“…..its last line of defense against the outside world. That’s why panties are romantic.”
It seems that WaiWai is a little bit slow in picking up on new trends. Today’s column claims that panty peeping is a “new” thing in Japan. Read more…
Categories: General Japan
Japanese painter Yoshihiko Wada accused of plagiarism
According to Mainichi Shinbun:
Award-winning Japanese painter Yoshihiko Wada has been accused of plagiarism after it was pointed out that several of his paintings bear an extreme resemblance to paintings produced by an Italian artist, it has emerged.
Really? Let’s look at some examples:
Painting by the Italian artist
Painting by Yoshihiko Wada
“I have known Sughi for a long time, ever since I went to study in Italy in the 1970s. I received artistic influence from him when I was there, doing study and design work together with him, but the works are not stolen,” he said.
However, when agency workers went to Italy and asked Sughi about the works he said they were plagiarized.
“I never knew he was producing works like this. They’re stolen,” Sughi was quoted as saying.
It’s not plagiarism, dude. He totally changed all the colors.
Categories: Celebrity News, General Japan
PRIDE star gets nose broke in roadside fight!
A 33-year-old construction worker is under arrest on suspicion of punching PRIDE mixed martial arts fighter Hayato “Mach” Sakurai and breaking his nose in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, according to Ibaraki prefectural police.
Officers from Tsuchiura Police Station arrested Kenichi Sakayori of Tsukuba in the prefecture Monday.
According to the police, while driving in Tsuchiura early on April 9, his car touched Sakurai, who was walking along a road. He got out of his car and picked a fight with the professional fighter. He then punched Sakurai in the face, breaking his nose.
Either that was one tough construction worker, or Sakurai isn’t the figher he used to be.
Categories: Celebrity News
“Hmmmm..Yen..that’s Japanese, right?”
They look Chinese to me…
HONG KONG (AFP) – Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen is set to lead in the Hollywood remake of Japanese classic “The Seven Samurai“, alongside George Clooney and Chinese starlet Zhang Ziyi, a film company said.
George Clooney and a bunch of Chinese samurai. God. Let’s hope it isn’t set in Japan. Full article here.
Categories: Celebrity News, General Japan
Classic wacky English
Ever wonder what English-learning TV programs were like back in the Japan of 1992? If you take Zuiikin English as a representative example, they were all wacky!
The makers of this show decided to combine arobics and repetition of English phrases for maximum effect! (Video Link 1)
What’s going on here?
Oh, I see. Very useful if you travel to America! (Video 2)
America culture of the 1990′s at its best. (Video 3)
Ah, the good ol’ days…
Categories: Japanese TV, Teaching English
English Parody of “Kimigayo”
“Continue for a thousand years, for eternity”
A Kyodo News report is claiming that some Japanese teachers have been singing a English-language parody of “Kimigayo“(Imperial Reign), Japan’s national anthem, at school ceremonies. Some well-educated teachers realized that being required to sing the emperor-praising anthem at school ceremonies is an unpleasant reminder of Japan’s militaristic past, so they created a new version. The new version, “Kiss Me”, uses English words with similar sounds to the Japanese original version, and is about comfort women.
One website operated by a group opposed to the compulsory singing of Kimigayo and the hoisting of the Hinomaru flag at school graduation and entrance ceremonies says the parody is a “small pillar” to support the mental protest of people who are forced to sing the anthem.
Education boards in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan have punished teachers who did not sing the anthem at school ceremonies.
The daily says the lampooning lyric is about a Japanese girl who remembers deceased women who were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese soldiers before and during World War II.
The following is a version of the English parody cited by the Sankei:
Kiss me, girl, your old one. Till you’re near, it is years till you’re near. Sounds of the dead will she know? She wants all told, now retained, for, cold caves know the moon’s seeking the mad and dead.
The protest lyrics are kind of hard to understand, even in context. Out of context they would probably be indecipherable. But they might be considered better than the original emperor-loving lyrics:
Kimi ga yo wa
Chiyo ni
Yachiyo ni
Sazare ishi no
Iwao to narite
Koke no musu made
May your reign
Continue for a thousand years,
For eternity,
Until pebbles
Grow into boulders
Covered in moss.
Frighteningly militaristic, or harmless?
Categories: General Japan, Politics