"Japan Blogs" via Nick in Google Reader

Guess the Japanese Gadget/Object!

noreply@blogger.com (Laurel) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:28:00 PDT

These are so freaking cool, I am excited to show you what they do!!

Sayanora until Monday, have a great weekend!

[Japan][gadget]

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 – First Impressions

Jamaipanese — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:47:09 PDT

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 is the first anime off my interesting summer 2009 anime watchlist. After enjoying Eden of the East I was interested in picking up another real world type anime with an interesting plot which feeds on my post apocalyptic obsession.

Siblings Mirai and Yuuki are on summer vacation. Yuuki is excited about attending a robot exhibition in Odaiba Tokyo and so their hard working parents instruct his older sister Mirai to accompany him to the expo. Of course the rebellious Mirai isn’t happy about that but has no choice but to look after her playful little brother. At the exhibition Mirai entertains herself with her cellphone and run into a female motorcycle courier named Mari. Like the typical teenager Mirai is angry dissatisfied with her life and angry with the world expressing in her phone journal that she wished the world would just “break”. Just after typing that message Tokyo is hit by a magnitude 8.0 earthquake.

Mirai and Yuuki

I’ve only seen two episodes so far but I have found this series interesting enough to continue watching. Mirai is annoying as expected but I look forward to see how young Yuuki’s innocent personality is affected by the trauma of the earthquake. Mari is the character I think that will make or break this series for me and I hoping to see a lot of death and destruction as the series goes on.

The dog tag wearing, bike riding Mari

Japan is a major earthquake could happen any time. Experts predict that Tokyo has a 70% chance of being affected by a magnitude 7 or higher earthquake in the next 30 years more than 70% chance of a magnitude 7It’s interesting to note that the robot exhibition Mirai and Yuuki attend is in the same section of Tokyo that the full sized RX-78-2 Gundam is on display for this summer. Anybody seen Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 or any other of the new anime premiering this summer?

Aftershocks and Fires as expected after a massive earthquake

A catastrophic disaster, every insurer’s (life or property) worst nightmare

More stills from Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 in the anime and manga section of the Jamaipanese.com gallery.

You might also find these related posts interesting

Hokora

Muza-chan — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:35:57 PDT

Hokora are small shrines, dedicated to the local kami.
They can be built as auxiliary facilities, next to regular shrines, like the one in this photo, near the Futarasan Shrine, in Nikko:

… or like this one, photographed near the Hato Mori Hachiman Shrine:

Also, they can be built along roadsides, at crossroads or near bridges, like this one, near the Shinkyo, in Nikko:

…or even near houses (photo from the Edo Tokyo Open Air Museum).

Ştiaţi că… Hokora

Hokora sunt mici altare, dedicate unor kami locali.
Pot fi construite ca auxiliare lângă un altar mare, cum este acesta pe care l-am fotografiat la altarul Futarasan din Nikko:

…şi acesta de la altarul Hato Mori Hachiman:

De asemenea, pot fi construite pe marginea drumurilor, la intersecţii sau lângă un pod, ca acesta de lângă Shinkyo din Nikko:

…sau chiar lângă o locuinţă (fotografiat la la muzeul Edo Tokyo Open Air):

Muza-chan on

Welcome Home: VIZ opens cinema dedicated solely to Japanese film

(author unknown) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:15:00 PDT

If you live in and around San Francisco, you may know of Japantown, an area of the city that's full of great Japanese shops, restaurants, and cultural areas. It's like Chinatown, except curiously clean, much smaller, and with a slight hint of soy sauce in the air. I know that sounds terribly bigoted, but seriously, I always smell soy sauce when I'm around there.

Anyway, Japan-lovers will find another, especially amazing reason to hang around there, as VIZ will be opening VIZ cinema, a movie theater entirely dedicated to showing Japanese film and anime. Like a true nerd haven, the theater is a subterranean complex beneath NEW PEOPLE, a specialty mall. It will seat 143 people, has both digital and standard projection, and THX sound.

The August 15 launch will be kicked off with a showing of the first 20th Century Boys film, followed by the second. VIZ cinema will also be hosting the national premiere of the third and last film of the trilogy, day-and-date with the Japanese release on August 28. Live-action and anime content will be screened according to a monthly theme, with August's being "MANGA ATTACK!". The cinema's first actual anime event will be a two-day showing of Bleach The Movie: Diamond Dust Rebellion, on August 18th and 19th.

