Japanarrative 2009

Amazing LEGO Pop-up Kinkaku-Ji

2009-10-26T22:03:00.002-05:00

You should probably play your own soundtrack, though.

Hello Kitty turns 35 in style

2009-10-05T14:28:00.001-05:00

On occasion of her birthday we have the "Super Hello Kitty Jewel Doll."

The news release describes her in detail:

"studded with a 1.027 carat diamond on its ribbon, 403 pink sapphires on its body, a citrine for its yellow nose, black spinels for its eyes and a total of 1,939 pieces of white topaz for its head on a platinum body. Luxury crystal maker Swarovski, Japanese toy firm Sanrio and Japanese jewelery maker I.K. unveiled the 10.5 cm-tall Hello Kitty, which is priced at $15 million yen (about $167,000)."

Won't find that in the 100 yen shop!

AY

Tagawa on my shoulder

2009-10-02T03:48:00.003-05:00

Suiho Tagawa has hunted me a bit since seeing them at the Kyoto International Manga Museum. You can't really pick these up at Borders, so Tim Hensley of Blog Flume pull together a nice lil slide show of animations and comic excerpts. Check it here.

I was kicking myself for not taking pics then I realized that I used someone else's camera. Ben maybe...? I'm gonna get you. There was no way I would have left that place with out any!

the End of an era - "Barefoot Gen" retires

2009-09-17T10:40:00.003-05:00

________
Keiji Nakazawa, the maker of Barefoot Gen is retiring from drawing comics.

Due to various health issues (with his eyes) his is stopping drawing but continue to work on the Gen project in its many forms.

Here is the news report....

First actions of new Japanese Democratic Party

2009-09-05T12:01:00.000-05:00

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Yoshiko Sato would love to give her only son a brother or a sister. But money struggles and Japan's cost of living have pushed the mother to wait.

Japanese mother Yoshiko Sato says the proposal "would help us with a second child."

A proposal to pay parents about $3,400 a year per child has got her thinking seriously about expanding her family. The cash for kids plan is the brainchild of the country's new ruling Democratic Party of Japan, which came into power during the elections this week. The proposal has garnered supporters and critics.

"It would help us with a second child," Sato said.

The proposal would pay families the money every year until the child reached high school. It is an effort to boost Japan's birthrate, which is one of the lowest in the world and is a major drag on the country's economy. It is compounded by Japan's rapidly aging population.

About a quarter of the country's population is older than 65, according to government figures. By 2050, that number is expected to reach 40 percent. Watch as some parents ponder procreation »

Nevertheless, the money for babies proposal has its critics. Economist Yuri Okina said she wonders where Japan's government is going to come up with the money to fund it.

The plan is not an instant fix, she said. What's needed, Okina said, is a way for women to remain in the work force after having children instead of being forced out because of lack of child care.

Don't Miss

"We have to make it normal in Japan for a woman to raise a child and have a career," Okina said.

Critics also have said the plan would not fix a significant problem for working families -- the lack of day care centers. About 40,000 children are on waiting lists for day care, according to government figures.

These facilities' scarcity is problematic for mothers such as Hiromi Espineli.

KissTheSky

2009-08-22T13:08:00.002-05:00

The second music video I worked on while trotting around Tokyo. I got plenty of these shots so editing it all took some work.

It's full of "where's where" and "who's who" types of shots. enjoy!

"KissTheSky" was written on the plane ride to KIX: recorded in Hotel Sun Route Umeda, Osaka: Shot: In Tokyo.

It's one of my releases from my MoneyBagsMixtape. http://dropmoneybags.blogspot.com/

happy, just missed it, VJ day

2009-08-16T00:03:00.002-05:00

The title is a little inappropriate i know and this post is late regardless of how you look at it, so i most likely fail. Regardless this is to important to pass up. Today (yesterday, w/e) was the 64th anniversary of VJ day (Victory Japan for those who didn't pay attention to life). 64 years ago Japan's then emperor, Hirohito, announced the surrender of his campaign (not really to sure who was really in charge, but hes the emperor) in world war II, more or less ending the war in total. The people of japan expressed their respect to their war dead, to which the current Emperor and Empress (Akihito (Hirohito's son if you didnt catch on) and Michiko) attended a ceremony at the Nihon Budokan Hall in the glorious city of Tokyo. The prime minister made a public speech expressing his deep regret and apologies on behalf of Japan while reasuring the world that the situation will never be repeated by the japanese.
This my friends is an example of the Japanese emperor trying to redeem himself for a Meiwaku. A meiwaku is something that brings Shame not only to an individual but the entire group he represents (in this case the whole nation of Japan). This usually entails lots of apologizing (even after 64 years). A Meiwaku is bad because it breaks the wa (or Harmony) of the world. Its everybodies goal/ responsibility not to break the wa so as not to shame the group. Well thats my knowledge to spread for now. PAX!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,539704,00.html?test=latestnews
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2623-Swing-and-Big-Band-Examiner~y2009m8d15-On-this-date-in-history

T-shirt design

2009-08-15T18:13:00.005-05:00

Long time no post classmates----- (: *)

Here is a t-shirt design I made for commission from a friend's band. You may recognize the shameless appropriation of an 1833 scroll in depicting the firemen of the "sen" group (from the Tokyo Edo Museum).

Shadowplay

2009-08-07T15:22:00.000-05:00

Shadowplay (2002) from Dan B. on Vimeo.

Japan Liberal Arts Final PART 2

2009-07-31T21:30:00.002-05:00

Japan Liberal Arts Final Prt 1

2009-07-31T21:26:00.002-05:00

a "skosh" intriguing

2009-07-23T11:38:00.003-05:00

In Japanese many foreign "loanwords" have been adopted and adapted into the Japanese lexicon, known as Gairaigo (外来語). You have come across them, and they are usually written phonetically in katakana, like:

curtain=kaaten
elevator=elebeetaa
girl=gaaru.

Well, this interesting tidbit just came through my inbox today. An inversion that I wasn't aware of:

The Word of the Day for July 23 is:

skosh \SKOHSH\ noun
: a small amount : bit, smidgen

Example sentence:
The barista sprinkled a skosh of fresh ginger onto the milky surface of the latte.

Did you know?
The word "skosh" comes from the Japanese word "sukoshi," which is pronounced "skoh shee" and means "a tiny bit" or "a small amount." The Japanese word was shortened by U.S. servicemen stationed in Japan after World War II. Later, in the Korean War, a small soldier was often nicknamed "Skosh." In civilian-speak, "skosh" can be used as a noun (as in our example sentence) or adverbially (as in "I'm a skosh tired").

So I'm going to try to use this however I can. Might make me sound a little Commonwealth, but perhaps it is worth the risk

And what is the most recognized foreign loanword in the Japanese language today? Guess!

Does this all mean a breaking down of cultural barriers and differences, for better or worse? Some don't think necessarily so.

GUNDAM - 30 years old AND an environmentalist?

2009-07-15T11:47:00.003-05:00

Hey all you Gundam fans out there - looks like Tokyo is putting on a top rate Happy Birthday celebration for this mobile suit warrior! The Japan Times article's headline seems a litle misleading in pitching the fighting robot's greenness:

Gundam goes Green: The transformational centerpiece of a drive for a clean future

Beyond the headline and the net little quote, it is basically an anime lovefest for Gundam...Nevertheless, I'm sure it'll be quite a nice party.

"The theme of 'Mobile Suit Gundam' contains a passion for the environment that matches with Tokyo's plan to expand the city's green areas," says Yasuo Miyakawa, managing director of the Gundam Character Works department at Sunrise Animation, the program's creator.

violins, beer, and Perry (Y150!)

2009-07-10T11:57:00.006-05:00

On a recent visit to Yokohama to BankArt 1929 Christa and I took in a lot, including the blitz of media and events around Yokohama's 150th anniversary
.
But anniversary as what? The town has been around a longer time than that, but 150 years marks the year - 1859 - when Yokohama opened as an official internationl port city. In this case, the city's very identity is framed on its opening from the 200 year isolation of the Tokugawa shogunate. A recent article in the JR bullet train magazine discusses the adoption of Western music -and particularly jazz- by Japan. Some of the images from the magazine are pretty great in showing the odd mixtures and transitions in the early Meiji period (click on the above image to see it in detail).

Of course the man to force that opening was Commodore Matthew Perry six years before that when he arrived in the area in 1853. Perry references abound in the city right now, in fact one artist's work at BankArt on exhibition now uses Perry as a major theme. The gallery's restaurant/bar is even serving a commemorative beer based on a recipe for beer brought by Perry's crew on that first visit to Nippon. The beer, let me say, was tasty. The label that BankArt designed for the berr (called Pe-ru-ri" katakana for "Perry") makes him out to be something in between Rudolph the red-nose reindeer and a fellow who maybe is a little pink in the face from imbibing a little too much. Either way, pretty charming.

Jungle Japan Video Attack Show

2009-06-23T07:25:00.015-05:00

It's a jungle out there! And even with all the city and cement, endless wires and shoes and silver sparkling towers reaching for the sky, animals have still found ways to survive and speckle the landscapes of japan. Don't worry, I had them sign internet release forms.

Here's some unusually brave pidgeys and pigeottos in Hiroshima.

Animals must be brave here, and always ready for aCRAZY BEETLE-ANT SHOWDOWN at the gold castle in Kyoto!

Some of the onlookers were interesting too, they had quite unique fashion sense.

This blue-tailed skink in Kyoto was sad that he lost the bet when the ants won, he's going home.

The crows in Kyoto clearly have other plans...

What could they be thinking?

Well, in any case this egret/crane(?) wants nothing to do with it,

"Just a slow, scenic day at the river thankyouverymuch!" he told me.

