Japan

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  • Gagas dons meat dress again

    Japan News latest RSS headlines - Japan Herald.com
    15 May 2012 | 3:50 pm
    Singer Lady Gaga surprised fans in Japan by debuting a new custom-made dress made from raw meat. Gaga first turned heads with her bizarre food-couture creation at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, ...

  • Book depicts Emperor's 1953 trip

    The Japan Times: News & Business
    15 May 2012 | 3:46 pm
    Emperor Akihito, who leaves for Britain on Wednesday, was a keen traveler when he visited the country in 1953 to attend Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, according to a book published the following year. The then 19-year-old Crown Prince Akihito met with heads of state and royal family members of many countries during his first overseas journey, a nearly half-year jaunt that also took him to the United States, West Germany and Canada.

  • Japan to honor Alexander of Tenn.

    Japan News
    16 May 2012 | 4:03 am
    The consulate general's office announced Tuesday that Emperor Akihito is conferring the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star to Alexander for furthering U.S. economic relations with Japan.

  • 3-yr-old boy, left home alone, falls to death from 11th-floor balcony

    News On Japan
    16 May 2012 | 6:49 am
    A three-year-old boy fell to his death from the balcony of his 11th-floor apartment in Adachi Ward on Tuesday after his parents left him home alone. (Japan Today)

  • China, Japan hold maritime talks on islands row

    Osaka News
    16 May 2012 | 3:29 am
    China and Japan are holding high-level maritime talks expected to focus on a group of uninhabited islands that are at the heart of an ongoing territorial row between the two countries. The two ...
 
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    The Japan Times: News & Business

  • Book depicts Emperor's 1953 trip

    15 May 2012 | 3:46 pm
    Emperor Akihito, who leaves for Britain on Wednesday, was a keen traveler when he visited the country in 1953 to attend Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, according to a book published the following year. The then 19-year-old Crown Prince Akihito met with heads of state and royal family members of many countries during his first overseas journey, a nearly half-year jaunt that also took him to the United States, West Germany and Canada.

  • Satellite to monitor ice in Arctic Ocean shipping lanes

    15 May 2012 | 3:45 pm
    The forecasting company Weathernews Inc. unveiled a micro satellite Tuesday that it developed to monitor Arctic Ocean ice for purposes of guiding ships through the area in summer. The 10-kg cube-shaped satellite, jointly developed by Tokyo-based AXELSPACE Corp., is scheduled to be launched from the Yasny Cosmodrome in Russia on Sept. 28. It will be the first attempt by a private company to use a satellite to monitor ice in the Arctic Ocean, Weathernews said.

  • Mixi founder seen set to unload stake

    15 May 2012 | 3:44 pm
    Domestic social network pioneer Mixi Inc. has stumbled and the once rising star has been eclipsed by its giant U.S. competitor Facebook and domestic social game operators. A media report Tuesday said Mixi founder Kenji Kasahara may sell his entire 55 percent stake in the company to other firms, and the rapidly expanding social game companies DeNA Co. and Gree Inc. may be candidate buyers.

  • Sony, Panasonic eye OEL TV tieup to weather rivalries

    15 May 2012 | 3:43 pm
    Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. are in talks to jointly develop a new generation of organic electroluminescent television displays by 2015 featuring crisper images and lower power consumption than current screens, sources said Tuesday. Sony and Panasonic compete with each other in and out of Japan, but both have faced slumping TV sales and stiff competition, particularly with South Korea rivals, making a partnership that would have once been unthinkable a key option.

  • Recyclers get leg up in bidding

    15 May 2012 | 3:42 pm
    The land ministry plans to give preferential treatment in public works bidding to construction companies using cement recycled from waste generated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The move is designed to accelerate the disposal of disaster debris, sources said Monday.
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    Japan News

  • Japan to honor Alexander of Tenn.

    16 May 2012 | 4:03 am
    The consulate general's office announced Tuesday that Emperor Akihito is conferring the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star to Alexander for furthering U.S. economic relations with Japan.

  • Game Plan Japan News Report 05.16.12

    16 May 2012 | 1:59 am
    Game Plan Japan News Report 05.16.12 Posted by Ernest Lin on 05.16.2012 Keiji Inafune's new PS Vita game Soul Sacrifice revealed, two new Tales games on the way, Taiko Drum Master 3DS getting guest characters, new iOS game Kotomon from Rez and Child of Eden veterans, Usagi Drop rolling into Katamari, & more! Konnichiwa and welcome to another Game ... (more)

  • In Japan, the lights are already starting to go out...

    15 May 2012 | 11:55 pm
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  • Woman in consultation with Sapporo police over stalking abducted and molested

    15 May 2012 | 7:45 pm
    A woman who was in consultation with police over a stalking case was abducted and molested by an unknown suspect, it has been learned.

  • Okinawa marks 40th anniversary

    15 May 2012 | 3:30 pm
    Both sides: Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Okinawa Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima speak at a ceremony Tuesday at the Okinawa Convention Center in Ginowan to mark the 40th anniversary of the prefecture's reversion to Japan in 1972.
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    News On Japan

  • 3-yr-old boy, left home alone, falls to death from 11th-floor balcony

    16 May 2012 | 6:49 am
    A three-year-old boy fell to his death from the balcony of his 11th-floor apartment in Adachi Ward on Tuesday after his parents left him home alone. (Japan Today)

  • Okada bets to win with fine dining and casinos

    16 May 2012 | 6:47 am
    Kazuo Okada, the Japanese billionaire engaged in a fierce legal battle with Las Vegas casino tycoon Steve Wynn, is diversifying his pachinko company with a string of his own restaurants and is negotiating to build a casino resort in South Korea. (Reuters)

  • China, Japan, US to witness 'ring' solar eclipse

    16 May 2012 | 6:45 am
    At sunrise in some parts of China and Japan and by sunset in the western United States, a partial solar eclipse is set to slink across a narrow swath of the Earth on May 20 and 21. (AFP)

  • BOJ misses JGB buying target for first time

    16 May 2012 | 6:44 am
    The Bank of Japan fell short of its target for buying government bonds on Wednesday for the first time since introducing an asset-buying scheme in 2010, the latest sign it is pumping more cash than markets can swallow. (Reuters)

  • Japan trading houses target assets to meet catalyst demand

    16 May 2012 | 6:44 am
    Japan's trading houses are targeting deals to secure platinum and palladium supplies to meet expected shortages later this decade, when tighter rules on auto pollutants and higher car sales boost demand for the metals used in autocatalysts. (Reuters)
 
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    Osaka News

  • China, Japan hold maritime talks on islands row

    16 May 2012 | 3:29 am
    China and Japan are holding high-level maritime talks expected to focus on a group of uninhabited islands that are at the heart of an ongoing territorial row between the two countries. The two ...

  • Japan to pay $US4.4bn for WA LNG stake

    16 May 2012 | 3:29 am
    Japan's government and several major firms are to buy a 10.0 per cent stake in an Australian natural gas field as the country seeks alternatives to atomic power, a spokeswoman for one of the ...

  • Japanese Directors Benefit From Aging Film Demo

    16 May 2012 | 3:21 am
    Japan is both the grayest society on earth and the one with the longest average lifespan; nearly a quarter of its population is over 65 and the average life expectancy is now over 82 years old. It ...

  • Aaron Sorkin to adapt 'Steve Jobs' film for Sony

    16 May 2012 | 2:58 am
    Aaron Sorkin is going from Facebook to Apple. Sony Pictures officials say the Oscar-winning writer will write a screenplay based on the Steve Jobs biography. Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal ...

  • Loan commissions pump up profit for Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui by 9%

    16 May 2012 | 2:31 am
    TOKYO -- Japanese megabank Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group on Tuesday posted a 9-percent rise in net profit in fiscal 2011, helped by an increase in loans-related commissions, it said ...
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    Trends in Japan - Marketing and Innovation from Tokyo

  • PROJECT:WOOSTER – A conversation about Japan

    Michael Keferl
    14 May 2012 | 9:11 pm
    Lots going on with the blog redesign, so apologies for the sever lack of updates. This is our longest stretch of silence in years, but there are things to be done offline as well! Many more posts forthcoming to make up for lost time. We’ve just had the opportunity to talk with Andrew Pollard, president of PROJECT, about his thoughts on Japan and its place in the world of retail and design. We’ll be putting together some of his insights in an upcoming post to augment our first post on PROJECT: WOOSTER, but in the meantime take a look at their latest videos on their time in Tokyo…

  • 3 New Zeroes to Drink With

    Michael Keferl
    12 Apr 2012 | 9:45 am
    For the past few years we’ve been slammed with “zero” products of all varieties, as Japanese city dwellers want to lose a few pounds and get in better shape in the midst of a “metabo” slump. Since beverages and snacks are part of office life, much has been done in these areas. The office connection doesn’t get more explicit than with the Break on the Desk series from Kirin, which features flavored teas with zero calories. To liven up the break the packaging also features a “break time gallery” of original artwork printed on the side of the box.

  • Perfume Plug-in Ad in Shibuya

    Michael Keferl
    12 Apr 2012 | 4:21 am
    While Japan’s robotically hypnotic girl-trio Perfume is making their world debut while keeping their “Japan-ness” with their new album JPN, they’re also still being heavily promoted at home. Not sure if this has been done before, but this ad in Shibuya for the single Spring of Life plays the video, but if you want to hear the music you’ll have to plug in your own headphones. Pretty decent amount of people doing it too, all plugged into the same wall. Of course, what it’s really missing is any interesting way of helping people share the experience. Just buy…

  • Lytro Camera in Japan

    Michael Keferl
    10 Apr 2012 | 10:26 am
    Since I’m assuming that I have one of only a few Lytro cameras in the wild here in Japan, I thought it would be nice to do a roundup of my first week with the much-talked-about “light field camera”. When I first came to Japan I shot tons of film before going digital, but those first few years of photos still contain my best shots because it was all fresh to me and I took my time. While the Lytro isn’t perfect by any means, it does force you to compose your shots the same way you would on medium format film, so you end up with better photos simply out of paying more…

  • Turntable Rider Turns Your Bike Into A DJ

    Darrell Nelson
    10 Apr 2012 | 5:53 am
    Japan is renowned for producing some particularly innovative and totally new concepts that capture the public’s imagination, such as the Necomimi we discovered last year. In a similar vein Japanese bike share company Cogoo have come up with a very cool and “revolutionary product” called Turntable RIder that turns any BMX bike into a personal DJ mix pad and instrument. “When a bike becomes a DJ” is the tag line of the Turntable Rider which consists of a small fader box on the handlebars, a jog wheel stick on the wheel and a handbrake soundpad. A rider is able to…
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    Néojaponisme

  • The History of the Gyaru - Part Two

    nj@neojaponisme.com
    8 May 2012 | 7:04 am
    In Part Two of our four-part series on the famed Japanese female subculture, we look at how kogyaru style took over Japan in the mid-1990s. Before they became associated with their own shopping complexes and magazines, however, the kogyaru first rose to fame through an unfair association with the national moral panic over schoolgirl prostitution. The Peak of the Kogyaru: 1993-1998 At the end of our last installment, the gyaru movement had spontaneously erupted in Shibuya — but in small numbers. These delinquent private high-school girls with light brown hair, tanned skin, and sexualized…

  • Neojaponisme New Design

    nj@neojaponisme.com
    8 May 2012 | 4:15 am
    We founded this web journal back in Fall 2007, and the design was meant as a hedge on the entire idea of the “web”: What if we created a “blog” that looked like an early 20th century printed art journal? This worked as a good foundation, but in the last few years, our publishing schedule has been more akin to a seasonal journal than a daily blog, and at the same time, the web has established itself so fully as a medium for publication that there is no longer good reason to hedge. With this in mind today we have today finally launched our new updated look. We got rid of…

  • Neojaponisme Oh! Sake!: Japanese Non-Alcoholic Beers

    nj@neojaponisme.com
    12 Mar 2012 | 7:00 pm
    Here’s the brand new episode of Néojaponisme Oh! Sake! — our videocast on Japanese alcohol and alcohol-like beverages. Watch the latest in HD! In this fourth episode, Marxy and writer/translator Matt Alt do a taste test of four Japanese non-alcoholic beers from the major breweries: Kirin, Asahi, Suntory, and Sapporo. Also watch Videocast #1 on Japanese third-category beer, Videocast #2 on whiskey highballs in a can, and Videocast #3 on “mocktails in a can.” Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get the latest updates.

  • The History of the Gyaru - Part One

    nj@neojaponisme.com
    27 Feb 2012 | 7:00 pm
    A four-part series on the famed Japanese female subculture and its the evolution from a summery look of rich delinquent high-schoolers to an extreme set of working class styles Introduction The Japanese understand their own history of street culture as a constant succession of youth “tribes” who dominate the landscape for a few years with a specific style and then disappear just as quickly as they arrived. The tribes were often useful as a human representation of the era’s zeitgeist — for example, the Futenzoku hippies in the late 1960s or the Bodicon girls of the Bubble…

  • Neojaponisme Oh! Sake!: Fake Cocktails in a Can

    nj@neojaponisme.com
    31 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm
    Néojaponisme now has so many videocasts that we decided to rename our programming about alcoholic beverages in Japan — both with alcohol and without — to “Néojaponisme Oh! Sake!” Watch the latest in HD! In this third episode, Marxy and writer/translator Matt Alt do a taste test of three Japanese “mocktails in a can” from Asahi under the brand name W Zero Cocktail — non-alcoholic, non-sugar recreations of classic cocktails Gin & Tonic, Cassis Orange, and Chardonnay Sparkling. (Spoiler question: Why do these even exist?) Also watch Videocast #1 on Japanese…
 
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    The Japan Times: All Stories

  • Book depicts Emperor's 1953 trip

    15 May 2012 | 3:56 pm
    Emperor Akihito, who leaves for Britain on Wednesday, was a keen traveler when he visited the country in 1953 to attend Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, according to a book published the following year. The then 19-year-old Crown Prince Akihito met with heads of state and royal family members of many countries during his first overseas journey, a nearly half-year jaunt that also took him to the United States, West Germany and Canada.