This is pretty awesome, because chances are that I won't need to use my Bay Area-range Man-Catapult just to get to interesting otaku-related events. What? I don't have a driver's license, so that's how I get around. Doesn't everyone? Hit the jump for the full press release and ticketing info.

Free Origami Workshop at Japan Centre: Saturdays in July!

(author unknown) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:23:35 PDT

The Japan Centre will welcome the experts from the British Origami Society every Saturday in July from 12-5pm, for a free workshop on the art of paper folding. 'It's going to be a great opportunity to watch professionals at work, to get tips and ask questions in a friendly and relaxed environment. You can even take home what you make and impress all your friends and family. It's taking place every Saturday, in the Japan Centre Bookshop. People of all ages welcome!' ■おりがみWORKSHOP開催のおしらせ■ The British Origami Societyのメンバーを講師に迎え、７月の毎週土曜日に12-5pmの間で開催されます。　どなたでも参加無料！日本の文化とイギリスのセンスが混ざり合う新しい折り紙です。お一人でも、お子様とご一緒の参加でも大歓迎！！お買い物の際には、是非お立ち寄りください。 The British Origami Societyとは、40年以上の歴史があり、世界中の700名以上のメンバーを誇る折り紙クラブです。日本人の方にも新しいスタイルの折り紙作品が魅力です。彼らのユニークで芸術的な作品はこちらからご覧ください！

Safety Tips for Travelling to Japan

Travis — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:17:31 PDT

I woke up this morning to news of another tragic bombing in Jakarta where several tourists lost their lives. It’s a sad reality that travel is no longer as safe as it once was.

When my wife and I planned our first Asian trip, we decided on picking up one of Cathay Airlines All Asian passes, as it would allow us to travel to several Asian destinations. As I sat down with big plans to jump from country to country and enjoy as many cultures as I could – reality gave me wake up call.

There were several places I really wanted to visit, but as I looked at each one I noticed several travel advisories warning about traveling there. Philippines? Terrorist threat to Westerners. Malaysia? Nope. Kidnapping warnings. Thailand? Weeks before our trip a military uprising over through the government. Indonesia? I’m not a big fan of bombings. It’s a telling story when you’re left with Vietnam on your short list of safe places to travel.

In the end, we decided to just stay longer in Japan – and I’m very glad we did.

Japan has the great reputation of being one of the safest places to travel to in the world, and my experience found that to be true. My wife and I felt very comfortable walking around Japan even after the sun went down. In one case, when we were walking through a dark park outside of Himeji castle with thousands of dollars worth of camera gear, our only worry was tripping over Japanese couples who were looking for a little alone time.

But that’s not to say that everything in Japan is perfectly safe. You still have to travel smart. So here our short list of safety tips for visiting Japan.

Pickpockets

When in heavily congested areas like the Tokyo subway, keep your possessions close. No sense making it easier for someone with sticky fingers to walk away with your wallet.

Pervs

If you a woman traveling alone, see if there is a Women-only subway car that you can use during the busy times of the day (they’re usually marked in pink). Even though many Japanese are shy and reserved, some don’t seem to have a problem trying to go for a grope on a crowded subway car.

Public Parks at night

I know what I said about walking through Hemiji Park at night, but here me out. Again, if you’re a single female traveler, avoid public parks at night. I’ve found the lighting to be very poor in a lot of Japanese parks, so if it would make you feel uncomfortable doing it a home, don’t do it in Japan.

No-Gaijin Bars

Don’t ask me why the last three tips all started with P. I guess I could have named this tip Prejudice Proprietors?

Although most Japanese drinking establishments will welcome foreigners, you may come across ones that give you the stink eye when you enter. Rather than try and make a stand for human equality, it’s probably better to leave. Alcohol and a population trained in martial arts do not mix well.

Don’t be a jerk

The Japanese prize politeness (there I go with the p’s again!), so don’t be a pushy, loudmouth. If you get popped in the nose for being a jerk, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Stay away from Yakuza

If you come across tough looking guys covered in tattoos, it’s best to stay away. The alleys and streets of Shinjuku are a popular modern Tokyo Yakuza hangout.

Stay alert. Stay safe.

Use your head when traveling through Japan. If something feels unsafe then trust your gut and avoid it.

