We’ve also posted almost every single day this year, which has doubled the number of posts here on Tofugu. Crazy!

Now that we’re close to the end of the year, we thought that we’d take a look back on the 300+ posts from 2012 and pick out the best. Here are our favorite 10 posts of 2012, in no particular order:

10 Things I Wish I Knew About Japanese Learning When I Was First Starting Out

When you start out learning Japanese (or even while you’re still an intermediate learner), you have a long, scary road in front of you. Fortunately, you’re not the first person, not by a long shot, to go down this road.

That’s why this list by a veteran, Koichi, is so indispensible. Why go through the struggle firsthand when you can learn from another person’s experience? For saving everybody a load of time, this post about Japanese learning tips handily makes the list.

Read this post →

Japan, Why So Kawaii?

For decades, Japan has been known as the land of excessive cuteness — from Hello Kitty to rosy-cheeked Pokémon, Japan has “cute” on lock.

But why is every morning a kawaii morning? Why does everything have to be so damn cute?! For tackling one of the most prevalent phenomena of Japanese culture, this post easily makes the list.

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How To Eat Like A Japanese Buddhist Monk

One of the biggest aspects of Japanese culture that brings people together is the food. I don’t think there’s a single person at Tofugu that doesn’t love a big bowl of ramen, some yakitori, or another kind of Japanese food.

What made this series of posts about Japanese monk food so appealing was not only did it talk about delicious, delicious Japanese food, but also because it talked about a type of Japanese food most people don’t ever see, and you get to see as Koichi goes through the process of making all of it himself.

I can tell you that that month of Koichi’s vegetarian diet was a struggle against his urge to eat meat; mostly, delicious, delicious bacon. If nothing else, this series should make the list to honor that noble sacrifice.

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Japanese Web Design: Why You So 2003?

As a recent Cracked article pointed out, even though Japan has a reputation for being one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, it can be surprisingly low-tech.

There’s no better example of Japan’s bipolar attitude towards technology than the japanese internet, which seems stuck in the past. This particular article on Japanese web design made the list because while we wrote a couple of articles about Japanese web technology, this one perfectly summed up how and why Japan’s internet seems to live in the past.

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The 7 Immutable Laws Of Identifying A “Real” Japanese Restaurant

As I said about the Shojin Ryouri post, we love Japanese food; eatin’ it, talkin’ about it, and finding new and exciting places that serve it. That’s why Koichi’s somewhat tongue-in-cheek really struck a chord with us, and a lot of other people.

How can you tell which Japanese restaurants are authentic, and which one serve up orange chicken? Thanks to this article, you’ll know the signs.

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Three Strikes And Still Not Out? Sadaharu Oh’s Home Run Record Controversy

Baseball is a huge sport in japan, but it seems like we only hear about it if a Japanese player like Ichiro or Yu Darvish comes over to the MLB. Because of that, I’d never heard of possibly the largest controversy in the history of Japanese sports.

It all surrounds Sadaharu Oh, Beastie Boy subject matter and the man who’s hit more career home runs than any other baseball player, alive or dead. His record has been chased for decades by a motley crew of gaijin ballplayers, but never broken.

I thought this was a great post because it broached a topic big in Japan, but not often talked about here on Tofugu, and did so thoroughly.

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Kanji Hates The Ladies

This year was a big year for Tofugu and kanji. I don’t think we’ve even run as many posts about kanji as we did this year, including posts about kanji that look like their meanings, kanji born and raised in Japan and the kanji of the year.

We also debuted our latest creation, a kanji learning web app by the name of WaniKani.

This post about misogynistic kanji made the list not only because it relates back to the bigger theme of kanji, but also because it’s absolutely ridiculous. It really seems like kanji is just misogynistic from the get-go.

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Fart Scrolls

The popularity of this post caught me really off-guard. I’d found the scrolls on another site, so I figured that fart scrolls were old news.

Not the case.

