Depending on your point of view, the snooze button can be your best friend or your worst enemy. We’ve all struggled with waking up on time, and the snooze button can often lull us into a false sense of security, making it okay to jump back into your warm, comfy bed and ignore the outside world for another ten minutes or so. One Japanese iPhone app seems to have solved this conundrum with a time-tested method: public shaming.

Japanese iPhone app OKITE might not seem that unique. At first glance OKITE (“wake up!” in Japanese) looks like just another phone alarm clock. Even old flip phones (RAZR, anyone?) had alarm clocks built in. What makes OKITE different is that every time you hit the snooze button, the app sends out embarrassing tweets to all your followers on Twitter.

OKITE punishes you with some choice tweets for continuing to hit that snooze button. It covers everything from embarrassing fashion choices (“I’m wearing a sailor suit right now”) to the shamefully boastful (“The world needs more smart people like me”). But maybe the most condemning tweet of all from OKITE is “I can’t ride a bicycle.”

Oh God how did this embarrassing picture get here I am not good with computer

But what I think is scariest thing about OKITE is that you don’t really know what it’s going to say. As far as I can tell, there’s no list of phrases it uses, so you’re really putting your life in your own hands when you sleep in. If that’s not incentive to wake up, I’m not sure what is.

The interesting cultural thing about this app is the whole public shaming thing. In America when you do something shameful it’s all about the person doing the shameful thing. “What’s wrong with you?” “Why would you do that?” etc. In Japan, it’s kind of the opposite. When someone does something shameful, it’s always “What will the neighbors think?” and “What will your classmates think?” Public shame is the most terrifying motivator of all in Japan, and this app plays right in to that.

But, will this open the way for more shame-based apps? To-do lists might post about your bed-wetting problem on Facebook if you forget to go grocery shopping, or an app might post embarrassing childhood pictures on Tumblr if you forget to call your parents.

You can find OKITE on the Apple app store here, and you can check out all the tweets with the hashtag #OKITE here.

P.S. Want to see embarrassing tweets from Tofugu & Team? You should follow us on Twitter.

P.P.S. Would you rather be able to Like the shame? Like us Facebook

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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.

What is the best Japanese Language electronic dictionary?

Once I get the same question too many times, there’s a good likelihood that I’ll just write the answer via a post here, which is exactly what’ I’m doing. So, what is the best Japanese Language electronic dictionary out there? Let’s find out.

The Best Japanese Language Electronic Dictionary Is… Not a Japanese Language Electronic Dictionary…

Guh-what? You’d think that if you were in the market to buy an electronic dictionary you’d buy an electronic dictionary… at least in the “traditional” sense. You can see pictures of them above. Now, for sure, they do the things they’re supposed to do, but that’s about it. If you buy one, you probably won’t be disappointed on this front. You’ll be able to look up words, see sentences, and in some hear audio. Not too shabby.

For me, though, I don’t feel like that’s enough, at least not in this day and age. Even though these do exactly what you want them to do, I don’t think they’re the best tool for the job. Here’s why:

• They’re big (though the big screen could be considered a plus)
• They’re bulky, try putting one of the regular sized ones in your pocket
• They aren’t versatile
• They’re expensive (approximately $200-$400+)

By now, I bet you’ve already guessed the “electronic dictionary” that I’d recommend.

Get An iPod Touch / iPhone Instead Of a Japanese Electronic Dictionary

Instead of a Japanese language electronic dictionary, I highly recommend you get an iPhone or iPod Touch. I think it’s an easy decision, but that’s also because I’m an Apple fanboy. Still, I think anyone will see the logic here.

