unicorn

Typing in a huge font is childish and doesn't make your argument any more persuasive. I, too, can bring up any number of proverbs from Western, Chinese, Japanese, Arab, or whatever culture to explain his behavior (or any other number of behaviors). The fact of the matter is that he was the only holdout, as in a number of other examples with which one can cull from around the globe. As I said, neither of us can know what's in the stubborn farmer's mind. What one can see is that he's either sorry or very foolish (or both). It is you who proclaimed, without any evidence to support it, that the "whole country" (your words) was behind the foolish farmer. That's pure fantasy and speculation on your part (you have declined providing evidence to the contrary, as I suspected).

I'm not the one who equated "a bunch" with "a majority." Quite the opposite: I argued how silly it was for you to claim that the "whole country" was behind the stubborn farmer, when, I suspect, it was only a vocal minority (like the vocal minority which supports Mangione). In fact, I'd be somewhat surprised to learn that even a majority of the country was behind him, but you're the one who made the claim that the country was behind him, so it's up to you to look up any opinion polls to support your dubious claim. Every country, regardless of its culture, has its moral values and law. I notice that you consider yourself the ultimate arbiter of what's "Japanese logic" and what's "Western logic." I don't claim to be such an expert, but one thing I do agree with @PeterRS is that being a selfish boor probably represents rather "un-Japanese" behavior. After all, he was the only holdout. Of course, I have no way of proving that he regrets his intransigence. However, only an insane person would like to live in the middle of an airport, cut off from others, with a piece of land he can probably no longer sell. No telling what he could have made had he invested the money (even if only with real estate), but $1.7 million in 2015 is worth $2.28 million today, just accounting for inflation. It's also pretty dumb to claim I can't understand how a farmer could be attached to his land just because my country is "only" 250 years old. When my country began, Japan was under the Tokugawa shogunate. I doubt this farmer's ancestors owned the land then, and I seriously doubt that the concept of land ownership at the time of Tokugawa Ieharu 徳川 家治 was the same or even similar to what it is today. There are family farms that have been cherished for generations in the US just as in Japan.

I must apologize for one thing. It was not you, but rather @a-447 who wrote that the whole country was behind him, and you merely agreed. The lesson one can learn from Mangioni is obvious, however: just because someone has a bunch of (vocal) supporters doesn't mean that the majority of the population supports his actions. And, even if the majority were to support Mangioni or the farmer, that does not give them the moral high ground. This is not an East vs West issue. The farmer was a fool and self-centered. If he states he "doesn't regret rejecting the monetary compensation," then he's a liar as well. Of course, what would one expect a fool to say? Just like the many property owners from all around the globe shown on those videos, he tried to extort more money from his property than his neighbors received, and his bluff was called. After all that's happened, do you expect him to say "Oops. Silly me!"? Not likely.

Sorry, but you were wrong--by your own admission. You first said that the farmer's stubbornness was due to traditional Japanese values, then admitted in your post above that what he did was, in fact, "very un-Japanese" (your own words). You first said that the whole country was behind him, then scaled that back to say "He was a great many supporters" (which is probably true). Well, Luigi Mangioni, the man who murdered the health insurance CEO, also has "a great many supporters." He has, in fact, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for his legal defense fund--though the GoFundMe website has refused to host his money begging requests. The fact that he has a great many supporters doesn't mean most people in the US admire murderers. Most Americans believe murder shouldn't be condoned just because the victim might be a heinous person. https://www.givesendgo.com/legalfund-ceo-shooting-suspect https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/gofundme-pulls-luigi-mangione-fundraisers-another-platform-featuring-o-rcna184044 "One of the internet’s most popular crowdfunding platforms, GoFundMe, is removing any campaign in support of Luigi Mangione, the man alleged to have shot and killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, while a Christian alternative is promoting one such fundraiser on its front page. GoFundMe is refunding donors who contributed to the campaigns. NBC News found three fundraisers that were posted to the platform and later removed. “GoFundMe’s Terms of Service prohibit fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes,” a representative for the platform said in a statement...". I find it interesting that he could only get crowdfunding on a "Christian" crowdfunding platform. I suppose those Christians aren't familiar with the 6th Commandment. https://biblehub.com/exodus/20-13.htm I don't know if opinion polls have been taken in Japan regarding the "Narita farmer," but having ample supporters doesn't necessarily mean the whole country's behind him. The fact that you don't know why the Japanese chose Narita as an airport site is obviously irrelevant to the discussion. It looks like the farmer did, indeed, hold out for over ¥180 million, and that they called his bluff. I suspect he regrets his actions now. The videos I gave links to showed multiple people who also held out in the hopes of coercing generous offers into even more generous ones. Interestingly, not one of those examples was Japanese. Behaving like an ass is, as you pointed out, "very un-Japanese" (and more "Western").

