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10 Oct 08
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Arimatsu Festival 有松祭りLast Sunday I went to see the annual Arimatsu Festival, though the main parade was washed out and has been rearranged for tomorrow.Arimatsu is a small post-town on the ancient Tokaido highway between Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo) and is famous for ... |
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09 Oct 08
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Hungry in gay Shinjuku Ni-Chome 新宿 二丁目 らあめん屋Shinjuku Ni-Chome (i.e. the “Shinjuku No.2 District”) is home to the main Tokyo gay and lesbian scene.Weekdays in Ni-Chome are by no means empty, but are pretty quiet compared with weekends. But on any day of the we... |
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08 Oct 08
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The Months & Days of the Week in Japanese A couple of weeks ago we looked at the numbers in Japanese.If you know the numbers in Japanese, it's easy to form the months of the year.Listen to the months of the year in Japanese and the days of the weekJanuary is literally "one month", February "two... |
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08 Oct 08
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Japanese Monkeys Working In A Restaurant サルのウェイターThese Japanese macaque monkeys are working in a Japanese izakaya in Tokyo serving hot towels and beer to customers. The monkeys - Yat-chan and Fuku-chan - are rewarded with soya beans as tips.The monkeys work in two-hour shifts a... |
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07 Oct 08
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Naked white man in Imperial Moat! Stocks aren't the only things plunging. A much more smile-inducing plunge was that of the naked tourist yesterday into the moat of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.Watch this YouTube video of Japanese TV coverage of the event, and the over-the-top police... |
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07 Oct 08
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Kiyozawa Manshi Memorial Museum Hekinan 清沢満之Kiyozawa Manshi (1863-1901) a Buddhist priest and philosopher, was born in Hekinan, a small town east of Nagoya. The traditional samurai house where he died young of tuberculosis has been preserved as a museum dedicated to his life and ... |
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06 Oct 08
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One Cup Ozeki ワンカップ大関October 1 is designated as "Sake Day" in Japan - a PR campaign begun by the large sake brewers in 1978 in an attempt to increase sales of Japan's national tipple.New rice is harvested in the autumn months and the first sake ... |
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05 Oct 08
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Japan This Week: 5 October 2008 今週の日本Fire at Video Store Kills 15 in Japan.NY TimesMUFG, Morgan Stanley eye merger of securities arms.AsahiSadako Ogata, 81, Japan's outspoken force for the world's poor.Washington PostDolphins on a dietGuardianAsa testifies, denies ma... |
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04 Oct 08
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Prince Park Tower Tower ザ・プリンス パークタワー東京The Prince Park Tower Hotel, not far from Tokyo Tower and its sister hotel Prince Hotel, is located in the Roppongi district of the capital.The hotel occupies a 33-storey tower and has 673 rooms with over half o... |
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02 Oct 08
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Mybar Anniversary Party On Thursday October 16 we will be celebrating our 4th anniversary at Mybar. I would like to personally invite you, to come down and enjoy the party. We will have DJ's, giveaways, you know, all the good stuff. No reservations needed just stop in and say... |
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02 Oct 08
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Japanese Language: Expressing reasons or causes から、ので、でTo express a reason or cause in Japanese, から（kara）, ので（node）, and で（de）are quite useful.Although they all mean "because" or "since," they are used a bit differently.For starters, "kara" is a bit more casual, "... |
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01 Oct 08
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Japan Tobacco vs the Neighborhood ジャパン・タバコの中野区の寮When I moved into my apartment in Tokyo's Nakano ward, in the Chuo 1-chome district, about four years ago, the Japan Tobacco dormitory complex just a few meters down the road was in use as a dormitory for young... |
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28 Sep 08
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Drunk in Japan 酔っぱらいPublic drunkenness is not considered a shame in Japan and is viewed with indulgence. Every day thousands of drunken office workers, mostly males, can be seen slumped in the carriages of subway trains or on station platforms. Some of them m... |
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28 Sep 08
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Japan This Week: 28 September 2008 今週の日本Japanese Party Chooses Aso as Leader.NY TimesCabinet's Support Rate Starts Off at 48%.AsahiTourism minister apologizes for gaffes.Japan TimesObituary: Jun Ichikawa.GuardianAir bag for Japan's elderly.BBCJapan's karaoke politics.BBCJapanese... |
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27 Sep 08
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Loft Loft is a giant of Japanese retailing. Owned by the Seibu Group, Loft stores are aimed at young homeowners and avid hobbyists.Loft stores can be found throughout Japan in many large department stores and stock a wide variety of home and garden items... |
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26 Sep 08
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K1 Dream 6 Kakutogi, Japanese for any hand-to-hand fighting sport, grew big in Japan throughout the 1990s and is now huge. Perhaps the most popular now is K1, a sport established in Japan in 1993 that combines various martial arts to get something that looks like a... |
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25 Sep 08
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Japanese "mono" and "koto" 日本語の「もの」と「こと」Whereas English uses the word “thing” to refer to anything that exists, Japanese generally divides existence into the physical and non-physical. mono is usually a tangible thing, such as a wallet, a cabbage, a ... |
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23 Sep 08
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Thousand Origami Cranes 千羽鶴Zenbazuru or a thousand folded origami cranes are seen throughout Japan at temples and shrines and places of remembrance and atonement such as the Atomic Dome in Hiroshima or the Daihonei tunnel complex in Nagano built by forced labor during Wor... |
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22 Sep 08
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PEOPLE TOGETHER FOR MT. OGURA, KYOTO LET’S BEGIN WITH WHAT WE CAN DO!小倉山百人一集の会P.T.O. (PEOPLE TOGETHER FOR MT. OGURA), a new citizens’ environmental and cultural action group, founded in Kyoto, March 2008Ogurayama, the beautiful dome-shaped mountain rising on the nor... |
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22 Sep 08
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Taro Aso 麻生太郎Taro Aso, 68, was today elected at the new leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and will become the next Prime Minister.A conservative hawk, who favors pump-priming the economy, Aso is the grandson of post World War ... |
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22 Sep 08
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Gothic Lolita (gosu-loli) ゴシックロリータ（ゴスロリ）"Gothic Lolita" is a fashion style, born in Japan, that blends the dark gothic and the frilly Lolita looks.To see is to believe.In other countries, the gothic look is an expression of alienation, teen anger... |
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21 Sep 08
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Japan This Week: 21 September 2008 今週の日本Japan Banking Stocks Suffer Biggest Drop Since 1987.NY TimesTainted rice used in 100,000 rice balls.AsahiLehman in talks to sell off Japan equity, assets.Japan TimesJapan's PM hopeful fails to acknowledge family use of slave labour.Guard... |
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20 Sep 08
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Shibuya 109 渋谷１０９Shibuya 109, or just 109 (ichi-maru-kyu, in Japanese), is a landmark for women between the ages of 10 and 30.The cylindrical building stands at a fork in the road just up a slope from the scramble intersection in front of Shibuya S... |
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19 Sep 08
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Ema Japanese Votive Plaques 絵馬Ema are small, painted, wooden boards or plaques found displayed in Shinto shrines.Usually purchased for around 500 yen and bearing the chief symbol or characteristic motif of the shrine or an animal associated with the Chinese zodiac, ema are inscr... |
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18 Sep 08
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The Numbers in Japanese 番号One of the first things a visitor to Japan should memorize are the numbers in both written and spoken form so here they are:Listen to the numbers in Japanese1 - ichi; 一2 - ni; 二3 - san; 三4 - shi (yon); 四5 - go; 五6 - roku; 六7 - nana (shic... |
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17 Sep 08
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Japanese Fashion: Legs and Tattoos 秋のファション：足と入れ墨On a recent trip to Tokyo, I wandered around Shinjuku, Daikanyama, and the Harajuku/Omotesando areas and was struck by many things.One surprise for someone coming up from Kyoto was the number of tattoos, espec... |
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16 Sep 08
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Nagoya Friends Nagoya Friends is holding its 58th party inNagoya!atDate: Saturday Sept 20th, 2008 Time: 18:30 - 21:00Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-8:50pm. Place: Shooter's Bar (Pola Bldg, 2-9-26 Sakae, Naka-ku (very close to Fushimi Station)Fee: 3000 YenDress... |
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16 Sep 08
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Spelling - on sale now! Everything looks fine with this piece of English, for some reason added to the wall of a neighborhood supermarket."Loaded with informationthat will be toyour advantage to leam."Hang on - that's "leam" not "learn"...have a closer look.Yahoo Japan Auction... |
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15 Sep 08
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Nagoya Friends at Shooters, September 20th Nagoya Friends is holding it’s 58th party in Nagoya! at Date: Saturday Sept 20th, 2008 Time: 18:30 - 21:00 Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-8:50pm. Place: Shooter’s Bar (Pola Bldg, 2-9-26 Sakae, Naka-ku (very close to Fushimi Station) Fee: ... |
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15 Sep 08
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Mobile Libraries in Japan 移動図書館For small, rural towns in Japan with no public library, residents rely on a mobile library service provided by the nearest city with a public library.In Matsushiro, just outside Nagano, the mobile library calls once a week on Saturdays, fro... |
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14 Sep 08
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Japan This Week: 14 September 2008 今週の日本Japan Seeks to Withdraw Its Military From Iraq by Year’s End.NY TimesPolice to target 2 firms in probe of tainted rice.AsahiJapan's Koizumi backs female PM candidate Koike.Washington PostEconomy shrank 3% last quarter.Japan TimesJapan... |
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12 Sep 08
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Nagoya Friends Party @ Shooters 9/20 Nagoya Friends is holding it’s 58th party in Nagoya! at Date: Saturday Sept 20th, 2008 Time: 18:30 - 21:00 Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-8:50pm. Place: Shooter’s Bar (Pola Bldg, 2-9-26 Sakae, Naka-ku (very close to Fushimi Station) Fee: ... |
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12 Sep 08
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Polar Bears Turn Green 北極グマMaking the news in the UK were the green polar bears of Higashiyama Zoo in Nagoya.The bears' normally white fur has turned green due to the growth of an algae in their pond.When the hot weather in Nagoya ends, the algae will disappear and t... |
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11 Sep 08
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Japanese Language: Country Names in Kanji 日本語の国名Today we are going to look at a few country names, as they are rendered in Chinese characters. 国（くに、こく；kuni, koku）is country. To identify a country, you can often just place its kanji, or Chinese character, in front of... |
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10 Sep 08
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Toba Minato Machi Bunka Kaikan & Edogawa Ranpo 鳥羽みなとまち文学館A short walk from the oyster bars' side of Toba Station is the quirky Toba Minato Machi Bunka Kaikan.The museum is the preserved former residence of local artist and writer Junichi Iwata and displays manuscripts, letters and ... |
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09 Sep 08
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Toba Oyster Bars 鳥羽If you are visiting Toba in Mie Prefecture to see the Mikimoto Pearl Museum or the Aquarium, find time to drop in to one of the small oyster bars serving up fresh shellfish in the JR Station Shotengai.The row of shops is near the inland entranc... |
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08 Sep 08
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Japanese Women Shopping 買い物中の日本人女性These two women are heading towards the Keihan Line in Yodoyabashi Station, in Osaka, on their way home after a day of shopping. The women on the left, three bags, is clearly the daughter; the woman on the right, two bags, i... |
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07 Sep 08
