The 'real' Japan continues to elude NY Times reporters

The 'real' Japan continues to elude filmmakers
New York Times- Feb 4 ---In the climactic battle of Kill Bill Vol. 1, Quentin Tarantino's bloody revenge flick, O-Ren Ishii, the kimono-clad yakuza chieftess played by Lucy Liu, turns to Uma Thurman's blonde, blue-eyed Bride, and caustically remarks: "Silly Caucasian girl likes to play with samurai swords." The Bride turns out to be pretty good with her blade, but the sentiment might well be an epigraph for this season of subtitles and samurai. Blogarama

Soon to be Chinese-replaced
Honda workers to demand record-high bonus of 6.6 months salary
(Kyodo) - Feb 4, 12:08 pm - - - The labor union of Honda Motor Co. will demand a record-high annual bonus equivalent to 6.6 months salary during this year's spring wage negotiations, union members said Wednesday.

My answer to Bowling for Columbine

"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass."

- Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (1884-1943) Commander in Chief of the Japanese Navy.

Janet Jackson has Just a Little out
Janet Jackson has another, um, single out
Feb. 4, 2004 12:00 AM--- Proving there's no such thing as bad publicity, Virgin Records digitally delivered Janet Jackson's new track, Just a Little]...

Via the "Qazmon blog at livejournal, give you X-BOX pizza! Please note that in Japanese, "X-BOX" is pronounced Batsu Box, which means NO-GOOD BOX, hee, hee.

Blogarama

Get's hobby!

Over at Lee's blog http://www.lee-chapman.com/tokyo_times/2004/02/oh_dear.html he observed:

"I don?t know whether you are aware of it or not, but groping on trains is not exactly uncommon in Japan. It?s so prevalent in fact, that it could almost be viewed as a hobby....
This is when 47 year-old Mitsuru Nagasaki stepped up to join the fray. Kindly taking it upon himself to help a group of falsely accused men. Now the only problem with this is that he has gone and got himself a suspended six month prison sentence.
And for what? Surreptitiously taking a photograph up the skirt of a woman sitting opposite him on the subway. That?s what.

All I can add is that the "standard" (inane) question that all Japanese are required by law to ask aliens is: "What is your hobby?"
I always have answered, "CHIKAN desu." (Molester)...Not one Japanese in 20+ years balked at that hobby. Go figure.

Blogarama

Gets
Caption: "Fancy Pants Nick and Anzai gettin' jiggy with it" Via http://www.35degrees.com/PhotoPages/summer_parties.html Blogarama

Let's Contented!
Sheesh. Zombies are generally very "contented".

This 21st-Century Japan, More Contented Than Driven

New York Times - Feb 3 ... young Japanese who take odd jobs to make just enough money to enjoy their personal interests or choose their way of life. The stress of competing inside Japan, let alone as part of a country competing against a visibly, and to some, frighteningly, hungry China, is furthest from their minds. ....Indeed, "soothing" is a key word nowadays. This year's popular car color is a soothing beige. A popular boyfriend is the soothing type, one who will relieve a woman's anxieties.... ....Kiichi Miyazawa, a former prime minister, pointed out in an interview that Japan thought of itself as a great power only once in its history, in the decades leading up to World War II, when Japan ruled swaths of Asia and eventually attacked Pearl Harbor. "Japan wanted to compete, and did it fully," Mr. Miyazawa said. "Only we failed and gave up."

Drome Heads Happy Kids
I WANNA GO. Let's be Dome Kid!!!

Mt. Fuji radar to begin new life as education facility

Kyodo - Wednesday Feb 04 5:41 AM SGT ---
The so-called "Radar Dome," once known as fortress housing typhoon radar atop Mt. Fuji, will begin its new life as an educational facility in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, from this spring.

'Nipple-gate' destroys the F'ed Gaijin Forum

Since 'Nipple-gate' has destroyed the F'ed Gaijin Forum I must start up a new blog.

Nipple-gate' makes history
The Age, Australia - 4 Feb
Pop star Justin Timberlake's baring of Janet Jackson's breast in front of nearly 100 million US viewers has become one of the most watched television moments in history, industry players said today. ...