JapanSoc / Top Stories

Mcdonald’s Retro Ad Bewitched Lookalike

LetsJapan — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:52:38 PST

Is that Samantha Stevens selling burgers? "Bewitched" aired in Japan.

Posted by LetsJapan in Food and Drink | Socs: 8

Foreigners win Fit’s Dance Contest!

InvisibleGaijin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:34:49 PST

Anti-foreigner sentiment doesn't apply to dance contests sponsored by Lotte's Fit's brand of gum. Ale and Ciaela, two young foreigners, have won the Fit's dance contest by attracting the highest number of views on YouTube during the contest period. The announcement site is in Japanese but you d

Posted by InvisibleGaijin in Foreigners | Socs: 9

On Japanese: A place to ask and answer questions about the Japanese language!

shio — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:21:55 PST

Interesting new site for posting short questions on Japanese usage, with a simple system for voting and giving answers. Most of the questions seem pretty basic at this point, but there's potential there. Language learners give it a try and see what you think!

Posted by shio in Learning Japanese | Socs: 11

A strange thing happened on the way to Yokohama

Locohama — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:46:48 PST

He was on my right side. I was holding a metal strap with my left hand. I switched to a strap on my right side and as I did my right elbow caught him squarely in the forehead. It didn't so much hurt him as it surprised him.
"Gomen nasai," I whispered and nodded. He ignored my apology probably sens

Posted by Locohama in Strange | Socs: 14

Meeting some of Japan's finest bloggers

Michael — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:18:25 PST

Lately I've been getting around Japan to meet some of the faces that have graced the Japan-orientated internet. Bloggers, mountaineers and musicians - and a haikyoist or two.

Posted by Michael in Blogging | Socs: 19

Google streamlines translation services

zonjineko — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:09:21 PST

This week Google debuted a shiny new version of it's Google Translate service. The major new feature is an instant translation of the foreign words or phrases as you type.

Posted by zonjineko in Internet | Socs: 12

Hiroko Mima sex tape scandal (Miss Universe Japan 2008)

Jordan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:20:16 PST

Unbelievable. When will people learn not to let themselves be video taped while doing things like this? Her career is over.

Posted by Jordan in Celebrities | Socs: 14

A lot of washing to do!

kimonobox — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:34:59 PST

Himeji Castle is undergoing a restoration project that will take 5 years. And part of this involves washing the original tiles on the roof .... with 80,000 tiles to polish up this project will keep some historians/builders very busy!

Posted by kimonobox in General | Socs: 11

Interesting Niche Blogs « Quirky Japan Blog

edjacob — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:01:42 PST

Some interesting niche blogs. One on how to be Heian Japanese, an onsen fanatic, a photographer who takes pics from his truck, and a guy who takes a different photo of Mt. Fuji every day.

Posted by edjacob in Blogging | Socs: 25

Pokémon Jets at Tokyo Haneda Airport

jamaipanese — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:18:37 PST

Whoa... Must be a rare scene of two pokemon jets this close together!

Posted by jamaipanese in Photography | Socs: 12

Hiking Mt. Jinba - Beautiful Views of Mt. Fuji

mikesblender — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:17:56 PST

Cool weather, crisp, clean air, colourful leaves; autumn is prime hiking season here in Japan with lots of great destinations to choose from. Unfortunately a few hundred thousand other people in Tokyo think so too, and will be joining you on your weekend of 'getting away from it all'. So it was w

Posted by mikesblender in Nature & Outdoors | Socs: 16

Watch what's happening in Japan. Live!

David — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:08:38 PST

I just found this site which has an extensive list of live webcams from around Japan organized by region and prefecture. The site is all in Japanese but if you know some basic place names or install the Rikaichan plugin for Firefox to read the kanji for you navigating the site shouldn't be too har

Posted by David in Sightseeing | Socs: 17

Top 60 Japanese words/phrases of 2009

zonjineko — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:41:13 PST

Jiyu Kokuminsha has released its annual list of the 60 most popular Japanese expressions of the year. The words and phrases are an accurate reflection of the major trends, events, and people that shaped the Japanese media landscape in 2009.

