My Turf in Tokyo

My Hospital Stay

2010-06-09T05:19:00.011+09:00

This is Tokyo Idai (Tokyo University Medical Hospital) probably the most famous hospital in Japan. This is the one from the movie Lost In Translation. I use this hospital a lot since I live a 10 minute walk away. It's also the one I stayed at for the past week. It was an interesting week!

The nurses (above) were (mostly) awesome but some bad apples as well.

A view from my room. Not bad scenery.

Monday, May 30, 2010

The following is what my wife Masae told me since I have no recollection:

I was writhing in agony on the kitchen floor in a seizure like state. I was incoherent and Aimee-Anne and Anjou-Marie were crying. I think that they suffered some emotional damage from this. I briefly remember the medics hovering over me trying to talk to me but they sounded so 'far away'
I regained my senses briefly to find two famous MMA fighters on gurneys next to me. I actually smiled. They were pretty mashed up/ No tournies so it was probably a training session that went bad. I am awake now but I cannot speak. I have lost the use of speech. I can only nod or shake my head. They are running me through a battery of tests (Blood/x-ray/CAT scan).
I finally make it to my room. I can hear my little girls voices outside. My wife is with them.
I am in total agony writhing in pain and coughing uncontrollably. I am surrounded by doctors and nurses trying to talk to me. They are very annoying. They sedate me heavily.

Tuesday June 1, 2010

The nurse comes in at 6:00am to change my IV bags, get my temp, BP and check my blood oxygen levels. She says the results of the test are back and that the doctor would be here at 9:00 to discuss this.
I still don't have my speech faculties. I nod (off). Two shady characters walk into my room and are checking everyone even if their curtains are closed. They are obviously looking for someone and they unmistakenly Japanese Yakuza. They are both very scary and intimidating. They ignored me.
OK exactly 9:00am and a group of doctors enter my room. Punctuality is unbelievable here. My doctor, (a cute Japanese woman with a pudgy face and bobbed hair) takes the lead while the other doctor's puff out their chests and try to look important when a nurse enters the room. I am informed that I have a very serious case of pneumonia. Well that explains the coughing. I would have to stay at least a week and possibly two. Well at least I was lying down in a fully adjustable bed. I needed a break from my futon and tatami mats. I nodded.
The gaggle of doctors left. I basically left all of my food untouched. I had lost my appetite fnd basically eaten no solid foods for the past three weeks. I lost 10kg. I wasn't happy because my body fat% was at 3%. Ouch!!! I still can't move so I just lie there. I am still in agony and cannot talk. The wife stops by throws a bag on the floor with some essentials and places signed divorce papers in front of me. She demands that I sigh them before she leaves. I can't talk or move but I have that magic orange button that brings a nurse into my room at a sprint. The nurse explains my condition to my wife. She says she is coming back the next morning and they had better be signed. I understand the year of hell I put her through but I am very put out by the timing.
It's been 19 years since my father passed away. June 1st is his birthday and I usually have a bad day on June 1st every year. I don't drink alcohol so I just can't get drunk. I've seen better days.
Some big dude walks into my room doing a recon. This guy is definitely a Korean Mafia bodyguard. This guy is a mountain and definitely qualifies as one of the scariest/most intimidating people I have ever seen in my life. I manage to sit up by myself. The antibiotics are really helping. 11:00am I am sleeping!! Cold water when they come to change my IV at midnight. I am awake again. I try to negotiate an earlier time but NG. My request is repeatedly denied. There was one really cool nurse (the mostest awesomenest nurse in the whole damn world!!) She wasn't a pretty girl but her personality more than made up for it. I'll talk about her again later. Whenever she was on night duty she would secretly move it to 11:00. This could easily get her fired but she did it anyway. See what I mean? That is humanity!!!

Wednesday June 2

6:00am arrives that the nurse comes into my room like clockwork to change the IV bags. I am sitting on the edge of the bed and felling a lot better now. I still have coughing fits but they are less frequent now. 8:00 arrives and my appetite has returned with a vengeance. I scarf down every available morsel and I am still hungry. I find myself counting the minutes to lunch and get really upsaet if they are late. They were today by about 30 mins. I was furious. The old lady who does the cart delivery was in tears and apologizing profusely.

The BIGGEST hosting scammer: iPage

2010-06-09T04:02:00.000+09:00

DO NOT GO HERE!
http://www.ipage.com/
They will scam you.

Here is my story:

I canceled my subscription with GoDaddy (which is one of the best hosting companies out there).
BIG MISTAKE!
I googled up the "top 10 hosting companies" and sitting there at #2 was iPage.
OK BIGGER MISTAKE, I started an account with them based on the obviously faked/planted review.
1) They wouldn't accept any browser for their on-line site builder except for NETCAPE or IE
Who the fuck uses NETSCAPE? I don't use IE and yes it's probably because I worked for Opera Software.
2) The site-building tools looked like they were developed for the Commadore Vic 20.
No joke this stuff had "dinosaur shit all over it"
3) After I complained that I wanted to close my account and get a refund then things got really bad
a) couldn't log into the site to file a support ticket. Just trying to log in would crash my PC

b) they would ignore all correspondence from me.
c) they refused to call me even though they did for the initial contract. I live in Japan and I have sat there on hold for over an hour on multiple occasions at international dialing rates.
d) they refused to cancel my account because they said that I had to login to do so (this crashed my PC)
e) they finally acknowledged my cancellation today but they have been charging me the whole time. They still refuse to refund my money for a service that was unusable.

I WILL MAKE THEM PAY!!!
I am out $$$hundreds of dollars.
THEY WILL SUFFER LOSSES GREATER THAN THAT!!!

Some other horror stories:

iPAGE.com

Posted: 2010-04-29 by

Mac

Scam

Complaint Rating: ***** out of *****

Company information:
iPAGE.com
United States
I signed up with iPAGE and paid them a total of US$126.76 on 29 March 2010 after reading on their intro page that they are affordable, dont tie customers up and most importantly "if unhappy in whatever way, 30 Days moneyback guarantee, 100% refund if cancel within 30 days+ easy to build free website builder tools

However, after 10 torturing hours and I still cant understand how to use their tools to build a website, I decided to cancel my a/c and hire a local web company instead to do everything for me.

