Japan

  • Most Topular Stories

  • Strange man plays a flute made from a cabbage

    Lisa
    5 Jan 2012 | 9:16 am
    In this video, a man has figured out how to make a flute out of a cabbage. Watch him play the butterfly song.

  • What you wish your Japanese boyfriend/girlfriend would quit doing

    世論 What Japan Thinks
    Ken Y-N
    22 Jan 2012 | 9:10 am
    Today’s goo Ranking silliness is a look at what guys wish their girlfriend would quit doing and what girls wish their boyfriends would quit. Demographics Over the 25th and 26th of November 2011 1,074 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 57.4% of the sample were female, 11.6% in their teens, 14.7% in their twenties, 26.9% in their thirties, 25.0% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 10.7% aged sixty or older. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of…

  • Left-brain vs. Right-brain Learning Styles

    Skeptikai
    Ryo
    19 Jan 2012 | 9:57 am
    What can right and left brain distinctions tell us about learning styles? This is the wrong question. As it turns out, the question should be "do learning styles even exist?" Continue reading →

  • Japan, Russia to boost economic, security ties

    Japan News latest RSS headlines - Japan Herald.com
    28 Jan 2012 | 3:41 am
    TOKYO (AP) -- The foreign ministers of Japan and Russia agreed Saturday to strengthen economic and security cooperation but made no progress on resolving a long-standing territorial dispute that has ...

  • Nintendo losses could triple as 3DS sales sink

    The Japan Times: News & Business
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:38 pm
    Nintendo Co. has more than tripled its full-year loss forecast as the success of Apple Inc.'s popular devices has eroded demand for the company's 3DS handheld player. The net loss in the year ending in March could come to ¥65 billion, compared with an earlier forecast of a ¥20 billion loss, the world's largest maker of video game machines said in a statement Friday. The forecast was far worse than the average loss of ¥29 billion projected by 18 analysts tracked by Bloomberg.
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    The Japan Times: News & Business

  • Nintendo losses could triple as 3DS sales sink

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:38 pm
    Nintendo Co. has more than tripled its full-year loss forecast as the success of Apple Inc.'s popular devices has eroded demand for the company's 3DS handheld player. The net loss in the year ending in March could come to ¥65 billion, compared with an earlier forecast of a ¥20 billion loss, the world's largest maker of video game machines said in a statement Friday. The forecast was far worse than the average loss of ¥29 billion projected by 18 analysts tracked by Bloomberg.

  • Noda vows 'major reforms' in message to Davos forum

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:37 pm
    Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said he was determined to carry out social security, tax and administrative reforms to bolster Japan's fiscal standing in a video message broadcast at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. "I will surely realize major reforms to forge a sustainable social security system and maintain fiscal discipline in Japan," he said in the message broadcast at a side event titled "Japan Night."

  • MMC recalls seven minicar models

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:36 pm
    Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Thursday it will recall 299,320 vehicles from seven minicar models, including the Minica, Otti and Clipper models supplied to Nissan Motor Co., due to potential engine oil leaks. In a report filed with the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, MMC said the recall will cover vehicles made between July 2001 and April 2006. Oil could leak from crankshaft oil seals, leading to the overheating of engine components.

  • Eagles' star pitcher to wed celebrity

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:35 pm
    Rakuten Eagles pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is set to tie the knot with TV celebrity and singer Mai Satoda. The Sendai-based baseball team announced Thursday that 23-year-old Tanaka and Satoda, 27, plan to submit marriage papers in late March before the professional baseball season starts.

  • Summer power curbs said unlikely

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:34 pm
    Curbs on power use may not be necessary next summer even if the nation's reactors are all offline, trade minister Yukio Edano said Friday. All of the 54 commercial reactors are expected to be suspended by April unless those currently sitting idle for scheduled checks are permitted to restart.
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Japan News

  • Travel retail market shows no sign of abating

    28 Jan 2012 | 2:30 am
    Incheon Airport tops duty free sales globally Louis Vuitton conducted an unprecedented experiment in Korea last year, opening its first airport store at Incheon International Airport.

  • UPDATE 1-Japan's Tohoku secures 2.2 mln T additional LNG

    27 Jan 2012 | 10:30 pm
    The LNG will help offset lost output from two nuclear plants and fossil fuel plants damaged in the massive earthquake and tsunami last March.

  • Grafton's Sarkis Gives Keynote in Japan Conference

    27 Jan 2012 | 6:21 pm
    Joseph Sarkis, resident of North Grafton, Professor of Management and Interim Dean of the Graduate School of Management at Clark University, served as a keynote speaker at an international conference in Beppu, Japan recently.

  • Japanese scientists create genetically-modified mouse that tweets like a bird

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:22 pm
    A team of researchers at the University of Osaka are breeding genetically modified mice that are prone to miscopying DNA and are more likely to develop mutations.

  • Experts cast doubt on Japan nuclear plant tests

    27 Jan 2012 | 10:07 am
    Japanese government ordered tests on all reactors after Fukushima meltdown, but advisers say they do not prove a plant is safe Advisers to Japan 's nuclear safety agency have said power plant stress tests do not prove that a nuclear plant is safe, as the country faces the prospect of a summer without a single nuclear reactor in operation.
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    News On Japan

  • Cabinet OKs child allowance bill; fight looms to gain passage by March

    27 Jan 2012 | 10:56 pm
    The Cabinet approved a bill Friday to create a new child allowance system starting April 1, replacing the present framework that expires at the end of March. Although the ruling Democratic Party of Japan hopes the bill clears the Diet by the end of March, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito have signaled they will oppose it. Without the rival camp's support the government will be unable to pass the bill through the divided Diet, where opposition parties control the Upper House, and the legislation's prospects at this stage remain murky. (Japan Times)

  • Glitches to cost DoCoMo execs

    27 Jan 2012 | 10:56 pm
    NTT DoCoMo Inc. President Ryuji Yamada and five other executives will face a pay cut over a series of communications service disruptions since last year, the company said Friday, while announcing a ¥164 billion system improvement plan. Yamada was expected to unveil to reporters the company's plan to beef up its data transmission facilities by spending several billion yen, the carrier said. The disruptions were caused by DoCoMo's failure to cope with increased data traffic following the rapid spread of data-hungry smartphones. (Japan Times)

  • Eagles' star pitcher to wed celebrity

    27 Jan 2012 | 10:56 pm
    Rakuten Eagles pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is set to tie the knot with TV celebrity and singer Mai Satoda. The Sendai-based baseball team announced Thursday that 23-year-old Tanaka and Satoda, 27, plan to submit marriage papers in late March before the professional baseball season starts. "I would like to excel in my career so that my most important person can live her life in comfort and smiles," Tanaka, who won the 2011 Sawamura Award for outstanding pitching, said. (Japan Times)

  • Huge Yamanashi solar farm online

    27 Jan 2012 | 10:56 pm
    A solar power plant with a capacity of 10 megawatts began operating Friday in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture. The Komekurayama power station, built by Tokyo Electric Power Co. on a 12.5-hectare site, is one of the largest photovoltaic facilities in Japan and produces enough electricity to power around 3,400 homes. The site is being leased to Tepco for free by the Yamanashi Prefectural Government. Landlocked Yamanashi receives plenty of sunshine and is trying to attract solar power plant projects. In addition to the one in Kofu, other projects are proceeding in the cities of Kai and Nirasaki.

  • Chinese man charged for Japan embassy attack in S Korea

    27 Jan 2012 | 12:11 pm
    Prosecutors in South Korea have charged a Chinese man with attempted arson for hurling Molotov cocktails at the Japanese embassy in Seoul. The 38-year-old from Guangzhou in southern China was identified only by his family name, Liu. He told officials that his grandmother was forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during World War II. He allegedly threw four petrol bombs that left burn marks on the embassy's outer wall earlier this month. According to South Korean media, he has been in police custody since 8 January. He reportedly entered South Korea on a tourist visa on 26 December…
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Trends in Japan - Marketing and Innovation from Tokyo

  • Hi-Tech Toys And Creative Genius: World. Words. Lights.

    Darrell Nelson
    25 Jan 2012 | 8:22 pm
    We have been talking about the Japanese “super creative” firm Party a lot recently and the team seem to be a non-stop creative machine. One of their newest projects takes on the world of music videos and spins it off into a commercial venture. Party created the promotional video for the latest song from Japanese band Androp titled“World. Words. Lights.” involving flying mirror balls, dancing rocking robot cubes, light video towers and a host of other toys. Product placement in videos is pretty rife in pop music nowadays however Androp and Party have put a new twist on…

  • Play The Tote Commercial Turns Bag Into Orchestra

    Darrell Nelson
    24 Jan 2012 | 12:53 am
    Japanese design company Super Planning celebrate the 10th anniversary of their ROOTOTE bag brand this year and will air an amusingly musical commercial to celebrate. Highlighting the amount of different sizes and “something for everyone” designs of the award winning brand the commercial features a ROOTOTE orchestra comprised of 53 different Tote bags. Rootote has been a strong brand in Japan having won Good Design awards and partnering on collaborations with designers and companies such as Nendo and more recently and internationally with MONOCLE magazine. The company has become…

  • Hey Asian People: Save Janet’s Life

    Michael Keferl
    23 Jan 2012 | 3:44 am
    I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to assume that a lot of people of Asian descent read this site. Out of 10k+ per day there’s gotta be at least one that will match Janet Liang and save her life: Check out Reddit for more. Bone marrow donation is actually a lot easier than I originally thought, but it’s still a choice to make. There is a serious lack of Asian doners though, so the impact of trying is even greater. UPDATE: Also, in a reversal of fate, there’s a European father of two in Japan name Aidan O’Connor who is having trouble finding a match…

  • New Site Lets Kids Collaborate To Create The Future

    Darrell Nelson
    22 Jan 2012 | 8:00 pm
    A new kids web community has been launched that aims to provide a place that encourages global communication between Japanese and international children in order learn about the environment and each others cultures. Miracle Miracle is a collaboration project from non-profit organization Japan For Sustainability (JFS) and NIPPONKOA Insurance company described as “A Place for Global Kids to Create the Future”. The site is a nice initiative from the two groups attempting to foster more international communication from Japanese children at a young age with those around the world,…

  • Hidden Tokyo: Papabubble Caramel Artesans

    Darrell Nelson
    19 Jan 2012 | 2:59 am
    Somewhere down a small twisting street of Shibuya a world away from the hustle and bustle and barrage of noise and neon, lies a small unassuming sweet shop. Stepping through the doors the first thing you notice is the unbelievably warm sweet smell wafting though the premises. Glancing to the side you then notice three highly energetic smiling staff members tugging, rolling, pulling and generally non stop manipulating huge rolls of what will soon become the bright electric colored candy that lines the other side of the store. Welcome to the world of Papabubble in Tokyo, a candy sanctuary where…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Néojaponisme

  • The Japanese Diet vs. Popteen

    nj@neojaponisme.com
    23 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm
    On January 2, 1983, the Japanese Diet called upon the Japanese Magazine Publishers Association’s Ethics Committee Chairman for a frank chat about the conspicuous increase of sexual content in young women’s magazines. In particular legislators were concerned about Gal’s Life (Shufu no Tomosha), Kids (Gakushu Kenkyusha), Elle Teen (Kindai Eigasha), Popteen (Asuka Shinsha), Carrot Gals (Heiwa Shuppan), and Maru Maru Gals (Toen Shobo). These were relatively popular titles at the time, with Gal’s Life selling a half-million copies a month and Popteen right behind it at 350K. The…

  • Neojaponisme Videocast #2: Highballs in a Can

    nj@neojaponisme.com
    10 Jan 2012 | 3:43 pm
    Néojaponisme‘s second-ever Néojaponisme Videocast is now on YouTube. Watch in HD! In this second episode, Marxy, writer/translator Matt Alt, and writer Patrick Macias do a taste test of five Japanese “highballs in a can” (whiskey sodas pre-packaged for quick consumption and sold at convenience stores) in Matt Alt’s Tokyo basement. Beverages include Black Nikka Highball, Seiyu Highball, Tory’s Highball, I.W. Harper Highball, and Jack Daniel’s Highball — one of which may be the worst beverage sold in stores today. Watch Videocast #1 on Japanese…

  • Enter the Dragon

    nj@neojaponisme.com
    5 Jan 2012 | 5:14 am
    A giant “happy new year!” from all of us at Néojaponisme! May the new year bring you bucketfuls of amazingness!

  • 2011: Farewell to Mito Komon

    nj@neojaponisme.com
    31 Dec 2011 | 8:38 am
    “この紋所が目に入らぬか — kono mondokoro ga me ni hairanu ka? — Can you not see this crest?” This question, which marked the climax of well over 1000 episodes of long-running Japanese TV drama Mito Komon 『水戸黄門』, must now be answered in the negative. On December 19, 2011, the final episode of this institution of Japanese television was broadcast by network TBS. After a 43 year run, the last outing drew a very average 13.9% rating and recent episodes in prime time have been lucky to break 10%. What an end for a show that routinely topped 20% and even cracked 40%…

  • 2011: Thirty Years of CanCam

    nj@neojaponisme.com
    29 Dec 2011 | 6:07 pm
    The end of 1981 saw the debut of a new women’s fashion magazine in Japan called CanCam. The name was curiously derived from the phrase “I can campus” and nominally targeted at female college students. Publisher Shogakukan created CanCam as a response to the popular magazine JJ from rival Kobunsha, which had arrived in 1975 and ushered in the “new traditional” (nyutora) boom in women’s fashion. 2011 thus marks the 30 year anniversary of that fateful January 1982 issue of CanCam, and while the magazine has seen a major decline in sales after the departure of iconic model Ebihara…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    The Japan Times: All Stories

  • Nintendo losses could triple as 3DS sales sink

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:52 pm
    Nintendo Co. has more than tripled its full-year loss forecast as the success of Apple Inc.'s popular devices has eroded demand for the company's 3DS handheld player. The net loss in the year ending in March could come to ¥65 billion, compared with an earlier forecast of a ¥20 billion loss, the world's largest maker of video game machines said in a statement Friday. The forecast was far worse than the average loss of ¥29 billion projected by 18 analysts tracked by Bloomberg.

  • Antlers duo working out in San Jose

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:51 pm
    Kashima Antlers midfielders Mitsuo Ogasawara and Masashi Motoyama have both been training with the San Jose Earthquakes and will be on trial through the end of the week, the Major League Soccer club said on its official website Wednesday. The former Japan internationals have been at the Earthquakes' training facility since Monday, competing in short-field drills on their first day of training and a full session on Tuesday.

