DPRK Mass Games 2008

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Mass Games, also known as the Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance, are held in Pyongyang's Rungnado May Day Stadium. The Mass Games are the opening night of a two-month festival that runs in various venues in Pyongyang.



The 90-minute show presents the history and glories of the DPRK and the Kim Dynasty; the Mass Games involves over 100,000 participants, including highly-disciplined gymnasts, dancers, soldiers and school children, the latter performing the amazingly orchestrated and choreographed "card stunt" routines in the audience.

The latest performances were in April 2007 (Arirang Festival) and 2008 and there is not another Mass Games scheduled until 2012.

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Jellyfish at the Aquas Shimane Aquarium

島根県立しまね海洋館アクアス



I visited Shimane prefecture recently. Shimane is in the west of Japan, towards the south-western end of the main island, Honshu, and faces the Japan Sea. Shimane is Japan’s second least populated prefecture.

Shimane prefecture is very picturesque, and is the ideal place to escape the bustle of the big city and unwind – driving through the rolling countryside, or relaxing in one of the many hot springs, or onsen, that dot the region.

I also visited the Aquas Shimane Aquarium (Shimane Kenritsu Shimane Kaiyokan) in Hamada City. The Aquas Shimane Aquarium is a modern, extensive marine life attraction opened in 2000. It features over 10,000 fish and mammals covering over 400 species.

Check out the video above of jellyfish at Shimane Aquarium.

The Aquas Shimane Aquarium occupies Iwami Seaside Park, facing the Japan Sea. Iwami Seaside Park is a camping and leisure area that stretches along 5.5 kilometers of mainly white sanded coastline. It has cabins for rent, an autocamp, and the basic facilities for the independent traveler. The Aquarium and the Aquas Land amusement area are its main tourist facilities.

The Aquarium is barrier free, and multiple entry on the same day is possible. It is 1,500 for adults, and 500 yen for juniors up to and including high school age. There is a 50% discount for the disabled.

Access by car is from the Hamada interchange on the Hamada Expressway, driving eastwards for 5km. From the Hiroshima interchange it takes about 90 minutes.
By train, it is 10 minutes walk from JR Hashi Station.
By bus, it is 15 minutes from JR Hamada station.

The Shimane Aquarium is open 9am – 5pm every day except Tuesday. (Open till 6pm between July 20 and August 31. Open every day between April 29 and May 5.) When Tuesday is a holiday it opens on Tuesday, and closes Wednesday.

Aquas Shimane Aqarium website (English page)

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Japan This Week: 30 November 2008

今週の日本

Tokyo Killings May Be Tied to Scandal on Pensions

New York Times

Japan workers told to go home and procreate

Guardian

Nine Japanese able to flee besieged hotels

Japan Times

Japan's Factory Output Plunges, Industrial Outlook Turns Grim

Washington Post

30,000 nonregular workers to lose jobs by March

The Daily Yomiuri

Robots make acting debut

BBC

Tokyo's demolition drama

BBC

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso condemns 'hobbling malingerers'

Times on Line

Nationality law revision set to pass

Asahi

Japan’s Asada takes lead after short program

Yahoo! Sports


Last week's Japan news

Japan Statistics

Average monthly hours worked by regular employees in Japan.

2001: 154.0
2002: 153.1
2003: 153.8
2004: 153.3
2005: 152.4
2006: 153.5
2007: 154.2

Source: Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

1,400,000 Japanese traveled abroad in September, 2008, a 9.7% decline compared to the same period in 2007.

Source: Japan Tourism Marketing Agency


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Lafcadio Hearn's Old Residence Matsue

小泉八雲旧居

Across the moat from Matsue Castle and next door to the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum, is Lafcadio Hearn's Old Residence - a delightful, small samurai house and gardens, where the writer lived from May-November 1891.



It was here that Hearn began work on two of his most famous books: Kwaidan, a collection of ghost stories, and his classic Glimpses of Unfamilar Japan.

The tatami mat rooms are left open to the gardens when the weather is fine. Hearn's writing desk is preserved near the smaller of the two gardens, with a pond, at the back of the house.



"There are large rocks in it, heavily mossed; and divers fantastic basins of stone for holding water; and stone lamps green with years. There are miniature hills, with old trees upon them; and there are long slopes of green, shadowed by flowering shrubs, like river banks; and there are green knolls like islets." Glimpses of Unfamilar Japan, Vol II

The atmosphere is genuinely one of the late nineteenth century when Hearn lived in the house. The peaceful place lends itself to contemplation, as you sit on the floor and gaze at the beautiful gardens.



