Archive for February, 2010

Review and Preview: Lala Pipo

lala pipo

Lala Pipo was handed off to me a long time ago to read and review, but it took me a long time to get to it because the cover–one of Chip Kidd’s few failed designs in my opinion– presented the book in a way that looked like it was, well, not something I would want to ever read. But the cover image has nothing to do with the contents. It seems like I could reference some saying here. Uh… “Don’t judge a…” It will come to me later.

What Lala Pipo is about is a lot of people (that’s where the title comes from) who’s lives are tangentially linked by the sex and pornography trade in Japan. It is divided into separate stories that follow pitiable characters as they trade their dignity for money or pleasure. The first story, amusing though it was, had me wondering once again why I had bothered to pick up the book, but pretty soon the connections of the overall narrative and theme came into focus and I realized that I had a work of impish genius in my hands.

This is a black comedy. Black-black-lose-hope-in-Japan-at-times black. It is a satire of modern, rotting, money-driven and materialistic Japan, but it does what satire does best: makes you think and challenges your perspective. I hope Japanese people are giving the original Japanese version a read.

If you are interested in buying it, here is the Amazon America link, and here is the Amazon Japan one as well.

I noticed recently (and far too late) that there is a movie adaptation of the novel. It seems to have taken a slightly surreal take, but looks pretty promising. Find it embedded below. Here is the link for the DVD: Amazon.jp.

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Contributor Bio: Claytonian blogs and vlogs about Japan, language, and news at The Hopeless Romantic. He saves the creepy-covered books for last.
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Post 1945 section of joint Japan-China history project will not be made public

Japanese and Chinese scholars published the results of a three-year joint history project the other day, and the international media has put is focus on the disagreement over the death toll of the Nanking Massacre.

Here’s an excerpt from the AP article by Mari Yamaguchi:

The massacre was one of the worst incidents during Japan’s invasion of China in the first half of the 20th century, with Beijing claiming as many as 300,000 people died, but Tokyo saying the toll was far less.

The report was written by Japanese and Chinese historians appointed by the two governments. In it, Japanese scholars confirmed Japan’s Imperial Army “massacred” war prisoners, soldiers and citizens in the city of Nanking, now called Nanjing, in the December 1937 attack, and committed repeated rapes of women, arson and looting.

But the two sides failed to agree on the death toll.

The Japanese listed figures ranging from 20,000 to 200,000, citing differences on the definition of “massacre,” the area and the span of the event. China, which compiled data from records of domestic and international tribunals, put the death toll at more than 300,000.

Absent from the article is a real evaluation of the views of the Japanese historians. The average international reader will be left with the impression that the Japanese are once again trying to “whitewash” history.

It is disappointing that the AP article and other English language articles about this story don’t go into detail and note that credible historians who are not right-wing nationalists do have widely differing views of the death toll. Few outside China take the 300,000 figure seriously, unless one greatly increases the time frame and area of land involved to a point beyond what anyone would reasonably consider a single massacre in a single city.

Japanese media reports have mentioned the Nanjing disagreement but have also touched a rather interesting thing about the report. Although it was meant to involve post war history, it is completely missing anything about the period after 1945. The Associated Press didn’t think it was worth including in their article, but the AFP actually bothered to mention it:

The report did not disclose the outcome of discussions on post-World War II history at the request of the Chinese side.

Japanese media attributed the exclusion to China’s caution on sensitive events including the bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square in 1989.

In other words, China is fine with joint-history projects as long as they don’t include any period of history in which the People’s Republic of China existed. Reflection on past wrongdoing is something only other nations should engage in. The Japanese side, wanting to better relations with China, seems to have meekly agreed with this view and will not to make the post-1945 section public.

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Apple iPad on Docomo?

According to a Yomiuri article (Japanese), Docomo is considering to sell SIM cards for the Apple iPad, which will be sold “unlocked” by Apple.  The iPad uses the smaller micro SIM card for 3G data connectivity and has no voice capabilities, so it is not a replacement for a cell phone.

The rest of the article includes a few interesting tidbits in line with rumors of Docomo offering SIM cards for unlocked cell phones.

The 3G model will be SIM-lock free, and if Docomo proceeds with its plan to sell SIM cards for the iPad, it would be the first major domestic telecommunications company to sell SIM cards that are not bundled with handsets. Docomo aims to tap into the telecom needs of iPad users, the sources said.

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Meanwhile, Google Inc. plans to introduce the Nexus One cell phone in Japan in the near future. Its users will be able to freely switch carriers by inserting different SIM cards.

Therefore Docomo also is considering selling SIM cards that can be used in different cell phones.

However, T-Mobile in the US offers a subsidized and SIM-locked version of the Nexus One with a standard contract.  It is possible the phone will be sold in a similar fashion in Japan.

The article also claims that the wifi-only version of the iPad is coming to Japan in March, with the 3G version to follow as early as June.  Pricing for the iPad in Japan has not yet been announced by Apple, but the device will start at $499 in the US.

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Contributor Bio: Steve has been splitting time between the US and Japan for the past 10 years or so and is now a post doctorate fellow at a large, lumbering University in Tokyo, where he gets paid to play with dirt.

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Japanese commercial: get relief from seasonal allergies

A commercial for a product that claims it can block allergens from entering your nose:

Japanese people may not watch much American football, but they can still appreciate the sight of somebody getting owned.

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Do you believe in power spots?

There are several places in the world that are well known “power spots.” Above all, the one in Hawaii is very popular among Japanese women.

Especially since Japanese models and celebrities liked to go there, many people crazily visit power spots. They are just following the trend. It seems some people feel something on the spot. Some start crying for no reason. It looks weird, but I guess they are just too much stressed out of everyday life.

94 Japanese people that visited the power spot shown in the video in an hour or so of filming, but when it comes to American people it was only 3. This illustrates how passionate the Japanese are about power spots. No, I don’t think so, it’s just a fad. I guess these people will not be seen there this time next year or a few years from now.

Have you visited power spot? Did you feel anything? Does that change anything in your life?

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Contributor Bio: Kirin is a Japanese woman spending her life so far somewhere around Tokyo. She now works from home and is also spreading Japanese kawaii culture and etc. through her popular blog, Tokyo Kawaii,etc.
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Protect yourself from static electricity

Highly annoyed by static electricity shocks from door knobs and other objects? Here are several products being sold in Japan that offer to protect you:

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