Over the course of a few days, traffic to Tofugu skyrocketed as people reveled in the joy of fart humor. I was pleased to see everybody from cartoonists I admire to celebrities sharing a Tofugu post. It even got its own Wikipedia page.

One reaction I didn’t expect was anger — anger that I’d put black bars over the naughty bits. I kinda get why people were upset, but I stand by my decision to block out wrinkly, illustrated cocks.

My girlfriend tells me all the time that fart scrolls will be my legacy to the world after I’m gone, and I hope that she’s simultaneously both right and wrong.

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Aokigahara: Japan’s Haunted Forest of Death

Our posts about creepy, scary, and spooky things always seem really popular, but none more so than our post about Aokigahara, the suicide forest at the base of Mt. Fuji. Something about this real-life horror story really strikes a chord with people. The eerie darkness, and odd silence, it makes you want to believe that such a place doesn’t even exist.

For creeping us all the hell out and for being the most-viewed Tofugu post of 2012, this article about Aokigahara more than deserves its place on this list.

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Crazy Japanese Horse Racing Simulator. Minus Horses. Minus Simulation.

I laughed uncontrollably for a couple of days after Koichi showed me this bizarre Japanese video game, although I’m not sure if you can really even call it a video game. It’s more like a work of art.

There’s not much you can really control in Japan World Cup. You kinda just press go and hold your breath as to whether the yeti, Trojan Horse, ninja, or dekotora will cross the finish line. Who will win? Who cares!

For being, for my money at least, the best Saturday Timewaster of perhaps all time, this post more than earns its spot on the list.

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That’s the best of 2012 from us! We hope that 2013′ll be even better.

Did you favorite posts make the list? What would you liked to have seen on here? Let us know in the comments.

Guess whoooo~?

This post is one in a series leading up to Halloween. Check out the scary tag to see all of them!

Nothing says Halloween quite like creepy little Japanese girls. Japanese horror films have slowly been gaining popularity over the years and there have even been (for better or worse) a healthy amount of American remakes. Are you wondering what Japanese horror movies you’re going to scare and impress your friends with this Halloween? Well worry not, for I’ve the top 10 right here.

10. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000)

Don’t tase me, broooooooooo!!!

I wanted to include at least one anime on this list of movies and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust was the first that came to mind. While definitely not as frightening as the others on this list, it’s a solid film regardless. And it has vampires! Can’t have Halloween without vampires!

The film began production in 1997 and was completed with the intention of being shown in American theaters in 2000. It was shown in six theaters across the States and received fairly positive reception from critics.

In the film, vampire hunters race to save a girl stolen from her home by a vampire noble. D is a dunpeal (being born of a human mother and sired by a vampire father) bearing many vampire strengths and few of their weaknesses. In the film he races against a band of human hunters to save the girl. The movie is mostly action, a little bit romance, and a little bit horror.

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a fun movie to watch and you don’t need to see the original to enjoy it. If you’re a fan of anime, vampires, or saw the original Vampire Hunter D, I strongly recommend you check out Bloodlust as well.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRMWoWZxo60']

9. Rampo Noir (2005)

Ah, Mr. Bond. I’ve been expecting you.

Rampo Noir is a collection of four short stories brought to life on film. Like I mentioned in Top 10 Strange Japanese Films You Need To Watch, this movie is weird. Like super weird. I’ve listed a description of each short story for your convenience below.

Mars Canal - Surrounded by silence, a naked man wanders through a dark and dreary landscape recalling the excruciating details of his last encounter with the woman he once loved.

Mirror Hell - When a series of women are discovered with their faces burned to a crisp, a young detective takes on the case and discovers that a mysterious hand mirror is always found at the scene.

Caterpillar - A quadriplegic war hero returns home to his wife who soon tires of taking care of him and begins to torture her crippled hubby for entertainment.

Crawling Bugs - A sexy actress is returning home from a successful night on stage when her limo driver decides that she should be coming home with him instead.