The chatline operator told me that there will be a non refundable of US$15 and the rest will be refunded to me.

But when i look at my latest credit card statement i m shocked to receive a bbill of US$99.79.

iPAGE has charged $126.76 on 29mar and only refund me USD27 on 31 Mar!

I then contacted the billing dept who insist that they only refund hosting fees, add on services are non refundable!!

The guy also keep stressing on their "its all under our Terms and Conditions"

I felt really cheated and shortchanged. Because on their main website they do not have a column of terms n condions nor do they made it clear that theres no refund other than hosting charges.

For a IT idiot like me, I just follow their sign on procedure which auto includes all these so call add on services into my cart, i dont even have aoption to opt out as it will have red markings to warn me of the 'consequences'. Moreover all the services are calculated on a 12months basis, not one month or 3months.

I also wont get to use any of the services after my cancelling the a/c so how can iPAGE be so unreasonable and greedy to rip an innocent consumer off this way??

I feel this is outright robbing in a legal way.

Please, if anyone concern can help or advise me where to seek redress or complaint against iPAGE so that this Co cannot cheat other consumers any more hard earn money$$ and to refund me the full amount as promised on their website.

and another:
...something happened to me I asked for a full refund after only being with there company for 5 days, they gave ma a song a dance routine and said we don't give back on options just the hosting you bought, well the options are a part of the hosting, go figure huh. STAY AWAY from Ipage.com you are better off getting a hosting company in a 3rd world country...

FAKE REVIEW

http://thebuckmaker.com/is-ipage-a-scam-can-i-trust-them/

and another satisfied customer:
I have paid for a web host on September 13th 2009 and I paid via paypal echeck and that took a few days and then once it was processed and cleared I was ready to start my web site really happy and ready to bring out my website only to find the domain name had not been reserved and the account hasn't even been activated so I contacted them about this and this was the email they sent me:

Hello,

I am writing this email in response to your inquiry on support ticket #------. We are sorry but at this time our site is not quite ready to accept new customers. Our engineering team is working on this and we apologize for any confusion. Could you please forward us a link to where you signed up? Also since you said you made a PayPal payment. Can you please forward a copy of the PayPal receipt so we can investigate that further as well? We will work on getting this taken care of as quickly as we can once we hear back from you.

If you have any further questions, please update the Support Console.

Sincerely,

Sabina Perry
Billing Specialist

and I am frustrated and kept calling and chatting with them and eventually she was working on getting my account activated and then at around 13 days since the account was purchased she tells me over the phone that there is no record of payment and that they were investigating it to see if I really paid for their account which I did. That frustrated me even more that now they claim they received no record of payment and they were working on the issue as always and so I decided to want my money back and all the sudden she said it will take 7 to 12 business days which would give them plenty of time to escape with all the money they stole from their customers. So now I am opening a dispute with paypal about this but IPage has to authorize the refund which I know they will never authorize so I am planning on contacting the FBI since these people are total con artists.

iPage is PATHETIC!!!

Ipage - Ipowernet.com

Internet
United States of America
Phone: 1877-IPAGE-99
Web Address: www.ipage.com

Category: Web Hosting

Submitted: Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Posted: Tuesday, April 27, 2010

I am a IT idiot, only know the simple MS word and email sending, receiving. I just embarked on the journey of setting up my online beauty shop. As Ive spent most of my capital on stocking my beauty products, I cant afford to hire a Local Professional web company to do the whole ecommerce website for me.

So I browsed thru the internet to look for companies who provides affordable web hosting and free website builder tools. After reading up the introduction websites of Blue host, Monster Host and iPage, I decided to subcribe to iPAGE ON 29 March 2010.

On iPAGE's main web site, they stressed that they do not tie up customers like other companies do and that "You Have 30 Days Moneyback Guarantee, 100% if cancel within 30days"

iPAGE stressed that their website builder is easy to build. Thus I felt safe to trust them. Though they state that their monthly web hosting fee is US$3.50, however after I follow their sign in procedure account, it has so many more add on services apart from the basic hosting plan.

These plans dont seem optional as its auto added into my 'cart'. My cart shows the following:

1) iPAGE web hosting package US$42/yr

2) Simply Local Search - $39.95/yr

3) SiteLock Plus - $12.95/yr

4) Site backup & restore $12.95/yr

5) Submit Net- Basic Submission $9.95/yr

6) Domain Privacy - $8.99/yr

Total Payable amount is US$126.79

I initially chose to pay thru PAYPAL but iPAGE prompted me that if I pay thru PAYPAL and not by creditcard directly, then my account will only be activated few days later!

Without other options as I need to have my website running., I paid using credit card details directly. After my domain account is activated, I found that iPAGE website building tool is very confusing and difficult for me.

I called their chatline help hoping they could assist me but the operator replied that they only help settle technical issues, if i need website design/help, he can refer me to their professional designers at a charge! :(

After 10 torturing hours and still unable to understand iPAGE's web tools, I decided to cancel my account with iPAGE and to hire a local web company (in Singapore) to do everything for me.

I called up iPAGE chatline on 30Mar 2010 and did the cancellation. I was told by the operator then, that there is a non refundable fee of US$15, as a charge for registering my domain name (I can get to keep my domain name), and the rest of the charges will be refunded to me.

The next day 31 March, I received a confirmation email from iPAGE that my a/c is terminated and that all webfiles related to my a/c is closed, no further charges will be imposed!

Now, I just received my creditcard bill and iPAGE has billed me a total of US$126.79 on 29 Mar, credited back US$27 on 31 March, I am still liable to pay iPAGE US$99.79!!

I contacted their billing department and they denied all and keep stressing that all is stated clearly on their "Terms and Conditions" (which I didnt even get to read that during the course of signing up)

They said they will only refund hosting fees. If thats the case, then how can they misled unknowing innocent consumers that we are always assured of :

1) 30 Days Moneyback Guarantee, 100% refund if cancelled within 30days?

