Archive for April, 2011

U.S. Marines Clean Up Tsunami-hit Schools

Just found this news video on Japan’s TBS YouTube channel. It shows American marines mopping clean a junior high school in Ishinomaki, a city in Miyagi prefecture that suffered significant damage from the March 11th tsunami:

The tsunami washed a lot of dirt and debris into the school building, but did not wreck the structure. Without a lot of cleaning, it would have been impossible to re-open the school. Thanks to American military manpower, the school year will be able to begin in mid-April.

The Japan Times has a short article up about the clean-up. Here’s an excerpt:

The team was joined by around 120 students, teachers and volunteers, as well as personnel from the Self-Defense Forces. The U.S. servicemen and women are also scheduled to help remove mud and debris at more schools in the city.

“We feel for your loss and also for the tragedy that happened. In general, we’ve been very impressed with the spirit of the Japanese people,” 1st Lt. Sean McMahon from Camp Fuji in Shizuoka Prefecture said. “We are very excited to help out and get people back on their feet.”

Near the entrance of the school building where there were rows of shoe boxes, Maj. Chris Robertson from Honolulu was overseeing work by U.S. Marines to clear away the debris and mud.

“It’s an honor to help,” said Robertson, who has been working in devastated areas in the Tohoku region for a week.

According to Stars and Stripes, the U.S. Marine Corps is available to do more work and is seeking a greater role in aid operations. Up until now, they’ve been taking all their orders from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, and it seems it will take some time for them to develop a better working relationship that facilitates efficient use of available resources.

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Dog Barks Quietly

A Shiba inu named Mame tones down his barks to receive a treat:

An English translation of the master’s instructions, provided by YouTuber commenter goosonesq:

そんなんやったかな？ – can you do it again?

それでええのん？ – you got it?

もっと小さくやろ？ – can you do it quietly?

もっともっともっと小さく – no no even quieter

かわいーく – now do it cute

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Small Anti-Nuclear Protests in Tokyo

A video clip shows police arresting a few people who were participating in an anti-nuclear protest in front of the offices of Tokyo Electric Power Company:

The uploader of the video alleges that the protesters were not violating any laws, so the arrests were bogus:

“The security police suddenly attack while demonstrating as the nuclear power plant is opposite, “Violation of the public peace ordinance” is concocted, and the phony collar of three students.
Demonstrators arrived in front of the Tokyo Electric Power Company headquarters and the event of only about ten seconds.”

According to an article by Kyodo, the protest was organized by Zengakuren, an extreme left-wing group with a history of violent clashes with Japanese police. Authorities say the arrests took place because protesters were intentionally holding up their march to block the street. Arrests were made after warnings from the police were ignored.

Here is a video from the same uploader, showing part of the protest that did not involve a clash with police:

And here’s a slightly longer video from another YouTube user, reportedly showing a demonstration that took place on March 27th:

The description for the video says that approximately 1,200 people participated in the protest.

Related story: An anti-nuclear protester was arrested after ramming a sound truck through the gates of the Fukushima Daini power plant.

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Ueno Zoo Pandas Make Public Debut

After an earthquake-related delay, the public can now finally see Ueno Zoo’s new pandas:

Both pandas were housed at the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in Sichuan when a magnitude-7.8 quake struck about 180 kilometers (110 miles) away on May 12, 2008, killing almost 70,000 and leaving millions homeless.

Shin Shin, the female, and Ri Ri arrived in Tokyo on Feb. 21, just 18 days before a magnitude-9.0 quake and tsunami devastated northeastern Japan, leaving almost 28,000 dead or missing and a nuclear power plant crippled and leaking radiation.

“These are two very rare pandas, to have experienced both of the earthquakes,” said Tetsurou Nogami, a Tokyo metropolitan government official responsible for the zoo. “They were nervous right after the earthquake, but lately they’ve become very energetic and have good appetites.”

Disclaimer: The photo at the top of this post is not actually a panda. It is a screen capture from this bizarre MegWin joke video:

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Emperor & Empress Visit Disaster Victims

A video news report of Japan’s emperor and empress visiting a shelter and talking with victims of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami:

“Are the children alright? I’m sure they will be delighted to see each other when school restarts (in April),” Emperor Akihito said to Kenji Ukido, 34, a teacher at a school for disabled children in Fukushima Prefecture and one of the evacuees at the shelter.

When Ukido replied that all of the school’s students survived the disaster, the Emperor showed a relieved expression on his face and said, “I’m glad to hear that.”

According to sources close to the Imperial Household Agency, the Imperial couple has a strong desire to visit areas affected by the disaster to encourage local residents and reward those working to restore the region, but is refraining from doing so in order not to interfere with ongoing rescue operations or the situation at the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima.

Also included in the video is footage of a similar visit that the Imperial couple made to Kobe following the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.

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The AC Robo Meme: Cute Characters Become Badass Battle Robots

A few days ago a couple Japanese netizens posted transforming robot parodies of AC Japan’s happy greeting PSAs. Since then, the “AC Robo” meme has taken off, spawning awesome fighting robot versions of almost every mascot character that appears in the commercial.

Here are a few that I’ve found on YouTube.

Great Arigato-usagi:

Great Konban-wani:

Konban-wani alternative version:

The boy and girl combine their powers to form a super robot:

A combination of several robos, plus an epic animated showdown between Arigato-usagi and Itadaki-mouse:

Konnichi-wan Dynamic version:

Super Sayona-lion:

Alternative versions of Sayona-lion:

Eternal Sayona-lion:

Ultimate Oyasumina-sai

Hyper Ohayo-unagi:

Sonic Tadai-manbou:

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