Do As Infinity

Today, Do as Infinity released two special DVDs of their performances. “Do as Infinity Live Tour 2001″ contains footage of their performance at Shibuya AX from their first live tour, while “Do as Infinity 3rd Anniversary Special Live” is their 3rd anniversary live performance that was originally broadcast in WOWOW. The news sends a wave of nostalgia to their fans all over the world.

Do as Infinity (often shortened to DAI) is composed of three members: Tomiko Van in vocals and lyrics, Ryo Otawari on guitar and vocals, and Dai Nagao as composer and guitars. Nagao had composed songs for J-music artists like Ayumi Hamazaki and Hitomi before getting the chance to form his own band under AVEX Records. In 1999 they released their first single Tangerine Dream, and their live performances in different locations in Shibuya were well-received. From then on they had a remarkable streak of street concerts that culminated to a free concert for fans in Shibuya Kokaido. After the release of their fourth single Yesterday and Today, their first album Break of Dawn debuted #3 in the Oricon album charts. It was followed by a string of popular singles, five more albums, several compilation albums and performance dvds. A few notable songs are Summer Days, probably their most well-known English song, and Mahou no kotoba ~Would You Marry Me?, released in 2003, became one of the most played songs during weddings. Three other singles, Fukai Mori (Deep Forest), Rakuen (Paradise), and Shinjitsu no Uta (True Song), were used as ending themes for the Japanese anime InuYasha. Only one other band, Every Little Thing, has the same record. One of their last singles, TAO, was used as the theme for NAMCO’s RPG Tales of Legendia.

The band announced their separation on September 2005 after a successful six-year career. Tomiko Van went on to become a solo artist, and her second single Senkou is scheduled for release on September 27. Ryo is now focused on his band Mission Innovation, while Dai still composes music for other artists.

The ghosts of Japan

Though summer is almost over, we have yet to mention one of summer’s traditions: the telling of ghost stories. Ghosts stories in Japan are told during hot summer months, especially on August. This is based on Japanese Buddhism, where August is the season of Bon, and the gates to the spirit world open. These ghost stories can help you forget the oppressive heat, and a well-told one can send chills down your spine. These tales often talk about the obake, the traditional ghosts, spirits and goblins of folklore. The word obake literally means a transforming thing, and points to the transformation of the spirit into a supernatural being. Obake fall into three broad categories:

Yuurei are the spirits of the dead. They are often portrayed wearing a white kimono and with their legs trailing into faint wisps. These ghosts are drawn to haunt their loved ones, out of unrequited love, sorrow, or a hunger for revenge. Yuurei can be laid to rest by performing rites or helping it resolve its unfinished business.

The youkai encompass a wide spectrum of ghouls, goblins and monsters. Some youkai are the transforming animal spirits like the tanuki and kitsune, the long-nosed Tengu goblins, and the reptilian Kappa which live in isolated lakes. These spirits have different agendas in interacting with humans, though some prefer to live away from the humans.

Oni are not considered to be youkai, but these ferocious creatures from Buddhist theology are often included in the list of obake. Oni have duties like manning the gates of the different Buddhist hells and scaring the wicked to death.

Even if the traditional ghost stories of the youkai and yuurei are slowly being supplanted with Westernized horror stories, they have a timeless appeal that makes you want to share them to others. So before the summer truly ends, gather your friends, and share ghostly tales as the sun sets.

A boy is born to the Imperial Family.

There had been speculations in the Japanese media about the possible gender of the new Imperial baby, but we’ve just received the happy news today : a boy has been born to Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko of the Japanese Imperial Family. An Imperial Household Agency official told reporters that Princess Kiko had given birth by Caesarean operation to the 5.64 pound boy at 8:27 a.m in central Tokyo.

The boy is the first male heir born in more than forty years. He is now be third in the line of succession to the Japanese throne, right after his uncle, Crown Prince Naruhito, and his own father. The new prince ranks above four-year-old Princess Aiko, the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito, and his two older sisters. His birth was greeted with widespread celebration and sake toasts among the public. Ceremonies connected to his birth included the laying of a tiny sword near his pillow to ward off demons. He will be named next Wednesday by his father, seven days after his birth.

The birth will likely derail the proposed amendment to the 1947 succession law to allow women equal rights to the succession. The current law only allows males to ascend to the throne. Early this year Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s proposal were put aside after the announcement of Princess Kiko’s pregnancy, raising the possibility that a boy could be born. Despite the birth, the call for change cannot be ignored. Surveys conducted has shown that even though traditionalists still favor the old law, there are many who agree to giving women equal rights to the throne.

It’s not just black and white

A few years ago a series called Hikaru no Go revived interest in the game of Go among the Japanese youth. I must admit I learned Go because of how it was shown - as a challenging and elegant game with infinite variations. Go is a deeply complex strategic game of territory between two players, and is often compared to the Western game of chess. The only things you need to play are a go board, a set of black and white go stones in their respective bowls, and a few hours of free time. After you learn the basics, you’re sure to want to keep playing for hours.

These are the rules to this game:

• Two players, black and white, will take turns placing a stone on the intersections of a board grid. Black always moves first.
• Stones must have liberties to remain on the board. Placing your stone adjacent to one of your own creates a group, and share their liberties. Once a stone or a group of stones surrounded (has no remaining liberties) it is captured and removed from the board. These stones are counted against your territory at the end of your game.
• There would be times when your stone would capture your opponent’s stone, but in doing so you leave your own stone vulnerable to a capture in return. This position is called ko, and it can repeat , they created a rule that after the first capture, the next stone cannot be played at the point of ko.

Though these are the only rules to the game, they open up a world of possibilities limited only by the players’ imagination. At the end of the game all of the free liberties surrounded by one player’s stones are counted as their territory. Their captured stones are counted against that, and whoever has the most territory wins.

I’ve fallen in love with this game since the first time I laid a stone on a go board. Try it, and you just might fall in love with it too.

The Delights of Ramen

Ramen is yet another delicious dish that originated from China but gained a distinctly Japanese touch. It consists of boiled egg noodles cooked in a salty broth topped with various ingredients, and aficionados will wait in line before a ramen shop for a fragrantly steaming bowl prepared by a ramen chef who honed his craft for years.

Ramen are usually classified based on the broth and the toppings served with it, and some Japanese regions are famous for the unique flavor of their ramen.

The flavors of Ramen
Shio is a clear, transparent salt soup made with a simple chicken broth. This may be the simplest kind but it’s also the healthiest due to its lower salt content.

Shoyu ramen is similar to shio except it is soy sauce-based with seafood stock. Most ramen made in the Kanto region are shoyu-based.

Tonkotsu ramen uses a milky opaque broth made with crushed pork bones boiled for hours. This is a Kyushu specialty usually served with cha su, or thinly sliced roasted pork.

Miso ramen has a soup stock of combined chicken broth and fermented soybean paste. It is usually served with pan-fried vegetables, and originated from Sapporo.

Ramen are often served with a variety of toppings. Some of the more common toppings are moyashi or bean sprouts, chashuu (pork slices), menma (dried bamboo shoots), eggs served either raw or boiled, hourensou (spinach), meat dumplings, nori and spring onion. These toppings are added after being cooked so they would not affect the flavor of the soup. More delicious ramen variations are being created everyday, so you should try to see which one you like best.

[tags]food,noodles,ramen,japan[/tags]