2) Will not tie up customers. Then why is the charge per year rather than per month?

3) I cancelled my a/c in less than 24hours and I dont and will not get to use any of

their add-on services, how can iPAGE charge me and make me accountable

for those charges??

I feel really ripped and robbed in broad daylight by a US Company, I plead the help from all relevant authorities in US, who can lend me a helping hand to assist me with this case. Awaiting for your kind reply. Thank you for your time and attention.

CHEATERS!!

	Ipage - Ipowernet.com IPAGE Web Hosting iPAGE is a daring and 'legal' scam Company, iPAGE scam me of US$99.79 within 24hrs period! Internet Author: Punggol, Other Web Hosting : Ipage - Ipowernet.com Internet
	2 9/30/2009 9:37 AM	Ipage - Ipowernet.com .ipage.com Web Hosting IPage Ripped me off, they took my money and the account was never activated, and they don't like refunds. Phoenix, Arizona Author: Mayodan, North Carolina Web Hosting : Ipage - Ipowernet.com Arizona
	3 8/22/2006 3:14 PM	Ipage/Ipowernet.com Took $299.40 for a webpage hosting and I could never access my account. Nationwide Internet Author: Fredericksburg, Virginia Web Hosting : Ipage/Ipowernet.com Internet

this is what I'm talking about:

http://www.webhostingscams.com for sale

ranking for the following terms in the last 30 days.
ipage scam 17
ipage hosting scam 16
digitalpcgold 5
web hosting scams 5
godaddy tls 3
scam fecebook 3
online hosting scams 3
web host scams 3
american web earnings scam 3
godaddy scams 3
web marketing 2
creat blog 2
lunar webhosting scam 2
website budget breakdown 2
community hosting options 2
tips for increasing profits in e-commerce 2
hostmonster scam 2
tips for increasing profits in e-commerce 2
easymoney android review 2
web hosts that are scams 1
what are the advantages of creating mult 1
go daddy free web hosting 1
understanding permission types 1
advantages of one versus multiple domain 1
freehostia godaddy 1
godaddy source control 1
godaddy free web hosting scam 1
hmspanel security 1
charity website hosting scam 1
really seo hosting scam 1
givewithbing 1
go daddy scams 1
how to invert web page puplisher goddays 1
godaddy unlimited plan scam 1
am i paying too much for web hosting 1
schools involved with sport relief 2010 1
free trial hosting 1
etsy features web host 1
tutorials on how to earn from google ads 1
go daddy ecommerce scam 1
top web hosting scams 1
open source cpanel alternative 2009 1
steps of going international 1
difference between hosting plan and serv 1
godaddy password protect web page window 1
authentication hacking 1
benefits of country specific domain 1
what makes a successful business partner 1
bind multiple domains to a single interf 1
hardware failure godaddy 1

btalex1990

View Beta Profile

Newbie

Join Date: Jul 2007

Posts: 9

IPage stole $45 from me

I have paid for a web host on September 13th 2009 and I paid via paypal echeck and that took a few days and then once it was processed and cleared I was ready to start my web site really happy and ready to bring out my website only to find the domain name had not been reserved and the account hasn't even been activated so I contacted them about this and this was the email they sent me:

Hello,

I am writing this email in response to your inquiry on support ticket #------. We are sorry but at this time our site is not quite ready to accept new customers. Our engineering team is working on this and we apologize for any confusion. Could you please forward us a link to where you signed up? Also since you said you made a PayPal payment. Can you please forward a copy of the PayPal receipt so we can investigate that further as well? We will work on getting this taken care of as quickly as we can once we hear back from you.

If you have any further questions, please update the Support Console.

Sincerely,

Sabina Perry
Billing Specialist

and I am frustrated and kept calling and chatting with them and eventually she was working on getting my account activated and then at around 13 days since the account was purchased she tells me over the phone that there is no record of payment and that they were investigating it to see if I really paid for their account which I did. That frustrated me even more that now they claim they received no record of payment and they were working on the issue as always and so I decided to want my money back and all the sudden she said it will take 7 to 12 business days which would give them plenty of time to escape with all the money they stole from their customers. So now I am opening a dispute with paypal about this but IPage has to authorize the refund which I know they will never authorize so I am planning on contacting the FBI since these people are total con artists.

Health Care in Japan

2010-06-08T23:21:00.000+09:00

The Health care system in Japan provides healthcare services, including screening examinations for particular diseases where the patient pays 30% of the cost of, prenatal care, and infectious disease control while the government pays the remaining 70%. Payment for personal medical services is offered through a universal health care insurance system that provides relative equality of access, with fees set by a government committee. People without insurance through employers can participate in a national health insurance program administered by local governments. Patients are free to select physicians or facilities of their choice and cannot be denied coverage. Hospitals, by law, must be run as non-profit and be managed by physicians. For-profit corporations are not allowed to own or operate hospitals.

Overview

Japanese Super Ambulance, Tokyo Fire Department

It is compulsory to be enrolled in one of Japanese insurance programs if you are a resident of Japan.^[1] Although with the downturn in the Japanese economy many Japanese companies refuse or cannot afford to provide insurance payments to their employees thus millions fall through the cracks or fall behind on their payments. Foreigners in Japan live within a grey zone where government officials recommend joining the national health scheme but do not force them. There are a total of eight health insurance systems in Japan. They can then be divided into two categories. The two main categories of health insurance are referred to as Kenkō-Hoken 健康保険 ([Employee's] health insurance) and Kokumin-Kenkō-Hoken 国民健康保険 (national health insurance). Employees’ Health Insurance is broken down to the following systems:

Union Managed Health Insurance
Government Managed Health Insurance
Seaman’s Insurance
National Public Workers Mutual Aid Association Insurance
Local Public Workers Mutual Aid Association Insurance
Private School Teachers’ and Employees’ Mutual Aid Association Insurance

National health insurance is generally reserved for self-employed people and students, whereas social insurance is normally for corporate employees. National health insurance can be broken down into:

National Health Insurance for each city, town or village
National Health Insurance Union

In Japan, services are provided either through regional/national public hospitals or through private hospitals/clinics, and patients have universal access to any facility, though hospitals tend to charge higher for those without a referral. Compared to the United States, Japan has about three times as many hospitals per capita as the United States does. Also compared to the United States, Japanese visit the hospital 14 times a year, more than four times as often as Americans. Due to large numbers of people visiting hospitals and doctors for relativity minor problems space can be an issue in some regions. More than 14,000 emergency patients were rejected at least three times by Japanese hospitals before getting treatment in 2007, according to the government survey for that year. In some of the more publicized cases an elderly man was turned away by 14 hospitals before dying 90 minutes after being finally admitted. In another case a pregnant woman complaining of a severe headache was refused admission to seven Tokyo hospitals. She later died of an undiagnosed brain hemorrhage after giving birth.

