Last Nuclear Reactor Shutting Down

Here's a re-post from Marketing Japan, which has re-posted an excellent article about what happens when Japan's last nuclear power generating reactor goes off line tomorrow on May 6, 2012.

nomorepower

Cheers
Andrew Joseph

Why The Sea Is Salty - Anime

Mike Rogers of the very popular and inspiring Marketing Japan blog recently posted a cartoon.

When I read the title of the cartoon, I admit I was expecting something disgusting that I could watch in the solitude of my room over and over again - but I was wrong. This was beautiful and made me wonder where I would ever find free porn again.

Made in 1935, this black and white cartoon entitled: Why The Sea Is Salty (海の水はなぜ塩からい "Umi no mizu wa naze shio karai") is the tale of two brothers, greed and jealousy. It's 10-minutes long, and I really recommend you watch the whole thing. I even posted a comment at the end of Mike's blog, which you may want to read... 

The first thing that struck me was the fact that this is a silent movie. There is no sound or music track. When you play the cartoon below, turn off the volume as it has the annoying clicking sound of a movie reel.

There are English subtitles superimposed over the Japanese, so everyone else could be out of luck - depending on your level of English... but to be honest, the whole cartoon could probably be figured out without any language skills.

For a 1935 cartoon that lakes the sophistication of sound - US cartoon have had sound for years and years prior to this... but the quality of the animation here is superb!

In my own humble opinion, the black and white 1930s Popeye cartoons made by Fleischer Studios are the creme de la creme. Shadows on the ground, detailed backgrounds, fun plots, movements that actually look real or at the least, are fluid...

That remained the standard for me until the feature Who Framed Roger Rabbit? came out. I know there were a host of other great Bakshi cartoons and Disney et al, but I like what I like.

Anyhow... this cartoon was directed by Murata Yasuji (村田安司,) (surname first) born on January 24, 1896 in Yokohama, Japan, and died on November 2, 1966 aged 69.

He is considered a pioneer in Japanese animation, and force in the creation of the anime style Japan is famous for... though that is not as evident in the film Mike has for us - link is below... 

Here's a full link to his work as a writer, animator and director of animated material: LOOK RAOUL

Without further ado, here's the link to the cartoon: SALTY

And... tell me if you see a resemblance to recent events in Fukushima?

Cheers
Andrew Joseph

Bloggers Give A Crap

I just love the way Mike Rogers writes. He's the author of Marketing Japan, one of the few bloggers I know who writes on a daily basis (often more than a daily basis) and possess a take a no prisoners attitude.

Mike is an American of Japanese descent living in Japan. At least I think that's what he is. It's unimportant to know this when reading his words, of course. He just knows his sh#t.

Take for example his suggestion to the populace of Japan on how to get rich. It's simple. Do a job no one else wants to do.

You can read about the Vacuum Car job description in all its gory (I spelled that correctly), HERE.

Oh, and as for the photo above? That's Sophia Loren keeping an eye on the pop-ular chest of Jayne Mansfield. I know, Sophia... they are real and they are spectacular. Mike uses the photo in his blog, and it seems to make sense to me - but then again, I am a hound dog.   

Woof,
Andrew Joseph 

Escaped Penguin Still On The Loose

A Humboldt penguin that escaped from the Tokyo's Kasai Rinkai Aquarium back on March 4, 2012 is still on the lam.... or whatever it is that penguins are on when they flee their oppressive over-lords at a zoo in Japan.

Sighted in the Old Edogawa River, the escaped jailbird was seen swimming and playing in the water and apparently eating fish - so  not to worry! The little bugger will probably be okay. 


The one-year-old, 60 centimeter tall penguin escaped from an enclosure where it lived with 134 other Humboldt penguins after scaling a sheer rock surface about 120 centimeters high.

“It’s a bit of a struggle to catch it when it is swimming, because it swims at a tremendous speed,” said a zoo official. “We are hoping to catch it when it climbs up on land to sleep.”


So far, it has eluded capture. Japanese zoo officials and police are keeping an eye out for the fleeing felon at Narita Airport, all JR train stations, assorted ports where ships are sailing for Madagascar and, of course, tuxedo shops.

Perhaps they could use a hungry sea lion to hunt the penguin... and if that escapes, perhaps some of the Canadian seal club members could be brought into to club it to death or at least get laid in the drinking/dance club area of Shinjuku.

People are warned that while the penguin we, in this blog, are calling Stanley (thanks to Mike Rogers of Marketing Japan fame) is not considered armed or dangerous, it should be treated as such and should only be approached like one would a gaijin - by offering to buy it an alcoholic beverage in the hopes it will give you a free English lesson. 

Obviously Japan - It's A Wonderful Rife is kidding about most of this. The penguin is still on the loose and we wish it much success in its endeavors to be a free bird like in that Lynyrd Skynyrd song.

By Andrew Joseph
In the photo above, two Humboldt penguins pose for a photo while wearing rented tuxedos.

Bull Escapes And Gores Man

Okay... no bull here, but there was a mad cow - no, scratch that... there was a mad bull on the loose recently in Kagoshima-ken!


Combine that with the penguin breaking loose from the Kasai Rinkai Aquarium in Tokyo this past Sunday, and there's an epidemic of nature going wild in Japan! My story on that is HERE.

