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Tag Archives: culture
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.
Thoughts On Japanese Idols, In General
Just A Few Thoughts I was reading up on Japanese Idols, which, believe it or not, isn’t something I normally get into whatsoever. I’ve been focused on other areas and, well, I avoid anything that smacks of obsession like some people … 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
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
On Katanagatari
Katanagatari (“Katana Tale”) is ostensibly about swords, but it is really about people. It is epic in various senses. It is 12 episodes of 50 minutes. It is beautiful, yet simple; frivolous, yet deadly serious. It is an experience. It … Continue reading
Posted in Anime, Culture, Folklore, Japan
Tagged anime, culture, Japan, katanagatari, review
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Kobe Beef
A Somewhat Modern Tradition Until the Meiji Restoration, consumption of beef had been banned in Japan for about a thousand years! This reflected not only Buddhist cultural prejudices, but to keep penalties severe in case anyone was tempted to slaughter … Continue reading
