When you think of Steve Jobs, one of the first things that comes to mind is his look. Steve rocked the mom jeans, New Balance shoes and of course, the black turtleneck like nobody else could. That outfit became his trademark look over the years, but nobody ever really knew why Jobs wore the outfit, or where it came from.

Recently, I saw a post on 9to5Mac that not only explained the turtleneck, but also showed me that Jobs had a relationship with Japan that I didn’t know existed.

The black turtleneck look started back in the 80s, even though back then Jobs was still rocking the bow tie look. The author of Steve Jobs’ upcoming biography explains:

On a trip to Japan in the early 1980s, Jobs asked Sony’s chairman Akio Morita why everyone in the company’s factories wore uniforms. He told Jobs that after the war, no one had any clothes, and companies like Sony had to give their workers something to wear each day. Over the years, the uniforms developed their own signatures styles, especially at companies such as Sony, and it became a way of bonding workers to the company. “I decided that I wanted that type of bonding for Apple,” Jobs recalled.

But what’s not mentioned in that quote is that uniforms aren’t just a thing for Sony factory workers – uniforms are a big deal all throughout Japan, whether they’re worn by schoolchildren, construction workers, or airline stewardesses. Let’s take a look at why uniforms in Japan are so important.

School Uniforms

Note: image searches for “Japanese school uniform” are guaranteed to find gross results.

Japanese people are introduced to uniforms from a very early age. Most Japanese schools require that their students wear uniforms. But why do Japanese schoolchildren dress like old-timey sailors?

Well, way back in the Meiji Era (late 1800s), the Japanese wanted to adopt lots of Western traditions because it was seen as “modern.” Part of this was modelling Japanese schools after European schools – especially military academies – and adopting Western fashions. (Besides the Western clothes, lots of Japanese dudes from the Meiji era also sported awesome 19th-century facial hair.)

Hence, Japanese students not only started going to Western-style schools, but they did so while wearing Western-style clothes. Boys’ uniforms were modeled after Prussian uniforms, and girls’ looked a lot like British sailor uniforms.

And since the Meiji era, the tradition has just kind of stuck. While today’s uniforms aren’t quite as dated, they still carry a lot of influence from those early days of Japanese school uniforms.

Work uniforms

Uniforms don’t stop after school. Lots of professions in Japan have their own, distinctive uniforms that give workers a sense of identity and pride. For instance, road workers in Japan are pretty much instantly recognizable for their hard hats and giant reflective vests. Early airline stewardess uniforms were created by prestigious fashion designers.

But let’s jump back across the Pacific and bring this back to Steve Jobs.

American culture isn’t really accustomed to uniforms that same way as the Japanese. Sure, different groups of people have very distinctive, identifying styles, but traditional uniforms are kind of shunned. I think that uniforms don’t bring people the same kind of pride in America as they do in Japan. Try telling a high school full of American kids that they’re going to have to start wearing uniforms and see what happens.

So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that when Steve Jobs tried to bring a uniform back from Japan to Apple employees in the United States, people were less than amused.

I came back with some samples and told everyone it would great if we would all wear these vests. Oh man, did I get booed off the stage. Everybody hated the idea.

But while Apple employees rejected uniforms, Steve Jobs embraced them. He loved the idea that uniforms gave people identity. So, Jobs did what any sane person would do: he got in touch with Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake and asked him to make a uniform not for Apple, but for Steve Jobs.

Miyake was happy to help Jobs out and made “like a hundred” black turtlenecks for him. No, really. Like a cartoon character, Jobs’ closet was full of identical clothes, as he showed his biographer:

“That’s what I wear,” he said. “I have enough to last for the rest of my life.”

Apple has always been known for its simple design, but Jobs took it to another level.

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What do you think about the Japanese love of uniforms? Is it a good or bad thing? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. Wish you could have your own “life uniform?” Like us on Facebook.
P.P.S. Content with your own wardrobe? Follow us on Twitter.

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Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

Steve Jobs has inspired us to take risks and do what we think is right… He’s taught us how precious life is. Perhaps he said it best when he said

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking that you have something to lose.”

