Matt Harding’s Japanese Visa Commercial (Summer 2011)
Matt Harding of “Where the Hell is Matt?” fame has a new Visa card commercial in Japan:
Much like his previous Japanese commercial, they seem to have edited the video to add random Japanese people to footage of Matt dancing by himself.
- Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
Categories: Japanese TV
Space Shuttle Silliness
As part of its coverage of the last Space Shuttle launch, NTV’s “Bankisha” put a space suit on one of its anchors and built a life-sized fake cockpit in their studio:
Included in the excerpt is footage of Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata‘s reaction to the launch. The clip ends with a very energetic katakana-style “thank you.”
- Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
Categories: Odd / Strange
I Am Maru: Famous YouTube Cat’s Book Gets American Release
The blogger owner of famous YouTube cat Maru is releasing an English language version of her I am Maru Photo book and DVD:
…here comes an American version of the book I Am Maru, by owner/personal videographer mugumogu, previously published in Japan. It’s due Aug. 23 from William Morrow ($15.99). The U.S. version also features “a special edition inside jacket poster.”
If you’re unfamiliar with Maru, here are a recent videos:
And an NHK news report about Maru:
- Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
Categories: Animal Videos, Books
Takanoyama – Czech Sumo Wrestler
The Asahi Shimbun has an article today about Takanoyama Shuntaro (Pavel Bojar), the first man from the Czech Republic to become a professional sumo wrestler in Japan.
Since his debut in 2001, Takanoyama had been stuck in the lower ranked divisions of the sport, not rising above the makushita level. His situation improved after the recent match-fixing scandal. A bunch of higher-ranked wrestlers were banned because of their involvement in the scandal, opening up promotion opportunities to wrestlers who had not been caught cheating. Takanoyama was promoted to the second-highest division:
Recently promoted to the rank of juryo after 10 years in Japan, Takanoyama tips the scales at 107 kilograms, finally breaking the 100-kg barrier, and stands 187 centimeters. While that hardly makes him a lightweight compared with most people, in the sumo world, which is rife with guys carrying 180 kg or more, he stands out for his lack of girth. One wrestler, Georgia’s Gagamaru, weighs nearly twice as much as Takanoyama.
“I also think of myself as too slim for a rikishi,” said Takanoyama, who relies on his quickness and superb throwing techniques in the dohyo. “I was able to become a sekitori thanks to the stablemaster (former yokozuna Takanosato) and okami-san (the stablemaster’s wife) who have offered me special dishes and special snacks at night. You should be faster and more springy, and need more muscles as an athlete. If you don’t bring out your maximum strength right off the initial faceoff, you cannot win in sumo.”
Takanoyama looks big by himself, but when he faces off against other sumo wrestlers, he looks way too small to defeat his opponents. He really has to work hard to beat the bigger guys. Here’s a clip from 2008 that shows him taking down a wrestler who weighed more than 200 kilograms:
Other examples can be found here and here.
- Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
Categories: Foreigners in Japan
Japan Establishes Military Base in Africa
Japan’s Self-Defense Forces have set up a base in Djibouti:
Set up in June, the base in Djibouti city is the first full-fledged overseas SDF base equipped with a maintenance hangar for P-3C patrol aircraft.
The government hopes the base will play a key role in international cooperation for peace in the Middle East and Africa. The base, located north of Djibouti-Ambouli Airport, has a command headquarters, accommodation for SDF personnel, a dining hall, gym and bath house, and cost about 4.7 billion yen to construct.
As part of the SDF’s antipiracy activities, two SDF vessels have been providing escorts to commercial ships and P-3C airplanes have conducted patrols since 2009.
The SDF formerly used a U.S. base located south of the airport as its operational base. The new base will enable SDF personnel to be based in Djibouti for longer periods.
Djibouti’s ambassador to Japan has said that his country welcomes the Japanese military presence:
“While the number of pirate attacks has been decreasing, it is still a big problem. We believe the presence of Japan in Djibouti will help the situation, and we would also like to develop a win-win partnership with Japan,” Araita Ali said during a recent interview with The Japan Times.
- Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
Categories: General Japan
Video: A Well-Trained Cat
Meet Leon, a cat in Shizuoka prefecture with the remarkable ability to differentiate between similar sounding words:
Leon knows that he can only eat from his bowl after his master says, “yoshi!” (alright). He will only eat when he hears that word. If he hears a similar word, such as “Yoshiko” or “Yoshikawa,” he will not eat.
Leon also understands other commands: “suwari” (sit) and “house” (go to your cage).
- Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
Categories: Animal Videos