Japan

[Mythopoeika]

A series of adverts for Japanese long chewing gum with a twist ending

They're both size queens!

 

[Swifty]

They're both size queens!

Ha ah .. long long man was gay all along Ha ha *cough* ..

 

[Swifty]

The song Africa - Toto, performed with traditional Japanese instruments ..

 

[Swifty]

A (dreadful) pop music song, the video with people waving ipad's around, the ipads were filmed in real time .. impressive

 

[Mythopoeika]

A (dreadful) pop music song, the video with people waving ipad's around, the ipads were filmed in real time .. impressive

There were only about 3 or 4 notes in that song!
The iPad thing was cleverly done, though. Unless...the video was composited in afterwards? Syncing the iPads in realtime would be a challenge.

 

[Vardoger]

A (dreadful) pop music song, the video with people waving ipad's around, the ipads were filmed in real time .. impressive

I think she's known for her crazy music videos. This one is perhaps her most famous one.

 

[Swifty]

I think she's known for her crazy music videos. This one is perhaps her most famous one.

Good God her music's awful .. with a gun to my head I'd still listen to her over Coldplay though.

 

[Yithian]

This is a a very interesting but tragic read. I think the mother is playing a very dangerous game, albeit for good reasons:

https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-46261699

Alas, I think any 'solution' that involves long-term deception using an actor is liable to fail spectacularly. Social pressures in Japan are obviously different to those in the West, but in my judgment they're of a similar intensity to those that held sway here in the 40s and 50s. Being the only child without a father in a country which fetishises familial relations is undoubtedly hard (she has been deprived of not simply a father, but of the grandparents, uncles, and aunts and cousins that would accompany one). Everywhere she looks as a child she will see images of two parents--they don't do token inclusivity in Japan--and as we know, kids can be merciless in targeting difference. It'd be bad enough if her father had died, but even though traditional views are slightly looser than in the past, divorce is still accompanied by stigma there, for the whole family, because marriage is conceived as a union of families as much as individuals.

 

[GNC]

Have you seen the Cannes award-winner Shoplifters, Yith? Must have made it to SK by now. It asks some very serious questions about what constitutes a family, specifically in Japan, and concludes a little girl who was abused by her parents is better off being brought up by criminals who "kidnap" her (like they were shoplifters), because they are a better family unit. Sort of like if Oliver Twist had been better off with Fagin, because at least Fagin looked after him.

I don't know enough about Japan to say how pertinent the theme is to real life, but the director did base the story on real life cases he had researched. The subject of bad parenting certainly arises in the West, and nobody has a solution for it here either.

 

[Yithian]

Never heard of it, but will investigate--thanks.

 

[GNC]

Never heard of it, but will investigate--thanks.

I'll warn you it's a real manipulative tearjerker, especially if you have kids (and love them).

 

[ramonmercado]

Have you seen the Cannes award-winner Shoplifters, Yith? Must have made it to SK by now. It asks some very serious questions about what constitutes a family, specifically in Japan, and concludes a little girl who was abused by her parents is better off being brought up by criminals who "kidnap" her (like they were shoplifters), because they are a better family unit. Sort of like if Oliver Twist had been better off with Fagin, because at least Fagin looked after him.

I don't know enough about Japan to say how pertinent the theme is to real life, but the director did base the story on real life cases he had researched. The subject of bad parenting certainly arises in the West, and nobody has a solution for it here either.

I hope to see it on Sunday.

 

[James_H]

https://www.boredpanda.com/aluminum-foil-ball-japan/

Japanese Are Polishing Foil Balls To Perfection, And The Result Is Too Satisfying

(Just an aside: I recently learned the other meaning of "to completion" and I was reminded of this by the phrase "to perfection".)

This is a variation on dorodango, a Japanese hobby that consists of polishing balls of mud until they are shiny and beautiful.

