Ai Love Japan

Your Japanese Podcast Connection

2006-01-13T08:49:00.000-05:00

A little about the Japanese Podcast 101:

Our goal is to make Japanese, easy and fun, while incorporating culture and current issues into our lessons. We believe the more you speak the quicker you learn, so we have designed our program to get you speaking right away. Situational Japanese is heavily stressed, and our 4-member team role play various situations to demonstrate what form of Japanese to use when speaking with friends, customers, executives, etc. Knowing which form to use, separates good speakers from great speakers.

I admit, the dialogues are a little slow, but it's great listening practice and they break down vocabulary wonderfully. Also, you can' t beat having a native speaker.

GET YOUR PODCAST HERE: http://www.japanesepod101.com/

Catagory Four Language - Japanese

2006-01-12T19:47:00.000-05:00

According to the U.S. Department of State's Foreign Service Institute, Japanese is one of the most difficult languages to learn. The Institute, which oversees the training of U.S. diplomats, catagorizes languages into four groups, from Category 1 (easiest to learn) to Category 4 (most difficult). Japanese is a Category 4 languageone of fourthe others being Arabic, Chinese, and Korean. Here is the complete breakdown for the major languages:

Category 1

To attain "professional" proficiency: 24 weeks of full-time study

Danish

Dutch

French

Italian

Norwegian

Portuguese

Romanian

Spanish

Swahili

Swedish

Category 2

To attain "professional" proficiency: 32 weeks of full-time study

Bulgarian

Dari

German

Greek

Hindi

Hausa

Indonesian

Malay

Urdu

Category 3

To attain "professional" proficiency: 44 weeks of full-time study

Amharic

Armenian

Azeri

Bengali

Burmese

Czech

Finnish

Georgian

Hebrew

Hungarian

Kazakh

Kyrgyz

Khmer

Nepali

Filipino (Tagalog)

Polish

Russian

Serbo-Croatian

Sinhala

Thai

Tamil

Turkish

Uzbek

Vietnamese

Category 4

To attain "professional" proficiency: 88 weeks of full-time study

Arabic

Chinese

Japanese

Korean

All about JET

2006-01-12T17:29:00.000-05:00

I found browsing this site to be very helpful and informational about the entire JET process (esp. for the ALT), form application, picking your placement, and teaching classes.

Includes such pearls of wisdom as:

The city or the countryside?

Where you end up going in Japan can make all the difference in what kind of experience you're going to have here. I feel as though my arrangement is pretty good, but it really depends on the person.

My first piece of advice is: even if you want to live in a big city, don't request Tokyo, Osaka, or Kyoto. Those are the places that people who've never been here have heard of and ask for, and account for an extremely small percentage of all available slots. One problem is that the big cities have plenty of foreign teachers to choose from without needing JETs at all. Indeed, many expect that the rural JET would have the toughest time here, but in many ways I think the urban JETs actually have it worst. Basically, big Japanese cities are lots of fun so long as you don't have to live in them.

Winter Sonata hits Japan

2006-01-12T09:40:00.000-05:00

The popular South Korean TV drama Fuyu no Sonata (Winter Sonata) is now being performed as a stage musical in Sapporo with actors, actresses and backstage staff all from South Korea. The show is due to be performed again during this year's Sapporo Snow Festival in February, and then every year until 2010 as part of the popular annual event showcasing snow and ice sculptures.

The performance is in Korean with Japanese subtitles.

The TV melodrama starring Bae Young Joon and Choi Ji Woo ignited a craze for South Korean drama in Japan after the series was broadcast here. The drama also drew attention for its extensive use of beautiful snowy landscapes.

Im Tae Kyung, a well-known South Korean opera singer, and Go Young Bin, who performed at Shiki Theater Company in Japan for two years, will alternate playing the lead role that Bae--known as "Yon-sama" to his legions of Japanese fans--made famous in the televised version.

Im, who had been to Hokkaido for skiing in the past, said it immediately made sense to him when he heard the musical was to be staged in Sapporo. "I think the town's snowy image sits well with Winter Sonata," he said.

Speaking of the great popularity of the television series in Japan, Im said he wanted to use the pressure of stepping into such a famous role to produce his best-ever performance.

Japan baby boomers face divorce in late life

2006-01-11T09:48:00.000-05:00

TOKYO: Newly retired engineer Kotaro Toyohara arrives home for a family celebration after his final day at work, clutching a ring for his wife, Yoko, his head full of plans for the years of leisure ahead.

To his shock, Yoko blurts out that she wants a divorce.

That was the scenario for one of this season's most popular Japanese television drama series, "Jukunen Rikon" or "Mature Divorce," reflecting a phenomenon that many commentators fear may balloon as Japan's baby-boom generation heads into old age.

"We get more and more consultations like this," said Atsuko Okano, who runs Carat Club, a divorce counselling service. "Women are becoming more independent. When their husbands retire, they realize they have 20 or 30 years of life ahead of them and they don't want to carry on as before."

With a new law set to come into force in 2007 allowing ex-wives to claim half their husband's pension, domestic media are warning of a possible divorce boom.

The number of Japanese couples parting ways has risen rapidly over the past 20 years to a 2002 peak of 290,000, while divorce among those married more than 20 years has increased even faster.

Now figures are drifting downwards, but many commentators speculate that women who initiate the majority of divorces are holding out until 2007.

Some Japanese women see their husbands as an obstacle to enjoying their sunset years.

Anime Info

2006-01-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

ON THE INTERNET AND TV, TEENS FOLLOW FAVORITE CHARACTERS AND SERIES

For many teens in the Bay Area, there's never enough anime. They tune in to Japanese animation shows on the Internet and on TV. They draw their own anime and dress up like their favorite characters on occasion. Some even join Japanese language classes. Here are profiles of four popular anime series:

``Naruto''

Though it made its debut on Cartoon Network's ``Toonami'' in September, the animated episodes have been accessible via the Internet since 2000. The popularity of ``Naruto'' has grown since its creation in 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto.

``It teaches life lessons and is super-inspirational and has extreme tragedy that made me almost cry once. And a blend of humor!'' said Justin Shaw, a senior at Lynbrook High School in San Jose.

Synopsis: ``Naruto'' chronicles the passionate, hyperactive teenage ninja Uzumaki Naruto, who strives to become the fourth Hokage, the strongest ninja in the village. Sealed inside his body is Nine-tails Demon Fox, a demon whose character emerges only when Naruto is extremely sad or angry.

``Bleach''

``Bleach'' -- viewable only on the Internet -- has intense sword-fighting scenes and an unpredictable story line.

``It has cliffhangers at the end of most episodes, and you can identify with the characters, which is why it's so popular,'' said Patrick Shyvers, a senior at Cupertino High School.

Synopsis: The evil spirit Hollow attacks 15-year-old Kurosaki Ichigo and his two sisters, but the Shinigami, or death god, Kuchiki Rukia comes to his defense. Rukia gets injured and transfers her powers to Ichigo, who must train to learn the duties of a Shinigami.

``FullMetal Alchemist''

This show gained popularity through viral advertising -- the Internet equivalent of word of mouth.

``Since most animes are watched before they're licensed, they're not advertised anywhere, so really you can only hear about new animes from other people. If it's good, it spreads,'' said Bryant Kou, a senior at Saratoga High School.

Synopsis: Edward and Alphonse Elric lose their mother in childhood and attempt to bring her back using alchemy. They stumble upon curious objects and face moral dilemmas as they learn alchemy.

``One Piece''

``One Piece'' is quirky, ridiculous, strange and wonderful. ``It's absurd and unlike any other anime I've seen,'' said Stephanie Wei, a freshman at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale.

Synopsis: In search of a pirate's loot, 17-year-old pirate Monkey D. Luffy eats a gum-gum fruit, which grants him the power to stretch like rubber. Luffy and his crew struggle to realize their dreams and fight villains.

Where to view anime

Dedicated anime fans watch their favorite shows on the Internet for the convenience and quality. On television, anime has been censored to tone down violence, and voices are dubbed.

``The anime on TV is really bad unless you have Cartoon Network, because the stuff on TV is edited so everything good is taken out,'' said senior Jennie Chen of Cupertino High School. ``People who are true anime fans like watching it online in Japanese with English subtitles.''

``The Internet has made this process very fast. Not only does knowledge of new animes spread quickly, entire animes can be sent to a large amount of people in a relatively short amount of time,'' said senior Bryant Kou of Saratoga High School.

Typically ``fansubbing'' groups in Japan download anime programs, subtitle them in English and upload them to the Internet. Because sometimes it takes years to license anime for the American market, the underground downloading movement continues to make anime available to markets outside Japan.

Anime is usually sent through Web sites such as Bittorrent.com. Anime is to Bittorrent as music is to Kazaa. The legality of file-sharing anime that is licensed in Japan but not in the United States is ambiguous. But once the producer exports those programs to a U.S. licensee, users would be violating the license agreement by downloading it from the Internet.

To view anime, try these Web sites:

www.bittorrent.com, www.animesuki.com

www.moonbeanmanga.net

Keizo Miura, Japanese Ski Pioneer, dies at 101

2006-01-06T20:26:00.000-05:00

Keizo Miura (Mainichi)Keizo Miura, a pioneer of skiing in Japan and the father of adventurer Yuichiro Miura, died of multiple organ failure, his office said. He was 101. Miura was a ski instructor and also worked at regional forestry offices.

He made headlines in 2003 at 99 when he skied down the famed Mont Blanc's Vallee Blanche, or White Valley, with his family spanning three generations.

The spirit of adventure runs in his family. His son, Yuichiro, was the first person to ski down Mt. Everest in 1970 and scaled the mountain again in 2003 to become the oldest climber with his son Gota. Keizo was one of the most famous centenarians in Japan, appearing on television talk shows and writing many books on skiing.

He was skiing until April 2005, when he injured his neck, according to Kumiko Kudo, official of Miura Dolphins, his office.

He recovered from the injury, but suffered a stroke in September and pneumonia in December, she said.

Miura was survived by his three sons and a daughter.

A funeral service will be held Jan. 11, according to the office. (AP)

Check out the Drama that's rocking Japan, Hong-Kong, Korea, Tiawan and even Chicago

2006-01-06T14:36:00.000-05:00

Article by: Atiya Achakulwisut

The first reaction I had when I finally had time to sit down and watch the talk-of-the-town Korean series Dae Jang Geum, was how come there were so many women and they all looked the same? After getting over the initial who's who confusion, I began to pick up the story. I admit that at first I did not think much about this series. I grew up with the phenomenal popularity of Oshin, the Japanese series about the life of a poor but smart and diligent young Japanese woman who finally found riches, and the Hong Kong-made Shianghai Godfather about the struggle to maintain your place in a dangerous world against the intensity of love, friendship, treason and revenge. What more could modern soap operas offer? I dismissed the growing popularity of the Korean series as perhaps artificially whipped up by the channel's heavy advertising.

I was wrong. The advertising may have brought it public attention but the series itself has a solid story _ and many meaningful messages _ to impart. In a nutshell, Dae Jang Geum, known in English as ''The Great Jang Geum'' or ''Jewel in the Palace'', is based on the true story of the first Korean woman to become a royal physician more than 500 years ago. Poor and orphaned at an early age, Jang Geum had a chance to work in the royal kitchen, where she learned the intricate art of cooking, and the depth of human vices, especially when it came to money and power. An exceptionally intelligent and resourceful woman, she rose to the prestigious post of royal head chef. She was later framed for trying to poison the royals and expelled from the palace. Jang Geum then turned to study medicine and was so good at it that the royals had to ask for her help later.

The drama is not only praiseworthy for its presentation _ the setting, costumes and acting show the makers all cared about its quality _ but its content is also first-rate. I was not surprised to find out that it is the number-one hit not only here but in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and, believe it or not, Chicago. The China Daily has just reported that 3.28 million Hong Kong residents, or half the island's entire population, watched the drama.

Get New Japanese Music on your iPod (hassle free)

2006-01-05T09:51:00.000-05:00

That's right! Thanks to internet pioneer company Rightsscale, Japanese music is now becoming available for download through iTunes. Now no more struggle to work around Japanese encryption to download your favorite tunes to your iPod!

Here is an interview with Shaun Iwase - Rightscale Director of International Relations for more info on how this great news came to pass (from the fine folks at Anime News Network):

To Japanese music fans, the promise of digital music is endless. Instead of settling for the five or six albums your local record store might have, or paying outrageous prices for the privilege of waiting two weeks for your import CD to arrive, you could have instant access to millions of songs for a fraction of the cost.

And now, finally, it's beginning to happen. But you'll never guess who's leading the way: a small company called Rightsscale. While the rest of the industry moves like molasses, Rightsscale has already thrown major artists like Bonnie Pink and underrated indies like PE'Z into the digital ring.

So how did they do it, and when will everybody else catch up? Shaun Iwase, Rightsscale's Director of International Relations, is here to share some insight.

How did you manage to get J-Pop on iTunes so far ahead of the big guys like Sony and Avex?

Major labels like Avex and Sony have a large infrastructure, so it takes a long time for something to be put into action. Rightsscale is much smaller in scale. We can act immediately after making a decision. We've been thinking about entering the digital world for years and acted quickly when the time was right. As a result we became the first company to directly put songs on iTunes from Japaneven before the opening of iTunes Japan.

Has the response been about what you expected?

Yes. Sales are not that great, and it has yet to cause a huge reaction in the states. However, people are gradually realizing that Japanese music is now available on iTunes, and the interest in it is gradually rising. I hope this trend would continue as we upload more songs.

So who's up next for Rightsscale?

We are planning to upload tracks by ELLEGARDEN, who are currently one of the top 3 Indies bands in Japan. We've already uploaded albums of PE'Z and The Rodeo Carburettor, bands that were extremely popular at the Japan showcase during In The City 2005 at Manchester. TsuShiMaMiRe is an all-girl band we are handling. They performed for this year's Suicide Girls Live Burlesque Tour and have been immensely popular.

Can you give a quick rundown of In The City?

We were given the opportunity by several organizations in UK - the event itself was a joint effort between Rightsscale, British Underground, UKTI and BPI.

These organizations coordinated the British Showcase in Japan, and since they've been promoting British music in Japan, they offered us the opportunity to promote Japanese artists in the UK through In The City.

In The City is an International Music Convention that is held every year in the UK. It offers up-and-coming bands the opportunity to perform in front of a large crowd of music industry figures, as well as offering valuable grounds for business talks and socialization, both of which are vital to thriving in this industry.

Although many European countries send over bands to ITC, Asian bands were not present until 2005 when we held the first-ever Japanese music showcase. I also spoke with members of the UK music industry in a panel called "Access Japan" that offered the listeners a chance to ask questions about the music situation in Japan.

Although Japan is the world's second largest music market, not much information is attainable out of Japan, especially when it comes to Japanese artists. We wanted to use this event to further strengthen the trade ties with the UK and to also show the British music fans the true capabilities of Japanese bands.

How did your company get started? Did someone at your parent company, Taisuke, just conclude that they needed to take digital music seriously?

The members of Taisuke always had the dream of spreading Japanese music to the world and we saw the digital media market as a great opportunity to show the world the music our country has. Digital music has no boundaries - a truly international market.