So this is what those crows were after!! DINNER!

However snake meat can be very costly here,

So it's time for EPIC BATTLE #2, Crow VS Snake!

I was concerned when I saw one crow had been bitten,

as he soon struggled while flying to the next tree.

Crow-san mourns his fallen friend dramatically

in the rain, giving us an ominous image in the graveyards of Tokyo.

The battle between snake and crow may not be over for him!

But unfortunately this post is..

Vague&Universal

2009-06-23T01:10:00.002-05:00

Shot, written, edited and recorded in two days between Kyoto & Tokyo.

Anti [18aC] - "Vague&Universal" from 18andCounting on Vimeo.

18andcounting.com

www.myspace.com/muxmool

MP3 Download

Set One

2009-06-22T10:58:00.024-05:00

Here are some of the highlights from the trip. It's full of mundane situations turned grandiose, inside jokes, blips of hilarious moments and speckles of public art. I just hope i'm not the only one who saw the halo pigeons of Hiroshima!

Kyoto wunderponder

2009-06-17T18:29:00.003-05:00

Kyoto is the place to sit around and talk about what you are seeing, what you've just eaten and what it might be, and all that. Here we all do just that in front of Kyomizudera

Otherwise, it is a good, clear night to what around town. You might turn into a Japanese Ultraman creature if you do, which isn't a half-bad thing! Kyoto Tower looming in the background.

a visit to Hiroshima

2009-06-15T07:22:00.010-05:00

Our third full day in Japan had us taking a Hikari "bullet train" ride to Hiroshima to visit its Peace Memorial Museum. Within the museum itself is both documentation, artfacts, personal stories, and a number of dioramic scenes, including a version of the famous "Atomic Bomb Dome" - one of the few structures near the original detonation site that still remains in the city and is now preserved (not far from the museum itself) as a testimony to the terrible events of that day.

Visiting Hiroshima now it'd be hard to now what happened given all its tall buildings, busy streets, (and of course famous okonomiyaki). That said, I hope you all feel the visit helped tie together the stories we read Nakazawa's Barefoot Gen and Hersey's Hiroshima, while at the same time raising a host of new questions as well - not only about the event or contested understandings of history, but also about the role museums play as cultural institutions of "meaning-making" that we collectively participate in, tourist and students alike.

Chicago in Osaka (embracing art)

2009-06-13T08:02:00.000-05:00

Landing in a place that is 14 hours different in time where you came from means dealing with a little tiredness - if not from jet lag, then at least from sitting in one position for 10 hours at 37,000 feet.

Hiroko-san likes the option of easing us all into Japan with just a bit of familiarity: the Namba Art Walk in Osaka, where your sister-city proudly displays ceramic-transfer replicas of some of the Art Institute of Chicago's works.

Josh took full advantage of the almost indestructible replicas and eerie visual fidelity by doing what you never could do at the Art Institute (without getting arrested and betraying the museum): get up close and just hug a work of art, in this case Frederick Hassam's Little Pond, Appledore.

Ah, now that is art appreciation....

Arrival in Osaka, 6/11/09

2009-06-13T00:25:00.012-05:00

Our Japan study trip officially began on June 9th, when the instructors and a slew of students arrived at the airport, excited to begin their journey to explore Japanese culture firsthand. Unfortunately the weather wasn't on our side: a two-hour delay on the Chicago end turned into a disappointing overnight layover in San Francisco for half the group. The other half, which had taken other flights, got things started with a trip to the Osaka Castle and Museum led by our trip coordinator Hiroko Saito. Luckily, the Bay Area wasn't the worst place to be stuck. Once we'd sorted out hotel arrangements we made the most of our unexpected detour, and soon we were back in the air, headed for Osaka.

After a good night's sleep, the whole group reunited and caught the train to the small town of Takarazuka to check out the museum dedicated to Osamu Tezuka, the prolific "godfather of manga".

After that, we hit the Namba art walk, and then on to the big hair, flashing lights, and amazing spectacle of technology and excess that is Osaka's famous Shinsaibashi area. It's really impossible to do the place justice in photos.

Soon we'll be off to Hiroshima to reflect on the impact of war and atomic power here, and tomorrow Kyoto, where we'll see an entirely different side of Japan. Until then....

For all of you on Livejournal...

2009-06-11T17:14:00.004-05:00

Greetings from Osaka!
Our hotel does indeed have internets.

I know this is a little late in the coming, but for all of you on livejournal, I syndicated this blog feed for easy reading on your friends list.

The Downward Spiral

2009-06-08T14:36:00.003-05:00

The image that they used in the article. The web address can be located here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/02/AR2008020200913.html?referrer=digg

So the article for which I am posting about is out of The Washington Post. The article’s name is For Japan, a Long, Slow Slide, and it refers to Japans slow economic spiral downward. To summerize this article talks about how even though currently Japan holds second in terms of economy, it slowly is falling in a decline due to multiple reasons, including a decreasing population. The predictions put Japan’s population decline by the year 2050 in direct connection to it’s zero economic growth. This prediction is based on the prediction that by that time seventy percent of the labor force will no longer exist. Something that is brought up that I believe is most relevant to our studies is the fact that the higher ups in Japan refuse to believe that they are in a state of decline. This is not completely due to a lack of work on the Japanese part as it is the development of other Asian nations, such as China. In a quote from Oki Matsumoto “The current leadership of Japan came of age during the incredible success after World War II. They think that what worked then will work forever.”

Herbivore Men Fotw

2009-06-07T08:29:00.005-05:00

Ok so it seems there is a new thing going on in Japan culture wise, or there is something old just given an actual name. But essential 'herbivore men' are 20-30 year olds in Japan who are more concerned with their outward appearance more than finding girlfriends. The name comes from their lack of interest in 'flesh' They eat very little and have little interest in finding jobs. I'm not sure if this is an actual 'choice' by the herbivore men or an open acceptance of their laziness.

The herbivore men are interested in something other than their looks however- their feelings. So ladies if your missing a man in your life who is disconnected with his emotional side maybe you should make friends with a nice herbivore man. CNN states that they trace this trend to the habits of the herbivore's parents-the babyboomers. The babyboomer generating was a very goal oriented generation both professionally and romantically. Perhaps this trait somehow skipped a generation. However observing hard working parents should make for a pretty productive child I think. However, I suppose the the hardworking parent lifestyle could be a double-edged sword. There definitely seems to be a lacking of healthy goal oriented work ethic even here in this country amongst 20-30 somethings. Perhaps this is just because they're 20-30 somethings, but I always thought one would be anxious to lay the groundwork on top of which one would build their life. Anyways, the herbivore men definitely seem like they are possessing a number top saic qualities. over and out

exploring why Hello Kitty is mass hypnotism

2009-06-04T20:12:00.006-05:00

One of the most iconic fads to come from Japan is Hello Kitty. As a self-proclaimed Hello Kitty lover, I wonder what it is exactly that makes Hello Kitty so addictive. The round, open, and vacant face never changes, and a product is immediately made more appealing by its inclusion. Sanrio, the manufactorer of HK, has branded enough products that a person could decorate an entire house in Hello Kitty. Here in America, I've seen a sewing machine and electric guitar. If it has HK on it, I want it. I'm a person possessed by a stupid little circle with a few dots for eyes.

I suppose it is akin to having a favorite color or animal that a child likes having on her lunchbox, but the appeal also extends to women my age and older. Hello Kitty is a part of the kawaii culture. Perhaps Japanese females (and, increasingly, females here in America) feel the need to regress into childhood sensibilities because they also bring the associated comfort of childhood. Maybe the face also appeals to women because of maternal instinct-programmed to find a round, babyish shape appealing? Whenever anything is made HK style, it's almost always accompanied by a sugary-sweet female aesthetic. If a woman or a girl happens to like the particular style of an object, the HK face might just be the cherry on top of the cake.

Yet how does that explain combinations such as this?

I found this on a website called "Hello Kitty Hell," run by a guy married to a HK lover. They also have HK condoms, wrapped up as cutely as a pack of lolipops. Stuff like this has never made it to America, and with good reason. It crossed the realm from cute into creepy. Other examples of the extent of the HK and its penetration into Japanese culture is:
face masks for the flu
toilet paper dispenser
wedding dress
contacts
and of course, although i've only mentioned girls and women, I don't want to be sexist.

...and I can't wait to find this stuff in Japan.

2009-06-04T17:16:00.004-05:00

If anyone gets a chance to head over the the Art Institute prior to their departure to Japan, they might be pleasantly surprised with the current prints up in Gallery 107. They are all based on famous women poets, mainly Ono no Komachi and Murasaki Shikibu.
Or, if you don't get a chance, you can check out the whole gallery online.

Ono no Komachi's Poetry spoke often of loneliness and broke hearts. She was very beautiful and was courted by many men. She grew old and lost her beauty causing her to go into exile to keep anyone from seeing her craggy old form. Komachi is often portrayed in Noh and Kabuki.

Murasaki Shikibu is famous for her poetry, diary, and The Tales of Genji, that she wrote. Many of the woodcuts as images of her in repose prior to writing Genji.

This image is a woodcut of two women in a parody of Ono no Komachi. The kimono they are wearing is reminiscent of those that Komachi wore.

Nisennenmodai!!

2009-06-04T16:43:00.007-05:00

I've been looking for some new Japanese music that I actually like for sometime now and have been rather unsuccessful. However today I stumbled upon Niseenenmodai!
This group consists of three young ladies Himeno Sayaka (drums), Zaikawa Yuri (bass) and Takada Masako (guitar) from Tokyo.

