Matsuzaka Versus Ichiro

Japanese baseball fans all over the world had their stomachs knotted in anticipation when Japan’s most successful pitcher faced off with Japan’s best hitter at Fenway just yesterday. Torn between their two favorite players Japanese fans cheered for either Daisuke Matsuzaka and Ichiro Suzuki while many who couldn’t make up their minds ended up cheering for both. The “battle” between the two ended with Ichiro grounding out to Matsuzaka.

Daisuke “The Monster” Matsuzaka joined the Boston Red Sox December 13 of last year. He has quite a repertoire of pitches but his “best pitch” is considered to be his screwball-like changeup.

Ichiro Suzuki, known all over simply as Ichiro, moved to the US in 2001 playing for the Seattle Mariners. He is known to be one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball and has won a Gold Glove award and is part of the All-Star selection in each of his first six years in the majors.

Sanctions Against North Korea Extended

Japan has announced its intent to extend its sanctions against North Korea for another six months due to North Korea’s “insincere efforts to solve the abduction issue”. The abduction issue mentioned here refers to the 17 Japanese kidnapped in the 1970s and 1980s. North Korea acknowledged the kidnapping of 13 of the Japanese citizens and returned 5 of the people in 2002 while claiming that the rest were dead. Japan wants North Korea to account for the 4 missing people as well as address its programs for disarmament.

So far the sanctions, which includes a ban on imports from North Korea, a ban on the entry of North Korean ships to Japanese ports, and a ban of entry of North Korean officials on Japanese soil, seems to have little effect on North Korea’s efforts towards the resolution of the abduction and disarmament issues.

Candy Sushi Recipe

Purists will definitely hate this tip but dessert lovers will love the fushion between western sweets and the Japanese food – sushi. The candy sushi here do not taste anything like sushi but they really are pretty to look at and very delicious too.

Ingredients:
Fruit by the Foot (preferably green)
Mini powdered donuts
Swedish fish
Pull and Peel licorice
Marshmallows
Jelly beans
Strawberry, caramel, or chocolate syrup.

Candy Sushi Version 1:
Place a strip of Fruit by the Foot on your working space.
Place a Swedish fish in the center.
Cut a mini-donut in half and place this on the Swedish fish.
Wrap the ends of the Fruit by the Foot around the fish and donut.

Candy Sushi Version 2
Wrap a strip of the Fruit by the Foot around a marshmallow.
Place the marshmallow on its end.
Cut a jelly bean in half and place it on the marshmallow, inside facing up.
Cut some small pieces of liquorice so that they look like small balls or fish eggs and place them around the jelly bean half.

Candy Sushi Version 3
Using a knife, carefully carve a hole in the middle of a marshmallow.
Thread some liquorice through the center of the marshmallow.
Wrap a strip of the fruit roll-up around the marshmallow.

Recipe compliments of WikiHow.

Save the Endangered Languages

Language is an integral part of culture and Japan is a country rich with culture. Compared to other countries though Japan suffers from the degradation of a significant number of its indigenous languages. Of the 16 living languages in Japan today eight have 10,000 or less speakers each with three of those having less than a thousand speakers. The three languages are the Ainu (15 speakers), Yonaguni (800 speakers), and Yoron (950 speakers).

Endangered and with one nearly extinct the death of these languages do not represent just the death of the language itself but the death of an entire sub-culture. As Japan strove to unite the nation and become a force to be reckoned with some sacrifices were made. With standard Japanese used everywhere and for everything the more ancient languages are losing relevance and dying out. While it is good to be able to communicate in one language the older languages should be fought for and preserved. As Japan faces a brighter future it is their duty and honor to look back in the past and make sure they honor where they came from.

Land of Louis Vuitton Lovers

Louis Vuitton Malletier à Paris (LVMH), more commonly known simply as Louis Vuitton, opened its first store in Paris on Rue Nueve des Capucines way back in 1854. More than a hundred and fifty years later it is still very much famous with its leather goods considered as a status symbol all over the world.

When the first Vuitton store opened in Japan in 1978 they expected the product to take off but never anticipated as warm a welcome as they got. In fact by the 1980s Vuitton sales in Japan alone accounted for nearly half of the ENTIRE revenue of the company. To this day Loius Vuitton is more like a cult phenomenon among Japanese females instead of just a popular but passing trend. Sales in Japan stil account for an estimated 55% of all sales. According to Akira Miura, chief editor of a fashion paper in Japan, “Almost every grown-up Japanese woman already owns at least one Louis Vuitton item.” But even then people continue on buying more Vuitton items, after all a single Vuitton trunk in your closet looks incredibly lonely.