Previously interest in Japanese music was limited due to obstacles like language and the import price. Now that people can buy such music without the expensive price tag, along with the recent surge in anime and manga popularity, Japan itself has become more familiar around the world. This opens up a way for us to promote music worldwide. It's also true that we have been interested in the digital market. The market boasts so much opportunity that we just had to take part in it.

I 've been told anime and J-pop are two different audiences. Do you buy that?

Anime and J-pop are intimately tied but remain as different entities. The origins of the two are completely different. J-pop is simply pop music that is adjusted to meet the taste of the younger pop-loving generation in Japan. Anime became related to J-pop ever since anime series began using J-pop in their opening and ending clips. Although the practice has now become common, a decade ago it was normal for anime to have their original theme songs rather than actual commercial songs.

In recent years many anime series have been exported in forms of DVD and video files, in to the hands of anime fans worldwide. When the fans see such anime, it contains some J-pop tracks, and thus the relationship between the two are born. Therefore some overlap may occur (anime fans buying J-pop CD's that were featured) but overall I believe that the audience is separate.

Geisha: More than just Memoirs

2006-01-04T20:35:00.000-05:00

The enigmatic geisha women of Japan are renowned for their beauty and elite accomplishments in the art of entertainment.

Women's Editor LINDSAY JENNINGS speaks to two North Yorkshire businesswomen who are bringing a geisha to England

IT was a moment they had dreamed of for years. Jill Clay and business partner Katie Chaplin took off their shoes in the tea house at Kyoto, Japan, and waited for their 'ozashiki' (private party) to begin. Upstairs, waiting in a beautiful embroidered blue silk kimono was a young maiko - trainee geisha - and her 75-year-old mentor.

Sitting down on the mats, Jill and Katie watched transfixed as the two women sang and played the most exquisite traditional Japanese music.

Then Fukucho, at 16 the youngest maiko in Kyoto, turned her painted white face with her crimson lips towards her guests and began a slow, mesmerising dance.

Next, the geisha and her apprentice went on to show Jill and Katie how to play Japanese drinking games, including scissors, paper and stone. They ate a meal of rice, tofu, vegetables and soup in beautiful lacquered bowls. Throughout the evening, if the women so much as dropped a chopstick or a napkin it was instantly picked up. If they went to the bathroom, the geisha or her young apprentice came too - although they waited outside.

For Jill and Katie, who run a Japanese inspired website-based company, Vintage Kimono, the night was certainly one to remember.

"It's funny because we went in with all these questions and ended up just sitting there in awe, " recalls Jill, 41, of Aske, near Richmond, North Yorkshire.
"Words can't describe what it was like.

After we'd had the party we were absolutely speechless, it was the best night of our lives."

Jill and Katie, 27, have been business partners for two years. The trip to Japan in April fulfilled a lifelong ambition for them to meet a geisha - women skilled in the traditional Japanese arts - and to learn traditional arts and crafts among the people of Kyoto. The pair had met at one of Jill's Japanese silk artwork exhibitions in Hawes, North Yorkshire, and went on to set up their Japanese inspired business.

Crime, Boobs, and Ramen on the rise in 2006

2006-01-04T20:18:00.000-05:00

Noodles down, crime up, and butts beat boobs in 2006:

Ultra-cheap noodles, exposed buttocks, sacked bosses, African criminals and cutesy Japanese dogs are going to be the country's biggest trendsetters in 2006, according to predictions made in Asahi Geino (1/12).

Bountiful breasts were big (in more ways than one) in 2005, but this year it seems pin-up girls are going to butt the buxom out.

"Boobs dominated pin-ups last year, with trends like false nipples and bras that enhanced cleavage. This year, though, we're going to see a boom in flashing the fanny," says Toshihito Sugita, editor in chief of The Best Magazine, a rag that focuses on cheesecake shots.

"Rather than directly emphasizing the bust, it's going to be a year where women are going to enhance the depth of their derriere."

Ramen is going to get restaurateurs going off their noodle this year, with an expected escalation in a price battle that began in 2005 after an Osaka chain began offering fare at 180 yen a dish, well less than the few hundred yen normally charged.

"I've seen a photo of an Osaka-based chain that will offer ramen for 30 to 50 yen a bowl," Kenzo Kosugi, managing editor of Mengyokai -- a monthly tracking trends in the ramen industry -- tells Asahi Geino. "It's due to start operating in April and will make waves for sure."

How about getting paid to watch anime?

2006-01-04T09:43:00.000-05:00

From ign.com:

Are you an Otaku and proud of it? Do you stay up till the wee hours of the morn' watching anime? Does your dream guy/gal have big eyes and a tiny nose? If you love manga and anime and like to write, IGN may have a place for you. We are currently looking for freelancers to write manga and anime reviews. What could be better than free books and DVDs and a paycheck? Nothing. Nothing could be better.

Qualifications

Must be at least 18 and live in the US.

Have an almost unhealthy love for manga and anime

Possess exceptional writing skills

Want a shot at the big time? If you think you have what it takes to be an IGN freelancer, send your resume and a 350-500 word review on a recent manga or anime release to animejob@ign.com.

A Woman Emperor?

2006-01-04T09:36:00.000-05:00

Japanese monarchy could include females:

The Japanese government will present a bill that would authorize females and their descendents to ascend the throne, sources say.

The Kyoto News Service, via Japan Today, said the amendment to the Imperial House Law is scheduled to reach the Diet in early March.

If passed, the bill would have no effect on the most immediate line to the throne. Crown Prince Naruhito, 45, Emperor Akihito's first son, would remain the heir.

But the revised law would change the second in line to 4-year-old Princess Aiko, the crown prince's only child.

Safer roads in Japan

2006-01-04T00:08:00.000-05:00

Annual road deaths in Japan dropped to 6,871 -- a 49-year low -- the National Police Agency said Monday.

Japan Times online said 2005's total reflects a decrease of 487 fatalities from 2004. The number has dropped for five straight years and dipped below 7,000 for the first time since 1956.

The death toll for 2005 was just 40 percent of the figure for 1970, when traffic fatalities hit a postwar record of 16,765.

Traffic death figures only count people who die within 24 hours of an accident.

Kawasaki foreign residents' panel has significant impact on city policy

2006-01-03T09:38:00.000-05:00

In the nearly 10 years since its establishment, the Kawasaki City Representatives Assembly for Foreign Residents, an advisory body to the mayor made up of non-Japanese residents, has been largely successful.

As the country's only foreign residents' panel established by ordinance, residents and those involved in the assembly alike say it has helped reflect foreigners' needs in local administration, for example by taking on the issue of housing discrimination.

But the problems facing foreign residents continue to multiply and the assembly's work is far from over, they added.

Kawasaki set up the panel in December 1996 amid a growing movement across the country to demand suffrage at the local government level for foreigners, modeled after similar municipal assemblies in Germany, said Nobuki Yamazaki of the city's Human Rights and Gender Equality Office.

The assembly consists of 26 members who serve two-year terms. They are selected from foreign residents who volunteer to serve. The current body has people from 15 countries and is chaired by Mohammad Anwer, a Pakistani who runs a computer-related business and has lived in Kawasaki for 15 years.

"An increasing number of foreigners in the city do not return to their homelands and continue living here," Anwer said. "So I want them to participate in local communities, and the assembly should keep on working on their problems."

Artistic Collaboration bridges connection between Japan and Washington

2006-01-02T23:19:00.000-05:00

Itchu brought his mastery of the three-stringed shamisen to the Japan Information and Culture Center at the Japanese Embassy in December as part of a four-city tour that also took him to Boston, New York, and Middletown, Connecticut.

Behind Itchu on the stage hung a large, multicolored Nihonga scroll painting created by West, who grew up in Washington but has lived as an artist in Japan since 1982. In addition to providing artwork for the concert, West served as Itchu's translator throughout the performance.

Flanked by a group of singers and musicians playing other traditional instruments, Itchu took audience members on a musical journey through ancient temples, street festivals and falling cherry blossoms -- with a detour into the red light district of Edo.

West's painting provided a vibrant backdrop for the music, complementing the different styles showcased by Itchu and his ensemble.

The crowd responded enthusiastically to the collaboration, with audience members lauding West's artwork before the show, and an extended ovation following Itchu's last song that clearly humbled the master musician.

In an interview with Kyodo News before he took the stage, Itchu described the connection he felt when playing for audiences outside Japan.

"Women are not Weak" - Diplomat Saiga sets to prove it in N. Korea

2006-01-02T19:35:00.000-05:00

Diplomat Fumiko Saiga has repeatedly tried to convince Japanese politicians and labor officials that women are not weak. She is again set to prove that point on her new mission as Japan's first ambassador in charge of human rights.

Having long dedicated herself to the elimination of discrimination against women, Saiga will now take on a country that world leaders are still trying to figure out: North Korea.

Saiga, 62, ambassador to Norway and Iceland, was appointed Dec. 6 to concurrently serve in the newly created post.

Flying back to Tokyo from Oslo on Dec. 8, Saiga landed in Seoul the same day to attend an international conference urging Pyongyang to improve its human rights records.

There, she agreed with Jay Lefkowitz, U.S. special envoy on human rights, to strengthen cooperation to resolve the issue of Japanese abducted to North Korea.

Saiga said she will have to shelve her gardening and golfing hobbies to shuttle between Oslo and such cities as Geneva and New York to attend U.N. human rights meetings and other international forums.

"Abduction is an unpardonable act that infringes on all kinds of human rights, such as freedom of expression, thought, creed and abode," she says. "Since many countries in Europe have diplomatic ties with North Korea, I hope to seek their understanding and cooperation."

Japan and Taiwan: Learning from each other

2006-01-01T22:07:00.000-05:00

Taiwan has a complex relationship with Japan. For one thing, two-way tourism is booming -- Taiwan people love Japan, and the things that Taiwan offers in tourism promotion, such as hot springs, spas, mountain scenery -- not to forget food, shopping and the night markets -- appeal to Japanese people.

But the relationship goes much deeper than that. Taiwan was once a Japanese colony, and remained so until retrocession to the Republic of China in 1945. Many older people still have strong ties to Japan in language and culture -- indeed, their Japanese is often superior to their Mandarin. The native Taiwanese look back with some affection to the Japanese colonial period.

However, Japan also invaded China, committing numerous atrocities, not least the Rape of Nanking, where the Japanese forces went on a rampage of rape and slaughter. The animosity towards Japan still runs deep in some Asian countries, notably China and Korea, which was also a Japanese colony, but with a much less favorable legacy than Taiwan.

Japan shows positive signs of pulling out of the decade-long "post-bubble economy," that has seen the economy stagnate. However, the key word is stagnation -- not collapse. Japan might have been stagnating, but its economy has reached a very high level, and Japan is still the world's second-largest economy.

japan taiwan china

A Burger for Dessert?

2006-01-01T15:48:00.000-05:00

Brought to us by the fine folks @ The Foriegner - Japan

A burger for dessert?
by Patrick Benny

You walk out of Shibuya station, hungry for a good old fast food combo, and notice this new tiny burger shop across Hachiko crossing. The shop’s customers do seem slightly suspicious though, mostly young girls giggling uncontrollably while staring at the menu. The staff looks however perfectly normal, wearing typical junk food joint uniforms and stuffing the goods into paper bags.

Don’t let yourself be fooled, Mamido Burger does sell what looks like hamburgers and fries, but they're made of the sweetest ingredients.

How about a fried fish burger, containing sponge cake and bananas, or maybe a gratin burger, garnished with cream cheese and fruits? There’s also the classic, Mamido burger, a delicious combination of chocolate cream with kiwi and raspberries, or Big Mamido for the hungry ones. As side dish, Mamido recommends its most trompe l’oeil offering, Mamido fries. Shockingly realistic, they're really made of custard, but nevertheless served with true Heinz ketchup! Otherwise, there are always the nuggets, which are actually pieces of French toast with caramel sauce.

japan

OM? What's that?

2006-01-01T15:33:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder what the acronym for your favorite anime is? How about what OM or FT mean?

Check out the Anime Acronym List:

Includes topics like:

Suggested Tag-Lines

Terms Specific to the Anime Newsgroups

General Internet Terms

japan anime

Quest for redemption

2006-01-01T14:32:00.000-05:00

When in 1964, Takashi Nagase returned to a cemetery close to Kanchanaburi Station, about 130 kilometers from Bangkok, he stood before a cross and prayed.

"I felt as if my guilty feelings were evaporating-feelings I'd kept inside for 20 years. That experience was the start of my mission," he said.

The cemetery holds the graves of about 7,000 Allied POWs killed during World War II. Nagase had joined the war at its height. At that time, the Imperial Japanese Army was constructing the Thai-Burma Railway to secure a land supply line to the war zone.

The railway was built by POWs from Australia, Britain, and the Netherlands, and Asian slave laborers, who are believed to have totaled 300,000.

It is estimated that 73,000 people died from malaria, dysentery and other diseases due to hard work, poor sanitary conditions and lack of nutrition.

As an interpreter, Nagase sometimes was obliged to be present at scenes of torture during interrogation.

After being repatriated to Japan, Nagase eventually opened a private English-language school in his native Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture.

But soon after opening the school, he began to suffer fits, which made it difficult for him to breathe. He was diagnosed with autonomic ataxia, a nervous disorder that was an aftereffect of the war.

japan

China-Japan Relations: Is there Hope?

2006-01-01T14:17:00.000-05:00

Most news about the China-Japan relations in 2005 is negative, which led people to truly believe in a crisis. However, the China-Japan relations have their intrinsic exuberant vitality, holding hopes beneath the hard ice and calling for new breakthroughs.

There is no denying the existence of some sticking points, which does not, however, mean complete gloominess for the future.

It is already known to all that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine are the crux for the development of the China-Japan relations. A few years ago, although bilateral visit exchanges could not be realized due to this, a "side door" was still left open for Chinese and Japanese leaders to meet on the sidelines of multilateral activities. Even this door has been shut this year.

So is it true that no vitality is left in the body because of the existence of some persistent ailment?

The answer is negative and the China-Japan relations will continue to develop forward. The rationale is rather obvious -- the China-Japan relations cannot develop in isolation from the overall international situation.

japan

Japanese consul thrown out of pub

2006-01-01T14:04:00.000-05:00

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The Japanese consul in Edinburgh was thrown out of a pub after his son and a friend fell asleep.

Shuhei Takahashi insists he and his family were treated unfairly at the Three Tuns, with the teenagers falsely accused of being drunk when they were exhausted by a long flight from Tokyo.

But bar employees told The Scotsman that Takahashi "went crazy" and insisted he had diplomatic immunity.

japan

US Marines to train with Japanese Troops

2006-01-01T13:58:00.000-05:00

Japanese troops will train with U.S. Marines next year to strengthen Tokyo's defense of islands also claimed by China which are believed to lie near oil and gas resources in the East China Sea, a report said Saturday.

Japan's Self-Defense Forces will also develop short-range torpedoes for combat in shallow waters, the business newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported.

The paper said about 125 Japanese troops will be sent to San Diego in January for joint exercises with Marines simulating a landing on an occupied island.

