#mahjong parlour

[asiaphotostudio]

Tokyo, 1989 Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. 日本 東京都 新宿区 西新宿１丁目 Photography by Michitaka Kurata

[my-my-my]

Akon’s ability being tied to mahjong was not what I expected (but suits him nonetheless).

[smol-tired-binch-blog]

“This isn’t sandwich! This is mahjong!! Fuck!!”

[anime-of-the-day]

Anime of the day: The Way of Pon

Alt title: Pon no Michi

Released: 2024

This anime is about girls getting together to play mahjong. One of the girls’ dad has a closed  mahjong parlour, and the girls just met together to play.

[nsilocastillon]

Anemoia Gaming & Teahouse Located on the Northside of Port Leiry. Affiliation: Vampire Owner(and founder): Nsilo Castillon Opening hours: 24/7 for Gaming 0530-1830 Teahouse opens for Light Bites 1830-0530 Bloodhouse opens for VIPs.

Anemoia is a casino and teahouse and was erected in 1963 on the Northside of Port Leiry. It boasts a large gaming floor consisting of popular parlour games such as craps, blackjack, TCP and roulette. Gaming is open all day, every day for members. Throughout the sunlight hours, patrons can order a selection of in-house brewed teas and light bites. Table service is provided.

Anemoia's teahouse is located at the rear of the casino, and sealed behind double doors; slot machines, baccarat and mahjong tables can be found in the teahouse to be enjoyed alongside savoury snacks, private booths and tables.

After hours, the teahouse closes and reopens as a bloodhouse for ringed tier members providing bloodinfused teas and light bites tailored for those who are more partial to the elegance of satiating hungers. It closes just before sunrise.

T&C's

Disclosure: by entering the casino, a patron is warranting that they meet all requirements for entry; i; clothing must be worn in all areas of anemoia whilst the teahouse is open, ii. a patron has reasonable funds to partake in anemoia activity. iii. the patron does not have any outstanding, or unpaid debts or dues. iv. it is agreed that all patrons will hold a valid, in-date membership card, or ring for full access to Anemoia.

please register at the reception or inquire for further details on obtaining a card, or VIP ring.

Table etiquette: No use of any device (whether electrical, mechanical or otherwise), skill, trick or deception (which for the avoidance of doubt shall be deemed to include, but not to be limited to, card counting), the purpose of which is intended to defraud, or to gain an unfair advantage in, or to influence, any gambling in the Casino, whether on or off the premises; ii. commit or collude in any form of fraudulent or illegal activity or cheating; iii. harass, or use insulting or inappropriate behaviour towards, any employee of the Casino or other patrons; or iv. otherwise materially breach these rules.

[bleepingheartrate]

Finally continuing GoSe, and currently on Ep. 93 RSP- damn, I feel sooooooooo attracted to Jun right now. It's insane. The lighting, set, and his entire wardrobe suited him to the tee 🫠 and now I need to see him play as your friendly neighbour who frequented the mahjong parlour. Right. Now.

Props to Jun keeping that candy in his mouth all the time, and the cat, of course. The cat.

[erving-goffman]

i THINK i found this book i read as a teenager. chiya fujino chatty ghost stories. it's a collection of short stories and i remember the first one very well (about a hostage situation in a mahjong parlour). it's not translated into english yet but i read the french translation. thinking back it has to be the first creative work by a trans person i engaged with knowingly. neat

[cominy-kiwami]

various beers instead of dinner now listening to yakuza music. heard get to the top in the mahjong parlour now im listening to various songs that play in the background of buildings. the atmosphere in shellac bar is insane thats been my favorite location since yakuza 4 i go there in every new game i start now

[strawberry-jan]

In the summer of 2012, a man wanders into Nagasugai, gives a group of punks a well-deserved beatdown, and unwittingly sends the entire city spiraling into an intense inter-familial conflict. Of course, this isn't Taichi Suzuki's problem, and if his boyfriend happens to be in town with a big knife and a penchant for making bad situations worse, well, that's none of his business, either.

---

Hello, friends! I’m writing a new (18+) fic! It’s set in the six-month period just before the opening of Y5, but I start that train and then immediately drive it off the canonical rails. If you liked my last fic for this ship, I think you’ll like this one because it’s similar in tone but with an established relationship and less mahjong and more pillow talk about safe driving practices. (I also feel a lot more confident in my writing at this point so it’ll be a better read overall!) 

