tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-144175382024-03-07T12:58:34.782-10:00Kakure GaijinThe title of this blog means "Hidden foreigner." I'm a specialist in Japanese culture in search of the kitschy, the garish, the strange and occasionally the important.Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-14848461215783198322008-08-03T06:30:00.016-10:002008-08-06T01:31:16.258-10:00Nighttime peace gathering at Hiroshima<div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_pho8gXbBswKZiFafaVSAHZeE4mDvVCSQELZzzUSac_Cq9FpZ6vm6xGYD-TOQJB__0dXNBVCaJBdwrFYV9OJwEKDYCah10jE45-GTYoSRF2iG8JHp3EvJkHfuJNR4zddkDvphg/s1600-h/peace-park-gathering-2007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231361425512810418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_pho8gXbBswKZiFafaVSAHZeE4mDvVCSQELZzzUSac_Cq9FpZ6vm6xGYD-TOQJB__0dXNBVCaJBdwrFYV9OJwEKDYCah10jE45-GTYoSRF2iG8JHp3EvJkHfuJNR4zddkDvphg/s320/peace-park-gathering-2007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpiJpAHOEmH6PJDD_ormkJd4mmCSCbFLq9f7RL8wfJRZTTo7Wyq16Ik8n16RyA5ouytwWGici75AY9IYvaEzxhJlgiqVuyz_UJIgHy14SdabX_MalpfVuVb00JGOoaSZ6bhV2dtQ/s1600-h/DSCF0245.JPG"></a><strong>Small crowd at unofficial nighttime commemoration, 6 Aug 2007</strong><br /><div align="left"><br />Here I am back in Hiroshima, year 2008. It is hard to believe that three years has passed since I last started this blog. Time does go by when one is busy. I stopped writing this blog because of work and personal commitments. Occasionally, I would receive an email from a stranger asking about when this blog would start again, or else I received some positive feedback from students, and this made me wonder if I should start blogging again.<br /><br />So, yes, I will blog again and reactivate this after a long hiatus. I don`t think I will blog on a regular basis, as it is just too time consuming to write. I will, however, blog on an rare occasion. This is one of them, in order to fulfil a promise I made.<br /><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTauiR5FMbH2Qf8GOST-aCReb3tok_MlplrXxqyCsGqPJyFpuRQgoMsAGCYFC2_jsLPXynrf-TzH-ZBqvuL6eaBit-ACyM4aOyCxIkAaX8zIY455R_3a-BeIfD9QVVb9XEPCnxA/s1600-h/DSCF5898.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231073682069058562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTauiR5FMbH2Qf8GOST-aCReb3tok_MlplrXxqyCsGqPJyFpuRQgoMsAGCYFC2_jsLPXynrf-TzH-ZBqvuL6eaBit-ACyM4aOyCxIkAaX8zIY455R_3a-BeIfD9QVVb9XEPCnxA/s320/DSCF5898.JPG" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"></a><strong>Me somewhere in Shanghai, 2006. I am aggressively pushing a Chinese tourist away from me to keep him from jumping into my picture. Happened to me a lot until I learned to assert myself.<br /></strong></p><div align="left"><br />You see, in 2006, I was just back from a trip to China. I was tired, and recuperating in Hiroshima. It is amazing how after the culture shock of China, being unable to speak in Chinese (although I did meet a lot of cool people, both Chinese and my fellow American travelers), Japan seemed safe and comfy. I was tired saying for the 100th time in Chinese that I did not speak Chinese or understand Chinese (wo bu dong hanyuu) until I realized that by saying this in Chinese I was contradicting myself and sending mixed messages to the Chinese people. Before I say anything else, I want to state for the record that the Chinese were gracious hosts, and I was impressed by their kindness and hospitality. China`s long term strength is its people and their energy and ambition, not just their sheer numbers.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cY2z40b5TttChT59iPfr1EFWF3_gvo_L78fw9gPWX7mBjnlWzHbnkkV9dr4MFQ9nyAsPduHwKYtwX4eXGfmZuAQBglEcqzhh4gaf4f1dCKaGBsN5zBOmNh58gY-L0S24Qb0zOQ/s1600-h/Peace-park-night-2007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231360349045506018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cY2z40b5TttChT59iPfr1EFWF3_gvo_L78fw9gPWX7mBjnlWzHbnkkV9dr4MFQ9nyAsPduHwKYtwX4eXGfmZuAQBglEcqzhh4gaf4f1dCKaGBsN5zBOmNh58gY-L0S24Qb0zOQ/s320/Peace-park-night-2007.jpg" border="0" /></a> <strong>Crowd at the Memorial for A-bomb victims laying wreaths at night (Aug 6, 2007)</strong><br /><br /><div align="left">Anyway, I so tired from my China trip that I missed the a-bomb commemoration on Aug 6. I also was too slow in getting up for the floating lantern festival, and so when I arrived at Peace park at 9:45 pm, the crowd had dissipated, and the lantern floating stopped.<br /><br />Now I had heard rumors over the expat grapevine, that there was an unofficial “underground” gathering behind the baseball stadium across the A-bomb dome. Music would be played, and although some older Japanese felt this was inappropriate, this type of gathering spoke to the younger crowd and was a more meaningful memorial commemoration. Skeptical, I decided to walk on by on the way home. As I walked into the park behind the baseball stadium, I thought I heard some music playing.<br /><br />“No. It can`t be true” I thought to myself. Intrigued, I kept walking into the darkness.<br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsFQVJd7Dj8f0pL1WHIUEDnRrb2_-Jof-6cfkIAKwvh3I-tDmAZYQEPFa_VTqMhaf02mAG3TlYEAsJnRU87lLBKih0_N14RM2vDT95Kb9HLAciii9yVCXjJuWHWXIJliGN06zcA/s1600-h/crowd-at-party-2007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231361698894920898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsFQVJd7Dj8f0pL1WHIUEDnRrb2_-Jof-6cfkIAKwvh3I-tDmAZYQEPFa_VTqMhaf02mAG3TlYEAsJnRU87lLBKih0_N14RM2vDT95Kb9HLAciii9yVCXjJuWHWXIJliGN06zcA/s320/crowd-at-party-2007.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong> Yes, the rumors are true. There is a nighttime unofficial peace celebration on the night of Aug 6</strong></div><br /><div align="left">And there it was – a small gathering of about 30 Japanese youth dancing in front of a DJ`s turntable. A few non-Japanese were in the mix and they were partying together. This was an enjoyable meeting: I met so many people, and we stayed up and chatted. I met Naoki, the head of “<a href="http://www.myspace.com/3pihiroshima">Sleepyeye</a>” (3pi), a DJ group. To most Japanese, these would be disrespectful punks, having a party on a somber day like this. But to my American eyes, they were anything but disrespectful. Naoki was very friendly and courteous.<br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPVIqVLWNR1kpodKlN0hLF7ZO6x2q-6epMhMg0Vhm7zUujKkek3yvN3Og8XBnkY6r0hag5zrqpHFsArGfnWDkBbLR8Zz5Az7QlqEKcO7IyPUsHz2iOpOUpaYVXXU2qZTtlWpMktw/s1600-h/sleepyeye-2007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231362195491462146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPVIqVLWNR1kpodKlN0hLF7ZO6x2q-6epMhMg0Vhm7zUujKkek3yvN3Og8XBnkY6r0hag5zrqpHFsArGfnWDkBbLR8Zz5Az7QlqEKcO7IyPUsHz2iOpOUpaYVXXU2qZTtlWpMktw/s320/sleepyeye-2007.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong> Naoki (L) of <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=84558299">Sleepyeye</a> ( <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=84558299">3pi</a>). Very outgoing fellow who spoke fluent English!</strong> </div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIaLzrHj6-2qwSQCYt-bBGfkhZteVC7JmR9UzwlBnwSb2OpcX_OwQhD39We7zMoJkM9QNlKPAWbwG7z7BdjxGcUgnyxtQTTMBNghBv00KHrFSBeY7Q2rvm07hr6rSHBAoocf6fA/s1600-h/necklace-2007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231362776709053650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIaLzrHj6-2qwSQCYt-bBGfkhZteVC7JmR9UzwlBnwSb2OpcX_OwQhD39We7zMoJkM9QNlKPAWbwG7z7BdjxGcUgnyxtQTTMBNghBv00KHrFSBeY7Q2rvm07hr6rSHBAoocf6fA/s320/necklace-2007.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"></a></p><p align="center"><strong>Fashionable attendee who was very friendly and showed me her necklace</strong><br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDHGjLxSXS8Csnnm7-W7kr2_KFvEu5ciYpDQYPeHnoyED3PZO37MbegBSdcSm_7ar01DLiyPiMj2ulMqcLzO-zzFgVPHXT06-0AWSyJxlkmuUmjvJvudfS2HBKfgJkKj9utLi8w/s1600-h/peace-sign-2007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231363338964347426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDHGjLxSXS8Csnnm7-W7kr2_KFvEu5ciYpDQYPeHnoyED3PZO37MbegBSdcSm_7ar01DLiyPiMj2ulMqcLzO-zzFgVPHXT06-0AWSyJxlkmuUmjvJvudfS2HBKfgJkKj9utLi8w/s320/peace-sign-2007.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"></a></p><p align="center"><strong>Another stylish attendee. I was amazed - no fights, and they were very friendly to a foreigner like me!</strong> </p><p align="left">The other Japanese in attendance were equally courteous. Here are observations I had from talking to them:<br /><br /></p><div align="left">1) The official memorial event does not resonate with the younger generation. I have been to many Hiroshima memorials and it is all the same – walk to the main ceremony, stand in the heat, and listen to official pronouncements. Then the tolling of bells, and then the doves are released, the child representatives of the city give a peace speech, and then the official peace song. Then people walk around the park. While there is nothing wrong with such activities, and somberness may even be necessary to show the gravity of the atomic bomb, how are you going to attract youth to future meetings? Why would one want to go to future A-bomb memorials if they are so kurai (dark, gloomy)?<br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifps0dOp_MIxeWOwWVUZNdy0s6bmr-u4epBLv1O1VGtYqvmFImvsGGVP8hIepqalynXYHad921rIj3iAM-32a7UmwetgCVWP61Uf5-1x6klQK59AEEFkHP_Ac9ZdoCs16Srbn5Yw/s1600-h/dancer-2007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231364126303369554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifps0dOp_MIxeWOwWVUZNdy0s6bmr-u4epBLv1O1VGtYqvmFImvsGGVP8hIepqalynXYHad921rIj3iAM-32a7UmwetgCVWP61Uf5-1x6klQK59AEEFkHP_Ac9ZdoCs16Srbn5Yw/s320/dancer-2007.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="left"></a><strong>Lots of dancing at this event. And no fights or illegal drugs!</strong><br /><br />2) Despite the underground nature of the event, there were a fair amount of non-Japanese attendees. Also, drinking in public is not a crime in Japan, so there was a lot of beer flowing around. But I did not see any fights or bad attitudes. They were just people dancing and chilling out and having a good time. This event is a good example of how Japanese youth, despite being criticized by their elders for being lazy or disrespectful, are very polite and mellow by American standards.<br /><br />3) The police came and were not happy about the event, but I was amazed by their professionalism and knowledge of human nature. The police in the U.S. would have broken up the party and called in backup to do so. The Japanese police realize the need to persuade people and give them a face saving way out. They came to warn the group, and then when they came back again, they spoke firmly, but non-threateningly, then left. Give people a face-saving way out, and they will obey. Or will this only work in Japan.<br /><br />4) The organizers took pains to make sure they left no trash behind. Yes, after the police came in to shut things down at around 1:00 pm or so, the attendees started picking up trash and making sure that the park was in better condition than before the event. Just amazing to my jaded eyes.<br /><br />I was so impressed that I promised I`d put these pics on the web. And then I lost all my pictures! Yes, the pics are gone along with almost 1,000 other pictures I took in China. It must have happened during a botched data transfer drive I did visit again in the summer of 2007 and took more pics and promised I would put them up. And my work responsibilities took over (committees, grading, planning for the Japan field trip, etc), and putting up this blog post and pics was relegated to the “must do in the future” pile on my desk.<br /><br />So no more procrastinating. Here are some of the pics. If you happen to be in the Hiroshima area on Aug 6, why not come to their “Summer of Love” behind the baseball stadium at night. Come well behaved, and socialize with Japanese. I think this is one of the ways to build world peace – for people of different backgrounds to socialize with each other. at night over a cold beer and good music. Why must peace activities be so somber? For an American, this may be very “sobering,” – to realize that young people just like the ones you are talking to at the party are among those who suffer and die whenever there is unnecessary war and conflict.<br /></p><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">Hiroshima city, are you listening? There are other ways to reach out to Japan`s young people to help spread the message of peace.</div><br /><p></p>Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-86489127193837529572007-07-08T15:56:00.000-10:002007-07-10T19:37:01.086-10:00Going to Japan<div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085808843804072290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU43BM9IqT_1L7zjod7rJ_1iFNMrtc0aqVc8kHLAlc9WFGCOWKun0Yh4gwof1hCNTehE4bAzkH4lN0uFTw0ROFKIrZDoPQWYV5vcOcNuLOLX5vSRetjsQmu2b67dWS05s_5oFZsg/s320/cutie+honey.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />Ayumi (L) and Koda Kumi (R). I downloaded the photo from english.chosun.com<br /><br /><br /></div>Ah, sorry for the delay in posting. It has been one of the most hectic four months in my life. During this timespan, I, with the class I was teaching, helped run America`s second maid cafe at the kawaii-kon anime convention, and then I taught summer school classes at UH Manoa. Then, it`s getting ready for my field trip. Yes, I am taking 16 students to Tokyo, so they too can experience the Japan that I know. You know, the one of kitschy pop culture, like the a replica of the Statue of Liberty in front of the shopping center at Odaiba. Or, the joys of a workingman`s drama called taishu engeki (google it with my name *kakure gaijin* and you`ll see my description. Hopefully, I can get others excited about this Japan and spawn more Japanologists.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anyway, here`s the pop culture tidbit for today. Wanna be a singer? Often, you can find more fame and fortune overseas than in your own backyard. This is a bit dated information, but please let me tell you about Ayumi Lee, a Korean who moved to Japan as a child. She was a member of the girl group Sugar, and last year, as a solo artist, released a cover of Cutie Honey, the theme to a Japanese anime made popular again by Koda Kumi, who did a cover of this song as well. This song became one of the most downloaded songs of the month.<br /><br />Now the irony is that Korean society prides itself on being homogenous and there is an intense pride in being Korean. And on the other hand, there is a fascination with Koreans from outside Korea. It's as if these Koreans are quite exotic and yet Korean enough to be familiar. Daniel Henney is an example of this.<br /><br /><br /><br />Let`s start off with the original anime version of Cutie Honey. This is a strange anime, one of the classics that I have never seen but my wife tells me about. This heroine seems to get naked a lot and this was PRIME TIME FAMILY FARE back in the 1970s!<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY9-AltpAkI<br /><br />A few years ago, Koda Kumi sang a cover of Cutie Honey and it made her famous.<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dffFT80CSTM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dffFT80CSTM</a><br /><br />Now Ayumi Lee, who became popular as a member of the group Sugar, has struck out on her own solo career. It seems that she is playing on her Japanese upbringing to add some exoticism to her image. Koreans who I talk to say that she sings with a thick Japanese accent. Indeed, much criticism was levelled at her, as some thought this song sounded too Japanese, and the video seemed to Japanese influenced.