Mari - diary

777 is lucky number.

Video Music Awards Japan 2006 was held and Michael Jackson came to get Legend Award. He seems to enjoy Tokyo, they say yesterday he went to Pachinko Slot place and played a slot machine named "CR Michael Jackson" in the motif of himself. Japanese slot machine has such theme for machine, Evangelin, Hokuto no ken etc. You have to play slot listening with their theme music or Kenshiro's shout "atatatatatata".

I have never played pachinko slot, but usually the best score is "777", is it common in the world ??. I am not sure because when I use "777" on Google image, I can see only airplanes. In Japan people love three seven as a lucky number, we feel "lucky" whatever, whenever, wherever we get "777" accidentally. Today's post of nifty portal z is "make 777yen at register". He visited shops and restaurant and bought things just "777yen ($6.9)". It was fun and it is nice to know cost of living too.

At a reasonable restaurant Gust, this is the menu he could eat with 777yen. At Japanese hamburger shop "DOM DOM", this is 777yen.　At reasonable Izakaya Watami, this is 777yen. At Super Market, he picked Shochu "Iichiko" priced 777yen. At Drug Store "Matsumoto Kiyoshi", this is 777yen. Umm this seems has poorer impression than other 777yen. At Seven Eleven, he could buy water, soup, rice ball, Umaibos, ramen snack and one happoshu. This seems the most gorgeous to me. he he he*

Bad Landscapes in Japan

Today Japanese Anthem parody news appeared in foreign media. This is an article from Guardian Unimited. And what timing, today we have this news, "Retired teacher fined over Kimigayo dispute (Kyodo)." "A retired high school teacher was found guilty Tuesday of disturbing a graduation ceremony in 2004 by urging parents to remain seated when those in attendance sang Japan's national anthem 'Kimigayo.' Katsuhisa Fujita, 65, was fined 200,000 yen by the Tokyo District Court."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Government of Japan will enforce a new law about "landscape" this December. The new law will protect the landscape and will confine the disorderly new building, advertising panels, etc. Before the enforcement of the law, some specialists established an adviser group. Now they have made a site "Utukushi Keikan.net." They show 70 bad landscape samples in Japan. During the immediate aftermath of WW2, Tokyo was burnt ruins. This city was built without a clear plan during ultrarapid growth after WW2, it's just 60 years or so.

Basically I welcome this new law. I don't like dirty, mixture town and ugly buildings. They pick disorderly colorful panels, laundry stuffs on apartment balconies, etc. That is so true. But on the other hand, the colorful panels of Hong Kong or Las vegas, laundry stuff and confusion of old markets in Europe, they are all so lovely to me. What is the difference? Or for foreign people, the confusion of Tokyo doesn't look so bad? What do you think?

National Anthem

I read Lation version of Star Spangled Banner became topic. Bush reacts "Anthem shold be esunf in English". After that how things are going?

Talking to Anthem, Japanese national Anthem is "Kimigayo". The term kimi is an ancient one roughly meaning "our lord," and referring to the Emperor of Japan is forever. Wikipedia explain that "since the end of World War II, there has been criticism of the anthem for its association with militarism and the virtual worship of the emperor as a deity, which some see as incompatible with a democratic society. Similar objections have been raised to Japan's current national flag, and demonstrations are sometimes held against both." It's true. Escpecially at school they have some opportunities to have ceremony that included the singing of Kimigayo as the national anthem and the hoisting of Hinomaru as the national flag, sometimes we read news that teachers are accused of refusing and boycott them.

Then today I read a little dark news about Japanese Anthem on Sankei.　The filksong of Kimigayo is spread in the Internet. That song was written in English, it's motif is the issue known as wartime comfort women or compensation lawsuit since the war. The point is pronunciation of that English filksong is very similar to original Japanese. So they say it is sly imitative deception of singing the Anthem for people who have to sing Japanese Anthem against his will.

