The band consists of five members: Ichiro Yamaguchi (vocals & guitar), Motoharu Iwadera (guitar), Ami Kusakari (bass), Emi Okazaki (keyboard), and Keiichi Ejima (drums). Sakanaction is a combination of the Japanese word for fish, sakana, and the English word, action. Together we have Sakanaction. Or just Fish Action, but no not really – no one calls them that – that’s just silly name. Fish Action, psh.

The band claims the fish symbolism in their name reflects their wish to act quickly and lightly, like a fearless fish in the sea not fearing changes in the music industry. Sakanaction has been enjoying increased popularity lately, and has even achieved some mainstream success by appearing on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 charts.

Ichiro Yamaguchi, Sakanaction’s creator, was originally from a band by the name of Dutchman, which he started in 1998 with a few of his friends from high school including Motoharu Iwadera (the guitarist of Sakanaction). From 2000 to 2003, they released one maxi single titled Fly, one album titled Demonstration, and a single titled Mikazuki Sunset that was only sold at their live performances.

Unfortunately however, the band did not gain much recognition. In 2004, the members of Dutchman disbanded, leaving Yamaguchi to continue on alone with the project. Wanting to try his hand at something different, Yamaguchi then began performing as a live DJ at night clubs.

One year later, Sakanaction was born in 2005. When Yamaguchi was working at a record store, he heard the song Owari no Kisetsu by Rei Harakami and it inspired him to create a new, totally awesome band. Enter Sakanaction. Yamaguchi founded Sakanaction together with Iwadera, while Kusakari left another band to join the ranks of Sakanaction. Ejima was introduced by a mutual friend, and Okazaki was one of the other people working at the record store with Yamaguchi.

We made a new band together and named it “Sakanaction”. When I first suggested “What do you think of the name Sakanaction?”, he said “I hate it”, but I forced.
-Yamaguchi

Sakanaction first started to gain mass appeal during the 2006 Rising Sun Rock Festival and the band’s first physical release was Go to the Future in 2007. Three songs originally from Dutchman were also rereleased as Sakanaction releases. Mikazuki Sunset and Inner World were included in Go to the Future while Word was part of a digital download release, and later made it to the NIGHT FISHING album.

On August 9, 2008, Sakanaction performed as one of the main acts on one of Japan’s top music stations, “Music On!” in an event called Summer Sonic ’08. Sakanaction performed alongside Paul Weller, The Fratellis, Death Cab for Cutie, Cajun Dance Party, Band of Horses, Blood Red Shoes, and These New Puritans. Not too bad.

On December 26, 2008, Sakanaction made it to #9 on Billboard’s Japan Hot 100 list with their single Sentorei. The song moved from #91 to #9 in just four weeks. This was a big accomplishment for Sakanaction.

In December of 2008 the band announced their third album, Shinshiro, which ended up being released in January of 2009. The album debuted at #8 on the Oricon weekly charts. Sakanaction held a national promotional tour, Sakanquarium2009, in February and March of 2009. On January 13, 2010, the band released the single Aruku Around, which hit #3 on the Oricon weekly charts.

On August 8, 2010 they made appearances at both the Summer Sonic and the World Happiness 2010 rock festivals in Tokyo. I don’t know about you, but any rock festival by the name of World Happiness sounds like a pretty good time to me.

So far they have 5 full length albums and 3 EPs. I for one am very much looking forward to hearing whatever they have to offer in the future. I think my favorite song and video is the last one included on this page (I really like that one man dance line). What’s your favorite?

P.S. Did you know that Sakanaction has a Twitter? Well so does Tofugu.
P.P.S. Want to share some other lesser known bands? Leave us a comment on Facebook or Google+.

All band information obtained from Sakanaction’s Wikipedia and Last.fm pages.

Syobon Action hates you. You’ll find this out the hard way: every jump, platform, mushroom, pipe… even the cloud in the background is out there to kill you. In time, you will hate Syobon Action. And that’s why you’ll love it so much.
[Playthisthing.com]

The game is so difficult because, unlike classic Mario, it contains concealed traps, nonsensical death conditions, and murder around every corner. The traps are everywhere and are activated only when the player is about to hit them. The game’s obstacles are so dastardly that it makes the game incredibly frustrating and extremely difficult to complete before you go insane. Sounds like fun, eh?

The artistic style of the game is very 2ch-ish. Some of you may remember 2ch being very briefly addressed in my Japanese Rage Comics post of yesteryear. If you troll around 2ch enough, you’ll see what I mean, but be warned – you can dig up some pretty weird/gross/permanently-life-scarring stuff there. Welcome to the internet.

You can also check out the official site of the game and play it here. Or if you wish to download the game so you can frustrate yourself endlessly even without internet access, you can download the game from SourceForge here. For all you folks who like a challenge, I suggest you play it before watching any of the videos below. Wouldn’t want to give yourself an unfair advantage now would you?

