r/mildlyinteresting • u/11Bencda • 2d ago
The Emperor of Japan drove past me in Richmond. Quality Post
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u/yankiigurl 2d ago
Man I live in Tokyo and he never drives past me
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u/Arctic_Religion 2d ago
If you close your eyes, think really happy thoughts and click your heels three timesā¦maybeā¦just maybeā¦he will think about driving past you. But just maybe. He is very busy.
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u/Bamres 2d ago edited 2d ago
Also the Vehicle he's in is the Bentley State Limousine, only 2 were made for the Queen for her Golden Jubilee. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley_State_Limousine
Edit: here's the other one https://www.reddit.com/r/spotted/s/eVMMDl9apX
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u/11Bencda 2d ago
Oh, I was wondering what car that was. Wasnāt sure if it was some sort of fancy Rolls.
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u/BigMeanBalls 2d ago
As if you would catch the emperor in a peasant's car like a Rolls-Royce
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u/Vectorman1989 2d ago
The Emperor rides around in a Toyota normally
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u/andorraliechtenstein 2d ago
The Emperor rides around in a Toyota normally
Toyota Century Royal
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u/scout5678297 2d ago
and it's ballin, too. there are a few Toyota century YouTube videos out there showing off its features. good watches if you're a big fucking nerd like myself
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u/Jagacin 2d ago
It has a lot of quirks and features, if you will.
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u/santino1987 2d ago
Can I buy it on cars and bids ?
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u/2BigBottlesOfWater 2d ago
Yes actually
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u/shits4gigs 2d ago
Toyota just be doing shit. They make the most affordable car and the least affordable car. The most efficient truck and the least efficient truck.
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u/whompasaurus1 2d ago
Like those youtubers that went to japan and found a 12 cylinder one for super cheap, threw a Brilliant exhaust on it, And proceeded to absolutely troll the everliving shit out of the cops and exotic car meets.
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u/JeanGrdPerestrello 2d ago
They missed their chance to call it 'Century Imperial'
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u/Rayne_Bow_Brite 2d ago
Camry in beige.
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u/dutch_dynamite 2d ago
Dent in the left corner of the rear bumper - parking's tight in Japan, gonna hammer it back out when he gets around to it.
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u/seeasea 2d ago
I wish I could see a century in person
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u/Eclipse_Private 2d ago
I got to see one of the old ones in person at a car meet. Beautiful cars, maybe one day I could own one.
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u/andyschest 2d ago
But a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce, now, that's a different story.
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u/Santago98 2d ago
Bentley it's a subsidiary of Volkswagen
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u/Bamres 2d ago
They were under Rolls for decades though.
They basically all shared the same chassis for the 60s to 90s
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u/ChronicRhyno ā 2d ago
I thought it was a humble mid-sized sedan at first glance.
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u/Notloudenuf 2d ago
I thought it was a coupe. He had to climb in past the flipped down seat. But it must be an extended wheel base sedan.
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u/umad_cause_ibad 2d ago
Does that car travel around on loan or rent for diplomatic use?
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u/Bamres 2d ago
Not sure but this is in England so I'm sure they just use it to shuttle around dignitaries.
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u/umad_cause_ibad 2d ago
Iām so sorry. I thought I was in my local sub for Vancouver.
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u/Bamres 2d ago
Lol I Thought BC or Virginia first also.
I need to visit Vancouver again...
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u/sicicsic 2d ago
I live in Virginia so I defaulted to that Richmond but then remembered thereās on in California. Didnāt know about Englandās or Vancouverās Richmonds.
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u/driving_andflying 2d ago
Same. My first thought was, "What would he be doing in Richmond, CA?...or VA?"
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u/dildowaggins_1 2d ago
Same here. I'm an hour from Richmond, VA and I was like oh cool that's not far from me lol
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u/Isleif 2d ago
Yeah, as a Bay Area resident, my mind first went to the California one. And I was like, "Er...." (Richmond has a bad reputation.)
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u/badastronaut7 2d ago
Jesus Christ I'm glad I'm not the only one who was trying to figure out why on God's green earth they would have shipped the queens personal bentley to fucking Richmond BC lmao
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u/JauntyGiraffe 2d ago
Holy shit it took me til this comment to realize I wasn't in the Richmond, BC sub
Blew my mind like WHY IS THE QUEEN'S CAR OVER HERE IN CANADA!?
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u/acquaintedwithheight 2d ago
I was thinking Richmond VA and I was like, I missed a visit from the Emperor!?
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u/Vark675 2d ago
OH that makes way more sense, I thought Richmond VA and wondered why the fuck he came over here lmao
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u/the_quark 2d ago
The Emperor was visiting King Charles, so I imagine he lent it to him.
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u/bonerJR 2d ago
Incredibly special car, looks ugly but was designed entirely for the passengers. Look at that tall roof!
