gaijinmark wrote:
Maybe not. It appears some traditions are harder to kill than others. From FujiTV News:
I'm glad to see Japan is still fond of its traditions.
I'm glad to see Japan is still fond of its traditions.
Japan - News/General Discussion
Started by kanae · 23 Sep 2005 · 3,296 replies
General Discussion
I'm glad to see Japan is still fond of its traditions.
krim wrote:
zanen desu... what's next? banning sale of used pantsu? :sweat: :sweat:
I shudder the thought...the consequent absence of joy which would result from outlawing such jewels of delight. :puppydog:
The Sapporo Snow Festival kicked off last Wednesday. You can check out the handiwork here:http://www.snowfes.com/english/place/oodori/index.html
gaijinmark wrote:The Sapporo Snow Festival kicked off last Wednesday. You can check out the handiwork here:http://www.snowfes.com/english/place/oodori/index.html
Sugoi...!!
The Hamamatsu Castle is amazing... :victory:
Then there's the Hokkaido Winter Food Park.... :drooling:
Apple's iPhone Flops in Japan, Now Sold for Free
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/02/why-the-iphone.html
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/02/why-the-iphone.html
they forgot to mention, there's no place to put your 20 cellphone straps. :hehe:
Anybody that's ever tried to read Japanese can relate to this:[/list:u]Japan's PM Blunders Spark Studying Spree[/list:u]TOKYO – Reading Japanese isn't easy — even for the Japanese.
Take Prime Minister Taro Aso. He's made so many public blunders that an opposition lawmaker tried to give him a reading test during a televised session of parliament.
The Japanese leader bungled the word for "frequent," calling Japan-China exchanges "cumbersome" instead. Another time, he misread the word "toshu" (follow), saying "fushu" — or stench — and sounded as if he were saying government policy "stinks."
While the media and Aso's political rivals have been quick to heap ridicule, many Japanese have seen a bit more of themselves in Aso's goofs than they would like to admit. Since his missteps, books designed to improve reading ability have become all the rage.
Aso's nemesis is his mother tongue's notoriously tricky mishmash of Chinese characters and its two sets of indigenous syllabaries.
Here is what he — and all Japanese — are up against.
Just reading the newspaper requires knowledge of about 2,000 characters. Another 50,000 are less common but useful to recognize.
And that's just for starters.
Most characters have several different pronunciations depending on the context. For instance, the two characters in the prime minister's surname can be read several ways. The first character, which means linen, is pronounced "asa" or "ma." The second — meaning life, raw, or to occur or grow — can be pronounced "nama," "sei," "sho," or "ki," to list just a few possibilities. And together, they are pronounced "Aso" (Ah-so).
During last month's televised parliament session, opposition lawmaker Hajime Ishii chided Aso for his stumbles, saying: "We'd better discuss Chinese characters."
Then holding up a cardboard panel with a list of a dozen words, he asked: "Can you handle them?"
Aso refused to take the impromptu test, but Ishii didn't back down. "Today, those who can't read Chinese characters are scoffed at, and people are rushing to buy textbooks," he said. "Perhaps you deserve credit for boosting their sales."
Literacy-boosting books are selling briskly. One titled, "Chinese Characters that Look Readable but are Easily Misread," released a year ago, has sold more than 800,000 copies — most of them since Aso's mistakes first got national attention in November, said Yukiko Sakita, a spokeswoman for Futami Shobo Publishing Co.
"We owe a lot to Prime Minister Aso," she said. "Many people don't want to make mistakes like his."
The book has held the top spot in the weekly best-seller rankings compiled by Japan's largest distributor, Tohan Co., since the beginning of this year, ahead of "The Speeches of Barack Obama," which ranked second for weeks before falling to 17th this week.
"A text like this holding the No. 1 spot is extremely unusual," said Tohan official Hiroki Tomatsu. "As far as the book ranking is concerned, Mr. Aso beat Mr. Obama."
Gossip magazines have compiled lists of words Aso has misread and blamed the prime minister's love of comic books, or "manga," for his weakness. "Manga brain," one magazine lamented. At a school in Aso's hometown, Fukuoka, children who make reading mistakes are called "little Taros."
Aso's gaffe over Japan's relationship with China occurred in a speech in November, when instead of saying the countries' exchanges were "hinpan," or frequent, he proclaimed them "hanzatsu," or cumbersome.
His most embarrassing stumble, however, was over the word "unprecedented," which takes three Chinese characters to write. He read the third character incorrectly, saying "mee-zoh-you" instead of "mee-zoh" — such a basic mistake that it would turn a high school kid's face red.
Aso may be trying too hard, said Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano, respected statesman and grandson of a renowned poet.
"Some people just fall deeper into trouble the harder they try," he said.
Some pundits have acknowledged Aso isn't alone in the struggle with the written word.
"It's not just Aso," columnist Kenichiro Horii wrote in a recent issue of the Weekly Bunshun magazine. "I feel awkward ridiculing someone else's reading mistakes. Haven't you made mistakes in the past, too?"