Cat Mario Videos and Chonny

There are also a lot of videos on YouTube depicting people’s experiences with this joyful game. Some of my favorite Cat Mario videos come from one of my favorite YouTubers, Chonny. He has four YouTube channels, MyChonny, YourChonny, ChonnyDay, and ChonnyGame. He’s hilarious. You should definitely check out his videos. The following gems are from his ChonnyGame channel. Enjoy.

The Cat Mario Challenge

The above video shows you how to beat the game without losing any lives. This video is for all you cheaters out there (or those of you who are so stuck and frustrated that you want to throw your computer out the window).

The video below is one of many Japanese language gameplay videos of the game. The player appears to be no master as he dies quite a bit. Still pretty funny though. Can you use your Textfugu Japanese skills to figure out what he’s saying?

I only played through the first level but I managed to clear it with -3 lives left which is practically the best score of all time. Think you can beat me on your first try? Post your score in the comments below!

And if you’re too lazy to scroll back up to the top of the page, here’s the link to the game again.

P.S. Hate this game to pieces? Vent your frustrations on Twitter.
P.P.S. Already a Cat Mario pro? Check us out on Facebook and Google+.

What is Yukigassen?

Just like the literal translations implies, it is a sport of snow battles, or more specifically, snowball battles. The difference between Yuukigassen to your typical neighborhood snowball fight is the wealth of regulations and professionalism one needs to adhere to. Two teams of seven on-field players duke it out, battle-royale style. Game mechanics are similar to capture the flag, where a team can come out victorious by capturing the opponent team’s flag or “tagging out” the opposing team. The end goal? Fight their way for one of the coveted spots on the Showa-Shinzan International and obtain the top prize, the Public Welfare and Labor Minister’s Award and Cup.

This game is very serious business. An official international federation exists with a strong sponsorship backing. A few of the sponsors are the major media outlets NHK, HBC, Yomiuri, Mainichi, Asahi Shimbun Presses, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan Airlines, and Sapporo Beer(!). There are many Japanese men who dedicate their lives to this sport, training themselves everyday for the big games that only occur for a couple days out of the year. Some even forgo having spouses and raising a family due to all the time required to dedicate themselves to perfecting the throwing strike or volley.

The sport isn’t limited to inside the borders of Japan. Many countries participate in the games, many of which have their own leagues and tournaments: Finland, Norway, Sweden, Canada, and the USA.

So how did the idea of regulating snowball fighting came about in Japan?

(Short) History of Yukigassen

The idea came about in 1987 by a small, sub-3,000 population Hokkaido town called 壮瞥町 (そうべつちょう, Sobetsu). At the time, Sobetsu’s claim to fame was a summer tourist town. Nearby is Mt. Showa-Shinzan, the main attraction for many visitors.

During the long, snow-filled winters, tourism halted to a stand-still. The town’s young, aspiring population saw a need to improve Sobetsu’s economy during the long winters. Forming an ideas committee, they began brainstorming methods of luring in tourists. They already knew that their idea had to be unique and not have been implemented elsewhere in order to fully realize their goal. Days went by with no home-run idea in sight. What began to be an optimistic search to improve their town slowly spiraled into the thought that in reality they might have to settle to just being a summer town. Then the fateful day finally came.

Members of the committee took noticed that tourists were having playful sessions of snowball fighting around town. The flashing light bulb appeared in the minds of the committee, and the rest was history. The first Yukigassen tournament was held the following winter, which brought in 7,000 visitors and 70 teams for the event. Twenty-three Showa-Shinzan Yukigassen tournaments later, the event is now drawing in an annual average of 25,000 visitors, with a set 128 coed and 24 female participating teams.

How is it played?

As mentioned earlier, a game of Yukigassen is played out with two teams of seven on-field players each. Each team can have two additional back-up players and a captain, making it a total of ten players.

In a tournament style setting, three teams are grouped together and pitted against each other round-robin style. Games are played best two out of three, where each game’s length is a maximum of three minutes. Victor is decided when either

1. The enemies flag is in possession of the opposing team
2. All players on the opposing team are knocked out (one hit from a snowball is considered out; doesn’t matter where the source of the snowball came from, either the enemy, your teammate, or even yourself), or
3. The time runs out one team has more remaining players than the other team.

The team with the best record moves on to face the other victors. This continues until one team comes out on top.

The map of the battlefield is pictured below.

Each blue box represents a snow-made shelters, while the red solid circles encompassed by the black bordered circles are the flagpole points. Field areas are either 40m x 10m (~130ft x ~33ft) or 36m x 10m (~118ft x ~33ft).

Team players are split into a four strikers and three defender/feeder positions. No point during the game can the 4 strikers move behind their own back line. In addition, no more than three strikers can cross the center line into the opposing team’s territory.

A few of the common position strategies are outline below in the two figures below.

Standard Position

Attacking Position

You may be wondering why one of the figures points out a snowball storage behind the rear shelter. Each team is only allowed to have 90 snowballs per match. These snowballs must be made before every match. But wait, couldn’t the players make snowballs from their environment during the game? Nope, that is against the rules. So, if the strikers are not allowed to cross their back line and they can’t make their own snow balls, then how can they attack? They are fed snowballs from the snowball storage by the defenders (or feeders, as I called them earlier). Balls can only be fed to players by rolling it to them, no tossing allowed (think of all the friendly fire that’d happen if they did!).

