No, I am not talking about the Dragon Ball movie coming out in the summer.There are two upcoming featured animation movies that I am looking forward to.One is Gatchaman ガッチャマン, the 5-person science ninja team , the other is Astroboy (aka Mighty Atom 鉄腕アトム) , the superhero robot that saves the earth.Both films are featuring well-know anime characters from Japan and both will be in theaters across the world in 2009.Note that these films are produced by IMAGI studio from Hong Kong.The studio just released their first animation film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in 2007 and it was a fantastic movie with very catchy animation work.I am really hopeful the other two movies can capture the essence of the original creation and will be very entertaining (the look of Astroboy flying around will be amazing).
As of today there has not been any trailer released by the studio. Check the studio website for updates.
Here is the trailer of the TMNT movie came out last year:
Another short clip of the Zentrix series made by Imagi studio…it looks so cool. I hope they can make a Final Fantasy feaute film….that would be awesome:
I have been trying for months to find an online radio station that streams Japanese Music, so that I can have some music to listen to at work.Finally, a week ago, my buddy Dave sent me a website Big B Radio.The website streams two separate music channels: one for Jpop and another for Asian pop(Chinese, Korean, Thai etc.).I of course are always listening to the Jpop channel.While the playlist is quite short (it starts to repeat after 1 hour), I am not complaining since I am able to listen to Jpop music at the workplace.The website also claims it can be streamed onto cell phones. The four songs that appeared most often are Konayuki 粉雪 by レミオロメン, Wait and See by Utada Hikaru, Ready Steady Go by L’arc en ciel and I belive by Ayaka. (and some other songs by the Johny boy groups)
If you know of any other online Jpop music radio, please post it up in the comments section!
I have been working very hard on fixing all the broken links, the missing About page, and the screwy search function etc.The problems originated from the “Cutthroat Cutline” theme that I am using.I think the theme has a great look, but there are lots of bugs that comes with that theme, but all of them can be fixed….I just need 2 -3 weeks to complete all the repairs.Please be patient as NipponMugen.com will be much easier to browse around very soon!
One of the best tool I used for learning Japanese does not cost me a penny.It’s freely available on YOUTUBE.I am referring to the Let’s Learn Japanese series produced by NHK.That series is so popular so much so that some one created a Wikipedia page about it.
There are three series made by NHK over the years.The one that you could find on Youtube is the first series, which was shown in Japan in the 1980’s.A second series was then made in the 90’s but only the first 3 episode can be found on Youtube.(However, there are many clips of the second series available in other mediaformats online.Use your imagination and you will find them)
The first series mainly teaches basic grammar rules and in a lesser degree, how to write Hiragana charaters.Each episode is constructed around skits that feature a Gaijin named “Yan”, and that are based on Yan’s daily experience in Japan.The skits are quite interesting, but maybe difficult to follow at first as the actors engaged in conversation at native speaker’s speed. You will need some getting use to. Other than that, the materials are presented in a simple, straightforward way thatbeginners can easily follow.It is also interesting to know that the skits in the second series are much darker and the materials are much more difficult than the first.
I spent 2 months watching the first series TWICE and my Japanese improved significantly after watching it.I also have the textbook and it helped me significantly understanding the materials. (The book is out of print so use your imagination on how to get a copy of the book….some people are nice enough to scan the book into PDF format)
If you want to learn Japanese but you are as cheap as me, I would recommend you to watch this series multiple times.To watch the episode, simply search for “Let’s learn Japanese” when you visit Youtube.I also attached one of the episode from the second series right here:
In case you don’t know, I am planning to head to Osaka for my working holiday. I wish to travel around the Kansai area and may also join WWOOF if time permits.
Now I am deciding if I should apply the working holiday Visa through SWAP.SWAP is a Canadian organization owned by TravelCuts and it serves to help people to prepare for their Working Holiday plans.By paying a fee ($395 CAD if destination is Japan), they help you with all the paper work for Visa application and will provide information package plus 2 night of free accommodation in Tokyo.The catch is, they require all participants to book flights through Travel Cuts.I am not too sure if that is a good thing or not, and need to consider further. I checked the Travel Cut website and their cheapest flight ticket from Vancouver to New Kansai airport is with Air Canada and cost about $1,240 CAD including all tax. I believe that is more expensive than booking from other tour agencies.Perhaps I should check with a few tour agencies first to compare prices on flight tickets (with flexibility to change departure dates).