This is the original Kimigayo (This is from Youtube).
Kimi ga yo wa
Chiyo ni
Yachiyo ni
Sazare ishi no
Iwao to narite
Koke no musu made

This is filkversion well.
Kiss me, girl, your old one.
Till you're near,
it is years till you're near.
Sounds of the dead will she know?
She wants all told, now retained,
for cold caves know the moon's seeing the mad and dead.

I couldn't get the meaning of filksong well.  "made" is "mad and dead". For Japanese, these has very similar sounds. In such way, Nobody can tell he sing real Kimigayo or filksong. The news said it's insidious resistance movement. Wars bring scars. It leave a deep psychologic scar.*

Japanese is Ewok??!

I like this! great idea.

Today I got a new CATV tuner! It means I can watch 58 the world cup games on my TV! Fortunately I can watch the games after job because of time difference. I am so happy person now. And personally I will enjoy food TV.

Ha ha ha I won't agree with him, but it is very interesting post. And now I realize talking of Ewok sounds like Japanese. I can hear Ewok said "chigau chigau! (no no)" in last part. Ha ha it's soramimi? *

Death Note has concluded the series.

They say in the Cannes Film Festival, the Death Note (link1, link2) got many offers from around the world. They say it would be released over 15 countries. In Japane it will release next month. Here is the trailer, please check it out.

The story of the movie is Light and L part. In Original manga, the story continued after the death of L. But finally the original manga "the Death Note" in Shonen Jump has concluded the series in last month. Toshio Okada wrote about it on his blogpetit cre diary. I was impressed as usual with his comments. If you don't want to know please don't read from here.

He said he like this scene, Ryuk said "Never forget, a person who use the death note can't neither heaven nor hell". Light replied "Okay, it means there was no such thing as neither heaven nor hell". Light decided to be the god of a new world." when he got to know a Death Note in his high school days. He did not try to be the greatest power. There is no heaven or hell, so there is no penalty for a crime too. What Light wanted was "penalty for evil, a new world where justices aren't compelled to accept something wrong.

However Light had changed because of the appearence of L. Light wanted to outflank L, he started to give a penalty for peope who act against his will. Actually as you know Light is getting worse. The pure soul which wasn't afraid of being loftiness changed into the loneliness who can trust nobody. The mental strength which dosen't believe heaven or hell switched into the self-partiality that he proclaimed himself "god". Okada said the theme of the Death Note is the only one, the absolute authority absolutely rot. Okada tells the writer of Death note count sin against Light, but he did not deny "the Killer of justice, KILA".

Light died. And the society "neigher heaven nor hell" returened. It's is the real world which L tried to get back from KILA ; no miracle, no penalty for evil. But after his death, some poeple gathered the top of mountain and had a ceremony to bless KILA. Strong, Clean L can't accept an absolute leader, even though he is the hope for people. But most people in this world is not so strong. People needed KILA, people won't forget KILA. (citation in the text of "petit cre diary" by Toshio Okada)

People won't forget KILA, and will keep the ceremony. It means Light can be the the God like he hoped to be. Do you like this ending? At least, it would be better than the 20the Century Boys.  Like many people said, before the death of L was the best for me too, I wanted to see Light find L's real name somehow, it was really good battle.

By the way Toshio Okada will have a talking event "Otaku is dead". Hmm I am so interested in that, hopefully he will write it on his blog later.

Oshii's new movie is...

Ghost In the Shell is the great cyberpunk film. I thought Mamoru Oshii was a terrific director and really has a gift for action and for depicting humanism. Without it, Wachowski_brothers made one of my favorite movies Matrix? I don't think so..

But like I wrote before, I was so disappointed at the second film Innocence. To be honest with you, I fell into sleep during watching it in a prerelease for press (there were Mr.Oshii too!). Oshii did not directed the TV series SAC 1st GIG and SAC 2nd GIG. But they were great and they seem surefire replacements for Ghost In the Shell.I found I could see all SAC on YouTube with English subtle on YouTube, I tried to save SAC 2nd GIG with this program.