Ok, but wait a minute, 90 snowballs sounds a lot. Is there an efficient way to mass produce the snowballs? Yep, there sure is. The Yuukigassen Federation would be more than happy to sell your a snowball making device for US$740; produces snowballs in batches of 36.

Follow these instructions...

... And you get perfect snowballs like these! No yellow snowballs, please.

After reading and watching the videos on Yuukigassen, we are fairly pumped to start our own team. Now if only we can get snow to stick around our parts for more than a day… I leave to you a video of a complete game, for your viewing. Check out the volley skills at work! Pew Pew!

Although Yukigassen isn’t quite ready to be a Winter Olympic sport (c’mon, Curling got in somehow!), we’ll be pulling for it every chance we get. To get into the Olympics, a sport has to be “widely accepted around the world.” Yukigassen is starting to get there, though it’s probably not quite up to the standards of whatever committee chooses this sort of thing. Still, I hope to see it sometime soon. Who thought childhood playtime could turn into something this cool, though?

So, are you ready to go out and join your local team, people-who-live-in-places-with snow? We hope to see you on the snow battlefield.

P.S. Going to dedicate your life to the game of Yuukigassen? Share it on Twitter.
P.P.S. If your team wins the Showa-Shinzan International, let us know on Facebook or Google+.

Mouretsu Pirates

In Mouretsu Pirates the story centers around a spirited high school girl named Marika. She keeps herself busy with space yacht club and her part-time job at a high-class maid cafe. One day, two men suddenly appear and claim to be subordinates of her dead father. They demand that she assume command of the space pirate ship Benten Maru and Marika soon finds herself embarking on her new life as a space pirate.

I have mixed feelings about this anime. I wanted to like it, and I think the premise is cool, but the show itself didn’t do much for me. The animation was good though, I really enjoyed that. There was little to no fanservice or nonsense like that (which is surprising given that the English translation of the title is Bodacious Space Pirates). This one might turn out okay but there was not enough interest in the first episode for me to continue. I don’t think I’ll continue watching it unless it becomes really popular and people start telling me to check it out.

Who should watch this show: People who like space pirates and pretty anime gals.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Not too high. It didn’t really grab me from the first episode. Perhaps I will watch more if it starts getting rave reviews.

Aquarion EVOL

In Aquarion EVOL the story takes place 12,000 years after the first Aquarion television series (I actually didn’t know this was a sequel until I looked up the synopsis online. Apparently it’s not too important to have seen the first season). A new cast of characters pilots a new Aquarion mech, and fights off enemies from another dimension in this action packed mecha anime.

There’s definitely a lot of stuff going on in this anime. Having so many unanswered questions makes it interesting in the fact that it makes me want to watch more to see where things are going. All these unanswered questions might have something to do with me not seeing the first season, but who knows. I might watch one or two more episodes just to see what happens. The show has promise but I can’t say for sure if I’ll be watching this one until the end.

Who should watch this show: People who like mecha anime and crazy super powers.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Pretty good. I’m definitely interested in it enough to check out another episode or two.

Senki Zesshou Symphogear

In Senki Zesshou Symphogear, humans are menaced by mysterious monsters called “Designated Aberrant Disaster: Noise”. Yes, that is actually what they are called. Tsubasa and Kanade are a popular vocal group known as Zwei Wing and they wear a weapon known as Symphogear to fight the Noise and save Earth. I’m not making this up. Basically the show is about J-Pop stars battling computer generated monsters from the 80s with catchy tunes. It’s pretty weird. And no, this anime has nothing to do with Vocaloids.

Half of the time this show seems serious and the other half it just seems outright ridiculous. I didn’t really like it because it didn’t grab my attention and I didn’t really care for the characters. About halfway through I was just waiting for it to be over so I could start something else. I didn’t plan on watching any more of this one – or at least that’s what I was thinking until I got to the very end of the episode where I witnessed the most wtf moment of this anime season. Looks like I’ve been roped into watching another episode of this one whether I like it or not.

Who should watch this show: People who like generic J-Pop tunes and wacky premises for their anime.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: I’d like to say zero, but unfortunately I will probably watch another episode just to figure out what the heck was going on at the end of the previous episode. Damn you, Symphogear. Damn youuuuu.

Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou

In Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou (The Daily Lives of High School Boys) the story follows the humorous everyday life of Tadakuni, Hidenori, Yoshitake, and other students at an all boys’ high school. Each episode tells a handful of humorous shorts meant to entertain and amuse. It’s very much a slice-of-life anime.

Okay, so the show is definitely funny and I was laughing throughout the episode. The only thing that I don’t like is how the episodes are broken down into about five 5 minute stand alone shorts. While each of them were pretty funny on their own, I just wish that the show had more of a cohesive storyline. Because of this, I would gladly watch the show as I think it is quite humorous, but there are no cliffhangers or any unresolved questions that would really get me excited for the next episode. It’s humorous fluff – enjoyable, but nothing deep.