<br /><br />Ayumi singing Cutie Honey<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l3wW-IWNmk<br /><br />She`s a good example of how culture and artists can flow between borders. Technically, she's Korean, as she was born in Korea, and thus should have Korean citizenship. But she was raised in Japan, and I think this adds to her exotic appeal among Korean fans.Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-17210242360102164792007-02-27T15:21:00.000-10:002007-03-03T23:11:46.259-10:00Spider-Man Japanese style!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDh__j3h1qE"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwuS3dC5t54iGK_tuAmeqn5ZoBrUZUvQ1MNweQMZ4G_YlwN3xI68tYRrDu2lUNxfvgCUI2ESDr5tlCOlgYNShf2MSdxKebEmUMqUN7HroJNBwsTipaxLQ2ZutvZOcGS4w94kM0A/s320/spiderman+in+battle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037582917229795762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Japanese version of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Spider-Man</span> (1978)</span><br /></div><br />Someone once told me that the Japanese are good at taking other people's ideas and making them better. Take for instance, cars. We in the U.S. found a way to mass produce them efficiently, making America the car capital of the world for a time. Then the Japanese come along, and learn to make them better and more efficiently. I would beg to differ. Rather, as other scholars have argued, Japanese take other people's ideas, and <span style="font-style: italic;">adapt</span> them to their own culture. What comes out is a new product that bears a resemblance to, but is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">considerably</span> different from the original. We can see the same thing in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Spider-Man</span>.<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/u6WxzgVNF34"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/u6WxzgVNF34" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The American 1967 animated <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Spider-Man</span></span><br />First, let's look at the American version of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Spider-Man</span> I grew up with (I watched lots of reruns in the 1970s of this 1967 cartoon). The best thing about this cartoon was its catchy song. That's about it. Even as a kid, I knew this was trash animation - the producers, in order to save money, constantly reused the same scenes of Spider-Man swinging. And swinging. And swinging. I remember as a grade <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">schooler</span></span>, timing the swinging scenes in an episode where <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Spider-Man</span> is being chased by a giant cat. About half the show consisted of him swinging.<br /><br />BTW, click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne_trVj6SaY">here</a> for a link to the live action 1970s U.S. version of Spiderman. I love the 1970s theme music!<br /><br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gDh__j3h1qE"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gDh__j3h1qE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Japanese 1978 live-action <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Spider-Man<br /></span></span><span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Here's my rough translation of the lyrics<br /><blockquote>In the darkness between the buildings<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Spider-Man!</span><br />Eyes burning with rage (lit: eyes shining brightly with anger)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Spider-Man!</span><br />He sacrifices his (inner) peace. (lit: He throws away his serenity.)<br />He sacrifices everything. (lit: He throws away everything.)<br />He pursues evil and soars across the sky.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Change to </span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Leopardon</span><span style="font-style: italic;">!</span><br />Why do you... Why do you?<br />Keep on fighting and put your life at risk?<br />You live for just one thing. You live for just one thing.<br />Invincible man<br />Spider-Man</blockquote></span></span>Now look at the 1978 Japanese version Spider-man (put up by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">VideoStar</span></span>13), <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">produced</span> by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Toei</span></span>, the same folks who brought you other Japanese superhero shows such as <a href="http://www.generationkikaida.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Kikaider</span></span></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamen_Rider"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Kamen</span></span> Rider</a>. As you can tell by the lyrics, it's a much more serious version of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Spiderman</span>. The producers did obtain the license from Marvel comics to show their version of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Spider-Man</span> to the Japanese. However, the producers had to make considerable changes to adapt this cartoon into the Japanese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokusatsu"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">tokusatsu</span></span></a> genre. For the uninitiated, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">tokusatsu</span></span> (literally meaning "special filming" or "special effects"), is a live-action genre usually with superheros doing martial arts moves on agents of a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">villainous</span> organization, and always crying out the name of their martial arts technique ("double chops!" "giant swing throw!") as they pummel their opponents. Think of the "Power rangers".<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHb0PTv_UrpTecWBE5LOfqxLc5eICGl27n7mO3tbfMlFJqd_wVMqO3pmTom73hP_ussb9DH3ahpFT_A-WAJBxut-9UOrSVV5y63WRUCfnNiktoC1p5moQNl-kCjqJHiulHdNIjlw/s1600-h/yamashiro+takuya.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHb0PTv_UrpTecWBE5LOfqxLc5eICGl27n7mO3tbfMlFJqd_wVMqO3pmTom73hP_ussb9DH3ahpFT_A-WAJBxut-9UOrSVV5y63WRUCfnNiktoC1p5moQNl-kCjqJHiulHdNIjlw/s320/yamashiro+takuya.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037477540207188226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Yamashiro</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Takuya</span></span>, Japan's version of Peter Parker</span><br /></div><br />Someone else put up a fake subtitled version, which has nothing to do with the plot (click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwe4wmAdVZw">here</a> if you want to take a peek, but the subs are purposely wrong). I can understand Japanese, but it takes a lot of energy and concentration for me to do a proper translation, so I took the lazy man's method and looked up the story at <a href="http://www.japanhero.com/tokusatsu%20reviews/spiderman.htmhttp://www.japanhero.com/tokusatsu%20reviews/spiderman.htm"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">japanhero</span></span>.com</a>. The following plot synopsis is a combination of that article and my personal translation. First of all, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Spider-Man's</span> alter-ego, Peter Parker, was changed to a Japanese <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">motocross</span> champion, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Yamashiro</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Takuya</span></span>. This made sense since the other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Toei</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">tokusatsu</span></span> shows usually featured a cool motorcycle-riding hero, and it would be very difficult to explain the presence of a nerdy white guy in Japan taking pictures for the Daily Bugle.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIehLT6Pvkyi4g3KouKnoihcdo6nw1oCHfHXlfpnIXuSJ_OMdireQEF8RZLWtltzpnQNdFRNockryQBPo-2uHBAlvK5rIgeXpF3M0SZFwxcrmPrfrZjREWZz_PZF7q0U-L79MEw/s1600-h/tetsujyuji.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWIehLT6Pvkyi4g3KouKnoihcdo6nw1oCHfHXlfpnIXuSJ_OMdireQEF8RZLWtltzpnQNdFRNockryQBPo-2uHBAlvK5rIgeXpF3M0SZFwxcrmPrfrZjREWZz_PZF7q0U-L79MEw/s320/tetsujyuji.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037478111437838610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Tetsujyujidan</span></span> (Iron Cross), evil organization in this show. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Hmmm</span></span>...doesn't the guy on the right seem familiar?</span><br /></div><br />To fit the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">tokusatsu</span></span> genre, the villains had to undergo a change as well. No more individual villains like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Goblin">Green Goblin</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Octopus">Dr. Octopus</a>. Remember that Japan is a group-oriented society, and so even villains are organized into groups, this time as the "Iron Cross Organization" (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Tetsujyujidan</span></span>). Also this evil organization was headed by the 400-year old Professor Monster (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Kaiju</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">kyoju</span></span>), played by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Ando</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Mitsuo</span></span> (who also played <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">the</span> flute-wielding Dr. Gill, head of the evil organization "The Dark," in the series <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Kikaider</span></span>).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMi_5bfAwJSuqpbMvhDoqYz4YUb8XAv0ZD3P4XsgCTiCe-BYglnfk5bYlQAX35VeDpLonipzZOuSigf6ANcz5F-QnzkAWjy0kJ38gNV3XP3rfFxH1Ffk4HE1uy_gXPIBQlegmKw/s1600-h/marveller.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMi_5bfAwJSuqpbMvhDoqYz4YUb8XAv0ZD3P4XsgCTiCe-BYglnfk5bYlQAX35VeDpLonipzZOuSigf6ANcz5F-QnzkAWjy0kJ38gNV3XP3rfFxH1Ffk4HE1uy_gXPIBQlegmKw/s320/marveller.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037568206966806818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Spider-Man's</span> ship called the "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Marveller</span></span>" (no joke!)</span><br /></div><br />We all remember how Peter Parker got his spider powers right? (Bitten by a radioactive spider). And that he decided to fight crime when his Uncle Ben was killed by a robber. Well, this story got adapted to Japanese genres. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Marveller</span></span> (named obviously after Marvel comics), a spaceship from another planet, crashed on Earth, being chased by the Iron Cross and Professor Monster. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Takuya</span></span> keeps hearing voices in his head telling him that "we are brothers." This was actually a telepathic signal being sent by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Gariya</span></span>, the last survivor of the Spider planet destroyed by the Iron Cross.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-2-Pv4TFMWwAaecgymkW9Y8yQAn9HXKXRK5jJsUURe_NctZoyQcLak2zhAUEb8RTpd1F_ieK1H_41WlM3uyQKoMOUCtAfDmF2VZMffGCyc8BLNVh7vNUfqFLM8EtcH770aZt7g/s1600-h/takuya+and+dead+dad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-2-Pv4TFMWwAaecgymkW9Y8yQAn9HXKXRK5jJsUURe_NctZoyQcLak2zhAUEb8RTpd1F_ieK1H_41WlM3uyQKoMOUCtAfDmF2VZMffGCyc8BLNVh7vNUfqFLM8EtcH770aZt7g/s320/takuya+and+dead+dad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037569353723074866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Aren't Japanese shows so violent? The Iron Cross kills <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Takuya's</span></span> father</span><br /></div><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Takuya</span></span> and his researcher and other family/research members father go out to investigate the crash site. There, the Iron Cross finds his father and kills him. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Takuya</span></span> grieves over his slain father, and then is chased by the Iron Cross bad guys into a cave, where he bumps into <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Gariya</span></span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFg7jE0kjrK060v_27fziiO1jrjAkWZTT9t5nehcPG2eGoX-TKJpwt6WrrwQ1lDU0-xAie7Z-VM1famfd-QGSnOzI-s3I2w6PjCyOhCcS_X6kLRMn5w29J3eciuqaNGO7F8kyjw/s1600-h/being+given+spider+powers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFg7jE0kjrK060v_27fziiO1jrjAkWZTT9t5nehcPG2eGoX-TKJpwt6WrrwQ1lDU0-xAie7Z-VM1famfd-QGSnOzI-s3I2w6PjCyOhCcS_X6kLRMn5w29J3eciuqaNGO7F8kyjw/s320/being+given+spider+powers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037573141884229970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Being given spider powers is no pleasant experience</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Gariya</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">tellls</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Takuya</span></span> his story and how he has been trying to contact him via telepathy. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Gariya</span></span> wants revenge for his planet, and tells <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Takuya</span></span> that he must also avenge his own father (Just like in the 47 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Ronin</span>, revenge is a powerful factor in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">tokusatsu</span>). And so he gives <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">Takuya</span></span> spider powers through a device that he clamps onto him. Note that in Japanese shows, the hero is usually created by someone, or gets their power from someone else. That's how skills are supposed to be transmitted in real life, from a master.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpPT6Q2aiULKD8CbOTHQtKAnA27V2TTXOY1sf9IK06_dzad6pVOwRgCMllYMZInNV8VK40J_proR-9AXZLOHHviIXG1CXNYTe-9UtDzSS9ljzF-paTBdpTkVFC44f_B-s9dGuEA/s1600-h/spider+sense.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpPT6Q2aiULKD8CbOTHQtKAnA27V2TTXOY1sf9IK06_dzad6pVOwRgCMllYMZInNV8VK40J_proR-9AXZLOHHviIXG1CXNYTe-9UtDzSS9ljzF-paTBdpTkVFC44f_B-s9dGuEA/s320/spider+sense.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037574069597165922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">This is how "Spider sense" was depicted, as a radar</span><br /></div><br />Out of the cave, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Takuya</span></span> discovers his powers. I like how they used live action stuntmen to climb up the walls of real buildings. Even his powers undergo some adaptation. The Spider Sense is more of a radar, where you can locate people. So <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">Spider-Man</span> figures out where the bad guys are (at a dam kidnapping a researcher to make evil monsters) and goes out to fight them. These are the bad guys for the first episode:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VNxrdLyuzBvPZVRLxB-b5kliiXKv7FtfE7Y1hDT44QFS_JfXjEFaXJaBwYj7N0l3CaLPdTaiGqLObUKZe-kShI9916Q4bd86sQIfdIYingFmqoaevqDWfwayXYcIRCQUBFQeWg/s1600-h/badguys.