Stories about Japan from November, 2009
Japan: Buy Nothing Day
Started in 1992 in Canada by artist Ted Dave, the Buy Nothing Day movement [en] has spread to more than 60 countries around the world, Japan included. In line with the philosophy of the movement, next Saturday (November 28) Japanese are invited to refrain from shopping and reflect upon their...
Japan: International Robot Exhibition
Pink Tentacle posted some photos taken from the International Robot Exhibition in Toyko.
Difference between Japanese and American Résumés
Daniel at the How to Japonese blog outlines the differences between Japanese and American résumés.
Japan: Peak oil crisis and organic farming
Martin J Frid from Kurashi reports on a discussion on the projected peak oil crisis and the example of Ogawa organic farming project in prepare for the future.
Japan: Secondhand books to loose yourself in
Photographer Damoncoulter presents some pictures of the Secondhand Book Fair in Shimbashi (Tokyo). In the heart of the Tokyo business district, the fair (held in middle November) was mostly attended by “salarymen” looking for rare pieces of literature to read on the way home.
Japanese concepts through images and videos
Lee at Tokyo Times defines the Japanese notions of wabi-sabi through photographs while the Through Eyes From Afar blog posts some videos to explain the concept of tsundere and yandere.
Japan: Images of Minanamata Disease
@Minori_okd points us to the photographic work MINAMATA by W. Eugene Smith and Ailejjen M. Smith that covers the Minamata Disease.
China and Japan: Feng Zhenghu at Narita airport
Shanghai human rights activist Feng Zhenhu has been living and waiting in the hall of Japan's Narita airport since November 4 when he was barred from entering his own country by the Shanghai immigration the eighth times. Feng is an economist and a human rights activist. After the Tiananmen Massacre...
Taiwan: Movie used to mend Taiwan-Japan relations
“Hatta Yoichi” (八田與一) is a Japanese animated film about a Japanese engineer who was responsible for the development of irrigation systems in southern Taiwan. Sponge Bear comments on an article discussing how Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou has used the release of the movie to improve relations between Taiwan and Japan.
Japan: British teenager becomes a YouTube star
She is British, blond, slim and cute. Her name is Beckii Cruel [ja] and, at age 14, has become an idol on the Japanese web. Beckii Cruel started to gain popularity at the end of this year thanks to some videos posted on YouTube where she appears dancing in her...
Japan: Artist and morality
Neojaponisme has a blog post about the protocol for Japanese record labels to pull their artists’ CDs from stores when they are arrested on drug charges or for any other anti-social acts.
Japan: Magazine for People Living wjith Facial Scars
Lisa Katayama at Tokyo Mango brings our attention to a new Japanese magazine for people living with facial scars, called “My Face”: “The magazine will include interviews, medical information, and advice on how to fight discrimination at work and at school for the estimated one million people in Japan who...
Japan: Top 60 Expressions of 2009
Pink Tentacle has translated into English all of the “Top 60 Japanese words/phrases of 2009″, released by publisher Jiyu Kokuminsha: Included are plenty of references to Japan’s recent political shake-up, the ailing economy, and the blurring of traditional gender roles.
Japan: Deer wrangling and antler-cutting in Nara
Nestled in the heart of the Kansai region of Japan, Nara City exudes a subdued atmosphere unique from its neighboring Osaka and Kyoto. If there is a particular symbol of Nara recognized nationwide, it is either the Buddha of Todai-ji (東大寺) or the deer of Nara Park. Over the long...
Japan: “Obamu”, Verb Form of “Obama”?
Anpontan‘s post about the word “obamu” (オバむ) , a Japanese word play that's a verb form of “Obama”, was picked up by James Fallows at the Atlantic and is making its way across the blogosphere, although very few Japanese people actually seem to have heard of the word, as Daniel...
Japan: Obama's eagerly awaited visit
Ingmar, at Demotix, uploaded some pictures he took on Friday, when President Obama arrived to Tokyo to meet the Emperor and PM Hatoyama. The photos show the arrival of Obama at Suntory Hall.
Japan: When an Employee Catches H1N1
The Kirai blog describes what happened at his company after an employee caught a case of H1N1: “Notice that from his perspective, he is NOT a victim, he is the culprit of having caused so much trouble to the company: because he couldn’t work for one week and we had...
Japan: In a World with Automatic Translation
In a post titled "I especially want to read 'trivial information", Japanese blogger Chikirin gives a fresh perspective on what's important or not and why in automated translation of the Web.
Japan as a Recycling Society in the Edo Period
Ed Jacob posted an English translation of an article “about how there was pretty much no garbage in Japan’s Edo Period because almost everything got recycled“.
Japan: U.S. President Obama on Asian Policies
Teddy Jimbo has posted both English and Japanese videos of U.S. President Obama's speech on Asian policies, given in Tokyo today.
Japan: I want my husband dead
Hideki Sakamoto (坂本 英樹)comments on the topic of the week: the bizarre results of the predictive search function of some Japanese search engines. “If you enter the word otto (夫, husband) in the Google search bar, and then press space, a few phrases are shown. But at the head of the...