  • Satellite to monitor ice in Arctic Ocean shipping lanes

    15 May 2012 | 3:55 pm
    The forecasting company Weathernews Inc. unveiled a micro satellite Tuesday that it developed to monitor Arctic Ocean ice for purposes of guiding ships through the area in summer. The 10-kg cube-shaped satellite, jointly developed by Tokyo-based AXELSPACE Corp., is scheduled to be launched from the Yasny Cosmodrome in Russia on Sept. 28. It will be the first attempt by a private company to use a satellite to monitor ice in the Arctic Ocean, Weathernews said.

  • Mixi founder seen set to unload stake

    15 May 2012 | 3:54 pm
    Domestic social network pioneer Mixi Inc. has stumbled and the once rising star has been eclipsed by its giant U.S. competitor Facebook and domestic social game operators. A media report Tuesday said Mixi founder Kenji Kasahara may sell his entire 55 percent stake in the company to other firms, and the rapidly expanding social game companies DeNA Co. and Gree Inc. may be candidate buyers.

  • Suzuki aiming higher following best season of career

    15 May 2012 | 3:53 pm
    Coming off the best season of her long career, one might think world bronze medalist Akiko Suzuki could be content to retire from competition and turn to show skating. The transition would be a snap and the compensation a lot better.

  • Sony, Panasonic eye OEL TV tieup to weather rivalries

    15 May 2012 | 3:52 pm
    Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. are in talks to jointly develop a new generation of organic electroluminescent television displays by 2015 featuring crisper images and lower power consumption than current screens, sources said Tuesday. Sony and Panasonic compete with each other in and out of Japan, but both have faced slumping TV sales and stiff competition, particularly with South Korea rivals, making a partnership that would have once been unthinkable a key option.
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    Akihabara News

  • NTT DOCOMO Unveils 19 New Mobile Devices

    Daimaou - G.G-B
    16 May 2012 | 12:51 am
    19 New mobile devices, that’s an impressive number, but rest assure none all of them are that amazing so let’s focus on the cool ones with first the : Xperia GX SO-04D : Sony’s Android 4.0 latest Walkman phone that come with a 1.5GHz dual Core CPU MSM8960, 16GB of ROM, 1GB of RAM, a 13.1Mpix CMOS Exmor R for mobile sensor, GPS, Bluetooth 3.1 DLNA, WiFi, LTE, NOTTV and a nice 4.7” 720p screen ARROWS X F-10D is actually KDDI’s Arrows Z ISW13F little brother. Here as well the ARROWS X F-10D ...

  • Honda Announces New UNI-CUB Personal Mobility Device Designed for Harmony with People

    Daimaou - G.G-B
    15 May 2012 | 6:53 pm
    Honda today unveiled the new UNI-CUB personal mobility device, designed for harmony with people. Featuring a compact design and comfortable saddle, UNI-CUB offers the same freedom of movement in all directions that a person enjoys while walking. Representing the evolution of the U3-X personal mobility device that Honda announced in 2009, UNI-CUB features Honda’s proprietary balance control technology and the world’s first omni-directional driving wheel system (Honda Omni Traction ...

  • [RECAP] KDDI au Summer Smartphone Lineup

    DigInfo TV
    15 May 2012 | 6:37 pm
    This Video is provided to you by DigInfo.tv, AkihabaraNews Official Partner. - URBANO PROGRESSO “This model is called the Urbano Progresso. One big feature is a capability called the Smart Sonic Receiver. This communicates the other person’s voice through sound and vibration by shaking the whole display. This enables you to hear even if the handset isn’t aligned with your ear. You can shut out sounds from your surroundings by covering your ear with it, so you can hear ...

  • Sony Europe announces its new Ivy Bridge Vaio S and Vaio Z Series

    Daimaou - G.G-B
    15 May 2012 | 6:37 am
    VAIO S Series Available in a choice of 33.7cm (13.3”) and 39.5cm (15.5”) screen sizes, the slim, full-flat design of VAIO S Series 13 and 15 slip easily into a travel bag for quick access whenever you need it. The series is elegantly styled in tough, weight-saving materials like magnesium, aluminium and carbon fibre (depends on model), with even S Series 15 models tipping the scales at below 2kg. All S Series feature a new slot-in optical drive (Blu-ray Disc or DVD) that maintains the ...

  • LG’s first Quad Core Smartphone, the Optimus 4X HD heads to Europe this June!

    Daimaou - G.G-B
    15 May 2012 | 6:21 am
    LG announced that the Optimus 4X HD, which was first introduced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February, will be available next month in key markets starting in Western Europe. Beyond the fast NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, LG’s latest Android 4.0 device boasts the biggest battery among Quad-Core smartphones at 2,150mAh and a superb high resolution viewing experience with in the 4.7-inch True HD IPS display. Since MWC, the Optimus 4X HD has been upgraded with new SiO+ battery technology, Quick ...
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    Joi Ito's Web

  • A week of a student's electrodermal activity

    Joi
    29 Apr 2012 | 10:34 pm
    Obviously, this is just one student and doesn't necessarily generalize, but I love that the electrodermal activity is nearly flatlined during classes. ;-) (Note that the activity is higher during sleep than during class...) "Changes in skin conductance at the surface, referred to as electrodermal activity (EDA), reflect activity within the sympathetic axis of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and provide a sensitive and convenient measure of assessing alterations in sympathetic arousal associated with emotion, cognition, and attention." From: Poh, M.Z., Swenson, N.C., Picard, R.W., "A…

  • Reading the dictionary

    Joi
    10 Apr 2012 | 5:50 am
    I have some amazing friends who tell me that when they were young, they read the dictionary from cover to cover. Other friends of mine have read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. My sister calls me an "interest driven learner." I think that's code for "short attention span" or "not a good long term planner" or something like that. I can't imagine being able to read the dictionary from cover to cover. In fact, I don't think most people could sit down and read the dictionary from cover to cover. Although reading the dictionary and the encyclopedia from cover to cover may seem a bit extreme,…

  • Festival of Learning 2012

    Joi
    31 Jan 2012 | 2:59 am
    Over the weekend, I participated in the Festival of Learning at the Media Lab. It was a student organized event in the spirit of the MIT Independant Activities Period, but even scrappier and more agile. It was a blast and reminded me why the Media Lab is so cool. Festival of Learning The Festival of Learning was a two-day festival on 27-28 Jan 2012, where anyone from MIT's E14 and E15 could teach, learn, and collaborate! Check out our EPIC LIST OF FESTIVAL SESSIONS, with photos, slides, source code, blog posts, and descriptions for everything that happened! Also check out the videos below and…

  • 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…
 
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    The Japan Times: Sports feed

  • Suzuki aiming higher following best season of career

    15 May 2012 | 3:17 pm
    Coming off the best season of her long career, one might think world bronze medalist Akiko Suzuki could be content to retire from competition and turn to show skating. The transition would be a snap and the compensation a lot better.

  • Rangers blank Devils in opener

    15 May 2012 | 3:16 pm
    After 14 games and two nail-biting playoff series wins, the New York Rangers insist they have plenty left to make a run at the Stanley Cup. If any proof was needed, Henrik Lundqvist provided it with a shutout victory over the well-rested New Jersey Devils in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night.

  • Harper slugs first career HR

    15 May 2012 | 3:15 pm
    Bryce Harper is as sentimental about his first big league homer as he is about the rest of the many milestones in his baseball career. The ball's headed for a cardboard box.

  • Thunder crush fatigued Lakers

    15 May 2012 | 3:14 pm
    When the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City last met, Metta World Peace delivered an elbow that sent the Thunder's James Harden home with a concussion. It's the Lakers who are smarting after the playoff rematch.

  • Aston Villa axes manager McLeish

    15 May 2012 | 3:13 pm
    Aston Villa fired manager Alex McLeish on Monday after just one season in charge of the Premier League club. Villa, owned by American Randy Lerner, went 7-14-17 for 38 points, two above the relegation zone and the club's fewest points since the switch to three points for a win in 1981-82.
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    Hello Kitty Hell

  • Hello Kitty Haircut

    Hello Kitty Hell
    7 May 2012 | 10:29 am
    While there are a ton of trends that involve the evil feline that frighten me beyond belief (simply take a look through this blog and you will instantly know what I mean), this is certainly a trend that I hope never catches on. It seems that there are a few guys out there that somehow came to the conclusion that a Hello Kitty haircut would be a good idea (or, more likely, were somehow convinced by their girlfriends that this would be worthwhile). There is a very simple reason that I fear the hello Kitty haircut. There is little doubt that I will wake up one morning (probably after drinking…

  • Hello Kitty Recliner Chair

    Hello Kitty Hell
    3 May 2012 | 10:33 am
    The people of Sanrio have figured out that if you are delusional enough to want a Hello Kitty TV, then you are probably delusional enough to want to watch that TV while reclining in a Hello Kitty reclining chair. While most things branded with the evil feline are noting more than useless crap, I personally see this as having a useful purpose, although a terrifying one. Correctional facilities around the country could easily purchase these for all the convicts on death row and simply place them into their cells,. The thought of having to live with such a piece of furniture should cause most of…

  • Hello Kitty Mother’s Day Flowers

    Hello Kitty Hell
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:50 am
    Most of us love our mothers and enjoy showing them true appreciation on Mother’s day each year. Not the people at Sanrio. With Mother’s Day just around the corner, the evil feline has decided that she would like to guarantee that it’s the worst possible day ever for all mothers by encouraging gifts of Hello Kitty plants and flowers. If, for some inexplicable reason, someone wasn’t completely horrified upon receiving a Mother’s Day gift like this and actually wanted them (or any type of Hello Kitty flowers), it’s a good sign that is a person that you would…

  • Hello Kitty America’s Next Top Model

    Hello Kitty Hell
    24 Apr 2012 | 6:41 pm
    How can anyone possibly make reality TV any worse than it already is? Although most people wouldn’t think it could be possible, reality has shown it was actually quite easily accomplished. Simply add “Hello Kitty high fashion” and you get what can only be described as fashion created by coughing up a massive Hello Kitty hairball. Don’t believe me? Watch the video (at your own risk as it will undoubtedly scar your brain for life) What is far scarier than the actual fashion dresses is that there are fanatics who would actually think that wearing any of them would be a…

  • Hello Kitty Headboard

    Hello Kitty Hell
    23 Apr 2012 | 4:50 pm
    There are plenty of hints that you are headed for a life of Hello Kitty Hell from which there will be absolutely no escape. At the top of the list is if you’re ever asked to wear these or these. That is quickly followed by basically anything that is evil feline related which also has to do with the bedroom. Your girlfriend suggesting that a custom-made Hello Kitty headboard would be a good idea is a perfect example: While a headboard may at first seem innocent compared to other bedroom related items out there, that completely misses the point. It’s the first toe through the door…
 
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    AMPONTAN

  • Southern comfort

    ampontan
    15 May 2012 | 9:56 am
    PATTERN RECOGNITION is crucial to the successful conduct of foreign policy. Identifying, recognizing, and then anticipating recurring behavior eliminates the need to speculate about another party’s objectives and facilitates decisions on ways to respond to those parties. Though it should be obvious that pattern recognition is a survival skill, some people continue to survive despite an inaptitude at spotting patterns that repeat so often they might as well be on a tape loop. One group of American politicians, for example, is incapable of recognizing the two or three patterns employed by…

  • Big mothers in Hokkaido

    ampontan
    13 May 2012 | 11:04 am
    GIRL FIGHTS — the physical kind — create strange dissonances in the masculine imagination. In one set of circuits, there is a disquieting, innate sense that This Should Not Be Happening. Coursing through a different part of the wiring, however, is an irresistible electromagnetic desire to watch and enjoy every second of the awe-full spectacle. And take sides! I’ve never seen any girl fights in Japan (probably live in the wrong part of town for that), but in addition to normal quotient of female wrestlers and boxers, there are also female sumo rikishi. Most of them get grunty for…

  • Ichigen koji (102)

    ampontan
    13 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    - A person who has something to say about everything Unless the Noda Democratic Party swallows whole the tax increase proposal of  the Tanigaki Liberal Democrats and dissolves the lower house (for a general election), it will only create a synergistic effect of unpopularity for both the Tanigaki LDP and the Noda DPJ. The lower house will have to be dissolved next year anyway (when its term ends). Will that dissolution occur when the synergistic effect is at its maximum? That might be even more invigorating for everyone. It would give (Hashimoto Toru’s) One Osaka enough time to get…

  • ¿What are these people thinking?