Gray Is The New Black

Modern Japanese fashion has always been one of the most interesting things about the Japanese culture. People’s interests are always piqued when it comes to this country’s fashion sense. Yet in the first quarter of this year, it seems that a shift in colors is occurring. Casualness seems to be going out as a new color emerges.

While it used to be white and black that were considered the base fashion colors, now it is gray that is emerging. As with everything related to fashion, base colors have undergone major changes throughout the decades. They have gone from blue to brown to beige then black. What exactly is a base color anyway? It is defined as the keynote color in a person’s outfit. This means that the base color is the predominant color in a material. There could be other colors on the cloth, of course, but the base color is what sets the tone or the mood of the outfit. The base color, as you may have noticed is usually more low key than bright flashy colors. However, they have a large impact on the overall look of the person wearing the outfit, whatever style it may be.

Fashion experts in Japan state that gray as the new base color is the sign that the casual look is on its way out. They claim that gray radiates innocence and refinement. As such, what we could expect to see this year in the streets of Japan are suits and uniforms in gray.

[tags]Japan, Japanese fashion, base colors, suits, uniforms[/tags]

The Comeback of Calligraphy

This form of writing is associated by many with the ancient Chinese and Japanese. We all know that calligraphy involves more than writing, but is an art form in itself. In Japan, it used to be that all children learned the basics of calligraphy, or shodo in the native language. With technology pervading society as fast as it is, however, less and less people are actually learning shodo. Both adults and children seem to have forgotten about this ancient art form.

Recently however, a sprinkling of young artists has been breathing life into this art form. They have in fact extended their stage to the rest of the world. Takeda Soun is well known for his “performance shodo” wherein he creates calligraphy on stage with music on the background. His performances have been well received in many European countries. He is only one among many young Japanese who value this ancient art and wish for it to continue to be known and appreciated the world over.

[tags]Japan, writing. culture, calligraphy, shodo, characters[/tags]

Scuba Diving in Japan

This popular leisure activity is not normally associated with Japan yet if you just take a deeper look, there are in fact wonderful places wherein you can scuba dive. From the last count, there are over 2,000 diving spots all over the country, many of them world class. Here are a few spots which you should consider.

Izu Peninsula
This is the most popular dive spot in the mainland. Only a train ride away from Tokyo, the Izu Peninsula is home to many different kinds of diving activities as well as the onsen. In fact, it is more popular for the latter.

Ogasawara Islands
Also part of Tokyo, these islands have a warmer temperature and thus warmer waters. It is quite far though – at 1,850 km to the south. It is perfect for those who are looking for a longer diving trip.

Okinawa
A familiar name to many, Okinawa is actually the Japanese tropical paradise. Located in the southernmost part of the country, Okinawa offers the best scuba diving in all of Japan.
[tags]Japan, scuba diving, onsen, Okinawa, Izu Peninsula, Ogasawara Islands, Tokyo[/tags]

Eye-controlled Computers

Leave it to the Japanese to come up with this idea! Professor Arai Kohei of Saga University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering has come up with a computer system which makes use of the user’s eyes to input information to control it. Called the Mitsumeru Dake, or Just Look in English, this system makes use of a miniature camera to measure the line of sight of the user. All he has to do is look at a character on the screen for one second and it will be considered an input.

This computer system is seen to be very useful for people with disabilities. As we may be very well aware of, there are countless people who are unable to use computers due to one disability or another. That is, unless they have access to expensive equipment. With Mitsumeru Dake, this situation can be resolved.

This development is indeed very much welcomed by the rest of the world. It is a prime example of how men of science can put their knowledge to practical use to improve people’s lives.

[tags]Japan, Japanese scientists, inventions, computer systems, disability[/tags]

Fighting Global Warming

The Japanese have always been leaders in technology. This time, they are applying their knowledge and skill to combating global warming. In their efforts to reduce global warming, Japanese scientists are trying out a new method of sequestration. They have been testing the burying of CO2 under the seabed in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

According to Murai Shigeo, leader of the RITE carbon dioxide sequestration group, they “have been able to show that carbon dioxide injection in Japan’s particular geological conditions is possible, and computer simulations based on our monitoring activity give a good idea of how the gas will behave over the next thousand years.” The implications of this study are short of amazing.

If found successful, a country would be able to get rid of about 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide in this manner. With the rest of the world becoming more aware of the need to actively fight global warming, this Japanese innovation is indeed very much welcome.
[tags]Japan, science and technology, environment, innovations, carbon dioxide, global warming, sequestration[/tags]