Interior of standard ambulance

Public health insurance covers most citizens/residents and the system pays 70% or more of the medical or drugs costs with the remainder being covered by the patient (upper limits apply). The monthly insurance premium is paid per household and scaled to annual income. Supplementary private health insurance is available only to cover the co-payments or non-covered costs, and usually makes a fixed payment per days in hospital or per surgery performed, rather than per actual expenditure. In 2005, Japan spent 8.2% of GDP on health care, or US$2,908 per capita. Of that, approximately 83% was government expenditure

History

The beginning of the Japanese Health care system happened in 1927 when the first Employee Health Insurance plan was created.

In the 1980s, health care spending was rapidly increasing as was the case with many industrialized nations. While some countries like the United States allowed costs to rise Japan instead tightly regulated the health industry to rein in costs.So while in the U.S. a MRI scan of the neck region costs about $US 1,500; in Japan, the identical scan costs $US 98. Since 1983 all elderly persons have been covered by government-sponsored insurance.
By the early 1990s, there were more than 1,000 mental hospitals, 8,700 general hospitals, and 1,000 comprehensive hospitals with a total capacity of 1.5 million beds. Hospitals provided both out-patient and in-patient care. In addition, 79,000 clinics offered primarily out-patient services, and there were 48,000 dental clinics. Most physicians and hospitals sold medication directly to patients, but there were 36,000 pharmacies where patients could purchase synthetic or herbal medication.
National health expenditures rose from about 1 trillion yen in 1965 to nearly 20 trillion yen in 1989, or from slightly more than 5% to more than 6% of Japan's national income. The system has been troubled with excessive paperwork, assembly-line care for out-patients (because few facilities made appointments), over medication, and abuse of the system because of apparent low out-of-pocket expenses to patients. Another problem is an uneven distribution of health personnel, with rural areas favored over cities.

Lupin the III

2010-06-08T23:07:00.000+09:00

Anime

In August 1967, Futabasha Publishing's Manga Action weekly magazine began running a new manga by Kato Kazuhiko, a.k.a. "Monkey Punch". The title enchanted many of the Japanese readers including a man named Fujioka Yutaka, an executive for Tokyo Movie Shinsha Co. (TMS). TMS decided to purchase the rights to make an animated version of the manga in the same year.

Originally, TMS planned to team up with Toho and produce a theatrical film. Some of the best talent (including Osumi Masaki, Shibayama Tsutomu, and Otsuka Yasuo) were brought together and feverishly worked on producing the "Pilot Film". Two versions were made, a Cinemascope and TV version, as it was assumed during the planning phase that the film would be released in theaters and then later on television.
While the pilot film was completed in 1969, it consumed a great deal of time and money. TMS and Toho could not come to terms about budget for the film; this and several other problems caused the pilot film to never reach theaters. TMS decided to sell "Lupin III" for TV anime even though its more adult-oriented themes would make it a difficult sell. In October 1971, TMS managed to sell the idea to Yomiuri TV (YTV); they would air the series on television.
TMS could not round up the entire staff of the pilot film as too much time had elapsed. Production of the series went on with Osumi and Otsuka as its core. On 24 October 1971, the first episode of Lupin III (commonly known as the "green jacket series") aired on YTV. It was one of the first anime series with an adult sensibility. It was also grounded in reality as evidenced by the details of the automobiles, guns, etc. depicted in the series. It had all the tools to capture an appreciative adult audience, but the show did poorly in the ratings.
By the time episode three aired, Osumi was removed from the production of the show. Miyazaki Hayao and Takahata Isao were brought in to replace Osumi. The emphasis of the show was also changed to a more humorous, cartoon-style flavor. Despite these changes, the series ended after only twenty-three episodes. While its initial broadcast run was a disaster, the series experienced an explosive surge in popularity through numerous reruns.
With this surge of popularity, the decision was made to make a second television series. Fans quickly came to call this new series Shin Lupin III (New Lupin III); it is also widely known as the "red jacket series". The first episode aired on 3 October 1977 and differed in content from the first series. The plots were more conscious of children; the settings were expanded to cover the entire globe, and the character's idiosyncrasies were simplified. While fans of the original series did not think much of the changes, the second series garnered huge ratings and aired 155 episodes over three years.
During the second series broadcast, Lupin finally made it to the big screen. While a live-action film version of Lupin was made in 1974, it was not until 16 December 1978 that an animated Lupin film was shown in theaters. Simply titled Lupin III, the film captured the adult themes and dark atmosphere of the manga and the first part of the first TV series. The film was a success both critically and commercially; naturally, another film had to be made to capitalize on this success.
On 17 December 1979, Castle of Cagliostro became the second animated Lupin film to hit theaters. Directed by Miyazaki Hayao, the film was a wonderful action & adventure film with many memorable scenes.¹ It was more light-hearted than the first film as Miyazaki felt that the film should represent Lupin in the twilight of his career. Lupin is more nice and sentimental as he is looking for fulfillment that cannot be found in thievery.² The film did not receive as much industry or critical acclaim initially. However, the film increased in popularity through TV broadcasts and magazine listings; today, it is considered to be a classic piece of animation.
A third television series began airing in 1984; Lupin III Part III, the "pink jacket series", aired fifty episodes over two years. This series focused more on slapstick humor. A third theatrical feature appeared in the middle of this broadcast run; 1985 saw the release of Legend of the Gold of Babylon; this film reflected the slapstick nature of the third series. After the third series ended, 1987 saw the release of Fuma Conspiracy direct to the home video market. It eventually made its appearance in theaters as well.¹
The production company for Fuma decided to drop Yamada Yasuo as the voice of Lupin because of the budget. Monkey Punch was informed of this decision by the production company; Monkey Punch felt he had no right to enforce decisions regarding voice actors. He told the production company that he understood their choice, but that they needed to make Yamada understand this fact as well. Unfortunately, this was not made clear to Yamada, and he felt that Monkey Punch had directly dropped him from the project. Yamada took pride in being the voice of Lupin and was upset about this decision. Monkey Punch tried to clear up the misunderstanding in later conversations with Yamada, but their relationship remained strained until Yamada's death.³
A year went by before the next Lupin title came out. In 1989, an annual tradition began; each year since 1989 has seen the release of a TV special or a theatrical film. The first special was Bye Bye Liberty and featured the return of Yamada Yasuo as the voice of Lupin. Yamada would continue to voice Lupin for five more years until his tragic death in 1995.
Kurita Kanichi was picked to fill Yamada's shoes, a daunting task to be sure. Kurita has managed to capture though not completely recreate Yamada's voice for Lupin. In 1995, the fourth original theatrical film To Hell with Nostradamus! was released.
In 1996, Monkey Punch directed a portion of the fifth film Dead or Alive; this film returned Lupin to its roots, roots not seen since the first film aired back in 1978. The film was dark, violent, and relied less on humor than recent titles. Lupin fans consider it one of the best titles in the Lupin filmography. It was often rumored that Monkey Punch directed this film due to his dissatisfaction with the way Nostradamus and specials had been portraying Lupin. However, he has stated that he unwillingly accepted the director's chair after being approached for the position. He credits the voice actors and other production people for making the film what it is.⁴
It is now over thirty years since Lupin was first aired on television; specials continue to be produced on a yearly basis. While the history of Lupin anime is long, it is far from over.
¹ House, Michael. "Meet... Lupin III ...An Japanese Superhero!", Toon Magazine 1.7 (1995): 25 - 30.
² Ragone, August. "1981 conversation with Monkey Punch at the San Diego Comic Con", From a post to the Yahoo! LupinTheThird Group (22 Feb 2003).
³ "Interview with Monkey Punch", Hokkaido Shimbun (8 May 2001).
⁴ Divers, Allen. "Interview: Monkey Punch", Anime News Network (13 Nov 2003).