According to a 2007 government survey, one-fifth of Japanese 16 or older often encounter Chinese characters they cannot read, while one-third have trouble writing them without looking them up. Nearly half said they still need to master the 2,000 characters considered necessary for daily life.
"Japanese is difficult," the best-selling primer on reading said. "But we don't want to humiliate ourselves in public."
Take Prime Minister Taro Aso. He's made so many public blunders that an opposition lawmaker tried to give him a reading test during a televised session of parliament.
The Japanese leader bungled the word for "frequent," calling Japan-China exchanges "cumbersome" instead. Another time, he misread the word "toshu" (follow), saying "fushu" — or stench — and sounded as if he were saying government policy "stinks."
While the media and Aso's political rivals have been quick to heap ridicule, many Japanese have seen a bit more of themselves in Aso's goofs than they would like to admit. Since his missteps, books designed to improve reading ability have become all the rage.
Aso's nemesis is his mother tongue's notoriously tricky mishmash of Chinese characters and its two sets of indigenous syllabaries.
Here is what he — and all Japanese — are up against.
Just reading the newspaper requires knowledge of about 2,000 characters. Another 50,000 are less common but useful to recognize.
And that's just for starters.
Most characters have several different pronunciations depending on the context. For instance, the two characters in the prime minister's surname can be read several ways. The first character, which means linen, is pronounced "asa" or "ma." The second — meaning life, raw, or to occur or grow — can be pronounced "nama," "sei," "sho," or "ki," to list just a few possibilities. And together, they are pronounced "Aso" (Ah-so).
During last month's televised parliament session, opposition lawmaker Hajime Ishii chided Aso for his stumbles, saying: "We'd better discuss Chinese characters."
Then holding up a cardboard panel with a list of a dozen words, he asked: "Can you handle them?"
Aso refused to take the impromptu test, but Ishii didn't back down. "Today, those who can't read Chinese characters are scoffed at, and people are rushing to buy textbooks," he said. "Perhaps you deserve credit for boosting their sales."
Literacy-boosting books are selling briskly. One titled, "Chinese Characters that Look Readable but are Easily Misread," released a year ago, has sold more than 800,000 copies — most of them since Aso's mistakes first got national attention in November, said Yukiko Sakita, a spokeswoman for Futami Shobo Publishing Co.
"We owe a lot to Prime Minister Aso," she said. "Many people don't want to make mistakes like his."
The book has held the top spot in the weekly best-seller rankings compiled by Japan's largest distributor, Tohan Co., since the beginning of this year, ahead of "The Speeches of Barack Obama," which ranked second for weeks before falling to 17th this week.
"A text like this holding the No. 1 spot is extremely unusual," said Tohan official Hiroki Tomatsu. "As far as the book ranking is concerned, Mr. Aso beat Mr. Obama."
Gossip magazines have compiled lists of words Aso has misread and blamed the prime minister's love of comic books, or "manga," for his weakness. "Manga brain," one magazine lamented. At a school in Aso's hometown, Fukuoka, children who make reading mistakes are called "little Taros."
Aso's gaffe over Japan's relationship with China occurred in a speech in November, when instead of saying the countries' exchanges were "hinpan," or frequent, he proclaimed them "hanzatsu," or cumbersome.
His most embarrassing stumble, however, was over the word "unprecedented," which takes three Chinese characters to write. He read the third character incorrectly, saying "mee-zoh-you" instead of "mee-zoh" — such a basic mistake that it would turn a high school kid's face red.
Aso may be trying too hard, said Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano, respected statesman and grandson of a renowned poet.
"Some people just fall deeper into trouble the harder they try," he said.
Some pundits have acknowledged Aso isn't alone in the struggle with the written word.
"It's not just Aso," columnist Kenichiro Horii wrote in a recent issue of the Weekly Bunshun magazine. "I feel awkward ridiculing someone else's reading mistakes. Haven't you made mistakes in the past, too?"
According to a 2007 government survey, one-fifth of Japanese 16 or older often encounter Chinese characters they cannot read, while one-third have trouble writing them without looking them up. Nearly half said they still need to master the 2,000 characters considered necessary for daily life.
"Japanese is difficult," the best-selling primer on reading said. "But we don't want to humiliate ourselves in public."
![[image]](http://i726.photobucket.com/albums/ww263/takoyama2/DSC02662.jpg){kind=link}
Takoyama wrote:
Yeah, ketai straps improves reception! :hehe: I can make a call in the deepest subways with these babies.
[image]
I bet you can! :mrgreen:
I used to have a few cellphone straps when I lived in Spain (at that time I had never been to Japan and I was unaware of the craze hehe) but my phone in Japan didnLt have any holes (I bought thr cheapest conbini phone :sweat: ) and my current doesnLt have them neither.