Lafcadio Hearn's Old Residence
9am-5pm (March-November); 10am-4.40pm (December-February)
Admission: 350 yen

Take a bus from Matsue Station to Koizumi Yakumo Kinenkan-mae bus stop.

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Sesshutei Yamaguchi City

雪舟邸

The 3,000 square meter garden behind Joeji Temple in Yamaguchi City is called Sesshutei (lit. Sesshu’s garden).



It is believed that the garden was commissioned by the 29th generation Lord Masahiro Ouchi sometime in the 15th Century, and certainly Sesshu was in Yamaguchi at that time, along with many other artists and nobles from Kyoto, who had fled the war-torn capital, and who helped to keep Kyoto culture alive during this period.



Like other Zen gardens of the Muromachi Period, there are few plants in it, though the forested hillside bordering the garden is considered a part of the garden. It is believed Sesshu designed the garden after he returned from China, and so it reflects some Chinese influence and is based on a landscape painting of Sesshu’s.



There is also a smaller raked-gravel garden in the grounds of the temple, and a footpath that goes around the main garden with a side path up to the top of the hill where there are some quite dramatic Buddhist statues.



Sesshutei is open 7 days a week, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Entrance fee for adults is 300yen.
Phone: 083-922-2272

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Iki Iki Matsuri

Photo of the Week - 生き生き祭り



The Japanese women of Sakurae Town in Shimane Prefecture perform the local town dance at the annual Iki Iki Matsuri.

The dancers are wearing distinctive red happi coats.

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Cool, crisp autumn in Japan

すがすがしい秋



We are right in the middle of autumn in Japan: as beautiful a season as any with its rich reds and golds. And even more attractive than spring is the clear, dry air that makes physical activity so untaxing – as well as making for wonderful photos and clear, extra-starry night skies.

Japanese onomatopoeia is well known for its rich expressiveness, and there are several of them that express the sensations of autumn very effectively. For example, “a cool, crisp autumn breeze” is expressed as hinyari to sugusugashii aki no soyokaze. Hinyari to can express anything from cool to chilly. Sugasugashii is an onomatopoeic adjective meaning, likewise, “crisp, refreshing, invigorating”.

Featured here are some pictures from Shimane prefecture taken just a couple of days ago. Against the beautiful blue skies we enjoyed, they illustrate better than anything else autumn’s light cool touch.



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Naked Tokyo:2008

Naked Tokyo:2008

The Naked Tokyo:2008 exhibit will feature the works of more than 20 photographers from around the world who are living (or have lived) in Tokyo, and who apply their signature styles to interpreting this great city, revealing a small sliver of the Naked Tokyo within.

The exhibit will be available for preview by the media on the evening of Sunday, December 7, from 6 p.m.

The opening party will be held on Monday, December 8, from 6 p.m. All are welcome.

Entrance fee: ¥ 1,000 (includes one glass of wine)

Information on previous Naked Tokyo shows.

For further information on Naked Tokyo:2008 [People] please contact:

Alexis Alvarez, Producer

Tim Porter, Organizer/Lord Emeritus

List of photographers:

Alexis Alvarez, United States

Bonnie Bajaj, Hong Kong

Rick Balia, United States

Adrian Beard, England/Wales

Ernesto Braam,

Paul Cohen, Australia

Camilla Douraghy, United States/Iran

Barbara Flatten, Germany

Clive France, England

Harold Godsoe

Gary Heayes, England

Carla Hernandez, Spain

Max Hodges

Leroy Howard, United States

Leslie Kennah, Canada

Lars Jensen, Denmark

Paul Kohl, United States

Frank La Riviere, The Netherlands

Edward Levinson, United States

Haruna Miyashita, Japan

Shinishi George Nitta, Japan

Lori Ono, Canada

Mark Skorji, Australia

Jay Tomioka, United States/Japan

Mumi Trabucco, Argentina

Whitney Vosburgh, United States

Vladimir Zakharov, Russia

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Fall Colors in Kyoto

京都の紅葉

Kyoto's famed fall colors are now out in all their glory.

Over the three-day weekend, we took in the maples at Tenryuji in Arashiyama.

The area was packed with tourists; however, walking was pleasant since the main (only) street was closed to cars, buses, and scooters. Only pedestrians--lots of pedestrians--and the occasional cyclist was on the road.

We spent time wandering around the pond and the exterior of the main hall--both of which are free and open to the public.

Best of all was the contrast of a mobster's car parked in front of a beautiful maple. The man had all the usual accoutrements of a yakuza: sleek designer shades; recently lit cigarette; a manny bag; tight designer jeans; and a well-built woman on his arm with big hair and a tiny mini-skirt. And he appeared to have no interest whatsoever in the gardens around him.

