· December, 2009

Stories about Japan from December, 2009

Japan: 2009 Tokyo Art Scene

  31 December 2009

William Andrews at the Tokyo Art Beat blog reviews the Tokyo art scene for the past year: “It was a nervous year, with the world-wide economic crisis always lurking.”

Japan: Things just got worse

  31 December 2009

“Japanese OO got worse in 2009″. Umeten gives a list [ja] of all the things that got worse in Japan this year, from economy to music magazines to baseball … A link to other blogs or websites for each item.

Japan: Spread the message, translate it

  29 December 2009

A video interview [en] of Kyo Kageura, head of the project Minna no Honyaku (みんなの翻訳, Translation for all) [ja], a new translation platform that helps NGOs and NPOs to spread their messages thanks to volunteer translators. Global Voices Japan asked him about the challenge of Minna no Honyaku [en], the...

Japan: And the kanji of 2009 is …

  29 December 2009

Blogger fenetre39 comments [ja] on the kanji, or chinese character, chosen by the Kanji Kentei Foundation as representative of 2009. The kanji is 新 (ara or shin), meaning “new”. In the blogger`s opinion, the reason of the choice [ja] is mainly due to the “new” government that took power in August.

Japan: Entrepreneurship

  24 December 2009

Fumi Yamazaki from What's happening in Japan right now? blogs about a gathering in Tokyo, Startup Weekend, among developers, business managers, startup enthusiasts, marketing gurus, graphic artists to share their experiences in businesses and projects.

Japan: Peace picture books

  19 December 2009

The pacifist association called Peace Picture Books [ja, en] published online their last story titled Evil & Punishment: psychology of punishment [en]. On the same website it`s possible to read picture books by different illustrators.

Japan: An overview of mouth watering gourmet blogs

  13 December 2009

Japanese cuisine is rich in variety and it varies a great deal according to the season and the region, and trying out food at various restaurants, so called tabearuki (食べ歩き), is a hobby shared by many people in Japan. Uploading pictures of the delicacies to be had at a special...

Michael Moore in Japan

  3 December 2009

James from Japan Probe blogs about American film maker Michael Moore's visit to Japan.

Japan: Open government

  2 December 2009

Tobias Harris from Observing Japan blogs about the Hatoyama government's attempt in building a transparent and open government.

Japan: Moving Beyond a TV Drama Production

  1 December 2009

There are some television shows that become fashion trend setters (à la Sex and the City) but what would you think if a show was designed as a vehicle to sell clothes? With television stations in a financial slump with shrinking advertising revenues, Kansai Television is experimenting with a new...