Japan - News/General Discussion

aquarius*star* wrote:lolx! the way u express the sound's cute! lolx!!

Cicades? what's that? are they anywhere near crickets? cuz they make noises too! i remember my dad telling me that they used to catch them to battle each other.. kekez... childhood days..

Dang i did that too when i was a kid. I felt bad now since i force them to fight each other using a blade of grass or a small twig to provoke them. Man this is taking me back to the old days.........

Uchiha Potato wrote: It sounds something like this
wwwwwweeeeeeeppppppp weeeeeeeeeeeeeeep wwweeeeep

:rofl: :rofl: :hehe: OH MAN thats funny stuff..... *crazy san diego asians!* :nut:

Another quake occured in Tokyo and its close areas a few days ago. The shock was at 6,5 richter. The centre of quake was beneath the sea on the front part of west coast. The quake didn't cause any significant damages as reported. According to the Japanese radio there wasn't a danger of tidal wave.

Pemu wrote:Another quake occured in Tokyo and its close areas a few days ago. The shock was at 6,5 richter. The centre of quake was beneath the sea on the front part of west coast. The quake didn't cause any significant damages as reported. According to the Japanese radio there wasn't a danger of tidal wave.

Hope everyone is alright... The Japanese are very well prepared for these events unlike us dopes here in California: we have a major quake and everyone freaks, then over time, people go back to theri old ways... No preparedness whatsoever... Bleah.

Here's a description of the game for those who are not familiar with it

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2065.html


This is where you can play the on-line pachinko. It's not a very realistic game but it's what's available out there now.

http://www.afunzone.com/Pachinko/pachinko.html


:applaud:

Hmmm....There isn't too much strategy involved I guess.

I saw people play Pachinko in Las Vegas when I was a kid. I always thought it was silly because it seemed more logical and easy to just put a quarter in the machine rather than droping in tons of round balls.

Uchiha Potato wrote:I saw people play Pachinko in Las Vegas when I was a kid. I always thought it was silly because it seemed more logical and easy to just put a quarter in the machine rather than droping in tons of round balls.

Do you remember which Casino it was? I would love to play this game. I'm willing to drive out to Vegas. Easier than going to Japan.

Only pachinko game I've ever played was for my PS2. :hehe:

I was so tempted to play this game while I was living in Japan, but I never got the courage to give it a shot. I guess because I'm ŠOl, and a girl, I felt kinda funny trying to walk in, LOL! :rolleyes: I know there are men and women in there playing, but I felt funny being a foreign girl going in.....I got enough glances just on the train :hehe: On one hand I didn't care but on the other hand I felt weird about it. I just wanted to play because it's kinda taboo, hehehe. Next time I go to Japan, I'll make my Japanese friends take me :P

Has anyone living/who has lived in Japan seen the HUGE lines of people waiting outside of pachinko parlors in the morning??? :google: :beaten: I was amazed even though I'd heard about it before. It would be 8:00 am and people would be crowding outside, waiting for parlors to open. I thought "Um....guess they don't have jobs?" LOL. Many were pretty young looking, too. I guess the stories of people of all ages getting hardcore-hooked on pachinko are true? :nut:

Kouseiya,

Gosh, darn it, you should've just strode in there like a proud American, all red, white & blue, and played that game!

But next time yuo're in Japan you'll play. Meanwhile, try the computer version I posted.

I assume you were staying near Osaka?

Jaane!

G-13

Golgo_13 wrote:Kouseiya,

Gosh, darn it, you should've just strode in there like a proud American, all red, white & blue, and played that game!

I should have! But I was a wussy. Next time I go to Japan, I'll definitely do it as long as I have friends with me :P

But next time yuo're in Japan you'll play. Meanwhile, try the computer version I posted.

I assume you were staying near Osaka?

Jaane!

