mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 15/10/2026A tropical depression near the Marshall Islands will likely become Typhoon 30, and head towards the Philippines. This will be the first time since 2013 to see as many as 30 typhoons in a single year. japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/gene... 060 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 12/10/2026Prawn and grilled chicken with mentaiko mayo. A lot of Japanese supermarket dishes can easily be found in a British counterpart these days. Others, like this one, not so much. 1170 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 12/10/2026It seems like there are an increasing number of social media posts like the one below from Reddit. This one has been called out as being from a bot, or troll, so maybe that's true of others appearing in various feeds. www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/... 5143 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 12/10/2026A translator says he has had some success using generative AI to come up with an early draft which matches his style. 451 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 11/10/2026Plans to build a data centre in Kitakyushu Science and Research Park were approved in 2023. However, the site marked in red in the photo below has an elementary school next door (the structure to the left with an oval in the centre) which was built in 2017. Local residents are concerned. 1172 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 10/10/2026The final paragraphs in this Asahi report from January explain the problem. www.asahi.com/ajw/articles... 3112 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 09/10/2026A little sad for Navi Pillay that reporting of her Nobel Peace Prize win is coloured from the start by mentions of the man who didn't win. 2242 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 09/10/2026"Professional whistler Romu Aoyagi performs 'The Whistler and His Dog.'" www.asahi.com/ajw/articles... 2179 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 08/10/2026This has become as much of an annual event as the Nobel prize announcement itself. 1130 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Classmates of Haruki Murakami gather each year to see if he has won the Nobel Prize. Here's this year's reaction photo. www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/articles/-/4... 2256 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 08/10/2026The translator of both Anne Carson books is Hiromitsu Koiso. This is quite a coup for him, as Anne Carson has been his main focus in recent years. www.hiromitsukoiso.com 0200 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Japanese booksellers will be relatively happy with Anne Carson as Nobel laureate in Literature. There are two recent translations of her work available and one, "Wrong Norma", came out less than a year ago. 1205 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Kensō Soai, fielding questions while off to the shops on his bicycle. 2111 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Some nice archive shots in news coverage of Kensō Soai's Nobel prize. www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8Pe... 271 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Similar reports in Shikoku, Miyazaki, Hokkaido and Aichi. 290 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Both 28 and 29 are heading northwards. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBod... 150 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Chef's kiss for the choice of this stock photo. The headline reads "Dump the cheating husband now, or wait for retirement benefits to kick in? What tactics to follow to secure the best divorce deal". bbs.bengo4.com/topics/c_3/c... 1283 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 05/10/2026News broadcasts have footage of yesterday's danjiri accident in Sakai. 11 hurt but no-one on the critical list. www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkRp... 2144 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 05/10/2026With No. 27 passing by, Nos. 28 and 29 are ready in the wings. www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOzK... 2120 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 04/10/2026I have never confused "Kawaii" with "Hawaii" but this Tobu poster nearly made me do so. 1191 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 03/10/2026This graphic has spread on Twitter, purporting to show how Fujigaki looks less impressive against her main rival by the measure of citations and published papers. There are important caveats. 110 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 02/10/2026I encountered vertical writing today. Though maybe this isn't quite what the Agency for Cultural Affairs has in mind. 1160 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Handwriting is valued by 80.4% or respondents, which nevertheless means 1 in 5 either do not value handwriting, or are indifferent to it. Those who place value say it helps remember kanji, and is a way of expressing individuality. www.47news.jp/15026926.html 140 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 02/10/2026One of the Christmas cake offerings at ShinQs is this roast turkey design. www.tokyu-dept.co.jp/shinqs/chris... 1144 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Slightly distracted this evening by the marketing photos used by acupuncture salons. 482 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 01/10/2026There are a number of social media posts criticising the lawsuit on the basis that it was his fault for being clumsy. News resports, like this one from Fuji TV, are generally just factual. They show the accident site, and don't name Williams. 240 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Isseki Nagae considers what would happen if all foreign workers left Japan. Among his conclusions: GDP shrinking 10% by the 5th year, stagflation, social security deficits, bankruptcies and a recession-induced crime wave. agora-web.jp/archives/260... 23113 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Today marks 35 consecutive days with rain in Tokyo, and also means it has rained every day in September. Bottom of the graphic below shows we had 45.8 hours of sunlight, which is 64% less than the average in September. weathernews.jp/news/202609/... 