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Japanese language study - nukeru

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:41:00 PST

日本語　抜ける

The Japanese word nukeru is frequently encountered, but tends also to be a word many learners of Japanese don’t become that familiar with.

In its principal dictionary defintion, nukeru means to fall out, escape, come loose, be omitted.
Toshi o toru to doji ni, kaminoke ga dandan nukete iku.
As I get older, I lose more and more hair.

Nanto, keiyaku wa menseki joko ga nuketerun da!
WFT? The contract is missing a waiver clause!

Sentaku suru koto ni yotte, iro ga nukeru.
It loses color with washing.

Ki ga nukeru literally means “to lose spirit,” but is used in the sense of being exhausted, feeling spent, or, in the case of beer and the like, to go flat, or lose fizz.

But nukeru is often found as a suffix to other verbs, with the meaning of “going through.”
For example:
iinukeru (“say” + nukeru) is to “explain away,” or “answer evasively.”
kakenukeru (“rush/dash” + kakeru) means to “rush through” or “rush by,” especially in the sense of coming from behind and passing.
kirinukeru (“cut” + kakeru) means to “wriggle out” of or “break free” of something, “get through” something, “emerge from” something, or “ride something out.”
kugurinukeru (“dive” + kakeru) means to “slip through” e.g. a cordon, or “evade” e.g. the law.
supponukeru (“clean, completely” + nukeru) means “to slip through” (your fingers), or “clean forget.”
zubanukeru (“zuba,” as in “zubazuba” (“straightforwardly) + nukeru) means to “tower above,” “be the best by far.”
tsukinukeru (“jab” + nukeru) means to “pierce/break through.”

There are many more, but you get the idea: nukeru on the end of a verb gives it that extra sense of “throughness.” Think of nukeru not just the action of “falling out” or “escaping” but as the subsequent path taken by something that has “fallen out” or someone who is “passing through” or “escaping”: like the the soaring of a homerun hit, the trajectory of a goal shot, the whoosh of a comet across the sky - just passing through.

日本語の会話には抜けるが抜けてはいけない！
Nihongo no kaiwa ni wa “nukeru” ga nukete wa ikenai!
You can’t go leaving nukeru out when speaking Japanese!

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Huge Maneki Neko

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:15:00 PST

招き猫,下呂温泉，岐阜県

We came across this huge maneki neko beckoning cat in Gero Onsen in Gifu Prefecture, two hours by car north of Nagoya.

The big pot pussy is situated outside a popular souvenir shop just across the bridge on the way to JR Gero Station and the bus station.

Maneki neko are believed to bestow good fortune and this particular maneki is called a koban maneki neko as it is holding a gold coin, called a koban, in front of its stomach, with "Million" rather optimistically displayed.

Large scale maneki neko are something of a party piece for some businesses in Japan and many of them are manufactured in Tokoname, south of Nagoya, an ancient kiln town famous for its maneki neko, which you can buy on our sister site GoodsFromJapan.

Sapporo Snow Festival 2012

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:42:00 PST

さっぽろ雪まつり

The Sapporo Snow Festival started on Monday and will run until 12th February this year. This is the 63rd Sapporo Snow Festival.

The main places to see the ice and snow sculptures are: Odori Park, Tsudome Community Dome and Susukino - the main entertainment area of Sapporo, south of Sapporo Station. This year's sculptures include a vast Taj Mahal, an ice National Palace Museum from Taiwan and Tsuruga Castle from Fukushima prefecture.

As well as the amazing ice sculptures, other entertainments include an "Ice Queen" contest (held in Susukino, of course), snow slides and mazes and lots of great Hokkaido food and drink such as hot potatoes, seafood and ramen.

Sapporo Snow Festival 2012
Tel: 011 211 2376

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Shake Your Soul/Kripalu Yoga Dance in Japan

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:12:00 PST

There are many dance forms in Japan that you can try from Hula to Hip Hop, Belly to Butoh to Bon Odori. In Japan odori （踊り） means "dance" and is generally used in referring to Japanese forms of dance, while "dan-su" （ダンス）, written in katakana from "dance" is a popular way of describing the many forms of dance which come from all over the world.

