Archive for October, 2006

Cameron Diaz’s Japanese Commercial

This latest commercial from Softbank, featuring Cameron Diaz, might be partially responsible for Softbanks massive surge in popularity:

Or maybe it’s their much better 予想GUY commercials and the recent introduction of phone number portability between carriers?

Quick links: October 29, 2006

Some cool links to check out today:

-Josh has alerted me to the presence of the website for Gwen Stefani’s Japan-related clothing label, Harajuku Lovers. Am I the only person annoyed by Gwen Stefani’s shitty Japanophilia and regular use of badly pronounced Japanese?

-Despite the fact that 900 African Americans fought in the battle of Iwo Jima, you won’t find any of them in Clint Eastwood’s new film.

-Takeru Kobayashi has set a new world record in hamburger eating.
-A Bangladeshi man has won a libel suit against NTV after the news network reported that he had been raising money for an Al Qaeda terror cell in Japan.

-Softbank (formerly Vodafone Japan), is signing up so many new customers that their computer systems are close to overload. I guess those Yoso Guy and Cameron Diaz commercials are really doing the trick.

-Wild bears continue to menace Japan’s elderly!!!

-Justin and Swifty comment on Haruki Murakami’s dislike of gyaru.

-The story of an American meeting the Japanese fighter pilot who killed his father in WW2.

-Japanese environmentalists are struggling to save the Iriomote Wild Cat.

-Do you have $170,000 laying around that you’d like to throw away? You should totally get a solid gold 2007 calendar!

-Hundreds of dead fish were found in the river near my apartment. I hope my tap water comes from a different source…

Racial hybrids revealed!

An 19th century Japanese artist’s hilarious depiction of what kind of child is produced when races mix:

The link was sent to me by Edward Campbell, who asked the following question:

Hi, I came across this humorous 19th century painting depicting a dancing child born to a Japanese woman and a Western man. It is obvious that the artist views such unions as undesirable. I wonder if this view of gaijin marrying Japanese women still exists today?

My answer: While most Japanese people no longer believe that sex with Westerners will produce bearded children, there are still a few Japanese out there who view unions with westerners as undesirable. However, for the most part, I would say that the majority of Japanese people are very accepting of international couples and their children. Many popular celebrities here are the product of Japanese-Western couples, such as Becky, who has an English father and a Japanese mother:

Judging from her picture, you can safely say that female offspring of Japanese-Western unions do not have huge beards (unless she shaves hers). Male offspring of such unions have been known to grow facial hair after reaching adulthood, however.

Senkaku Blues

It looks like the Japanese coast guard managed to drive away the Chinese ultranationalists who were planning to sail to the disputed Senkaku Islands. Their weapon of choice appears to have been a big squirt gun:

A boat carrying protesters from Hong Kong tried to approach Japanese-held islets Friday morning in the East China Sea but was turned back after being challenged by Japan Coast Guard vessels, JCG officials said.

Ignoring warnings from JCG patrol boats, the 30-meter Baodiao 2, which was reportedly carrying 26 activists, entered Japanese controlled waters Friday morning near the uninhabited Senkaku islets, known in China as the Diaoyu Islands, the JCG officials said.

Claimed by Japan, China and Taiwan, the rocky islets have become a sore point in relations, particularly between Tokyo and Beijing.

The activists were apparently marking the 10th anniversary of the drowning of Hong Kong activist David Chan, who had jumped into the sea in an attempt to land on the islets in September 1996.

Members of the Hong-Kong based Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands were reportedly aboard the boat, which was flying a Chinese flag.

The vessel came within 13 km of the islets, which are patrolled by the JCG. The boat turned back after remaining in the area for a short time, the official said.

Using bullhorns, the JCG vessels warned the boat to halt and turn around. When the warnings were ignored, they hit the vessel with water cannons and blocked its path.

The coast guard first spotted the vessel at 5:15 am., 85 km west-southwest of the islets. The boat entered Japanese-controlled waters at 9:21 a.m. and left the area 11:35 a.m., the JCG officials said.

The Chinese government has responded by accusing the Japanese of “injuring the activists and damaging their ship,” but they have offered no details. While the water gun the Japanese coast guard used may have hurt a few of the ship’s passengers, it wasn’t nearly as grave as Japan’s response to a North Korean boat illegally entering Japanese waters in 2001 (which you can read about here or watch a video report about here).

YouTube User yuu2403

Today I am going to share a video with you! It’s from Japanese YouTube user yuu2403:

What did you think?
Read more…

How to spot fake Pokemon

How can you spot a spot an unlicensed pokemon product? This Japanese site has a guide on how to spot fakes, as well as a set of fake pokemon galleries: 1 2 3 4

[Hat tip to Mari’s blog]