    ampontan
    12 May 2012 | 9:45 am
    IT’S impossible to scan the news articles either on paper or in pixels without seeing several that make one wonder, “¿What are these people thinking?” “These people” can refer either the subjects or the authors of the reports, and often both. Here are three examples involving Japan from the past week alone. Socialism in action Japan on Tuesday warned French president-elect Francois Hollande to keep the nation’s fiscal discipline in place amid worries that the new leader will overspend in a bid to boost the economy. Of course no one can expect the…

  • Japan’s back pages

    ampontan
    3 May 2012 | 12:50 pm
    THE Japan that emerges in stories printed below the fold and in the back pages of newspapers, or on less frequently accessed news websites, is a different place than that presented in the industrial mass media. Here are some stories that demonstrate why. Water business The phrase “water business” in Japan is usually a euphemism for the enterprises conducted in entertainment districts at night, particularly drinking establishments. But most people outside the region are unaware that Japan is a global leader in another sort of water business — that for the technology used in water…
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    Gadling

  • VIDEO: Vintage Turkish Taxis

    Meg Nesterov
    15 May 2012 | 6:00 pm
    Filed under: Asia, Europe, Turkey, Video, Transportation Millions of people get around Istanbul each day via dolmuş, a shared taxi. Similar to the colectivo of Latin America or the dollar vans of New York City, a dolmuş is generally a mini-bus or van that follows a fixed route for a fixed price. At the beginning of the route, the bus waits until it is full of passengers (dolmuş means stuffed in Turkish) before departing. You hand your money (theoretically a share of a private taxi's rate, but usually 2-3 TL) up to the driver, and hop out whenever you get to your destination; there are…

  • Eco-Friendly Hotel Amenity: Pedal-To-Power LCD Television

    Jessica Festa
    15 May 2012 | 5:00 pm
    Filed under: Activism, Biking, Europe, United Kingdom, Hotels and Accommodations, Ecotourism, Budget TravelFor those interested in keeping vacation weight off while also doing something good for the planet, the Cottage Lodge in Brockenhurst, United Kingdom, is offering a unique amenity. Instead of allowing guests to turn on the television the old-fashioned way, the bed and breakfast features a pedal-to-power LCD television in their Standing Hat room. The purpose of the unusually active method of television powering is purely environmental. While you'd think some travelers may not be happy…

  • Virgin America; United To Begin San Francisco To Washington, DC, Nonstop Service

    McLean Robbins
    15 May 2012 | 3:00 pm
    Filed under: Airlines, Airports, Airline ReviewsVirgin America has been awarded permission to fly into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport beginning sometime this summer. United Airlines began their service today. While the well-known carriers already fly direct to San Francisco, its US hub, out of Washington Dulles International, this new route opens up additional opportunities for the business and leisure traveler looking to fly from DC proper, rather than 45-minutes outside of the city. "We are pleased to have the opportunity to bring our unique brand of service to this underserved…

  • 'Bolivian Mennonites' Photography Exhibition Begins In New York

    Meg Nesterov
    15 May 2012 | 2:30 pm
    Filed under: Arts and Culture, South America, BoliviaUnless you've followed the horrifying story of the serial rapists who wrecked havoc in the community in 2009, you might not know that the small South American country of Bolivia is home to a large community of Mennonites. Photographer Lisa Wiltse traveled to the isolated colony of Manitoba to capture the conservative community, who shun cars, electricity, and other modern conveniences, and live by a strict religious code. Many of the Mennonites do not speak Spanish, and women typically only speak low German, as the founders of the religion…

  • Travel Partners From Hell

    Jessica Festa
    15 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
    Filed under: Learning, Stories, Budget Travel, Women's Travel, Luxury TravelFor those debating whether to travel in a group or go solo, you'll want to read this. Just because you get along with someone at happy hour or Sunday morning spin class, doesn't mean it'll be smooth sailing on the road. After backpacking around the world for five years, both solo and with others, I've had my fair share of unpleasant travel partners. Think about these situations, and decide if your potential travel partner seems laid-back or fits into one of these categories. The Cheapskate For the most part,…
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    Wireless Watch Japan

  • Wireless Japan 2012 Conference

    6 May 2012 | 6:44 pm
    The 17th annual ExpoComm Wireless Japan Conf. and Trade Show at Tokyo BigSite runs May 30th - June 1st: http://bit.ly/JJPYXT

  • Smartphone App to Monitor Drivers

    4 May 2012 | 6:27 pm
    New smartphone app. recognizes when a traffic accident has occurred, records images before and after the event: http://bit.ly/IQwveZ

  • Panasonic Shifts Production to China

    3 May 2012 | 6:27 pm
    Panasonic plans to shift 50% of mobile lithium-ion battery production to their Suzhou, China facility by 2015: http://bit.ly/IxMjhQ

  • Disaster Proof Mobile Networks

    2 May 2012 | 6:19 pm
    A 'Disaster-proof' mobile networks project is in development by Japanese carriers with Tohoku University: http://bit.ly/IQwisd

  • Otosan - The Iconic SoftBank Mascot

    30 Apr 2012 | 6:19 pm
    Great post with full story on Otosan, the iconic SoftBank mascot, along with a Youtube TVCM collection: http://bit.ly/Lt0EjL
 
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    Culture Japan - Your portal to Japan

  • Moekanji

    15 May 2012 | 1:09 am
    Thanks to you, Moekana was an overnight success which sold out during the pre-order period leading to a second production run. Through my own experience of learning Japanese, I wanted to make Japanese learning more fun and developed the Hiragana learning series called Moekana. Many of you asked for something to help you learn Kanji too - so here it is - Moekanji! Kanji are the Chinese characters used in the Japanese language which you need to learn if you want to be proficient in lingo. The Moe Japanese learning series fuses Japanese Moe culture together with education and contains just…

  • Japanese Retro Games

    14 May 2012 | 3:57 am
    As its name suggests - Super Potato is a fortress filled with retro games covering all eras - everything from Nintendo Game Watch to PC Engine, Megadrive, Super Famicom, Dreamcast and more.Today we are back at Super Potato filming once again - this time round for my morning TV show called Check Time. This week we cover the top Famicom games - my corner also uploaded to my YouTube account. After filming at AmiAmi, we headed over to Akihabara to film 2 more episodes. This is my fave carpark in Akihabara behind Akiba Cultures Zone. I think its also the most expensive too due to its central…

  • Taneshima Popura Nendoroid

    12 May 2012 | 4:26 pm
    My most fave character form the anime series Working! is Taneshima Popura. A small bundle of joy who is surprisingly big for her size. Some Popura-chan in action below. Today we take a look at what Popura-chan has been up to since she joined us in the office after leaving Wagnaria.Popura-chan makes us a bowl of ramen - tastes good!Popura-chan tries her dab hand at making some Cinnamon Toast tasting Frosties for me with some of that GABAN cinnamon powder - tastes good too!Popura-chan was released by Good Smile Company recently and if you would like her to be around you too then you can try one…

  • Moekana Tournament Card

    10 May 2012 | 10:55 pm
    This is the current Moekana tournament card which you can get starting tonight at Culture Japan Night Tokyo, Anime Festival Asia Malaysia and Anime Expo - but only if you beat me! The rules are at moekana.com - practice with friends first - you can even group up to play against me if you want. Will be giving these out (only if you beat me) at events that I attend worldwide from now on - and yes - you obviously need your own pack of Moekana to play ^^How many hiragana/words have you learned from Moekana so far?

  • MIrai-chan Curry 2

    10 May 2012 | 9:16 pm
    Back in 2010, I worked with the Max Factory run Indian restaurant Indotei, to develop and bring you Mirai-chan Curry. 2 years later, Indotei and I now bring you Mirai-chan Curry 2 which will be served at tonights Culture Japan Night in Akihabara Tokyo at the Good Smile Cafe.If you cant be there tonight then be not sad - I plan to run the event on a regular basis now that I have a few extra hands on deck.Tonight we have Hideki Kenmochi (the guy that invented Vocaloid), Obitsu, Kotobukiya, Cybernoids, Ascii Media Works, Kadokawa, Animate, King Records, The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade…
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    japan running news

  • Samuel Kamau Wanjiru, Nov. 10, 1986 - May 15, 2011

    Brett Larner
    14 May 2012 | 3:20 pm
    Samuel Wanjiru winning the 2008 Beijing Olympics marathon. Photo linked from Wikipedia.

  • Omwamba Takes Kanto Regionals 1500 m and 10000 m Wins in Collegiate Debut

    Brett Larner
    13 May 2012 | 5:18 pm
    by Brett Larner scroll down to results for video of all races The first university to bring Kenyans to run in Japan, Yamanashi Gakuin University debuted its newest find, first-year Enock Omwamba, on the first weekend of Japan's biggest and best university meet, the Kanto Regional University Track and Field Championships, May 12-13 in Tokyo's National Stadium.  Omwamba got the weekend started

  • Kato, Newcomer Maina Win Reborn Sendai International Half Marathon

    Brett Larner
    12 May 2012 | 10:46 pm
    by Brett Larner Cancelled following last year's disasters, the Sendai International Half Marathon returned May 13 in a new format putting more emphasis on mass participation and less on the elite race with a notable absence of any foreign competition based outside Japan. The women's division suffered when former national record holder Mizuki Noguchi (Team Sysmex) scratched earlier this week,

  • Fukushi Gets 5000 m Olympic A, Osako Sub-28 at Golden Games in Nobeoka

    Brett Larner
    12 May 2012 | 9:11 pm
    by Brett Larner After failing to qualify for the London Olympics in the marathon, 5000 m national record holder Kayoko Fukushi (Team Wacoal) successfully regrouped at the May 12 Golden Games in Nobeoka meet, clearing the Olympic A-standard as she narrowly finished 2nd behind Kenyan Sally Chepyego (Team Kyudenko) 15:18.01 to 15:18.46.  No other women were even close to the lead pair, with Ai

  • College Roommates Fujiwara and Nakamoto Vow to Work Together in Olympic Marathon

    Brett Larner
    11 May 2012 | 6:14 pm
    http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/athletics/news/20120511-OHT1T00217.htm translated by Brett Larner London Olympics men's marathon team member Arata Fujiwara (30, Miki House) attended an Olympic sendoff party held by his alma mater Takushoku University in Tokyo on May 11 together with his fellow Olympic marathoner Kentaro Nakamoto (29, Team Yasukawa Denki), one year below him at Takushoku.  
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    NPB Tracker

  • Hiatus

    Patrick
    23 Apr 2012 | 2:03 am
    I guess at this point, I’ll call a spade a spade. It’s been a month since I’ve been able to put together any content for the site, and it’s not clear when I’ll be able to again. I’m considering my writing activities to officially be on hiatus, with no particular timeframe in mind. NPB Tracker has had it’s schedule gaps in the past, but I’m pleasantly surprised that I’ve made it nearly four years without taking a serious break. Happily, the things keeping me away from writing are good. Neither my motivation to write nor my enthusiasm for…

  • A Brief Commercial Break

    Patrick
    9 Mar 2012 | 10:04 am
    For the third consecutive year, my friends at Rotowire invited me to contribute to their annual Fantasy Baseball Guide. Given my schedule constraints over the offseason, my Rotowire article wound up being the most complete analysis of all the Japanese MLB newcomers for this season. Of the three articles I’ve contributed to Rotowire, I think this one is the best, so I hope you’ll check it out. Rotowire’s 2012 Fantasy Baseball guide is on newsstands across the US now, or can be purchased online.

  • How Would You Translate This?

    Patrick
    8 Mar 2012 | 1:11 pm
    Time for a little scrutiny. Following his spring debut, Yu Darvish made the following comment about the double he surrendered to Padres outfielder Will Venable: Note that that comment is in Japanese. The hit in question was a long double, which Venable hit off the center field batter’s background at the Padres facility in Peoria. I didn’t see the game, but have been to that stadium and that would have been a well-hit ball. Here’s the official translation. “The air is dry in Arizona and the wind was blowing out, so no, I don’t think he hit it squarely.” This raised an…

  • Okajima Signs with Softbank

    Patrick
    4 Mar 2012 | 10:40 pm
    I missed this when the news first broke last week, but Hideki Okajima is headed back to Japan, to play for the Softbank Hawks. Softbank officially introduced him in a press conference on March 6th (JST). Okajima brushed off the concerns about his shoulder that led to the termination of his minor league contract with the Yankees, saying “my personal training was okay.” Okajima also added, “while I didn’t think I would be able to play baseball this year, Softbank was the first team that I heard from. There is pressure, but I want to show off what I did in…

  • Darvish to Debut on the 7th

    Patrick
    27 Feb 2012 | 10:24 pm
    According to Sanspo, Yu Darvish will make his Texas Rangers spring debut on March 7, against the Padres in Peoria. The plan is for Darvish start the game and to throw up to two innings. Alas, I won’t be in Arizona for spring training this year, so I won’t be able to attend.
 
