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Category Archives: Culture
Deshou as Interjection: Making a Statement
Two schoolgirls talking about Sean Penn. Schoolgirl #1: “Sean Penn is so cool!” Schoolgirl #2: “He sure is!” Two Japanese schoolgirls talking about Sean Penn. Schoolgirl #1: “Sean Penn wa kakkou ii yo ne!” Schoolgirl #2: “Deshou!” What Just Happened … Continue reading
Sakura Bloom Forecasts? Hanami Schedules?
桜と花見 The blog Surviving In Japan has posted a very interesting and potentially useful forecast for cherry blossom (sakura, 桜、さくら) blooming in Japan for 2012, divided by region and location. Watching blooming blossoms is known as hanami (花見、はなみ), or simply “flower viewing” … Continue reading
Ben-Tou Anime Review/ Impressions
Food Fight! Summary: Tasty, but pack your suspension of disbelief and a thick skin with your lunch box.
A Japan By Any Other Name
A Little History Japan has been known by various names throughout history, mainly corresponding to what we know as “The Land of the Rising Sun” (nihon is composed of “sun” and “origin”, for to China that is where the sun came from). … Continue reading
Even Gundams Get Snowed On
This is a life-sized, 1:1 model Gundam (making it going on 60 feet in height) that exists in real life in Japan. Gundam was Japan’s first “realistic” (that is, realistic style) leading robot in Japanese animation (i.e. anime). You can … Continue reading
Yes, They’re Americans. Get Used To It
I want to say, loud and clear for everyone to hear, that yes, it is appropriate and correct to refer to citizens of the United States of America, a.k.a. the United States, a.k.a. the U.S., a.k.a. America, as “Americans”. I … Continue reading
A Short Tale of a Novel
It had taken me many years, but I finally tracked down the first novel of the Record of Lodoss War novels. I’d seen the OVA years before and was a great fan of it for many reasons. It took a … Continue reading
When Japanese Corp Culture Goes Bad
A Sobering Report Those interested in Japan should take a good look at this story by Reuters, titled Special Report: The masterminds of the Olympus coverup. I’ll paste two key paragraphs here due to cultural importance, because this really shows … Continue reading
Sensei’s Corner, Dec. 9, 2011
Nothing Bad It’s been a while since I’ve been writing in this blog, but it’s not really because of anything bad. Actually, a number of minor and major problems have been fixed so I feel like I have the luxury … Continue reading
On Sacred Seven
Sacred Seven is a 12-episode anime by Sunrise with high quality imagery in a “tokusatsu” style, reflective of popular shows like Kamen Rider, but with the sweeping visual power anime can provide. It is a little about love, a lot … Continue reading
