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  • “No More Fun-Loving Fuwa-chan”: Fuwa-chan Opens Up About Life as a Pro Wrestler

    Fuwa-chan, who joined the pro wrestling promotion Stardom after stepping back from entertainment, shared her feelings on her own X account by September 11. She spent this summer on an overseas excursion, and at the September 6 Korakuen Hall show she teamed up with Hazuki and Saori Anno to score her first win since returning to Japan, describing her state of mind with the distinctive phrase “Utterly — these are the eyes of a pro wrestler.” Reactions on 5channel were sharply split, ranging from blunt jabs like “Never found her fun to begin with” to praise for her toned physique, to comments bringing up the past behavior that led to her hiatus.

    9/11 (Fri) 2:02 PM

    Pro wrestler Fuwa-chan updated her own X account by the 11th, writing about her pride as a wrestler and sparking a wave of reactions.

    Fuwa-chan joined Stardom and made her pro wrestling debut after a period away from public life. This summer she went on an overseas excursion to the United States. On the 6th, at “STARDOM in KORAKUEN 2026 Sep.” held at Korakuen Hall, she teamed with Hazuki and Saori Anno in a six-woman tag match against the trio of Waka Tsukiyama, HANAKO, and Lady C, picking up her first win since returning to Japan.

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

    2AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:06
    Never found her fun to begin with, over here.
    4AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:06
    Re: #2
    I found her unpleasant.
    7AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:08
    Is Uetani the most popular one in Stardom right now, since she's always on TV?
    9AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:08
    Was about to post "never found her fun" but someone already beat me to it… (´・ω・`)
    10AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:09
    A-Masso's Kano: "Shut up, idiot (lol)" (Kano, of the comedy duo A-Masso)
    18AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:11
    She's had her ups and downs, but glad she found her true calling.
    19AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:12
    Her close friend Kano was plenty fun on TV though, lol
    20AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:12
    "Utterly" doesn't even make sense used that way (it normally means being completely crushed/defeated)
    21AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:14
    We'll be rooting for Fuwa-chan no matter what.
    28AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:17
    Never want to see her again, so do whatever you want.
    30AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:19
    Can't trust anyone who calls themselves "-chan," "-na," or "-chin."
    31AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:21
    So it went from "please die" to "I'll kill you," huh
    Run! Seriously, run!
    32AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:22
    Hope she patches things up through wrestling
    Though she might not be able to beat the Self-Defense Forces
    33AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:22
    I'd like an apology for all that outrageous behavior on the plane.
    35AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:25
    Her core muscles are really taking shape now.
    36AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:26
    I'll admit she's gotten toned
    Her face looks sharper/tougher too.
    42AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:28
    She's got great bone structure
    Not something Yasuko could pull off.
    43AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:28
    As a TV personality she used to joke about being lax and basically wetting herself all the time, but she doesn't seem to be doing that in wrestling — guess it was just an act.
    45AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:37
    Her radio show before the scandal was really bad
    She was seriously full of herself and way too cocky
    But she's still young
    Maybe hitting rock bottom and seeing hell will straighten her out.
    46AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:39
    This thread is basically being carried by people correcting each other on "unpleasant" vs. "displeased."
    48AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:42
    No snark intended, but it's great she found her true calling.
    50AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:43
    "Bone-straight" body types are basically pro wrestler builds, huh (sighs while looking in the mirror) — referring to a popular Japanese body-shape classification system
    53AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:45
    Re: #1
    She's getting bashed here, but honestly she's got the presence down and looks cool.
    Doesn't seem like she's just filling the "pretty wrestler" slot.
    55AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:46
    Re: #53
    Wait, is she even in the "pretty girl" slot though?
    58AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:51
    Re: #53
    Everyone knows way too much about what she did before this.
    54AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:45
    Whatever happened to the whole "YouTuber" persona?
    64AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:58
    Feel bad for the wrestlers who are actually taking this seriously.
    66AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:59
    Re: #64
    Pretty much all of women's wrestling is like that though.

    Background and Talking Points

    Fuwa-chan went on hiatus after her conduct on an airplane, among other incidents, drew criticism, and later relaunched her career by joining the pro wrestling promotion Stardom. Opinions in the thread are split partly because there’s still no consensus on how to judge the past behavior that led to her hiatus, and partly because many pointed out that her phrase “kanpu naki made ni” (literally “utterly” or “thoroughly”) is normally used in a negative sense — to describe being completely crushed or defeated — making it an odd word choice for a declaration of resolve. At the same time, plenty of comments genuinely praised her performance at Korakuen Hall and her physical transformation, resulting in reactions too mixed to sum up as simple approval or disapproval.

    ※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Geino/Sports News+) thread ““No More Fun-Loving Fuwa-chan”: Fuwa-chan’s Current Feelings — “Utterly, These Are the Eyes of a Pro Wrestler”.”

  • Eating Tomato Paste for 3 Months Changes the Brain — 5ch: “So Ketchup Is the Ultimate Condiment”

    A new study reports that a group who ate tomato paste every day for three months showed changes in both cognitive test scores and fMRI brain scans. Antioxidants found in tomatoes, such as lycopene, are thought to be involved. On 5ch, some praised the popularity of high-lycopene drinks and their fit with the Mediterranean diet, while others raised doubts about the study’s design — including the small number of participants and whether there was a proper control group — leaving opinions on the effect divided.

    Study finds that eating tomato paste continuously for three months produces changes in cognitive function and brain scan images

    Tomatoes are a popular food eaten worldwide, rich in nutrients including lycopene, the compound behind their red color.

    A new study has reported that eating tomato paste continuously for three months leads to changes in cognitive function and brain scan images.

    Source: mdpi.com / Original article here

    2AnonymousSep 10, 2026 23:48
    Which way will this go?
    3AnonymousSep 11, 2026 00:17
    Kagome, Heinz, Del Monte: "So there you have it."
    4AnonymousSep 11, 2026 01:40
    Red yeast rice supplements: "If a specific product turns out contaminated, the effects can be fatal" (a nod to Japan's 2024 beni-koji supplement scandal)
    5AnonymousSep 11, 2026 04:25
    I'd get sick of eating it every single day
    6AnonymousSep 11, 2026 08:06
    Pair low-salt Japanese food with Mediterranean-style tomatoes and seafood and you'd have the ultimate diet
    7AnonymousSep 11, 2026 08:31
    I actually had a stroke once because my blood was too sludgy. So I asked my doctor, 'If I load up on lycopene, will my blood thin out and I'll get healthy?' He just flat-out laughed and said, 'Ha ha, no way — if it were that easy, nobody would need doctors.'
    21AnonymousSep 11, 2026 11:57
    Re: #7
    The doctor was laughing at the simplistic idea of 'just eat this and you're fine.' A healthy diet should really be thought of as just a preventive habit.
    26AnonymousSep 11, 2026 12:21
    Re: #7
    …'load up on it'!? Wait, do you still have aftereffects from the stroke…?
    8AnonymousSep 11, 2026 08:47
    Tomatoes are so expensive though
    9AnonymousSep 11, 2026 08:52
    Some regular folks have already caught on to this. The 200ml carton of high-lycopene tomato juice is always sold out — because it's priced the same as regular tomato juice, so the smart shoppers grab the high-lycopene one.
    20AnonymousSep 11, 2026 11:45
    Re: #9
    Guess lycopene just has more marketing pull than other health claims? Though lately a lot of tomato juices are pushing GABA instead.