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VNxrdLyuzBvPZVRLxB-b5kliiXKv7FtfE7Y1hDT44QFS_JfXjEFaXJaBwYj7N0l3CaLPdTaiGqLObUKZe-kShI9916Q4bd86sQIfdIYingFmqoaevqDWfwayXYcIRCQUBFQeWg/s320/badguys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037580104026216866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Ninder</span>, grey-clad henchmen to be used as target practice</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pAyfrxC5VOzEmiAXLs_IsqoTyjrzPhytPyRfi2s_yGAdQYZ0EjrVGJcCJV-4g_KZvILfYUkn0kBQx2SoQhkWHT3WnZPWMaAJXGz-gk30VOxTgkFFLQw5CgOqxKPWfoSSSYcL0Q/s1600-h/amazone.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1pAyfrxC5VOzEmiAXLs_IsqoTyjrzPhytPyRfi2s_yGAdQYZ0EjrVGJcCJV-4g_KZvILfYUkn0kBQx2SoQhkWHT3WnZPWMaAJXGz-gk30VOxTgkFFLQw5CgOqxKPWfoSSSYcL0Q/s320/amazone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037575568540752242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sexy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">villians</span></span> such as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Amazone</span></span>ss to turn <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Asiaphiles</span></span> into Spider-Man fans!</span><br /></div><br />The battle-scenes were also adapted to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">tokusatsu</span></span> standards. Whenever <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">Spider-Man</span> shot his web, in true <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">tokusatsu</span></span> fashion, he had to announce his attack "Spider String!" And he used lots of martial arts moves and gymnastics to knock his opponents about. Lots of explosions thrown in for good measure. Note how Spider-Man actually moves like a spider, with his arms and legs flailing about. And also you can hear the 1970s <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">enka</span> (Japanese traditional music) horns in the background. Eventually, the villian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">Amazone</span></span>ss got tired and brought out a robot which morphed into a giant robot.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRodQbNl-zp7fXvF0U6tXs6iU-K48zK5VhtLvfZAHIVpfwAX34NUjJj5nqIZjMM5zd2iqA3Ev2_7RWYJ1MMddHLuE8M2UjzqwUyXN-jVq1Bt3VGRfsSMOIU3K60udqcBgvdTBk1Q/s1600-h/giant+monster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRodQbNl-zp7fXvF0U6tXs6iU-K48zK5VhtLvfZAHIVpfwAX34NUjJj5nqIZjMM5zd2iqA3Ev2_7RWYJ1MMddHLuE8M2UjzqwUyXN-jVq1Bt3VGRfsSMOIU3K60udqcBgvdTBk1Q/s320/giant+monster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037571887753779522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">When the villain is getting his butt kicked, go into giant mode</span><br /></div><br />Now here's where this show really gets hog wild. When the bad guys were on the losing end of the battle with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">Spider-Man</span>, they would morph into a giant version of themselves. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">Spider-Man</span> would then call in his giant Transformers-like robot to battle the giant villain. First he would jump into his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">Spidermachine</span></span> GP7, then jet into an open bay in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">Marveller</span></span>, which then transformed into the giant robot <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">Leopardon</span></span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7sHgSPhU0WEpZv3RZoofEX-bDsdz-45YmkJgz3p_9aJMlibIOsKZbo8Y_I1DVC8mqo_Zb0cEvf7HQuqL3fAy-EsLWtggi39gqgnnHvs94Vlhw6yrmrwMqguvXfwgeGl_7HyXlQ/s1600-h/spiderman+car.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7sHgSPhU0WEpZv3RZoofEX-bDsdz-45YmkJgz3p_9aJMlibIOsKZbo8Y_I1DVC8mqo_Zb0cEvf7HQuqL3fAy-EsLWtggi39gqgnnHvs94Vlhw6yrmrwMqguvXfwgeGl_7HyXlQ/s320/spiderman+car.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037575727454542210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">Spider-Man</span> jumps into his Spider Machine GP7 (How can you tell? It says so in English on the side of the car)</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4JHkh2zupFEka4RtHsXqDvIqQhyphenhyphenFXuI-rRMdQWdeWy7aJU8RMmjVobgKtb8UslDTjH1AD41hpsbX68MEYFED_yvmc80wUSd-1QxQrfCTbT5Iuv5385YzbPO2tWIMtNCnICh4sw/s1600-h/leopardon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4JHkh2zupFEka4RtHsXqDvIqQhyphenhyphenFXuI-rRMdQWdeWy7aJU8RMmjVobgKtb8UslDTjH1AD41hpsbX68MEYFED_yvmc80wUSd-1QxQrfCTbT5Iuv5385YzbPO2tWIMtNCnICh4sw/s320/leopardon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037575950792841618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">And flies into <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">Marveller</span></span>, which transforms into the sword-wielding <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">Leopardon</span></span></span><br /></div><br />Of course, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">Leopardon</span></span> ends up smashing his enemy to pieces to save the planet for another day. This program helped to popularize the idea of giant robots fighting in these <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">tokusatsu</span></span> shows, and thus explains why shows like Power Ranger have giant robots fighting giant versions of the enemy. Plus, it also makes economic sense - the toy companies can sell giant robots and make more money.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTZRYwfO_PA"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_daLXuQ9vwdIS1LA_mFkzoFza71Kg0lZxDHSE1h15hBF8WejAk3yWzv9BQtuoqOaKlPL-rs2tVfqHr_oPKBzORoD-BZda3Ew_GsvOq_FdIFEuz8513ytnNphXD6ktBX85z35IeA/s320/spiderman+stunts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037645409003952626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Amazing rooftop stunts, even by today's standards!</span><br /></div><br />Compare <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">Spider-Man</span> to how <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73">Saban</span> had to adapt <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyouryuu_Sentai_Zyuranger"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74">Kyoryuu</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75">sentai</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76">Jyu</span>-ranger</a> to America as the Mighty <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77">Morphin</span>' Power Rangers: dumbing down the plot (the Power Rangers fight to save the high school dance, not save the world), toning down the violence, and just making this a show that only children could enjoy. No wonder Japanese products are so in demand - take other people's ideas, use quality control, and make them better. Just take a look at the detail in which they filmed the martial arts action scenes. Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTZRYwfO_PA">here</a> or the pic above to see an amazing clip from another episode to "marvel" at the stuntman's footwork jumping around the roof of a building and doing martial arts moves - wow!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcoixvbUfprHWZs6SL2Lv9LWOjHGfcM6H5k6KYG9E2j7eDv4ohByJt_Un_sSsljfr_wR7Pwql41417A7ezo8TdWBqV0BYE2Z0is6Y_MwwSboh2gj5-Fm_PcCh-AtFotE_pjfNWxA/s1600-h/evil+thing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcoixvbUfprHWZs6SL2Lv9LWOjHGfcM6H5k6KYG9E2j7eDv4ohByJt_Un_sSsljfr_wR7Pwql41417A7ezo8TdWBqV0BYE2Z0is6Y_MwwSboh2gj5-Fm_PcCh-AtFotE_pjfNWxA/s320/evil+thing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037641032432277970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">What in Stan Lee's name is this "Thing"?<br /><br /></span></div>BTW, click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxMv4vx5pDs">here</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YmWH1I2RlA">here</a> for clips (posted by bobx2x) of Japanese Spider-Man fighting a villain who suspiciously looks like ...well, the "Thing". And yes, the Japanese Spider-Man did have the American creator Stan Lee's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6ytMsi75sw">seal of approval</a>.Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-73435335586801929902007-02-18T18:56:00.000-10:002007-02-23T04:41:01.291-10:00Taekwon V: Korean version of Mazinger Z<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkMxfm-2vcY"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNcz5YoUZAMAlF8LjqhtsYaoOPXad9BzT7Mg-yINJmg_rtrDl5PNdal9g3SpwCMbPDi2wwFelKMATV30elsc-NZMDWU1XwfnEayUCAOU9s_kBmQGm-ry16nlBrvjGEsB6-BXu3A/s400/taekwonV.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024565612820870530" border="0" /> </a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Robot Taekwon V, Korean version of Go Nagai's Mazinger Z. Click on the picture above to see a youtube clip of the opening song posted by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=dodonga33">dodonga33</a></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bArsaZHTJXE"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmNPXvZoVuDH8tYepUXeXzdvyMifYENa8-lLrIeJ-BOBSWYtxP2cviK3SwfRWpWmL2HLVTLMy84T5xx2HERok_VepGhHjG_DcVqacKBchmdVM14tgyba2SvynnD66p4jSd3-55Q/s400/mazinger+z+02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025428609189590450" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mazinger Z . </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Click on the picture above to see a youtube clip of the opening song posed by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=dragonnar">dragonnar</a>.<br /></span></div><br />As I wrote in a <a href="http://kakuregaijin.blogspot.com/2007/01/transformations-of-mazinger-z.html">previous post</a>, the Japanese giant robot anime Mazinger Z, popular worldwide, was also a smash hit in South Korea. In fact, the main character in in the hit drama <a href="http://www.tabulas.com/%7Eaggiepie/1127117.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">My Name is Kim Sam Soon</span></a> (<span style="">내 이름은 김삼순) </span>even hums a few lines from the song in an episode. However, Mazinger Z came from the hated former colonial occupier, the Japanese, and so in 1976, Kim Cheong-gi directed South Korea's first home-grown animated robot, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taekwon_V">Robot Taekwon V</a>. In this animation, we can see a lot of the complex South Korean love/hate attitude towards Japanese popular culture.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OO1X4wZTaIXSlnQ1yY9iYMqmA5aEbze3wVw1h6OjIUXm9vyzNpzRMGSpIn5HU2AvcOcCuLnD6f4HerRVJYWuv2E0S5tyW99oM8CDZdf7jn1ENMWj5PFdEbb6DoU1DDfvoBpo-g/s1600-h/TekonV+and+Mazinger+comparison.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_OO1X4wZTaIXSlnQ1yY9iYMqmA5aEbze3wVw1h6OjIUXm9vyzNpzRMGSpIn5HU2AvcOcCuLnD6f4HerRVJYWuv2E0S5tyW99oM8CDZdf7jn1ENMWj5PFdEbb6DoU1DDfvoBpo-g/s400/TekonV+and+Mazinger+comparison.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033155265783428162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">I found, on a Korean web site, this size comparison of Taekwon V (far left) with the Japanese anime robots Mazinger Z (2nd from left), Great Mazinger (2nd from right) and Grendizer (far right). C'mon, does size have to matter that much?</span><br /></div><br />On the one hand, one wouldn't fault the Koreans for hating the Japanese, for during the 1930s, the Japanese government embarked upon a forced assimilation policy and attempted to eradicate Korean culture. Now colonists have often done this since the beginning of history: Americans attempted to destroy Native American and Native Hawaiian cultures under the guise of assimilation, and similar policies were seen by the British in Ireland and the Soviets in many of the lands they conquered. But while it puts these policies in perspective, it still doesn't excuse the Japanese colonial authorities.<br /><br />During the 1920s, in response to mass uprisings in 1919 (known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_1st_Movement">March 1st movement</a> and put down by the Japanese authorities at the cost of several thousand Korean lives), the colonial government did give Koreans a few limited opportunities to express their own culture, such as in Korean-language newspapers or even radio broadcasts (as noted by <a href="http://www.indiana.edu/%7Eealc/people/faculty/individual/mrobinso.html">Professor Michael Robinson</a>). However, with Japan's military aggression into Asia in the 1930s, the Japanese decided upon a forced-assimilation policy making Koreans to pray at Shinto shrines, change their names to Japanese names, and during the war, millions labored in Japanese factories as conscripts or forced labor. Many unlucky women ended up as "comfort women," forced prostitutes for Japanese soldiers. Koreans were forbidden from using their native language in schools or in government documents. In fact, I met many elderly Koreans during my trip there who could speak Japanese fluently, no doubt having learned this language in school.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxfmc5N81iVinMT_2GdTTbrW0SypvZFb2rjakLJURMORsCLmoEUQEXyy7d5NJdyvpgFCOIJ2-xgPCsoM4V2cvhfR64RQVGMOe41upXbNl6LzutNPshyphenhyphenwHQcgmCRhQS58hqlyuRw/s1600-h/taekwon+V+statue+in+Koreajpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 326px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxfmc5N81iVinMT_2GdTTbrW0SypvZFb2rjakLJURMORsCLmoEUQEXyy7d5NJdyvpgFCOIJ2-xgPCsoM4V2cvhfR64RQVGMOe41upXbNl6LzutNPshyphenhyphenwHQcgmCRhQS58hqlyuRw/s400/taekwon+V+statue+in+Koreajpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033159904348107890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Taekwon V statue in South Korea</span><br /></div><br />After the war ended in 1945, Korea gained its independence, but the scars remained. So strong was anti-Japanese feeling that Japanese-language television and radio broadcasts, publications, and pop music, were all prohibited, with the <a href="http://web-japan.org/trends98/honbun/ntj981207.html">ban only being gradually lifted in 1998</a>. However, despite this ban, Japanese popular culture did manage to make its way into Korea. Often, Japanese cartoons were dubbed into Korean, stripped of all Japanese references, and then broadcast in Korea, often without telling the audience of the true Japanese origin. Or else, <a href="http://www.midnighteye.com/features/pioneers-of-anime.shtml">as Jasper Sharp points out in an interesting article</a>, it was common practice among the Korean film industry to use Japanese film scripts. Of course this made economic sense - if Japanese culture is banned and so your audience has no idea you are ripping off a Japanese film, then why not cut corners and use ready-made scripts from Japan?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1L8pfce0C86iaoaHVzGFgTMc55grAGn2IHW0HCaXY4JFiIp0tkFahtrTA23wVkfLJJFmkyW2iWKhgbFusvuZgpWQXxlpcV2k6vT4HEemrBT6jlB-ICjtql1XKDfsOABoDNiiRg/s1600-h/Tekon+V+and+Mazinger+Z.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1L8pfce0C86iaoaHVzGFgTMc55grAGn2IHW0HCaXY4JFiIp0tkFahtrTA23wVkfLJJFmkyW2iWKhgbFusvuZgpWQXxlpcV2k6vT4HEemrBT6jlB-ICjtql1XKDfsOABoDNiiRg/s400/Tekon+V+and+Mazinger+Z.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033156275100742738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Note the similarities and differences between Taekwon V (L) and Mazinger Z (R)</span><br /></div><br />Anyway, back to Mazinger Z. This cartoon was broadcast in Korea and became a huge hit. In fact, as the <a href="http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200608/200608170006.html">Chosun Ilbo points out, "Mazinger Z was so popular here as to be treated as an honorary Korean</a>." But alas, this was a Japanese cartoon, and what Korea needed was a giant Korean Robot for kids to look up to. So, much as how Hyundai cars first used an engine developed by the Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan, out came a Korean giant robot that looked suspiciously like it was based on Mazinger Z: Taekwon V! <a href="http://www.hancinema.net/korean_Kim_Cheong-gi.php?news=4701">But there are differences</a>, however subtle. The head was replaced with a helmet similar to that worn by Admiral Yi, who fought of Hideyoshi's 16th century invasions, and to make sure viewers understood this was a Korean-made cartoon, Taekwon V fought with Taekwondo! Other than that, Taekwon V looks a bit like a reverse-engineered Mazinger Z. Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkMxfm-2vcY">here</a> for a video of Taekwon V.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWiZVnPxESNk-2rkIcXsBoHAka6UWXQzLNyWIRku0SsEsHsm8N6oe119NDR4FksDbXjO2Cj1zPAuvl548YUEP9lj6aNSQ3GJv3ceekRhpPl60YrE1AU_9u6k1NkUFjpX76Tx_oA/s1600-h/Robot_Taekwon_V_1976.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWiZVnPxESNk-2rkIcXsBoHAka6UWXQzLNyWIRku0SsEsHsm8N6oe119NDR4FksDbXjO2Cj1zPAuvl548YUEP9lj6aNSQ3GJv3ceekRhpPl60YrE1AU_9u6k1NkUFjpX76Tx_oA/s400/Robot_Taekwon_V_1976.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033159161318765666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Poster for the 1976 film, "Robot Taekwon V"</span><br /></div><br />The movie version of Taekwon V has just been restored and re-released. Now Japanese nationalists may call this a Korean ripoff of Mazinger, and Korean nationalists may try to deny the Mazinger-inspired origins of Taekwon V, but there may be a better way to interpret this anime: cultures have <span style="font-weight: bold;">always</span> borrowed from each other. Historically, the Japanese have historically borrowed kanji, Buddhism, and architecture from their Korean neighbors. And if we look at Korean <span style="font-style: italic;">manhwa</span> comics today, they bear a striking similarity to Japanese <span style="font-style: italic;">manga</span>. So culture travels back and forth in all directions. My hope is that rather than argue who imitated who, young Koreans and young Japanese can learn they share much in common, and that popular culture can help bring those two nations closer together. (<a href="http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200609/200609050018.html">BTW, the Japanese First Lady is a huge fan of the Korean drama Winter Sonata</a>). Imagine - both Koreans and Japanese grew up watching giant robots! Maybe we should ask for a Japanese-Korean joint production, such as "Taekwon V and Mazinger Z versus Dr. Hell"<br /><br />BTW, I found some open source movies of Mazinger Z in dubbed into Arabic. You can figure out what is happening even if you don't understand the language. In <a href="http://ia310904.us.archive.org/3/items/max113/03_256kb.mp4">this episode</a>, Kabuto Koji, under the guidance of Miss Yumi Sayaka (pilot of Aphrodite A), is clumsily learning how to control Mazinger Z.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE</span>: Just found this video on youtube. It seems to be a Korean video of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGpTL4tb5FI">someone playing the Mazinger Z theme song on the piano</a>. Wow! And what about this video of an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ewmVbvPgjU">Italian singing show</a> with the theme to "Great Mazinger"?Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-38466171011926934292007-01-31T14:15:00.000-10:002007-01-31T20:51:49.277-10:00Catchy songs by offbeat Japanese girl groups<object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kOjo7gaBe6I"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kOjo7gaBe6I" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object><br /><br />Ever hear a song that you find so damn irritating, but the more you listen to it, the more it worms its way into your brain? Pretty soon, you catch yourself humming along to the song and wonder what has happened to you.<br /><br />Well, Chatmonchy's "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOjo7gaBe6I">Shangri-la</a>" (Shan-gu-ri-ra) is one of those songs. I first heard it after renting <a href="http://www.tbs.co.jp/cdtv/">Countdown TV</a> (a weekly TV show that counts down the top 50 hits in Japan) from the local Japanese video store. Anyway, <a href="http://www.chatmonchy.com/">Chatmonchy</a> (チャットモンチー)is a all-girl trio from Tokushima prefecture Japan, on the island of Shikoku. Their members are Kumiko on the drums, Eriko on the guitar and vocals, and Akiko on their bass. The first time I heard them do a live performance song on Countdown TV, I thought the Eriko's voice sounded like a poor imitation of the quirky Japanese singer <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uQo_fBPBVY">YUKI</a>. And we've already seen this genre of off-beat quasi-amateurish girl trios, like the group <a href="http://www.shonenknife.net/">Shonen Knife</a>. I grumbled, "Oh no, not ANOTHER one of THOSE Japanese girl groups," and I fast forwarded the DVD to skip their performance (click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOjo7gaBe6I">here </a>or the clip above to see their video posted by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Tofumon">Tofumon</a>).<br /><br />And then it happened. I was chopping vegetables in the kitchen and caught myself humming the chorus: "<span style="font-style: italic;">Shan-gu-ri-ra shiawase datte</span>..." I was doing medicine ball push-ups in the gym and found the beat in my head "<span style="font-style: italic;">Shan-gu-ri-ra</span>..." Then I was trying to write a lecture for a class and heard the walls sing to me: "<span style="font-style: italic;">Shan-gu-ri-ra</span>. "The song would not go away, so I popped in the DVD and listened to their live performance again. "Shan-gu-ri-ra..."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRq4UyqhG_4"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8H5S0oY91e1NLUJO9Wwm68fxLZ9JyLzLtRYtlRfXQWophGD1Ouyw5YUXBz_bGMqwuo8gTf-CVnZNlLvp55RKp1xieJyutjuh5gYrZ6l2WGlptHnHX6YPoPpi4HphYQwtZ5Qb5w/s400/Halcali.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026454384818828770" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Halcali's Strawberry Chips - a surprisingly catchy song!</span><br /></div><br />So I admit defeat. Chatmonchy has gotten into my head and now I await their American debut. Now they've joined other irritatingly catchy tunes by quasi-amateurish girl groups that have wormed their way into my head such as Halcali's <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRq4UyqhG_4">Strawberry Chips</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>(subtitled and posted by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Novaforever">Novaforever</a>) or Kigurumi's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnF9QePwNfI"><span style="font-style: italic;">Tarako Tarako Tarako</span></a> (posted by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Prekorata">Prekorata</a>).<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnF9QePwNfI"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXUlFlVdEPODfFSMGrHszclLVyY4sfiL52sQW11Qv9XLUmZHFU0GledZv_1bjVoOcyCuPDQGRZaFKE4JY3I8G_8MWttl6AY60vT07OQaugxYN9qtPLemsRGIWZ2Y_I0bi7ku1cg/s400/kigurumi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026368086040950210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kigurumi (dressed as Tarakos) singing <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnF9QePwNfI">Tarako, Tarako, Tarako</a></span><br /></div><br />NOTE: <span style="font-style: italic;">Tarako Tarako Tarako</span> is from a commercial for Kewpie brand tarako (salted Alaska Pollock roe) spaghetti sauce. This must one of the oddest commercials I have seen, even by Japanees standards (click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UeunJLzilU">here </a>to see a commercial posted by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ebisen">ebisen</a>). Yes, the Japanese like to mix cream and tarako to make pasta topping- believe it or not, it's quite delicious!<br /><h2 class="r"><a href="http://www.chatmonchy.com/" class="l"><br /></a></h2><span style=""> </span>Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-13638752974610407212007-01-24T19:37:00.000-10:002007-01-29T17:13:42.842-10:00The transformations of Mazinger Z (マジンガーZ)<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcJuLXR6eLM"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpm9aV3QpfQjd_DTNofCNcEBFJpDUtGcA99wzx1OTNuMkHm4BnWI-746leu8yaroauxJMTy3qH3yyK9zOVWc91CIgytj7_gMESvrg9B5fWgYcP4K0NkQOk5RTykE5QMYR1d9q0qg/s400/majinger01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024537519439787314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mazinger Z, influential Japanese anime</span><br /></div><br />Did you know that 60% of the world's animated series were produced in Japan in 2004? (Source: <a href="http://www.time.com/time/asia/2003/cool_japan/story.html">Time Asia</a>). Indeed, people around the world have probably grown up watching the same made-in-Japan animated shows. Even last year, I remember watching a Chinese dub of <a href="http://www.adultswim.com/shows/inuyasha/">Inuyasha</a> in my hotel room in Xian. Now many animation studios are being outsourced to South Korea, where labor is cheaper (did you know that the <a href="http://www.snpp.com/other/articles/goesglobal.html">Simpsons are drawn in a Korean studio</a>?) but still there is no denying the power of Japanese animation.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcJuLXR6eLM"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 328px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXajrZzgkn7hGI_50h-QbY8M9Ymc69EnHlRgxtK7dO5XYlKIeNnjXrhF11-18dEiuY6yEWSq7k1Ilr5zHL6R0IbS3m1IhFYelFFbjtJFFsGl9ArUfQuFww05qeqrz7G85bsrz85A/s400/zop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024550322737296738" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Let's look at how <a href="http://mazinworld.com/Mazinger.html">Mazinger Z</a> (pronounced with the British "zed" not the American "zee") a classic Japanese anime underwent global transformations. This anime, which ran from 1972-4, was the first of its kind: a giant robot piloted by a human. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aiib3jWHr2g">Kabuto Koji would jump into a hovercraft and dock into Mazinger Z's head</a> (click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aiib3jWHr2g">here</a> to see a poorly translated video of the first episode). BTW, his robot comrade is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite_A">Aphrodite A</a>, who would eventually be modified to shoot missiles out of her breasts. I remember as a kid, watching dubbed versions of Mazinger Z in a movie theater in Hawaii. Frankly, the only scene I remember is when Mazinger fell into the water and Kabuto could not see out the glass since there were no windshield wipers. Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcJuLXR6eLM">here </a>or on the Mazinger pic above to see the opening song for Mazinger Z. It's a cool sounding song that just sticks in your head.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8bC_63-_aJjhNcn9daI3_n3jGcRTCkfBI3qCNVQst1wZlj6YuIkzPINyimtQQ5RMsTGIkoB8khtZOqSbyLJYHL1Rf2omN097PNMyu30OvUSUWNAIWaNRDtZyj3lDu-t-YR6qJQ/s1600-h/Mazinger5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8bC_63-_aJjhNcn9daI3_n3jGcRTCkfBI3qCNVQst1wZlj6YuIkzPINyimtQQ5RMsTGIkoB8khtZOqSbyLJYHL1Rf2omN097PNMyu30OvUSUWNAIWaNRDtZyj3lDu-t-YR6qJQ/s400/Mazinger5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024556790958044530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Look at the size of the Mazinger statue in Spain!</span><br /></div><br />Mazinger Z also became very popular outside of Japan:<br /><ul><li>Here is an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etL1nb6-ZN0">Spanish version of the Mazinger opening</a>. Notice how much more passion is in this version of the song. Did you know there is a <a href="http://ceo.upc.es/extras/eventos/mazinger/mazinger.htm">statue of Mazinger</a> in Tarragona, Spain? </li></ul><ul><li>Check out the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBKVWJEuoxk">Italian version</a> known as "Mazinga Z"- the singer is so much more emotional, it's almost a different song.</li></ul><ul><li>As for the <a href="http://www.coucoucircus.org/da/generique.php?id=237">French version,</a> well, it sounds like 1980s Eurodisco music, with the singer going "Mazinger! Mazinger!" But hey, haven't the French have been keeping disco alive long after it died out in America?<br /></li></ul><ul><li>Also, look the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEbr-H2ZWIU">Arabic version</a>, known as مازنجر (Majinger) which starts out sounding like any average cover of the song, and then midway through, changes course and just rocks (video is from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=DrWaSaBe">Dr. WaSaBe</a>, who also did the translation). I love the ways the singer sounds when he cries, "The time has arrived! Morning has started! GET READY TO START SHOOTING!"</li></ul><ul><li>Unfortunately, the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVkueSuO-GU">U.S. version</a>, released in the 1980s as <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVkueSuO-GU">Tranzor Z</a>, got rid of any semblance of an opening song. Talk about the American characteristic of making cuts in quality to cut down on costs. Makes sense, as this series was heavily edited in order to make it suitable for children? Think of all the 1970s and 1980s cartoons in America - any of them had a catchy theme song like Mazinger Z? Sigh, what we were deprived of during childhood...</li></ul><ul><li>And Mazinger was extremely popular in South Korea, where it was known as 마징가 제트 and led to the creation of a Korean anime, but that is the subject of another post...</li></ul>Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-25342565971903573442007-01-22T01:19:00.000-10:002007-01-27T17:39:12.580-10:00Super Girl - China's version of American Idol<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1sAGK1ULaM"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQTpuU_djprypfE8IFrtdwMJCdHVpOW7sG1xPnfrpGfkJCUCG7T-TJMPiEBlwWd777iu4dMURKLIG-gebN-aH7s67wm1bux2mpP-a6kb3w6YvnyX-VX7HmxHnQZGGiHuZVOHYow/s400/ZhangLiangYing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022821111304882754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Zhang Liang Ying, contestant on Super Girl</span><br /></div><br />Sorry for the long delay in posting. So much work to do, and I have stumbled across so many interesting Asian pop videos. So where do I start?<br /><br />When I was in China in the summer of 2006, I learned about a show called "Super Girl," (超级女声) officially known as <i><b>Mengniu Yogurt Super Girl Contest </b></i>(Megniu is the dairy company that sponsors it)<i>.<b> </b></i>It's the Chinese version of American Idol, which, as I have previously pointed out, is a copy (or franchise) of the British <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_Idol">Pop Idol</a>. Anyway, Super Girl caused a sensation because viewers get to vote, via text message, for the winner. Imagine, voting in China! Trust the masses to choose for themselves!<br /><br />This show was watched by the largest audience in Chinese TV history, by millions (or should I say hundreds of millions?) of viewers. In fact, 400 million watched the finals in 2005, a number, as the <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/30/content_473432.htm">Seattle Times (which I read via the China Daily)</a> put it, was more than the combined populations of the United States and Britain! <br /><br />When I was in Xian last summer, I searched for a pub that broadcast this show, so I could sip beer while watching it. I didn't find any, although I did bump into some cool Chinese college students (one spoke with a PERFECT American accent and knew all the New York punk bands even though he had never left China). In the end, I ended up channel surfing in my hotel room and came across clips of Super Girl on late night TV. I remember, in my drunken haze, a woman doing an horrible rendition of "I believe I can fly" and I was hooked, especially since some of the contestants were quite good-looking.