I think that what is in the popular, and even unpopular, media says a lot about a culture. Nisennenmodai isn't what I would say 'popular' in Japan. Not from what I've seen thus far, I just found them like 2 hours ago) But this is defintely the beginning of a furter music exploration. Japan, I know you have more than just DJ Krush! Where ever all the good music is i will find it!

I'm going to add there music to the blog tools so we (i) can rock own while we (i) read all the new posts. You can check out some of their tunes HERE.

JAMATAAAAA!

Marriage in Japan (Cartoons, Bras, and Traditions) (by Michael C.)

2009-06-04T11:36:00.006-05:00

Japanese Man Petition to Wed Manga Cartoon

Original Story News.com.au October 30 2008

A Japanese man Taichi Takashita got hundreds of people (aiming for a million) to sign a petition to present to the government to establish a law allowing humans to marry cartoons stating that he feels more comfortable in a 2 dimensional world.

"For a long time I have only been able to fall in love with two-dimensional people and currently I have someone I really love," one person wrote.

Currently, Japan permits marriage between human men and women, butgives no legal recognition to same-sex relationships.

"During the age of aristocracy, “Muko-iri” was the common marriage system in Japan. A bridegroom would nightly visit his bride at her home. Only after the birth of a child or the loss of his parents would be the bride be accepted as the wife in the man's home."

"With the rise of "Bushi" warriors, the system of women marrying into men's families called “Yome-iri” was gradually adopted and widely accepted in the 14th century and on. Under the feudal system marriages were often used as political and diplomatic approaches to maintaining peace and unity among feudal lords."

"Marriages came to be arranged by and for families and the role of "Nakodo" go-between became very important in Japan. Now this “Yome-iri” system is quite common in Japan and you can find the traditional procedure in the contemporary marriage."

AND FINALLY!!!!!!!!

The Japanese Marriage Bra!!!

The garment's described objective is to allow marriage-minded women to essentially wear their ambitions, with a chest-mounted countdown cloc , pen and seal holster (for signing marriage contracts), and a ring receptacle that beeps "The Wedding March" when filled.

The wedding bra, and the manga cartoon are both obviously just stunts to gain media attention, but hey, don't we all love a good stunt?

As far as this business of prearranged marriages go, I think people should have the right to chose. In fact, from a scientific standpoint, the right to natural selection maintains the integrity of a species by allowing the female to chose the most suitable mate based on key indicators that demonstrate a higher chance of survival. The brightness of an animals colors are a good indicator of his health. If he wins a fight, he's obviously stronger etc ... In fact, if there is little or no choice, as in the case of incest, undesirable traits start to develop in the species. And i'm pretty sure this is the case with royalty (Queen Victoria married her first cousin, Prince Albert) keeping the bloodline clean by marrying cousins, and ending up creating kings and queens with mental problems.

I think we are all essentially searcing for mr./ mrs. right, and end up settling for mr./ mrs. right now... but hey...

Life is short. Have fun.

Japan envoy apologizes to aging Bataan victims

2009-06-04T01:51:00.003-05:00

After much readings on such characters as Henry's Hiroshima and Honda, I have come to think of how horrible war is and all the horrible crimes that happen during war that people never really hear of or think of, or at times don't even care about. I found this article about a recent apology to the survivors of the Bataan Death March during WWII.

Japan's ambassador offered a personal apology to survivors of the notorious Bataan Death March in World War II as they met for the last time, a veterans support group said.

Thousands of US and Filipino prisoners of war are believed to have died when Japanese soldiers forced them in 1942 to trudge some 100 kilometers (60 miles) through tropical heat with little food or water.

The surrendering troops suffered casual beheadings and bayonet stabbings inflicted by the victorious forces, in what was ruled as a war crime after Imperial Japan's surrender.

Japan's ambassador to Washington, Ichiro Fujisaki, made a surprise visit to personally apologize to Bataan Death March survivors who gathered in San Antonio, Texas for what they expect to be their last reunion.

"We extend a heartfelt apology for our country having caused tremendous damage and suffering to many people," Fujisaki told them, according to the US Army Freedom Team Salute, which supports veterans.

The Japanese embassy in Washington said it did not have a transcript of Fujisaki's remarks during the ceremony on Saturday.

Seventy-three veterans turned out for the reunion, some of them bedridden, he veteran support group said in a statement.

US military officials also flew from Washington to Texas to present commendations to the veterans.

Japan, transformed after World War II into an officially pacifist US ally, has repeatedly apologized for wartime abuses, but the ambassador's trip to Texas was an unusually personal touch.

Japanese leaders when discussing the war generally repeat a landmark statement of apology approved by the cabinet in 1995 on the 50th anniversary of Emperor Hirohito's surrender.

Wartime issues -- which long haunted Japan's relations with its neighbors -- have occasionally creeped into Tokyo's alliance with Washington as well. In 2007, lawmakers demanded a new apology for Japan's use of wartime sex slaves.

plug-in cars, finally

2009-06-03T23:55:00.004-05:00

Toyota recently announced that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (or PHEVs) would be available globally for lease by Wednesday.

Announced in 07, the prototypes were able to operate for about a distance of 7 miles on a lithium ion battery, and could recharge within a period of three to four hours from a 110 volt outlet. The motor generated about 50kW of power, enabling the car to operate up to 62 mph solely on electric power (beating their current models which kick the gas in at 25 mph).

The vehicle could operate in two modes, EV, and hybrid (like the current line). Popular Mechanics says:

"In EV mode the vehicle can run on electric power longer and with a more aggressive throttle input than in the hybrid mode. With an eye on the energy flow meter (basically a reprogrammed and updated version of what’s in the Prius now) we were able to accelerate up to approximately 50 mph and keep the car in electric mode all the way around the track. Like many owners do in the current Prius, we found ourselves playing the efficiency game of trying to keep the car in electric mode as long as possible. After two back-to-back laps, the monitor said we still had around 6 kilometers of battery life remaining. The most impressive part of the system was that it can take 1/4 to 1/2 throttle without engaging the gasoline engine. And that means for short 3 to 4 mile commutes, one could conceivably get to work and return home solely on electric power. The hybrid mode works much like the current car, engaging the internal combustion engine much sooner. This mode, it is presumed will be most applicable to long trips, when charging the battery isn’t an option. "

Toyota has stated that it is its goal to sell 1 million hybrid vehicles per year, starting next decade.

In the 19th century, steam power and the internal combustion engine were the technological luxuries of their time, and in the 20th century they were overthrown by electricity. Whether your alignments are environmental, technological, or what have you, the question of efficiency is one that affects all of us - technology has progressed at an exponential rate, why are we still allowing ourselves to be crippled by expensive, nearly 200 year-old technology?

via: here and here

super milk

2009-06-03T23:13:00.005-05:00

Kind of old news, but in October of 2008, Nakazawa foods announced that they were marketing a new kind of milk: stress-relieving milk.

The product is targeted at "adults who live in a stressful society," and is currently priced at around 43 USD a 1-quart bottle.
The active ingredient of course, is melatonin, a natural hormone produced in most animals that regulates sleep cycles. The cows are said to be milked just before sunrise, as their production of the said hormone is highest at this time. The milk is bottled within 6 hours of extraction, and contains three to four times the amount of melatonin found in normal milk.

It's no surprise that a country that has practiced such strict farming techniques in order to deliver higher standards of beef would produce such a product, but at 43 dollars a bottle (roughly 30 times the tokyo area standard), one might just be better off heading down to the health store and mixing your own.

via this

Kenji the Robot

2009-06-03T22:23:00.003-05:00

In other robot apocalypse news, back in March Toshiba Akimu Robotic Research Institute was working on their latest project. A third generation humanoid robot named Kenji, who's main goal is to emulate human emotions including love. A flaw in its programming has turned the project for the worst.

“Initially, we were thrilled to see a bit of our soul come alive in this so called ‘machine,’” said Dr. Akito Takahashi, the principal investigator on the project. “This was really the final step for us in one of the fundamentals of the singularity.”

"Kenji was part of an experiment involving several robots loaded with custom software designed to let them react emotionally to external stimuli. After some limited environmental conditioning, Kenji first demonstrated love by bonding with a a stuffed doll in his enclosure, which he would embrace for hours at a time. He would then make simple, but insistent, inquiries about the doll if it were out of sight. Researchers attributed this behavior to his programmed qualities of devotion and empathy and called the experiment a success."

And as if coming straight out of sci-fi film the experiments turned for the worst.

"The trouble all started when a young female intern began to spend several hours each day with Kenji, testing his systems and loading new software routines. When it came time to leave one evening, however, Kenji refused to let her out of his lab enclosure and used his bulky mechanical body to block her exit and hug her repeatedly. The intern was only able to escape after she had frantically phoned two senior staff members to come and temporarily de-activate Kenji."

And if that didn't make you wet your trousers this will "Ever since that incident, each time Kenji is re-activated, he instantaneously bonds with the first technician to meet his gaze and rushes to embrace them with his two 100kg hydraulic arms. It doesn’t help that Kenji uses only pre-recorded dog and cat noises to communicate and is able to vocalize his love through a 20 watt speaker in his chest."

Since then Kenji has now deactivated but Dr. Takahashi is optimistic that he will one day succeed where Kenji had failed.

“This is only a minor setback. I have full faith that we will one day live side by side with, and eventually love and be loved by, robots,”

Here's another Toshiba robot, don't be fooled by its cuteness

Original Article

Potential of Robot Technology (Toshiba)

More on the Harajuku Girls

2009-06-03T21:19:00.006-05:00

So, someone has already posted a blog with a picture of some Harajuku gals. I know there are a few people on the trip who are obsessed with the Harajuku culture and know more way more than I do on the subject! Nonetheless, I think it's worthwhile to post another blog on the subject because Harajuku fashion is fabulous.