Oshii Mamoru directed a new movie "Tachiguishi-Retsuden" and it receives unfavorable criticism. As a animation, it is experimental one which is mixture of live-action film and animation. But As a movie, it falls into disrepute. Tachigui means "standing-up-eating". The story is a legend of 5 peoples during rapid postwar growth. They appeared on standing-up-eating shops and run out on a check. Here is the trailer. Hmm it seems his complacency explode again :-P But his new novel looks interesting.Let's wait for this one.*

Japanese character Joke

"The boss" finally brings his row to his "one-time foe" of big family. "A knight in shining armor" can stop it? Only "God" knows that.

Anyway, 19 Years ago, it is said a man is happiest with an American house, a Japanese wife, and a Chinese cook. Ha! people agree with it still now? I won't :-p

I heard a book "The world jokes about Japanese" is selling well.　A Japanese guy collected such Jokes in the world and he wrote about people's image for Japanese and some reality appears on those jokes. Typical image for Japanese are "can't make any decision by himself", "company man", "doesn't like disputation and try to settle a matter quietly." In that respect, he said general image for each nations are like this, French is letch", "Russian likes alcohol", "Germany is square", "Italian is phylogeny", "American is self-righteous". Do you agree?

I like these jokes.
Since accident boats short on the Titanic, sailors get men to stay in the ship. To the UK guy, "You are a gentlemen".
To the US guy, "You are a hero".
To the Germany, "This is the rule".
To Japanese, "Everybody do it".

Two men and a woman washed up on a desert island. What will happen?
French : the woman get married one, and have a love affair with the other.
American : the woman get married and get divorce, then get married with the other.
Russian : the women get married with the one who she doesn't like, then she despairs over whole life long.
Germany : the women get married with the one and the other do witness to the marriage.
Japanese : Guys call to the HQ to ask "which one should get married with her?".
Swedish : Guys love each other, the woman love her by herself. he he he *

Which web Translation is the smartest?

Some days ago, I complained how the web translation "English - Japanese" is uselsee. This is an aritcle of news site "the Asahi com". Could you understand what they say? I used babel. I think it is terrible. So I compared each web translation. I picked web from this link.

I used this sentense.　"東京都の地下鉄霞ケ関駅でテロ対策として改札口で通行人の顔を識別する「顔認証システム」が行われている。" It meanse, "As an antiterrorism measure, face recognition systems have been installed at ticket wickets in Kasumigaseki Station in Tokyo."

Here is the results of English sites.
Babel(E)
The subway haze of the Tokyo with the Seki station identifies the face of the pedestrian the "face certification system" is done at the ticket wicket as a combating terrorism.

I have no idea why some site translate "Kasumigaseki sation" into "haze of the Tokyo with the Seki station"....orz　Surprisingly Babel and Google, World Lingo and Systranbox have the same results. Maybe they use the same engine and dictionary.

The results of Japanese sites are more different. At least these may recognize "霞ヶ関" as the name of station "Kasumigaseki".
infoseek, Nifty and Eigo Navi
The "face authentication system" which identifies a passerby's face in a wicket is performed as a measure against terrorism at the subway Kasumigaseki station in Tokyo.

excite
"Face authentication system" to identify passer-by's face as a counter-terrorism with the subway haze Ke barrier station in Tokyo in the ticket gate is done.

Yahoo Japan
"A face recognition system" distinguishing and a face of a passerby as counterterrorism at a wicket at subway haze ケ Seki Station of Tokyo is performed.

So-net
The "face recognition system" which identifies a passerby's face as an anti-terrorism measure in a wicket is performed at the subway Kasumigaseki station in Tokyo.

fresheye
The "face authentication system" which discriminates a passerby's face in a wicket is performed as a measure against terrorism at the subway Kasumigaseki station in Tokyo.

Yakushite Net
I examine tickets at the barrier as counter-terrorism in the underground 霞ケ関 station of City of Tokyo and "face certification system" that distinguishes a face of a passer-by in a mouth is conducted.