I’ve been working on this off-and-on for a while and I thought maybe I’d draft out the whole thing and only then start posting it, but it turns out that when I make a proper outline, the temptation simply to revise that and also edit and re-edit the first chapter or two is overwhelming, so I’ll just be writing and updating at a leisurely pace. I hope you’ll read and enjoy it. <3 Please note: it takes a few thousand words because I’m still me, but I set and passed the “ok jan put some explicit content up front this time” challenge, so I absolutely do not recommend reading this at work.

[catlyst]

#Crisp #Melburnian #weather necessitated a #brisk #walk back to our #apartment to get our #jackets to #watch the #sunset. The #supernormal #banff #dining options were #enticing but a #true #mahjong #parlour would've lured us in (at St Kilda, Victoria)

[phoebeprufrock]

This or That S5 Maisel addition:

Lenny on GF again or Lenny as Special guest dif show

Rosa becoming the leader of the matchmaker mafia or Rose taking out the matchmaker mafia

Abe writing for the NYT or Abe taking LSD

(Scientific reasoning)

Midge Late Night Host or Midge Playing Sold Out Show at the Copa/Carnegie Hall

Shirley beating everyone at Mei’s family Mahjong parlour or Shirley excited to become a Bubbie again.

Joel opening another club or Joel working with Susie

Mei residency being in New York or Chicago

Moishe retiring or dressing Midge for a red carpet

Susie managing A+ Celebs or Susie going to Jail

MidgeLenny Just friends with kissing or giving them ago.

Handsom Guy (Milo) being Ethan’s teacher or Him being a Sidewalk schmuck

Time Jump or Dream Sequence

I'm going to preface this by saying that the thing I care about the most is whether I would have a good time watching these things unfold lol

-> Lenny on GF again If Midge has to work for Gordon Ford, then I want it to serve a Midgelenny purpose. Also I need them to perform together again or I will die

-> Rose becoming the leader of the matchmaker mafia Just imagine the comedic potential of Abe arguing with her about it. Also I need at least one Rose-Frank-Nicky scene.

Tough one but I'm going with -> Abe writing for the NYT I want him to write about Lenny SO BAD.

-> Midge Playing Sold Out Show at the Copa I think that's where the show has been heading for and I'm not mad about it. Also (and I realize I might be in the minority here) I don't actually care very much about her being on TV.

-> Shirley beating everyone at Mei’s family Mahjong parlour Honestly, Shirley being great at Mahjong was an excellent addition and I need more of it.

-> Joel working with Susie The chaos that would ensue is just delicious. Also, I think Susie is completely incapable of working with people she doesn't find at least a little bit annoying.

-> Mei residency being in Chicago I want Joel and her to break up. I want Joel to be single for a while and reevaluate his priorities. Also get therapy

-> Moishe dressing Midge for a red carpet Many reasons: 1) a Maisel red carpet would be gorgeous; 2) it would be such a nice way for them to fix their relationship after the last season, and 3) ...they would get on each others' nerves so bad and I would enjoy watching that very much.

-> Susie managing A+ Celebs We are not even entertaining option B. In this house we root for Susie success and her temper tantrum at having to deal with big time celebrities

-> MidgeLenny giving it a go .................................................. Obviously.

-> Handsome Guy (Milo) being Ethan’s teacher I'm just picturing Midge doing a set where she talks about Ethan mentioning that the "dog man" is his teacher and she has no idea what that was about until she runs into Milo at a parent-teacher conference and he tries to put the moves on her without realizing they'd already been together. 10/10 would fund this.

-> Dream Sequence It's all Midge's nightmare about how bad fashion will get in the next 10 years.

[wonderlandleighleigh]

This or That S5 Maisel addition:

Lenny on GF again or Lenny as Special guest dif show

Rosa becoming the leader of the matchmaker mafia or Rose taking out the matchmaker mafia

Abe writing for the NYT or Abe taking LSD

(Scientific reasoning)

Midge Late Night Host or Midge Playing Sold Out Show at the Copa/Carnegie Hall

Shirley beating everyone at Mei’s family Mahjong parlour or Shirley excited to become a Bubbie again.

Joel opening another club or Joel working with Susie

Mei residency being in New York or Chicago

Moishe retiring or dressing Midge for a red carpet

Susie managing A+ Celebs or Susie going to Jail

MidgeLenny Just friends with kissing or giving them ago.

Handsom Guy (Milo) being Ethan’s teacher or Him being a Sidewalk schmuck

Time Jump or Dream Sequence

Woof so many questions!

Lenny on a different late night show. IRL Lenny's Jack Paar appearance was 1962 after all.

2. Rose taking out the Matchmaker Mafia. They have bad energy, Rose doesn't need that. I mean as much as I love Kelly Bishop, her shitty friends did threaten the Weissmans and that's just wild.