No, you missed the point completely. My point is that there are stubborn people throughout the globe (which you can see if you'd watch those videos). There are examples in the US, the UK, etc. And all of the other land owners in Narita sold their property. It is a falsehood to say this is about "valiant Japanese culture." This is simply about stubbornness and failure to adapt to reality. And I've spent weeks in Japanese family homes. When I went, I was actually able to communicate in Japanese (didn't keep up with it, so no longer able). So your ass-umption was factually wrong. When you jump to conclusions without knowing the facts, you just demonstrate yourself as someone who forms his opinions first, then ignores any facts which don't jibe with his opinions. Something doesn't become true just because you want it to be true. Sounds like a certain orange-faced man I know about.

Stubbornness isn't unique to Japanese culture:

Here's a video about other stubborn homeowners throughout the world who refused to sell. None ended well for the homeowner. Many also had lots of local supporters who admired the "tenacity" of the stubborn homeowners. Of course, none of the "supporters" had a real stake in the situations. It was no skin off of these "supporters" asses when they cheered on the land owners. These "supporters" loved watch "David" defeat "Goliath," but cared not for the consequences. It's easy to cheer on when you have nothing to lose yourself.

I wonder how much he makes from the farm these days? I'm sure there were rules farmers had to follow during the time of the Shoguns and Emperors as well. Would the feudal lords be impeded by legal maneuvering? There is no wisdom in failing to adapt to change. Do you think he refuses to use the internet or cell phones because his ancestors did fine without them? Would you admire such a refusal?

Assuming he was offered fair compensation for his property, if not celebrating pig-headed behavior is the western way of thinking, I'll take the western way! 😉

I understand that Japanese culture, probably more than any other culture on the planet, gets overly mired in tradition. Tradition has its merits, but can be a hinderance to progress, as in this case. In many ways, tradition is the opposite of progress. I doubt the whole country admired that farmer's "tenacity" (or stubbornness, depending on one's point of view), but in reality, there comes a point when one should be able to say "Your bullheadedness doesn't give you the right to dictate an entire country's interest." Darwin taught us that the most successful are the most adaptable.

Wow. This was a public works project, not a private real estate development. Japan doesn't have eminent domain laws?

My first trip to Japan was in 1984 and, indeed, I took China Airlines (from San Francisco) so that I could fly into Haneda (and use the monorail). I've actually never flown into Narita. A little over 2 years ago, my hubbie and I took JAL (code-share with AA) and connected at Haneda for our trip to SE Asia, then in the Fall took a cruise around Japan and to Jeju Island from Yokohama. We stayed 4 days in Shinagawa, so Haneda was definitely more convenient. I didn't mean to disparage Narita, but while booking our flights, I do remember reading a statement to the effect that Narita was mostly used by budget airlines in recent times. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haneda_Airport "...The Japanese government encourages the use of Haneda for premium business routes and the use of Narita for leisure routes and by low-cost carriers...".

Wow--that's pretty ballsy. There are only two airlines in the whole planet whose on-time performance exceeds 85%: Aeromexico and Saudia: https://www.cirium.com/thoughtcloud/most-on-time-airlines-airports-2024-revealed-cirium/ In the Asia-Pacific market, only two airlines have over 80% on-time arrivals, and Cathay Pacific is not in the top 5: Only the top 5 North American airlines top over 3/4 on-time arrivals, and only the top 2 top over 4/5 on-time arrivals. Canadian carriers and low-cost US carriers have worse records: Given the high cost of missed connections (you have to include the cost of the hotel room you booked on arrival), I'm not willing to play Russian roulette.

I think that both JAL and AA use Haneda these days (we've flown both airlines there). My understanding is that for the last several years, maybe at least a decade, Narita is used mostly by low-cost carriers. Narita isn't in a particularly good location. Its location is especially bad if you're taking a cruise ship which docks in Yokohama.

A couple of weeks ago, I took a flight on American Airlines from Los Angeles to Miami. We were held at the gate for a good half hour past departure time, with the crew telling us that this was because there was a "maintenance issue" on one of the engines. When we arrived in Miami (about 30 minutes late), the crew asked people to somehow "let people with tight connections deplane first." Well, first of all, I can't see how that would work, unless all of those with tight connections were in aisle seats, and those who weren't were in window seats. As usually happens in these circumstances, the plane just deboarded as it usually does, from front to back (probably taking 10-15 minutes). According to the announcement, there were people who scheduled 1-hour connections on flights to South America, who therefore only had 30 minutes to make the connection (if the subsequent plane left on time). The primary culprits were AA, who should maintain their equipment properly so that this didn't delay departure. It is they who ultimately have to decide if they're going to hold the 2nd flights some 15-20 minutes, or if it's more cost-effective for them to reschedule all of the missed connections, paying the inconvenienced passengers with hotel and meal vouchers. Secondly, I had to wonder what kind of an idiot allows only 1 hour for international connections? 30-minute delays are not that uncommon, and some delays are even longer. I rarely will allow less than 2.5 hours for an international connection, or 1.5 hours for a domestic connection. Admittedly, AA is hardly overly proactive with warning people not to do this, as they do suggest tight connections at times, with only a small warning on the selection: Although the warning is there, I would make the warning more prominent, with a dialog box which one would have to click "Acknowledged" before purchasing the ticket. Even so, it seems like just common sense not to schedule tight connections when there's only one flight a day on a long-haul flight. The only time in the millions of miles I've flown in my life that I missed a connection was when I had allowed 2 hours and 45 minutes for the connection, but my plane from SFO to DFW was 3 hours late (this was some 7 years ago). I might have even been able to catch my ongoing flight, as there was a flight schedule to leave from SFO to DFW 2 hours after mine was scheduled, but that one was over 30 minutes late, too! But I'd never imagine allowing only an hour for an international connection. As the saying goes...

