 seats will be enough?
    75AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:54
    Re: #14
    One of the goal-end stands isn't built yet — once they add it, the design brings capacity up to 20,000.
    18AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:37
    That U-shaped roof…
    Is snubbing the away fans some kind of trend now?
    44AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:09
    Re: #18
    That's not even the away section, how many times do I have to say it.
    36AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:03
    If they end up short on funds, does the parent company Escon foot the bill in the end?
    42AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:09
    Re: #36
    Do you seriously think they'd break ground without the funding lined up?
    52AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:14
    Re: #36
    Escon's said 5 billion yen is their max, so they won't put in more than that.
    Escon: 5 billion yen
    City + prefecture: 3 billion yen
    If they can't scrape together the remaining 8 billion yen, that's not my problem.
    71AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:44
    Must be nice not having a fairly new National Sports Festival (kokutai) stadium to deal with.
    How many more years is my area stuck cleaning up after our grand kokutai stadium?
    Build dedicated track-and-field stadiums that are actually good for watching track events,
    and stop building these giant do-everything multipurpose arenas.
    85AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:22
    Re: #71
    Seriously, why does Nagoya even have to use that track-and-field stadium? There's already a dedicated ball-sports stadium in Toyota.

    Background and Talking Points

    The new stadium is being built adjacent to ND Soft Stadium Yamagata in Tendo City, and the only fact confirmed in the source article is the 10% progress figure — the funding breakdown discussed here is speculation based on 5ch posts. The figures claiming Escon is covering 5 billion yen, local government 3 billion yen, with the remaining 8 billion yen still unaccounted for, come from user posts rather than any official announcement and remain unverified. Building one side’s stands first and expanding later to roughly 20,000 capacity is a design approach shared by several recent J.League stadiums, keeping initial costs down while allowing expansion to match demand — commenters cited Hiroshima’s Peace Wing Stadium, reportedly praised by the head of the Japan Sports Agency, as a similar example. Much of the rest of the thread, however, consisted of baseball-versus-soccer fan rivalry and jabs at a particular YouTuber critical of stadium construction, exchanges which fall outside the scope of this article.

    *This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Soccer] Montedio’s New Stadium Construction on Track — Immersive Stage Within 8m of Players to Open in 2028.”

  • Matsuko Criticizes How Bento Boxes Are Plated — Ariyoshi Agrees: “Salted Mackerel Stinks”

    On the September 4 broadcast of “Matsuko & Ariyoshi: Fleeting Paradise,” Matsuko Deluxe griped about modern bento boxes, saying “more and more of them just have the side dishes piled on top of the rice.” Ariyoshi Hiroyuki also chimed in, citing salted mackerel as an example: “I think it smells.” On the 5ch Geinou/Sports Breaking News+ board, the remark set off a wave of complaints about bento price hikes, shrinking containers, and smaller rice portions, while some pushed back with comments like “Complaining about a smell that mild at 53 seems off” — splitting the thread between defenders and critics.

    Fri, Sep 4, 9:32 PM

    Talent Matsuko Deluxe (53) appeared on TV Asahi’s “Matsuko & Ariyoshi: Fleeting Paradise” (8:00 PM), aired September 4, and lamented recent trends in bento boxes.

    Matsuko opened with, “Bento boxes have changed lately too, haven’t they?” and continued, “Isn’t there less of that classic ‘bento’ feel these days? Don’t you see more of that stuff just piled on top of the rice? Like grilled fish — I don’t know about putting that right on the rice.”

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

    3AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:01
    If you've got nothing to say, you don't have to force a post
    5AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:02
    Guess we've reached the era where this kind of small talk gets broadcast on TV
    6AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:03
    Bento prices lately are way too high, lol (´；ω；｀)
    8AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:03
    It's annoying how they try to jam everything together into a tiny container to cut corners
    And despite being cheap about it, they charge way more than they used to
    9AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:03
    There's no salted mackerel in it though

    Don't go spreading that around
    10AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:04
    People get all grateful when it's eel on top, but mackerel gets discriminated against?
    Back in the day just having salty rice felt special
    You guys are from that generation too, aren't you
    11AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:06
    The rice in these false-bottom bento boxes is like one rice ball's worth…
    13AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:07
    Are you the type who hates one-plate lunches where the flavors mix together and hot food sits right next to a cold salad?
    14AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:07
    They're just trying to cover up the fact that the rice is bad and there's not much of it
    15AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:08
    Real talk, who's gonna listen to a complaint from the geriatric duo Ariyoshi and Matsuko? lol
    96AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:42
    Re: #15
    A symbol of people tuning out of TV —
    amazing you don't get bored watching it
    16AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:08
    It's kind of creepy how the two of them always just say the same thing
    20AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:11
    Re: #16
    Agreed
    If both main hosts always agree, what's the point of having two hosts at all
    Unless they're going to actually argue from opposing views
    18AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:09
    Honestly, I wouldn't like it even with salmon
    Though if the salt is visibly crusted on top, that's still okay
    23AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:12
    I want the salmon in a salmon bento to sit right on top of the rice.
    I want to eat that rice while tasting the salmon and its saltiness.
    I'll accept objections.
    40AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:24
    Re: #23
    Like this?