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGxlBcLQE4A"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdkWMHTOp4VtVdshSfEqhseICIjlDQT1ErsQPEq4lsS696IO656MGakUF_TT2io1qz7li952cq9km2_uirHCZkZBIMi3H8JKkPphlkx3rDi5IzdwDCXkgiLu4GxIjRzRyrPxr5A/s400/HuLing" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022833034134096482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hu Ling, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">5th place finisher in the Changsha district</span><br /></div><br />So I did some internet research, using wikipedia and youtube when I arrived back in the USA. Now the contestants range from <a href="http://kakuregaijin.blogspot.com/2006/04/first-william-hung-and-now-we-present.html">comical</a> (hey, they have their version of William Hung), to the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIB3UcyoGhg"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">sexy</span></a> (Hu Ling in another outfit), to the simply amazing. You've got to check out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Liang_Ying">Zhang Liang Ying</a> , 3rd place contestant in 2005. Click on the picture at the top of this webpage or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1sAGK1ULaM">here</a> for a clip of her singing a Chinese folk song...<br /><br />Ok, so it wasn't a Chinese folk song. But wasn't it amazing how her voice sounded exactly like Mariah Carey's? It's as if all she did was listen to Mariah Carey albums at home. I think she's got the pipes, looks, and charisma to make it in the U.S. (at least among Chinese Americans like me) if given the proper material. Also makes you realize that people around the world often listen to the same songs.<br /><br />But as in real life, the best do not necessarily win. Just listen to the Super Girl winners. In 2005, Li Yuchun took the top prize. Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mv2e0c1MO0">here</a> or the picture below for a youtube clip of her singing a stirring rendition of a "Chinese folk song."<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Mv2e0c1MO0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2VCffz0sMg7Y8QFSj7r3XMEXXmJCASSPKvpHiU7Y5ivBN9rDJ_QlRruR7ClJLqAYpHS8zo8MrFGMO1dPONAVJxsUSD3DaSJHrDxEndMVsOxwqO_2DshihyOhropDwfXfAdvA9g/s400/LiYuchun.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022824044767545938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Li Yuchun, 2005 winner</span><br /></div><br /><br />In 2006, Shao Wenjie 尚雯婕 took first place. Hmmm...note the resemblance? (Actually, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtmQCl1kzwY">she seems to sing quite well</a>.)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtmQCl1kzwY"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0f4t_dVE2aYKeEq5Z3oGaQwgrh4WZgBd6RGppRwycyQKHqWWbrPaLZO12j0uXmLN5spzE1RKJFrdZtKzdkL05LzN2qdLQZ4gEJKClM2kfVoS7zm-20Uxj_0pyvG1slFIXGeDaQ/s400/ShaoWenjie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022818542914439730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shao Wenjie, 2006 winner</span><br /></div><br />In case you haven't noticed, both winners look like young boys. Kind of the androgynous look of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPiltTGA89E">how Japanese boy singers look like young girls</a>. Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPiltTGA89E">here</a> to see a commercial featuring Japan's hottest boy band, KAT-TUN. (For all you KAT-TUN fans out there, please do not flame me. I'm going be scolded by my wife for mocking them. That should be sufficient punishment). What's with the fascination with androgyny in East Asia?<br /><br />To me (and the 100+ international students, including Chinese, that I informally surveyed), Zhang (the Mariah soundalike) should have won hands down (sorry if I offended Li fans). Seems like voters don't necessarily look for talent. In fact, Super Girl makes you think about how we elect our politicians in America...<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush"></a>Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1162901551438952542006-11-07T01:46:00.000-10:002007-01-26T16:40:44.875-10:00Borat eats kimchee?<object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/w-qO8Oywpas"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/w-qO8Oywpas" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object><br /><br />I finally saw my first movie in months: <span style="font-style: italic;">Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazahkstan</span>. Here's a scene from the first four minutes of Borat. I felt such a guilty pleasure. On the one hand, I could see Kazaks cringing in shame at their portrayal of their country, much like the scene in <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106770/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnx0dD0xfGZiPXV8cG49MHxrdz0xfHE9ZHJhZ29uIGJydWNlIGxlZXxmdD0xfG14PTIwfGxtPTUwMHxjbz0xfGh0bWw9MXxubT0x;fc=1;ft=22;fm=1">Dragon: the Bruce Lee Story</a>. You know, the scene when a young Bruce Lee felt shame while the audience was roaring with laughter at Mickey Rooney's portrayal of an Asian in <span style="font-style: italic;">Breakfast at Tiffany's</span>. On the other hand, I also laughed so hard that I felt like, to paraphrase Borat, stomach was going to drop out of anus. Sasha Baron Cohen, who plays Borat is either offensive, a genius, or an offensive genius.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0MraOlHNVA"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 406px; height: 308px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/Altynay%20Sapargalieva%20b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />But I did come in touch with Kazaks during my trip to China when I ate Kazak food in a yurt in Xinjiang province, and especially noticed the sheep head prepared for the guest of honor. So I felt it somewhat a responsibility to find more positive images of the Kazak people.<br /><br />Did you know that Kazakstan also has <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkeg_rImieA">Superstar KZ</a>, its version of American Idol (which in turn is a version of Britain's Pop Idol)? Indeed, in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0MraOlHNVA">this video</a>, the Kazak singing sensation, Contestant NO.320106 <a href="http://superstar.kz/participants/1.html">Алтынай Сапарғалиева</a> (Altynay Sapargalieva), belts out a Kazakstan rendition of Christina Aguilera's _The Voice Within_. She is also "21st century leader" (A Kazak version of Jeopardy) contestant, and 9th grader.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/RomanKim.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 178px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/RomanKim.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>And when I browsed Wikipedia about Superstar KZ, I noticed that the second place winner was a chap by the name of Роман Ким <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Kim">(Roman Kim)</a>. Yes, this is a reminder that there are 100,000 Koreans living in Kazakstan (which has a population of 15,300,000). The existence of these <span style="font-style: italic;">Koryo Saram</span> (Корё сарам - Koreans in the former USSR) is a reminder of a sad chapter in history. While much attention has been made of the internment of Japanese in America, the Koreans in Russia also had it bad. During the late 19th century, the Tsars encouraged Koreans to settle in Siberia to help solve a labor shortage, and a few even ended up in Kazakhstan. But in 1937, Stalin, being a paranoid ruler (what's up with these paranoid Communist rulers such as Mao, Stalin, or Pol Pot?) distrusted the Koreans in the Soviet Union and thought they were Japanese spies. Never mind that the Japanese had forcibly colonized the Koreans and that many Koreans had fled to Manchuria to wage up a guerilla war. But since Stalin distrusted them, all Koreans in Russia were sent to Kazakhstan (a fate suffered by other minorities such as Poles, Chechens, and Jews). But many of these Koreans managed to overcome the hardships of forced relocation, and have now carved out a presence in Kazakhstan.<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xF16ZKWvuYs"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xF16ZKWvuYs" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object><br />The thing that struck me was how Asian the people of Kazakhstan looked, as in this video by the Allstars titled, "Qazaqstanym". But no duh..like, isn't Kazakhstan in central Asia?<br /><br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xxhj43oPlKE"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xxhj43oPlKE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object><br />So I have a strange feeling that Borat may be more familiar with Korean food that we might think. On this note, I'll leave you with a "Suiyu degen osy ma," a R&B/Hip-Hop music video by Bangor, a now-defunct Kazak group.Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1162439572384404612006-11-01T17:52:00.000-10:002006-11-02T03:06:20.603-10:00What is a kiss? Kissing pranks on TV.<object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.com/v/i-s-3F3BNhU"><embed src="http://youtube.com/v/i-s-3F3BNhU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="350" width="425"></object><br />I thought the Japanese were the world's most sadistic pranksters...well, this video proves me wrong... I would be truly disturbed if I were the women in the video...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">And now, back to Japan...</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcfROAJGlCE"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 421px; height: 315px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/koike%20eiko%20and%20chimp.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Now for a Japanese version, look at the following <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcfROAJGlCE">clip</a>, where a chimpanzee kisses Koike Eiko (swimsuit model, and former announcer for Pride Fighting Championship). For those in the know, the chimpanzee throws in a good imitation of <a href="http://kakuregaijin.blogspot.com/2006/04/hard-gay.html">Hard Gay</a> at the end of the video.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Count your blessings you are NOT a Japanese comedian</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5EbE5H0GCI"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 413px; height: 310px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/400/butt%20game%20show.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />But the women have it easy. At least they don't have to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5EbE5H0GCI">kiss smelly butts</a> like in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5EbE5H0GCI">this video</a>. This is part of a sadistic TV game show (done by paid professional comedians, don't try this at home) where every time the comedian gives a wrong answer, a human butt comes just a bit closer to his face.<br /><br />Last, if you just want to see a plain, unadulterated video of a Japanese KISS, well look at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ9vKUUUpow">this video of a Japanese commercial</a>. Yeah, "I was made for lovin' you baby, you were made for lovin me!"Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1161516198289159642006-10-21T23:35:00.000-10:002006-10-23T02:16:22.560-10:00MC Hotdog: "I love Taiwan chicks"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcrkPEbziNo"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/MC%20Hotdog%20c.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Taiwan's MC Hotdog has stumbled upon a surefire method of meeting sexy Asian women: make a catchy song praising the beauty of local women. In this case, with <span style="display: inline;" id="vidDescRemain">Zhang Zhen Yue singing the main tune, </span>he praises Taiwanese women in "<span style="font-style: italic;">Wo Ai Tai Mei</span>" (我愛台妹), translated as "I love Taiwanese chicks." It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that national identity is sexy and sells, especially in a catchy song sprinkled with Taiwanese dialect. (<span style="font-weight: bold;">Click on the picture above</span> or click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcrkPEbziNo"><span style="font-weight: bold;">here</span></a> to go to a clip of the song put up by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=malubud">Malubud</a>)<br /><br />From what I've learned on the Internet, according to Mei Huang's article <a href="http://publish.pots.com.tw/english/Features/2005/09/16/377_17_Main/index.html">"The Ubiquity of Tai ke,"</a> in Taiwan, "Tai ke" is the equvalent of the U.S. redneck, something like a deragotory term now used as a marker of local Taiwanese pride. The "Tai ke" is supposed to dress all gaudy and loud (gee, fits in with rap style!) and the "Tai mei" is the female equivalent. So MC Hotdog is rapping an ode to the "Tai mei" in this video. And just for your info, MC Hotdog has the character for "dog" 犬 on his jersey.<br /><br />Now the People's Republic of China views Taiwan as a breakaway province, and has made national reunification a top priority. But this policy clashes with the emergence of a distinct Taiwanese identity. The Japanese took over Taiwan in 1895 and ruled it for half a century, first using brute force to put down any resistance, then developing the infrastructure and creating a policy of assimilating the Taiwanese. In fact, Japanese became the common language of the schools in the colonial period and so many very elderly Taiwanese can speak fluent Japanese. By the time the Japanese were kicked off the island in 1945, Taiwan was the most developed province in China.<br /><br />Many Taiwanese (descendants of people in Taiwan before the end of Japanese rule), although they suffered discrimination from the Japanese, suffered even more discrimination at the hands of mainlander Chinese who took over the island in 1945. In 1947 Taiwanese rose up in an uprising known as the February 28 incident in which thousands died in the resulting government crackdown. And in 1949, millions of mainlanders fled to the Taiwan following the Communist takeover of China, beginning a process of mainlander domination of Taiwan politics which really only ended with the rise to power in 1988 of President Lee Teng-hui, a native Taiwanese.<br /><br />Given this history, today many Taiwanese speak their native dialect with pride. Take a rap (which seems to be based on the Spinner's "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_Ix8I9iOXk">I'll be around</a>" posted by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=shockg">shockg</a>) , sprinkle it with Taiwanese dialect, and combine it with the fact that Chinese women overshadow Taiwanese women in the worldwide Chinese media. Now you understand why MC Hotdog is so popular among Taiwanese women, as seen in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ht_KvlOjx4">this video</a> of a live club performance (click on the picture below or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ht_KvlOjx4">here</a> to see the video posted by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=bj23tube">bj23tube</a>). As you can see, all these Taiwanese women are hugging him and energetically singing along with his song!