Archive for September, 2006

Tarako girls to appear on BBC’s Japanorama

If you’re currently in Japan or have been following the Japan blogosphere, you might have heard of the Tarako girls and their stupid song. If you haven’t you should definately check out the video-filled update about them over at TV in Japan. Determined not to let the fad die out before whoring it to its full potential, the Tarako company is now making the girls give live performances of the Tarako song (as seen in the above picture).

Yesterday’s “Mesamashi TV” morning show reported that foreign media has begun to notice the Tarako phenom! (Foreign cameramen were spotted filming their recent live performance in Shibuya.)

The foreigners identified themselves as BBC employees who were filming the concert so they could use it for a program called “Japanorama“(or “Japanowama” as it is properly pronounced). It’s a show hosted by Jonathan Ross that focuses on the LOL WACKY ^_^ aspects of Japan.

When asked about the fact that they were being filmed for a foreign TV show, the Tarako girls said they were happy that they would be appearing on TV overseas. The “Mezamashii TV” hosts seemed to think it was pretty cool too.

The second incarnation of “Japanorama” is currently in the process of airing on BBC3. There are several preview clips of the show in its official website, and old episodes appear to be readily available on public torrent sites.

Another NOVA commercial

Here’s the latest commercial from NOVA, Japan’s largest private English school corporation:

Oh, what could that foreigner be saying? If only I understood English! Sorry, bye! If only she went to NOVA…then she would have been able to help him!

They may suck as an English school, but they do make amusing commercials.

Tsushima to South Korea: “Sorry, we aren’t South Korean territory”

So Japan says the disputed Liancourt Rocks are Japanese territory. How do South Koreans react? Why, by claiming the undisputed Japanese territory of Tsushima as Korean land, of course! From the Japan Times:

NAGASAKI (Kyodo) The city assembly of Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, adopted a unanimous resolution Thursday demanding the South Korean city of Masan repeal its ordinance that claims Japan’s Tsushima Islands as South Korean territory.

In March 2005, the municipal assembly of Masan in South Gyeongsang Province designated June 19 as “Daemado Day,” commemorating the dispatch of Korean forces to Tsushima on that day in 1419. The Japanese islands lying between the two countries are known as Daemado in Korean.

Although Tsushima has stayed silent over the matter, some assembly members have begun voicing their concerns amid strained bilateral ties between Japan and South Korea in part over former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visits to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, assembly members said.

Masan’s ordinance came as a tit-for-tat step shortly after the Shimane Prefectural Assembly in March 2005 designated Feb. 22 as “Takeshima Day” to press Japan’s claims to South Korean-held rocky outcroppings known by the South as Dokdo, stirring outrage in South Korea.

Skipping the part about Takeshima/Dokdo, here’s the rest:

Some Tsushima assembly members have been cautious about their resolution, however, hoping it will not further complicate bilateral strains, they said.

The Masan ordinance says it is designed to have people at home and abroad recognize that Tsushima is South Korean territory with common historic and cultural backgrounds and hence a territorial right, but the Japanese city sees no historical grounds in the claim, city officials said.

The Tsushima resolution says the claim in the Masan ordinance is groundless and an imprudent view.

One city official expressed concern that the assembly’s move may have a negative impact on tourism to the islands.

Yeah, asserting that one’s own island, which has been Japanese territory since the 6th century, is not Korean, is a risky move! Watch out guys!

If you haven’t read them, be sure to check out my posts about Japanese media coverage of Koreans & Tsushima. (Part One and Part Two).

Japan crime news wrap-up

Here are several crime-related news stories I’ve been meaning to post:

1) Christopher Drake, professor at Atomi University in Tokyo and an accomplished translator of Japanese poetry, was arrested for stalking girls he saw on the street. Just a word of advice to fellow gaijin: it’s not a good idea to stalk women in Japan if you are a weird-looking white guy who sticks out like a sore thumb.

2) A group of boys aged 14 to 18 have been arrested for bullying otaku into giving them money. They would go around the streets of Akihabara and find geeky junior high schoolers to rob. A robbery would make them “500 yen to 3,000 yen”. What a haul!

3) A man who murdered a woman in 1978 has been ordered to pay 3.3 million yen (28,000 dollars), for hiding her body under his house for 26 years. Unfortunately, he cannot be punished for the actual murder because the statute of limitations has expired. The court ruled that the man, who had turned himself into police as soon as the statute had expired in 2004, did not have to pay 180 million yen (1.5 million dollars) to the bereaved family of the victim. In an unrelated story, a drunk driver has been ordered to pay 300 million yen(2.5 million dollars) for running over a man and reducing him to a vegetative state.

Thai police capture Kamen Rider actors

Shocking news from the streets of Bangkok:

Actors promoting a Japanese children’s show due to appear in Thailand next week are taken away in a police pick-up truck after posing in front of a tank in Bangkok September 28, 2006. Thailand’s military rulers, installed in a coup last week, have banned dancers or actors using tanks as a backdrop. The actors were later released without charge.- Reuters

[Link found via Minaide hazukashii]

Jealous dogs (Video)

The Trivia show detemines the answer to the question, “What would happen if a dog went for a walk and came back to find his/her master with some other dog, completely ignoring him/her?” The master completely focuses on the new dog for 10 minutes, which is usually enough time to get a reaction out of the other dog. Let’s see the results:

Cruel, yet amusing (the last one is the best).