3. Abe has a perfectly good job at the Voice, so I'm going to say Abe on LSD because LOL. He just writes math equations on a wall, marveling at how beautiful they are.

4, Both. Her hosting duties mean that people know her, and her shows sell out.

5. Oh fuck both. Shirley just cleaning out the entire Mahjong parlor while chatting away about being a Bubbe again sounds great.

6. I think Mei deciding on Chicago makes things really interesting. It means Joel has some decisions to make. About his life, and his kids and the club, and whatever leftover feels he might have for Midge, if there are any. Could be super compelling. Also good for Mei, Chicago is a great city.

7. Moishe retiring. Let that man just wander around without pants on all the time, like he's always wanted to.

8. Let's keep Susie out of jail. I mean I still think it's going to happen, but I don't know if I want it to lol.

9. Give me the dumbest, fluffiest, happiest version of Midge and Lenny as a couple. Give it to me. I want it. I want these two assholes who can't stop talking to be together. GIVE IT.

10. I love Milo, but if I never saw his character again, that'd be cool. Making Midge complicit in someone else's adultery wasn't...actually funny.

11. Dream sequences so I can ignore them if I want to.

[denialcity]

I think hashirama and madara slice of life would be healing to the soul. Just them wandering around the village they built, resting and enjoying everything they worked and bled for. Getting a beer, enabling Hashirama losing money at the mahjong parlour, trying to bribe a cat into sitting with them, racing up the hokage monument again like they're kids, attending a bonfire festival, watching the stars. It makes me think of work, war or race horses retired out to pasture. The hard life is over and now it's rest and gentle work in a loving place.

[theycallme-thejackal]

This or That S5 Maisel addition:

Lenny on GF again or Lenny as Special guest dif show

Rosa becoming the leader of the matchmaker mafia or Rose taking out the matchmaker mafia

Abe writing for the NYT or Abe taking LSD

(Scientific reasoning)

Midge Late Night Host or Midge Playing Sold Out Show at the Copa/Carnegie Hall

Shirley beating everyone at Mei’s family Mahjong parlour or Shirley excited to become a Bubbie again.

Joel opening another club or Joel working with Susie

Mei residency being in New York or Chicago

Moishe retiring or dressing Midge for a red carpet

Susie managing A+ Celebs or Susie going to Jail

MidgeLenny Just friends with kissing or giving them ago.

Handsom Guy (Milo) being Ethan’s teacher or Him being a Sidewalk schmuck

Time Jump or Dream Sequence

Lenny on GF again or Lenny as Special guest dif show

Rose becoming the leader of the matchmaker mafia or Rose taking out the matchmaker mafia

Abe writing for the NYT or Abe taking LSD

Midge Late Night Host or Midge Playing Sold Out Show at the Copa/Carnegie Hall

Shirley beating everyone at Mei’s family Mahjong parlour or Shirley excited to become a Bubbie again.

Joel opening another club or Joel working with Susie

Mei residency being in New York or Chicago

Moishe retiring or dressing Midge for a red carpet

Susie managing A+ Celebs or Susie going to Jail

MidgeLenny Just friends with kissing or giving them a go. MAKE IT ENDGAME

Handsome Guy (Milo) being Ethan’s teacher or Him being a Sidewalk schmuck

Time Jump or Dream Sequence

[nadineeb]

CRAZY RICH ASIANS -  MOVIE REVIEW

Hi dears! It’s me again. After my tech review, I’m navigated to this 2016 movie -  Crazy Rich Asians which came from the first book of its trilogy novel. This is always at the top of my list and my favourite movie. Hope you’ll enjoy this movie review as it feels like you’re watching it when you’re really just reading. All credits goes to the owner of the photos and GIFs. Thank you so much!! Enjoy it as much as I do. 

- XOXO, Nads <3

New York City - Rachel Chu, a young, lovely, part-timer economic professor who dates for over a year now, a hunk, eye-turner, history professor, Nick Young, at New York University. Rachel already introduced Nick at their family dinners but since Nick's family are from Singapore, he hasn't presented Rachel formally to them.

Nick's closest female cousin, a double - heiress in her family, an icon in the fashion industry, had already chatted with Rachel. She's the only one that has known her cousin's girlfriend. Astrid was always busy with the Paris' fashion week, shopping spree every week, buying ancient jewelries that costs a fortune and building her own family with her only son and her husband who's also busy gaining investors in his technology business. 

(Astrid down below)

Being that it's Araminta and Colin's wedding, Colin, who happens to be Nick's bestfriend and cousin since their diaper days. Colin wants him to come home for he is his bestman in his wedding. He wants to take this chance for Rachel to meet his gigantic family and have her experience his childhood in the country where he grew up. It's also a great opportunity for her to visit her college bestfriend, Peik Lin , who always asks her to come to Singapore where she lives.