Arsène Lupin III

The grandson of Arsène Lupin is tall, lanky, impertinent, and very sneaky. His prime qualities are listed as "appearing like a god, disappearing like a demon"; in other words, he appears with a flash and leaves with a whisper. Despite being aided by many gadgets, his main talents lie in plotting and evasion of weapons.
While his grandfather was known as the "Gentleman Thief", Lupin III has no qualms about trying to separate a woman from her modesty. He fancies himself as quite the ladies man, but his advances rarely succeeds. His primary weakness is his overconfidence and lust for Mine Fujiko.

Vital Statistics

Age: Unknown
Nationality: Unknown
Height: 179 cm.
Weight: 63 kg.
Preferred Weapon: Walther P-38
Preferred Cigarette: Jitan caporal(?)

Known Aliases

Global: Cliffhanger
Global: Chase Tracer
Germany: Hardyman
Mexico: Aramis Lupin
Spain: Arsenio Lupin
France: Edgar de la Cambriole

Jigen Daisuke

Little is known about Jigen's past; while he is listed as a Japanese national, it is believed that he fled to Japan and changed his name to avoid the American mafia. While his primary function is bodyguard and hitman, he has become Lupin's closest ally. His black suit, black fedora, and beard easily identify him. The ever present black fedora also serves as an sighting aid enabling Jigen to be a precise, quick (clocked as having a 0.3 second fast draw), and deadly shot.
He greatly distrusts Mine Fujiko, and Lupin's infatuation with her is a source of much irritation for him. As he is proficient with a variety of firearms, it is advised to approach him with extreme caution.

Vital Statistics

Age: Unknown
Nationality: Japanese
Height: 178 cm.
Weight: 70 kg.
Preferred Weapon: Smith & Wesson M19 Combat Magnum
Preferred Cigarette: Pall Mall super long

Known Aliases

Mexico: Julian
Spain: Oscar
France: Auguste
France:

Ishikawa Goemon

Thirteenth in the line of the Ishikawa samurai family, Goemon wields a sword that can cut through anything and is nearly indestructible. While the bulk of his training is shrouded in mystery, it is known that received assassination training from Momochi no Jijii ("Old Man Momochi"). Momochi ordered Goemon to kill Lupin; however, Momochi planned on eliminating both Goemon and Lupin to become the world's greatest assassin but was killed by Lupin.
Through long and rigorous training, Goemon has perfected the art of iai, the katana fast-draw. The combination of Goemon's reflexes and Zantetsuken's sharpness make for a lethal package. While he feels that most of the people or things that feel the touch of Zantetsuken are worthless, he does not hesitate to cut down anything or anyone that blocks his path.
Goemon is based on a historical figure of the same name. He was the Japanese version of Robin Hood though some debate this comparison. The original Goemon lived circa 1650 AD and was finally caught and executed by being placed in a pot of boiling oil.

Vital Statistics

Age: Unknown
Nationality: Japanese
Height: 180 cm.
Weight: 63 kg.
Preferred Weapon: Zantetsuken (katana)

Known Aliases

Mexico: RamÃ³n
Spain: Francis
France: Yokitori

Mine Fujiko

Mine Fujiko is a beautiful thief that few men, including Lupin, can resist. Her primary method is to use her feminine wiles to get close to the same treasure that Lupin is after. Fujiko and Lupin are occasionally friends, more often opponents, and never really lovers much to Lupin's chagrin. Normally, Lupin does outsmart Fujiko, but she also makes away with the loot on occasion.
She routinely makes a deal with Zenigata to hand over Lupin in exchange for her own freedom. While she is very seductive and devious, she is also intelligent and is an expert in firearms, burglary, and driving.

