Japan Probe
Japan News



Domestic animators disappearing as anime studios outsource to Asia (Jan 6)
A rather alarming news report about the future of anime: According to the report, the number of people in Japan who are engaged in the creation of anime is dropping. Most studios outsource the actual drawing and animation portions of their projects to other Asian countries, a practice that could hurt future development of the [...]


The story behind the 9.63 million yen tuna (Jan 6)
The economy is tanking right now, but Tsukiji’s first tuna auction of 2009 has shown us that the super rich can still afford to pay big bucks for premium tuna: The 282-pound (128-kilogram) premium tuna caught off the northern coast of Oma fetched 9.63 million yen ($104,700), the highest since 2001, when another Japanese bluefin tuna [...]


Tkyosam interviews Arudou Debito (Jan 6)
YouTube vlogger Tkyosam interviews Arudou Debito (7 parts): Highlights include: Sam telling viewers to “stay Black.” A waitress who answers Debito’s Japanese with English. A discussion of the value of passing gas. Debito eating chicken. And more! —- Akihabara News - Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) dannychoo.com - Your portal to Japan (Subscribe) Kirainet.com - A geek in Japan (Subscribe)


Mmmm… Tentacle… Grape (Jan 6)
Japan has one export more notorious than all others. It’s about time we gave something back. The lowdown from Kotaku: Tentacle Grape is a caffeinated grape soda that Mnemosyne is targeting at gamers, cosplayers, and comic book fans. It is also perhaps the best name I’ve ever seen for a product you actually ingest. You [...]


Japanese man impersonates Freddie Mercury (Jan 5)
A Japanese Freddie Mercury(from the same show that featured the impersonation of Louis Armstrong): —- Akihabara News - Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) dannychoo.com - Your portal to Japan (Subscribe) Kirainet.com - A geek in Japan (Subscribe)


Ringing in the New Year at a gay bar in Tokyo (Jan 5)
Another clip from Asahi TV’s coverage of how certain people spent New Year’s Eve: This clip is about Hiroshi, a 26-year-old who works at a gay bar in the Shinjuku 2-chome district. It is customary for most Japanese people to visit their families for the New Year holiday, but Hiroshi will not be going [...]


Ringing in the New Year in Akihabara (Jan 5)
A clip from an Asahi TV news report about how certain people spent New Year’s Eve: The person in this clip is Gontada, a 33-year-old otaku who is attending a countdown party　at Dear Stage in Akihabara. Akihabara is the one place where he can truly feel like himself, unlike his company, where he must hide [...]


Tongan rugby player arrested over theft (Jan 5)
A pro rugby player from Tonga has been arrested for stealing a bag: A 24-year-old Toshiba Brave Lupus rugby player has been arrested on suspicion of theft, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. According to the police, Vivili Iongi, a Tongan national, stole a bag containing 10,000 yen from a 60-year-old taxi driver Sunday morning. The bag was [...]


Shigeru Ishiba Gundam snacks (Jan 5)
Souvenir manju packs featuring the image of agriculture minister Shigeru Ishiba have gone on sale in Akihabara: Ishiba is very public about being an otaku, and the snack box is meant to look similar to the packaging of the plastic models Ishiba is known to love. His name has been combined with “Gundam” to create [...]


The Monster Box (Jan 4)
A clip of Naoki Iketani attempting to vault over a 21-level “Monster Box” at the 2009 Sportsman No. 1 competition: For more details about the event, check out Lost in Ube! —- Akihabara News - Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) dannychoo.com - Your portal to Japan (Subscribe) Kirainet.com - A geek in Japan (Subscribe)


Japanese man impersonates Louis Armstrong (Jan 4)
Japanese actor Koichi Yamadera’s version of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World“: —- Akihabara News - Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) dannychoo.com - Your portal to Japan (Subscribe) Kirainet.com - A geek in Japan (Subscribe)


New Year’s at an underwater shrine (Jan 4)
A Fuji TV report showing New Year’s prayers being offered at an underwater shrine in Chiba Prefecture: —- Akihabara News - Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) dannychoo.com - Your portal to Japan (Subscribe) Kirainet.com - A geek in Japan (Subscribe)


Japan-shaped Triscuit cracker being sold on Ebay (Jan 4)
It doesn’t get much dumber than this: I found this deformed triscuit snack cracker, looks like the island of Japan with an X’ed out eye, what appears to be a mouth with a tounge sticking out, another indicator it might have had one too many cups of sake! Starting bid is $1 with free shipping and handling [...]