I’m not really sure how I feel about this movie. I think one viewing would be enough for anybody, but if you get the chance to see it, do so. The experience is worth it, especially if you can drag a few friends along for the ride. Out of the four stories, Caterpillar definitely creeped me out the most.

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

8. Dark Water (2002)

This isn’t what it looks like, I swear.

Dark Water is a supernatural-psychological-drama-horror about a middle aged woman barely holding onto her sanity. Yoshimi Matsubara is in the midst of a nasty divorce with her abusive husband over the custody of their five year old daughter Ikuko.

Unfortunately Yoshimi has a lot of emotional issues from her experiences in life and her transition from housewife to independent working woman has taken its toll. Shortly after moving into a creepy new apartment, her and Ikuko start seeing a creepy little girl mysteriously appearing all around the building. And as we all know, the best treatment for frequent mental breakdowns is ghoulish Japanese toddlers in yellow rain coats. How can’t this end well?

Dark Water is pretty creepy and is one of many Japanese films that were taken and remade by us Americans. I never got around to seeing the American version of this one, but I’d imagine it’s just not the same. It’s another one of those vengeful-spirit/creepy-little-Japanese-girl horror films, so if those sort of movies are your thing then Dark Water will not disappoint.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM_5hGBKqbE']

7. House (1977)

Excuse me, but I seem to have misplaced my body.

House (Hausu) is a cult classic and with good reason. It starts out like a whimsical fairy tale adventure of seven friends going to the countryside for a lovely summer holiday. Up to this point the film seems entirely ordinary, but things start to turn sour shortly after they arrive at the house in question. From there on in, things just get weirder and weirder.

Especially considering the year it was made, House is pretty impressive. It’s interesting, weird, creepy, and goofy. While I wouldn’t exactly be jumping at the chance to watch it again, I’d absolutely recommend it to anyone who appreciates horror films. This movie was definitely ahead of its time.

It’s a cult classic you won’t want to miss. You can’t say you’re a connoisseur of J-Horror films until you’ve seen this movie. So get on it.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN0HVJ5tkIM']

6. Marebito (2004)

Beef Humans: It’s what’s for dinner.

Many moons ago when I rented this movie I really wasn’t expecting that much. I just thought it would be another run-of-the-mill Japanese horror film. Well, I was wrong. Marebito is very well done and quite interesting to boot.

The main character is a freelance cameraman obsessed with fear. In the movie he takes it upon himself to investigate an urban legend involving mysterious spirits that haunt the subways of Tokyo, but what he discovers is beyond anything he could have ever imagined.

Marebito is very different from most other Japanese horror films. The story is really cool and you actually care about what’s happening. It’s not one of those movies you’d watch just for the thrills and chills. The story is very well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you’re tired of the same old J-Horror films, give Marebito a watch – you won’t regret it.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV7J8WYETXo']

5. Chakushin Ari 2 (One Missed Call 2) (2005)

I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!

Set a year after the original film, Chakushin Ari 2 introduces Kyoko and her friend Madoka. Obviously the theme of this one is very similar to the first Chakushin Ari, but there are some slight differences. No candies are found in the mouths of the victims here and their investigation takes them to an abandoned coal mine out in the country for added creepiness. Oh my!

Chakushin Ari 2 is definitely not as good as the first one, but it is still a very solid horror film. It’s certainly much better than the abomination that was One Missed Call: Final. Seriously, don’t even bother with that one – it’s rubbish.

It definitely helps to have seen the first Chakushin Ari to get the most out of this one. So if you see the first one and enjoy it, then I would certainly recommend Chakushin Ari 2 as well.

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

4. Infection (2004)

Huuuuuugggss… *cough* I, I mean, braaaaaiiinnnsss…

Infection takes place at an under-staffed hospital that is quickly losing money. As night begins to fall, an ambulance comes to the hospital bringing a patient with a strange black rash. From there, things start to get out of control and soon everyone in the hospital becomes infected. But is the infection related to the patient that arrived at the beginning of the night or is it related to something else entirely?