    What bugs me is this paper doesn't touch on cholesterol at all — that's usually the first thing you'd expect them to mention. Makes me wonder if the results there just weren't great. A lot of other papers show pretty lukewarm effects on that front too.
    10AnonymousSep 11, 2026 08:56
    So is tomato stuff actually good for the brain or not?
    11AnonymousSep 11, 2026 08:57
    Re: #10
    Even if it's a struggle on the wallet, it's worth it if it makes something you're not that fond of easier to get down.
    12AnonymousSep 11, 2026 08:58
    Lycopene's a hydrocarbon, so it's fat-soluble. Wouldn't that just turn your body fat red?
    14AnonymousSep 11, 2026 09:04
    If lycopene's so great, does that mean I got smarter over the summer from eating a ton of watermelon?
    15AnonymousSep 11, 2026 09:14
    Cells are made of fat, and without antioxidants they just keep deteriorating.

    A diet like the Mediterranean one, which supplies good-quality oils and antioxidants, is genuinely great — it's effective against stroke too.

    But you can't eat nothing but tomatoes and olive oil year-round, so the real question becomes how you keep getting non-hexane-extracted oils and antioxidants into your diet.

    Honestly, just using good-quality oil and good-quality salt in traditional Japanese cooking already makes it pretty healthy. Add something that gives you polyphenols as an occasional treat, and your diet has nothing to worry about.

    If you don't build health up from the cellular level as a foundation, patching things up with medication later just leads to polypharmacy problems.
    17AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:21
    Re: #15
    Japanese people should strictly avoid overdoing it on fat, no matter what kind.
    16AnonymousSep 11, 2026 09:18
    Not quite a predatory journal, but definitely second-tier.
    A sample of just 42 people is way too small.
    No placebo group or dietary controls, so other factors aren't ruled out.
    The cognitive tests did show a significant difference, but it's nowhere near dramatic rejuvenation or an IQ boost.

    They're using blood tests and fMRI to probe cognition, but that alone can't confirm the effect.
    And the source is GIGAZINE (lol) — classic clickbait headline.
    18AnonymousSep 11, 2026 11:24
    Does ketchup count too?
    22AnonymousSep 11, 2026 12:02
    By that logic, Spaniards' and Italians' brains should be significantly different from other countries' — but I've never heard of anything like that.
    23AnonymousSep 11, 2026 12:05
    As plants go, tomatoes are especially high in glutamic acid
    24AnonymousSep 11, 2026 12:06
    Re: #20
    I think if you do a straight taste test, the high-lycopene one just tastes better, so people keep buying it again.
    27AnonymousSep 11, 2026 12:32
    Eat tomato-stewed oily fish like sardines, saury, and mackerel every day, and you get DHA/EPA on top of the lycopene — even better for your brain.
    28AnonymousSep 11, 2026 12:33
    Re: #1
    Just post the whole thing, that'll make it clear!! Post it pretending to be someone else.
    29AnonymousSep 11, 2026 12:47
    So that means ketchup is the ultimate condiment, huh
    30AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:09
    So if you get taurine and tomatoes, that turns you into a baby, huh
    31AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:14
    Re: #30
    You eat it right now! Eat a whole heap of it! It works wonders on the brain!
    32AnonymousSep 11, 2026 14:28
    I mean, if you actually like tomato juice or unsweetened vegetable juice, you can just drink it for the price or the taste — that's fine. But the people buying the little bottles touting GABA or lycopene, choosing it for that reason rather than the taste, are probably people who don't actually like tomatoes to begin with. They're basically drinking it like medicine out of obligation, which is kind of sad in a way.
    33AnonymousSep 11, 2026 14:53
    It's pointless. Your mortality rate is 100%.
    34AnonymousSep 11, 2026 14:58
    Is that the toxin they say will kill you if you eat a whole drum's worth of it every day?
    40AnonymousSep 11, 2026 18:09
    The English spelling is 'lycopene,' and since Japan generally uses Latin-style readings for such terms, it should technically be called 'rikopen' — not 'rikopin.'

    Background and Key Points of Debate

    The underlying paper was published in a journal put out by MDPI, a major open-access publisher also known for divided opinions on the rigor of its peer review. The main point of contention in the thread was the scale of the study — many raised doubts about the small number of participants and whether control conditions, such as a placebo group or dietary restrictions, were clearly specified. At the same time, some posts noted that many tomato juice buyers actively seek out high-lycopene products, pointing to real consumer interest in the topic. Commenters also noted that a news headline alone can’t tell you whether a “change” is good or bad — a reminder that topics like this can spread widely on the strength of a headline alone, without anyone checking the primary source, the paper itself.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Science News+) thread “[Health] Study Finds Changes in Cognitive Function and Brain Scans After Eating Tomato Paste Daily for Three Months.”

  • Discs Are Dying, So Are Refunds: Wolverine Sparks Return-Policy Backlash on Foreign Forums

    The trend of home consoles dropping physical (disc) versions in favor of download-only releases has sparked concern on overseas forums. The trigger was the new action game “Wolverine.” With its overseas reception looking rocky, commenters noted that a disc version could at least be resold secondhand to offset the loss — but digital versions are essentially non-refundable and non-returnable. The thread compared this to Steam’s refund policy (within two weeks of purchase and under two hours of playtime), while also debating the broader culture of buying new games with the expectation of reselling them later.

    1AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:39
    True that
    2AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:39
    Getting stuck with a bad game and not even being able to resell it? Rough.
    3AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:40
    First-party games are already mostly duds, so this makes it even worse.
    4AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:40
    Well, if they're going digital-only, they'd better at least match Steam's refund policy or this is gonna suck.
    9AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:42
    Re: #4
    Digital purchases are basically never refundable, right?
    That's brutal.
    27AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:49
    Re: #4
    Steam's refund window is technically meant for checking PC hardware compatibility, but in practice it works like a demo, which is huge.
    Consoles will probably just say 'it runs fine, so no refunds!' as their excuse.
    5AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:41
    What a compelling argument against it.
    7AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:41
    Wait, why can't you resell it?
    10AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:42
    Sony itself demonstrating the downsides of killing discs, live and in real time — please stop.
    13AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:44
    Re: #10
    Maybe it's Sony's conscience showing through.
    11AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:42
    Re: #7
    Wait, how would you even sell it in the first place?
    12AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:44
    Re: #11
    I have no idea what you're talking about.

    Scary. So scary.
    34AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:50
    Re: #12
    If you genuinely don't understand, that's actually scary…

    How exactly are you supposed to resell a digital copy secondhand…
    15AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:45
    Well, would you look at that—
    Wolverine got officially certified as a bad game over there too.
    21AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:46
    Re: #15
    If anything, overseas is where the real verdict comes from.
    Feels like the foreign players tried it and let us Japanese know it's trash.
    17AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:45
    Couldn't you just wait a few days until all the reviews are in before buying?
    100AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:36
    Re: #17
    By the time all the info's out, you've stopped caring and you're just waiting for a sale instead,
    and eventually you forget about it altogether.

    Yeah… that's the PSW cycle for you. (5ch slang for the PlayStation fan crowd's hype-then-forget buying pattern)
    19AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:45
    Re: #1
    This is hilarious.
    If digital's the only option and you end up with a bad game, that's just tragic.
    And it's not like there's a solid refund option like Steam's, either.
    22AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:46
    The studio that made Wolverine is almost too pitiful to watch… or maybe it's just karma.
    48AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:58
    Re: #22
    Given Wolverine's character traits, it was obvious from the start this was never going to be more fun than "Daman" (name unclear in the original post) no matter how hard they tried.
    Instead of getting carried away stuffing political-correctness elements into the female characters,
    if they'd just kept the protagonist consistent with the movie version, they could've sold it as a lavish character-based game.
    This is not the time to be worrying about arm hair.
    23AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:47
    So you're buying it with the plan to resell it from the start…
    31AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:50
    Re: #23
    If it's a bad game, reselling it is the only option.
    33AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:50
    Honestly, killing discs as self-defense against a return-happy culture is starting to make some sense to me.
    36AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:51
    Re: #33
    But a return is exactly how consumers defend their rights against a bad game that's really just the developers indulging themselves.
    35AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:51
    Re: #16
    Fair point.
    40AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:53
    Re: #34 https://gametrade.jp/streetfighter6/exhibits/246614085

    Why is this being sold, then?
    47AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:57
    Re: #40
    Because they're ignoring the terms of service.
    49AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:59
    Re: #47
    Does the ToS actually say it can't be transferred?
    53AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:04
    Steam's refund cutoff is two hours of playtime, right.
    55AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:05
    Re: #53
    Up to two hours total is fine.
    Though there's also the condition that it has to be within two weeks of purchase.
    67AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:31
    That's exactly why Square Enix and Capcom are in trouble and running to the Switch 2 — they can't force-ship inventory onto retailers anymore.
    82AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:49
    Re: #67
    And the result of that crying for help was Onimusha selling ten thousand copies lol
    84AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:49
    Re: #82
    Down the line it'll be zero copies besides that ten thousand.
    87AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:53
    Re: #82
    You've preordered Wolverine too, right?
    Show me.
    72AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:38
    Customers get more cautious about buying new releases,
    retailers see weaker launch sales so they stop stocking as much in the first place,
    and third parties can't force product onto retail shelves so they stop releasing games at all.

