Anyone notice Japan's dispute with China over the Kamakura Islands in the news lately? I find it silly that they're bickering over tiny islands that probably don't have that much oil, but I guess it's not so much the islands but the right to the seas.

Then again, this is China and Japan I'm writing about. They hate each other's guts anyway.

Yeah, Protesters are trying to storm the Japanese embassy in China, and all Japanese businesses have had to temporarily shut down their operations in China (protesters have tore up Japanese car dealerships for example, busting windows and flipping vehicles).

It's not a pretty sight.

I don't think we're supposed to be talking politics, though...

Imagine-Nation was on tonight! It wasn't a repeat, but a recap of themes from past episodes. They re-covered Robotics; Notes (game), Wolf Children (anime film), and Library Wars (anime film).

Also had some new info on the recapped themes, such as how well the movies performed in theaters, ect.

J-Melo was on today. The rock group GazettE was featured & interviewed. They had a montage of some of their music videos. The band was influenced by another group, LUNA SEA. They also said they were happy to have fans overseas. They then talked about their newest album.

The group played "Ibitsu" (Distortion).

In the next segment, they showed some up and coming groups.

They ended out by showcasing the J-Pop Summer Festival in San Francisco, along with the group "Bay Area Girls", who do english covers for Japanese girl group songs, Including "Anywhere", and "In the spotlight (Tokyo)", both which were performed.

Oh yes. Racial tension that has been going on for hundreds of years. Clearly the solution is to 'let bygones be bygones.'

It's best we don't talk about politics on NintendoLife, because next someone will solve the Middle East with similar logic and those people that have spent hundreds of years on that problem will also feel pretty silly.

Also, ten thousand will get you a holiday in Japan. Try multiplying that by a factor of ten if you actually want to move there.

Imagine-Nation was on tonight!

They mentioned that the sci-fi anime film trilogy, Mardock Scramble, is having it's last film released soon.

The main theme was BTOOOM!, a survival-horror manga. It's really popular in Japan with 920,000 copies sold. An anime adaptation is set to air this autumn.

The sory centers around 22 year old Ryuta Sakamoto, whom is obsessed with online gaming. Surprisingly, he is kidnapped and forced to compete in a life or death competition with seven other people. With eight bombs to fight with, the only rule is to be the last one standing.

Now he has to figure out who sent him there, and why. The most surprising aspect however, is that the game mirrors his favorite game, BTOOOM!

In the Creator's Interview, they interviewed the "figurine illustrator", Dehara Noriyuki. He makes roughly 300 figurines a year.

EDIT: Also, each individual BTOOOM! manga volume looks exactly like an Xbox 360 game case, except that it says Xbox 720, lol.

Sorry I've been neglecting this thread, lol. I promise to get back into it more!

Imagine-Nation was on tonight!

They started out by covering TGS 2012. They said it broke attendence records with 220,000 visitors. They said that Nintendo's Wii U stole the show, but various individual games received a lot of attention, such as Tales of Xillia 2, and Monster Hunter 4. Virtual head mounted displays were also popular at the show.

The Main Theme was a manga series called Giga Tokyo Toy Box. It centers around a video game production company, depicting the exhilaration, enthusiasm, and stress developers experience while making their next project.

The manga's stories are written by OZAWA Takahiro, and is illustrated by SEO Asako (they are husband and wife). Also, very rare for a manga, everything is done start to finish digitally.

In the Creator's Interview, they featured the animation director/illustrator Yukiko Inoue. She graduated from the Hiroshima City University Faculty of Arts, then taught art in high school. She is renouned for her cute style, and currently makes popular children's anime for NHK, such as Minna no Uta & Eigo de Asobo.

Tokyo Eye was on today! They talked about what to do in case of emergency, when visiting the city.

First off, they said that if you lose an item on a taxi, consult your receipt to get in contact with them. the Tokyo taxi company keeps lost items for a week, before handing them over to the police. The police hold on to them for a further 3 months, before giving them back to the person who turned it in, or disposes of it.

Next, they said that if you get sick or injured, there are numerous hospitals in Tokyo with bilingual doctors, and a few clicks online will show you to your closest bilingual location. They also showcased a health center whose sole purpose is to cater to foreigners in the city (it was set up in the post-WWII era).

They also showed a center you can visit, to prepare yourself for fires, earthquakes, & tsunamis. For fires, they actually let you use a fire extinguisher (on a virtual fire), as well as make your way through a dark smoke filled hallway (the smoke is simulated, & will not harm you). For earthquakes, they have this little room you can go into, where they will simulate an earthquake (up to a 7.0!), and all the objects in the room are padded. For tsunamis, they let you experience tsunami level winds & rain (you have to hold on to a railing & wear a rain coat during this part), and let you experience what it's like being in a car when there's a flood.

Check out the latest fashion failure, courtesy of Japan.

Oh, god. I ate a bagel for breakfast and almost threw up when I saw that.

Begin Japanology was on today! The subject was Tokyo Station.

They first talked about it's history (as they usually do with this show), but I missed it because their signal went dead, and for some reason, Al Jazeera (eww) came in...

Luckily their signal came back in, so I saw the part where they discussed the recent 3 year renovations the station went through. Both restoring it's old architecture (which was either weathered by the environment, or damaged during WWII), and implementing new earthquake durability systems.

They also covered the Tokyo Station Hotel, a part that had to be completely rebuilt, where you can overlook the hustle & bustle of the commuters from your room.

Jibtv was on today!