 
 
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    SourceForge.JP Magazine ニュース

  • JavaベースのNoSQLグラフドキュメントデータベース、「OrientDB 1.0」がリリース

    admin@sourceforge.jp
    16 May 2012 | 2:55 am
    英NuvolaBaseは5月15日、Javaで実装されたNoSQLデータベース「OrientDB 1.0」を公開した。OrientDBは柔軟なドキュメントデータベースながらグラフデータベース的にリレーションシップを扱えるのが特徴。2010年に開発がスタートした比較的新しいDBMSで、2011年5月にリリース候補版（RC）が公開されていた。

  • Mac OS X向けのコーデック集「Perian」、プロジェクト終了へ

    admin@sourceforge.jp
    15 May 2012 | 11:30 pm
    オープンソースのMac OS X向けQuickTimeプラグイン「Perian」の開発チームが、プロジェクトの打ち切りを発表した。間もなく公開予定の最終バージョンのリリース後90日間でサポートを打ち切り、ソースコードはGoogle CodeまたはGithubで公開するという。

  • PR: ４ＬＤＫ超！憧れの間取りに住む

    admin@sourceforge.jp
    14 May 2012 | 11:40 pm
    女33歳、理想の広さは…？やっぱりリビングも広々がいい。新築マンション特集 Ads by Trend Match

  • システム復旧用1CD Linux「SystemRescueCd 2.7.0」リリース

    admin@sourceforge.jp
    14 May 2012 | 11:40 pm
    SystemRescueCd開発チームは5月12日、オープンソースのシステム回復・バックアップツール最新版「SystemRescueCd 2.7.0」をリリースした。rpmおよびdeb形式パッケージに向けたパッケージ管理ツールが新たに追加されたほか、最新ファイルシステムのサポートも改善されている。

  • 脆弱性評価システム「OpenVAS 5.0」リリース

    admin@sourceforge.jp
    14 May 2012 | 2:30 am
    OpenVAS開発チームは5月10日、最新版「OpenVAS 5.0」を公開した。OpenVASは「世界で最も先進的なオープンソースの脆弱性スキャナ/マネージャ」をうたう脆弱性評価ツール。プロジェクトのWebサイトよりバイナリとソースコードを入手できる。
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    キャリアクロス外資系求人サイト

  • Oracle Enterprise Linux & Oracle VM Senior Support Engineer

    16 May 2012 | 12:38 am
    Oracle Enterprise Linux & Oracle VM Senior Technical Support Engineer

  • 【 即日スタート 】　翻訳コーディネータアシスタント

    15 May 2012 | 9:08 pm
    ◆即日スタート◆ 世界を代表する特許翻訳・調査会社の1つ、RWSの日本法人の一員となりませんか？翻訳コーディネータの補佐をお任せ致します（扱う文書は特許明細書等、知財関連文献です）。 受注の記録業務、原文ワード・画像数カウント、原文、訳文の書式チェックなど、業務は多岐に渡ります。社内の他部署の関わりも発生する立場になりますので、高いコミュニケーション能力が必要となります。…

  • インターネット デベロッパー / Internet Developer

    15 May 2012 | 9:02 pm
    当社は、日米両国に事務所拠点を置きインタラクティブ・エージェンシーとして成長中です。 ハイレベルなシステム・エンジニア、アプリケーション・エンジニア、テクニカル・デザイナー、プロダクションスタッフ、コーディネーターと各専攻部門に長けた若き才能あるスタッフでチームを組み、グローバルな作業を担っています。…

  • 総務（事務・庶務） / Administration

    15 May 2012 | 6:50 pm
    総務業務を中心に、幅広い業務に対応していただける方を募集中！ - 短期大学卒業以上（海外留学経験者歓迎） - 社会人経験3年以上 会社紹介： インスペック グループは、米国の総合エンジニアリング会社であり、北米を中心に海外において工場建設を行うだけでなく、エネルギーソリューションや信頼性のある現場サポートを提供できる多様性に富んだ企業です。

  • DTPオペレーター（資料作成、営業事務）

    15 May 2012 | 6:50 pm
    勤務先：顧客オフィス内常駐（外資系金融機関） 仕事内容：外資系金融機関にあるプレゼンテーションセンターにてプレゼン資料、広報資料、デザインなどの作成 応募資格：学歴不問　４０歳ぐらいまで（第2新卒歓迎） 勤務地：東京都内（六本木、赤坂、大手町、溜池山王、恵比寿） 勤務時間：23時～翌8時（就業先により前後します）。夜勤、週末の勤務ができる方歓迎…
 
 
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    For M

  • モノトーンスニーカー15選

    All About, Inc.
    15 May 2012 | 10:00 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。
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    Blue RSS Japan

  • 来ない…

    13 May 2012 | 6:43 am
    急ぎ過ぎって怒られてメールしないで３日目が過ぎようとしてるのに、あの人からメール来ない 私の事 なんとも思ってないんだね 悲しくなって来た 私は、すごく好き なのに ツライ Check Tweet

  • キッチンマットとソファーかけ

    13 May 2012 | 5:56 am
    ... 全くもって予想通り、セクハラ針師の技なくして、 一体、どこまで悪化するのか悲しくなります。 多分、針先生は、知覚系の痛みを筈とってから、 だんだん、方々を治すつもりなんだろうとは思うのですが、 我慢の限界を超える痛みではなかったので ...

  • 悲しみよこんにちは

    13 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    ... とかくとやかく言う一人として悲しくさせないよう気をつけたい。やはり一回では受け止め切れない。カリンちゃんのニーソもまぶしすぎてちょっと受け止め切れなかったのでもう一度全力で受け止めに行きたい。絶対可憐な領域にいつか溺れてみたいってね?。 ...

  • 今後のキャリアについて考えた

    13 May 2012 | 5:23 am
    ... ロフトから落ちて結構な怪我もするし、彼女と別れたし、仕事もプライベートもうまくいっていない。笑 ただ、「辛いなぁ」って思うこともあるけど、そんなにネガティブに捉えないようにしている。 ...

  • 夜見町民大運動会２０１２

    13 May 2012 | 4:21 am
    ... はしごをはずされたようなもの。信じられません太郎だ。 最後の『区対抗５００才リレー』の他の区の選手の方々が一生懸命、走る姿を見て、参加しなかった事 を残念に思い、悲しくなった。 テーマ 体育行事 注目テーマ 一覧 おでかけ 手作り エコ
 
 
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    Global Voices » East Asia

  • Singapore: Importance Of The Hougang By-election

    Kirsten Han
    16 May 2012 | 4:15 am
    After Singapore's Worker's Party expelled their member – and Member of Parliament for Hougang Single Member Constituency (SMC) – Yaw Shin Leong earlier this year, the residents of Hougang have not been represented by an MP. Come 26 May, they will have the opportunity to elect another. A writ of election has been issued, naming 16 May as Nomination Day, with Polling Day to follow 10 days later. Both the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) and the Worker's Party quickly announced their nominated candidates: Desmond Choo for the former and Png Eng Huat for the latter. Although…

  • China: Motor-Powered Breakfast Crepes

    Juliana Rincón Parra
    16 May 2012 | 12:28 am
    The Presurfer shares a video where we can see how the Beijing Jianbing is made. This large breakfast crepe is made possible thanks to a very steady hand and a motorized wheel that allows a really large and thin crepe to be evenly cooked. Written by Juliana Rincón Parra · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

  • Vietnam: State of E-Commerce

    Mong Palatino
    15 May 2012 | 9:06 pm
    Chip 2.0 writes about the slow development of e-commerce in Vietnam Written by Mong Palatino · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

  • Thailand: Minimum Wage and Cost of Living

    Mong Palatino
    15 May 2012 | 8:57 pm
    Bangkok Pundit translates survey reports on the minimum wage and cost of living conditions in Thailand Written by Mong Palatino · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

  • Taiwan: Could the Future be Nuclear-Free?

    I-fan Lin
    15 May 2012 | 8:26 pm
    Since the nuclear disaster at Fukushima in March 2011, 53 out of the 54 nuclear power plants in Japan have been shut down for security checks. On May 5, 2012, the proportion of Japan's energy supplied by nuclear power reached zero for the first time in 42 years, following the shut down of Tomari’s Unit 3 in Hokkaido. Although the Japanese government is currently seeking to restart some nuclear power plants, local representatives still have serious concerns regarding their safety. In Taiwan, many people have also started talking about the possibility of moving towards a nuclear-free…
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  • Beautiful bright red bags made of fishermen's rope

    Lisa
    15 May 2012 | 1:44 am
    In Episode 2 of We Are All Radioactive, we introduce you to a fisherman who's weaving a hammock out of fishing net rope. The Japanese artist Shigeki Fujishiro used a similar type of rope to make these awesome (but perhaps not very practical) bags. Product page

  • Mitsuru Koga's cool art using color pencils

    Lisa
    10 May 2012 | 4:36 pm
    I got a taste of Mitsuru Koga's Inorganic exhibition at a little shop in Venice, CA yesterday. In the photo it kinda just looks like a pencil sticking out of a wooden block, but it's actually really beautiful in a display case! Link

  • WE ARE ALL RADIOACTIVE: EPISODE 3

    Lisa
    8 May 2012 | 1:19 pm
    In Chapter 3, we see how a hodge podge crew of volunteers has rallied to build a beer garden in a town devastated by the Japanese tsunami. Chapter 1 is here Chapter 2 is here And future chapters can be seen here

  • The Salaryman Project, a collection of pretty photos of Japanese businessmen

    Lisa
    27 Apr 2012 | 11:49 am
    Salaryman Project is a new collection of iconic beautiful fun photographs of Japanese businessmen. Tokyo-based French photographer Bruno Quinquet is currently fundraising for the completion of his self-published book here.

  • WE ARE ALL RADIOACTIVE: EPISODE 2

    Lisa
    25 Apr 2012 | 6:14 pm
    In Chapter 2, a fisherman takes us on a journey around the world on his blue fin tuna boat, and a veteran surfer tells us how his uncle saved his entire family from being swept away by the tsunami. WE ARE ALL RADIOACTIVE is a brand new crowdfunded online documentary film project created by me and TED film director Jason Wishnow. It's about surfers rebuilding northern Japan after the earthquake and tsunami on 3.11.2011. New episodes are released only as they are funded. Visit us online: WWW.WEAREALLRADIOACTIVE.COM Join the conversation on our Facebook fan page.
 
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    Hi, im Akayako from Japan...

  • The actual CBS News 60 Minutes…

    admin
    12 May 2012 | 9:42 pm
    The actual CBS News 60 Minutes presentation over the use of prescription medicine to boost mental ability and results about college campuses was absolutely an eye-opener to me. We often associate these medicines for the look after Add (ADD), or even Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Dysfunction (ADHD), but instead than getting used to calm a youngster or help children focus, they can be being used simply by students, who desire the effects of the drug to enable them to concentrate for long periods of time, to accomplish research papers or perhaps cram for tests. Have a pill and you may get a…

  • Coming from all heard it a tho…

    admin
    12 May 2012 | 9:29 pm
    Coming from all heard it a thousand times just before; Although this is the bit of a clich, right now there happens to be some very solid truth located beneath the sugary, romantic coating of the expressing. Actually a lot more we find out and about about the human heart, as well as the power of cardiovascular system intuition, the greater complex we find that this entire body part really is. We’ve known for centuries that the heart provides daily life to the figure, through the constant pumping of blood vessels. But , since it ends up, the heart also imparts everyday living energy in…

  • Quitting smoking is a real sor…

    admin
    12 May 2012 | 4:34 pm
    Quitting smoking is a real soreness, count on me. If you have in no way used prior to, never just believe it truly is dependent on hurling out of cigarettes and being done along with it. It truly is additional complex. I merely turned 40 and had been believing over exactly what the next phase of gaming is like and i also came perform conclusion: I wish to be healthier. Plus the smokes cigarettes must be the first ones to go. But however the resolution is not hard to create, executing it is a lot difficult. I tried every thing, the gum, the repair and perhaps stopping cold turkey, but…

  • As with every enterprise, ther…

    admin
    12 May 2012 | 11:44 am
    As with every enterprise, there are trade secrets of which everyone is uninformed. Whether its overcharging for time or components or having the work done by unqualified employees, every business segment has ways of successful projects and attaining greater margins. The net design business is not any exception. Let us discuss three secrets your on line designer doesn’t really want you to realize. Knowing these tricks of the trade can save you major time, emotional tension and cash. If you look at your web designer’s portfolio and also you see projects that will seem well above the…

  • You can find several applicati…

    admin
    10 May 2012 | 10:11 pm
    You can find several applications for being saved on the net which can provide a solid idea of how soaring an aircraft will work. Emulator packages give a sneak peek of how it senses to possess a planes which needs to be geared towards a vacation spot whilst operating towards many things that can’t be overlooked, if not the security of such while in the planes is compromised. Master of science is among the firms that have published flight simulators that focus on introducing a graphically state-of-the-art simulator application which gives flight simulator the person the ability to…
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    Kyoto Foodie: Where and what to eat in Kyoto

  • Shiozakura Dashi Taki Soba Gohan Kumiage Yuba Donburi

    Kyoto Foodie
    29 Apr 2012 | 1:55 am
    Ohisashiburi Foodies! Shiozakura Dashi Taki Soba Gohan Kumiage Yuba Donburi: Now that is a mouthful! So, what exactly is it? In short, it is a rice dish topped with condensed soy milk and finished with soy sauce and wasabi. This dish is healthy and creamy yummy, it can easily be made vegan. Shiozakura and Soba Gohan - Ready to Cook Soba Gohan: Japanese short grain rice with fresh buckwheat soba kernels. I love how Japanese add a little of another grain to their white and, or brown rice to make it more nutritious and flavorful. Perhaps the most popular is mugi gohan, ‘mugi’ is oats that…

