Archive for July, 2009

Where’s the fire? . . . nowhere

Competitions for firefighters are common in Japan–perhaps more so (?) in rural areas like the Kiso Valley where I live.  Teams of firefighters run and scream and make very much like army soldiers, then pump some water, knock down a sign, and roll up their hose.  It’s all quite impressive, in a rather boring sort of way.

My village, Otaki, has no professional firefighters, only volunteers.  But, I’ll be damned if these guys aren’t dedicated.  They practiced every night for about a month to prepare for the competition.  The goal, apparently, is to place 2nd.  Placing 1st means securing a spot in the prefectural competition . . . which means securing another month of practicing.

This year my own wee village of Otaki placed 1st in the Kiso Valley competition–even though they had done what they felt was a 2nd place performance.  Anyway, congratulations . . . I guess.  Have fun practicing and good luck at the prefecture competition.

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Contributor Bio: I am a doctoral student of environmental anthropology currently living and conducting research in a mountain village in Nagano. In my research I explore modernity as it is expressed in a rural mountain community. Specifically I look at national management structures, as well as social discourses, related to forests and probe the impacts these have on local human communities. I have lived and worked in Japan for 5 years. My interests also include Buddhism, literature, music, and mountaineering. Read more at my personal blog: In the Pines.
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Ichiro meets Obama

One of the top stories on the news yesterday was Ichiro Suzuki’s meeting with President Barack Obama in the locker room at the All-Star Game:

When the president came up to Ichiro Suzuki, or just Ichiro as the Japanese like to call him, Ichiro told reporters that he had planned to casually say “What’s up?” However, once face-to-face with the Barrack, Ichiro lost his nerve and was unable to say much more than something like, “It’s an honor to meet you, sir,” he admitted.

Despite his nervousness, and disappointment from missing his chance to gingerly greet the President, Ichiro was able to get his signature on a baseball.

He’s not used to such formalities, and says it was the first time that he called somebody “sir.” The players had been told they couldn’t get autographs from the President, but Ichiro got one because Obama offered him one.

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Fans flock to see Tokyo’s giant Gundam

The 1:1 scale Gundam mobile suit officially went on display in the Odaiba area of Tokyo over the weekend, and the “Mezamashi TV” morning news show was there to interview some fans (this video has partially translated into English):

In the video you’ll find:

• a cosplayer couple
• a little kid dressed like Char
• a dude who built his own Zaku
• Gundam-obsessed photographers
• a hotel room with a perfect view of the giant mobile suit

And in case you missed it, here’s a high quality video of the giant Gundam from the Asahi Shimbun:

Sankei also has a pretty awesome photograph page.

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The rage of Japanese railfans

When railway otaku are taking pictures of a special train, they absolutely hate people who block their camera shots. Don’t believe me? Just watch this clip of one poor Japan Rail employee facing the anger of railfans:

[via Zaeega]

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$2,250 for a bunch of grapes

If you thought last year’s record $900 price for the first bunch of “Ruby Roma” premium grapes was ridiculous, your stomach may turn upon hearing that this year’s first bunch was auctioned off for an astounding 210,000 yen ($2,250)!

Here is a video of the grapes (which are about $70 each, if you do the math):

The grapes were purchased by the owner of a restaurant/lodging house in Ishikawa Prefecture who hoped that the news reports about the auction would give some attention to his business.

The other bunches of grapes in the batch sold for an average price of 71,000 yen ($760) each.

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Japanese comedians joke about the upcoming election

Junichiro Koizumi and Taro Aso impersonators from political comedy group the newspaper make some jokes at a “speech” they gave in Tokyo:

• A joke is made about how Aso’s accidental prediction of a “close defeat” actually turned out to be a big defeat in the Tokyo elections.
• Koizumi makes a pun about the general election being a choice between a feelgood candidate from a well-to-do family and a candidate that can’t read kanji from a well-to-do family. (kanji 「感じ」 = feeling)
• Apparently Prime Minister Aso recently mistakenly said “Bush” when referring to President Obama – does that mean he can’t katakana either?
• When kids at school can’t read kanji, they are now being called “Taro.” That means the Prime Minister is sort of popular!

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