Our foreign and defense ministers

At the ASEAN regional forum, traditionally they have a night gala dinner and the foreign ministers give some performances. Japan's foreign and defense ministers Taro Asao did the Billy's Blanks Bootcamp in Samurai costume. Check this article and this is the TV news. hmm, Taro Aso is well known as a Manga fan. Actually he is called "Rozen Aso" because he was seen when he read Rozen Maiden in ANA's VIP room in Narita airport.

Regain is a sort of energy drink. In the 80s it was released with the copy "Can you fight for 24 hours," and appealed to white colors in the bubble days. After the bubbles, they TV ad to a little bit softer mood like a supplement. But they have just started again a "fighting salary men" ad. This is funny, check it out.. The story is a train is stopped because of an accident and the salary men rush to their company by running and swimming. Ha! I feel this is the sign an economy bubble will come again.

When you draw the Sun and the Moon, what color do you use? I read in western countries, kids draw the Sun in yellow, the Moon is white. But in Japan, we draw the Sun in red and the Moon is yellow. It's interesting. I read this in the book I am reading about the "Heart Sutra" written by Sahiya Hiro. I like this translation. Everything is empty itself. It is what it is because you take it so, think it so, feel it so. Some think the Sun is yellow, some think the Sun is red. Even the same thing is different for each of us because it is empty. His book is very easy, understandable and interesting. (Actually I hardly know about the Heart Sutra or Buddhism) Some are translated into English.

Rights organizations pressure YouTube Japan. Those organizations insist YouTube delete all videos with copyrights from Japan once. They call it "Reset." Sooner or later many videos from Japan will be deleted from YouTube again.

Comments

[Mari]

Yes Martin, Wikipedia is very usuful but unstable. It can be a barometer of foreign interests for Japanese things. Some has very details and some big topic has nothing in English.

[bshock]

Interesting that a man of Mr. Aso's years would enjoy the Rozen Maiden manga. Knowing this, I don't feel so embarrassed that I enjoyed the anime version of this manga.

[Martin J Frid]

The Heart Sutra is very beautiful, I hope more people can study it deeply. I wish I could memorize it!

Thanks for the Wikipedia page link. But I think that information can be developed. Sometimes I can feel that Japanese (and Asian) topics on Wikipedia are written in English very much from a American or European perspective. With no hint of understanding of how the topic functions in reality here... For example, the Heart Sutra is usually read at funerals in Japan.