  • Japanese New Year’s Breakfast Uni Ikura Donburi and Champagne

    Kyoto Foodie
    1 Jan 2011 | 6:11 am
    A happy 2011 to all you foodies out there! 2010 was probably the best year of my life, therefore there were very few KF articles this year, sorry!! KF does still get lots of access, encouraging comments, links and mentions. Thank you! To ring in the new year, to hope for a year of happiness and contentment, people like to have good food and drink. Here is some inspiration, KyotoFoodie style! Uni Ikura Donburi and Champagne Uni Ikura Donburi - detail Even before I was the KyotoFoodie, I dreamt up this breakfast for Japanese ’Oshogatsu’ New Year’s Day. Japanese have osechi on New Year’s…

  • Kyoto Ice Cream: Gion Kinana – Kinako Ice Cream

    Kyoto Foodie
    10 Nov 2010 | 2:11 am
    Gion Kinana’s fresh-made kinako ice cream, more cream than ice, is the best Japanese ice cream that I have had. Their parfaits are completely amazing too. Kinana is located in Gion, just off of Hanamikoji Street, one of Kyoto’s most scenic and historic neighborhoods. I liked Kinana so much I went back for ice cream and parfaits like 10 times before I wrote this article! This one is at the top of on my Do Not Miss list. Kinana - Kinako Ice Cream Kinana - Autumn Chestnut Parfait Kinana ‘Dekitate’ Ice Cream and Kodawari Kinana makes six flavors of ice cream; kinako (roast soybean flour),…

  • Coppa Broth Ramen – Guest Cheffing at Mamezen

    Kyoto Foodie
    30 Oct 2010 | 5:44 am
    Wunderkid Chef Dylan Brawn and I guest cheffed at Mamezen last night (Oct 30, 2010). Mamezen does a gentle and sublime ramen made with Kyoto-style dashi and soy milk which is called Mamezen Soba. We wanted to turn Mamezen Soba on its head and took inspiration from Momofuku’s bacon dashi ramen. We made our broth with homemade coppa and saucisson sausage. We also did yuba donburi. The rice is cooked with an insane amount of sake and dashi. We serve (self-serve so you can get as much as you like) freshly grated wasabi and my own homemade ‘momo-joyu’ summer peaches steeped in…

  • Mamezen Soba: Kyoto-style Dashi Soymilk Ramen

    Kyoto Foodie
    12 Oct 2010 | 3:48 am
    Mamezen is another Kyoto culinary treasure and if you are into noodles and, or soymilk dishes, you should definitely put Mamezen on your list of places to ‘foodie’ when you visit Kyoto. Mamezen serves ramen in a unique soymilk broth: Mamezen Soba. I like the ‘omakase set’ which is soymilk ramen and yuba donburi ricebowl. Mamezen Soba: Soymilk Ramen Mamezen is the creation of a young Kyoto chef named Minoru Yonegawa. His family owns a very nice yudofu (simmered tofu hotpot) restaurant in Kyoto called Toka. Toka make their yudofu in a soymilk-based broth, which is very…
 
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    Japan for Sustainability

  • Japanese NPO Starts Residential Solar Co-Ownership Project

    15 May 2012 | 4:00 pm
    Copyright Ueda Citizen Energy Ueda Citizen Energy, a non-profit organization (NPO) in Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, started in November 2011 a unique project called Ainorikun (Japanese word meaning "car pool") for private investors to jointly install solar panels on sunny rooftop space. The NPO solicits "roof owners" to install their own panels while lending the rooftop space of their houses for "panel owners" who install the solar panels for their houses.

  • [Newsletter] JFS Launches "Learn to Create in Tohoku" Projects: Learning from Tohoku Now and Fostering Hope for the Future

    15 May 2012 | 12:13 am
    JFS Newsletter No.115 (April 2012) The Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, caused catastrophic damage in northeastern Japan, particularly in the three prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima. One year later, rehabilitation and reconstruction work continues in the affected areas. While measures to alleviate the hardships faced by affected people are needed now, rehabilitation and reconstruction work must also continue in the affected areas for some time, and it is now clear that true recovery will take much longer than originally anticipated. JFS believes that during the…

  • MOE Conducts Experiment to Collect Plastic Products at Stores

    14 May 2012 | 4:00 pm
    Copyright: Japan Environment PLANning Co.PLA-PLUS Project is conducted in cooperation with the MOE. The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) conducted a pilot project called "PLA-PLUS Project", organized by Japan Environment PLANning Co., to collect plastic products at stores from February to March 2012. The demonstration tests aimed to resolve issues with the separation, reuse and recycling of collected plastics, and to promote recycling by building an efficient collecting system for plastic products.

  • When the rain stops ...

    14 May 2012 | 1:42 am
    Note: When the rain stops... (Some time in the not too distant future.) * Copyright Contents All the contents in this page has copyright. For permission of any secondary use, please check our copyright policy and contact us at info[at]japanfs.org

  • Eco-financing Becoming Trend among Japanese Financial Institutions

    13 May 2012 | 4:00 pm
    An environmental non-governmental organization (NGO), called "A SEED Japan" (Action for Solidarity, Equality, and Environment and Development), released on January 9, 2012, the results of its survey on the corporate social responsibility activities of Japanese financial institutions. The survey, conducted in October 2011, garnered responses from 29 of 192 Japanese financial institutions contacted, including major city banks, regional banks, labor banks and major credit unions (credit unions with total assets over 500 billion yen, or about U.S.$6.4 billion).
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    LinguaLift blog

  • Recipe: Nattō with raw egg, scallion, nori & rice

    Philip Seyfi
    15 May 2012 | 11:56 am
    You’ve probably heard many stories about nattō, and how these fermented beans are the most repulsive food you can find in Japan, if not in the world. Indeed, not everyone is fond of the taste, looks or odour of this slimey staple of Japanese cuisine, but you should definitely give it a try, as it might just happen to be one of the tastiest meals you’ve ever had. On top of that, nattō is incredibly healthy and cheap, so you could really hit the jackpot if you become a fan. While there are countless ways to eat nattō, raw or cooked (heating it does reduce the health benefits but a toast…

  • The oldest hotel in Japan—and the world

    Greg Scott
    14 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    No, it’s not the crusty old hotel by the highway that you thought was nice and cheap and turned out to be a sleazy love hotel. It’s a ryokan (旅館 – Japanese-style inn) in Yamanashi Prefecture that’s in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest hotel. Photo by kozyndan Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan (西山温泉慶雲館) was founded in 705. It has been operated continuously since then, although it has changed hands over 50 times (reasonable when you consider that’s over 1,300 years). It’s located in the city of Hayakawa in Yamanashi…

  • The unbelievably delicious food of Hokkaido

    Greg Scott
    8 May 2012 | 8:23 pm
    Hokkaido is the northernmost island of Japan, known for its winter sports, pristine beauty, and old-time pioneer feeling. It’s also known for its amazingly delicious culinary treats and no trip to Hokkaido would be complete without stuffing massive amounts of it down your throat. Here’s just a quick sampling of some of its best. Seafood Straight from the Ocean When Japanese folks think of Hokkaido, they think of seafood. It has some of the freshest seafood you’ll find anywhere—shrimp, squid, crab, scallops, sea urchin, salmon and tough-to-identify things with no English…

  • Hokkaido: The wild west of Japan

    Greg Scott
    7 May 2012 | 8:35 pm
    Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost island and it doesn’t feel like Japan at all. It’s full of wide open spaces without a cramped urban area to be found. But it’s not just physically different. Hokkaido has only had a significantly large Japanese population for a little over a century. Before that, it was Japan’s wild frontier. In many ways it still feels like that, with news stories of hikers getting lost in the mountains each year and bear attacks. A trip to Hokkaido is definitely a unique Japan experience. Getting to Hokkaido Of course, you can fly to Hokkaido…

  • Whaling in Japan

    Gregg Muragishi
    7 May 2012 | 6:23 am
    Whaling in Japan has been one of the country’s most controversial issues for several years; however there has recently been growing attention on Japan’s practice from various countries and organizations from all over the world. Photo by Australian Customs The conflicting information that an individual receives through the many blog posts, news reports, and research articles on the topic can be confusing and overwhelming. This article attempts to remain neutral and provide some background knowledge about whaling in Japan so in order to facilitate you to own opinions on the issue. History/…
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    i heart japan - Japan travel tips and info about Japan

  • Travel Japan and Enjoy it

    Guest Writer
    15 May 2012 | 12:49 pm
    Photo by Stuck in Customs on Flickr Looking for a place to go to? Why not travel Japan and explore this amazing country? Tourists have frequented this country because it is a place full of beautiful sceneries and tourist spots. Moreover, travel Japan is a great adventure where you get to meet the nice and wonderful people there. If you decide to travel Japan, you are sure to have an experience you will never forget. Before anything else, you should know that travel Japan might be quite expensive but there are tourist packages that are really affordable. Although the cost of living in Japan is…

  • Back to Canada

    Travis
    8 May 2012 | 11:13 pm
    Well, today is our last day in Asia. We will be leaving Hong Kong later this afternoon for our long flight back to Canada. We had a great time, but it seems I’ve caught another cold. That means I will be returning feeling as crappy as I did when I left :P But the good news is I will be ramping up my posting again. Although our basement is still under construction, and we’ll be digital nomads for a bit, it will be nice to slip into a more regular schedule. Related Posts:We’re Back!Learning Japanese – The Importance of a ScheduleAir Canada Calgary to Tokyo –…

  • Learning Japanese – The Importance of a Schedule

    Travis
    29 Apr 2012 | 10:32 pm
    Photo by wenzday01 on Flickr As we travel and try to work, I’m finding how beneficial it is to have a regular schedule for learning Japanese. Being regular with my learning sessions however, is proving to be somewhat difficult, especially when you’re away from your normal working environment. I’m trying like crazy to not neglect my daily kanji and Japanese lessons, but it has been hard. I find if I try to put off my lessons to later in the day, they end up not getting done. It has really been impressing on me the value of having a regular schedule and then forcing yourself…

  • The Head Cold Conundrum

    Travis
    12 Apr 2012 | 1:53 pm
    Sorry for the lack of updates this last week. I’ve come down with a head cold that has knocked me on my butt. I was planning on putting together Part 3 of my Japanese learning tools, but that will have to wait until next Tuesday. Also, we’ll be travelling for business to Malaysia next week. While I hope to update as much as I can, the reality is there will probably be less activity for the next three weeks or so. Again, sorry…I won’t let it happen again :) Related Posts:Back to CanadaBest Japanese Learning Tools – Part 2: WebsitesLearning Japanese – The…

  • Best Japanese Learning Tools – Part 2: Websites

    Travis
    3 Apr 2012 | 10:23 am
    Photo by Dan_H on Flickr I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of our list of helpful Japanese learning books. In this part we are going to talk about several websites that really help you learn Japanese online. Let’s do this! Top Japanese Learning Websites Even if you’re taking Japanese classes in a traditional classroom environment, supplementing with a few good websites can help a lot. And for those that are learning completely on their own, finding quality online tools to learn Japanese is a must. Since there are so many websites out there that brand themselves as the best Japanese…
 
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    Japan Pulse

  • Rediscovering Japan’s ‘lost generation’ and Tokyo Beatles

    Sandra Barron
    15 May 2012 | 6:50 am
    Life magazine has dug into its vault and recently released a treasure trove of photos that photojournalist Michael Rougier took for a Life special issue on Japan, published in September 1964. Many of them have never been published before. Rougier contrasted the outer appearance of “youth who seem as wholesome and happy as a hot fudge sundae” with the subcultures he found hanging out in jazz clubs and taking drugs at all-night beach parties. In text that accompanied the photos, correspondent Robert Morse wrote: Having sliced the ties that bind them to the home, in desperation…

  • Pulsations (05.10.12)

    Mads Berthelsen
    11 May 2012 | 5:41 am
    Here are the latest Pulsations, links to fresh stories and visuals about Japan, shout-outs to fellow bloggers, and highly clickable stuff that we think you might enjoy. In no particular order, they are . . . Visual guide to Japanese kaomoji (emoticons) (from Japan Sugoi): One of the sad things about coming to Japan is discovering that your phone is able to express more shades of human emotion than you. The only logical step is to start copying the emoticons — Japan Sugoi shows you how. 7-Eleven Japan Asks Kids to Draw Mom’s Portrait for Mother’s Day, Chaos Ensues (from Rocket News 24):…

  • JAL builds a social media campaign, one block at a time

    Felicity Hughes
    9 May 2012 | 1:25 am
    Play with blocks and possiby win a round trip from Tokyo to Boston To celebrate its new route from Tokyo to Boston, JAL has launched a nifty social media campaign called “JAL Social Block Art.” Also available in English for U.S. residents, those taking part get the chance to win air miles, special key holders and even a pair of tickets between Tokyo and Boston. Only users who register via Facebook or Twitter can qualify to win prizes, potentially making it a great viral campaign. Once signed in, you’re presented with 3-D blocks to play with; competitors can add colors and remove or add…

  • Smartphones hook up with domestic appliances

    Felicity Hughes
    7 May 2012 | 7:00 pm
    The iRemocon device controls your domestic appliances via smartphone Want to turn on the AC so that you can come home to a cool apartment, or run a bath before you even step through the door? Clever systems that allow you to remotely control your household appliances from your smartphone are now trending in Japan. The iRemocon from Glamo, Inc  has been on the market since last summer and an Android version went on the market at the end of January this year.  DENSO, working with Toyota Housing and Misawa Homes, has a  system called HEMS (home energy management system) in the…

  • Anyone for French toast … cooked with mayo?

