Google.com or google.com(Jpn)?

[mr.sumo.snr]

Anyone else struggling more than usual to get their browsers to default to "google.com" (the original version - with no Japanese banner and only the link to google.co.jp in the bottom right corner)?

Only IE seems to behave itself properly. All my other browsers: Firefox, Chrome (original), Comodo, Lunascape, Iron, Rockmelt - want to take me to either google.co.jp or google.com but with "Japan" scribbled under the Google name.

I've resorted to setting my Home buttons and opening page to google.co.uk. I don't mind the Japanese but only want to use it when I need to. English-language results are what I want by default but Google doesn't seem prepared to ignore my geographic location.

Most frustrating.


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[biking]

I face the same problem with the same annoyance.

I use a VPN to connect to the internet and this gets around this issue as the server I connect through is back in Europe. But when connecting directly to the internet my defaults on Chrome, Firefox and Safari are taking me to google.jp and not google.com.

[mr.sumo.snr]

I've noticed this so much more so just in the last ten days - did someone flick a switch at the Google Farm?

Before, when I'd do an English Windows 7 installation on a new computer (about 5 times a month), Google would always default to google.co.jp but I'd simply click the google.com link in the bottom right corner, go to the options menu and set that as the default homepage. Same thing in all the other browsers. These things seem to get reset after things crash - especially when Adobe Flash has a tantrum (was there ever a more irritating but necessary plug-in?) but I'd just repeat and rinse - a minor irritation for me but I suspect others are pulling their hair out (I have none to pull!)


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[hennagaijin]

Google totally sucks hairy balls..

nothing more to add

[psprof]

I always have this trouble.
I set my homepage as http://www.google.com/ncr
Setting the NCR makes it go to the .com page no matter where you are located. This does not create a default, though. It does provide easy access because I can just hit the home button.

[Andun]

Chrome works fine for me, but Firefox has that problem. I managed to set the homepage to google.co.uk, but searches always end up in Japanese.

update: it seems to be working fine now.

[kurogane]

I find that a Japanese text search at Google.ca will often render results in English and French, which seems silly.

Worse, it is inconsistent.

Anybody have any recommendations for a better search engine???

[Andun]

There is Bing, but I don't think it's better. Google still seems to give the best results.