Topic: Japan Discussion

Imagine-Nation was on tonight!

Main Theme: They covered the manga series Toriko, which has sold 60 million copies, and has been adapted into an anime. Set in a "Gourmet Age", it follows trong warriors who fight gourmet monsters (called ingredients) to eat them (the stronger they are, the better they taste). Things aren't that simple though, as an evil organisation wants to monopolize all the ingredients in the world. They covered the newly released movie, Toriko the Movie, which sees the main characters (led by Toriko) traveling to an island to hunt down a rare & powerful ingredient. Nearly all of the ingredients in the film (and many in the manga) are actually creations sent in by fans (such as a "barbecue crab"). They interviewed fans at an early screening of the film, and interviewed some of the people behind the series.

Side Theme: They mentioned the Action RPG The Witch and the Hundred Knights (PS3), The RPG Mind = 0 (Vita), and the action game Killer is Dead (PS3/360).

Creator's Interview: They interviewed manga artist Macochin Ishihara, who is known for his offbeat series, The San Be-Sama.

Imagine-Nation was on tonight!

Main Theme: They showcased the comedy anime Watamote. It started as a free to read online manga 2011, but the physical manga releases (available since 2012) have been popular as well. They mentioned that most of it's popularity surprisingly comes from it's overseas fans. It follows the day to day exploits of a gloomy, unpopular girl, and expresses the stressful everyday socializing she goes through in a humorous manner. Focusing on this type of character is new for manga & anime, and due to it's success, many new series are trying to capitalize on it's success. Of course, then they spent time looking at the behind the scenes making of the series, by interviewing animators & voice actors. They mentioned the English DVDs will be releasing soon.

Side Theme: They briefly mentioned the beat 'em up KUNIO-Kun Special (3DS), which is releasing on August 8, and the Action RPG One Piece Romance Dawn (3DS), a port of a year old PSP game.

Creator's Interview: They interviewed Daisuke Iwasaki, who has created the popular visual novel dating sim, VitaminR, and has another game releasing soon.

Tokyo Eye was on today! They discussed the various "made to order" services in Tokyo.

First they went to a well established men's ware suit shop. They're a classy joint, that has serviced generations of families. They tailor make suits for their clients. Claim their suits are the ultimate "green" clothing, as they are made to last 10 years minimum, instead of the throwaway lifespan of mass produced fashion clothes.

Then, they went to a professional cutlery maker. His knives are extremely sharp, and restaurants from across Tokyo & the world, order his hand made knives (made just like samurai swords used to be). They cost ¥30,000 & up.

They then went to a purveyor of fancy fountain pens, whose pens are made with traditional lacquer art (some costing up to ¥600,000!). They study your handwriting habits, and your hands to make your personalized pen (cost is ¥20,000 up).

They then went to a Tokyo Asics shop (sport footwear), where they personalize your shoes. Everyone's left & right feet are different, so need their own specially fit shoes.

They then went to a custom pillow shop. Each pillow has 5 compartments, because each section needs to have different properties based on what your head needs for various positions. They have seven different pillow fillings, from feathers to special polyurethane materials. You can take your pillow home the same day as the consultation.

They then went to a place that will make personalized manga. Just give them some pictures of yourself for reference, tell them your life story, and they will make a biography of your life, in manga form.

They then went to a music studio which will make anyone into a singer. They'll take your hums, arrange them into a composition, add musical sound effects, and give you a copy of your song.

Imagine-Nation was on tonight! It was a repeat tonight (The episode where they covered Yowamushi Pedal, which I covered in comment #690).

Man, Japan just can't catch a break. Earlier today, Sakurajima volcano erupted, coating Kagoshima city in ash.

Luckily, it appears that it erupts pretty often, so it wasn't a major eruption, and there aren't any reported casualties.

Imagine-Nation was on tonight!