So there you go, pretty straight forward stuff. Use common sense and put these tips into practice, and you should have an enjoyable and safe visit to Japan.

Photo Credits: Tokyo lights – marcusuke, Women-only subway car – Wikipedia, Pickpocket – Archie McPhee Seattle, Park at night – malzor905, Japanese Bar – Slugicide, Jerk City – Joe Shlabotnik, Yakuza – Sushicam, Stay Alert – mr.smashy.

Hula Girls, a wonderful movie about Hawaiian dance in a 60s coal mining town

Lisa — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:37:59 PDT

Last night, I finally watched Hula Girls, the 2006 film about a coal mining town in northern Japan that won a bunch of awards and was a big hit in film festival circuits a couple years ago. It's about a coal mining town in northern Japan where nothing ever changes &mdash until one day, the owner of the mine announces that he has to fire 2000 people because people are starting to rely on oil, not coal. Instead, the town has decided to open a Hawaiian-themed entertainment resort, and as part of that effort, the project manager recruits a hula teacher from Tokyo to teach some of the coal miners' daughters how to wear bikinis and shake their hips and dance. A lot of interesting issues are addressed in the film, which is based in 1960s &mdash old Japan vs new, changing views of women and work, stigmas about sexiness, etc. But it's a fun, feel-good movie (like Honey and Clover and Tampopo).

Did I tell you it's based on a true story? The Hawaiian resort really exists in Iwate, and has since 1966. It's released in the US by Viz Pictures with subtitles. Highly recommended!

Hula Girls on Amazon

再びの一風堂 (Back to Ippûdô)

Nate — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:01:52 PDT

I don't generally go back to many of the shops on my list; as much as I'm tempted to just keep returning to the best ones, I'm doing my best to keep on pushing to discover the next best bowl and someday finally complete my mission of eating at every ramen shop in Takadanobaba. But sometimes, the desire for a surefire bowl of bomb-ass ramen makes a man forget his mission; it happened last week at Junren, and it happened this week at Ippûdô. My homies and I spent the day in Yoyogi park and a bowl of creamy tonkotsu (pork marrow) ramen sounded like just what the doctor didn't order but the belly did. We biked by the 'Baba branch of Ippûdô and knew it was our jam.

Despite the fact (or perhaps precisely because of it) that Ippûdô is located about 200 meters from my house, I almost never go there. For years, Ippûdô was my ideal ramen (and it still comes damn close) to drool about from across the globe, but it's strange what proximity does to desire. Ippûdô was one of the first bowls I grabbed after arriving in town, and I hadn't been back in about six months. Ippûdô is fan-frikkin-tastic, but I knew that already, so I thought I would devote myself to seeing what other options were out there.

Ippûdô is one of the best known names in the ramen world, both in Japan and abroad, especially after the smashing success of their East Village location in Manhattan. New Yorkers regularly queue up for well over an hour to grab a single bowl of ramen, which is marked up to a healthy 14 or so bucks (plus tax and tip!); of course, Tokyo ramen fans love lining up too, but they don't have the luxury of a backlit full bar and noodle lounge to do it in. It took Ippûdô almost 25 years to reach that point - the first small branch opened in Hakata back in 1985, taking a name (House of One Wind) to evoke a fresh breeze rejuvenating the ramen world. And that's exactly what happened - it's not too much to say that the whole 'ramen as classy food' / fancy interior / modern jazz soundtrack concept began with Ippûdô. The shop's classic white tonkotsu debuted in the Yokohama Ramen Museum in 1994 and took off from there, giving birth to about 40 locations, plus a few 'new brands' from the same team, including the inimitable Gogyô.

Ippûdô periodically tweaks their menu, but the basics stay the same - the classic white creamy tonkotsu, or the same topped off with a dab of spicy red miso and extra mysterious black oil - the black stuff is derived from the classic Kumamoto-style mâyû (garlic and sesame oil), but there's an added dimension at Ippûdô that amounts to 'secret sauce.'

The thing comes out of the kitchen looking more like an abstract expressionist painting than a bowl of ramen. It's tough to destroy that beauty with your spoon, but you won't regret it - thick, strong, rich, creamy, porky broth that just takes it a level beyond almost anywhere else. Not pungent and stinky like many Hakata joints (such as Botan down the block), but rather a classy ride for the tongue.

