Gaijin Guide

ジェロのニューヨークのデビュー「上を向いて歩こう」JERO's New

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 20:19:00 -0400

ニューヨークのジャパンソサエティーでジェロが素晴らしい演奏してくれました。この曲は最近歌手たちの中で流行っている「上を向いて歩こう」という素敵な曲です。アンコー

ルでジェロが観衆たちと一緒に歌いました。エンジョイしてください。

JERO performed the popular "Suki Yaki" song as an encore during his wonderful New York City début at Japan Society. I am sure you can hear the crowd singing too. Please enjoy.

311 Japan One Year Later

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Tue, 6 Mar 2012 18:58:00 -0500

My contribution to the one year anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

キャプション：　東日本大震災1年後。復興はこれからも長く続きます。被災地と被災者を忘れないでください。

Caption: One year after the Great Tohoku Earthquake in Japan. The recovery and revitalization of the area has a long way to go. Please don't forget the Tohoku region or its people.

震災が起きて、もうすぐ１年が経とうとしています。今日はちょっと暇だったから、あの日のためにビデオを作ろうと思いました。数時間をかけてから、上のビデオができました。

ビデオに入っている写真の全部は南三陸町でボランティアした友達の写真で、許可を得てから使いました。

どうぞご覧ください。

もし感想があれば、是非コメントしてください。

Also please consider a donation to Japan Society's Japan Emergency Relief Fund. https://www.japansociety.org/page/earthquake

[Japanese Vlog] Fall Forest Full of Animals w/subtitles

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:38:00 -0500

今日快晴だったから、散歩しようと思いました。途中で色んな鳥や動物を見て、秋の澄んだ空気を楽しみました。最後まで観たら、サプライズがありますよ。じゃあ、エンジョイしてください。

[Shady Japanese] How to Piss-off Your Mom

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:54:00 -0500

After some requests, I thought I would make some Japanese language videos. Hopefully I can make some fun ones with things that aren't already covered in other videos out there.

I decided to role play a scene where a kid is complaining to his mother. Watch and learn some phrases that will have your mom slapping you in no time.

Want to learn something specific? Leave a comment.

For the record, I am not a native Japanese speaker. I just happen to speak the language and want to share.

Giant Penis in Japan

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Sat, 1 Oct 2011 14:41:00 -0400

What more can I say, it's a penis, its 475 kg and it's 3 m 20 cm long and in the middle of nowhere.

Well there actually is more to the story. These little shrines dot the countryside of Japan and there are even festivals to celebrate the penis. As you can imagine, there are shrines to the opposite sex too.

These shrines are for fertility and people often go to pray for their child's or their own fertility. People might need to start praying a little hard in light of the fact that Japan's population in shrinking.

Either way, these shrines provide a little entertainment and head scratching for non-natives when they happen upon them for the first time.

Universal Studios Japan - A Girl's Wet Dream

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:38:00 -0400

There is only one dream that Japanese girls nurture will growing-up until it becomes a full-blown hysteria by her coming of age day (成人の日). The dream of going to Universal Studios Japan. The possibility of running around in a fairy tale were the characters are real and willing to take photos with you is too irresistible. With that in mind, I headed to USJ with my video camera and offer you two glimpses into what little Japanese girls are dreaming.

The first video captures the Christmas parade in all its dancing Mrs. Claus glory and the second video follows two toy soldiers who walk in robot like synchronization.

Malaysia & Other Travels

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Tue, 9 Aug 2011 01:31:00 -0400

Above are four pictures from Mabul island off the coast of Borneo Malaysia. The diving around there is great, but the real gem is the island Sipidan, which is 30 minutes by boat and has a mass of marine biodiversity that will blow astonish you. It is ranked as one of the top dive spots in the world and without a doubt worth a trip. I bumped into a number of dive masters who came from Thailand just to dive here. It is wonderful. Below is a video by one of the local dive shops:

I have filled in a map below showing the places in the world I have been fortunate enough to visit. I have to thank my family and my choices so far that have let me experience delectable foods, hike in the rain forest, climb ruins, and dive under the sea. I hope to keep traveling and exploring close to home and across the seas.

I hope you too are seeing all the places you longed to see and remember you don't have to be rich to travel the world you just need the will and the desire.

