23 November 06 - 12:36Taiyou no uta
Yesterday I watched 9th episode of Taiyou no Uta, TBS drama. The story tells about popular rock band which gets into the teeth of the media. I couldn't quite catch the full context just by watching the 9th episode. But there are some sacrifices, tragic situations. The girl vocalist has a disease which she can't stand direct sunlight at all. Ofcourse, the band doesnt have too much time to practise playing as there are all kinds of struggles with the media and the producer who seems rather unpleasant, marketting oriented guy.
However, I guess the reality of the pop idols could be something like this.
Before I usually wasn't so interested about Japanese TV drama, but when you see something like this, you do notice how much this genre is developing.
http://www.tbs.co.jp/taiyounouta/
yaschan - Japanese TV -
11 November 06 - 01:18In the teeth of Japanese service industry
Service industry in Japan constitutes 79% of the whole industry. It is therefore no wonder that the quality of service in Japan is one of the highest in the world. It's training is very intense and constitutes such as correct speech that even natives have hard time following. My tale describes what happens when the service training occurs at the expence of other, let's say, more necessary training.
(more)
acjama - Japanese Business -
09 November 06 - 18:16Humanoid Robot in Action
This was posted in Youtube. It shows the great length where the robot technology is going. Watch the hand and finger movement!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sjV_lxSVQo&eurl=
Plus, she is polite too!
yaschan - Japanese Technology -
09 November 06 - 01:05Japanese Women join Antarctic Expedition
Asahi Shimbun reported about the record-breaking number of women in the Antarctic Expedition team today. The team have seven women of the total of 62 members. This is interesting, but then again I've always believed that women are the best geophysicians there are.
Read the Asahi Shimbun article
here.
yaschan - News from Japan -
08 November 06 - 22:41Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
This month's Top Story handles this peculiar new English book by Haruki Murakami. Translation is done again by Jay Rubin and Philip Gabriel and is done directly from the Japanese edition as usual. The translation feels the same good old stuff as usual.
I really loved this book. It's hard to get excited about a novel so much these days. But this really blew me away. I really felt I was drifted away from this world. The special vibrations from the stories work their way up your spine. I think we all should remember to appreciate the invisible - that important something what you can't see in this world - but what you can feel.
See the story.
yaschan - Japanese Books -
08 November 06 - 19:55Women in old Japanese movies
Have you ever noticed how beautifully women are described in old Japanese movies? Take Seijun Suzuki's movies for example. Today I watched again the DVD of Tattooed Life (Irezumi ichidai) 1965. This epic drama, (made with pretty high budget to that time) introduces women as beautiful, innocent and ever so loyal.
(more)
yaschan - Japanese Movies -
06 November 06 - 16:35My Passport
Today I realized that I have been to Japan
eight times, not seven. People have been always asking me "did you go to Japan before" and I've proudly answered "Yeah, I've been there seven times" but no! The number is eight. So the trip in January will be 9th time in the land of a rising sun. Japanese immigration officials kind of surprise to see my passport which only contains stamps of Japan. Whoa.. You've been here before?
So many people keep asking me "Why don't you move there? Would save a lot in airfare.." and I can't keep but guessing the reason. Maybe I'm afraid I couldn't get by there. Eventually ofcourse, I will. That's just a matter of time. And moving between my country and Japan is always fun, as I don't mind flying!
yaschan - My Journal -
05 November 06 - 11:23Hanami Web Newsletter December Edition
I'm currently working with the December edition of the
Newsletter. Last year, I visited Nariakira shogun's brother's residence in Matsudo, Chiba prefecture. His residence is famous of it's traditional style. I took a lot of photos there and I will publish them in the December issue. The newsletter will also reveal some interesting aspects of Japanese house.
Thank you for sending me a nice feedback on the November. Encouraged by your words, I will concentrate on making it better. Please send us more feedback:
editor@hanamiweb.com
yaschan - News from Japan -
03 November 06 - 12:22Persimmon in Finland
I discovered that the grocery shops in Finland sell Persimmon made in Spain. I was delighted to find these as they reminded me of the persimmon (kaki) in Japan. Persimmon is somehow so traditional Japanese fruit. People dry them in summer and create even small statues from them. And there are so many haiku that praises the beauty of this sweet fruit.
yaschan - Japanese Life -
02 November 06 - 20:59Hanami Web Newsletter released!
The first Newsletter of Hanami Web features a Japanese Coffeeshop review, Tokyo Tower and more. The newsletters will appear monthly at:
www.hanamiweb.com/news.html
Download the newsletter
here as PDF .
Please write us feedback!
yaschan - News from Japan -
01 November 06 - 19:38Geisha, Revised 2006
I finally got some time to concentrate on upgrading the geisha page. Please send me feedback, I'd love to hear it.
Here is the page:
http://www.hanamiweb.com/geisha.html
yaschan - Japanese Life -
01 November 06 - 01:46Yakusho Koji in Babel!
As I was browsing the Apple trailers from the iMovie I was generally disappointed to the quality of films they make these days. But then I found my favorite director's Alejandro Gonzalez's Babel (2006) which introduces Yakusho Koji. The movie appears to have three stories, and one is set in Japan having a Japanese (wonderful!) cast, including Yakusho Koji. I really like this actor, and glad to see he finally got a role he deserves. After movies like "Dark Waters" and "Memoirs of Geisha" it's great that he has finally made to large scale movie like this. I first found him in his short role in movie called Kairo, which remains to be most fascinating and artistic horror movie I've ever seen.
I'm very excited to see Babel and how it portrays Japan. See babel in IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449467/
yaschan - My Journal -