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Hideo Higashikokubaru and Shintaro Ishihara Tokyo Governor’s Race Candidacy Videos

Byjay

As I mentioned in a previous post about the Tokyo governor’s election, it’s on between former Miyazaki governor Hideo Higashikokubaru and incumbent Shintaro Ishihashi. Because anyone who is eligible can nominate his or herself for the position, there are a lot of videos on YouTube now in which people declare their candidacy for the election….

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Higashikokubaru vs Ishihara in the Next Tokyo Governor’s Race?

Byjay

Miyazaki Governor Hideo Higashikokubaru, also known as comedian, writer, and TV personality Sonomanma Higashi, has his eyes set on following his stint in Kyushu with becoming the next governor of Tokyo. He announced his official candidacy this week. Incumbent Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, who loves a good (or bad) soundbite, continues to be criticized for…

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Time Magazine Article on Japan’s Bureaucracy and the Slowing of Earthquake and Tsunami Aid

Byjay

I usually don’t read a lot of Japanese news in English, but an article in Gendai’s online magazine led me to hunt down an article on Time’s site. Funny that Gendai refers to Time for a hard-hitting story on how the government and bureaucracy in place in Japan has made it hard for other countries…

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Comedian and Singer Chiaki Among Those Injured in Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami

Byjay

Chiaki, a comedian, singer, businesswoman, and mother recently reported the injury on her blog. She said she suffered a cut on her finger that reached down to the bone and needed an operation. The injury is expected to take 5 weeks to heal. After describing her injury she quickly added… but I’m in Tokyo and…

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Japanese Comedy Pair “Sandwichman” Unlikely Heroes in Japan Earthquake

Byjay

In all the pain, suffering, and uncertainty facing the people in Japan. There have been some heroes. None of the heroes have been so unlikely as the two members of the Japanese manzai pair “Sandwichman”. The pair, Mikio Date and Takeshi Tomizawa, both have popular blogs on the blog site Ameblo. Both also hail from…

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Hilarious Video of Japanese Guy Playing FPS Video Game Through Earthquake

Byjay

People who have seen this video on bulletin boards or the internet have talked about how it gave them something to laugh at and enjoy in these stressful times. The guy in the video had me laughing my head off with these sincere but wacky lines. The video is of from a Japanese guy who…

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Lady Gaga Japan Earthquake Relief Charity Wristband Put on Sale

Byjay

It’s no secret that Lady Gaga is a fan of Japan. She has just put a bracelet up for sale that says “We pray for Japan” in both Japanese and English. The bracelet is on sale for $5 and all proceeds will go directly to Japan relief efforts. She is very quick to act and…

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Work Has Begun on the American Space Battleship Yamato

Byjay

Usual Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie has begun work on “Star Blazers” according to a recent /Film article. The article also seems to imply that if a Hollywood version is in the works, the states won’t see a theatrical release of the Japanese live action Space Battleship Yamato. It’s hard to imagine the film without the…

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Videos of Japanese Train Station Machines Gone Wild

Byjay

Given the number of people moved by public transportation each day in Japan, some things are bound to go wrong. The ticket machines in Japanese train stations, and the wickets, or ticket gates, are also generally well-maintained. Even the most well-oiled machines may go wild at times. Here are a few videos of Japanese train…

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Japanese to English Translation of Justin Bieber in Google Translate is…

Byjay

So I had some time on my hands and I was playing around with Google Translate, which I think shows a lot of promise, but still has some weaknesses as well. The main weakness is that it’s well a machine. I don’t know what possessed me to do this but in the Japanese to English…

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Japanese Singer Hitomi Calls Out Lazy Husbands

Byjay

Japanese singer, Hitomi, has called her own husband her greatest enemy in raising their children. She recently released a new baby clothing line in collaboration with Seven&i Holdings (the growing powerhouse behind Japan’s 7-11 convenience stores, Itoyokado malls, and much more). Hitomi’s clothing line will be called Pomipomi, and when announcing it commented that there…