Excitedly, Rachel asks his mom for help with what dress will she be wearing when she meets his boyfriend's Ah-ma (grandmother in Chinese) during the family dinner to welcome the guests of the wedding. She forcibly agrees when her mom tries to get her wear the red dress. Her mom says that red is a color of good luck in Chinese traditions and also a little bit more of a plus point from Nick's Ah-ma though she also got a pure Chinese blood but grew up in America which promotes an entirely different culture.

Amazed by their First Class seats and soft silk pair of pj's given by the airlines, Rachel couldn't contain her happiness while sipping on their glass of champagnes on their flight to Singapore. Astonished as she seemed, she nags Nick on why he can afford the First Class tickets to a country miles away from them while Nick uses her Netflix password. He admits that they are living "comfortably" which what exactly a member of a crazy rich family says.

As soon as they land in Singapore, Araminta and Colin, the soon-to-be wedded couple was there at the airport with balloons in their hands and joy in their auras. After introducing them to Rachel, they plan to eat Newton Food Centre, a place where they serve delicious street foods especially laksa curry and satay bowls from street food vendors which gained Michelin stars.

Right before the Nick's family welcome dinner, Rachel visits Peik Lin in her house which everything is brilliantly gold-plated and was inspired by the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. While catching up over their food for lunch, Peik Lin's mom interrogates her about her coming to Singapore. When she said that it's for the wedding of his boyfriend's bestfriend Colin, Peik Lin's family were shocked, they said that it is the wedding of the year and even them having that rich, they aren't invited to the wedding. It seems like Rachel didn't do a research at his boyfriend's family!

Peik Lin also warned Rachel that the Youngs are kind of snobbish that would belittle a commoner. She would not let Rachel wear that little red dress to the dinner so she gathered all of her fancy clothes and choose the best for Rachel to wear.

The Youngs - migrated in the 1800's to the small island of Singapore from their main land, China  with a vast amount of fortune. They started real-estates business until this family became most probably the landlords of Singapore.

Nick escorted Rachel and Peik Lin to his Ah-ma's house which is the largest, most beautiful house that Rachel didn't expect to see. A house that Nick and Astrid grew up in. A house that has lots of wings that you'll probably get lost once you enter the wrong one.

Finally, Nick introduces Rachel to all of his cousins. Nick's mom, Eleanor, is busy in the kitchen scrutinizing every detail of the food to serve to their guests. When the couple went down to the kitchen, Rachel thrillingly hugs Eleanor which made Eleanor uncomfortable around Rachel. That is why Rachel immediately concluded that Eleanor doesn't want her for his son.

In the middle of the garden, sits a fragrant Tan Hua flower which usually blooms fully once a year, a great opportunity for the guests to see this once in a year. While waiting for it to fully bloom, Nick introduced Rachel to his Ah-ma, surprisingly, she likes Rachel the moment they talked in Chinese. She said that Rachel should come back to the mansion when there are no more craining necks so that she can teach Rachel how to make their family's traditional dumpling recipe which was passed to generations.

The Bachelor and Bachelorette's  Party where Nick and Rachel's love was tested. The Bachelor's party is located literally in the middle of the ocean, filled the cargo-like ship with sexy girls and men that is enjoying the scenery. As they are talking about anything under the sun and with the influence of alcohol, some men questions Nick on Rachel's details. Though the men want to know more about Rachel, Nick went hot-headed as the men start to sexualize his girlfriend. He decides to leave the ship that day with Colin, the bachelor, to an island with a small wooden floating house and a raft.

On the other hand, Rachel met Nick's ex-girlfriend, Amanda, in Araminta's Bachelorette party at a private island. She did not know that Amanda wants to be friends with her so that she and her mean friends can pull off their plans and that Rachel would want to leave. Their plans succeeded, while crying Rachel went to her villa to get her things and leave, she bumped into Astrid. They two found that Rachel's bed was covered in tuna's blood with a tuna head at her headboard.

That incident led to them to the seashore talking about why Amanda is like that. Astrid also opened up to Rachel how she found out that her husband is not really busy going to business trips but rather he is busy having an affair with a woman she doesn't know. It seems like the two found comfort in each other.

Dumpling day comes and also another day to test their relationship. While making dumplings, Rachel found out that Ah-ma doesn't want Eleanor for Nick's father way back then and she doesn't have the heirloom engangement ring of the Youngs since Ah-ma didn't approve of her. Ah-ma arrived at the dining table exactly after Rachel knew the backstory of Eleanor and Nick's father. Ah-ma was pleased after seeing Rachel again. She adoringly expressed her interest in Rachel's face features which made Eleanor jealous of Rachel.