Dance is popular for all ages and is a great way to express yourself, release stress, and exercise. Now in Japan you can also find Yoga Dance　（ヨガダンス）.

As yoga in it’s many forms is becoming popular in studios all over Japan, the freedom offered in Yoga Dance is a chance to break free from the set poses and to find your inner rhythms and expression in order to achieve union between body and spirit.

Shake Your Soul/Kripalu Yoga Dance comes from Kripalu, a world-famous yoga center in western Massachusetts. Music from around the world is incorporated into the classes which are a combination of guided movements and opportunities for individual expression. In a culture where most leisure time activities as well as work and school life and even exercise and dance are fixed with set rules and expectations, the opportunity to express oneself freely and find your own rhythms in a class can be a welcome chance.

Yoga dance is a dance form that is meant to be shared, so it is also a fitting expression in Japan where doing things in groups in the spirit of team work is a prevalent value. Once we connect to ourselves and let our own hearts open, it is a joy to share that expression with others through movements and creative expressions.

Shake Your Soul Kripalu Yoga Dance in Oita　(Heart of Christmas Event, Oita)

For information about Shake Your Soul/Kripalu Yoga Dance in Oita: joannegyoshida[at]yahoo.com

Japan Photo Fun

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:58:21 PST

写真

Visiting Japan has been one of my daughter's and my favorite experiences. Our photographs are our most cherished souvenirs.

Whenever we see a life-size cut-out of a samurai, a warring states princess, or even a television character I am ready to whip out my camera. My enthusiastic daughter will always pose for a picture that never fails to make us laugh.

On Shikoku we visited Uchiko in Ehime Prefecture, where we met up with Mito Mitsukune and (no surprise here) Sakamoto Ryoma.

On Kyushu my daughter was pleased to portray the awesome Kato Kiyomasa, standing in front of the impressive Kumamoto Castle.

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Japan News This Week 5 February 2012

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:03:00 PST

今週の日本

Incoming Chief Takes On a Sony That Is a Shadow of Its Former Self

New York Times

Thomas Blake Glover

BBC

IAEA approves stress tests on Japan reactors

Guardian

Record lows recorded at 38 locations

Japan Times

¿Estallará China?

El Pais

Nucléaire au Japon : « L'Etat est un traître pour les travailleurs »

Rue 89

日本议员：中国年轻人应亲眼来看日本

Caijing

Hooked on Nuclear Power: Japanese State-Local Relations and the Vicious Cycle of Nuclear Dependence

Japan Focus

IOC sells Japan 2014, ’16 Games rights for $472M

Yahoo Sports

Last Week's News

Statistics

As of the end of October 2011, the number of foreign workers in Japan rose by 5.6% over the same period in the previous year.

686,246 foreigners currently work in Japan.

Source: Kyodo News

Number of foreign students in the USA, by country (percentage rise or decline compared to the previous year):

1. China, 157,558 (23.5%)
2. India, 103, 895 (-1.0%)
3. South Korea, 73,351 (1.7%)
4. Canada, 27,546 (-2.1%)
5. Taiwan, 24,818 (-7.0%)
6. Saudi Arabia, 22,704 (43.6%)
7. Japan, 21,290 (-14.3%)
8. Vietnam, 14,888 (13.5%)
9. Mexico, 13,713 (2.0%)
10. Turkey, 12,184 (-1.7%)

Source: Asahi Shinbun

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Reigando Cave

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:01:01 PST

宮本武蔵, 霊巌洞

I am a visitor from America, and in late October I traveled to Kumamoto in search of Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), the legedendary Japanese swordsman.

Kumamoto has a large bus terminal with 36 points of departure. After some assistance from the bus personnel, my daughter and I located the correct bus heading to Reigando Cave. This is where Musashi spent the last years of his life and purportedly wrote The Book of Five Rings.

We reached the bus stop in about a half hour. It is a 20 minute walk uphill to the cave.