Piling on the toppings is always a part of a bowl of Hakata ramen, and Ippûdô does it proper - beni shôga (red pickled ginger), spicy takana greens, a tableside garlic crusher, and a sesame grinder amount to the freshest possible bowl as all those tastes mixes together into an untoppable flavor bomb. Ippûdô's recommendation as top flight is truly deserved. Take a look up at the sky and see this...

...then take a look at the bowl down below, and see THIS. Life is good.

And remember what I said about ruining that beautiful work of art? Well, forget your concerns, because it comes out the other end looking at least as good - ramen bowl, work of art, vision of the cosmos...or all three at once?!?! Look how the tiny bits of lard form the soft clouds, speckled with flecks of burnt garlic as the light dances upon the soup...somebody call Artforum, stat!

I forewent my usual kaedama (noodle refill), instead trying the rice with mentaiko (spicy cod roe). I used to be grossed out by the stuff, but it's grown on me, and now I can't get enough of it. Ippûdô's mentaiko is somehow that much sweeter and fresher than almost anywhere else's, and a dab of mayonnaise (what do you think this is, NOT Japan?) brings it all together. Grab a piece of seaweed and fold in some crunchy pickled radish and you good - I'd be more than happy to just eat a big bowl of this for lunch! I know it is hell of trite to like Ippûdô at this point, but man, they sure are doing something right - seven years into this relationship and I still discover something new every time.

1 year of Chirimotsumoreba/Where the hell have I been?!

Jordan — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:50:31 PDT

That’s right. This blog has been up for over a year now. I’m kind of surprised that I’ve kept something up for this long despite having a sporadic posting record. Life happens as we all know and well, it’s been happening here. I’ve been busy working and doing my thing in Japan. Not much to report I suppose. I recently had a couple of fun happenings that I’ll be posting about in the next couple of days so that’ll be good fodder for getting back up to speed with this thing. I definitely feel the need to revamp the look of this scrap pile.. If anyone knows of some good looking themes let a blogger know. Ha.

Until later, this is Jordan signing off for now.

Surprising mobile video consumption patterns in Japan

Ken Y-N — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:58:23 PDT

Looking at this survey from goo Research and reported on by japan.internet.com into mobile phones, with this particular report focusing on video content, I find it quite surprising that downloaded content is almost as popular as the free over-the-air television broadcasts, and that content converted to mobile format is also not that uncommon.

Demographics

Between the 3rd and 7th of July 2009 1,065 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.4% of the sample were male, 16.5% in their teens, 18.2% in their twenties, 20.9% in their thirties, 16.3% in their forties, 15.6% in their fifties, and 12.4% aged sixty or older.

It is very curious that 16.3% do not have a mobile phone - the usual percentage is around 5%. Has goo Research recently changed the demographic balance of their monitor panel?

My biggest surprise was from Q2SQ2, in that just 15% said they watched while commuting, and even less at other times on the move. I have heard that it is seen as a little embarrassing to be watching TV on the train for some people, but I’d like to see a more detailed survey on that. Indeed, it has been quite a while since I’ve translated a survey on in-train activities.

Research results

First of all, 174 people, or 16.3% did not have a mobile phone. The folloing question were asked of the remaining 891 people.

Q1: Have you ever listened to music (excluding ring tones) on your mobile phone? (Sample size=891)

Yes 54.9%

No 44.2%

Don’t know 0.9%

Q2: Have you ever watched moving pictures on your mobile phone? (Sample size=891)

Yes (to SQs) 53.6%

No 45.5%

Don’t know 0.9%

Q2SQ1: What kinds of moving pictures have you watched on your mobile phone? (Sample size=478, multiple answer)

Votes Percentage

Movie taken by my mobile phone 342 71.5%

Television (One Seg, etc) 285 59.6%

Mobile-oriented video distribution site video 255 53.3%

PC, etc content converted for mobile phone use 132 27.6%

Other 4 0.8%

Q2SQ2: At what times have you watched moving pictures on your mobile phone? (Sample size=478, multiple answer)

Votes Percentage

When I have free time at home 256 53.6%

When I have free time when out 156 32.6%

Break time at work, school 95 19.9%

Before bed 94 19.7%

While commuting 72 15.1%

When I want to watch a topical video 61 12.8%

While on the move (except commuting) 40 8.4%

When outside on days off 36 7.5%

Before morning commute 34 7.1%

Other 4 0.8%

Almost never watch 65 13.6%

Aso's Way: Decisive indecision

Our Man in Abiko — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:33:13 PDT

