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The Tears of a Cat: Hello Kitty’s Guide to Japan, English and Japanese/ ハローティの英語で紹介する
There’s something incredibly moving about a single tear dribbling from the tiny eyes of Hello Kitty; her lack of a mouth even makes it all the more poignant
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The Japanese Police Department Diet: 20 Yakuza A Month
According to this month’s Jitsuwajidai, a yakuza fanzine, and other sources, late last year the National Police Agency sent out a notice to every Prefectural Police Headquarters, notifying them that they expected each police department to arrest no less than 20 yakuza a month. Even if you estimate the number of yakuza members in Japan at [...]
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A Virtual Hatsumode (初詣） for our readers. Happy New Year!
The first visit to a shrine at the start of the New Year is important in Japan. We went and filled out a votive tablet (絵馬) for you. Good luck and best wishes in 2012! This is our way of saying thanks for sticking with us and the blog for 2011 and expressing our best [...]
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Reviews
Book Review: Introduction to Zen/Two Takes On The Same Book
英語対訳で読む禅入門, or Introduction to Zen with Accompanying English Translation, was written by Priest Souen Ozeki and translated by a one Elizabeth Mills (whom I suspect may be using a pen name, as the translation is not native). As stated in the preface, the book was intended for both English speakers interested in the religion and [...]
Mitsuko Delivers: random acts of kindness and some laughs
by Amy Seaman Just from reading a brief one-sentence summary about Yuya Ishii’s newest film, Mitsuko Delivers, it’s clear that this isn’t just another PARCO-sponsored, corny Japanese love story with a generic plot made tolerable only by the famous names attached to it. (That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with watching idols and [...]
Movie Review: About the Pink Sky
written by Amy Seaman This is the second in a series of reviews about films showing at the 24th Tokyo International Film Festival, which runs until October 30 at select cinemas throughout Roppongi. With its rough editing, abrupt scene changes and nearly nonexistent transitions, About the Pink Sky is an indie film that [...]