Some thoughts

 As another former expat in Japan, I found this an interesting read:  Actually, Japan has changed a lot I'd disagree though that more immigration is what Japan needs, instead they (like the West) should focus on pro-natalist policies.  Also, the part about house devaluation is only partially correct, as I understood it the land retains its value. Houses are very much lightweight structures not designed to last forever, and typically the purchaser of a plot will demolish the existing house and put up what they want (there was a house 'showroom' near where I lived in Yokohama, and the house I lived in was unusual in that it was pretty old, the landlord was basically sweating it until it was no longer livable, then planning to replace it. Update: related in the Spectator:  Is Japan doomed?  The corporate culture mentioned is def a problem, but at least they acknowledge the problem and are trying to do something apart from open the doors to mass imigration.

This article-  Tokyo’s doomed Olympics could be the worst yet - reminded me of one time when I walked past one of the construction sites that had hoardings decorated with scenes from the manga Akira. That also takes place in the buildup to an Olympics in 2020, which I thought was tempting fate a bit. Sure enough, as we know 2020 turned out horribly, but at least we didn't have espers running amok. Personally, I've never been a fan of the Olympics (or sports in general), despite working in the city at the time I ignored the 2012 games in London as much as possible. I've seen how the Sydney and Beijing stadiums ended up being underused, and the sheer costs involved, corruption and waste make me feel I wouldn't mind much if this one ends up being a damp squib. As the above article notes, 'Eleven countries bid for 2020; only five did so for 2024 – and three of those pulled out after public outcries. There was only one candidate for 2028' , so maybe politicians are w...

 I just realised that it is just over 10 years now since The Idolmaster tv-series aired. (Where does the time go?). This was one of the series (along with K-ON!) that got me interested in Japanese music, and would eventually lead to me living there for two years. One of the few  Japanese CD's in my collection is a copy of Masterpiece  that I bought from Yokohama Animate on my second visit there in 2014. Sadly by the time I moved there the original generation had pretty much stopped doing live shows (and I never really got into the follow on Cinderalla Girls) so I never went to one while I lived there. So for this week, here's my favorite performance from the series, Rest@rt! And from the movie, Go My Way!

 This story struck me for a number of reasons-  Police search for British woman, 28, who vanished four days ago in Japan . For starters she lives in Yokohama, furthermore she works for the same company I used to. Hope she turns up safe and sound, however this isn't the first time an English teacher has disappeared in Kanagawa. There seems to be something about that prefecture, not long after I moved there a man was found to be keeping a dead body in his freezer (in the next town over from where I lived), and a few months before I left a woman was stabbed in the street near my local station! It was most bizarre seeing helicopter footage of my area on the TV. Updated 12/07/21: Saw today she was found dead . RIP

I'd gotten interested in Japanese music for some time before I moved there. For me, one advantage of living there was being able to explore more artists and see them live. I became a big fan while there of this week's artist, LiSA. This is a live version of one of my favourite tracks of her's: Best day, Best way: Unfortunately, this version is of low quality. I had previously seen an HD version but it seems to have been removed. What I like about this performance is her energy, not just singing but riding a bike around the arena at the same time! In my two years there I was privileged enough to be able to see LiSA live three times. The first was at a one-day festival featuring many artists from the same label called SME MUSIC THEATER 2017, the other two were her own concerts in Kawasaki and at Nippon Budokan.  Incidentally while looking for this track I found this video by someone was also at the latter concert, which gives a good idea of what going to a concert in Japan ...