I wanted to introduce you to this ridiculous(ly good) YouTube video on Japan's history posted some two weeks ago. But first, I shall stall a bit and address the proper niceties by introducing the video creator Bill Wurtz. He is a cool and kooky guy (strictly interpreted from his internet personality) that writes jazzy and outdated music to funny videos. Most of his videos are 10 seconds or less, if that gives you any indication on what you're getting yourself into. Here's a little taste.
Kind of reminds me of 5SecondFilms. Love those guys. Anywho, this Bill guy just randomly picked the country of Japan (about which he knew nothing), researched it, and created this nine minute masterpiece as a warm up (aren't you excited for more? Oh, well, watch the video then.)
I'm not an expert on Japanese history and completely understand that he has added some intended embellishments into this historical narrative. Do any fact-checkers out there spot any glaringly wrong details?
So what's next for Bill? He plans to either cover a lot of "topics" or "all of the countries...in a month" next. I'm sensing some snark, but what would you expect from such a filmmaker? Oh, and here's his website to complement all of the other interactive resources I've posted here.
This screenshot doesn't do the video quality any justice.
Usually I have something insightful to say. Today, I'm just gonna sit back and let this beautiful time-lapse video of Tokyo do the talking. This video is called ちちゃな東京 (Chicha na Toukyou), or, Little Tokyo and is by Darwinfish105. Enjoy.
In a related post (by title only), please enjoy the open, yet camaraderic racism that is South Park: Little Tokyo.
So this Japanese businessman is a 70-year-old with a strange interest in water. Masaru Emoto believes that water has strange properties that were previously unknown. Supposedly, water reacts differently to different emotions. He has spent a lot of time examining the ice crystals of water exposed to positive or negative verbal content (i.e. some water might develop more crystals, or be cleaner, if praised daily). Some believe he is a quack and their is a general consensus that he practices a pseudoscience. Don't let that disinterest you, though.
This experiment, the one I want to talk about, is a bit different. Basically, he has three jars full of rice and water. He bad-mouths the one jar, praises the other, and ignores the other. The results are interesting. Whether or not they are reproducible under scientific conditions is beyond my point.
I buy these results, to some extent. I don't however, buy the explanation. Rice is not a temperamental food with human emotions. Please, Mr. Emoto, don't anthropomorphize your rice. It is very possible, though, that talking to rice release germs that help ferment rice (which hardly seems like a positive outcome save for the "sweet" smell). Also, I can imagine that rice that didn't have mouth germs spread in its vicinity might react differently. Finally, it's very possible that using different words, or even more emotion can spread a different amount of germs or even a different kind of germs (tongue germs, throat germs, etc.). What's your take on this guy?
Kenichi Ito just broke the record for the fastest man running 100 meters on all fours with a time of 17.47 seconds. That's right, he utilizes his legs and his arms to run and quite frankly, he looks like a skilled monkey. His time is less than double that of Usain Bolt's 100m dash world record. See Ito breaking the record for yourself...
Apparently, Ito practices moving on all fours everyday indoors and outdoors. He has been studying African Patas monkeys and spent the last 9 years developing his running technique. I guess this is his last 9 years of work coming to fruition. (At least it's not as anticlimactic as some other record breakers.)
And so I was still wondering, "Why?" When Ito was a little kid, his classmates used to make fun of him for looking like a monkey in the face. He says he was never bothered by the mean comments because he always had an affinity for simians. Check out more footage of him and his training techniques here.
Now you can say all you want about how the Asians have funny English words and phrases on their shirts unbeknownst to them.
But I'm pretty sure this Japanese guy bought this shirt with some knowledge of the words and their meanings. Maybe, the tight pants will get him the women he wants...the women with the right kind of derrière (because he is a rump connoisseur). Or, maybe his tight pants accentuate his own glutes and he's proud of them. Not that there's anything wrong with either.
For some reason, I'm leaning toward the latter explanation.
This may cure hangovers, or by saying so, make Kagome rich
According to a recent study by Kagome and Asahi Group Holdings, drinking tomato juice will help you sober up faster (source). Apparently, the tomato juice helps to cleanse your liver by making it secrete more of the enzymes needed to break down alcohol.