• An iPod Touch comes in at $179 (if you buy it at Costco) or $199 from the Apple store. This is the same price as the lower end models of the Japanese electronic dictionaries, but you get so much more.
• You can download a dictionary application to your iPhone or iPod Touch. My favorite is “Japanese” because everything is stored locally (i.e. no need for an internet connection to look things up). This app is $16, which is pretty expensive for an iPhone app, but well worth it if you were planning on putting down $200-$400+ on an electronic dictionary. Update: A lot of people seem to like “Kotoba” as well. I haven’t tried it, but it seems to be highly recommended (and free!)
• There are tons of other Japanese language learning related applications in the iTunes store as well. There are so many different things you can get (and who knows what will come out in the future), making it an awesome (mobile) platform for practicing your Japanese.
• You can download Japanese Podcasts to your iPod / iPhone, and listen to them for continued practice while you’re driving, sitting around, at work, at school, etc.
• You can do other things with it, so you aren’t just pinned down to using it to study Japanese (you know, all the things an iPod Touch / iPhone are supposed to do, right?).

So, basically it’s better, more mobile, has apps, and costs less. What is there not to like? Granted, regular Japanese electronic dictionaries have their perks, too, I’m sure, but I personally don’t see the purpose of getting one when you could do this instead.

If that didn’t convince you, watch this video, which just says the same things you just read all over again.

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

Anyone else doing the same thing? Any angry Japanese electronic dictionary users out there? Let me know in the comments what you think.

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/2008/08/06/jim-breen-on-the-iphone/ http://www.tofugu.com/2008/08/06/jim-breen-on-the-iphone/#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 03:55:27 +0000 http://www.tofugu.com/?p=564 I’ve always been a fan of Jim Breen’s Japanese dictionary, so when I found out that there’s an iPhone app out for it, I was really happy. Finally, I don’t have to load the entire Jim Breen page, and now, with the iPhone’s new ability to write in Japanese, all my dirty iPhone dreams would become a mobile reality.

The dictionary is the little wwwJDic icon, and yes, huge M’s fan!

Looking up Japanese Vocab

The first thing I did was look up words, English -> Japanese. I found that it wasn’t always perfect, but neither is the original Jim Breen dictionary, for that matter. Sometimes, the web version requires you to scroll through lists and lists of results. Although it is sometimes difficult to find the vocabulary word you were originally searching for, Jim Breen’s depth of search results are handy when you’re looking for something out of the ordinary.

Back to the iPhone version!

The iPhone version is quite a bit worse than the real version. The iPhone version will only allow you to see the first page of results when the vocab word you’re looking for can sometimes be on page two or three. For example, when I searched for telephone, it wouldn’t come up with 電話 (でんわ). Instead, it came up with things like telephone box, push pin telephone, etc. The results for telephone were probably on pages two or three, but since those results aren’t included in the iPhone version, there was no way to find the right translation. There were situations like this where it was obvious it didn’t quite work right, so at least you won’t be tricked into thinking a translation is something it’s not.

Here’s one that did work. I searched for the word Monkey, and it came up with these results:

I turned “Common Words Only,” since this normally helps the real version of this dictionary come up with more usable search results.

First result was correct! Sadly, the results aren’t always the best possible results. That’s something that hopefully they will work on for the future of this app.

Translating Kanji into English

Here’s another feature I was excited about. Since the iPhone can now type in Japanese, being able to look up kanji would be wonderful. Unfortunately, at this time (August 6, 2008), the app just crashes whenever you try to look something up. I hope they fix this feature soon.

Overall Impressions

I wasn’t entirely impressed with this application. It has a lot of potential for being a great Japanese dictionary for the iPhone, but it just doesn’t work consistantly enough (right now). I think it will get better, so it’s worth checking out after they fix some of the bugs. There’s another Japanese dictionary on the iTunes App store, iJisho, but that ones way way worse, plus it costs money. The wwwJDic application is free, and you can’t beat  that, especially when it beats the current competition (which isn’t all that great either).

Even though this application is buggy, and it doesn’t always come up with good search results, it’s still the best thing available, so if you’re looking for a Japanese dictionary for your iPhone, this is your best bet.

Other News: Don’t forget about our Twitter Contest, where you can win the tastiest Japanese candy in the whole world known and unknown plus the universe too.