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ht_KvlOjx4"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/MC%20Hotdog%20b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>So my friend, want to meet Asian women? Become a rapper and throw in a healthy dose of nationalism and identity politics and this is what you get! Now you know why he sings, "<span style="font-style: italic;">Wo ai tai mei! Tai mei ai wo</span>!" (I love Taiwan chicks! Taiwan chicks love me!)Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1160539824277624062006-10-10T18:06:00.000-10:002006-10-22T02:57:58.000-10:00Journey to the West<span style="font-style: italic;">Journey to the West</span> must be one of the most famous novels that we don't know about. It's an epic Chinese novel (written in the 1590s) well known in East Asia, and I've seen pictures of the main character the Monkey King in both China and Japan.<br /><br />Little known to most Americans is that they know of the main character. The Monkey King's name is "Sun Wukong" and the Japanese pronunciation is "Son Goku". Yes, you anime otaku, the character from Dragon Ball! In fact, Dragon Ball is loosely based on Journey to the West.<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ycDyVy17SJw"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ycDyVy17SJw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object><br />Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycDyVy17SJw">here </a>for a Chinese remake of Journey to the West posted by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=chunwui5021">chunwui5021</a>. Those of you who read the book can figure out this is from the beginning, when the powerful Monkey King takes on Buddha himself. The bet is whether Sun Wukong can jump out of the palm of Buddha's hand.<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T0EyVUAJMqQ"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T0EyVUAJMqQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0EyVUAJMqQ">Here</a>'s the karaoke clip of the theme song posted by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=kd6cute3">kd6cute3</a>.Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1160030387535118402006-10-04T20:39:00.000-10:002006-10-04T20:39:47.606-10:00<b>Sadistic Japanese TV toilet humor</b><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.com/v/AeJwl3UG8eY"></param><embed src="http://youtube.com/v/AeJwl3UG8eY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br>Ah, how I long for the good old days of Japanese TV when producers did not give a whit about torturing their victims...I mean contestants. Now Japanese TV is mostly about in-jokes about local celebrities or game shows with celebrities. Here's a scene from a Japanese TV show - literally toilet humor. Please note how what passes for mainstream TV in Japan gets flagged as adults only in America! Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1159526310563566902006-09-29T00:31:00.000-10:002006-10-01T11:00:44.503-10:00Konishiki and Layzie Bone - "Livin like Kings"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dqw7pDiO54"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 235px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/400/konishiki.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For the uninitiated, Konishiki, formerly Saleva'a Atisano'e, is a Hawaii-born Samoan sumo wrestler, who became the first foreigner to reach the rank of Ozeki, or champion, the second highest rank in sumo. Surprisingly quick and powerful for his nearly 600 lb body, he could, during his prime, easily force out almost any Japanese sumo wrestler from the ring. As the years passed by, injuries took its toll, and Konishiki had to retire from the world of Sumo. So what's an ex-sumo wrestler to do?<br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-dqw7pDiO54"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-dqw7pDiO54" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object><br /><br />Click on the picture of Layzie Bone above, or the picture of Konishiki's album to see a video of Konishiki, the 500+ lb Sumo wrestler-turned-rapper (posted by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=MusicVideos808">MusicVideos808</a>). Layzie Bone of the rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony makes a special guest appearance. I love this video - Konishiki must be literally the biggest rapper on this planet, and the song does grow on you after awhile.<br /><br />This song, "Livin' like Kings" from the album <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Konishiki-KMS/dp/B00004SR10/sr=8-1/qid=1159526946/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-0599877-2887224?ie=UTF8&s=music">Konishiki, KMS</a> was released in the year 2000, after his retirement from sumo wrestling, but I don't recall it doing very well in the U.S. As of now, Konishiki now goes about Japan singing Hawaiian songs and making good money through his television appearances. Here's a link to a <a href="http://starbulletin.com/2000/06/05/features/cd1b.mp3">clip</a> of his song <a href="http://starbulletin.com/2000/06/05/features/cd1b.mp3">Sumo Gangsta</a>, in which he raps in Japanese!<br /><br />How did the critics receive this album? Jon Azpiri of the All Music Guide sums it up:<br /><br /><blockquote>Konishiki, KMS is definitely what you would call niche marketing. The album is targeted at those underrepresented fans of both sumo wrestling and hip-hop. Not exactly a growing demographic, but nobody's going to stop Konishiki from trying. When you're a 6'3", 600-pound champion sumo wrestler, odds are you can make rap albums or do anything else you want to and no one will stop you. No doubt Konishiki's considerable girth, not to mention his fame, earned him a record deal. What's scary is that this relative novice provides some passable West Coast hip-hop....Konishiki really shouldn't be making albums. Of course, nobody wants to be the one to tell him.<br /></blockquote><br />Regardless of what the critics say, you gotta love this guy as he is still active after retirement from sumo and now <a href="http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Jul/21/sp/507210333.html">promotes Hawaii - Japan ties</a>. He plows much of his money into helping disadvantaged children in Hawaii go to Japan, through his <a href="http://www.konishikikids.org/Data/AboutUs.html">Konishiki Kids</a> foundation. And he even did the second ending theme for the animation Kirby (based on the video game). Check out this video posted by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=IvynaJS">IvynaJS</a>!<br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XEiqOyT27Pc"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XEiqOyT27Pc" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object>Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1158819151044974882006-09-20T20:12:00.001-10:002006-10-03T00:45:38.603-10:00Japanese potty training anime<b>"If you can use the toilet, you've become a 'pantsman'!"</b><br /><embed src="http://youtube.com/v/mSn9VRsZWbY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="350" width="425"><br />The above quote starts off this Japanese potty training video posted by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=deebingo">Deebingo</a>. It teaches kids that when they can use a toilet, they can become a "pantsman." Think of it as the equivalent of getting your blue belt in karate class. And I just love the smiling turds near the end of the video!<br /><br />Here's the first dialogue:<br /><blockquote>Kid tiger:"My stomach's going muzu muzu (feels itchy)."<br />Tiger Mom: "And when your stomach goes muzu muzu, what does it mean?"<br />Kid tiger: "I gotta pee pee! Toilet!"</blockquote><br /><br />Song:<br />"When you shi shi, it goes "shi pa pa"<br /><br />Second dialogue:<br /><blockquote>Kid tiger" "My butt's going muzu muzu"<br />Tiger Dad: "And when it goes muzu muzu, what does it mean?"<br />Kid tiger: "Doo doo! I gotta toilet!"</blockquote><br />Talking toilet: "Okay, let's try making doo doo"<br /><br />Song:<br />"When you unchi (Japanese for "doo doo"), it goes "un pa pa""<br /><br /><blockquote>Tiger dad: "Wipe your butt"<br />(smiling turds go down toilet)<br />Kid Tiger: "Bye bye doo doo!"<br /><br />Kid Tiger: Daddy, I did a doo doo.<br />Tiger Dad: You did a good job. So from today, you can wear underwear! (Instead of diapers).</blockquote><br /><br />Enjoy the live action afterwards!Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1155029111620817732006-09-04T02:30:00.000-10:002006-10-30T23:44:58.313-10:00More Korea --> Japan meme rap!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx-x-EMR9ds"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 218px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/DJOzmaSunjon.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">DJ Ozma is at it again.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Scene from "Junjou," his cover of Koyote's "Sunjon"</span><br /></div><br />I am still dreading the prospect of choosing from the 1,000 pictures or so I took in China (the other thousand were destroyed by a botched CD transfer in China). I spent the past few hours going over the final proofs of my book - it's way past the deadline, and already been advertised online. Right now, I don`t know how to start working on my China blog.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAIThK3-prs"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 204px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/koyote.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shin Ji from the Korean group Koyote</span><br /></div><br />So to procrastinate, I`d like to introduce you to a super-catchy song that has wormed its way into my brain this summer. DJ Ozma was at it again, once again doing a cover of a Korean pop song. This time, it`s from the hip-hop and dance group <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koyote_%28group%29">Koyote</a>.<br /><br />1) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Koyote version</span><br />First take a look at the original song, "Sunjong" (written as 純情 in Chinese characters, <span id="vidDescBegin">순정 in the Korean Hangul writing system)</span> which came out in 1998. I was <a href="http://www.frommers.com/destinations/beijing/D31099.html">dancing on a tabletop in a restaurant</a> to this song in Beijing of all places! (amazing what Chinese whisky and a little coaxing from sexy belly dancers will do to you):<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAIThK3-prs">here</a> or on the picture above to see and hear Koyote.<br /><br />2) <span style="font-weight: bold;">DJ Ozma version</span><br />Now look at DJ Ozma`s cover of this song, which they use the Japanse reading of "Junjou" (純情 in Chinese characters, スンジョンin Japanese katakana writing). Same Chinese characters as in Korean, but different pronunciation <span id="vidDescBegin">. </span>Note how he plays the disco kistchy aspect in his video. I love how he reinforced the "It`s disco time baby!" by appearing in disco clothing.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx-x-EMR9ds&mode=related&search=">here</a> or on the picture of DJ Ozma above to see and hear the video..<br /><br />Now that`s what I consider pan-Asian music. Korean beats with a little bit of Japanese tongue in cheek humor added on.<br /><br />3) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Spread of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme">meme</a><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM6OPnAlWEA&mode=related&search="><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/towel%20waving.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Crowd at a baseball stadium chanting the tune from Junjou/Sunjong</span><br /></div><br />And like a virus, the chant "wo-oh-oh...wo-oh-oh" started spreading throughout Japan! For example, check out this clip from a baseball game between the Yomiuri Giants (the Yankees of Japan) and the Chiba Lotte Marines (last year's Japan Series champion). Listen to the crowd chant in the back, and then notice how they start waving their white towels like in the DJ Ozma video. Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM6OPnAlWEA&mode=related&search=">here</a> or on the picture of the baseball stadium above to see this video. Of course, all this makes sense since the Lotte company is a Korean-Japanese conglomerate founded by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shin_Kyuk-Ho&action=edit" class="new" title="Shin Kyuk-Ho"></a>Shin Kyuk-Ho a.k.a. Shigemitsu Takeo, a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea" title="South Korea"></a>South Korean national who also lives in Japan half the year.<br /><br />4) <span style="font-weight: bold;">Need your help</span><br />What song is <span style="font-style: italic;">Sunjong</span> originally based on? The background sounds quite familiar. Donna Summer's "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NSncP-hdEg">I Feel Love</a>" perhaps? Arpeggio's 1976 hit, "Love and Desire"? Any ideas?Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1157139060793152622006-09-01T09:22:00.000-10:002006-09-01T10:17:13.793-10:00Bitter Asian men?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/sadpanda.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/sadpanda.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Picture from the Bitter Asian Men website</span><br /></div><br /><br />Well, I stumbled across <a href="http://www.bitterasianmen.com/">this website</a> and felt very sorry for the authors, especially when I saw that crying panda in a pool of blood.<br /><br />Yes, I too, decades ago, when I moved from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland, experienced the shock that comes with becoming an Asian man. First, I was put into a nebulous, catch-all category of "Asian," meaning that I now had something in common with Pakistanis, Indonesians, Uighurs, Iranians, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debito_Arudo">Arudou Debito</a>. (Believe it or not, people of all backgrounds commonly use the word "Oriental" over here in Hawaii).<br /><br />Next, I realized that I had become a member of a minority group doomed to <a href="http://mahdzan.com/fairy/papers/asian/index.htm">media stereotyping as the eternal geek</a>. Now I did my fair share of BBS posting on the topic of Asian men and dating, but now that I'm older and married, and back in Hawaii, I have moved onto other concerns. (Yes, Hawaii readers, interracial dating is a controversial topic on the U.S. mainland!)<br /><br />Still, seeing this site did bring back some memories. So, I'd like to contribue a few words of wisdom to my fellow Asian brothers on the mainland who are experiencing dating difficulties:<br /><br />1)<a href="http://newcomers.honoluluadvertiser.com/guide05/2005/index"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Move to Hawaii</span></a>. You can't use the "nobody wants to date Asian guys" excuse anymore, not when the majority of the men on the island look like you. Of course, you'll pay more for everything and have a lower salary than on the mainland, but hey, you can't have it all...<br /><br />2)<a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.embjapan.org/JETProgram/homepage.html">Move to Asia</a>. If you still can't meet women, then something else truly must be the problem.<br /><br />3)For those of you who cannot or refuse to move, in the spirit of <a href="http://kakuregaijin.blogspot.com/2006/02/japanese-secret-better-living-through.html">my post on anal constriction</a>, I offer you <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0919637264?v=glance">this book</a>, ranked #279,058 at amazon.com:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/howtodatewhitewoman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/howtodatewhitewoman.