The study included an experiment of people given about two shots of shochu (焼酎, a Japanese liquor similar to vodka). After the two shots of shochu, the control group was given a pint of water while the experimental group was given a pint of tomato juice. Those drinking the tomato juice sobered up an average of 50 minutes faster than those drinking water.
Kagome and Asahi agree that a tomato would most likely work the same way, although it was not studied.
This is great news considering Japan loses an estimated $11.5 billion every year to hangovers according to a recent survey of close to 3,000 people (source). I wonder if Japanese government and businesses will take this news seriously and actively engage in promoting tomatoes after enkai. I could picture the market for トマトパワー (Tomato Power) After-Party Shooters. (Japan is often wont to either fully embrace something or just let it fall by the wayside, e.g., influenza masks; the insurance hikes on those with large waistlines; or even baseball for that matter.)
Now, for those of you who don't know, Kagome claims to be Japan's largest supplier of ketchup and tomato juice (source) while Asahi is one of Japan's leading breweries with 40% of the Japanese beer market (source). It seems a little suspicious that a leading beer company and a leading tomato company "discover" that tomato juice can reduce the unwanted effects of alcohol. I would have liked to witness that first meeting where the two company heads discussed ways to join forces and increase money.
Did Kagome and Asahi formulate this as a publicity stunt? Or, were there scientists waiting for commercial sponsorship for their tomato juice findings? What are the chances that two companies put their heads together and found a scientific match for both of their leading products? I'll leave the musing up to you the reader.
This English is so bad it teeters on the edge of an ironically funny t-shirt, or even a fashionable one. If you can't read the smaller writing between the two Indian hands, it says "YOU ARE WELCOME".
"Sorry, we're open, you are welcome." The fact that this is printed on a shirt and displayed in the shop window on what seems to be in or close to the center of a shopping district (see: pedestrian traffic, brick pavers) seals this as a definite product of Japan. And by "product", I mean it is birthed of Japanese culture.
In no way do I say this out of spite or ill-will. In fact, I have come to fully embrace Japan's loose usage of English to the point that this horrible mash-up of an incorrect sign and an English phrase book preliminary makes me reminisce of my time in Japan. That fact that these two phrases are probably one of the first few phrases a foreigner in the the US would learn, this shirt almost becomes かわいい, or "cute", in the Japanese sense. For these reasons, I would wear the crap out of this shirt.
If you have any qualms with my hypothesis that this is indeed a Japanese location, refer to the store banner in the reflection that in clear katakana says コンタクトレンズ, or "contact lens".
Update: I have been informed a sign with this written on it is in the US, too. I'm not sure which came first, though. Anyone?
This one's not so bad. I get it. No hookers. Don't bring hookers inside this place. You couldn't really disobey this sign and then say you didn't get the gist of it without looking like an ass.
This sign is probably on the outside of a Japanese love hotel. And, in this dodgy area, I'm sure the foreign hookers wait on the road to get business from drunken guys leaving bars and izakayas. Although Japan is generally a very safe, community-like place, I would be sure to steer clear of the dodgier parts of the city at night. These can be recognized by the abundance of flashy lights, crowds of young drunken people, countless bars, izakaya, and liquor stores, and the general cheap and/or suspect looking massage parlors and love hotels.
It may be interesting to note that the Japanese are usually pressed for alone time. Many young couples
looking to get intimate utilize love hotels as if they were a vending
machine. In fact, many of the love hotel electronic room choice boards
resemble that of a vending machine.
So apparently there is only "stuff" allowed here, but to confuse people even more, "stuff only" is inside the prohibition sign meaning that furthermore, "only stuff" is not allowed here. So maybe if there is a little bit of stuff and a little bit of something else, it would be OK. Make sure to ask the stuff...staff about this one.
If we peek into the Japanese realm here, it says "koko yori saki wa nyuujou dekimasen" or, "No entry beyond this point." After more consideration, you might have been able to connect this to "Staff Only"...and hence, the answer behind this riddle.
Here is a comical video on eating sushi at a sushi bar. There is a lot of culture here, but, a lot of the things these comedians do are downright absurd so it might be hard for some of us to pick up on. Guess what is wrong in this video in the comments below!
