Japan

Sony is recalling 440,000 Vaio laptop computers worldwide due to a wiring flaw that could cause overheating. Sony Corp said the recall involves 19 models in the Vaio TZ series manufactured between Ma...

Kyodo News agency reports that Japanese former Foreign Minister Taro Aso has formally announced his candidacy to lead the ruling party.The move, announced Friday, would put the right-leaning Aso on tr...

Tokyo - In high-tech Japan, not only programmers provide protection from viruses and other computer bugs, but also the gods. At Tokyo's Kanda-Myojin Shinto shrine, the faithful can bring their compute...

Tokyo - Stocks in Tokyo fell Friday following a tumble on Wall Street and on growing pessimistic concerns about the global economy. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average was down 345.33 points, or 2....

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - "Don't go to work" reads a poem written by a Japanese boy for his father who killed himself after suffering from depression caused by working too much. "Dad, I am no good," wro...

Wartime Prime Minister Gen. Hideki Tojo didn't want Japan to accept the Potsdam Declaration demanding unconditional surrender to the Allies, according to his private notes written immediately after the atomic bombings and found recently at the National Archives of Japan.

Japan presents its demands to North Korea for an acceptable reinvestigation of the abductions of Japanese, as they start two days of talks.

The government unveils the outline for a stimulus package due by the end of the month to help the economy out of its downtrend.

A Yokohama man turns himself in at a police station, saying he made a bomb threat against China Air that forced a flight to return to Japan.

A police inspection into a toxic phosgene gas leak at a Showa Denko plant in Fukushima Prefecture that injured 13 people has to be put on hold while the gas is neutralized.

Japan's Ai Sugiyama and Ayumi Morita eased past Hungarian pair Agnes Szavay and Greta Arn 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the women's doubles at the Beijing Olympic Games on Wednesday. Sugiyama and Morita were in total control from the outset and sent the Hungarians packing in 85 minutes at Olympic Green Tennis Center, setting up a second-round meeting with No. 2 seeds Venus and Serena Williams.

Japan struck women's judo gold for a second successive day in blistering fashion Wednesday as defending Olympic champion Masae Ueno upended Cuba's Anaysi Hernandez in the 70-kilogram final, while unheralded swordsman Yuki Ota picked up a silver in the men's individual foil for Japan's first ever medal in fencing. It was also a day when American swimmer Michael Phelps again stole the spotlight, making sporting history with his 10th and 11th gold medals -- two more than a group of Olympic greats t

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Japan's long medal drought in Olympic fencing came to an end Wednesday after Yuki Ota won the men's foil silver medal with impressive performances against the world's best at the Beijing Games. Ota eliminated Germany's world No. 1 Peter Joppich 15-12 in the quarterfinals and edged out Athens silver medalist Salvatore Sanzo 15-14 in the semis en route to a matchup in the final with 2007 world bronze medalist Benjamin Philip Kleibrink of Germany.

Japanese fencer Yuki Ota won the silver in the men's individual foil competition at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday, giving his country its first-ever Olympic fencing medal. ==Kyodo

Japan's brash, right-leaning former foreign minister announced Friday that he would run for ruling party president in a move that would put him on track to take over as Japan's next prime minister.

Four former public education officials charged in a bribery scandal over teachers employment tests in Oita Prefecture admitted all the facts presented in indictments during the first hearing at the Oita ...

Aiming to boost its product offerings and increase its sales outside its home country, Japanese pharmaceutical firm Shionogi will pay $1.1 billion to acquire Sciele , a drug company based in Atlanta.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, famous for its manned missions to the moon, announced the creation of the Carl Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowships in Exoplanet Exploration on Wednesday.

The 12th annual Japanese Fall Festival, hosted by the Springfield Sister Cities Association, will be held Friday through Sunday at the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden at Nathanael Greene Memorial Park located ...

The head of Japan's embattled national sport of sumo faced calls to resign today after two wrestlers, including one of his proteges, tested positive for marijuana. (guardian.co.uk)

The Saitama District Court on Wednesday sentenced a 30-year- old mother to six years in prison for neglecting her three children and starving one of them, a two-year-old son, in her home in Misato, Saitama Prefecture last March. (Kyodo)

Police were trying to determine Tuesday whether they were the victim of a hoax after the body they thought they found at a seaside resort was actually a life-sized doll. (AP)

Marijuana was detected in the systems of Russian brothers Roho and Hakurozan on Tuesday, further escalating a scandal in the ancient Japanese sport after Wakanoho was arrested for allegedly possessing the illegal drug last month. (Kyodo)

Favored by thrifty travelers as a low-cost connection between Tokyo and Ogaki in Gifu Prefecture, the popular Moonlight Nagara night rapid train may soon cease running as a regular service. (Asahi)

Sony is recalling 440,000 Vaio laptop computers worldwide due to a wiring flaw that could cause overheating. Sony Corp said the recall involves 19 models in the Vaio TZ series manufactured between Ma...

Kyodo News agency reports that Japanese former Foreign Minister Taro Aso has formally announced his candidacy to lead the ruling party.The move, announced Friday, would put the right-leaning Aso on tr...

Tokyo - In high-tech Japan, not only programmers provide protection from viruses and other computer bugs, but also the gods. At Tokyo's Kanda-Myojin Shinto shrine, the faithful can bring their compute...

Tokyo - Stocks in Tokyo fell Friday following a tumble on Wall Street and on growing pessimistic concerns about the global economy. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average was down 345.33 points, or 2....

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - "Don't go to work" reads a poem written by a Japanese boy for his father who killed himself after suffering from depression caused by working too much. "Dad, I am no good," wro...