The islands _ called Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan _ lie in the East China Sea between Taiwan and Japan. They were ceded to Japan by China in an 1895 war and continue to be a frequent source of friction between the nations.

japan

Big in Bulgaria, huge in Japan

2005-12-31T15:27:00.000-05:00

It is not every day in Japan that one sees a 6ft 8in Bulgarian, wearing a purple kimono and a green bib, dining with an English reporter dressed in green bib and grey suit. Still less when one of them is the first European to break into the highest ranks of sumo (that's the 6ft 8in one, not the reporter) and the conversation is being conducted in jumpy, if reasonably fluid, Japanese.

But such sights are more common than they used to be. Kaloyan Stefanov Mahlyanov is proof that few crevices of national culture are safe from outside influence, even in Japan, which was closed to foreigners for hundreds of years.

Better known by his sumo name of Kotooshu, or Zither of Europe, the Bulgarian wrestler may be the first European to attain such lofty status in the ancient Japanese sport. But following Hawaiians and Mongolians, he is the fifth foreigner to reach the top levels of what was once an impenetrable world. He is oneof 58 foreigners from 12 countries competing in Japan, where homegrown wrestlers now struggle to excel.

We have met - perhaps fittingly, given the cosmopolitan theme - at a Korean barbecue in Fukuoka, a thriving coastal city in western Japan that hosts one of six annual championships. A few days later, Kotooshu will have been promoted to ozeki, sumo's second highest rank, in a record-breaking three years.

In all Japan, there is only one yokozuna, the exalted rank above ozeki. He is the formidable Asashoryu, a Mongolian.

The past three years have turned Kotooshu into one of Japan's biggest stars. Unlike most sumo wrestlers, whose bodies are like large corn sacks, Kotooshu is tall and muscular, witha handsome, boyish face. He is routinely compared with David Beckham, the English footballer, who a few years ago set a million Japanese hearts aflutter.

Looking for good J-Rock/J-Pop?

2005-12-31T14:03:00.000-05:00

Check out these great artists:

J-Rock:

The Mass Missile
Stance Punks
Larc en Ceil (of course)
The Pillows (again, of course)

J-Pop:

But this is just my taste.

Don’t forget to check out the quality recommendations of the fine folks at D-Addicts

Technorati:japan, j-pop, j-rock, music

Make them cute, make them trendy

2005-12-31T11:34:00.000-05:00

While strong vocalists like Stefanie Sun and Fish Leong are seeing dips in album sales, the likes of Cyndi Wang, Angela Chang and S.H.E are still selling CDs by the truckloads.

Even Taiwan's highly-respected singer-songwriter David Tao reportedly scoffed at Rainie Yang's sudden rise but conceded that 'as long as you're an idol, you can just sing casually and release an album'.

From their expressive eyes to their doll-like features, sweet smiles and petite figures, everything about this new breed of female singers screams kawaii (Japanese for cute).

Dead ringers for J-pop cuties like Ai Otsuka and Aya Matsuura, they will not be seen in anything but the latest Tokyo threads, and are also trained in song and dance, J-pop-inspired, of course.

The strategy, according to Play Music's marketing director, Mr James Kang, is this: 'First you make them as sweet as possible, then as trendy as possible. If all fails, turn them into objects of male fantasies.'

j-pop, japan

Geisha Glam

2005-12-31T10:58:00.000-05:00

Film inspires upscale fashions and products with Asian flavor

For years, marketers have struggled to translate the fantasy power of their films into sales at fashionable boutiques and department stores. They've sanctioned vivid yellow overcoats from “Dick Tracy,” frilly cancan skirts from “Moulin Rouge!” and blue gemstone pendants from “Titanic.” Now, marketers are at it again, this time filled with hope that “Memoirs of a Geisha” has what it takes to sell pricey shoes, beauty products, holiday finery and even tea.

Work was still under way on the movie version of Arthur Golden's bestselling novel when executives at Sony Pictures met with an array of fashion and beauty companies to create tie-ins that are notably more sophisticated than most. Now that “Geisha” has arrived in theaters, shoppers are encountering products designed to reflect the geisha mystique, and also build buzz for the film.

The connections between the movie and the products may not be readily apparent, however.

Earlier this fall, Banana Republic launched a limited-edition collection of Asian-inspired holiday wear that shares the film's color palette and is heavy on the kimono sleeves, but lacks any vintage feel. Fresh has developed six bath, body and cosmetic products that are intended to suggest a geisha's beauty ritual if she were to abandon most of her traditional makeup scheme.

japan

Memoirs from a JA Male

2005-12-30T18:19:00.000-05:00

By Tomoyuki Tanaka, Dec 29, 2005

As a Japanese-born male who spent a greater part of my adult life in the United States, I’ve had a keen interest in portrayals of Japan and Asians in the American media. I believe that negative portrayals found in movies like Breakfast at Tiffany’s in the 1960s through the more recent Rising Sun and The Joy Luck Club help maintain prejudice against Asians, particularly Asian and Asian American men.

These images have contributed to the racism I’ve experienced personally both the blatant kind (receiving “Jap, go home” telephone calls all night long for weeks) and the more subtle kind (a law professor insisting on calling me “Tanaka-san” while she called all the other students by their first names).

Last year, when I learned of the charges of racism against the film Lost in Translation, written and directed by Sofia Coppola, I felt compelled to defend the film in an AsianWeek opinion piece (http://news.asianweek.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=095155a7def19bbc65f99670f9c2eb60I).

I argued that to overly focus on Coppola’s film is unwise because it tends to divert attention from films that require it like the new Memoirs of a Geisha film.

This big budget Hollywood production is based on the best-selling 1997 novel in which every plot component was designed to demonize the Japanese. Professor Anne Allison of Duke University wrote that the book “inspired [readers] to see Japanese men as sexual perverts.”

japan

Fake Languages

2005-12-30T09:31:00.000-05:00

This sounds pretty neat: (from alt.usage.english)

There is an entertainer in Japan who goes by the one-word name "Tamori", and one of his talents is speaking fake foreign languages ("inchiki gaikoku-go gei"). He has a routine in which he plays four people sitting around a table playing mah-jongg: a Chinese, an American, a German, and a Japanese.

I heard it once, and they do indeed sound like their respective languages, but speech is not the real languages, it only sound like them.

Here is an article about him from the Japanese Wikipedia, but unfortunately it is all in Japanese. I did not see an indication of any audio clip of his work.

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%BF%E3%83%A2%E3%83%AA

Thanks Mark Spahn for posting this.

Technorati: japan fake languages comedy

All-kanji Web site delivers CNFJ's 'good-news' stories to...

2005-12-30T02:06:00.000-05:00

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan Navy personnel picking up trash on a beach. Sailors painting an orphanage. Commander Naval Forces Japan’s take on the nuclear aircraft carrier slated to arrive to Yokosuka Naval Base in 2008.

Japanese folks might not find these stories in their local newspaper. So to get more “good news” out there, CNFJ launched an all-Kanji (Japanese characters) Web site in July 2004.

It’s proven popular, said CNFJ Command webmaster Jeffrey Doepp; Internet surfers have hit the Web site more than 66,000 times to date.

“That means (if my math is correct) we had over 50,000 visitors in one year!” Doepp stated in an e-mail response. “Keep in mind we have done almost nothing to advertise the Web site exists.”

The site www.kanji.cnfj.navy.mil features news articles, announcements, news releases, biographies of CNFJ leaders and links to each of CNFJ’s five Japanese installations. Articles come from Navy public affairs and command publications and are translated by Japanese military contractors. Doepp posts the articles and updates the Web site daily, he said.

Technorati: japan

Or is the Korean Wave just a ripple in Japan?

2005-12-30T00:45:00.000-05:00

A recent survey suggests that the Korean wave ``hallyu’’ may be a mere ripple in Japan.

Only a small number of people in Japan seek out and enjoy Korean pop culture, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Korea Culture and Tourism Policy Institute.

The survey examined respondents’ opinion of Korean pop culture products in television drama, music and movies, compared to those from Japan, the United States, Europe and China. Conducted on 1,000 Japanese living in Tokyo and Chiba from Sept. 2 to Dec. 20, it found that Korea ranked fourth on the list, just ahead of China.

The survey, however, considered European countries as a single unit. It did not compare Korea with specific European countries such as France, Italy and England.

The respondents gave Korean television dramas and films an unsatisfying score of 2.5, on a scale where 3 means ``I like’’ and 2 correlates to ``I don’t like.’’

Based on the survey, the institute concluded that so-called hallyu phenomenon has been exaggerated and only a few Japanese actually enjoy Korean pop culture.

Technorati: japan

Can’t get enough Korean Stars...

2005-12-30T00:41:00.000-05:00

The fact that calendars featuring Korean stars like Bae Yong-joon are still flying out the doors demonstrates that the popularity of Korean stars among Japanese audiences is still going strong, according to a report by the Internet edition of Japanese newspaper Mainich Shimbun on Thursday.

According to the daily, the calendars featuring Bae Yong-joon are ranking first in sales at the Internet shopping mall owned by the Japanese portal site BIGLOBE.

Technorati: japan dorama

Top 100 bestselling Anime DVD from CD Japan

2005-12-29T22:10:00.000-05:00

Number 5 bestseller is:

Ghibli ga Ippai Special Short Short
Animation
Release: 2005/11/16 | DVD

Can you guess the ichiban (#1) best selling DVD?

CD Japan’s Top 100 list is found here:

anime

Actor Yuu Fujiko, from Golden Age Of Kaiju Films dies at 74

2005-12-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

Actor From The Golden Age Of Kaiju Films Passes: Actor Yuu Fujiki died on Monday of pulmonary embolism at a Tokyo hospital. He was 74.

Fans will remember him for his role as the egg loving reporter Jiro Nakamura from "Godzilla vs Mothra". Other credits include Samurai II, Akira Kurosawa’s The Lower Depths of Early Autumn, "King Kong vs Godzilla", "Atragon", and "Yog: Monster from Space".

He will be missed.

Fun Classes in Philadelphia

2005-12-29T09:32:00.000-05:00

SUSHI CLASS Let owner Madame Saito teach you how to roll up some spicy tuna. Mmm, Saito...er, mmm, tuna... Every Sun, 2-4pm, Tokio Japanese Restaurant, 122-124 Lombard St., 215-922-7181.

ARGENTINE TANGO CLASS Tango lessons at a Japanese restaurant? We couldn't make this stuff up if we tried. Every Wed, 8:30-11:30pm, Tokio Japanese Restaurant, 122-124 Lombard St., 215-922-2515.

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Who doesn't love English? Seven levels of instruction available. Various dates and times, Nationalities Service Center, 1300 Spruce St., 215-893-8400.

NINJITSU Holy crap! Screw all these other listings. This class teaches you how to be a ninja! Every Sun, 11:30am-2pm; every Wed & Fri, 6:30-8:30pm. Meets at 725 N. 6th St, $10-$50.

See More @ citypaper.net

Slamdance Premiere: 'Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story'

2005-12-29T01:45:00.000-05:00

The 12th Annual Slamdance Film Festival next month will be featuring a documentary film accounting what one newspaper in 2002 had described as one of the most bizarre crimes ever committed by a state.

“Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story" will make its premiere showing in a shocking and still mysterious account of the disappearance of a young Japanese schoolgirl and the crime of the North Korean regime.

In 1977, 13-year-old Megumi Yokota vanished while returning home from badminton practice after school. Her untraceable disappearance left her parents in grief as decades passed without a clue of her whereabouts or of the incident itself.

It was later found the Megumi was one of 12 Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korean spies.

Reports of sightings of Megumi began to surface sixteen years later, revealing that she had been seen in Pyongyang. A North Korean defector claimed that Megumi was living at a training institute for intelligence agents in North Korea along with other abducted Japanese to teach their spies the Japanese language and culture.

North Korea had denied the claims. More defector accounts, however, attesting to Megumi's abduction exploded in the media worldwide. Reports revealed that Megumi was carried off on a spy boat and arrived in Pyongyang covered in blood as she had tried to scratch at the hull.

In September 2002, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, to whom he acknowledged and apologized for the kidnapping of the Japanese citizens. Kim claimed they were captured to serve as language instructors for North Korean agents.

First round of guests for AnimeNEXT 2006!

2005-12-29T00:38:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AnimeNEXT is proud to announce that Vic Mignogna, Laura Bailey, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Lauren Goodnight and Bill Rogers are the first guests for AnimeNEXT in 2006!

Vic Mignogna, who was a guest in 2005, will be joining us again in 2006. Vic's list of accomplishments include voices from Fullmetal Alchemist, Full Metal Panic, Dragonball Z Movie 8, Saiyuki, RahXephon, Princess Nine, Street Fighter, Sin, Spriggan, Casaraki, Noir, Steel Angel Karumi, Orphen, Excel Saga, A. D. Police, Yu Yu Hakusho and many more. He is a professional music composer and a veteran voice actor with ADV Films and FUNimation Productions, Ltd.

Colleen Clinkenbeard is a voice actress with FUNimation Productions. She got her start as Éclair in Kiddy Grade and has since voiced Rachel in Case Closed, Oleander in Lupin III: Dead or Alive, Mary in Lupin III: Farewell to Nostradamus, and currently Misako in Kodocha, and Rose and Hawkeye in Fullmetal Alchemist. She has also been featured in Dragonball GT, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Spiral, as well as the video games Fullmetal Alchemist, Spike Out, and Blood Rayne II. Her voice directing credits include Kiddy Grade, and currently Fullmetal Alchemist, Kodocha, and Sakura Taisen: Ecole de Paris. Colleen is also a scriptwriter for series such as Fullmetal Alchemist, Kodocha, and Samurai 7.

Laura Bailey got her start playing Kid Trunks on Dragonball Z and has since gone on to play the lead in several FUNimation properties. Her most popular roles include Tohru in Fruits Basket, Marlene in Blue Gender, Alv in Kiddy Grade, and Lust in Fullmetal Alchemist. Laura has been working in the anime industry for almost six years and has recently begun directing as well. So far she has directed Gunslinger Girls and Kodocha (in which she also plays the lead characters) as well as several episodes of Case Closed. For those gamers out there, you can hear Laura's voice as the title character in the video games BloodRayne 1 and 2 and as Alex D in Deus Ex: the Invisible War.

Japan and US to share region DVD encoding?!

2005-12-28T22:34:00.000-05:00

Japan and US to share region encoding on Blu-ray:

In other next-gen optical format news, reports (Japanese) are surfacing that Blu-ray disc will adopt a new region encoding scheme that will put Japan and the rest of East Asia into the same region as North and South America. Currently the United States is partnered with Canada on current DVD regions, while Europe is hangin' tough with Japan in another region lock-down.

Region encoding is purportedly an anti-piracy measure, allowing for DVD manufacturers to determine what regions a given DVD may play in. For instance, my family across the pond can't buy BBC DVDs for me, because the UK and Ireland are in another region, and my DVD player will refuse to play them. Of course, the pirates who engage in video swashbuckling are quite capable of removing this region encoding, meaning that the black market goods are user friendly, while the white market goods are a pain to deal with, and limit consumer choice.

If the reports are correct, there will only be three regions for Blu-ray, as follows:

Region 1: North America, South America, and East Asia (excluding China)

Region 2: Europe (including Turkey), and Africa

Region 3: China, Russia and others

A fourth region setting would be "null," or no region specified.