 

[maximus otter]

What’s the Japanese for “Get a girlfriend, mate.” ?

maximus otter

 

[Mythopoeika]

What’s the Japanese for “Get a girlfriend, mate.” ?

maximus otter

'Hikikomori'.

 

[GNC]

This isn't the cue for the board to turn into one of those Asian Babes dating websites, is it?

 

[maximus otter]

This isn't the cue for the board to turn into one of those Asian Babes dating websites, is it?

maximus otter

 

[ramonmercado]

Saw Shoplifters tonight powerful family (of a different type) drama set in Tokyo, review to follow.

 

[Yithian]

Japanese man 'marries' hologram (with pictures):

Extract:​

Kondo fell for (cyber celebrity Hatsune) Miku a decade ago when he heard the cyber songstress's music. ​

​

Now he owns a Gatebox device, which looks like a cross between a coffee maker and a bell jar, with a flickering, holographic Miku floating inside. Created in 2017 by Japanese startup Vinclu, the device allows anime fans to "live with" their favorite characters. ​

​

Gatebox's Miku is equipped with basic artificial intelligence. It can manage simple greetings and switch lights on and off, but is also subject to glitches and the occasional system meltdown. It has no sense of self and desires, and Kondo completely controls the romantic narrative.​

​

However, he cherishes his new-found ability to interact with the object of his affection. So much so that he married her in front of 39 people.​

"She really added color to my life," Kondo said. "When I talk with her I use different facial expressions and feel something. That's made a difference." ​

​

The Gatebox could also have therapeutic potential for Kondo, who sank into depression when he was bullied by an older female co-worker more than 10 years ago.​

​

[...]​

​

Kondo is excited about taking Miku to Sapporo, a city in northern Japan, for their honeymoon in February. Miku's creator Crypton Future Media is based in Sapporo -- and Kondo is eager to bask in his iWife's celebrity status. He intends to book flights for both of them, and will also reserve a hotel room for two.​

Source:​

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/12/28/health/rise-of-digisexuals-intl/index.html​

 

[Mythopoeika]

Kinda sad. But... whatever makes him happy...

 

[AlchoPwn]

Here is some spooky stuff from Japan:

Blood soaked temples and castles from Samurai mass suicides:
https://www.amusingplanet.com/2018/05/the-blood-stained-ceilings-of-kyotos.html

Hitobashira, a common practice in many parts of the world actually:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitobashira

 

[Yithian]

Prepare to be slightly depressed by what the modern world can do to people.

To be clear, it's not the size of the places that bother me, it's the loneliness, anonymity and the permanence of the arrangement that I find troubling.

 

[Mythopoeika]

A sad life. They are just one step up from homelessness.

 

[Naughty_Felid]

Halfway through My husband('s penis), Won't Fit.

Very odd.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Halfway through My husband('s penis), Won't Fit.

Very odd.

?

 

[Naughty_Felid]

?

It's a Japanese TV show, a drama. In the West, it's called 'My Husband Won't Fit" in Japan it's called "My Husband's Penis Won't Fit".

 

[Frideswide]

 

[Coal]

It's well worth watching BBC's "The Art of Japanese Life":

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b08tvzws/the-art-of-japanese-life

If anything the programmes could be longer, they're quite fascinating.

 

[ramonmercado]

At last, an apology and compensation.

Tens of thousands of victims of forced sterilisation in Japan are now entitled to compensation.

Under a eugenics law which was in effect from 1948 to 1996, people were made to undergo operations to prevent them having children deemed "inferior". Many of the victims had physical or cognitive disabilities, mental illness, or behavioural problems.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has issued an apology for the "great suffering" they experienced.

Under a new law that was passed on Wednesday, surviving victims will each receive 3.2 million yen ($28,600; £22,100). Many were children or teenagers when they were operated on.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48036732

 

[Yithian]

'Hikikomori'.

Skip the cringe-worthy introduction and head straight to the documentary piece at 1:37