Japan gets more than its fair share of foreign celebrity visitors, especially when compared to its other Asian neighbors. This could be due to the reason that other nationals are already enamored with Japan and its culture to begin with. It could also be because the Japanese people appreciate artists and performers from other countries. Whatever the reason, we can always expect something big happening in this country, entertainment wise.
This week, it’s Susan Boyle who’s visiting Japan. She is there to be part of a TV show. Mind you, this is no ordinary TV show. In fact, it has been dubbed as the best local variety show in the country. More than that, Susan Boyle’s appearance in the show will be broadcast live all over the country on New Year’s Eve.
If you thought that Susan Boyle’s fame is limited to the western world, then you are mistaken. The Scottish singer was greeted at the airport by countless fans, all of the clamoring for a song right then and there. She declined, however, saying that they would have to wait for the show to be aired to see and hear her perform. According to the grapevine, she will be singing I Dreamed a Dream, the song which propelled her to worldwide fame.
Susan Boyle, the church volunteer, may not have won Britain’s Got Talent; no one can deny, however, that she has surpassed other contestants. And you know what? The Japanese are quite happy to be part of her success. I wish I had that show on my cable TV. It would be interesting to watch, don’t you think?
Posted December 30th, 2009 by Maki | Comments (7)
Well before the Winter Olympics begins, Mao Asada is already making her country proud. She has been under the spotlight again as she just got a fourth national title – straight. She was the world champion in 2008, but has since then met a series of failures, disappointing many fans. With this recent win, however, critics are saying that Asada is back in form, and that she is once again in the running.
Japan’s former world champion Mao Asada, returning to form with a fourth straight national title, is rekindling a hot rivalry with South Korea’s Kim Yu-Na ahead of their Olympic debut.
Asada nailed her trademark triple axel in the free skate to triumph at the Japanese championships on Sunday, prompting a nationwide sigh of relief for one of the country’s few gold medal hopefuls at February’s Vancouver Winter Games.
“It is important to aim high. I want the gold medal,” the 19-year-old said on television on Monday. “I will aim to perfect all of my programmes.”
It was the first time that the 2008 world champion has stood on the top of the podium in any event this season, which has been fraught with her failures in landing the highly demanding 3.5-revolution jump.
Her countrymen are definitely happy with her most recent performance, but Asada is probably the most fulfilled person at this point. This should be a good booster for her as she prepares for the Winter Olympics in February, which is just a couple of months away.
Posted December 29th, 2009 by Maki | Comment (0)
Just the other week, some colleagues and I were discussing a woman who supposedly married the Eiffel Tower. Naturally, we were all bewildered by the whole thing. We just couldn’t fathom how a person could marry an inanimate object!
So when I read about a Japanese man marrying a video game character, I was not all that puzzled. In a news report published by Reuters, I learned about SAL9000 – that’s the Japanese guy’s online moniker – marrying Nene Anegasaki, a character in the video game Love Plus. I am not familiar with the video game, but from what I have been reading (and based on the name as well!), it is a dating simulation game.
SAL9000 says he is an “otaku,†which is the Japanese term for young adults who have an extreme passion (or even obsession) with video games and fantasy. I think it is also being considered as a sub-culture, and in their own world, it is acceptable to call characters their “wives.†SAL9000 says that since he has been calling and thinking of Nene Anegasaki as his “wife,†the logical thing to do was to marry her!
The couple exchanged “I do’s†several weeks ago, and they spent their honeymoon abroad – in Guam. They have been traveling the famous city of Tokyo as a couple, with SAL9000 documenting their dates diligently. As for the new husband, he says his wife can rest assured that he will never cheat. Ahh, where have I heard that before?
Posted December 20th, 2009 by Maki | Comments (2)
I had always thought that Japan would be one of the first countries to embrace the iPhone. I was wrong – as were the other people who thought the same way. The iPhone has been out for a few years now, but it isn’t till recently that the Japanese welcomed the iPhone.
Countless people have speculated on the reason for the initial coldness the Japanese displayed towards the iPhone. Some say that maybe the mobile phone is simply too functional and lacks the glitter that the Japanese like. Others say that it could be that the Japanese were merely reacting to something Western and not made (and designed) in Japan. Whatever the reason, it is now moot as the Apple iPhone has captured countless Japanese technophiles – and is going strong.