If true, the news will be greeted cheerfully by all manner of North American anime fans, who have long lamented the separate region encodings for Japan and the northwestern hemisphere (those that didn't pirate content, at least). But another group may also be pleased. If this region encoding applies to Blu-ray games, this would mean that PS3 games could flow easily between Japan and North America. But a few things merit mentioning. First, Sony's PSP does not use region encoding, and there's a possibility that the company may forgo using it at all for the PS3. On the flipside, Sony could also add another layer of region encoding that is game specific, and could shut down game sharing, if they wanted to. We can't know for sure until later.

Retrospective: Japan’s 2005 year in theater

2005-12-28T22:20:00.000-05:00

THE YEAR IN THEATER
A gradual rise to excellence
By NOBUKO TANAKA
Special to The Japan Times

A loss of direction appeared to afflict large parts of the Japanese theater world in the beginning of 2005 as last year's promising stream of new actors and directors failed to live up to their 2004 debuts. Dramatists responded by looking outward for inspiration, creating an upsurge in international collaborations throughout the year. With the inherent difficulties of communicating complex ideas across cultural divides, trial and error characterized many of these efforts. On stages large and small it was apparent that, unclear about its future, Japanese theater remains deeply unsure of its current identity.

In such a turbulent time, in terms of vision, determination and vitality, three "Ds" might be said to have symbolized the theater year in Japan: Deutschland, dance and doyens.

Serious Deutsch

Thanks largely to the German/Japanese cultural showcase "Deutschland in Japan, 2005/2006," a German whirlwind swept theaters, and audiences accustomed to English-language plays from the West End and Broadway were exposed to a quite different dramatic blast. A night out at the theater became much less a dressed-up escape to a place of illusion, and more a bracing and provocative experience crafted by clear-headed dramatists intent on seriously challenging their audiences.

Japanese celebrate actor's rise to Kabuki's upper echelon

2005-12-28T22:13:00.000-05:00

TOKYO -- A Kabuki actor flanked by geishas in black kimonos and men singing traditional songs paraded in downtown Tokyo on Wednesday as part of ceremonies recognizing him as one of the greatest performers in the 400-year-old Japanese drama.

Hundreds of people lined the parade route to cheer 73-year-old actor Kotaro Hayashi, who last month took on a prestigious stage name that hadn't been used in more than 200 years due to a lack of suitable candidates.

"I am starting a new life as Tojuro Sakata," said Hayashi, who had previously gone by the stage name of Ganjiro Nakamura.

Hayashi said he had long dreamed of one day assuming the name of Sakata, considered to be the inventor of Kabuki's wagoto, or soft style, which was popular in western Japan in the late 17th century.

Kabuki originated more than 400 years ago during the Edo period (1603-1867) and its themes are often based on historical events.

Report on JET Program and life in Japan

2005-12-28T21:27:00.000-05:00

Blogmaster’s Note: Since this is exactly what I’m hoping happens to me next year, I am super excited to read this article. For anyone who is planning on doing JET, applying to JET and the like, read on...

SONI-MURA, Japan - Oolitic's Aaron Rio is realizing a dream - living in Japan.

The 2000 graduate of Bedford North Lawrence High School has been teaching English to students in a wide age range for the past 18 months. His experience was facilitated through the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Programme, which worked to place nearly 6,000 foreign teachers in Japan this year.

He's home this week for a brief break before heading back overseas, where he will stay until August, and spoke to the Times-Mail about his experience thus far.

Why did you want to do something like this?

I guess I've always had a fascination with cultures other than our own, and when I started actively studying foreign culture in college, I very soon had the urge to study and/or live overseas.

What are your teaching responsibilities?

I teach all six grades of elementary school basic English conversation once a week and all three grades of junior high school English conversation, grammar, writing, reading and translation three times a week. I also teach two advanced courses at the junior high school, a weekly adult conversation class for local residents, and coach an English speech team at the junior high. There are about 120 students in the village.

I also am responsible for helping to create the English curriculum for all six elementary grades for the 2007-08 school year. The Ministry of Education is compiling all of the curriculums and teaching plans from model schools to create a nationwide standardized curriculum.

Describe a typical school day.

I usually arrive at school between 7 and 7:30 a.m., but my official work day starts with a staff meeting at 8:15. Classes begin at 8:40, and typically run until about 4 p.m. I teach anywhere from three to seven classes a day, and then help with club activities every day after school. My work day officially ends at 5.

Most people will be reading this around 6 p.m. Wednesday evening, Bedford time. What time is it over there?

It's 8 a.m. Thursday.

What are your living arrangements like?

Unlike most JETs, and almost all urban Japanese, I have a house that, although small to American standards, is seen as huge in Japan. It has a bedroom, kitchen/dining space, two traditional Japanese tatami rooms, a traditional Japanese entryway called a genkan, and then separate rooms for the toilet and shower/bathtub. Even my “yard,” which is about one meter around the perimeter of my house, is seen as somewhat exceptional in Japan.

What do people do for entertainment over there?

Drinking alcohol, especially Japanese sake, is a very important part of Japanese life. Although the Japanese try not to get too drunk and never talk about it the next day, many business meetings and most social events take place at a Japanese pub, or izakaiya, over drinks.

The Japanese also love karaoke - a Japanese creation - shopping, baseball, movies, and are also very active in sports, from soccer to karate to basketball.

How do you think Americans are received in the area that you are in?

I am living in a really small, really rural village in the mountains - Soni-mura, population of about 1,200, about 100 kilometers east of Osaka. It is not on a train line and only has a one-lane mountain road. The nearest town, train station or shopping center is 35 kilometers and several mountains away.

Because of its isolation, most residents of Soni may have only seen a non-Japanese in person one or two times in their lives, let alone spoken to one. For this reason, I am America to many residents of the village.

The standard American is blonde-haired, blue-eyed, tall, loud and eats steak for every meal. Most Japanese people are very anti-war and very commonly anti-Bush, and since I've been here, I haven't heard one person say they support the war in Iraq or think it was a good idea. However, the Japanese usually make no connection between American politics and Americans.

Is it enough? Japan’s Asbestos relief plan under scrutiny.

2005-12-28T19:43:00.000-05:00

Do the government's relief measures, decided Tuesday, for patients and bereaved families of victims who suffered a disease caused by asbestos go far enough?

Six months have passed since Kubota Corp. released its findings on asbestos-related disease suffered by those who worked for the major machinery maker or lived near its plant in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture. Since then, the issue has changed from being solely a work-related disease to a general pollution problem.

"We have put in force relief measures without delay and we have ensured there are no loopholes," a senior Environment Ministry official said.

The government views the policy as an administrative measure and denies any responsibility for the spread of the asbestos-related disease.

The government has agreed to pay 2.8 million yen in lump-sum benefits and about 200,000 yen in funeral assistance next fiscal year to each bereaved family of victims of asbestos-related diseases who had worked at an asbestos-related plant or neighbored one.

Initially, the Environment Ministry had decided to pay 2.4 million yen--the average monthly medical cost of 100,000 yen multiplied by 24 months, which is the average treatment period--to the surviving family members of deceased workers. But the ruling coalition parties urged a rise in the benefit level.

Amagasaki, where the relationship between the use of asbestos at local plants and the mesothelioma cases was first highlighted, is in the constituency of New Komeito Secretary General Tetsuzo Fuyushiba.

A joint project team, headed by the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, temporarily agreed to raise the benefit level by 200,000 yen to 2.6 million yen, however, New Komeito later requested even higher payment.

An additional 200,000 yen was agreed as condolence money to families that looked after a patient and another 200,000 yen to assist with funeral costs which raised the total payment to 3 million yen.

Music of Memoirs

2005-12-28T19:25:00.000-05:00

Composer-conductor John Williams has assembled an international ensemble of musicians - including famed Chinese cellist Yo-Yo Ma - to play on the soundtrack of "Memoirs of a Geisha."

Several years ago, Yo-Yo Ma got a book in the mail from Oscar-winning composer John Williams.

Even though there were no concrete plans then to make a film out of the book, "Memoirs of a Geisha," the cellist recalls that Williams was already thinking of a way to illustrate the project musically.

"Early on, he was thinking somehow in the recesses of his mind that 'Hey, maybe we should do that,' and I know he was interested in the possibility of setting the book to music," Ma said.

Williams' vision came true when the best-selling novel about the geisha culture in Japan was made into a film. And when Williams needed someone to perform the sumptuous music for the movie, Ma, who has worked with Williams on previous film scores, was one of the first on board, along with friend Itzhak Perlman.

"I think it's pretty rare to have the opportunity to work with so many people that I admire in one project," said Ma, the score's featured performer.

THE DRAMA OF JAPAN

2005-12-28T13:51:00.000-05:00

This article was originally published in A Short History of the Drama. Martha Fletcher Bellinger. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1927. pp. 106-111.

MANY important elements of the dramatic art in Japan are similar to those developed by the Chinese. In many cases the story material is obviously the same, and there is great similarity in the methods of producing and acting. There were two periods of brilliance in Japan (the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries), and two distinct types of theater: the aristocratic and the popular. The former is associated with the famous No plays, which reached their period of perfection during the fourteenth century.

The staging of a No play. A square platform supported on pillars, open to the audience on three sides, and covered with a temple-like roof, forms the stage for a No play. It is connected with a green room by a corridor, or gallery, which leads back from the stage at the left, as the audience sees it. Here part of the action takes place. Upon the back scene is painted a pine tree, and three small pines are placed along the corridor. The orchestra, consisting of a flute, drum, and two instruments resembling the tambourine, is seated in a narrow space back of the stage; while the chorus, whose number is not fixed, is seated on the floor at the right. The actors are highly trained, and their speech is accompanied by soft music. There are rigid rules for acting, each accent and gesture being governed by an unchanging tradition. The actors are always men, wearing masks when impersonating females or supernatural beings. The costumes are exquisite and of medieval fashion. The performance is day-long; but as the No play is always short, occupying about an hour, several pieces are rendered during the day. Alternating with them are farces called kiogen, which are short, full of delicate humor, and given in the language of the time without the chorus.

The No play. The construction of the No play is always the same. It begins with the appearance of a traveler, perhaps a priest, who announces his name and purpose of journeying to such-and-such a battle-ground, temple, or other time-honored place. While he is crossing the stage, the chorus recites the beauties of the scenery or describes the emotions of the traveler. At the appointed spot a ghost appears, eagerly seeking an opportunity to tell of the sufferings to which it is condemned. This ghost is the Spirit of the Place. The second part consists of the unfolding of the ancient legend which has sanctified the ground. The story is revealed partly by dialogue, partly by the chorus. At its close the priest prays for the repose of the Spirit whose mysterious history has just been disclosed, and the play ends with a song in praise of the ruling sovereign.

The content of the No play, which is nearly always tragic, is treated with simple dignity. There is frequent reference to learned matters, and to the teachings of Buddha. The text is partly archaic prose and partly verse. Within this slight conventional form are themes relating to filial duty, endurance under trial, uncomplaining loyalty in the face of hardship and neglect, and tender sacrifice. The plays are uniformly austere and poetic, remote from the everyday scene, and full of imagination and beauty. Kwanami Kiotsugu, who belongs to the second half of the fourteenth century, was called the greatest poet of his time, and the founder of the No play. His son, Seami Motokiyo, was almost equally distinguished. He left instructions as to production and acting, stressing the necessity of avoiding realism on the stage. Other relatives and successors of Kiotsugu improved the music, and the Shoguns honored the authors. This type of play may well be considered unique in the history of the stage, and an important link between the classic plays of Greece and the poetic drama of modern Europe.

The popular theater. Tradition assigns the beginning of the popular theater in Japan to the early part of the seventeenth century, when the priestess Okuni ran away from her Shinto temple and built a theater in Kioto. This theater developed in two ways: a "legitimate" playhouse with living actors, and a marionette or puppet show. Both these forms of entertainment became popular in the seventeenth century, when the art of the actor and the dramatist improved. We may infer that it was then fashionable for members of the aristocracy to attend these plays, also that quarrels in the playhouse were not unknown; for about 1683 an ordinance was passed prohibiting the wearing of swords in the theater. The Samurai (knights), being unwilling to lay aside their swords even for a short time, stayed away from the performances; and in consequence the shows promptly deteriorated.

As among the Chinese, the governing group in Japan looked upon the drama as a means of instructing the lower classes in loyalty and self-sacrifice. A very strict set of regulations crystallized about the stage. Every play was produced with elaborate exactness and precision. Much of the beauty of the pieces depended upon the skillful use of parallelism in language, and in the employment of pivot or root words around which the author could display his verbal dexterity. The "invisible" property man was always on the stage, and realistic details abounded. Grief and passion were expressed by violent contortions. The hero would grimace, roll his eyeballs, bare his teeth, and go through every possible variation of distress, while the property man held a lighted candle near his face in order that nothing should be lost to the audience. When a man was killed, he turned a somersault before depicting the final agony. For many decades the most brutal crimes were performed before the eyes of the spectators,--scenes of torture and crucifixion, hara-kiri, and bloody scenes of every description.

Tutorials Linux multilingualization for Japanese and others...

2005-12-28T12:14:00.000-05:00

New tutorials:

Linux multilingualization: preparing any Linux distribution for the Japanese language with canna and kinput
Linux multilingualization: preparing any Linux distribution for any Asian language using scim

You will find them here: http://www.schulenburg-edv.de/tutorials.html

Thank You: comp.os.linux.misc for this info.

Anime Fansubbers Wanted: Japanese to English

2005-12-28T11:30:00.000-05:00

Anime Fansub : Translators "Japanese to English":

Hell-Fansub is currently taking on 2-3 translators to join their team. Not much is required but dedication to the fansub is a must. Requirements for the position are listed below:

Requirements:

+ Decent Understanding of the Japanese Language
+ 8 Hours Free a week to logon IRC
+ Subtitle Skills (NOT REQUIRED but will help )

If you would like to apply for this position either visit their irc channel and message an operator or visit the website and apply online.

WebSite: www.hell-fansubs.org

Irc: irc.rizon.org

Channel: #hell-fansubs

(from sci.lang.translation)

The Internationalization of Sumo: 60 Foreign Rikishis' Fighting Spirit

2005-12-28T10:39:00.000-05:00

Japanese people enjoy sumo, eating yakitori, skewered grilled chicken at the Kokugikan in Ryogoku. Recently there has been a conspicuous increase in the number of fans munching popcorn: spectators from other countries. This is due to the fact that a large number of rikishis, or sumo wrestlers from overseas, have suddenly come to the forefront of the sport. Currently there are 60 foreign rikishis from 12 nations: Mongolia, Brazil, China, South Korea, Russia, Tonga, Georgia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Estonia and Hungary. Of the 722 rikishis in professional sumo, approximately one in 12 is from abroad, as of November, 2005.

Surprisingly enough, the internationalization of sumo began quite some time ago. Prior to World War II, in an effort to popularize sumo abroad, rikishis were sent to tour the United States, and seven 2nd- and 3rd-generation Japanese-Americans from Los Angeles and Hawaii entered the world of sumo. After the war, beginning around 1958, foreign rikishis began to enter sumo once again. Most significant, however, has been the rapid increase since the heyday of Takamiyama, who is now named Azumazeki oyakata (coach), and the shisho (master) of former Yokozuna (Grand Champion) Akebono. Reflecting the increase of foreign spectators, the Nihon Sumo Kyokai made English booklets explaining the history and the fundamental rules of sumo in 1960. The groundswell of success began with Hawaiians, broadened by Mongolians and is now enlivened with the influx of rikishis from Russia and European nations.