After paying the entrance fee we passed by some modest displays before pausing to photograph the stone jizo figures covering the hillside. Then we climbed up to the cave and investigated. It was just as we had seen on the 2003 Taiga Drama, "Musashi." We each sat on the large rock and took in the view, as we imagined Musashi himself may have done in his private meditation.

The guide book recommended traveling by car to Reigando Cave, and if you have this option available I think it is a wise decision. The bus schedule isn't convenient at all. We had to ask a sympathetic middle-aged couple for a ride down the hill because we weren't going to make it to the bus stop on time. The man and his wife were so kind they ended up driving us to a local bus terminal. We were extremely grateful.

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Yoshida Shrine Bonfire 2012

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:05:46 PST

節分際吉田神社

As part of the "setsubun" festivities to welcome in the new lunar year the massive bonfire at Kyoto's Yoshida Shrine is taking place this evening. Expect a larger than average crowd as it is a Friday night.

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Kamikaze Japan's Death Pilots

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:52:31 PST

神風

A new book "Kamikaze Japan's Death Pilots" by Albert Axell and Hideaki Kase was published in Danish on 27 in January.

The front cover shows Lieutenant Yukio Seki (1921-1944), one of the first Japanese airman who went to his death as a kamikaze pilot, attacking and destroying the USS St. Lo.

The image is from a painting by Copenhagen-based, Japanese artist Yoshiki Nakahara (after the likeness of the suicide pilot and plane).

Click on the image to expand

An English edition is in the works but not unfortunately with Yoshiki's cover.

Read an interview with an ex-kamikaze pilot

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Sapporo Kaitakushi Beer Premium

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:15:00 PST

サッポロ札幌開拓使麦酒

One of the better classic Japanese beer re-releases for the winter season is Sapporo's Kaitakushi Beer Premium, supposedly a return to the taste of the first beers produced at the Sapporo brewery way back in the late 19th century.

The limited release beer is available in convenience stores and is one of the best pale ale type beers we have sampled in Japan. With an ABV of 5.5%, Sapporo Kaitakushi Beer Premium has more of a kick than common or garden Japanese lagers and it's fairly tasty and with a nice color and aroma to boot.

For recent updates on new Japanese beer releases check out the informative japanbeer.wordpress.com

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Hadaka Naked Festival Konomiya 2012

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:45:18 PST

国府宮神社の裸祭り

The Konomiya Hadaka (Naked) Festival takes place this year on February 4.

Hadaka Matsuri has its origins in an attempt to dispel an outbreak of plague and the festival began in 767.

The boisterous behavior at Konomiya has sometimes got out of hand. Riots occured in the 16th century. Upto 10,000 semi-naked men usually attend with over 100,000 spectators and the crush and subsequent frenzy can be scary.

The festival has a set of defined stages.

On the second day of the lunar new year a post marked with the words "naoi shinji" is set up outside Konomiya Shrine, this happened this year on January 24.

An hour later at 10am a group of applicants arrive in the hope of being selected as that year's shin-otoko or ("god-man"). To be chosen as shin-otoko is considered a great honor, though a strange one in most people's eyes in view of the bruising experience that is to follow.

A huge 4-ton rice-cake (mochi) is prepared and is presented to the shin-otoko on the eve of the main festival. For three days prior to the start of the matsuri the shin-otoko is kept alone, enclosed in a small hall in Konomiya Shrine. He is fed only rice-gruel and water and has all his body hair shaved off as part of the purification rite.

The festival begins in mid-afternoon on the 13th day of the lunar new year when thousands of men dressed only in loincloths carry a bamboo pole covered with pieces of paper carrying the excuses of people who couldn't make it to the festival that year.

When the shin-otoko appears from the shrine the assembled men - many of them aged 23 or 42 (ages considered unlucky or yakudoshi) - converge on the shin-otoko in an effort to touch him and thus pass on their bad luck and so rid themselves of evil.

The shin-otoko's guards, who attempt to stop him getting killed in the crush, throw cold water on the crowds to help cool things down. The event can be dangerous and people have suffered injuries in the past.

At 3am the next morning the shin-otoko carrying a "mud cake" on his back - symbolizing bad luck and calamity is chased away from the shrine and the mud cake is buried by the shrine priests. This part of the festival is known as yonaoi shinji.

