In late July, Casio released the XD-A8600, replacing their XD-A8500 Business Model, which itself was just released in early 2010. The difference is the inclusion of the powerful pair of 1,000,000 entry specialty term translator’s references. The XD-A8500 and XD-A8600 models are otherwise solid but unremarkable. They contain powerful Japanese to Japanese content – on par with the XD-A9800 and XD-A10000, but standard Japanese to English and English to Japanese dictionaries. Both contain just a Genius English to Japanese and a Progressive Japanese to English dictionary. Both of these are fine, but nothing in comparison with the wealth of tomes in the XD-A9800 and XD-A10000. Of course you pay for those, and if you’re either good enough to make use of Japanese to Japanese dictionaries, or rather don’t require the Kenkyusha dictionary of the expensive ones, you can save $150 or so by opting for the XD-A8500, XD-A8600, or even the XD-A6500. All of these have the same excellent handwritten kanji input common to all Casio dictionaries as well as the encyclopedias and Japanese content. Perhaps in this economic environment these models are becoming a more appropriate choice.

Canon seems to have given up on the high-end Japanese Electronic Dictionary market and is just now releasing inexpensive mini-wordtanks. These wordtanks are flat, non-folding dictionaries that lack both the large screen and the English menus of earlier wordtanks such as the popular Wordtank G70 and Wordtank V903. The exception to this trend is the V330, released in January 2010, which followed up the series they initiated with the V300 back in 2007. We’ll see if Canon releases a successor to the G70 around Christmastime. I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Seiko’s apparent disinterest in releasing a Japanese Dictionary with handwritten kanji input have left them behind in sales both in Japan and abroad. (Casio and Sharp now release almost all of the bestselling E. Dictionaries in Japan – and they all come with handwritten input with an included pen.) This is too bad for them, as Seiko’s dictionaries were very popular among foreign students of Japanese up until about five years ago. We’ll see if they surprise us.

The biggest change from V320 released last year is the inclusion of the massive Eijiro database. On Canon’s website they advertise this as now containing 1.7 million entries. If you’re not familiar, Eijiro is a popular Japanese database used by professional translators and students alike. Space ALC has a free portal that lets you access the Eijiro database on the web. Give it a try. So while Eijiro is available free online, this has never before been available in an electronic dictionary. (Eijiro is available for sale in CD form in Japan for offline use on a PC.)

The downside of Eijiro is that a lot of the content is user-generated. This means that from time to time a definition will contain inappropriate slang or just sound a little off. But the sheer amount of suggestions you’ll find for a single word or phrase is amazing. Just go now to www.alc.co.jp and look up ひどい or すごい for example. It really is an amazing database of content. Or for a laugh, look up お父さん (Dad) and read through some of the example sentences.

The other main improvement of the V330 over the V320 is the inclusion of the fantastic and long popular Reader’s and Reader’s Plus English to Japanese dictionaries. These are in addition to the Wisdom Japanese to English and English to Japanese dictionaries that were also included in the Wordtank V320.

So, what’s good in the new Canon Wordtank V330:

If you’re not in Japan, you can get it at Smart Imports.

XD-A10000: The professional model, replaces the XD-GF10000. Includes the Kenkyusha 5th edition Japanese to English dictionary as well as the pair of million entry translator’s references. Improved audio content is also included so roughly 70,000 Japanese words have audio pronunciation, and some Japanese classical poems and works of literature included also have recorded readings by a native speaker. Several Oxford English dictionaries and thesauruses are also included.

XD-A9800: “University student model.” Replaces the XD-GF9800. Almost as impressive as the XD-A10000. Compared to the A10000 it lacks the Random House English to Japanese Dictionary, several English dictionaries and some Japanese content. But it still has the prized Kenkyusha Japanese to English dictionary, the pair of Reader’s English to Japanese dictionaries, and the two million entry translator’s references. Also includes audio for about 70,000 Japanese words in the Meikyo and NHK accent guide, though it lacks the poems and works of literature. For about $110 less than the XD-A10000, this may become the most popular one.