    Felicity Hughes
    5 May 2012 | 12:37 am
    French toast topped with strawberries, served at Cafe Fredy Ginza. Gooey and golden brown, French toast is a versatile food that can be eaten for breakfast with a dollop of syrup or for lunch with a glob of ketchup. Now trending in Japan, according to an online article in Peachy, French toast is an increasingly popular menu item. But, of course, the Japanese have their own inimitable take on the traditional recipe: From over-the-top toppings to unusual secret ingredients, it’s being altered in a variety of creative ways to suit the demanding palates of modern Japanese. To sample the cutting…
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    East Asia Student

  • 白居易 問劉十九 translation: Inviting Liu Shijiu, by Bai Juyi

    Hugh Grigg
    14 May 2012 | 5:37 am
    This is a translation and annotation of the poem 問劉十九 (Wèn Liú Shíjiǔ), by the Tang dynasty poet 白居易 (Bai Juyi). The poem is #246 in the collection 300 Tang Poems, and is also known by its first line: 綠螘新醅酒 (Lǜ Yǐ Xīn Pēi Jiǔ).  Wèn Liú Shíjiǔ [invite] [Liu] [Shi] [Jiu] Inviting Liu Shijiu  Lǜ yǐ xīn pēi jiǔ, [green] [ant] [new] [unfiltered] [rice wine] Green foam on fresh, unfiltered rice wine, hóng ní xiǎo huǒlú. [red] [clay] [small] [fire] [stove] on a little terracotta stove. Wǎn lái tiān yù xuě, [late] [come] [sky] [want]…

  • 10 hanzi you thought you knew how to write correctly

    Hugh Grigg
    7 May 2012 | 10:30 pm
    There was a small piece in one of the Qingdao newspapers the other day about Chinese characters that are commonly written with incorrect stroke orders. I can’t remember which paper now, unfortunately, but I’ve listed the characters and their correct stroke orders here.The article was aimed at Chinese readers, not foreign learners, so it was interesting to see what native speakers consider correct and incorrect. 1. 方 (fāng) How most people write it:How it should be written: Yep, that ㇆ stroke comes before the 丿. The 丿stroke is called 撇 (‘slant’),…

  • Speed up pinyin input: be incomplete!

    Hugh Grigg
    7 May 2012 | 3:21 am
    I made a big discovery about typing Chinese the other day. I use pinyin input to type hanzi (despite singing the praises of Wubi), and up till now have been typing out each pinyin syllable in full.There is actually a faster way. You may have noticed that most pinyin input systems have an option called “allow incomplete pinyin” or something similar. That’s what it’s called in SCIM anyway, or “允许不完整拼音” if you’ve got your operating system in Chinese:Perhaps this was common knowledge to everyone else, and I’ve been blundering on in…

  • 蘇軾 辛丑十一月十九日，既與子由別于鄭州西門之外，馬上賦詩一篇寄之 translation

    Hugh Grigg
    26 Apr 2012 | 5:40 am
    This is a translation and annotation of the poem 辛丑十一月十九日，既與子由別于鄭州西門之外，馬上賦詩一篇寄之, by the Song dynasty poet 蘇軾 (Su Shi). The poem was written to Su Shi’s brother upon his departure, and is also known by its first line 不飲胡為醉兀兀.  Xīnchǒu shíyīyuè shíjiǔrì, [1061AD][] [November][][] [19th][][] November 19th 1061, jì yǔ Zǐyóu bié yú Zhèngzhōu xīmén zhī wài, [since] [with] [Zi] [You] [part] [at] [Zheng] [Zhou] [west] [gate] ['s] [outside] After Parting with Ziyou outside Zhengzhou’s…

  • 沈佺期 雜詩 translation: Miscellaneous Poem, by Shen Quanqi

    Hugh Grigg
    25 Apr 2012 | 1:42 am
    This is a translation and annotation of the poem 雜詩 (Zá Shī), by the Tang dynasty poet 沈佺期 (Shen Quanqi) (also known as 雲卿). The poem is #95 in the collection 300 Tang Poems, and is also known by its first line: 聞道黃龍戍 (Wéndào Huánglóng Shù). Zá Shī [miscellaneous] [poem] Miscellaneous Poem  Wéndào Huánglóng shù, [hear] [say] [Yellow] [Dragon] [garrison] One hears of the Yellow Dragon garrison; pín nián bù jiě bīng. [repeat] [year] [not] [dissolve] [army] for many years they have not been granted leave. Kělián guī lǐ yuè, [can] [pity]…
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    Akihabara News

  • NTT DOCOMO Unveils 19 New Mobile Devices

    Daimaou - G.G-B
    16 May 2012 | 12:51 am
    19 New mobile devices, that’s an impressive number, but rest assure none all of them are that amazing so let’s focus on the cool ones with first the : Xperia GX SO-04D : Sony’s Android 4.0 latest Walkman phone that come with a 1.5GHz dual Core CPU MSM8960, 16GB of ROM, 1GB of RAM, a 13.1Mpix CMOS Exmor R for mobile sensor, GPS, Bluetooth 3.1 DLNA, WiFi, LTE, NOTTV and a nice 4.7” 720p screen ARROWS X F-10D is actually KDDI’s Arrows Z ISW13F little brother. Here as well the ARROWS X F-10D ...

  • Honda Announces New UNI-CUB Personal Mobility Device Designed for Harmony with People

    Daimaou - G.G-B
    15 May 2012 | 6:53 pm
    Honda today unveiled the new UNI-CUB personal mobility device, designed for harmony with people. Featuring a compact design and comfortable saddle, UNI-CUB offers the same freedom of movement in all directions that a person enjoys while walking. Representing the evolution of the U3-X personal mobility device that Honda announced in 2009, UNI-CUB features Honda’s proprietary balance control technology and the world’s first omni-directional driving wheel system (Honda Omni Traction ...

  • [RECAP] KDDI au Summer Smartphone Lineup

    DigInfo TV
    15 May 2012 | 6:37 pm
    This Video is provided to you by DigInfo.tv, AkihabaraNews Official Partner. - URBANO PROGRESSO “This model is called the Urbano Progresso. One big feature is a capability called the Smart Sonic Receiver. This communicates the other person’s voice through sound and vibration by shaking the whole display. This enables you to hear even if the handset isn’t aligned with your ear. You can shut out sounds from your surroundings by covering your ear with it, so you can hear ...

  • Sony Europe announces its new Ivy Bridge Vaio S and Vaio Z Series

    Daimaou - G.G-B
    15 May 2012 | 6:37 am
    VAIO S Series Available in a choice of 33.7cm (13.3”) and 39.5cm (15.5”) screen sizes, the slim, full-flat design of VAIO S Series 13 and 15 slip easily into a travel bag for quick access whenever you need it. The series is elegantly styled in tough, weight-saving materials like magnesium, aluminium and carbon fibre (depends on model), with even S Series 15 models tipping the scales at below 2kg. All S Series feature a new slot-in optical drive (Blu-ray Disc or DVD) that maintains the ...

  • LG’s first Quad Core Smartphone, the Optimus 4X HD heads to Europe this June!

    Daimaou - G.G-B
    15 May 2012 | 6:21 am
    LG announced that the Optimus 4X HD, which was first introduced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February, will be available next month in key markets starting in Western Europe. Beyond the fast NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, LG’s latest Android 4.0 device boasts the biggest battery among Quad-Core smartphones at 2,150mAh and a superb high resolution viewing experience with in the 4.7-inch True HD IPS display. Since MWC, the Optimus 4X HD has been upgraded with new SiO+ battery technology, Quick ...
 
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    Culture Japan - Your portal to Japan

  • Moekanji

    15 May 2012 | 1:09 am
    Thanks to you, Moekana was an overnight success which sold out during the pre-order period leading to a second production run. Through my own experience of learning Japanese, I wanted to make Japanese learning more fun and developed the Hiragana learning series called Moekana. Many of you asked for something to help you learn Kanji too - so here it is - Moekanji! Kanji are the Chinese characters used in the Japanese language which you need to learn if you want to be proficient in lingo. The Moe Japanese learning series fuses Japanese Moe culture together with education and contains just…

  • Japanese Retro Games

    14 May 2012 | 3:57 am
    As its name suggests - Super Potato is a fortress filled with retro games covering all eras - everything from Nintendo Game Watch to PC Engine, Megadrive, Super Famicom, Dreamcast and more.Today we are back at Super Potato filming once again - this time round for my morning TV show called Check Time. This week we cover the top Famicom games - my corner also uploaded to my YouTube account. After filming at AmiAmi, we headed over to Akihabara to film 2 more episodes. This is my fave carpark in Akihabara behind Akiba Cultures Zone. I think its also the most expensive too due to its central…

  • Taneshima Popura Nendoroid

    12 May 2012 | 4:26 pm
    My most fave character form the anime series Working! is Taneshima Popura. A small bundle of joy who is surprisingly big for her size. Some Popura-chan in action below. Today we take a look at what Popura-chan has been up to since she joined us in the office after leaving Wagnaria.Popura-chan makes us a bowl of ramen - tastes good!Popura-chan tries her dab hand at making some Cinnamon Toast tasting Frosties for me with some of that GABAN cinnamon powder - tastes good too!Popura-chan was released by Good Smile Company recently and if you would like her to be around you too then you can try one…

  • Moekana Tournament Card

    10 May 2012 | 10:55 pm
    This is the current Moekana tournament card which you can get starting tonight at Culture Japan Night Tokyo, Anime Festival Asia Malaysia and Anime Expo - but only if you beat me! The rules are at moekana.com - practice with friends first - you can even group up to play against me if you want. Will be giving these out (only if you beat me) at events that I attend worldwide from now on - and yes - you obviously need your own pack of Moekana to play ^^How many hiragana/words have you learned from Moekana so far?

  • MIrai-chan Curry 2

    10 May 2012 | 9:16 pm
    Back in 2010, I worked with the Max Factory run Indian restaurant Indotei, to develop and bring you Mirai-chan Curry. 2 years later, Indotei and I now bring you Mirai-chan Curry 2 which will be served at tonights Culture Japan Night in Akihabara Tokyo at the Good Smile Cafe.If you cant be there tonight then be not sad - I plan to run the event on a regular basis now that I have a few extra hands on deck.Tonight we have Hideki Kenmochi (the guy that invented Vocaloid), Obitsu, Kotobukiya, Cybernoids, Ascii Media Works, Kadokawa, Animate, King Records, The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade…
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    Japan Probe

  • BBC Global Poll: Japan Has Most Positive Influence in the World

    James
    15 May 2012 | 9:22 pm
    The BBC World Service has conducted its annual poll measuring perceptions of different countries’ influence in the world. Japan has topped the ranking: “Japan is seen as having the most　positive influence in the world　among all countries evaluated, and　views have improved slightly since 2011. On average, in the 21 tracking countries surveyed, 58 per cent of respondents hold positive views of Japan’s influence (up from 56% in 2011), and 21 per cent hold negative views (up 1 point from 2011). This very favourable global picture is reflected in the picture by country: out of…

  • Photo: Tommy Lee Jones as General Douglas MacArthur

    James
    15 May 2012 | 8:55 pm
    Earlier this year, it was reported that Tommy Lee Jones would be playing the role of General Douglas MacArthur in Emperor, a film set during the American occupation of Japan. To help spread the hype about the film, the studio recently released this promotional photograph: “Tommy Lee Jones turned up on set that day with that hat, those glasses, and — bang — he was the man,” director Peter Webber says. Jones concedes, in typical bluntness: “I bear no resemblance to Douglas MacArthur whatsoever. But a campaign hat, some aviator glasses and a corncob pipe go a long…

  • Tokyo Disney Resort Allows Gay Weddings

    James
    14 May 2012 | 9:27 pm
    Since 2007, Disney has allowed gay couples to participate in its Fairy Tale Wedding program in the United States. Tokyo Disney Resort (TDR) has not banned gay weddings, but they did have some restrictions in place. When LGBT rights activist Koyuki Higashi contacted TDR this year to inquire about holding a lesbian wedding there, officials told her that they would allow a ceremony, but would not allow both women to wear wedding dresses. Somebody had to dress as a woman and somebody had to dress as a man…

  • Sea Shepherd Leader Paul Watson Detained in Germany

    James
    14 May 2012 | 8:02 pm
    Paul Watson, the infamous leader of Sea Shepherd, has been detained in Germany. Costa Rican authorities had made a request for his extradition: “He is accused of using his ship, the Farley Mowat, to ram a vessel called the Varadero, which was observed conducting illegal shark-finning activities. In claims filed with prosecutors in 2002, several members of the crew described Watson’s behaviour as attempted murder.” It is interesting that Germany acted based on the Costa Rican arrest warrant. Japan supposedly issued an international arrest warrant for Watson in 2010, but…

  • Japanese Woman Opens Cat Cafe in Vienna

    James
    13 May 2012 | 7:06 pm
    The BBC reports that a Japanese-style cat cafe (Cafe Neko), has opened in Vienna. Its Austrian customers seem to like it: “The cafe was opened by Vienna resident Takako Ishimitsu, a 47-year-old woman originally from Nagoya, Japan, who moved to Vienna some 20 years ago. She had to spend three years negotiating with city officials over hygiene issues for the cafe to be allowed to open. Ishimitsu said she decided to open a cat cafe in order to introduce some aspects of Japanese culture to Vienna.” — Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) Dannychoo.com –…
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    Kirainet.com - A geek in Japan

  • 100.000 LEDs and Tokyo Sky Tree Light Up

    kirai
    14 May 2012 | 5:47 pm
    Tokyo Sky Tree will open up to visitors on May 22nd, to go up to the observation platform will cost 3,000 yen. Tokyo Sky Tree is 634 meters tall and is the second tallest structure in the world after Burj Khalifa in Dubai. To celebrate the hotaru (firefly) festival during last weekend 100,000 balls with LED lights were released to Sumida river and the Tokyo Sky Tree lighted up using LED technology provided by Panasonic. Photos by Spoon Tamago and video by Steven Nagata

  • Ooyama

    kirai
    13 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Ooyama 大山 is a 1,250 meter tall mountain ideal to spend a day trip out of Tokyo. It reminded me a lot of of Mount Takao, as there is also a couple of temples half way during the climb, a Shinto temple and a Buddhist temple, and from the top you can see all the Kanto plain. If you are lucky you can also see Mount Fuji. We were not To get there you have to go to Isehara station (Odakyu line) and from there take a 20 minutes bus until the head of the trail. It will take around three hours taking it easy to climb to the top. Xavi! We miss you! Beware of bears!