Infection is one of those movies that deserves at least two viewings. Watching it a second time after already knowing how it ends is really interesting and you’ll notice a lot of things you may have missed the first time through. If you enjoy zombies or horror movies that take place in hospitals, you definitely won’t want to miss out on this one.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9TbECLC1fE']

3. Audition (1999)

Okay. Now you’re going to feel a slight pinch…

Audition is based on a Ryu Murakami novel of the same title and over the years the film has developed a cult following in America. In Audition, a widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies and decides to get to know better is not who she appears to be. At all.

It’s been some time since I’ve seen this movie, but the feeling it leaves you with is one you don’t soon forget. It’s creepy. It’s unsettling. It’s also one of the few movies on this list not revolving around some sort of ghost or vengeful spirit. I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone who doesn’t know much about this film, but it’s a classic J-Horror film that shouldn’t be missed.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR1DnkweK5U&feature=related']

2. Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)

Good morning, sunshine!

This film is the third entry in the Ju-On series and was the first film in the series to be released in theaters. The American remake (The Grudge), was released in 2004. It is said in Japan that when someone dies in extreme sorrow or rage, the emotion remains and can leave a stain upon that place. In Ju-On, death becomes a part of that place, killing everything it touches.

I saw the American remake of this one before I got around to the Japanese original. While I believe that the American one is probably more frightening (mostly due to improved visuals and special effects), the story is much more engaging and interesting in the Japanese version. In the Japanese version, you actually care about the characters and where the story is going.

This movie is not just an excuse to scare the pants off the audience, in the Japanese version, the story is actually worth something. So even if you’ve seen the American version, this movie is still very much worth your time.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8R1dODSbzU']

1. Chakushin Ari (One Missed Call) (2003)

Remember kids: don’t take candy from strangers.

In Chakusin Ari, people mysteriously start receiving voice-mail messages from their future selves creepily foreshadowing their own violent deaths. Like many other J-Horror films, it’s a vengeful spirit movie, but this time it’s really well done. Chakushin Ari has always been one of my favorite horror movies, Japanese or otherwise.

Chakushin Ari was one of the first Japanese horror movies that I actually thoroughly enjoyed. To this day, if I’m trying to introduce someone to the J-Horror genre, I’ll show them this movie first. I’ve seen it many times now, and it’s still good. I haven’t seen the American remake (and I don’t have any plans to), but I imagine it’s just awful.

Fun Fact: The trademark “ringtone of death” from this film has become rather popular, and was actually used as a ringtone and background music for unofficial haunted houses in Japan.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpsZQrJazq0&feature=related']

So tell me, what’s your favorite J-Horror movie of all time?

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I stumbled upon Galileo Galilei (ガリレオガリレイ) earlier this week while watching Mobile Suit Gundam AGE because they do the opening song for the anime, Ashita e (朝へ). I instantly fell in love, looked them up on YouTube, fell even more in love, and decided that it would be a great disservice to the Tofugu community if I didn’t share. So please, take a listen and experience all the wonderful tunes Galileo Galilei has to offer.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3hEYUv45yo&feature=related']

Imagine the bands The Pillows and Asian Kung-Fu Generation. Now imagine them smashed together in the most fantastic of ways. Chances are you’d end up with something very similar to Galileo Galilei. The band has also been described as being similar to the bands BUMP OF CHICKEN and RADWIMPS. (I actually forgot how good RADWIMPS is – I’ll have to check out more of their stuff again.) The members of Galileo Galilei are also surprisingly young with their senior member being just 20 years old.

Is that not the trolliest troll face you’ve ever seen?

The band started out as Kankou Riot and was composed of Ozaki Yuuki (vocals/lead guitar), his brother Ozaki Kazuki (drums), Sako Hitoshi (bass) and some other dude on guitar (Funaya Sohei). They formed their band in 2008 and won a fancy competition netting a chance to really make a name for themselves. Unfortunately, that other guitar dude from before chose not to (like a fool) and the group was disbanded. Never a fun experience in the music world.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G-HGH5Z614']
This is one of my favorite songs by them, I think.