Cheers! fellow travelers and explorers.

visited 17 states (7.55%)

Japanese Ginkgo Leaves (fall's last hope in the face of winter)

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Thu, 4 Aug 2011 21:18:00 -0400

I wanted to make a video that said goodbye to fall and embraced the long cold winter to come. The ginkgo leaves , which held their shape and color until the beginning of the winter, were the best and last standing representative of fall I could find.

I think the images show a little bit of fall and the soundtrack "Mir" by Doc foreshadows the winter to come. The video was filmed on a Canon T1i with a Tamron 28-75mm 2.8f lens.

Japan International Balloon Fiesta (saga) 佐賀インターナショナルバルーンフェスタ

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Mon, 1 Aug 2011 21:09:00 -0400

A trip to Saga-ken, Japan for the 10th annual International Balloon Festival held in November 2010. The five-day festival received over 500,000 visitors and had contestants from Switzerland, America, Sweden, China, among other countries. On the fourth day of the festival, mother nature provided a beautiful sunset as balloons came into the landing area. Being there felt like being in some alternate reality fantasy novel where balloons were the main form of air transport and the Hindenburg had never gone up in flames. It was an amazing sight! The night fantasia at night where the balloons light up to music was wonderful too. Enjoy the pictures and video.

For more information on the festival visit the following link: http://www.sibf.jp/

1st track Sean Wright - Naked Shoulders
2nd track Adragante - Kerridwen

Japanese Corner - 速い、早い、速やか

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:15:00 -0400

A short discussion on the differences between the words 速い（はやい）、早い（はやい）、速やか (すみやか) and what situations you might want to use them in. 速やか is a word that I encountered recently and thought I might share when and why you would want to use it. If you have any other examples please share them in the comments. Good Luck! studying Japanese and remember that it just takes effort and time before you reach your goal. There are no special tricks or short cuts.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Japanese Japan learning language studying self-study words vocab vocabulary kanji meaning difference JET speaking 日本語　勉強　学習　漢字　はやい　すみやか　単語　違い　意味　自習　言語　会話 gaijinguide help hayai 早い　速い　速やか

Japanese Toilet Paper - environmentally friendly and polite

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:45:00 -0400

While sitting on the can the other day, I noticed two interesting phrases on a role of Japanese toilet paper.

牛乳パック再利用 and 毎度ありがとうございます.

Watch the video to find out what they mean. If anyone is interested in more videos that deal with Japanese language, please let me know and I will make some more.

Lastly, what does the toilet paper say in your part of the world?

Beautiful Sunset + Hot Air Balloon Festival = Amazing!

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Thu, 7 Apr 2011 21:56:00 -0400

A trip to Saga prefecture in Japan for the 10th annual International Balloon Festival held in November 2010. The five-day festival received over 500,000 visitors and had contestants from Switzerland, America, Sweden, and China among other countries. On the fourth day of the festival, mother nature provided a beautiful sunset as balloons came into the landing area. Pilots attempted to drop a marker onto one of two targets. The closer the marker the higher the score.

This was my first hot air balloon festival and it felt like being in some alternate reality fantasy novel, where balloons were the main form of air transport and the Hindenburg had never gone up in flames. It was an amazing sight!

If you have the chance to go to a local festival, don't miss out. It will surely amaze you.

For more information on the festival visit the following link: http://www.sibf.jp/

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This video is available under a Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike license

Japanese Blooming Flower Tea

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:21:00 -0400

I found a type of tea made from a dried flower that is wrapped in green tea leaves . Once hot water is poured over it, it blooms in the glass. I decided to make an accompanying video to show off the different stages of the steeping process. It's beautiful to watch. If you love tea, you'll love this video!

By the way, if you love tea China is a heavenly experience. I imagine India and the Middle East are a tea lover's paradise too. I will have to travel there one day to see the unique teas they have.

Before coming to Japan for the first time, I rarely drank tea. My first experience with bitter green tea changed all that and I have gone on a tasting journey since. The tea culture and my travels in Asia have given me the chance to drink corn tea in Korea, Jasmine and Wolong tea in China, Macha and wheat (Mugi) tea in Japan, and many others. I hope to continue this tasting adventure and add updates and relevant video here.

If you have any recommendations and useful info please leave it in the comments.

Music is "If" by Peter Rudenko and used under a CC-BY 3.0 License.