As described on the Wiki: "Harajuku (原宿 "meadow lodging") is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan. Harajuku is known for the patrons that visit the area every Sunday. Every Sunday, many young people dress in a variety of styles that include gothic lolita, visual kei, and cosplay, among others and spend the day in Harajuku socializing. The fashion styles of these young people frequently vary and are rarely conformist to one particular style and are usually a mesh of many. Most young people gather on Jingu Bridge, which is a pedestrian bridge that connects Harajuku to the neighboring Meiji Shrine Area. However, Harajuku is not just known for its Sunday visitors. It is also a well-respected fashion capital of the world renowned for its unique street fashion. Harajuku street style is promoted in Japanese and international publications such as Kera, Tune, Gothic & Lolita Bible and Fruits."

So, Harajuku is an acutal place, and the gals that hang out there are named after it. My Lonely Planet guidebook has this to say about them:
"It's an organic rather than organised group, a constantly evolving conglomeration of mostly teenage girls, often those who are bullied in school. By inhabiting alter egos, they find freedom and acceptance in subcultures whose 'official' garb is wildly creative."

I laughed when I read that- a little blunt, isn't it? The guidebook also warns:
"Weekends draw the cosplay-zoku (costume-play gang) from the suburbs of Tokyo to Jingu-bashi, the bridge linking Meiji-jingu with Omote-sando- which, in turn, draw hordes of tourist-paparazzi excidedly snapping away as the girls pose, sulk and preen resplendent in all their crazy finery."
Having found myself in many a scene growing up this of course makes me wonder if there are some "underground" Harajuku spots where everyone complains about how the kids on the bridge are posers :P Even so, I would love to see them.

Ms. Gwen Stefani (a decidedly guilty pleasure of mine) is also responsible for another disambiguation of the word "Harajuku". She hired her "Harajuku girls" as backup dancers in 2004 for "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." After appearring in numerous music videos for the album they became Ms. Stefani's entourage of sorts. Stefani appeared on Friday Night with Jonathon Ross and introduced the girls as her "imaginary friends." Amusing!

However, not everyone gets a kick out of the girls. Again from the Wiki: "In an interview in the January/February 2006 edition of Blender magazine, American comedian Margaret Cho calls Stefani's Harajuku Girls a "minstrel show" that reinforces ethnic stereotypes of Asian women. Writer Mihi Ahn said of Stefani's Harajuku Girls: "Stefani has taken the idea of Japanese street fashion and turned these women into modern-day geisha"."

Nakasone disagreed with Cho's accusation and responded that Stefani was inspired by the Japanese fashion culture and that she felt honored to have been in the group.

Who knows? Cho is, after all, criticizing a group of backup dancers who draw from a subculture in Japan that ultimately draws on the sexist and confining styles of the Victorian era and a novel about a 12 year old girl who is molested by her step father. But, whatever the inspiration, the result is certainly interesting.

Japanese allergies

2009-06-03T20:53:00.003-05:00

Ever since returning to the lovely, tree lined suburbs of my youth I have been afflicted with terrible allergies. Unfortunate! So, in response to this disagreeable situation, I did some research on the allergies of Japan and found this interesting article. You can see it at http://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/17/science/japan-s-cedar-forests-are-man-made-disaster.html?scp=3&sq=japanese%20allergies&st=cse&pagewanted=1, but I've found that sometimes when I link articles like this it doesn't work- I think because you technically need to pay for the New York Times? Well, in any event I've also pasted the article below:

Japan's Cedar Forests Are Man-Made Disaster

By JAMES STERNGOLD

Published: Tuesday, January 17, 1995

IT was a crisp, golden day in the vast forests here, near the base of Mount Fuji, but for Shigejiro Sugiyama a stroll in the country was an encounter with an impending disaster.

He plucked a sprig of cedar and pointed out how the trees were heavy with dense rows of tiny amber buds, the product of a particularly hot, dry summer. They meant that come spring, he and millions of other Japanese are likely to suffer in what experts are saying will be the worst year ever for a malady known in no other country to such a degree: allergic reactions to cedar pollen.

But for Mr. Sugiyama, the real disaster was in the fact that this health problem was caused by what many here describe as short-sighted Government policies, not nature.

The forests in this mountainous region were once verdant swaths of oak, maple and numerous other kinds of broadleaf trees and evergreens. But after World War II, Government bureaucrats applied their aggressive industrial policies to the environment as well as the economy. In the process, they financed the replacement of what they saw as commercially useless natural forests with more economically productive trees.

For the most part, this extraordinary experiment in environmental engineering has involved planting a single species, the Japanese cedar, because of the usefulness of its wood and the speed of its growth. As a result, Japan now has the largest tracts of cedar on earth, with this scenic region around Mount Fuji, long regarded as a symbol of the nation, among the most densely planted.

The aim was to make the country self-sufficient in wood products, but the widespread sensitivities to cedar pollen are just one indication of how this single-minded strategy has gone awry. It is becoming increasingly apparent, experts say, that the superabundance of a single species of tree is threatening wildlife, causing heavy soil erosion, reducing the water table and creating the potential for disastrous landslides.

Even in economic terms, the strategy has failed. There is a growing volume of domestic cedar available -- Mr. Sugiyama's stroll here took him past loggers chopping and stacking the nearly identically proportioned trees -- but it is being overwhelmed by imports of inexpensive timber, mostly from the rapidly dwindling forests of Southeast Asia. That has put cedar prices into a 13-year decline and sharply reduced the proportion of Japan's annual wood supply the country grows itself, from 80 percent three decades ago to 26 percent now.

The cases of pollenosis, as the reactions to the cedar pollen are known, are a product of the unprecedented concentration of mature cedars; it is believed that never before have humans been assaulted by such huge waves of pollen. Mr. Sugiyama, a lawyer, was prompted to act when he first suffered attacks of sneezing and wheezing two years ago. He has become the first person to sue the Government to force it to change its reforestation policies.

"When I started suffering, it got so bad I wanted to scratch out my eyes," said Mr. Sugiyama, whose name means cedar mountain. "I finally realized that this was a result of the Government's misguided reforestation policy and that I could do something about it."

With 1 in 10 Japanese affected, the allergies have become a national obsession. By late February, one of the most closely watched items in the news every day is a running count of the cedar pollen in the air. Tokyo has two big electronic billboards on which it flashes the figures, and the city runs allergy hot lines.

"At the peak, you can actually see a pollen fog coming from the cedar forests," said Dr. Yozo Saito, an allergy specialist at Tokyo Medical and Dental University and head of a commission on the problem for the Tokyo metropolitan government. "It is so bad that when people first began to notice this a decade or so ago they thought there were forest fires."

The reforestation policy represents a side of Japan's industrial policy little known outside the country, but obvious to anyone who has explored the countryside. In many parts of Japan, beautiful natural scenery has been transformed into monotonous tableaus of a uniform dark green. The miles of tall, slender cedars, straight as telephone poles, make up nearly 20 percent of Japan's forests, or more than 10 million acres. The policy illustrates the surprisingly manipulative view the Government has taken of the environment, in spite of the revered place mountains, forests, streams and lakes hold in traditional Japanese culture.

For example, all but two of the country's rivers have been dammed or diverted, or directed into concrete embankments. The number of lakes and wetlands still in their natural state, already tiny, has declined to only 210 from 233 in the mid-1980's, according to the Government, with the remainder in some way built up.

But the reforestation strategy, driven by subsidies that cover about half the cost of replanting, was perhaps the grandest attempt to make the environment a cog in the country's industrial strategy.

There are 62.3 million acres of forest in Japan, covering two-thirds of the country's mountainous land area. But 41 percent of the forests have been artificially planted, and 44 percent of the reforested area is planted with cedar, formally known as Cryptomeria japonica.

"The reforestation policy was a failure," said Tsunahide Shitei, the former president of Kyoto Prefectural University and one of Japan's leading forestry experts. "During the high-growth years of the economy, the Forestry Agency was dragged into this fast-growth atmosphere and focused only on commercial concerns. They should have planted broadleaf trees as well.

"They completely ignored the fact that a forest involves considerations other than business. A tree does not exist just for economic gain."

Taishitiroo Satoo, a forestry expert who has retired from Tokyo University and is now president of the Japan Wildlife Research Center, said: "Fortunately, there have been no great disasters, like we had with Minamata disease, but the problem is very serious. This policy is destroying biodiversity."

He was referring to Japan's most notorious industrial pollution disaster. Several decades ago, the dumping of mercury and other heavy-metal compounds into Minamata Bay in western Japan caused an outbreak of health disorders that left hundreds dead and thousands more injured.

The Government responded to some industrial pollution problems with stringent environmental safeguards. Japan now produces, for instance, less than half as much carbon dioxide per person as the United States.

But Yoichi Kaya, an engineering professor at Tokyo University and a Government adviser on technology and environmental issues, said the fundamental problem is that the economic calculus driving industrial policy here treats the environment and public health as an afterthought.

The Government has a huge apparatus for developing competitive industries but Mr. Kaya complained, "there is no effective mechanism for assessing new technologies and their environmental impact before they are put in place, or for formulating policies that can deal with these questions."

Forestry Agency officials say the tree-planting policy was necessary because the natural forests were devastated during and immediately after World War II for use as fuel and in building. But the officials concede the policy may have gone too far.

"We were able to meet most of our goals on reforestation, but now we've reached the next stage, where we have to look at quality and not just quantity," said Mitsunobu Oonishi, assistant director of the Forestry Agency's planning division.

