今週の日本
Japan running out of engineers.
NY Times
China allows Japanese earthquake experts into Sichuan.
NY Times
Cigarette machines to be fitted with age sensors--and prevent underage smokers from buying.
Guardian
US marine gets four years for sexually abusing 14-year-old.
Japan Times
Japan Feeling Left Out as U.S. Talks to Pyongyang
Washington Post
Tsukiji fish market not moving--yet.
Daily Yomiuri
Economy grows on back of increased exports.
Asahi
J.League soccer club trying to lure Hidetoshi Nakata out of retirement.
Yahoo! Sports
The secret and seedy world of "encounter cafes."
Mainichi
Last week's Japan news
Japan Statistics
A Hyogo family made sick by Chinese-made dumplings donated 5 million yen ($50,000) to the hospital where they received treatment . The family said this was a gift for saving their lives.
Source: Yomiuri Shinbun
Percentage of Japanese, by prefecture, who have been abroad.
1) Tokyo: 25.9
2) Kanagawa: 21.8
3) Chiba: 18.3
4) Aichi: 16.5
5) Nara: 16.5
6) Osaka: 15.9
7) Hyogo: 15.6
8) Saitama: 15.4
9) Kyoto: 15.3
10) Shiga: 14.0
The top prefectures are all from metropolitan Tokyo, Nagoya, or Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara).
47) Aomori: 3.4
Source: Ministry of Justice
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Saturday, May 17, 2008
Japan This Week: 18/05/08
Cell Phone Decorations
携帯電話の飾り
Cell phones are no longer just a tool for business and pleasure and communication.
They are now a statement. As such, the owner must express herself by decorating and or personalizing it.
Colorful straps with dolls and bells and good luck charms are popular. For a time, one seemed to suffice; now four or five or more are de rigueur.
Women with a bit of verve attach bright rhinestone-like bits directly on to the body of the phone itself.
Stickers are also popular, even among young men who plaster their phones with "puri-kura" head shots of their best friends. For women, "cute" stickers are more common (see the embossed ice cream cones above).
A pink phone brimming with accessories says to the world "Aren't I cute!" A darker color phone with fewer accessories tells the world "You can only dream about being as cool as I am!"
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Friday, May 16, 2008
Sonic City Saitama
ソニックシティ
At 137m the Sonic City building dominates the skyline in Saitama City (previously Omiya, before the merging of Omiya, Urawa, Iwatsuki and Yono to form Saitama City).
The multi-use building was completed in 1988.
The building houses a hotel, the Palace Hotel Omiya, conference center, offices, shops and restaurants. Sonic City plays hosts to musical performances and international conferences. There is a Wi-Fi spot in Tully's Coffee in the building.
Sonic City
1-7-5 Sakuragi-cho
Omiya Ward
Saitama City
Saitama
330-8669
Access
From Tokyo, Omiya Station is on the main Joetsu Shinkansen and Tohoku Shinkansen Lines from Tokyo and Ueno Stations.
From Ueno Station the Tohoku Line runs to Omiya in 25 minutes, from Tokyo Station take the Keihin Tohoku Line (50 minutes), from Ikebukuro Station, Shinjuku Station and Shibuya Station take the Saikyo Line or Shonan-Shinjuku Lines (25-40 minutes).
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Thursday, May 15, 2008
Japanese Lesson: Expressions Using Body Parts
ことわざ（頭、目、鼻、耳）
Today we will look at a few expressions using different body parts, all above the neck: head, eye, nose, and ear.
First is 頭 (atama), which means "head." There are many expressions related to the head. Some are obvious:
頭がいい（atama ga ii）= "head is good," which means smart
頭が悪い（atama ga warui）= "head is bad," which of course means...not so smart, thick
Some are not as obvious.
頭が柔らかい（atama ga yawarakai）= "head is soft," which means flexible
Next let's look at 目（me), or eye.
目がいい（me ga ii）= to have a good eye for something
Moving on to the nose, 鼻（hana）.
鼻が高い（hana ga takai）= "nose is high," which means arrogant or haughty
Last, let's look at the venerable ear, 耳（mimi）.
耳が痛い（mimi ga itai）= "ear hurts," which translates as being ashamed to hear
耳が早い（mimi ga hayai）= "ear is fast" = having sharp ears
And, why not, one for the road:
口が堅い（kuchi ga katai）= "mouth is hard," which means you can keep a secret, hold your tongue
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Nagoya Friends Party at Shooters 5/17
PARTY AT
- Date: May 17th, 2008 (3rd Saturday)
- Time: 18:30 - 21:00
- Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-8:45pm.
