Many Japanese news media outlets are reporting that Ai Kago (age 23), formerly of Morning Musume attempted to commit suicide on September 11th. She was found in her apartment in Roppongi in Tokyo by a member of her talent agency. The agency member then immediately called 119 (the equivalent in Japan to 911) for an…
When I first moved to Japan it was rare for people to have email and NHK was pretty much my only way to watch any American tv… due to these extenuating circumstances… yes, I have seen every episode of Full House, and far too many episodes of Airwolf than I should have. As the internet…
One of the greatest things about traveling to Japan is the way baths are enjoyed. Aside from the awesomeness that is the bath in a person’s home, sometimes people enjoy a trip out to a public bath, or if they are lucky enough to live within a few hours of an onsen or hot spring,…
We reported back in April that model/actress Koyuki, who is also well-known in the United States had married uber-popular actor Kenichi Matsuyama who may be best known abroad for his work in the Death Note live action movie series. (Koyuki and Kenichi Matsuyama Get Married) On September 3rd, they announced that Koyuki is pregnant. She…
I’m going to embed the video right here so you can watch and try to figure out what’s going on here… Looks like something out of a science fiction movie. The person in the video seems to be a worker at the plant, based on his official clothing, but I’m not sure why he is…
If you are living in Japan and need a football fix, there are several things you can do from some of the underground live feeds that are more often used to broadcast soccer matches all over the world. I relied on these for a while but found them to be unreliable, and to sometimes be…
The internet is alive with comments about how bad the Aqua Timez rock band’s lead vocalist Futoshi’s rendering of Kimi Ga Yo. Now, in defense of Futoshi, that is a hard song to do well and is definitely out of his genre. Aqua Timez is a fine band, especially as Japanese rock bands go, so…
One of the greatesst places to visit in Japan is Hiroshima. There are beautiful sites, natural places to hike, historical monuments and museums, and great regional foods. One of Hiroshima’s greatest attractions is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, called the “Genbaku Dome” in Japanese. Beginning August 6th, 2011 in Japan which is the evening of August…
The O-bon or Bon Festival in Japan is definitely something summer travelers to Japan want to have marked on their calendars. There are both good things about being in Japan, but also some things to be aware of if traveling around this time of year. Some things to be aware of: Many people in Japan…
Although many schools make an effort to keep a school song at least somewhat timely and fun to sing, and there are a lot of good school songs around Japan with the inevitable charismatic brass band to play it as well as they can… Shigakukan High School in Nagoya city, Aichi Prefecture has a great JPop…
After the Tohoku Earthquake, the Tsukiji Fish Market, a great place to see where your sushi and other foods get their start, and to gain a great appreciation for the way a fish auction works in Japan, was closed to tourists out of concerns for their safety. The market has banned visits from tourists in…
Saki Kumagai, the Japan defender most World Cup fans will remember as being just a moment late on Alex Morgan’s goal in the World Cup final game this year, has been warned by the Japan Football Association. All of her pending media appearances have also been put on hold. The player attended a celebration party…