  • Berserk, Golden Age Arc

    kirai
    4 May 2012 | 9:37 am
    Berserk is a manga by Kentaro Miura that has been being published since 1989. The art is impressive and the story gets you completely hooked, specially during the first 5-10 volumes. In addition to the art, the fantasy-horror feel and the atmosphere of a particular medieval Europe, the best is the collision of the personalities of the main two characters Guts and Griffith. I like a lot how Kentaro Miura plays with the feelings of the reader as the story is unveiled and you start feeling attached to one character or the other but at the same time you like both of them. I liked it until volumes…

  • Seaweed Shop

    kirai
    2 May 2012 | 12:42 pm
    These are photos of a shop in Shibuya that only sells seaweed. All kinds of seaweed! One of the most well-known seaweed is nori, which is used to wrap maki-sushi. It is also eaten as a snack or along with steamed rice. When I arrived to Japan I didn’t like it that much but after some years here I am now an addict to nori. Another seaweed that is very popular in Japan is kombu, used to flavor soups in Japan as well as in China and Korea. It is also used to make a kind of tea called kombucha. Wakame is another seaweed usually used in soups (as for example in miso soup) and also in salads.

  • My Top 10 Gadgets

    kirai
    29 Apr 2012 | 11:00 am
    The other day through Twitter @ignacio_valdes pointed me to this post I wrote in 2007 and asked me what computers I was using right now. It’s been almost 5 years and I am still using the Mac Mini I mentioned back then. The interesting thing is that lately more than “computers” to carry out several different tasks, I tend to use devices dedicated exclusively to a specific use or purpose. I believe that having different devices to perform different tasks is better in order to be able to focus in a specific task. For example, it is difficult to read a book in PDF in your computer screen…
 
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    Tokyo Times

  • A lonely Tokyo park scene?

    Lee
    15 May 2012 | 6:30 pm
    An unusually quiet scene that yet somehow. In some ways. Sums up Tokyo.

  • Japanese zombies in a Tokyo park

    Lee
    14 May 2012 | 6:30 pm
    At the weekend in particular, Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park offers the visitor such a vast array of sights and sounds that it’s hard to be genuinely surprised by anything anymore. An attribute that means musicians, cosplayers and entertainers of all descriptions are not only commonplace, but what one comes to expect. And yet despite this, zombies, on a Saturday afternoon, did raise the odd eyebrow or two. A small band of marauding living dead who, despite the rather antisocial behaviour of begging for brains, did still have the decency to be impeccably dressed.

  • Fight the power?

    Lee
    13 May 2012 | 6:30 pm
    Just over a week ago, the last of Japan’s 54 nuclear power plants was shut down; a process that took almost 14 months. Primarily they were taken offline to conduct safety tests, but huge public opposition also played its part. A role that will be even more of a factor in the future when it comes to deciding which, if any of the reactors, should be restarted. Unusually rare and vocal protest that it’d be nice to think could next be aimed directly at Tepco, the corrupt culprit behind the meltdown. Then there’s the ageing and faceless suits that are running Japan, as well as…

  • The touching sight of an old parrot and its equally ageing owner

    Lee
    10 May 2012 | 6:30 pm
    Seeing an old lady looking after a load of goldfish with a parrot on her shoulder is definitely not an everyday sight. Or at least it’s not if you don’t live anywhere near an old lady who sells fish and has a parrot. But add to that the rather forlorn appearance of said pet, along with it looking about the same age as its owner, and the pair are even more unusual. And yet seeing the two of them so quiet and content in each other’s company was arguably even more striking — not to mention touching.

  • Japan’s saddest cowboy?

    Lee
    8 May 2012 | 6:30 pm
    There are lots of tedious jobs in Tokyo. Perhaps none more so than the holding up of placards promoting the likes of pachinko or new properties. And for this fella, in contrast to his rather jaunty hat, the toad work, to paraphrase Philip Larkin, seems to be well and truly squatting on his life.
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    世論 What Japan Thinks

  • Japanese losing interest in next-generation games machines

    Ken Y-N
    15 May 2012 | 10:36 am
    goo Research recently took their third regular look at games machines, and according to the report on japan.internet.com, interest in the newest devices is waning. Demographics Between the 23rd and 26th of April 2012 1,083 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.8% of the sample were male, 16.3% in their teens, 18.2% in their twenties, 21.2% in their thirties, 16.3% in their forties, and 28.0% aged fifty or older. The article doesn’t report the question I would like to hear answered, why people are not interested in the new…

  • Japanese would prefer no mobile ads

    Ken Y-N
    14 May 2012 | 12:07 pm
    goo Research recently conducted their fourth regular survey into advertisement viewing on mobile devices, and the figures reported by japan.internet.com were much less anti-ad than I expected. Demographics Between the 16th and 19th of April 2012 1,037 members of the goo Research mobile monitor group completed a mobile phone (including smartphone) based survey. 59.0% of the sample were female, 3.5% in their teens, 28.4% in their twenties, 32.7% in their thirties, 25.3% in their forties, and 10.2% aged fifty or older. I only surf the mobile web occasionally, so I can’t say I’ve…

  • Fifteen ways Facebook friends annoy Japanese

    Ken Y-N
    13 May 2012 | 10:34 am
    Or any other SNS for that matter, in this goo Ranking survey looking at what words or actions by friends on social networking services rile people. Demographics Over the 29th of February and the 1st of March 2012 1,175 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 61.4% of the sample were female, 10.0% in their teens, 16.5% in their twenties, 29.3% in their thirties, 24.1% in their forties, 10.6% in their fifties, and 9.5% aged sixty or older. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a…

  • Japan’s 20 most sinister omens

    Ken Y-N
    13 May 2012 | 9:56 am
    goo Ranking took a look at what people think are sinister omens. Demographics Over the 29th of February and the 1st of March 2012 1,175 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 61.4% of the sample were female, 10.0% in their teens, 16.5% in their twenties, 29.3% in their thirties, 24.1% in their forties, 10.6% in their fifties, and 9.5% 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 the total sample. Not being the superstitious type, none of them really…

  • Less than one in ten have bought video online

    Ken Y-N
    8 May 2012 | 11:21 am
    japan.internet.com recently reported on a survey conducted by goo Research into video sharing services, and found, not much to anyone’s surprise I would guess, that very few had actually paid for video content online. Demographics Between the 10th and 13th of April 2012 1,095 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.9% of the samples were male, 16.6% in their teens, 18.3% in their twenties, 21.6% in their thirties, 16.0% in their forties, 15.6% in their fifties, and 11.9% aged sixty or older. I use video sites sometimes,…
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    Shibuya246

  • Ninnaji Temple

    Shibuya246
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:23 pm
    Rising above the Sakura Walking up the road to Ninnaji from the station Entering Ninnaji Temple A walkway of sakura Serene Hidden in the Sakura The Sakura here were feeling the rain a bit It might have bee raining, but there were lots of people out Sakura falling on the ground One of the smaller structures on the site The pagoda peeks out above the sakura Close up of nature The umbrellas made the scene look all the more interesting Rain falling on the Temple roof Map of the Ninnaji Temple grounds Waiting for the train home Related posts: Ryoanji Temple There are 2 sets of gardens at Ryoanji…

  • Kyoto Imperial Palace

    Shibuya246
    30 Apr 2012 | 8:46 am
    A leisurely walk past the Kyoto Imperial Palace (京都御所) inside the Kyoto Gyoen. Related posts: Imperial Palace Outer Grounds The Imperial Palace is located in the center of Tokyo.... Kyoto View It is always nice to climb the many towers that... Nijo Castle, Kyoto Nijo Castle (Nijojo) in Kyoto is a great place to...

  • Mt Fuji from Shinaksen, Sony NEX-7 video

    Shibuya246
    25 Apr 2012 | 4:50 am
    Mt Fuji from Shinkansen On my way from Kyoto to Tokyo the other day, I captured this HD video with the new Sony NEX-7. I am not sure how to edit or mix in some music, so here it is raw. The stabilizer on the NEX-7 seemed to work quite well. Related posts: Mt Fuji on Valentines Day It is snowing tonight in Tokyo, a bit heavier than... Boys Day, Mt Fuji I went away on the weekend to play golf near... Mt Fuji Golf I went on a trip to Mt Fuji to play...

  • Kamogawa Sakura

    Shibuya246
    19 Apr 2012 | 10:20 pm
    Kamogawa Another photo I took of the Kamogawa river area with Sakura here. This was a really nice afternoon walk with good weather and great atmosphere on the river bank. Related posts: Sakura Weekend As the Sakura season is finishing for another year, I... Kamogawa, Kyoto The Kamo river (kamogawa) runs through Kyoto, historically providing an... Meguro River I have been going to the gym in Meguro recently...

  • Sakura Weekend

    Shibuya246
    17 Apr 2012 | 5:12 am
    A few really nice sakura trees here with branches reaching down to the water below As the Sakura season is finishing for another year, I took some shots on the weekend taking advantage of the good weather. Sakura with blue skies Couples enjoying the banks of the Kamogawa River with Sakura Kamogawa A touch of HDR with the Sakura on the riverbanks Where did you enjoy the Sakura this year? Related posts: Sakura Bento Lunch April 1st every year is the start of a new... Sakura on its way! The prediction for Sakura to arrive in Tokyo this year... Sakura in Sakuragaoka-cho With the cold weather, the…
 
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    Skeptikai

  • Advertising to the Brain – Is Neuromarketing Ethical?

    Ryo
    12 May 2012 | 11:44 am
    Have you enjoyed any recent commercials you saw on TV? Was there one that you considered profound, hilarious, moving, or inspiring? Advertisements nowadays are sometimes designed to appeal to you by using an increasingly popular procedure called “neuromarketing.” Neuromarketing is … Continue reading →

  • Land of the Falling Sun – Japan On its Way to Becoming an Insignificant Nation

    Ryo
    6 May 2012 | 12:02 am
    It pains me to say this nation that I love so much is falling off the world stage as a major player; but it needs to be said. A few weeks ago, India overtook Japan as the world’s third-biggest economy … Continue reading →

  • Baby Names and Hunger Games

    Ryo
    4 May 2012 | 1:30 am
    Many people believe that the name you give your child will influence certain things about them. There are, after all, giant books of  baby names, some of which include a description of what the name means or represents. But people … Continue reading →

  • Predicting Ten Thousand Deaths in the Next Big Tokyo Earthquake

    Ryo
    29 Apr 2012 | 10:44 am
    Millions of people in Japan are getting ever more nervous that “The Big One” will come soon – the earthquake that strikes Tokyo, the heart of Japan. This concern is certainly justified, ever since the 2011 earthquake raised the probability … Continue reading →

  • Top 5 Reasons that Prove Life is Not Fair (in April)

    Ryo
    26 Apr 2012 | 7:57 am
    There have been a lot of recent news stories that make us just sit back in awe. April was full of them, and some were more publicized than others. Let’s look at the stories that were not so publicized, under five categories … Continue reading →
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    Shibuya246

  • Ninnaji Temple

    Shibuya246
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:23 pm
    Rising above the Sakura Walking up the road to Ninnaji from the station Entering Ninnaji Temple A walkway of sakura Serene Hidden in the Sakura The Sakura here were feeling the rain a bit It might have bee raining, but there were lots of people out Sakura falling on the ground One of the smaller structures on the site The pagoda peeks out above the sakura Close up of nature The umbrellas made the scene look all the more interesting Rain falling on the Temple roof Map of the Ninnaji Temple grounds Waiting for the train home Related posts: Ryoanji Temple There are 2 sets of gardens at Ryoanji…

  • Kyoto Imperial Palace

    Shibuya246
    30 Apr 2012 | 8:46 am
    A leisurely walk past the Kyoto Imperial Palace (京都御所) inside the Kyoto Gyoen. Related posts: Imperial Palace Outer Grounds The Imperial Palace is located in the center of Tokyo.... Kyoto View It is always nice to climb the many towers that... Nijo Castle, Kyoto Nijo Castle (Nijojo) in Kyoto is a great place to...

