· October, 2005

Stories about Japan from October, 2005

Japan: Antique Show

28 October 2005

Japundit has an article on Nandemo Kantedan, a 10-year-old TV show that, like the popular U.S. series Antiques Roadshow, values people's old junk and makes their wildest dreams come true.

Japan, South Korea: Compulsory English

  26 October 2005

The Asia Pages weighs in on proposals in both Japan and South Korea to prioritize English — most controversially, in South Korea, to make it the official language in certain free economic zones.

Japan: Maid Cafes

  21 October 2005

Tokyo Times reports on the expanding “maid cafe” franchise, in which waitresses dressed in frilly outfits wait hand-and-foot on patrons. The police are suggesting that the business apply for an “adult entertainment” license.

Japan: Yasukuni Visit

  19 October 2005

Yaw and Mog passed by the Yasukuni Shrine during PM Junichiro Koizumi's visit on the anniversary of the interment of fourteen war criminals there and asks what Japan gains by provoking its neighbors. Says vincentvds of Achikochi: “Japanese prime ministers should stay away from Yasukuni.”

Images from Japan: Oko

  17 October 2005

“Oko” by MC MasterChef A small grill/noodle shop in Oko, a small town near Hiroshima. Note that most of the counter space is actually a cooking surface.

Japan: Mutual animosity

  7 October 2005

Remember all those anti-Japan protests in China? asks Japundit, and cites a recent opinion poll by the Mainichi Shimbun which suggests the feeling is mutual.

Japan: Geisha Watch

  3 October 2005

Sushi and Sensibility has a two-part interview with Sheridan Prasso, author of The Asian Mystique: Dragon Ladies, Geisha Girls & Our Fantasies of the Exotic Orient.