Jamaipanese

Tokyo and Yokohama at High Speed

Jamaipanese — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:42:27 +0000

My interest in time lapse videos of Japan continues. I surfed into my latest favourite by Andreas Doppelmayr a few days ago entitled Tokyo & Yokohama – A High Speed Journey. It joins Alone in Tokyo and Tokyo Time Lapse on my list of great Japan related videos I have to share.

Red barrier lights means danger while road work takes place

Tokyo isn’t the only star of this video as Yokohama also shares the spotlight. Yokohama is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kanto region of the main island of Honshu. It is a major commercial hub of the Greater Tokyo Area.

The train scenes are my favourite in this time lapse video

Have 4 minutes to spare? Take the time to watch Tokyo & Yokohama – A High Speed Journey, the music and views are guaranteed to make the day of any Japan enthusiast in or out of Japan.

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NihongoUp – Japanese educational game

Jamaipanese — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:56:56 +0000

My study of the Japanese language is a stop and go process but I have been making a lot of progress lately. On the reading side so far I am confident of my Hiragana and Katakana knowledge and have been practicing recognizing more and more Kanji starting with the first year elementary school ones off the JLPT4 list. There are a myriad of text books, software, websites, tools, games and other resources offering to help you learn Japanese and although that is a good thing sometimes you can get swallowed when you have have so many options. That is exactly what has been happening to me lately but I have discovered a very useful Japanese educational game and reviewing tool called NihongoUp.

What is NihongoUp?

NihongoUp is an application that runs on Windows, Mac or Linux that assists persons learning Japanese by helping them to retain what they have studied. If practicing Hiragana or Katakana users type the meaning of the character on screen while in the case of Kanji or particles users choose the right answer from the multiple choice list.

Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji and Particles

Many Japanese learning resources advise persons interested in Japanese to learn Hiragana and Katakana (together called Kana) as the first step. I have to agree and also add that it best to stay away from romanji (romanization of Japanese into the western alphabet). Kanji is the mainstay of the Japanese writing systems and are heavily influenced by Chinese. Most Kanji are more complicated than Kana ranging from 1 to 20+ strokes. Particles in Japanese can be very tricky and this is where NihongoUp has been and will be ever more useful for me as I use it to practice Japanese.

Do you know which Kanji should replace the Hiragana character in the example above?

Why I like it NihongoUp

My first reason for liking NihongoUp is how simple, quick and easy it is to install. After installation you can jump right in by adjusting audio, game duration and more on the settings page and getting instructions on the different type of games by clicking help. When ready just click game and then choose what you would like to practice at that time whether it be Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji or particles. Only JLPT level 3 and 4 Kanji are available for practice currently but the game will be updated soon with higher level Kanji. I usually have NihongoUp open while browsing the net at home or going about my computer related work duties at work, when taking a break I just click over to the program for a quick refresher and then I go back to what I am doing. NihongoUp is an accessible learning tool that will help users to retain the Japanese they are studying, it’s ease of use and fun lessons does a wonderful job of combining learning and entertainment. It is definitely worth a free trial and if you like it NihongoUp it can be bought for the very reasonable price of $4.99 which also gives you access to all future updates.

Want to win a copy of NihongoUp?

Are you like me and trying to learn Japanese, no matter what your method of study is be it via formal classes, using online resources or a combination of both NihongUp is a excellent reviewing and practicing tool. Even if you are at a high level, speak and read Japanese well this software can help you learn more and retain the Japanese you already know. Look out for a competition I will be having starting this coming Monday for information on how you can win 1 of 5 licenses for the full version of NihongoUp.

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Robo-Geisha – movie trailer

Jamaipanese — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:50:15 +0000

Robo-Geisha is one of those movies that you will either love or not even try to watch in the first place. Japan is known for some really really really crazy and “unusual” films bit Robo-Geisha has got to rank up there as one of the best or worst, depending and if you like these movies or not.

I’m not even sure if I will watch it but in case these movies are your cup of tea (laced with the blood of a martian and fried shrimp) check out the not safe for work (or the feint of heart) trailer below and look out for it later this year if you are in Japan or early next year for the rest of us.

Still want more? Check out Robo-Geisha’s official website.

Via – Crunch Gear

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Gundam Astraea Type-F Figure

Jamaipanese — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:19:07 +0000

My journey as a newbie figure collector continues with my latest figure being the Gundam Astraea Type-F. The Astraea is a protoype mobile suit used to test out technology and equipment for what will be used in later Gundams primarily the Exia. This is my first 1/100 scale gunpla as all my other Gundam figures are either 1/144 scale or Chibi type models.

Astraea with GN Sword and GN Shield

Astraea appears in the side-stories of Mobile Suit Gundam 00P and Mobile Suit Gundam 00F (which I have yet to read). A prototype mobile unit, which serves as the intermediary design between the 1st-generation GN-000 0 Gundam seen in flashbacks during the Gundam oo anime and the 3rd-generation GN-001 Gundam Exia which is piloted my the main character in the first season of the Gundam oo anime. The GN Drive control mechanism differs from that of 0 Gundam, and benchmarks with both higher output and higher instability which I’m guessing means it’s stronger than Exia but with extended use explodes into a ball of fire.