  • Mt Fuji from Shinaksen, Sony NEX-7 video

    Shibuya246
    25 Apr 2012 | 4:50 am
    Mt Fuji from Shinkansen On my way from Kyoto to Tokyo the other day, I captured this HD video with the new Sony NEX-7. I am not sure how to edit or mix in some music, so here it is raw. The stabilizer on the NEX-7 seemed to work quite well. Related posts: Mt Fuji on Valentines Day It is snowing tonight in Tokyo, a bit heavier than... Boys Day, Mt Fuji I went away on the weekend to play golf near... Mt Fuji Golf I went on a trip to Mt Fuji to play...

  • Kamogawa Sakura

    Shibuya246
    19 Apr 2012 | 10:20 pm
    Kamogawa Another photo I took of the Kamogawa river area with Sakura here. This was a really nice afternoon walk with good weather and great atmosphere on the river bank. Related posts: Sakura Weekend As the Sakura season is finishing for another year, I... Kamogawa, Kyoto The Kamo river (kamogawa) runs through Kyoto, historically providing an... Meguro River I have been going to the gym in Meguro recently...

  • Sakura Weekend

    Shibuya246
    17 Apr 2012 | 5:12 am
    A few really nice sakura trees here with branches reaching down to the water below As the Sakura season is finishing for another year, I took some shots on the weekend taking advantage of the good weather. Sakura with blue skies Couples enjoying the banks of the Kamogawa River with Sakura Kamogawa A touch of HDR with the Sakura on the riverbanks Where did you enjoy the Sakura this year? Related posts: Sakura Bento Lunch April 1st every year is the start of a new... Sakura on its way! The prediction for Sakura to arrive in Tokyo this year... Sakura in Sakuragaoka-cho With the cold weather, the…
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    East Meets West Blog

  • Dilemmas in life

    Makoto
    14 May 2012 | 12:39 pm
    Recently I went through a bit of frustrating situation. Nothing is serious. We live as being surrounded by many choices: that may be why sometimes we encounter a conflict of choices. It’s a luxurious conflict, I should say. As a mother and a woman, we all go through emotional dilemmas time to time. We want to do something for our life but sometimes we are put in a situation to choose between a sacrifice of family life and a sacrifice of ours. We always put our family first, don’t we? But I don’t know if I should call it “sacrifice”, because it’s rewarding…

  • My friends

    Makoto
    9 May 2012 | 6:18 am
    By CREATVDAD Miyuki is my best friend who I have known for twenty-two years. We make sure we talk on the phone regularly and we send a birthday present to each other every year. The other day, I got a birthday present from her. She knows exactly what I like and what looks good on me. She is that kind of friend. Only she and I have stayed in touch after we graduated from college. As you may have experienced, many college-time friends start going to different ways after graduation. Miyuki and I are so much similar. We dated a couple of boys but we couldn’t meet a man of destiny for a long…

  • A memory of my childhood

    Makoto
    7 May 2012 | 5:29 pm
    I am from a middle-class family. But, my parents got married when they were very young: mom was nineteen years old and my dad was twenty-one. So, we lived in a tiny tiny place with one room and a tiny kitchen until I turned seven years old. Around that time, my dad business started taking off and we had a house built near a mountain and moved in there. I had asthma when I was little, so my parents wanted to live somewhere close to nature so that I could live with fresh air. I have many fond memories from my childhood as we all do. One of my most favorites is a scene of eating lunch in a…

  • Make your own trail

    Makoto
    1 May 2012 | 2:23 pm
    My six year-old daughter loves reading books. She reads to my husband at night as sitting together with him. Sometimes she gets stuck with some words which she isn’t sure how to read. Then my husband tries to help her. She tells him, “Don’t say it until I ask you to do so.” My husband laughs and says, “Ha ha ha! She is so much like you!” Yes, she is the exact copy of me. When I was growing up in Japan, my mom often told me, “Why don’t you stay on the track I told you to be on? Why can’t you listen to me?” She was a typical Japanese…

  • Seeking new challenges in my life

    Makoto
    29 Apr 2012 | 6:55 am
    “Mom, I will practice piano now”, my six year-old daughter told me after lunch. She always practices piano after lunch and before she goes to kindergarten. It’s a great routine we established. She goes to kindergarten only in the afternoon. She starts creating beautiful piano sound. Total peace. I look at outside through the window. Everything is the same and calm. It has been a week after my husband finished his command tour. I am totally relaxed. I guess I was working so hard to protect my happiness and family during his command tour: I didn’t know that. Sometimes,…
 
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    supermerlion

  • Banana Choco

    Sho
    15 May 2012 | 11:11 pm
    Banana and chocolate is one of those timelessly good combinations, whether it be conventional ice cream sundaes or Japanese only snacks like the Tokyo Banana. Meiji’s Choco Banana (バナナチョコ) bring the two together in cute bite sized form, perfect for little children’s hands. Chocolate coated bananas have long been a staple festival food in Japan. You’ll see them at their equivalent of the pasar malam everywhere. But when craving for the taste, you can always find the Banana Choco readily available in stores. These used to be commonly found in mini-marts in…

  • Manatsu no Sounds Good

    Mus
    14 May 2012 | 10:31 pm
    As the AKB48 4th Senbatsu Election looms near, the single picked to carry the voting tickets is Manatsu no Sounds Good. The group’s 26th major single, it is a summer-themed single; this means a cheery song, the beach, and of course, bikinis. While many did not expect much from Manatsu no Sounds Good, it brings a few surprises. Type A: Limited and Regular versions respectively. The first is the ridiculously inflated number of girls in the lineup. While past singles have generally hovered around the magical number of sixteen girls, Manatsu no Sounds Good has a whopping thirty-six girls in…

  • AKB48 x B.L.T. 2011 U-17 Spring Series

    Yan
    13 May 2012 | 11:09 am
    Aside from the sparse updates from me recently, I’ve finally gotten around scanning thorough most of my U-17 collection for the sake of backup purposes and to share it with the rest of the world. As most of these pictures have come from the tedious process of procuring the photos physically over the course of several months, I sincerely hope that readers will make an effort to link back to us when putting them up elsewhere. Please enjoy the good quality scans of the 2011 U-17 Spring series. Kawaei Rina. Kawaei Rina. Ichikawa Miori. Ichikawa Miori. Kwaei Rina and Ichikawa Miori. Kojima…

  • Tokyo Train Guide: Beyond Tokyo

    Sho
    12 May 2012 | 12:02 pm
    Those looking to see a more diverse Japan would be happy to know that there are a variety of attractions nearby. Be it for a relaxing nature stroll or experiencing the exhilarating rides at Fuji-Q Highland and Tokyo Disney Resort, there are a great many options for day trips that can be accessed within a couple hours travel from central Tokyo. Knowing the popularity of such sites for both tourist and Tokyoites, many companies offer special discount travel options to get there on the cheap. Tokyo Disney Resort Despite the name, the Tokyo Disney Resort is located at the adjacent prefecture of…

  • JKT48 Theater Debut

    Mus
    11 May 2012 | 1:36 pm
    On the 17th of May, Indonesia-based 48 sister group JKT48 makes their long awaited theater debut. Staging a total of 7 shows spanning 4 days, the girls will finally be able to showcase themselves properly to the local audiences in a setting that’s closer to what the fans in Japan get. With a theater of course also comes registration for tickets. Supermerlion presents a short translated guide on how to do so (mouseover the images to see translations). Details on how to apply and a sample e-mail. The shows will be staged at Nyi Ageng Serang, a venue in South Jakarta. Aside from the first…
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    All Events - Japanese-City.com

  • 05/17/2012 - Griffith Observatory - Free Daily

    17 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Visitor NoticeHours have been changed.  Monday & Tuesday closed.  Check web site for latest hours. HoursWed - Fri: 12 noon - 10pmSat-Sun: 10am - 10pmMon & Tues: closedAboutGriffith Observatory is an icon of Los Angeles, a national leader in public astronomy, a beloved civic gathering place, and one of southern California's most popular attractions. The Observatory is located on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, just above the Los Feliz neighborhood. It is 1,134 feet above sea level and is visible from many parts of the Los Angeles basin.This address can be…

  • 05/16/2012 - Japanese Friendship Garden - Balboa Park

    16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    Background of Japanese GardenThe Japanese Friendship Garden is an expression of friendship between San Diego and its sister city Yokohama that binds the two cultures to create a unique experience for visitors from all over the world. Representing a new concept in the development of a Japanese garden outside of Japan, the Japanese Friendship Garden is well-known for its unique setting, stone arrangement, Koi pond, exhibition hall and ornamental tree collection. As a valued asset to Balboa Park, the Japanese Friendship Garden of San Diego is also an educational resource to the community,…

  • 05/16/2012 - The Studio Where the Yellow Brick Road Once Wound through Munchkin Land.. - Sony Pictures Studios Tour

    16 May 2012 | 11:30 am
    Take the Sony Pictures Studios Tour and step back into a legendary time. Located on one of the world's most famous studio lots, our walking tour gives you a rare glimpse of old Hollywood's glory days and an insider's view of a state-of-the-art motion picture studio.Not only is this the studio where the Yellow Brick Road once wound through Munchkin Land, it is also the place where the agents from 'Men In Black' battled aliens from outer space and Spider-Man catapulted from skyscraper to skyscraper. Our dynamic studio tour guides will shed light on the film and television production process by…

  • 05/16/2012 - Kimono in the 20th Century Exhibition - Pacific Asia Museum

    16 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    This exhibition features a gift in 2008 from the June Tsukamoto-Lyon collection, which provided breadth and further quality to Pacific Asia Museum's already substantial collection.  Kimono in the exhibition run from the most formal type reserved for very special occasions to children's clothing, undergarments and light summer wear.  Fabric patterns in the kimono range from deep black with reserve details in white, to Op-art that dazzles the eyes, with each garment giving a strong sense of the wearer's taste, the modes of contemporary fashion, or requirements of the season in which the…

  • 05/16/2012 - 2012 Camp Musubi 10th Anniversary Registration Out! Apply (July 16th - 20th, 2012)

    16 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    What is Camp Musubi?Camp Musubi is a weeklong day camp that uses fun activities to teach young people about Japanese American heritage. Camp Musubi takes place around Nisei Week, usually in mid-August. The goal of the camp is to spark interest in the Japanese American culture and community through hands-on experiences and interactions with people in the community. Participants will learn from a variety of cultural and community "experts" and do group activities with a college-aged leader.When is Camp Musubi?The dates for Camp Musubi 2012 are July 16-20th. The program runs from 9am to 4pm.
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    nekoblog

  • Into the Wild

    nekochan
    11 May 2012 | 11:43 am
    Hello Dear Readers! I wanted to show you a little something of what I did during the last two weeks. I’m not the most reliable blogger because I keep going on mini hiatuses without notification but at least I keep making pictures of everything that captures my interest like a decent blogger. As you may know, I started a small vegetable patch a few weeks ago when I was in Italy. The trip is pretty long, to be precise, it takes about three to four hours to get there! During this trip we cross one sometimes two mountain passes to get over the Swiss alps. The weather and especially the…

  • Hello Moscow!

    nekochan
    9 May 2012 | 9:25 am
    Hello sweet peas! I feel so guilty for not blogging in such a long time! I missed reading your blog entries so much and can’t wait to catch up on them. Right now I’m in the middle of my admission examinations and on Sunday we’re leaving for Moscow but I’ll be back four days later and then I’ll blog like there’s no tomorrow! Saturday and Sunday the JapAniManga Night is taking place in Winterthur and I would really love to go there but my entire weekend is so booked up! The flight to Moscow leaves Sunday evening so I may still have the time to go there for a…

  • Nekochan’s Pirate Treasure

    nekochan
    24 Apr 2012 | 8:25 am
    I think I’ve never showed you a picture of my room or other personal things but there’s always a first time. I hope you’ll enjoy it! What do you do when you’re on holidays but it’s cold and rainy outside? Well you could go to the mall and do some shopping or watch a movie at the cinema but I decided to fulfill one of the points I mentioned in my Summer To Do List and tidied up my dresser. Not the things that are inside the dresser but the things that are on top of it. I use the surface as an additional shelf space for my girly stuff, namely jewellery, nail polish…

  • Sartre, Schiller and Dandelions

    nekochan
    22 Apr 2012 | 7:31 pm
    Hello! I’m back with a slightly random post. The last week I’ve been kind of lazy but starting from today I’m on holidays so yay! More time for blogging.. and for reading books… not books I would normally read but weird classical literature with a twisted language! I still like most of the books nevertheless but it’s rather tiring to read them. So yes, I’ll spend my holidays with Sartre, Schiller, Golding, Steinbeck and my dog Nina! Well actually she doesn’t live with me all the time but she used to when I lived at my mother’s home. Right now my…

  • Raintroopers ~ a dripping wet Lolita meeting

    nekochan
    17 Apr 2012 | 4:56 am
    Hello Everyone! After three days of gloomy and cold weather the sun is finally shining again! The Lolita meeting on sunday took place in the wonderful surrounding of the castle of Lenzburg. I’ve been there when I was a little child and loved the dragon they had! When I went to take a look at it on sunday though, I was surprised by how tiny he actually is! But he’s still cute.. I’m looking forward to the next Loli meeting! I would rather wear something else though! The dress was so cute but it was kind of small and my hair was a mess! I’m really not used to the Lolita…
 
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