Over the last year or so, the Japanese press has been moaning that young people are committing an unspeakable crime against the traditional mores of Japanese culture: they have ceased to drink beer. Generation Y (or perhaps, Generation Z) have not proved themselves to be big drinkers to start, but they seem to particularly dislike the world’s most beloved malt-and-hops beverage. "It’s bitter," they explain. "It’s yucky!" they exclaim. This open disgust with beer may befuddle the older generation, who generally commence every single party, reception, and…

Japanese companies are always looking to meet the needs of the "niche-ist" of niche markets. For example, top-selling record label Avex has discovered a new way to reach extremely anti-social sets — the NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), and the most reclusive of the recluses, the hikikomori. Most believe that these groups’ refusal of social participation stems from their lack of social skills. The hikikomori almost never socialize with other people and prefer to spend their time in their bedrooms, completely locked away from the world. The total numbers of…

On June 18, Nikkei Marketing Journal (MJ) offered a refereed list of the top 36 products from the first half of 2008 within a mock sumo wrestling ranking chart. (Click here for an explanation of the makuuchi sumo rankings.) The winners were: EAST Yokozuna – Private brand foods: Ion’s Top Value, Seven Eleven Premium WEST Yokozuna – Zero calorie, zero sugar beers (Zero Nama, Style Free, Kirin Zero, Sapporo Viva! Life) Ohseki – ¥50,000 laptops Ohseki – Mobile phones with Aquos-, Wooo-branded screens Sekiwake – Carbon offsetting Sekiwake – Ginren Chinese bank debit cards that…

Recently we’ve been following the news that the venerable Guinness Book of World Records has awarded Yuusuke Kamiji’s blog as "The World’s Most Visited Blog." For those who don’t keep up with Japanese high-school sports television dramas, Kamiji stars in the new TBS series Rookies. In his off hours, he writes a blog to keep fans updated with the various day-to-day activities of being a talento. This relaxed diary style has turned out to be very popular. For a sense of his style, here’s a rough translation of a recent post from June 7 (I’ve…

Luxury business experts from around the world gathered in Roppongi’s Grand Hyatt last week for the Financial Times‘ Business of Luxury Summit Tokyo ‘08. And what an appropriate setting for discussion about luxury — Tokyo! — the world’s most important site for high-end brand consumption. But proving this importance requires a catchy numerical figure. So in his opening speech, the FT’s Lionel Barber told the audience that 94.3% of all Japanese women in their 20s own a piece of Louis Vuitton. This number was then repeated in an article by leading Asian luxury…

Furyu, maker of popular purikura (print club) machines with names like “Miss Doll” and “Funky High,” has announced a new addition to its successful “Queen of Pink” line-up. While print club is generally considered a activity for friends, done mostly by groups of school age girls, the new Queen of Pink 2 has a function designed for solo photo shoots. Why would you want to do this by yourself, you ask? In order to practice cute poses of course, especially, according to the press release, for perfecting a look for your Mixi (popular local SNS) profile. There are four new frame…

What we first reported on as the Homestar EX has now become the Homestar EXTRA, and now we have a better idea as to what’s inside this major upgrade in the best-selling home planetarium series from Sega Toys. While the other Homestar models are basically for home use only, the EXTRA is not made to replace the current Homestar Pro (shop link). Instead it’s being marketed to fashionable bars, hotels, schools, and upscale customers as a new model for more professional purposes. Improved features include 5 times the illumination of the Homestar Pro, making it possible to use with dim…

It’s been awhile since we checked in on specialty products for pets, so here’s an update. While we aren’t seeing the same bombardment of items as we had in the recent past, a couple of interesting ones did catch our eye. Kizna Co. has created a water purifying system especially for pets, called Peture (pet + nature). The high-grade system removes all chlorine and toxins from the water while maintaining traces of key minerals to create purportedly healthier, more balanced water for animals. In addition to the drinking function, the Peture also has a shower attachment so pets can be clean…

Manga publisher Futabasha recently established an SNS community for would-be manga artists. “Manga Yomou!” (“Let’s read manga!”) allows members to post their own original work on the site with the aim of getting a readership and feedback from peers. However there is more to this basic Myspace for manga concept, the editor of Futabasha’s monthly comic magazine Comic High will have a presence on the site, offering evaluations of select works and even picking some up for publication in the magazine. The site, billed as “Social Networking for Comics,” is organized into sections…

Late summer seems to be the perfect time for fun and innovative concept phones, but this was a bit unexpected. At the 2008 Good Design Expo PHS mobile provider Willcom showed off their concept Kuma Phone (Bear Phone), a stuffed bear that holds a SIM card and can actually be used for making and receiving phone calls by holding it up to your ears. To demonstrate, visitors could use Willcom’s new Nico.Marble candy-themed phone, also aimed at women wanting more cuteness and ease than strong functionality. The bear seems a bit silly and, yes, “Japanese” by cuteness standards, but…

Probably you're aware of the importance of bowing in Japan.  But if you haven't lived in Japan, you may not have considered the ubiquity of this gesture of politeness--how useful it is, and how expected, on so many occasions.  It so becomes second nature here that people (including non-Japanese) find themselves bowing even when they're on the phone.  So if you think about it, it might not seem so strange that an American, one who spends most of the year in Japan, might accidentally bow to people in various places in the U.S.  Just as we have to train our brains for driving…