While the situation varies by country, for these foreign rikishis, who have virtually no initial knowledge of Japan or the Japanese language, to get accustomed to the peculiar customs and traditions of the sumo world, to endure the strenuous practices and to gain a handful of success, requires truly exceptional effort and dedication. Even to Japanese, the sumo world maintains distinct characteristics of old Japan, as evidenced by the fact that rikishis still have chonmage topknots and wear kimonos.

After entering the sumo world, rikishis rise through the banzuke (official rankings) in order: Jonokuchi, Jonidan, Sandanme, Makushita, Juryo and Makuuchi. A rikishi's rank in the banzuke depends entirely on the results he achieves in the six major tournaments held throughout the year. While it is taken for granted in most professional sports that records and results have an impact on one's income, the banzuke rankings further affect almost every aspect of daily life. Especially, there are significant differences between the Makushita and Juryo divisions. For example, up through the rank of Makushita, rikishis receive an allowance and bonuses per win for each regular tournament they participate in, but do not receive a salary. They only become free in a true sense when they are allowed to have the oicho (gingko-leaf topknot), symbol of a full-fledged, salaried Sumotori (rikishi) of the Juryo and Makuuchi ranks.

Even mealtimes and the order of taking baths are determined by banzuke rank. The only thing that the lower-rankings are allowed to do first is to get up earlier for morning practice. Naturally enough, the materials and color of the mawashi (belt) that the rikishi wears in the dohyo (ring) is determined by rank, so is everything else that they wear. No matter how cold it may be, the Jonokuchi and Jonidan are only allowed to wear a single layer yukata. No muffler or coat to keep them warm. For the Sandanme and below, the obi (sash) is an inexpensive chirimen material. Starting with the Makushita division, a slightly more expensive Hakata obi is permitted. Footwear for the Jonokuchi and Jonidan is restricted to geta (wooden clogs). Footwear called setta, sandals with leather soles, are allowed once a rikishi rises to Sandanme. Even these setta have ranks, those with woven-bamboo surfaces are only worn by sekitori (Juryo and Makuuchi). The rikishi must maintain a strict code of conduct that is also determined by the banzuke rank. Even to contemporary Japanese, the sumo world seems considerably antiquated and feudalistic. Due to the severity of this world, there is no small number of new entrants who drop out shortly after arriving, so it must be even harder to the foreign rikishi who may find the world entirely incomprehensible at first.

The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide To Japanese TV Drama

2005-12-28T00:23:00.000-05:00

The Dorama Encyclopedia
A Guide To Japanese TV Drama Since 1953
by Jonathan Clements and Motoko Tamamuro

"The writing is lucid, amusing and fact-crammed, with an indispensable intro that puts everything in context. A true trailblazer, the Dorama Encyclopedia deserves a far wider readership than just the anime and rubber-monster junkies."-- Dreamwatch
"The amount of information, data and trivia provided for each series is awe-inspiring and the research is truly exemplary." -- Midnight Eye
"required reading" -- Japan Hero
"a fascinating book… an excellent introduction to the world of Japanese TV." -- Protoculture Addicts
"an extremely valuable resource" -- Kansai Time Out

Check it out @ Amazon.Com

Life in Japan (part 2)

2005-12-27T21:37:00.000-05:00

Haven’t had much luck finding Part 1 of this posting, but part 2 is quite interesting...
By Angler

Tokyo is now cold but still exciting, good food and expensive.

So, what can I tell you? I have now been here for a period of close to four months and still have another month to go. I now know some of the Japanese language, so it is also a hell lot easier for me to actually live in Japan than it was earlier.

I haven't been able to do any fly-fishing while staying here (due to work) but since I now have a plane ticket to New Zealand for eight days of fly-fishing with Myron Buck and Clark Reid, in the area around Taupo beginning the 26th of January, I no longer feel that it is such a big loss.

Just spent Christmas with members of the project team that didn't go home for the holiday and although they are a nice bunch I couldn't help but missing my kids, this being the first time that I ever spent Christmas without them. Anyway, my kids arrive here on the 2nd of January to spend a week with me in this the largest city in the world.

The Japanese, BTW, being Buddhists, are amazingly interested in Christmas. I guess they will try anything that allows them to celebrate (they are also very liberal about their religion). There are a lot of things that I feel I have experienced here that made the stay interesting, apart from the work as a project manager.

For example, I now have tried three different strength earthquakes at 5.3, 6.2 and 6.9 on the Richter scale, although the last was way out in the sea and didn't feel as strong as the one at 6.2 that was only 30km away.

Another experience is the fact that I could wear T-shirts until December, for natural reasons that never happened before in my life ;-) My greatest loss, staying in the south of Japan, is definitely the absence of nature. Sure, there are parks and even remote mountain areas that I guess could be considered nature. But you know what? When walking a trail only to find a Coca Cola vending machine in the middle of the forest it doesn't really compare to the wilderness that I'm used to. I know....I know..., I'm probably a bit spoiled living near the Arctic Circle, but still. I didn't get to visit the north of Japan, so I can't say about what it looks like there.

If you ever want to impress Japanese people, try describing the beauty of the Aurora Borealis and you will have an audience that are absolutely spellbound.

FREE RTK Flashcards for dl

2005-12-27T10:34:00.000-05:00

FREE sets of Flashcards for use in Heisig’s RTK1, RTK2 and RTK3 are available for free download at:

http://www.polarcloud.com/japanese

Thank You: Yahoo Groups - Remembering the Kanji fpr this information.

Still Think Learning Kanji is Hard?

Download the first third of the book HERE

Finding a job after Japan

2005-12-27T08:12:00.000-05:00

Thinking about going home, but stuck for what to do next? Melanie Burton talked to former expats about segueing back into the workforce, and asked recruiters for some tips.

By MELANIE BURTON

Rachel spent 3 1/2 years in Tokyo working for one of the big five conversation schools, before returning to the U.S. and working for the same company as a recruiter up and down the West Coast of the U.S.

"I'm proud of myself for leaving Japan, because I think it gets to a certain point where it's a heck of a lot easier to stay than it is to go," she said.

McKinnon advised returnees to "go home with a plan."

"If you're sure you want to leave, then make it convenient . . . update your resume, apply for some things online before heading home. Teaching English is so common in Japan, we tend to forget how impressive it can be to employers back home. Don't sell yourself short."

That's not to say it will be easy.

Tom Griffin worked for Nova for two years near Fujisawa, also writing part-time. Although his first novel has just been published, he said returning to find work in his native Australia was extremely difficult.

"If you're serious about wanting to return and find a good job, do not stay in Japan teaching for too long," he said. "The longer you live in Japan teaching, the older the qualifications you have get and the harder it is to find work. Two years in Japan following University (is equal to a) 2-year-old degree that you have not used."

After three months looking for work, using up his savings and borrowing from his parents, Griffin finally found a job at an Internet retailer.

"As I was in the process of releasing my novel, I just wanted a job to pay the rent while I worked on my book. I tried all avenues from office work to travel consulting. I found no one really cares if you have taught in Japan or even if you can speak the language. I took the first job I was offered, which was at the Web site company," he said.

Griffin advised bringing some cash home with you to lubricate your looking. "If you don't or can't live with your folks make sure you've saved enough money to live and pay rent with."

In hindsight, he recommends starting to look for work two months before you return.

"If you have studied a university course from your own country while in Japan, nice work. You will find it much easier to get a job. This is one thing I wish I had done."

Di Pass is the director of recruitment agency, 360 Services, in Sydney. Pass said that "getting work for any graduate is just plain hard work. There is a lot of knocking on doors. They have to be proactive -- it doesn't just come to them. We would be trying to give them advice on how to make their international experience look good on a resume."

But the challenges of finding work can also yield opportunity. Michael Douglas worked for Nova in Ibaraki Prefecture in 2002 and 2003. He now runs his own art marketing business and works casually at a scuba diving shop in Perth, Australia.

"I think a stint teaching in Japan is looked upon positively by most employers, but it is hardly a rarity these days and I don't think it gives you a significant edge over other candidates," he said.

Douglas made it to "the finish line of lengthy interview processes" a few times, but missed out, "despite the fact that all my potential employers were interested in hearing a little about my time in Japan."

As for saving for his return to work, Douglas said, "Since I saved a good dose of cash in Japan, I guess it hindered my return to work because I had the money to avoid it for a while."

Advice from a great...

2005-12-27T00:06:00.000-05:00

WORDS TO LIVE BY
By JUDIT KAWAGUCHI

One of the greatest scholars of Japanese literature, 83-year-old Donald Keene has spent the past 52 years in Japan, with the exception of his time spent teaching at Columbia University in New York, where, in 1986, The Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture was established in his honor. So far he has published about 40 books in English and 50 or so in Japanese, received countless awards and has been named a Person of Cultural Merit (Bunka Koro-sha) by the Japanese government.

I forget that I am not Japanese. I don't feel like a stranger here, but then someone asks me if I can eat sashimi and I feel as shocked as any Japanese would be. Of course, most Japanese don't know that Emperor Meiji never ate sashimi because he disliked it immensely.

I am a missionary of Japanese culture. I propagate it in the West to people who might never have heard of anything Japanese. I believe that it could be an important part of their life.

The sooner you begin learning languages, the better. Growing up with two or three languages must be very good. Unfortunately, my family was too poor to hire a private tutor so I only began studying French in junior high school, and followed it with Spanish, classical Greek, Latin, German, Mandarin and Japanese.

Aristotle was wrong and Chikamatsu right: tragedy and great love affairs could happen to anyone. Aristotle said in the "Poetics" that the hero of a tragedy must be a person of higher social status than ourselves, otherwise we think this is a poor, hopeless individual. But Chikamatsu recognized that even people with low social status have strong emotions and those are just as pure and important as a prince's feelings.

People sometimes take the easy way out. They might say that the reason they don't know Japanese literature is because it is so strange, so foreign, so unlike their own. That is such a disgraceful thing to say because if you are a cultured human being, you should be aware of other cultures, not only your own.

Some Americans love seeing their own country abroad. They travel and feel so happy to see a KFC in Beijing or Moscow because for them it is evidence that American culture is widespread. Going abroad for this is such an unworthy purpose.

Fumie Suguri wins 5th figure skating crown

2005-12-26T21:06:00.000-05:00

Fumie Suguri won her fifth national figure skating title yesterday in Tokyo, gaining one of three spots for Japanese women at the Turin Olympics.

She will be joined at the Winter Games by former world champion Shizuka Arakawa and Miki Ando.

"This is a good result for me," said Suguri, who was second at the NHK Trophy this month. "I'm relieved that I was picked, but at the same time I'll need to do a lot more to improve on my performance."

Suguri, a two-time world bronze medalist, has struggled recently with injuries. She was second after the short program and was virtually flawless afterward at Yoyogi Arena to finish with 194.16 points.

Teen sensation Mao Asada was second with 188.10 points after a free skate featuring two triple axels. Arakawa, who led after the short program, was third with 187.36.

Asada, 15, became the first female skater to do two triple axels in a free program.

Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita) Wallpaper :)

2005-12-26T19:58:00.000-05:00

Battle Angel Alita is my icon. She’s all I wanted to be when I grow up. A whimsical, beautiful, and ass-kicker. So here’s a wallpaper in homage to the ultimate Alita:

Download @ Sci-Fi Buzz.

Hello Anime! DVD REVIEW

2005-12-26T09:38:00.000-05:00

Hello Anime! is a new 2 DVD set produced by Kaza Contents that looks at Animé and how it influenced American culture. The approach of Stagars and Fick is to ask questions to American industry practitioners from all aspects, including production and the business side. They also interview participants involved in video games and Mangas.

This two set DVD is a great set that gives Animé fans and anyone who enjoy animation a fresh perspective.

Hello Anime!
Kaza Contents
Music: The Universal Artist
Editor: Michiko Ohno
Director of Photography: Georg Fick

I truly enjoyed watching this DVD. Although I am not a big Animé fan, I found the many references to animation productions and the continuing conflict between movements and stylistic animation. The contents of these discs really speak to anyone who works in animation and sums up a lot of knowledge that people assume they always knew about. A good comment by some of the interviewees is that kids should look outside of their spheres and find new influences instead of being 100% inspired by Animé.

Kubota apologizes for asbestos

2005-12-25T22:48:00.000-05:00

President announces aid package for nearby residents:

AMAGASAKI, Hyogo Pref. (Kyodo) The president of major machinery manufacturer Kubota Corp. apologized Sunday to people suffering from asbestos-linked diseases who live near one of the firm's asbestos factories.

Kubota Corp.'s now-defunct Kanzaki factory in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, lies adjacent to a residential area.

While Kubota President Daisuke Hatakake, meeting with the residents, did not clearly acknowledge the causal relationship between its factory and their illnesses, he said he feels a moral responsibility for their plight, according to the residents.

They added that Hatakake promised to set up a new compensation regime for residents similar to that for Kubota employees by April after listening to their views on the matter. The roughly one-hour meeting -- the first between Hatakake and residents and family members of those who have since died -- was closed to the media.

The apology and pledge for a new compensation framework may affect other companies which have used asbestos, observers said.

The residents lived near Kubota's Kanzaki factory, which was in operation between 1954 and 1997. It manufactured such products as sewer pipes that contained asbestos.

Memoirs: My thoughts

2005-12-25T11:54:00.000-05:00

I thoroughly and completely recommend Memoirs of a Geisha for anyone who wants to see an amazing movie this holiday season. I knew I wanted to see it. The book grabbed me from page one, and even managed to keep me distracted completely from my fear of airline crash long for an entire 2 hour flight. The book was awesome, and the movie did it justice.

What I loved:

The way small things from the book were incorporated into the movie, even if they weren’t explained explicitely.

The set. The sheer beauty of everything.

The way small sections of the movie were almost entirely in Japanese in a way that conveyed the feel and music of the culture, but in no way detracted from the enjoyment of the film for those who speak no Japanese (I know, because my best friend was with me, and if someone is going to be distracted by something like that, it is her. She loved the film - though she hadn’t read the book, and honestly, was only dragged along because it was my birthday)

The acting. There’s a lot of controversy about the fact that most of the Geisha cast is the female cast of Crouching Tiger: Hidden Dragon. I admit, I had wondered about that too before I went to see the film. Why not hire Japanese actresses to play something so iconically Japanese? However, after seeing the film, I understand the casting choices. The way geisha move requires the actress have a true discipline of motion (and lots of training in this aspect as well as traditional acting). I believe that could only have been mastered quickly by a martial artist, or an actual geisha. Hong Hong cinema has a long tradition of combining martial arts and acting. It goes hand in glove in a way that I believe isn’t found anywhere else in the world. Further, all of the actors and actresses did such an amazing job in this film, I could care less where they came from.

Overall, this film is well worth the money. You’d do yourself a diservice not to see it on the big screen.

Memoirs of A Geisha (Review)

2005-12-25T11:37:00.000-05:00

It’s the eyes that will draw you in. Sayuri’s blue/grey eyes are just like her mother’s eyes, an uncommon color for Japanese women. And it’s the eyes that symbolize both the young geisha’s heartbreak at losing her mother at a young age and her longing for the man she wants to be with but cannot.