The remaining members then began the search for a new guitar player. Soon they met with Iwai Fumito, the former lead vocalist and guitar player from the band Guild. They became quick friends and a new musical sensation was born. Since then their music has been featured in various anime and commercials. For example, their music was featured in this CM for LISMO, an online music service provided by au, a Japanese mobile phone brand run by KDDI, a Japanese telecommunications company.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCwm-4knYT0&feature=related']
They’re surprisingly good live, too.

The name Galileo Galilei was chosen blindly from a tissue box. Each member put two entries into said tissue box and Sako’s name of Galileo Galilei ended up being drawn. Sako said he chose this name because he thought it would be cool for their band to be named after some famous dude from history. Unfortunately his choice also makes it really annoying to look up their material online. Fortunately I’ve found most of the cool stuff for you.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjtjo-8Ms1I']
It’s just, so… pretty!

[button color="red" link="http://www.yesasia.com/us/galileo-galilei/0-aid1904366-0-bpt.47-en/list.html"]Buy Galileo Galilei Albums from YesAsia →[/button]

So why don’t you share some of your favorite Japanese bands with us in the comments below? Let’s all discover new music together!

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5. Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

黄金の太陽：漆黒なる夜明け

Dark Dawn is the third title in the Golden Sun series, and is set 30 years after the events of the first two games. The story is more or less just another tale where the heroes band together to fight the forces of evil and save the world. Golden Sun: Dark Dawn is a good RPG. You think of a standard and solid RPG, and this is it. It’s got some interesting mechanics, and the Djinn system spices things up a bit, but overall it’s very traditional. The story is interesting and I enjoyed playing it. It’s not really a stand out game though, so don’t expect to be wowed by anything.

If you’ve played a Japanese RPG before, you’ll know what to expect here. It certainly won’t let you down though. Golden Sun is a very solid choice, especially if you’ve enjoyed the previous entries in the series.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0hP3dHd7ME']

Check out the video review of the English version from Gametrailers here.

4. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

ドラゴンクエストIX星空の守り人

I’ve always really enjoyed the Dragon Quest games. The story is pretty thick in them though, so if your Japanese isn’t all that great, you may find yourself getting lost or confused quite a bit, but that’s what online guides are for. I recommend making good use of Gamefaqs.com. Some guides are based on the Japanese versions and will even give you translations of the dialogue or the menus. At the very least, you can use it as a reference to make sure you stay on track and don’t get too frustrated with your journey. In Dragon Quest IX you play as a guardian angel who has become human and travels around from town to town fixing everything for everyone.

The streamlined multiplayer support is also very nicely implemented, but you’ll need some friends who own a copy. Regretfully I’m not sure if American versions are compatible with the Japanese versions of the game, but as the Pokemon games work just fine together, I would assume that’s the case for Dragon Quest as well. Game on!

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLjJC3mjP3A&feature=related']

Check out the video review of the English version from Gametrailers here.

3. Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madōshi

二ノ国 漆黒の魔導士

In Ni No Kuni, Studio Ghibli teams up with Level-5 to create a magical role-playing game that stars a young boy named Oliver who receives a magical book that takes him into another world.

Ni No Kuni is a beautiful game. The cut scenes and voice acting both are superb and really make for an enjoyable experience. It’s half like watching an anime, and half like playing a great game. If story is important to you, you can’t go wrong with this one. This is also the only game on this list that hasn’t been localized yet. Ni No Kuni will becoming to American shores early 2012. At least that’s the plan, anyway.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xTUL1f07m8']
The girl from these CMs is also one half of the phenomenon responsible for bringing us this ridiculously adorable song.