  • Noda vows 'major reforms' in message to Davos forum

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:50 pm
    Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said he was determined to carry out social security, tax and administrative reforms to bolster Japan's fiscal standing in a video message broadcast at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. "I will surely realize major reforms to forge a sustainable social security system and maintain fiscal discipline in Japan," he said in the message broadcast at a side event titled "Japan Night."

  • Iniesta sidelined with thigh injury

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:49 pm
    Barcelona announced midfielder Andres Iniesta will be sidelined for three weeks with a muscle tear in his left thigh. Iniesta was injured in the first half of Barcelona's 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals on Wednesday. Barcelona advanced 4-3 on aggregate score.

  • MMC recalls seven minicar models

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:48 pm
    Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Thursday it will recall 299,320 vehicles from seven minicar models, including the Minica, Otti and Clipper models supplied to Nissan Motor Co., due to potential engine oil leaks. In a report filed with the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, MMC said the recall will cover vehicles made between July 2001 and April 2006. Oil could leak from crankshaft oil seals, leading to the overheating of engine components.
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Akihabara News

  • Enjoy London sky with Galaxy Tab 10.1

    Daimaou - G-A.G
    26 Jan 2012 | 5:29 pm
    Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 meets London Eye to be utilized as a tourist guide for the passengers of one of the busiest attractions in London. Samsung Electronics said on Jan 26 that it has implemented 192 units of Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the 32 passenger capsules of London Eye, so that passengers can check information about famous attractions in London while enjoying great views of the city at 443 ft from the sky. London Eye, a giant Ferris wheel, was established in 1999 as part of the UK’s ...

  • Buffalo bring Remote Play, DivxHD, Flac and Basic NAS Features in its latest Link Theater

    Daimaou - G-A.G
    26 Jan 2012 | 1:54 am
    Most Buffalo Link Theater media player where until today pretty lame is crippled with DRM and other limitation, however today, Buffalo announced a new generation with the LT-V200, capable to not only support the usual MPEG-1/2 and WMV9, but also Mpeg-4 AVC/H.264, DivX, Divx HD, FLV and even Real Video! As far as audio files are concerned, the LT-V200 also support AAC, MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, FLAC, Real Audio, Dolby Digital and DTS. But that’s not all, this new Link Theater comes with an internal ...

  • Toshiba introduces in Japan a new Android based e-Book reader with the DB50

    Daimaou - G-A.G
    26 Jan 2012 | 1:21 am
    Toshiba’s new BookPlace or BD50, comes with a nice 7” color touch LED backlight LCD with a WSVGA resolution (600×1024), 8 GB of internal memory (eMMC) and powered by a 1GHz Freescale i.MX535 CPU. Other features includes both WiFi BGN and Bluetooth as well as a USB 2.0 and a microSD Card slot. The BD50 is said to weight 330g and offer a 7.5h battery life spam in a body of just 11mm thick thin. Schedule to be put on sale later this February, the DB50 will be compatible with Toshiba’s ...

  • Panasonic intros two new compact laptop with the Let’s Note SX and NX Series

    Daimaou - G-A.G
    25 Jan 2012 | 2:24 am
    Panasonic just announced this morning its new 12.1 notebooks with the SX and NX Series. Both models comes with a 16:10 ratio screen with a 1280×800 resolution or optional 16:9 one with a nice 1600×900 resolution and optional 720p web camera. Depending of your specification of choice Panasonic will be able to offer you either a traditional HDD or fast SSD capable to boot your system in just 9 seconds thanks to Panasonic Quick Book Manager. By default the SX and NX will comes with a ...

  • Sony launched in Japan a new Series of Walkman with the NW-E060

    Daimaou - G-A.G
    25 Jan 2012 | 2:11 am
    Sony announced yesterday its latest Walkman with the NW-E060 Series available with either 4GB or 2GB of internal memory and integrated Noise Canceling solutions with the usual Train, Flight and Indoor mode. These new walkman comes with a 1.4” color LCD, pack enough juice for about 30h or music playback and comes with an interesting external plug-in speaker that will turn your little DAP into an always ready tiny boombox.
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Joi Ito's Web

  • Why we need to stop SOPA and PIPA

    Joi
    15 Jan 2012 | 1:29 am
    I just posted a blog post on the MIT Media Lab blog officially taking a position against SOPA and PIPA. This is a longer blog post co-authored with Ethan Zuckerman describing the issue in more detail. SOPA - the Stop Online Piracy Act - and a sister bill, PIPA - the Protect IP Act - seek to minimize the dissemination of copyrighted material online by targeting sites that promote and enable the sharing of copyright-protected material, like The Pirate Bay. While this goal may be laudable, entrepreneurs, legal scholars and free speech activists are worried about the consequences of these bills…

  • Media Lab @ Tokyo 2012

    Joi
    20 Dec 2011 | 9:46 am
    On January 17, 2012, we will hold a one-day event - MIT Media Lab @Tokyo 2012 about "The Power of Open: Scaling the Eco System." This is a meeting for existing Media Lab members, industry thought leaders and companies and individuals interested in becoming part of the Media Lab network. It's quite an interesting program. We will be selling tickets to help cover the cost of producing the event and the seats are limited to 150 so are taking registrations on a first-come, first-serve basis. You can see the program and the registration here: http://www.media-lab-tokyo.jp/?lang=en Here are the…

  • The Internet, innovation and learning

    Joi
    5 Dec 2011 | 3:56 pm
    Here's how the article that I wrote for the New York Times started before it turned into "In an Open-Source Society, Innovating by the Seat of Our Pants". The New York Times version isn't bad, but here's the original "unabridged" version. -- The Internet, innovation and learning The Internet isn't really a technology, it's a belief system - a philosophy. I remember very clearly the day I installed a tiny piece of software, MacPPP on my computer, which connected the programs running on it to the global Internet. It immediately transformed my computer from a fancy telex machine to a very early…

  • Iron Blogger - Strike One

    Joi
    21 Nov 2011 | 9:14 pm
    Earlier this month, Mako circulated an email about Iron Blogger. Sounded useful and easy enough so I signed up... and failed. I missed the first deadline and I owe $5. Off to a bad start, but I'll try not to miss anymore. Looking forward to blogging as well as the meetup. MakoI want to blog frequently but usually don't seem to find the time for it. I'm not above tying myself to the mast if it means blogging more.Iron Blogger is a blogging and drinking club based on this premise. The rules are pretty simple: Blog at least once a week. If you fail to do so, pay $5 into a common pool. When the…

  • You are the Power of Open: 2011 Creative Commons Annual Campaign

    Joi
    25 Oct 2011 | 2:06 pm
    Today marks the official launch of the 2011 Creative Commons Annual Campaign! As the Chair of the CC Board, I invite you to join us in powering an open future. We've made tremendous progress in the last year, including: Europeana's new Data Exchange Agreement which releases the metadata for millions of cultural works into the public domain using CC0; Flickr reaching the 200 million mark in CC-licensed photos; YouTube adding a CC licensing option; The US Department of Labor requiring CC BY for a $2 billion grant program; Brazil and New Zealand introducing CC licensing for government-funded…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    The Japan Times: Sports feed

  • Antlers duo working out in San Jose

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:20 pm
    Kashima Antlers midfielders Mitsuo Ogasawara and Masashi Motoyama have both been training with the San Jose Earthquakes and will be on trial through the end of the week, the Major League Soccer club said on its official website Wednesday. The former Japan internationals have been at the Earthquakes' training facility since Monday, competing in short-field drills on their first day of training and a full session on Tuesday.

  • Iniesta sidelined with thigh injury

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:19 pm
    Barcelona announced midfielder Andres Iniesta will be sidelined for three weeks with a muscle tear in his left thigh. Iniesta was injured in the first half of Barcelona's 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals on Wednesday. Barcelona advanced 4-3 on aggregate score.

  • Liverpool a long way from glory days

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:18 pm
    The celebrations among the players, management and fans underlined the joy of reaching the League Cup final even though it is the lowest-rated piece of domestic silverware. No, not Cardiff City of the Championship but Liverpool. In the not too distant past the League Cup was a consolation prize to a club which was the champion of Europe seven years ago. On Wednesday, Kenny Dalglish led the lap of honor as Liverpool booked its first Wembley date since 2006.

  • Shooting woes bury Orlando

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:17 pm
    The Orlando Magic trudged out of Boston this week, toting only embarrassment following a lopsided 31-point loss to the Celtics. For a while it appeared as though the Magic would return the favor. Instead, the Celtics took advantage of Orlando's fourth-quarter meltdown and erased a 27-point deficit to hand the Magic an even more humbling defeat on their home floor, 91-83 on Thursday night.

  • Coyotes attracting potential buyers

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:16 pm
    NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said there are three groups showing "serious" interest in buying the Phoenix Coyotes with the intention of keeping the team in Glendale, Arizona. Without going into detail, Bettman revealed there was a third group during his weekly radio show broadcast from Ottawa, where the league's All-Star Game is being held this weekend.
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    An Eternal Thought in the Mind of Godzilla

  • 27 Jan 2012 | 2:49 pm

    Patrick Macias
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:49 pm

  • Otaku-Verse Zero (S3, Ep5) CharaHobby 2011 - Cosplay

    Patrick Macias
    9 Jan 2012 | 4:43 pm
    OVZ's coverage of the Chara Hobby convention in Tokyo continues as Yuu and Patrick interview cosplayers from Evangelion, Tiger & Bunny, and Transformers. Then, our fearless hosts take the challenge to do some cosplay of their very own! JOIN THE OTAKU-VERSE ZERO FACEBOOK PAGE

  • Recent Video Roundup

    Patrick Macias
    19 Dec 2011 | 10:40 am
    Those nasty boys are at it again! Patrick Macias, Matt Alt, and Andy Szymanski encounter Godzilla on the mythical island of Umihotaru in Tokyo Bay.     Video taken at Bandai's Tamashii Nations 2011 event in Akihabara Tokyo on 11/24/2011. Up first is the S.H.MonsterArts showroom filled with Godzilla figures, and then the ULTRA-ACT room. Video taken at Bandai's Tamashii Nations 2011 event in Akihabara. Tokyo on 11/24/2011. Includes figures from "Tiger & Bunny", "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", and others.   Patrick Macias, Matt Alt, and Andy…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Hello Kitty Hell

  • Hello Kitty Periodic Table

    Hello Kitty Hell
    17 Jan 2012 | 10:29 am
    As if science isn’t having enough trouble in schools, fanatics somehow thought this would be a good idea — the Hello Kitty periodic table: Of course, the truly scary part of this is that it’s not beyond comprehension that one day all periodic tables in schools may look like this, which tells me that I have definitely been in Hello Kitty Hell far too long… Sent in by Ashlin

  • Hello Kitty Fanatic Film Documentary

    Hello Kitty Hell
    5 Jan 2012 | 6:38 am
    I debated whether or not I should post this, but I decided that if the fanatics here find something to focus on rather than this blog, that can never be a bad thing. Apparently, someone thought that it would be a good idea to make a documentary film about Hello Kitty fanatics (obviously someone that has never really had to spend much time with them in the past). I assume it’s going to be marketed as some type of real life horror film. Either that or it was special requested by the Department of Homeland Security to be used as the ultimate weapon to obtain confessions from suspected…

  • Hello Kitty Duct Tape Bra

    Hello Kitty Hell
    4 Jan 2012 | 4:51 pm
    I knew that things weren’t going to be good as soon as Hello Kitty duct tape came to existence. This was quickly confirmed with the Hello Kitty duct tape purse and then there was absolutely no doubt with the Hello Kitty duct tape dress. Of course, fanatics of the evil feline couldn’t leave bad enough alone and decided that a Hello Kitty duct tape bra was in order: The sad (and extremely terrifying) part of all this is that you know it won’t end here and that the people at Sanrio are probably already at the drawing board thinking up a complete Hello Kitty duct tape fashion…

  • Hello Kitty Holiday Wreath

    Hello Kitty Hell
    31 Dec 2011 | 5:31 pm
    While Hello Kitty fanatics don’t realize it, when they hang a Hello Kitty holiday wreath on their door, they are conveniently warning everyone in the neighborhood the terrible dangers that lurk inside. Believe me, you disregard this warning sign at your own peril: If you ever walk up to a door and see anything even remotely resembling a Hello Kitty holiday wreath, remember that it’s not a welcome sign — it’s a sign that you should run as far and as fast as you can away before you get sucked into Hello Kitty Hell. if not, you may end up like the poor soul in the door…

  • Hello Kitty Christmas Music Video

    Hello Kitty Hell
    22 Dec 2011 | 11:48 pm
    As if there was really a need to have one more reason to want this season to end as quickly as possible (see Hello Kitty Christmas trees and Hello Kitty ornaments if you had any doubts), this should quickly put the question to rest: a Hello Kitty Christmas music video that is guaranteed to haunt you long after the new year begins (you have been warned) I did warn you. If you happened to not heed my advice, you now know that both your ears and eyes have experienced far more trauma than they were ever meant to endure which pretty much sums up the entire Hello Kitty Christmas experience. Sent in…
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    AMPONTAN

  • By jingo

    ampontan
    14 Jan 2012 | 12:42 pm
    At the moment, we lose, but in ten years, the U.S. will lose. We can be more patient than a U.S. administration, - Shen Dingli, a professor at the Center of American Studies at Fudan University The tremendous defeat at Hawaii was first ascribed to treacherous Japan, launching an attack at the very time that the American government was trying to lead the erring war lords of Nippon into the ways of peace. The administration conveniently forgot to remind the American people of the part played in bringing about the result of December 7 by its campaign of economic warfare, its secret diplomacy,…

  • Kiss

    ampontan
    10 Jan 2012 | 8:21 am
    ONE segment on a Japanese television program tonight featured an experiment in kissing with participants from five different countries. The program hired an attractive young woman in each of those countries, had each of them stand for an hour outdoors in an urban district with a lot of pedestrian traffic holding a sign that read, “Kiss me please”, and filmed the events that transpired. Of course they counted the number of kissers, but only kisses on the cheek were allowed. All of the models were very kissable. Women were free to kiss the model too. The results: Italy: 24 United…

  • Ichigen koji (89)

    ampontan
    10 Jan 2012 | 6:03 am
    一言居士 - A person who has something to say about everything After covering the nationwide local elections (last winter) and the Osaka double elections, I have come to believe that (new Osaka Mayor) Hashimoto’s momentum is real and not transitory. In fact, all the major parties and politicians are making overtures to him to make him an ally and not an enemy. One aspect of Japanese elections for more than 20 years has been the movement on the axis of Ozawa Ichiro — i.e., whether one is pro-Ozawa or anti-Ozawa. I suspect the next election, however, will move on the axis of Mr.