In “Memoirs of a Geisha,” director Rob Marshall (2002’s Oscar-winning “Chicago”) pulls out all the visual stops from Arthur Golden’s novel.

On Dec. 14, “Memoirs of a Geisha” premiered in two shows at the Tivoli Theatre to an audience of more than 2,000 fans of the book and its hometown writer Golden. This was the first time in a long while that a movie was shown at the grand theatre and that enhanced the event for all but the youngest audience members. In his intro to the film, Allied Arts Chairman Don Andrews commented that many who came to the Tivoli probably had come to see films with their dates in the theatre's heyday. He joked, “And we won’t talk about what some of us used to do up in the balcony.” Most of the crowd laughed knowingly.

Arthur Golden had planned to attend the premiere, but Sony Pictures booked him elsewhere. However, he did send a filmed message of appreciation to his Chattanooga friends and he praised the groups that celebrate and support the arts in the area. Rob Marshall also made an appearance in the taped message. Sitting side by side, author and director discussed their collaboration, and we the audience, could see their happiness with the finished product. Proud papas both.

Whether it’s the look in Sayuri’s eyes; the delicate twist of a fan on the wrist of a porcelain skinned young woman; the dark shadows in an alley in the geisha district; the movement in the cherry blossoms behind the leading characters; or the woman- to-woman slapping, it’s the look and the choreography of “Memoirs” that recommends it to those people who appreciate such things on a wide screen. It’s not illogical that Rob Marshall would bring that touch to his direction following the success of the musical “Chicago.” But much of the credit goes to Production Designer John Myhre and Costume Designer Colleen Atwood. Atwood went to Japan and was quite literally hands on for the selection and coloring of the kimono fabrics. It shows. And the lens of Dion Beebe, Director of Photography, lingers long enough so that we see the beauty of every design element of the film.

New Wallpaper! Monster...

2005-12-25T00:20:00.000-05:00

I love Monster! The anime grabbed me from the first episode and just kept giving. So here’s a wallpaper in homage to an excellent series:

Download at Sci-Fi Buzz

Holiday Hana Yori Dango Wallpaper

2005-12-24T01:22:00.000-05:00

New Hana Yori Dango - Live Action Wallpaper!
by Haengbok

Download @ Sci-Fi Buzz

Japanese Internet Video on the Rise

2005-12-20T01:46:00.000-05:00

Yahoo's Japanese subsidiary has formed a broadcast company with Internet services firm Softbank that will stream television programs over the Internet, in an attempt leverage the vast numbers of Japanese users with advanced, high-speed Internet connections.

The Tokyo-based Yahoo Japan and Softbank, Japan's second-biggest provider of high-speed Internet services, said the new streaming video service, dubbed "Yahoo!Doga," will be a portal site for about 100,000 programs including movies, sports and music shows, as well as drama series from Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.

Doga means "moving image" in Japanese.

The joint venture, which will operate under the name TV Bank, is likely to force Japanese broadcast companies to move their business models further toward the Web. Japan has one of the highest rates of broadband adoption in the world, according to Softbank.

"Japan has the infrastructure for this kind of service, so it would be a shame not to use it," said Masayoshi Son, Softbank CEO, according to "Nihon Keizai Shimbun."

The 40 Biggest Rock Acts in Japan

2005-12-19T21:55:00.000-05:00

JRock, Ink
By Josephine Yun

Review by Dan Grunebaum

There is a paucity of English books on Japanese music, so Baltimore music critic Josephine Yun's "JRock, Ink," a survey of top Japanese bands from the last two decades, is welcome as far as it goes.

Yun's selection of 40 groups is skewed by her fascination with visual "kei" and anime. This means that big-haired, theatrical groups like Glay and Due le Quartz are represented, but equally famous and influential bands from rockers Southern All Stars to the iconoclastic Boredoms are not.

Prefaced with a crowded six-page introduction, "JRock, Ink" is a compendium of band biographies, many of which sound suspiciously like translations of record company press releases.

To confuse things, Yun has arranged the book from back to front in the Japanese style, although the English text still reads from left to right. Each band is given a one-page chapter, accompanied by a luscious illustration from Russian artist Yama Moskaluk.

Japanese vs. Korean Manners

2005-12-17T17:37:00.000-05:00

Asia: Minding your manners, in case Yon-sama visits

SEOUL--In Japan, it is considered polite to arrange the shoes of visiting guests so that the toes point out, as to the garden. But making the same gesture in South Korea? Well, that would be considerably less hospitable. There, it would mean "Leave my house soon."

That's just one of the differences in manners and customs between Japan and South Korea. And sometimes it is the little things that make for big misunderstandings.

Interested in such matters is Sachiko Osada, 31, who is studying Japanese-Korean cultural differences in Seoul. She is currently the only Japanese enrolled in Sungshin Women's University's master's course in manners and tea ceremony.

She first visited South Korea four years ago, to study the tea ceremony practiced there.

Osada wrote part of the book, "Suteki na Kankoku! Ai ga ippai!" (Wonderful South Korea! A lot of love!). The book was published in October by Tokyo-based Takeshobo Co.

"Germania no Yoru� review from Tokyo Film Festival

2005-12-16T15:22:00.000-05:00

A full-frontal plunge into acts of depravity and violence, set in the faux idyllic confines of a rural Catholic monastery, "Germania no Yoru (The Whispering of the Gods)" falls squarely into the love-it-or-loathe-it category.

Germania no Yoru Reviewed by: Mark Schilling
---------------------------------Rating: * * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Tatsushi Omori Running time: 107 min.
Language: Japanese
Opens: Dec. 17

Screened in competition at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival, Ta-tsushi Omori's debut feature evoked fervent praise from some -- Japanese film scholar Donald Richie called it the "the most powerful Japanese film I have seen during 2005" -- but equally fervent damnation from others. I'm with Richie -- especially about the "powerful" part.

Germania" left TIFF without a prize, but producer Genjiro Arato plans to take it to other festivals, beginning with Berlin, and to open it in Tokyo Dec. 17. How confident is he that this film by a first-time director, which is guaranteed to produce walk-outs, can succeed? He has built a theater for it, the Ikkakuza, on the grounds of the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno and vowed to keep it there for six months, come what may. He will also screen an English-subtitled print all day on Fridays, which must be a kind of first. Is Arato deluded -- or a cock-eyed optimist? Neither -- beginning in 1980 with Seijun Suzuki's "Zigeunerweisen," which he screened in a tent, Arato has transformed a succession of art-house films into hits. He is also an acclaimed director, with his latest film, the 2003 drama "Akame Shijuha-taki Shinju Misui (Akame 48 Waterfalls)," scooping nearly 30 domestic awards.

Though filmed in rural Iwate Prefecture and based on a prize-winning story by Mangetsu

Hanamura, "Germania" has a borderless, timeless feel, relying more on iconic images and gestures than words for its impact. At the same time, it leaves its various acts open to interpretation -- suggesting, but not insisting. In other words, not only "The Passion of the Christ" fans -- but those who prefer clearly defined heroes, villains and resolutions had best give it a pass.

That said, Omori's visionary, uncompromising direction (actress Leona Hirota described the shoot to the press at TIFF as "hell" in which she came down with pneumonia, damaged her liver and broke two bones) has resulted in a film of rare beauty and force.

At its center is the unreadable face and explosive presence of Rou (Hirofumi Arai), a killer of two strangers, who escapes to the Catholic monastery and orphanage where he was raised. The head priest, Father Komiya (Renji Ishibashi), offers him refuge. In return Rou masturbates him while he reads the Bible in Latin -- and a dog looks on inquisitively.

1,000 Crane Championship

2005-12-16T15:09:00.000-05:00

Cedartown High School can now boast of a record-setting fourth region championship in a row. However, it is actors, not athletes that brought the titles home.

The CHS One-Act Play Cast won their 4th 6AAA Region Championship in a row on Nov. 3 with their performance of the play, "A Thousand Cranes."

CHS cast member Katelyn Cox won the "Best Actress" award for the day and other cast awards included "All-Star Cast" members Alex Cervantes and Sarah Garmon and also the "Best Tech-Crew" award, which honored the "behind the scenes" work done by students who didn't perform on stage.

The group then went on to place fifth at the state competition in Norcross.

Chris Reaves, the CHS Drama Program Director said he couldn't be prouder of his students.

"Cedartown High School is becoming known throughout the state as a high school to be reckoned with not only in the sports arena, but on the stage as well," he said.

Four consecutive One-Act Region Championships, he said, is a record for the region for One-Act competition.

This year's winning play, "A Thousand Cranes" was based on an old Japanese folktale of a young girl named Sadako who died from Leukemia as a result of being exposed to the bomb that hit Hiroshima.

The play is actually a true story based on the life a little girl who believed the Japanese legend that if a person folds a thousand paper cranes he or she will receive a wish - in her case, to be well again.

Japan has an actual statue of Sadako holding a crane and has a "Festival of Cranes" each year to celebrate Sadako's story.

"Judges were really impressed by the set which transformed from Japanese fans into an actual crane, including flapping wings," Reaves said.

Secrets of healthy Japanese cooking made easy...

2005-12-16T00:37:00.000-05:00

Americans can learn a great deal about healthful eating from other cultures. This book introduces readers to the joy of Japanese home-style cooking. Many experts on longevity and obesity consider the Japanese diet to be one of the healthiest in the world, but how does a Westerner begin to explore these foreign ingredients and cooking techniques? Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat: Secrets of My Mother's Tokyo Kitchen (Bantam Dell, a division of Random House, $22) by Naomi Moriyama and William Doyle

Thanks to Moriyama and Doyle, readers can learn from an insider raised in Japan who has lived in America for quite a while.

Readers will learn the secrets of Japanese cooking, attitudes toward eating and a more active lifestyle. Fish, soy, rice, noodles, vegetables, fruit and tea are major players in this cuisine. Portions are smaller, with artful attention given to the choice of tableware and food arrangement so that one can admire their beauty and presentation.

Guidelines include "eat until you are 80 percent full," savor every bite by eating at a leisurely pace and choose vegetables more often as the main dish.

Moriyama and Doyle introduce readers to unfamiliar foods and cooking equipment. As they do so, they share a recipe or so each time. This has a cumulative effect that builds over the course of the book. The simple recipes early on become ingredients for subsequent recipes. Even the most hesitant readers will find their passion for the wonderful taste and aroma of Japanese dishes irresistible and will be tempted to try some.

THANK YOU cleveland.com for this information

Artist Highlight: Makoto Aida

2005-12-15T22:43:00.000-05:00

Artist Makoto Aida's distaste for the English language is well-known. For his "Your Pronunciation Is Wrong" performance in 2000, he took to the streets of New York, armed with placards, and told onlookers that they should, among other things, "stop speaking with trilled R's."

His frustration continues today.

A new painting in his exhibition at Tokyo's Mizuma Art Gallery seeks to convince us that humans were not designed to be bilingual. "I believe that, if it is possible, man should not speak more than one language," it proclaims.

While both of these works tend to induce giggles in viewers, they also provide an important clue to understanding the oeuvre of this talented artist.

Aida, who was born in 1965, is tall, lanky and endowed with high cheekbones and large eyes. Were it not for his unkempt stubble and a clump of hair permanently molded to the shape of his pillow, he would be very handsome. Instead, he seems afflicted by an unshakable listlessness. At the slightest chance, he'd probably happily sprawl on the floor with a manga or an anime doll.

Aida is genuinely engrossed in nerdy otaku culture. More so, he is its unashamed product. Compared with the clinical Takashi Murakami, who is able to serve up calculated portions to Westerners, Aida is himself so entangled in the otaku web that he knows only to confront it head on, on its own terms.

Where Murakami makes spectacular models of girls with gigantic breasts, Aida makes a video of himself masturbating in front of them. Murakami deals with otaku culture's shiny surface; Aida roots around at its dark, quirky core.

For the current show, titled "Pre-Climacteric Love," he has created a giant single-frame manga. At first only the word "Manga," which is bellowed in a large dialogue box, is visible. Next come the eyes, popping from their sockets, informing us that we are looking at the face of a man. Lastly, we notice the fountain of liquid spraying up over his face, and the source of that liquid peeping into the frame at its base. The man is ejaculating on himself.

Hey, it�s better than caning...

2005-12-15T19:14:00.000-05:00

Two Americans sentenced to hard labor in Japan for thefts:

YOKOHAMA, Japan -- An airman assigned to Camp Zama and the civilian husband of a Yokota Air Base servicemember were sentenced to prison Tuesday for a series of robberies in Kanagawa Prefecture last spring.

Airman 1st Class Johnny Christopher Warford, 22, who works for a 374th Communications Squadron detachment at the U.S. Army base, was sentenced to six years in prison while Moses Richard Emmanuel, 22, a Yokota dependent, got seven years -- both at hard labor. The 110 days the two spent in detention will be deducted from their jail terms.

Emmanuel faced additional charges of assaulting a Japanese man in April and possession of marijuana. In June, law-enforcement officials seized 12.5 grams from his Yokota apartment. He pleaded guilty to both charges.

Air Force Col. Anne Morris, a U.S. Forces Japan spokeswoman, had few details about Tuesday's sentencing but said the military will vigorously pursue servicemembers and their families who engage in misconduct.

"We think it sends a message that our standards are high," she said. "For those folks who make unwise, bad decisions and do things like this, they will be held accountable. We're looking for them, and when we catch them, we're going to prosecute them."

'Memoirs' recalls glamour of kimonos

2005-12-15T10:02:00.000-05:00

It's certainly not the first time that the West has borrowed Eastern styles, but a number of the fashion and beauty looks that credit the new film "Memoirs of a Geisha" as inspiration are quite literal in their translation.

Banana Republic, in conjunction with Sony Pictures, launched a line of kimono-style, sash-tie tops and dresses. Fresh, a skin-care and cosmetics company, has its own "Geisha" line that touts rice- and sake-based products. And Icon, an accessories manufacturer, printed actual film scenes onto purses and cosmetic bags.

Moviegoers will see why U.S. companies are eager to bring the luxe and lush looks to these shores. The outfits that play a major role in "Geisha" are stunning and the actresses who wear them even more so.

"Geisha" costume designer Colleen Atwood explains that the prints, patterns and colors on the kimonos she used were bigger and bolder than the typical, more subtle Japanese aesthetic, but the 250 hand-finished costumes captured the richness of the garments and the tradition they represent.

As soon as she was hired, Atwood made a "cultural trip" to Japan with the film's director Rob Marshall, whom she also collaborated with on 2002's "Chicago." She visited the University of Tokyo's fashion school and the city of Kyoto, where "Geisha" takes place, and with kimono makers themselves, who are upholding 500-year family traditions.

Among her observations:

A kimono's V-neck is very flattering.

The palette embraces colors that Western fashion companies typically shy away from, including orange and purple.

Very few people wore the platform wooden sandals known as getas. But, notes Atwood, they're not as hard to wear as one might think. The movie's stars first practiced in flatter versions and then stepped up to higher platforms when needed to complement the elongated silhouette of the fanciest kimonos.

"I think the silhouette of the kimono costume will become engraved in people's minds," Atwood says. "I do think there'll be lots of red accents in the near future."