Tenryuji Temple

Two minutes from the Keifuku Line's Arashiyama Station.
Or take a city bus to "Keifukuarashiyama." A 7-8 minute walk from JR Saga Station.
Tel: 075-881-1235
68 Susukinobaba-cho, Tenryuji, Saga, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto.

8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Fee : 500 yen

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Nagoya City Art Museum

名古屋市美術館

Nagoya City Art Museum in Fushimi, not far from the Hilton Hotel, has a small permanent collection of contemporary western and Japanese art.



Located across Shirakawa Park from Nagoya's Science Museum, Nagoya City Art Museum opened in 1988. The permanent collection includes works by foreign artists such as Amedeo Modigliani, Marc Chagall, Frida Kahlo and Maurice Utrillo. Japanese contemporary art is represented by Shusaku Arakawa, Tsuguharu Fujita and Tadaaki Kuwayama. The collection is rotated four times a year.

The facility also includes works by local artists, a temporary exhibition gallery, a library, auditorium, cafe and shop.



Nagoya City Art Museum
17-25, Sakae 2-chome
Naka-ku, Nagoya
460-0008
Tel: 052 212 0001

Admission: 300 yen

A short walk from Fushimi Station (Exit 5) on the Higashiyama and Tsurumai subway lines or Osu Kannon on the Tsurumai Line (Exit 1).

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Japan This Week: 23 November 2008

今週の日本

Japanese Are Irked by U.S. Interest in Pitcher

New York Times

Levelling the lingerie playing field

Guardian

Japan in the future to be caught between U.S., China: think tank

Japan Times

Japan suspects stabbings linked to pension scandal

Washington Post

Film Review: Tokyo Sonata

Midnight Eye

Japan approves whalemeat import

BBC

Fallen J-pop icon indicted for fraud

Asahi

Matsuzaka willing to play for Japan at WBC

Yahoo! Sports


Last week's Japan news

Japan Statistics

Violence in Japanese schools has increased dramatically in the last year. In 2007, there were 5,214 cases (45%) of violent behavior in elementary schools, 18,951 (25%) in junior high schools, and 6,512 (7%) in high schools. The numbers in parentheses represent the percentage rise over the previous school year. The majority in all three was damage to property.

On a per capita basis, Kagawa Prefecture led the country with 10.1 cases per 1,000 people. Kochi was second with 9.3.

Source: Asahi Shinbun

Last year approximately 8 million people visited Japan spending 1.6 trillion
yen

Source: Japanese Tourism Agency (JTA)

Japan tops G-7 survey of 3G cell phone use. 83% of all cell phone users in Japan have a third generation connection. Italy had the second highest at 27%. Canada had the lowest at only 1%.

Source: Kyodo


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Hilton Hotel Nagoya

ヒルトン名古屋

The Hilton Hotel in Nagoya's Fushimi district, just off Hirokoji Dori, is a perennial favorite with tourists and business travelers to Japan's Detroit.



Situated only one stop on the subway from Nagoya Station and within walking distance of Sakae - the main entertainment district in town - the Hilton makes for a comfortable and convenient stay.

There are over 400 rooms and facilities include seven restaurants, bar, internet access, swimming pool, gym and tennis courts.



Nearby foreigner-friendly bars include the Hard Rock Cafe, the Elephant's Nest British-style pub and Cigar Kanou (052-231-5534), a cigar bar on the same street as the Hilton with outdoor seating, food and a range of foreign cigarettes, cigars and tobacco.

Hilton Hotel Nagoya
1-3-3 Sakae Naka-ku
Nagoya
Aichi
460-0008

The nearest subway station is Fushimi on the Tsurumai and Higashiyama lines.

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Kyoto Lights Up its Temples

京都の寺社　ライトアップ

To accompany the fall colors, Kyoto city is sponsoring special night time lighting at many of its most famous temples and shrines.

Here is the schedule at the major temples and shrines:

Manshuin: until November 25th; 5 pm - 8 pm; 600 yen for adults

Eikando: until November 30th; 5:30 pm - 9 pm; 600 yen for adults

Chionin: until November 30th; 5:30 pm - 9 pm; 800 yen for adults

Enkoji: until November 30th; 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm; 500 yen for
adults

Daikakuji: until November 30th; 5 pm - 8 pm; 500 yen for adults

Tofukuji: until December 6th; 5 pm - 8:30 pm; 500 yen for adults

Kodaiji: until December 7th; 5 pm - 9:30 pm; 600 yen for adults

Kiyomizu: until December 7th; 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm; 400 yen for adults

Tenryuji: until December 7th; 5:30 pm - 8:15 pm; 600 yen for adults

Kita no Tenmangu: November 21-25, 28-30, December 5-7th; sundown - 8 pm; 600 yen for adults

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More Janglish

日本語英語

Today more examples of loan words that may or may not make any sense to a native speaker of English.