    It's a genuine death spiral.
    73AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:43
    Re: #72
    Buying at launch just means you lose your bragging rights once it gets dumped in a bargain sale later anyway.
    All this does is add to the pile of people who skip day-one purchases.
    89AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:55
    If it's basically a rental, then give me my damn money back!
    91AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:56
    Re: #89
    Fair enough. If it's basically a rental, they really should allow returns.
    92AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:00
    Killing discs with no return policy in place seems legally shaky overseas too.
    95AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:01
    Re: #92
    If it were just Japan, maybe, but I can't see overseas consumers just letting this slide.

    Background and key points of this discussion

    In recent years, home consoles without disc drives — like the PS5 Digital Edition — have become more common. When a physical version exists, players can recoup part of the purchase price by reselling a finished game secondhand, but digital versions are generally not eligible for returns or refunds at all, and this asymmetry became the crux of the thread’s debate. Meanwhile, Steam offers refunds for PC purchases within two weeks and under two hours of playtime, and many commenters pointed out how thin console makers’ policies look by comparison. Some posts also argued that third-party publishers would find it harder to push shipments onto retailers, though it’s worth noting this was just one opinion within the thread, not a substantiated fact. The clash between those who embrace a resale-based consumer culture and those who see it as undervaluing developers’ work is also an extension of a long-running debate over what consoles should be.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “Foreigner: “If discs are discontinued, you won’t be able to resell games like Wolverine even if they’re bad” → goes viral“.

  • Tapping the gas pump nozzle against the fuel filler: 5ch says “it’s brass, so no sparks fly”

    The habit of lightly tapping a gas pump nozzle against the fuel filler neck with a “tonk tonk” sound became a hot topic on 5ch’s News VIP board. It started with someone pointing out that tapping the filler opening with the tip of the nozzle might generate sparks and lead to ignition. In the thread, a former gas station attendant said they’d “never given it a second thought,” while others countered with testimony like “back in the full-service era, we were taught never to do that,” splitting opinion. Commenters also noted that the nozzle is made of brass, a material designed to resist sparking, and that while Japan’s high humidity makes static-electricity ignition unlikely, videos of fires breaking out this way are often seen overseas.

    1AnonymousSep 11, 2026 09:53
    The attendant's face was priceless 😳
    18AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:07
    They say sparks could fly, but funny how you never actually hear about anyone catching fire from it
    29AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:19
    Re: #18
    Maybe it's because Japan's humidity is high.
    There are quite a few videos of it starting fires in the US and elsewhere overseas.
    22AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:11
    Used to work at a gas station myself, never once worried about it
    31AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:20
    Re: #22
    I worked part-time back when full-service outnumbered self-service, and we were told never to do that.
    32AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:21
    That's not gonna throw off any sparks.
    Sounds like you believe in anime-style dust explosions.
    42AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:25
    Re: #32
    Dust explosions are a real thing, but you'd need something like a flamethrower to actually set one off.
    If flour were that dangerous, supermarkets couldn't sell it.
    43AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:26
    Never once been told not to, and I do it every single time.
    Never gotten a warning, and no attendant's ever shot me a look or said anything.
    Even if it really is technically bad, it's probably a pretty minor issue.
    65AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:34
    Re: #43
    Well, it's probably like a 0.0001% chance or something.
    Still dangerous regardless.
    46AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:27
    I've experienced a backdraft once — every single hair on my body stood straight up, no joke.
    95AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:50
    Re: #46
    Posting to VIP from beyond the grave, huh?
    59AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:33
    You guys seem like the type to wait for the walk signal even at 3am with no cars around
    100AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:53
    Re: #59
    I don't go outside at night anyway.
    66AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:34
    Re: #52
    The reason is that overflow can damage the car's paint job, and spilled gasoline can cause a fire.
    Seriously, way too many people try to fill it right to the brim and end up spilling it.
    68AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:36
    Re: #66
    When I said "fill it up," the attendant used to top it off right to the brim.
    69AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:37
    Re: #68
    Well, it's someone else's car — selling as much gas as possible is more profitable than worrying about damage to the body.
    85AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:44
    Re: #68
    The "no topping off after auto-stop" rule is for self-service pumps — it doesn't apply when an attendant is pumping for you at a full-service station.
    Well, might depend on the company though.
    Back when I worked there part-time, I was actually told to squeeze in a bit more even after it clicked off.
    70AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:37
    Re: #54
    With all that safety consideration already built in, I don't get why you'd take on a completely unnecessary risk anyway?
    You're probably the type who rocks the Ferris wheel car back and forth for fun and gets yelled at by park staff.
    88AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:46
    Re: #70
    Well, if nobody explains it, how am I supposed to know it's "risky behavior"…
    I mean, I know brass doesn't spark.
    75AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:40
    If you actually think it through, gasoline's a liquid — you could stub a cigarette out in it and it wouldn't explode.
    82AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:43
    Re: #75
    If you actually think it through, you'd realize the air around the filler neck is full of vaporized gasoline.
    80AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:43
    That's not gonna start a fire, so nobody's dying from it
    99AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:53
    Well, in humid Japan the odds of it catching fire are basically zero.
    But overseas there are videos posted all the time of it catching fire and causing a huge commotion.
    104AnonymousSep 11, 2026 10:55
    Re: #99
    Link please
    112AnonymousSep 11, 2026 11:03
    Guess I'll host a music festival banging nozzles on filler necks
    120AnonymousSep 11, 2026 11:17
    Re: #112
    You've been bombing up there for a while now
    122AnonymousSep 11, 2026 11:27
    Everyone around me does it all the time, myself included, and I've never seen or heard of an incident — the shape or material must just be engineered to handle it fine.
    If a little tap could ignite the gasoline, alcoholics and old folks whose hands are always shaking would be dying every single day.
    129AnonymousSep 11, 2026 12:04
    There sure are a lot of kids these days who don't know the classic "pull this off and win a million yen" challenge, huh?
    131AnonymousSep 11, 2026 12:06
    Re: #129
    Wait, do you mean the buzz-wire game (Irairabou)?!
    136AnonymousSep 11, 2026 12:21
    Re: #129
    The electric buzz-wire game show — yeah, the older guys definitely used to watch that.
    143AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:59
    I'm bad with gas stations — been driving for 20 years and have only pumped my own gas once or twice.
    My dad (80 now) does it all for me.
    145AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:02
    Re: #143
    Wouldn't this solve it?
    Bad at talking to attendants → go self-service
    Don't get how the machine works → go full-service

    Background and points of debate

    Under Japan’s Fire Service Act, self-service gas stations are required to have customers touch a static-discharge sheet before fueling, among other anti-static rules. The fact that the tip of the fueling nozzle is made of brass or another non-ferrous metal is also said to be a deliberate design choice, meant to keep sparks from forming even if it rubs against the filler neck. The claim circulating in the thread that “tapping the nozzle against it won’t produce sparks” appears to be based on this design. On the other hand, footage of fires caused by static electricity at gas stations overseas frequently goes viral, and some point to the dry, low-humidity climate abroad as a contributing factor. In the thread, opinions split because two separate questions got tangled together: the manners-based question of whether it’s okay to deliberately ignore a stated safety precaution no matter how tiny the actual fire risk is, and the scientific question of just how big or small that risk really is.

