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I was under the impression that a 'wai' is always initiated by the person with the lower status, and hence, a farang customer in a gogo bar, for example, would never initiate a 'wai' to a gogo boy and would not offer one in return. I just nod to acknowledge the greeting and only 'wai' to someone older - increasingly rare these days! When I returned from Japan to live permanently in Australia my first instict when meeting someone was to bow. If I accidently stood on someone's foot or bumped into them, I'd say 'sorry' and accompany my apology with a bow. It was just something ingrained in me. My friends would have a laugh when they saw me bowing while on the phone to a Japanese person. 'WTF?? You are bowing to someone who can't even see you!' They missed the point. The bow is very closely tied to the language and is automatically triggered by the use of certain phrases in certain situations. You don't even realise you are doing it. So I don't care if people see me bowing in public whilst I'm on the phone. From my perspective, it's perfectly natural. I absolutely LOVE it when a Thai 'wais' me. It is such a calm, gentle, elegant gesture that immediately signals respect.

He could always sit on the customer's lap. They could talk about whatever comes up.

I went to Bangkok last year for Songkran - the first time in years. I dressed appropriately - shorts, t-shirt and flip flops - and put my phone in a waterproof plastic bag which I wore around my neck, under my shirt. I headed over to the area around Siam Paragon and had a ball! There were parades featuring hot guys from around Asia, all dressed in tiny national costumes, firing cold water at everyone. It was quite a spectacle. Of course, I got soaked but I didn't care, as it was so hot. I've seen a lot of foreigners who stupidly get upset when someone squirts them with water. FFS, they are in Thailand during the water festival so what did they expect??? So don't worry about your age. Just buy the biggest super soaker you can find and join in the fun. It finishes around 6pm so you can head off to the bars or wherever without getting wet. (This is not the case in Pattaya!!)

Yep, that's fine by me. Unless the topic is exhausted, it will eventually return to the OP.

I came for the trip report but got a couple of valuable history lessons about a country I am not particularly familiar with, despite 2 trips there, They made great reading. Thanks.

Yep Lots of girls on the streets at night outside the hotels, but no guys. I didn't bother with otot-otot. I figured that with the fast ending around 7, by the time the guys had eaten it would probably be too late for any action, as everybody seems to leave the sauna around 9. I'd only have an hour at most. Also, the clients would be mainly Indians. I've found them very unattractive in the past - overweight and aggressive. I much prefer the Malay guys.

That's what you get when you elect an unqualified, uneducated, unsophisticated pathological narcissist real estate agent to be your president. How the American people can sit idly by while one unhinged buffoon single-handedly destroys their economy and sends the global economy down the toilet is unfathomable to me as an outsider, watching this chaos from 10000 km away. But now it's personal. My retirement funds are tanking and the Australian dollar is rapidly falling against foreign currencies, affecting my up-coming trip to Japan and China. It's by no means the end of the world for me - I'll survive. But many are now facing a dreary retirement after working all those years. For fucks sake, what further proof do magats need that Trump couldn't give a shit about them?

You never know, Peter. Maybe she was.

The Monkees came to Japan in the late 60's. I still remember how I almost came in my pants when Davy told an interviewer that he had to have his pubic hair shaved for an operation. We were all shocked as we'd never heard mention of pubic hair on TV.

I don't know if anyone actually does. I certainly don't. But I do read his posts.

You're right - I am. Must be the lighting.

I think this is quite common. I wish I had a dollar for every guy who bottoms or sucks cock, but who asks me not to tell his friends in the bar. I once met a guy from Super A who had the most beautiful bubble -butt. I was dying to fuck him but he insisted he was top only. Oh well, I thought, I'll off him anyway and just spend time in bed, admiring and playing with his butt. Imagine my surprise when he asked me if I wanted to fuck him! "Sshh...don't tell anyone in the bar." Before I knew it he had his butt up in the air, doggy style, waiting for me to enter. At first I thought he was just gay for pay and was smart enough to realise he could double his chances of an off, and double his money, if he offered up his butt to customers. But he absolutely LOVED being fucked! When I stopped to take a breather he'd continue moving his butt on my cock, moaning with pleasure. Of course, I offed him every night during my trip and also on subsequent trips. He is now married and has 2 kids!

OMG! The likeness to me is uncanny! 😅

"In the 1930s, many justified Hitler’s rise: He’s a strong leader. He loves his country. He’s fixing the economy. He’s just saying what others won’t. By the time the world acted, it was too late. History shows how dangerous complacency is. Before the war, Hitler had widespread support—not just in Germany but across the world. Many ignored his extremism, excused his rhetoric, and believed he was just a ‘tough leader’ restoring order. The German economy had been battered by the Great Depression, and Hitler promised to rebuild it—through military expansion, nationalism, and scapegoating entire groups of people. Many powerful figures chose to look the other way: 📌 Industrialists and corporations backed him because he promised to crush unions and drive economic growth. 📌 Religious leaders supported him, believing he would restore traditional values and fight against communism. 📌 Western leaders appeased him, hoping that conceding small demands would satisfy him. 📌 The media and public ignored or downplayed his extremism, convinced he was just another politician playing to his base. The cost of inaction? Tens of millions of lives lost. 📌 Over 70 million people died in World War II. 📌 6 million Jewish men, women, and children were murdered in the Holocaust. 📌 Countless civilians, soldiers, and entire nations were devastated. Fast forward to today—we see the same dangerous pattern with Trump. He undermines democracy, calls for mass arrests of political opponents, incites violence, and shreds the rule of law. He praises dictators like Putin and Orban while attacking allies, spreads disinformation, scapegoats marginalized groups, and fuels division—all under the banner of ‘saving’ his country. His presidency has been a masterclass in corruption and authoritarianism—firing inspectors general, silencing scientists, gutting social programs, weaponizing federal agencies, and attempting to overturn elections. His reckless policies have widened inequality, gutted environmental protections, alienated allies, and emboldened dictators. This isn’t alarmism; it’s reality. Democracy isn’t self-sustaining, and leaders like this don’t stop themselves. If we don’t act—as Canadians, Americans, and global citizens—the consequences will be catastrophic."