Later that morning the large rice cake presented earlier is cut up and distributed to worshippers. Eating the rice cake is supposed to ward off illness and misfortune.
Access: Take a Meitetsu Line train from Nagoya Station bound for Gifu to Konomiya Station (north exit and then a short 3-minute walk) or a JR Tokaido Line train from Nagoya Station to Inazawa Station and then a 15-minute walk to Konomiya shrine.

Konomiya Shrine
1-1-1 Konomiya, Inazawa city
Tel: 0587 23 2121

Konomiya is located just outside Nagoya.

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Oden

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:35:37 PST

おでん

In these cold winter months in Japan, a favorite winter warmer is oden, a selection of ingredients boiled in a soy-flavored dashi broth. Dashi is made with konbu seaweed and shaved tuna flakes (kezurikatsuo), so oden is not really vegetarian, though many of the other ingredients are staples for non-meat eaters: daikon radish, potatoes, konnyaku (konjac or devil's tongue), kinchaku (mochi in a deep-fried tofu pouch) and tofu. Other things found in oden include boiled eggs, chikuwa fish cakes, folded seaweed, meatballs on sticks, sausages, octopus and sometimes skewered beef.

Convenience store oden

Oden can be found at food stalls at temple fairs and festivals, convenience stores, izakaya and at some specialized Japanese restaurants. There are many regional differences and the oden you eat in Tokyo is likely to differ from that popular in Osaka, Hiroshima or Kyoto.

Aomori oden - heavy on the eggs

You order your oden by the piece and it is served in a either in a bowl with broth or just plain on a tray. Mustard is served to dab on the pieces and to increase the heat effect.

Oden goes well with hot sake rather than beer.

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Spectacles Japan

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:17:00 PST

眼鏡

Japan is one of the most myopic nations on the planet. Between 50%-60% of Japan's general population wears eye glasses or contact lenses.

With 60-72 million potential customers, competition between rival opticians and contact lens retailers is fierce. 25 years ago, each neighborhood would have a local optician, these small family businesses have largely disappeared, replaced by cut-price mega stores with 1000s of pairs of eye glasses from different makers to choose from. Styles range from cheap and functional to highly fashionable designer specs costing 100s of dollars.

Many stores make a literal spectacle of themselves to increase custom. Here outside this store in Tokyo a young man takes to rapping to draw the crowds.

The Japanese word for spectacles is megane, often seen written in katana - メガネ or hiragana めがね.

It is thought the first spectacles where brought to Japan by the Jesuit priest Francisco Xavier (1506-1552) and presented to a local feudal lord.

Early Japanese spectacles often used tortoiseshell (鼈甲, bekkou) in their manufacture and an early pair of ivory-made glasses can be seen at Daisenin Temple in Kyoto. Other historical eye-glasses are a pair that belonged to Ieyasu Tokugawa kept at the Tosho-gu Shrine in Nikko.

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Japan News This Week 29 January 2012

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:27:23 PST

今週の日本

Japan: Nuclear Contamination Cleanup Near Stricken Plant to Start in Spring

New York Times

Japan did not keep records of nuclear disaster meetings

BBC

Japan reports first trade deficit in 32 years after tsunami

Guardian

Nuclear foes defy order to remove tents from the grounds of METI

Japan Times

Japón sufre su primer déficit comercial en tres décadas

El Pais

« La Fissure », un webdocu sur le Japon de l'après-Fukushima

Rue 89

伊恩•坎贝尔：日本贸易逆差不只意味着不幸

Caijing

Henoko and the U.S. Military: A History of Dependence and Resistance

Japan Focus

Oakland manager Melvin excited about Japan series

Yahoo Sports

Last Week's News

Statistics

Of the nine attacks involving a firearm in 2011 that are suspected to be the work of the Japanese mafia (yakuza), eight took place in Fukuoka Prefecture. The one other was an attack on an entertainment company office in Tokyo.