Who should watch this show: People who like anime about high school boys getting into shenanigans and silly situations.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: I’ll probably lazily watch some more if I have time to kill and I’m looking for a laugh.

Lagrange – The Flower of Rin-ne -

In Lagrange, Madoka Kyouno, an energetic and passionate girl, is the proud and only member of the Kamogawa Girls’ High School Jersey Club. Her duties are to go around town and help out people in need. However, Madoka’s life is turned upside down when she is suddenly asked by a mysterious girl named Lan to pilot a giant robot and save the world. Motivated by her desire to protect the people of Kamogawa, Madoka agrees to pilot the resurrected Vox robot and fight some aliens.

This show seems like it could be pretty cool. It reminds me a bit of Xam’d for some reason and I really liked Xam’d. I’m not exactly sure why it reminds me of it though. The show is funny, action packed, and has enough mystery in it to really make me want to watch the next episode. This is one of the few series I’m actually a little bit excited about this season. Hopefully it doesn’t let me down.

Who should watch this show: People who like quality animation, cool action, and a neat story.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: I’m definitely watching the next episode. It just seems really cool so far and I really like the animation.

Brave 10

In Brave 10, a young ninja/samurai named Saizo is trying to find meaning and direction in his life when he encounters Isanami, who is fleeing from assassins. He manages to save her life and then gets roped into being her personal bodyguard. When they arrive in the protected territory of Sanada, they realize that Sanada has gathered bold and talented ninjas together in order to bring an end to Japan’s era of war. Meanwhile, Isanami’s mysterious hidden power becomes revealed. Sounds pretty generic to me!

The animation is fine here, but the story seems nothing but average. I can’t see the show getting much more exciting than it already is which isn’t very. I don’t plan on watching any more of this show. It’s just not my thing. There are much better options to check out this season so you won’t be doing any harm skipping this one.

Who should watch this show: People who like samurai era anime and pretty boys battling it out with swords.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Zero. Can’t see any reason to continue this one.

Ano Natsu de Matteru

Ano Natsu de Matteru: When a group of friends decide to make a movie over a long summer holiday, they end up learning a little about film making and a lot more about themselves. What begins as a simple way pass the summer holiday turns into something much more complex, intimate, and revealing. This show is going to be good. I’m calling it now.

I really, really like this show. I can definitely see myself watching the entire series here. The story seems like it could turn into something very interesting and I really like all of the characters. They’re all varied and interesting and well developed. This anime is just really well done. I’m excited just to see what happens with all of the characters and even more so to see what that story will develop into. Before I watched this show, Lagrange was my top pick for this season, but now – Ano Natsu de Matteru is definitely in the top position. This show is full of surprises and I love it. Very cool.

Who should watch this show: People who like interesting character driven anime.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Definitely. I really like this show and can’t wait for the next episode.

Additional Shows

I tried watching Kill Me Baby which was adapted from a 4 panel manga (it definitely shows), like Lucky Star and whatever, but nowhere near as good as Azumanga Daioh- I got bored and stopped watching after about 5 minutes. There was at least one other show that I didn’t check out because it didn’t sound very interesting. (If there’s a show I didn’t cover that you were looking forward to, just let me know about it in the comments.) And also, Black Rock Shooter doesn’t come out until February so I couldn’t include it here.

Amagami SS+, The Familiar of Zero F, Natsume Yuujin-Cho 4, and Nisemonogatari all aired this season but they are sequels to shows I never got around to watching. Nisemonogatari was the sequel to Bakemonogatari which I think ended up becoming popular but I’m not positive. I watched the first episode of Bakemonogatari and it didn’t grip me enough to continue watching the show back when it was airing. Did I make a mistake? Have any of you watched Bakemonogatari? Was it any good?

So tell me – what’s your most anticipated new show this season? Ano Natsu de Matteru, or something else? What series are you most looking forward to?

P.S. Think this is the best season of anime yet? Let us know over on our Twitter page.
P.P.S. Think all these shows suck? Come see what else Tofugu has to offer over on our Facebook and Google+ pages.

So What’s This Film All About?

Being unleashed upon the general public in 2007, Big Man Japan tells the tale of an eccentric middle aged man living alone in a decrepit home in Tokyo. He periodically transforms into a giant, washed up superhero and defends Japan by battling giant monsters that threaten the safety of its general public.

However, and unfortunately for Big Man Japan, the general public is not too pleased with his work. Many people complain and protest that he causes too much collateral damage, wastes electricity (he needs it to grow into giant form), and is just a nuisance to Japan in general.

Even though he has his own late-night spot on TV, it’s only 15 minutes long and only receives 1% or 2% viewer ratings. (You’ll remember from my last post that about anything over 15% is good, and anything less than 10% usually has something wrong with it, but anything less than 5% must be absolutely dreadful.)

Aww, he just wants a hug.