    ※This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (News速報 VIP) thread “Me: “Full tank of gas!” (taps the nozzle against the filler neck) *tonk tonk*!“.

  • Can’t Quit Going to Sekkyaba Clubs: 5ch Thread — “The Day After I Go, I Already Want to Go Back”

    A thread on 5ch’s “Nandemo Jikkyo G” (Whatever Live) board blew up after a poster confessed he can’t stop visiting sekkyaba clubs — hostess bars where staff flirt and allow some physical contact but stop short of sex. Going once a week, the original poster admitted the clubs have become his “third place as a middle-aged guy,” and other users chimed in to compare them with soaplands and deriheru (outcall escort services). The discussion ranged widely: why a “no sex” business model can be so addictive, the gap in mindset with guys who prefer men’s massage parlors instead, and even a confession from a married man secretly still visiting while his wife is pregnant. Posters traded tips on how to enjoy the clubs and debated how often was too often.

    1AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:18
    Can't quit… I end up going once a week.
    It's basically become my third place as a middle-aged guy.
    11AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:22
    Yesterday's sekkyaba trip was kind of a bust.
    The girl I wanted was already booked by someone else, so I went in as a walk-in and cycled through 4 girls, but every single one had something off — either looks or service.
    22AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:26
    Re: #11
    Walk-ins basically only get the leftovers.
    Only the very last girl they send you is actually good — that's so you'll pay to extend and book her by name next time.
    21AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:26
    Is sekkyaba even fun?
    Wouldn't a normal place that actually goes all the way be more fun?
    23AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:26
    Re: #21
    I used to be all about finishing, but now that I'm older I don't really need to anymore. Honestly getting a buzz going, flirting, making out hard, and groping some boobs is the fun part now.
    24AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:27
    I've only been to a sekkyaba once — isn't it just the girl climbing on your lap and letting you lick her boobs?
    I don't really get the appeal.
    26AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:27
    Re: #24
    It's a place to cheaply enjoy some boob-groping and deep kissing, that's the whole point.
    27AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:28
    Re: #24
    If you like drinking with girls, you'll get hooked.
    Also, regular sex work is pretty predictable, but with sekkyaba you genuinely never know what's going to happen.
    28AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:28
    Re: #23
    Huh, is that right.
    If I got that far with a girl I'd end up wanting to finish, personally.
    30AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:29
    Re: #28
    That's the surprising thing — not finishing is actually the good part.
    Seriously, trust me on this and give it one more shot. It's more satisfying than a soapland.
    29AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:29
    I'm basically the deriheru (outcall escort) version of this guy.
    32AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:29
    Re: #29
    You mean you can't quit either?
    31AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:29
    Honestly, I'm seriously thinking of switching to once-a-month soapland or twice-a-month deriheru instead.
    34AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:30
    Re: #31
    Exactly this.
    With soaplands and deriheru, once you go, you're satisfied for a while and don't need to go back right away.

    But with sekkyaba, the day after you go, you already want to go again. My brain must be broken.
    36AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:31
    Re: #30
    Thanks.
    By the way, do you always go alone?
    39AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:32
    Re: #36
    Always solo!
    Though sometimes a buddy gets hyped up and tags along.
    44AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:37
    Not sekkyaba for me, but I can't quit sex work spots in general either, ya know.
    47AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:40
    Re: #44
    Which kind of place? Do you want to quit?
    45AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:37
    Well, there's disease risk, so I'm not about to go dropping money on it.
    49AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:40
    Re: #45
    Sekkyaba is just kissing, so it's probably fine on that front.
    46AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:37
    I'm a men's-massage-parlor (men's esthe) guy myself,
    so I can't really relate to OP's feelings.
    48AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:40
    A normal person wouldn't go to a place like that.
    51AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:41
    Re: #48
    Are there even any "normal" people on Nanchan G (this board)?
    52AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:41
    Who knows.
    I'll just stop going once my favorite girl quits.
    53AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:42
    Re: #52
    Must be nice having a favorite girl.
    69AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:13
    I'm heading to Ikebukuro today too.
    If you end up doing two sets it gets pretty pricey though.
    77AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:18
    Re: #69
    Ikebukuro, nice. That's basically the holy land for this stuff.
    85AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:22
    Re: #69
    If it's fun, make sure to start a report thread on Nanchan G.
    81AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:20
    Once a week? No need to quit that.
    At my worst I was going 3-4 times a week.
    I picked cheap places, but between bar-hopping and paying for extensions, it really did a number on my wallet.
    84AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:22
    Re: #81
    Four times a week, wow.
    If I were still single I might've ended up the same way.
    Guess it really takes a toll, huh?
    91AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:24
    Re: #84
    No, I'm actually married.
    Between us, I married a former sekkyaba girl.
    She's pregnant right now, but I'm still secretly going to sekkyaba.
    95AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:26
    Re: #91
    You're basically the chosen son of the sekkyaba world.
    Your wife probably doesn't expect you to quit entirely, so just don't overdo it (says the guy who can't quit himself).
    98AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:31
    Re: #91
    That's too strong.
    Well, once the baby's born you probably won't be able to go for a while, so enjoy it while you can.
    108AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:37
    Makes me want to go again after a long time.
    Problem is I don't have the guts to go alone.
    I just want a girl to straddle me face-to-face and make out.
    109AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:37
    Re: #108
    It's a place you're supposed to go alone, man.
    112AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:38
    Re: #108
    Get some liquid courage at a girls' bar first, then go.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Sekkyaba (short for “sexy cabaret club”) operates under Japan’s license for food-and-drink entertainment businesses, which legally places it in a different category from soaplands and deriheru — both classified as “adult entertainment special businesses.” On paper, sekkyaba clubs are not supposed to involve actual intercourse. As one poster put it, “it’s just kissing and boobs, so it’s fine” — the trade-off for this limited scope of contact is that prices tend to be cheaper. Where opinions in the thread diverged was over why this “no sex” business model can be even more addictive than soaplands: posters pointed to the unpredictability of each visit, since the outcome is never quite the same, as well as a difference in values between those who go purely for the human connection with the women and those who prefer men’s massage parlors or deriheru instead. The thread also included a confession about a poster going too far with a former girlfriend and the legal trouble that followed, but since that touches on an actual incident and possible legal proceedings, it has been left out of this article.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (“Nandemo Jikkyo G”) thread “How to Quit Going to Sekkyaba.”

  • Retired at 40 With ¥30 Million Saved — 5ch Debates Whether That’s Really Enough to FIRE

    A post appeared on 5ch reading, “A friend of mine retired at 40 with ¥30 million in savings and is living the good life — 8 hours of sleep, coffee, the gym, and public baths.” The post sparked a heated thread over whether ¥30 million is actually enough to FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early). Some argued that, factoring in the pension eligibility age and inflation, you’d need at least ¥150 million, while others pointed out it could work depending on how the money is invested. Opinions also split over a more fundamental question: if you’re not investing the money and just drawing it down, can that really be called “FIRE” at all?

