Archive for November, 2009

Aussie redback spiders terrorize Japan

Dangerous foreign spiders have invaded Japan:

Redbacks have infested the Osaka region and are drawing closer to the capital Tokyo, according to Japan Wildlife Research Centre official Toshio Kishimoto.

A dozen people have reportedly been bitten in Osaka prefecture alone, media reports say, including a six-year-old boy who was treated with antivenom in June, the first time the medication had been used in the country.

“Their poison is strong and they are particularly dangerous to people in weak physical condition, like children and the elderly,” Kishimoto told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday.

“Redbacks are becoming a common species in Japan. They are very numerous, especially in the western region, and are now often sighted in residential areas … Once the spiders spread, it’s hard to eliminate them.”
Redbacks were first spotted in Japan in 1995 around Osaka, a major port where, experts believe, they may have arrived in a container of Australian woodchips used to make paper in Japan.

It is said that the vile creatures are spreading across ever greater areas of Japan. Not even the residents of Japan’s most remote inaka villages will safe from their venomous attacks.

[hat tip to Ian P.]

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Ichihashi’s lunch

Did you read that post the other day about Tatsuya Ichihashi eating a pork bento and wonder what the food looked like? Stop wondering, because the folks at ATV news went ahead and recreated his lunch:

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Shokotan’s Hero Comes to Life via Earthworm Jim’s Creator

Two forces I never expected to combine are Shokotan, eccentric voice actress/cat-bum-sniffer and Doug TenNapel, surprisingly conservative creator of Earthworm Jim. But here we have their twisted baby in the form of Go Sukashi! Sukashi is a very special hero, but not appreciated by his girlfriend, Youtube’s Brookers. Yeah, I guess she makes for yet another odd addition to this creative group.

In any case, the effects are good, and the humor isn’t bad either. Have a look.

News of all this came my way via ANN, who reports on the popularity of the character back home:

In 2007, Nakagawa created an illustration of Sukashi Kashipanman based on her interest in sand dollars (sukashikashipan) and sweet buns (kashi pan). After showcasing the design on her blog and television appearances, Nakagawa turned the character in a mini-franchise with anime on mobile phone websites, a Nintendo DS game, a manga by Arima Honda in Monthly Comic Dengeki Daioh magazine, and even an official sweet bun in LAWSON convenience stores. A DVD titled Sukashi Kashipan Man the Movie was released last year.

The live-action adaptation of Go Sukashi! has an official home page here.

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Contributor Bio: Claytonian blogs and vlogs about Japan, language, and news at The Hopeless Romantic and aspires to be a generic background minion in a masked hero show.
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DPJ government to slash budgets for scientific research and military recruitment

Remember the Ground Self-Defense Forces PR Center that sells cute moe cookies in its gift shop? It seems it has been targeted as a source of wasteful spending by the DPJ-led government’s budget-cutting panel.

A few days ago, Ren Ho of the DPJ visited the center, inspecting the exhibits and trying out the simulators:

The center, which has no entry fee, is meant to improve the public image of the SDF and encourage young people to enlist. However, it’s free attractions cost the government millions of yen in upkeep fees without generating any easily measurable benefit.

Ren Ho was impressed with the realistic helicopter flight simulator and the gift shop, but that didn’t stop her from going on the offensive against the Defense Ministry bureaucrats who appeared before the budget-cutting panel the next day:

She wanted to know why the PR Center was not crowded with visitors when theme parks that charge considerably expensive entry fees are able to attract many customers, including people willing to make repeat visits. The Defense Ministry bureaucrats acknowledged the need to improve their efforts at promoting the center, but Ren Ho was unconvinced by their vague statements. After an hour of interrogation, it was decided that the SDF’s recruitment and PR budget will be slashed.

If you want to enjoy the stuff at the PR Center, do it soon, because it’s doubtful it will be as impressive next year (if it even still exists).

In recent weeks, the budget-cutting panels have also decided to cut funding for for scientific research programs, including a project meant to develop supercomputers. Scientists and academics have been expressing dismay over the news. Yesterday, a group of Noble Prize winning Japanese scientists held an emergency press conference to declare to the media that Japan may soon lose its status as a leader in science and technology.

Within the English language Japan blogosphere, eco-blogger Martin J. Frid has commented on a plan to cut research subsidies for organic farming:

This is a really bad idea. If the government decides to go ahead with slashing the budget for research and development in the agricultural field, there must be a large number of other projects that would be less important than finding ways forward for sustainable food production that is not relying on chemicals and fossil fuels.

Frind believes that the 300 million yen being spent on such subsidies is actually far less than what the government should be spending on something so important.

I have mixed feelings about the budget-cutting panels. While it is certainly about time somebody started seriously going after wasteful government spending, the nature in which the cuts are being decided makes me question the motives of the new DPJ government. Inarticulate bureaucrats with little experience in appealing to the public are brought before TV cameras to justify their budgets. In almost every case, the bureaucrats are smacked down by Ren Ho and the other panelists, creating perfect soundbites for the evening news broadcasts. Lots of cuts take place, the DPJ gets dramatic footage of its politicians acting decisively on the news, the bureaucrats who waste our tax money are humiliated, and the Hatoyama cabinet approval rating stays above sixty percent. It’s great theater, but it may be resulting in some unwise spending cuts.

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Autumn colors of Kyoto

Yesterday morning, “Mezamashi TV” had a live broadcast from Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto, where the autumn foliage is now at its peak viewing period:

If you have a chance, head on over to Kyoto this weekend and check out the leaves. Those outside of Japan can appreciate the beauty through the very nice photos in Autumn Colors of Kyoto: A Seasonal Portfolio (it also contains some maps on pages 95-103, if you’re planning a trip).

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End of the year lottery in Japan

An ATV news report about the people who lined up earlier this week for a chance to buy some of the first tickets for the 2009 end of the year “jumbo” lottery:

This year, 70 lucky numbers will be assigned 200 million yen ($2.3 million) prizes. Sales of lottery tickets are expected to to be very high this year, since the bad economy has caused many companies to cut their bonuses. [If you think gambling your money away on lotto tickets is a smart idea, you probably didn't deserve a bonus in the first place.]

The organization that runs the lottery released information that claimed past winner data reveals that men with the initials T.K. and women with the initials M.K. are most likely to win. They also said that men born under the Aquarius zodiac sign and women born under Pisces tended to be luckiest.

Some people are shown buying huge amounts of tickets. One man bought 1 million yen ($11,000) worth of tickets in the hopes of achieving his dream…

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