    26AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:13
    That's just the bento shops doing their best, isn't it?
    If you want a proper high-end bento, pay like 1,500 yen
    Everything's gone up in price, from ingredients to containers — it's tough everywhere, I bet
    27AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:14
    I don't like shredded cabbage on top of white rice
    Because of that I can't go for sauce katsudon or Kanazawa-style curry either
    28AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:14
    If they're going to put salted mackerel in a bento, I want it lightly battered and deep-fried tatsuta-age style
    Just grilling it makes it soggy, and Matsuko's right about that
    29AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:14
    Do you ever eat a bento reluctantly?
    36AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:20
    Re: #29
    Nope
    Whenever you're eating a bento you're hungry anyway
    Usually you can polish off pretty much anything and enjoy it
    78AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:17
    Re: #29
    Yeah
    Like on a shoot where you're stuck on set for hours
    30AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:17
    In junior high and high school I had mackerel in my bento every single day
    It was old-fashioned, heavily salted mackerel, and my mom would fry it
    With all that oil and salt it was a dangerously good side that made you keep shoveling in rice
    37AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:21
    Re: #30
    That sounds delicious
    89AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:35
    Re: #30
    That's a fresh idea
    I'll give it a try sometime
    31AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:17
    Must be nice having a job where all you do is complain!
    33AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:17
    Isn't the reason salted mackerel smells that they sear it with a gas torch?
    I hate torching because it leaves a gassy smell
    41AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:24
    Doesn't Ariyoshi always just agree with Matsuko?
    49AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:39
    Re: #41
    It happens the other way around a lot too
    Though Matsuko tends to hedge first with 'I feel a bit differently, but…' before agreeing
    45AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:31
    Re: #1
    I'm 53 too, but complaining that salted mackerel smells is seriously going too far
    56AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:44
    Re: #45
    "Showa Year 100" Bento (a joking way of saying 2025, as if the Showa era — which actually ended in 1989 — were still going)

    77AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:16
    Re: #56
    I don't know what point you're trying to make with that image, but
    if 'there's something on top of the rice and it smells, so I hate it' is the standard,
    then I say just eat nothing but separated dishes — rice bowls included

    Are your taste buds really that refined to begin with?
    79AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:20
    Re: #56
    That's a rice bowl or a mixed-rice combo,
    which is different from what Matsuko and the others are talking about
    If instead of just grilling mackerel and plopping it on rice they seasoned it properly kabayaki-style like a real rice bowl,
    then bringing up that image as a comparison would make sense
    58AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:47
    More than the smell, it just gets in the way of eating the rice
    You have to move it somewhere first but there's nowhere to put it
    Usually I just flip the lid over and set it there
    85AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:26
    Re: #79
    Something like this?

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    It’s worth noting that this topic originated from casual chat on a TV Asahi talk show, not a feature segment on a news program. In recent years, bento boxes have trended toward smaller containers and rising costs, driving a shift toward “one-plate” style bentos that pile side dishes on the rice to cut down on the number of separate items — and complaints about shrinking rice portions and pricier containers were prominent in the thread (comments 8, 11, 14, 26). At the same time, Matsuko’s comment itself was less about “smell” and more a matter of taste regarding appearance and texture, and one comment (33) pointed to cooking method (grilling versus torch-searing) as the actual cause of the mackerel’s odor, raising a technical point that went beyond simple likes and dislikes. Where the thread split was over whether to view this kind of criticism as “a celebrity’s pampered complaint” or as “a fair jab at the realities of the bento industry” — a divide the comments alone don’t resolve.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Breaking News+) thread “Matsuko speaks out on recent bento trends: “I don’t know about putting it on top of the rice” — Ariyoshi too: “Salted mackerel… I think it smells”.”

  • Shiraku fires back at ‘think of those who can’t have kids’ critics: ‘Celebrating them is just what humans do’

    On September 4, rakugo storyteller Tatekawa Shiraku pushed back on X against calls for more consideration toward adults without children. Citing a post by Hiroyuki, who had pointed out that “some people demand consideration for those who can’t have kids whenever someone happily posts about a birth,” Shiraku argued that “isn’t celebrating a child’s birth just what it means to be human?” On 5channel, the thread ranged widely — from debate over how much consideration childless people are owed, to sarcastic jabs referencing Shiraku’s own past personal life, to views on singlehood in an era of declining birthrates and manners around raising children in public.

    Fri, Sep 4, 7:58 PM

    Rakugo performer Tatekawa Shiraku (63) updated his X (formerly Twitter) account on the 4th, sharing his personal take on calls for “thinking about the feelings of people who can’t have kids.”

    Shiraku opened with: “Hiroyuki was lamenting on X. Apparently there are people who say it’s wrong to post happily on X about things like a baby being born, because it shows a lack of consideration toward adults who don’t have kids. Their reasoning is that more consideration should be shown to people without kids. What is the world coming to.”

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

    6AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:51
    Re: #1
    7AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:52
    Nobody asked for your opinion, so you don't need to stick your nose into everything.
    9AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:53
    Isn't it because people bash the childless in the first place?
    If that's the issue, you've gotta call out everyone doing the bashing, not just him.
    23AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:00
    Re: #9
    Never actually seen anyone bashing the childless ("konashi").
    Feels more like it's always parents who cause trouble without realizing it and then get bashed for it.
    40AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:14
    Re: #23
    In real life, people still get needled just for not having kids, so of course the stress builds up.
    12AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:54
    Childless couple: "Think of the feelings of people who can't have kids!"
    ↓
    Couple with kids: "Your social security is going to be paid for by our kids!"
    25AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:00
    Re: #12
    Ever think about what happens if the kid ends up a NEET, moves overseas,
    commits a crime, or dies young? (what a stretch, lol)
    14AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:55
    Not having kids means failing your duty as a living organism.
    The whole reason humans exist is to keep the species going.
    If you physically can't due to illness, fine —
    but if you could've had kids and just chose not to, nobody owes you any consideration.
    No need to think about the feelings of people who "can't" have kids.
    29AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:04
    Re: #14
    That's just not how people value things anymore in the modern era.
    Biologically it might be "wrong," sure, but still.
    16AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:56
    Your view of humanity isn't worth a damn.
    17AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:58
    There are also cases where a kid grows up to be a criminal and does nothing but cause trouble for society. It's not just about giving birth — you actually have to raise them right.
    18AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:58
    Why are his analogies always so unfunny whenever this topic comes up…
    21AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:00
    The guy's a professional rakugo storyteller, yet nothing he says ever lands with a sharp punchline.
    22AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:00
    Pretty lofty words from a man whose wife was stolen by his own apprentice.
    24AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:00
    If you keep caving to every negative opinion out there, there's nothing left to actually enjoy.
    27AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:02
    I'd think getting angry when your wife has an affair with your apprentice is also just "what humans do" —
    but that's not how you reacted, is it.
    28AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:03
    I figure it's basically what people used to call a troll.
    Ignore it and it withers away on its own — don't feed it.
    31AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:06
    Ototake's saying the same thing (Hirotada Ototake, the well-known author/commentator)
    34AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:07
    👶🏻 "Hey, you old guys"
    👦🏻 "Hurry up and celebrate already (lol)"
    38AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:14
    Why do I have to cater to the negative side?
    39AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:14
    > If you say 'Just look at this magnificent, beautiful view!' apparently that means you're not being considerate of blind people.
    > If you say 'Drive safely!' apparently that means you're not being considerate of people who failed their driving test.