- Place: Shooter's Bar (Pola Bldg, 2-9-26 Sakae, Naka-ku (very close to Fushimi Station)
- Fee: 3000 Yen
- Dress code: Anything (Casual, etc)
- Reservations: Not necessary but recommended and appreciated. Just show up to the party!
- Over 25,000 Yen worth of exciting prize giveaways each month!
There will be free food along with free drinks (beers, wine, cocktail drinks and juices). Our party is not a dinner party, but we will have light food & snacks. Quantities are limited, so please come early! Please free to come alone or bring your friends. EVERYBODY is welcome to join regardless of nationality/gender. Reservation is greatly appreciated. About 125-150+ people are expected to attend. Approximately 55% female and 45% male, 70% Japanese and 30% non-Japanese. Pictures from previous Nagoya Friends Parties.
| Map & Directions Contact: 080-5169-1666(Japanese) 080-5469-6317(English) Get off at Fushimi Station (Higashiyama Line - Exit #5)
Shooter's Bar (Pola Bldg, 2-9-26 Sakae, Naka-ku (very close to Fushimi Station)
| |||||
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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry & Technology
産業技術記念館
After visiting the Toyota Automobile Museum earlier this year, I was inspired to visit Toyota's other showpiece museum in Nagoya, the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry & Technology, not far from Nagoya Station.
I was not disappointed; the museum is superb. The museum is housed in the original red brick buildings of the Toyoda (the forerunner of present-day Toyota Corp) textile factory and research center.
The museum is divided in to two parts in separate buildings. The first building exhibits early automatic looms and outlines the history of spinning cloth. Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of the Toyota empire developed a wooden hand loom in 1890 and went on to patent an automatic loom based on a British model in 1924, which guaranteed the financial success of his enterprise.
The second building is all about car production. Toyoda's son, Kiichiro, developed the model AA passenger car - Toyota's first mass-produced automobile introduced in 1936. Various production line units are on display including a US-made 600 ton press and the the latest Japanese robot technology.
It was easy to spend half a day at the museum, which had a number of fun activities for kids and also includes a restaurant "Brick Age" and a cafe.
Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry & Technology
1-35 Noritake Shinmachi 4-chome
Nishi-ku, Nagoya
451-0051
Tel: 052 551 6115
Admission: 500 yen
Hours: 9.30am-5pm (last admission 4.30pm)
Closed on Mondays
Access
Take a local (futsu) Meitetsu train one stop north from Nagoya Station to Sako. The museum is a 3 minute walk to your right from Sako Station.
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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Cosmetics on Tokyo Subway
家でやろう
I recently came across this sign (below) on the Tokyo subway urging women not to apply their make up on the trains.
Women (I have yet to see a man) applying their cosmetics on trains is a common sight in railway carriages up and down the country. It really does prove how smooth the ride is.
The Japanese cosmetics market is huge - the world's second largest after the US - with annual sales well over US$4 billion. The giants of the Japanese cosmetics industry, Kanebo, Shiseido and Kose are also engaged in a massive expansion drive in the rest of Asia, especially in China and Thailand.
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Monday, May 12, 2008
Kobe Ijinkan (Western Houses)
神戸北野異人館
Kobe was one of the first Japanese city's in which foreigners settled. Like Nagasaki and Yokohama, which are also port cities, Kobe had a large community of expatriates following the opening of the country in the mid-nineteenth century until 1940.
What remains of that community is primarily in Kitano-cho, the section of city at the foot of the Rokko mountains.
Today there are a handful of mansions and former consulates remaining that are now open to the public.
The area is also home to many restaurants, shops, cafes, churches, a Jain temple, synagogue and a mosque.
Uroko no Ie, pictured above right, and the Former Chinese Consulate are among the most beautifully preserved of the houses. The garden of England House is pictured below.
Access
From JR/Hankyu/Subway Sannomiya Station, go out the north exit and walk up Kitanozaka Street. You are going in the right direction if you can see mountains in the distance. Cross Ijinkan Street and continue one more block to Kitano Street. Turn right and on your right is England House, Yokan Nagaya (French House), and more. Maps are available at most train stations. From the station, it is a 10-12 minute walk.
Entrance Fees
The houses cost either 300, 500, or 700 yen to enter. A three-house pass costs 1,300 yen, the nine-house pass costs 3,500 yen.
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Sunday, May 11, 2008
Japan This Week: 11/05/08
今週の日本Chinese leader Hu visits Japan.
NY Times
Japan battles urban crow menace.
NY Times
Poison free fugu specially bred challenges industry authorities.