Although I didn't take this thread off topic, I plead guilty to participating in discussion which does not completely relate to the OP, but one which I think I know a lot about. It's what happens all the time on discussion boards like this. Once the topic has been exhausted, people move on to something else - just like we do when having a normal conversation.

I imagine you are 100% correct. And it makes sense, as there is strength in unity.

Yes. Stand in the doorway of the smallest room in the house - I.e. the toilet - is the advice we were always given.

That would be a feeling they'd be used to, given their customer base! 😂

August 12, 1985 was a dark day in Japan - I remember it at though it happened yesterday. Adding to the sadness was the fact that singer Sakamoto Kyuu of "Sukiyaki" fame (what a stupid title!) died in that crash. He had many hit records in Japan, was a talented actor and TV personality. In fact, he was the first real TV star. Here's something you may not know about him - teenage boys related well to him as, like many of them, he suffered from terrible acne problems but carried on regardless!

Important decisions are made, of course, just like in any advanced economy - but only at the top and only after long discussions which drag on forever. Once a decision has been reached on an issue, a meeting is then called to ostensibly discuss that issue and, surprise surprise, a consensus is reached! And everyone can quickly move forward together in lock-step. And, of course, you'd have to mention the Japanese workers' diligence, exceptional skill based on a very good knowledge of what their job entails (knowledge gained from rote learning), attention to detail, willingness to work for lower wages than those in the West, dedication to the company over the family, blindly following instructions without dissent, no pesky interfering unions to worry about,..........the list goes on.

Those at the top make the decisions - everyone else just follows. So it's not as though nobody ever decides anything. The decision is usually a collective one so that no singular person can be blamed if something goes wrong. I've often wondered where Japan would be today if they actually got their shit together and became more organised. Her competitors on the world stage should be grateful for the ongoing chaos.

I had no idea that Thailand was susceptible to earthquakes. And that begs the question - how safe are the buildings, especially the old ones like the Tarntawan Hotel? Not very, it seems, given that the new building under construction collapsed so easily. I've experienced lots of earthquakes but n never really felt afraid, as the buildings in Japan have great antu-earthquake technology and are considered to be safe. But it's why I haven't made the trip to Xian to see the terracotta warriors. I don't trust the Chinese buildings in a big earthquake.

Yes, Peter. You're spot on. At school we never asked questions; we sat there and absorbed what was being taught. We were never asked our opinions or to look at a problem and analyse it. All analysis was done by someone else. We were specifically taught not to think, but to follow. There was certainly no chance to think out of the box, as the lid was shut tight. Young people today are pushing back, but I think this is only during the short time between school graduation and when they finish university. As soon as they enter a company, they are dragged back into the system. You can see this lack of thinking and decision-making in action every day in Japan. The daughter of a friend is a high school teacher in Tokyo. I visited her school to give a talk to her class and afterwards I wandered around the gym during a sports lesson. Four kids were playing badminton. I asked if I could have a go and got the typical response - they held a meeting trying to decide what to do! Eventually, one of them approached me and politely refused. It's because they had to ask their teacher what to do, and she was nowhere to be seen. The same happens if you go to a restaurant and make a small change to the menu. Individual desserts were listed on a menu in a coffee shop. I ordered a piece of cake and asked for a scoop of icecream on top. As expected, the waitress was taken aback and didn't know how to reply. Here's a customer not sticking to the rules! She went back to the counter, had a meeting with the staff and then came back and told me I'd have to order the icecream separately. So I did. And when she brought my order to my table I picked up the bowl and tipped the icecream onto my cake! "See? This is how it's done," I said with a smile. But the lack of decision-making ability and thinking out of the box was there for all to see during the earthquake of 1995. Teams of rescuers with sniffer dogs arrived from various countries but were held up for a day at the airport, wasting precious time, because nobody would make the decision about what to do with the dogs! Had it been a western country I'm sure Quarantine would have said, just get the dogs down to the disaster area so they can do their job - paperwork can come later. But there was nobody in authority at the airport willing to make that decision by himself. Numerous meetings would have been held before the decision to release the dogs was finally made.

I remember passing by I think it was 2 9-Teen massage places on my visit to Bangkok last year. I spotted a gorgeous guy sitting outside. As I had just had sex I decided is come back later in the evening and grab him. When I turned up, he was no longer there, so I chose another guy, only to be told they had a rotation system and that they would choose the masseur for me. I didn't bother and never returned. Sorry but if I'm paying, I'll choose.

Sorry, Mac, but I have to disagree with you here. The Japanese language has various levels of politeness and you have to be very careful to adjust your language to suit the social status of the person with whom you are talking. This is why they use name cards. The name itself is not so important - it's the job title indicated on the card which matters. That tells you exactly what level of polite language you need to use.