Apparently I am very, very white. I made this startling discovery while in Barnes & Noble earlier this week, on an outing with Second Child, who may well be on the way to becoming as book-crazed (and lily-white) as his mother.  In the humor section, while looking for the new David Sedaris book--oddly, none of his books appear in this part of the store--I stumbled upon a book called Stuff White People Like. I flipped through it briefly and chuckled, with plans to visit the accompanying blog ASAP. Back home at the computer, I couldn't help shouting out, "Ha!  Yes, that's me, all…

Remember how I was gushing so recently about having reclaimed the old sewing mojo?  Well, as so often happens in my world, I have become distracted and am thus unable to do any sewing--though I'd like to, very much.  It's a forced distraction--entirely not my fault this time (as if it needed to be justified).  As some of you know, my family's life takes us from one part of the world to a very different, far-away part of the world several times a year.  All four of us are now in the States until August, and to reference the original intent of this post, I am thus away from…

It's been months since I've bought a Jeu de Paume book.  Where I live, they can be hard to find.  I spotted this one recently in a shop and decided a few days later to make it mine, via Japanese Amazon (easy, peasy...).  Sometimes I save my Japanese-language mooks (magazine-books) for when I'm watching TV or on the phone with family, since I'm only looking at the pictures, after all. But this title was just right for a sit-down with tea yesterday afternoon when it was raining.  You can see another lovely Jeu de Paume title here, in this very cool blog.  And if you…

  I've been sewing since I was in high school, or maybe junior high.  My parents bought me a used Singer machine (we didn't own one, as my mom doesn't sew) and signed me up for a summer class at a local fabric store.  I learned the basics of sewing (including the frequent use of Mr. Seam Ripper) and of using and maintaining a machine.  After that summer, I went on to sew things from time to time.  I loved sitting on those fabric-store stools and flipping through weighty pattern books (mostly avoiding the Vogue ones, since my teacher had said those patterns were more…

We are happy to present a new series of images by designers and visual artists Max Erdenberger and Megan McGinley for Néojaponisme here. image05 image02 image03 image06 image010 image01 image08 image09 image00 image07

Unearthed outside of the city of Sano in Tochigi-ken, this portrait photography series documents Japan as it engaged with modernization and commercial photography in the Meiji and Taishō Periods. The Meeting Modernity exhibition debuts next month at Young Art, a gallery in Los Angeles’ Highland park. MEETING MODERNITY September 13- October 4 2008 Opening Reception: Saturday, September 13, 2008 7-10pm More here.

Renown musician/blogger Momus had a decently pithy comment about “street fashion” blog The Sartorialist: With The Sartorialist, I just get a slightly dowdy, snooty feeling rather than a zingy, lively one. I dislike the “bossy butler” tone: “Just about the only ‘must have’ item for a true Sartorialist is a good set of shoes trees for ALL of their shoes.” Come on! Okay, the shoe trees post did reveal the more farcical extremes of Schuman’s GQ-allied school of “gentlemanly dress,” but Momus is not a lone dissenter. I constantly…

Introduction Kanikōsen 蟹工船, (The Crab Cannery Ship) has recently received much attention in the Japanese and foreign press for being one of the least expected publishing successes of 2008. Written in 1929 by Kobayashi Takiji 小林多喜二 at the height of Japan’s proletarian literature movement, the book tells the story of the eponymous cannery ship and its workers of northern Japan: their desperation, their wretched prospects, their exploitation at the hands of the bosses and the ruling class … and, eventually, what they do about it. Kobayashi later joined the Communist…

The second in a series of visual excerpts from the out-of-print book 和英文字レタリング (Japanese and English Lettering) by Tsunetoshi Hurusawa (古沢恒敏), a collection of assorted lettering styles culled from history. Originally published in 1978, the book is a great study of lettering used by typical “fancy”/ファンシー businesses — mainly cafés, “snack bars”, cake shops, and assorted 1950s-1990s service-oriented businesses. A number of the lettering styles within the book became the blueprints for these types of businesses’ lettering.

This is how you clean. And keep the child inside of you happy. With little snowflakes. Of cleanliness. On TV. In Japan. Via Trends in Japan!

This is how you recycle a character template. By placing it in a new setting. With a new language. And a new jelly roll. On TV. In Japan.

This is how you entertain the masses with tales of androids so cute and catchy you never realize they’ve taken over the world. On TV. In Japan. More info on the song here (it’s from 2004) if you’re interested.

This is how you sell the iPhone 3G. On TV. In Japan.

This is how you make with the pain. In a variety of settings. One of which (at the 3:05 mark) includes a terribly aggressive version of Olive Oyl taking out Japanese Popeye. On TV. In Japan.

NEW YORK (AP) So little to separate them over their careers, so little to separate them on this night. Serena Williams barely got the better of older sister Venus Williams in a U.S. Open quarterfinal that was fit for a final, coming back in each set to win 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (9-7) Wednesday night and break a tie in their head-to-head series. Read the full story

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's resignation has shifted much of the media's attention on to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The speculation about who will become the next LDP president and, presumably, prime minister may be putting the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition party, out of the spotlight. Read the full story

ISLAMABAD (Kyodo) Pakistan on Wednesday rejected allegations by the Afghan government that its intelligence service was involved in the killing of a Japanese aid worker in Afghanistan last week. "The allegation is baseless, malicious, unfounded. We reject it," Pakistan Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said. Read the full story

A Buddhist monk trying to rid his temple of a hornet's nest panicked when the wasps attacked him and dropped a torch, burning his temple to the ground, police said Thursday. The monk had put lighted rags on a stick into the nest in the temple, but dropped it and ran when the hornets flew out and attacked him, Niigata Prefectural Police official Yuichi Ozaka said. The fire occurred Wednesday. Read the full story

Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday it will launch a diesel-powered X-Trail sport utility vehicle, the 20GT, on Sept. 18 in Japan in an effort to increase its lineup of fuel-efficient cars amid high gasoline prices. The X-Trail diesel was launched in Europe last year, where diesels are much more popular than in Japan and the United States. Read the full story

Here’s the third and last part of our interview with John Starkweather from Microsoft: Windows Mobile Competitors Part II. Today, we will focus on John’s thought concerning Symbian and Android. Here’s the Interview, Thank you and Enjoy! John Starkweather Microsoft Interview Part 3/3Uploaded by AkihabaraNews... Reader Comments

Today Sony released in Japan two new PNS (Portable Navigation System), the NV-U3V and the NV-U3. Both feature a 4.8” LCD Touch screen with a resolution of 480x272, a Memory Stick port, 4GB of Flash memory, an USB port, support MP3 audio files and MPEG-4 video. The difference between them is 1Seg TV support for the NV-U3V. This one should cost 400€, and the NV-U3 should cost around 350€. Both will be available October 23th... Reader Comments

Epson also introduced the PowerLite Pro Cinema 7100 and 7500 UB at CEDIA 2008. Both are 3LCD full HD Projector, providing a dynamic contrast ratio of 18,000:1 (PowerLite 7100) and 75,000:1 (PowerLite 7500). The 7500 version also features new Epson’s FineFrame TM tech to deliver substantially smoother and sharper motion pictures, the HQV Reon-VX video processor. About the PowerLite 7100, it provides a brightness of 1,800 Lumens. Both are equipped with the Dynamic Iris System, Cinema f... Reader Comments

We continue with new projector's launch, and this time, this is JVC Company who announced 4 new full high-definition models, including two THX® Certified* models: the DLA-HD750, DLA-HD350, DLA-RS20 and DLA-RS10. All models are equipped with the Full-HD D-ILA technology from JVC with a panel size of 0.7-Inch, 2x Motorized zoom and provide a contrast ratio of 30,000:1 (DLA-HD750 and DLA-RS20), 15,000:1 (DLA-HD350), or 17,000:1 (DLA-RS10), as well as a brightness of 800 Lumens for all series,... Reader Comments

Epson unveiled new 3LCD 1080p front projector, the PowerLite Home Cinema 6100. According to the manufacturer, this new Full HD projector is the “Industry’s first 1080p Resolution Projector to break $2,000 (1375€) Price Mark". This new PowerLite provides a dynamic contrast ratio of 18,000:1 and the Epson’s Dynamic Iris System which allows light to be controlled precisely. Our front projector also offers 1800 Lumens, four HDMI 1.3a digital input, S-Video input, Composite input, VGA-Type RGB ... Reader Comments

Everyone in the world knows that the tea ceremony is something associated strongly with the Japanese culture. When we talk tea and the art the surrounds it, we automatically think of Japan. Dainty tea cups, delicate tea, and serene actions – these are some of the things that come to mind when the phrase tea ceremony is heard. Yet not everyone knows all that much about the intricacies of the tea ceremony. Perhaps that is why The Yomiuri Shimbun, one of the leading newspapers in Japan, is sponsoring a lecture on the tea ceremony. This is going to be held on the 6th of October at the Gallery…

Those who love Japanese food, raise your hand! I am sure that a lot of people would agree with me when I say that Japanese food is one of the best cuisines in the world. Light and yet tasty at the same time, Japan’s cuisine is known all over the world. I suppose that is why a lot of attention has been placed on how the Japanese go about cooking and manufacturing food. Recently, a report was released by Research and Markets. Titled “Japan’s Innovative Food Manufacturing & Processing Technology 2008,” this report highlights the juxtaposition of world class cuisine and…

Acts of charity are always considered news worthy and this item is no different. A young British adventurer is planning a considerable feat that would benefit charity. He plans to skate down Mt. Fuji with the aim of helping The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths. Mt. Fuji, as you might already know, is the most popular peak in Japan. It is visited by countless tourists from all over the world as well as the locals. Year in and year out, people come in droves to experience this majestic mountain for themselves. James Langridge, however, is not only coming for his own sake. Japan Today…

Here is the last installment of this mini-series. I found a couple more interesting points in the Russian Bear’s post and here they are. Sushi in Kyoto on Shijo street, next to the river are to die for. That is the sushi heaven. Whatever you do, don’t eat the sea urchin roe in the raw; it will make you puke. However, the rest of the food is delicious, not spicy, and looks quite healthy. I have never been to these places but I do know for a fact that sushi abounds in Japan. You can even go to 711 and buy great sushi and sashimi for a good price – can you believe that? Of course, I…

We had “toilet talk” in the previous post. What does the Russian Bear have for us today? Some other “profound truths” about the Japanese culture. Here goes. You need a small towel with you at all times to wipe off the sweat from your face and neck. That and a hand fan are pretty much a necessity. You can get away with napkins, but you need to go to Starbucks to get napkins, because the Japanese has a prejudice against paper napkins, and you won’t get them at most places, even where you buy ice cream. I think that this is not something unique to Japan – at least the wiping off…

I'll be posting photos from Linz to a Flickr set. I'm the curator of this year's Ars Electronica Symposium. The theme this year is: A New Cultural Economy I wrote the following blurb for the catalog. Computers and the Internet have lowered the cost of communication and the creation and distribution of information so much that many fundamental notions of organizations, economics and property have completely changed or require major upgrades. There is a new generation of youth across the globe which lead the charge into this changing world, modifying their basic behaviors to adapt to technology…

Happy birthday GNU! 25 years ago, Richard Stallman started the GNU project. Watch the great Stephen Fry "Freedom Fry" video and spread the word.