    No it doesn't.
    This guy is always terrible at picking these comparisons.
    42AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:17
    Celebrating a new life ahead of your own feelings is just the biologically correct thing to do.
    Sad that he even has to spell out something this obvious for it to land with people these days.
    43AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:20
    Re: #40
    What backwater do you live in?
    At my company (Shinjuku head office) it's a single person's paradise — married people with kids are the minority.
    44AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:21
    "No kids = pitiful" —
    until that mindset dies out, this problem isn't going anywhere.
    45AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:23
    Guess if you succeed at dieting, you've gotta start being considerate of overweight people too then.
    46AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:24
    Either way, now that singles are the majority, I think it's an easier era to live in without a partner or kids.
    People who have kids do it because they want to, so there's no real need to praise them for it either.
    51AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:38
    People without children have chosen, on their own, not to meet society's expectations, so there's no need to worry about how they feel about it.
    57AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:51
    Re: #51
    Did they have kids "for society"?
    No way.
    It's their own desire, for their own sake.
    They just bring "society" into it because it makes them feel more validated and satisfied.
    64AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:07
    Re: #1
    Way too shallow.
    Isn't being jealous exactly what makes you human…
    87AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:37
    Re: #64
    I get that people are jealous, but that doesn't mean parents should have to hide it either.
    They don't need to demand gifts — but at least sending a simple "we had a baby" letter should be fine, no?
    75AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:17
    When people flaunt pushing a stroller onto the train, or kids are making a racket in the park, it's genuinely hard to stomach.
    Just having kids is already a luxury as it is —
    I wish they'd think a little about the inconvenience to others.
    80AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:28
    Re: #75
    Isn't that pretty much just a Japan thing?
    Westerners look at Japanese people getting worked up over stuff like that and coldly think,
    "Weren't you all kids once too? Kind of ridiculous."
    84AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:34
    So these days you're not even allowed to say "congratulations" about a birth in public?
    89AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:38
    Re: #84
    Exactly — that would be pretty weird, right.
    85AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:35
    Re: #1
    On this one, staying silent is the right move.
    It's a question of basic human kindness.
    The moment you talk back at grief and pain that can't be helped, your humanity is finished.
    92AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:40
    Re: #85
    That's exactly why, when someone says a baby was born, just leaving it there is fine.
    Even when people go on about "consideration" over a birth announcement, the point is: at least say a word of congratulations for the kid being born.
    Yeah, just "congratulations" is enough.
    88AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:37
    If kids are going to be raised on other people's money, bring back the draft.
    People say "our kids will take care of us in old age," but
    they're never actually going to become caregivers.
    They'll probably just end up building euthanasia centers instead.
    They're waving around something they never intended to follow through on, just to get preferential treatment for themselves right now.
    94AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:42
    Re: #88
    They're not being raised on other people's money.
    That would only apply to kids raised in orphanages.
    You get that people saying "let the state raise them after birth" are basically saying "raise them in an orphanage," right?

    Background and Key Points of the Debate

    The “be considerate of people who can’t have children” controversy started when Shiraku responded to a post from Hiroyuki, and underneath it lies a broader clash of views over Japan’s declining birthrate. In the thread, many commenters pointedly brought up — with a sarcastic edge — the fact that Shiraku’s own wife had an affair (with one of his apprentices) back in 2016. Terms like “konashi” and “koashi” (both meaning “childless”) are common shorthand on 5channel and can carry a derogatory tone depending on context. Complaints about children’s noise in public spaces — strollers on trains, kids in parks — ran alongside the main debate; it’s easy to miss that this isn’t simply a “should we be considerate or not” argument, but one tangled up with a separate debate over childrearing manners in public.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Sports/Entertainment News+) thread “Shiraku claps back at ‘think of those who can’t have kids’ calls: ‘Isn’t celebrating a birth just what humans do?’“

  • Is posting homemade Chiikawa figures on social media okay? The line depends on sales and ad revenue

    The smash-hit film ‘Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island’ has left official merchandise in short supply, and homemade figures made by fans are now trending on social media. After Bengo4.com News covered the story, 5ch users traded opinions like “Just posting it should be fine, right?” and “Isn’t it a problem once sales or ad revenue get involved?” Opinions split over where exactly to draw the line — including cases where someone pays another person to make a figure for them, and how to treat cases where likes and view counts translate directly into income.

    Published 9/4 (Fri) 10:40

    Bengo4.com News

    The blockbuster film ‘Chiikawa the Movie: The Secret of Mermaid Island’ is currently in theaters. It’s so popular that official merchandise frequently sells out, leading some fans to make their own goods for fun.