On her way to the toilet, Rachel's lost in the mansion and was shocked that Eleanor found her. Eleanor talked to Rachel and frankly told her that she will never be enough for her son.

(Rachel and Eleanor Scene)

The wedding of the year came, famous business elites and the royalties attended. Rachel wore a pretty blue elegant dress paid respects to Eleanor and Nick's aunties though Eleanor doesn't want her to sit with her.

Princess Inta, who demanded a whole row of the front seats to herself so she would not be bothered by anyone, approached by Rachel who doesn't have seats, she talked about the princess' book about economics and that they have the same stand. They immediately been comfortable with each other. Escorted by Astrid, Ah-ma came and everyone was shocked at her presence. They said that Ah-ma never came to such events.

Not long after Ah-ma arrived, the grand wedding started which left everyone in awe on how beautiful the oriental, Gothic-themed was.

After the ceremony, the program continued at the Gardens by the Bay, a reception for the wedding. It was filled with laughters, everyone is having a great time dancing and enjoying the beat. In contrast with this, stands Rachel and Nick called by Ah-ma and Eleanor for the truth behind Rachel's identity. They said that they cannot let Rachel join their family for the fact that she lied to them about his father after they hired a peivate investigator. Little did they know that Rachel only found out then that her mom's husband, which all throughout her life she believed wa sher father, isnt really her biological father. Rachel walked out for she is deeply hurt by their actions. Ah-ma later then gave Nick an ultimatum. Once he leave, he can't come back. Who will he choose? His family or Rachel?

After a few days of crying, Rachel's mom found her in Peik-Lin's house and not eating. Her mom admitted that she left her husband because she was impregnated by Rachel's father and that her husband was not kind after all. She flew all the way to America to start a new life with her baby, Rachel.

Before leaving Singapore, Rachel wanted to talk to two people; Nick and Eleanor. She ended her relationship with Nick and declined Nick's offer to marry her and start a new life in New York as he will cut his ties with his family.

Rachel meets Eleanor at a Mahjong Parlour where they had a mahjong game along with two deaf players. She told Eleanor everything that had happened before she met with her and that she knew that Nick loves his family so much that even though Nick decided to leave his family for her, she couldn't stand to see Nick away from them. He is the only son that would inherit their wealth. She decides to let him go.

Also broken-hearted with her cousin Nick, Astrid decides to leave his husband for she cannot be blinded by her husband's affair. She decides to take their son with her.

Rachel and her mom are boarding the aircraft when Nick chased her to fly to New York with her.   She don't want to listen to Nick at first but when she realized what Nick's doing, she decided to  clisten to him and is completely speechless when Nick get down on one knee. Her face brightened when she saw the small box with the emerald stone ring embedded in diamonds that Eleanor wore on their engagement with Nick's father is vividly shining right infront of her eyes. She said Yes!

Them three left the aircraft to celebrate their engagement with their friends at the top of Singapore's most popular hotel - Marina Bay Sands. Ended as Eleanor genuinely smiles at Rachel as Rachel shows her engagement ring.

This movie taught me that you can’t choose who you’ll love. If you're looking for someone with the same wealth level as yours or even the same race as yours, you may never find your true love. Given the circumstances of Rachel and Nick, they don’t want their wealth status to be a hindrance in their relationship.

Though family always comes first, if it's a matter of going through what your family wants for you or going through what you want for your future family, always choose the latter. I only get one chance to live and I don’t want any regrets, so for as long as possible, if my decisions don't violate a person's right, i’ll do everything and whatever it takes.

This part below, where Rachel met Eleanor at the Mahjong Place where they talked about why Eleanor didn’t want Rachel for Nick the second she arrived in Singapore. Eleanor said that there is a Hokkien phrase “Ka ki lang” which means “Our own kind of people.” This is why the Chinese people tend to want to marry the same ethnicity as them because they want to preserve their traditions and would want to keep it going for as long as possible, which Rachel is not. Not because she is not wealthy, but because she is a foreigner, an American, although the Chinese blood runs through her, she grew up in America and Eleanor doesn’t want that.

One of the Chinese’s cultures is that they are taught to build things that last and not to feed in what they want, but in what they need. I understand Eleanor in this part because as an Asian, we are taught by these things - to prioritize our needs and build connections that will benefit us in the future. But for me, we should give respect to other cultures and not close our circle entirely. We all have different perspectives regardless of our race, that is why we should not judge one’s personality based on their race.