XD-A3800: “Junior High School model.” Available in various colors. Limited English/Japanese texts.

XD-A4800: “High School model.” Available in various colors. Limited English/Japanese texts.

XD-A8500: “Business model.” Available in various colors. Again, lacks much in the way of English/Japanese texts.

XD-A6800: “Hobby model.” As above.

XD-A6500: “Lifestyle, General use.” As above.

The foreign language models listed below have almost the exact same dictionaries included as the 2009 lineup, so the only difference will be in the improved screen, navigation, and other features common to all of the XD-A series. (This year the 2009 models seem to be quickly selling out, so in the next month or two the XD-GF and XD-SF series are likely to be completely unavailable.)

XD-A7100: German model. Replaces the XD-GF7150.

XD-A7200: French model. Replaces the XD-GF7250.

XD-A7300: Chinese model. Replaces the XD-GF7350.

XD-A7400: Italian model. Replaces the XD-SF7400.

XD-A7500: Spanish model. Replaces the XD-SF7500.

XD-A7600: Korean model. Replaces the XD-SF7600.

XD-A7700: Russian model. Replaces the XD-SF7700.

A couple of medical dictionaries are also scheduled to be announced in the next couple of months, but since the included medical texts are Japanese, they seldom inspire much interest among the Japanese-learning community.

An in-depth look at the XD-A10000 as well as all the improvements in the XD-A series will follow in the next week.

You probably haven’t heard about the Casio XD-GF6500 – but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth mentioning. Though a bit light on the Japanese/English dictionaries (it just includes the Progressive Japanese to English and a pair of Genius dictionaries), the Japanese pronuncation content is fantastic.

The XD-GF6500 is Casio’s first model to include more than the standard 10,000 Japanese audio words in the Meikyo. In this model they’ve increased it to 47,000 words. The included NHK Accent dictionary gives the proper accenting and pronunciation for 69,000 words, something lacking in most Japanese Dictionaries. And in addition to that the included Kojien Japanese dictionary gives the accents for 60,000 of the included 240,000 Words.

Here are the main points worth mentioning:

• 47,000 Japanese words with Audio in the Meiko
• 69,000 words with accenting pronuncation in the NHK accent dictionary
• 60,000 words with accenting in the Kojien Dictionary
• Classical, Proverb, and four-kanji compound texts
• Excellent handwritten kanji ability like in all the 2009 Casio models

The Canon Wordtank V823 and Wordtank V923 were released in the spring of 2009 and didn’t generate much of a buzz in the foreign Japanese language study community. But they are quite worthy of note!

Both the Canon Wordtank V823 and V923 contain a Japanese dictionary (Shin Meikai) with 75,000 words that all have Japanese audio pronunciation by a native speaker (not a computerized voice or something). This is actually really helpful. Can you hear the difference between こんにゃく　(the food) and こんやく　（婚約 – engagement)? What about the accenting on the different forms of はし (bridge, chopsticks, etc.)? It’s a very useful function indeed, and one not found in any other Japanese dictionary to date. (Many models have audio for 10,000 Japanese words in the Meikyo dictionary, but it’s sort of hit and miss one if the word you’re looking for includes audio.)

Here are the main points of note in the Canon Wordtank V823 and V923:

• Handwritten Kanji Input (on screen – Japanese and Chinese kanji recognition)
• Back-lit
• MP3 Player
• Full audio for 75,000 Japanese words
• Text viewer for .txt files inputed through SD card slot. – Search words in dictionary from the text files.
• Charges through USB in addition to batteries
• Includes Japanese/English as well as Chinese/Japanese and Chinese English dictionaries
• Menus display in English, Japanese, and Chinese
• English manual (abbreviated) included

The only difference that I can see between the Canon Wordtank V823 and V923 is that the V923 contains a significantly expanded Aichi University Japanese/Chinese dictionary and a Japanese thesaurus not found in the cheaper V823.

