Tag Archives: japan

Yokai: The Kappa

Although I didn’t like it very much at first, the kappa has quickly become one of my favorite mythical creatures. What is it that I like about them? Is it the fact that there are many different interpretations of them historically, or that they can be downright adorable in modern depictions? Or maybe it’s just […]

Top 7 Japanese Independent Short Animations

Yes! My personal Top 7. Why 7? Because it’s lucky!

I’m a great fan of short things; short stories, short animations. They’re all opportunities to show a powerfully concise moving, touching, or just plain funny story. They require a special kind of skill to execute, and all the better when they’re visually unique!

I won’t say too much about each of these animations, or else I would be spoiling them. Needless to say, they mostly speak for themselves.

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On Writing About Japan

I had wanted to write some kind of uncategorizable blather here for quite some time, some of my feelings on Japan and why I’ve been updating this blog so little. Hopefully the following doesn’t sound like some kind of mish-mash dribble that makes no sense, nor sounds like something just anybody could say. Slow Around […]

Japanese Treehouses

Are you addicted to Toxel? I am. It posted about treehouses, and there are a couple of interesting ones in Okinawa. The Beach Rock Treehouse was designed by Takashi Kobayashi. What’s best is this is the thing in which we’ll likely make first contact! Kobayashi, a leading treehouse-maker, also made this: One speculates that because […]

Ambassadors of Kawaii

Kawaii is more than just a word meaning “cute” to be thrown around by 14-year-old manga fans on deviantArt. In Japan, it’s an entire culture, one that has captured the hearts of many and slowly rolled its way westwards to claim others as well. Good thing, too: I’m weak to adorable and tiny things. Very […]

KeyHoleTV: Now in More Flavors

KeyHole TV is a great resource for both the bored and the learning. I discovered it sometime last year, but I forgot how. It is a program with which you can watch live TV streaming from Japan!

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Wolverine, the Redneck Mullet-Bearing Bishounen

As someone on a forum I go to put it. See for yourself:

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And Now, Dinosaurs are Real (Again)

Japan has brought one of my dreams to life! Augmented reality dinosaurs! That’s cool as hell! I was a big ol’ dinosaur fanatic when I was younger (to the point where I wanted to go into paleontology—yeah, that big), but unfortunately I’ve never so much as seen dinosaur bones. Visiting this would at least somewhat […]