Coming soon. ;-)

Lulan is a very cool and effective project is helping promote weaving as a development effort. The combination of open architecture with this is innovative and something that could create a neat case for other efforts. American Express is currently offering $2.5 million dollars in funding to support exciting and innovative ideas that make a difference in the world. They will be selecting 5 'Members Projects' for funding. In many parts of Southeast Asia young women are left with little option in gaining employment. Unfortunately thousands, some as young as 12, are trafficked and lost into the…

Newtonica is a cool new iPhone/iPod Touch game by Kenichi Nishi... currently available only in Japan I think. Music and sound effects by my friend Kenji Eno. It's #1 on iTunes Store Japan right now... UPDATE: It's available in 70 countries including the US.

NEW YORK (AP) So little to separate them over their careers, so little to separate them on this night. Serena Williams barely got the better of older sister Venus Williams in a U.S. Open quarterfinal that was fit for a final, coming back in each set to win 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (9-7) Wednesday night and break a tie in their head-to-head series.

CRANS-SUR-SIERRE, Switzerland (AP) Miguel Angel Jimenez has no complaints with Ian Poulter's selection for the Ryder Cup team. Europe captain Nick Faldo chose Poulter and Paul Casey as wild card picks Sunday to fill out his 12-man team, overlooking Darren Clarke, who played in the Ryder Cup the last five times.

LONDON (AP) Former world welterweight champion Ricky Hatton will be trained for his next bout by Floyd Mayweather Sr., the father of the man who took his title. Mayweather will prepare Hatton for his fight against IBF junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi in Las Vegas on Nov. 22.

FUJIKAWAGUCHIKO, Yamanashi Pref. (Kyodo) Toyokazu Fujishima equaled his career-low round with a 64 that gave him a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the Fujisankei Classic on Thursday. Fujishima, a winless pro who is in his fifth year on the tour, started his round off the 10th tee and took seven birdies without a blemish on his scorecard on the par-71 Fujizakura Club course.

CHIBA — Despite sitting fifth in the Pacific League standings, there's a lot of fight left in the Chiba Lotte Marines. On Thursday night, Toshiaki Imae made sure they could still fight for a spot in the Climax Series.

It's September, but still it's so humid and hot in Tokyo.  We cannot live without air conditioners working all day long... Here's one of my favorite Japanese foods in summer season. It's Edamame, or boiled green soybeans. It's easy to make Edamame.  We can buy it in a package containing enough volume to share with a few people, like a family and it costs about 300 yen or so (about US$3).  Edamame tastes good just with salt and so, it's healthy as it needs no oil or sugar. How to cook Edamame 1)Wash Edamame with water and put some salt over it. 2)Boil enough volume of water (1.5…

Here's my puppy dog blog in Japanese.(meaning, a new life that we start with our first dog, "Pino")I have to work for a Wordpress blog, first, but recording how Pino grows everyday means a lot to us, too. Also it's important to teach her various things while she's a baby. It's too late to do that after she is 10 months old.Let me have a little more time until I can share the URL of my Wordpress blog!I really appreciate the reader and subscribers of this blog, and I'm upgrading this blog to a next level with Wordpress platform. In that way, I can introduce more about hottest kawaii info. from…

These days, I am writing 3 different blogs. 1- this blog, at Blogger2- my new blog, succeeding this blog, at my domained Wordpress blog( I'm struggling with settings and now trying to fill it with sufficient contents so that it getsready to be introduced in here, sooner.) 3-my pet blog in Japanese, mainly as a record for ourselves, and secondly to share info. or experience among other Shih Tzu dog owners. The blog platform is FC2, one of the most popular free blog in Japan.It's not easy for me to use 3 different ways to create a post.That's the reason I cannot update my latest posts these…

Meiji galbo chips is a Japanese chocolate snack that is just released recently. I don't buy snacks so often, but since I watched the commercial on TV, I wanted to taste it. As it's named "chips" it's got a crunchy texture while it contains 65% of cacao. Yummy!  I like this (^0^) Eating up a  whole box means that I will gain  371 kcal, but it's difficult to stop once I start it... ( I know consuming 371 kcal is much more difficult, though...) I'd better stay away from snacks, otherwise I could easily get fat!!

Is it about time we prepared for 2009 with brand-new schedule book or diary?Isn't that too early? I just stopped at the diary corner at the department store the other day, thinking like that. Yes, it's too early for those who use diary book from Dec. 2008 to Dec. 2009, but there seems to be some people who use it from Aug. 2008 to Aug. 2009. Aha~! (*0*) I am impressed though there are so many many kinds of diaries or schedule books available, while I wonder those who need a new one in this season should be minor compared to the most of the other people who renew it at the end-of-the-year…

I was going to call Nono the cutest android ever, but then I remembered Mahoro. Seems to be a GAINAX "battle robot" theme there... I'll admit to never having seen the original Gunbuster (something I'm hoping to correct soon), so I'm coming at Gunbuster 2 without the slightest clue about what's gone before - always a dangerous thing to do. So far, though, so good...

While it's not perfect, it's becoming clear that Apple's App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch could well be an easy route to self-publishing - add your book or comic to a simple app that provides page-turning facilities, and you're all set. This idea hasn't escaped Yoshitoshi ABe, the man behind Haibane Renmei and other works, as his latest doujinshi manga has just appeared on the App Store...