In 2012 to date, the one attack was the January 17 shooting of a construction company president in Fukuoka.
Source: Asahi Shinbun

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Flea Market Toji Temple Kyoto

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:19:00 PST

初弘法

Toji Temple in south Kyoto is best known for the large pagoda that can be seen from the bullet train as it pulls into Kyoto Station.

Toji was created in 796 C.E. and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Toji Temple is also famous for its monthly flea market.

On the 21st of each month, the temple hosts a large outdoor market known as "Kobo-san."

The market is held in honor of Kukai, the founder the temple.

Kukai's full name was Kobo Daishi. He died on the 21st of March; therefore, the flea market is held on the 21st. Stalls are set up and sell antiques, food, pottery, crafts, art, clothes, etc.

On the first flea market of 2012, it was cold and rainy. However, over 100,000 people showed up.

Information

Kujo Subway Station (Karasuma Line).
1 Kujo, Minami-ku, Kyoto.
Tel: 075 691 3325
Free Admission. (9am-4.30pm).

Toji is a short walk or cycle ride west from Kujo subway station along Kujo Street or from Toji Station, one stop south of Kyoto Station on the Kintetsu Line. Buses #202, #207, #208 and #19 pass by the main entrance to the temple.

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The Big Issue Comes to a Station Near Me

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:01:00 PST

ビッグイシュー

The Japanese edition of The Big Issue is, indeed, big in Japan. And from yesterday it just got a little bigger: I was coming out of Asakusabashi station, my station, on Tokyo's Sobu Line, went down the stairs onto the street, and just to the left of the little mobile lottery booth was the sight, familiar in much of Tokyo, but not in Asakusabashi, of a man selling The Big Issue.

I walked past, thought, looked in my wallet, found I had coins, went back, and bought a copy. It featured the Japanese pop artist Yayoi Kusama on the cover, and an interview with her inside.

The vendor told me that this was the first day for The Big Issue to go on sale in Asakusabashi, and that he would be a regular fixture from hereon in.

160 yen of the 300 yen you buy the 30-page Big Issue for goes to the vendor. He was also selling Big Issue merchandise, notably fabric shopping bags.

The issue I bought was number 183. The Big Issue being a monthly, that makes this year the 15th year of The Big Issue in Japan.

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Memorial Ship Hakkoda Maru

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:33:42 PST

メモリアル・シップ八甲田丸

The Memorial Ship Hakkoda Maru, located in Mutsu Bay near Aomori Station in Aomori is Japan's first railroad ferry museum.

From 1966 until 1988 the Hakkoda Maru transported trains 113km from Aomori in Honshu to Hakodate in Hokkaido. The opening of the Seikan Tunnel linking the two towns made this journey redundant and the ship was transformed into a floating museum dedicated to the history of the historic crossing.

The Seikan Ferry crossing between Aomori and Hokkaido had been in operation since 1908, with the first train ferry going into service in 1924. In 1954, five ferries including the Toya Maru were sunk in the Tsugaru Strait by Typhoon Marie, with over 1,400 deaths.

On display are models of other Japanese ships, uniforms of the crew, historic documents and panel displays showing how the trains were loaded onto the ship.

The Memorial Ship Hakkoda Maru also offers a full bar and restaurant service and the rear of the ship serves as a beer garden in summer.

The Memorial Ship Hakkoda Maru is a short walk from Aomori Station under Aomori Bay Bridge.

Other attractions in Aomori include the reproduction of Showa-era food stalls at Yatai Mura, the Aomori Prefectural Folk Museum, the Aomori Contemporary Art Center, A-Factory, ASPAM, Wa-Rasse, Aomori Machinaka Baths and the fish market in the basement of the AUGA department store.

Memorial Ship Hakkoda Maru (Official site in Japanese)
112-15 Yanagawa
Aomori
Tel: 017 735 8150
Hours: 9am-7pm; 9am-5pm November-March
Admission: 500 yen
Memorial Ship Hakkoda Maru map

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Snow in Tokyo

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:02:57 PST

東京に雪

It snowed in Tokyo on Monday night. I happened to look outside at about 11pm, and witnessed a full-on snowstorm: masses of huge snowflakes whirling through the air coating the railing, the plants - everything, and even flying in through the open door.