  • It’s dango time

    ampontan
    9 Jan 2012 | 9:59 pm
    ONE post yesterday presented journalist Suda Shin’ichiro passing along information that the pro-tax increase faction in the ruling Democratic Party has become taken with the idea of putting off a lower house election over the tax issue — which they’d lose — by raising the problem of the imbalance of voter weighting in individual election districts. A few days before that, we saw that the DPJ has been considering for nearly a year the creation of a grand coalition government following a lower house election unlikely to result in a clear majority for either of the two major…

  • Rankings first to worst

    ampontan
    9 Jan 2012 | 8:13 am
    THE results of two recent public opinion polls tell us more about the Japanese perceptions of their political leaders than anything you’ll read in the English-language media. The first is from Nikoniko News, which sponsored an online poll for two weeks in October asking people to rank their selections for the best prime ministers since Mori Yoshiro in 2000. They broke down the responses by sex, which reveals some eyebrow-raising differences. The caveats: It was an Internet questionnaire survey and it had a small sample size, as the baseball statheads like to say. * Name your favorite prime…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Gadling

  • Photo of the day: Kauai sky

    Alex Robertson Textor
    27 Jan 2012 | 6:30 pm
    Filed under: North America, United States, Photo of the Day This Kauai sky is awfully pretty. It doesn't even need the surrounding habitat, which is likely amazingly beautiful, to compel viewers. Vast elongated cotton-candy clouds are location-independent, after all. Captured by Flickr user matt coats earlier this month, this is a dreamy image, a reminder that the sky, like the ocean, inspires journeys through its very enormity. Upload your images of skies to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr, and be sure to let us know where you took them. We choose our favorite images from the pool to be…

  • Video of the day: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque projections

    Elizabeth Seward
    27 Jan 2012 | 5:00 pm
    Filed under: Arts and Culture, Festivals and Events, United Arab, Video, Nightlife, Middle East Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Projections from Obscura Digital on Vimeo. Ready to see a beautiful video that will brighten your afternoon? Then check out this gorgeous video featuring the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. Projectors, 44 to count, came together form a combined brightness of 840,000 lumens. The images from these projectors covered a 600 foot wide and 351 foot high surface on the building. Mostly floral patterns were projected alongside…

  • Postage stamp-inspired paintings by Molly Rausch

    Elizabeth Seward
    27 Jan 2012 | 3:00 pm
    Filed under: Arts and Culture, North America, United States Ever wanted postage stamp-inspired paintings? Molly Rausch can give you what you want, in that case. And even if you've never had an itch to acquire a stamp-themed painting with any cognizance, you might still want to check out her work. Rausch is an artist based out of New Paltz, New York. Her stamp art began 14 years ago when she received an envelope filled with foreign stamps from her father. Her paintings begin with an actual stamp and she proceeds to paint an image around the glued-on stamp. Since stamps are small, her paintings…

  • Untouched Italy: Exploring Basilicata through a dream

    Jessica Festa
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:00 pm
    Filed under: Arts and Culture, Learning, Europe, Italy, Video While many people go to Italy to explore the wonderful cities of Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan, there many off-the-radar areas also worth discovering. One of these regions is Basilicata, which Seattle, Washington, filmmaker Matthew Brown captures in this video. The project was part of a Digital Diary competition put on by the Italy Tourism Board, and ended up winning the Grand Prize. What's really great about this video is that it doesn't just take you on a tour of Italy, but instead tells a story as if the narrator has "awoke…

  • Money in Ecuador: How far can $1 get you?

    Libby Zay
    27 Jan 2012 | 1:00 pm
    Filed under: South America, Ecuador, Budget Travel Ecuador is one place where a little money really does go a long way. Not only does the country use United States currency, but it's amazing how many things you can purchase for just one dollar. Whether you are looking to drink an oversized beer at a pub or feast on 20 fresh bananas (just try to scarf them all down before they turn brown!), it comes as no surprise that Ecuador repeatedly makes the list of budget-friendly places to visit--as well as our top picks for adventure destinations in 2012. Start the day with a cup of coffee--or four.
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Wireless Watch Japan

  • Japan Smartphone Survey - 100 Girls

    20 Jan 2012 | 3:40 pm
    Model Press conducted a survey with 100 females age 18 to 29 regarding pros & cons of smartphones: http://bit.ly/xJmYQB

  • Social TV App for Japan Mobile

    18 Jan 2012 | 8:47 pm
    Groovy Jpn Social TV free app, see @tune_TV and think GetGlue, recently launched on iOS and 'droid: http://bit.ly/zfrdGr

  • DeNA Announces JV with NetDragon

    16 Jan 2012 | 6:34 pm
    DeNA to establish $6M joint venture with HK-based NetDragon to localize and dist. games for Mobage in China: http://bit.ly/yyJpT1

  • Gree Making Moves in Korea

    15 Jan 2012 | 5:47 pm
    Gree Takes 6.8% Stake In South Korea Game Developer Mobicle Co. announcement details after the hop: http://bit.ly/AonI4a

  • KDDI Press Blitz for 2012

    15 Jan 2012 | 5:22 pm
    KDDI blasts 14 PR's; new Galaxy SII WiMax & InfoBar handsets, new AU brand plus lower price plans & more: http://bit.ly/w2Agce
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Japan Economy Watch

  • Japanese annual trade deficit reflects industrial strategy reversal

    Scott
    25 Jan 2012 | 10:38 am
    Japan's energy and industrial policy that has been in place since the oil crisis of the early 1970's has been overturned.Reuters reports today that Japan's first trade deficit since 1980 raises debt doubts:"Japan runs trade deficit of $32 bln in 2011Dec exports -8.0 pct yr/yr, imports +8.1 pct"A key is the problem of increased reliance on fuel imports due to the loss of nuclear power. Only four

  • Japan decided to enter the military arms market

    Scott
    28 Dec 2011 | 1:37 pm
    The FT reports that "Japan relaxes weapons export ban", stating that "Tokyo has relaxed a decades-old ban on arms exports, opening the way for Japanese companies to participate in the international development and manufacture of advanced weapon systems."This is clearly a move to bolster the country's manufacturing sector and avoid current account deficits, as China's economy has slowed down.It

  • Elderly Japanese control most of that country’s savings

    Scott
    28 Oct 2011 | 12:26 am
    According to a BusinessWeek article from 2000 Japan, a Nation of Risk-Takers? (int’l edition)“Seniors aged 60 years and over own about 70% of Japan’s $11 trillion in household financial assets. Only 9% of that is directly invested in stocks and a mere 2% in mutual funds.” Eleven years later should mean that Japanese 71 and over hold 70% of $11 trillion or $7.7 trillion in household financial

  • Is Japan In Danger Of A Deflation Relapse?

    Edward Hugh
    31 Jul 2011 | 6:08 am
    "Japan’s V-shaped recovery has now become a statistical fact rather than our forecast. According to retail sales statistics, the level of retail sales in June has already exceeded the level prior to the disaster. Sales of general merchandise and apparel have recovered and replacement demand for vehicles and reconstruction demand for household equipment have lifted sales of these items to above

  • Japan riddled with toxic waste sites

    Scott
    6 Jul 2011 | 2:20 am
    Alex Kerr, in the book Dogs and Demons, documents how Japan has “only the most primitive regulation of toxic waste” (p. 57), and for comparison describes how “There are more than a thousand controlled hazardous substances in the United States” where as in Japan “only a few dozen substances were subject to government controls” (p. 58). Further, “Japanese laws do not call for
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Culture Japan - Your portal to Japan : Main Feed

  • Good Smile Company

    25 Jan 2012 | 11:57 pm
    Just another regular meeting at the Good Smile Company offices - thought I'd take photos of the goodies in the office between sessions. All photos taken on the Sony NEX-5N with the Zeiss Sonnar F1.8 24mm.The tree by the entrance has been inhabited by some interesting animals. There is a poll embedded in this article.Gumako kawaii!Cant wait to see the Vocaloids in action again. Oh damn what am I saying?! I sound as if I knew something that I'm trying to keep quiet! Load of Three A goodies in the office.Mongrol is huge! There is a poll embedded in this article.The meeting area by the…

  • Otaku Office

    25 Jan 2012 | 9:47 am
    Photos of another stylish otaku home office posted over at figure.fm - this time by Dieta from Germany. Great lighting in the room which has figures dotted all over the place but displayed with thought as not to make the place look cluttered. I want an office like this when I get a bigger place! One thing that Dieta does that I do is to try and light corners which tend to be dark to make the room feel a wee bit bigger. Having glass tables also has the same effect. I've left the original text by Dieta below each photo.My desk is on the right side. I’ve mounted 2 Ergotron LX arms on a 2×2…

  • Samus Aran figure

    24 Jan 2012 | 7:57 am
    Something for all Metroid fans coming soon from Max Factory. We got a 1/8 scale figure of Samus Aran which is due out in June retailing at 7,800 yen and a figma version of Samus in her suit which is also due out in June retailing at 3,800 yen. Both figures should be up for pre-order at any of the following trusted online figure retailers. http://www.amiami.com/ http://toylet.net http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/ http://hlj.com http://archonia.com http://hobbystock.jp http://kidnemo.com http://jlist.comThere is a poll embedded in this article. There is a poll embedded in this article. There is a poll…

  • Japan Snow

    24 Jan 2012 | 6:32 am
    Pretty much knew it was going to snow due to the very cold weather we've been having in Tokyo. Last year we had to wait until mid February to get settling snow but this year our serving came early and it was really bucketing it down last night. Photos taken out n about last night and this morning. Extremely pleased with the performance of the Sony NEX-5N and the Zeiss F1.8 24mm lens - awesome combo is awesome.All photos in this post (and a few more) posted in HD wallpaper format in my Google Plus account - feel free to trace to use.For weather checks I use this resource at Yahoo. If you are…

  • Happy Chinese New Year 2012!

    22 Jan 2012 | 8:29 am
    Happy Chinese new year folks! 새해 복 많이 받으세요! 新年好！ My daughters and I hope that you get a load of red packets to buy a load of goodies! When I was younger, my parents didn't have time to look after me so I was brought up in various homes - a white, black and indian family raised me for most of my childhood (which you may have read about). Because of this, I never really celebrated Chinese New Year - but my wife's family does and we do a load of chatting over skype with them- most of it is watching them on the other side get together eating ^^;There is a poll embedded…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    japan running news

  • Fukushi Shooting for the Marathon in London

    Brett Larner
    27 Jan 2012 | 5:27 pm
    http://www.daily.co.jp/general/2012/01/28/0004773977.shtml translated by Brett Larner Fukushi at 26 miles in Chicago. Photo (c) 2011 Dr. Helmut Winter The pre-race athletes' press conference for the Jan. 29 Osaka International Women's Marathon Olympic selection race took place Jan. 27.  Aiming for her long-hoped-for appearance on the Olympic marathon stage, half-marathon national record

  • Watch the 2012 Osaka International Women's Marathon Live Online - Preview

    Brett Larner
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:01 am
    by Brett Larner The 2012 Osaka International Women's Marathon, the second of Japan's three-race domestic Olympic marathon team selection races, is on for this Sunday, Jan. 29.  Broadcast live on Fuji TV starting at noon Japan time, overseas viewers have the chance to catch the race via Keyhole TV.  Schedule permitting, JRN plans to cover the race via Twitter @JRNLive. The 2012 Osaka

  • Akaba to Settle Selection Race Plans After Seeing Osaka Outcome

    Brett Larner
    26 Jan 2012 | 6:29 pm
    http://www.daily.co.jp/newsflash/2012/01/26/0004770377.shtml translated by Brett Larner After the announcement of her name as an invited elite at the Feb. 26 Tokyo Marathon, a race outside the set of selection races for the women's Olympic marathon team, Yukiko Akaba (Team Hokuren) issued a statement of clarification on Jan. 26 through her representative.  "As part of my goal of making the

  • Tokyo Marathon Announces 2012 Elite Men's and Women's Fields

    Brett Larner
    26 Jan 2012 | 2:13 am
    by Brett Larner The organizers of the 2012 Tokyo Marathon have announced the elite men's and women's fields for the Feb. 26 Olympic-year race, and on both sides the fields are the best since the Tokyo Marathon began in 2007.  Former world record holder Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) lines up alongside last year's winner Hailu Mekonnen (Ethiopia), 2010 winner Masakazu Fujiwara (Team Honda), 2008

  • Noguchi Out of Osaka With Injury to Left Thigh (updated)

    Brett Larner
    25 Jan 2012 | 1:48 am
    http://sankei.jp.msn.com/sports/news/120125/oth12012515000009-n1.htm http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/athletics/news/f-sp-tp0-20120125-894574.html translated and edited by Brett Larner The organizers of the 31st Osaka International Women's Marathon and the Sysmex Women's Distance Running Team announced on Jan. 25 that invited athlete Mizuki Noguchi, 33, has pulled out of this Sunday's
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    NPB Tracker

  • Kawakami Close to Chunichi Return

    Patrick
    27 Jan 2012 | 11:56 am
    Multiple reports out of Japan are saying that former Atlanta Brave Kenshin Kawakami is negotiating with the Chunichi Dragons. Among the reports, the Asahi Shimbun reports that a basic agreement is in place and an announcement is due in the next few days, while the Mainichi Shimbun adds that Chunichi offered a one-year deal at a “low budget.” Kawakami won 112 games for Chunichi between 1998 and 2008 before heading to Atlanta as a free agent.

  • Remaining Free Agents

    Patrick
    17 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am
    With spring training a mere two weeks away, NPB teams are largely done making offseason roster moves. But Buster Olney’s observation that there are a number of established MLB players that are still available on the free agent market got me wondering if any would be fits in Japan. Here’s what I came up with: Kosuke Fukudome – There has been surprisingly little discussion of a Fukudome return in the Japanese media, the only rumor of note being that Hanshin was considering him as a replacement for Matt Murton, who they successfully re-signed. Kenshin Kawakami –…

  • No News for Nippon Ham

    Patrick
    17 Jan 2012 | 12:21 am
    Nippon Ham hasn’t heard anything from Yu Darvish. Team representative Toshimasa Shimada, commenting in Sponichi, said “we haven’t any contact from Darvish yet,” followed by “we’ll probably find out from [the] America[n media].” Team general director Hiroshi Yoshimura added, “we’re keeping in touch with NPB.”