My American friend said So-net is the best,  and we agreed English sites are the worst. So when you need Japanese-English translation, please use Japanese site :-). *

Related Link
Japanese name translation
RealSpeak Solo

Sparkling canned coffee

Since there are a lot of vending machines in Japan, automatically there’s a wide variety of canned drinks. For sodas, of course Coke and Pepsi are popular, then Mistuya cider and CC Lemon (Funny ad) are next. Schweppes is very hard to find in Japan. Talking about fruit juices, this is natchan for Japanese. This isn’t Tropicana, is it? They don't have canned juice, right? While exercising, isotonic drink is nice to drink, but my American friend says some isotonic drinks have strange names. I knew Pocali Sweat has a strange name, but what about Post water? When I eat a lunch box [bento], green tea or oolong tea is good. Actually, recently because of a health trend, I hear the sale of green tea is rising every year.

But I wonder the most popular canned drink would be cold coffee (In Japan, it is called "ice coffee". I heard cold coffee is weird for foreign people, do you think so too? Here is the popular canned coffee ranking (JP). The date was the sales of canned coffee in convenient store during a week last year.

No1 Boss Rainbow Mountain (Suntry): Tommy Lee Jones appears in their TV ads. The setting is he is an Alien and does research about the earth. Version 1 : Japanese guys talk "I heard some alien came to the earth and do research here, he looks like Tommy Lee Jones! ha ha ha" and left the Yoshinoya. Then Tommy Lee Jones quotes "People in this planet seem not to be so smart, but at least the Sunset is beautiful". Version 2 : he starts to work in a factory, he quotes "People in this planet seem to be　workaholic, and they love to be "tired".

No2 Fire Only One (Kirin): Please check the TV-CM part. There are bear and big versions. The guy is Takashi Sorimachi who is the husband of Nanako Matsushima. I love this most in the TV ads of Namacha.

No.3 Georgia Grande and No.4 Georgia Emerald Mountain blend are products of Coca cola Japan. They release a lot of canned coffee of the Georgia brand. But I can't recommend any, because usually canned coffee is too sweet. Not only Georgia, but also Boss, Fire, and all other canned coffees are too sweet and have high calories.!!

So I don't drink at all? When I drink canned coffee, I choose black with no sugar. No.5 is Black No Sugar (UCC). But I must say canned coffee lovers like its sweetness. I can say it would be correct to say Japanese canned coffee is not real coffee, it’s a coffee taste sweet drink with milk.(Yeah! now I realized. Except for black coffee, milk is in every canned coffee.)

Anyway Nestle Japan released Sparkling coffee. I have not tried yet. Some said it's not so bad. Hmm I have no idea what it will taste like. Do you want to try it?

Great art work of Nagi Noda

Great video! Neo vs Robocop!. I really love youtube.

I found a nice movie on youtube yesterday. I didn't know about him "Tiga", He is a musician from Canada. I found a music video of his song "Far From Home" which was directed by Nagi Noda. . I found an English page of her updated website, and we can see her nice works. Check out her works and music, video film, commercial pages. The Fitness Video for a formaerly fat girl is promoting an ad of the shopping center "VIVRE". I really love the Laforet series, especially animal girl. And these four sisters in a mono-tone world. Those filed were not edited, They wore black clothes and ate some black foods. By the way, why do we have to have some special images for "four sisters" like Little women by Louisa May Alcott,  and The Makioka Sisters (original title by Sasame Yuki) by Junichiro Tanizaki. (ties of sisterhood, a very close, one of them might be be sick a lot...it's very hard to explain though.)

This is a music video of "Sentimental Journey" by YUKI. YUKI was the vocalist of the group "Judy and Mary" before, and she is popular for cool beans. Then if you are Australian, you would know it's very similar to Coca Cola ad. I didn't know this too, but some added this video, as New Coca Cola "What Goes Around Comes Around", then they said "Directed by Nagi Noda". That fake motion effect will be her personal "boom" :-)