He admitted that in addition to the allergy problems, the monoculture forests have harmed wildlife and increased the likelihood of natural disasters.

"Natural forests are less efficient, economically speaking," Mr. Oonishi added. "But the artificial forests have not been well taken care of. They need a lot of maintenance, such as trimming the branches that produce the pollen."

The Japanese cedar, or sugi, has been here for tens of thousands of years, but it was only after the intensive planting began that the allergic reactions emerged. Yoshinobu Naruse, who is working with Mr. Sugiyama on the problem, has lived on the edge of this forest for decades, but only succumbed to the allergies a few years ago, as many of the nearby trees matured.

While the extraordinary abundance of cedar pollen is generally agreed to be the main cause of the allergic reactions, many experts believe air pollution, particularly diesel exhaust, worsens the malady, and that changing diets may be a factor.

In their natural state, the cedars grow into towering giants. The wood has a clear, smooth grain, gives off a pleasant woodsy scent and is resistant to many insects. It has been used for centuries in home building.

When they are planted, the trees grow swiftly but completely change the character of the forest, experts say, preventing sunlight from reaching the forest floor and offering little food or protection for animals. Because they have shallow roots, they hold less water in the earth and can be felled easily by storms and landslides.

The Forestry Agency has few ideas and even less money with which to tackle the problem. The years of subsidies have left the agency about $30 billion in debt.

"They say they've been trying to come up with some new strain of cedar, but it takes at least 20 years for these trees to mature," said Michiro Maki, a health officer with the Tokyo metropolitan government. "So that will be of no use for a long, long time."

HAL

2009-06-03T20:41:00.007-05:00

HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) not to be confused with HAL9000 the super computer from "2001: A Space Odyssey, is a powered exoskeleton robotic suit for the purpose of aiding people with degenerative muscle disease or accident victims.

"When a person attempts to move, nerve signals are sent from the brain to the muscles via motoneuron, moving the musculoskeletal system as a consequence. At this moment, very weak biosignals can be detected on the surface of the skin. "HAL" catches these signals through a sensor attached on the skin of the wearer. Based on the signals obtained, the power unit is controlled to move the joint unitedly with the wearer's muscle movement, enabling to support the wearer's daily activities. This is what we call a 'voluntary control system' that provides movement interpreting the wearer's intention from the biosignals in advance of the actual movement. Not only a 'voluntary control system' "HAL" has, but also a 'robotic autonomous control system' that provides human-like movement based on a robotic system which integrally work together with the 'autonomous control system'. "HAL" is the world's first cyborg-type robot controlled by this unique Hybrid System."

"HAL" is expected to be applied in various fields such as rehabilitation support and physical training support in medical field, ADL support for disabled people, heavy labour support at factories, and rescue support at disaster sites, as well as in the entertainment field."

Hal was developed at Tsukuba University , currently there are two prototypes out HAL 3 and HAL 5 the latter which is able to lift five times what a normal person could carry by him/herself. Within the year a Japanese company named Cyberdyne (no I'm not kidding) plans to mass distribute the suits for around $4,200. HAL could either revolutionize disabled peoples lives or bring force the robotic apocalypse (also see Skynet).

Here's a video of it in action:

HAL Homepage

Wikipedia Article on HAL 5

Another Video

Chicago graphic narrative

2009-06-03T20:03:00.003-05:00

I do film/video, so this project was kind of new to me. Both narratives are about packing a box, since I moved out of my apartment at the end of this semester and had to move about four years worth of stuff (!!). I drew one, but it was hard to convey the whole story, so then I made a photo narrative with moment to moment and aspect to aspect transitions. I included the drawing too just for the heck of it.

Weather?

2009-06-03T19:11:00.002-05:00

Hi All!! I thought it might be a good idea to keep an eye on the predicted weather forecast for Japan. http://www.wunderground.com is a great site to get up to date and accurate weather forecasts.
Here's the forecast for next week.

Updated: 9:00 PM JST on June 03, 2009
	Thursday Partly Cloudy. High: 71 °F . Wind South 6 mph .
	Thursday Night Chance of Rain. Partly Cloudy. Low: 62 °F . Wind NNE 8 mph . Chance of precipitation 20% (trace amounts).
	Friday Rain. High: 68 °F . Wind ENE 11 mph . Chance of precipitation 80% (water equivalent of 0.61 in).
	Friday Night Rain. Partly Cloudy. Low: 64 °F . Wind NE 15 mph . Chance of precipitation 60% (water equivalent of 0.43 in).
	Saturday Thunderstorm. High: 69 °F . Wind NE 20 mph . Chance of precipitation 100% (water equivalent of 1.96 in).
	Saturday Night Chance of a Thunderstorm. Overcast. Low: 66 °F . Wind NNE 13 mph . Chance of precipitation 50% (water equivalent of 0.18 in).
	Sunday Chance of Rain. Scattered Clouds. High: 78 °F . Wind NNW 6 mph . Chance of precipitation 20% (trace amounts).
	Sunday Night Chance of Rain. Scattered Clouds. Low: 62 °F . Wind North 6 mph . Chance of precipitation 20% (trace amounts).
	Monday Chance of Rain. Partly Cloudy. High: 73 °F . Wind ENE 11 mph . Chance of precipitation 20% (trace amounts).
	Monday Night Chance of Rain. Partly Cloudy. Low: 59 °F . Wind East 13 mph . Chance of precipitation 20% (trace amounts).
	Tuesday Chance of Rain. Partly Cloudy. High: 71 °F . Wind SSE 8 mph . Chance of precipitation 20% (trace amounts).
	Tuesday Night Chance of Rain. Scattered Clouds. Low: 66 °F . Wind South 8 mph . Chance of precipitation 20% (trace amounts).

Love Hotels

2009-06-03T17:15:00.003-05:00

I wanted to research the seedier side of japanese culture and i can across this article on love hotels.

"Sure, Zen gardens, sushi and the Sony Walkman are great, but the greatest Japanese invention of all time has to be the love hotel. In the concrete wasteland of the modern Japanese city, the love hotel stands out as a refreshingly off-the-wall escape from conformity, a monument to hedonism, and a libertine's paradise. It's also a godsend when you're tired of taking your girlfriend back to your gaijinapartment with its half-inch plywood walls and nosy neighbours. Nearly every foreigner in Japan has a love hotel story to tell and number of Japanese people who were conceived in one must be enormous. The love hotel is changing though, and the news isn't all good. They've gone upscale, lost some of their sleazy associations and the decors have become more tasteful but the bad news is that in an effort to clean up their image, they got rid of a lot of the exciting theme rooms. Although they still exist, its getting harder and harder to find places with bumper cars and disco lights. A lot of the gaudy designs, ceiling mirrors, and cheesy cupid paintings that made a visit to a love hotel so memorable have also disappeared since Japan has introduced a “New Public Morals Act” intended to regulate love hotels and the sex trade. Hotels which have “facilities not required for the basic purposes of guest lodging” are now categorized as “sex-related businesses” and can only operate in specially designated red light districts such as Shinjuku’s Kabuki-cho or the area of Sapporo. For hotels in the suburbs, that generally means no more revolving beds, vibrating chairs, or mirrors larger than one square meter. The hotels have kept up their gaudy facades, but except for the red light districts, the insides are much plainer now. The “New Public Morals Act” came about in large part because the Japanese government was embarrassed by the amount of foreign media coverage that Japan’s sex trade and child pornography were receiving so they cracked down on both. Unfortunately, they didn’t realise we liked the love hotels."

Here are some examples of Love hotel Diaries:

posted by Nicole Joy

Vending Machines Gone Wild!!!

2009-06-03T17:12:00.002-05:00

okay, so i'm sure everyone knows about the vending machine fetish in Japan. Here are some interesting, neat and some might say strange vending machines found all over Japan. Follow this link for a video of my favorite Vending Machine, it's an underground parking tower for bikes. In Tokyo you can park your bicycle underground, neatly, safely and automatically. You swipe your card, doors open, and you place your front wheel on a docking device that whisks your bike away into an underground storage facility that can hold up to 144 bicycles.When you want to retrieve your bike, you swipe your card again and in ten seconds or less, your bicycle magically reappears.

Pornography, Beer, and Eggs

Japan is vending machine heaven. You can get pretty much anything you like from vending machines. Sometimes a row of vending machines will replace an entire store! There are vending machines that sell pornography, bread in a can, and even fresh eggs. There are reports of fetish items still for sale in Japanese vending machines, if you know where to look.

Cigarette for Adults Only

Cigarette machines are only seen in antique stores in America these days, but they are still used in japan, where the legal age to buy tobacco is twenty. New technology is being developed to keep underage smokers from using the machines. New machines require a “taspo” (tobacco passport) card, an ID issued by the Tobacco Institute of Japan. Manufacturer Fujitaka has another machine in development that uses face-recognition software to “see” how old the buyer is. The face recognition is around 90% accurate in judging a person’s age. It has yet to be approved for public use.

Toilet Paper

No, you don’t get to go for free everywhere. Some places still have coin-operated toilets. In Japan, you can use the facilities, but you’ll have to pay for the paper, at least in some public areas. But you might get lucky: Japanese businesses often hand out free samples as part of their advertising budget, since the individual packets have advertising printed on them.

Live Lobster Claw Game

This machine in Osaka is not exactly a vending machine -it’s a claw game! You pay your money and test your skills at catching a live lobster, which is also the prize. Have fun carrying it home!

Coke

Vending machines are so popular in Japan that they’ve been made into a popular toy, which in turn was the inspiration for these life size Coke Bots!