What I didn’t understand about this part is how people could be so angry and frustrated with Big Man Japan. It sounds like the general populace would be happier if Big Man Japan just stopped saving them from certain doom and destruction at the hands of various giant monsters. They have no appreciation at all for his heroic deeds.

It is mentioned that there used to be other superheros like Big Man Japan back in the heyday of his grandfather (the fourth Big Man Japan) and that they enjoyed fame and fortune among undying respect, but I don’t really understand why the safety of Japan is any less popular now than it was back then. This is one thing that the movie hinged on that I didn’t really follow along with.

And Who Is This Matsumoto You Speak Of?

Like I mentioned before, Hitoshi Mastumoto is a funny man. Unfortunately, this movie doesn’t really showcase the traditional humor I’m used to. Undeniably it is a well made and decent film, but it was just not the humor I was hoping for. Matsumoto is one half of the famous comedy duo Downtown and is one of the hosts of the absolutely delightful variety show Gaki no Tsukai. Perhaps becoming so used to his persona on these shows affected my preconceived notions and expectations about this film.

If you haven’t heard of Gaki no Tsukai or seen any of their famous batsu (punishment) games, you should check them out on YouTube. They are hilarious and awesome and a good number of them come complete with subtitles for your viewing pleasure.

And the Verdict?

Falcon Kick!

As for my thoughts on the film, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. That’s not to say I did not enjoy Big Man Japan, it’s just that I was hoping for a bit more. I’d been wanting to see the movie ever since I first heard about it, so I guess I’d been playing the film up in my head for about three years and when I finally got around to seeing it, it just wasn’t what I’d been imagining. I thought it was a bit slow at times, and the giant monsters and the giant monster fighting are pretty much the only super wonky things going on in the film.

Old Man Japan just doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

Because of this, Big Man Japan would not have made it onto my list for the Top 10 Strange Japanese Films You Need to Watch. It’s just not weird enough and it’s just not entertaining enough. While still a decent film, it just failed to impress me. I still have to watch Matumoto’s Symbol (trailer below) so maybe you’ll see a post about that film sometime in the future as well. It certainly looks like it has promise.

So, have any of you seen Big Man Japan and/or Symbol? Did they live up to your expectations? Which one did you like better? Tell me in the comments below and let me know if you think I should watch Symbol!

P.S. Big naked Japanese men not your cup of tea? Follow us on Twitter for other cool things to check out.
P.S.S. Overflowing with strange things provided by Tofugu but still crave more? Check us out over on Facebook and Google+.

Make Babies, Get Internet With AKB48

Creating virtual babies with your AKB sweetheart is creepy, no doubts about it. But what is even more creepier? Seeing Koichi’s face on a breast feeding mom! It even gets more creepier with the post’s accompanying video where Koichi wears a matching wig (wtf?) and trys to seduce wrinkly old ojisans with his Yakuza accent.

The saving grace was the community involvement in the making of the video. Thank you all that played along, willingly have their mugs become Koichi baby abominations. Read this post →

The Geneva Conventions Don’t Apply To These Japanese Giant Hornets [Genocide Doom Bringer]

We all know that Japanese Hornets are not to be trifled with. The post is riddled with lots of informative information and videos of their treachery.  But who knew the hornets had the antiquity and a network that ran deep into the bowels of historical malevolence. Connections with the Nazi Party and the man himself? What a surprise! I’m sure if photography existed in earlier times, we would see gray-scaled, blurry images of the bugs’ involvement in the Spanish Inquisition and the death of Mufasa (if you squint hard enough during the video, you can see the hornet). Read this post →

Yoro Park: The Site Of Reversible Destiny

This is the year that TofuguTV made its debut. Entertaining, fun, and different. Three characteristics each episode brought to the viewer. I particularly liked the Yoro Park video, with its fun editing and laid back approach. And who doesn’t love cats?

Koichi deserves a pat on the back for working hard on these videos. There are many more videos to come. A little encouragement and prodding from the community may assist in getting their release dates pushed earlier *wink* *wink*. Read this post →

Japanese Scientists Learn How To Make Meat From Poop

The engineer in me got a kick out of this article. Meat made out of poop? Certainly, the next food monarch to dethrone America’s favorite ingredient, high fructose corn syrup. Possibly a replacement to the foodie craze “head-to-tail” cooking (what haven’t we consumed yet? Oh! Poop!). Is it better than the alternative, soylent green? Who knows! But I do know entrepreneurial Viet wants to get in on the action before its becomes HOT and MAINSTREAM. My lifelong dream of selling animal excrements disguised as health-boosting meat products to the Asian market (who doesn’t want the sex drive of a dolphin?) will become a reality. Read this post →

The Mother of All Pocky Days [11-11-11]

I could tell you why I find this post hilarious, thought-provoking, and a life changer. But I don’t want to ruin the excitement for you. You’ll just have to find out yourself. Read this post →

That pretty much it for me! See you all at the 2012 reunion party!

Also, be sure to check out Koichi’s, John’s, and Hashi’s favorites of 2011!