You want proof that the iPhone is indeed making it big in Japan? This could very well be the biggest proof of all. Try visiting the app store. The chances are that you will be overwhelmed with the huge number of applications, and mind you, these are not your run-of-the-mill apps that you can find. They are the products of super creative Japanese minds, and from what I hear, these apps will blow your mind away. Another indication that the iPhone is starting to make waves is that more than apps, hardware is also being developed and released, not to mention the bling (stickers and accessories) that the Japanese is known for.
So for the naysayers out there, the iPhone looks like it is proving itself once again. This time, to one of the biggest and critical markets in the world.
Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
Posted December 1st, 2009 by Maki | Comment (1)
It was 35 years ago, in 1975, when a fictional cat was born. Little did she know that she would change the lives of countless people all over the world – or did she?
I am sure that you will recognize Hello Kitty anywhere – the ubiquitous face of a white/pink cat with a red bow on her left ear has been the obsession of one little girl too many. And even when these little girls grow up to become adults, their attachment to the cat doesn’t seem to go away. That’s the effect that Hello Kitty has had on people.
Sanrio, the company that started it all, thought of the concept in 1974. The very first product launched was a tiny coin purse with Hello Kitty’s face printed on it. As you and I very well know, Hello Kitty’s face has since then been associated with all sorts of products. From mobile phone cases to the mobile phone itself to bags to clothing – you can find anything with a Hello Kitty version!
Believe it or not, Hello Kitty has been spotted on some of the most unlikely items. You don’t think that there is an unlikely item for Hello Kitty? Well, how about an assault rifle? She may be cute, but she can be deadly as well!
How about this keyboard? It’s not as weird as the assault rifle, but I don’t really think I’d be caught dead with one.
Of course, that is not to say that there aren’t any cute Hello Kitty items. That’s why she is celebrating 35 years, and looks like she’ll keep on celebrating many more!
Posted November 22nd, 2009 by Maki | Comment (0)
Barack Obama is no stranger to controversy – his whole presidential campaign revolved around that, if you remember. More so, this is not the first time that the President of the United States has showed deference to a leader of another country. Remember him bowing to the King of Saudi? Now THAT irked a lot of Americans.
If you haven’t heard yet, President Obama did a repeat of the bowing thing. This time, he bowed before Emperor Akihito, again generating a lot of buzz. Of all the articles, blog posts, and commentaries that I have been reading on this event, I found Jake Tapper’s most interesting. He writes:
“This picture shows two things,” my friend writes.
“1) The ‘right’ is wrong about Obama’s bow.
“2) The ‘left’ is wrong about Obama’s bow.
“His bow is neither (1) unprecedented nor (2) a sign of cultural understanding.“At their 1971 meeting in Alaska, the first visit of a Japanese Emperor to America, President Nixon bowed and referred to Emperor Hirohito and his wife repeatedly as ‘Your Imperial Majesties.’”
So what’s the difference between Obama’s bow and Nixon’s bow? The latter got it right – angle and all. Apparently, Obama’s angle was all wrong, and the addition of the hand shake was just NOT right. The overall effect?
Kyodo News is running his appropriate and reciprocated nod and shake with the Empress, certainly to show the president as dignified, and not in the form of a first year English teacher trying to impress with Karate Kid-level knowledge of Japanese customs.
The bow as he performed did not just display weakness in Red State terms, but evoked weakness in Japanese terms….The last thing the Japanese want or need is a weak looking American president and, again, in all ways, he unintentionally played that part.
I wonder what Obama thinks about the buzz that he has once again generated? What do YOU think about it?
Posted November 21st, 2009 by Maki | Comments (10)
If anyone has ever doubted the artistic and cultural value of manga, then the time to throw away those doubts is NOW. The British Museum – no less – is holding an exhibit featuring the work of Hoshino Yukinobu, famed Japanese manga artist. His most famous character, Professor Munakata is the highlight of the exhibit, which also shows the best drawings of the artist.
In the most basic terms, manga refers to Japanese comics and cartoons in print form. This art has a long history, and has emerged to be one of the most popular forms these days. Its topics are not limited to a single genre but encompass a lot of subjects including romance, sports, action, adventure, business, and even sexuality.
Hoshino Yukinobu’s exhibit at the British Museum can be found in a room near the entrance. Visitors will not miss it as there is a larger-than-life picture of the famous Professor wearing a costume dating back to the 7th century.