Casio released their new line-up of 2009 models at the end of last February. They replace their electronic dictionaries every year, so this is no surprise. While there are no major differences between the 2008 and 2009 models, we’ll take a look at their new line-up.

All of the new 2009 Casio models include the following new features:

• A slightly larger screen with a sidebar "quick palette" allowing convenient access to the menu, jump, sound, return/list, enter, and page up/down keys.
• The screen automatically rotates 90 or 180 degrees based on the dictionary’s orientation allowing for Japanese text to be read vertically more comfortably and giving you the ability to show someone across from you the entry you were looking at.
• True multi-dictionary search from a single screen – this works with English Romaji characters and can be done with multiple words to search through example sentences.With Japanese the multi-dictionary search works with handwritten kanji input or hiragana typed in through the keyobard. Japanese example sentences can also be searched.

English and "general" (総合) models.

Casio XD-GF10000: The XD-GF10000 is the apparent flagship model. It contains all of the great dictionaries from the enormously popular XD-GP9700 (such as the Kenkyusha 5th Ed. Japanese to English, the Random Hosue English to Japanese, and a pair of million entry technical term translators’ references). It improves on this by replacing the Digital Daijisen with the 6th Edition Kojien Japanese dictionary and replacing the old Kanjigen dictionary with the Shin-Kangorin. The Kangorin includes stroke order diagrams for all 1,945 common use kanji. The Nihonkokugo Daijiten Japanese dictionary complements the Kojien with a whopping 300,000 entries. Two other Japanese text additions are a proverb and four-kanji compound dictionary. It also adds the Longman English dictionary to the Oxford texts.

Casio XD-GF6900: Replaces the XD-GP6900. Lacks the Kenkyusha, Random House, and Reader’s dictionaries. The Progressive Japanese to English is good, as is the Genius English to Japanese, but there’s no reason for a foreign student of Japanese to pick this one out of the bunch.

Casio XD-SF6200: Available in seven colors for some reason. (Most Casio models only come in one.) Similar to the XD-GF6900 in terms of Japanese/English content. Nothing noteworthy.

"Foreign Language Models"

XD-GF9800: The true successor of the XD-GP9700. Very similar to the more expensive XD-GF10000, except that it lacks the Oxford Modern American Dictionary, Longman (English) Dictionary, and replaces the Kojien with the Digital Daijisen. But given that it’s significantly cheaper than the XD-GF10000, it seems like a better value. (This one is my favorite out of the bunch.)

XD-GF7350 and XD-SF7300: Chinese dictionaries, the former focusing more on classical Chinese and the latter more on modern Mandarin.

XD-GF7150: German model. Replaces the XD-GP7150.

XD-GF7250: French model. Replaces the XD-GP7250.

XD-SF7400: Italian model. Replaces the XD-SP7400.

XD-SF7500: Spanish model. Replaces the XD-SP7500.

XD-SF7600: Korean model. Replaces the XD-SP7600.

XD-SF7700: Russian model. Casio’s first Russian model!

Conclusion:

While the new functions are nice and the XD-GF10000 and XD-GF9800 do supercede their predecessors, there is nothing to get really excited about (like there was with the initial release of the XD-GW9600 in 2007.) The 2008 models still hold their own, and are currently much cheaper than these new releases. Casio has stopped producing last years’ models though, so in the next year they’ll sell out and the price will come down a bit on these new ones. No rush.

Japan, like everywhere else, often seems to be gradually losing local flavor as large corporations fill the streets with carbon copy restaurants and shops. Izakaya, Japanese restaurant/bars, are a particularly good example of this. It’s a little sad that an izakaya in Tokyo is basically the same as one in Iwate or Kyushu. Of course in Japan there are still plenty of local alternatives to corporate chains, but a lot of these can be intimidating for newcomers or downright unwelcoming to the uninvited. In Japanese a restaurant that is ichigensan okotowari, （一見さんお断り） basically denies entry to unintroduced new customers, as ridiculous as that sounds. So though there is definitely a lot of interest among young people in more traditional izakaya, many of these places are intimidating, especially to women.