Astraea with prototype GN Bazooka

Not surprisingly the Astraea Type-F was the most complicated of all the Gundam figures I have put together so far and took me quite a few sittings to complete. It was complicated but not difficult as the instructions (more so the pictures :P) were easy to follow. Being the grand daddy of Exia and the other Gundam double o figures I have it is only fitting that he is the largest of the bunch I have so far. The red, dark brown and gray coloring of Astraea wasn’t very appealing at first but seeing it in person has made me a fan, now I better go find an online source for Mobile Suit Gundam 00P and Mobile Suit Gundam 00F which features it, I might blog about it if I find it interesting.

Astraea without it’s mask

Astraea is equipped with a masked version of it’s head, which according to the description is supposed to help to “hide” the fact that it’s a Gundam – I’m guessing when I read the story involving this mobile suit I will understand better. It’s noteworthy that this Gundam comes with spare parts that transforms it into an Exia configuration if needed but seeing that I already have 2 versions of Exia I decided to keep it as it is now.

close-up of Astraea with mask

General Information and Specs

Unit type: prototype general purpose mobile suit
Overall height: 18.3 meters
Overall weight: 55.1 metric tons
Equipment: GN Drive, Trans-Am system Armament: beam rifle x 1, GN launcher x 1, proto GN sword x 1, shield x 1, double GN launcher x 1
Note: A prototype version of the GN-001 Gundam Exia. Equipped with Mask

1/100 scale Astraea with my other Gundam models

The fins at the back of Astraea form the tilt of it’s beam sabers

Specs via – Mecha Anime HQ

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Japan’s Obsession with Blood Types

Jamaipanese — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:58:57 +0000

A few days ago I was asked to donate blood for a coworker’s father who was about to undergo an operation. A few years ago I was scared of needles albeit not as bad as some of my friends. Over time though I slew the needle monster after various medicals, compulsory HIV tests and blood donations for friends doing operations or having babies. Apart from that point when the needle is poked through your skin and into your vein, I try to remain cool plus there is something about an attractive young nurse smiling and asking “are you comfortable Mr Brown?” that is so reassuring.

I remember reading (or glancing over) some information on a website a while back about the importance of your blood type in Japan. Apparently it’s as big as horoscope is in the west and can decide everything from the type of girl or your ideal soul mate to your chances of getting into a school or getting that new job. So of course I decided to see what my blood type says about me (at least in Japan) and this is what I found. Also please vote in the poll at the end of this post.

I’m an O type Warrior!

Apparently being an O type I am a “warrior” and along with the traits in the chart above I am also a trendsetter, loyal but very jealous. Pardon me if I’m just hung up on the “warrior” part. In case you are a fellow geek and thinking about it I usually play a mage, paladin or cleric in fantasy RPGs :D so I am not too sure how I became a warrior :P.

What else did I learn

I have the same blood type as Queen Elizabeth II and Elvis Presley (still not sure if that’s a good thing). I’m not so special after all as half of Jamaica share my blood type – so much for being the long lost prince of a distant (as in not from this planet) kingdom. Moving on, I can donate blood to every blood type but I can only receive blood from other O types, thats cool I think I am rather kind guy or maybe me thinking “I am kind” is where me being vain comes in? Who knows, I don’t believe in this stuff anyway, but if a Japanese girl asks me my blood type my response will be “I am an O type warrior”!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

How to donate blood in Jamaica

In Jamaica and want to donate blood? You don’t have to donate directly to someone like I did, I was told by the nurses that all types of blood are in need so check out the blood bank for info on how to donate – it’s free, the nurses are friendly and you get free juice afterward, yay for free juice!

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I Speak Japanese – Japan focused Videos

Jamaipanese — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:53:53 +0000

For the past few months I have been enjoying an excellent blog called I Speak Japanese more specifically their video entries entitled “Happy Hour Japan”. The blog is updated primarily with video posts by fellow Japan enthusiasts Aaron and Kevin who have both visited and spent a lot of time in Japan. I found every single one of their short, to the point, engaging and natural videos very informative but fun at the same time. It’s hard to even choose a few of my favorites to link to. For someone like me who have never been to Japan and can only dream about it for now I can’t get enough of their videos.

Videos like Tokyo vs Osaka, Japanese Manners 101 and traveling to Japan are great entries that I found particularly useful. If you get lost or want to follow from the start be sure to check out the first video and then watch from there.

Not all about Videos

While the videos are the primary attraction to the site Aaron and Kevin has done a great job providing a lot of Japanese language and culture resources like hiragana and katakana charts and a useful list of even critical survival phrases in case suddenly wake up in Japan tomorrow morning – something I wish would happen to me.