NY Times
Japanese rice remains expensive and difficult to sell as domestic tastes change.
Washington Post
China accuses Dalai Lama of "ruining Olympics."
Guardian
US pushing Japan to consume cloned beef.
Japan Times
Alleged wife killer Kauyoshi Miura's extradition on hold.
Daily Yomiuri
Government accuses Konica Minolta of dodging 1.8 billion yen in taxes.
Asahi
Liverpool coach hired by JEF United soccer club.
Yahoo! Sports
The life of a female journalist in Japan.
Mainichi
Last week's Japan news
Japan Statistics
Japan will provide up to $10 million in aid to Myanmar.
Source: Asahi
There are an estimated 150,000 crows in Tokyo.
Source: NY Times
Tokyo had a net influx of 94,500 people in 2007, Kanagawa Prefecture 32,474, Aichi 20,520. Hokkaido had the largest exodus with 20,267 people leaving followed by Aomori 10,274 and Nagasaki 10,064.
Source: Internal Affairs & Communications Ministry
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Saturday, May 10, 2008
Wenceslau de Moraes
ヴェンセスラウ・デ・モラエス
Wenceslau de Moraes (1854-1929), the Portuguese writer, translator and poet, who spent his later life living near Mt. Bizen in Tokushima, is regarded as the Portuguese Lafcadio Hearn, of whom he was a contemporary.
Born in Lisbon, Moraes attended Naval College before joining the Portuguese navy and serving on battleships in the Far East. He settled in Macao, where he married a local woman and started a family. In 1889 he visited Japan for the first time and appeared to fall in love with the country. In 1898 he deserted his wife and children in Macao and took up residence in Kobe as Portugal's Consulate General in the port city. It was while in Japan that Moraes began writing about his life in the East for several Portuguese newspapers and magazines.
In 1913, saddened by the death of his Japanese wife Oyone, Moraes resigned from his official posts in Kobe and moved to Tokushima in Shikoku (his wife's birthplace) and began a relationship with her niece Koharu. It was during his time in Tokushima that Moraes became increasingly Japonized in his personal habits and dress and began to face rising resentment from the locals, who may or may not have been scandalized by his relationships with two local women.
After the early death of Koharu, Moraes lead an increasingly isolated existence until his death aged 75.
Moraes' works include Oyone & Koharu (1923), Cartas do Extremo Oriente (1895), Dai Nippon (1897) and O Bom-Odori em Tokushima (1916).
The Moraes Hall on top of Mt. Bizen is a memorial museum to the man and his life and includes personal effects, photographs and a reconstruction of Moraes' study.
Moraes Hall
Mosukegahara
Bizan-cho
Tokushima
Tel: 088 623 5342
Take the Bizan Ropeway from the Awa Odori Kaikan.
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Friday, May 09, 2008
Kobe City Museum: Louvre Exhibit
神戸市立博物館のルーブル美術館展
The Kobe City Museum currently is exhibiting items from the Louvre until July 6th.
140 items from the French court of the 18th century are on display.
They include gold and silver works, elaborate furniture, and luggage.
This period was known for its excesses, and the items reflect that.
The Kobe City Museum also has a solid collection of artifacts and other historical items related mainly to the port city of Kobe.
Kobe City Museum
24, Kyo-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0034
Tel: 078 391 0035
1,400 yen for adults. Closed Mondays.
Access
It is a ten-minute walk from the south exit of JR Sannomiya Station.
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Thursday, May 08, 2008
Sezu ni
せずに
The –zu suffix on verbs is one that - once you know enough Japanese, but perhaps not quite enough yet - can be rather difficult to grasp the gist of. Because it is not used that much, it can seem difficult. But despite its obscurity, in terms of meaning it is actually very simple.
-zu means “without doing”. It is basically the same as the more commonly heard –naide, but could be said to have a stronger nuance of having failed to do, or missed out on doing, something before doing something else, or for something not happening that would otherwise normally be expected to happen.
Suffixing -zu to verbs takes a bit of getting used to. For example, suffixed to the verb suru, or to do, changes it to sezu: “without doing”. This is an irregular one, but one of the most common, so let’s look at a couple of examples of it first.
(NB For the sake of clarity, the English translations of the following example sentences follow the Japanese sentence structure, even if often at the expense of sounding natural.)
Example of sezu (used with the phrase aisatsu suru [to greet] and sara arai o suru [to do the dishes])
Aisatsu o sezu ni, heya ni haitta.
Without greeting [anyone], [s/he] came into the room.
Sara arai o sezu ni dekaketa.