    1AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:22
    ＠
    So I heard from a friend — this 40-year-old guy who FIRE'd with ¥30 million sleeps 8 hours,
    drinks coffee in the morning, works out at the gym, and relaxes at a public bathhouse in the middle of the day,
    2AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:24
    Depends how much you're spending on yakiniku (Japanese BBQ), I guess
    6AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:26
    There actually are a few people here and there who FIRE on about that much
    They're probably putting the ¥30 million to work, earning around ¥1.2 million a year off it, and living frugally
    8AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:28
    9AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:28
    If you're gonna FIRE at 40, you need at least ¥150 million minimum once you factor in inflation
    10AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:29
    Even if you work until 65 and collect your pension, ¥30 million still feels shaky
    11AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:29
    He'll probably get "fired" (laid off — pun on FIRE) from whatever job he goes back to
    14AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:33
    People in their 40s these days probably won't be able to collect their pension until 70
    Guess we're working till 70, fellow comrades
    15AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:33
    At 10-years-ago prices, maybe… nah, still doesn't work
    16AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:36
    So he's just been burning through the ¥30 million without investing it?
    If he'd been investing it for the past 10 years, it would've doubled even while drawing down living expenses
    17AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:37
    Planning to quit work at 60 and start my pension at 60 too — 7 more years to go
    19AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:42
    Re: #17
    Not only does your pension get reduced if you claim at 60, you also lose disability coverage
    24AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:46
    Re: #19
    You need to weigh the odds of dying before 65 against the odds of becoming disabled before 65 and actually getting approved for disability pension
    The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is notorious for stalling on disability pension approvals — it takes six months to a year from filing the paperwork to getting certified
    41AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:09
    Re: #19
    Are you a government shill or something?
    It's still better than dying before you ever get to collect anything
    18AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:40
    "Heard it from a friend" — classic blue-checkmark fabrication (a nod to X/Twitter's paid blue-check accounts known for posting made-up engagement-bait stories)
    20AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:42
    Any company willing to hire an old guy who's been unemployed for 10 years is gonna be a "black company" (Japanese slang for an exploitative, abusive employer)
    21AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:43
    The reduced payout for claiming at 60 really sucks though
    Such a garbage system
    25AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:46
    Like hell you can FIRE on just ¥30 million
    26AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:47
    You can tell that comment was written by someone who doesn't actually get FIRE
    A lot of people mistakenly think it just means living off savings until they run dry
    27AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:48
    Depending on how long you plan to FIRE and what kind of lifestyle you want, ¥30 million could be enough
    28AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:49
    I'm almost 60 and they just keep piling more work on me — I can't keep up with the pace at work anymore
    I just want to quit already
    29AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:50
    Seems like there'd be quite a few people living off investing around ¥30 million out in Kitsuki (a small, low-cost-of-living city in Oita Prefecture)
    30AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:50
    As a healthy minimalist who cooks at home and prefers light seasoning, I could probably pull it off
    But there's no way a yakiniku-loving middle-aged guy could ever manage FIRE on that
    32AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:53
    Sometimes the people with no greed are the ones who do best at investing
    I know someone who bought about ¥15 million worth of gold 20 years ago as deposit-insurance protection (to stay under Japan's ¥10 million deposit insurance payoff cap) and just left it sitting in a bank safe deposit box
    Apparently it's worth over ¥200 million now
    34AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:02
    If you own your home outright you barely spend money anyway
    Make your coffee at home, work out at home too
    Bathe at home, eat yakiniku at home too
    You could do it all on ¥50,000 a month
    That's ¥600,000 a year
    ¥6 million over 10 years
    ¥24 million over 40 years

    Easy!!!!
    35AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:04
    That's not FIRE
    That's just burning through your savings
    36AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:04
    Not even kidding, I quit my job at 50 and between severance pay and savings had ¥100 million — living it up doing whatever I want every day now
    37AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:05
    Coffee tastes best made at home anyway
    I get my beans from a place that roasts their own
    Costs about ¥50 a day
    38AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:06
    Let the guy have his coffee, come on
    39AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:07
    Humans can really only enjoy themselves up to about age 70 anyway
    No matter how much money you have, you can't take it with you
    40AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:08
    These days you need like ¥60 million just to buy a condo
    42AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:09
    Isn't FIRE supposed to be about living off FX or stock trading?
    43AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:10
    40 is still too young — you've still got sex drive and material desires, that'll never work
    44AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:11
    Hiroyuki said it's smart to start claiming your pension early at 60 and run it through government bond yields (Hiroyuki, the outspoken founder of 2channel/5ch, often weighs in on money and life-planning topics)
    45AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:12
    ¥30 million split over 10 years works out to ¥3 million a year
    46AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:12
    Come to think of it, haven't seen many stock threads lately
    47AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:13
    A run-down house out in the countryside goes for like ¥1 million
    48AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:13
    Both my parents died after only collecting their pension for a few years
    So I'm planning to start taking mine at 60 too

    Background and Key Points of Debate

    FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) is, in principle, meant to cover living expenses through investment returns — under the commonly cited “4% rule,” the rule of thumb is having roughly 25 times your annual living expenses saved up. The thread’s observation that “if you’re living on ¥3 million a year, ¥30 million runs out in 10 years” cuts to the heart of the debate: if you’re not investing and simply drawing the money down, that’s not really FIRE — it’s just early retirement funded by a shrinking savings account. That distinction is where opinions in the thread diverged most. On pensions, commenters also raised the system that reduces payouts for early claiming (e.g., at age 60) and the trend toward a later eligibility age, though the thread didn’t get into specific reduction rates or program details. The oft-cited figure of “¥150 million needed” is likewise just one benchmark that shifts depending on assumed living standards and inflation — reading it as the single correct answer would be a misunderstanding.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “A 40-Year-Old Guy FIRE’d With ¥30 Million in Savings, Here’s What Happened wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.”

  • U18 Baseball: Japan Blows Lead, Falls to South Korea — Closer Still Hasn’t Pitched This Tournament

    In the Super Round of the U-18 Baseball Asia Championship at Taipei Dome, Japan blew a lead and lost to South Korea 2-3. Third pitcher Ryosuke Sueyoshi allowed a shocking two runs, and closer Shoki Oda — the team’s presumed ace reliever — reportedly still hasn’t taken the mound at all this tournament. The loss leaves Japan’s hopes of an Asian title hanging by a thread. On the 5ch “Geinou/Sports Breaking News+” board, threads raised questions about pitching decisions and roster selection, while the discussion also spiraled into the usual recurring debate over which sport is stronger, baseball or soccer.

    [U-18] Japan Suffers Bitter Comeback Loss to South Korea, Asian Title Hopes on the Brink — Third Pitcher Ryosuke Sueyoshi’s Shocking 2 Runs Allowed, Closer Shoki Oda Yet to Pitch Through 4 Games… Super Round

    Sports Hochi, September 11, 2026, 16:44

    ◆14th U-18 Asia Championship ▽ Super Round: Japan 2–3 South Korea (Sept. 11, Taipei Dome, Taiwan)

    Source: hochi.news / Original article here

    8AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:53
    Why the hell did we lose
    21AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:55
    Re: #8
    With only 7 innings you can't get possession, that's why we lose.
    Just shows how little future high school baseball has once you go past 7.
    High school baseball's just a bunch of scrubs waiting for the other team to self-destruct.
    36AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:58
    Re: #21
    'Possession'? Dude's way too into soccer lol
    59AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:03
    Re: #21
    What's 'possession' even supposed to mean in baseball?
    11AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:53
    Aren't you embarrassed that U18 ball only started because it wanted to be like soccer?
    Copying hated soccer and playing pretend 'world tournament,' how humiliating lol
    26AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:56
    Re: #11
    Soccer copies 'Homelander' and does its own XX Derby thing though
    33AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:57
    Re: #26
    Makes zero sense but it's gotta be a joke lol
    14AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:54
    Told you already
    All the athletic guys go to soccer now
    Soccer hasn't lost in years, not even at the youth level
    https://image-tm.s2mr.jp/i/original/1789113238021.jpeg
    16AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:54
    Oda's not gonna cut it with his current form
    If you know, you know
    22AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:55
    Re: #16
    He's gonna get absolutely demolished by Taiwan's lineup wwwww