Nature Japan - Exploring Caves

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:48:00 -0500

The caves of Inazumi in Oita Prefecture were naturally formed and contain some of the purest water in Japan. People come from all over not only to see them, but to collect water and take it back home. One of the local restaurants even exclusively serves its water. I recommend a visit, they are amazing and 18 degrees Celsius all-year-round. Great in the summer! The network of caves is broken into two branches with each measuring around 200 meters in length. Below is a description in Japanese as posted on the official website:

稲積水中鍾乳洞は３億年前の古生代に形成され、３０万年前の阿蘇火山大噴火により水没し現在の形を形成しました。
   洞内には水中鍾乳石や珊瑚石、ベルホール、ヘリクタイトなどが数多く見られる世界的にも珍しい水中鍾乳洞です。
無数の鍾乳石、水深 40ｍをこえる深渕、未知の洞奥から湧き出る清流、その清らかな水が、千変万化の美をおりなし水中鍾乳洞のコントラストは訪れる人たちを幻想の世界へ導いてくれます。
   また、洞内の温度は一年中16度で、夏は涼しく、冬は暖かいため一年を通してすばらしい水中鍾乳洞をご覧いただけます。
   マイナスイオンを感じる洞内で心も体も癒されます。

Japan's Economic Stagnation Leads 20-30 Year-Olds Balancing 2 or 3 Jobs

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Wed, 8 Sep 2010 10:12:00 -0400

I read two interesting articles today. The first deals with the increasing trend of 20 and 30 year-olds holding 2 or 3 jobs. These side jobs being necessary to help cover living expenses and provide some wiggle room in the budget for fun.

According to figures from the National Tax Agency, average annual salaries for Japanese workers in their early 20s fell to 2.48 million yen in 2008, the latest year for which figures are available, from 2.83 million yen in 1997. At the current exchange rate, that is a decrease to $29,470, from $33,63.

It is interesting, actually scary, that full-time employment at a company doesn't provide enough income by itself to support the lifestyles, even modest ones, of the younger generations.

Data released last week by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare found that almost 56 percent of workers 15 to 34 years old needed another form of income to help pay living expenses.

Some of the people highlighted in the article have been able to parlay the experience they gained in their second job into new entrepreneurial ventures allowing them to quit their main job. This entrepreneurship is something that Japan and its economy have traditionally lacked and if this spirit increases it could help Japan slowly claw its way out of economic stagnation and retreat.
The second article deals with the upcoming selection of a new Prime Minister by the DPJ, and highlights the revolving door of leaders that Japan has experienced over the last two decades. The first two paragraphs sum up the effects that a lack of leadership has wrecked on Japan and its economy.

Japan’s frequent leadership changes are dizzying and increasingly counterproductive. The country has had 14 prime ministers in the last two decades and could soon have another. That would make three in the last 12 months alone — hardly time enough to introduce new policies, much less effectively implement them.
This phenomenon would make successful governance difficult in any country. But Japan is the world’s third largest economy and a technological and regional power. It needs a prime minister who can offer robust, principled leadership over a sustained period, win support for economic policies that would help pull the world out of recession and maintain a strong alliance with the United States.

Who will be the new prime minister, Kan or Ozawa, and how long will he last? For more information and deeper analysis see the respective articles. They are worth the read.

Aggccording to figures from the National Tax Agency, average annual salaries for Japanese workers in their early 20s fell to 2.48 million yen in 2008, the latest year for which figures are available, from 2.83 million yen in 1997. At the current exchange rate, that is a decrease to $29,470, from $33,635.

Two Misconceptions About Japan and the Japanese

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Wed, 1 Sep 2010 03:36:00 -0400

Once you come to Japan, you very quickly realize that you didn't know much about the country before you arrived. Even the most diligent internet researcher will likely be in for a surprise or two. This week I came across two interesting articles that shed some light on aspects of the country often over looked by western media. The first article deals with the stark difference between Japan's high-tech image and the low-tech reality that pervades businesses and civil services where much of the work is still done on paper ala the 1960's:

Police stations without computers, 30-year-old "on hold" tapes grinding out tinny renditions of Greensleeves, ATMs that close when the bank does, suspect car engineering, and kerosene heaters but no central heating.

A dystopian vision of a nation with technology stuck in an Orwellian time warp? Not at all. These are aspects of contemporary, low-tech Japan that most visitors miss as they look around the hi-tech nation that its government, electronics industry and tourism board are keen to promote.

The second article might provide some relief to all those just starting or thinking about study Japanese. It highlights the fact that with the introduction of word-processors and cellphones into mainstream society people in Japan and China have steadily lost the ability to recall and handwrite even simple characters (kanji):

Like every Chinese child, Li Hanwei spent her schooldays memorising thousands of the intricate characters that make up the Chinese writing system.