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

    4AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:21
    Just posting it should be fine, right?
    24AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:28
    Re: #4
    What about if they post it and actually earn ad revenue from it, though?
    80AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:44
    Re: #4
    As long as they're not doing affiliate stuff with it.
    203AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:06
    Re: #4
    You should study copyright law before replying to this thread.
    19AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:26
    If you just want one for yourself, making it and being satisfied should be enough —
    but no, they're showing off the whole build process because they're starved for validation.
    20AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:27
    Re: #19
    So what if they're showing it off?
    27AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:29
    It's only a problem if they're actually profiting from it — just posting it is totally fine.
    Honestly, idiots who don't even know that shouldn't be posting on social media.
    32AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:30
    Re: #27
    What if they're earning revenue just from posting it on social media, though?
    35AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:31
    Re: #32
    That's a no-go.
    Selling it and earning ad revenue from it amount to the same thing.
    42AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:32
    Re: #32
    Likes and view counts would probably count too.
    Stuff like this is best left as a gray area and never spelled out.
    44AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:32
    Is it okay to pay someone else to make one,
    as long as you're just enjoying it yourself?
    59AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:38
    Re: #44
    Wouldn't the person who got paid to make it be the one in trouble?
    100AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:53
    Re: #44
    Paying someone to assemble a model kit you bought is fine,
    but having someone build something from scratch for you shouldn't be.
    118AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:12
    Re: #44
    Illegal.
    Just sending someone the official artwork and saying "make something like this" is already a copyright violation.
    68AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:40
    I asked ChatGPT ('Chappy') about it.

    Personally, I wouldn't lump all of these together as the same "unauthorized derivative work":
    making one for yourself at home
    ↓
    showing photos of the finished piece
    ↓
    distributing the 3D data
    ↓
    distributing finished copies
    ↓
    selling them
    Because there's a difference between "permission may technically be required by law" and how much actual impact it has on the rights holder.

    Because
    77AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:43
    Re: #68
    ChatGPT ('Chappy') is scary smart.
    Random tangent, but it also just walked me through how to fix a sealed Tsubota Pearl oil lighter, and I'd literally just finished the repair. This was the AI built into Chrome, though…
    97AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:51
    Re: #68
    Garage-kit derivative figures actually often do get proper permission, you know.
    75AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:42
    Characters like this are hard to tell apart from the official design,
    and there's a risk that if the official version comes out later, the fan work gets accused of copying it.
    82AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:45
    Re: #75
    Well, if they wanted to commercialize it, the company would've already locked down the trademarks and such in advance.
    88AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:47
    Re: #75
    With the Gundam cards, the official artist was dumb enough to straight-up copy a fan artist's derivative work lol.
    The fan artist noticed and complained to the official side about being ripped off,
    and Gundam otaku ("Ganota") lost it on the fan artist like "who do you think you are!"

    It's the official artist's fault for screwing up,
    but fan creators accusing the official side of "copying" is seriously not a good look either.
    91AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:49
    What about the Chinese-made ones that aren't even small or cute?
    https://jprime.ismcdn.jp/mwimgs/7/5/380mw/img_75b9cceda5d93923bec411e227810a29506523.jpg
    124AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:14
    Meanwhile nobody says a word about the doujin stuff at Comiket and the like that's clearly sold without the original creator's permission.
    129AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:17
    Re: #124
    Actually, Comiket staff check everything, and anything too close to the official design gets pulled from sale on the spot for copyright infringement.
    Even so, there have been past arrests over doujinshi too.
    153AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:28
    It's fine as long as it skirts the law on a technicality.
    162AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:33
    Ah, this is gonna be the turning point.
    Is the Chiikawa boom over?

    Yo-kai Watch and Kemono Friends both became massive social phenomena too,
    and when they ended, they ended in an instant.
    165AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:34
    Re: #162
    But the official side hasn't said anything about this…
    166AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:34
    Re: #162
    I think Yo-kai Watch just self-destructed after a bad change in direction.
    171AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:36
    Re: #162
    But with this particular case, the official side isn't treating it as a problem at all —
    it's just low-IQ internet locusts ("net-inago," slang for online pile-on mobs) making noise, isn't it?
    181AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:44
    Is posting this on 5ch itself a crime?
    187AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:48
    Re: #181
    Only if you're making money off it.

    Background and key points of this debate

    Under Japanese copyright law, turning a character into a 3D figure counts as reproduction/adaptation and in principle requires the rights holder’s permission. Making one privately just for your own enjoyment generally falls within the bounds of private-use reproduction and isn’t much of an issue, but posting it on social media goes beyond “private use,” which is technically considered a gray area. The thread’s central debate was over the difference between simply posting something versus monetizing it through sales, ad revenue, or affiliate marketing — the latter causing greater harm to the rights holder’s interests and being viewed as more clearly problematic. At the same time, doujin markets like Comiket only function the way they do because organizers proactively screen out works that infringe copyright — the fact that something is “tacitly tolerated” is not the same as it being “legal,” a distinction that’s easy to misunderstand. There was also the point that paying someone else to make a figure for you could itself amount to commissioning an unauthorized reproduction of a copyrighted work, making it different from simple private enjoyment.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Newsplus) thread ““If this isn’t allowed, is everything not allowed?” Homemade Chiikawa figures spark debate — is posting on social media NG even without selling? A lawyer’s take“

  • Yakult vs. Chunichi Grinds to a Halt in a Battle of Botched Chances — 5ch Dubs It a ‘Historically Shit Game’

    In the September 4th Yakult–Chunichi game, both teams repeatedly squandered scoring chance after scoring chance in a battle of botched at-bats, and the 5ch live-thread lit up with cries of a ‘historically garbage game.’ Chunichi loaded the bases with two outs in the 5th, loaded them again with one out in the 7th, and had a runner on 2nd with two outs in the 9th — all without scoring. Yakult, too, put runners on base almost every inning from the 3rd through the 9th without converting any of it into runs. As the rain grew heavier in the late innings, the game took on an even stranger atmosphere. The thread buzzed with sarcastic remarks like ‘this is basically art’ and ‘we’re watching a page of history,’ alongside comments debating the merits of individual plays like baserunning decisions.