  • Another Japanese Signing for Baltimore

    Patrick
    15 Jan 2012 | 9:16 am
    … this time lefty reliever Yoshihiro Doi on a minor league contract (via Nikkan Sports). Doi is an interesting case. He qualified for free agency after the 2010 season and immediately headed to the Western Hemisphere, an endeavor that was totally overlooked on this site. According to Nikkan Sports, Doi didn’t find any takers among MLB and Mexican League teams, and although he passed an Indy League tryout, he wound up spending 2011 on the shelf with knee visa problems. This year he hired agency IBC NY to represent him, and caught on with Baltimore. He’ll join former Chiba…

  • Attanasio on Aoki

    Patrick
    14 Jan 2012 | 2:51 pm
    Update: Brewers beat writer Tom Haudricourt has more. Sponichi got Brewers owner Mark Attanasio on the record about Norichika Aoki on January 12. Here’s what Attanasio had to say: “It certainly wasn’t a tryout. It was an opportunity for our GM and manager to directly see what type of player he is.” “Defensively he was terrific and he’s a professional with an established track record, so he took it seriously.”* *Note: translation of a translation. Sponichi expects the Brewers and Aoki to reach an agreement by the start of the week. The two sides have…
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    JNEWS.com

  • 都市－田舎の格差を埋めるルーラルビジネスへのマネー環流（会員限定）

    24 Jan 2012 | 8:35 pm

  • 社内の余剰スペースを収益化するシェアオフィス仲介ビジネス

    23 Jan 2012 | 8:39 pm
    東京都心のオフィス空室率が2005年以降は上昇を続けて、家賃単価を値下げしないと入居者が決まらない状況。その要因としては、景気が悪化していることに加えて、企業が正社員の数を減らしてワークスタイルを変えてきていることがある。それに伴い、社内の余剰スペースを個人の開業者に提供するシェアビジネスが登場している。

  • ツイッターにも対応したクラウド型の勤怠管理システム

    23 Jan 2012 | 8:38 pm
    ソフトウェア開発、ASP勤怠管理システム開発・販売を行う株式会社オープントーン(本社：東京都千代田区、代表取締役：佐藤 大輔、URL：http://www.opentone.co.jp/ )は、1月16日にリリースしたクラウド型勤怠管理システム「ICタイムリコーダーVer5.0」に、新機能としてツイッターでの「つぶやき打刻機能」を搭載しました。…

  • 2012年有望ビジネスの着目点（日本人ブランドとしての世界挑戦）

    20 Jan 2012 | 11:30 pm
    2011年を振り返れば、東日本大地震の爪痕は未だ残ったままだが、それ以外でも、世界各地での天災、欧米の債務危機から端を発したユーロ、ドル通貨の暴落、市民デモの勃発、北朝鮮の金正日総書記の死去など、時代の転換期となる出来事が次々と起こった年であった。「災害」「危機」「革命」などが、世界の重大ニュースでも、一年を象徴するキーワードになっている。

  • モノからサービスへシフトする貿易と人材の輸出入ビジネス

    20 Jan 2012 | 11:19 pm
    日本でインターネットが普及しはじめて15年以上が経つ。1997年には1100万人だったネット人口も、2010年には9400万人（人口の78％）となり、既にＩＴは特別な人のルールでは無くなっている。逆に怖いのは、ＩＴ専門家の中でも、最新ソーシャルメディアのユーザー文化などに追い付いていけなくなっていることである。…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Reuters: ワールド

  • ＲＪ／ＣＲＢ指数、0.12％高の317.81

    27 Jan 2012 | 5:50 pm
    ［２７日　ロイター］　原油など１９商品の先物相場で構成されるロイター／ジェフリーズＣＲＢ指数終値は、０．３９ポイント（０．１２％）高の３１７．８１。前営業日の３１７．４２から上昇した。

  • イラン議会、29日にＥＵへの原油禁輸を審議へ＝報道

    27 Jan 2012 | 4:01 am
    ［テヘラン　２７日　ロイター］　イランの議会は、欧州連合（ＥＵ）への原油輸出を来週にも停止する法案を２９日に審議する見通し。ファルス通信が２７日、議員の話として伝えた。

  • イタリア客船座礁事故、乗員が運営会社カーニバルを提訴

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:37 am
    ［２７日　ロイター］　イタリア中部のジリオ島付近で大型豪華客船コスタ・コンコルディアが座礁した事故で、乗員の１人が同船の運営会社カーニバルに対し、損害賠償を求めて提訴したことが、裁判所に提出された文書で分かった。

  • サイクロンが豪北西部に接近、鉄鉱石生産に影響も

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:05 am
    ［シドニー　２７日　ロイター］　オーストラリアの気象当局によると、熱帯サイクロン「イギー」が勢力を強め、北西部の沿岸に向かっている。北西部のピルバラ地域には鉄鉱石鉱床や積み出し施設が多数あり、影響が懸念されている。

  • 北朝鮮で建設中の原子炉、安全性に大きな懸念＝核専門家

    27 Jan 2012 | 2:04 am
    ［ソウル　２６日　ロイター］ 核科学者で、米ロスアラモス国立研究所のヘッカー元所長が２６日、北朝鮮の核開発について、同国ではウランを燃料とする原子炉の建設が急ピッチで進められており、その安全性に対するリスクが高まっていると警告した。
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    IDEA*IDEA

  • 電子レンジで炸裂する物体いろいろ

    taguchi
    26 Jan 2012 | 8:24 pm
    というわけで電子レンジにいろいろなものを入れて炸裂させています。CDとかすごいな・・・。 ↑ 1分20秒ほどの映像です。 » Things Exploding in Microwaves

  • ホットペッパーでは「WiFi」を検索条件に出来る件

    taguchi
    26 Jan 2012 | 8:12 pm
    hotpepperには「Wi-Fi」という便利な検索条件があって、スマホアプリでも使える。 なんと！ということで調べてみたら、すごい便利ですね、これ。今まで気付かなかったWiFi可能なカフェをいろいろ見つけることができました。 ↑ こうすればOK! クーポンをあまり使わないので盲点でしたね・・・。WiFiカフェ検索サイトは他にもありますが、ホットペッパーも使ってみるといいですね。 » グルメ・クーポンならホットペッパーグルメ

  • なんともリアルな赤ちゃんロボットがすご怖い

    taguchi
    26 Jan 2012 | 8:05 pm
    ↑ むき出しの筐体がなんとも・・・。30秒ほどの映像です。 » Robot Baby

  • ハグすれば仲良くなれるよ・・・的イラストいろいろ

    taguchi
    26 Jan 2012 | 8:03 pm
    » christmas peace on the Behance Network

  • 毎日バク宙したら$100あげるよ、と言われたからやってみた

    taguchi
    25 Jan 2012 | 9:18 pm
    なんか微笑ましいのでエントリー。父親に「2011年、毎日1回、バク宙し続けたら$100あげるよ」と言われたのでやってみたらしいです。 毎日その様子をYouTubeにアップしていたらしいのですが、そのダイジェスト版ですね。 ↑ 4分半ほどの映像です。最後がいいですねｗ。 しかし1年やりつづけてもあまり技術に進歩が見られないような・・・。もうちょっと腕のひきあげがうまくなれば高さが出ると思います、はい。 » Sam Morrison – Back Flip…
 
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    For M

  • モノトーンスニーカー15選

    All About, Inc.
    27 Jan 2012 | 9:00 am
    大人の印象を作るには、洋服だけでなく足元も重要。いまなら、スニーカーを合わせたい。そこで今回は、モノトーン系のスニーカーを紹介する。
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Blue RSS Japan

  • 勝負！！！

    28 Jan 2012 | 3:00 am
    ... 自分でもちょっと引いたので、聞かせずに戦果報告だけにしました。 実家で14年飼ってた犬が手術の時に死んじゃったのを思い出して、 喋りながら本気で悲しくなって泣けちゃったんだんだよ(´･ω･`)

  • 幸せの形

    28 Jan 2012 | 2:08 am
    ... 「日が経つにつれてどんどん悲しくなってくるね。」 そう話しながら、母と私は泣きながら夕食をとった。 お父さんに会いたいなあ。 どうしていなくなってしまったんだろ。 「これからは私だけが年をとっていくんやわ。」 母が言う。 ...

  • 何があっても

    28 Jan 2012 | 12:46 am
    ... 何回悲しくても。あなたを必要としている人がいる。 なんだか、深いなあ、娘のテレビと思えないなあ? 次回最終回！ ■スタークジェガン まだディティール追加中。さすがにサフ噴くかな。 ...

  • 2011年読書感想文のまとめとランキング

    27 Jan 2012 | 11:04 pm
    ... と言われ、悲しくも言葉を失いました。 それはともあれ、仕事が忙しすぎると本を読む元気もなくなる。極めて不衛生です。ということで、 今年はなるべく仕事をしないようにしたい と思います。 昨年を振り返ると 「小説」が多かった ように思います。 ...

  • 姉の葬儀と火葬

    27 Jan 2012 | 10:37 pm
    午前１０時から姉の葬儀が営まれ、出棺の際に遺体に花を手向けて最後のお別れをした。 私は姉の姿を見ると悲しくて涙が止まらず、娘に先立たれた両親は泣き崩れていた。 霊柩車が出発する際、共に過ごした子ども時代を思い出し、感謝の気持ちで「姉ちゃん ...
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Reuters: エンタテインメント

  • マイケルの「手形」ハリウッドに、3人の子どもが刻む

    26 Jan 2012 | 10:16 pm
    ［ロサンゼルス　２６日　ロイター］　２００９年に急死した米歌手マイケル・ジャクソンさんの「手形」が２６日、３人の子どもによって、ハリウッドにある劇場グローマンズ・チャイニーズ・シアターの前に刻まれた。

  • 渡辺謙さん「被災地と世界つなげる」、ダボス会議で会見

    26 Jan 2012 | 12:05 am
    ［ダボス（スイス）　２５日　ロイター］　俳優の渡辺謙さんが２５日、スイスのダボスで開幕した世界経済フォーラム年次総会（ダボス会議）に出席。記者会見で、東日本大震災の被災地を取材したドキュメンタリーについて語った。

  • ＡＢＢＡ最後のアルバムが4月に再発売、未発表曲も収録

    25 Jan 2012 | 6:56 pm
    ［ストックホルム　２５日　ロイター］　スウェーデン出身のポップグループＡＢＢＡ（アバ）が２５日、１９８１年にリリースした最後のアルバム「ザ・ヴィジターズ」を、４月に新バージョンとして発売すると発表した。未発表曲も含まれるという。

  • 昨年離婚のデミ・ムーア、ストレスによる疲労などで治療へ

    24 Jan 2012 | 11:07 pm
    ［ロサンゼルス　２４日　ロイター］　米女優デミ・ムーア（４９）が、ストレスによる極度の疲労などの健康問題を抱え、治療を受ける意向であることが、代理人の話で２４日明らかになった。

  • ギリシャの巨匠アンゲロプロス監督、交通事故で死去

    24 Jan 2012 | 10:02 pm
    ［アテネ　２４日　ロイター］　世界的な巨匠でカンヌ国際映画祭の最高賞パルムドールも受賞したギリシャのテオ・アンゲロプロス監督が２４日、新作映画の撮影中に道路を渡ろうとした際、バイクにはねられ、搬送先のアテネ市内の病院で死去した。７６歳だった。
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Global Voices » East Asia

  • China: US60,000 Per Month Postpartum Recovery Service

    Oiwan Lam
    27 Jan 2012 | 9:56 pm
    Jing Gao from Ministry of Tofu translated a local report and netizen reactions on Shanghai's postpartum recovery service which costs around US60,000 per month. Written by Oiwan Lam · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

  • China: Girl and Boyfriend Rental for Chinese Lunar New Year

    Oiwan Lam
    27 Jan 2012 | 9:39 pm
    Jacky Huang from ChinaHush introduces a shopping item, girl/boyfriend rental for Chinese New Year, in Taobao, a most popular online shopping website in China. Written by Oiwan Lam · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

  • China: Redpad for Government Official Only

    Oiwan Lam
    27 Jan 2012 | 9:23 pm
    China Bubble Watch blogs about the introduction of Red-pad, an electronic device similar to i-pad but sold at a price (RMB9,999) twice as high as an Apple i-pad exclusively to Chinese government officials. Written by Oiwan Lam · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

  • Singapore: Corruption Scandal in Least Corrupt Nation

    Kirsten Han
    27 Jan 2012 | 10:26 am
    Over the Chinese New Year, the news broke that the heads of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) are being investigated by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), sparking plenty of conversation about corruption in a country that has been consistently ranked as one of the least corrupt in the world. Director of the CNB, Ng Boon Gay (pictured right), was arrested on December 19, while Chief of SCDF, Peter Lim (pictured left), was arrested on 4 January 2011. Both men are currently out on bail, pending further investigations. They are being…

  • China: Not Worried About Twitter's Decision to Self-Censor

    John Kennedy
    27 Jan 2012 | 9:50 am
    Twitter's announcement Thursday that the site will begin censoring content according to the relevant laws, regulations and policies of each country in which it has users was followed not only by American netizens, but discussed as far away as China. Although Twitter remains blocked in China, the site's Chinese-language users, an assorted bunch, moved quickly to source people to translate [zh] the company's statement and figure out what it might mean—a Twitter.cn, for example, or, as Ai Weiwei wonders, if the time has come to move on in search of a new platform with more respect…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

  • Table for Two, a cool non-profit that aims to solve hunger and obesity at the same time

    Lisa
    14 Jan 2012 | 11:20 am
    My childhood friend Fumi heads the US office of a Japanese non-profit called Table for Two. It's really neat -- you should know about it if you don't already. Founded by former McKinsey consultant Masa Kogure, TFT aims to simultaneously solve hunger in the developing world and obesity in places like Japan and the US by offering healthy meals in first-world cafeterias that also donate a portion of proceeds from that meal to a school lunch for a kid in Africa. TFT collaborates with NGOs in the hunger countries to distribute 20 cents from every meal purchased in the US or Japan to buy a…

  • Artist Riusuke Fukahori's amazing goldfish art

    Lisa
    14 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am
    This is a beautiful video that shows the artistic process of Riusuke Fukahori, who just showed a selection of amazing multi-dimensional goldfish art at a gallery in London. Apparently he was inspired by his pet goldfish to do both the giant painting drawn finished with a broom and the 3D-looking acrylic on clear resin series.