Fresh partnered with the makers of "Memoirs of a Geisha" for a collection of products ranging from a shimmer powder with crushed pearl to a perfume with notes of different Asian fruits, flowers and musks.

"Ironically, we were doing a lot of research of Japanese and Asian beauty references in 1999, and I read 'Memoirs of a Geisha.' We launched a sake collection in 2000, and always said, 'One day, if they ever make the movie...' " recalls Alina Roytberg, co-founder of Fresh with her husband Lev.

"We wanted to embrace the whole beauty routine of a geisha as she prepared to go out."

Fresh's "Memoirs of a Geisha" collection is available at www.sephora.com

Samantha Critchell
Associated Press
Wednesday, December 14, 2005

THANK YOU elpasotimes.com for this information

Sushi Standout - Richmond Sushi house makes the grade

2005-12-14T23:46:00.000-05:00

Sushi Standout
A citified critic finds bliss in the far reaches of suburbia.
by B.P. Fox

Long ago, when I was young and foolish and could eat out whenever I wanted, I went on a sushi diet, reasoning that fish and rice couldn't possibly contain enough fat or calories to cause any weight gain. In fact, I even lost a few pounds, but in the end, I became heartily sick of sushi and the sound of Japanese music. Those days are long over, and after a sufficient break, I resumed sushi eating again, albeit more moderately this time around. During my sushi obsession, however, I noticed that all sushi was not created equal; most was indifferent at best, and the truly outstanding examples were few and far between.

I am pleased to report that outstanding sushi has finally come to Richmond. Well, almost. Ichiban, in the far, far West End, inhabits that edge-city west of Gaskins Road that technically qualifies as Richmond but seems like another world entirely to those of us who live closer to the center. The sushi, however, is worth the trip. With chefs imported from New York and an enthusiastic and conscientious owner, Ichiban brings fish in daily from D.C. and Maryland to guarantee quality and freshness.

With lots of pale wood, unusual paper lanterns and nary a fork or knife in sight, this strip mall space is effectively transformed into a little bit of Japan. Ichiban closes the gap between formal and casual Asian dining with attentive service, detailed explanations thankfully free of pretension, and the bubbly, effervescent personality of the owner.

Manga Cafe

2005-12-14T21:10:00.000-05:00

Walk into the graphic novels section of any Borders or Barnes & Noble bookstore, and chances are the floor will be littered with teens sprawled out reading the latest manga. In Tokyo, this scene is mimicked in rental shops popularly called manga cafes; these cafes have now started showing up here in the U.S.

The Atom Cafe, New York City's first manga cafe, has amassed a collection of 20,000 manga titles in Japanese and 1,000 translated manga for English readers. In Japan, manga cafes abound, and have developed into 24-hour destinations. New York's Atom Cafe is equipped with sofas, tables and cubicles for reading. Readers may choose coffee or tea and a selection of noodles and onigiri (seaweed-wrapped rice balls) to enjoy with their comics.

For a $5 hourly fee, customers are free to choose from a selection of Japanese comics, like Touch, the first sports manga to appeal to a female audience, or Heat, a yakuza manga that takes readers deep into the violent Japanese underground. English readers have the option of reading Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind or Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima's Lone Wolf and Cub.

Just like its Japanese counterparts, New York's manga cafe does not pay royalties to publishers or manga writers and authors for the manga they offer to readers. Daisuke Sasano, Atom Cafe owner and president of Takken America Company, says he "wouldn't mind paying a royalty if the product is a very popular product. But for the ones that aren't mainstream, it's a great place for exposure." Sasano thinks of his cafe as akin to a used bookstore where readers can discover classics. "Even for the popular product, a reader may find a manga-ka's [manga artist and writer] old work. They are rediscovered through the popular."

Location:

Manga Cafe Atom (Manga & Internet Cafe in Manhattan)
38 West 38th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10018
(Between Fifth Ave & 6th Ave)
212-221-0615
http://sai.jp/mangany/

Central Park Media revamps Manga Program

2005-12-14T09:48:00.000-05:00

After a year in which it suspended publication of most of its manga list, Central Park Media has revamped its manga program, hired a new director of sales, restored suspended series and outlined plans to use technology to market its manga.

Last month, CPM hired Ali Kokmen, a 12-year veteran of New York trade publishing who last worked for HarperCollins as director of book sales.

Kokmen says that "a lot of publishers are interested in graphic novels and manga. But it's a lot of fun to be able to do books for an established manga company that's not trying to teach itself [the category]."

After a period in which many manga publishers saw their first significant returns, John O'Donnell, managing director of CPM, says the house needed a new approach. O'Donnell pointed to one month earlier this year in which 400 manga titles were released--hence the murmurs of "manga glut" throughout the industry.

Central Park Media is primarily an importer and distributor of anime. But CPM is also one of the country's oldest publishers of Japanese manga, licensing titles such as Kia Asamiya's Dark Angel and the lighthearted Comic Party (by multiple artists), as well as Korean manhwa titles like Hyun Se Lee's Nambul: War Stories. CPM also publishes the popular yaoi (boy-love) series Kizuna: Bonds of Love, under its Be Beautiful imprint. Indeed, yaoi has proved so popular that CPM continued publishing its yaoi list.

Anime District first time ANIME GIVEAWAY

2005-12-14T09:39:00.000-05:00

AniDis is finally launch our first anime giveaway. We're giving away a brand new copy of DearS vol. 1, which we reviewed earlier this year.

For the full details of the contest, head over to the official contest page.

The contest ends on December 23, 2005. Be sure to enter before it's too late. Everybody likes free anime, no?

More @ www.animedistrict.com

Why Japan Keeps Provoking China

2005-12-14T09:37:00.000-05:00

Beijing's growing regional power has spurred a rightward political shift in Tokyo:

Surrounded by long, broad paths and shady groves of cherry trees, Yasukuni Shrine is one of the most pleasant refuges in the crowded urban tangle of central Tokyo. But its peaceful setting belies its central role in a deepening controversy over Japan's interpretation of its wartime past. Inside its walls, Shinto priests regularly honor men executed as war criminals after World War II, and memorabilia from kamikaze pilots, the Burma death railway and other highlights of Japan's wartime history are displayed at the shrine's museum, next door. When Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited the Shinto sanctuary (as he has once a year, every year since taking office in 2001) on October 17, he knowingly ignited a firestorm of condemnation from China and South Korea. For those countries, the visits are a hurtful homage to Japan's warmongering past and are one of the main reasons Chinese premier Wen Jiabao called off a meeting with Koizumi at the East Asian summit starting December 12.

"Yasukuni has been a major obstacle to better relations throughout Asia for a long time," says Jeff Kingston, a professor of Japanese history at Temple University's campus in Tokyo, "but the friction just keeps getting worse."

Although the name Yasukuni means "Peaceful Nation," the Shine's controversial history has been anything but peaceful. Built in 1869, Yasukuni Shrine commemorates the souls of more than 2.5 million of Japan's war dead. During Japan's colonial era, military and political leaders made the shrine a focal point of Japan's native religion, which they used to help justify Tokyo's drive to conquer Asia. Nationalist propaganda proclaimed that the souls of those who sacrificed their lives at war for Japan would live on forever, venerated as heroes, at Yasukuni. Soldiers, pilots and seamen heading into battle would frequently bid farewell to each other by saying, "See you at Yasukuni."

Although Japan embarked upon a drive to become an economic superpower following its military defeat in 1945, the Yasukuni shrine has remained a quiet but potent and enduring symbol for the country's die-hard nationalists. Since 1959, priests at Yasukuni have quietly enshrined over 1000 convicted war criminals, including infamous figures like Hideki Tojo, the wartime prime minster and Nazi supporter who ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor. The shrine frequently attracts ultra-conservatives who wear rising-sun headbands, drive ominous black vans blaring military marches, and call on the Japanese people to reassert the emperor's divinity and resist foreign influences.

Work by anime director Miyazaki's son set for release in 2006

2005-12-14T00:32:00.000-05:00

TOKYO - "Tales from Earthsea," an animated film directed by the eldest son of famed director Hayao Miyazaki, will be released next July, distributor Toho Co announced Tuesday.

The movie, the first production directed by Goro Miyazaki, 38, is based on the Earthsea series of fantasy novels by American writer Ursula Le Guin. The movie will be about the journey of wizard Ged and prince Arren, taken primarily from the third and fourth books of the six-volume series published since 1968.

Thank You: Japan Today for this information.

Japan's Heart May Be in The Countryside, But...

2005-12-13T20:35:00.000-05:00

Japan Loves Its Little Villages, but Wants Fewer of Them
By JAMES BROOKE
December 13, 2005
Shikabe Journal

SHIKABE, Japan - Perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean on the shores of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost large island, Shikabe is the timeless image of a maritime village, defined by the cry of gulls, the wash of waves on sea walls and the sight of fishing boats rocking in the distant swell.

But unlike fishing villages elsewhere in the world, Shikabe has a car and driver for the mayor. Rolling along roads as smooth as glass, the mayor, Shigeru Kawamura, proudly points out projects built in the last 15 years, paid largely with subterranean rivers of yen flowing from Tokyo, about 500 miles to the south.

For this town of 4,856 inhabitants there is a new heated municipal swimming pool, a new multisport gymnasium, a new garbage recycling plant and a new $3.8 million park around the town's 50-foot natural geyser, the only one in Hokkaido. Work is under way on a $33 million "hygienic management port" designed to protect freshly landed squid, the principal catch here, from the excrement dropped by seagulls as they circle overhead.

But that new dock may represent the high-water mark for government spending here, and Shikabe itself may soon disappear from the map, along with hundreds of other small towns, as Tokyo seeks ways to rein in its traditional share-the-wealth spending habits.

After years of printing government bonds to pay for projects like these, Japan now has the highest ratio of debt to gross domestic product in the industrialized world: 160 percent, compared with 65 percent for the United States in 2004. Japan's deeply rooted sense of egalitarianism will undoubtedly keep tax money flowing for years to come to hinterland villages like this one, where the number of fishermen has dropped in half, to 400, since 1985.

But Tokyo is tightening the taps. In nearly five years of rule by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, spending on public works, as measured as a percent of gross domestic product, has declined from about 6 percent in 2001 to about 4 percent today.

In the search for further savings, Tokyo is resorting to a financial sleight of hand that is largely invisible to visitors to the countryside. It is cutting the numbers of towns and villages nearly in half.

From 3,232 municipalities in 1999, Japan is expected to wake up on March 31 with only 1,821. As the population ages and shrinks, the government believes that larger municipalities will make for more economical spending on services.

�Anime Today� first ever Anime and Manga commercial Podcast

2005-12-13T17:13:00.000-05:00

The Right Stuf International announced today it has released the newest episode of 'Anime Today', the first ever commercial podcast dedicated to Japanese animation and manga. Anime Today has scored high with listeners, consistently rated as the top downloaded anime-related podcast from the Apple iTunes Music Store.

"Every other week Anime Today's hosts, Rich and Nick, along with a team of guests from The Right Stuf International, bring you a look at what's new in the world of anime and manga. We review recent DVD releases, and bring you the RightStuf.com weekly sales and specials. Listeners also have an opportunity to call in with their own questions on anime and Japanese culture to Anime."

They are now on Episode 3. In this episode, Chad returns with What's Hot in the World of Anime, plus news of a special Right Stuf box set available only at Best Buy. Right Stuf employees bring you reviews of Piano: The Melody of a Young Girl's Heart, and Ah! My Goddess - both shows featuring the work of Kosuke Fujishima. Shawne will be back with his Weekly Specials, our latest sale, and something fabulous we have coming up for Christmas. Then Kris and Judy continue their adventure in Japan with Anime and Gamer's guide to Japan. Finally, our production department joins us to continue to explore Piano and talk a little about this interesting series.

Subscribe to Podcast HERE...

�Love� chosen as Kanji of the Year

2005-12-13T00:36:00.000-05:00

KYOTO -- The Chinese character for "love" was chosen in an annual poll as best representing 2005, during which the international community reached out to victims of natural calamities and Japan celebrated the marriage of the emperor's daughter, a Kyoto-based association to promote the use of kanji announced Monday.

The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation said the character received about 4.7% of the 85,000 votes cast, and it is the first time that a "heart-warming" character was picked since the foundation started holding the event 11 years ago.

READ FURTHER DISCUSSION HERE:

Two Timing Hamasaki n� Watanabe Wedding bells

2005-12-13T00:24:00.000-05:00

IS J-POP queen Ayumi Hamasaki, 27, two-timing her long-time beau Tomoya Nagase?

Japanese magazines recently reported that Ayumi was seen shopping for a wedding ring at Tiffany & Co in New York in October with a 22-year-old African-American guy known only as Tim.

But around the same time, there were also reports that Tomoya flew to Ayumi's side to celebrate her birthday, and they cut the cake together like a loving couple.

Tim, whose father is a famous designer in Japan, reportedly told a friend that 'Tomoya is starting to get suspicious!'.

Hell Baby Vol. 1 - New and Reviewed

2005-12-12T23:53:00.000-05:00

Hell Baby Vol. 1
Writer/Artist: Hideshi Hino
Translated by: Hiroo Yamagata
Reviewed By: Josephine Fortune

Manga Summary:

From one of Japan's most accomplished artists comes this new graphic novel, the unsettling saga of twin sisters born on a dark and stormy night in Tokyo: one normal, and one a demon baby with a taste for blood - a Hell Baby. Tossed into a garbage dump, Hell Baby dies in the plastic bag but is brought back to life by an unworldly bolt of lightning. Hell Baby develops hard-earned hunting techniques to survive life among the wild animals who roam the garbage dump. After struggling along for seven years, she seeks revenge for her fate and returns to the city, where she applies her hunting skills for survival - this time against the good citizens of Tokyo. Replete with Hino's trademark black humor and unflinching imagery, Hell Baby is a classic horror tour de force.

The Review:

Poor baby.

Packaging:

This is one of two Hideshi Hino titles published by Blast Books in the early 1990s. Other than maybe one or two Suehiro Maruo titles that are harder to find, I don't know of any other manga series they've done, and I'm guessing what they did publish is out of print at this point. I found mine on half.com, which is a first for me... I never buy from anyone other than the Right Stuf. Looks like I might be mistaken though, Blast Books has a very bare bones website where they provide you with address information where you may send away for their books if you wish.

The cover does something unique. The book is printed right-to-left, but I'm guessing so it didn't confuse or stand out in a time when manga was flipped, the cover was put on the book so it appears to be left-to-right... basically, backwards.

There are notes about it included on the front and back pages, but it's kind of weird and I'm not sure that I like it... but then again, it IS unflipped, so I'll take what I can get. The front cover features a very simple colorized illustration of the Hell Baby taken from within the manga, I have no idea if it was the original cover or not. The title is treated in a fairly simple fatigued-looking yellow font centered large above the illustration, with Hideshi Hino's name printed in tiny red type below the Hell Baby's hand on the left side. There are red bars running down the right and left sides of the cover. It's nothing flashy or modern, but I don't mind the simple front cover for the simple story. The back cover, on the other hand, is pretty unattractive. It's red with a teal triangle cutting diagonally through the center with yellow text printed on top. No illustrations whatsoever, the text fills pretty much the entire cover, and where the background changes from teal to red, it's hard to read the yellow text.