G-13

ŽÀ‚́A“Œ‹ž‚Ì”ª‰_ŽO’š–ڂɏZ‚ñ‚Å‚¢‚Ü‚µ‚½B–ڍ•‹æ‚ÌŽ©—R‚ª‹u’m‚Á‚Ä‚éHMy neighborhood was really quiet and sort of a trendy area for shopping and cafes and such (Jiyuugaoka). My apartment in Yakumo was 2 blocks from the border of Jiyuugaoka. Pachinko is pretty much everywhere :) We had a couple parlors in the neighborhood. One was by the arcade, and the other was right by “Œ‹}“Œ‰¡ü‚ÌŽ©—R‚ª‹u‰w. Plus a’J was a few stops from me, with Vh and Œ´h not far from that, so I was right near everything that could be going on :) After only living in Tokyo for 3 months, I miss it and want to visit again within a year or so from now.....no plans to move there, though, lol. :chatter:

P.S. - ‘åã‚֍s‚½Ž–‚ª‚È‚¢‚¯‚ǂˁB:sweat: I visited Kyoto for Gion Matsuri and stayed in a small outskirt town called Kameoka for 3 days. Have you heard of Alex Kerr? I got to visit his house in Kameoka, but I didn't stay there ^_^ I got to tour Nara and see Daibutsu and all the deer were everywhere. It was damn cool. I didn't have time to see Osaka though ;__;

Kouseiya-chan,

If you're still a student you must have been in Japan not too long ago.

I don't know much about Tokyo at all. When I was about 3 my family lived briefly in a town called Komae along the Odakyu railway line.

Other than that, I've only lived in Osaka (while still living in Japan). I only asked if you lived in Osaka because "kouseiya" means "do it this way" in Osakan dialect. Would be "kou shiro yo" in Tokyo.

I have been to Nara. The statue of Buddha and the deers roaming freely in the city were really cool.

When you're done with school do you think you'd like to go back to Japan to teach English?

Golgo Oniisan.

KouSeiya315 wrote:I was so tempted to play this game while I was living in Japan, but I never got the courage to give it a shot. I guess because I'm ŠOl, and a girl, I felt kinda funny trying to walk in, LOL! :rolleyes: I know there are men and women in there playing, but I felt funny being a foreign girl going in.....I got enough glances just on the train :hehe: On one hand I didn't care but on the other hand I felt weird about it. I just wanted to play because it's kinda taboo, hehehe. Next time I go to Japan, I'll make my Japanese friends take me :P

Has anyone living/who has lived in Japan seen the HUGE lines of people waiting outside of pachinko parlors in the morning??? :google: :beaten: I was amazed even though I'd heard about it before. It would be 8:00 am and people would be crowding outside, waiting for parlors to open. I thought "Um....guess they don't have jobs?" LOL. Many were pretty young looking, too. I guess the stories of people of all ages getting hardcore-hooked on pachinko are true? :nut:

*Rant on*

Pachinko is so not worth it. It's just about the dumbest game ever, though I think slots edges it by a little. I've seen the huge lines of people outside pachinko parlors when it's raining or like 10 degrees. They just smoke outside, waiting to get in. It's definitely a gambling addiction. I think it's one of the main things that are contributing to the downfall of Japanese society. People are more concerned about hitting the parlours than seeing their kids off to school, or helping them with their homework.

*Rant off*

As if no one in the U.S. has a gambling addiction. Or drug addiction or alcoholism for that matter. Have you ever been to Vegas? Atlantic City?

If EVERYONE in Japan played Pachinko all day, that country would cease to exist.

Can you provide a scintilla of evidence that no one in Japan goes to work, sees their kids off to school, or helps their kids with homework?

Excessive time spent on watching TV or using the very same device you're sitting in front of has contributed more to the downfall of Japanese students' academic performance.

If you have such low opinion of Japan why the hell were you there in the first place? You sound like you belong on fuckedgaijin.com

Golgo_13 wrote:Kouseiya-chan,

If you're still a student you must have been in Japan not too long ago.

You got me :) I lived in Tokyo from May 2003 to August 2003. I'm back in the U.S. finishing my degree. 2 classes to go, I graduate in May. I'm graduating a year late due to taking time off from school. Yeah, although it wasn't that good to begin with, since I got home my Japanese has gotten rustier and rustier. I can understand a lot, it's just formulating sentences that I'm forgetting :shakehead:

Other than that, I've only lived in Osaka (while still living in Japan). I only asked if you lived in Osaka because "kouseiya" means "do it this way" in Osakan dialect. Would be "kou shiro yo" in Tokyo.