Vital Statistics

Age: Unknown
Nationality: Japanese
Height: 167 cm.
Weight: 50 kg.
Three Sizes: B99.9, W55.5, H88.8
Preferred Weapon: Browning M1910
Preferred Cigarette: Moa menthol

Known Aliases

Mexico: Vanessa
Spain: Patricia
France: Magali

Inspector Zenigata Koichi

Zenigata Keibu (Keibu translates as "Inspector") is an incredibly diligent yet incredibly gullible policeman whose life has been dedicated to bringing Lupin to justice. While he has some interest in capturing Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko, he is really after only Lupin. Zenigata belongs to the esteemed ranks of law enforcers doomed to never successfully catch their man. Originally a member of the Tokyo Police Force, Zenigata was transferred to Interpol to allow him to travel the globe after Lupin. His obsession has unfortunately put a strain on his marriage and his relationship with his daughter Toshiko.
Zenigata is based on a famous Japanese crime fighting character named Heiji Zenigata. The character is a few hundred years old and was best known for throwing coins as a weapon. Zenigata's handcuff throwing technique is his own take on the character's choice of weapon.

Vital Statistics

Age: Unknown
Nationality: Japanese
Height: 181 cm.
Weight: 73 kg.
Preferred Weapon: Colt 1911A1 government
Preferred Cigarette: Shinsei

Pilot Film

Jacket Color: Red
Release Date: 1969

Known Aliases

Mexico: ZuÃ±iga
Spain: Basilio
France: Inspecteur Gaston Lacogne

Pilot Film

Jacket Color: Red
Release Date: 1969

The door opens in a dark room spilling light into it; a man stands in the doorway and empties a submachine gun into the room.
Cut to Inspector Zenigata playing shogi over the phone trying to keep his opponent on the line while a trace is made. Zenigata calls checkmate; his opponent does likewise telling Zenigata that the pieces are fake. Zenigata examines the backs of the pieces to find "Lupin III" written on them. This infuriates Zenigata, but the trace went through! The call is coming from a phone booth outside. Zenigata rushes out to find the booth empty except for a shogi piece with the name "Zenigata" written on it. He throws the playing piece, and it explodes!
Lupin, Jigen, and Fujiko end up being trapped by Zenigata in an old mansion. Zenigata attempts to storm the mansion but fails; he falls back outside dragging his injured policemen with him. It is a stalemate; Lupin cannot get out, and Zenigata cannot get into the mansion. Suddenly, the famous private investigator Akechi Kogoro suggests that Zenigata throw a grappling hook through a second floor window. He then suggests that Zenigata tie the other end to a car bumper.
Akechi starts the car up and begins to drive off; Zenigata chases after him trying to find out what to do next. Akechi reaches to his face and pulls off a mask. It was really Lupin in disguise! Lupin disguised himself as an injured policman to get out of the mansion. As he drives off, Zenigata sees that the grappling hook has been attached to a make-shift kite that carries Jigen and Fujiko away.

Second Series
The famous "green jacket" series was created with an adult sensibility and attempted to create a stylish series not previously seen. Great attention was given to the details of the automobiles, guns, and brand name items used. Initially, the series focused less on humor and more on pulp stories centered on a particular heist. Lupin would not hesitate to kill anyone in his way though he did have his own skewed moral code.
The series opened to poor ratings, and director Osumi Masaki's refusal to alter the tone of the series lead to his removal by the time the third episode had aired. In an attempt to reach a broader audience, Miyazaki Hayao and Takahata Isao were brought in to soften the series and provide more humor. Despite their efforts, the series was canceled after twenty-three episodes. However, the series found its audience in reruns and grew in popularity.

After reruns made the first series a fan favorite, a second TV series was produced and set years after the first series. Donning a red jacket, Lupin reunited with Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko to resume their thieving ways; this series retained the comic tone Miyazaki and Takahata brought to the close of the first series. While the darker tones of the manga were left out, many of the manga stories were adapted into episodes. The series also earns the distinction of being the first anime series to be broadcast in stereo starting with episode 99 and intermittently to the end.
The "red jacket" series is the most recognizable and most popular series around the world.

Third Series

The "pink jacket" series has seen little play outside of Japan and is chiefly judged by Legend of the Gold of Babylon, the film produced during the same time period. While Babylon and this series share the same comedy style, the third series fares a bit better in its execution.
Review:
My preconceptions going into this series were based on Legend of the Gold of Babylon; I was expecting an arduous journey through fifty episodes. However, this third TV series managed to be more entertaining, though not by much. Most of the episodes are mediocre heists lacking the wacky panache the second series mustered. The rest range from absurd slapstick to some of the hard edge the first series had. It was not an exceptional run of fifty episodes, but it managed to be just entertaining enough to keep me watching.
With passable stories, one would hope that the animation and character designs would provide some decent eye candy to help. Not the case with the third series; the character designs are atrocious making the cast elongated, amorphous blobs. Fujiko comes off the worst looking like a hideous, old crone half the time. Near the end of the series, the characters edge back towards more familiar designs, but multiple animators must have been working on the series as they shift from the familiar back to the hideous for the last few episodes.
Overall, this could have been much worse; I could not have sat through fifty episodes of material like Babylon. I managed to get some enjoyment out the series, but it is not one I'll be pulling off the shelf much.

Secret of Mamo

Synopsis:
Transylvania... Lupin has been captured and hanged to death; the coroner's report confirms that down to the DNA level this was the real Lupin the Third. However, Zenigata refuses to believe Lupin is dead and drives to a castle to view the body. He then proceeds to drive a stake through the heart of Lupin's corpse. The corpse explodes, and Zenigata comes face to face with... Lupin?!