Ok I lied. I’m adding a sixth item to my favorite list. Technically it isn’t a post, but it’s still a Tofugu work of art. I present to you A Tofugu Halloween, a choose your own adventure YouTube video. Godzilla, Starcraft, Crying, Cats, it has everything! (Note: You’ll need to view the video on YouTubes webpage to be able to access the clickable tags on the video)

P.S. Can’t wait for the 2012 movie sequel? Hashtag it on Twitter.
P.P.S. Will 2012 see a new Japanese Prime Minister? Find out by adding us on Facebook or Google+.

These 5 posts were my absolute favorites from 2011. They might not have been the most popular, but I really enjoyed each of these posts for different reasons.

Save The Salarymen Foundation

The video for this post was easily my favorite of this year. The shots (as directed by cinematographer extraordinaire, Koichi) were so spot-on for the kind of charity commercials that we were trying to satirize.

Plus for the video I got to wear a fake mustache and a necktie on my head while drinking in public. What’s not to love? Read this post →

Understanding Japan Through the Karate Kid

I was really grateful that Hikosaemon did this guest post for us because not only because it freed up a good twelve hours for Starcraft 2 practice, but also because it was probably one of the insightful articles on Japanese culture I’ve ever read.

Hikosaemon has the kind of life experience in Japan that you can’t imitate nor find in many people. The result of that is a post with a lot of first-hand insight into the Japanese mentality. If you want to stay in Japan for any extended period of time, this is a must-read. Read this post →

Are We The Nation Of Sushi Abomination?

I thought this was one of the funniest posts all year. I’ve always been wary of the crazy Americanized sushi rolls (like the cream-cheese-laden Philadelphia Roll), but Koichi uncovered whole classes of sushi abominations I had no idea even existed.

And even with all of those abominations, Koichi still didn’t talk about famed TV chef and fashion criminal Guy Fieri‘s sushi restaurant, Tex Wasabi’s, whose cuisine and website are both blights upon the earth. And why do you wear those sunglasses on the back of your head, Mr. Fieri? What are you hiding?! Read this post →

All You Need to Know About Japan’s Weirdest Dialect, Tohoku-Ben

Another great guest post from this year was written for us by Ken Cannon A.K.A. Ken Cannon Rush of Japanese Through Anime. I picked this post because I learned a lot from it. Not only was I pretty much completely unaware about the different Japanese dialects (something I’d never really thought about), but I had no idea about the stereotypes associated with dialects like Tohoku-ben.

And of course, as we all know, other dialects have very specific stereotypes associated with  them. For instance, the speakers of Koichi-ben are known to be both devastatingly handsome and Starcraft 2 savants. It’s a tough life. Read this post →

Cup Noodle Museum Opens; College Students Everywhere Rejoice

When I die, I want to be remembered for one thing above all others: the stupid captions I add to pictures in my posts. Not only did I really like writing about the Cup Noodle Museum (it sounds like a fun place to visit!), but I had a ton of fun writing the captions for that post. Content? Pff! It’s all about the captions, baby. Read this post →

That’s pretty much it for posts in 2011, I’ll be sure to see you all in 2012!

Be sure to check out John and Koichi’s “best of” posts, and watch for Viet’s post tomorrow!

P.S. Scared of the impending 2012 apocalypse? Seek shelter on Twitter.
P.P.S. Wiser than to fall for that whole “end of the world” business? Add us on Facebook or Google+.

Top 10 Strange Japanese Films You Need to Watch

This was one of my first big posts here at Tofugu and I had a lot of fun writing it. I was even exposed to a few new favorite movies in the process. I really dig strange Japanese things and this list is just packed with strange and entertaining Japanese movies. If you missed this post the first time around, you should definitely give it a look now. If nothing else you might get a few ideas for what to watch to help you stay up way past your bedtime this New Years. What better way to ring in the New Year than with these crazy films? Read This Post →

If Apple Made Capsule Hotels, They Would Look Like This

I always enjoy Koichi’s posts that include videos, but I thought this one was especially interesting. I’ve always wanted to check out a capsule hotel, but despite having been to Japan once before, I have not yet had the opportunity to do so. This post and video were really cool because up until then I had not seen a capsule hotel quite like it. I still want to stay in one. It just seems like such a neat experience. At least for one night maybe – after that it’d probably start to get annoying. Definitely wouldn’t want to make a home out of the place. Read This Post →

True Blood: Personality and Blood Types in Japan

I always thought it was interesting how much weight was placed on blood types in Japan and in this post by Hashi, he goes into a lot of detail regarding it. I think it’s really cool to compare how this is similar to astrological signs and horoscopes and all those crazy things that people can get super into. Do you know what your blood type says about you? Read This Post →

Japanese Etiquette: How to Save Yourself from Embarrassment in Japan

This was another one of my favorite posts to write this year. For a lot of people, going to Japan (or just out of the country in general) can be a daunting experience. But with handy guides like this one, the anxiety fades away at least a little bit. My best friend actually left to visit Japan yesterday and she was super nervous about going (she’d never even been out of the States before). But after reading this post (and receiving lots of pep talks and sedatives) she finally calmed down and wasn’t so nervous about the trip ahead of her. So if you’re even planning on taking a trip to Japan, the information contained in this post is certainly worth a read. Read This Post →

The Ridiculously Racist Robots Of Mobile Fighter G-Gundam

Another choice post by Hashi. I was never really that into Gundam myself, so I wasn’t totally surprised that I’d missed these characters, but I was just surprised they even existed. Some of them are just outrageous. I definitely lol’d while reading this post and checking out all the pictures of these racist Gundams and I’m sure you will too. Good ol’ Hashi – never lets us down. Read This Post →

P.S. Happy New Year!

