Category Archives: Japan

Anime, Japan

Macross VF-25 Valkyrie on display in Yokohama

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Fan of anime, robots, planes, sci-fi or anything similar? This could be interesting to you. If not, sorry. I will write briefly about this anyway.

Macross (and Gundam) is a staple of Japanese culture. Even if you’re not a fan of it here, you’ve at least heard of it. Anyway, the VF-25 Valkyrie is an iconic transforming fighter jet.

A front view. Intimidating.

On my way to school, I noticed a poster advertising this on display nearby. After school Monday, I made a stop over to check it out to take a few pics and a video for my friend Amit. He’s a fan of Macross.

The Valkyrie was on display as part of a promotion for WOWOW, a subscription television channel. It is currently showing the original “Super Dimension Fortress Macross” (超時空要塞マクロス) show, as well as the movie “Macross: Do You Remember Love?” ((超時空要塞マクロス 愛・おぼえていますか). I didn’t sign up. I just wanted to check out the fighter.

Of course, I thought it’d be nice to share it with everyone else as well. The only disappointing part of this was that, yes, it’s 1/1 scale, but it’s only about half of the vehicle. The rest simply doesn’t exist. =(

I didn’t ask, but some people were allowed to get a picture standing on its right hand here.

 

The left hand. Wish I had taken a pic with someone in it for a sense of scale.

 

Some info about the display and promotion.

 

Gonna go out on a limb here and guess this is Lynn Minmay. I’m not really familiar with the story.
Japan

Baseball in Japan

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I’ve never really liked sports. I greatly dislike American football and basketball. I’m not into hockey, soccer or most other major sports. But I can watch and enjoy baseball. I don’t know why. Many people say baseball is one of the most boring.

Unfortunately, the Hawks were sucking this night. July 1, 2013

I’ve been to maybe 6 or so Major League games in the U.S… and now two games of professional baseball in Japan. First thing I noticed: Teams are often associated with their sponsors. Take for example the Hawks. They’re from Fukuoka, but Softbank is the sponsor or owner (too lazy to look it up right now). Anyway, people may say “Fukuoka Hawks,” “Softbank Hawks,” or some combination of the two. Continue reading Baseball in Japan →

Japan

ねぇ、知ってる？

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ねぇ、知ってる？ – 豆しば’s catchphrase

A few weeks ago I was discussing Japanese “cuteness” with Rachel at a small cafe in Tokyo. While there, the topic of acceptance of cute things in Japanese society came up.

I never thought about it, but it’s something I think I enjoy. And I’m not talking about girls, guys, or things like that. I’m talking about mascots, characters, icons, etc. A perfect example is 豆しば (Mameshiba) seen in the picture above.

Mameshiba is a cute bean (literally a bean) that pops up in the most bizarre times to instill some random knowledge on its listeners. Check the video below for a collection of commercials featuring him.. her… it? Continue reading ねぇ、知ってる？ →

Japan, Travel

お花見, or Cherry blossom viewing season

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March and April here were cherry blossom viewing season, or as it’s known in Japan, お花見. It’s an excuse for people around the country to relax, go to a nearby park, drink and be merry with friends and family. You don’t really need a reason to do that, but it’s a good reason if you’re always busy. You’re pretty much expected to go to at least one of these parties each year.

The sakura, or cherry blossoms, bloom at different times throughout the country depending on the weather and location. This year they bloomed earlier than had been originally predicted, thanks to some warmer than average weather.

I went to three parties this year:

  • The first was with some classmates. It was a small gathering that also served as someone’s going away party. We ate at a restaurant prior to going, so we ate some snacks and a few people had beer. It was held at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo.
  • The next party was with my host dad’s friend’s company. We were invited to tag along. Food included sushi, wraps, pizza and beer. This was at a park in Yokohama.
  • The third party was party was also held at Yoyogi Park. This one was a gathering of people in Japan who create YouTube videos. This one ended earlier due to rain, so it was moved to the Tobacco and Salt Museum… while we waited for a nearby pub to open up.

It’s always a fun experience, and I recommend everyone try to take part in one of these parties.

Japan

Recap of Japanese life from January – April 2013

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Here’s a hastily edited video to show you a bit of my life the past few months. From January until about the end of April. There was snow, cherry blossom season, a KFC colonel dressed as Goku from Dragonball Z, a YouTube party, and some other stuff. A bit of 6 minutes long.

In the next post will come pictures! But for now, just this one video. And yes, I realize there’s not much Cherry blossom/花見 stuff in that video. I’ll work on something much better for that soon.

Japan, Travel

Went on a day trip to Hakone

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I went on a trip to Hakone

On Friday, March 1, everyone from my school (I think there were about 300 of us) went on a field trip to 箱根 (はこね, Hakone), Kanagawa-ken, Japan. It was about 1.5 – 2 hours by bus from Shibuya. So why did we go there? I mean, just what is Hakone known for?

Well, it’s probably most known for its 温泉 (おんせん, onsen), or hot springs. We didn’t actually go to any though, which is probably for the best. I didn’t really want to see my male classmates in the buff. However, 混浴 would be OK! ^_~

Hakone is also known for its 黒卵 (くろたまご, kurotamago), or hard-boiled black eggs. The story goes that if you eat one, you’ll have 7 years added to your life. I ate two. Continue reading Went on a day trip to Hakone →