Archive for August, 2010

Practicing English With Nicolas Cage

Nicolas Cage’s promotional tour for “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” had him appear briefly on last night’s episode of “Za! Sekai Gyoten News,” where he got to speak English with the other guests:

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Miss Universe Japan 2010 Maiko Itai

Miss Universe Japan 2010 Maiko Itai poses in her “national costume”:

The costume is a big more modest than the one used in the 2009 competition, which some Japanese called a “national disgrace” because of its trashy underwear-flashing design:

The winner of this year’s competition will be announced on August 23th.

Which Japan costume do you prefer?

• 2009 [Pink Panties]
• 2010 [Giant Fan]

View Results

For a look at the other countries’ 2010 costumes, check out this link.

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Hyper Speed Finger Snapping

ATV’s “Nanikore” finds Daisuke Ebihara, a guy who can snap his fingers 12 times in a single second (6 snaps per hand):

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Al Jazeera: Japan Rice Cultivation ‘in Danger’

Al Jazeera English reports on the state of rice farming in Japan:

The dramatic rice fields of Japan are a powerful feature of its landscape and cultural heritage.

But the age old practice of cultivation is in danger.

The lure of city life is draining the countryside of its youth, and farmers are finding it more and more difficult to harvest their crops.

But there are small signs of hope.

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Say Goodbye to the Business Japanese Proficiency Test (BJT)

The Business Japanese Proficiency Test (BJT) will be discontinued at the end of this fiscal year:

We regret to announce the discontinuance of BJT, Business Japanese Proficiency Test, from the year of 2011, following the decision made by our board of directors after its discussion. We thank all the past applicants and the parties concerned for the kind support they made so far to this test.

Please note that the 22nd BJT scheduled on the November 21th this year will be held as planned.

2010 August 2nd
The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation

According to the Mainichi, the test had been failing to turn a profit for years now, and a move to privatize it in 2009 failed to solve the problem. Since the current owners of the test cannot rely on government subsidies, they have killed the test.

This is a somewhat unfortunate development. The far more popular Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) can test general Japanese language ability, but it does not focus very much on the formal business Japanese.

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Contest: Win Tickets to Greater Tuna

The Tokyo International Players are putting on another performance, and like some of their previous shows, they are offering a pair of free tickets to readers of this site. Here are some details about the contest:

Tokyo International Players Second Stage is giving away a free pair of tickets to Japan Probe readers to see GREATER TUNA.

To enter, send an e-mail to greatertunatokyo@gmail.com with “GREATER TUNA” in the “subject” line, before Thursday, September 2nd at 6pm is the deadline. Include your name and telephone number in the body of the message. Entrants must be over 16 yrs of age.

The tickets are for ***SPECIFY PERFORMANCE DATE AND TIME***, winners will be notified by e-mail.

Please note that this will be taking place in Tokyo, so if you don’t plan to already be in Japan at the time of the performances, do not enter this contest.

Here is their general press release about “Greater Tuna”:

TOKYO INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS SECOND STAGE PRESENTS “GREATER TUNA”

Written by Joe Sears, Jaston Williams and Ed Howard
Directed by Andrew Martinez
Starring Bob Werley and Charlie Lent

Greater Tuna premiered in 1982 and quickly became one of the most widely-produced plays in the United States. An uproarious satire on rural American mores, the play is set in Texas’ third-smallest town — where the Lion’s Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. The wacky backwater characters, who number twenty in total, are portrayed on the stage by just two actors, making this quick-change comedy even more fascinating and funny. Greater Tuna has to be seen to be believed!

Last year, TIP Second Stage produced Greater Tuna in its intimate, black box space to tremendous audience response. This encore production features Bob Werley reprising his roles, joined by TIP veteran Charlie Lent. Andrew Martinez is returning as director. You don’t want to miss it the second time around!

Andrew Martinez (Director): “Greater Tuna is such a hilarious show I felt Tokyoites deserved another chance to see it. This time around I cast the show as it was originally performed, with two males playing 10 roles each. It adds another dimension with a more diversified chemistry. Hope y’all can come on down and see the show!”

September 3, 4, 5 & 10, 11, 12 at Our Space Theater:
All shows 7 pm Reserved tickets cost 2,000 yen, tickets at the door are 2,500 yen.
Admission includes one free drink.

Reservations can be made by sending an e-mail to amartinez@tokyoplayers.org with
date of the show and number of tickets required. Visit the Greater Tuna Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109937582394177

The venue, Our Space, is located off the north side of Koshu Kaido street, a three-minute
walk from Hatagaya Station, or a five-minute taxi from Shinjuku Station’s south exit.
Our Space

Toei Shopping Center 101
Hatagaya 2-1-1 #101
Shibuya-ku
Map: http://www.tokyoplayers.org/?lang=1&page=16

Our Space has a limited capacity, and so reservations are strongly recommended.

Now in its 114th season, TIP is Japan’s oldest English-language community theater
group.

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