    RIP to all the Koshien hype boys wwwww
    23AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:55
    'Under' age brackets are just ripped off from soccer anyway
    And they lost too, how lame
    122AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:16
    Re: #23
    This tournament's been around for 30 years
    31AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:56
    Wasn't the Okinawa pitcher nursing an injury?
    61AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:03
    Re: #31
    I think Sueyoshi was coming back from injury
    Arakaki, who was supposed to be the other ace, isn't hurt, but apparently his velocity's way down and something's off with him
    40AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:58
    What would Harry say if he were still alive
    123AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:16
    Re: #40
    Bravo to Team Korea
    Shame on Team Japan
    43AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:59
    This just proves Japan's whole baseball development system is wrong
    They shave their heads bald and grind like crazy, but
    If they built youth teams and let big, athletic guys train freely with science-based methods, they'd crush the high-school baseball crowd
    And yeah, they're already losing to Korea's smaller, elite squad doing exactly that
    139AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:18
    Re: #43
    Korea and Taiwan peak at this level and don't develop further as pros
    That's why they keep bringing in Japanese coaches to try to fix it
    50AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:00
    Re: #36
    It's not about being obsessed, it's just a fact
    And soccer itself buried the 60-minute format like some demon spawn
    Both baseball and soccer end up letting the stronger side lose once you shorten the game
    57AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:02
    Re: #50
    What is this
    Some Yomiuri fanboy?
    103AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:10
    Re: #50
    That's just how baseball's always been
    Even a weak team can win something like 40% of the time
    That's why in a short series Japan can even beat the US at the WBC
    54AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:01
    Slight question about the roster picks
    Why not just go with 3rd-years instead of 2nd-years?
    I'd get it if that 2nd-year were some standout talent, but…
    109AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:12
    Re: #54
    Probably turned it down for entrance exams or something
    55AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:01
    Korea's playing for real
    Japan's just going through the motions
    56AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:02
    Re: #55
    What a lame excuse
    92AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:08
    Is there any other ball sport where Japan loses to Korea?
    111AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:12
    Re: #92
    Soccer
    Still losing to Korea by double the score in Japan-Korea matches
    97AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:09
    Japan finished last and still made the round of 8
    And they've beaten World Cup teams before, so it's fine
    101AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:10
    Re: #97
    Yeah, made the round of 8 just by farming weak teams at home
    Easy sport
    113AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:13
    Baseball's basically only played seriously in Japan, and they still lose — guess Japan's just not cut out for it

    Background and Talking Points

    This tournament’s Super Round is played over 7 innings, a different format from the 9-inning games of Japanese high school baseball. It’s a well-documented statistical tendency that the fewer innings played, the less a gap in team strength tends to show, making upsets more likely — so while the thread’s use of the soccer term “possession” is a misapplication, the underlying instinct that “shorter games favor upsets” isn’t entirely off base. Sueyoshi is one part of this tournament’s pitching staff, and with several pitchers reportedly returning from injury, it’s also notable that Oda — regarded as the team’s undisputed closer — has yet to get a chance to pitch. Much of the thread’s discussion of the loss drifted into the now-customary back-and-forth over whether baseball or soccer is the superior sport, with relatively little discussion of the actual game itself.

    ※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (“Geinou/Sports Breaking News+”) thread “[U-18 Baseball] Japan Suffers Bitter Comeback Loss to South Korea, Asian Title Hopes on the Brink — Third Pitcher Ryosuke Sueyoshi’s Shocking 2 Runs Allowed, Closer Shoki Oda Yet to Pitch Through 4 Games.”

  • Former Hololive Members’ Viewer Counts Plummet After Going Indie, Sparking Discussion

    The current concurrent viewer counts (“dōsetsu”) of VTubers who left Hololive to go independent are drawing attention online. In a thread, users cited examples such as Yuuki Sakuna (formerly Minato Aqua) and Amami Luca (formerly Sakamata Chloe), pointing out the sharp drop in concurrent viewers after going solo. Many argue that while affiliated with the agency, these streamers benefited from “whole-group” fans and social media buzz, so it’s only natural the numbers shrink once only genuine individual fans remain. Some have concluded that “in the end, it was the agency’s power all along.”

    1AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:07
    In order:
    Minato Aqua → Yuuki Sakuna
    Sakamata Chloe → Amami Luca
    2AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:08
    Gawr Gura hasn't even streamed in like 7 months.
    Kind of sad for someone who was once the most-subscribed VTuber in the world.
    4AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:11
    Not really sure about this one.
    6AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:12
    Still, the actual take-home pay is probably better than when they were with the agency, no?
    7AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:14
    Of all subscribers, maybe 0.5% actually tune in live.
    And of those, maybe 5-10% leave comments.
    That's roughly how it feels to me.
    8AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:14
    Were the numbers padded before? Does just going independent really cause this big a drop?
    9AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:14
    This is pretty much how it goes for anyone below Hololive's top tier.
    10AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:15
    Still, they've probably already made decent money, so they can just coast along earning a bit here and there and get by fine.
    Plus no more wasting time on dance practice.
    17AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:15
    Re: #10
    Oh, piggy actually thinks it's really them doing the dancing?
    21AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:16
    Sakuna and Roa are doing fine though.
    The others are solid too, for independent talents.
    43AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:18
    Well, of course.
    While affiliated, even the whole-group fans watch, and it generates buzz on social media and elsewhere.
    Once independent, only the fans attached to that individual remain, so naturally the numbers drop.
    61AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:19
    VTuber otaku ("vacha-buta") just want to hang out with each other and feel a sense of community — they don't actually care who the streamer is.
    Such a heartless bunch, honestly.
    146AnonymousSep 11, 2026 17:27
    In the end, it was all the agency's power.

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    The drop in concurrent viewers seen among VTubers who go independent appears to stem largely from a structural factor: while affiliated with an agency, streamers benefit from whole-group fans (“hako-oshi,” those who support the whole group) and social media exposure, but once independent, only genuine individual fans remain. As pointed out in the thread, this is a phenomenon common to VTubers leaving any agency, not just Hololive, and doesn’t necessarily reflect a decline in the streamer’s own ability. On the other hand, the judgment that “VTuber fans are heartless” is really just an impression drawn from the single, narrow metric of concurrent viewer count — publicly available information alone can’t verify how many fans actually left or how revenue has changed. It’s also easy to overlook that concurrent viewers simply measures simultaneous audience size, a different metric from subscriber counts or earnings, so calling fans “heartless” based solely on that one number’s drop may be premature.

    ※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyō G) thread “[Images] The Current Concurrent Viewer Counts of Former Hololive Members Who Went Independent Are Dire… Turns Out VTuber Fans Are Heartless.”

  • Mercari Tests ‘Private Listing’ Feature — 5ch Reacts: ‘Feels Like a Black Market’

    On September 11, Mercari began trial-testing a “private listing” feature for select users, allowing only people who know a product page’s URL to view and purchase it. It’s available to sellers at level 4 or higher who have completed identity verification, and can only be set when creating a new listing priced at 9,999 yen or under. Because the item won’t appear in search results, recommendations, or the seller’s profile, reactions on social media have been split — some pointed to the benefit of making it easier to sell to a specific buyer via “reserved” listings, while others raised concerns that the anonymity could be exploited for shady deals or money laundering. Opinion was similarly divided on 5ch.

    As of September 11, Mercari is trial-testing a “private product listing” feature for some users. In response, voices on social media (X) have raised concerns about potential misuse.

    Private listings are a way of selling items where only users who know the product page’s URL can view and purchase it. Unlike regular listings, the item will not appear in search results, the “recommended” section, the seller’s profile, or anywhere else.