2203 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 29/09/2026From the Asahi English report. www.asahi.com/ajw/articles... 140 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Hilarious that the one Asian Games team which suddenly needed to buy socks from Family Mart happened to be Uzbekistan. They have a flag with similar colours. mainichi.jp/english/arti... 13012 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 29/09/2026This map agrees on the three central wards but identifies four sub-central (副都心) wards, namely Shibuya, Shinjuku, Bunkyo and Toshima. The other 18 are divided into 9 western and 7 eastern wards, which handily skips the need to decided what counts as north and south. 200 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 29/09/2026This map is different again. It identifies six central wards (Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Bunkyo). Setagaya is in the south, which agrees with the Nikkei. Meanwhile Adachi ward is moved from north to east, which clashes with the other three classifications. 200 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 29/09/2026The map below divides Tokyo in the same way as the map above, except it follows the Nikkei writer in identifying Minato and Chuo as central wards. The Nikkei differs from both in calling Nerima a northern ward, whereas these two maps have it as a western ward. 110 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 29/09/2026The Nikkei piece has Chiyoda, Chuo and Minato as central wards. The map below only has Chiyoda as central, with Minato moved to south and Chuo to east of the palace. The Nikkei writer also has Setagaya as south, whereas the map puts it with western wards. 140 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Intercontinental Hotels Group has a Noted Collection brand, which claims to feature unique properties around the world. They have just announced one of them will be that hotel on Kuyakusho-dori, next to Golden Gai in Kabukicho. www.travelwires.com/ihg-signs-fi... 240 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 28/09/2026The other 1996 Murdoch deal in Japan which is even less well-remembered was TK News, a joint venture between News Corp. and Tetsuya Komuro. Rupert sent his sons to stand with the Japanese producer at the press launch. 150 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Still, Murdoch and Son were determined to break big together. In 2006, they reunited to launch MySpace Japan. As social media later exploded in Japan, that probably went really well. 140 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 28/09/2026A TV Asahi stake would have put Rupert Murdoch in the frontline of disputes between China and Japan. He had the Star TV stake, and in 1999, married Wendy Deng (though they divorced in 2013). Japan would likely have come second. 141 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 28/09/2026The Asahi group didn't want to discuss co-operation with a gun to their head. They promised to do so, if Son and Murdoch sold them the TV Asahi stake. This was agreed in March 1997. The photo shows Muneyuki Matsushita of the Asahi Shimbun shaking on the deal with Son and Murdoch. 150 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Softbank and Murdoch's News Corp had found a way into TV Asahi because of the way it was originally set up. TV Asahi used to be 日本教育テレビ (Nippon Educational TV). The terms of its licence dictated 50% educational, and 30% children's programming. 1100 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 28/09/2026In 1996, Murdoch already owned Star TV in HK, and would launch Fox News in the US, towards the end of the year. He also partnered with Softbank to launch JSkyB, the Japanese counterpart to his BSkyB satellite TV business in Britain. 190 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 28/09/2026On Twitter, Elon Musk responded to a question about buying a Japanese TV network, exciting his fans. Rupert Murdoch already tried to do that 30 years ago. 76614 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 27/09/2026The group put the word out it was soliciting stories from working women. They were flooded with thousands. The book they eventually published in 1991 carried the title "Testimonies of 6,500 Women". 120 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 27/09/2026One of the members went to San Francisco, and brought back a copy of "Stopping Sexual Harassment" by Elisa Karg, which was first written in 1980. The cover below is from a later edition, co-authored with Camille Colatosti. 120 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 26/09/2026At the awards in 1989, Kazuko Kawamoto was uncomfortable for two reasons. Firstly, she kept being asked if she had coined the term, something she had never claimed . Secondly, the ceremony staff were all in short skirts, which she thought inappropriate for a ceremony recognising セクシャル・ハラスメント. 171 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 26/09/2026This isn't to say Kazuko Kawamoto accepted the 1989 neologism award on false pretences. She was approached to do so, because the term was seen as encompassing women’s rights, which she had successfully represented in the 1987 case. 181 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 26/09/2026The film "First Voice" recreates some of the moments of the 1989 case directly. Here's a scene from the trailer on the left, and a photo from the 1992 press conference on the verdict on the right. Both with the NO! セクシャルハラスメント banner. 1111 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Ikuko Tsujimoto, the lawyer who represented Mayumi Haruno, is helping to promote the film. She explains that she was prompted to look for gender discrimination cases because she found discrimination in the legal profession. 1111 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Years later, the judge said he realized "party girl" also had negative connotations for him, and it was an unfair stereotype. A man acting the same way would not have been stigmatised. 1121 0
mulboyne.bsky.social @mulboyne.bsky.social · 26/09/2026The judge in the case, Takashi Kawamoto, admitted he didn't know the term セクシャルハラスメント, and thought instead of 職場いじめ (workplace bullying). 171 0