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u/uwanmirrondarrah 2d ago
And its armored so thats pretty big
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u/Leaving_The_Oilfield 2d ago
Are the windows? Maybe Iām tripping but they donāt look like armored windows Iāve seen before.
Also, why the fuck arenāt the windows even slightly tinted. āOh, the Emperor of a country is here? Letās drive them around in a fishbowlā.
Edit: never mind, I forgot that back window wasnāt the door lol. I can kind of see that they are armored.
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u/DemocracyOfficer1886 2d ago
why the fuck arenāt the windows even slightly tinted.
Swag.
You will casually turn your head when seeing the strange car and you will lay your eyes on his majesty the Emperor's blessed figure, realizing how lucky you were to be this close to him.
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u/OpenCommunication294 2d ago
How did you know it was the emperor of Japan?
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u/11Bencda 2d ago
The car had the imperial seal and an escort of police bikes. And they closed the roads.
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u/w1987g 2d ago
How'd you get in?
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u/11Bencda 2d ago
There are two lanes. They closed the oncoming lane, and the car drove on the empty lane, whilst we all waited.
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u/Haselay_ 2d ago
And they close the entire highway when the president of my small country passes
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u/starstarstar42 2d ago
They barely close half of it when I strip naked and start rubbing myself against the guardrails.
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u/Either-Pizza5302 2d ago
Obviously not, it would be excessive to close it all down every Saturday morning
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u/pumpkinbot 2d ago
Well, duh, if the Prime Minister of Japan did that, they'd close the whole highway. You aren't him.
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u/killerjags 2d ago
He also stopped, rolled down his window, and yelled "HELLO, I AM NARUHITO, THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN!"
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u/ComputerLord98 2d ago
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u/mcatlady 2d ago
Thatās one of the weirdest articles Iāve ever read. Anything passes for journalism these daysā¦
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u/DiplomaticGoose 2d ago
The BBC serves two primary audiences: people who want vaguely centrist international news, and people who buy plates with the faces of the royal family on them.
This article is more for the latter half.
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u/NatureInfamous543 2d ago
As a foreigner, the best thing BBC does is nature documentaries (with Sir David Attenborough as narrator.)
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u/DiplomaticGoose 2d ago
That's reasonable.
As an American I use a VPN to mooch off of their Olympics coverage. Sometimes the CBC too. The ads they place on the NBC stream here make me want to have an aneurysm.
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u/Riccars 2d ago
I thought you meant Richmond, Virginia at first and was very confused what heās doing there.
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u/guiltyofnothing 2d ago
Going to see the cat at Loweās.
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u/volvavirago 2d ago
Ran into Randy Blythe there, big metalhead so I was star struck, I said āI canāt believe I am actually running into you!ā and he said ānot so unbelievable, I live here! Youāll see me at Kroger in 20 minutesā. Made me really laugh, very down to earth guy.
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u/guiltyofnothing 2d ago
Oh god ā hope it wasnāt the Lombardy Kroger.
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u/Dario-Argento 2d ago
If he was at Loweās chances are good it was the Lombardy Chaos Kroger
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u/guiltyofnothing 2d ago
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u/Sailboat_fuel 2d ago
Wait, yāall name your Krogers, too? Atlanta has Disco Kroger, Murder Kroger, Krosher (the kosher Kroger) and Krogerdishu.
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u/guiltyofnothing 2d ago edited 2d ago
Iāve heard the Lombardy Kroger called the Jazz Kroger before.Imma wrong. Iām thinking about the McDonalds down in Shockhoe Bottom where they blast jazz music at night.
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u/volvavirago 2d ago
My professor said he hates that Kroger so much he hand wrote a letter to the Korger headquarters to complain about what a shit show it is. He said it was the worst Kroger in the entire state of Virginia. I laughed bc it was incredibly boomer behavior coming from a millennial, but hey, he isnāt wrong.
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u/10000Didgeridoos 2d ago
I've seen mice running around in there twice. That isn't that surprising since it's a big building full of food with doors to the outside opening and closing all day in a city, but I've never seen a mouse in a grocery store anywhere else. Produce is always just about to expire or already has with terrible selection. Shit is out of stock constantly. They have to keep a big ass police camera thing in the parking lot to deter smash and grabs.
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u/helluva_monsoon 2d ago
I'm enjoying the hell out of everyone dogging on this Kroger in Virginia that you all hate
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u/SlippyDippyTippy2 2d ago
My first time visiting a friend in Richmond involved going to that Kroger.
If you are coming into Richmond from the North you will probably pass by it for 70% of your possible destinations.
It's also next to where a ton of VCU students live, but across a main road in a (historically) worse part of town.
So you get a bunch of college kids going "oh a big box grocery store within walking distance!" And then getting traumatized.