    It’s available to sellers at level 4 or higher who have completed “Easy Identity Verification via App.” It can be set from the private-listing option under detailed settings when creating a new listing priced at 9,999 yen or under. Listings cannot be switched back to regular listings once set as private.

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

    2AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:18
    This is just going to make reselling even easier.
    42AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:25
    So like those 'reserved for Mr./Ms. So-and-so' listings?
    46AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:27
    This really does feel like a black market.
    51AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:27
    What's with this whitelist approach?
    Sounds like it's gonna turn into some underground auction…

    Since they're already doing identity verification, wouldn't a blacklist system make more sense —
    · only verified users can view it
    · block undesirable buyers from viewing
    That's the normal way to do this.
    6AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:19
    Re: #1
    They really get their users
    Everyone's laundering money after all
    17AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:22
    Re: #6
    That's not the point — this just makes 'reserved' listings actually work.
    Before, even if you wrote 'reserved,' other people could still buy it.
    With this feature, that won't be possible anymore.
    30AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:23
    Re: #17
    Read it properly —
    it won't show up in search either.
    194AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:57
    Re: #17
    Even with 'reserved' listings, you'd share the URL in the comments anyway,
    so nothing really changes in the end.
    8AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:20
    Some people are calling Mercari basically organized crime, but that's a bit much.
    31AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:24
    Re: #8
    I think they mean it in the literal, original sense of the word.
    25AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:23
    Re: #1
    Fine, it can't be seen by others, but
    how are they going to weed out illegal listings and activity?
    36AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:24
    Re: #25
    You really think Mercari would bother doing that?
    Everyone already learned that lesson from the Chiikawa incident.
    29AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:23
    I sell a lot on Mercari, and this feature just sounds like a hassle.
    They basically want us to use it for 'reserved for so-and-so' listings, right?
    Annoying.
    151AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:44
    Re: #29
    They could've just built in a passkey system instead,
    but no, it's just a dedicated URL… come on.
    35AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:24
    >Private listings let only users who know the product page URL view and buy the item
    >Unlike regular listings, the item won't appear in search results, the 'recommended' section, or the seller's profile

    This is a straight-up black market for organized crime and shady dealings — basically the dark web.

    Seriously, regulate Mercari, Yahoo Auctions, Rakuten, all of them, already.
    Police, do your job, seriously.
    This is nothing but a breeding ground for money laundering and tax evasion.
    Enough already — Nagatacho and Kasumigaseki too (Japan's political and bureaucratic centers).
    Do your jobs, regulate this.
    245AnonymousSep 11, 2026 14:13
    Re: #35
    Why do you think they bring in retired bureaucrats (amakudari) in the first place?
    Nobody's expecting actual competence from officials anyway.
    57AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:28
    It's capped at 9,999 yen, but people will probably just sell 'I'll tell you the URL' as a separate high-priced listing anyway.
    74AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:31
    Re: #57
    Wouldn't it just be more convenient to do that through other social media instead?
    77AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:32
    (;゚Д゚) Turns out you don't even need Tor ('the onion') anymore to deal weapons, drugs, and human trafficking lol
    91AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:33
    Re: #77
    Well, Tor was made in the US, so deals routed through it are basically all being monitored anyway.
    79AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:32
    They're not about to give up those fat fees from stolen-goods resales and money laundering!
    102AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:35
    Re: #79
    Good or bad aside, their attitude is basically 'never leave money on the table.'
    Gotta admit, that hustle is impressive lol
    98AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:34
    If this feature had existed, the stolen Chiikawa merch resale scandal probably wouldn't have gotten caught.
    103AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:35
    Re: #98
    'Chinkawa'? Is that even a thing? (mangling the character name Chiikawa as a joke)
    107AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:35
    *This listing is reserved exclusively for Lord Frieza. We kindly ask that no one else attempt to purchase it. (joking with a Dragon Ball villain's name)
    119AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:37
    Re: #107
    Beerus, God of Destruction, has purchased this item.
    Please confirm and proceed with the transaction. (continuing the Dragon Ball joke)
    117AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:37
    Openly touting shady deals like this —
    are these guys even a legitimate company?
    130AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:38
    Re: #117
    This is the same company that let people list actual cash for sale
    until it got called out on social media and the police had to step in.
    (Criminals were using it for money laundering.)
    147AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:43
    So is it actually okay to post that URL on social media outside of Mercari?
    152AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:44
    Re: #147
    Should be fine, I'd think.
    149AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:43
    More importantly, stop holding onto account info after people close their accounts. You do delete payment info, right? What about identity verification info?

    Is there even a legal basis for non-financial companies to retain identity verification data?
    158AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:45
    Re: #149
    Isn't deletion basically impossible because of tax office audits?
    182AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:54
    Re: #149
    Just request that they delete your own personal data yourself.
    If it's the person themselves asking, it's not mandatory, but it does create an obligation to make an effort (Article 22 of Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information).
    If they refuse, press them for a reason.
    179AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:52
    If Mercari's private listings don't have a way to send the URL to just one specific person, it feels half-baked.
    In the end, if you can already contact the buyer directly via LINE or whatever, you'll just think, 'Why not skip Mercari entirely and do cash-on-delivery?'
    No fees taken that way either.
    183AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:54
    Re: #179
    You lose anonymous transactions that way.
    The biggest advantage of Mercari's shipping service is that it's anonymous — you can trade without either side knowing the other's name or address.
    187AnonymousSep 11, 2026 13:56
    Re: #179
    Which is exactly why the only uses left are things like sellers who can't process credit cards,
    or deals where you deliberately want a third party in the middle —
    basically nothing but shady use cases, and that's apparently the appeal lol

    Background and Key Points of This Discussion

    Mercari’s new “private listing” is a trial feature limited to sellers at level 4 or higher who have completed identity verification, and it can only be set on new listings priced at 9,999 yen or under. Sellers have long used labels like “reserved for Mr./Ms. So-and-so” to sell to a specific buyer, but since those listings still showed up in search and on the seller’s page, there was a loophole letting anyone buy them anyway. This new feature closes that loophole — but because anyone who has the URL can still buy the item, thread posters have argued that a “blacklist” system limited to verified users would make more sense. There’s also lingering wariness given the past incident where stolen Chiikawa merchandise was resold for cash, raising concern that listings hidden from search could make it easier for such deals to spread. That said, no actual misuse has been confirmed so far — it’s worth noting this feature is still only in trial testing.

    *This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (News Speed+) thread “[Mercari] Trial Launch of ‘Private Listing’ Feature Viewable Only to Those Who Know the URL — Misuse Concerns Raised“.

  • Elderly Renters Hit a Wall With Guarantor Companies — Some Forced Out; 5ch: ‘Better to Bulldoze It and Make It a Parking Lot’

    Renters in their 50s can rack up 100 rejections before finding a place — a news story on the harsh reality of apartment hunting for older people sparked a reaction on 5ch. In recent years, rental contracts have come to rely on screening by guarantor companies rather than a personal co-signer, and elderly or unattached single renters are often screened out at this stage. Thread posters shared cases of tenants being told to vacate because they couldn’t line up the co-signers a guarantor company required, and stories of landlords demolishing aging buildings and turning them into parking lots to avoid the risk of a lonely death on the premises. Many recommended UR public housing as an alternative. Whether there’s any legal check on refusing tenants purely because of their age also became a point of debate.

    “Turning 50 without owning a home — how long can you keep renting?” Some elderly apartment hunters face “100 rejections”… Is refusing tenants because of their age even legal?