Posted by zonjineko in Culture | Socs: 24

Obama bow sparks xenophobic comments

Michael — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:42:46 PST

Pages of comments on the LA Times website show mostly an outraged response to Obama's 'disgraceful' bow to the Japanese Emperor. I am frankly outraged that we live in a world where humility is spat upon. Your thoughts?

Posted by Michael in Politics | Socs: 23

Teaching the Maiko

frugalistajapan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:25:26 PST

I hate teaching English, but this was an opportunity too good to be missed. Now I'm officially teaching English to some lovely Maiko in the Gion district of Kyoto.

Posted by frugalistajapan in Culture | Socs: 15

Customs and traditions - Shichi-Go-San

Muza-chan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:25:23 PST

About the Shichi-Go-San tradition, augmented with some of the best CC photos from Flickr.

Posted by Muza-chan in Culture | Socs: 18

Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”, the manga version

shio — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:20:38 PST

After more than 80 years since its first publication, Hitler's Mein Kampf has become a Manga comic. The 190 page volume tells in a very simple way the story of Adolf Hitler, from his childhood to his rise as the leader of the National Socialist Party.

Posted by shio in Arts | Socs: 14

Shinyua 109 English text

AnthonyJBambara — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:57:15 PST

This guy has one of the coolest, most underated blogs about Japan. So much better than 99% of the popular blogs about Japan that bore me to death with " Musings" and other dull crap only dullards care about.

Posted by AnthonyJBambara in Film & Books | Socs: 13

No Gundam for Xmas?

kimonobox — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:01:59 PST

Seems strange that searching through for Gundam products in anticipation of Xmas that this item is not available till December 25th ....! What good is that for a stocking filler!

Posted by kimonobox in Strange | Socs: 14

Tokyo's Photogenic Skies

mikesblender — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:42:34 PST

Slate grey might be the default setting of Tokyo's skies, but every so often it produces some dynamic and photogenic weather patterns. Living on the 9th floor of the tallest building in the immediate area around it, I'm often treated to some great sunrises, sunsets and what have you.

Posted by mikesblender in Photography | Socs: 22

Western media stereotyping Japanese men

Michael — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:55:07 PST

Western coverage of the Ichihashi case is reportedly bordering on racism towards Japanese men. Anyone been able to read the British newspapers recently?

Posted by Michael in News | Socs: 19

Japan's freeze on supercomputers marks end of era

shio — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:47:13 PST

A government panel has recommended to all but wipe out a 27 billion yen ($300 million) budget to build the world's fastest supercomputer at RIKEN, a Japanese research institute.

Posted by shio in Science | Socs: 15

Sci-fi illustrations by old-school funk master Shusei Nagaoka

saren — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:46:04 PST

A 70s old-school album cover master, curated by Pink Tenticle. What the future was supposed to be.

Posted by saren in Music | Socs: 18

Pet dead? Let a mobile crematorium take care of the rest

pocky — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:25:24 PST

Temples customarily handle the business of taking expired pooches and kitties to that big pet park in the sky, but there's another convenient option: mobile pet crematoriums. For animals less than 1 kilogram, PET 594 CAR will do the deed for 15,000 yen.

Posted by pocky in Culture | Socs: 13

Custom Barcodes Japan-Style

zonjineko — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:12:28 PST

Since 2005, D-Barcode has been creating custom barcodes for a mostly Japanese clientele. Great idea and worthwhile after spending so much designing packages only then to have to put an ugly barcode rectangle over it.

Posted by zonjineko in Technology | Socs: 17

Evangelion 2.0 – A mind blowing experience

hikky — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:16:27 PST

A spoiler free review of Evangelion 2.0 after watching the movie at the premiere in Munich last Friday.

