It's great to see "Let's Aomori" back in business, Jamie! I was temporarily weaned from the internet this week and missed all the farking excitement. I had been all excited about getting my first hate mail in my comments section a few days ago, but now I’m guessing it was just overflow from your visitors :) Oh well, maybe someday I’ll earn my own :)

I was worried with you being a native of this fine land called Japan that you might join the corus of Jamie bashing. I guess we'll never know what insightful and/or angry comments you would have posted to that story.

Oh no, Jamie. I would attribute most of the things you mentioned to economic factors, habit, and perhaps the "kooz" as Hugh suggested (although I would have blamed it on the "establishment," which is sometimes very nearly the same thing the "kooz"). Right now I am working on a post about the fraudulant public campaign in Japan that villifies "foreign crime." So I'm not at all likely to quible with a piece of satire that you posted in good fun :)

Do you feel some pressure doing net surf in the office these days?
The Manga is very cynical. I love that!
Education in Japan should be better to be taught by monkeys? That will be great education reform plan for Japan! It should apply not only Jamie apply some of Japanese teachers who make sleep students at class. Then all Japanese will be like PLANET OF THE APES. Hahaha!
They already went to half way through now anyway?
If monkey does net surfing, you should sell it to reality TV in US and quit Jet and start yet another avoiding life as monkey trainer!

Smoke Detector & Carbon Monoxide Detector for home are sold in Japan see the link above
Top one is Smoke Detectors and bottom one is heat / Carbon Monoxide Detector.

They don’t sell it at hardware shop. You must go Kasai Hochiki ya (fire detector shop) to buy them.

Thanks KS. You're so full of useful information. Sadly though I don't think my little town of Noheji has a "Fire Detector Shop". I guess it makes sense that if Japan has shops that only sell little cakes or clothing for dogs there would be shops that only sell fire detectors. I bet the fire station in Noheji doesn't even have a smoke detector... then again what would a fire station need a smoke alarm for? Who are they gonna call, Ghostbusters?

lol...yeah, Jamie. Some people have no idea where we live. Everywhere in J is not the same. But who knows, maybe b/c I am in the 'big' city of Shimokita they will have a smoke detector store.

Nope even Noheji has one shop (office?)

Tanaka Bosai (Bosai: fire prevention)
17-4 Aza zatsuyoshizawa Noheji-machi (or cho?)
0175-64-3508

The location is east from Shita machi intersection see above link. Red circle on the map is Noheji town hall and green pin is the shop

This is the guy who own the shop
http://www.noheji.or.jp/seinenbu/photo/tanaka.jpg

He is listed on Noheji chamber of commerce site
http://www.noheji.or.jp/seinenbu/mise02-kenchiku.htm

132 companies or shops are listed under the fire prevention equipment sales & maintenance section in Aomori phonebook. (they sell fire extinguisher or Fire detectors or both)

http://phonebook.yahoo.co.jp/a102/g112/g20079/g33112000/

It is they are invisible for us as retailers (they are not shops just an office most of them) because business targets at this moment are only buildings that must equip maintain them by low. such as schools, hotels, big stores, and big apartments where holds lot of people.
So there are enough market anywhere even in Aomori.

Also soon it will be required for newly built houses by low. Perhaps you will see Fire detectors at hardware shop near future.

If you really want to buy one, Noheji fire station will be happy to tell you where to buy it.

Phone 0175-64-3126

By the way, do you know Noheji fire station still has these antique fire engines? (made in 1961 and 64, top two pics on the link below)

http://malta.cside.com/annex/tx02.htm
Looks like this is fire engine Otaku site

KS

PS Yoshinoya will have one day only Gyudon (beef bowl) for 300yen (big: 400yen) sale on Feb 11 from 11am! Limited quantity, up to 4 per customer only.
That may be last opportunity to eat Gyudon at Yoshinoya for another year before Japanese government approve to import beef from US again.

http://www.yoshinoya-dc.com/brand/campaign.html

hahahaha damn those chimps jamie! nice comic ;D

Thanks again for all the usefull information KS. You must be a professional researcher or something.

ohohohohohahahahahah