Rachel said that Nick proposed to him the day before and she turned him down, though Nick stated that he will stay away from his family for good. She said that if Nick would choose Rachel, he would lose his family, and if Nick would choose his family, he might spend the rest of his life resenting Eleanor.

Eleanor shows her Mahjong tiles which she thought she won, but Rachel looks at her, sighs, and says,

“ I’m not leaving because I’m scared, or because I think I’m not enough, because maybe for the first time in my life, I know I am. I just love Nick so much. I don’t want him to lose his mom again, so I just wanted you to know that one day, when he marries another lucky girl, who is enough for you, and you’re playing with your grandkids, while the Tan Hua’s are blooming, and the birds are chirping, that is was because of me. A poor, low-class immigrant nobody.”

Then she showed her Mahjong tiles and she won to Eleanor. She left the table and fetched her mother with a smile at the other table to leave the place. What a queen! Powerful. That is the best scene ever. The feels, the script, the emotions, they are just so perfect.

Astrid, my favorite character, not just she is stunningly beautiful but among all the cousins, she has the purest heart. She doesn’t want the people around her to feel that they are left out when they are with her. She wanted everything to be perfect when it comes to her family. Though her shopping spree every time she’s going to Paris fashion week is a bit overwhelming to commoners, she deserves all of it.

Astrid and I have similarities in our personalities. I’m also calm when there are problems that are coming my way. I can remain composed and I buy my time until I can find solutions to it. I remember the time when the man I loved cheated on me just like when Michael (Astrid’s husband) cheated on Astrid.

I can relate to her when she said that she’s wrong when she’s turning down jobs because Michael might feel lesser than her. I used to lower myself when I’m with him because I worry that he might feel that I’m the superior one between the two of us. But when he cheated, I realized that it shouldn’t be like that. It will be his fault for being insecure in me. Just like what Astrid said,

“It’s not my job to make you feel like a man. I can’t make you something you’re not.”

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 15 - Bill to extend prosecutor's mandatory retirement age is 'inviting the deterioration of public order'.

K: Hi, this is Dir en grey's Kaoru, starting this episode of the Freedom of Expression. Joe san, Tasai san, lets try again this week.

J, T: Yes, lets.

K: Well...

Kami: Lets

K: Oh? He's here all of a sudden.

J: Right from the start all of a sudden. He's at the forefront today.

Kami: No, I just thought I'd show that Im here.

J: Oh, I see.

K: You're here, right.

J: Like, 'Im here, Im here'

Kami: Yes, just informing you of my presence.

K: Well, this week lets start with you please, Joe

*on screen note: Recorded on May 21st*

J: Yes. Well, firstly I'd like to go with this topic...'Celebrities say "NO" to Abe's personnel. A bill to extend the mandatory retirement age of prosecutors is 'inviting the deterioration of public order'. Perhaps due to the influence of the many people, including celebrities, who took part in an online protest on Twitter, a government bill to extend the mandatory retirement age of prosecutors is currently being shelved by the Diet. It is merely being shelved, this does not mean it will be thrown out. However, if the mandatory retirement age is actually ammendened, what kind of influece would it have? This is the topic today.

So this is an evolving story. The person at the centre of it is chief prosecutor Kurokawa from the Tokyo High Public Prosecutor's Office. He was caught betting on Mahjong, *T laughs* and has since announced his resignation. So, this already confusing situation has descended even further into chaos, its almost like a movie, or manga plot. I thought this news was incredible. Kaoru, have you been following this story?

K: Well, I've seen it, yeah.

