Sasuke

Exxxaaaaaaaamsssss! Now thats overs lets have some fun! Sorry there hasn't been a post for a while. Here is a show I loved watching in Japan called Sasuke and someone has been kind enough to youtube it for us. This show is simply amazing, the feats of strength these guys perform is mind blowing. The show is based around contestants going through an obstacle course as fast as they can so they can beat a timer. Enough said, you have to watch it, it's nail bitting stuff! One thing I love about this show is that all of the competitors get behind each other and feel each others pain if they don't succeed. It's truly amazing to watch and refreshing from the backstabing and ploting we are used to on western TV. Here are 3 vidoes featuring round 1. If you would like to see some more just leave a request in the comments section and I'll post round 2. Enjoy!

Japanese Art - Kenji Yanobe

In February 2002 I had the pleasure of seeing the Neo-Tokyo exibition at the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art. One of the small instillations featured artist Kenji Yanobe and I fell in love with his work.
Fast forward to August 2003, I spent a sleepless night in a hallway at the Toji-an Guest House. My room was booked out to somebody else during the Daimonji festival. I left in a huff demanding a refund and headed of to Osaka after falling through the bathroom floor. While waiting for the train to come I read a copy of the Japan Times and I stumble across Kenji Yanobes exhibition at the old expo centre in Osaka. If it were not for the above sequence of events I would have never known about it, so I guess I should forgive the Toji-an guest house for their error.
So I headed of to the exhibition centre after leaving my luggage at a new, clean hotel. I had no sleep but it didn't stop me. This time I got to see his complete works with the added bonus of me being the only person there. To this day it is one of my greatest memories of Japan.
You can view some of Kenji Yanobe's work at this web site Yanobe Kenji Art Works . His work is a comment on the affects of the post oppocalyptic nuclear world. Although the subject matter is quite heavy the art work also reflects Japanese cute culture and manga based on the works of Osamu Tezuka. His Atom Suit project being a direct link to Tezuka's influence. His style is most definately unique and walking around his exhibition I felt like he had transormed me to another world. I rounded the day off buying some posters of his works and a model of his Atom car.

Laughing at themselves

Check this out, it's pretty funny.



Those of you reading this on facebook can find the original post at www.j-culture.blogspot.com

Hiroshima, Fukuoka, J-POP

Hi everyone,

I've added a few more links today. I have two websites Get Hiroshima and Fukuoka Now added to the travel links. These two web sites are chock full of information about Hiroshima and Fukuoka naturally. Here you can find information about bars, attractions, restaurants etc. If you planning a vist to Hiroshima or Fukuoka I would have a little peek here first to get some inside info. Both sites are continually updated so you know the information your getting is current and accurate.

Lastly I've added for the J-POP fans, (are there any out there?) a site called Video Uncovered. This site has all the latest J-POP charts and videos so you can keep up to date with all the latest releases. Yes there is more to J-POP than dodgy anime themes! After going through the charts you'll soon discover that Japanese music is just as diverse as any other country.

As usuall all links have been added to the right for your convenience.

All people reading this on Facebook please visit www.j-culture.blogspot.com the orginal source of this post.

Japanorama

Hmmmm....... here are a few postings of the show Japanorama from youtube. The show originaly aired on BBC Choice in England in 2002 and tries to cover various aspects of Japanese culture from science fiction, sex, crime, otaku, gaijin and much more. I would say watch this show but take it with a very large grain of salt. The host Jonathan Ross delivers a very watered down, misinformed poorly research and mispronounced view of Japanese culture. It's almost as if he is presenting what people expect to see about Japan. It's a tired old worn out path to pick only the bizare aspects of Japanese culture and poke fun at them. Still in saying that, the interviews with the Japanese people are informative and should be paid attention to. One positive aspect of the show is that it introduces you visually to Japan, you get to walk the streets, see the art, architecture, food etc of Japan. Those that are interested in Japan should use this show only as a stepping stone into Japanese culture and under no circumstances should you repeat Ross' mangled Japanese, you won't be understood. Those that have lived in Japan will know what I'm on about. Two new seasons have been created in 2006 and this year (2007 in case you weren't sure when I wrote this). Any way episode 1 is below, it's in 3 parts.

Tokyo VR Project

Here's an interesting site I've come across, it's a virtual tour of some parts of Tokyo. If you haven't been to Tokyo and want to see what all the hype is about, miss Tokyo or want to show someone around then this site is the perfect place to while away a few hours and wander around from the comfort of your PC.

The site uses Quicktime VR and gives you a 360 degree panoramic view of the area you wish to visit. I had a wander around Asakusa shrine and showed my girlfiend what I did there when I was in Japan last February. As you look around the panoramic image at certain places on the screen the cursor changes and you can click to move further into that area. A map at the bottom gives you a birds eye view of where you are.

You can check out Virtual Tokyo at http://tokyo-vr.com/ , I'll also post this on my links bar on the right.

Penguins, TRain Passes, Ayumi Hamasaki all in a Great Japanese Adventure

Hey, I'm back again with a few more links added to the site to the right. First of is the very useful JR pass site. I've used this pass twice since I've been back in Japan. If you are going to travel long distances in Japan then this is the pass for you. Check with the Hyperdia link to see how much you can save with this pass. I usually save around $300 - $400 AUD each time I'm in Japan.

Are you studying Japanese? Well if your at an intermediate level or need some help with some of the more bizarre or confusing aspects of the Japanese language then Pera Pera Penguin might help. At the most recent count there are 76 lessons to help to turn you into a Japanese language master.

J-POP fans, are there any out there? Well here is one of the best fan sites I've ever seen. Divine Ayu has been running for a few years now and it just can't be beaten in terms of news, lyrics, photo's and other info about Ayumi Hamasaki. Ayumi Hamasaki can be considered the Maddona of Japan, though some have compared her to Britany Spears, I'm yet to see her shave her head and loose the plot completely. Here music style is quite diverse going from ballads, pop, hard rock, trance, eurobeat and house. This is where I go to see when something new is coming out.

Saving the best for last is my mate Justin's blog The Great Japanese Adventure. This was linked on my old site but it's worth a plug again as it's a damn good read. I've had the pleasure of being part of his great adventure a couple of times in my return visits to Japan. Those of you wanting to teach English in Japan will find a brutally honest account of life abroad in Japan as a language exchange teacher which will give you a great insight into what to expect for life in Japan.

Enjoy!