Witchblade takes the time to look at family – the bonds between a mother and her child, the difficult choices that must be made in a child's best interests, and whether genetics are the only thing that can decide who it's best to deal with. With Riko being Masane reason for living, she's got some tough decisions to make...

Oh, woe is me, for the fates have decided that BLASSREITER hasn't yet reached the end of its run - meaning I have four more episodes after this to deal with. I can only hope that the experience is building me up a healthy supply of karma that I can use to offset some future misbehaviour - I'm certainly not getting any pleasure out of watching this...

What do you do when you want to milk even more money from the fans of one of anime's most famous properties? You've already done the VHS, DVD, Movies, Director's Cuts... Yup, it's time for the re-mastered audio & video glory that is the Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum Edition. Now you can see even more detail of Rei & Asuka's plugsuits, and listen to Shinji whine in glorious surround sound - and as if the individual releases of the series didn't have enough to keep you going, you can now get in it a neat tin box....

PERFECT MEMORY - The staff salutes the Macross saga... Issue 9 (Jan/Feb)

I just got this email and can't really answer this question. Will Harrison-san and Eldred-chan step up to the plate, plz? Way Back When (a couple of years ago) Half.com had all the Eternal Editions. File 7, from the third Yamato series, was rare, so I snapped it up from another dealer whom I can't now find. Then files 2&3 (Arrividerci Yamato) and 0&1 (Great Yamato and the first series) were hard to find. Now, I can't find any Eternal Edition anywhere except Japan, and for some reason they won't ship to my address! Help! Know you of a place on this side of the Pacific from where I can get…

Art by plamo's own Piccaso Tatsuji Kajita for the Destroy All Monsters book and record set, 1968.

Yeah. Ok. Shokotan blogged about me today.

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Practicing hoop dancing is impossible in the house unless I am standing on the dinner table or the bed, neither of which is a very good practice platform, so I do my practices outside. On dry days, I can dance in the little patch of grass behind our building. The grass feels nice on my bare feet and I can look up at the sky as I move. But I cannot do do any "off-body" tricks that might end with my hoop flung over the fence onto the Marunouchi line tracks - I like my hoops too much to lose them. On wet days, I practice in the garage/carport. Concrete is not as good on the feet and the ceiling…

This is a delicious way to run through some of your in-season eggplants. Roasting them and the garlic adds richness to this thick and hearty sauce. I used tinned tomatoes to cut down on the cooking time, but if you have an abundance of tomatoes on the vine, go ahead and simmer up your own passata. That's definitely better. Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Sauce serves 4-6 15 Japanese eggplants (5 American ones) 1 head of garlic 1 can whole tomatoes 3-4 anchovies 1 Tbsp olive oil salt & pepper to taste Wash the eggplants, pierce each one with a sharp knife and spread them in a large baking tray (or…

Why is it that after walking home through a warm summer downpour without an umbrella, the instinct is to take a shower? I was certainly wet enough walking through the door last night - what I really needed was a towel.

I am obsessed by hula hoop dancing. Last Wednesday, I took a hoop dancing class with the most awesome Deanne at Hooplovers. It was so much fun that on Friday I bought myself some hoops. I have practiced 2 hours every day since (yay for the carport on rainy days!) and yesterday logged three hours when I took a second class. I am learning tricks of all sorts but I am clumsy and have bruises to prove it. I will need a lot of hard work before I can run away to the circus. Today I took my hoops down to the park by the station. Lots of people go there to practice things and play games, so I figured…

0=1+e^(-pi*i) Of the necklaces I've made for 365 Necklaces so far, I think this one has been the most fun. It was a request from my friend Moritz to do what I could with the mathematical imaginary unit, i. He made it easy by giving me his favorite equation for i (see caption above) and I turned it into a very not imaginary necklace. I used a variety of encodings and color codings. The mathematical operators (= + ^ - * )are done in 7-bit ASCII binary in silver beads. The numbers and letters are also ASCII binary, but red. The two constants, e & pi are picked out in numeric form with silver…

Japanese moon viewing custom on the night of August 15th (in the lunar calendar) is called tsukimi. People view the beautiful moon quietly at home, gardens, shrines, temples, and so...

Tokyo Disneyland will be filled with special decorations and activities for Disney's Halloween. The park holds fun Halloween events from September 12 to October 31 this year. Guests are welcome...

Are you visiting Tokyo in September? You have a chance to see sumo games. One of the 2008 Grand Sumo Tournament is held from September 14 to 28 at Tokyo...

The first international version of Monopoly, named Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition, has been released, featuring 22 interesting cities around the world. Tokyo is one of the cities,...

A member of Japan Travel forum wants some help planning her/his first trip to Okinawa this September. Do you have any suggestions for a shot trip to Okinawa? Post your Suggestions...

Latest update of robot manga/anime from Guyver's Morio Chimi

Julie Haus prepares "Not a Wallflower" line for latest Fashion Week

Answerman chats about hot anime porn (in a completely non-hot way), old anime that will never be licensed, and the people who drag their kids into anime fandom. Also: your answers to last week's Hey, Answerfans!

If you are looking for a sensitive depiction of lesbians that strives for literariness, you have come to the right place. Creator June Kim delivers her quiet tale of friendship, love, and loss with nuanced, high-serious sensibility that looks a bit like an indie comic and a lot like a josei manga.

it's a little belated but here is the video of the Learn Japanese Pod get together in Yoyogi on 21st July 2008. Thanks again to everyone who showed up. Yoroshiku!

It's been quite a while but Beb was back this week to record this week's podcast together with Waka sensei and myself. We hung outside Osaka castle and I asked Waka sensei and Beb to teach me some useful phrases for giving presents in Japan. The idea to do this show came from a suggestion sent in by Kaya from Canada. So a bit shout out to you. Hope you enjoy this week's episode.