OH, I see......my screen name is actually VERY old. I wish I could change it, but I don't want to start over again. I joined this site in 2001. The screen name Kou Seiya was actually a name of a character in Sailor Moon :sweat: ::dodges flames.....yeah, I know:: I have no clue of Osaka-ben. The dialect in Kyoto was tough for me. Someone said "Ohayou-san!" to me and I had to think for a second :hehe: I figured I'd just stick with standard Japanese because I haven't become near mastering that at all.

I don't know much about Tokyo at all. When I was about 3 my family lived briefly in a town called Komae along the Odakyu railway line.

Yes, I know the Odakyu line a little, but I never went past the Soshigaya Okura stop. I'd have to go all the way to Shinjuku to catch Odakyu that train. I only used Odakyu to go to a particular celebrity's restaurant with a friend, and to shop in a particular store I liked :naughty:

I have been to Nara. The statue of Buddha and the deers roaming freely in the city were really cool.

I loved Nara! I have a friend from that town. It was the highlight of my trip to the Kansai region. Gion Matsuri was cool, but it was so crowded I could barely breathe. And the weather was SO HOT!!

When you're done with school do you think you'd like to go back to Japan to teach English?

Golgo Oniisan.

Nah, I have no plans to do that. I love Japan and all, but I would rather just go back and visit several times, and see friends, etc. Even though I only lived there for 3 months, packing to go there was tough. I could take mostly only clothes with me and it was already a pain to get that over there. I felt like I barely had anything with me! Also, I have a car here that I'm paying for, and my pet is here too. It may sound dumb to some people but I would never leave my dog behind and I couldn't take her with me, and she depends on me. If she needed a vet, my Japanese isn't good enough to understand and negotiate health care for my dog. I know it sounds weird, but ya have to think of the little things before moving abroad :sweat: That's why I picked 3 months...it was short enough that I could handle my affairs from abroad (bills, car, etc.) and yet still have a great experience by being in Japan for an extended period.

Golgo_13 wrote:As if no one in the U.S. has a gambling addiction. Or drug addiction or alcoholism for that matter. Have you ever been to Vegas? Atlantic City?

If EVERYONE in Japan played Pachinko all day, that country would cease to exist.

Can you provide a scintilla of evidence that no one in Japan goes to work, sees their kids off to school, or helps their kids with homework?

Excessive time spent on watching TV or using the very same device you're sitting in front of has contributed more to the downfall of Japanese students' academic performance.

If you have such low opinion of Japan why the hell were you there in the first place? You sound like you belong on fuckedgaijin.com

Wow, jump all over me for giving my opinion concerning something I saw with my own eyes in my tiny town in rural Japan. Please read my post thoroughly. I never said that every single person in Japan goes to pachinko for hours and hours and hours. I said that I saw huge, huge lines of people waiting in whatever weather in the morning to go to the parlor. I walked by it every weekday on my way to school.

I try to look at my experiences in Japan in a balanced way. Did I talk to students about pachinko? Hell yeah I did. Did I hear them say, "Yeah, my dad plays a lot of pachinko. He plays during his lunch breaks, before work, and after work, too." "Sometimes he skips dinner to hit the pachinko parlor." "After dinner my parents will go play pachinko and leave me to fend for my siblings." etc. etc. Yes, I did.

Japan has many problems, yet it also has some very good qualities. One should keep an open mind to both. I enjoyed my stay in Japan and dug a lot of things about it. That shouldn't make me a Japan zealot/otaku. I also recognize there are many problems in America, and never did I make the statement, "America > Japan!"

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CUSTOM-MADE DREAMS SOON TO BE POSSIBLE WITH YUMEMI KOUBOU OR "DREAM VIEWING WORKSHOP" A PRODUCT UNDER DEVELOPMENT BY TAKARA
TOKYO, JAPAN, January 14, 2003: Takara Co., Ltd (President and CEO, Keita Satoh) is pleased to announce the current development of a device which helps users to attain the dreams of, well, their dreams. Called Yumemi Koubou (Japanese for "Dream Viewing Workshop" ), this product is designed to help people shape their dreams in sleep, combining multi-sensory stimulus and sophisticated sleep-dream research to create an environment conducive to having a specific dream desired by the user. Yumemi Koubou is expected to launch in Japan in May, 2004 at a suggested price of 14,800 yen (plus tax)(approx. $140 U.S.).