Japanese Fall Out of Love with Luxury

2009-06-03T17:02:00.003-05:00

I found this article on www.ft.com (financial times)

"Japan’s trend-chasing office workers and ladies who lunch are giving up Louis Vuitton handbags and Chanel jackets for Zara dresses and Gap jeans, making what was a favourite market for luxury manufacturers into one of their biggest headachesThe downturn is forcing customers in Japan to scale back purchases of luxury goods, accelerating a long-term shift in consumer attitudes, according to a report by McKinsey, the consultants...Japan became the world’s “only mass luxury market” in the 1980s and early 1990s, when Japanese consumers saw ownership of a Louis Vuitton bag or Hermes scarf as a middle-class rite of passage. But the growing confidence of shoppers in mixing and matching cheap and expensive products, coupled with competition from a growing array of luxury services such as spas and expensive restaurants, have robbed the brands of their hold on such spending."

I thought this was interesting because Japanese people seemed loved designer brands and high fashion. It also kind of made me think about how much they've been influenced by western culture and that maybe that had something to do with the changing outlook on designer items and luxury goods.

just a little hibakusha

2009-06-03T13:38:00.003-05:00

I'm almost surprised no one caught this in the news and reposted it here, then again, it was in FOX news, so I guess I can't be too shocked.

Japan to Give More Victims of Atomic Bomb free Health Care
May 28, 2009
After years of harshly defining "hibakusha" to not include many of the survivors of the atomic blast and it's aftermath, Japan has finally decided to give just a little bit more back to the people that deserve it. "But less than 1 percent of survivors have been officially recognized as suffers of "atomic bomb illness" under the government's criteria, originally established in 1959, public broadcaster NHK said." Haruko Nishimoto, at the young age of 71, one of the winning plaintiffs Thursday, told NHK that she was initially disqualified because she was several hundred yards outside the 2 km required radius from ground zero when the bomb hit. Doctors were later able to link her thyroid deficiency with radiation exposure in Nagasaki.
The Wiki states some of the rules to be hibakusha

The Japanese Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms has been fighting the battle for these people for awhile. The Japanese law currently states that hibakusha covered by law does not include rescue workers, anyone who later entered the scene, or anyone outside of the blast radius. Supposed scientific evidence from the US tests "proved" that anyone within those parameters not covered by law would be unaffected. Fallout from Chernobyl certainly was not contained within one specific area, and neither were the atomic bomb blasts (or the radioactive dust that sprinkled around everything after the hydrogen bomb test)

Japan Making a Dream Recording Machine!?

2009-06-02T23:44:00.003-05:00

Japanese scientists have started to make a Dream recording Machine! I stumbled across this article a while ago on yahoo and immediately thought about the Anime movie "Paprika" Anyways here is the link to the article, enjoy!

http://afrojacks.com/news/5-news/2707-welcome-to-the-future-japan-close-to-making-dream-reading-machines

Glowing Marmosets

2009-06-02T21:57:00.004-05:00

A team of Japanese researchers have unveiled genetically modified marmosets that glow green under UV light and pass the trait on to their offspring.

“Erika Sasaki of the Central Institute for Experimental Animals in Japan, and her colleagues, have introduced a gene into marmoset embryos that allows them to build green fluorescent protein (GFP) in their tissues. The protein is so-called because it glows green in a process known as fluorescence. GFP was originally isolated from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria, which glows green when exposed to blue light. The protein has become a standard in biology and genetic engineering, and its discovery even warranted a Nobel prize.

From 91 embryos, a total of five GFP-enabled transgenic marmosets were born, including twins Kei and Kou ("keikou" is Japanese for "fluorescence").”

“Though primates that make a glowing protein have been created before, these are the first to keep the change in their bloodlines. Future modifications could lead to treatments for a range of diseases.”

Scientists are hoping that because primates are more similar to humans than mice, they will be able to provide a better model of disease in humans. Mice are not useful for studying some human diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. However, not everyone is excited about the breakthrough.

“Jarrod Bailey, science consultant to the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV), says he is "disappointed" both ethically and scientifically with the results.
"This sort of research on animals as sentient as monkeys and apes does not have public support," he told BBC News. Furthermore, he thinks the underlying science is flawed. Animal researchers, he said, "have failed in research to find treatments for Aids, for hepatitis, for malaria, for strokes. Many treatments for strokes work in monkeys but don't work in humans."
"Monkeys do not predict human response and do not tell us about human disease," he added.”

Ambassador apologizes to U.S. vets taken prisoner in Philippines

2009-06-02T17:48:00.003-05:00

In an article found on the "Japan Times Online" yesterday (6-1-09):

"WASHINGTON (Kyodo) Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Ichiro Fujisaki offered a direct apology Saturday to a group of World War II veterans taken prisoner by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines.

At ease: World War II veteran Joe Alexander (right), a survivor of the 1942 Bataan Death March, talks with Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday. AP PHOTO

Thousands of them died during the infamous Bataan Death March and later in prisoner of war camps.

"We extend a heartfelt apology for our country having caused tremendous damage and suffering to many people," Fujisaki said in San Antonio, Texas, at a meeting of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor.

A representative of the group, which is made up of U.S. veterans who fought on Corregidor island and the Bataan Peninsula, said he thinks it was "honorable" of the ambassador to attend the assembly and deliver in person an official apology from the Japanese government."

I wonder if Mr. Katsuichi Honda would find a little comfort in this article. It seems the ambassador has publicly acknowledged some of Japan's shortcomings during WWII. It's interesting that this event took place on American soil, considering that 60 years ago America and Japan were hard enemies. Either way, it seems a step forward from the readings.

Posted by: Kloie L

2009-06-02T17:07:00.003-05:00

I found this article on an online newspaper from Japan, and found it very interesting and relevant to what's going on here in the States.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20090602a1.html

There have been numerous articles about how GM claiming bankruptcy is hurting the US economically, not to mention the families it affects, but they generally don't mention the effect outside of the US.
Here journalist Hiroko Nakata address just that.

"Fallout to hit Japan, parts makers acutely"

"General Motor's bankruptcy will have a wide impact on Japan's economy, ranging from further reduced U.S. consumption and car sales to fallout hitting parts makers."

Posted by: Kloie L

UNMASKING JAPAN (by Michael C.)

2009-06-02T12:57:00.002-05:00

Excerpts from

"A slight unmasking of Japan's flu 'pandemic'"

By PHILIP BRASOR

Japan Times
Sunday, May 31, 2009

link

"Japan's anxiety over the sudden increase in confirmed cases of H1N1 flu that led to closings of schools in the Kansai region. Europe seemed barely concerned about the new flu and when I caught BBC World in hotel rooms or at friends' homes the flu was mentioned only in relation to Japan, even if there were still more cases in North America. Nevertheless, the feeling of alarm in Japan was conveyed. All a report had to do was show footage of a crowd of people wearing face masks."

"So if Japan's own sense of its hygienic habits could be seen as having an exceptional cast it probably comes down to this whole mask business, which offers the starkest contrast between Japan's approach to the flu outbreak and the West's — or the rest of Asia's, for that matter."

"I just came back from Singapore," said a prominent entrepreneur when he was a guest last week on the Nihon TV news show "Bankisha." "I could tell who was Japanese because they were the only ones wearing masks."

After reading this article about H1N1 (Swine Flu) as it relates to Japan, I went to search for some images of a traditional Japanese Masks, and stumbled across all of these. Not to be outdone, (and true Japanese Spirit) it seems as though Japan is cashing in on the H1N1 epidemic and turning it into a trend.

Japanese designer simira boon
http://www.samiraboon.com/

2009-06-01T00:49:00.007-05:00

I recently came across a few articles about cell phones in Japan, so I thought I would share them.

The first article that I found was about a phone that features a dedicated button that loads a “private, customizable, animated altar on the phone's screen. The idea is to allow Buddhists to
perform their dedications conveniently on-the-go.
You can simulate incense
burning, purification rites and play music to help
you meditate wherever you happen to be.”
Odin 99 'Buddha Phone'

Phones are also now being used to help track attendance at one Japanese University. According to the article, “about 550 students and staff members in the School of Social Informatics at Tokyo-based university Aoyama Gakuin received the iPhone 3G for free earlier this month as part of their study materials. The gadget will work as a study tool for students, but as it also comes with GPS, which the university plans to use to check student attendance." The article also talks about truancy being a big problem, as students will often fake attendence by having friends answer roll call for them.
Japanese University uses Iphone to keep tab of students

And now for a slightly more disturbing article on the psychological dependency that Japanese elementary students are developing with their cellphones. The study, based on a national survey, cites that "25 percent of the elementary school students and 26 percent of the junior high students said they feel very anxious when they do not get e-mail replies, according to the PTA group.” Parents are also concerned about students accessing inappropriate content and 38% of Junior High students report that they have secret "e-mail friends" that their parents are unaware of.
Children growing more dependent on cellphones

And here’s an interesting article about taking phones on overseas trips, in case anyone was interested in trying to take their phone with them to Japan.
Going Abroad?

Entroducing... Gregory

2009-05-31T17:55:00.001-05:00

My top priority..

2009-05-31T16:22:00.002-05:00

AOKIGAHARA FOREST, Japan (CNN) -- Aokigahara Forest is known for two things in Japan: breathtaking views of Mount Fuji and suicides. Also called the Sea of Trees, this destination for the desperate is a place where the suicidal disappear, often never to be found in the dense forest.

Japan's Aokigahara Forest is known as the "suicide forest" because people often go there to take their own lives.

Taro, a 46-year-old man fired from his job at an iron manufacturing company, hoped to fade into the blackness. "My will to live disappeared," said Taro. "I'd lost my identity, so I didn't want to live on this earth. That's why I went there."