Castle of Cagliostro

Synopsis:
Lupin's search for the source of the legendary counterfeit "Goat Money" leads him to the small country of Cagliostro. While fixing a flat tire on the side of the road, Lupin and Jigen are passed by a beautiful girl being chased by a group of thugs. Lupin naturally rushes to the aid of the pretty girl and saves her from a nasty fall over a cliff.

Legend of the Gold of Babylon

Synopsis:
Several stone tablets have been unearthed in New York City and tell the tale of an ancient treasure. Thousands of years ago, a god demanded that all of the gold in Babylon be collected so it could be hidden. Lupin is naturally looking to make this horde of gold his own but must contend with two Mafia families that are after it as well.

Farewell to Nostradamus

Synopsis:
A simple diamond heist leads Lupin into the machinations of a bizarre cult. The cult is based around the prophecies of Nostradamus, and they kidnap Julia, the daughter of Douglas, a wealthy American who is seeking the presidency, along with Lupin's diamond. At stake is the lost book of prophecy Douglas holds in the vault at the top of his skyscraper.
Can Lupin rescue Julia, find a way into the vault, and discover the connection between the cult and the kidnapping? And what about his diamond?!

Dead or Alive

Synopsis:
The latest target for Lupin is the legendary treasure of the kingdom of Zufu. This treasure lies on the mysterious "Drifting Island", and Lupin drags his gang to investigate. Upon reaching a mysterious door, the island activates an impressive defense system, and Lupin manages to escape by the seat of his pants.

This blog has now come back to life

2010-06-06T08:32:00.000+09:00

I've been neglecting this blog because I have been working hard on my other site www.
tokyocycletours.com. I do have a business to run so I have to make sure that everything is finely tuned and the sponsor placements are just right. This blog will be updated daily without fail from now on as it is a vital component in my online world and general aspirations.
Regards,
Jeffery J. Stephens

Shinjuku Gyoen Photos

2010-05-26T21:57:00.000+09:00

My Turf: The Movie

2010-05-06T23:35:00.001+09:00

2010-05-06T13:09:00.002+09:00

Minasan Genki? Hisashiburi desu. Kyou no burogu wa hajimete no bideo burogu de gozaru. Yoroshiku.

This is my first video blog. It's a collection of videos from around my area and also every video that you see is a stop on my cycle tour. A lot of these bring back memories of when I lived in Harajuku and Shibuya as well as the time I spent working in the skyscrapers of Shinjuku. Yes, I used to have REAL jobs at places like Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Opera Software. I am at that critical juncture of my life where I am trying to make a decision whether or not to continue working in the hi-tech arena or focus on my blogging, GPS map making and tours. The company life was cool and I worked with some great people and I got to travel the world on business trips to places around Europe, the Middle East, and just about everywhere in Southeast Asia. Anyway, Please give me some feedback so that I can make a decision.

These guys are the absolute greatest. You have to see them in person because the video, although good is nothing compared to real life. I used to live just down the street and I spent every Sunday in the park with my friends and I never got tired of seeing these guys.

I did a quick calculation and I realized that I've done the 'Shibuya Shuffle' 1000+ times. Maraih Carey did a real stupid thing one day and pulled into the center of the intersection in her limo and got out and started dancing. Well that caused some serious delays and I couldn't even cross and the traffic was halted.

I now live just down the street from here and I do the hanami party every year. It is so crowded during cherry blossom season that every single patch of grass is covered with people. Sometimes you have to walk around for an hour just to find a tiny plot just to sit cross-legged and eat your bento.

This is taken from a famous overpass in Nishi-shinjuku that appears in just about every television drama on TV. I used to work in the big black skyscraper on the left and I can see my old office window . I remember my first day in Japan and I was totally overwhelmed with Nishi-Shinjuku after all I came from Windsor, Ontario Canada and all we had was the Detroit skyline with a river separating us. Thank God for that river.

This is normal in 'the Park' . Now you can see why I liked to hang out here every weekend. The entertainment factor was great so you never got bored.

This is where I spend a lot of my time these days because I like to blog about it and it's fun not to mention I live five minutes away. My favorite time is dawn when the hostesses and hosts exit the clubs staggering down the streets and the yakuza pimps are getting an early start on the day. I sit in my regular window seat on the second floor of McDonalds with my camera and laptop and blog and shoot photos.

Well that's about it for now. I make it a point to keep the blog alive and updated so you may want to get an RSS feed going.

Yoroshiku...

The Shinjuku Ghost

Kabuki-cho: Weirding up the Planet

2010-05-05T04:02:00.001+09:00

Hi Folks it's been a bit but I got some more photos. Although it's weird, tonight was an especially weird night in Kabuki-cho. Part of an escort's job in addition to promoting their club is recruitment. Check out the photo above. Aren't those high school uniforms? When I walked by they were negotiating prices.

Here are some along with a good shot of one of their targets (hostess).

This guy actually waived me down when he saw my camera. These egoistic parasite love nothing more than attention.

These guys were actually kinda cool and they even posed for me. They were kicking a can around and when I was walking by and it hit me but they apologized. Even escorts get bored.

Things that make you go HMMMMM...

It was a busy night tonight even though everyone goes back to work tomorrow after Golden Week.

This guy never moved. He just stood there motionless the whole time.

Kabuki-cho normal

Nice Hi-Res shot of the main strip.

Grandpa must be really impressed with our youth today.

Nice 'manscaping' dude. Check out the eyebrows.

Your mother would love this girl.

Not from tonight but I'll add it anyway.

As you can see the weirdness in Kabuki-cho never ens but it has to be one of my favorite places to hang out.

Yoroshiku

Fabulous! Shinjuku Ni-chome (the gay capital of Nippon)

2010-05-01T22:43:00.000+09:00

[cue: Judy Garland's "The Trolley Song"]

Whether you are a bear, otter, cub, straight or whatever for that matter get your manscaping on and get down to Shinjuku's Ni-chome for a truly cool time. Friday and Saturday nights are like one huge block party and you don't have to feel intimidated if you are straight cuz the natives are really cool and encourage 'mixing'. Shinjuku Ni-chome is located about a 10 minute walk from Shinjuku station's east exit. It's the gay center of Japan but you'll be surprised of the 'smallness' of everything. The whole are encompasses less than 300 sq. meters but packed into those 300 square meters is 300+ bars. Don't expect to be looking for any big nightclubs or discos either. The maximum capacity is no more than a couple dozen people at the larger establishments. Although the 'leather' scene is worldwide this are is very organized into 'sen' or themed bars focusing on a specific niche.

