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Author Archives: J Sensei
Origami: The Paper Tiger
Made With Real Paper Perhaps many of us have heard the term “paper tiger” as an expression. Mao Zedong (Chairman Mao) was fond of it. How many of us have actually seen them, let alone made them with origami?
Japan: Sengoku Jidai Weapons: The Yari
The Footman’s Bread and Butter The Japanese yari (槍、やり), or spear, was not originally a dominant weapon of war. My own research into this issue should not be thought of as authoritative, but this post contains my impressions on this … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Japan, video games
Tagged Japan, samurai, sengoku jidai, spear, warriors, yari
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New Gundam PSP Game Announced
Spreading Good Cheer Go to this blog for full details on the announcement of Gundam Memories ~ Tatakai no Kioku. One small quibble: Japanese usually leaves singular and plural undefined. We silly Westerners default to singular when we shouldn’t. This … Continue reading
Aile Strike Real Grade Model Kit: Wow
This Picture Says A Lot Bandai’s “Real Grade” line of Gundam models has a very young history. There’s the original Gundam, a Char’s Zaku, and now a beautiful Aile Strike from Gundam SEED. Based on these images, I think you … Continue reading
Origami for Quake and Tsunami Victims
A Goodwill Gesture Readers may recall my post on origami and how origami gained international exposure when a victim of the nuclear bombings of Japan set out to fold 1,000 for the sake of other victims before she perished. Here, … Continue reading
Posted in Blog News, Culture, Japan
Tagged earthquake, Japan, origami, quake, tsunami, victom
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Gundam Mobile Suits: The MS-06 Zaku
The Start of an Era Savvy followers of mecha anime have long been aware that “bad guy” machinery is often built to be more interesting, both conceptually and visually, than the protagonist side’s machines. This trend did not invent itself. … Continue reading
Posted in Gundam
Tagged anime, G Gen Spirits, Gundam, mecha, mobile suit, sci fi, video games, Zaku
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Let Our Thoughts Be With Japan Today
There will be a time to place the tragedy of this tsunami in a historical context. Today is not that time. As reports of the damage come in, we can only pray that the death toll is not even greater … Continue reading
Early Japan: Ritualized Duels
What’s Wrong With Ritual? In doing a little research on the history of the yari, the Japanese word for “spear,” I came across a mention that battles in early Japan, circa 700 A.D., were highly ritualized affairs with lone warriors … Continue reading
On Excuses and Apologies
A Culture of Politeness One of my formative lessons in Japanese culture was an old National Geographic article about the cranked up, high stress, high velocity fresh fish business during the mid-80’s, when Japan was booming. It explained how no-fault … Continue reading