Anyhow, a man was gored by the bull! Read that story at my buddy Mike Roger's blog: Marketing Japan: HERE.

Cheers
Andrew Joseph

How To Survive A Tsunami

You guys have to see this blog Mike Rogers posted! It's about a man who survived the tsunami after being tossed 15 kilometers out to sea by sitting ON his house!

No wait... that's the story. Still, Mike found the original link to it. Visit Marketing Japan: HERE.

Oh... and if you haven't seen it already, I recommend you see HIS: Ishinimaki - Black Water documentary. It's excellent. I saw it many months prior to having Mike as a friend! The link to it is contained within the link above.

Cheers
Andrew Joseph

Killer Snowfall in Western Japan

Here's a good write-up from my friend Mike Rogers on the snowstorm that recently hit Japan hard this week. Please check out his blog at MARKETING JAPAN.

All the more bizarre when Toronto in Canada - the so-called great white north, it was 8C on February 1, 2012.

Cheers
Andrew Joseph

Get Your Moja!

I would like you all to check out the music video created by my good friend Mike Rogers (who does the awesome Marketing Japan blog) and his good friend Ken Nishikawa for the Japanese punk group Moja.

The song is called Hello Hello - and it is freaking awesome! Moja is just a two-man group, featuring a great female drummer and a guy on the bass guitar who also sings! That's it - but it's got a driving beat!

Ommigawd! Is Japanese punk better than I thought? All I knew was the oldies group Buck-Tick... which was not the power group I expected!

Anyhow... please check out the video posted HERE and get ready to tap your feet!

For more information on Moja, visit THIS site.

Cheers for Moja!

By Andrew Joseph

Yakuza Arrested For Hawking Hello Kitty Tickets

Just because I love the Marketing Japan blog- and not because I have some perverse feeling of love/lust towards Japanese feline icon Hello Kitty (my own cat Spek sits on my lap purring - no wait - claws have just dug themselves into my crotch!!!!), but here's a link that shares both my passions. I'm not sure if passion is the right word, but whatever... read this interesting blog HERE.

What's wrong with my stupid cat?! Why did she do that to me? Could she know I was writing about another cat? Does she have sort of pussy-sense like Spider-man? Probably not... but I have always wanted to write the phrase 'pussy-sense'. I know, I know... I'm a freak. But I'm YOUR freak.

Cheers (except to my cat)!
Andrew Joseph
PS: Feel free to read the Marketing Japan blog with Ted Nugent's Cat Scratch Fever going through your mind.I'm pretty sure the Nuge weren't talkin' 'bout no Kitty with no mouth.

 

Feeding My Ego

I'm taking a short breather tonight (Midnight) from my own stuff... and instead want to point you to a blog written by my good friend Mike Rogers - a foreigner living in Japan. He's an opinionated SOB with a heart of gold.

I only just discovered that on MY birthday this past November 8 he posted a fantastic blog about what life was like in Tokyo back in 1979, 1984 and today.

He also managed to give me a shout-out and links to Japan - It's A Wonderful Rife and to another blog written by Mister Manfred Mann who may or may not be me called: How To Survive Women. I've neglected it for a couple of weeks because I've been busy and a bit burned out at work... the type of work that pays the bills and puts food on the table, as opposed to this blog which merely feeds my ego. I have a lot more to give to HTSW... and to It's A Wonderful Rife...

Anyhow... I just wanted to publicly state that Mike is one of the best friends I have ( I have a few. Really), even though he and I have yet to meet.

Yet.

Please help me thank him by visiting his awesome blog: Marketing Japan and following him everyday.

Much like how writing letters everyday for the entire month of March 1991 to my friend Rob Jones inspired me to write short stories, and much like how being delusional with a fever inspired me to think I could be a writer, Mike has inspired me to be a better blogger and is the real reason I have posted a blog every day since January 28, 2011 - posting, for me, an astounding 553 blogs without missing a day. And, while he didn't know it at the time, I also made it my goal to post more than him. I'm winning by 30 blogs... and it would have been closer if he knew it was a contest.

Now that he knows there's a race... perhaps in 2012 we'll have the most expensive car crash in and about Japan - but with our blogs...

Cheers, Mike.

And thanks again for the fantastic birthday present. You've made it a wonderful rife for me. Well... you and all of you loyal readers who read pretty much all I write. You know who you are. Thanks. There is nothing more satisfying to a guy who thinks he is a writer to know that someone reads his stuff.

Nothing at all.

Somewhere in a dark room typing,
Andrew Joseph
Hmmm...  I still wrote longer than I thought I would. 

Hello Kitty Irks Blogger

Just a short one today!

Hello Kitty  - the Japanese marketing phenomenum - is everywhere.

Yes... at McDonalds, she is on a kids Happy Meal! Punchouts! Why would a cat with no mouth be interested in a Happy Meal?

Whatever... now... as for more absurdity... down below is my key chain for my SAAB 900S. It's a Pez dispenser.

Again... why would a cat with no mouth be offering me a treat like this? Sure I have to nearly rip it's head off to get at the sweet candy... but why didn't they put a mouth on that cat?! It irks me! Someone tell meow why!

Certifiably yours,
Andrew Joseph
Yes... my key chain has turned gray... it needs a cleaning.... stupid cat. I love Hello Kitty. Don't tell her though. She seems to like it when I play the idiot.
PS... that's my dog, Buster, in the pic.