    1AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:24
    What even is this….
    3AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:24
    Every at-bat is a joke
    You guys have zero intention of scoring, huh
    https://gzo.ai/i/mL4rC8D.jpg
    4AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:25
    Re: #3
    What even is this lol (草 = internet slang for LOL, literally "grass")
    6AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:26
    Re: #3
    They're basically running a chindon-ya act (a loud, comedic street promo band) — dying laughing
    8AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:27
    Re: #3
    My brain can't even replay this, it's too much (pun on pitcher name "Sugiuchi" and "sugiru," meaning "too much")
    5AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:25
    If no amount of effort ever shows up in their paycheck, no wonder they've gone soft
    13AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:29
    At this point can we just call it a draw?
    14AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:30
    Re: #13
    Just give 'em both a loss
    This isn't even a real game anymore
    22AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:33
    It's honestly starting to feel like we're watching history get written in real time
    Even X (Twitter) has this eerie vibe going
    https://gzo.ai/i/1axj3ZW.jpg
    https://gzo.ai/i/fHZbc8l.jpg
    25AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:35
    Chunichi
    5th: two outs, bases loaded
    7th: one out, bases loaded (3 runners aboard via walks)
    9th: two outs, runner on 2nd (got a hit, but the runner from 2nd was thrown out on the bases)

    Yakult
    3rd: two outs, runners on 1st & 2nd
    5th: two outs, runners on 1st & 2nd
    6th: two outs, bases loaded (2 walks, 1 hit-by-pitch)
    7th: one out, runners on 2nd & 3rd
    8th: two outs, runners on 1st & 2nd
    9th: two outs, runners on 1st & 2nd (one runner thrown out on the bases along the way)
    29AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:36
    Re: #25
    Trash vs. trash
    30AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:37
    Re: #25
    Honestly feel so bad for both fanbases having to sit through this endlessly
    Feels like about 100 hours have passed
    32AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:38
    Re: #25
    Brutal lolololololol
    27AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:35
    Is it 9/4, so they're playing a crap game to match? (9="ku," 4="shi" sounds like "kuso," meaning crap)
    I'm getting so irritated I might start hating baseball
    37AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:39
    Re: #27
    Suffering from sheer weakness
    "9-ru-4-mu" (wordplay spelling out "kurushimu," meaning "to suffer," using 9=ku and 4=shi)
    45AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:43
    The rain slowly picking up just enough not to get the game called — that's some high art too
    49AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:46
    Re: #45
    This is gonna be talked about as a legendary game this whole season
    Too beautiful
    46AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:43
    No delay called and it's already this late
    I'm sleepy
    48AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:45
    Re: #46
    Feels like I'm getting heckled by the stands
    Like an endless void of nothingness just keeps passing
    53AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:51
    The joy of witnessing a historically shit game unfold
    This'll never happen again
    58AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:52
    Re: #53
    Not gonna lie, there's something moving about witnessing a historic moment
    60AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:53
    Runners keep getting on — errors included — and still zero runs score, genuinely trash
    This is way worse than sandlot ball, where at least a mistake usually leads to a run
    65AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:55
    Re: #60
    Because they're piling mistakes on top of mistakes
    Getting thrown out stealing off the catcher's own wild throw is basically art at this point
    70AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:55
    Surely this one's going in, I can feel it
    72AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:56
    Re: #70
    That's what you'd think, huh?
    71AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:56
    Can we file for a refund on the grounds this doesn't meet the bar of a professional show?
    89AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:58
    Re: #71
    Really learned today just how painful it is watching a game where neither side seems to want to win
    88AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:58
    Even the way it ended was garbage
    This is gonna be a legendary game
    97AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:00
    Re: #88
    Honestly, witnessing a legend being made is genuinely moving
    I think the memory of today's game is gonna stick with me for the rest of my life
    100AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:01
    Went down in history as a legendary shit game lol
    102AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:02
    Re: #100
    Feels like the phrase 'historically shit game' was invented just for today
    110AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:03
    Making fans sit through this whole game only for it to end in a rain-shortened call — they must be in tears
    121AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:06
    Re: #110
    Still better than dragging this out till midnight and ending in a 1-1 draw though
    117AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:05
    Trading one run per inning — that's some real artistry
    126AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:11
    Re: #117
    And on top of that, a home run gets your hopes up right before — boom, right back down
    124AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:09
    Going all the way to the 12th would've been entertaining in its own way
    But an abrupt, no-delay forced ending has its own kind of flavor too
    128AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:11
    Re: #124
    As a piece of art I'd give it a perfect 100
    There's a weirdly moving quality to it too
    130AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:14
    After watching this, the other 10 teams can't casually throw around the term 'shit game' anymore… lol
    134AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:14
    Re: #130
    The real deal really is on another level
    Truly in a class of its own

    Background and Key Points of This Story

    “Kuso jiai” (crap game) is well-worn 5ch slang for games marked by repeated weak at-bats and botched chances — it functions less as a jab at any individual player than as mockery of the game’s flow itself. This game blew up because both teams kept building scoring chances — two outs with the bases loaded, one out with the bases loaded, and so on — only to come away empty again and again; even in professional baseball, this degree of lopsided scoring inefficiency is rare. As the rain grew heavier through the game, some in the thread wondered aloud whether it might get called early due to weather. Note that the actual final score and how the game was ultimately settled are not stated in the thread — the discussion centers squarely on reactions to the repeated “chances squandered” pattern from the early innings through the late innings.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nanidemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Image] Yakult vs Chunichi turns into a historically garbage game.”

  • “Everyone With a Tattoo Is an Idiot”: Tattoo Artist’s Claim Splits Opinion — He Fires Back at Critics

    Tattoo artist and YouTuber Shigechi (over 150,000 subscribers, 23 years in the trade) sparked a stir with a video titled “Everyone who gets a tattoo is an idiot,” posted on August 4. On September 2, he released a follow-up video laying out his reasoning in response to the backlash. On 5ch, opinions split between commenters who agreed with him and those who argued that getting a tattoo isn’t inherently a bad thing. One of his catchphrases, “looks like they showed up clutching just 5,000 yen” (roughly $35), got an especially big reaction, as did a poster who shared a personal story about raising kids while having tattoos.