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1156980029233352562006-08-30T13:20:00.000-10:002007-02-27T15:09:18.063-10:00Zuiikin English : "Take what you want!"<object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MhUFCgHJ6r4"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MhUFCgHJ6r4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></object><br /><br />Sorry for not posting - I have a huge backlog of work that greeted me upon my return home.<br /><br />Anyway, here's a strange video I found on the Internet, originally posted by <a href="http://wa.ctk23.ne.jp/%7Erei-00/">Skillful Abbot</a> (it's a shame how other people took credit for his posting of the video). Zuiikin English was broadcast in the 1990s, and was a way to "teach your muscles English". It's being rebroadcast right now. Japanese study English for a minimum of six years (since middle school), and yet many cannot even mutter simple English phrases. Thus zuiikin English is a way to chant English to a beat using your muscles.<br /><br />This video is a segment for useful English if you are in America. Makes you wonder what image they have of Americans. You're going to have one of two reactions: either going to laugh your belly out, or stare in utter confusion. I laughed so hard that I couldn't sleep, but for some people, this video may hit too close to home.<br /><br />Here's what the woman is saying in the first few seconds:<br />"Oh no, it looks like I'm lost!"<br />"I've come to a place with no people" (I'm not sure if I'm translating this part right)<br /><br />Anyway, here are more links if you find this interesting:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdJKMFx0joA&mode=related&search=">How to argue with your foreign spouse in English</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdJKMFx0joA&mode=related&search=">Zuikin Japanese for foreigners</a><br /><br />Enjoy!Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1154762368092281432006-08-04T21:07:00.000-10:002006-08-04T21:19:28.106-10:00Hello from HiroshimaI am now writing from an internet cafe in Hiroshima, Japan. For those of you who expected updates on my trip to China, a huge apology. I felt like a lifetime of experiences were crammed into an incredible three weeks in China. It was hard to get internet access, or even the free time to check my email. I took over 2,000 pictures of China, and so there are so many stories I want to share with you. It`s just that it is very time consuming to upload the photos. Anyway, I made all sorts of new friends, and now look at China in a totally different light. Here are a few observations:<br /><br />1) Japan no longer seems exotic after visiting China. Last year, when I arrived in Osaka, everything in Japan, from the food down to meeting the people seemed so fresh and new that I went crazy taking pictures of anything. Don`t get me wrong, I still enjoy being in Japan. But after three weeks in China, I felt like I was "back home" when I arrived in Hiroshima. I guess I could not understand what the Chinese were saying to me, and so my brain has relaxed a little now that I understand 80% of what others tell me. I`m not experiencing the same level of culture shock in Japan that I experienced in Hiroshima.<br /><br />2) China was far more developed than I thought. And the Chinese I met had a hunger to move up in life that I find lacking in many American students. We`re going to have to get our young generation hungry to excel in academics and their careers, or else we Americans are in for a rude awakening in a decade or so when we see China develop into an economic giant. China`s strength comes not from its size but rather its people: they are willing to work damn hard to make their country prosperous. Young people I met told me of their future dreams, and they are very goal oriented, such as study abroad for a year to learn English and then open their own trading business company. Now contrast that with the "I dunno...whatever" mentality that I see in some (but definitely NOT all) Hawaii students. Remind me to tell you about the sparking new educational facilities I saw under construction over there. Puts the University of Hawaii to shame.<br /><br />3) Yes, I did visit a maid cafe while I was in Akihabara. In fact, I visited four of them and dragged my wife along as well. I`ll try to post more pics later, and perhaps even write a short travel article. Just for now, I debated with a maid the merits of maid costumes versus Hooters. She wanted to visit Hooters in America, and I told her that the maid cafe seemed more classy.Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1149977750772276422006-06-10T11:41:00.000-10:002006-08-30T14:49:27.653-10:00More Japanese rap: Twigy's "Righ now"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/twigy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/400/twigy.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I feel quite depressed when I use this blog to teach my college students the power of pop culture because it makes me feel so old!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/miliyah.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 202px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/miliyah.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>For example, take this video <span style="font-style: italic;">Righ' Now</span> by TWIGY ft. Miliyah Kato & YOU THE ROCK. This is a Japanese rap video, which although not a big hit in Japan, is, in my opinion, one of the catchiest songs to come out of that country in a while. (Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vbrpi77RJQ">here</a> for the video)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/beyonce.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 194px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/beyonce.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Notice how the Japanese versioni visually pays homage to Beyonce's "Check on it". (Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDOvgxsGvWg&search=beyonce%20check">here</a> for music video)<br /><br />I think it's cute how they spelled the seventeen-year-old Miriya's (she's the female vocalist in this video and a rising singer in Japan) name in the African-American style of "Miliyah" (just like "Aaliyah"). Rap music has spread Black standards of beauty to Japan. Now you have young men and young women going to tanning salons and trying to look like Snoop Dog or Beyonce'.<br /><br /><br />And note how they took the beat from an American song. I think the songwriter grew up listening to a lot of American music. But what song was it from? None of the students in class could identify the original song except a returning student about my age. Can you few lurkers out there (at least according to my sitemeter stats) figure out the song it was from?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/Vanity%20Six.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 216px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/Vanity%20Six.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>So, Vanity Six's <span style="font-style: italic;">Nasty Girl</span> (click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmW8PKVP4Jg&search=vanity%20nasty">here</a> for music video) is now music for middle aged people? Never thought that day would come.<br /><br />My hats are off to those of you in your sixties and seventies. Now I know how you feel when people tell you that the Beatles or Rolling Stones are "old people's music."Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1148964634762974632006-05-29T18:45:00.000-10:002007-03-04T00:46:14.851-10:00Pop music meme through DJ Doc and DJ Ozma<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtOmOnkT-h8"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/DJ%20Ozma%20D.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I love youtube! It's a great way for me to stay current on the music scene, and I can easily access music videos and compare them side by side. In fact, it's a great tool to keep up with popular culture in Japan.<br /><br />American and European pop culture has become a sort of worldwide common culture among the young urban educated people in places like South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. Young adults in these places listen to Eurobeat or hip-hop music, dress like gangstas, watch American movies, and learn years of English in middle and high school.<br /><br />You can easily see how a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme">meme</a> (cultural idea transmitted from one mind to another) transforms, as a song is covered by people from different countries.<br /><br />Check out Boney M's video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c-M8mHsFEY">here</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c-M8mHsFEY"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 152px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/Boney%20M.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>For example, start with <span style="font-style: italic;">Daddy Cool</span> by the Europop group Boney M. This group featured West Indian singers and although relatively unknown in the U.S. (except among disco intelligentsia), I read that this group was quite big in Asia. Here's a video of them singing this 1976 classic and try to remember the strumming bass that runs through the song: "dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah-dah."<br /><br /><br /><br />Watch DJ Doc's video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ClvEk9Y_sQ">here</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ClvEk9Y_sQ"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 149px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/DJ%20Doc.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Now fast forward to the year 2000, to South Korea. The hip-hop group DJ DOC released a very catchy song titled, "Run to You". Look at this video and see how they took Boney M's song and made it into a rap.<br />(Note: there are Internet claims that DJ DOC released an anti-Japanese single called F_CK ZAPAN. I checked <a href="http://ampoko.daa.jp/djdoc/">DJ DOC's Japanese website</a>, and they emphatically deny that they were the group responsible for this single. Rather, it's by an unknown indies band called "Paekche" ("Kudara" when read in Japanese). There seeems to be an Internet rumor going on.<br /><br /><br />Watch Alex To's video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMRImoM99Pg&search=%22alex%20to%22">here</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMRImoM99Pg&search=%22alex%20to%22"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 198px; height: 147px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/alex%20to.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Now jump to the year 2004 to Taiwan. Singer Alex To made it more Nelly-like (just like "Hot in Herre") by adding an element of taking off one's clothes in his version of the song, "Take Off" and a bit more English, which is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingua_franca">lingua franca</a> of East Asia. Note the evolution of this meme as seen in dance steps or people stripping their clothes.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Watch DJ Ozma's video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtOmOnkT-h8"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">here</span></span></a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtOmOnkT-h8"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 145px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/DJ%20Ozma.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>And in 2006, the Japanese group DJ OZMA (really a side project of the group <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCJBriKnatE&search=kishidan">Kishidan</a>) released their version, titled, <span style="font-style: italic;">Age Age Every Night</span>. (pronounced "ah-geh"). It's known in Japan that DJ Ozma is doing a cover of DJ Doc's song. He kept Alex To's visual message to take off one's clothes, and added a bit of 1970s disco in a seeming act of homage to the roots of Boney M! You can see their tongue planted firmly in their cheek with their homage to <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=EMzoBkaFxh4">MC Hammer's style of dancing</a> and DJ Ozma's crazy afro. Note how the dancing has changed, especially how people hold their hands out and go from side to side while chanting, "na na na na na." (compare to dance steps in the Korean original by DJ Doc.) And yes, those scantily clad girls and topless men are tame by American music video standards, but are pushing the envelope by Japanese ones. I guess it might have the tacit approval of the Japanese government: after all, something has to be done about the falling birthrates!<br /><br />It's good to know that despite all the tensions between governments in East Asia, pop music and hip-hop has the potential to unite us all. After all, young people don't have to speak the same language to appreciate a nice beat, fancy dancing, and lots of sweaty bodies.Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1145504119325714492006-04-19T17:17:00.000-10:002006-04-21T04:20:51.036-10:00First William Hung, and now we present...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/horrible%20chinese%20singer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/400/horrible%20chinese%20singer.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I"m going to China this summer to learn about that great nation and get in touch with my Chinese roots, and so I thought it would be good to blog about something Chinese.<br /><br />Anyway, I stumbled across a clip of <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6923747437946610943&pl=true">a Chinese singing contest</a>. Oh my goodness, someone please tell me that this is a skit from a Chinese <span style="font-style: italic;">comedy</span> show, and that she's supposed to be bad... Or does this reflect the state of Chinese R&B music? I wonder if this is from a show similar to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Girl">Mengniu Sour Yogurt Super Girl Contest</a>, the Chinese equivalent of American Idol (or <a href="http://www.codemasters.com/popidol/homepage.php">Pop Idol</a>, as the show originally was called in the U.K)! Who is this woman, and what in the world is she catwailing? She makes <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hung">William Hung</a> seem like a musical genius! And why are the people applauding for her? Are they humoring her, or do they seriously think she is good?<br /><br />By the way, the Chinese must be laughing at how bad American singers are when they try to sing traditional Chinese music.Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1144858799367269432006-04-12T06:03:00.000-10:002007-01-26T19:16:35.588-10:00Hard Gay<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igC4bPDp6cU"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/hardgay.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />You got to see these videos to believe this. This person is Razor Ramon Hard Gay, or "Hard Gay" for short. Think of a Japanese version of the leather guy in the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30obH-NiJes&search=village%20people%20YMCA">Village People</a>, and his job is to help the average person on the street, such as helping old ladies cross the street, protecting young ladies from pick-up artists, or teaching kids to eat their vegetables. And his secret weapon is his crotch shake. Can you believe the stuff that goes on in Japanese prime time? Hard Gay is the alter ego of the comedian Sumitani Masaki and has become quite popular in Japan.