This show is a cross between a Fun Friday and a regular lesson. Waka sensei, a secret guest and myself got together for a delicious sushi party with some beer the forgotten condiment. In this video Waka sensei teaches us the names of various kinds of Japanese food. DELICIOUS!

In today's lesson, Waka sensei teaches us a very useful phrase "Kamben shite". This is used for excusing yourself from things you don't want to do, something you might find yourself doing a lot in Japan. We recorded today's podcast outside in the park so apologies for the noise in the background.

She's the heartthrob of many a Japanese teenager and one English blogger (a friend of mine). Her name is Sae () and she does the weather on NHK at precisely 7.28pm each evening - not my friend, the heartthrob.My friend says that what gets him going is the way she bows. He (my friend) says he's never seen anyone bow quite the way Sae does. She kind of goes 45% forward like with a regular bow, then returns her spine to a straight position - but her head lolls back a bit too far, which requires a secondary, smaller head-only bow to compensate and bring the whole body back together again into one…

Once upon a time there was a city called Osaka.In this city lived a man with an idea. His idea would not quite eradicate world poverty or transform the world in a meaningful way, but it would certainly tickle the taste buds of those that dared to try his creamy delights - and there's no suggestion of sexual peccadilloes in that sentence.The aforementioned man toiled for hours in his creamy kitchen, endeavoring to come up with the perfect recipe for his delectable dessert. Finally, after a lot of wrist-work (with the whisk), the ingredients were set:2 oz flour1 egg10 cc water1 oz butter20 cc…

The Obon holidays are here which means many Japanese people will be heading off on their hols, whether it be to Europe for three days or somewhere else for slightly longer.Many people use the holidays to continue on one of their countrywide quests - quests which are surprisingly popular in Japan:the quest to visit all 88 sacred temples on the island of Shikokuthe quest to view the 3 great views in Japanthe quest to climb the 100 special Japanese mountainsthe quest to shop at the 22 legendary shotengais of Japan.Takamatsu's shopping street is the longest of these, at a whopping 2.7km, so I…

Rumours are rife that Prime Minister Fukuda is facing a revolt by his cabinet ministers unless he changes his circa 1985 glasses.Fukuda claims his eyes haven't changed since then, so why should his glasses.But ministers are worried his popularity will plummet if he doesn't get with it and get something more modern in front of his eyes.Look at (not president) Obama - he's got it going on......Even Koizumi tried to get it going on but it didn't quite happen....The range of specs available is vast, so there's really no excuse for Fukuda not to give a few a try. Here's some that may be of…

There's nothing I enjoy more on a sticky summer night than to take a stroll down to the bay from where I can watch taxpayers' money miraculously transform into a myriad of colours and smoke.I did such a thing last night, heading off to nearby Kobe, not realising that the entire combined population of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe had had the same idea. There were about 20 gazillion people there, fighting for position on a patch of concrete the size of two tatami mats.However, on the way to my destination I decided to stop for a quick coffee at an establishment which represents a stunning new concept…

Yep, this pretty much typifies what I imagine Hell looks like (warning: you don’t want to watch it - spare yourself the trauma and move onto something else. You’ll save yourself from numerous nightmares in the nights to come). I warned you… Sent in by far too many people than is healthy to even know about the evil feline including the people at Sanrio Digital who truly deserved to be banished to this game for life for even coming up with the concept…

While there are many things that trouble me in Hello Kitty Hell, whenever it has to do with my wife’s Hello Kitty cell phone I have no other choice but cringe. That’s exactly what I did when she discovered the Hello Kitty disposable solar cell phone charger: This shows Hello Kitty in all her marketing wisdom. She has introduced this mini Hello Kitty solar cell phone charger that’s about the size of a lighter with claims of how eco friendly it is. Of course, the solar charger only lasts for about 500 recharges where upon it goes to the landfill (she seems to have left out…

Well, I guess I can always dream: Hello Kitty safari postcard I think it would have been more appropriate if she had been hunted down with a Hello Kitty shotgun, but then again, who am I to nitpick… Sent in by Aein (via commercial archive) who deserves a beer on me if we should ever meet for bringing a smile to my face, but next time needs to invite me along for the hunt…

I found this in my email box today - an original Hello Kitty fanatic song by Anna Joy. The song pretty much sums up what it’s like living with a Hello Kitty fanatic… You can listen to the song at The Ugly Trannies Myspace Page (click the “Hello Kitty” on the player - warning: words NSFW) You will probably have to read the lyrics to be able to understand it all, so here they are: I can’t stop buying all that Hello Kitty s*** I cannot close my closet door, my drawers just overflow with it And I will not take it back I need it more than crack If I can’t have…

When I go to wash my hands, the last thing that I want to see is Hello Kitty. It looks like I will no longer have a choice in the matter with the introduction of Hello Kitty antibacterial soap: I have a very simple question. Is it at all possible to classify Hello Kitty as bacteria and use this soap on her? I mean, we already know that Hello Kitty is trying to kill us…

SO kidrobot dropped their series 5 dunnys today! they are about. 6.95 a pop blind box assortment. but enough about there here are some shots of the series! courtesy of Vinyl Pulse (more…)

“Excuse me, your teddy bear is ringing.” That could be the future as Japanese phone company Wellcom unveiled a prototype mobile last month in the shape of a cuddly brown teddy bear. Teddy bear mobile phone is designed for kids in hospital to quickly reach their parents/doctors. Up to four speed dial numbers can be stored for each leg and hand. So for example, you can set it up like, call mom when you squeeze right hand, brother for left hand, right leg for father, and left leg for nurse. Link: Teddy Bear Cell Phone Unveiled at Japanese Expo

On CNN this morning, this photo was put up. Doesn’t it look too similar? Isn’t there any shame in creating a car that’s just a copy? What about a SEDAN, or just something different to make their version of a Prius not look the same. Isn’t this too blatant? See the article in CNN.