Main Theme: they covered the new anime, Gatchaman Crowds, which is a reboot of a Tatsunoko series from the 70's. The new series doesn't borrow much from the original besides the name, and the ability of the main characters to don special battle suits called "Gatchaman" (which have a much more robotic look than the originals). It follows the story of a group of high school students who use these powers to protect the Earth from alien invaders. All battle scenes in the suits are created using CGI rather than traditional animation (they worked closely with the art team, so the CGI blends in seamlessly with the animation, and doesn't look out of place). In the original 1972 series, the "Gatchaman" battled a shadowy organisation bent on world domination, and is currently getting a live action film adaptation. (Personal note: You may recognize some of the original characters, as they appear in the Wii exclusive Tatsunoko VS Capcom fighting game)

Side Theme: They briefly mentioned the airport simulator I'm an Air Traffic Controller: Premium (3DS), the JRPG Conception II (3DS/Vita), and the 3rd person shooter Lost Planet 3 (PS3/360).

Creator's Interview: They interviewed manga artist Natsuko Taniguchi, who rose to fame after posting a short online manga about her falling in love with a living piece of raw liver (written after the government banned the selling of raw liver for health concerns).

Imagine-Nation was on tonight!

Main Theme: They showcased London's Hyper Japan 2013 expo, which had 60,000 attendees this year. This expo is focused more on traditional Japanese culture than other Japanese conventions, due in part to the fact that anime has a smaller following in the U.K., than in the rest of Europe or the U.S. NHK had it's own booth, of course, with Imagine-Nation being center stage. They talked about DAISUKE.net, a social networking site where British anime fans have been gathering (for some reason, they played Pokémon music during this segment, lol). They then visited a Japanese pop-culture shop located in London, which is only 2 years old. They then discussed the growing popularity of Vocaloid in Britain (a music form largly popularized by Hatsune Miku). They ended out by covering the event's cosplay competition, with contestants dressing up as Luigi, Link, Chocobo, Gohan, and more.

There were no Side Theme or Creator's Interview segments tonight.

Japan pretty much has the same economic problems right now as the US and most other first world countries.

Journeys in Japan was on today! This week, they visited Ise-Jingu shrine in the city of Ise.

First, they visited the inner sanctuary of the shrine grounds, called Naiku. This is where the main shrine is located, and where it's believed the "sun goddess" Ameteratsu is enshrined. the camera isn't allowed to go any further than the bottom of the steps. There is actually a new, second shrine erected next to the old building, as the shrine is rebuilt every 20 years (alternating between the two spots for centuries). This fits the Shinto ideal of staying young, and was traditionally believed to increase the deity's power. 2013 is said to be a great time to visit the shrine, as both buildings will be up (the shrine will be officially relocated to the second building in October).

Then, they ventured into the city of Ise, to visit a museum that has a lifesize replica of the shrine (built using the exact same cedar wood), so the cameras could get a closer look.

They then visited a 300 year old confectionery shop that lies on the street leading up to Ise-Jingu. It's a popular stop for pilgrims, and they're well known for their treats consisting of sticky rice covered in a sweet red bean paste (which the host was allowed to try out).

Then, they went back to Ise-Jingu to visit the outer sactuary, Geku. Another sacred area, the "Dining Hall of the gods" is located here, and again, the cameras are stopped at the steps. Twice a day, a ritual is held here where priests offer a meal of staple & seasonal foods to the gods.

Finally, they visited a traditional shoe maker, who is the last in the city who makes the ceremonial shoes priests wear in their rituals.

Imagine-Nation was on tonight!

Main Theme: They covered the dark fantasy manga Übel Blatt, which has been running since 2004, and has just recently released it's 14th volume. It follows an elven warrior who is out for revenge against his old comrades, who betrayed him by falsely labelling him as a traitor, and tried killing him years ago. Along the way, you learn more about his mysterious past, and why he was betrayed. It's a story that explores the darkness in human nature, and has few happy endings. It's inspired by dark European fantasy tales, like The Count of Monté Cristo. It's growing in popularity overseas, especially in France.

Side Theme: They briefly mentioned the action game puppeteer (PS3), and the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (PC).

Creator's Interviews: Katsuya Teyada (may have misspelled that last name, as it was cut off before I could see it). He is well known for blending the art styles of Japanese manga & western comics. The director of the recent hollywood blockbuster *Pacific Rim, is a fan of his work, and asked him to create the film poster for it's Japanese release.