Tuesday morning, the whole of Tokyo was frosted under a layer of about 3cm of glistening, crunching snow. The trains were late, pedestrians lost their footing, and shopkeepers were bent over shovels scraping snow off the sidewalk in front of their store, as were the kids from the nearest junior high school off the promenade alongside the Sumida River where they go for their morning group jog.

Most snow in Japan's main island of Honshu falls on the Japan Sea side, where the winds that make it over the mountains have usually left most of their moisture. However, very occasionally, maybe once or twice ever winter, they are still laden with sufficient water to deposit a coat of snow on the Pacific side.

A snowfall is rare enough phenomenon with Tokyo weather to send a bit of a thrill through the city, but bothersome enough to make Tokyoites glad that it's not regular.

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Kisogawa Station

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:02:00 PST

木曽川駅

JR Kisogawa Station is on the JR Tokaido Line with trains to Nagoya Station, Okazaki, Ogaki and Gifu.

The nearby Kiso River is known for its cherry blossoms in spring. The first train from Kisogawa Station on weekdays to Nagoya is 5.26am with the last train at 11.55pm.

Shin-Kisogawa is a nearby station on the Meitetsu Line.

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Beauty - a kanji lesson

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:04:37 PST

美　漢字レッスン

One of the best words to learn in any language is that which stands for one of the best concepts in any language: beauty, beautiful. Who can be offended, who cannot be charmed, if you point at something or someone and say just the word "Beautiful"? (Well, exceptions do come to mind!) Let's have a look at how to write the word "beauty" or "beautiful" in the Japanese language.

The character for beauty is particularly appealing one in that, in its symmetry, it is, indeed, beautiful. The roots of the character might make you think twice, though. The upper part, 羊, is the character for "sheep," and the bottom part, 大, for "big." Old China, pastoral idylls, shepherdly musings - and the imagination starts to race. Enough! Whatever its provenance, beauty is beauty.

In Japanese, the character alone is pronounced bi (its onyomi, or "sound reading", and as an everyday word it is pronounced "utsukushii" (its kunyomi, or "meaning reading"), the final "shii" being adended in hiragana like so: 美しい.

Aesthetics in Japanese is 美学 (bigaku), literally "beauty study"). You get your hair done at a 美容室 (biyoshitsu), literally "beuatiful looks room," or, in normal English "beauty salon." Your mother-in-law is (at least upon first meeting) a 美人 (bijin), literally "beautiful person," or, in normal English, a "beauty." Beautification or glorification is, in Japanese, 美化, (bika), literally "beauty transformation." And 審美眼 (shinbigan), literally "judging beauty eye," is to have aesthetic sense, or an eye for beauty.

So, remember this symbol of beauty whose form reflects so faithfully its meaning, and its Japanese pronunciation, utsukushii, that will so often come buoyantly to your rescue when conversation has started to sink.

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Japan News This Week 22 January 2012

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:30:03 PST

今週の日本

Japan’s Prime Minister Shuffles Cabinet in a Bid for Tax Support

New York Times

New video of Fukushima nuclear reactor interior

BBC

How a Japanese paper rose to the occasion in tsunami disaster

Guardian

New Kimigayo ruling

Japan Times

Japón permitirá a sus nucleares funcionar hasta los 60 años como máximo

El Pais

Nucléaire au Japon : « L'Etat est un traître pour les travailleurs »

Rue 89

日本将试验开采海底“可燃冰”

Caijing

Megasolar Japan: The Prospects for Green Alternatives to Nuclear Power

Japan Focus

Texas spent time getting to know Yu before $107M

Yahoo Sports

Last Week's News

Statistics

The number of tourists who visited Japan in 2011 declined by 27.8% compared with the previous year.

6.2 million tourists visited Japan in 2011, which was a large drop from the 8.6 million in 2010.

Source: Kyodo News

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Crazy English on Japanese Clothing

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:00:03 PST

Japan is rightly famous for its crazy English used to give a touch of the exotic to clothes and accessories.

We all have our own particular favorites of misspelled and grammatically incorrect English as well as the plain bizarre.

