When we visited Japan earlier this year, we visited the famous Jigokudani Monkey Park (which you can read more about here), a place where Japanese macaques bathe in natural hot springs.

I thought it was pretty funny that the monkeys were so spoiled in such a human way; the monkeys bathe in the same kind of tub a person would use.

What I didn’t realize until recently was that monkeys aren’t the only animals in Japan who get treated to a relaxing, hot bath.

At Nagasaki’s Bio Park, its collection of capybara, a type of rodent from South America, get spoiled with a hot bath in the winter time.

In the summer, the capybara get another seasonal treat: watermelon.

At Bio Park you can actually walk up and pet the adorable, docile capybara as evidenced by this video:

But not everything is rosy for Bio Park’s capybara. During feeding time they have to compete with their greatest natural enemy—the swan:

Strangely, Bio Park’s capybara aren’t the only ones in Japan who get special treatment. Up in Ishikawa, its zoo’s capybara also get to enjoy hot baths in the winter:

And in Fukuoka’s Torias Hisayama Zoo, the capybara lounge with other animals (like kangaroo and meerkats) in front of a heater to keep warm.

All in all, I’d say life is pretty good for capybara in Japan. Even though they’re far from their native South America, they get the royal treatment.

Wallpapers & Animated GIF

Once again, our illustrator Aya has provided desktop backrounds and animated GIFs. Enjoy!

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Animated GIF (700×438)
Animated GIF (1280×800)

A while back I wrote about some of the more popular tropes used in manga (and anime too!). A single post really doesn’t do the topic justice, though, given the huge number of manga tropes out there. The tropes I covered previously were also limited to the straightforward, clear-cut variety: nosebleeds indicate sexual arousal, snot bubbles equate to deep sleep, popping veins signal rage, and so on.

So in today’s post, I’ll be revisiting manga tropes, with an emphasis on the tropes that are, shall we say, a bit fuzzier around the edges.

Trope #6 Shock lines

I mentioned shock lines only very briefly in my last post about manga tropes, so let’s start by taking another look at it.

Shock lines are vertical lines that, most commonly, cover the top half of a character’s face. Sometimes these lines cover just one eye, and occasionally appear even in the background. They’ve also got this bluish tint, although you usually don’t get to see this since most manga is in black and white.

Shock lines, of course, indicate shock – both the emotional sort as well as the physical, as demonstrated by Edward Elric having his new automail attached. Shock lines turn up in all sorts of other situations too, though. Just take a look at the following image, for example: there’s pure, unadulterated fear; hopeless despair; and even sheepish embarrassment.

Trope #7 Hurtful words

In the world of manga, sharp, hurtful words can literally cut you like a knife. You’ll usually see this trope in the form of an arrow that stabs someone right through the heart. So much for sticks and stones, right?

Manga artists have really had a field day with this one, and I’ve seen lots of variations of this particular trope. Hurtful words can take the form of a rock that appears out of nowhere and falls on someone’s head, for example… or, like the poor guy in the image below, each insult manifests as a bodily blow.

Trope #8 Giving up the ghost

Giving up the ghost means exactly that: someone is so close to death that his spirit has started to leave his body. It’s really common to see the bruised and bloodied loser of a fight giving up the ghost, although the cause could be anything from overwork to hypothermia. Also, as you’ll see in the following image, someone’s soul can be as detailed, or not, as the mangaka wants it to be.

The thing to note about this trope is that the person giving up the ghost is not dead. Not yet, at least – so sometimes you’ll see a character grab hold of the soul to prevent it from going into the light, as it were. In any case, by the next scene, the dying person is usually back to normal. Some manga artists take advantage of the temporariness of this trope to use it in a more figurative sense as well, like dying from disappointment.

Trope #9 Hitodama

Speaking of ghosts and spirits, manga artists rely on hitodama to indicate the presence of something… otherworldly. These floating balls of fire are, strictly speaking, actual human souls that have separated from the body, but manga artists just use them for anything supernatural. The demon wolves Hakubi and Madarao, for example, always seem to have one or two hitodama hanging around.