BEGIN Japanology was on today! This week's theme was the traditional Japanese instrument, the Shakuhachi.

It is one of ten traditional Japanese wind instruments that are made out of bamboo. It's made out of a hollowed bamboo shoot, and has four holes on the front, and one on the back. It's unique sound is said to represent the wind blowing through bamboo. Other traditional Japanese wind instruments include the Sho, which represents sunlight bursting through thick cloud cover, and the Noh-Ken, which is used to create unsettling sounds in Noh theatre (often signaling the arrival of a supernatural character).

The ancestor to the Shakuhachi was introduced from China to Japan during the 8th century, and over time was altered to suit Japanese breeds of bamboo & music preference, to create the Shakuhachi we know today. The oldest existing Shakuhaci is 1000 years old, and has 5 holes on the front, instead of the 4 we see today. After first being introduced from China, it (among other imported Chinese instruments) became a popular past time amongst the aristocracy. It eventually lost favor, and almost faded into obscurity, until it had a comeback in the 16th century. Around this time, traveling monks would use it to occupy their time on long trips, and even use it's sturdy frame to defend themselves (since it was illegal for monks to carry swords). For the next couple hundred years, it was illegal for anyone other than a monk to play the instrument, until the 19th century, when it was opened to the public.

They then visited an artisan, who crafts Shakuhachi. After cutting down the bamboo, it dries for years (up to ten years in some cases), before being crafted into the instrument. The host was given a little lesson in playing it here.

They then interviewed John Neptune, an American who was captivated by the Shakuhachi during his college years (during a trip to Hawaii), and is now a professional performer in Japan. He likes to blend it's traditional sounds with modern western styles.

They then showcased a Shakuhachi revitalization project in an elementary school, as traditional Japanese culture is being lost in the youth (since the late 19th century, most Japanese school music curriculums taught western style music only). They are mass producing imitation Shakuhachi, using plastic piping, to save it.

SPECIAL NEWS!!!

Tokyo has just been selected to host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games!

So, what are everyone's thoughts? As an Olympics fan who has been really into the games since the Beijing hosting, I'm personally pretty excited! It's gonna be a long wait, but at least we have Sochi next year (winter), Rio in 2016 (summer), and whoever has the 2018 games (winter) to tide us over

I think a colon or something should be placed after the word "special" in the title, as it's a little misleading the way it is now.

^ Have that fixed now.

Imagine-Nation was on tonight!

Main Theme: They covered the CGI movie, Space Pirate Captain Harlock! At $30 million, it's the most expensive animated production Toei Animation has made. They brought in people who worked on the highly successful CGI Appleseed reboot, and it's the first Japanese animated production that uses full motion capture body & facial technology (in fact, they were thinking about using a mix of live action & CGI, like James' Cameron's Avatar, but decided upon full CGI to be truer to the source material. In this story, Earth has been long since uninhabitable, and humans have spread far out into space. Everyone is under the iron fisted rule of the corrupt Gaia Coalition, and Harlock is a space pirate who does battle with them, in order to earn freedom, and find out a mysterious truth about Earth. It's based off of a late 70's manga and anime of the same name, but this adaptation is meant to be a Hollywood style blockbuster, and is to be aimed at a worldwide audience (evidenced by the insanely high production costs mentioned earlier). They then took a behind the scenes look inside the studio where it was produced.

Side Theme: They briefly mentioned the Action RPG Monster Hunter 4 (3DS), which is being released by Capcom later in the year.

Creator's Interview: They interviewed the Renoir Brothers, who are known for their humorous gag manga.

Journeys in Japan was on today! This week they visited the island of Yakushima that lies to the south of the Kyushu mainland.

The island is known for it's mountains, one of which is the highest peak in the Kyushu region. They hiked up the mountain, viewing scenic landmarks such as a small creek, the 1,000+ year old Cedar trees, and the "Tofu Rock" landmark (as it looks like sliced tofu).

