Archive for April, 2010

Japanese Commercial: Cows With a Death Wish

In the latest in a series of weird commercials for Agura Beef, cows invite viewers to visit Nasu and eat beef from their farm:

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

Japanese Sea Shepherd “Fan Club” Enjoys Whale Meat Feast

A group calling themselves the “SEA SHEPHERD JAPAN FANCLUB” enjoys a whale meast feast while wearing parody SS t-shirts and Paul Watson masks:

This seems to be an attempt at some epic trolling with the hope to annoy and anger actual supporters of Sea Shepherd. Their website includes images the images they used to make their t-shirts, as well as links to a Japanese-subtitled version of the South Park episode that made fun of Paul Watson. They also have a Twitter account.

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

Cécile Corbel – Arrietty’s Song

Studio Ghibli, the studio that produces some of Japan’s finest animated films, has a reputation for selecting somewhat unknown musicians to perform the theme songs for its films, often turning them into huge stars in Japan (Nozomi Ohashi is a recent example). For their latest film, The Borrowers, they have picked breton folk-singer & celtic harpist Cécile Corbel:

Apparently Corbel was discovered by Studio Ghibli after she sent them a fan letter with a CD of her music. They enjoyed her harp playing and singing so much that they decided she would be perfect for their next film. The movie won’t be released until summer, but the theme song is now being sold at stores across Japan. The interview in the above clip was filmed while she was visiting Japan to attend promotional events.

For those who are interested, here is a video of Corbel performing the theme song (“Arrietty’s Song”):

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

Many Flavors of Taiyaki

ATV news reports about a chain of taiyaki restaurants that offers a “international” menu:

Taiyaki is usually filled with red bean paste or other Japanese-style ingredients. The Taiyaki offers a variety of country-themed taiyaki, each containing a filling related to that country’s cuisine. Included are India (Cheese Currydog), Germany (German Potato), Italy (tomato sauce, cheese, tuna, corn, and a sausage), France (Almond Chocolate), France II (Strawberry Millefeuille), and USA (Sweet Potato).

The report notes that The Taiyaki has recently opened a branch in Singapore.

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

Illegal Garbage Dumping in Japan

The operator of a pet funeral business in Saitama prefecture has been arrested for illegally dumping the bodies of dead pets along a deserted mountain road:

According to nearby residents and former clients, Abe started his pet funeral service about 10 years ago. A pet funeral, which takes about 10 minutes, costs about 30,000 yen, they said. An advertisement in a telephone book said Abe’s company provides a range of services from storing the carcass to entombment. The advertisement also said a cremation costs upward of 5,000 yen, and that the company has a crematory.

The police were tipped off in early March that many dead dogs and cats had been dumped. They collected about 100 dead animals and about 660 kilograms of bones and other body parts on March 26 and March 31. Investigators identified the owner of one animal after an address was found on a piece of cloth. The police then learned that the owner had asked Abe to perform the funeral for the pet.

A security camera installed by the Hanno municipal government near the site caught a man resembling Abe throwing away garbage bags. The police have been analyzing the footage.

A majority of the animals were purebreds, such as Maltese and Siberian Huskies. Some of the pets were wearing ribbons and clothes.

Some hunters have reported that they had found dead cats and dogs in the area over “the past five or six years,” with garbage bags turning up “almost every week” during some periods, according to the police.

As you can see from the above news clip, the road is pretty much empty because most drivers prefer the tunnel that was built to replace it. Because of its lack of traffic, people have used it as a place to take garbage and dump it illegally instead of paying required disposal fees. Despite the fact that many “dumping prohibited” signs and a surveillance camera have been placed along the road, the reporter finds some recently abandoned garbage and a few bones that may have belonged to pets.

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

Protect Your Teeth From Snipers

A slightly amusing Japanese commercial for Recaldent:

You can watch a “making of” feature here.

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