We all hope you’ve enjoyed this year of 2011 and we look forward to entertaining and informing you through all of 2012 as well (don’t listen to Koichidamus’ ramblings, the world’s not totally ending in 2012.)

And we’ll be on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ if you need anything, but in the mean time look forward to Hashi’s top five Tofugu posts tomorrow!

The First Time Japan Saw The World [Japanese Cartography]

This post was so interesting to write. I got to do a ton of research, learn the progression of maps in Japan (and China a bit too), and gain a new perspective on how Japan viewed the world (both socially and map-wise) over several centuries. The world maps of Japan were also very artistic and totally different from maps you’d see anywhere else. It’s amazing how far we’ve come in such a small time period. Read This Post →

Goroawase: Japanese Numbers Wordplay (i.e. How To Remember Japanese Telephone Numbers)

This is another one of those posts where I got to learn a lot and share that learning with all of you. I knew how goroawase worked already, but I had no idea how deep the rabbit hole would go. Turns out it’s pretty deep. Learning about goroawase is like solving a puzzle, and I’ve always believed solving puzzles is the best way to learn (and the most satisfying, much more so than getting an A or a B on a test). See what I mean and Read This Post →

The Greatest Inventor of All Time: Dr. NakaMats

While it’s up in the air whether this guy’s legit or not, I loved this post by Hashi because of its entertainment value. I’m glad there’s still people like this in the world, inventing all kinds of crazy things just for the love of inventing crazy things. We need more mad scientists in this world. Read This Post →

Konichiwarrrr, Mateys! Famous Japanese Pirates, Ninja Pirates, And The Wild Wakou

Who doesn’t love pirates? Also, who doesn’t love ninjas? Did you know Japan combined the two at one point in history (the two most powerful things in the world, wrapped into one). Couple that with the fact that Japan is the leader in robot technology and you’ll have yourself a Pirate Robot Ninja… Let’s hope it never gains sentience. But seriously, awesome read on Japanese pirates. I had no idea these existed until Viet wrote about them. Read This Post →

In Japan, Women Think Mark Zuckerberg Is A Hamburger

Last but not least is a post based off a study that WhatJapanThinks wrote about. I go into pretty deep details as to why these women thought Zuckerberg is a hamburger as well as looked at the other things they thought a Zuckerberg was. It’s really interesting, and also a good little Japanese study that will help you to better understand how the Japanese language works. Read This Post →

Favorite Video: Cat Island Part 1 & 2

How can these not be my faves? More TofuguTV in the new year, too. Next episode will also have cats in it, too.

P.S. Have A Great New Year!

I won’t be seeing you until the New Year, so everyone have a happy and safe one. Don’t eat too much or blow anything off with fireworks. Seeyah next year!

And, of course, we’ll be on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ if you need anything. John, Hashi and Viet will be posting their fav-fives this week too, so enjoy!

Most people know about Tokyo’s Disneyland and a decent amount know of Osaka’s Universal Studios Japan (also known as USJ, which is eerily similar to Universal Studios in Orlando btw) but not many know about Japan’s lesser-known amusement park, Fuji-Q Highland (富士急ハイランド). Fuji-Q Highland was built many many years ago in 1961, and has seen many rides come and go. Their claim to fame erupted in 1996 with the introduction of the Fujiyama coaster, and since then Fuji-Q has been the proud home to many many more. There are also a slew of entertaining Fuji-Q commercials to be found on YouTube. Seriously, they’re super weird. Check ‘em out.

Fuji-Q is chock-full of present and past record breakers, so there’s no doubt you’ll find your fair share of thrills here. If you aren’t the biggest fan of roller coasters, there are plenty of other attractions to experience, including many anime-related offerings.

Fuji-Q is also open practically all year (talk about dedication, places like Cedar Point are only open mid-May through October and even then it’s pretty spotty in the last two months). The only days that Fuji-Q is shut down are public holidays and one additional day out of each month. Looks like the party never stops at Fuji-Q.

Where You Can Find It

Located in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Fuji-Q Highland is right near the base of Mount Fuji (prime real estate to be sure). Some people go to Mt. Fuji itself and climb it (pshhh). Alternatively, let others go climb the thing and go here instead.

View Larger Map

Fuji-Q Highland has roller coasters, The Haunted Hospital (the world’s second largest haunted attraction to Erebus I believe, located in Pontiac Michigan), and Thomas Land, a play-land for children with the theme of Thomas the Tank Engine (who is strangely popular in Japan for some reason), along with many anime themed attractions as well. You can check out a slightly outdated but highly detailed map of the park here, and a more updated but less detailed one here.