Here's my favorite part:
In the case of business colleagues the lower ranking staff must pour
for their superiors first. "Maa maa maa maa". You must say this when
pouring a drin.k The person receiving the drink must say, "Oh toh toh toh."
"Maa maa maa maa." "Oh toh toh toh." "Maa maa maa maa." "Oh toh toh toh."
"Maa maa maa maa." "Oh toh toh toh."
Maa maa (まぁまぁ) means something like "Now, now" or, in this situation, "Here you go, have a lot." Otto (おっと) means something like "Oops" or, in this situation, "That's far too much." So, while the one guy pours a lot and says, "Here, drink up," the other guy is saying, "Ok. Ok. Woah. Too much!" While it is Japanese tradition to pour for others and offer lots, you might see how this over-the-top repetition and insistence is not exactly customary at a sushi restaurant—or anywhere for that matter.
Apparently, they offer the total package. Anyone else make reservations?
The problem with the mistake on this shop window is that this shop may never know it—unless of course some amused ex-pat or tourist informs them.
What image was this shop really looking for? If you look up "horny" in in English you find that it also means "strong" or "callous" similar to "rough hands". If you look up "horny" in Japanese you probably find that it has a relation to "keratinized skin" in that it needs to be exfoliated.
Masayoshi Son, richest man in Japan, with the striped tie. Make money, make money.
Softbank, a telecom and internet corporation, is teaming up with PayPal on the joint venture "PayPal Japan". The companies will each invest $12.5 million to "revolutionize digital payments in Japan" (source).
It's no surprise Hiroaki Kitano from the Softbank side will serve as the CEO of the business agreement; while revenue for PayPal is in the early billions, Softbank revenue reaches into the early trillions. Kitano is a senior vice president and director of Softbank Mobile Corp, with relevant experience from his time with Yahoo Shopping (source).
The joint venture will also push the Paypal Here credit card reader that plugs into the audio jack of a smartphone. The card reader add-on will retail for 1200 yen, or about $15. (When the card reader is released in the US, it will be free.)
After viewing the demo via the PayPal introductory page, I've become very skeptical of the whole process. I can't imagine a NYC pretzel vendor or cabbie handing the customer his smartphone to type in a tip and sign the transaction. What's stopping the $2.50 pretzel consumer from running away with a $200-$400 smartphone plus a pretzel? In Japan, I don't see this as being such a problem with such low crime rates as a result of their general family-like moral system.
Also, unless I had a special stylus signing pen, I'm pretty sure my signature on a smartphone would look like a few pixelated circles and lines. How's that going to sit with my bank that is tirelessly scanning for fraudulent charges?
Currently, Japan is a very cash-based society. I'm wondering the
speed as to which something like card reader might catch on. It's strange that
Japan is one of the most technologically advanced countries but still
largely operates outside the lines of credit.
Softbank Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son hopes that in five or ten years from now, Japanese consumers won't need to carry wallets (source). As for me, I find any statement from this guy (the richest man in Japan) laughable.
The irony here is Masayoshi Son supposedly directs some of the Softbank commercials which include what are thought to be hidden messages that dishonor Japan. (Son is Korean but later naturalized as a Japanese citizen.) In a line of popular commercials, a black man has a dog for a father (which doesn't sound so crazy for a commercial plot). The black man, then, is inu no ko, which in Korea is one of the worst curse words. Given that there exists a stereotype that Koreans don't like Japanese or blacks, you may see some of the disputed evidence.
Here another example, for obvious reasons:
When a bunch of Japanese celebrities march out of a dog's anus, it really makes you start to think...
In wake of all the post-Fukushima energy reduction under their Cool Biz campaign, Japanese underwear firm Triumph Japan has unveiled their iced bras. Given showing this amount of skin is very rare in Japan, the unveiling has been deemed a publicity stunt (source).
The Super Cool Bra, as it has been titled, also happens to be a pun that most Japanese will miss. This "cool" as a Japanese loan word is not connected with the meaning "hip" as it is in most English speaking countries.
The company, which has a long tradition of novelty launches that are
never made available for public sale, said it conceived of the bra in
response to a need to save energy during the hot summer (source).
The Cool Biz campaign is known by over 96 percent of the Japanese public, 33 percent of which work for companies that actively engage in turning up thermostats on their air conditioners to reduce consumption of electricity.