  • Gokiburi hoi hoi, a wonderful home for annoying cockroaches

    Lisa
    9 Jan 2012 | 12:39 pm
    I was on a work call with an editor in the UK today and he said one of two words he knew in Japanese was ゴキブリホイホイ　(gokirubi hoi hoi). In case you don't know what this very important word means, it's actually the name of a popular cockroach-catching contraption that is shaped like a little house. The house has mysterious substances in it that lures cockroaches in through its doors; but once they enter, they get stuck on the sticky floor and can never get out and eventually die. We used to have one in our old house but I don't remember seeing any immobilized cockroaches living…

  • Strange man plays a flute made from a cabbage

    Lisa
    5 Jan 2012 | 9:16 am
    In this video, a man has figured out how to make a flute out of a cabbage. Watch him play the butterfly song.

  • Yayoi Kusama's latest: obliteration room

    Lisa
    1 Jan 2012 | 11:06 pm
    Artist Yayoi Kusama does it again -- this time with the help of Australian children! As part of her latest exhibition Look Now, See Forever -- on view at the Queensland Art Gallery through March 11 -- she prepared a stark white room and then gave visiting kids thousands of colorful dots that they were then allowed to put wherever they wanted. So cool! via Spoon and Tamago More Yayoi Kusama links on TokyoMango
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Hi, im Akayako from Japan...

  • Avoid chief cook knife is quit…

    admin
    27 Jan 2012 | 11:59 pm
    avoid discount knives chief cook knife is quite a bit loved by occupation culinary experts. That like handling these outstanding superior kitchen knives in order to make their do the job more efficient and accurate. These avoid cocinero cutlery are made of top quality metallic which makes them speedi and longer lasting. Shun chief cook cutlery are widely-used in a lot of the classy dining places and hotels currently. Specialized culinary chefs constantly wish to grow their get the job done quality as well as this they it’s really important for great goods. Shun chief cook knife is one…

  • You have been affected by the …

    admin
    27 Jan 2012 | 11:03 pm
    You have been affected by the vicous routine of eating plans that you just loathe and never do the job, the do it yourself photo you can’t stand, and therefore the stuff yourself eating consequences? Fear no longer! Here, I will highlight the best way permanently loose fat. In .Wait around, feed on extra to reduce body fat?!?” Avoid, I do know what you’re thinking: it can be kitchen counter user-friendly. What most weight reduction firms would love you to believe quite simply need to go hungry, satisfy your cravings for food to lose weight naturally and fats. This is amongst…

  • The United Arab Emirates enjoy…

    admin
    27 Jan 2012 | 10:27 pm
    The United Arab Emirates enjoys among the list of ideal areas can be found all over the world. Even just in what is actually loosely deemed winter, the temperatures are beautifully cozy, and during the warm months a few months it’s magnificently warm. It is really often necessity which a breeze consistantly improves surroundings as well, preserving website visitors trendy and cozy while nevertheless permitting them to get an outstanding brown. Dubai hotels would be the fantastic bases to explore the area. With all the cost-effective worth of flights nowadays, more and more persons are…

  • Bread Makers have produced a n…

    admin
    26 Jan 2012 | 9:34 pm
    Bread Makers have produced a new degree of benefit to this baking deliciously fresh prepared bakery in your house. Than ever before of shelling out the full afternoon massaging, waiting around and kneading, creating bread hand. Probably the most highly regarded manufactures of bread machines – Panasonic, fashioned the Panasonic SD-RD250 Intelligent Breadmaker to become each flexible and easy to use. With a few the baking modalities, two lf styles, massive LCD display, a non-adhere lined container and pre-specified egg timer, the Panasonic SD-RD250 appears great Orgreenics in writing,…

  • New York will be the capital o…

    admin
    26 Jan 2012 | 8:43 pm
    New York will be the capital of scotland – aspirations, hope, moisture, malfunction, and achievement. This is the largest urban center in Colorado, and the second biggest metropolis in the states. It spans more than 498.3 sq kilometers and is household approximately 4 million people. To match what you believe, existing in their normal put may be deluxe or maybe a pull, so if you’re recently moved citizen then it also is dependent upon how you are shifted to this city. But if your La moving services made the transferring to your city straightforward then a metropolis might looks…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Intercultural Twilight Zone

  • Then and Now: Stories of Courage from Ishinomaki

    Tim Sullivan
    20 Jan 2012 | 8:59 pm
    Try watching this video without crying. Sad, Moving and Uplifting:

  • Bridging Cultures Through Hip-Hop: Hawaii Kids Host Rainbow for Japan Kids

    Tim Sullivan
    1 Jan 2012 | 2:03 pm
    On 12/27,  HAAS Charter School students, teacher Tom Brennan, and our good friends from Center Stage dance studio volunteered their time to spend the day at Kilauea Military Camp with Japanese middle school children from the disaster areas in Japan. Our guests traveled to Hawaii via the “Rainbow for Japan Kids” initiative, a program created by Japan America Society of Hawaii to bring hope and joy to young victims of the Japan disaster. The HAAS kids were awesome as usual, ditto for the Center Stage dance instructors and students who showed us how to “top rock” and…

  • Management & Human Nature: Are People Basically “Good”?

    Tim Sullivan
    12 Dec 2011 | 6:05 pm
    Continued from previous post… THE THEORY OF PROVIDED CONDITIONS  “If you want to create a certain result, you must first create the conditions that will absolutely force that result to occur.” Kazuma Tateishi, Founder of Omron I first became aware of the Theory of Provided Conditions through a fortuitous connection made years ago with two American mentors, both extremely wise and contrarian management consultants, both of whom were preaching a management approach that “taps into the power of the human mind”. They called it “mind technologies”.

  • The Physics of Responsibility: Can Sh*t Really Roll Uphill?

    Tim Sullivan
    5 Dec 2011 | 12:07 pm
    “If you want to create a certain result, you must create the conditions that will absolutely force that result to occur. Kazuma Tateishi, Founder of Omron One of my most memorable experiences in a Japanese-run factory happened several months after I arrived in the Deep South from Kanagawa, Japan some 24 years ago. The plant was brand-spanking new, thanks to the multi-million dollar investment the Japanese parent company made to gain a foothold into the U.S. automotive market. Walking into the plant one morning, our Japanese Manufacturing Engineer (Mr. “Tanaka”) approached me in a…

  • What Does a 2,000-Year-Old Tree Look Like?

    Tim Sullivan
    19 Oct 2011 | 9:45 pm
    On the tail-end of our recent trip to Japan we stopped by Kinomiya Jinja in Atami to check out the local kami, as the deities Isotakeru, Yamatotakeru and Okuninushi are rumored to live there. Here’s what Yamatotakeru apparently looks like (an artist’s conception, I can only assume): Our shrine visit was also a chance to reminisce about my first son’s fake baptism into the Shinto religion there 25 years agoAh the memories! Of course we had to purify ourselves prior to entering the Shrine complex. Here’s Japanese dad showing us how it’s done. Wandering around…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Japan for Sustainability

  • Kyoto Reduces GHGs by 16.4% in FY2009 from FY1990

    27 Jan 2012 | 3:00 pm
    The Kyoto Prefecture government announced on September 7, 2011, that its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in fiscal 2009 (preliminary figures) decreased to 12.34 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent, down by 3.4% from the previous year (0.44 million tons of CO2), or a reduction of 16.4% (2.43 million tons of CO2) compared to the 1990 level. The prefecture has achieved its fiscal 2010 target of a 10-percent reduction from the fiscal 1990 base year level under the Kyoto Prefectural Ordinances against Global Warming (enacted in fiscal 2005) for two consecutive years.

  • New Hokkaido Office Building Uses 70 Green Technologies to Cut CO2 Emissions in Half

    26 Jan 2012 | 3:00 pm
    Copyright Takenaka Corp. Major Japanese construction company Takenaka Corp. announced on October 20, 2011 that it had completed a highly energy-efficient office building, called "Ecohouse," along with a factory employing a total of 70 environmental technologies to significantly reduce environmental impact. The building and factory were built for Amino Up Chemical Co. -- which extracts, develops, and manufactures naturally derived substances -- at its head office site in Sapporo, Hokkaido.

  • Ezorock Grows Organic Vegetables by Utilizing Garbage from Rock Festival

    25 Jan 2012 | 3:00 pm
    Copyright Ezorock Ezorock is a Japanese non-government organization that focuses on the theme of "the next generation" led by the efforts of Japanese youth. Ezorock makes compost by hand from garbage collected at the RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL (RSR), the biggest open-air music festival in Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's major islands. The compost is used to cultivate organic vegetables at the RSR organic farm, and these vegetable crops are given to the following year's guests at RSR. This experience-oriented project places importance on this cycle.

  • Japanese Power/Electronics Companies Establish Consortium for Promoting HEMS

    24 Jan 2012 | 3:00 pm
    A group of major Japanese power and electronics companies have established consortium for research and actions, "HEMS Alliance," with an aim to establish and promote a market of home energy management system (HEMS), it was announced on July 12, 2011. The participants are KDDI Corp., Sharp Corp., Daikin Industries, Ltd., Tokyo Electric Power Co., Toshiba Corp., NEC Corp., Panasonic Corp., Hitachi, Ltd., Mitsubishi Motors Corp., and Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

  • [Press release] When Should Japan Quit Nuclear Power? Survey Finds 36% Say "Immediately," 65% Say "By 2050"

    24 Jan 2012 | 2:22 am
    Before Low Cost, Citizens Want Peace of Mind, Safety, Consideration of Future Generations 2012PR01 January 24, 2012 Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society / Japan for Sustainability The Institute for Studies in Happiness, Economy and Society and non-profit organization Japan for Sustainability jointly announced the results of a public opinion survey on attitudes toward energy, on January 24, 2012.
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Japanese language and culture blog | NihongoUp

  • The joys of seaweed: Japan’s healthy and delicious superfood

    Greg Scott
    23 Jan 2012 | 2:36 pm
    Touted as the next big superfood, seaweed can be found in all kinds of Japanese meals—from salads, through soups and sushi, all the way to ice cream. Photo by guccibear2005 Before I moved to Japan, I never had any idea how delicious seaweed could be. Like octopus, eels, moldy beans, sea urchin innards and salmon eggs, I just never thought to try eating it. There are many types of edible seaweed in Japan and they’re referred to as kaiso (海藻). Seaweed is a traditional part of the Japanese diet and its cultivation goes back for centuries. Now, Japan’s delicious seaweeds are quickly…

  • Japanese bottom sensor: coming to a car near you!

    Ollie Capehorn
    8 Jan 2012 | 3:34 pm
    The next generation of cars may use state-of-the-arse Japanese technology to identify the car’s driver, to act as a security measure, and also provide a more comfortable driving experience. Photo by michael.banovsky If you thought that fingerprinting and iris scanners were the future of personal identification, you can think again! Researchers, led by Associate Professor Shigeomi Koshimizu at the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology have released a report outlining their system of driver identification. The technology looks at the position of the person’s posterior relative to the…

  • Celebrate the new year with LinguaLift at an unbeatable price

    Philip Seyfi
    29 Dec 2011 | 8:58 pm
    LinguaLift, our brand new way to learn, review and practice Japanese has had a great start. Users have enjoyed the fully updated Japanese E-textbook, mastered countless words and characters in the Vocab Lab & Kanji Academy, and lapped up our brand new game—Japanese Frenzy—in the Arcade. We already provide you with several awesome ways to save money over at LinguaLift. If you’re a student, you can get 25% off your subscription price, and if you pre-pay for six or twelve months in advance, you’ll get one or three months for free. We strongly believe that $29 a month is a reasonable…

  • Casual language: A double-edged sword

    Gregg Muragishi
    27 Dec 2011 | 12:13 pm
    All languages have some form of formal and casual speech. This means that we change the words or phrases that we use depending on who we are speaking to. In the Japanese language, this is taken to another level by incorporating keigo (敬語). For a brief summary of Japanese formal speech, please refer to Untranslatable Japanese. Photo by Max Mayorov For most Japanese learners, we are almost always taught formal form (desu/-masu, です/-ます) before we are taught casual form (da/-ru; だ/-る). Everyone’s first Japanese sentence structure is “X is Y desu,” and their first Japanese…

  • Announcing Japanese LinguaLift

    Philip Seyfi
    13 Dec 2011 | 12:02 pm
    We’re proud to announce that we’re launching a new product, which will once again push the Japanese language learning industry forward, and help you to reach you goals more efficiently. We call it LinguaLift. We’ve hardly kept it a secret, but it may have escaped some people’s attention that NihongoUp has been going through some changes. NihongoUp was only ever meant to be the name for the educational game that so many loved, but which did not get the sufficient attention for over a year, dwarfed by the lessons, blog, forum, drops, and everything else we produced. What begun as a…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    i heart japan - Japan travel tips and info about Japan

  • Man Creates and Plays World’s First Cabbage Flute

    Travis
    27 Jan 2012 | 10:02 am
    You don’t get to write titles like that everyday. If you’re a fan of unusual uses of vegetables or enjoy the sultry tones of a leafy woodwind, you may want to spend 1:15 of your life listening to this creative Japanese man and his cabbage flute. Thanks for Tokyo Mango for the story. Related Posts:More Funny Japanese CommercialsWild and Wacky Japanese Horse Racing GameMr. Penguin Goes to MarketHonda Unveils Upgrades to their Asimo RobotIntroduction to Japanese Food – Tonkatsu

  • Japanese Phrase Book Review

    Travis
    24 Jan 2012 | 11:32 am
    Photo by JoeBenjamin on Flickr A well put together phrase book can be a life saver for any traveller. While getting to know a few key words and expressions in Japanese is always recommended, before long you’ll find yourself venturing far outside your comfort zone, and that’s where a good Japanese phrasebook is worth its weight in gold. I’m always on the look out for new and interesting Japanese phrasebooks. Last year a Japanese friend gave us a really unique Point-and-Speak Japanese Phrasebook that Stacey really liked to carry around with her. I would typically head out the…

  • Japan’s Amazing Bento Lunchboxes

    Travis
    20 Jan 2012 | 9:52 am
    Photo by Robert S. Donovan on Flickr Thanks to Stacey for another great BBC link. Take a look at their Close-up video of some of Japan’s amazing bento lunch boxes. Making a packed lunch for your children to take to school is a chore performed by parents around the world. But in Japan, it is not just the taste and healthiness of the meal that is important – but how it looks. Related Posts:Cute Stuff: My First Bento Part 3Cute Things from Japan: BentoCute Stuff From Japan: My First Bento Part 2Cute Stuff From Japan: My First Bento Part 1Cute Things from Japan: Japanese Food

  • Book Review: 100えんｸﾞﾂｽﾞでｾﾝｽのいい

    Stacey
    17 Jan 2012 | 11:17 am
    Here is another review of one of the books/magazines I purchased while in Japan. This one also came from Book-Off (link) for only 105 yen. As you may already know, I have a thing for the Japanese hyakuen stores (dollar stores), so this was a perfect magazine for me. What is does is shows house decorating ideas and crafts based on items purchased from the dollar stores. And what made it so exciting for me, was that many of the items used I had actually seen at the dollar stores. That made it interesting for me, because I could see how cheap and easy it would be to actually make these items.