<br /><br />Here's some clips of him. In <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igC4bPDp6cU">this one</a>, he helps a struggling ramen shop by trying to attract customers. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tADedTyWPSg">Here</a>, he helps people in the streets. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjjvUO4xxlQ&search=hard%20gay%20yahoo">In another one</a>, he accuses Yahoo Japan of taking his trademark cry, "whooo!!!"<br /><br />And you can see him in his music video doing what else...<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi08A4I1q4Q">a Japanese cover of "YMCA"</a>! (actually his cover of <span style="font-style: italic;">Young Man</span>, a 1970s Japanese cover of YMCA)Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1142422567259875272006-03-15T01:31:00.000-10:002006-03-16T01:30:59.880-10:00Dealing with network racism?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/clubjaps.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/400/clubjaps.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />First of all, the book is finished! YEAAAHHHHH!!!!! Now I"ll probably sell only 500 copies at the most, but hey, it's done!<br /><br />Next a quick note about the World Baseball Classic. A few days ago, my wife and I were watching a broadcast of the Japan versus China game happening at the Tokyo Dome and we noticed the word "JAP" staring at us from the screen. Yes, in a brilliant move of cultural sensitivity, ESPN2 used JAP as shorthand for "Japan" on the scoreboard. My wife was so steamed that she kept screaming at the TV set whileI wondered if ESPN would ever dare to abbreviate a Nigerian team the same way. I understand that so many Internet users commonly and insensitively use the word "Jap" (which is a disgusting trend but not the subject of this post) but ESPN?<br /><br />So she twisted my arm and made me send an email to ESPN.com complaining about the insensitive designation. Of course, I received the following form letter, which I have edited for you:<br /><br /><blockquote>Date: Sat, 04 Mar 2006 15:15:46 -0800<br />Subject: Thank You<br />From: "Ask ESPN TV"<askespntv@espn.twdc.com><br /><br />Hi.<br /><br />Thank you for your e-mail. It has been successfully routed to a customer<br />service representative.<br /><br />Due to the large volume of e-mail we receive, we are unable to respond<br />to general comments, but they will be passed on to the appropriate<br />network executives.<br />[....]<br />P.S. Would you like to continue to express your opinions about ESPN and<br />play a part in the programming decisions that get made? Come join the<br />ESPN Viewer Panel where you can take surveys and earn prizes. Please go<br />to http://www.espnviewerzone.com to sign up. You must complete the<br />registration process to qualify.<br /><br />Thanks!!</askespntv@espn.twdc.com></blockquote><askespntv@espn.twdc.com><br /><br />So this is what you get when you complain, a form letter. Frankly, I was too busy catching up with pile of work I had neglected while writing my manuscript so I put aside for the moment visions of an internet letter writing campaign.<br /><br />And then tonight, I caught the ending of the Japan versus Mexico game and saw the words JPN staring at me. Maybe it was my email, or more likely, the hundreds of emails sent to them, but yes, they had changed the word in question. My wife was happy (and even happier that Japan won the game). I wrote a letter of thank you to ESPN. (Curiously, Sports Illustrated has the game listed as <a href="http://sports.si.cnn.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=cnnsi&page=wbc/2006/calendar.aspx">JAP vs CHN</a>. Hmmm...)<br /><br />But then, maybe the JAP designation was made by someone in Japan. After all, there's a line of clothing store in Kobe, Japan called "<a href="http://www.kcc.zaq.ne.jp/clubjaps/">Club Japs</a>".<br /><br />And the largest underground shopping mall in Japan is a place called "<a href="http://japan.geopassage.com/attraction.asp?attrID=136"><span style="font-style: italic;">Whity Umeda</span></a>". Can you imagine telling the kids, "Hey, let's shop at Whity!" Ah, ignorance cuts both ways.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/whity.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/400/whity.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></askespntv@espn.twdc.com>Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1140263107255280602006-02-18T01:18:00.000-10:002006-02-20T23:33:51.710-10:00The Japanese Secret: Better living through anal constriction<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/400/Goodbye%20depression.jpg" alt="" border="0" />Here I am driving myself crazy editing my book manuscript and staring at the computer screen. So, during one of my breaks, I did some google searching on Japanese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engrish">Engrish</a> and lo and behold, came up with this unbelievable book:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0595094724/ref=sr_11_1/103-3482421-2983050?%5Fencoding=UTF8">How to Good-Bye Depression: If You Constrict Anus 100 Times Everyday. Malarkey? or Effective Way</a>? by Hiroyuki Nishigaki.<br /><br />Yes, this is a real book. Sold on Amazon.com.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/Nishigaki.jpg"></a><blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/Nishigaki.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/Nishigaki.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" nishigaki="" formerly="" worked="" for="" japan="" kyodo="" news="" agency="" seems="" to="" be="" a="" japanese="" philosopher="" who="" let="" s="" has="" an="" interesting="" command="" of="" the="" english="" language="" he="" claims="" that=""><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"I think constricting anus 100 times and denting navel 100 times in succession everyday is effective to good-bye depression and take back youth. You can do so at a boring meeting or in a subway. I have known 70-year-old man who has practiced it for 20 years. As a result, he has good complexion and has grown 20 years younger. His eyes sparkle. He is full of vigor, happiness and joy. He has neither complained nor born a grudge under any circumstance. Furthermore, he can make love three times in succession without drawing out.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" >In addition, he also can have burned a strong beautiful fire within his abdomen. It can burn out the dirty stickiness of his body, release his immaterial fiber or third attention which has been confined to his stickiness. Then, he can shoot out his immaterial fiber or third attention to an object, concentrate on it and attain happy lucky feeling through the success of concentration.<br /><br />If you don't know concentration which gives you peculiar pleasure, your life looks like a hell.<br /><br /></span><font><font></span></span></a><font><font><font><font><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" nishigaki="" formerly="" worked="" for="" japan="" kyodo="" news="" agency="" seems="" to="" be="" a="" japanese="" philosopher="" who="" let="" s="" has="" an="" interesting="" command="" of="" the="" english="" language="" he="" claims="" that=""><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Besides shooting out a big blank from your buttock, you can feel as if your root chakra leaked sweet hot mucus."</span></span></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" nishigaki="" formerly="" worked="" for="" japan="" kyodo="" news="" agency="" seems="" to="" be="" a="" japanese="" philosopher="" who="" let="" s="" has="" an="" interesting="" command="" of="" the="" english="" language="" he="" claims="" that=""><blockquote></blockquote></a></span></span></span></span></blockquote><font><font><font><font><font><font><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" nishigaki="" formerly="" worked="" for="" japan="" kyodo="" news="" agency="" seems="" to="" be="" a="" japanese="" philosopher="" who="" let="" s="" has="" an="" interesting="" command="" of="" the="" english="" language="" he="" claims="" that="">Now, I've checked </a><a href="http://hometown.aol.com/nishigaki3/">Nishigaki's homepage</a>, and here's what he has to say on a FAQ about his method:<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:78%;" ><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><blockquote><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:78%;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font>(1)how long do you squeeze each time?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><br /><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><to><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font> <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >3-5 minutes</span><span style="font-size:85%;">. 100 times in total a day is OK if you are busy.<br /></span><to><span style="font-size:85%;"> 3-5 minutes. 100 times in total a day is OK if you are busy.<br /></span><to><span style="font-size:85%;">The purpose is to temper the muscle of anus and of abdomen, so</span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" > no stool discharge is OK</span><span style="font-size:85%;">, only half an inch is OK, only 5 minutes is OK. In my case, I release fecal matter 2-4 times a day.<br /></span><to><span style="font-size:85%;"> within a few seconds.<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >(2)how soon will we start seeing results?<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >In a few months. We will begin to have good complexion</span><span style="font-size:85%;">. Irony, nervousness, irritation, thick-wit, dreariness of our eyes will begin to decrease. As a result, we will begin to be often asked by other people "You have changed for better. Have something good happened to you recently?"in a few months. Woman will become more charming even without make-up.</span></to></to></to></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></to></blockquote><to><to><to><to><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font>He's appeared on over 70 American radio talk shows to promote his method of well-being.<br /><br />Scary thing is, I think this author is dead serious.<br /><br />Even scarier, this book was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/new-for-you/top-sellers/-/books/all/books/0/1/12030/1/103-3482421-2983050">#300,735 on Amazon.com</a>, beating out books like:<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></to></to></to></to><ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Franny and Zooey</span>, by J.D. Salinger.</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Border Patrol Exam</span> (Complete Preparation Guide) </li><li style="font-style: italic;">Calvin Coolidge: A Biography</li><li style="font-style: italic;">Mathematics : A Discrete Introduction</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Selected Myths</span> (Oxford World's Classics) by Plato, Catalin Partenie</li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">The Power Of A Positive Teen</span>, by Karol Ladd<br /></li></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></ul><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font>What a bummer it is to be an academic writer. Do all that research on our great president Calvin Coolidge and be outsold by an author who claims that anus-clenching can banish depression. And scary to think that we have more people practicing anal constriction than studying for the Border patrol exam.<br /><br />Here's a <a href="http://revver.com/video/7127/">link to a video</a> by Rob Pongi, crazy gaijjin who lives in Tokyo. He puts Nishigaki's theories to the test.<br /><br />But be careful: Nishigaki's method to banish depression may be <span style="font-style: italic;">too</span> powerful for casual use. Here's what one reviewer has to say:<br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;" ><b></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><blockquote><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;" ><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><b>I cant stop shooting buckets of old black excrement! Help!</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica;"><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font>, September 18, 2001<br />Reviewer: <b>A reader from lakewood, CO United States </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><br /><br />I followed the directions, did the recommended 3 weeks fast, and cant stop shooting buckets of old black excrement! The sweet mucus wont stop either! I constricted anus everyday, followed by denting navel 100 times after constricting anus 100 time in the style of the longed lived british, and the flow of sweet hot mucus from my third attention wont stop! I do feel less depressed however, so the book gets 5 stars.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></blockquote><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font><font>Now go out there and give me 100 constrictions! And that's an order!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14417538.post-1138756271747596542006-01-31T15:07:00.000-10:002006-01-31T22:13:33.233-10:00Here in Hawaii and Dogs in Japan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/Haleiwa.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/400/Haleiwa.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Picture taken Sept 21, 2005 at Haleiwa Beach Park</span><br /></div><br />Here's another retroactive blog (confused by all the switching of dates?). If you are confused, well so am I. Sometimes, I think Hawaii must be the most Japanese place outside of Japan. Look at the picture above, which I took a few months ago. My wife and I were enjoying Haleiwa Beach park, one of Oahu's more underrated beaches. Here we were, in a rural town, when I see Japanese tourists even at this semi-remote outpost on the island! I wonder how they feel: flying to Hawaii to get away from it all and then they bump into their fellow Japanese screaming to each other in Osaka dialect.<br /><br />On the one hand, they must not like it, this does destroy the atmosphere of being in a foreign country. On the other hand, it is truly scary being in a foreign country, and so it must feel reassuring to see other Japanese. Kinda like Americans overseas - can talk about wanting to be among the locals, but panic sets in when far away from other Americans and the nearest McDonald's.....<br /><br />Back to my Japan vacation...Here's the entry that should've have read <span style="font-weight: bold;">August 09, 2006</span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/1600/08%2009%20choco.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/742/1304/320/08%2009%20choco.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Here's a pic of Choco, my Japanese cousin's dog. She was abandoned in the mountains, and became part of the family through a Japanese rescue group. Doesn't she remind you of a dog-deer? Naturally, she is a bit scared of people, and only today has she finally warmed up to me and came to me while I was watching TV with my aunt in her room. Strange dog - when we take her for a walk, she gets all stressed out by the city and tries to run back indoors. She also shows interest in me, then when I try to touch her, she runs away. But I know she's not dumb - she probably knows more Japanese than most Americans. How many of you readers know the Japanese for "sit" or "wait" or "come"?Kakure Gaijinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09836743636661697655noreply@blogger.com0