Japan - News/General Discussion

krim wrote:you know what i mean..

*shakes fist at Triky*

i kid, my moderator.

maybe if you were tryin' to hit the skins with Lil Kim, Prada would work....

I read an article about shopping in Tokyo on Omotesando-dori....each luxury boutique has built bigger and more bodacious buildings in an effort to out do each other....the Prada building is no exception, brutha.

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Tu_triky wrote:I read an article about shopping in Tokyo on Omotesando-dori....each luxury boutique has built bigger and more bodacious buildings in an effort to out do each other....the Prada building is no exception, brutha.

Yow, Japan must be an architectural aficionado's dream... :victory:

bmwracer wrote:
Yow, Japan must be an architectural aficionado's dream... :victory:

it most definitely is...japan attracts the most famous architects from around the world.....japanese or otherwise....

Tu_triky wrote:it most definitely is...japan attracts the most famous architects from around the world.....japanese or otherwise....

And here I am thousands of miles away. :banghead:

bmwracer wrote:
And here I am thousands of miles away. :banghead:

If you ever get a chance to go...you'll flip out on how bland and uninspired most of the buildings in the US are in comparison to examples in Tokyo.

from Metropolis Magazine

From comics to figurines, toys arenft just for boys anymore. Grownups, even women, can play too


Bandaifs giant Gundam robot appeal to all ages.
Photo: Andrew McKirdy

This December, a new toy will hit shops all over Japan. But itfs unlikely that many children will wake up on Christmas morning to find it at the bottom of their stockings. For one thing, there canft be many stockings big enough to hold it.

Standing 1.5 meters tall and weighing 35 kilograms, the model of the main character from the popular cartoon series Mobile Suit Gundam is a serious piece of kit. The giant robot can move 14 body parts, including its arms, legs and finger joints, and is capable of producing a variety of sound effects to simulate rocket launchers and other weapons.

The proud owner will have to spend four hours assembling the 260 or so parts. But it is not just the sheer size of the toy that might make parents balk at buying it for their awe-struck children. The new Gundam model will retail at \350,000.

Despite the prohibitive price tag, manufacturers Bandai are not worried that their new product will be left on the shelf. They expect to shift 1,000 units before the end of the fiscal year and know the money they bring in will not come from smashed piggy banks or harassed parents. They have a different market in mind.

gWe want anime fans in their 20s to 40s to enjoy our sophisticated plastic model,h a Bandai spokesperson said on announcing the new toyfs release. The companyfs strategy cannot be faulted. After all, what can a child do with a robot it can barely even lift, let alone throw around a sand pit? But it also begs the question why a fully-grown, middle-aged man would want to pay so much money for what is essentially, no matter how state-of-the-art, a toy.


Photo: Andrew McKirdy
Bandai is not alone. Its rival TakaraTomy says it currently markets several of its products, including Microman and Transformers, to adults, not children. The wisdom of a similar marketing campaign in the West would be highly questionable, given the general assumption there that toys are for kids. But then, it could be argued that there are a lot of 40-year-old kids in Japan.

The ehobbyf industry, covering everything from models to train sets, comics to role-playing card games, draws hundreds of thousands of young and not-so-young Japanese into its fantasy worlds. The culture of the otaku, or to translate it bluntly—the nerd—has its epicenter in Akihabara, where shop racks groan under the weight of products needed to satisfy the massive demand.

Gundam is one of the most popular and well established brands. The Gundam world revolves around an imagined future where war has broken out amid the complex politics of Earth and its outer space colonies. As the conflict escalates, giant robots are developed, with pilots operating their movements and weaponry from a cockpit in the midriff.

