Michio Kaku sounds a lot like a crackpot on the subject of aliens/UFOs, and his anti-nuclear soundbites seemed irresponsible--or at least quite misleading.

Japan has been using UAVs for agriculture for years. Pretty cool stuff.
http://benpheneverything.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/robotic-crop-dusting-in-japan/
http://www.gizmag.com/go/2440/

People don't always do what is in their best interest. Taxation and government spending can get things done that people would not otherwise do of their own volition.

It would appear your only option is credit cards.

They tend to use credit card, cash on delivery, or bank transfer. Cash on delivery would only work for physical goods. The customer would probably run into problems with international bank transfers (they would probably have to subscribe to another service, such as Lloyd's or JP Bank). Credit card would be easiest as the CC company would handle the back end.

Barring that, you would probably have to set up a bank account in Japan to alleviate the international burden on bank transfers, and it should open up the possibility of CoD for physical goods.

Come on, the UK isn't that small.

This is what everyone should think about when they hear the name: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24n77GgRtrw

Air-conditioned in summer, heated in winter. Central heating and cooling is very very rare. Usually, only the rooms you are using climate controlled. A Scottish chap commented that his family's home's heating bill for heating their entire house 24 hours a day is equal or less than his wife's family's home's bill for heating only a few rooms part of the day.

From what I have seen, American insulation is leaps and bounds ahead of southern Japan's methods. Single pane windows with poor sealing, the walls are empty, covered with ~1/8th inch particle board, and the area between floors is ventilated to the outside.

But we are left with a problem: the kanji test that people take to get a certificate showing what they have learned (taken by students and others in Japan) will now become more difficult. This technology has allowed people to become more exposed and use a wider variety of kanji, but it has also become a crutch. Many people can read a lot of kanji, but are hard pressed to remember it and write it by hand (which is required for the test).

I think you have found a bodega.

Dwarf Fortress is, indeed, that epic.

Early modern: SI/metric system

Modern: Planck units

Post Modern: ???

Think of individual molecules or atoms. They bump around and what not. Fans work by lessening the bounce back of air molecules on one side, and by increasing the bounce back on the other. Particles at the edge of the atmosphere have very little to collide with in order to change direction. As such, some particles do fly off into space.

The road in question.

50kmh zones are the highest for non-highway and non-by-pass roads (there may be a few exceptions where the limit is 60). I caught a glimpse of the video when it was on TV, it appeared to be country roads with no pedestrians (no walking friendly destinations). Also, the no passing zones are labeled for where cars cannot safely pass. Though motorcycles are still held to the same passing laws, it almost certainly was not a high-congestion pedestrian-filled street but generally a wide (for Japan) country road. Not trying to defend him, just trying to paint a more accurate picture.