EstherM wrote:
I bet you can! :mrgreen:
I used to have a few cellphone straps when I lived in Spain (at that time I had never been to Japan and I was unaware of the craze hehe) but my phone in Japan didnLt have any holes (I bought thr cheapest conbini phone :sweat: ) and my current doesnLt have them neither.
I've got quite a few, and a few recently given to me. But I don't have a phone. :doh:
Wynter wrote:Me either, and I work for the phone company. :ashamed: [/list:u]
But I don't have a phone. :doh:
^ You guys should get one... Just in case. :sweat:
I was really glad I had one when I blew my differential four years ago...
I was really glad I had one when I blew my differential four years ago...
gaijinmark wrote: Me either, and I work for the phone company. :ashamed: [/list:u]
LOL! Perhaps it's because you work at a phone company that you don't have a cellphone. Ya know, like peeps who work at KFC don't each KFC. :beaten:
@B-san: I had one, but I gave it up about three years ago. I'm thinking of getting one. I've been thinking for a while. Can't decide between an iphone or blackberry.
Wynter wrote:It's part that and part backlash against people that use their cellphones while driving. Even though it's against the law out here now, you still see the occasional knucklehead that doesn't get it. :beatyou: [/list:u]
LOL! Perhaps it's because you work at a phone company that you don't have a cellphone. Ya know, like peeps who work at KFC don't eat KFC. :beaten:
I have a phone, but it's company-supplied. I probably wouldn't have one otherwise.
Wyn-chan, after seeing how cool my son's iPhone is, I would definitely get one over a Blackberry. The only real reason you would want a Blackberry is if you need to do a lot of emailing on the go.
Wyn-chan, after seeing how cool my son's iPhone is, I would definitely get one over a Blackberry. The only real reason you would want a Blackberry is if you need to do a lot of emailing on the go.
Anime Dad wrote:I have a phone, but it's company-supplied. I probably wouldn't have one otherwise.
Wyn-chan, after seeing how cool my son's iPhone is, I would definitely get one over a Blackberry. The only real reason you would want a Blackberry is if you need to do a lot of emailing on the go.
Yea, that's what I've been told. And since I'm all Mac anyways (comp, lappy, and iPod), it makes the most sense. At macrumours.com an upgrade is predicted for the iPhone, so I'm holding off until then.
gaijinmark wrote:Even though it's against the law out here now, you still see the occasional knucklehead that doesn't get it. :beatyou: [/list:u]
More than the occasional one, from what I've seen. :sweat:
They don't care: the fine's a paltry $20... They need to make it hurt... It's like the diamond/carpool lane violators: they didn't start to care until the fine got painful at $300+...
The Curse of the Colonel is over!!!! http://fnn.fujitv.co.jp/en/news/headlines/articles/CONN00150960.html[/list:u] Short version of what's going on: In 1985 the Hanshin Tigers won the Japan Baseball Series. The fans in Osaka went nuts and during the celebrating the fans would yell out the name of a player and then somebody that they thought looked like that player would jump in the river. The Tigers had an American player named Randy Bass. When somebody yelled out his name, there were no Americans around but there was a KFC across the street. Close enough for them. They tore down the statue of the Colonel and threw it in the river. Ever since, the Tigers have been under "The Curse of the Colonel" and haven't won a championship since. Maybe that will change now. :victory:
gaijinmark wrote:The Curse of the Colonel is over!!!! http://fnn.fujitv.co.jp/en/news/headlines/articles/CONN00150960.html[/list:u] Short version of what's going on: In 1985 the Hanshin Tigers won the Japan Baseball Series. The fans in Osaka went nuts and during the celebrating the fans would yell out the name of a player and then somebody that they thought looked like that player would jump in the river. The Tigers had an American player named Randy Bass. When somebody yelled out his name, there were no Americans around but there was a KFC across the street. Close enough for them. They tore down the statue of the Colonel and threw it in the river. Ever since, the Tigers have been under "The Curse of the Colonel" and haven't won a championship since. Maybe that will change now. :victory:
Holy sh!t :shocked: I can't believe they found the Colonel after so many years! They should burn it or deep six it in Osaka bay. That thing is cursed! More than likely it'll end up for auction on Yahoo Japan. :hehe:
gaijinmark wrote:The Curse of the Colonel is over!!!! http://fnn.fujitv.co.jp/en/news/headlines/articles/CONN00150960.html[/list:u] Short version of what's going on: In 1985 the Hanshin Tigers won the Japan Baseball Series. The fans in Osaka went nuts and during the celebrating the fans would yell out the name of a player and then somebody that they thought looked like that player would jump in the river. The Tigers had an American player named Randy Bass. When somebody yelled out his name, there were no Americans around but there was a KFC across the street. Close enough for them. They tore down the statue of the Colonel and threw it in the river. Ever since, the Tigers have been under "The Curse of the Colonel" and haven't won a championship since. Maybe that will change now. :victory:
:lol:
That's hilarious... I'd love to see this story on our national news broadcast. :hehe:
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