The original cartoon was first shown on Japanese TV in 1979, gaining massive popularity and spawning a host of spin-off merchandising products over the years. Until last month, it even had its own museum, as part of the Bandai Museum in Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture. Cartoon creations were rendered real as 3D models, all displayed with the solemn reverence of an exhibit in the Louvre. Visitors could have their picture taken in full flight officer uniform, raised on a platform in front of a 5m high Gundam head, or try their hand at taking control of a robot flight simulator. Judging by the look on some of the pilotsf faces, this was a moment they had long been waiting for. It was not the time to tell them itfs only a toy.


But despite Gundam fans' obvious enthusiasm, they are unwilling to talk about their hobby. Being an otaku generally carries the same stigma in Japanese society that it does in any Western country. Still, for some, geek-dom is there to be embraced.

Naoki Ogasawara is 30 years old, slightly overweight, and wearing clothes and an unkempt hairstyle that no observer, no matter how charitable, could classify as fashionable. To the naked eye, he fits the classic stereotype of the otaku. But in his outgoing, friendly and highly personable response to inquiries about himself and his hobby, he breaks the mold entirely.
gI first saw Gundam when I was eight, and I thought the robots were cool,h he says. gThen when I was about 11 years old, I understood the story more and became more involved in it. Around that time, plastic Gundam models came out, and they became very popular. Everyone at our school was collecting them and talking about them. Films started coming out as well. That time was sort of a Gundam boom, and itfs like that again now. High school kids are also watching new Gundam TV programs, and then when they get hooked on that they buy old Gundam DVDs and get into that as well.h

Ogasawara sees his continuing interest in Gundam as an evolution, and sees no reason to stop just because he has reached his 30s. gPeople who liked Gundam as kids are older now,h he says. gNow they are making money, so they can buy anything they want. There has already been an expensive Gundam toy on the market, which cost \30,000. Even though it was so expensive, hundreds or even thousands of people bought it, so I think people will buy this new one too. Not me, though. Itfs too expensive.h

Mariko Fujiwara, who studies changing trends in Japanese society with the Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living, agrees that Japanese adults are as comfortable with toys as when they were children.

gFirst of all, compared to the West, children in Japan are surrounded by model toys and robots,h she says. gWhen you talk about those in their 20s to 40s, they are the people who grew up with the Gundam toys as children. Now there is no real difference between the children and the adults. Adults in this country have proven that they are never too old to enjoy toys. For adults it is not so much a toy as a hobby, just like playing tennis or fishing.h


A Mandarake staff member looks the part
Photo by Tsutomu Fujita
A visit to Akihabara on any weekend will confirm this, the streets and trains teeming with men, young and old, excitedly examining their latest purchase, be it a toy, comic, model or computer game. But that doesnft mean that girls, or indeed women, are excluded from the otaku party.
Doujinshi is a particular strand of manga aimed at, and written by, women. It has attracted almost as fervent a support among its readers as Gundam has among men.

Along Otome Road in Higashi-Ikebukuro, the swathes of high rise comic shops are almost exclusively patronized by women. Female staff are on hand to advise customers who range from high-school girls to middle-aged women. Many are dressed in the style of their favorite characters.

According to Jeremy Moussa from Mandarake, the largest manga and anime chain store in the world, Otome Road offers a counterpoint to the male-dominated hobbies of Akihabara.
gDoujinshi is so popular because it is written by fans, so you donft have any intermediate between the creator and the fans,h he says. gThe main difference between boysf and girlsf manga is that in boysf manga there is a lot of sex. It is really strong, like having five guys to one girl, and the girls all have really big boobs. For girls, it is really much sweeter. When there is sex it is not so strong, and with not so much violence.h

But sex plays a major role in doujinshifs most popular sub-genre. As the name suggests, Boyfs Love manga specifically deals with stories of homosexual love between men. And Otome Road has it in spades.

Entire shop floors are devoted to Boyfs Love, with some amateur doujinshi even portraying romantic trysts between male film characters like Harry Potter and his arch-nemesis Draco Malfoy. Even C3PO and R2-D2 get it on in one particularly imaginative edition.