These two were really cool to let me snap their photo before they headed into a grand opening of a new bar. My camera battery ran out so I had to use my mobile phone camera.

They tore down the famous park that was located in the center which is sad cuz it was a symbol of the area and there were a lot of interesting people there. I wish I had a photo of it but I used to avoid it because being the good looking guy that I am...not to mention the explaining that I have to do if my wife saw me around there. After all, her shop is located right around the corner and she delivers her arrangements to many of the bars and I never thought that I'd be blogging about it.
There are also a number of specialty shops as well.

One of the many specialty shops in the area.

This shop owner is a regular customer at my wife's shop. He is very cool to my little girls as well. I peeked in and he saw my camera and I got a pose.

There are bars that cater to the women but they tend to keep a low profile and men are usually NOT allowed into those establishments. There is also an annual 'rainbow parade' and an O-mikoshi (carrying of the portable shrine) festival for Ni-chome. I always take part in the O-mikoshi festival. I'll post another blog on this later because it's happens next month.

And now for something completely different...

He insisted I take his photo when he saw my camera.

Love Ya Darlings!

Golden Gai

2010-04-26T20:21:00.000+09:00

Golden Gai is the famous bar area in Tokyo located right next to Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku. It is made up of shanty style bars that are very small. The area mostly caters to the artist community (actors, musicians, writers...) but anyone is welcome at most places. There are private clubs where you must be introduced. These are usually small unmarked doors. I know these places because I have seen on numerous occasions famous people going in or coming out of these doors. Foreigners don't have a good reputation in Golden Gai and many places outright forbid foreigners. Some places levy a special gaijin (foreigner) charge. One place that I know will not allow foreigners that cannot speak Japanese fluently and even then they treated me rudely. That place is in the photo to the left. Be sure to read the sign.

Kabukicho Real-Time Blogging

2010-04-26T14:07:00.000+09:00

The following is an experiment that I did. I decided to head down to one of my favorite place to hang out. It is the 24 hour Mcdonalds in Kabukicho. I usually head there in the mornings since I am an early riser and my wife complains that I disturb her sleep.

5:00 am: I am an early riser. My wife and two kids usually sleep until 8:00 am

5:30 am: I get changed and get ready to head out. She has been complaining lately that I get up too early and that I disturb her sleep patterns. I decided to grab my laptop this time since I knew that the entertainment factor was better than anything on TV.

5:40 am: I am walking down the street on my way to my favorite morning place in Kabukicho. I always sit on the second floor looking out onto the street. To my left is the original Kabuki theatre that the area gets it's namesake from.

5:45 am: Less than a minute from my destination I run into a a group of about 20 police officers (three patrol cars) attending to a drunk that collapsed and hit his head. He was incapacitated and bleeding profusely. It looks like he was in some kind of altercation because his face was pretty messed up. All but two of the officers were just standing around doing nothing while the two that were were loading the man into a dirty old oil-stained plastic tarp and that they got out of the trunk of a cruiser and were dragging him down the road toward on of the cruisers.

5:47 am: In less than 100m I am asked by four different sleazy yakuza types if I wanted a woman.

5:50 am: Finally, I am sitting down in my spot and looking out into the street from my usual second floor seat in McDonalds. I allow myself only one coffee per day (in the morning). The scene on the street was the usual mix of drunk bar hostesses staggering around still in 'vampire' mode as well as bar hosts in cheap black suits, pointy fake leather boots, make up and blonde/orange died hair. The homeless were out as well screaming at everyone and talking loudly to themselves.

5:52 am: I look around and the floor I am on is quiet as usual due to no smoking. The third floor where the bathroom is located is a smoking floor and it's like a roadhouse littered with low-life male escorts and bar hostesses as well as people sleeping. I walked into the bathroom (the only one) but after seeing the most unhealthy bloody, green goo fecal matter in the unflushed toilet I quickly exited.

5:55 am: I got back to my seat just in time to catch the first of the action. There were two guys yelling and screaming at each other on the street. One guy pushed the other guy to the ground and proceeded to bash him with a bicycle that was parked nearby. This continued on and off until the J-cops arrived nearly ten minutes later.

6:05 am The J-cops arrived (about 20 of them). They broke up the fight . The guy who was on the ground (we will refer to him from now on as the 'bashee') was still conscious but covered in blood. Two J-cops were talking to the guy bleeding all over the place. Nothing to stop the bleeding was provided. There were two others talking to the 'basher' who was actually physically pushing around the J-cops. The other 16 or so J-cops just stood around doing nothing.

6:20 am The 16 J-cops that were just standing around left and the bashee was being escorted away (presumably to the nearest police box) cupping his hands under his nose to catch the dripping blood. The basher was continuing to resist arrest (physically). My attention gets drawn to the undercover cop who is questioning the young girls sitting next to me. There is a huge problem in Japan where underage girls from the rural areas just leave home and go to the large urban centers and live on the streets for a little while.

6:40 am: It's been relatively quiet. The basher is still pushing around the J-cops (this is getting old). There's been a guy standing on the corner absolutely motionless since I got here. Some retarded women stopped to feed the crows that were already tearing up the garbage and making a huge mess of everything. A gang of skinny 'tough' guys wearing identical embroidered dragon jackets intimidated a group of escorts. I was then startled by the manager banging the tables where everyone was trying to get some sleep and screaming at them to wake up. As usual everyone just ignored him.

6:45 am: I 've decided to head back (through the puke laden) streets to get the girls ready for school. If I get good feedback then I'll do this again soon. BTW the basher and the bashee passed me on the way out. They were cuddling and holding hands. Looks like they knew each other...

If I get good feedback I'll do this again.

Yoroshiku