· April, 2008

Stories about Japan from April, 2008

Japan: Nagano red for Olympic torch relay

The Japanese leg of the Olympic torch relay came to an end on Saturday without serious incident, but many Japanese bloggers who attended the event were left with lasting -- and often bitter -- impressions. With all the red flags, many bloggers pointed out how Nagano, for one day, seemed to transform into China.

28 April 2008

Japan: Suicide Phenomenon

Asiajin blogs a new suicide phenomenon by creating lethal hydrogen sulfide gas in Japan. The method is widely spread in the Internet.

25 April 2008

Japan: Twitter in Japanese, with ads

The new localized version of Twitter in Japanese has been launched, as reported by Joi Ito, Asiajin, and the Polar Bear Blog. The Japanese version, unlike the current English one,...

24 April 2008

Japan: Where has all the butter gone?

Where is the butter? — cry Japanese consumers who have been hunting everywhere for the dairy product. The drastic reduction in raw milk production, complicated by hikes in the price...

23 April 2008

Japan: About40, and what next?

Changing times in Japan are opening the door for a new style of television. "About40", aired for the first time on April 11th, has done something novel for a Japanese TV drama: aim at the age bracket of 35 to 45 year old women, and hit it big. The new drama targets the late-thirties demographic of single women who entered the work force during the 80s bubble, captured in the newly-coined term "arafo". Bloggers give their initial thoughts on the show, and provide their perspectives on being "arafo" in modern Japan.

20 April 2008

Japan: Why can't I be an anarchist?

Japanese university student Hasan at hasanhujairi[dot]com describes a class in which his professor, outlining the progression of the study of Economic History in Japanese academia, ends by telling his students:...

20 April 2008

Japan: Mona Lisa Mutants

Edo from Pink Tentacle introduces another Japanese artist Naoto Hattori. Edo has selected Mona Lisa Mutants collection in his post.

16 April 2008