Hitodama aren’t just for ghosts and ghouls, though. They’re sometimes also used to play up how creepily ghost-like or witch-like someone is, which I guess isn’t too far a stretch from its original meaning. But I’m not really sure why they appear when someone is just feeling depressed or sad, like in the following image:

Trope #10 Tears

Now manga-style tears are pretty unambiguous and unmistakeable, but they appear so frequently I just have to mention them as well. When a manga character cries, these really huge pools of tears form in his eyes, or the tears stream down his face like a waterfall. Or, if a character is especially unhappy, he might even cry tears of blood.

The neat thing about manga-style tears is that they are actually possible in real life. I kid you not. You just have to be, you know, in outer space or something.

So, what’s your take on these ambiguous manga tropes? In what other situations have you seen them being used? And did you already know about the crying in space thing? Let us know in the comments!

All manga examples, once again, shamelessly lifted off manga aggregation sites.

In the early 90^s, Kyoto University had a problem. A statue on campus kept getting vandalized over and over, without any sign of stopping.

Students kept making their own additions to the statue of educator Hikoichi Orita, including face paint, clothing, props and just plain ol’ text and scribbles.

By 1994, the university was so fed up with all of the graffiti and vandalism that they put up a sign next to the statue. It said:

折田彦市先生は、第三高等学校の校長として京大の創設に尽力し、京大に自由の学風を築くために多大な功績を残した人です。 どうかこの像を汚さないで下さい。

総合人間学部

To paraphrase in English: Hikoichi Orita was a great man who contributed a lot to this school, so stop vandalizing his statue.

Unsurprisingly, the sign didn’t a damn thing to stop the vandalism. By 1997, the university decided to permanently remove the Orita-sensei statue; but even that didn’t stop people from messing with him.

Nowadays, instead of defacing the long-gone statue, people simply build their own, complete with pedestal and sign.

Every year, new, fake statues pops up on campus in place of the Orita-sensei statue around significant dates (like exams and such), featuring a different character in place of the seminal Kyoto University figure.

Gym leader Brock/Takeshi from Pokémon

Mr. Contac, the mascot for cold/flu medication Contac

Fujiya mascot Poko-chan

Twitter bot @nisehorn

Children’s TV show character Tendonman

A Kamen Rider character

Superman character from the manga Dr. Slump

Snack mascot Noppo Toppo

I feel kinda sorry for Hikoichi Orita; I’m sure he would have liked to be remembered as an educator and major figure in Kyoto University history, instead of an oft-defaced statue.

At the same time, the legacy of the Orita-sensei statue has made Hikoichi Orita much more notable than he might have otherwise been. After all, how else would I know about this minor 19^th century historical figure?

To the Kyodai students who carry on the tradition of pranking the Orita-sensei statue, even though it’s been gone for almost 20 years: I salute you.

OK, so we already had our grown-up, philosophical talk about authenticity and ethnic food earlier this week. Blah blah blah, boring.

Now that it’s the weekend, we can take a more fun approach to things. That’s why today’s post is about the YouTube series “Rino which eats world various dishes”

“Rino which eats world various dishes” is part cooking show, part Japanese parents using their adorable children for internet fame. The basic premise of the show is that the mom of two little kids (Rino and Yuuma) makes a bunch of famous dishes from around the world for her children.

She’s not a pro chef by any means, and the food probably isn’t 100% authentic (whatever that means); but it’s fun to watch her cook up these very different foods and to see the kids’ reactions.

The show covers all types of food, from Southeast Asian foods like Pad Thai, satay, and pho; to European foods like Zuccotto, Wiener Schnitzel, and Berliner; and even a few foods from home, like natto okonomiyaki and Nagasaki chanpon.

