@mulboyne.bsky.social (@mulboyne.bsky.social)

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 12, 2026, 4:25 AM

I've been on various forums, blogs and other platforms where foreigners living in Japan gather. Griping about Japan is extremely common. It's a way of sharing experiences, looking for help, or just simply venting. These kinds of posts feel more akin to drive-by shootings.

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 12, 2026, 4:16 AM

It 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/...

Reddit post reads as follows

Poster: u/No_Designer2722

Headline: Had an unpleasant experience in Japan today. Is this how some people treat foreigners?

Text: Today, I was standing in line to buy a train ticket when the man in front of me suddenly questioned me, asking why I had deliberately come and stood behind him. He also said something about following the rules of standing in line.
I was honestly confused and frustrated. I was just standing in line like everyone else. I don’t understand what I did wrong.
I’ve been living in Japan for almost two years now, and I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I always try to respect Japanese culture, follow the rules, and behave properly.
What really frustrates me is that, as a foreigner working in Japan, I pay a significant amount of taxes and health insurance, just like everyone else. I’m not saying that paying taxes makes me special, but I believe everyone deserves basic respect, regardless of where they come from.
I understand that not every Japanese person thinks this way, and I don’t want to generalize. But experiences like this make me wonder why some people seem to treat foreigners differently.
Maybe there was a misunderstanding, but the way he spoke to me really upset me.
I’m genuinely frustrated and just wanted to share my experience.

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 12, 2026, 2:16 AM

A translator says he has had some success using generative AI to come up with an early draft which matches his style.

Grok translation of three tweets from Joji Matsuo

https://x.com/JojiMatsuo/status/2109287771315851617

It might end up betraying my fellow translators, but

Right now, I'm leaving the initial rough translations to a conversational generative AI every day.
At first, there were mistranslations and lost nuances, but by carefully giving feedback to align it with the style and expressions I was aiming for, after about a year, I managed to create a pretty accurate "clone" of myself.

Rather than seeking the correct answer in one shot without feedback, if you teach it just like you would a human, it will demonstrate superior learning ability compared to humans.

That said, this assumes you can properly evaluate the output translation, but if you provide feedback patiently, it will start producing a writing style that's just like your own.

Google and DeepL just can't cut it.
It has to be conversational threads.

If you input related materials into a consistent thread,
you'll develop the skill to point out my misunderstandings or misconceptions.

Now, it's a reliable partner.

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 11, 2026, 4:27 PM

That's all I've been thinking about since seeing the story.

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 11, 2026, 7:16 AM

A 36 year old American man went to a police station in Kagoshima, saying he had no money and nowhere to stay. Police looking at his passport saw he had arrived last October, and his visa had expired in January. He was arrested. newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/mbc...

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 11, 2026, 6:32 AM

The data centre will be 42m high. In a recent briefing session, US firm Asia Pacific Land says it has momentarily delayed work. However, as the plan meets all regulatory requirements, local authorities cannot legally halt development. www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/202...

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 11, 2026, 6:26 AM

Plans 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.

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 11, 2026, 2:43 AM

Sankei caption asks if this yokai bon odori in Tachikawa is a 和製ハロウィーン (Japanese-style Halloween). www.youtube.com/watch?v=OllW...

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 11, 2026, 1:30 AM

Two deaths and 16 injured over the weekend. The accidents in Izumiotsu and Izumisano both featured danjiri toppling over on sharp right turns. mainichi.jp/english/arti...

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 10, 2026, 9:44 AM

Videos show the danjiri being pulled around a right turn. Just as it looked like falling over to the left, the men on board shifted their weight but it then went on to topple to the right.

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 10, 2026, 9:26 AM

A 48-year old man died when a danjiri he was with in Izumiotsu, Osaka, overturned. Nine others were injured. www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/202...

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 10, 2026, 3:50 AM

Sorry to hear that. Found myself on tenterhooks, wondering how you would get on.

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 10, 2026, 3:47 AM

The final paragraphs in this Asahi report from January explain the problem. www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...

It is, however, extremely difficult for residents and authorities to pressure data center operators to give up their construction in succession.

Unlike factories and cemeteries, data centers are free from regulations on construction and installation from the perspective of emissions, noise and negative public health effects.

With no apparent disadvantages to surrounding areas anticipated, data centers are therefore treated as “offices” in legal terms.

Keeping this background in mind, a municipal official expressed concerns, saying, “Stopping a building program is impossible as long as the procedures are legal. Resorting to excessive tactics could instead expose us to lawsuits.”

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 10, 2026, 3:45 AM

Yomiuri reports there is a wide backlash against Data Centers in Inzai but even political opposition may not be sufficient to halt construction. www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/202...

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 9, 2026, 12:03 PM

Conveyor belt sushi on an open-top double-decker bus available in Tokyo from tomorrow. "Ramen seemed too hot and too risky," said the founder. mainichi.jp/english/arti...

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 9, 2026, 9:14 AM

A 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.

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 9, 2026, 8:36 AM

"Professional whistler Romu Aoyagi performs 'The Whistler and His Dog.'" www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 8, 2026, 11:55 AM

This has become as much of an annual event as the Nobel prize announcement itself.

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 8, 2026, 11:53 AM

Classmates 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...

Classmates of Haruki Murakami watching a broadcast of the Nobel Prize announcement.

@mulboyne.bsky.social Oct 8, 2026, 11:39 AM

The 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