The groundbreaking Yumemi Koubou consists of an array of lights, a panel for attaching a photo or image, a fragrance dispenser, an IC voice recorder, a selection of internally stored background music, two speakers and a control panel and timer. Developed in cooperation with Dr. Eiko Matsuda of the Department of Sociology and Humanities at Edogawa University, the various components of Yumemi Koubou work in concert to stimulate the user from the point of falling asleep through to the moment of waking, to both dream about whatever the user desired before falling asleep, and remember the dream upon awakening.

How It Works

Research has shown that Rapid Eye Movement or REM sleep, the time during sleep in which humans are known to dream, follows certain time patterns and cycles. Yumemi Koubou is designed to stimulate the user at the appropriate times during REM sleep to increase the likelihood of dreaming a particular desired dream. To operate the device, the user follows these simple steps:

On a night when a full eight hours of sleep is possible, the user decides upon a desired dream and then finds a photo or image which reminds him of that dream. For example, if the user wants to be able to run a marathon in his dreams, he might choose a photo of a runner crossing the finish line.

The user then chooses a pleasing fragrance from those provided with Yumemi Koubou and inserts it in the fragrance dispenser.

Next a pleasing choice of background music is selected from the sounds included in the database of the device.

After putting aside all other worries of the day, the user relaxes and concentrates on the selected image, visualizing the desired dream.

When the image is solidified in the user's mind he or she uses the IC recorder to record a concise statement that describes the desired dream. For example, "I want to run a marathon."

At this point, the preparation is complete and the user can turn on Yumemi Koubou and go to sleep. The device will begin to lull the person to sleep with soft music and lights, both of which slowly fade out. Then, throughout the next eight hours the device will periodically activate itself in accordance with the REM sleep pattern and cycle, softly playing the music, and repeating the recorded phrase. This multi-sensory stimulus is designed to trigger the desired dream in the sleeping subject.

After eight hours, Yumemi Koubou gently wakes the dreamer with soft music and light in order to avoid startling the person and causing the dream to be quickly forgotten. If all is successful, the person will be able to remember the dreams and even write some notes to solidify the memory of the dreams.

Yumeimi Koubou is still in the testing stages and while it has not been designed as a medical device, nor is it claimed to be 100% effective in producing the exact dreams desired, preliminary results indicate that the device can greatly improve the odds of experiencing the hoped-for dream, and also provides a relaxing environment for better sleep in general. Takara hopes that Yumemi Koubou will introduce a new opportunity for fun, enjoyment, fulfillment and perhaps inspiration to help make dreams a reality.

Product Details*

Product Name: Yumemi Koubou

Expected Retail Price: \14,800 + tax

Date on Sale in Japan: End of May 2003 (expected)

Date on Sale Internationally: Unknown

Items Included with Product: Main unit with AC adapter; assorted fragrances; advice booklet, memo pad
Main Unit Dimensions: H 35 x W 22 x D 22 (cm, approximate)

Target Users: Adults aged 20 and above

Copyright: Takara Co., Ltd 2004

Sales Channels: Department, toy and variety stores nationwide

Sales Target: 300,000 units through March 2005

About Dr. Eiko Matsuda

Eiko Matsuda, Ph.D. teaches in the Sociology department of Edogawa University. She specializes in clinical psychology and humanities. Her research has focused on identifying and treating the causes of nightmares.

About Takara

Established in 1955, Takara Co., Ltd. is Japan's 2nd largest toy company and fourth largest public company worldwide. It specializes in the creation of innovative toys and life entertainment products such as Beyblade, Transformers, Choro-Q (aka Penny Racers) toy cars, e-kara karaoke microphone and Bowlingua/Meowlingual, the world's only dog and cat translation devices.

For more information contact:

Takara Co., Ltd.,
Public Relations Department
4-19-16 Aoto, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo 125-8503
Tel: 03-5680-2041 Fax: 03-5680-8627





WOW I WANT ONE :-D

wow 3 weeks salary i can get this

cool
i dont think my dad would buy it for me :sweat: