Books

Everybody Dies

Japanese YouTube celebrity Ken Tanaka has written a children’s book:

Hi probers,
Happy and Merry Everything.

I just wanted to let you know that…

I am announcing the release of a self published paperback version of my book “Everybody Dies- A Children’s Book for Grownups” today

Please pass on the website to anyone who you think might like it.

http://everybodydiesbook.com/

To enter a contest to win a free copy of the book, check out this video.

And in case you missed it, here is Ken Tanaka & Takeo’s Japanese song ニートの叫び Scream of Slacker:

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Norwegian Wood T-Shirts

Haruki Murakami’s “Norwegian Wood” is being turned into a movie, and now, thanks to Uniqlo, it will be a t-shirt too:

Fast Retailing-owned casual wear chain operator Uniqlo is selling a new batch of T-shirts commemorating the film adaptation of the 1987 literary work, according to a company news release. The cotton tee design depicts various scenes from the novel, a story set in the 1960s about a sensitive university student’s tribulations of love and loss. There are nine pictures printed on the front as well as the title. The shirts, which went on sale earlier this week, are available for 1,500 yen ($18) at the select Uniqlo outlets in Japan and online. The film opens in Japan Dec. 11.

The retail chain is also throwing in an extra goody to Murakami devotees: a discount off the admission ticket to go watch the film. Adult theatergoers receive a 300 yen markdown and students and children tickets are 200 yen off.

The trailer, if you haven’t heard about the film yet:

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• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

The Ainu and the Bear

There’s a very neat article in the Hokkaido Shimbun (Japanese) about a group called Project U-e-peker. The members of the Project have been working hard to translate books so that Ainu culture accessible to an international audience.

Their latest release is “The Ainu and the Bear,” and English translation of a children’s picture book about Iomante. As part of the effort to increase international awareness of the Ainu, 150 copies of the book have been donated to libraries in the United States and Canada.

[Note: At the time of this posting, Amazon.co.jp claimed to only have 2 remaining copies available for order. If you visit the link and it's sold out, try ordering it directly from the publisher.]

[hat tip to 空]

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• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Interviewing Former Kamikaze Pilots

Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, the author of Danger’s Hour: The Story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze Pilot Who Crippled Her, discusses his experiences interviewing surviving kamikaze pilots (and how he annoyed the heck out of both his interpreters and the pilots – AUDIO ONLY-):

You can watch/listen to the full interview here.

A note to the interpreter who quit because Mr. Kennedy made him ask for extra ketchup at McDonald’s: You are a lazy bastard. McDonald’s Japan is always okay with responding to requests for extra ketchup packs, and I’ve seen Japanese people ask for it. If you’re worried about having to ask twice, ask for a specific number of packs (四つ should be enough).

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