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Stare-apy for the Socially Inept (+ Edits)
As much as I want to be outrageously snarky in this post, I don’t think I can bring myself to do it. After all, social anxiety disorder is pretty serious stuff, especially in Japan, the birthplace of the hikikomori (引き籠もり or “pulling away”) phenomenon. In an attempt to help out those who are uncomfortable in [...]
Continue reading...Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators
Responses to my online translator post were mixed. Some people agreed, while others got defensive*. Past differences of thought aside, I found something today that argues unequivocally in favor of my point. It seems that Kosuke Fukudome, a right fielder for the Chicago Cubs, has some well-meaning but very Japanese-illiterate fans. At a Cubs game [...]
Continue reading...World’s Smallest Bowl of Ramen
Having taken (and nearly failed) more chemistry courses than I would like to remember, I’m usually not particularly enthusiastic about molecular engineering. However, a recent news story caught my eye this morning. Apparently, Masayuki Nakao, a professor at Todai, has just debuted the smallest bowl of ramen known to man.
Continue reading...Mixi.jp now hates foreigners. Requires a (Japanese) mobile email address to join.
Wow Mixi, way to put a damper on things. About two months ago, I put up a tutorial on how to get started with Mixi so that you could use it to practice your Japanese. Now it seems like Mixi is pretty much off limits (for now) to foreigners without a Japanese cell phone email [...]
Continue reading...Japanese Online Translators: They Laugh at You
18. January 2008
Ladies and gentlemen, step right up! Today I am going share with you the secret to producing perfect Japanese emails, comments, and even blog entries all without a drop of effort on your part! Sounds to good to be true, you say? Well of course, that’s because it is. Believe me when I say that I [...]
Continue reading...Use Mixi.jp to improve your Japanese (and make some friends, too!)
9. January 2008
Mixi.jp is Japan’s number one social networking site, much like America’s Myspace or Facebook. To get in, you have to be invited by someone who is already a member, which thankfully helps to make Mixi a lot less sketchy than Myspace (though I guess that doesn’t take much effort). I’ll be giving out invitations for [...]
Continue reading...Tofugu’s Japan Week in Review 1: Fukuda, Elevators, & Mochi Death
5. January 2008
December 27, 2007 - January 4, 2008 Every week (i.e. whenever time allows), I’ll be doing a “Japan week in review.” These segments will cover smaller news articles from throughout the week that we don’t want to cover individually. Although these articles of news won’t necessarily be very important, they’ll surely be interesting instead. Included after [...]
Continue reading...“Mama Sucked out my Nose Mucus;” Child Protection Agency Works Overtime
5. December 2007
Apparently there’s this neat little product over in Japan that’s called “ママ鼻水トッテ,” which roughly translates to “Mama takes (sucks) my nose mucus.” Seriously, only the most dedicated mothers would be able to suck the runny snot out of their sick children. Then again, Japanese mothers are pretty dedicated. Anyways, let’s take a look at it: The [...]
Continue reading...Half of Japanese Authors have Meaty thumbs
3. December 2007
At this point, everyone should know that Japanese people like their cell phones. In Japan, we are seeing a decline in personal computer use and a bigger interest in more versatile mobiles (the video’s a fake, but there’s still a lot of truth in it, nonetheless). On Japanese phones there are coupon scanners, television tuners [...]
Continue reading...How to Win at UFO Catchers
26. November 2007
Aight maggots. It’s time to edumacate you in the fine art of UFO catching. I’m about to present to you tips on how to net yourself a cute stuff j-character without spending a lot of moolah. Koichi spent ¥5,000 figuring out the tricks of the trade so the lot of us wouldn’t have to. But [...]
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6. June 2008