Thread: Japan is CRAZY.

My company is on 'High-Alert' with a week's worth of masks and hand disinfectant for each staff already on hand.

Try going out and buy a mask in a drug or convenience store. Nada!

Originally Posted by OLD_SCHOOL

Indeed, good films. Mifune had to be the one of the greatest actors in his time.

He really was great. Not Takuya Kimura great....but great.

Actually, though, I think Mifune might very well be the best actor Japan's produced. fantastic guy, kinda like Clint Eastwood with the whole pigeonholing thing hiding real talent.

The principal of the school where the flu was first found has announced he will resign and apologized in public. The parents of the infected children are being harassed and people are demanding that they apologize to the public.

This is over reacting, in my estimation. If Japan was a developing country with few medical and prescription drug facilities I would be worried, but as with Jim I too find much of this over reacting a little tiresome.

I was at the doctor yesterday with my son who picked up a cold bug at playschool and was running a high fever. I thought it would be a given that he would do a flu test. The doctor on the other hand said that that would be premature and that we should just keep the fever down with normal medicines. I was asked by the pharmacist what my son's fever was, (without thinking) I told him and he freaked out!! "Did he get tested!!" I wanted to say give me a break. Instead I said the doctor says it isn't necessary. I don't think he held the same opinion though.

I have already been asked if I am 'ok', in other word do I feel like I may have flu like symptoms. Strictly on account that I am a foreigner (even though I am a permanent resident and haven't left Japan for nearly three years) a stigma is lightly on me because I am Canadian who is a visual minority here. I just keep a low profile and answer cordially when concern is directed at me or my family.

It is a little bit like when BSE cases were more prevalent in the news. I was working for the Japanese government in Canada in 2005 and 2006 and was in the middle of much of the activities that were taking place in Alberta. Japanese officials and I were visiting farmers, ranchers, slaughter houses, government test facilities... etc. Japan tests every single cow for BSE. The same standard is not to be seen elsewhere. There are ranchers who do. But most don't.

I wouldn't be surprised if mandatory flu tests were implemented to all returnees or visitors to Japan if things escalate.

Originally Posted by ZethLent

I was at the doctor yesterday with my son who picked up a cold bug at playschool and was running a high fever. I thought it would be a given that he would do a flu test. The doctor on the other hand said that that would be premature and that we should just keep the fever down with normal medicines. I was asked by the pharmacist what my son's fever was, (without thinking) I told him and he freaked out!! "Did he get tested!!" I wanted to say give me a break. Instead I said the doctor says it isn't necessary. I don't think he held the same opinion though.

I'm sorry to hear about your son, I hope he's feeling better...

And wow...a doctor with sense! Who'd of thunk it! I actually saw one on TV this morning saying "This flu isn't any worse than the typical flu virus." Maybe people will start listening?

Originally Posted by ZethLent

I have already been asked if I am 'ok', in other word do I feel like I may have flu like symptoms. Strictly on account that I am a foreigner (even though I am a permanent resident and haven't left Japan for nearly three years) a stigma is lightly on me because I am Canadian who is a visual minority here. I just keep a low profile and answer cordially when concern is directed at me or my family.

Without a doubt. The company I work for has already said that if anyone leaves the country, when they come back their clients have requested that EVERYONE be placed in a three day quarantine before coming back to work. This is only for foreign employees, of course.

I was talking to a pediatrician who had sent in a child with an abdominal abscess. The ER did an influenza test.

The symptoms of this flu are: fever over 101, hacking cough that brings nothing up, headache, muscle aches, chills (the kind that make you shake).

If someone doesn't have 3 of those, there is no reason to test.

Kudos to your doctor ZethLent. Keep him.

I wonder if this is being driven my some of the epidemiologist types. The more threatening it sounds, the more important they feel. Maybe I'm a little cynical.

Thousands of people die from the regular influenza every year and it doesn't get this kind of attention.

That said, we need to keep an eye on this. I have been reading up on the 1918 influenza epidemic. That virus started about the same time of the year much like this one. As people relaxed their vigilance, the virus mutated and became much more deadly. This happened about August, so when it came back in the fall, it resulted in a lot of deaths.

Next fall it could be worse, after that, enough people will have been exposed that it will limit the spread naturally thereafter.

Originally Posted by kenneyty

In their defense, Hiroshima, internment camps, Trail of Tears, slavery...we've all got our demons. They think some of our norms are pretty aweful as well. Guns for instance. Jeez, Joe. You're gonna think I'm out for you today.

See, the thing is that I know a lot of Americans, and while most of them are allright sorts of people, I've met my fair share of total jerks too. So it doesn't surprise me when America does something really "jerk-y", like exterminating natives and such. I have never met a Japanese person who was a jerk, though, so it surprises me when they do something really jerk-y as a nation.

And no, I don't think you're out to get me, jerk



(Kidding, just kidding!)

Luckily I just escaped from Japan on Saturday!


When I arrived in Japan the previous Sunday, the plane was boarded by health officials wearing masks, gloves, gowns, the full deal...they went and took everyone's temperature, all 308 passengers, before allowing people to de-plane. God help us if even one person was running a fever!There were TV camera crews down on the tarmac filming the latest arrival of infectants from the US.

When I arrived at work the next day, the engineers I worked with "suggested" that I may want to wear a mask to work (which I did).



Strange indeed, as the Japanese love to eat fugu, which can kill you, yet is considered the creme de la creme of foodstuffs.


The Japanese people really are quite wonderful, I must say. Super-hospitable, helpful, friendly. Just great people.

Originally Posted by joesixpack

All of the Japanese people I have ever known (I used to work for a japanese company, so not just Japanese Americans) have been really great people as individuals. But, as a nation, boy are they some kinda screwed up..

heh, many of us think the same about the USA.

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