Archive for January, 2009

Asahi TV created fake blogs to cite as source material

ATV proves that its programs are just as unreliable as random internet sites:

Blogs featured on a TV Asahi variety program that the show claimed were a source of information for the program, were written by the show’s staff, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned Sunday.

The program, “Variety: Rumor Verification,” which was broadcast at 7 p.m. Saturday, examined the authenticity of various pieces of information posted on blogs.

The quiz-style program examined a claim that the word “news” was derived from the initial letters of the English words north, south, east, west. The show also looked at into whether the boar used in the 12 annual zodiac signs is traditionally a pig in China and South Korean tradition, and whether the terms for salmon–sake and shake–are different depending on whether the fish has been processed.

[via Asiajin]

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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Coming of Age in Japan

Yesterday, people turning 20 this year gathered at events across Japan to mark Coming of Age Day. However, some youths were too busy to take part in the festivities, as this from TBS news shows:

The first example shown in the video is of a woman working at a maid cafe in Akihabara. Although she is turning 20 this year, she considers herself “forever 17.”

The next example shows a female pro-wrestler who took part in a grueling match on Monday. She says that she sometimes wishes she lived a normal life and could celebrate Coming of Age Day in a normal way, but she likes being a pro-wrestler.

The last example is of a young soldier at a Self-Defense Forces base. He says he does not mind missing out on the Coming of Age Day celebrations because he is busy doing work that he enjoys.

Update: For more views of Coming of Age day 2009, check out the great posts at Danny Choo and Tokyo Times.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Jero’s sunflower seeds

African American enka singer Jero gives some American sunflower seeds to Sanma-san:

Sanma-san assures Jero not to be worried about what he’s doing, since somebody will come by later and clean the mess up with a vacuum cleaner.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Japanese Emotional History Illustrated Tour (Using Money)

Interested in juvenile tricks and Japanese historical trivia? Well have I got a video for you!!

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Bomb scare in Nagoya

Footage from ATV of a bomb squad investigating a suspicious package in Nagoya:

The cardboard box had a message written on it stating that it was a bomb and would explode if moved. Fortunately, nobody was hurt because the box turned out to contain a brick instead of actual explosives.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Robot suit gives farmers extra strength

Finally, a robot suit that gives us all the fun of farming without any of the tiresome heavy lifting:

The Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology has developed an agriculture robot suit designed specifically to help out with tough agricultural work like pulling radishes. The suit has eight motors fitted over the shoulders, elbows, back and knees to provide a power boost to the wearer. The current model weighs a hefty 25 kilograms, but developers hope to halve the weight and have it on the market in two years, retailing for between 500,000 and 1 million yen.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)