    September 4, 2026, 7:34 PM

    Shigechi, a YouTuber who has worked as a tattoo artist for more than 20 years, updated his YouTube channel on September 2, 2026, laying out his reasoning in response to the criticism sparked by his claim — which went viral on social media — that “people with tattoos are idiots.”

    Shigechi says he has more than 150,000 subscribers and 23 years of experience as a tattoo artist. He also has tattoos covering his entire body. The controversy stems from a video he posted on August 4, whose title makes the claim that “everyone who gets a tattoo is an idiot.”

    Source: news.livedoor.com / Original article here

    6AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:25
    Re: #1
    Okay, that's enough lol
    Keep pushing your luck and you're gonna get hurt
    10AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:28
    He's an idiot himself, so of course he'd go around calling other idiots idiots
    11AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:29
    There's nothing left to do but just ignore it till the end
    and playing dumb is the funny part
    12AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:29
    What an avant-garde guy, I like people like this
    13AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:29
    Yeah, I think it's dumb too
    It's basically a kind of intimidation tactic
    14AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:29
    Well, it is kind of a marker for idiots

    There was a kid making a scene at my local supermarket, and both parents had tattoos
    15AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:30
    Call someone an idiot
    and they call you an idiot back

    Is that an echo? (a nod to the famous Japanese poem "Kodama Deshou Ka")
    16AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:30
    Credit where it's due for coining the classic line
    "looks like they're clutching a 5,000-yen bill"
    17AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:31
    The "idiots love their 5,000 yen" bit was the funniest part
    19AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:32
    I've got tattoos on my upper body too, and I picked my kid up from kindergarten in a tank top once.
    A few days later the principal asked me to please wear something that covers the tattoos.
    Tattoos are self-expression, part of who I am — I have the right to get them and the right to show them.
    So I flatly refused, and I still pick my kid up in a tank top every summer.
    I proudly show off my tattoos with my kid at hot springs and pools too.
    My wife backs me up on it too — she says that principal's just a rigid old Showa-era type, ignore her.

    Honestly, Japan's just conservative and behind the times.
    https://livedoor.blogimg.jp/matomehalo/imgs/8/5/85056eea.jpg
    https://livedoor.blogimg.jp/matomehalo/imgs/1/2/12617715.jpg
    115AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:24
    Re: #19
    Honestly that's basically business obstruction. Makes me want to avoid that kindergarten
    116AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:25
    Re: #19
    So you're going around spreading the message yourself that people shouldn't associate with tattooed folks
    20AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:32
    There was a disaster victim in Nepal with a tattoo who was miraculously rescued, but it made me wonder — was there really no one else worth saving?
    25AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:34
    Re: #20
    Back in the day people in Japan got tattoos as good-luck charms too, so maybe it's that kind of thing
    23AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:33
    If you just tell yourself you're one of the 1%, you wouldn't even get mad
    70AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:57
    Re: #23
    The idiotic part is that 99% of them think they're the 1%
    101AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:17
    Re: #23
    That's because those guys think they're the majority
    They can't accept being a 1% minority
    24AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:33
    This guy knows he's an idiot himself and he's nailed the core point, so nothing outsiders say gets to him
    26AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:36
    Provoke people too much and you never know what some idiot who doesn't know their limits might do to you
    34AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:41
    Re: #26
    Most people just stay quiet about it, so it's honestly appreciated that someone's willing to put his body on the line to prove the point
    37AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:42
    Re: #26
    He's the type who's got a bunch of security cameras installed and calls the cops without hesitation, so this was probably expected lol
    27AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:37
    His YouTube collab with Kezome Valentine (a fellow YouTuber, "hair-dye Valentine") was funny
    28AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:37
    They won't listen to anyone's advice before getting inked, but suddenly they're all ears when it comes to criticism — that's just peak stupidity
    62AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:54
    Isn't the old tattoo-artist guy himself one of the tattooed idiots he's talking about?
    74AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:01
    Re: #62
    I think he actually said it's 90% idiots and 10% who are normal
    71AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:58
    What's with the 5,000 yen thing lol
    Someone fill me in on the backstory
    113AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:23
    Re: #71
    Apparently idiots show up to get tattooed with only 5,000 yen on them
    It's always like "uh, I've got 5,000 yen, is that enough?"
    75AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:01
    Re: #1
    Words of wisdom right there
    81AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:05
    Re: #75
    Wasn't there a musician who said the same thing before this guy?
    Something like "you wouldn't scribble graffiti on a Rolls-Royce, right?"
    78AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:03
    It's just that most people who get tattoos happen to be idiots — I don't think getting a tattoo itself is a bad thing
    83AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:07
    Re: #78
    Most of them are just people with zero life planning
    You just know their place is a mess
    and that they blow their whole paycheck the second they get it
    That's what you end up thinking
    Though there are people who go full-body but still keep it cohesive
    If it's like that, fine
    It's the guys who slap tattoos on randomly like stickers
    79AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:04
    This guy's got tattoos of Usopp and Zoro (One Piece characters) on his arm too
    If you're bothered by being called an idiot, just mock his tattoo art right back
    82AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:06
    Re: #79
    Was Zoro even in there? Isn't that Taa-chan (a manga character)?
    Either way, I don't think you'd win a war of words against him given the gap in natural smarts lol
    94AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:14
    95AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:15
    I think it's fine for him to say what he thinks, but is this guy gonna be able to make a living going forward?
    99AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:16
    Re: #95
    Sounds like getting famous has actually brought him more customers
    96AnonymousSep 4, 2026 23:15

    "Which one of you called us idiots, huh?!"