Nagoya acoustic duos, indie music underground, and an end to the mainstream… (Jan 4)
Our Man in Abiko points to this post on corruption within the Japanese entertainment industry (not that corruption is unique to the Japanese entertainment industry). I suppose the notion that mainstream entertainers have not necessarily achieved success based on their own merit is not shocking, no matter what country you’re in, but we’ll leave that [...]


China violates agreement with Japan over disputed gas field (Jan 4)
China has violated an agreement it made with Japan in June 2008 over the use of gas fields in waters claimed by both countries: The Japanese newspaper, the Sankei, said it learned on Saturday that China was drilling the Tianwaitian gas field and that Tokyo had lodged a complaint with Beijing. Japanese government officials were not [...]


A stone Buddha with a neck that grows (Jan 4)
A video about how the neck of a stone Buddha mysteriously lengthened: The odd incident involved the Stone Image of Buddha named Manji in the Nagano prefecture town of Shimosuwa. Over a period of several years, the Buddha’s neck gradually began to rise out of its stone body. The Buddha who had practically no [...]


Commercial: Beethoven eats cup ramen (Jan 3)
Beethoven recognizes a cup ramen masterpiece: —- Akihabara News - Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) dannychoo.com - Your portal to Japan (Subscribe) Kirainet.com - A geek in Japan (Subscribe)


New Year’s Lucky Bags (Jan 3)
NTDTV reports on this year’s fukubukuro buying frenzy: —- Akihabara News - Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) dannychoo.com - Your portal to Japan (Subscribe) Kirainet.com - A geek in Japan (Subscribe)


An athletic 82-year-old (Jan 2)
A video clip from Asahi TV showing a very athletic 82-year-old woman in Okinawa: She has continued the daily exercise routine shown in the video for 40 years now, and her goal is to remain healthy and live until she is 125. —- Akihabara News - Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) dannychoo.com - Your portal to Japan (Subscribe) Kirainet.com - A [...]


Japanese still tend to like Koreans, but the feeling is not mutual (Jan 2)
The Chosun Ilbo reports a poll has found that despite some recent tensions between Japan and Korea, those in Japan who feel unfriendly towards Koreans are still a minority: Most South Koreans feel unfriendly toward Japan with 62 percent, far outnumbering those who do, a poll finds. But 50 percent of Japanese feel friendly toward Koreans, [...]


Multiple nationalities for Japanese citizens? (Jan 2)
The Japan Times has reported that LDP lawmaker Taro Kono has proposed that Japan drop its law banning dual citizenship. Kono’s plan contains the following features: The government allows Japanese nationals to be citizens of other countries. Japanese holding other nationalities must declare this to the local authorities where their Japanese residency is registered. Those who fail to [...]


Takeru Kobayashi won $10,000 in 2008 (Jan 2)
How are things going for professional eater Takeru Kobayashi? Not so great, according to prize money statistics gathered by pro eating blog EatFeats.com. The former hot dog eating champ, who is shown above competing in a fruitcake eating contest, only earned about $10,000 in prize money in 2008. Kobayashi’s rival Joey Chestnut, [...]


Back Off JAPAN! (Jan 1)
I doubt the Japanese government officials spend a lot of time hanging out in Texas, but just in case they do, somebody is paying for a billboard in Dallas: Find out more about this billboard. —- Akihabara News - Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe) dannychoo.com - Your portal to Japan (Subscribe) Kirainet.com - A geek in Japan (Subscribe)


Foreign tourists annoy Geisha in Kyoto (Jan 1)
The BBC has picked up a report from the Yomiuri about crowds of tourists causing trouble for geisha in Kyoto: According to Japanese media, local government research shows that geiko (fully-fledged geisha) and maiko (apprentice geisha) are often surrounded or pursued by groups of tourists. “Some tourists seem to have the impression that Gion is a theme [...]


Illegal immigrant beats high tech fingerprinting system (Jan 1)
It’s already been reported the biometric fingerprinting systems the Japanese government installed at immigration checkpoints can be bypassed with fraudulent Japanese passports. Now it seems there is an even easier way for illegal immigrants to beat it: A South Korean woman arrested in Nagano in August of 2008 has made a startling claim. Although [...]