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BBC fast:track in Tokyo

Jamaipanese — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:20:29 +0000

While checking out BBC World News recently I saw a very interesting episode of their travel program called Fast Track. I’ve seen Fast Track at random times before as it covers news and recent developments in travel industry but when I heard Tokyo, anime and saw a dancing storm trooper on screen that episode reached an all new interest level.

The short program showcases Japanese technology, research and culture and the Japan Tourist Board’s effort to attract 10 million visitors a year by 2010 to Japan. Click here to watch the 10 minute long video.

Featured on fast:track in Tokyo

BEAMS
Cscout Japan
Mirai.fm
Toppan
KDDI Designing Studio
HP France

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Giant Robot Statue to be displayed in Kobe

Jamaipanese — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:07:02 +0000

Tokyo may be the capital of Japan but that doesn’t mean that it’s the only city allowed to enjoy an awesome 1:1 giant robot displayed for it’s inhabitants to go crazy over. It may have a 18 meter 35 tonne Gundam but Kobe is getting it’s own 18 meter giant robot named Tetsujin 28-go that outweighs the puny RX-78 Gundam at 50 tonnes.

Tetsujin 28-go

According to Wikipedia Tetsujin 28-go (Iron Man #28) is a manga from the mid 50’s which features the giant robot that was supposed to save Japan from defeat in World War II, by the time it was completed however the war was over and Japan had lost so what does it end up doing?…fighting criminals and other giant robots of course. Tetsujin 28-go was the the first manga to feature a giant robot and it’s illustrator Mitsuteru Yokoyama who passed away a few years ago was born in Kobe. Unlike the giant Gundam in Odaiba this one will not have any moving parts but the trade off is that Iron Man #28 will be a PERMANENT statue! Official unveiling is expected to be in September, check out the video after the jump.

Let the real Giant Robot Wars begin

Now that Tokyo and Kobe have giant robots whats stopping other cities in Japan and erecting giant objects of their own. I can almost hear Nara, Osaka, Sendai, Kyoto and other large cities in Japan considering how to outdo a giant Tetsujin 28-go and RX-78, hello kitty anyone?

Kobe Project Official Site
Tetsujin 28-go on Wikipedia
More about Kobe

Via – ohGizmo

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Firefox 3.5 Released – Upgraded Yet?

Jamaipanese — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:14:24 +0000

Firefox 3.5 was released with a long list of new features, functions, updates and tweaks. I’ve been taking the new version for a spin for the past day and I love it so far. The upgrade process was nice and easy but a few plugins were not supported yet.

While checking the stats for this blog recently I realized that Firefox is now the browser most used to visit this site. Not surprising as most of my visitors young tech savvy persons. There is a breakdown of the browsers used to access Jamaipanese.com further down in this post. So if you are a Firefox user reading this and have yet to upgrade to Firefox 3.5 do so now. It’s faster, now offers private browsing and a host of security features. Check out the video below for a quick overview on what’s new in Firefox 3.5.

Browsers used to Access Jamaipanese.com January 1 – June 30 2009

Firefox – 54.3%
Internet Explorer – 35.7%
Safari – 4.4%
Google Chrome – 2.6%
Opera – 1.4%
Mobile devices including cellphones – 1.3%
Game consoles (PS3, PSP and Wii) – 0.3%

The stats above are from the nifty premium website statistics service I use called Clicky, it has improved even further since my review a year ago, check it out for free and then decide if you want to become a paid user like me. Upgraded to Firefox 3.5 yet? Having any problems? Or are you using another browser? Comments welcome below.

Download Firefox

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i-Real Personal Mobility Vehicle by Toyota

Jamaipanese — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:09:38 +0000

Japan keeps coming up with more and more exotic uses for technology, but what might seem strange and almost humorous now might be something massive in the future. Take the i-Real from Toyota as an example, two years ago it was revealed to the world and now it is in use in one of Japans airports to emergency medical kits and computers that will allow airport staff to check flight schedules for passengers

About the i-REAL

i-REAL is a single-person concept vehicle that explores the possibilities of personal mobility, and is the latest in a succession of models that include the PM, i-unit, and i-swing. The “REAL” portion of the name represents the pursuit to convert advanced R&D into an actual electric vehicle.

The i-REAL at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Show

The i-Real is designed to be used in urban environments with a wide wheelbase to be very stable. It is capable of speeds up to 15 kilometers per hour is equipped with advanced safety features such as a pedestrian sensor for when maneuvering through crowded areas. Move over Segway, Toyota has raised the geek bar even higher.

The front wheels move independently and it employs the Active Lean system for vertical movement.

i-Real at Chubu Airport

Flying into Chubu Airport anytime in the future? Be sure to look out for stewards and airport staff riding these three-wheeled badboys, I seriously need to work on my Japanese so I can politely ask one of the operators for for a spin around the block.

Via – BBC | Japanprobe | Cnet