Photo by Tsutomu Fujita
But despite titles such as Forcibly but Sweetly, He is Beast and Supervise Me Please, the content is a far cry from the hardcore hentai manga pornography to be found in Akihabara. Willowy, slender dreamboats gaze out from the cover with doe-eyes, locked in a tender embrace with their fellow baseball teammate, male teacher or forbidden friend.

gSome characters in doujinshi have characteristics that are really close to girls,h Moussa says. gThey really like the cute men. They are not so strong. In Japan, men have the upper hand, but in this type of doujinshi the boys are nicer and sweeter. We sell a lot of that type of manga. The sales are almost like hentai is for men. We sell so much of that type of girlsf doujinshi that we have a special store in Ikebukuro.h

And according to Moussa, Mandarakefs clientele is not so different from Bandaifs in terms of age. gNow the main customer is between 15 and 40 years old. Sometimes we have women around 50 years old,h he says. gThe older women are sometimes disappointed by men, and in those doujinshi they can find the sweet relationship that they are looking for. Maybe their husbands are working hard every day and not taking care of them. In this type of manga they can find some really good stories with love, even if it is between men. They are the really nice men that they are looking for.h


On the shelves at Mandarake are manga for all ages and sexes, including doujinshi and Boyfs Love comics.
Photo by Tsutomu Fujita
The Hakuhodo Institute's Fujiwara is not surprised that Japanese men and women are shutting out the real world to spend more and more time indulging their fantasies. gCompared to the West, Japan as a society is segregated,h she says. gOften you work long hours and your company is far away from your home. You are not expected to be home for dinner, and your wife is free to go on holiday by herself. A lot of social activities, even when you are married, are done separately. A living room is no longer a living room as it once was. People pass through it, but it is not necessarily a place where they stay. Today we have more opportunities to be alone.h

And Fujiwara also thinks the pressure of an intense working environment fuels the need for some kind of release. gWith pressure and competition, some need more excuses to shy away from it. Competition is good generally, but not everyone is built for extreme competition. Some perform well, but others donft. Some workers find it a bit too much, so they need some excuse to escape from the world.h

And with giant robots, comics full of gentle Casanovas, and all manner of other worlds to immerse yourself in so readily available everywhere you turn, where better a place to do so than here in Japan.

Geisha girls take to learning English to keep tradition alive

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Dancers learn English during a class held in Kyoto on Oct. 2.

KYOTO -- About 50 geisha girls have begun learning English conversation to help keep their tradition alive.

A local organization determined to maintain and promote traditional entertainment performances is organizing English classes for geisha girls, both veterans and apprentices. Organizers hope that the geisha girls will talk to overseas tourists in English about their local traditions.

English sentences used in the lessons include a question that the girls will probably have trouble answering even in Japanese. It reads, "Why do you have so much white powder on your face?"

The girls have also been practicing saying, "I love dancing."

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/p20061007p2a00m0na032000c.html

10/09/06
15:20:44, Categories: Celebrity News

Japan Declares 'Tom Cruise Day'


Tom Cruise has had a special day named in his honor in Japan. According to the Japan Memorial Day Association, he was awarded with his own day because of his love for and close association with Japan.

Cruise's film, The Last Samurai, grossed $117 million more in Japan than it did in the US. The actor has paid more visits to the country than any other major Hollywood star and spends hours on end with fans in the country.

His public relations tour of Japan last spring to promote Mission: Impossible III included a trip on the bullet train from Osaka to Tokyo, during which he had his photo taken with more than 100 fans. During that trip, Cruise told the press he wanted to shoot the next installment in the action series in Japan.

The Association noted that Cruise is the first Hollywood star to receive this honor.

Tu_triky wrote:10/09/06
15:20:44, Categories: Celebrity News

Japan Declares 'Tom Cruise Day'


Tom Cruise has had a special day named in his honor in Japan. According to the Japan Memorial Day Association, he was awarded with his own day because of his love for and close association with Japan.