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Japan This Week: 7 September 2008 今週の日本In Japan, a leadership vacuum.NY TimesTransparency in interrogations curbs police abuse: so what are they afraid of?MainichiSo far, it just isn't looking like Asia's century.Washington PostKyushu - the land of warriors h... |
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06 Sep 08
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Zenkoji Temple Nagano 善光寺Zenkoji is Nagano's must-see sight and one of the most famous temples in Japan.Dating from the 7th century, Zenkoji keeps the Ikko-Sanzon Amida Nyorai, supposedly the first Buddhist image to arrive in Japan (from Korea in the 6th century). A c... |
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05 Sep 08
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Parque Espana パルケエスパーニャJapan has a fascination with theme parks that recreate the "life and culture" in other countries. Probably the most famous example is Huis Ten Bosch, the "Dutch" theme park in Nagasaki in Kyushu.Parque Espana (Shima Spa... |
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04 Sep 08
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Japanese Expressions II 日本語のことわざIt's Thursday, so let's take a look at a few more useful expressions.ピんからキリまで（piri kara kin made）= from best to worstYou can shorten it to ピンキリ (piri kin).棚からぼた餅（たなからぼた... |
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03 Sep 08
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Obuse Sidewalks 小布施Obuse in Nagano Prefecture prides itself on being an arty town right down to its pretty sidewalks (or pavements if you're a Brit).Sidewalks are a bit of a luxury in Japan - often its just a white line painted at the side of the road - but Obus... |
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02 Sep 08
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Matsushiro Daihonei Nagano 松代大本営As Japan faced certain defeat in World War II, special plans were put in place to move the Emperor and the main organs of the Japanese state, including the ministries and NHK, to underground bunkers in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture.Th... |
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01 Sep 08
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Fukuda Resigns 福田 赳夫 Yasuo Fukuda today has resigned after less than one year in office.Fukuda announced his resignation at a hastily arranged news conference at his official residence in Tokyo.Fukuda's administration has seen its popularity slump due to the ... |
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01 Sep 08
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Kachoen Kakegawa 花鳥園、掛川Kachoen in Kakegawa in Shizuoka Prefecture is a large bird and flower park, which has overtaken Kakegawa Castle as the small town's biggest tourist attraction.Visitors get the chance to feed and interact with birds in a semi-natural en... |
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31 Aug 08
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Japan This Week: 31 August 2008 今週の日本God's Home Gets Rehab, and Japan Sneaks Peek.NY TimesDesolate islands raise tension between South Korea and Japan.NY TimesJapanese NGO worker murdered in Afghanistan.MainichiLess Yen for Foreign Travel In Aging, Risk-Averse Japan.... |
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30 Aug 08
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Nagoya Friends - Party at Red Rock! 9/6 (Sat.) Nagoya Friends 57th party in Nagoya! at Date: Saturday Sept. 6th, 2008 Time: 18:30 - 21:00 Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-8:50pm. Place: The Red Rock (2F Aster Plaza Building,4-14-6 Sakae, Nagoya (very close to Sakae Station) Fee: 3000 Yen ... |
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30 Aug 08
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Speed Dating, Sat. Sept. 13th @ Tsurumai in Nagoya Nagoya Speed Dating is holding it’s 4th party in Nagoya! Date: Saturday Sept 13th, 2008 Time: 6-9pm registration from 6:00 to 6:30pm Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-8:50pm. Place: Nagoya Tsurumai City Public Hall, 1-1-3 Tsurumai (very clo... |
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28 Aug 08
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Japanese Language: Rice ライスA variegated vocabulary develops around food staples in any language. In meat-eating Western countries, for example, we have cows, bulls, beef, calves, veal; or pig, swine, pork, ham, bacon – all of which basically refer to the same food source... |
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27 Aug 08
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Orchid Gardens Nagoya ランの館Just a short walk south of the IdcN Museum are the Orchid Gardens - an urban garden dedicated to the orchid.The Orchard Gardens are a pleasant retreat in the center of Nagoya and consist of both interior and exterior European-style garden s... |
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