Posted by hikky in Anime & Otaku | Socs: 16

Terror-proof subway vending machines

Japandra — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:07:54 PST

Security is tight for Obama's visit - even the drink machines are on guard.

Posted by Japandra in Food and Drink | Socs: 23

World Heritage Site in Japan that is not a temple | Iwami Ginzan

gotanda — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:06:27 PST

Get way off the beaten track in Shimane to visit an area full of natural beauty and history. It is worth the trip.

Posted by gotanda in Sightseeing | Socs: 15

Australia at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics

reesan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:26:48 PST

A complimentary post to my guest post on jamaipanese.com about Australia's participation at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Contains a interesting factoid about legendary Australian swimmer, Dawn Fraser, who was arrested but released without charge in 1964 after she stole an Olympic flag from a flagpo

Posted by reesan in Sport | Socs: 13

The shops of Yokohama Station

Locohama — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:24:52 PST

Kumi: You must mean Moore's?
Me: Not Moore's…Moore's is the one with the Starbucks on the second floor, right?
Kumi: That's right! But Cial has a Starbucks on the second floor, too…Do you mean near Cial?
Me: No, no, no, it's closer to the other exit, maybe the East exit…I always confuse the Ea

Posted by Locohama in Culture | Socs: 14

Haikyo of a haikyo- relics of Kamaishi Iron Mine

bigreddot — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:43:27 PST

Iwate's last ruined mine- gorgeous photos of the ruins of the ruin.

Posted by bigreddot in Nature & Outdoors | Socs: 16

Why its illegal to be fat in Japan

ukfishfingers — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:39:25 PST

As the health care debate rages in the US, Tokyo lawmakers set a maximum waist size. At 85 centimeters (33.5 inches) for men and 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) for women. Are you too fat for Japan?

Posted by ukfishfingers in Strange | Socs: 27

A Look back at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics

jamaipanese — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:29:03 PST

Tokyo was the host of the 1964 Summer Olympics winning the rights to the Games in 1959 in the IOC's first round of voting over bids from Detroit, Vienna and Brussels.

Posted by jamaipanese in History | Socs: 18

Ichihashi arrested - details

Michael — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:54:36 PST

A more detailed article outlining the long overdue arrest of suspect Ichihashi. See the Japan Probe article in another post for a video interviewing Hawker's father.

Posted by Michael in News | Socs: 23

Lindsay Hawker Murderer Arrested

Nick — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:29:34 PST

The only suspect in the murder of English teacher Lindsay Hawker in 2007 has been arrested and confirmed as Tatsuya Ichihashi.

Posted by Nick in News | Socs: 22

Stunning High ISO images from new Nikon D3s

zonjineko — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:54:24 PST

Amazing high ISO test shots from the new Nikon D3s camera. Both Nikon and Canon have released cameras recently that push the boundaries of what were previously considered almost impossible at the high end of ISO.

The shots show acceptable (just) quality images even at an ISO of 102,400.

Via

Posted by zonjineko in Technology | Socs: 12

An evening stroll through Ginza (銀座)

acase — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:23:33 PST

Some photos of Ginza in Tokyo at dusk on a day with really good weather.

Posted by acase in Sightseeing | Socs: 17

Deaf Japan

caughtredhanded — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:22:11 PST

A look at the history of deaf people in Japan, their language, their culture, and the society in which they live today.

Posted by caughtredhanded in Society | Socs: 15

Is Technology Dumbing Down Japanese?

zonjineko — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:42:52 PST

A NYTimes.com article about the affect that technology is having on the Japanese language and more specifically on the written language.

I sure hope Japanese never gets dumbed down to any point resembling the English language. I like it just the way it is - give or take 3-4k kanji ^_^

Posted by zonjineko in Culture | Socs: 17

The Sad Animals of Ueno Zoo

mikesblender — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:07:05 PST

I'll come right out and say it, I don't like zoos. The idea of keeping wild animals in small, boring and ugly cages just for the purpose of entertainment is fairly repulsive to me...

Posted by mikesblender in Photography | Socs: 22