Once in the San Francisco Airport, I saw a group of women trying to order three cups of coffee.

スリーホット！スリーホット！repeated the flustered Japanese woman. The young Mexican-American at the counter stared back blankly.

What the customer wanted was "su-ri hotto," or three coffees.

Another example is アメリカン（American）. This is a slightly weaker cup of coffee.

Moving to the workplace, there are of course the サラリーマン（salaryman）and オーエル（OL, office lady）.

Then there are the dreaded リストラ（resutora, restructuring）and ブランク（blank）. The former means layoffs, the latter a period on your resume that is empty or blank.

Another term with negative connotations is フリーター（furi-ta-）, which is someone who works "freely." What it means in practice is someone who works part-time at several jobs instead of having one full-time job.

The last word for today is マイペース（mai pace）. In general, it means someone who works at their own pace, even if others are rushing.

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Takase River Art Exhibit - Kyoto

高瀬川京都

Kyoto's Takase River is a narrow canal that runs parallel to Kiyamachi Dori (street) from Nijo-Kiyamachi down to Fushimi, in southern Kyoto. The canal dates from 1611.

It is quite close the Kamo River and follows alongside it for roughly 10 km, separated only by Pontocho and Kiyamachi.

Prior to the invention of the steam engine and internal combustion engine, rivers and canals were used to transport both people and goods in Japan.

In the case of Kyoto, small barges carried goods on the Takase River within Kyoto and then, farther down where the canal meets the Kamo River, to Osaka.

Today is is a pleasant break from the concrete and neon, mainly thanks to the willow trees that line the canal. Near Nijo, several of the barges are moored and there is a plaque explaining the history of the area and the canal.

Kiyamachi is beset known today as a nightlife area, with bars and restaurants and brothels on the side streets. At night, students and young people and lovers throng the narrow streets.

Last week, though, riding down Kiyamachi during the day to avoid the traffic on Kawaramachi, we noticed many works of art in the river itself.

They were set on concrete blocks in the river, and labeled. The exhibit was a competition with winners and prizes.

The works ranged from the highly abstract to the merely odd.

One wonders what the pimps and whores, students and salarymen, geisha and tourists make of this as they make their nightly rounds.

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Former Seoul Station

旧ソウル駅

The former Seoul Station building is one of the few remaining colonial buildings left in the Korean capital.

The brick structure is actually closed now, having been replaced in 2004 with the completion of the new Seoul Station. The adjacent glass structure houses the tracks for the new KTX bullet train and has the feel of an airport.

The former Seoul Station was designed by Tokyo Imperial University professor Tsukamoto Yasushi. Tsukamoto was a student of Tatsuno Kingo, the designer of Tokyo Station.

And, in contrast to the new efficient station building, it is comfortable and good looking.

The elegant building was completed in 1925 while Korea was under Japanese occupation. Based on it design and feel, it bears a close resemblance to Tokyo Station.

It is a three-story structure, which had a restaurant on the second floor and a waiting room on the third.

The building is scheduled to be renovated beginning in April, 2009. In June of the following year, the "Seoul Station Cultural Center" is scheduled to open its doors.

The former Seoul Station was designated in August of 1981 as a cultural property--and as such will not meet the fate of many other Japanese colonial era buildings: the wrecking ball.

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Taro Aso Reality Tour

Three young demonstrators were arrested by Japanese police in Shibuya, Tokyo after taking part in a "Reality Tour" to view Prime Minister Taro Aso's luxury mansion located in the area on October 26.



The march to the 6.2 billion yen apartment of Japan's latest PM, Taro Aso was organized by "Part-timer, Arbeiter, Freeter & Foreign Workers" to emphasise the income gap in Japanese society.

Japanese police argue the demonstration was unauthorized and they had issued warnings to the participants to stop before making their arrests.