Taro, who did not want to be identified fully, was swimming in debt and had been evicted from his company apartment.

He lost financial control, which he believes to be the foundation of any stable life, he said. "You need money to survive. If you have a girlfriend, you need money. If you want to get married, you need it for your life. Money is always necessary for your life." Watch Taro describe why he wanted to die in "suicide forest" »

Taro bought a one-way ticket to the forest, west of Tokyo, Japan. When he got there, he slashed his wrists, though the cut wasn't enough to kill him quickly.

He started to wander, he said. He collapsed after days and lay in the bushes, nearly dead from dehydration, starvation and frostbite. He would lose his toes on his right foot from the frostbite. But he didn't lose his life, because a hiker stumbled upon his nearly dead body and raised the alarm.

Taro's story is just one of hundreds logged at Aokigahara Forest every year, a place known throughout Japan as the "suicide forest." The area is home to the highest number of suicides in the entire country.

Japan's suicide rate, already one of the world's highest, has increased with the recent economic downturn.

There were 2,645 suicides recorded in January 2009, a 15 percent increase from the 2,305 for January 2008, according to the Japanese government.

The Japanese government said suicide rates are a priority and pledged to cut the number of suicides by more than 20 percent by 2016. It plans to improve suicide awareness in schools and workplaces. But officials fear the toll will rise with unemployment and bankruptcies, matching suicide spikes in earlier tough economic times.

"Unemployment is leading to this," said Toyoki Yoshida, a suicide and credit counselor.

"Society and the government need to establish immediate countermeasures to prevent suicides. There should be more places where they can come and seek help."

Yoshida and his fellow volunteer, Norio Sawaguchi, posted signs in Aokigahara Forest urging suicidal visitors to call their organization, a credit counseling service. Both men say Japanese society too often turns a cold shoulder to the unemployed and bankrupt, and breeds a culture where suicide is still seen as an honorable option.

Local authorities, saying they are the last resort to stop people from killing themselves in the forest, have posted security cameras at the entrances of the forest.

The goal, said Imasa Watanabe of the Yamanashi Prefectural Government is to track the people who walk into the forest. Watanabe fears more suicidal visitors will arrive in the coming weeks.

"Especially in March, the end of the fiscal year, more suicidal people will come here because of the bad economy," he said. "It's my dream to stop suicides in this forest, but to be honest, it would be difficult to prevent all the cases here."

One year after his suicide attempt, Taro is volunteering with the credit counseling agency that helped him get back on his feet. He's still living in a shelter and looking for a job. He's ashamed, he said, that he still thinks about suicide.

"I try not to think about it, but I can't say never. For now, the will to live is stronger."

Concourse Alpha

2009-05-31T04:25:00.004-05:00

Unfortunately my pencil lines are very thin, so a lot of this didn't translate well to this size (a lot of this could have used inking treatment vs. photoshop). A bit of an odd comic...Mainly aspect to aspect (though the space is somewhat imaginary). A few moment to moment at the beginning, though they aren't the smoothest transitions.

Link to Slightly Better Quality Version

Alone On The Night Train

2009-05-30T22:24:00.003-05:00

Richards Comic

2009-05-29T21:43:00.001-05:00

THIS BIKE IS FAST

2009-05-29T19:21:00.000-05:00

2009-05-29T19:11:00.000-05:00

Here it is...a comic about my constant state of distraction.
Amanda C.

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL EVENING

2009-05-29T18:02:00.001-05:00

my comic

2009-05-29T17:46:00.002-05:00

here is my comic. I have to get my new photoshop installed because i dont use the schools (its no good to me if they deactivate it afterword). I also go it scanned at kinkos (who were not very professional) so please bear with this till i can do it properly. I'm sorry and I will try to make it the proper format asap

2009-05-29T16:53:00.001-05:00

This post is a video harajuku girls. I think this way of dress and play is very interesting and i look forward to see some japanese girls in custom when we are on the trip. These young women have a wonderful sense of both play and fashion.

CRAMPED STYLE

2009-05-29T16:50:00.002-05:00

This post is an image of a Japanese hotel. They are small little containers that include one bed mat and a small pillow. You simply pay for the space for an certain about of time and shut your self in this little space to rest. relax or take a break from a long day or travel. These are also located in some subway staions as well. I thought this was very odd and that they looks like little washing machines. Space in places like tokyo are so cramped but i could never imagine sleeping in one of these cube where it was tight and where people could watch you as you rested.

Comic Blog

2009-05-29T16:47:00.000-05:00

My Comic Project

2009-05-29T10:44:00.003-05:00

Here's my project for the 6-9 panel project. Don't really have a title, but off the top of my head, this comic is entitled, Time. Hope you like it!

At this point in the dream I realized my food was poisoned

2009-05-29T06:49:00.002-05:00

Scene, aspect, moment, action transitions

GOTH-TRAD (Japanese Dubstep)

2009-05-29T05:59:00.002-05:00

Seem as if this guy had a good grasp on the Dubstep scene in Japan. He has a stack of shows lined up this summer in Japan and around the rest of the world. He flaunts a healthy discography and club resume. Check out his site and myspace

Website

Myspace

-18aC-

$!

2009-05-29T05:48:00.002-05:00

Mornings (Amanda Albrent)

2009-05-29T02:59:00.004-05:00

When I come home...

2009-05-28T22:00:00.003-05:00

There's always a small animal waiting for me!

The Artists View: Museum

2009-05-28T20:57:00.004-05:00

This is my 9-panel narrative depicting a day at the museum i spent with two of my closest friends. i chose this moment of my life in chicago because it is a perfect example of how random moments of my life are. I apologize for the PG13 rating, but i think we can all handle it and i hope this real moment from my life makes you laugh. (^-^)

Ginza District

2009-05-28T20:24:00.002-05:00

Hi all! I know this isn't a proper blog or anything i just think it's neat.
The other day while i was browsing the internet i came across an interesting diorama speaker. The speaker was made by Bandai (band-eye), and depicts the Ginza district. Bandai is one of the largest toy manufactering companies in the world and we are sceduled to go to the Ginza shopping district on our thirteenth day of the trip.

The Process

2009-05-28T18:28:00.003-05:00

This is my 6 panel comic assignment illustrating me going through my process for assembling a model. I realize this one only has 5 panels. I'm working w/ a 600 year old scanner back home so once i get over tech issues I'll update the post.

2009-05-27T20:01:00.003-05:00

When it comes to motorcycles, Japan is pretty well known for their Yamaha series. Well check this sweet ride. This is the Yamaha MAXAM 3000. It looks like a torpedo...anyway this thing is said to be 10 feet long! Seriously...that's just nuts! That is about 3000mm in length! Wonder if that's why they slapped the "3000" label on it? Either way, it is awsome looking piece of work.

- Daniel Lemke

Ito

2009-05-26T21:30:00.004-05:00

I'm not smart, brave, or trusted enough to be an architect, but if I were I would probably go out of my way to accomplish in-your-face feats such as Toyo Ito's Tama Art University Library. Most impressive is that each arch in this structure is of a different measurement. I'm sure there's reason with in the concept of the building (based on caves) but at surface value it seems like a show off move. I support. Sometimes sleek beauty just isn't enough gush over.

More images

More info

-Ate Teen

Pickled Daikon and a whole lot more...

2009-05-26T19:08:00.007-05:00

すみません。私の日本語はだめです。ごめめさい。これはわたしの冒険です。
'scuse my rough and horrible Japanese.

Ever wonder what that bright yellow squishy thing is on your plate at a Japanese restaurant?

No? Well, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you'll certainly be wondering when you see it on your plate in Japan. Daikon （だいこん、大根), a massive radish, is essential to Japanese cuisine. Originally the radish itself is white, over a foot long, and topped with leafy greens. The leaves find themselves in salads and are sometimes sauteed. The radishes become a host of delicious ingredients in food and adorable garnishes aside classic dishes (or... plush toys...).

Being the complete and utter Japanophile that I find myself to be, I have fallen in love with pickled daikon and took it upon myself tonight to make たくわん or yellow pickled daikon. Pickling is an excellent way of preserving food, obviously found in many cultures. When I told my family I had the intention of making pickles, they informed me that we were out of cucumbers. In Japan, pickles are not usually cucumbers. They come in almost any vegetable that can be brined and tubbed. Some of the more famous pickles include pickled plums (ume, うめぼし, the pinkish thing on the image above), mushrooms, cucumbers(usually in a soy sauce brine), and cabbage(often fermented, pictured behind the bright yellow in the photo above). たくわん is often used as a garnish on plates of sushi, served with other pickles in a plate of おしんこ(which just means pickles, as shown above), or in larger ふとまき rolls shown here.

Takuan has been made in Japan the same way for centuries. It's manufacture is primitive, but effective. One takes the crop of daikon for that spring, leaves it out to dry in the sun for a few days until it's shriveled up a little and then tosses it in a giant vat with rice bran, salt, a little bit of sugar, konbu (dried kelp, also used to make udon broth), and sometimes a sliver of tumeric root for color. This method of pickling is not the only one found in Japan. Pickles can also be made with a mixture of soy sauce, mirin (a cooking sake), sake, sugar, or just plain rice vinegar. Often daikon and carrots are shredded and lightly pickled with rice vinegar for a light side salad. A good takuan is prized in Japan and often up for sale in expensive Yahoo!Japan auctions.
When food was hard to come by in World War II, Japan had quite a few pickles to fall back on. Families kept large vats of ume or takuan in their cellars and other places that helped the family cope with food shortages (pickles are a known appetite supressor) and add a little bit of flavor to their meals. The daily ration of rice could be spiced up with a couple pieces of hidden takuan in the center of an rice ball, おにぎり. In the film Grave of the Fireflies the main characters make a point to hide a large vat of ume in their cellar during the constant airraids in their area. The plums stay with them for most of the movie. They provide nutrition for the two boys and the family that takes them in, although the tasty plums are quickly eaten.
I'm off to make my own set of pickled daikon! I hope I manage to master the tangy crisp tenderness that a true rice bran takuan from 日本 has!
Holy Text Wall, Batman! There's your crash course in Japanese pickles. Eat 'em with pride!