Organized in response to the groundswell of recognition and criticism surrounding cult-like enthusiasm for pop cultural artifacts, Imprint Culture Lab 2008 convenes the latest and greatest dignitaries of global design, innovation, and marketing. Joining this year’s event will be grassroots crafting phenom, Jill Bliss. Founder and owner of www.blissen.com, Jill uses everyday items such as ball-point pens, fabric scraps, paper cuttings, and basic thread to make objects that are unique - stationery, household items, office supplies, and artwork. Her deceptively simple, nature-inspired…

The most exciting team in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors…in my opinion…will face against the Milwaukee Bucks in two NBA games hosted in China. The NBA will host events in the cities as part of its Sichuan Province earthquake relief efforts. The games will also be televised in the States, so make sure to watch! The NBA China Games tips off with the Bucks and Warriors meeting on Oct. 15 in Guangzhou and Oct. 18 at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Arena.

THIS SHOULD BE A TIME of gleeful anticipation for the Democratic Party of Japan, the country’s primary opposition group. No other party has come this close to toppling the ruling Liberal Democratic Party from power and keeping them in the opposition since the LDP’s near monopoly on the national government began in 1955. Maehara Seiji The DPJ captured the upper house of the Diet in a landslide last year, and they just might duplicate that result in the election for the more powerful lower house, which must be held by September 2009 at the latest. It’s not as if they are being given a run…

CHRIS BURGESS, a lecturer at Tsuda College, offers his attempt to link common courtesy, apology, national identity, and Constitutional reform in this rather disorganized article published by (who else?) The Japan Times. Prof. Burgess makes several dubious assertions along the way before reaching his destination. Here’s one: “(T)he fact that apology and responsibility are not strongly related in Japanese discourse…” When did this become a “fact”? It could just as easily be argued that apology and the acceptance of responsibility are synonymous in Japanese discourse.

HERE’S WELCOME NEWS: Some people in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula recognize that continuing to strengthen millenia-old regional ties will be more beneficial to them and their neighbors in Kyushu than allowing themselves the emotional luxury of periodically becoming unhinged over the Takeshima islets. It was announced last week that 24 universities from Fukuoka in Kyushu and the city of Busan in South Korea will be sign an agreement on 25 September to create what they are calling a consortium for academic exchange. Kyushu University will serve as the representative of the…

PRIME MINISTER FUKUDA YASUO announced his resignation about two hours ago, as I write, citing the need to break the stalemate that is expected to continue between the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, on one hand, and the opposition Democratic Party of Japan on the other, with the fall Diet session slated to begin in less than two weeks. No one should treat this as a bolt out of the blue. The Japanese media has been speculating for several months on the timing of Mr. Fukuda’s replacement (a better word than departure), and the bulk of opinion had the…

OVER THE CENTURIES, men have handled most of the heavy lifting, fighting, and other grunt work that is often a part of Japanese festivals. This has been changing in recent years, however, as more women are getting into the act by forming groups to carry their own mikoshi, or portable Shinto shrines. So many women want to help carry one of the mikoshi in the summertime Tenjin festival in Osaka, for example, that they have to formally apply and pass a screening process first. Another festival with women-only mikoshi is the Dotchan Matsuri, held earlier this month for the 19th time in Imari,…

In case you were wondering which companies are ranked as the world's top 10 supermarkets, and how Japanese grocers rate amongst the leaders, here is a list of the biggest: 1 Wal-Mart 2 Carrefour 3 Tesco 4 Metro Group 5 Seven & I (JAPAN) 6 Kroger 7 AEON (JAPAN) 8 Target 9 Schwarz Group 10 Costco Seven & I Holdings and AEON are ranked 5th and 7th, respectively. For a complete list that includes sales figures, visit Planet Retail, which publishes the worldwide ranks each year.

Onward Holdings, one of Japan's largest multi-brand fashion conglomerates, announced Monday that it had agreed to buy Jil Sander from current owners, equity fund Change Capital Partners, for about $244 million. This is an interesting development since Onward Kashiyama, a subsidiary of Onward Holdings, has achieved less-than-stellar performance with its home-grown apparel brands for the past couple of years. Apparently Onward is hoping to bolster worldwide profits with the acquisition. Jill Sanders used to have a tremendous amount of brand equity, but the brand suffered under its ownership by…

Japan Fashion Week kicked off for the seventh time yesterday with seven shows by some of Japan's most promising young designers. If you're interested in checking out the collections in detail, both the official JFW website and WWD online are posting snapshots from the shows. A schedule for the week is shown below. If you are interested in past topics related to fashion in Japan, you may want to check out these links to related areas of this website: Fashion, Luxury Goods, Retailing. Tokyo Fashion Week, 2008 (S/S 2009) September 1-5 List of participating brands and their websites (click on the…

One Japanese company was thinking out of the box when it came up with the latest use for QR codes. Ishinokoe manufacturers memorial tablets and gravestones imprinted with the codes that link to special websites featuring details on the departed. Anybody visiting the cemetery can use his/her cellphone camera to snap the code and visit the websites—where they can view photos and learn more about whomever is being memorialized.