So when I was walking down OK Yokocho （OK横丁）in Akabane with my family last night I was pleasantly surprised to see a new non-corporate izakaya having its grand opening.

A loft with a tatami-mat floor and individual irori hearths for table-cooking overlooks the central bar below. It was early when we got there and we were taken upstairs to a private room with its own irori. This was the first time I can remember having been to an izakaya with an irori. Basically hot coals were placed in a hearth in the center of the table over which we cooked our food. There was also a hook hanging from the ceiling for cooking nabe, but we didn’t order anything that used that. One of the specialties was a ginger/miso paste mixed with a bit of ground chicken. Besides the great atmosphere and delicious food, what really struck me about the place was how inviting it was. Despite being non-corporate, the staff was young, mostly in their early 30s, and the owner himself (whom we met) was just 36. We’ve been to some local izakaya where we were made to feel unwelcome for not knowing the proper specialty dish to order, or simply not ringing up enough of a bill, but all of that was absent here. I’d even recommend it to people who can’t read Japanese, as I’m sure the kind staff would use their perhaps limited English to help.

Chirori （ちろり） is a quick walk from Akabane station. Take the north exit and turn right (East) after the ticket gate. Turn left after exiting the station, walk past the bus area, and cross the street toward Ichiban-gai (一番街). Take the first left on Ichiban-gai into OK Yokocho. Chirori is on the left.

Lapham’s zeal to combat the creeping debasement of truth in the culture, combined with his passion for history, drove him to leave Harper’s after nearly thirty years and found Lapham’s Quarterly. The Quarterly is billed as a historical journal and looks something like The Paris Review. Each issue, Lapham chooses a single theme–it premiered with “war” in November, “money” follows in March, and “nature” is slotted for the summer–and assembles a set of relevant texts. The material is wonderfully eclectic: Not just the stuff of history books, but pop-culture lists, CIA assassination manuals, and vintage memorandums proposing, for instance, a way to demoralize the Cuban people by spreading unflattering photos of an overweight Fidel Castro. This scrapbook of “literary narrative and philosophical commentary, diaries, speeches, letters, and proclamations” as Lapham describes it in his preamble, is essentially a 172-page expansion of the Harper’s Readings section, itself a Lapham innovation from the start of his second term as editor in 1984. There’s also some new content: four essays in the back by contemporary historians, each about 2,000 to 3,000 words long. But for all those essays, the journal’s clearest message is this: Its editor’s interest, and his genius, lies not in editing, but in curating.

The full article is here.

What struck me first upon opening it was the complete lack of advertising. It’s a tome of a magazine at 221 pages of mostly text. This issue is “About Money.” I’m just a couple of articles in, but I’m already convinced that it’s very worth picking up.

The Classic Cafe of Nakano was reborn last November as Renaissance in Koenji. I was rather down when I heard that my favorite cafe in Tokyo had closed down with the death of the elderly proprietress, but some of the staff have resurrected the Classic in all its charm.

The new location is smaller than the original, housed in the basement of an unassuming office building, but stepping inside you immediately recognize the dim lighting and old decor. (The two photos above were taken with 1 second exposures, showing the room much more clearly than can be seen with the naked eye – it really is dark in there.) There have been a few changes; the tables and chairs were fixed and no longer rock when you shift your weight, and the classical music blared out of the speakers isn’t as scratchy-sounding as before. But the essential system remains the same – pay 400 yen to get in, receive your choice of coffee, tea, or painfully sweet orange drink, bring any food with you that you’d like, and request classical songs on the little chalkboard. (Coffee refills are 200 yen.)