Yet aged just 21 and now a university student in Hong Kong, Li already finds that when she picks up a pen to write, the characters for words as simple as "embarrassed" have slipped from her mind.

"We rely too much on the conversion function on our phones and PCs," said Ayumi Kawamoto, 23, shopping in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district.

"I've mostly forgotten characters I learned in middle and high school and I tend to forget the characters I only occasionally use."

Please click on the quotes to enjoy the full articles from the BBC and AFP, respectively.

Jijimi（Korean-style pancake）美味しいチヂミの作り方

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:19:00 -0400

A simple and delicious Jijimi recipe with a to die for sauce. All done in under 10 minutes. Great appetizer for parties or an afternoon snack.

Jijimi Ingredients:
3 eggs
4 tbs flour
sliced ham
4 stocks nira
2 tbs chilled water

Sauce ingredients:
2 tbs vinegar (apple vinegar if you have it)
2 tbs soy sauce
minced garlic
1/2 tbs sugar
red chili paste

Vintage Japanese Model Cars

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:22:00 -0400

A trip to a retro Japanese town from the 1950~60s yielded a treasure trove of vintage model toy cars. All you collectors should enjoy this video and the models only found in Japan.

Background Music: London [demo 2004] by The Dominant Gene. Licensed under a CC-BY license.
For more information follow the link: http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/70224

Japanese Tofu and Cucumber Salad

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 09:01:00 -0400

A quick and easy tofu and cucumber side salad often accompanying meals here in Japan.

Ingredients:
150g Tofu
1 thin cucumber
30 g carrot
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon mayo
1 tablespoon ground sesame seeds
1 strip of ham
dash of Cayenne pepper (or try curry power)

Shattered Memories of Japan

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:51:00 -0400

A sudden minor shock or meaningless/meaningful interruption...that is a memory...here is a blip of the land of the rising sun. JAPAN!

Shot with the 7D by Nathan Miller
Edited by Matthew Brown

Music - "Empty Room Trailer Version" by Zack Hemsey zackhemsey.com

Indie Music Japan: 4 Bonjour's Parties

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:38:00 -0400

The third installment (1 and 2) exploring the indie music scene in Japan brings us 4 Bonjour's Parties. A group of seven members based in Tokyo. Their instruments range from your standard fare to wind instruments, glockenspiel, an accordion, and a sprinkling of samplers and synthesizers.

In the above video, true to Vincent Moon fashion you can only play what you can carry. The group roamed love hotel lined streets as they strummed their instruments and lent their intimate voices to couples looking for an intimate time.

Indie Music Japan: Shugo Tokumaru (トクマルシューゴ)

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 04:28:00 -0400

Our second entry ( previous ) exploring indie music in Japan features Shugo Tokumaru (トクマルシューゴ). He is incredibly talented and has a beautiful voice. If you think all the music in Japan is cookie-cutter J-Pop, you will be relieved to hear this his melodic voice. Again, the filming was done by Vincent Moon as part of the collaboration between La Blogotheque and Black XS.

Indie Music Japan: Lost and Found

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 07:22:00 -0400

I found this video on LaBlogotheque's Youtube channel, which is composed of single shot music video's of great mostly unknown (by me) groups performing out in public. One of the guys behind this project is Vincent Moon, a Frenchman, with great sense when it comes to camera work and capturing a moment and emotion. This particular video is part of a new series aimed at finding local groups all around the world. The Japan section is particularly interesting to me.

Above is a video of Lost and Found, composed of one fair-voiced American man and four Japanese women, preforming two songs. I particularly enjoyed the second one. It was almost reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian.

Quenching Weathered Hands

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:33:00 -0500

A railroad line runs right through the middle of Hanoi. You could almost walk right over it and miss it. It is such a part of city-life and little heed is payed to the proximity in which bikes are parked to it or buildings are built to it. Its path through the city is little wider than a small alley. The above picture captures a moment that is as ordinary as it is extraordinary.

Maiko & Geiko Correspondence

gaijinguide@gmail.com (gaijinguide@gmail.com) — Mon, 8 Feb 2010 06:09:00 -0500

Maiko & Geiko Correspondence

Originally uploaded by Onihide.

I didn't take this, but this Maiko is stunning. This blew me away when I saw it.