Latest posts by Tomomi Sasaki from August, 2010
Japan: Web Startups Present at WISH 2010
The second edition of the web industry event WISH was held on August 28th, and hundreds gathered to hear a panel discussion by industry leaders and 14 presentations by startup services.
Japan: Anime Director Satoshi Kon's Last Message
Anime director Satoshi Kon died of pancreatic cancer on August 24th, at the age of 46. Kon's final message that was posted to his website resonated with fans around the world that mourn his passing.
Japan: Photos by Astronaut Soichi Noguchi
The Slick blog is thrilled [ja] that a selection of photos by astronaut Soichi Noguchi will be published as an iPhone/iPad application. As @Astro_Soichi, Noguchi posted more than 600 photos to Twitter from space.
Japan: Hikikomori as a global issue
News that the Japanese word hikikomori was included in the newest edition of the Oxford Dictionary of English prompted some bloggers to think of English equivalents of the word. Perhaps “shut-in”, one blogger offers. Hikikomori – Social withdrawal in Japan, Hiroshi Tomishige's blog about his experiences with hikikomori and thoughts...
Japan: Second oldest man actually not alive
Discovery that the second oldest man in Japan, at 111 years of age, has actually been dead for around 30 years has been fodder for many incredulous and humorous responses in the Japanese blogosphere and 2channel. Here's Mr. Salaryman's (English) contribution – “The secret of the high life expectancy in...
Japan: JET Program in danger of being cut
Amidst cost-cutting pressure, the government-run JET (Japan Exchange & Teaching) Program is in danger of being cut. Many JET alumni are speaking up, such as Bahia, who explains how the program provides essential foreign exposure and helps improve English proficiency. The Jetwit site provides background details. The 23 year old...
Japan: Is it wrong to climb Mount Fuji empty-handed?
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it matter if it made a sound or not when the tree was doing its own thing? A Japanese blogger ponders mountains, morals, and messages in a Japanese post titled "Is it wrong to climb Mount Fuji empty-handed?"