Must be nice to be a stuffed penguin.

Remembering his old pet bird?

I'm thinking some kind of hypnotic stare that forces you to buy them when you look at their eyes.

I want to raise a cockatoo, but they run about ¥400,000, so I can't buy one, even though it isn't that much. Despite this being just a plush toy, it was cute, so I was pretty satisfied. :-)

(Maybe it's just my budget talking, but he doesn't think ¥400,000 is that much to pay for a bird? No wonder his wife gets on his case for spending sometimes...)

Reader-added tags include "Just as planned".

Today's survey is:

I'd sure like to raise a bird...
• Sparrow
• Parrot
• Crow
• Owl
• I chose an ayataka*.

*Literally "design hawk", this is actually a green tea beverage marketed by Coca-Cola of Japan. The brand name was taken from a very high-grade green tea sold at the main store of tea wholesaler Kanbayashi Shunshou, as well as the implications in the meanings of the individual kanji, to express the idea of a premium green tea.

the temptation win again

You seem very content to do your "job" every update, Moonspeaker. Your translations and posts/explanations are very fulfilling. I can only assume you enjoy it or else you wouldn't do such a good job. You have my thanks :o As well as probably many other peoples'.

Also ¥400,000 is a lot xD

Japanese bird hypnotizing Karakasa.

Wow, this is soooo me alike ;D

HinataAsakura said:
You seem very content to do your "job" every update, Moonspeaker. Your translations and posts/explanations are very fulfilling. I can only assume you enjoy it or else you wouldn't do such a good job. You have my thanks :o As well as probably many other peoples'.

Also ¥400,000 is a lot xD

I appreciate the feedback. I do enjoy this material, and I like making it accessible to others.

I'm not sure if I'd prefer getting paid for doing this, or if being paid would make it seem too much like work (i.e., something I HAD to do versus something I just LIKE to do) and turn me off of it. I've heard the saying "When your hobby becomes your job, it's time to get another hobby"...

Oh my god, huge pile of plush penguins.

I want one. My penguin collection is not enough!

>チ～ン
There's a reason why a cashier is depicted as Mystia :3

Type-kun said:
>チ～ン
There's a reason why a cashier is depicted as Mystia :3

Because she's a bird? :P

Moonspeaker said:
(Maybe it's just my budget talking, but he doesn't think ¥400,000 is that much to pay for a bird? No wonder his wife gets on his case for spending sometimes...)

Exotic birds are expensive, but as with all things "costs too much" is relative to how much you desire something, even if is really damned expensive objectively (much like how one of those birds are beyond what he can afford).

I'm not sure whether one of those birds is suitable for your average Japanese person's living arrangements...I own an umbrella cockatoo and a Goffin's Cockatoo, and they can be really damned loud. "I'm walking one of my dogs and can hear it 100-200 feet away from the house" kind of loud. If it decides it wants to raise hell you can't really stop them.

That is the luckiest penguin on earth, and I hope it appreciates what it has.

ChaoticJ said:
That is the luckiest penguin on earth, and I hope it appreciates what it has.

Reminds me of Nodoka's plushie penguin from Saki.

StriderTuna said:
Reminds me of Nodoka's plushie penguin from Saki.

Sanaewife does have the boobs part down. All she needs now is Etopen.

Someone should send Hitoshi some videos of wild Cockatoos. Those things are LOUD!!!!!! (caps and exclamation points for emphasis on how loud they are) Even with decent walls and glass, you can easily hear them. Also, their beaks are realy sharp, as in, bite off fingers sharp.

Smart marketing...

Some years ago I had a job in the same compound as the police K-9 unit, and the unit apparently had one of these cockatoos as a pet. It was kept on a perch outside their offices. (Probably belonged to a high-ranking officer or something.)

That bird was pretty amusing. It actually learned to bark like a dog after awhile, and people would bring it food from the mess (probably not very healthy, but whatever). I once saw it eating a chicken wing - the cockatoo actually picked up the wing in its claw, and brought it to its mouth/beak much like a human would.

I had no idea they were that expensive...

most of the price in japan would be to make up for fees from customs if they were ordered from australia (because breeding them within japan is probably regulated and expensive).

In other countries with less restrictive animal importation laws (or at least certain areas such as the wide variation in laws between US states) mean that exotic animals can be cheaper, and breeding them less restrictive. (breeding restrictions on things like birds would be to make sure they don't wreak havoc on the local ecosystem if a breeding pair escapes)

ChaoticJ said:
That is the luckiest penguin on earth, and I hope it appreciates what it has.

I agree. <_<...

@Survey I'd take a crow and name it Aya.