Evangelion World & Other Anime/Game Inspired Places

Home at last!

Fuji-Q is also home to ‘Evangelion World’ which was inspired by the manga/anime/movies of Neon Genesis Evangelion. You can play around recreations of particular scenes, check out life-sized models of most of the characters, and even have your photo taken inside of an Eva cockpit. The attraction certainly caters heavily to those already familiar with the series, but the place is pretty impressive regardless. Here’s a great video walk-through of the place:

The massive recreations of the Eva units themselves are also very impressive. They are positioned dramatically and have fancy lights and videos playing along with them to make everything seem super epic and awesome. There’s no better way to immerse yourself in the world of Evangelion than this place. The park also has other anime themed attractions such as Gundam Crisis and Sengoku Basara Battle.

The Haunted Hospital

As I mentioned above, Fuji-Q is also home to the world’s second largest haunted attraction, The Haunted Hospital. The Haunted Hospital itself is a huge maze which can take up to an hour to complete. Oh, and did I mention it’s terrifying?

You need to get in line for this one early though because it is one of the most popular attractions in the entire park.

Note From Koichi: I had only been to crappy non-Japanese horror-houses before coming to Fuji-Q Highland. You walk through it (none of this stupid on-rails stuff) and it’s filled with terrifying situations and actors, all dressed up as zombie-hospital people. They actually chase you too, though we found that if you slow down, they slow down with you. Even though we knew it was all fake (did we really, though?) we were terrified the whole time, constantly running about, feeling worried about moving on to the next area, and in general just having the time of our lives. This really is one of the best (if not the best) horror houses in Japan – make a point to go here if you come to Fuji-Q. Oh, and if you’re too much of a crybaby, there’s doors every once in a while you can escape out of. Behind those doors is a well lit corridor (I imagine) full of crying people (not imagined).

Roller Coasters

Talk about a drop, amirite?

Fuji-Q Highland also has its fair share of roller coasters. The four most well known would have to be the Fujiyama, Dodonpa, Eijanaika, and Takabisha rides. Their stats are as follows:

Fujiyama

79 meters tall, 130 km/h, opened in 1996 and was once the world’s tallest roller coaster. As of 2007 it was the world’s 8th tallest, 5th longest, and 10th fastest roller coaster. The name Fujiyama comes from Mt. Fuji, and you can get a great view of it when you’re at the top of the coaster.

Dodonpa

52 meters tall, 172 km/h, opened in 2001 and was once the world’s fastest roller coaster. As of 2007 it was the 3rd fastest in the world but still has the highest acceleration at launch time (which it reaches in 1.8 seconds!) The name comes from the sounds made from a taiko drum, which you can hear whilst in line.

Eejanaika

76 meters tall, 126 km/h, opened in 2006 and is only the second 4th Dimensional roller coaster ever built (the first being X² at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California). As a 4D roller coaster, its seats can rotate 360 degrees forward or backward in a controlled spin, thus allowing Eejanaika to invert 14 different times, even though the actual track inverts only three times. Because of this, it holds the record for having the most inversions on a roller coaster. It also surpasses the first built X² in both height and speed.

(caution – the video contains some vulgar, but highly entertaining profanity).

Takabisha

Opened on 16 July 2011, Takabisha contains a 121 degree free-fall, as well as seven major twists over 1000 meters of track, and a drop of 43 meters. Not to be bested, America retaliated with the release of the Green Lantern coaster in Six Flags earlier this week on December 15th, which boasts a drop of 122 degrees. Pretty intimidating drop if you ask me.

Roller Coaster Stats via Wikipedia

So how many of you have been to an amusement park in Japan? The only one I’ve been to is USJ and it was a little light on thrills. How does Fuji-Q compare to the likes of the better known Tokyo Disneyland and USJ? Let us know in the comments below.

Note From Koichi: Even though the awesome John wrote this post, Fuji-Q is seriously one of my favorite amusement parks ever (could you not tell from the title?). If you’re in it for thrills, this is one of the greatest places to be. From roller coasters (which are awesome) to the haunted hospital (even more awesomerest), I can’t remember an amusement park that was more exciting. Seriously, you should go here instead of climbing mount Fuji, even though it’s right nearby. This place ought to be the attraction of the area, not that really pretty, super-famous mountain nobody really cares about. Some people may think this is crazy, but I was going to Mt. Fuji originally, just to climb the dumb thing, and then I came across this place. Do you think I went to Mt. Fuji? Nope. I don’t regret it one bit, either. Oh, if you come here, though, show up early. The lines get long and take a while to get through (it’s kind of known for having slow, crappy lines). Prioritize what you want to ride / see beforehand, too – I’d go Haunted Hospital first, and then hit some of the crazier roller coasters next. Then, you have time to walk around and take your time while being spun 14 different times on a 4D roller coaster. Oh how casual of you.

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P.P.S. Do roller coasters make you cry? Follow us on Twitter. It’s not scary at all, we promise.