The ice pack bra also come with a sprig of mint and a Japanese wind chime, maybe seemingly just to make the wearer feel refreshed. The Japanese wind chime, or furin, is usually hung from the eaves of a house. The music produced by the chime is said to have a psychological cooling effect. The chime is moved by a long card called tanzaku on which is usually written a traditional poem.
It is currently unknown, though, how wind will sound the chime unless women are walking around with only their bras on. This, of course, would never happen given Japan's general fear of the sun due to the generally pale Japanese skin. In fact, this is more often the case:
Japanese sun protection - visor and sleeves (photo)
Having taught English in Japan in the Jet Program for 2 years, I have seen my fair share of "Engrish" shirts. The same way that some otaku in the US wear shirts with Japanese kanji (which probably translates to gibberish or is printed backwards), the Japanese have English shirts. The only difference is, of course, that for the most part Japan loves American culture, fashion, and they even think our English words look cool on their shirts...regardless of what it says.
In honor of the prevalence of this hilarious cultural burp, I present to you the first of my new weekly set "Japlish Friday". If you didn't already guess, Japlish is a mixture of Japanese and English. Kinda like "Spanglish". I know it's kind of a stretch here. Deal with it. Enjoy
So, over a year gone now and Japan is still deep in the mess left from the March 11 earthquake / tsunami / radioactive meltdown. I'm sure most of you have seen the crazy before and after pictures of the progress as the Japanese have ganbare'ed to their limits. Also, citizen pressure has led to the deactivation of all but two nuclear power facilities which will in fact be shutdown this whole month (source).
And, although shareholders plan to sue TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company, who is at fault for the meltdown) for some 67 billion dollars, I still find myself wondering why TEPCO isn't shelling out money to the government and the nation. Why isn't TEPCO bankrupt right now? Why hasn't some other group stepped up to show that nuclear power can and does work in the right hands?
All that aside, sit back and laugh at these completely unscientific yet very agreeable perspectives on Japan's contamination. Thanks to Testosterone Pit who says these have been circulating the Japanese interwebs for a few months now.
Even though the mantle is sliced, the squid tentacles are still wiggling (photo)
What could possibly be fresher than Japanese sushimi? Live seafood, that's what.
And this cuisine just happens to be gaining some popularity across Japan. Called "odori-don", or "bowl of rice with something dancing on top," the appeal not only comes from the supposedly fresher taste, but also the entertainment of it all, obviously.
The mantle (the top "hat" part) of the squid is mostly sliced off leaving just parts of the nervous system intact. Whether the squid is actually cognizant, vegetable, or just a bunch of postmortem muscle spasms is something beyond what I learned in biology 101.
The meal is supposedly rather uncommon but is getting a lot of criticism overseas. In fact, in the comments of this video alone, there is a small war between Japanese and non-Japanese. My favorite comment would probably be:
They have bullfighting in Spain! Europeans exploit Africans for their
resources! America slaughters the middle east for its oil! If you think
doing this to a squid is cruel, you have no business living in modern
society.
It's easy for outsiders to judge aspects of another culture, because they have a completely different vantage point. But in response to the Japanese, I'm sure it's helping their tourism, right?
I'm going to have to admit, the first time I saw or heard anything about this was in the extremely weird, yet awesome movie "Oldboy". If you enjoy this scene, the movie is going to blow you away.
Another concern of ikizukuri, or "prepared live," is the possibility that the seafood is unclean. SankakuComplex comments, "The practice is somewhat notorious for the risk of parasitic infection
it carries, although in Japan the animal welfare implications appear
mostly to be considered a non-issue."
At least it's not as dangerous as a live octopus—a meal that doesn't go down without a fight. In fact, some have died from it.
Japan definitely has a thing for cute things. Unfortunately, when these cute things finally reach the US they're usually watered down to their commercial basics (e.g. magnets, Hello Kitty pins, stationary, etc.) until most of us think Japan is just shipping over it's factory refuse.
I'm not usually a guy that gets all mushy over cute things. But after
being exposed to Japan for two years, and my wife for almost another,
the kawaii-craze is starting to rub off on me. The Japanese idea of "cute" differs from that of Western countries—the only problem here is that I can't quite remember my perceptional roots after being exposed to Japan for so long (feel free to help me here).
