Shibawanko no Wa no Kokoro
This is interesting. Shibawanko no Wa no Kokoro (Shibawanko’s Japanese Spirit) is a children’s anime in very short segments, only a couple of minutes each. Shibawanko, a serious-minded hard-working talking… Read more »
Category: Japanese Culture
Anime and the Forty-Seven Ronin
While reading Paul Varley’s Japanese Culture I was struck by his account of the tale of the “Forty-Seven Ronin.” It shed new light on something that had been bothering me,… Read more »
Japanese Pronouns in Anime
At the moment it seems that the two most popular posts on this blog are the ones about how to pick up subtle points that don’t survive the translation to… Read more »
World’s Coolest Fountain
The original poster didn’t include any information, but from internal evidence I conclude that this is located in the shopping district called Canal City Hakata in Fukuoka, Japan (a city… Read more »
Japanese Family Titles in Anime
Since my post on Japanese honorifics seems to have become pretty popular, I am going to post my notes on family titles. Once again, this is for the benefit of… Read more »
Preservation in Japan
But I pose the question: “Why do the Japanese seem to erase the physical structures of the past rather than preserve them? Do the Japanese have a sense of nostalgia?”… Read more »
Japanese Invent Robot That Looks Like a Young Girl
I suppose this was inevitable. Still, the picture creeps me out.
NYAF Cosplayers
Cosplayers and other characters at the New York Anime Festival. (Click for larger images.)
The Manga-Loving PM
Tara Aso, Japan’s newly-designated Prime Minister, has acquired a somewhat scary band of followers in the Akihabara district due to his reputation as a manga fan. Apparently he is particularly… Read more »
Bless this Laptop
According to this article in The Register, the Kanda-Myojin Shrine near Akihabara does a brisk business blessing laptops to protect them from viruses and other mishaps. I’ve been burned by… Read more »