Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces promotional video
An old PR video for the JGSDF, narrated in English:
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Categories: General Japan
Japanese company creates Barack Obama pyramid
Matsuura machinery made this pyramid with a tiny Barack Obama face etched into its top to celebrate the American President’s first official visit to Japan:
The company gave it to that news reporter in the hope that he might have a chance to give it to Obama. He didn’t, but at least the guy mentioned the company’s name on TV and said some good things about its technological achievements.
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Categories: Foreigners in Japan, Odd / Strange
A U.S. military air base? Not in my backyard.
A short FTV report about Takehiyo Toguchi, a man in Okinawa who is fighting to prevent the construction of a U.S. military base in Henoko Bay[this aired a few days before Obama's visit]:
In 2006, the Japanese and U.S. governments signed an agreement that would relocate USMC Air Station Futenma from the middle of a city to a less populated area of Okinawa. That less populated area happened to be in the bay next to Toguchi’s home town. For years, Toguchi and his family have participated in protests and held candlelight vigils and protests against the construction of an offshore airfield. Now that the DPJ is in office and wants to make a new base relocation plan, Toguchi and his cause have gotten a lot of media attention.
In this video you can see the Toguchi family holding candlelight vigils outside of Camp Schwab, appearing on radio shows to talk about the evils of the base relocation plan, and giving a speech before a crowd of anti-base protesters. He also takes the FTV reporter to the campus of Ryukyu International University, where a American helicopter crashed in 2004. No Japanese were killed or injured in the accident, but that didn’t stop locals from erecting a monument on the spot of the crash [the burnt remains of a tree that lost its life that day are at the center of the monument]. Noguchi talks at how heart-wrenching and terrible it is to think of the loss of life that might have happened if the timing of the crash had been a little different.
Noguchi wants President Obama and Prime Minister Hatoyama to not build a new airfield that would destroy the environment of his beloved hometown. He doesn’t want his children’s future marred by the presence of such a base.
During Obama’s visit to Tokyo on Friday/Saturday, talk of the Futenma relocation was avoided in favor of discussion on easier issues that both countries could readily agree upon.
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Categories: General Japan
Laughably stupid ghost photos
NTV’s “Surprise Surprise” variety show featured some photos last week that have ghostly figures in the background:
The first image shown, which I have included at the top of this post, reportedly shows a “headless” man. It seemed pretty obvious that it was a man in a white cap looking downwards at something, but just in case you can’t see it, I borrowed their technique and drew some red lines to highlight the shape of the person.
The other images show people-like shapes or parts of people that were supposedly not visible when the photo was taken. As most photos like this can be easily faked, they’re pretty much worthless. At some points, even the celebrity panelists didn’t seem to impressed.
Side note: You may remember paranormal studies expert Bintaro Yamaguchi from his prior appearance in the “Kappa Attack” post.
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Categories: Japanese TV
Obama gives a speech to an audience of Japanese VIP’s and dines with the Emperor
A short clip showing some highlights of what Barack Obama did in Japan yesterday:
In the late morning, President Obama gave a speech at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Beat Takeshi, Jero, the mayor of Nagasaki, the mayor of Obama city, and the families of the Japanese people abducted by North Korea were among the 1,500 guests invited to listen to the president speak. The part of his speech in which he mentioned the abductee issue received the greatest applause form the audience. (For more details, check out this article in the Telegraph.)
Afterwards, Obama had lunch with the Emperor and Empress. It was the first time an American President had dined with the imperial family since Clinton’s visit in 1998.
At around 2:30PM, Obama got on Air Force One to fly to the APEC meeting in Singapore.
Update: I Just noticed that the Drudge Report and some American bloggers are attempting to twist Obama’s polite greeting to the Emperor as a extraordinary display of an American president groveling before a foreign monarch:
“To those arguing that in Japan bowing is a friendly gesture akin to the holding of hands in Saudi Arabia: the Emperor did not return the bow. Also, if my memory serves me correctly, the Queen of England did not receive a bow. This President’s habitual bowing is a manifestation of his anti-Americanism. He bows to all things foreign to us.” -J.R., in a comment left on the LA Times Top of the Ticket blog
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Categories: Foreigners in Japan, Politics
Business Manners: Meishi Koukan
A little bit about exchanging business cards in Japan. Stack up on your cards if you are coming over to do business over here:
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Categories: General Japan