Archive for January, 2011

Japanese Girl Explains Titantic

YouTuber Japanarchist asks his friend Mika to provide an English language summary of the movie “Titantic”:

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Video: Capturing a Renegade Monkey

Dramatic footage of Lucky the renegade monkey being re-captured after escaping from a zoo:

The man who tackled Lucky got some scrapes on his face, apparently from the concrete and not from the monkey’s teeth or nails.

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South Korean Soccer Player Mocks “Japanese Monkeys”

South Korean soccer player Ki Sung-Yueng (aka David Ki and Ki Sung-Yong) has drawn some attention for a little performance he put on after scoring a penalty kick vs. Japan in a 2011 Asia Cup semi-final match:

The gesture has been interpreted in both Japan and Korea as an intentional mockery of the Japanese. Apparently Koreans sometimes insult the Japanese by referring to them as monkeys [倭猿?].

After Korea lost the match, Ki was interviewed about the monkey performance. He claimed it had no particular meaning. However, messages later posted on his Twitter account stated that he had been angered by the sight of rising sun flags in the stadium. He also wrote something about how being a Korean was more important than being a soccer player. Both tweets have been interpreted as defenses of his monkey act.

This morning’s Sankei Sports newspaper states that there is a possibility that FIFA could deal out some kind of punishment to Ki if it is ruled that his actions were indeed meant to insult the Japanese.

Update: The Japan Football Association has decided not to file any official complaints about the incident.

Here is a helpful timeline:

1. Ki does his monkey act.
2. After the game, Korean reporters, who have interpreted his act as an intentional mockery of Japan, ask him about it. He refuses to explain the meaning of the act.
3. Ki posts tweets about being angry at the Japanese rising sun flags that some fans brought to the stadium. He also tweets about thinking of himself as Korean first, and a soccer player second.
4. Tweets seem to confirm it was an anti-Japanese gesture. This triggers more media attention and there is is talk of official punishment.
5. Ki suddenly produces a story about how his monkey act was aimed at fans of Scotland’s St Johnstone FC, who taunted him in November 2010 by making monkey noises. You see, it wasn’t actually a reference to the familiar “Japanese monkey” slur – it was really a message to a small group of Scottish fans who had mocked him 3 months ago. ( Surely those racist fans must have been watching a Japan vs. Korea soccer match! )
6. JFA accepts Ki’s convoluted explanation, does not file complaint.

Prior to Ki’s “I did it to mock racist people in Scotland” excuse, some Korean netizens had been defending Ki’s actions by explaining that the Japanese provoked him. These photos, which were taken that day at the stadium, show the “provocative” behavior of Japanese fans:

In the top picture we can see the Japanese Naval Ensign. The bottom picture shows several Japanese fans wearing Kim Yu-na masks.

Update II: The above photographs were not even taken at the match in question! Korean netizens (and the media) are using a photo from a match against the Netherlands and the Kim Yu-na masks are from October 2010.

So far, there is no photographic evidence that Japanese fans even had a rising sun flag in the stadium!

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Plastic Surgery Questions Anger K-Pop Group

Japanese comedy duo Oriental Radio seem to have offended the members of Korean pop group Girl’s Day by asking them too many questions about plastic surgery:

Although the clip doesn’t contain any direct denial of having plastic surgery, some disclaimer text at the bottom of the screen denies it for them.

[via Girl's Day Daily]

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Reopening Akihabara’s Pedestrian Paradise

The main street of Tokyo’s Akihabara area was turned into a pedestrian-only zone on Sunday, it is the first time that the “Pedestrian Paradise” has been opened since the June 2008 truck/knife attack that left seven people dead:

Around 150 people comprising ward officials, residents and members of the local shopping district association participated in patrolling the pedestrian zone. I was troubled to see that many of them were senior citizens living in the area. Wouldn’t collaboration among people from just one age group impose a great burden and make ongoing efforts more difficult? Winning over younger people seems to be one of the group’s more urgent challenges.

The approximately 230 people — including members of police and fire departments — involved in running the Jan. 23 pedestrian zone went around reminding people that street performances and bicycle-riding were prohibited. However, there seemed to be a gap in attitude between the local resident community, which has set up 50 security cameras and established self-imposed rules and restrictions, and pedestrians who come for the pedestrian zone and take safety for granted.

Some pedestrians were displeased with the presence of those in uniform and the new restrictions against performances. “The sight of so many police officers is intimidating and puts a damper on the mood,” complained one. Others said that they were disappointed that no street performances were going on.

As the clip from NTV notes, 50 CCTV cameras have been set up in the area since 2008.

It is unclear how banning street performances and spending a lot of tax money on security cameras would prevent another attack from a crazy person.

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Buying Fake Brand Bags in Korea

NTV shows us some footage of police in South Korea raiding an apartment that was used to sell fake brand bag:

When the raid took place there were a couple Japanese tourists shopping inside the apartment. It is illegal to bring counterfeit brand bags into Japan, but tourists just can’t seem to pass up on the chance to buy fakes for one-tenth the price of an authentic bag.

The proprietor of the shop told police that almost all of his customers were Japanese, and he would get them to come to his shop by approaching them on the street and saying, “I’ve got fakes.”

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