You know, following the ins and outs of the Japanese political process can be a tedious chore, so do what Our Man does, and don't bother. But if you really want to see how it all "works", why not check out the Guam-Okinawa -thingy site that re-posts all the V. IMPORTANT ins and outs such as here, detailing how Our Beloved leader came to call the election for August 30th. Seems even this last decisive act turned out to be a kiss-ass compromise - Aso wanted to go to the country ASAP (presumably so he could have the rest of the summer off) but postponed the poll because other party big wigs wanted time to buy off more voters. Oh, nice vids, Guam-Okinawa thingy.

Today, the King of Pop would grab his crotch for the Happiness Realization Party.

Hold the Phones, it’s Happened Again!

Dave — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:21:15 PDT

In the NBA they have March Madness, but it definitely appears to be a case of summer silliness here in Okinawa, with foreign teachers seemingly trying to rival Marines as foreign scapegoats. Incidentally, the Marines have very surprisingly been out of the news in recent weeks, which is odd as any stepping out of line or drunk & disorderly behaviour gets pounced on. Maybe they’re just working on something big! As long as there’s not a repeat of Lockdown ‘08 then I think everyone will be happy!

But back on topic. Was kind of hoping I wouldn’t have to post the red pill thumbnail next to a story for a while, but alas it wasn’t to be. Was told by a colleague today that they’d heard yet another JET Programme participant, American Martin Smith (should note American is not his first name, although that would be impressively Patriotic if it was), has been fired in Okinawa, in addition to the two girls involved in the previous “mind candy” incident (for which public prosecutors dropped a case most widely thought to be on the condition that a job termination was on the cards and so they would most likely be leaving the country anyway). From what’s been said it was related to this initial incident and has been reported on Okinawan TV today.

At the same time, a letter has been sent through from CLAIR (the organization administering the JET Programme) reminding ALTs of their duty and responsibility while they are in Japan. My reaction to this is probably best summed up by the picture you see to the left. There really isn’t much to say beyond what has been said before. Hopefully this will be the last incident we hear about for some time here in Okinawa. It has been relatively quiet down here for about 4 years and then the past 12 months have just been a little crazy.

Japan + Harry Potter = ?

Pegasus — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:29:24 PDT

Harry Potter! Harry Potter! Harry Potter!

I can honestly say that I'm not someone you can call a fan of the Harry Potter franchise. At least, not yet. I have read only the first two books, and I've only seen the first two movies. So I am not one of the avid fans who went to see the new Harry Potter movie in theaters on Tuesday night. I am curious, however, about the fandom here in Japan.

Harry Potter is quite the worldwide phenomenon. I suppose that justifies the worldwide release of the film. It has many elements that are appealing to a very wide audience. It has witchcraft and wizardry, for those interested in fantasy. It has conflicts between good and evil for those who need tension. It has battles of wit as well as the occasional fist fight and magic contests. It questions morals and identity. It even has romance. What isn't there to like?

The fact that Harry Potter has such broad appeal may have more to do with the movies than the books themselves. The movies seem to attempt to stitch together the characters and conflicts presented in the books in an easy to follow and seamless fashion. Oftentimes it may skim over details in order to save on time and to keep things flowing. And this is all I know from watching the the first two films and reading the first two books.

The actors and actresses portraying the children have done a spectacularly superb job. And they've attracted quite the fan base the world over, with both children and adults. I fear that these actors will be identified by their Harry Potter roles for the rest of their lives. But it may not be a bad thing!

In 2007 Daniel Radcliffe made an appearance at a Japanese girls high school. It was part of his promotion tour of the latest Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The screaming high school girls are deafening, and one girl practically falls over after Daniel Radcliffe shakes her hand! To see the video, click here.

It's been two years since the release of the last film, but it doesn't seem like people are any less excited to see it in Japan. A news article from Reuters indicates that box office sales for the fifth movie had waned from when the franchise first started, yet still thousands of people were waiting in lines to see the sixth movie.Japanese fans have a tradition of cosplay, dressing up as their favorite characters and attending events. The sixth movie premiere brought out the witches and wizards in full regalia. Even book releases were honored with costumed fans waiting in lines.