Epic fail: Baggage get sucked into and Stuck in plane engine

2009-05-20T13:59:00.005-05:00

Found this funny news video on a plane that was originally going from Los Angeles to Tokyo, but experienced and odd problem that prevented the plane from taking off. The planes engine somehow managed to suck in a huge 5x5x4 case that just mangaged to get logged in there. God knows how it did, but thankfully no one was hurt. Hopfully this wont happen to us when we take off for Japan.

Here is the link to the video. I dont know how to up load it via a blog post, so enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90l_AQMMRsc&feature=player_embedded

-Daniel Lemke

Our first dinner in Japan

2009-05-17T20:01:00.004-05:00

Our first group dinner in Japan was delicious and surprisingly jet-lag free! We sampled traditional dishes like vegetable tempura, tekka don, seaweed salad, sukiyaki, and plenty of fresh sushi.

Okay, okay... so we haven't actually left Chicago yet, but the unofficial pre-trip group dinner at Ginza restaurant was a great test run and a good time for those who managed to make it out. Looking forward to the real deal with the whole group soon!

Kaiten

2009-05-14T11:36:00.000-05:00

The Sound of Finals

2009-05-14T10:24:00.002-05:00

The Sound of Finals
By: Kloie Leslie
Pre-trip comic using moment to moment, aspect to aspect, and scene to scene.

Japan's Energy Crisis... solution?

2009-05-10T16:09:00.003-05:00

I happened to peek through Ode Magazine and discovered this really interesting article about what Japan is doing about it's energy crisis. How can the consumer in his own home manage the cost of his energy bill? Simple, get a hydrogen fuel cell placed in your backyard.

Yasushi Kawamori shows off his new cogeneration unit.

Photo: Makoto Ishida

Hydrogen in Every Home by Winifred Bird

"Yasushi Kawamori has a power plant in his backyard. Not the kind that belches clouds of CO₂ into the atmosphere, but the kind that’s small (about the size of a refrigerator and a suitcase placed side by side), quiet (a faint thumping is just audible) and emits a fraction of the carbon dioxide a coal-fired plant would. The system uses a hydrogen fuel cell to convert natural gas into electricity; heat from the reaction generates hot water for himself, his wife and their two children. It’s called a fuel cell cogeneration system, and Kawamori is more than happy to have it in his backyard. 'We’re making electricity at our own home, and the heat from that electricity gets used, so it’s really efficient,” he says. “I like that it’s cost-effective and good for the environment.'"

A video of the cell in action

"Japanese mother seeks boxing record" (George Foreman style, not Bento style)

2009-05-05T22:48:00.005-05:00

When people talk about Japanese women and "boxing" it might be thought of in the context of creating interesting bento boxes for children and husbands to take with them during the day. In the case of Kazumi Izaki, however, they would be mistaken - at least in part.

No doubt she makes such lunches for her two kids, but she is also keen to hit an opponent in the head, in the ring, round 1. Yes, she is not only a boxer, but one going for the record of the oldest to win a world title in boxing.

Read about her and listen to a recent interview by the BBC. Unusual to say the least, but also interesting to consider in light of all the Hawaiian and Mongolian athletes taking the Japanese Sumo world by storm in the past years. Of course, there is also Japanese women's wrestling, WWF style.

The Man Behind the Myth

2009-04-28T18:48:00.002-05:00

This video is a short spoof on Eiji Tsuburaya the man behind the creation and execution of Godzilla! There is also a book written on him, Master of Monsters, that goes further in to the detail of the artistic process that brought Godzilla and many other Japanese Kaiju icons.

Your type, my type? - it's about A, B, O (or AB)

2009-04-26T09:28:00.010-05:00

We are often fascinated by horoscopes, with the notion that how stars align billions of miles away might say something about us in the everyday. In Japan the major personality index is much more biological in nature, you could even say "embodied" - blood.

Blood type holds a special place in Japanese culture as the go-to data for understanding what a person might be like. This recent article (or this more extensive one)

Indeed, anime and manga characters often have their blood types mentioned, and of course people keep track of this sort of thin in the form of online manga character blood type databases! Other websites, like this one called Anime Blood unpack the matter for readers.

Right now some of the top selling books in the country are on this very topic...

(the blood bag pictured here is by British designers Dunne and Raby)

Banned Hirohito art in Okinawa & "Going Nuclear" with N. Korea

2009-04-20T11:18:00.010-05:00

As you have been readings in the essays from Oiwa and Suzuki's book The Japan We Never Knew,
World War II and the historical and cultural issues surrounding it are never far from the surface.

Two very interesting news items from today's The Japan Times make this clear in different ways.

A museum in Naha, Okinawa just banned an exhibit by the artist Nobuyuki Oura that include collages with depictions of Emperor Hirohito, the reigning emperor during WWII. (For the purposes of full disclosure, I should mention that I love Oura's collages).

The article reports:

"The decision has drawn a barrage of criticism from art critics in Okinawa.

"Okinawa was drawn into the ground battle during World War II under Japan's Imperial system," said one of the critics. "The prefectural government does not understand how dreadful it would be for authorities to promote only art that sees a bright side while avoiding facing up to the reality of the unfortunate part of history."

The Museum of Modern art in Toyama Prefecture cquired some of the collages and exhibited them in 1986. But the museum soon closed the show and sold it to other parties after it sparked strong protests from rightwingers.

In 1994, Oura filed a lawsuit demanding Toyama Prefecture repurchase the collages, but the court ruled against him in 2000. The latest incident "represents self-protection and excessive reaction from a local government, which makes the topic on the Imperial system taboo," said Oura.

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In other news, the Japan Times also reports that former Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa gave a speech suggesting Japan should consider "going nuclear" - that is developing nuclear weapons as a deterrent to North Korea, which recently conducted both nuclear tests and missile tests.

I very touchy if not taboo subject - whether Japn should ever have nuclear weapons or support any country to do so - comes up again here as many Japanese continue to debate more broadly whether Article 9 should be revised.

Japan's Whaling Ways and Woes

2009-04-19T14:57:00.007-05:00

When Greenpeace activists revealed exposed that meat left over from "scientific research whaling" was being illegally smuggled off as ship for sale on the black market, it was yet another outcry over Japanese whaling practices. Meanwhile the two Japanese Greenpeace activists have been charged with theft themselves and are awaiting trial.

The lead of Japan's whaling fleet, the Nisshin Maru might be familiar to some of you as the site of Matthew Barney's film Drawing Restraint 9, where he and Bjork carve each other up with knives while making-out. The trailer gives you a sense, if you haven't seen it.

Sea Shepherds and other groups have been in direct - and often quite violent - confrontation with the Japanese whiling fleet. Last week the fleet returned to Japan after 5 months at sea reporting a smaller than expected catch due to harrassment by Sea Shepherds and Greenpeace.

Japan claims that international regulation and protest of their whaling practices is nothing less than an interference with their traditional culture and long established food practices. Some counter that cultures adapt and evolve - and what better reason to changes ones practices but in the face the extinction of species.

It continues to be a touchy subject all around.....

Man survives Hiroshima AND Nagasaki bombings!

2009-03-30T20:19:00.003-05:00

A news item just this past week on the only confirmed person still alive to have survived both atomic bomb blasts in Hiroshima as well as Nagasaki. At 93, Tstomu Yamaguchi seems to be doing amazing well.

When reading Hiroshima by John Hersey in the coming weeks you will become familiar with the concept of "hibakusha" mentioned in this article and it will give you all the more context for the difficulties these survivors have faced.

Although an event 54 years ago, it is still clearly a very live issue in Japan - in terms of the survivors and in terms of the country's collective consciouness as this current series on "hibakusha" in the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper attests to....

Japanese Language Links

2009-03-10T21:56:00.009-05:00

Welcome to the course blog for this year's Japan Study Trip! To start things off, we thought we'd direct you to some fantastic (and mostly free!) Japanese language and culture resources to help prepare for the trip.

First off is Japanesepod 101, run by a funny, young bunch of people living in Japan, who joke around and offer really quirky, interesting cultural commentary along with every lesson. The paid version includes lots of extra learning tools, but the podcast itself is free. You can also directly download the podcasts through iTunes. They also have a great Audioblog, which is a bit more includes travel tips and interesting tidbits not found on the main site.

Another great (and very cute) language resource for beginners is the N HK Language Center, where you can learn the language through short audio dramas, videos, and PDF files, and the less cute but quite useful CosCom Language School site.

More traditional language CDs aren't nearly as lively as Japanesepod, but can be really useful for structured language learning that sticks. One really well-structured course is Pimsleur's Japanese I, which I often practice with on the train. The full set is crazy expensive, but luckily the Harold Washington library downtown has an amazing language section on the 7th floor, where you can check the same set out at no charge, along with stacks of other good audio and video tutorials.

For those of you interested in learning the written language, there are lots of good options out there. One very good standard book is Japanese for Busy People, which comes with its own audio CD. Those of you interested in learning the language for manga-reading purposes can get started with books like Japanese in Mangaland (beginner course) and Japanese the Manga Way, which focuses on grammar and structure. Once you get the basic phonetic alphabets down, you can practice with these Hiragana and Katakana Drag-and Drop games.