Here's a recent example which takes song lyrics from Minute By Minute by the Doobie Brothers:

You Will Stay

Just To Watch Me,

Darlin'. Wilt Away On Lies

From You

Does the wearer know he is sporting Doobie Brothers' lyrics? Does he care? Is it copyright infringement?

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Japanese Supermarkets

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:02:00 PST

スーパーマーケット

Japanese supermarkets look pretty much like their counterparts elsewhere around the world. Though as fish and seafood is so much part of the Japanese diet, the fresh fish counter in Japanese supermarkets is prominent and a specialized butcher's counter is usually noted for its absence or small size.

Japanese supermarkets usually open around 10am until 8pm though some supermarkets in Japan are 24 hours. Credit cards can be used and many supermarkets offer a points card and a variety of vouchers for deductions on future purchases.

Service at the checkout at japanese supermarkets is speedy and polite. Plastic bags often cost an extra 5 yen to encourage customers to bring their own bags.

Goods stocked in Japanese supermarkets include fruit and vegetables, dairy products, dried goods, canned food, snacks, beer, wines and Japanese sake, non-alcoholic drinks, toiletries and ready-to-eat, pre-prepared foods including a variety of often excellent salads, yakitori and grilled fish. If you can't cook Japanese food, you can buy most of the classic dishes pre-prepared and just reheat them in the microwave and serve with rice prepared in a rice-cooker.

Large supermarket chains in Japan include Aeon, Valor and Daiei along with Costco from the US with several stores in Japan including those in Kobe, Sapporo, Kawasaki and Machida-shi near Tokyo.

French supermarket Carrefour sold its operation in Japan to Aeon in 2005 and left the Japanese market.

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Ano Prosim Czech restaurant in Hiroo Tokyo

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:26:19 PST

アノプロシィームチェコレストラン

In Tokyo's pleasant Minami Azabu district, near Hiroo station, is something of a rarity for Tokyo, indeed for Japan: a Czech restaurant, called Ano Prosim (formerly Cafe Ano).

I went to Ano Prosim with a group of friends last Sunday, having made a reservation. First impression: surprise that one of our party, who had arrived first, was standing out in the cold, having found outside the front of the restaurant to be warmer than the welcome he'd found inside. Not a great start.

Indeed, on the whole party entering, the "welcome" was decidedly low-key, if there at all. And, what's more, the place was empty! Near Hiroo station, on Sunday lunchtime, and completely empty? Hmm. We were shown the more expensive evening menu, and had to request the lunch menu.

I started with a plate of chicken liver pate, sausage and Camembert cheese: gourmet quality, but there was no bread. We requested it, and they went out to buy some from the local bakery for us, which took about 10 minutes. For mains I had the pork roast, which was a very happy meeting of heartiness and haute cuisine. The bread was good - but having to ask for it, and their not having any on the premises, did seem a little odd.

We didn't order drinks for a variety of reasons: non-drinkers, too much last night, etc., but the drinks menu did look good, featuring beers and wines from the Czech Republic and elsewhere.

Fortunately we were a party of five: big enough to keep a good vibe going. Perhaps we struck them on a bad day, but it's certainly not the kind of place I'd take a date.

More reviews of Tokyo restaurants

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Bunka-Den at Atsuta Jingu

noreply@blogger.com (JapanVisitor) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:54:42 PST

文化殿

The Bunka-den treasure storehouse museum (also known as the Atsuta Jingu Museum) is located within the grounds of Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya. A modern ferro-concrete building constructed in 1966 to mimic Azekura (log-cabin) style architecture, the Bunka-den has over 4,000 pieces in store of which a small number are on revolving display, changed every month.

The exhibits, which have been donated by members of the Imperial and Tokugawa families as well as the general public, include daggers, swords, garments, Bugaku dance masks and historic documents.

Bunka-den
1-1-1- Jingu
Atsuta-ku
Nagoya
456-0031
Tel: 052 671 0852
Hours: 9am-4.30pm; closed last Wednesday of the month

The nearest stations are Jingu-mae on the Meitetsu Line and Jingu-nishi subway station on the Meijo Line.

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