Aside from the inherent cultural and artistic value of Hoshino Yukinobu’s work, why is the British Museum holding an exhibit for him? For Japanese culture lovers in the UK, you will be happy to know that the Museum is also holding an exhibit on ceramic figures (dogu) dating from ancient Japan. This exhibit will be open till 22 November.
Even if you are not (yet) a fan of Yukinobu’s work, you might want to drop by the Museum and check it out. There are also manga comic books available for your perusal – you never know, you just might find a new hobby!
Photo courtesy of The British Museum
Posted November 10th, 2009 by Maki | Comment (1)
Yesterday, Londoners were treated to a taste of what it’s like to cross the streets of Tokyo. Oxford Circus, which is considered to be the “heart of London’s West End shopping and entertainment district,†opened the first ever Tokyo-style pedestrian crossing in their part of the world. The style of this pedestrian crossing – as you can see from the photo, courtesy of Mirror.co.uk – allows people to cross the intersection diagonally, on top of being able to cross in straight lines. Obviously, in order for this scheme to work, traffic in all directions must be halted all at once to give way to the pedestrians.
According to a report by AFP, London authorities got the idea from the crossing in Shibuya, a well-known area in Tokyo. The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, was quoted as saying:
“This project is a triumph for British engineering, Japanese innovation and good old-fashioned common sense. The head-scratching frustration caused by the previous design is over and we’ve brought one of the world’s greatest crossroads into the 21st century. Being able to cross in an oblique rather than a perpendicular fashion will make Oxford Circus incredibly more efficient for the millions of pedestrians and road users that use the crossing every year.”
Indeed, why haven’t others thought of this before? Trust the Japanese to come up with such a simple solution to a simple problem!
So how much did the scheme cost the government? A whopping five million pounds, no less! We’ll see in the next few weeks – or months – if the scheme is worth it. I have a feeling it will be. 
Posted November 3rd, 2009 by Maki | Comments (4)
Twitter has fast become one of the most used social platforms in the world today. We have to admit that while a huge number of its users are English speakers (or writers, maybe?), the market for non-English speakers is just as huge. This is perhaps the reason that Twitter has expanded and created its first ever foreign language mobile version: in Japanese.
You may not know it, but Japan is one of the few countries which have not been penetrated by social networking web sites! This may be a surprise, but it is true nonetheless. The Press Association has the story:
Twitter teamed up with Tokyo-based internet firm Digital Garage in early 2008. It launched a Japanese-language platform for PCs in the spring of 2008, and hired a Japan country manager earlier this year.
“It’s an excellent opportunity for us to see where we can go in Asia in general because Japan represents a leading edge, with advanced mobile usage,” said Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, who travelled to Tokyo for the launch. “Mobile is in Twitter’s DNA.”
It looks like Japan is going to be only the first of many other foreign language platforms. In the same report, it was said that in the near future, we can expect versions in Spanish, German, French, and Italian. More than the language, though, Twitter is going to use the Japan site to test other features that are not currently available in the English site. I wonder how the Japanese are going to respond to this move?
Posted October 18th, 2009 by Maki | Comment (1)
What is the number one past time in the whole world? I honestly do not have solid data about that, but I would go out on a limb here and say that whatever it is, it probably involves the TV. It could be watching TV shows; it could be watching movies on TV; it could be playing video games (which of course needs a TV screen).
This idea brings me to the conclusion that it is the reason behind the recent move of Japanese manufacturers – they are coming out with bigger and better TV screens. In a recent report by the Associated Press, they talked about big name brands in Japan coming out with 3D flat screen TVs. The CEATEC, the biggest consumer electronics show in Japan, showcased these TVs of the future. Jay Alabaster reports:
At the country’s biggest consumer electronics show, which opened Tuesday just outside of Tokyo, all the major makers had large 3-D prototypes on display. Visitors to company booths at the CEATEC show donned special electronic glasses and watched as soccer balls flew toward them in sports clips and virtual heroes dodged deep into the background of video games.
Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. have both said they will bring their first models to market next year. Details about what will be available to watch on the new TVs are still sparse, though the companies said they want to begin with movies and games.
Obviously, content is a big thing. It’s like the 1080p TVs of today – what use are they if what’s broadcasted on cable does not follow the standard? As such, we probably should not get too excited about the whole thing for now. We have to wait for the content providers to follow suit and provide 3D content before we shell out big bucks for this new TV set. Still, it is a portent of things to come – and it is looking good!
Photo courtesy of Gizmag
Posted October 6th, 2009 by Maki | Comment (1)