    Background and Key Points of This Debate

    This kind of provocative “X are idiots” title from YouTubers is a classic outrage-marketing pattern designed to draw criticism and rack up views — and given that Shigechi himself is a tattoo artist covered in tattoos, it’s reasonable to read the video’s title as little more than an exaggerated hook to pull in viewers. What splits opinion in the thread is that two separate judgments — whether getting a tattoo is inherently wrong, versus whether tattooed people tend to be reckless or lack life planning — are getting blended together; even most people defending him take the qualified position that “tattoos themselves aren’t bad, but most people who get them are careless,” so this isn’t a clean for-or-against split. It’s also worth noting that lines like “90% idiots, 10% normal” are just Shigechi’s personal impression, not backed by any actual statistics — something readers could easily mistake for a real figure. And the phrase “looks like they showed up clutching 5,000 yen,” which got a big reaction in the thread, is an established bit he’s used in past videos, not a new line coined this time.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary of the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread “Tattoo artist who claimed “everyone with a tattoo is an idiot” fires back at critics: “Only an idiot gets mad at being called an idiot,” “You knew you were a minority when you got it”.”

  • Median Financial Assets of Single People in Their 40s-50s: ¥1 Million — 5ch: “We’re Single Because We’re Poor”

    A public opinion survey on household financial behavior published in 2025 by the Japan Financial Literacy and Education Corporation (J-FLEC) revealed that the median amount of financial assets held by single-person households in their 40s and 50s was between ¥1 million and ¥1.2 million. The average, meanwhile, spikes to around ¥9.99 million, apparently because a handful of wealthy individuals are skewing the number upward. On 5ch, reactions to the results were split — from resigned takes like “singles don’t need savings because they’ll die before collecting their pension” to skepticism about the survey itself, with users asking, “what’s the benefit of answering this kind of survey honestly?”

    (Omitted)

    [Average Savings of Single People in Their 40s and 50s] What’s the median amount?

    According to the “Public Opinion Survey on Household Financial Behavior (2025)” published in 2025 by the Japan Financial Literacy and Education Corporation (J-FLEC), the financial assets held by single-person households break down as follows.

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

    4AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:32
    I'm 51 and single, but I've got ¥80 million in assets.
    Though my annual income is only ¥5 million lol
    75AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:54
    Re: #4
    That's all?…
    If I were you I'd give up on life.
    My condolences.
    12AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:36
    Nobody actually answers these surveys honestly.
    If someone asked me, I'd just say "I've got nothing" and leave it at that.
    135AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:08
    Re: #12
    Yeah, your info might get sold off to a tokuryu gang (loosely organized crime networks that recruit members anonymously online).
    13AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:37
    ¥1 million for people in their 40s-50s? No way that's real. What are they going to do for retirement?
    15AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:37
    Re: #13
    If you're just going to die alone anyway, welfare (namapo) will cover you fine.
    19AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:40
    I get why unemployed people have no savings, but if you're working and still broke, what's draining your money? A cult? Your oshi (fandom idol/character)?
    27AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:43
    Re: #19
    Probably just people who blow whatever they have on entertainment and stuff.
    41AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:47
    Re: #19
    To simplify, it might come down to a difference in lifestyle habits:
    Take-home pay − savings = living expenses
    vs.
    Take-home pay − living expenses = 0
    22AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:42
    Re: #16
    Households of two or more: median ¥7 million (average approx. ¥19.08 million)
    Single-person households: median ¥1.2 million (average approx. ¥9.99 million)
    35AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:46
    Re: #22
    Something's off here — shouldn't singles have more, not less?
    54AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:49
    Re: #35
    You're single because you're poor, not the other way around.
    201AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:24
    Re: #35
    Statistically, the "single" category includes sick people. Before money or looks even come into play, if you're not healthy, marriage isn't even on the table — and obviously you can't hold down a job either.
    24AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:42
    If it were people in their teens or twenties, sure, but is it really true that people in their 40s and 50s — grown adults — only have about ¥1 million in financial assets?
    47AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:48
    Re: #24
    https://stat.ameba.jp/user_images/20260814/08/matsujyundx/70/6e/j/o0820102415812083720.jpg
    87AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:57
    Re: #47
    LOL that smug face
    26AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:43
    Singles die before they even get their pension, so there's no need to save.
    42AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:47
    Re: #26
    There was a post on X that went viral a while back saying, "If you're worried about retirement, just spend down all your assets and go on welfare." Apparently that's easier than saving up for retirement, and your medical costs become free too.
    48AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:48
    Re: #1
    The problem is that politicians and bureaucrats build economic policy around this average figure, so it's always off-target — they pour in tax money and it never actually works.
    62AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:52
    Re: #48
    Then what's the point of publishing such a meaningless average?
    50AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:49
    Single with only ¥1 million in assets… what have you even been doing all this time?
    71AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:53
    Re: #50
    I'm investing in myself. Ten or twenty years from now there'll be a huge gap between me and the guys doing NISA (Japan's tax-free investment accounts).
    57AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:50
    My hobby is collecting transaction receipts from ATM trash cans and ones dropped nearby, and looking at them — most people really do seem to have next to nothing, like a few hundred thousand yen or just over a million.
    63AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:52
    Re: #57
    The accounts people use for everyday spending look like that, sure, but their actual savings accounts are usually stuffed right up to the deposit insurance limit (¥10 million).
    67AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:52
    Re: #57
    That's a pretty nasty hobby you've got there lol
    69AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:53
    Re: #57
    Is there zero chance they just have multiple accounts and spread their money across them?
    60AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:51
    Once this Employment Ice Age generation starts collecting pensions, Japan's social insurance system is going to burst at the seams. They should be paying down debt now, but instead it's tax cuts and expansionary spending, throwing money around lol
    73AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:53
    Re: #60
    Reducing government debt just means destroying money — it only shrinks the public's assets.
    158AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:12
    Re: #60
    And apparently the pension they'll actually receive will be abnormally small — reportedly even less than what today's younger generation will get in the future.
    84AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:56
    When today's 40- and 50-year-olds become unable to work, there's expected to be a flood of people applying for welfare, and as a countermeasure there are plans to create a new assistance system with a lower benefit level than welfare. Assuming you can live a welfare-level lifestyle in old age without sufficient assets or pension payments seems like wishful thinking.
    102AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:00
    Re: #84
    Won't that just increase the number of people who decide to commit some crime and go to prison instead?
    85AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:56
    Even I've only got ¥5 million, so what are people spending it all on? 😅 Oh right, living with my parents is the best 🤪
    89AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:57
    This generation is the Employment Ice Age generation, but on the other hand, they're also the generation that got to enjoy the bonus stage known as Abenomics the most. It's a generation where a real gap opened up between people who thought ahead and people who just coasted through life.
    92AnonymousSep 4, 2026 21:58
    It's just a survey, so most people answer zero — there's no benefit to answering honestly anyway.
    118AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:03
    Re: #92
    Anyone who answers a sketchy survey like this seriously is a certified idiot.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Unlike the “average” (roughly ¥9.99 million for single-person households), which is easily skewed by data from a wealthy minority, this “median” figure is considered a more realistic benchmark reflecting the situation of ordinary people. The gap between the median for single-person households (¥1 million to ¥1.2 million) and for households of two or more (¥7 million) became a hot topic in the thread, but this is more likely the result of multiple factors — such as income and health — rather than marital status being a direct cause of asset accumulation, so it would be premature to simplify it as “getting married increases your assets.” It’s also worth keeping in mind that, because this type of survey relies on self-reported questionnaires, some respondents likely under-report their actual asset amounts, meaning the real figures could be somewhat higher than what’s shown here.