If you haven’t yet, you must watch his commencement address to Stanford in 2005. Seriously one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever seen – I’ve watched this so many times, but right now it seems particularly appropriate.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc']

Steve was just a normal guy who did remarkable things… really there’s no excuse for any of us to do the same, I think. Death is one of those things that reminds us that we all have the potential to be better people, though it’s a shame when it actually has to happen in order to hit home.

But, let’s wrap this up. Everyone here is so, so sad to see Steve go. We’ve all been pretty longtime Apple fanboys, and Apple+Steve has had a surprisingly huge effect on our lives (and has even made learning Japanese easier, I think, though that’s such a small little thing). Life, work, and everything in between wouldn’t have been as enjoyable without you.

A big thank you from everyone at Tofugu, we’ll miss you :’(

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I always thought my iPhone was beautiful. The precision…. The curves… The materials… Room for improvement on the iPhone4? Pshh, I think not. That’s when Erin showed me these Japanese food based iPhone covers on StrapyaWorld. I hope Steve Jobs is taking notes for the iPhone5′s design.

Stuff On My iPhone

Apples and other companies like to go minimalist with their cases. Cover as little as possible! Add as little bulge as possible! Re-add some receptions!

Pshh. Who needs to be able to fit their iPhone in their pockets? I’m all about carrying my iPhone around in a bento box everywhere I go.

A company called iMeshi makes iPhone covers that resemble Japanese food. Not only do they look good… but they make me want to eat them. Japan really does have a fetish with fake plastic display food (and they’re really good at it).

I suppose it’s only natural (wait, no it’s not) to want to move this fake, tasty looking food to your iPhone as well. “Moshi moshi?” “Oh hi, this is your accountant. You should stop spending so much money on iPhone covers.”

1. Unagi iPhone Cover

Unagi are freshwater eel, and a common sight in Japanese restaurants. They go on sushi, they go on donburi, and they go good plain, too. If you’re new to sushi and afraid of raw things, unagi is the way to go. It’s incredibly tasty.

This, surprisingly, is one of the better covers in terms of actually being able to fit your iPhone in your pocket (don’t wear tight-jeans). It probably only doubles the size of your iPhone. Also brings a new meaning to “is that an eel in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

If you’re in Japan and ever get a chance, pop into a place that makes unagi-don. You will feel good afterwards.

2. Nikujaga iPhone Cover

Nikujaga is one of my favorite comfort foods. The main parts of it are meat (niku) and potatoes (jaga). It’s a kind of shoyu (soy saucce) based stew, and you can add other things as well. Easy to make and super tasty. Look up some recipes if you don’t eat your iPhone cover first.

Excuse me while I get up and make some nikujagga.

3. Sushi iPhone Covers

This, by far, has to be the most ridiculous iPhone cover of them all (and most awesome). There are two sushi covers, and both of them take up a ridiculous amount of space (it’s like having a cell phone in the early 90′s again!). You could probably stack 3-4 iPhones on top of each other before they equaled the width of this cover.

I’d go with this second one, for sure. Ikura? Hells yes. Give me two of those.

4. Hiyashi Chuuka iPhone Cover

Hiyashi chuuka is a cold ramen dish usually served in the summer. It’s ramen noodles served with various other refreshing things. Maybe this would be a good summer iPhone case for you.

Makes me sad there’s no regular ramen iPhone cover. I guess that would get messy and void your warranty, though.

5. Tonkatsu iPhone Cover

Tonkatsu is a staple of Japanese comfort food. Chicken or pork (or many other things, actually) covered in panko (bread crumbs), egg, and flour. Then you fry it. Everything is better fried… especially iPhones.

6. Eggs And Bacon

I’ve never been a fan of Japanese bacon (too rubbery and thin), but I could be a fan of a Bacon & Egg iPhone. Somehow iPhones make everything better…

7. Rice iPhone Cover

When you think of Japanese food, you have to automatically think about rice (or at least pair it with a lot of the other foods you think of!). This iPhone cover goes all out though. There’s rice, sesame seeds, and even an umeboshi (my favorite!). Umeboshi is a pickled plum. It’s super salty, and it’s one of the best foods in the world. My mouth is literally hurting just thinking about it right now.