So how popular is Harry Potter in Japan? I guess it depends on who you ask. There are still millions of people in Japan who probably have never heard of Harry Potter or are even curious about it. IMAX executives are hoping to use the popularity of the Harry Potter franchise to help put IMAX theaters all over the world. Harry Potter is the second blockbuster IMAX film to hit Japan, which only has three screens in the country so far. So if you went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in Japan, chances are you didn't see it in 3D IMAX.

Back in 2004, before the second Harry Potter movie came out, the main cast put out a very cute commercial promoting the film in Japan. These sort of tv spots for movies are fairly common on Japanese television, so I am not sure how much it helped to popularize the films in Japan.

What I can say is that with the release of the sixth installment, my local video rental shop is now completely out of every copy of every Harry Potter movie available on DVD.

For a series that may be waning in popularity, there still seems to be quite a bit of interest left!

Knock You Down….

gabuchan — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:54:04 PDT

In Dresden, Germany. Net cafe. Headset on, music up, and turn that volume up. Never thought I would feel this way, when I look at you, its such a headtrip. Now that I left, how does it feel? This song is good right now. and I lost a friend. because I didnt tell her the reason I wanted to be friends [...]

Japanese 101 Facebook Page

harvey — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:13:40 PDT

In my attempt to be “hip” we set up a Japanese 101 Facebook Page where people can complain about, or rave about, our iPhone applications for learning Japanese.

Japanese 101 on Facebook

Wow look at that funky inline scripting thing going on there… Fancy!

Check it out!

Got another new app in the works - but it’s still being worked! More news later.

By the way, if you’re one of the hundreds of people who have tried out any of the Japanese 101 iPhone apps, please write a review on the iTunes App Store! It’s lonely over there.

Thanks everyone!

- Harvey

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Tokyo Disney Tickets | TokyoTopia | Types and Cost

(author unknown) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:02:07 PDT

Tokyo Disney tickets are available for individuals and groups and also for different lengths of time...

Kaiketsu Zubat

claytonian@gmail.com (Claytonian) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:13:08 PDT

First off, I had a new video to show you with some bat action (bat's name is Komori-chan BTW), but YouTube isn't letting me upload it, so let this post see you to the weekend instead.
--
Since we have had a few things about bats and masked heroes going on around these parts recently, I thought it would be a good time to introduce you to Kaiketsu Zubat via a YouTube play list.
Zubat is an odd hero that goes around in cowboy attire, impressing ladies with his songs and skills, which always happen to defeat whatever guy is calling himself #1 that week. Then he has a red spandex suit with a mask and a proper jet car. This garb is also the what the Viewtiful Joe games parody.

If you want more masked hero action, may I suggest this post, which covers Gekko Kamen and Tiger Mask?

Particularly poor Tokyo playground

Lee — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:00:12 PDT

The local authority may well have finally seen the light and closed down the playground pictured below (or at least put posters up proclaiming so), but the kids that used to play there definitely didn’t, as built under a busy bridge it is dark,

dingy,

and more than a little dank.

Although it does have that dinosaur.

And a not quite so mobile phone if things had got too melancholy.

Happy Birthday To…

CJ Marsicano — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:42:21 PDT

…Asami Kimura, ex-member of Country Musume, who turns 24 today:

…and to me, who turns 42 today (my last birthday as a bachelor!). AKB48’s new single “Namida Surprise”, with its appropriate chorus and bridge, came out just in time:

…and to the late great Ron Asheton of the Stooges, who would have been 61 today.

Bape x Pokemon

Pink Tentacle — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:45:09 PDT

Here’s a peek at some of the forthcoming T-shirt designs spawned by the collaboration between legendary Tokyo streetwear brand BAPE (A Bathing Ape) and the Pokemon media empire.

[Via: World Famous Design Junkies]

	Votes	Percentage
Movie taken by my mobile phone	342	71.5%
Television (One Seg, etc)	285	59.6%
Mobile-oriented video distribution site video	255	53.3%
PC, etc content converted for mobile phone use	132	27.6%
Other	4	0.8%

	Votes	Percentage
When I have free time at home	256	53.6%
When I have free time when out	156	32.6%
Break time at work, school	95	19.9%
Before bed	94	19.7%
While commuting	72	15.1%
When I want to watch a topical video	61	12.8%
While on the move (except commuting)	40	8.4%
When outside on days off	36	7.5%
Before morning commute	34	7.1%
Other	4	0.8%
Almost never watch	65	13.6%