Cruise's film, The Last Samurai, grossed $117 million more in Japan than it did in the US. The actor has paid more visits to the country than any other major Hollywood star and spends hours on end with fans in the country.

His public relations tour of Japan last spring to promote Mission: Impossible III included a trip on the bullet train from Osaka to Tokyo, during which he had his photo taken with more than 100 fans. During that trip, Cruise told the press he wanted to shoot the next installment in the action series in Japan.

The Association noted that Cruise is the first Hollywood star to receive this honor.

Props to Tom. :victory: :applaud:

bmwracer wrote:
Props to Tom. :victory: :applaud:

he goes to japan because here in the states they think he's crazy.....made he'll set up a scientology center in nagoya.

OT: nagoya = yummy hitsumabashi :victory:

Tu_triky wrote:10/09/06
15:20:44, Categories: Celebrity News

Japan Declares 'Tom Cruise Day'


Tom Cruise has had a special day named in his honor in Japan. According to the Japan Memorial Day Association, he was awarded with his own day because of his love for and close association with Japan.

Cruise's film, The Last Samurai, grossed $117 million more in Japan than it did in the US. The actor has paid more visits to the country than any other major Hollywood star and spends hours on end with fans in the country.

His public relations tour of Japan last spring to promote Mission: Impossible III included a trip on the bullet train from Osaka to Tokyo, during which he had his photo taken with more than 100 fans. During that trip, Cruise told the press he wanted to shoot the next installment in the action series in Japan.

The Association noted that Cruise is the first Hollywood star to receive this honor.

So dumb. :shakehead:

Tu_triky wrote:he goes to japan because here in the states they think he's crazy.....

I don't see why jumping on a sofa makes him crazy...

I don't agree with his Scientolgy stuff, but is that any different than these Christians, Catholics, etc. espousing their beliefs in the media?

It all seems overblown.

*psst, Triky, Beemer is one of them*


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krim wrote:*psst, Triky, Beemer is one of them*


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Hardly.

bmwracer wrote:
Hardly.

"Oh no, he heard me! They must have super duper hearing!!!"


*runs away screaming*

bmwracer wrote:
I don't see why jumping on a sofa makes him crazy...

I don't agree with his Scientolgy stuff, but is that any different than these Christians, Catholics, etc. espousing their beliefs in the media?

It all seems overblown.

fair enough but have you ever read some of L. Ron Hubbard's work....some of that ish is off the wall :sweat:

he's been acting pretty childishly at times but i don't think he's crazy...he's rich


edit: i'll say this 'racer...anytime somebody's behavior affects somebody else's bottom line (i.e. money) their behavior will come under scrutiny...that's why paramount dumped him....not that i think that was smart.

Tu_triky wrote:fair enough but have you ever read some of L. Ron Hubbard's work....some of that ish is off the wall :sweat:

I don't read.

Especially that junk.

To each their own, as long as they don't try to force it on me. like those suckers who knock on my door on the wekends... :bleh:

he's been acting pretty childishly at times

The guy's ga-ga in love, I guess.

Sheet, I'd be hoppin' on sofas, chairs, armoires, card tables, etc. if I was hooked up with Yonekura or Theron or Uchiyama or....... You get the picture. :)

edit: i'll say this 'racer...anytime somebody's behavior affects somebody else's bottom line (i.e. money) their behavior will come under scrutiny...that's why paramount dumped him....not that i think that was smart.

Lame excuse by Paramount, I think.

Serves them right if Tom's next flick kicks A. :hehe:

I don't understand why he gets a "day". I mean, I don't recall him doing something so amazing that he would be worthy of getting a "day" in his name.

I'm not a Tom-hater, but I think he's completely overrated.

Wynter wrote:I don't understand why he gets a "day". I mean, I don't recall him doing something so amazing that he would be worthy of getting a "day" in his name.

The Japanese beg to differ. :P