Without doing the dishes, [s/he] went out.
(Incidentally, the ni following -zu has an adverbial function.)
For all other verbs, -zu is suffixed as follows:
For verbs ending in –ku, -ku changes to –kazu
Verb: migaku (to polish, to brush [one’s teeth])
Ha o migakazu ni, haisha ni itta.
Without brushing [his/her] teeth, [s/he] went to the dentist.
For verbs ending in –tsu, -tsu changes to –tazu.
Verb: tatsu (to stand [up])
Tatazu ni, kyaku o uketsuketa.
Without standing up, [s/he] received the guests .
For verbs ending in –mu, -mu changes to –mazu.
Verb: sumu (to inhabit, to live [somewhere])
Soko ni sumazu ni, kanri o shite iru.
Without living there, [s/he] looks after [the place].
For verbs ending in –ru, -ru changes to –razu.
Verb: furu (to rain)
Ame ga furazu ni, ichinichi ga sugita.
Without raining, the day passed.
(The above sentence is a very good example of the use of -zu, as it suggests an unfulfilled expectation: here probably a faulty weather forecast.)
For verbs ending in –eru, -eru changes to –ezu.
Verb: kakeru (to spinkle on, to sprinkle over)
Shio o kakezu ni, yakizakana o tabeta.
Without sprinkling [any] salt [on it], [s/he] ate the baked fish.
For verbs ending in –gu, -gu changes to –gazu.
Verb: matagu (to make it over [something], to straddle [something])
Gehto o matagazu ni, butsukatta.
Without making it over the gate, [s/he] collided with it.
For verbs ending in –u, -u changes to –wazu.
Verb: suu (to smoke [something], to suck [something])
Tabako o suwazu ni, neta.
Without having a cigarette, [s/he] went to bed.
For verbs ending in –su, -su changes to –sazu.
Verb: korosu (to kill)
Hae o korosazu ni, nigaseta.
Without killing it, [s/he] let the fly out.
For verbs ending in –bu, -bu changes to –bazu.
Verb: manabu (to learn)
Nani mo manabazu ni, gakko ni ikitsuzukeru.
Without learning [anything], [s/he] continues to go to school.
For the sole Japanese verb ending in –nu, -nu changes to –nazu.
Verb: shinu (to die)
Shinazu ni, chokusetsu, “Go” o yorazu ni, tengoku ni agatta.
Without dying, [and] without passing Go, [s/he] went straight to heaven.
And let’s stop on that double banger!
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Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Nagoya International Speed Dating May 10th at Tsurumai
Nagoya International Speed Dating Returns May 10th!!
Time: 6-9pm registration from 6:00 to 6:30pm
Place: Nagoya Tsurumai City Public Hall, 1-1-3 Tsurumai (very close to JR Nagoya Station)
PREPAY FEE: Men 2500, Women 2000
30 couples only! 30 men and 30 women!
Reserve and prepay to join!
Get off at Tsurumai Station (JR Chuo Line[South Exit] or Subway Tsurumai Line[Exit #4])
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Anaguma or Tanuki
狸か穴熊
A few days ago we posted a video of what we thought was a tanuki in Shimane Prefecture. One alert reader pointed out the error of our ways and correctly identified the creature as the much rarer anaguma (a badger).
Here is an image of a stuffed tanuki taken at the excellent Ibaraki Nature Museum in Moriya.
Apologies for any confusion caused.
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Monday, May 05, 2008
Qatar Forum Competition
We are holding a competition over on our Qatar website. To enter all you have do is to join our new Qatar forum and post, and you could win $50 dollars either as an Amazon voucher or as money sent to your Paypal account. All you have to do to enter is join the forum - and post! So, if you have ever been tempted to work in a country where there are no taxes and petrol costs 20 cents a liter, or if you are curious about a country which, though just 100 miles long, is the second richest nation in the world, head over to ask your questions.
See you at the forum!
Qatar competition
Kawagoe breakdance
川越市
Kawagoe is a historic castle town to the northwest of central Tokyo, about 45 minutes by express train from Shinjuku. Certain streets of the central city are lined with weighty, ornate old merchant buildings, and, of course, the temples and shrines that grace most Japanese cities. It prospered so much in the Edo era from its trade with nearby Tokyo (then known as Edo) that it became known as "Little Edo."
Kawagoe is now a tourist town attracting over 5 million visitors a year. It is easily accessible from Tokyo on the Seibu Shinjuku Line or the JR Saikyo Line.
As we walked the 30 minutes from the JR station to the historic area, we happened upon something rather more contemporary, the final leg of a breakdancing competition.
Watch the breathtaking acrobatics of the two finalists, all to a DJ beat.
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Sunday, May 04, 2008
Japan This Week 04/05/08
今週の日本Film stirs debate on free speech in Japan.
NY Times
Virtual golf at Links Bar courtesy of Nintendo.
Guardian
Approval rate for PM Fukuda Cabinet dips below 20%.
Japan Times
Chofu area of Tokyo to be evacuated later in May to defuse unexploded WWII bomb.
Daily Yomiuri
54-year-old Briton found not guilty in drug smuggling case.
Asahi
Chiba Lotte Marines coach Bobby Valentine to feature in documentary.
Yahoo! Sports
History of oral sex in Japan.
Mainichi
Last week's Japan news
Japan Statistics
Average gas prices in Japan hit 153 yen per liter, up 22.8 yen from April 28.
Source: Asahi.com
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Saturday, May 03, 2008
Rocket Building Omiya Saitama
大宮、「ロケット」のビル
Another of the numerous follies that either (depending on your point of view) blight or brighten Japanese cities up, this gold colored rocket building caught our eye from the train arriving in Omiya city in Saitama Prefecture.
Surely a love hotel we thought, but a later inspection of the place revealed it to be a multi-use building including offices, weekly and monthly apartments and a kindergarten - all rather humdrum for such a whacky, shall we say, flight of architectural fancy!
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Friday, May 02, 2008
Rapi:t Train To Kansai International Airport
ラピート
The Nankai Rapi:t train service from Namba Station is the quickest way to access Kansai International Airport (KIX) from central Osaka.
The award-winning Nankai 5000 trains were designed by Japanese architect Wakabayashi Hiroyuki. The quickest service takes 29 minutes from Kansai International Airport to Namba.
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Thursday, May 01, 2008
Honorific Prefixes in Japanese
お／ご
Last week we talked about some word endings, which are very important in Japanese.
Today, we will look at prefixes, in particular the honorifics "o" and "go."
Using the noun fish, a simple example is お魚 (o-sakana). A literal translation would be "honorable fish" or "Mr./Ms. Fish." In Japanese, though, this sounds quite normal and it should be translated simply as "fish."
Why add the "o"?
It sounds polite and softens one's language.
In general, "o" is placed in front of words of Japanese origin. Other examples are:
お名前 (0-namae) = name
お薬 (o-kusuri) = medicine
お休み (o-yasumi) = vacation, day off
お金 (o-kane) = money
お買い物 (o-kaimono) = shopping
お忙しい (o-isogashi) = busy
To make things a bit complicated, there is another honorific: "go."
This is used for words of Chinese origin.
ご紹介 (go-shokai) = introduction
ご住所 (go-jusho) = address
ご注文 (go-chumon) = order
ご家族 (go-kazoku) = family
Finally, keep in mind that these are terms to be used for others. You should refer to your neighbor's family as "go-kazoku"--but never as your own family in that way.
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Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sesshu in Masuda
雪舟
Went down to Masuda (Shimane Prefecture) last weekend to photograph a couple of Sesshu's gardens in the spring.
After Hokusai, Sesshu is probably the Japanese artist most well-known outside of Japan.
Sesshu was born in Bitchu province, present-day Okayama Prefecture in 1420. As a youth he became a Zen monk at a local temple, and as a young man he moved to Kyoto and studied under the greatest painter of the time, Shubun.
In his middle-age he moved to what is now Yamaguchi Prefecture, and made an important visit to China in 1468-9. He was based at his studio in Yamaguchi in his later life, but also spent some time in nearby Masuda, Shimane Prefecture. He died in 1506, though historians are undecided exactly where. Masuda claims he died there, and has built a memorial museum next to his reputed tomb.
Known mostly for his monochromatic ink paintings, Sesshu was also a garden designer, and what is considered one of his best remains at Iko-Ji temple, where he was head priest for a while. The temple and garden are open from 9am-5pm daily, and the 300 yen entrance also includes a variety of paintings and statues.
Sesshu built another garden at nearby Mampuku-Ji temple, though this garden is simpler and more austere. Mampuku-Ji is open from 8am-5pm daily and the 300 yen entrance also includes exhibitions of art and sculptures.
The Sesshu Memorial Hall has several examples of his paintings, other items from his life, and a modern garden. It is open from 9-5 daily (closed Tuesday). Entrance 300 yen.
Sesshu Memorial Hall
1-1149 Otoyoshi-cho
Masuda-shi
Shimane
Tel: 0856 24 0500
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Japanese Art Shimane Masuda Sesshu