J: Have you? Well, many people have been speaking out on Twitter. Regarding this, well, if we were to simply explain the contents of the bill in question...the Prosecutors Office, well, the prosecutors, they are the only ones with the power to indict in Japan.The police can arrest and manage people, but they have no power to indict. In realation to a case, only the prosecutors can make an indictment, either guilty or innocent, and if guilty, they can decide the appropriate sentence in court. If the prosecutors don't indict a person, even if they are arrested, the power to arrest still exists...that person wouldn't be a 'criminal', which makes whether or not the prosecutors decide to indict a very important issue. I think we talked about this in a previous episode, but if we say the conviction rate is 99.9%, almost everyone who is arrested will be found guilty. So whether or not the prosecutors will indict is pretty much decided upon arrest. Then, in relation to the personnel of the Prosecutors Office, there is this 'Public Prosecutors Office Law', which states that the Prosecutor General has to retire at age 65, and everyone else in the Prosecutors Office has to retire at age 63. However, the current top guy, the Prosecutor General is about to retire, so the question has arisen of who will replace him. Now, usually the Prosecutor General will choose his replacement, but rather than going with the choice of the Prosecutor General, Abe's government said that they wanted this guy Kurokawa to be the next Prosecutor General. The problem is, Kurokawa is one of those who had to retire at age 63, and he retired on the 7th of Feb this year, so they wanted to extend his mandatory retirement age by six months. In that time, the person designated by the current Prosecutor General would have reached his age limit and had to retire. They imagined that with him out of the way, Kurokawa would then  automatically succeed to the position of Prosecutor General. But like I already mentioned, according to the law, Kurokawa has to retire at 63, so they pulled out this other law called the 'National Public Service Act', which is...well, prosecutors are also public servants, so according to this Act, if the government decides to, they are allowed to extend the retirement age of a public servant for up to six months. So in pulling this out, they extended Kurokawa's retirement. But if you ask which law comes first, the National Public Service Act, or the Public Prosecutors Office Law...prosecutors are doing special work, with the power to indict, so rather than settling with the generally applying National Public Service Act, the Public Prosecutors Office Law was created intentionally to ensure retirement. In spite of this the govt. have suddenly pulled out this loosly applying legislation, and declared 'We are gonna extend his retirement age! Cause its written in law', and made the six month extention. In contradiction to this there has been a passionate response, 'Isn't that illegal?!' or with regards to the government arbitrarily choosing a potentially advantagous person as top prosecutor, like, 'Can they really do that?!'. Now, at present as for the content which the govt. wants to actually ammend...well, its currently the case that prosecutors have to retire at either 65 or 63, but if that was ammended, a rule would be included to extend the retirement age by three years. If that if happened...this would be after Kurokawa, but if that became legal, and the govt. starting saying, 'This guy gets an extention, that guy gets an extension', the other prosecutors might all start licking the govt.'s boots, and they may no longer be able to handle the many rocky cases in which politicians are caught misbehaving. 1*. There as been much talk about how distasteful this seems.

T: Thats right. And then, it exploded on Twitter, and public opinion has turned against it. And just when we thought the proposal was shelved, the issue exploded again.

J: It did explode again. It wasn't Tokyo Sports who revealed it was it?

T: No, it wasn't. Imagine that!

K: It would be great timing.

J: So, the key figure in all of this, Kurokawa, he gathered some reporters to join him gambling on mahjong, heedless of the corona situation. He loves mahjong anyway, thats a well known story, but this time they played mahjong while gambling on it. So there is also the issue of the leglity of betting on mahjong.

T: Yeah, theres too much information to this story.  *the others laugh*

J, K: There is!

J: You lose track of what the problem actually is...

Kami: No, there is only one problem. There is one focus.

J: What is that, in your view, Kami?

Kami: Im very interested in this...What was his rate? *Everyone laughs*

J: What was his rate for betting on mahjong??

K: Of course, of course.

Kami: Thats the only problem.

J: Just that?

Kami: Yes, just that.

T: Do you like mahjong, Kami?

Kami: Yes, I like mahjong. I wondered how much that kind of top class guy would bet on mahjong. Thats the most important thing to me. *T laughing*

T: Thats incredible, Kami.

Kami: Its not written down anywhere.

J: Tokyo Sports could get an exclusive with this.

Kami: Tasai, Tasai...I have a request for Tasai san.

T: Yes, ahh..eh? Ok.

Kami: Isn't there times where all the reporters get together for gatherings or something?

T: Yeh, there is.

Kami: Umm..Could you...

K: Are you gonna ask directly?

Kami: At the reporters club, could you say, 'Im Tasai from Tokyo Sports, I'd like to talk about Kurokawa betting on mahjong...what was his rate?.'..I want you to do that for me.

J: Ahh, he wants you to do it.

T: I'd raise my hand like this, and say 'Im Tasai from Tokyo Sports...'?

Kami: Yes, thats it. And also, isn't there a famous female reporter?

T: Ohh, at Tokyo Shinbun newspaper?

J: Mochizuki san, right?

T: Yeh, Mochizuki san.

Kami: Ahh, yes yes. You'd win against her...if you asked.

T: Ahh, win against Mocchii?

Kami: You would!

J: Well, she's a person of the times isn't she?

T: Yeah. By the way, they say Ebisu Yoshikazu san was caught doing リャンピン*2, which is like 200yen to 1000 points.

J: Oh, so your guilt changes depending on the amount you bet?

T: If its quite a lot, generally in mahjong...

Kami: It doesn't change.... Any betting of money is illegal I think.

J: So if you bet anything, thats it?

T: Strictly speaking..

Kami: Money is money, its not allowed.

J: I see.

