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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   450 thread views

Transnational Thursday for April 17, 2025

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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Rare that this doesn't get even one hit? I'll go first.

The Japan expo in Osaka (I guess the Osaka Expo) with its bizarre mascot that looks like a walking pathogen has begun. No Japanese person I know (admittedly I stay home a lot) is going or has any interest in going. But Japan is choc-a-bloc with foreigner tourists now. Drives me nuts.

I'll never get over how Vtuber and mascot bios have sort of merged into this surreal sanrio madlibs format.

Bizarre! When bird flu hits us with an unexpected mutation!

Btw, do you know of any good japanese vloggers on YT or elsewhere with interesting stuff to say? Whether positive or negative about Japan.

As the resident tinfoil hatter, that mascot looks like predictive programming for something. Also a three year old girl in Mexico died of bird flu a few hours ago. No underlying conditions, no history of travel, no association with dairy or farm work as far as I can tell.

Predictive programming? What is that? AI picking up on data? Or "they" doing a psyop to prime us for something?

The second. If you want another example, the giant grim reaper holding a syringe at the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.

Huh? I don't remember that. What was that supposed to be predictive of?

COVID and the vaccine

Take your meds.

I will not take the psychiatric meds! I hate the Antichrist! I HATE THE ANTICHRIST!

Do you mean that red pill over there?

Honestly, in terms of the symbols of those Olympic games, I preferred the Goatse submission [SFW]. The "Lisa Simpson blowjob" one just didn't hit the same way.

Look up Dogen on YT - he’s a language teacher cum comedian and has a lot of funny anecdotes (with English subtitles). Particularly recommend the video on the 10 (?) kinds of bows.

I'm not that into watching other people talk about Japan. I will say I happened upon this account by a European German girl living in Kyoto that made me rethink everything about living here. She makes every day seem like some sort of glorious moment of learning and experience, whereas I'm buying a coffee at the Family Mart. I realize this is because her channel is highly produced and she is probably insufferable to actually know (as she is probably filming everything). I'm convinced my life is reality, whereas what she is doing is for the cameras. But it certainly is beautifully made.

Going to China briefly from Japan definitely makes it clear how much unconscious expertise is required to live in any country. Getting reset right back to the “ohgodohgodhowdoieat” stage reminds me that when I first came to Japan I spend a solid hour in the supermarket trying to figure out how to safely buy eggs and rice to make TKG. Even making microwave gyuudon required sending a panicky text to a friend to check that the 1m30 on the label was correct and I wasn’t going to get food poisoning if I heated it for less than the 7 minutes specified in the UK. It’s humbling.

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