As for extras, I really wasn't looking for any here, and I wasn't disappointed. There's a brief biography in the back on Hideshi Hino, essentially the same one which appears in Panorama of Hell and gives that tale some context. Other than that, we get a page that lists some information on Blast Books and two notes that appear at the beginning and end that let you know about the book orientation.

Text/Translation:

The translation was pretty okay. There weren't any grammar or spelling errors that I remember, and while it read much more stiffly than I would have liked, that could've just been the work itself and had nothing to do with the translator. Not that there's all that much text to translate or dialogue to be stiff, but still. The sound effects were left intact with a translation nearby, which I appreciated, but the translation just wasn't meant to go on anything except a black or white background, and when it appears on top of a texture, there's a clear black or white box around the English text, which is sort of sloppy and unfortunate.

Site with audio to learn Japanese numbers

2005-12-12T19:59:00.000-05:00

So, you can only count to 10 in Japanese thanks to your karate class. Here's your opportunity to learn the rest of them.

Check out: http://japanese.about.com/bl_number.htm

This site has an array of sound files so that you can listen to and memorize the Japanese numerical system.

Ja ne.

Madonna passionate about everything Japanese

2005-12-12T07:53:00.000-05:00

Pop queen Madonna is so passionate about Japan and its delicious cuisine that she takes a Japanese cook with her everywhere she goes.

The "Hung Up" hitmaker, whose song "Sorry" from new album "Confessions On A Dancefloor" contains Japanese lyrics, says her love of oriental food had helped her maintain a supple and youthful figure, according to celebrity portal femalefirst.

Madonna said: "I've always been very interested in Japanese culture.

"Some of my videos, some of my performances on stage have been inspired by Japanese cinema, martial arts, Japanese music, Japanese fashion, Japanese food. I love Japanese food. I have a Japanese cook in London that travels everywhere with me.

"I probably eat more Japanese food than you do."

Thank You: newKerala.com for this fun news snippet.

Anime Cons of the World 2006

2005-12-11T17:54:00.000-05:00

Jan. 6-8, 2006 - Ohayocon, Columbus, Ohio
Guests of Honor: Actors: Scott McNeil, Chris Sabat, Monica Rial, Greg Ayres, Johnny Yong Bosch, Laura Bailey, Mike McFarland; producer Jeff Thompson; Artists: Jan Scott-Frazier, Robert DeJesus, Emily DeJesus; musicians Peelander Z, The Spoony Bards
http://www.ohayocon.com/

Jan. 27-29, 2006 - Ushicon, Austin, Texas
Guests of Honor: Artists: Ikuko Itoh, Keitarou Arima, Doug Smith, Steve Bennett, Rivkah; Actors: Yuri Lowenthal, Carrie Savage, Laura Bailey, Greg Ayres.
http://www.ohayocon.com//

Jan. 27-29, 2006 - Anime Los Angeles, Van Nuys, California
Guests of Honor: Producer Hiroaki Inoue; PMBQ, Karisu, Richard Man, Tadao Tomomatsu
http://www.animelosangeles.org/

Feb. 17-19, 2006 - Katsucon, Washington, D.C.
Guests of Honor: Actors: Richard Ian Cox, Kirby Morrow, Mike Sinterniklaas, Mike McFarland, Greg Ayres, mc chris, Gustavo Sorola, Joel Heyman, Jason Saldana; Artists: Rikki Simmons, Tavisha Wolfgarth, Fred Perry, Jan Scott-Frazier, Robert DeJesus, Steve Bennett; Producer: Toshifumi Yoshida, writer Trish LeDoux
http://www.katsucon.com/

Feb. 24-26, 2006 - Animaritime, Sackville, New Brunswick
Animaritime

Feb. 24-26, 2006 - Kei-kon, Victoria, B.C.
KeiKon

Feb. 25, 2006 - Llamacon, Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Guests of Honor: Artist: Jeph Jacques; Musicians: Bad Luck
http://www.llamacon.org/

March 4, 2006 - KameCon, Manchester, New Hampshire
http://www.kamecon.com/

March 4, 2006 - Senshi-Con, Anchorage, Alaska
SenshiCon

March 11-12, 2006 - Toronto Anime Con, Toronto, Ontario
TorontoAnimeCon

March 16-19, 2006 - Comics in Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
http://www.comicsinleipzig.de/

March 17-19, 2006 - Minamicon, Southampton, U.K.
http://www.minamicon.org.uk/

March 17-19, 2006 - Anime Oasis, Boise, Idaho
Guests of Honor: Actors: Alistair Abell, Vic Mignogna, Michael Coleman; Musicans: Lisa Furukawa Ray, Voice Industrie; Artists: NDP Comics
http://www.animeoasis.org/

March 18-19, 2006 - MomoCon, Atlanta, Georgia
MomoCon

March 23-26, 2006 - Tokyo International Anime Fair, Tokyo, Japan
TokyoIntAnimeFair

March 24-26, 2006 - Anime Detour, Bloomington, Minn.
http://www.animedetour.com/

March 24-26, 2006 - Paicon Genesis, Westlake, Ohio
Guest of honor: Actor: Joshua Seth
http://www.pai-con.com/

March 24-26, 2006 - Sakura Con, Seattle, Washington
Guest of Honor: Actor: Tony Oliver
http://www.sakuracon.org/

March 31-April 2, 2006 - Tekkoshocon, Monroeville, Pennsylvania
Guests of Honor: Actors: Greg Ayres, Kyle Hebert, Caitlin Glass, Tiffany Grant; Producer: Matt Greenfield; Artists: Robert and Emily DeJesus; Musician: Michael "Piano Squall" Gluck; Game Show Host: Greggo
http://www.tekkoshocon.com/

March 31-April 2, 2006 - Anime Punch, Worthington, Ohio
Guests of Honor: Actors: Crispin Freeman, Joshua Seth
http://www.animepunch.org/

March 31-April 2, 2006 - Conbust, Northampton, Massachusetts
Guests of honor: Artists: Jennie Breeden, J. Jacques, Richard Stevens; Author Patricia Briggs; Actor: Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
http://sophia.smith.edu/ssffs/conbust/

March 31-April 2, 2006 - CNUcon, Newport News, Virginia
http://www.gamergirlx.com/cnucon/

April 1, 2006 - Japanese Anime Film Marathon, Washington, D.C.
JapaneseAnimeFilmFestival

April 8, 2006 - Animarathon, Bowling Green, Ohio
Animarathon

April 14-16, 2006 - AniZona, Phoenix, Arizona
http://www.anizona.org/

April 14-16, 2006 - Kawaii Kon, Honolulu, Hawaii
Guests of honor: Artists: Stan Sakai, Robert and Emily DeJesus; Actors: Vic Mignogna, Sean Schemmel, Jennifer Sekiguchi; producer David Williams
http://kawaii-kon.org/

April 20-23, 2006 - Matsuricon, Worthington, Ohio
http://www.matsuricon.org/

April 21-23, 2006 - Middle Tennessee Anime Convention, Nashville, Tennessee
Guests of honor: Artist: Scott Kurtz, Actors: Steve Blum, Vic Mignogna, Caitlin Glass, Greg Ayres; musician Lisa Ray
http://www.mtac.net/

April 21-23, 2006 - NoBrandCon, Eau Claire, Wisc.
Guests of Honor: Actor: Tiffany Grant; Director: Joe Grisaffi
http://www.nobrandcon.com/

April 28-30, 2006 - JACON, Orlando, Fla.
Guests of honor: Actors: George Lowe, Brett Weaver
http://www.jacon.org/

April 28-30, 2006 - Shiokazecon, Houston, Texas
Guests of honor: Musicians High and Mighty Color; Actors Greg Ayres, Monica Rial, Tiffany Grant, Jamie McGonnigal, Mike McFarland; Artists: Samantha Inoue Harte, Jan Scott-Frazier
http://www.shiokazecon.com/

May 5-7, 2006 - Anime Central, Rosemont, Illinois
http://www.acen.org/

May 26-28, 2006 - Anime Boston, Boston, Massachusetts
Guests of Honor: Actors Greg Ayres, Steven J. Blum, Richard Epcar, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn; Artists Robert and Emily DeJesus
http://www.animeboston.com/

May 26-28, 2006 - Anime North, Toronto, Ontario
http://www.animenorth.com/

May 26-28, 2006 - Sogen Con, Marshall, Minnesota
Guests of honor: actors Greg Ayres, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Laura Bailey, Mike McFarland, Caitlin Glass
http://www.sogencon.com/

May 26-28, 2006 - Animazement, Durham, North Carolina
http://www.animazement.org/

May 26-29, 2006 - Fanime Con, San Jose, California
Guest of honor: artist Sanami Matoh
http://www.fanime.com/

June 2-4, 2006 - Metrocon, Tampa, Fla.
http://www.metroconventions.com/

June 2-4, 2006 - ColossalCon, Independence, Ohio
http://www.colossalcon.com/2006/

June 9-11, 2006 - A-Kon, Dallas, Texas
Guests of honor: actors Darrel Guilbeau, Vic Mignogna, Burnie Burns, Geoff Fink, Gus Sorola, Matt Hullum, Jason Saldana
http://www.a-kon.com/

June 9-11, 2006 - OMG!con, Paducah, Kentucky
http://www.omgcon.com/

June 16-17, 2006 - Houkocon, Port St. Lucie, Florida
http://houkocon.com/

June 16-18, 2006 - Anime Mid-Atlantic, Richmond, Virginia
Guests of honor: musicians Mari Iijima, Kristine Sa; actors Johnny Yong Bosch, Michael Coleman, Greg Ayres; artists Doug Smith, 2wcOnline, Robert DeJesus, Chisuji, Austell Callwood; producer Keith Burgess; writer Robert V Aldrich
http://www.animemidatlantic.com/

June 16-18, 2006 - AnimeNEXT, Secaucus, New Jersey
Guests of honor: actors Vic Mignogna, Laura Bailey, Colleen Clinkenbeard
http://www.animenext.org/

June 23-25, 2006 - C-Ace, Ottawa, Ontario
Guests of honor: author Julie E. Czerneda; artist Mark Oakley
http://www.c-ace.org/

June 24-25, 2006 - JAFAX, Allendale, Mich.
http://www.jafax.org/

June 30-July 2, 2006 - PortConMaine, South Portland, Maine
Guests of honor: artists Jon Knight, Joe Miles, Bryan MacDonald; actor Jonathan Doughty; costumer Theresa Pereira; game designer Jared A. Sorensen
http://www.portconmaine.com/

July 1-4, 2006 - Anime Expo, Anaheim, Calif.
http://www.anime-expo.org/

July 7-9, 2006 - ConnectiCon, Hartford, Conn.
Guests of honor: actor Chris Patton; musicians Piano Squall, Rob Balder
http://www.connecticon.org/

July 14, 2006 - Aurora-Con, Anchorage, Alaska
Guests of honor: actor Brett Weaver
http://www.auroracon.org/

July 14-16, 2006 - Ikasucon, Cincinnati, Ohio
http://www.ikasucon.org/

July 14-16, 2006 - Garden City Anime Festival, St. Catharines, Ontario
http://www.gcaf.org/

July 22, 2006 - Northern Anime Festival, Oshawa, Ontario
Guests of honor: musician Lisa Furukawa Ray; artist Les Major
http://www.northernanime.ca/

August 4-6, 2006 - San Francisco Animation Convention, San Francisco, Calif.
http://www.animeod.com/

August 4-6, 2006 - Otakon, Baltimore, Maryland ***Ai Love Japan Preferred Con***
http://www.otakon.com/

August 11-13, 2006 - AmeCon, Leicester, U.K.
Guests of honor: actors Monica Rial, Greg Ayres
http://www.amecon.org/

August 18-20, 2006 - AmeriKon, Columbus, Indiana
Guests of honor: actors Tristan MacAvery, Chris Patton; artist Edgard Aedo
http://www.amerikon.org/

August 18-20, 2006 - Wichita Anime Festival, Wichita, Kansas
WichitaAnimeFestival

August 18-20, 2006 - Anime Evolution, Burnaby, B.C.
http://www.animeevolution.com/

Sept. 2-4, 2006 - Kumoricon, Portland, Oregon
http://www.kumoricon.org/

Sept. 16-17, 2006 - Japantown Anime Faire, San Francisco, California
http://jtaf.project760.com/

Sept. 22-24, 2006 - Anime Weekend Atlanta, Vinings, Georgia
http://www.awa-con.com/

Sept. 22-24, 2006 - Shimakon, South Padre Island, Texas
Guests of honor: actors Tiffany Grant, Chris Ayres, Chris Patton, Kyle Hebert; artist Steve Bennett
http://www.shimakon.com/

Oct. 6-8, 2006 - Nan Desu Kan, Greenwood Village, Colo.
http://www.ndkdenver.org/

Oct. 13-14, 2006 - Mikomicon, Northridge, Calif.
http://www.mikomicon.com/

November 3-5, 2006 - Anime South, Destin, Florida
http://www.animesouth.com/

November 17-19, 2006 - Anime USA, Vienna, Virginia
http://www.animeusa.org/

November 23-26, 2006 - Auchinawa, Glasgow, Scotland
http://www.auchinawa.org.uk/

Thank You rec.arts.anime.misc for this information.

Hana Yori Dango Dorama Goodness

2005-12-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

If you haven't had a chance to check out the live action Hana Yori Dango (Boys over Flowers) don't let it pass you by.

Hanazawa Rui
(Oguri Shun)

Makino Tsukushi(Inoue Mao)

Doumyouji Tsukasa
(Matsumoto Jun)

This series is so sweet and good. I've watched through Episode 8 (though Ep. 8 is not yet subbed, so I can't say I got too much about the subtleties of that episode) and I'm already feeling 'natsukashii' for when the series ends next week.

The Basic Story:

Hana Yori Dango revolves around the story Makino Tsukushi, a poor girl who enters into an elite high school. She's already one step behind everyone else, not able to buy the latest 40,000 yen handbag or spend her summer breaks in Rome. But her greatest trial is F4, a group of four (no shock there) rich boys, who because of the power and influence of their families, basically run the school. Tsukushi (a tough weed) may not be wealthy, but she's got the strength of heart that counts. Her sense of justice and righteous indignation land her in the deepest trouble. Will it be enough to save her? And what about love?

Where to get it:

Go to D-Addicts and search Hana Yori Dango.

Be sure to grab the torrents by SARS FANSUBS.

Then download the torrent and start it up.

Don't know anything about Bittorrent?

Surf on over to animesuki.com and check out their FAQ to learn everything you need to know.

Series Reviews:

If you don't mind spoilers (and lots of them) full episode reviews of Hana Yori Dango can be found HERE.

Do you LOVE (愛) Japan?

2005-12-10T20:04:00.000-05:00

Here's a test:

Answer Truthfully:

You consider yourself a discerning anime fan.
You fell in love with Shogun at least during one point of your life.
You've bookmarked D-Addicts in your Favorites. (You can click on the link and do it now)
You've been to at least one anime convention.
You believe those people who go to anime conventions don't really have an understanding of Japanese culture.
You jam to folks with names like Larc~en~Ceil, Crystal Kay, Ayumi Hamasaki, Masaharu Fukuyama, Nami Tamaki, and the like.

Does any of this sound familiar?

If so, you've come to the right blog.