T: If you bet money, its illegal, but there are mahjong parlours all over Japan, right? And in reality, there are other kind of speculating entertainment places, like pachinko. So often, when its at a rate like this, the police often just overlook it. They are not trying to disturb illegal entertainment to that extent. For example 500yen to 1000 points, they are kinda just acknowledging that kind of situation now. So even in mahjong parlours, if you express your rate clearly, thats a no-no, but..

J, K: Ahh, ok.

T: If you say 'Im betting at this rate'..Theres kind of a very subtle line, in reality. Strictly speaking, betting even 1 yen is illegal.

Kami: Wasn't there some city's mayor who was accused of betting on mahjong, and he responded, its no fun if you don't bet? *T laughs*

K: There was something like that, yeh.

J: Thats very honest.

Kami: Yeh.

T: Thats right.

Kami: Yeah, I thought the same as him.

T: Ahh, I see..

Kami: Yeh, yeh, yeh.

T: Do you like gambling, Kami?

J But, actually, where do gods play mahjong?

T: Right?!

K: Hehehe

J: Do gods go to mahjong parlours?

Kami: I've been to them. *everyone laughs*

J: This is a vulgar god!

T: Kami, are you good at gambling?

Kami: No, I just like it...but I rarely win.

J, T: *laugh*

K: He doesn't have the knack for it, right?

J: Yeah.

Kami: Not at all.

J: Thats it, he likes it, but he doesn't win.

T: But using his 1000yen hourly earnings like that...

J: Yeah, betting with what little money he has..

T: How sad!

Kami: With mahjong, I always feel like I want to  bet more, I want to outbet the others. *3

J: You're the impatient type?

T: You outbet them straight away?

*Everyone laughing*

J: You're impatient.

Kami: Thats right.

K: I see.

T: So in this instance, it can also be explained as a way to divert criticism away from the administration. In short, making Kurokawa's mahjong gambling the focus, attention is diverted away from the government's hard insistence on extending the retirement age. Thats the argument. And in the meantime, the next Prosecutor General could have been already been marked out. In the end, they could end up doing the same thing again.

J: Well, I don't know exactly how this story about Kurokawa's mahjong tournament was leaked, but he was playing with Asahi journalists?...and Sankei journalists, one explanation is that Sankei leaked the story. I mean, if you ask for details, basically in that area around the Diet building, Nagatacho or Kasumigaseki and such, everyone is so close together, that everyone knows everything. Even if they don't show each other, they are all moving to the same beat, so there will always be rumours of this type of thing. If Kurokawa disappears after this, and this happens again to future top prosecutors, they could just be thrown out, so instead they may end up becoming minions of the government.

T: Yeah

J: Its very scary, and like you explained Tasai, Kurokawa san resigned due to this mahjong scandal, so when we look back at this we will see him as a person involved in mahjong gambling, but that isn't actually the real problem here. Its really about forcing the retirement age, the sociology of law to change. I mean Kurokawa san has been a very useful guy to this administration up till now. We can't forget what he was trying to become, and just say 'Ah, the guy who quit due to mahjong!', that was only the final element. If things became like that, it would seem wrong for the distortion of Japan's judicary to end up as a story about mahjong, im a little concerned about that. As for Kurokawa, he resigned, he wasn't fired. So he got a payoff.

T: Thats unforgivable.

J: Yeah, so we also have to think about that.　This is a situation where he really should have been dismissed, but to resign in advance and get his leaving payoff..Id like him to use it all betting on mahjong against Kami. *T laughs*.

K: Ahh, that would be good.

J: Right?

K: Kami would never win!

Kami: No, i couldn't play at such a high rate. No way!

T: If you're not gonna win, right?

Kami: No no no, no way.

T: It would've been a big payoff.

J: It would.

Kami: No, no way.

J: It would work if you really focussed all your power though?

K: Yeah, pile it all up.

J: Yeah! And then lets all go wild at Yakiniku.

T: Yeh, lets go!

Kami: No, I'll lose my money early, so can I go home after that?

K: No, you have to stay till you win.

T: Play until you win.

K: Okay, well on that note..

Kami: If I had to do that..um..

K: What?.....Hm?

J: What did he say?

K: Well, anyway..

Kami: Yes, yesyesyes

K: Yes yes?

Kami: I thought you were about to finish, so..what was it? I forgot what I was going to say.

*Everyone laughs*

J: Make sure you remember what it was by next time, Kami.

Kami: Yeh, ok.

K: Ok, well lets finish here for this week. Please subscribe. Thank you very much.

J, T: Thank you very much.

*1 Misbehaving, or something like it.

2, 3* I don't know anything about mahjong rules.

This was another tough episode! Eeek!