They covered a Takoyaki restaurant that recently opened in one of the area's devastated by the disaster last year. Takoyaki was really popular in the area before the disaster, and the locals who opened the restaurant were happy to be able to return the treat to the area. The grand opening was a huge success.

They also showed a short program showcasing the Soma Noma festival in Fukushima. It celebrates the area's rich samurai history. In 2011 (because of the disaster) it had to be scaled back, but this year it came back big. With participants in authentic period garb, it looked really cool.

A little multiple day update.

Sunday night's episode of J-Melo was a fan meeting in Brazil. They mostly just showed montages of music videos, instead of whole videos (although it was nice when the group sung "Head Cha-La", the opening song to DBZ, together).

I missed yesterday's episode of Itadakimatsu! Dining with the Chef.

Today's episode of Journeys in Japan was a repeat. It was the episode they covered Kanazawa.

Imagine-Nation was on tonight!

Opening Topic: They briefly mentioned Asura, new anime film. The original manga (released in the 1970's) was even banned at one point, due to it's violence. The main character has to eat other people to survive in this tale (set in the sengoku era), and grows up a savage, but eventually has to get assimilated to civilization.

Main Theme: They covered the new anime, CODE:BREAKER. It's about a group of assassins, who have given up their previous lives, and now stop evil doers who are beyond the law, with their special abilities. The original creator, Akimine Kamijyo's first work, Samurai Deeper Kyo, is very popular. As for the new anime, it's directed by Yasuhiro Irie, who was behind Fullmetal Alchemist. Kinema Citris ( of Eureka Seven fame), is the animation studio.

Creator's Interview: They interviewed Tomoya Asano, a video game producer. He started designing games in high school, and after university, was hired on by Square-Enix. He has worked on Fullmetal Alchemist (PS2 game series), Broken Angel (a PS2 RPG), Final Fantasy III (DS), Final Fantasy XIV, and Dragon Quest X. They showed a lot of gameplay from his current project, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, for the Nintendo 3DS.

Great Gear was on tonight! I usually don't watch this one, but all three of their topics were awesome tonight

They highlighted a little humanoid figure, which is making a huge splash in the world of 3D modeling in Japan (especially with manga & anime). It has sensors all over it, so that the image on (computer) screen moves with it. It's much more natural & effective than moving the figure with a mouse.

They showcased Noodle World, a convention centering around what's new in the world of ramen. I'm not all that big into cooking, so most of the innovations here flew over my head, but everything looked delicious! They did show off a machine that makes the ramen noodles. They also showed an Automatic Stir-Fry Machine (it actually looked pretty cool). In the Izakaya (bar) section, they showed off a Goya (bitter melon) cocktail (it was light green). They also showcased citris based liqueurs, which are niche in Japan. They also showed "sparkling sake", a Japanese take on champagne (it uses a different method than traditional sake, which is more of a wine).

In Akihabara, a new bar is gaining attention. it's called Canned Food Bar, which serves beer alongside canned food. It's near (in?) the train station, and has been a huge hit with businessmen due to the quick pace in which you can get & eat your food. They have over 40 varieties, some even from abroad. They use stylish plates & glasses, along with a stylish interior, to make it look inviting.

J-Melo was on tonight!

It was just a fan meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. They featured some Indonesian cover bands, and asked various members of the J-Melo fan group who their favorite Japanese music artists were (usually followed by a quick clip of a music video by whatever band/group was mentioned).

Itadakimatsu! Dining with the Chef was on today!

They made a Nabe Hot Pot, with the main ingredients being shrimp & chicken meatballs. It looked really good!

Yesterday I went to eat at a Japanese resturant and was half tempted to say itadakimatsu when the food came...

Journeys in Japan was on today! They visited Asahikawa.

The City (Asahikawa) is located at the foot of Mt. Daisetsu, in the Middle of Hokkaido prefecture. The city is well known for it's beautiful nature, and is internationally renowned for it's furniture craftsmanship.

They showcased the Asahikawa Furniture Showroom. It's popular with tourists, showcasing the works of around 30 craftsmen from around the area.

They also took time with Kõbõ Miyaji, a famous furniture craftsman from the area. He's well known for his wooden chairs.

They also showcased another spot popular with tourists, the Mountain Lodge, Nutapukaushipe. It has the appearance of a rustic log house, with all the furniture being wooden as well (tables & chairs made out of tree trunks & logs). It also has an outdoor onsen (hot spring) that has a wonderful view of the river & surrounding forest. The room rate is 7,500 yen (which includes breakfast & dinner).

Imagine-Nation was on tonight

Opening Topic: They mentioned the 15th anniversary of Hot Shots Golf, and briefly touched upon the new release for the PS3.

Main Feature: They covered Scan2Go, a new kids anime series by the creators of Beyblade & B-Daman. This particular series isn't completely Japanese though, as it came about as a collaboration between Japan, South Korea, and the Dubai! It first aired in South Korea, and then went on to air in Europe (and has been popular in both territories). It has just started to air in the U.S., and interestingly enough, has yet to air in Japan.

The series follows a group of kids who scan cards in order to beef up their cars. Their goal? To become popular space racers (they're small electronic cars, BTW)! Not surprisingly, the series was created to help market a series of toy cars under the same brand. It hasn't aired in Japan yet, because their previous series, Bakugan, didn't fare well in Japan (while it was a hit with children in the U.S.).

Creator's Interview: They interviewed the animation director, Yoriko Mizushiri. She graduated from Joshibi University of Art & Design, and specializes in bodily motion animation. In her spare time, she enjoys hand drawing & stop-motion animations. She has made a bunch of acclaimed shorts, such as Futon, Hippo, & Sushi.