Just a 15-second short:

Not quite all the first class lounges. American Airlines' Flagship First lounges are just for Concierge Key, certain first-class fliers, a very small subset of business class passengers, and business class passengers who purchase AA's "Five Star Select Service" (which costs $650 per trip).

Well, at least with American Airlines, status has limited benefits. Gold status gets you free checked luggage, shorter check-in lines, the ability to sit near the front of the main cabin for no extra fee, and boarding group 4 (out of 8). Essentially no chance for free upgrades. Platinum also gets Main Cabin Extra for no extra charge, including seats in the exit row. MCE also get free drinks (and one can get several, if one wishes, on longer flights), and boarding group 3. Very little chance for free upgrades. You also get OneWorld Sapphire status, which gets you in some foreign business lounges even when you travel in the Main Cabin. Platinum Pro gets you OneWorld Emerald status, which lets you into foreign (not AA) First Class lounges even when traveling in the Main Cabin abroad, and boarding group 2. It holds a small but decent chance for free upgrades on North American routes (usually on less-traveled routes). Executive Platinum gets you in boarding group 1 (with First Class passengers), some systemwide upgrades which can sometimes but not commonly actually be used, and some free cold food if traveling in the Main Cabin (for example, a fruit & cheese plate, or a charcuterie plate). EP status has the best chance for complimentary upgrades within North America, as long as you don't pay the Basic Economy fare (if you pay basic economy, no chance for the free upgrade, but you still get the exit row seats, cold food, and free drinks). I've had EP status for years on AA, and feel happy if they still have a fruit & cheese plate by the time they get to the exit row. I do sometimes get upgraded to first class. On my last trip to Miami earlier this month, I flew from LAX to MIA, then MIA to DFW to BUR (Burbank, much more convenient to our house). I got upgraded only for the DFW to BUR segment. As for systemwide upgrades, I was once able to use it last year when we went to our honeymoon in the Galapagos, but only on our way back, from Quito to Miami, and last-minute from MIA to LAX (and we had to take the 6 AM flight out of Quito, not the afternoon flight). No other success with this, although I've requested this for an upcoming trip to Belgium in a month or so, and we'll see if I get it (though this would be for Business upgrade to First). At least with AA, using miles to upgrade from Premium Economy to Business is a thing of the past. They'll put you on a waiting list, but you really have to be willing to roll the dice (and be content with flying Premium Economy on a long-haul flight if unsuccessful). I have been able to use miles to get free tickets, even long-haul business tickets, but they charge hundreds of thousands of miles, and you won't get credit in either miles or towards Million Miler status (lifetime Gold). (I do have Million Miler status, but am working towards 2 Million Miler status, which is lifetime Platinum). There is a special tier called Concierge Key, the status of which goes mainly to people who influence which airline a company uses (such as the CEO of a large corporation, or travel planner for a large company), and can perhaps also be earned by spending over $50,000 a year on the airline. They get real benefits including transfers on the tarmac from one flight to another, free use of not only Admirals Lounges, but also Flagship First lounges, and so on. https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/airlines/american-airlines-conciergekey/ "...ConciergeKey is primarily meant for the primary decision makers for large corporate travel accounts or influencers who American feels can get more people to fly on their planes. In addition, those who hit very high spending levels on travel may be offered ConciergeKey, but it’s worth noting that the amount you need varies. Again, nobody fully knows the exact criteria for getting invited to ConciergeKey...".

Only a jackass would believe that the US and EU can "brainwash" people who aren't even their citizens.

Asinine statement, as you're well-aware. It's not up to courts to make such a determination. If you're going to put a map up, put up a map of those who voted for and against the UN resolution denouncing the Russian invasion. The only dingbat countries to vote with Russia were Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea, and Syria. Needless to say, the current Syrian government would have voted differently. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_General_Assembly_Resolution_ES-11/1 (Yellow and blue countries either abstained or didn't vote)

Wow. You're full of shit, as usual. As plainly described in the article (and I assume you're well-aware), the ruling simply declined assigning responsibility to Russia for the downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight in 2014, and had nothing to do with the more recent invasion. " Judges at the top U.N. court on Wednesday found that Russia violated elements of a U.N. anti-terrorism treaty, but declined to rule on allegations brought by Kyiv that Moscow was responsible for the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014. In the same ruling, judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that Russia had breached an anti-discrimination treaty by failing to support Ukrainian language education in Crimea after its 2014 annexation of the peninsula...".

Disgusting. Russia has almost 4.5 times Ukraine's population, which is forced to use its own people to defend itself from an aggressor. And yet Putin has to use hapless troops from another country, troops who have no say in their fate.