This show here definitely embodies all of the TV aspects to "cute" programming. They have a bunch of small kittens—some of which are a little sleepy—romping around in an area full of various sized pots with no objective in mind beside celebrating cats that successfully pick a bowl and look cute. There is "cute" music in the background, and Japanese TV, almost notorious for their use of sounds and slapstick humor (think 1930's America) supplies a plethora of cute sounds.
The concept sounds really lame. And to be honest, if I would have read this description a few years ago I would have avoided the video. But having been accustomed to Japan (the culture, their mindset, their TV programming) I find this to be the audio/visual equivalent to crack. I would sometimes peruse my TV in Japan for shows like this one to learn the easy Japanese language they use but inadvertently expand my sense of kawaii.
Can anyone tell me why this is not so cute in the Western hemisphere?
Here is another reel of the same show in which they insert different things into an area with cute dogs or cats including a blow-up dolphin while it's being blown up, and the neko-nabe from above. (Be sure to take the player off mute.)
In honor of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in all its fury and violence, and the Flyers who just tanked in game 4 of the series, I present to you the Pan Asia Aeron Hockey Championship.
The game is basically a testament to the comfort level of one of the highest-end ergonomic business chairs: the Herman Miller Aeron chair. These chairs are pretty amazing if you didn't know, in performance and price. If you poke around enough online you can find the base model for just under $600 (without shipping, of course).
To break it down; it's sitting - like a boss.
Mixing office camaraderie (a la chair-hockey) and a very sleek, yet expensive office chair, you've got yourself one heck of a promotional campaign. Which means more money to make more overpriced chairs.
Ramped up from the office time-waster with makeshift sticks and a paper ball, the Aeron Hockey Championship has an official court, rules, and is complete with real sticks and pucks. I guess when a bunch of business men are playing though, you don't need helmets or face masks...or do you?
Apparently, the Pan Asia Championship includes 9 countries that eventually meet in Hong Kong for the crazy hockey-chair finals. Enough with the preamble; check out the semi-finals for Japan in Tokyo.
Thailand hosted the 15th Asia Pacific Advertising Festival (ADFEST) from March 18-20, 2012. The festival could best be described as a TED Event for advertising. Each of the commercials/items below speak for them self. Enjoy.
China: "Keyboard of Isolation"
by nonprofit Family Care For Grassroots Community
won Grand Prix in the Outdoor category
South Korea - "The Origins of Pizza"
by Mr. Pizza / Addict Media in Seoul
won Film Craft Award
Japan - "Taxi"
by Japanese department store Sakae
a Gold Winner in film category
Australia - "Breakup"
by National Australia Bank / Clemenger BBDO Melbourne
won Lotus 360 Award
And last but certainly not least:
Japan - "Design Nori"
by Umino Seaweed / I&S BBDO
won Best of Show in design category
These of course are all made out of dried seaweed (just like normal sushi) but cut with new technology. The patterns are classic Japanese designs. The project is intended to convey happiness, long life, respect for the past and hopes for the future in the wake of the Match 2011 Tsunami (source).
Here's a hilarious advertisement for the Ajinomoto Stadium for Japan soccer from 2004. It's called "Husky Women".
SPOILER ALERT: I'm pretty sure I saw this while in Japan. If you can follow the subs while watching the video, it's pretty funny. My favorite part was the chorus singing "Ave Maria" if you could make that out.
Now, I would love to make some broad sweeping comment praising the ingenuity of Japanese commercials. But, that is something I simply cannot do. Especially when every fifth commercial resembles this nonsensical attempt at advertising.
So the banana man is a new student and he's so happy he can get a lot of friends. But tomorrow, he's on to a new school. Where the H was he flying off to at the end? and how?
I have not come to fully understand Japanese humor. Some J-humor is hilarious and I get it while some just leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. I guess that goes for just about any country's humor. This sometimes even follows for individual comedians. Zack Galifianakis has some hilarious stuff and then some stuff that makes me feel awkward--awkward for him and everyone else watching it. Again, maybe some of his stuff is just something I'll understand later.