  • 10,000 Free Flights to Japan Not Going Ahead

    Travis
    15 Jan 2012 | 9:23 am
    Photo by FrancoisRoche on Flickr Stacey just sent me an update to our 10,000 Flight Giveaway story from October last year. It looks like it’s not going to happen. The Japanese Nation Tourism Organization reports that the Japanese Government announced the budget for this proposal and it has been declined, so the flight give away will not be going ahead. Thanks to the support of the international community, Japan is making vigorous progress towards reconstruction in the earthquake and tsunami affected northeast of Japan, but recovery from the earthquake continues to be a pressing issue.
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Japan Pulse

  • Companies connect with free mobile apps

    Felicity Hughes
    27 Jan 2012 | 1:13 am
    Enticing smartphone users with high-tech functions and original content, Japanese businesses have begun engaging customers by releasing custom mobile apps for free download. In the process, they’re managing to slip in a strong marketing messages into the pockets of loyal fans and potential customers. Wego's app offers style tips from the store's staff On Jan. 24, Doutor, a national chain of coffee shops. launched their Doutor AR app. Made to be used in conjunction with the free magazine It’s My Times, the app displays animation and text on the user’s smartphone via…

  • Fresh nabe ideas bubbling up

    Felicity Hughes
    20 Jan 2012 | 3:20 am
    Konabe Shabu Shabu Dining Nabe Sennin, where customers get to create their own nabe Cuisine featuring nabe, the traditional Japanese hot pot, has been at to the top of the dining trends in recent years. Curry nabe, tomato nabe, collagen nabe, pizza nabe . . . They’re all popular nabe trends that have bubbled up. Since we covered the topic in 2010, according to Nikkei Woman Online, nabe trends have stayed hot during the winter months, especially on the restaurant scene. Here are a couple of restaurants who are rewriting the rule book: The use of Western ingredients like tomato sauce and…

  • 2012 trends: consumer ‘neta,’ relocating and regional flavors

    Felicity Hughes
    18 Jan 2012 | 1:54 am
    On Jan. 10 Recruit, a corporation that has its fingers in a number of different pies, including tourism, recruitment, real estate and publishing, published its trend forecasts for 2012. Though Recruit has a vested in fulfilling its own prophesies, a few predictions really did seem on the mark. Here’s the best of the bunch: Free word of mouth: The rise in the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter during 2011 obviously brought more young Japanese closer together, and more than ever, marketing divisions wanted to tap into the consumer posses that make…

  • Incubators set the stage for big things

    Felicity Hughes
    12 Jan 2012 | 5:39 am
    As the job market continue to prove unstable, or simply elusive to many of Japan’s disenfranchised young, it’s heartening to see that more opportunities for startups. Offering up a chance for entrepreneurs in the tech industry to get their businesses up and running, venture capital firms, such as CyberAgent Ventures, Samurai Incubate Inc. and Open Network Lab, offer advice, funding, and sometimes even office space, in return for a stake in these new businesses. While it’s taken time for the model of startup incubators to catch on in Japan, it would appear to be truly thriving these…

  • 2011 trends: Social media in Japan comes of age

    Sandra Barron
    3 Jan 2012 | 10:19 pm
    2011 was the year that social media came into its own in Japan. When phones went down on March 11, Japan connected with Twitter, mixi and Facebook in record numbers. Social media went from being a curiosity to a lifeline. Connecting online wasn’t just for the users, either; in 2011, the social media sites started friending each other. Mixi and Twitter announced a partnership in November, possibly to shore up against a rapidly growing Facebook. With growth spurred by the movie “The Social Network,” Facebook was named the no. 2 “hit product” of 2011 by Nikkei…
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    East Asia Student

  • 10 popular misconceptions about Chinese

    Hugh Grigg
    28 Jan 2012 | 4:29 am
    The Chinese language is increasingly appearing on people’s radar, and with that comes the spread of various myths and misconceptions.I’ve gathered the ten that I come across the most, and ranked them on how prevalent and how wrong they are.10. Chinese is the hardest language in the worldThis comes up all over the place (e.g. on HTLAL and in David Moser’s famous article), but  as more people attempt to learn Chinese it’s becoming apparent that it can be done in a reasonable amount of time.Spoken Mandarin really isn’t much harder to learn than other languages. A…

  • A in hiragana

    Hugh Grigg
    25 Jan 2012 | 9:21 pm
    The syllable ‘a’ in hiragana is written あ. あ ‘a’ hiragana stroke orderあ has three strokes:A horizontal left to right stroke.A vertical stroke that cuts through the first one.A looping stroke that starts cutting to the left through stroke #2, back up through it to the right, and then loops back around to the left again. あ ‘a’ hiragana mnemonicSee also: Making mnemonicsThis image should help you to remember how to write ‘a’ in hiragana by associating the letter a with the shape of あ. Remember that the English words used here are not a…

  • Soushenji 387 translation: Death in Childbirth, a Dot on the Face

    Hugh Grigg
    23 Jan 2012 | 11:19 pm
    This is a translation and annotation of text No. 387 in 搜神記 (Soushenji – ‘In Search of the Supernatural’), a collection of strange happenings compiled by 干寶 (Gan Bao) in the 4th century C.E.In order to be useful to people studying the text, this translation aims to be literal and close to the original.  Chǎn Wáng Diǎn Miàn [childbirth] [death] [dot] [face] Death in Childbirth, a Dot on the Face  Zhū Zhòngwù yī nǚ Xiǎnyí, [Zhu] [Zhong] [Wu] [one] [daughter] [Xian] [Yi] Zhu Zhongwu had one daughter, named Xianyi; jià wéi Mǐ Yuánzōng qī, [marry]…

  • The Chinese Grammar Wiki

    Hugh Grigg
    21 Jan 2012 | 10:00 pm
    The world’s best resource for Chinese grammar is now available.I’m very excited to announce the launch of: The Chinese Grammar Wiki This project has been a long, long time in the making. As the name suggests, it’s a resource for Chinese Grammar. It’s by far the best resource for Chinese grammar on the Internet, in fact.The project has been led by John Pasden for his company AllSet Learning. In his own words:I realized that there’s no single resource on the entire internet which does a good, comprehensive job of covering the grammar of Mandarin Chinese.

  • TE in hiragana

    Hugh Grigg
    20 Jan 2012 | 10:03 pm
    The syllable ‘te’ in hiragana is written て. て ‘te’ hiragana stroke orderて has just one stroke:It starts left to right, then curves down to the left and back out again. て ‘te’ hiragana mnemonicsSee also: Making mnemonicsThis image should help you to remember how to write ‘te’ in hiragana by associating the letters te with the shape of て. Remember that the English words used here are not a pronunciation guide. They help you to remember how to write て, not how to say it.To learn pronunciation you need to get a lot of listening and speaking…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Akihabara News

  • Enjoy London sky with Galaxy Tab 10.1

    Daimaou - G-A.G
    26 Jan 2012 | 5:29 pm
    Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 meets London Eye to be utilized as a tourist guide for the passengers of one of the busiest attractions in London. Samsung Electronics said on Jan 26 that it has implemented 192 units of Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the 32 passenger capsules of London Eye, so that passengers can check information about famous attractions in London while enjoying great views of the city at 443 ft from the sky. London Eye, a giant Ferris wheel, was established in 1999 as part of the UK’s ...

  • Buffalo bring Remote Play, DivxHD, Flac and Basic NAS Features in its latest Link Theater

    Daimaou - G-A.G
    26 Jan 2012 | 1:54 am
    Most Buffalo Link Theater media player where until today pretty lame is crippled with DRM and other limitation, however today, Buffalo announced a new generation with the LT-V200, capable to not only support the usual MPEG-1/2 and WMV9, but also Mpeg-4 AVC/H.264, DivX, Divx HD, FLV and even Real Video! As far as audio files are concerned, the LT-V200 also support AAC, MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, FLAC, Real Audio, Dolby Digital and DTS. But that’s not all, this new Link Theater comes with an internal ...

  • Toshiba introduces in Japan a new Android based e-Book reader with the DB50

    Daimaou - G-A.G
    26 Jan 2012 | 1:21 am
    Toshiba’s new BookPlace or BD50, comes with a nice 7” color touch LED backlight LCD with a WSVGA resolution (600×1024), 8 GB of internal memory (eMMC) and powered by a 1GHz Freescale i.MX535 CPU. Other features includes both WiFi BGN and Bluetooth as well as a USB 2.0 and a microSD Card slot. The BD50 is said to weight 330g and offer a 7.5h battery life spam in a body of just 11mm thick thin. Schedule to be put on sale later this February, the DB50 will be compatible with Toshiba’s ...

  • Panasonic intros two new compact laptop with the Let’s Note SX and NX Series

    Daimaou - G-A.G
    25 Jan 2012 | 2:24 am
    Panasonic just announced this morning its new 12.1 notebooks with the SX and NX Series. Both models comes with a 16:10 ratio screen with a 1280×800 resolution or optional 16:9 one with a nice 1600×900 resolution and optional 720p web camera. Depending of your specification of choice Panasonic will be able to offer you either a traditional HDD or fast SSD capable to boot your system in just 9 seconds thanks to Panasonic Quick Book Manager. By default the SX and NX will comes with a ...

  • Sony launched in Japan a new Series of Walkman with the NW-E060

    Daimaou - G-A.G
    25 Jan 2012 | 2:11 am
    Sony announced yesterday its latest Walkman with the NW-E060 Series available with either 4GB or 2GB of internal memory and integrated Noise Canceling solutions with the usual Train, Flight and Indoor mode. These new walkman comes with a 1.4” color LCD, pack enough juice for about 30h or music playback and comes with an interesting external plug-in speaker that will turn your little DAP into an always ready tiny boombox.
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Culture Japan - Your portal to Japan : Main Feed

  • Visit Akihabara

    28 Jan 2012 | 12:27 am
    Was out n about in Akihabara last week giving a lecture at Digital Hollywood University. I dont go that often of late but when I do, everything seems so different. Many shops disappear while many new ones spring up. One of the things that I'm happy to say does not change is the amount of cute (2D) girls that you will see all over the place.Had no idea there was an Arakawa Under The Bridge live action version. Arrival at Akihabara - cold n rainy day. To get to Akihabara, get off at Akihabara station on the JR Yamanote line. [gmap=35.69870, 139.77263]Chuo Dori - the main road that runs through…

  • Good Smile Company

    25 Jan 2012 | 11:57 pm
    Just another regular meeting at the Good Smile Company offices - thought I'd take photos of the goodies in the office between sessions. All photos taken on the Sony NEX-5N with the Zeiss Sonnar F1.8 24mm.The tree by the entrance has been inhabited by some interesting animals. There is a poll embedded in this article.Gumako kawaii!Cant wait to see the Vocaloids in action again. Oh damn what am I saying?! I sound as if I knew something that I'm trying to keep quiet! Load of Three A goodies in the office.Mongrol is huge! There is a poll embedded in this article.The meeting area by the…

  • Otaku Office

    25 Jan 2012 | 9:47 am
    Photos of another stylish otaku home office posted over at figure.fm - this time by Dieta from Germany. Great lighting in the room which has figures dotted all over the place but displayed with thought as not to make the place look cluttered. I want an office like this when I get a bigger place! One thing that Dieta does that I do is to try and light corners which tend to be dark to make the room feel a wee bit bigger. Having glass tables also has the same effect. I've left the original text by Dieta below each photo.My desk is on the right side. I’ve mounted 2 Ergotron LX arms on a 2×2…

  • Samus Aran figure

    24 Jan 2012 | 7:57 am
    Something for all Metroid fans coming soon from Max Factory. We got a 1/8 scale figure of Samus Aran which is due out in June retailing at 7,800 yen and a figma version of Samus in her suit which is also due out in June retailing at 3,800 yen. Both figures should be up for pre-order at any of the following trusted online figure retailers. http://www.amiami.com/ http://toylet.net http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/ http://hlj.com http://archonia.com http://hobbystock.jp http://kidnemo.com http://jlist.comThere is a poll embedded in this article. There is a poll embedded in this article. There is a poll…

  • Japan Snow

    24 Jan 2012 | 6:32 am
    Pretty much knew it was going to snow due to the very cold weather we've been having in Tokyo. Last year we had to wait until mid February to get settling snow but this year our serving came early and it was really bucketing it down last night. Photos taken out n about last night and this morning. Extremely pleased with the performance of the Sony NEX-5N and the Zeiss F1.8 24mm lens - awesome combo is awesome.All photos in this post (and a few more) posted in HD wallpaper format in my Google Plus account - feel free to trace to use.For weather checks I use this resource at Yahoo. If you are…
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Japan Probe

  • Japan’s Inability to Make Decisions / Kevin Maher Strikes Back

    James
    28 Jan 2012 | 12:24 am
    Remember Kevin Maher, who lost his position in 2011 as director of the U.S. State Department’s Office of Japan Affairs after American students told the Japanese media that he had called Okinawans “masters of manipulation and extortion” who were “too lazy” to farm fruit? Now that he’s no longer employed by the U.S. government, Maher has been strongly denying the accuracy of media reports about his remarks and criticizing both the Japanese government and the Obama administration. He’s released a book in Japanese, called “The Japan That Can’t…

  • Prime Minister Noda Removes Eye Patch

    James
    26 Jan 2012 | 7:16 pm
    The cover-up has come to an end! Prime Minister Noda has removed his eye patch: He’d been wearing the patch for the last two weeks: Complete with patch – more surgical than piratical — the premier later explained to reporters that the self-inflicted blow came in the dark as he rushed to try to pick up an unexpected call. “The phone suddenly rang in the middle of the night,” the prime minister explained, “so I got up and rushed to get it, and then bumped into a pillar.” Now he’s just wearing makeup to hide the bruises. — Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan…

  • The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (Academy Award Nominee – Best Documentary Short)

    James
    26 Jan 2012 | 1:53 am
    The trailer for “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom,” a short documentary about the aftermath of the March 11th disaster: Survivors in the areas hardest hit by Japan’s recent tsunami find the courage to revive and rebuild as cherry blossom season begins. A stunning visual poem about the ephemeral nature of life and the healing power of Japan’s most beloved flower. — Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

  • Earthquakes Cannot be Predicted / Official Japanese Quake Forecasting System is Flawed

    James
    25 Jan 2012 | 4:38 am
    If you’ve been watching the news the last few days, chances are you’ve heard about that researchers are now saying that Tokyo is facing a 70% chance of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in the next four years: The preliminary calculations conducted by a team from the university’s Earthquake Research Institute were based on intensified seismic activity in the area after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11. The findings are more dire than a similar estimate by the central government’s Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion, which states there is a 70 percent…

  • How a 70% Chance of a M7 Earthquake in 4 Years was Calculated

    steve
    25 Jan 2012 | 4:37 am
    Are you wondering how a group at the Tokyo University Earthquake Research Institute (ERI) calculated a 70% chance of a Magnitude 7 quake occurring in the Tokyo area within the next four years? If so, take a look at the above plot of historical Japanese earthquake data that compares the number of quakes per year to the total energy released by each quake. First of all, ERI didn’t do this from scratch. They started with a potentially flawed government calculation and suggested a new value based on recent observations. This new value is 98% chance within 30 years, which translates to…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Kirainet.com - A geek in Japan

  • Rikugi-en Garden

    kirai
    27 Jan 2012 | 3:34 am
    The other day CaDs and I decided to explore a little bit the area north from Yamanote line. It is not one of the most interesting areas in Tokyo but there are some places that are worth a visit. We went to Komagome station and walking five minutes out of the station we arrived to Rikugi-en gardens (六義園 ,Google Maps). The park was built at the end of the 17th century by the fifth Tokugawa shogun and has belonged to the Tokyo townhall since almost one hundred years ago. The design of the gardens emulates the landscapes of other places in Japan, for example, the lake is a representation of…

  • Kaneda Jacket, 30th Anniversary of Akira

    kirai
    26 Jan 2012 | 5:19 am
    Bandai is selling Kaneda’s jacket to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Akira manga release. You can buy it for 69,800 yen (685 euros/900 dollars) in this Bandai Namco website or in the official website for the anniversary.