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u/DJ_Osama_Spin_Laden 2d ago
It's truly infamous. I lived in downtown Richmond for 6 years. If you make it past the crackheads in the parking lot, you'll be met with broken carts, completely unorganized shelves, and half the stuff you're looking for will either be expired or out of stock. Everyone who's lived there loves ranting about Lombardy Kroger.
I worked at a different grocery store in the area, and the Lombardy Kroger's former store manager got a job at our store. Dude was a CREEP and is at least partially responsible for that Kroger's reputation.
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u/eriko_girl 2d ago
He really is a super nice guy. My Husband ran the stage for a big club in NJ and Lamb of God played there about a million times. He always made time to hang out with and thank all the staff.
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u/Mapex 2d ago
Ran into him twice in nyc. We talked about various things but also sobriety (I was sober but just out of preference and focusing on healthy living) and how to deal when everyone else is getting bombed and sleeping around or whatever. Relatively deep for small talk.
Lamb of God helped me through so much difficulty in my life and he told me he really appreciated hearing me say that.
Always was a fan but felt even more connected after these encounters.
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u/LectroRoot 2d ago
I read this as if you were talking about the Emperor of Japan at first. I'm an idiot.
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u/Muppaphone21 2d ago
Francine!!
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u/aznhoopster 2d ago
That cat is the GOAT, easily most popular figure in our city
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u/guiltyofnothing 2d ago
Richmonders Ranked:
- Francine, the cat who works at Loweās
[ā¦]
229,394. Sissy
229,395. Mayor Levar Stoney
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u/Bartok_and_croutons 2d ago
I love seeing other Richmonders out on the internet lol
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u/ggouge 2d ago
Which Richmond.?
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u/icarusrising9 2d ago
Richmond in London, I imagine.
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u/Arrad 2d ago
Okay that makes so much more senseā¦
I legitimately thought he was riding around in some random city in the US.
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u/UnderstandingEasy856 2d ago
nah Richmond CA of course. Homie's just finna roll to the head shop. /s.
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u/pochaccos 2d ago
I thought Richmond, BC in Canada and I was so confused on why would he go there
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u/cubey 2d ago
Hello neighbour
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u/orange_purr 2d ago
There is a decent-sized Japanese community in Steveston, Richmond so that's what I thought too even though it makes zero sense XD
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u/kneegrowpengwin 2d ago
Richmond, Virginia was named due to the James riverās resemblance to the river Thames at Richmond in London
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u/Lower_Chance8849 2d ago edited 2d ago
Also, Naruhito studied at Oxford, about 50 miles away, on the Isis river, which is a tributary to the Thames. When he returned home to Japan he wrote a 120 page thesis called "The Thames as Highway: a Study of Navigation and Traffic on the Upper Thames in the 18th Century", and also wrote a memoir called "The Thames and I". On the latest trip he's apparently asked to see the Thames Barrier as part of the state visit.
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u/not-just-yeti 2d ago edited 2d ago
I hadn't even heard of this Richmond-on-Thames. TIL; thx.
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u/hokeyphenokey 2d ago
It would be really something if he was in Richmond, California.
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u/boofoodoo 2d ago
I.. donāt know any other Richmonds
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u/automaticfiend1 2d ago
Oh God they're everywhere. California, British Columbia, the first one is in England. There's something like 100 total Richmonds.
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u/Doublebow 2d ago
There are actually two in the UK, one in London and one on the other side of the country in North Yorkshire (which is actually the first one).
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u/automaticfiend1 2d ago
I knew the North Yorkshire one was the first, didn't know there was a London one (which is apparently this one).
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u/h-land 2d ago
It is a commonly reused name, but it's not at all clear where this might be instead. There's no Richmond, Japan - is there?
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u/automaticfiend1 2d ago
Pretty sure it's the England one given the car was apparently made for the Queen's jubilee.
Also I wouldn't exactly be surprised if there was a Richmond, Japan.
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u/PiesRLife 2d ago
Sorry, best I can do is a Richmond Hotel in Osaka (apparently part of the Richmond Hotel Group).
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u/Rooonaldooo99 2d ago
RICHMOND UPON THAMES IN LONDON
WHY THE FUCK IS NO ONE HERE ACTUALLY GIVING THE CORRECT ANSWER??
Sorry, I got mad at the slew of "wait where??" posts and not a single one who bothered to look.
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u/707NorCal 2d ago
Lmao I thought the same thing but didnāt even think twice I was like oh okay Richmond VA, lucky catch
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u/Hilltoptree 2d ago
Ok thatās cool is that the A316(i am wildly guessing but feel like i had driven through there) (it somehow got a feeling of the Twickenham side to it š¤£)
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u/11Bencda 2d ago
It was some side road near Kew Gardens
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u/Hilltoptree 2d ago
Ah he is visiting Kew lucky him. I donāt know why your photo just scream my weekend āhorrible traffic stuck trip to costcoā so was like huh?