    9/11 (Fri) 10:00 JST

    Lawyer JP News

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

    25AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:33
    At my apartment building, we made a guarantor company mandatory for anyone signing a lease, and a few elderly tenants ended up contacting us asking to be let out of their lease because they couldn't line up the two co-signers the guarantor company required.
    Apparently that tenant is arguing "it's ridiculous that the guarantor company demands co-signers too," but that's just the guarantor company's policy, so nothing can be done about it.
    Anyway, they packed up and moved out.
    42AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:39
    Re: #25
    Wait, something doesn't add up here.
    "Made the guarantor company mandatory and had them sign" → but they already signed the lease, so why file to vacate over not having co-signers??
    "A guarantor company is for people who can't secure a co-signer" → but then it demands a co-signer anyway?
    48AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:40
    Re: #25
    They probably just wanted a tidy excuse to push the old folks out.
    45AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:40
    Do you get turned away even from public housing like UR?
    53AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:42
    Re: #45
    Don't you have to hand over a lump sum up front to move into UR housing? Poor people don't have that kind of money.
    You can get into city- or prefecture-run public housing, but those places tend to have long waiting lists.
    69AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:45
    I'm a single guy pushing 50, and I don't plan on buying a house myself, but friends my age — married and single alike — have been buying homes the last few years.
    86AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:51
    Re: #69
    Rates are shooting up though — are they okay carrying a mortgage? Or did they just buy outright in cash?
    101AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:53
    Re: #69
    If you're in your 40s, that's probably your last shot. Get much older and you won't be able to get a mortgage at all.
    78AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:47
    It all comes down to the guarantor. Even if you're old or unemployed, as long as you've got a guarantor, realtors will rent to you right away.
    79AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:48
    Re: #78
    These days it's mostly guarantor companies now, not personal guarantors.
    95AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:52
    Re: #79
    True. If a personal guarantor were still mandatory, Japan would be full of homeless people.
    114AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:55
    Re: #79
    On top of the guarantor company contract, you're sometimes also required to have a separate personal guarantor/next-of-kin contact.
    116AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:56
    Re: #45
    For UR housing you need a monthly income at least 4 times the rent, or savings worth 100 times the rent.
    The savings can just be "parked" money for the check, but the real question is whether you can scrape together that much cash even for a moment.
    UR isn't really built for poor people.
    127AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:58
    Re: #116
    And there's also a full year's rent paid up front, right? If you can put together 15 months' worth of rent — that plus a 3-month deposit — you could get in pretty easily. You do still need an emergency contact, though.

    That emergency contact requirement is a real headache for people with no family.
    There are shady "stand-in emergency contact" services out there, but you're not allowed to have them pose as relatives — apparently they'll only pretend to be an acquaintance at most.
    150AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:02
    Re: #127
    An emergency contact can just be an acquaintance or friend, so you have no choice but to ask someone.
    175AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:06
    Re: #127
    If the contact has a different surname and no blood relation, they'll definitely get called to verify — because that contact might turn out to be useless when it actually matters.
    120AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:57
    We won't rent to them.
    If it's just going to end up all elderly tenants, someone dies alone, and the unit becomes a stigmatized "incident property," we'd rather tear it down and turn it into a parking lot.
    And honestly, more and more landlords are doing exactly that these days.
    144AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:01
    Re: #120
    Exactly this. Better to clear the lot and turn it into a monthly parking lot.
    165AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:04
    Re: #120
    Same here — we had the tenants move out, tore the building down, and made it a parking lot. There aren't many parking lots nearby, so it filled up instantly.
    254AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:22
    Re: #120
    That's probably the sound call. Fine for a brand-new building, but for a place that's decades old, turning it into a parking lot gives more stable profit — and it never becomes a stigmatized property either.
    126AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:58
    Guess I'll lock in a rental while I'm still in my 50s and just hang on to it. Worst case I buy a used condo, but I've only got about 60 million yen in financial assets. UR housing's probably the realistic option, huh.
    204AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:12
    Re: #126
    I'm in about the same boat, and I've pretty much decided on UR housing — like 90% sure.
    If some amazingly cheap used place came up that I could buy outright, sure, I'd consider it, but realistically that's not a likely option.
    129AnonymousSep 11, 2026 15:58
    Isn't there some way to get a stigmatized property for free rent? If a lonely death is basically expected going in, there ought to be a rental service built around that from the start.
    On the hardware side, maybe construction methods that make it easy to deal with a decomposed body.
    163AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:03
    Re: #129
    Even handed over as-is, a stigmatized property still comes with property tax and future demolition costs. It can't really be free.
    179AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:07
    Re: #129
    For a stigmatized property where someone with no family died alone, even the owner can't just go in and clear out the belongings on their own — so you can't even re-rent it. You can't even get the specialized cleaning crew in.
    135AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:00
    There's no other lending scheme out there with rates as low as a home mortgage. On top of that, it even qualifies for a tax deduction. People who are in their 50s now and missed out on that when they were young are definitely on the losing end — 20 years ago, home prices were also at rock bottom.
    197AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:10
    Re: #135
    Huh, is that right. Guess I might be one of the winners then — I took out a 20-year variable-rate mortgage 20 years ago.
    208AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:12
    Re: #135
    If you were investing too, you're not exactly a loser either lol
    190AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:09
    You could prevent lonely deaths just by putting a sensor in the toilet and checking in if there's no activity for a day — why doesn't anyone do that?
    202AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:11
    Re: #190
    At the end of the day, the real problem is dealing with things after someone dies. Landlords don't want to handle the cleanup — and the property value drops too.
    213AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:14
    Re: #190
    If you tack that cost onto the rent and charge elderly tenants more for it, you get branded as discriminatory and torn apart for it — so nobody does it.
    205AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:12
    The house itself, well, my siblings and I can sort out somehow, but what do you even do with things like paintings? Apparently they can be worth a decent amount, but it's not like you can sell them instantly, and if you rush it you'll probably get lowballed.
    224AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:16
    Re: #205
    In my family some of the paintings run into the millions of yen, and my mother's jewelry and kimonos add up to hundreds of millions, but I've got no interest in any of it — figure my brother, or a nephew or niece, can just take it lol
    253AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:22
    By the time the Ice Age generation (Japan's 'employment ice age' cohort, who came of age during the 1990s–2000s hiring crunch) gets old, landlords are going to have no choice but to rent to them.
    263AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:24
    Re: #253
    There's no way lawmakers are going to put legislation like that in place.
    266AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:25
    Re: #253
    Landlords are running a business too — if it's a money-loser, they won't rent it out. They're not running a charity.
    271AnonymousSep 11, 2026 16:25
    Re: #253
    Rather than individual landlords, I'd guess big rental-management divisions will end up handling this in bulk. Going forward, the young population is going to keep shrinking fast, but the elderly population isn't shrinking anytime soon — if anything, elderly people with no family are only going to increase. When a big company runs it at scale, it keeps overall costs down, and repairs and day-to-day management get cheaper too.

    Background and Key Issues

    These days, rent guarantees mainly run through guarantor companies rather than a personal co-signer. This shift traces back to a 2020 revision of Japan’s Civil Code that required a personal guarantor’s scope of liability to be spelled out explicitly, which pushed landlords increasingly toward making guarantor companies mandatory. Screening standards vary from company to company, but in practice applicants are often turned down simply for being elderly or low-income. On top of that, when a single elderly tenant dies alone, the landlord is left to handle the practical fallout — sorting through belongings, arranging specialized cleaning, and absorbing the drop in property value — which makes demolishing an aging building and converting it into a parking lot look like the rational choice. At the same time, Japan has no law that explicitly bans refusing tenants on the basis of age alone; the only safeguards are voluntary schemes, such as municipal registries of “housing that won’t refuse elderly tenants.” Some replies in the thread also conflated guarantor companies with emergency contacts — worth noting that the two are actually separate things, a point that’s easy to get confused about.

    ※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Newsplus) thread “‘Turning 50 without owning a home — how long can you keep renting?’ Some elderly apartment hunters face ‘100 rejections’… Is refusing tenants because of their age even legal?”