There’s a lot of variety, and it all looks incredibly delicious. Here are some of the more popular episodes from the series:

You can find the whole playlist of “Rino which eats world various dishes” here.

It’s not easy to write about art.

Art is highly subjective after all, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a complete plebeian when it comes to art. But someone much wiser than I once said that art is supposed to make the viewer feel something – and I certainly had a lot of feels when I discovered Katsuyo Aoki’s porcelain skulls.

Aoki is a Tokyo native, and completed an MFA in Ceramic Art from the prestigious Tama Art University in 2000. Since then, she has showcased her porcelain work in solo and group exhibitions all over the world – and she shows no signs of slowing down just yet.

Aoki’s Predictive Dream Series

Here are some of the porcelain skulls I mentioned earlier. Personally I think they’re quite disturbing; they remind me of the skulls of bone cancer patients. Despite that, they are highly detailed and even quite beautiful, and if nothing else I think Aoki’s skill in creating them is nothing short of impressive.

There are a few that seem to have been inspired by pointy helmets like the Pickelhaube. Check out the side-by-side comparison below, between one of her skulls and a photo of Otto von Bismark.

Likewise, other skulls seem to have been inspired by crowns. Have a look at the following skull. Don’t you think that central, oval-shaped jewel looks kind of like the centerpiece of the Russian Imperial Crown?

Some of Aoki’s skulls sprout curling, ram-like horns, like the ones below.

I don’t quite know what to make of the rest of her skulls. One, for example, seems almost cat-like. Another looks like the skull’s face is melting off – but that’s impossible, right, it hasn’t any flesh to melt off in the first place! Well, they still look pretty neat in any case.

Then there’s this one. I can’t help but think Aoki was just having a laugh when she made it. Is that a faceless kewpie doll standing at attention?

Aoki’s Other Works

Aoki’s quite prolific and she’s produced other porcelain pieces as well. If you liked her skulls and are raring for more with the same sort of flavor, check out her site. Notable mentions include her disembodied horse’s legs, or the strangely titled “Chicken Poet.”

So what do you guys think? Is it art? Would you consider having some of her skulls at home? Let us know in the comments!

Images of porcelain sculptures are from Katsuyo Aoki’s site.

Open Letter – Miichan, it’s been a whole month now, and I just can’t keep my mouth shut any longer. I know that this Tofugu-AKB48 rivalry is like that of the Montagues and the Capulets, or the Hatfields and the McCoys, or the Zerg and the Protoss… but I never expected things to turn out the way they did between us. I don’t regret our time together for a moment, though I wish it could have had a little less like the AKB48 song “Love Wars” and a little more “Aitakatta,” but maybe that’s just me.

When you left my apartment you were caught by some photographers. I don’t want to say “I told you so” (but really, I did, didn’t?), so let’s not worry too much about that. Fact is, someone took your picture while you were leaving my place in the morning, and then they published it in one of those trashy weekly magazines. First of all, wearing that mask and that hat were a dead giveaway. That jacket too. It just screams “Minami Minegishi.” How could someone that’s into the lore and fandom of AKB48 not know it was you. So, I told you so. Okay, whew, got that off my chest. I feel much better now, don’t you?

In all my letters I always tell you to wear a full-headed horse mask, but do you listen?

This is what happens, Miichan. This is what happens.

All that being said, though, for most girls your age this wouldn’t be a big deal at all. But this is a huge The problem is, being a part of AKB48 means you aren’t allowed to date anybody. Something to do with the perceived innocence of everyone towards AKB48, or something similar? I can’t remember your exact words, but Akimoto AKB48 “The Big Boss” Sensei came up with these rules for a reason. You went ahead and broke the fourth rule of AKB48 (first three of course are “never talk about Fight Club”), and here I am, awkwardly, the one who caused you to break said cardinal 4th rule.