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u/S2R2 2d ago
The emperor does not appear to be wearing his seat belt
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u/arbitrageME 2d ago
his tank will plow the fuck over anyone dumb enough to get in his Majesty's way
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u/ElementalSheep 2d ago
I thought I was on r/melbourne
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u/Darmug 2d ago
I thought I was on r/Virginia
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u/Ophukk 2d ago
I thought I was on r/Vancouver.
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u/11Bencda 2d ago
I didnāt realise how popular of a name Richmond was. I kind of forgot about the US majority here, and how big of a deal Richmond VA is.
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u/GenericAccount13579 2d ago
Wouldnāt call Richmond, VA a big deal tbh
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u/Jonas_Venture_Sr 2d ago
Richmond is a big enough city that most Americans have heard of it.
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u/PETEthePyrotechnic 2d ago
Iām from Montana and I know it. Donāt know anything about it other than that itās in Virginia and is south of DC because of ārich men north of Richmondā but I do know of it.
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u/KittensnettiK 2d ago
I thought I was on r/bayarea
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u/abramee 2d ago
Same. Thought he was in ghetto ass Richmond CA maybe grabbing some Portumex.
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u/SapphicAhgase 2d ago
no fr... i was like what is he doing in richmond CA??? like maybe just passing by lol
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u/ClittoryHinton 2d ago
Goddamn does every single Anglo country need their own handful of Richmonds
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u/myst3r10us_str4ng3r 2d ago
I'm somewhat surprised the windows aren't tinted.
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u/Conscious-Bar2428 2d ago
Because the King wants his people to see him and appreciate how "normal" he really is. Chas is not ashamed to be noticed.
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u/SunflaresAteMyLunch 2d ago
The Emperor of Japan right now: "I just drove past u/11Bencda in Richmond! #tennoheikabanzai"
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u/orbesomebodysfool 2d ago
Doesnāt look like he drove past, unless heās a backseat driver.Ā
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u/11Bencda 2d ago
I mean heās the Emperor. Heās probably never driven in his life, backseat or otherwise.
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u/automaticfiend1 2d ago
You never know, the queen was well known for driving.
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u/11Bencda 2d ago
The Queen was a bit quirky like that.
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u/Hoovooloo42 2d ago
She was a truck driver and motorpool in the military iirc
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u/automaticfiend1 2d ago
Iirc she couldn't just drive, she could rebuild the engines.
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u/pumpkinbot 2d ago
"I'm not like other monarchs."
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u/Command0Dude 2d ago
She was certainly built different.
Little hard to believe she's actually gone. I keep expecting her to somehow return, using whatever Disney gave to Ian McDiarmid.
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u/Kroooooooo 2d ago
Queen Elizabeth II being a complete petrolhead will always be one of my favourite facts.
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u/InterestingMap8828 2d ago
I'll never forget the fact that all the petrolhead and gearhead clubs I belong to were in mourning for three days due to the "loss of a great comrade-in-arms". Some made fun of the fact that she was really interested in it, because only someone who loves solving car problems would have a Land Rover.
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u/UVMMC-Marc 2d ago
Are we posting our close encounters with the Japanese imperial family?
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u/werdmouf 2d ago
Ah yes, Richmond. Everyone knows where Richmond is.
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u/11Bencda 2d ago
Yes, I realised my mistake pretty early on. Next time I see him, Iāll specify itās the UK.
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u/nubbins01 2d ago edited 2d ago
Nahhh, I appreciate for once a Reddit post from outside the US that doesn't feel the need to heavily qualify itself about where it is coming from or why Reddit should care.
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u/bakazato-takeshi 2d ago
Thereās 100s of places outside of the US named āRichmond.ā Itās hardly a revolutionary thought to specify which it is.
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u/mister_peeberz 2d ago
There's also a million Richmonds within the US. I live in Richmond and whenever I meet someone online who's also in Richmond it turns out to be a different Richmond
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u/BrockChocolate 2d ago
Richmond on Thames or Richmond North Yorks?
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u/11Bencda 2d ago
Thames
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u/BrockChocolate 2d ago
Ah I see! Wasn't sure if Rishi was showing him his house!
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u/TeamPhoenixgame 2d ago
Is he a good Emperor?
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u/11Bencda 2d ago
Iām not sure. Iām British.
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u/offlein 2d ago
His dad ("Akihito" outside of Japan; "The Heisei Emperor" inside) is adorable in my opinion. Teeny little guy, big cheeks. As cute as an old man can look.
Also was active in a bunch of populist things after the 3/11 quake/tsunami. Sat down with survivors and spoke to them, which was like unheard of.
Mad to think that his dad was Hirohito.
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u/Quick_Delivery_7266 2d ago
Good thing you got a picture , otherwise nobody is believing you š