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Japan This Week: 16 November 2008

今週の日本

Japan: British Lucite Maker to Be Acquired

New York Times

Japanese governor says Tokyo earthquake would be good for his region

Guardian

Neighborhood in Japan Files Lawsuit in Bid to Oust Mafia

New York Times

Ruling bloc OKs ¥2 trillion boost

Japan Times

Japanese General Defends Revised Version of WWII

Washington Post

Free Money? In Japan, Most Say They Will Pass

Washington Post

The Late Story: Egg Face

BBC

Tokyo hosts global gathering of monks

Asahi

Gamba coach hails “dream” first Asian title

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Last week's Japan news

Japan Statistics

In the first six months of this year, 1,202 marijuana related arrests were recorded in Japan. This is a 12% increase compared the same period in the previous year. Home cultivation cases rose by by almost 50%.

In July, Tokyo police seized 180kg of cannabis. That would fetch ¥720 million ($7.4 million) on the mean streets of Japan.

Source: Guardian


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Nagoya Friends - Party at Red Rock! 11/22 (Sat.)

Nagoya Friends 61st party in Nagoya!

• Date: Saturday Nov 22nd, 2008


• Time: 18:30 - 21:00


• Drinks will be served between 6:30pm-8:50pm.
• Place: The Red Rock (2F Aster Plaza Building,
  4-14-6 Sakae, Nagoya (very close to Sakae Station)


• Fee: 3000 Yen
  
  
• Dress code: Anything (Casual, etc)


• Reservations: Not necessary but recommended and appreciated. Just show up to the party!


• Over 25,000 Yen worth of exciting prize giveaways each month!

There will be free food along with free drinks (beers, wine, cocktail drinks and juices).
Our party is not a dinner party, but we will have light food & snacks.
Quantities are limited, so please come early! Please free to come alone or bring your friends.
EVERYBODY is welcome to join regardless of nationality/gender. Reservation is greatly appreciated.
About 125-150+ people are expected to attend. Approximately 55% female and 45% male, 70% Japanese and 30% non-Japanese.
Pictures from previous Nagoya Friends Parties.

Map & Directions

Contact: 080-3648-1666(Japanese) 080-5469-6317(English)

Get off at Sakae Station [Exit #13]

The Red Rock (2F Aster Plaza Building,
4-14-6 Sakae, Nagoya (very close to Sakae Station)

The Red Rock is located behind the Chunichi Building in the Sakae business/shopping district.

Subway access from Sakae Station (serving the yellow and purple lines) Exit 13. It’s a big station connected to a huge underground shopping mall so you’ll need to do a little underground walking.

We’re also just a couple of minutes’ walk from the Tokyu and Precede hotels, and a 10 minute walk up Hirokoji Street from the Hilton Hotel in Fushimi.

Train Directions

From Nagoya Stn. take the Higashiyama Subway line to Sakae Station (GET OFF at Sakae Station!!) Take exit #13 and then walk straight AWAY from Hirokoji-Dori for about 3/4 of a block. TURN LEFT Red Rock is on the right side of the street in the middle of the block. Look for the sign on the sidewalk.

IKEA - Port Island, Kobe

IKEA ポートアイランド

IKEA's Port Island store in Kobe is a massive 293,000-square feet.

From its size to the experience to the way you shop--you are no longer in Japan.

The staff is Japanese and Swedish, and hard to find. No "irrashaimase," no 5 women waiting on you in the necktie section, no excessive wrapping, and no inflated prices: IKEA's business model is, like its design, clean and spare.

The store sells beds, sofas, kitchen items, furniture, etc. In addition, there is a play area for children, a small Swedish super market, and a restaurant on the second floor.

After arriving on the shuttle bus from Sannomiya Station, you wander through the show rooms. Prices are so low you will begin to sense a powerful need for cutlery and glassware.

The smaller items you can place in the over sized shopping cart; larger items you must pick up in the warehouse next door. In the show rooms are small note pads and pencils on which you write down the product name and number. In the warehouse, you then pick them up. This often requires a massive dolly.

All of this "shopping" must be managed on your own. Not surprisingly, most of the shoppers were young couples.

The final step is checking out and then arranging shipping. Like its US stores, IKEA assumes that most of its customers will come by car. For those who take public transportation and the shuttle, it's home delivery, which is the only aspect of the experience that is priced to the local market.

Shuttle Bus:

Weekdays: 2 buses per hour. Weekends and public holidays: 3 buses per hour. It takes around 15-20 minutes to get to the store.

Address:
8 chome 7-1, Minatojima
Nakamachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe City

Customer service:

078-304-7000

Store hours:

7 days a week: 10:00am-10:00pm

Closed on January 1st every year.

Last entry

Småland: 7:30 PM yet closes when it's full
Restaurant (2F): 9:30 PM
Parking area: 9:30 PM
Showroom: 9:45 PM
Sweden Food Market: 10:00 PM

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