I know my lightly chiseled abs and extremely well-balanced face were too much for you to resist, but I still can’t place all the blame on myself. Would you take a 60-40 split? Surely some of your training as an AKB48 girl has given you some sort of resistance to men with collar bones like that of an ox, right? I mean, you didn’t have to blame yourself so much that you had to shave your head and publicly apologize in a YouTube video, don’t you think? I understand the whole “head shaving is a form of contrition” thing in Japan, but really, I’m not worth all of this. You could have at least asked me to come over and shave it for you. Get rid of some of those uneven spots. I could have helped you hit record on your video recorder, too. Maybe we could have hung out and continued that epic game of Risk: Star Wars edition? Wait, no, no, that’s why you’re in trouble.

What am I thinking? You’re mad at me. I mean, genuinely pissed off. I suppose I can’t have my cake and AKB48 it too, as the saying goes. When I text you it bounces back (Did Daddy Aki change your cell phone mail address?). When I call I get disconnected. Even when I go to that super secret McDonald’s location, you know, the one where you gorge yourself on twelve Idaho burgers every Friday night from midnight until two AM, you aren’t there. It’s just me and that lady who brings those cats inside. Is everything alright? Besides you being really mad at me?

No, no of course it’s not. How could I forget? You got demoted to an AKB48 trainee team. You’re just a replacement now for one of the “main members,” though in everyone’s hearts, especially my own medically concerning abnormally large heart, you are the mainest AKB48 member of them all. How far you have fallen, Miichan. For that, I am truly sorry.

One thing does confuse me though. Why pin this whole debacle on some other guy? I know you want to protect me from the AKB48 inner Yakuza circle, but I’m a big boy now. Is “Alan Shirahama” a real person, even? If anyone’s followed your AKB48 lore like I have, they’d immediately know something was fishy. You only like guys with big faces (I know what happened between you and Bob Sapp after he hit you with that Bob Sapp Sexy Beam), so this is all one big hilarious farce to anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock the last seven years. Really, why try to hide us, though? I’ve always been around, and I’ve always been with you, even when you don’t realize it. I’m a supportive boyfriend like that.

One of our favorite moments

I get it, you need your space and you want to protect me… no, us. I’ll give you your space, you obviously have something planned that I just can’t see yet. You were always the thinking type, always using your words and arguments to tell me to stop “stalking” you or whatever. But you weren’t always just a smart one, you were good at running too, especially when I “followed you home,” and you were like “ha ha, Ko-chan, you know what would happen if they saw us together! Stop following me or I’ll call the police, or whatever.” So, no more emails, text messages, letters, drawings, Photoshops, locks of hair (you thought your hair got donated to cancer survivors?! HA! I saved it from their greedy heads! They can never understand how important your hair is to me!), dolls, body pillows, dolls with your actual hair, etc. NONE of that anymore, at least for the next couple weeks while you recuperate. I realize you need your space, and I respect that.

I do forgive you, though, Miichan. Even though you tried to hide everything that happened between us from the press to save me and my career… I still forgive you. And, just in case it might jolt your memory of us being together, my friend put us together into the same picture so you can remember.

TF48 ♥ AKB48 5Ever

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This is news, this actually happened, to some degree

Japan has a well-earned reputation as the land of cute. Everything from its mascots to its pop stars have been carefully engineered from the ground up to make you push in your cheeks and say “Awww!”

But that cuteness isn’t always designed by a company or committee; sometimes it just happens on its own. Just take a look at the Instagram account “Ayasakai.”

The account follows a pretty basic formula: pictures of a young boy (Tasuku) and his French bulldog friend (Muu), both based in Tokyo. But it’s hard to convey in words just how darn cute they both are.

Ayasakai updates pretty regularly with snapshots of the family’s everyday life, from the two watching TV together, to a day out at the park, to napping together at home.

Just check out a few pictures from the feed:

And once again, our stellar illustrator Aya has whipped up some desktop backgrounds (and an animated GIF) for your enjoyment:

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You can follow Ayasakai on Instagram or check out the Facebook page for more.