8. Dango iPhone Cover

I’m not a fan of non-salty in general, but a lot of people like these traditional Japanese sweets. These balls are made from mochiko (rice flower) and can have different flavors. They go well with green tea, sitting somewhere relaxing. Hopefully nobody is talking on their dango-covered iPhone while you’re trying to enjoy the peacefulness of it all, though.

I’m glad the sharp side of the skewers don’t stick out the other side. That could be dangerous in your pocket.

9. Dessert iPhone Covers (Christmas Cake & Chocolate)

Christmas Cake is something you eat in Japan to celebrate Christmas (and often times Santa’s Birthday). Between Christmas Cake and KFC, perhaps there’s room to give your loved one this iPhone cover?

If Christmas Cake isn’t your thing, then maybe chocolate is. Seriously. How do you get these in your pocket?

10. Chirashi Zushi

Chirashi zushi is a “scattered sushi” dish which has sushi rice as well as other toppings normally found on sushi. It’s not all packed together in bite-able pieces like regular sushi.

Okay, now I’m starting to get hungry. I shouldn’t work on this article around lunch time…

What Is Your Favorite?

I think my favorite is nikujaga one… I’m not sure why – I think it’s just because it makes me nostalgic of when I was younger when my mom would make it (now I have to make it on my own, and I’m no cook). Then again, if I was going for usability, I’d probably get the unagi one. Seems like it would fit in my pocket better.

Anyways, once again, you can find these over at StrapyaWorld (I don’t get any referral bonus or anything like that, I only wrote this article because I thought it was interesting). They run about $50 per iPhone cover, so they definitely aren’t cheap. They’re hand made, though, so the price makes sense to me. You’ll just want to make sure you really want it. Oh, and a lot of these don’t have holes for a camera (too much food!) so you’ll have to take the case off to take pictures.

Now imagine if any other country did these. I don’t imagine they’d look as good (I’m totally biased when it comes to pumping up Japan’s fake-food making industries). Hot dog iPhone cover? Ugly. Hamburger? Ok… maybe I’d go for that, as long as it covers both sides. If I’m going to put a food cover on my iPhone, might as well render it totally unusable in the process. :P

P.S. If you got hungry reading this, you should follow Tofugu on Twitter.

P.P.S. Going to stick with the boring old regular phone cases? I guess you might be more of a Tofugu Facebook kind of person.

Of course, the iPad is poised to change the way we learn in a lot of ways (textbooks, learning games, etc), but since Japanese is one of the most popular languages to learn out there, and because those that learn Japanese tend to be a lot more tech savvy than, say, those who learn Spanish (take that, Spanish!), there’s going to be a huge amount of Japanese + iPad potential as soon as it comes out in March (or April, if you want the 3G enabled one).

iPad Applications for Japanese Learning

One of the coolest things about the iPad is that you can use any iPhone / iPod Touch app and scale it up to fit the iPad (and apparently it looks pretty good). That means you have access to every Japanese learning app that’s already on there, not to mention any new apps that take advantage of the iPad.

The application that I’m most excited for (pictured on the right, above) is a Smart.fm (or Anki) application. Right now, I don’t feel like the apps will translate as is to an iPad version very effectively. They’ll work, but everything’s going to be HUGE. Too huge. There is, however, so much potential for an iPad-only version of the Smart.fm app. Especially if you get the 3G version of the iPad, a Smart.fm app would be perfect for vocab study on the go – much more usable than the iPhone / web versions.

Besides this, though, I’d love to see more (and I’m sure I will) in this space, including apps that let you practice writing kanji right on the screen, and more. What apps would you like to see specifically for the iPad? I could see some good potential for language exchange applications, though they couldn’t be too “typing” intensive.

Japanese Textbooks

After the iPad goes mainstream, nobody will ever pick up a regular, old textbook again. Why? Not because you can read text on the iPad. That’s dumb (even with the ability to swipe pages around on screen). Although it won’t happen immediately, Textbooks on the iPad are going to be way more than textbooks. I don’t know what exactly publishers can do with their books for the iPad right now, but here is how I imagine it (and if this isn’t the way it works, then there will be apps!).

