New Film Features Japanese Dolphin Slaughter

There is a new film that is already stirring up a lot of controversy. When films are released for the whole world to see and they target the culture of a nation, controversy is sure to come with it. This new film is dubbed “The Cove,” and it focuses on some practices of Japanese fishermen.

Based on what the film portrays, Japanese fishermen allegedly lure wild dolphins into a hidden secret cove in Japan. According to activists, these dolphins are then captured for sale to amusement parks and for food as well. The Cove is actually a documentary which follows the pursuits of a group of activists led by Ric O’Barry. He is in fact an ex-dolphin trainer and he used to be in the TV series Flipper.

The film is due to be released in the United States on Friday but, unsurprisingly, no release date has been announced for Japan. The Japanese government maintains its stance that they are not doing anything wrong and that have not been doing anything wrong. More so, they have also cited cultural differences as the reason behind the misunderstanding.

In spite of this official stand, critics and audiences have already given the film a lot of praise. In fact, it won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival. The goal of the activists is to shut down the cove for good and to save the dolphins.

I have not seen the movie myself, but I would like to. At least if I do, I can judge it for myself.

Posted July 31st, 2009 by Maki | Comments (2)

Japan Smiled Upon By Rugby God

Rugby may not be the number one sport in Japan but it does have more than its share of followers. In fact, Japan is considered to be the top Asian country for rugby. Recent developments have proven that rugby has indeed reached new heights in the country. As a matter of fact, Japan joined the bidding activities to be the host of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and won!

This victory makes Japan the first ever Asian host of the Rugby World Cup. Japan Rugby Football Union president Yoshiro Mori says:

The God of rugby smiled on us today. I am filled with emotion to be a part of this historic day for Japan and for rugby around the world.

This is the country’s second attempt at becoming the host of the Rugby World Cup.

Japan has indeed a lot to offer as the host of the Rugby World Cup. It has one of the finest and most modern set of infrastructure in Asia, competing with the rest of the world. There is no doubt that they will be able to provide for the technical needs of the tournament. If they do not have the infrastructure up already, 10 years will certainly be enough to build what is necessary.

The nation will also benefit from being the hosts of the World Cup. According to estimates by Deloitte, Japan stands to gain about 2 billion Great Britain Pounds (about 3.2 billion US Dollars) from the event.

Posted July 28th, 2009 by Maki | Comments (2)

Noodle Robot Coming Up!

The Japanese have always been at the cutting edge of technological discoveries, and they haven’t failed to impress. Try visiting one of their ramen shops in Minami-Alps, Yamanashi and you will yet again be impressed; this time, with the juxtaposition of great food and robots.

What do they have in common? Well, this ramen house has its own robot chef, which takes care of the assembly of the noodle bowl. While the human chef still makes and cooks the noodles, the task of putting everything together to create the perfect bowl of hot steaming noodle soup is left to the robot.

Customers merely have to input their orders on a computer, and the robot takes care of everything. If you think that this might affect the flavor of the soup somehow, then you are right – but only in the best possible way! The robot can customize the flavors depending on the preferences of the customer. It can measure the different spices and flavorings – up to 40 million different permutations! From the amount of salt, soy sauce, and down to the richness of the soup, you can be sure to have a perfect bowl to match your tastes!

The shop owner, Yoshihara Uchida, is quite proud of his achievement. He worked on this robot for quite a while, meeting a lot of hurdles along the way. Finally, after five years of working on the robot, Uchida was able to launch his creation in December of 2008. He dreams of mass producing this robot and making a name for himself.

Posted July 5th, 2009 by Maki | Comments (2)

Wii Sports Resorts Make It Big In Japan

Japan is well known for their protectionist policy. From their language to their products, the nation always prioritizes their own over any foreign ideas and things. When it comes to video games, it is not much different. That is perhaps one reason that the Nintendo Wii has had unprecedented success since its original release.

No one can say, however, that the Wii is not worthy of its success. Anyone who has tried playing on this gaming console will certainly agree that the Wii is something else. The original game that came with the Wii was Wii Sports, which was meant to showcase what the revolutionary console could do.

Now, they have released a follow up to the game dubbed Wii Sports Resorts. It has only been out for a week in Japan and yet reports are already coming in – the new game is another smashing success! From June 22 to June 28, statistics show that the about 360,000 copies of the game were sold. This quickly propelled Wii Sports Resorts to the top of the charts.

The new game compilation has 12 different sports and comes bundled with the MotionPlus attachment. In fact, spokespersons for Nintendo have said before that the games are designed to make the most out of the new attachment.

As of now, the game is only available in Japan but for sure, foreign versions will be released soon. I think the US will be having its version by the 26th of this month.

Posted July 4th, 2009 by Maki | Comment (1)