Check out a trailer for the Japanese version here. Sorry, no review for this one :(

2. The Legend of Zelda Games

ゼルダの伝説夢幻の砂時計 (Phantom Hourglass)
ゼルダの伝説大地の汽笛 (Spirit Tracks)

We all know what to expect as far as story goes with the Zelda games. You play as Link, and your job is to save the princess. Phantom Hourglass has impressive visuals, beautiful music, and a huge world packed with plenty of things to experience. What it was missing, however, was some of the hardcore difficulty and classic dungeon puzzles that longtime Zelda fans had come to expect from the series.

Spirit Tracks is pretty similar, but improved upon in nearly every way. Spirit Tracks delivers amazing boss battles, stunning dungeons, and a substantially longer adventure overall. Both Zelda titles are great and equally helpful to the Japanese learner.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlmTdnUTZHY']
Check out the video review of the English version of Spirit Tracks from Gametrailers here.

1. Professor Layton Games (Friendly Versions)

レイトン教授と不思議な町（フレンドリー版）(Curious Village)
レイトン教授と悪魔の箱（フレンドリー版）(Diabolical Box)

The stories in Professor Layton games revolve around puzzles. Pretty much everyone you interact with has a puzzle for you to solve to advance the story and in every game there is some overarching mystery for you to solve. The games are extremely enjoyable laid back experiences with some pretty challenging and clever puzzles to boot. Once you play one Professor Layton game, you’ll know what to expect from the rest of the series. Greatness.

What makes this the best DS game for Japanese learning is the wonderful voice acting, clever puzzles, and relatively linear story. Make sure you check out the “Friendly Versions” though. The non-friendly versions do not have kana readings above the kanji which makes for a much more difficult reading experience if you don’t know that many kanji yet.

In the Japanese versions of Professor Layton games, the puzzle aspect is nearly doubled when you first have to decode the instructions from Japanese, and then once you actually understand what is being asked of you, you get to work on a clever and engaging puzzle. And like I said, the games are very linear, so even if you miss a few lines of dialogue here and there, you don’t have to worry about getting lost. The Professor Layton games are great fun and very beneficial to the Japanese learner. If you only check out one game from this list, make it Professor Layton.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3yP5OcbhHI']
Check out the video review of the English version of Diabolical Box from Gametrailers here.

How to Study With Japanese Video Games

The way I study with Japanese video games is pretty simple. I play the game, look up words and phrases I don’t know, then add those to an Anki deck. (If you haven’t heard of Anki before, check out our review of it here.) I usually play the game until I get to a certain number of new things, usually about a page full, and then I’ll stop playing and add those into an Anki deck. Before I play the game again, I’ll review the Anki deck I created and then start the whole process over again.

Once you get a bit better at Japanese, you can start playing the game and just inferring from the context what the new words and phrases mean and only make cards out of the things that totally stump you.

Like I’ve said in previous posts, it’s important to not get frustrated with your studies, especially when you’re playing a game and trying to have fun. Even though you’re playing a video game, it’s still in a foreign language, and things could get frustrating and discouraging if you’re not careful. So set yourself some sort of limit for how long you’ll play or study with a game and quit while you’re still having fun so you’ll be looking forward to coming back to it.

And also, please try to avoid just mashing the A button through all of the dialogue so you can get back to the gameplay. It’s an understandable temptation (heck, I’ve done it before), but you’re really not doing yourself any favors. You might as well just be playing the game in English. But in most cases this can be avoided as long as you quit while you’re still having fun with it and before you get frustrated.

Even though you’re already playing a game, it’s still important to still keep fun in mind. You’re not going to like every game you play, so if you’re playing something in Japanese, don’t tough it out if you don’t actually enjoy the game itself. Find a game you know you would enjoy regardless of the language.

As your skills progress, you’ll be able to graduate on to imported games that don’t provide kana readings for all the kanji. Think of all the games you’ll be able to play and enjoy before all your friends! It’s totally worth it, so stick with it and don’t give up!

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