Once at the top, they took in the scenery, observed the local deer & monkeys (which aren't afraid of people), and even visited a small shrine wedged between two large boulders, where the "mountain god" was believed to be enshrined in ancient times.

On the way down, they camped out for the night, eating a simple local dish of stew (consisting of miso broth, meat, and vegetables) & a side dish of rice. The next morning, they came across the oldest Cedar on the island, which is over 7,000 years old! They finally came across a group of Shinto priests, who were gathering sacred water at a spring, in preperation for a festival.

They then visited said festival, which is held annually in a small town on the northern shore of the island. It's been practiced since ancient times, and although tradition now, it was once used to celebrate the "mountain god" mentioned earlier. It climaxes at night, where they light bon fires with flaming arrows (which looked pretty sweet, BTW).

Lastly, they went down to the coast with some local volunteers, marking sea turtle nests, and rescuing sea turtle nests that were disturbed by unaware tourists (some 40% of sea turtle nests are destroyed this way, endangering the babies), and they ended the segment by saying goodbye to the baby sea turtles they rescued, as they made their way into the ocean.

As time was running out, they briefly mentioned other things to do on the island, such as visiting a local waterfall, mentioning a hiking trail that's exceptionally good for viewing wildlife (particularly the deer & monkeys), and kayaking down the river.

Imagine-Nation was on tonight!

Main Theme: This week they just had recap roundup of all the manga stories they've highlighted in the past few months, like Yowamushi Pedal, Toriko, Watamote, & Übel Blatt.

There were no Side Theme or Creator's Interview this week.

Tokyo Eye was on today! This week was part 2 of their theme of covering the Arakawa Line (the last street car route operating in Tokyo.

First, they stopped in a quiet old style neighborhood, with the main attraction here being the Yuru Café Kirara. For ¥880, you can get the daily lunch special, and it has a wonderful view of the street cars passing by (with extra long windows accomodating this). All the wood in the establishment, is from native trees.

They then stopped off at Arakawa district itself, which is popular for Arakawa Yuen Amusement Park. Established in 1922, it's run by the city government, and admission is free for chidren, ¥200 for adults. It also costs ¥200 to ride each attraction, such as a carousel, train, and a kid's roller coaster (that looks identical to one we have in my area, lol). They also have a museum in the park that celebrates the history of the Arakawa Line, and it has model replicas of every model of street car to run the line.

Also in the area, they have a restaurant called Kodomo no Ie, which is known for it's ¥350 Manja-Yaki (popular amongst children). The area also has lots of factories, such as a factory that produces dollhouses & accessories (a fully equiped stainless steel kitchen set costs ¥420,000!), and a pencil factory (there used to be 100 in the area, but they're down to about 10).

The next stop was at the Murie Museum, which is gives a look back into the history of coloring in Japan. Most of their items are from the 50's when Japan was still a poor nation after the war, and coloring was popular amongst children. Kiichi was the man most known for his colloring books in that time (the images came seperately packed in a sleeve, instead of bound together), and is said to be a forerunner to modern manga. You can buy replicas of his coloring books for ¥600 at the museum.

Their next stop found them conversing with a vegetable peddler. As far back as the 80's, there were hundreds of these farmers, who would ride into Tokyo on the line, then spread across the city to sell their goods, but now they're getting older, and their numbers are dwindling. The host bought a package of tomatoes for ¥500.

Their last stop found them at a Bon dance festival, so they decided to join in. It's an ancient festival which occurs every August, and is one of the biggest celebrations of the year. This particular set up was local, so it was smaller in scale, but it was popular amongst foreign tourists, because they put up flyers around the city in english, advertising the get together.

You can buy a ticket that will let you ride the line all day long, stopping as much as you'd like.

Wawawawawa-wait! They highlighted Toriko?

@CanisWolfred, yeah, but they probably didn't mention anything you didn't already know. They generally just give a general overview of the series, and then talk to the creator about where they get their ideas from, etc.

I'll still quote the post I wrote about that episode though, in case you want to read it.

In their little update this week, they mentioned that the movie opened up to around $500,000, and would have probably been higher if it wasn't up against a new Ghibli film.