Tag Archives: Japan

Japanese Emperor: Cremate Me To Not Burden Japan

Sorry for the lack of posts, life intervenes. Now, the subject: Japan’s Emperor and Empress  (together) requested cremation rather than elaborate state burials out of consideration for the financial state of Japan (exacerbated by the tsunami last year). It’s seriously … Continue reading

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Remembering the Tsunami

Just a brief word. We have reached a year since the earthquake/ tsunami disaster that has afflicted Japan. The crisis is certainly not over for a good many people.  We in the West can mainly wish the best for the … Continue reading

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Sakura Zensen: The Cherry Blossom Front Lines

桜前線 (さくらぜんせん) “Sakura” (cherry blossom) is a word many people know well. Sakura viewing is “hanami” (花見、はなみ), or lit. flower viewing. Outside of a weather context, “zensen” (前線、ぜんせん) would mean “front” in the sense of WWII’s Eastern Front or Western Front … Continue reading

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Pokemon X Samurai Warriors = What The!?

You Don’t See This Every Day Actually, this is a crossover with Nobunaga’s Ambition, a venerable wargame series out of Japan, but that’s niche stuff. The kind of niche I’m into, mind you. The people are similar, though: it’ll be … Continue reading

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Mushiro: Stating Preferences

むしろ  “Mushiro” is one of those words that isn’t in everyone’s speaking style, but it’s really good to know what it means and how it’s used. The English output differs because different words fit different sentence situations. The word itself … Continue reading

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Sensei’s Corner: A Wandering Tale

Lots of Stuff I haven’t done one of these in a while because it’s hard to get used to the “train of consciousness” type of writing. In fact, I won’t really do that. I’ll break this up into little sections … Continue reading

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So What Do Foreigners Find Expensive In Japan?

I have to highly recommend this post at Japan Today, not so much because of the story – which I find interesting in itself – but because there’s over 180 comments by people giving their own first-hand impressions. It’s fascinating, … Continue reading

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Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai: Anime Review

Better Than I Expected When I first started watching “Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai,” which I mentioned before in saying that “haganai” as a nickname had to do with reading “wa” as “ha” (though in this grammar role it is … Continue reading

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Fukushima Daiichi: Shocking Disaster Relief Micromanagement

My Most Cynical Suspicions Confirmed The Japan Times has published an article regarding a post-mortem on the Japanese government’s handling of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. I have every sympathy for the people who were scrambling to resolve the problems on … Continue reading

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Mouretsu Uchuu Kaizoku: Early Bird Review

“Bodacious Space Pirates”  I’m not sure whose idea it was to translate the title as “Bodacious Space Pirates,” and perhaps it’s from the Japanese studio, but that’s OK. “Mouretsu” usually stands for something more like marauding, or at least that’s what … Continue reading

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