Of course applying the Visa through SWAP may be less hassle than doing it myself, so I have to consider that as well.
If you haven’t heard about this, Koda Kumi caused a steer when she said “when women turn 35, their amniotic fluid goes rotten, so I’d like them to have a child by 35″ (35歳以上のお母さんの羊水は腐ってくるんですよね) on the show she hosted for All Nippon Radio (ニッポン放送). This has sparked anger amongst the general public especially women’s group. She has been “self-suspended” for one month as a result, and all the promotion for her new album “Kingdom” has been halted. She also issued an apology on her website.
Simple Morale of this story: A person must be more sensitive on what he or she can say, and must consider the audience and the situation. This is especially important for public figure who host a TV or radio show. It seems that the female stars (from Avex?) have more of this problem (e.g. Ayumi H.)….We hope they learn their lesson well and not cause any more trouble.
Just not long ago I blogged about my brother’s Tokyo trip and his Sushi feast. Now today I just read an article saying Sushi may not be safe to eat (…..what???) because of the high mercury level in raw fish. Here is the article. The article has made various suggestions, including: “Sushi dishes made with cooked fish can be a relatively low-calorie, low-fat, nutrient-dense meal — as long as you watch the soy sauce and other add-ons that can contribute a lot of sodium. Cooked salmon, for example, is a good source of vitamin D. Sushi rice provides complex carbohydrates. If you order brown rice instead of white, you’ll get an added bonus of whole grains and extra fiber.”
Eating brown rice sushi? Are you kidding me? Once in a while is ok, but it doesn’t sound attractive to me (and probably many people) to give up traditional sushi. And there is no way I am passing up raw fish…..no freaking way!
The fishy issue was actually raised by New York Post a couple days ago based on the study of mercury level in bluefin tuna. The report has suggested that mercury level in bluefin is typically higher than other types of fish. Bluefin is larger than other tuna and it eats more small fish, thus accumulates more mercury in the body. The report says that “as few as six pieces of bluefin tuna a week can lead, in the course of several months, to adult mercury levels exceeding EPA safety recommendations” (whatever level that is, and who the hell have so much money to eat six piece of bluefin tuna each week over the course of several months????). See article here.
Its trues though that excess mercury in the body will lead to problems like loss of memory and hair loss, so in my view, it’s important to have a balance diet all the time (well, bluefin and other sushi are also very expensive, and most people’s doe not have the financial ability to support having those meals everyday).
I was browsing on Youtube earlier today, and guess what I saw….the full version of the new X Japan song “I.V.”!! The song was used for the ending theme of SAW IV. And then, I saw this on the official website!
X Japan was THE biggest band in Japan in the 90’s. Members included vocal Toshi, guitar Hide, guitar Pata, bass Taiji (he later quited and was replaced by Heath), and drummer and piano Yoshiki. They produced numerous hits and sold out many many stadium shows. Their sound are classified as heavy metal (early days) and progressive (later days). Ballards are also one of their mainstays. Some of the hits include “Kurenai”, “Rusty Nail”, “Tears”, “Endless Rain”, “Joker”, “Weekend”. They also have a song called “Art of Live” that is more than 26 minutes long.
Unfortunately, Toshi left the band in 1997 and X Japan was disbanded in at the end of that year. Few months later, Hide was found dead hanging in his home. The death was ruled a suicide but there was many numerous on the course of death. Hide’s death left Yoshiki devastated and he left the music scene for several years, and only returned with new projects several years ago.
Last summer, X Japan announced that they are reuniting. A couple months ago, they performed live on “I.V.” in Odaiba on the roof of a building while filiming for the PV, and more than 10,000 people turned up (10,000 people for one song after 10 years!!!!!!). Yesterday, the band announced they are holding 2 concerts at the end of March, and another tribute concert for Hide on his 10th anniversary of his death. A best album will also be released. See here for concert info in English. A best album will also be released this year!
Ok, enough of background info. Any X Japan fans not being excited of this news is insane! 10 mother freaking years….what took so long???? Obviously there is still many X fans outthere. I am excited to see Yoshiki bang the drums and Toshi hit the high notes again on stage!
