Archive for December, 2009

Ground Self-Defense Forces PR center is now popular

The Japan Ground Self Defense Force PR Center in Asaka was all over the news last month when grandstanding DPJ politicians used it as an example of wasteful government spending. The center’s unpopularity was cited as an example of its uselessness, but the situation seems to have changed:

The center used to get about 500 visitors per day on weekends. The TV news coverage of the center has proven to be great advertising – on the last Sunday of November there were over 2,000 visitors. [The news report even includes footage of a foreign visitor!]

If you want to check it out and eat some moe cookies, I advise you to visit soon. The DPJ has already decided to slash the SDF’s recruitment and PR budget, so the center could see a lot of its exhibits scaled down next year. They’ll be holding a special military band concert on December 20th and there will be a Spring Fair on February 6-7.

Here’s its location on Google Maps:

View Larger Map

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Illegal dog breeding operation in Hyogo

Authorities in the city of Amagasaki are finally going after a dog breeding company that turned a multi-story building in the middle of a residential neighborhood into a giant kennel:

The company kept about 200 dogs in the building, evening using roof space for dog enclosures. However, it had not obtained proper licenses and had not taken legally required measures to prove it had given all the dogs vaccinations for rabies. When they can’t find buyers for certain dogs, those dogs are euthanized. About 50 dogs per year are killed in this manner.

Residents have been complaining about the noise and smells generated by the business for 10 years, but the local government hasn’t done much about it. Officials are finally acknowledging that they have not done enough to enforce the law, but they now seem intent on stopping such violations.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

2009 Battledores

A doll company in Tokyo displays battledores featuring the biggest celebrities of 2009 [clip from NTV]:

Included are: Yukio and Miyuki Hatoyama, golfer Ryo Ishikawa, Seishiro Kato (“kodomo tencho”), actor Hisaya Morishige, Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Barack Obama, Giants manager Tatsunori Hara, Tadashi Yanai of Uniqlo, and the Emperor and Empress.

For even more battledore coolness, head to Senso-ji temple in Asakusa this week for the Hagoita-Ichi (Battledore Fair). Be prepared for ridiculous crowds.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa

A video takes a look at Kanazawa’s very cool-looking 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art:

SANAA / 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art from 0300TV on Vimeo.

[via JeanSnow]

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Stills from the new Karate Kid movie

Apparently they have released some still photos of the new Hollywood remake of “The Karate Kid,” which will move the original story to China and replace Mr. Miyagi with Jackie Chan:

Jaden Smith’s character moves to Beijing with his mother, where he encounters a bully situation similar to Macchio’s in his new locale. Smith’s character will be named Dre instead of Daniel, and take lessons from Chinese martial arts master Mr. Han, played by Jackie Chan.

Whereas Daniel Larusso and his mother only faced a regional move across the United States in the the first film, the producers say the script will integrate language barriers and an international collision of world views into the bully-victim-turned-martial-artist tale.

View the rest of the stills here.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Tokyo outlet mall targets rich Chinese tourists

A new outlet mall has opened in the Odaiba area of Tokyo:

At last, a dream has finally been realized: an outlet mall in metropolitan Tokyo, rather than out in the sticks. In a surprising, yet ingenious move, the shopping mall Venus Fort in Odaiba, usually only remembered for its ceiling that mimics the sky from sunrise to sunset, has turned its entire third floor into an outlet for 49 shops. Its doors opened on Dec. 11, and while 49 is a paltry number compared to the behemoth malls that lie in the city outskirts, it should be enough to appease those insatiable city bargain-hungry shoppers.

Why build a small outlet mall in Tokyo when there are much bigger outlet malls in places like Saitama, Tochigi, and Ibaraki? According to these two news reports, the outlet mall is hoping to capitalize on the new wave of rich Chinese tourists who have been coming to Japan since visa restrictions were relaxed earlier this year:


As we’ve seen from earlier posts on this blog, big-spending Chinese tourists are already coming to Tokyo and buying lots of expensive brand products. Few tour groups have the time to travel out into the suburbs to visit existing outlet malls. Odaiba is already a major tourist spot in Tokyo, so it is a fantastic location when one thinks of the “Asian money” that comes with the Chinese and their credit cards.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)