  • Fake Swimming Pool by Leandro Erlich in Kanazawa

    kirai
    25 Jan 2012 | 10:28 am
    One of the most surprising works of art at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa is a “fake” swimming pool. The pool has just 10 cm of water over a glass surface, it looks like a normal swimming pool until you realize that it is hollow and you can go inside and walk under the water! It has been built in a Japanese museum, but it is an original idea by Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich. I can’t get out of the pool!

  • Jiro: The Best Sushi in the World

    kirai
    24 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    The sushi served in the Jiro restaurant in Ginza is considered the best in the world; it was the first sushi restaurant to receive 3 Michelin stars! Unfortunately I have never been there; you have to make a reservation (there is only place for 10 people) and a normal meal costs between 30,000 and 40,000 yen (300-400 euro / 400-500 dollars). Jiro Ono is 85 years old but he is still the restaurant chef. He has dedicated all his life to sushi and now his biggest concern is that his son can continue the tradition maintaining the same level of mastery. The documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi portrays…

  • 2011 in Japan through my cameras

    kirai
    23 Dec 2011 | 6:13 pm
    Following the annual tradition, these are my favorite photos of this year. I used the iPhone 4 camera, a compact Canon S90, a Hasselblad 500C/M, a Nikon D90, a Polaroid ONE600 and a Kenko KF-2N.
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Tokyo Times

  • Traditional Tokyo in the snow

    Lee
    26 Jan 2012 | 5:30 pm
    Like most cities that don’t get a lot of snow, a few centimetres of the white stuff caused all kinds of trouble in Tokyo this week. Trains were delayed. Schools closed. And the TV continually told us how terribly treacherous it was under foot. But, in older, more traditional Tokyo, rather than chaos it instead created a comforting sense of serenity. And an absolutely sublime silence.

  • An abandoned and rapidly decaying Japanese hotel

    Lee
    24 Jan 2012 | 5:30 pm
    Most abandoned buildings/haikyo offer something of interest, but the ones that I’m invariably drawn to contain hints of the past; poignant reminders of the lives of those who once lived or worked there. An element that the old enka singer’s house offered with suitably melancholy mystery. Yet arguably better still are those rarities like the long since closed mountain school — a building so utterly untouched that despite decades of disuse, it still felt occupied. Neither of those places, however, contained that other mainstay of haikyo: the taking back of the building by…

  • Dead to the world?

    Lee
    23 Jan 2012 | 5:30 pm
    The serene and yet somehow slightly unsettling sight of a man sleeping in the weak but very welcome winter sun.

  • Freshly made Japanese sweets

    Lee
    22 Jan 2012 | 5:30 pm
    Considering the amount of cake and sweets that many Japanese seem to consume, the country really should be adding obesity issues to its long list of concerns — but it’s not. Far from it in fact. Meaning that on the whole, people do indeed have their cake and eat it too. And, if it’s all as wonderfully fresh as this, then why not?

  • A Japanese man on a military-style shopping mission?

    Lee
    19 Jan 2012 | 5:30 pm
    For many men, myself included, shopping is such a hassle that some sort of military-like planning beforehand can ease the pain. A strategy that, providing there are no rogue shop assistants or unforeseen circumstances, should allow one to go in, make an exceedingly quick purchase, and then exit — immediately. Sanity intact and stress at a (hopefully) manageable level. Others, however, appear to take the military element to a new and frightening level, modifying the misery into what would appear to be a full-on mission.
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    世論 What Japan Thinks

  • Little awareness of Internet TV or Google TV in Japan

    Ken Y-N
    26 Jan 2012 | 10:06 am
    japan.internet.com recently reported on a survey conducted by goo Research into internet television, which is basically a television that instead of (or is it “along with”?) getting a signal over a cable or radio waves, it uses the internet to obtain its content. Demographics Between the 10th and 12th of January 2012 1,093 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.2% of the sample were male, 16.3% in their teens, 18.2% in their twenties, 21.6% in their thirties, 16.4% in their forties, 15.4% in their fifties, and 12.2%…

  • Japan’s best-selling home appliance brands of 2011

    Ken Y-N
    24 Jan 2012 | 10:23 am
    I recently got this interesting set of statistics on home appliance market share, from a survey conducted by GfK Marketing Service Japan. The data was collected from a database called ACSISS-E that is updated daily based on sales in a representative sample of Japanese electrical superstores. The report named the top three brands in each of 22 categories of home appliance. I will try to find their data on audio-visual equipment, mobile phones, etc to report on later in the week. Note that according to a survey last month, electrical superstores are probably the most popular place to shop for…

  • 2012 (Heisei 24) New Year Postcard Nengajo lottery results

    Ken Y-N
    22 Jan 2012 | 10:02 am
    The winners of the 2012 New Year Postcard lottery for the Year of the Dragon (my year!) have been announced, and the winning numbers and prizes are as follows. The number to check is the six digit number at the bottom right of the card. Note that some cards do not actually have numbers, which means they are not eligible. First prize: 030625 Choose any one from a 40 inch Sharp Aquos LED backlit LCD televison, a JTB holiday, either three nights in Shanghai or Honolulu, 2 nights in Seoul, Sapporo, Naha or Tokyo for two, or one night in one of 52 domestic hot springs resorts plus 20,000…

  • What you wish your Japanese boyfriend/girlfriend would quit doing

    Ken Y-N
    22 Jan 2012 | 9:10 am
    Today’s goo Ranking silliness is a look at what guys wish their girlfriend would quit doing and what girls wish their boyfriends would quit. Demographics Over the 25th and 26th of November 2011 1,074 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 57.4% of the sample were female, 11.6% in their teens, 14.7% in their twenties, 26.9% in their thirties, 25.0% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 10.7% aged sixty or older. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of…

  • Twenty most embarrassing situations in Japan

    Ken Y-N
    22 Jan 2012 | 9:03 am
    For such a bold title, this survey from goo Ranking into what embarrassing experiences made people wish a hole would come and swallow them up produced, on the whole, rather tame answers. Demographics Over the 25th and 26th of November 2011 1,074 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 57.4% of the sample were female, 11.6% in their teens, 14.7% in their twenties, 26.9% in their thirties, 25.0% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 10.7% aged sixty or older. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Guyjin

  • Japanese TV Ratings: Jan 2 – Jan 8, 2012

    guyjin
    18 Jan 2012 | 2:05 am
    Number 1: Drama: 88th Tokyo-Hakone University Ekiden (第８８回東京箱根間往復大学駅伝競走復路) Network: NTV Time & Date: 7:50-14:18, Jan 3 Rating: 28.5 Study Japanese with help from J-List! Week of Jan 2 – Jan 8, 2012 (Program, Channel, Time & Date, Rating) 2. Drama: 88th Tokyo-Hakone University Ekiden (第８８回東京箱根間往復大学駅伝競走復路), NTV, 7:50-14:05, Jan 2, 27.9 3. Variety: Mecha Mecha Iketeru SP (めちゃ２イケてるッ！), Fuji, 19:00-20:54, Jan 7, 22.3 4. Variety: Gurunai SP (ぐるナイ), NTV, 19:00-20:54, Jan 5, 22.1 5.

  • Daily Japan Headlines: Tuesday, Jan 17, 2012

    guyjin
    18 Jan 2012 | 1:34 am
    CNN: Japan’s pop music impresario. ABC Australia: Japan delayed release of radiation details A Japanese government official has admitted information about the spread of radiation from Fukushima was provided to the United States more than a week before it was given to the Japanese public. The official from the Science and Technology Policy Bureau says the government passed the information to the US military first in a bid to get its support in helping with the crisis. ***** Bloomberg Video: Japan’s `Whistle-Blower’ Protection Weak Nicholas Smith, a Japan strategist at CLSA…

  • Japanese Box Office: Jan 7 – Jan 13, 2012

    guyjin
    16 Jan 2012 | 10:47 pm
    Japanese Box Office: Jan 7 – Jan 13, 2012 Number 1: Movie: Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol Weekend Box Office (US$): $4,313,322 Cumulative Take (US$): $50,703,521 Fourth Week at No. 1 (Rank, Movie Name, Weekend Box Office (US$), Cume (US$) (Note: US$1=76.86yen)) 2. Admiral Yamamoto (聯合艦隊司令長官 山本五十六 -太平洋戦争70年目の真実-), $1,498,197, $12,429,522 3. Magic Tree House (マジックツリー・ハウス), $1,382,059, $1,382,059 4. Friends: Naki On the Monster Island (friends もののけ島のナキ), $1,369,443, $15,601,903 5. Kaibutsu-kun: The Movie…

  • Top 10 Japanese Singles: Jan 2 – Jan 8, 2012

    guyjin
    16 Jan 2012 | 7:01 pm
    Oricon Top 10 Singles for the Week of Jan 2 – Jan 8, 2011: Number 1: Artist: NYC/Nakayama Yuma Song: Wonderful Cupid Units Sold: 40,399 Up 3 spots to No. 1 this week (Rank, Artist, Song Name, No. of Units, Last week, Purchase Info.) 2. YGA, Rising Sun Japan!, 19,170, NEW 3. baroque, Rinzen Identity, 17,381, NEW 4. baroque, Monodrama, 17,361, NEW 5. baroque, teeny-tiny star, 17,350, NEW 6. no3b, Pedicure day, 13,242, 2 7. Akanishi Jin, Seasons, 9,837, 1 8. Kis-My-Ft2, We never give up!, 8,445, 13 9. AKB48, Ue Kara Mariko, 8,302, 14 10. Amuro Namie, Sit! Stay! Wait! Down!/Love Story,…

  • Daily Japan Headlines: Monday, Jan 16, 2012

    guyjin
    16 Jan 2012 | 3:14 pm
    Photo Source: Seattle PI. Seattle PI: Japan Airlines debuts Hello Kitty Boeing 777 Japan Airlines unveiled a Hello Kitty-themed ‘Hellosmile’ Boeing 777-300 at Tokyo Haneda Airport on Friday, Jan. 13, 2012. JAL, TOKYO FM Broadcasting and Hello Kitty parent Sanrio Co. joined in the effort to promote cervical cancer awareness and prevention. Business Week: Noda Says Japan Must Heed Lessons of Europe Credit Downgrades Europe’s fiscal situation “isn’t a house burning on the other side of the river,” Noda said on TV Tokyo Holdings Corp.’s program on Jan. 14. “We must have a…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Shibuya246

  • Takamatsu, Shikoku

    Shibuya246
    27 Jan 2012 | 9:56 am
    Coming out of the station at Takamatsu, there is a new plaza (Hiroba) that has been built. It has a real European feel to it The JR Takamatsu Station One of the great many arcades The light and breezy shopping arcades are a great feature of Takamatsu The greenery of Ritsurin Park and the wide open roads of Takamatsu One of the main buildings inside Ritsurin Park Inside the Park I will write another post with more pictures from inside the park. Some of the local produce Fish art in one of the buildings European influence here with some nice cakes Seafood of course is very popular being right…

  • Huis Ten Bosch

    Shibuya246
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:16 am
    Hotel inside Huis Ten Bosch, Nagasaki At the end of last year I went on a trip to Huis Ten Bosch, Nagasaki. It is a theme park built towards the end of the economic bubble years in Japan, and struggled for a long time to attract enough visitors to make a profit. Recently, it was bought out by HIS and has begun to show a profit for the first time. Economics aside, it is in a beautiful setting and the buildings inside the theme park are all built with character. They are not just wooden facades, but actually real buildings that you can shop, eat and stay in. This picture above shows the scenic…

  • Shinjuku Nikon Plaza

    Shibuya246
    26 Jan 2012 | 2:59 am
    Shinjuku I have had dirty marks on my camera mirror for a while now and decided to take it to The Nikon service center to get it cleaned. I went to the center in Shinjuku which is near the station and also near Bic Camera. Can you spot the marks on this photo I took from the 28th floor of the service center just before getting the camera cleaned? If not, can you see the new Sky Tree? The biggest dirty dot is to the right of that and a little higher than the Sky Tree. I didn’t have to make an appointment in advance and the cleaning only took 90 minutes, which gave me plenty of time to go…

  • Snow in Tokyo

    Shibuya246
    23 Jan 2012 | 10:19 am
    Trying to find the way home through Center-gai in Shibuya during snow We had snow in Tokyo tonight. Normally we get a bit of snow between January and March, but it doesn’t normally settle so easily. I expect by the morning this snow will also have melted away and things should be back to normal. It was not so cold out, so I took a quick walk out to see what everyone was up to. Clean white snow Checking the train times or just checking in? Carefully treading down this road trying not to slip Shibuya traffic The crossing looks almost empty compared to normal Waiting at the crossing in…

