“It is always better to admire the best among our foes rather than the worst among our friends.” - The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen

respect to the other OGs who were on this train before it got busy

*sells one book on Mercari* I AM A TITAN OF INDUSTRY

Viktor Orban can still remain prime minister of Hungary if Mike Pence has the courage.

Vinyl-enjoyers of earth, what do you suggest for and entry level record player? I'm looking for new and creative ways to part with my money.

There may be jazzy interludes

The Mountain Goats are playing Blue Note Tokyo today and tomorrow and it appears tickets are still pretty available. If that’s what you’re into.

“While I will soon appear once more upon the earthly realm, My sole focus during this Second Coming will be various woodworking projects and not the establishment of a messianic kingdom,” said Christ, the Light of the World

It’s a was that the wind or an earthquake sort of day. That was an earthquake.

Here's how photographer Joshua Mellin captured just about every angle of the World Baseball Classic for The Japan Times over the past 10 days.

I’m on the Yokohama Blue Line attempting to ride toward Azamino. We’re halted though apparently due to smoke or fire at Shin Yokohama station.

At an Ito-Yokado, sat at some tables near a row of vending machines. The area is newly plastered with signs sternly warning against "resale," in English and Japanese. What manner of illicit trade unfolded here? What stories do these tables tell?

I’m nothing if not a traditional Dan.

Iran Worried U.S. Might Be Building 8,500th Nuclear Weapon https://theonion.com/iran-worried-u-s-might-be-building-8-500th-nuclear-wea-1819573283/

Could someone inform the Japanese tv networks the name of the gold medal winner? And maybe we could spare them a few seconds of footage.

abandoned monkey AI slop millionaire

The father of HK democrat Anna Kwok has been found guilty of handling funds linked to an "absconder" - the first family member of a wanted activist to be convicted of a national security offence. In full: buff.ly/Bf7KIGh

LDP set for big win in snap election www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02...

Who Trump is. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/o...

My snow / photo walk has been put to use. I’d like to thank the lady with the red umbrella. www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02...

Happy election day from the suburbs

Flurries is a good name for a thing. We have flurries currently.

“I write down good reasons to freeze to death in my spiral ring notebook, but in the long tresses of your hair I am a babbling brook.”

Can I get on the premium plan where the train monitor showing the news offers more than the same three headlines on repeat what’s that you say I have a screen for news in my hands right now wow how much does the cost

Team Japan is optimistic ahead of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the first Games in the Alps since 2006, which open on Friday.

Understated but exceptional line in this New Yorker piece about Moonies. 'When he was a teen-ager, he said, Jesus asked him to “take on a special mission on Earth.” He accepted this call, but first went to Tokyo to study engineering.' www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

An AI-generated blog on a tour company’s website has landed tourists in hot water — and not the kind they were looking for — after it emerged the “tranquil” northern Tasmania hot springs it recommended don’t actually exist. https://cnn.it/4t6zner

GFS forecast shows a signal of heavy snow on the Sea of Japan coasts on the election day, Feb 8th. Other wx models as well. #japan

That guy who scaled the very tall tower in Taipei is very impressive. They kept noting, "Oh, he did it without ropes!" Yeah. Ropes. I mean I don't know about you but for me, I would use ropes for that. I'm a big rope guy.

grok is this true

"Honey, I can only find the elevator stroller and the garden stroller, where did you put the travel stroller?"

Weather app for Kanto: We discussed it, and we're gonna put a little snowman with a cloud for you on Feb. 1. Me: Oh, OK. Wow cool. App one hour later: Nah just kidding haha it's clouds. Just clouds.

The Dear Jonas papers (2026-2027) were a series of letters from President Donald Trump to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, hailed by historians as a masterclass in diplomacy that unified Greenland with the mainland U.S. and brought forth The Good and Proper American Century (2027-2028).

Amtrak may not have the speed or the cleanliness or the efficiency or the vending machines on the platforms of the shinkansen, but it does have jokes and small talk and humorous tree-branch impacts. My report from the front lines of U.S. rail travel: www.japantimes.co.jp/community/20...

"Somebody's gonna get hurt, somebody's gonna get hurt I hope it's not me But I suspect it's going to have to be" www.youtube.com/watch?v=dces...

I’ve been to a few countries. None has sought five years of my social media history. Which frankly is insulting. There were a lot of solid jokes in there, as well as some important observations. And also I love communism.

I wish John Prine was here

I don’t usually make plans a full fiscal quarter in advance, but this one is locked in. Are there others out there in Tokyo, Japan, or the Greater Pacific? Act now for tickets.

I’ve heard there was a chord progression / that David played, for the love of Heaven / but I guess we’re called chord progressions “chords” now / it goes like this: the augIV, the maj7II /now you know what you have to do / click like and subscribe and leave a comment / hallelujah / hallelujah

Kinda wanted to see Yamamoto get in there but ok fine we can wrap at 18 innings

more like Chancy Billups

Is there a job where you politely inform people who have their umbrellas open that it has stopped raining

Sometimes there’s an earthquake and we all feel it but we also collectively decide not to talk to each other about it on social media and I just think we should acknowledge our growth

Portland police made no arrests outside the ICE facility Sunday. Federal agents detained at least one person — a clarinetist with a protest band who has been held in Clark County jail, where a roster listed no charges Tuesday.” www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

I was born in America but left upon my return who do i tip and how much in all situations

I'm typecast. Typhoons again. Typhoons or beer. I should probably expand into a third topic. www.japantimes.co.jp/community/20...

Watching Dept Q and among my favorite things is how Carl parks his Ford in all manner of angles.

4.6 Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment www.newyorker.com/news/annals-...

If we want more journalists to be on here, you should: - follow them here - repost and engage with their stories - reply to their posts with “and you’re surprised??” 3x per week

Identifying a style of writing that is common in my field, the article causes me to ponder my life choices. >> The Objectively Objectionable Grammatical Pet Peeve www.newyorker.com/culture/anna...