Imagine, you open your textbook, but it isn’t just a textbook. You touch a word in Japanese, and you can hear the audio of someone speaking it. You want to see the stroke order for something, and you can just click on it (and even practice writing it right on the screen). Better yet, there are interactive question / answer section, which allow you to write in your answers, take notes, and more. How freakin’ cool would that be. Beyond just text, you have audio, video, interactive activities, and much much more. Learning via textbook will no longer be so boring and one-sided. It will be dynamic, and there will (actually) be potential for people to use Textbooks to self teach themselves something.

Of course, one of the reasons I’m really excited about the iPad is because I feel like it could be a perfect vessel for my own Japanese teaching / learning site, TextFugu. In terms of Japanese Textbooks, TextFugu already has a lot of the features I’ve listed above, though the iPad would give it so much more sexy! So, anyone know how one would / should learn how to make iPad applications / where someone amazing could be hired?

Writing Kanji On The iPad

Right now, you can write kanji into your iPhone / iPod touch. But it sucks. It kind of sort of works, but it’s too small and writing with your finger is a bit tough. With the iPad, I feel like there’s a lot of potential for applications that are just for practicing kanji writing. Now, I’m not sure about the differences in learning with your fingers and learning with a pen, but if the iPad was coupled with a stylus (like the Pogo for example), I could see a lot of good things happening in regards to being able to write in Japanese on the iPad. Various applications could help you practice writing kanji, tell you if you’re right or wrong, and help you write more beautifully (unlike the above example on my iPhone). Not to mention, with a pressure sensitive screen, you could practice you calligraphy as well.

If There Was A Camera…

Who knows, maybe there will be… there is, apparently, a spot for one (though my bet goes on iPad version 2 having a camera). If there was a camera, think of how easy it would be to talk to someone in Japan and practice your Japanese? Of course, you can do this with your laptop, but the reality is that most mainstream computer users still have trouble (or are just afraid with) using a camera on their laptop. With a device like the iPad, all this gets streamlined (software, hardware, etc) and therefor everything just works better. The mystery would be removed, and applications / websites could be made just for the iPad to help make culture and language exchanges happen. When things are made really easy and convenient, a lot of people use them, and I think there’s a lot of potential there for the iPad making this work.

Also imagine taking classes on the iPad. Lots of advancement has been made in this field, and the iPad is the perfect place to take advantage of this. Of course, most online classrooms run in Flash, and we all know that Apple doesn’t really like those lazy bums at Adobe.

What Would You Like To See?

I know I’m missing some things, but that’s where you come in. What Japanese learning tools would you like to see on the iPad? There’s so much that can be done with a product like this, especially if when it goes mainstream with the public. I’m super excited for what the iPad can do for Japanese learning (and education in general, really). What about you?

P.S. Have you seen the original Japanese iPad?

P.P.S. You should follow me on Twitter.

A lot of you out there know how much of a (sad) Apple fanboy I am, which means you’ll probably understand why iPhone art makes my heartbeat increase. This is the post I was going to post the other day (before getting distracted by Wacom Japan’s little flash game), and yes, it’s also developed by my new favorite art / design / tech group Team-Lab. We’ve already seen how nice and shiny LCD screens can modernize hanging scrolls, but what if you want to take your hanging scrolls on the train? First, you’d have to get four iPhones, but if you’re a multi-millionaire, then why not?

(Check out a video here.)

The trick with these hanging scroll iPhones is to put them side by side and synchronize the start time of each. When this is done, the hanging scrolls tell a story (not unlike regular hanging scrolls), using traditional art styles via a new medium. Personally, I love the 3D-but-not-3D style that Team-Lab puts into a lot of their design, and the iPhone’s a great touch too.

Of course, now that this has come out, there are rumors of a slightly homelier Android version hitting the market too. This new Android mobile hanging scroll model will drop fewer calls and run on Verizon, which encourages you to purchase the family plan with unlimited scroll-viewing minutes for only $49.99 a month.

Oh, and you should follow Tofugu on Twitter.