    *This article was compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “Single People in Their 40s-50s: The “Median” (Financial Assets Held) Is ¥1-1.2 Million. Retirement Planning to Start Now.”

  • TBS Announcer Erika Yamamoto Explains Why She Chose a Common-Law Marriage: “I Felt Resistance to Legal Marriage”

    TBS announcer Erika Yamamoto (32) once again explained her reasons for choosing a common-law marriage on a radio program broadcast September 2. When she first revealed the arrangement on a different show on June 9, she said the main reason was that “both of us wanted to become a family without either of us changing our surname,” adding that she would have opted for a legal marriage if Japan had a selective separate-surname system for married couples. On 5channel, the thread mixed skepticism about why she disclosed this at all, debate over the selective separate-surname system itself, and concerns about how the child’s surname and family registry would be handled — with the discussion eventually spilling over into broader political debate.

    9/4 (Fri) 21:28

    TBS announcer Erika Yamamoto (32) appeared on the station’s radio program “Jane Su: Seikatsu wa Odoru” (weekdays Mon-Thu, 11:00 AM), broadcast on the 2nd, and once again explained why she chose a common-law marriage.

    She first revealed the common-law marriage on the station’s radio program “Ogiue Chiki’s Session,” broadcast June 9. She explained her reason for not pursuing a legal marriage: “The main reason is that both my husband and I wanted to become a family without changing our surnames.” She added that if the selective separate-surname system for married couples existed, “I would have chosen a legal marriage.”

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

    12AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:04
    She seems like she's got a strong personality, huh?
    36AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:12
    Re: #12
    Toshihiko Tahara
    "Yeah, because I got scolded for touching her hand on the radio."
    18AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:06
    She's just copying overseas celebrities.
    The legal process is different, and it's not even an international marriage.
    20AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:08
    Eh, it's fine, isn't it? Freedom, freedom!
    25AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:09
    As expected of her —
    she's not like some random nobody announcer.
    30AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:10
    Young people only grow by surpassing those who came before them.
    Anyone who clings to old folks' "common sense" like it's sacred is just a fool.

    We should keep pushing forward and trying new things.
    40AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:13
    What about the kid's surname, huh?
    Don't just do whatever's convenient for yourselves.
    44AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:13
    Re: #40
    They're not legally married, so it'd be the mother's surname, since she's the one who gave birth.
    41AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:13
    If she's really got that much resistance to legal marriage,
    she shouldn't get married even if the selective separate-surname system gets introduced lol
    43AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:13
    >>"I felt strong resistance to legal marriage"

    I get that, honestly.
    48AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:14
    An acquaintance of mine who was openly in a common-law marriage decided in advance whose surname the kid would take, then filed the marriage registration just for the birth and divorced again right after.
    51AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:14
    If she didn't want to change her surname, she should've just found herself a guy named Yamamoto to begin with.
    52AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:15
    Wishing prosperity upon the Yamamoto clan.
    I can feel her strong resolve.
    53AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:15
    It's pretty impressive that both sets of parents are on board with this too.
    62AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:18
    >"I don't want to be the one who 'joins' his family, and I don't want to force that on my partner either"

    That makes no sense.
    There are idiots out there who say things like "we filed in" (a common Japanese phrase for getting married), but what actually happens is a new household register gets created for the married couple. The only requirement is that you pick one of the two surnames for it.
    73AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:21
    She said she absolutely didn't want to change the Yamamoto surname, but she could've just had her husband take the Yamamoto name instead.

    If he refused, they're just not that into each other to begin with. They should get divorced.
    75AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:21
    Can she even get single-mother welfare benefits like this?
    77AnonymousSep 4, 2026 22:22
    Guess TBS really does screen new hires for their ideology, huh?

    Background and Key Points of This Topic

    Japan’s Civil Code requires married couples to unify under a single surname when entering a legal marriage, and common-law marriage is often chosen precisely as a way around this requirement. At the same time, common-law marriage typically doesn’t carry many of the rights granted under legal marriage — the spousal tax deduction, inheritance rights, and child custody among them — so real constraints remain for those who choose it. Some comments in the thread conflated the current system, under which a maiden name can still be used professionally as a “common name,” with the separate legal requirement to unify surnames on the family register. The debate over a selective separate-surname system has also stalled in Japan’s parliament for years, and this thread included posts tying the fate of that legislation to individual politicians’ private lives — but that’s a separate matter from Yamamoto’s own explanation, and it’s worth noting these claims were stated as fact without confirmation.

    *This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5channel (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “TBS Announcer Erika Yamamoto, Who Revealed Her Common-Law Marriage: “I Felt Strong Resistance to Legal Marriage” — Decided to “Want to Have a Child” While Waiting on Separate Surnames.”