It can be a little tricky to find the first time. Take the south exit of Koenji station and walk right along the tracks briefly until you get to the covered mall. Turn left and walk away from the tracks down the covered mall. Walk through the covered mall until you emerge onto an uncovered shopping street. It’s the first left after you cross into the open air street. (It’s one block before the post office sign on the right.) It’s "B" on this map.

The Classic, and now Renaissance, are called Meikyoku Kissa (名曲喫茶) in Japanese. They appeared mostly in postwar Japan around the 1950s, when record players were too expensive for most people to own. In the 1960s a foreign magazine featured one of these Meikyoku Kissa, describing them as a Japanese Greenwich Village, where young artists and bohemians hung out. They quickly became popular destinations for foreign backpackers, which created a striking image in this era when Westerners were still relatively rare in Tokyo. After that these cafes became locust points for local counterculture rather than classical music (though of course the music remains). While mainly frequented by scholars, artists, left wing activists, hippies, and the like, they became popular even as date spots for couples.

Most Meikyoku Kissa disappeared after record players became cheaply available, but a few famous spots have endured. Some of the things I always liked about the old Classic was near-complete darkness, the unfailingly twisted and generally incomprehensible art displayed on the walls (painted by the original owner), and the forlorn-looking goth artist women that served coffee with uniformly blank expressions. The smaller size gives less room for paintings at Renaissance, but they’ve successfully transplanted the atmosphere to the new place.

Makeshift dwellings coated in blue tarp are a common sight to Tokyo residents. Perhaps the most famous areas are along the Sumida River upstream of Asakusa and in Ueno park, but they are common enough in parks, under bridges, and along the many rivers that flow through Tokyo. A few days ago I was bicycling with my wife and son along a small dirt path next to the Arakawa River when we passed some rather elaborate blue tarp houses. (A side note – why do we say Sumida River and Arakawa River instead of using either Sumida and Ara or Sumidagawa and Arakawa? I live near the Arakawa, so I always want to say Sumidagawa River in English but it appears to be wrong…)

This afternoon I was left to my own ends so I headed back out to the river and tramped around on foot to get a better look at some of these houses. Several of them had TV antennas, washing machines, and other appliances powered by diesel generators.

When I walked past the above cluster of houses I saw a middle-aged man practicing his golf swing in the front "yard." I walked around to the front and approached. I greeted the man just as a large dog came around the corner of the house and started barking at me and growling. The man quieted the dog down a bit and told me he didn’t bite. Unconvinced, I smiled and approached cautiously.

I told the man, let’s call him Shiroishi-san, that I was impressed with the houses here and asked him how many people lived there. Shiroishi-san was very friendly and told me that three people lived there: a couple of former employees from bankrupt printing companies (there are a lot of them around Itabashi-ku) and an ex-carpenter. It turned out that he didn’t live there, but was waiting for one of the residents to return. Shiroishi-san lived in a nearby apartment and visited frequently. I mentioned I was surprised to see TV antennas and washing machines. Shiroishi-san told me that recently they didn’t have enough money to buy fuel for the generator, so they couldn’t use them. When they can’t find day labor, they make money collecting cans, a large bag of which can bring in about 1200 yen.

He told me that just in the last couple years there was a growing sense of community among the riverside squatters. He listed off the names and former occupations of the people living in the houses on either side, which included an elderly woman. I learned that last year a couple of people had died in their homes here just 20 meters further down the river, though only in their late 50s. (When I walked past the area later I saw several vases with flowers over an empty plot of land where a shack must have been.)

The above photo shows the view from the riverside looking back at Tokyo across a baseball field.

Shiroishi-san told me that a number of people would be getting together the next day to fish for eels in the river and fry them up. I guess local residents, both squatters and apartment-dwellers get together most Sundays at a spot near there to catch fish, eel, and shrimp. He said a Pakistani man who married a Japanese woman usually come as well and encouraged me to come. Tomorrow is the Arakawa Shimin Marathon, and the starting point is right near this location. The whole area will be full of food stands and beer vendors. Should be a very festive environment. I’ve never fished for eel before.