]]> http://www.tofugu.com/2010/01/10/making-the-traditional-hanging-scroll-mobile-iphone-edition/feed/ 27 http://www.tofugu.com/2009/06/09/why-you-should-use-a-mac-to-study-japanese/ http://www.tofugu.com/2009/06/09/why-you-should-use-a-mac-to-study-japanese/#comments Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:02:55 +0000 http://www.tofugu.com/?p=1658 Mmm. Macs. I’m about the biggest fanboy you’ll see, which probably means a totally biased review. This morning, on the way to work, I made the trek to my version of Mecca and walked past ground zero for Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference. I’ve been thinking about how macs make it easier for me to study Japanese, but the announcement of one particular feature on Snow Leopard (the new OS, which will cost a mere $29) has motivated me to finish this article. Here’s Mac versus PC, blow by blow, when it comes to Japanese study. Let the flame wars begin.

Writing Japanese Characters (Kanji). Mac 1 – PC 0 (Mac wins)

Snow Leopard has announced a new feature that lets you write “Chinese Characters” via the trackpad. This negates the need to have a tablet, and it gives you just one more way to practice your kanji. I know it says “Chinese characters,” but if it’s anything like the iPhone, it’s the same thing.

One of the huge disadvantages about learning Japanese on a computer is that you never have the opportunity to write (well, you could get away from your screen, but we both know that’s not going to happen). With this feature, which looks like it even features stroke pressure, you’ll be able to practice your kanji and see how it looks on the screen. If it doesn’t come up correctly, then you’ll know you write like a clown; if it does, well then, good for you.

Built-in Mic and Webcam. Mac 2 – PC 0 (Mac wins)

One of the nice things about Macs (and one of the crappy things, as well), is that hardware is standard, and there’s very little room for customization. This also means that you’ll see features across the board that you won’t see when you get a PC. Now, that’s not to say you can’t get these features on a PC, because you can, but with Macs, it’s actually really hard to get one that doesn’t have a built in Mic or Webcam.

The world is changing, and the way we are able to learn is changing as well. With a mic and webcam, there is plenty of opportunity to take live online Japanese classes, practice speaking with a language partner, and so on, which you can’t do if you don’t have one. Want to learn Japanese, you can now do so from someone who’s in Japan. Now that’s really cool.

Japanese Learning Applications. Mac 3 – PC 1 (tie)

Most learning applications are either browser-based or work on both systems. Things like smart.fm, Lang-8, NihongoUp (which I just reviewed), Anki, Rikaichan, etc., are available across all platforms.

I think that things like this are heading to the Internet and will be browser based. Now, I think I’m being nice here – we wouldn’t want to have to compare Internet Explorer and Safari. At least both have Firefox to use, though PC wins in terms of Chrome. Good job PC-folk, good job.

Language Support. Mac 4 – PC 1 (Mac wins)

Both Mac and PC have good language support for Japanese. On Windows, however, you have to go out of your way to install Japanese compatibility when installing the OS, but on Mac it’s added via the default installation. You’ll have Japanese support out of the box.

Another thing I like a little more on the Mac is the language bar. The Windows language bar kind of gets in the way, and does funny things sometimes. The Mac one is always tucked away in the top menu bar, nice and compact. I also like how the shortcut keys only take one step. On a PC, you have to activate Japanese first, then you have to switch to the correct input. One less step makes me a happy typer.

Japanese Text Rendering. Mac 5 – Windows 2 (tie)

Can’t really complain about either. I personally like the Mac’s version of Japanese default text rendering, but they’re both acceptable. Mac makes things more smooth, and I think more natural, while Windows is a little more choppy.

We’ve got a tie here, folks. It’s just text we’re talking about.

Watching Japanese TV. Mac 5 – PC 3 (PC Wins, for once)

There are a few ways to watch Japanese television via your computer, and PC’s have more options, which are often better. There’s KeyHoleTV and Gya0 for PC only. Then, there’s some other alternatives that work on both like TVU, Livestation, and Freshverse. I suppose there’s also Japanese television on Hulu for both platforms as well.

More (and better) options when you’re running a PC box. That’s all there is to it.

Final Score. Mac 5 – PC 3 (Mac Wins)

Yep, you can accuse me of bias. You can accuse me of being a mactard. Both are probably true, but I still think Macs are better for Japanese study (not to mention almost everything else… I’ll give PC’s gaming though).

So, with that, let the age-old debate begin. Macs versus PCs. Go! …and do your best to pull Japanese related stuff into the convo, if you can.

APPPLLLLEEE FANNNBOYYYY

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