  • Conbini Monday Wk73

    Shibuya246
    22 Jan 2012 | 9:51 am
    It is getting cold recently, and Lawson has started a Korean food fare to help us fight off the winter months. Sundubu jjigae (Korean stew) Korean style YAKITORI DON Yukgaejang Ramen Spicy ramen keeps us warm. I like this pink brownie. It tastes good. Chocolate rice cake filled with peanut cream. I can't imagine the taste of this... It snowed last friday for the first time this year. Some of these goods might help out. During the cold season, bath salts warm up your body Miffy mug with fruit jelly Green tea and Chocolate parfait In Japan, recently healthy beverages have been selling well…
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Gakuranman

  • New Year’s Resolutions 2012

    Michael
    9 Jan 2012 | 8:43 pm
    Although rather late, I’ve been quietly contemplating what I should aim for in the Year of the Dragon. I always set vague resolutions for the new year and never really accomplish much because of it. So, I figure making some sort of announcement and written record of my goals might help me to properly focus on achieving them. With that, I’m going to set some targets for myself over the next year. It’s set to be a time of big change for me. My current work is coming to an end and I’m in the process of job hunting. This will almost certainly mean I need to move house or…

  • f11 Magazine: Urban Exploration Interview

    Michael
    21 Nov 2011 | 5:24 pm
    The online photography magazine f11 contacted me recently requesting an interview about my haikyo travels and urban explorations. The article touches on some of the deeper, philosophical aspects of urbex as well as notes about how I post-process my images and the safety of visiting abandoned locations. f11 Magazine: for photographers and aficionados Issue 5 :: November 2011 Features image portfolios from Australian fashion and beauty photographer Juli Balla, and American portrait photographer Tamara Lackey. Plus there’s urban exploration imagery from Michael Gakuran in Japan, and New…

  • Top 60 Japanese Buzzwords of 2011

    Michael
    18 Nov 2011 | 7:47 am
    Publisher Jiyu Kokuminsha is right on time with its annual release of the top 60 Japanese buzzwords. The words are listed in no set order, but aim to reflect the major trends and events that shaped 2011. A panel of judges will debate the top 10 keywords for this year and announce them on 1st December. Until then, let’s get stuck in and have a look at the Zeitgeist for the past year in bite-sized samples. This year shows plenty of words related to the Great East Japan Earthquake that struck Japan at 2.46pm on 11th March. We also see Nadeshiko Japan – the popular women’s…

  • Post-Apocalyptic Images of Japan

    Michael
    14 Nov 2011 | 9:27 pm
    The ruins and haikyo aficionado in me couldn’t resist making a post about Tokyo Genso‘s fabulous art depicting post-apocalyptic Japan. The illustrations have a breathtaking otherworldly quality that perfectly capture the sort of scenes I regularly come across while exploring ruins, albeit of course, on a much grander and majestic scale. Some of the scenes really aren’t stretching the truth that much either. Head into the backstreets of Japan and you’ll quickly find dilapidated old buildings and creeping plants reclaiming man-made structures for mother nature. Apply…

  • Nikkei Trendy’s Top Trends of 2011 and Predictions for 2012

    Michael
    14 Nov 2011 | 8:58 am
    Nikkei Trendy is a popular trends magazine I’ve been roughly following since arriving here in Japan. I first discovered it while researching for essays at university for the marketing module I took and was impressed with its pleasantly laid-out design and ease of readability. I’m aiming to move into a marketing and design field upon finishing my current job as a Co-ordinator of International Relations, so I hope to write more about current trends in Japan, as well as fill in the gaps in my knowledge. This year’s young actress, Gouriki Ayame, was chosen as the Face of 2011 to…
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Frugalista Japan

  • How One Can Repair Your Credit And Consolidate Your Debts With Simple Financial Administration

    jamie
    17 Jan 2012 | 8:27 am
    A great deal of individuals are experiencing financial issues at some point inside lives. This is enjoyed in the growing credit card bills, unpaid mortgages, plus the ever-increasing home loans plus the loves. Meaning, every person is very much dependent with the allowable amount of credit which depends on the people credit history. Consequently, a wise credit history is very much important with for every individual with have the ability to enjoy a good credit score so as with be allowed with have a tremendous credit maximum. To have the ability with do this, a credit repair debt…

  • Shop Around For Your Life Insurance & Save A Fortune!

    jamie
    14 Jan 2012 | 12:28 am
    It pays to shop around when buying your life insurance.  By way of an example a couple aged 30 years of age requiring $500,000 life insurance on each life to pay off their mortgage, short term debt and have a small cash reserve  in the event of death stand to save $96 in the first year alone. The comparison between eleven insurers showed first year premiums ranged between $609 and $705 for an identical product which pays out $500,000 cash on death.By completing a search on Internet you will have access to numerous quotes from different providers allowing you to compare a…

  • The Highest Volume Market

    jamie
    8 Jan 2012 | 12:24 am
    With the extraordinary growth of the net lately, online forex trading websites have widened being one of the top amount markets on the planet. It’s also considered to be probably the most liquid market on this planet. Approximately nearly several mil money trades arms daily as far as currency exchange values are concerned. On the internet forex traders can find out much in the means available. Newbies can apply with training and demo accounts which might be furnished by most dealer internet sites. To put it simply, forex trading or forex trading signifies converting one sort of forex…

  • Why So Many Prospects Don’t Buy and the Way to Flip Those Same Prospects Into Clients

    jamie
    6 Jan 2012 | 12:16 am
    In case you are honest with yourself, 80% of individuals you’ve ever pitched did not buy. Sure, you think your current closing rate is 80%, however that relates to those people that accept sit down together with you face to face. However, you have contacted so many folks who have never consented to talk with you. There are three reasons that men and women might not want to meet together with you: 1. they just don’t have confidence in you (a problem we take care of in a distinct article)2. they just don’t desire your products or services3. your timing isn’t appropriate…

  • Twtter

    jamie
    2 Jan 2012 | 6:53 am
    Twtter is the biggest all in one Twitter application directory. People here can subscribe to whole lots of apps and get benefits- of all the applications free of cost. Twitter is not just a place where you Tweet, it is more than that where people can share and help each other out. So, twtter has been making application that makes user ease their twitter. You can tweet via anything you like that are listed on the directory. Posting and Updating new status using cool applications like iPhone, iPad, Android, Twitter, Google and more. You do not need to have the device or applications on your…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Shibuya246

  • Takamatsu, Shikoku

    Shibuya246
    27 Jan 2012 | 9:56 am
    Coming out of the station at Takamatsu, there is a new plaza (Hiroba) that has been built. It has a real European feel to it The JR Takamatsu Station One of the great many arcades The light and breezy shopping arcades are a great feature of Takamatsu The greenery of Ritsurin Park and the wide open roads of Takamatsu One of the main buildings inside Ritsurin Park Inside the Park I will write another post with more pictures from inside the park. Some of the local produce Fish art in one of the buildings European influence here with some nice cakes Seafood of course is very popular being right…

  • Huis Ten Bosch

    Shibuya246
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:16 am
    Hotel inside Huis Ten Bosch, Nagasaki At the end of last year I went on a trip to Huis Ten Bosch, Nagasaki. It is a theme park built towards the end of the economic bubble years in Japan, and struggled for a long time to attract enough visitors to make a profit. Recently, it was bought out by HIS and has begun to show a profit for the first time. Economics aside, it is in a beautiful setting and the buildings inside the theme park are all built with character. They are not just wooden facades, but actually real buildings that you can shop, eat and stay in. This picture above shows the scenic…

  • Shinjuku Nikon Plaza

    Shibuya246
    26 Jan 2012 | 2:59 am
    Shinjuku I have had dirty marks on my camera mirror for a while now and decided to take it to The Nikon service center to get it cleaned. I went to the center in Shinjuku which is near the station and also near Bic Camera. Can you spot the marks on this photo I took from the 28th floor of the service center just before getting the camera cleaned? If not, can you see the new Sky Tree? The biggest dirty dot is to the right of that and a little higher than the Sky Tree. I didn’t have to make an appointment in advance and the cleaning only took 90 minutes, which gave me plenty of time to go…

  • Snow in Tokyo

    Shibuya246
    23 Jan 2012 | 10:19 am
    Trying to find the way home through Center-gai in Shibuya during snow We had snow in Tokyo tonight. Normally we get a bit of snow between January and March, but it doesn’t normally settle so easily. I expect by the morning this snow will also have melted away and things should be back to normal. It was not so cold out, so I took a quick walk out to see what everyone was up to. Clean white snow Checking the train times or just checking in? Carefully treading down this road trying not to slip Shibuya traffic The crossing looks almost empty compared to normal Waiting at the crossing in…

  • Conbini Monday Wk73

    Shibuya246
    22 Jan 2012 | 9:51 am
    It is getting cold recently, and Lawson has started a Korean food fare to help us fight off the winter months. Sundubu jjigae (Korean stew) Korean style YAKITORI DON Yukgaejang Ramen Spicy ramen keeps us warm. I like this pink brownie. It tastes good. Chocolate rice cake filled with peanut cream. I can't imagine the taste of this... It snowed last friday for the first time this year. Some of these goods might help out. During the cold season, bath salts warm up your body Miffy mug with fruit jelly Green tea and Chocolate parfait In Japan, recently healthy beverages have been selling well…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    East Meets West Blog

  • Basketball – the meaning of sports and lessons for my children

    Makoto
    27 Jan 2012 | 6:38 am
    So we were at my son’s basketball practice yesterday. The coach divided the team into half, 3 kids and 3 kids, and they played “a basketball relay”. What they do is each team stand under the goal on each end, they dribble a ball to the goal on the other side and shoot a goal. When they shoot a goal, they dribble back to the goal where they stand and they shoot a goal again. When they shoot a goal, they give the ball to the next person. When all their teammates finish, they win. It’s such a simple game but it’s just fun to watch. 3 kids are really really good in…

  • My life journey – chapter 8, almost home

    Makoto
    26 Jan 2012 | 6:09 am
    You may be thinking that I have arrived Japan safely by now after my airplane took off. Well, there was one more little adventure I had to go through. I used Korean Airline, and I had a layover at Seoul. I don’t remember what caused it, but something happened to the airplane, so I had to spend a night there. The airline company prepared a hotel for all passengers, and a limousine bus took us to the hotel. It was a okay hotel. I was a little nervous. I learned many bad things that Japan did to China and Korea during WWII in school in Japan and heard that many Chinese and Koreans were…

  • Artwork from a quilt exhibition, the final

    Makoto
    25 Jan 2012 | 6:24 am
                                                                                   

  • Loyalty

    Makoto
    24 Jan 2012 | 6:53 am
    From a scene of the movie, Gladiator: In a prison cell, Gracchus: And after your glorious coup, what then? You take your five thousand and… leave? Maximus: Yes, I will leave. The soldiers will stay here for your protection, under the guidance of the Senate. Gracchus: So, after Rome’s all yours, you just give it back to the people. Tell me why. Maximus: Because that was a dying man’s last wish. I will kill Commodus. The fate of Rome, I leave to you. Gracchus: Marcus Aurelius trusted you. His daughter trusts you. I will trust you. Give me two days, and I will purchase your…

  • Choices in life

    Makoto
    23 Jan 2012 | 6:37 am
    It was a sad day: Joe Paterno died at 85. I am not here to validate what he did, to analyze what he did, nor even to blame what he did (if there is anything to blame him for). It is just too sad to see someone ending his life in turmoil. Did he regret because he didn’t do what he thought he should have done? We don’t know what he thought at his final moment. Often I imagine what I would think at my last moment or if I will be satisfied. Of course, having little ones, I don’t want to leave them or my family behind. But other than that, I am sure I will be pretty satisfied if…
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    supermerlion

  • Fairies

    Sho
    26 Jan 2012 | 9:11 pm
    While Tokyo Girls’ Style continue to sway indecisively between their serious and idol images, Fairies emerged just 4 months ago as avex’s true successors to SPEED. In the short time since they’ve debut, Avex has not been shy to proclaim Fairies as their answer to the K-pop wave sweeping the rest of the world. While Avex has been slow to jump onboard both idol and gayo crazes, only catching onto the less than subtle trends in the music industry in recent months. They have since brought under their wing the likes of SKE48 and After School. While Avex continues to use the…

  • Radio Eva Fukubukuro

    Sho
    25 Jan 2012 | 8:42 pm
    During the New Year’s holiday season, nearly every shop or brand offers Fukubukuro these days. Literally, translated as Lucky Bags, Fukubukuro are packs filled with random items but often of more value. This year, I ordered myself a bag from the Radio Eva store. We unbox the contents within. Some less reputable shops may take the chance to pull a fast one on buyers. But it is usually tradition for bigger brands to give back to loyal customers to win over their continual support and perhaps clear out on some of their old stock. We saw some really awesome fukubukoro by brands like LIZ…

  • JKT48

    Mus
    24 Jan 2012 | 11:04 pm
    Near the end of 2011, AKB48 staged its own singing contest prior to the perennial NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen. Aside from being the first time such a singing competition was staged by the AKB48 family, it was also the first glimpse many Japanese (as well as the overseas fans through Google+) caught of the Jakarta-based AKB48 sister group, JKT48. Akimoto Yasushi has constantly spoken of plans to expand the AKB48 family overseas. Given the presence of shops in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Singapore, these locations were the first guesses for any probable new sister group, given their cultural…

  • Nightlife in Asia

    Julia Maxwell
    24 Jan 2012 | 10:41 am
    Many locations in Asia are famed for its nightlife, including perennial entertainment favorites such as Tokyo, Singapore, Bangkok, and Macau, which offer virtually any experience under the sun depending on your tastes. Whether you’re looking to play casino games, dance into the wee hours at popular clubs, or spend a more refined evening at the ballet or opera, you’ll be able to find something to enjoy among the diverse and sprawling continent that is Asia. Gamblers in Asia used to be hard pressed to find their favorite casino games but that’s completely changed over the last decade,…

  • Tokyo Winter 2012 Day 10

    Sho
    24 Jan 2012 | 1:19 am
    Today was the last day of our new year’s trip to Tokyo. The last minute nature of things meant that we would neither plan nor think through on a lot of decisions. As it turns out this second Monday of January was the annual Seijin no Hi or Coming of Age Day in Japan. A day typically marked by women turning 20 flocking to temples and shrines in elaborate furisode. We would also learn during our concert visits that SUPERGiRLS were holding a free live and high five session at Yoyogi Park in the afternoon. Our flight was at 5.10 PM, which meant that we had ought to reach Narita Airport by…
Log in