Japan announces new era name, Reiwa, but what does it mean and why was it chosen?

Prime Minister explains rationale behind decision and compares people of Japan to flowers, but not cherry blossoms.

After more than a year of intense speculation and anticipation, the name of Japan’s new imperial era was announced on April 1. Standing in front of assembled reporters, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga held up a placard with calligraphy of the two kanji characters that make up the new name: Reiwa, written in Japanese as 令和.

Emperor Akihito is set to abdicate his position at the end of the month, the first time for a Japanese emperor to do so in more than 200 years. That moment will also mark the end of the Heisei period, which began when Akihito became emperor in 1989.

The first of the two kanji in Reiwa, 令, means “order,” in the sense of “orderly calm.” The second 和, means “peace” or “harmony” and is also commonly used to refer to Japan itself (stemming from Yamato, written 大和, one of the name’s used for Japan long ago). As such, the meaning of Reiwa could be interpreted as “Orderly Peace” or “Orderly Harmony,” or, in a larger sense, “an orderly, peaceful Japan.”

Following the unveiling of the new era name, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose cabinet selected Reiwa from among proposals offered by a panel of scholars, spoke about the choice. While all previous era names, such as the current Heisei, have often been based on auspicious phrases from Chinese literature, Reiwa is the first to come from a Japanese source, and is taken from a poem about plum blossoms in the Manyoshu, the oldest printed collection of Japanese poetry, which was compiled in the 8th century. In his address, Abe said that the idea that “Culture is born through the beauty of people caring for one another” is included in the cabinet’s interpretation of the new era’s name. He also spoke on how the Manyoshu was read not just by nobles and aristocrats, but also by the common people, and that the name Reiwa represents a desire to carry Japan’s traditions into the new age.

“After a cold winter, spring comes. Like beautiful plum blossoms, the Japanese people, with hope for tomorrow in their hearts, can each make flowers bloom,” Abe said.

The Reiwa era officially begins at the stroke of midnight on May 1, the same moment in which Emperor Akihito officially abdicates and his son Crown Prince Naruhito becomes Japan’s new emperor.

Sources: Yahoo! Japan News/Oricon News, YouTube/首相官邸
Images: YouTube/首相官邸
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Japanese Shiba Inu runs a sweet potato stand, melts hearts everywhere

Hot potatoes selling like…hot potatoes, thanks to this friendly doge.

It’s no secret that we’re head over heels in love with Shiba Inu. This adorable Japanese dog breed has stolen our hearts with pudgy faces, stubborn ways, and impressive Japanese skills, and now it’s time for us to fall in love all over again, this time with a pup called Ken-kun.

What makes Ken-kun so special is the fact that he runs his own sweet potato stand. Located in Kiyota Ward in Sapporo, on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, Ken-kun and his hot potato business recently starred on local television, and now everyone’s talking about the canine entrepreneur.

▼ “My husband messaged me on messaging app Line to say ‘there’s a pup selling roasted sweet potatoes'”

とある旦那からのLINE 「わんわんが焼き芋売ってる」 犬の、焼き芋屋さん、だと⋯？？#可愛すぎ https://t.co/YNvmbI0Htl

—
ひゅがた は ディーシー だった ！▼ (@hina_shii_ver2) March 18, 2019

While the potato-selling pup was already making a name for himself in the local community, the above tweet sent Ken-kun’s popularity into overdrive, with people sharing the images and wanting to know more about the pup and his potato business.

▼ The stall is called “Dog’s Roasted Sweet Potato Stand“

今日は１日吹雪でした( ´△｀) もう雪は おなかいっぱい…🐧❄️ 桜吹雪🌸なら大歓迎o(*ﾟ∀ﾟ*)o 昨日 テレビで犬の焼き芋屋って やってたのですが さっき 思い出して近くだったので 行ってきたんですよ(≧▽≦)‼️ テレ… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

—
🍑桃茂⚡️ (@momo2968) March 22, 2019

夫が仕事休みだったから、犬が店番してる焼き芋屋さんに行ってきた！ほんとに店番してた！！ちなみにイモは売り切れていた！ https://t.co/Tk2ZEaZgQy

—
むにママ®8m (@munimamamaru) March 29, 2019

According to visitor reports, Ken-kun keeps watch over the sweet potatoes, which sit in a plastic box at the front of the stall. Customers purchase the potatoes via a self-serve honour system, where they pick up a potato and pop 100 yen (US$0.90) into a slot in the wooden stall for each one.

犬の焼き芋屋さん行ってきたワン（涙）。 ケンちゃんなまらおとなしくてかわいかったワン（涙）。 顔近づけてくれてなでなでいっぱいさしてくれたワン（涙）。 久々にさわる獣毛の感触たまらんかったワン（涙）。 お芋最後の1個でギリ買えたワ… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

—
高木宣孝 (@hobby_space_jun) March 22, 2019

▼ Who wouldn’t respect the honour system with this adorable face at the stall?

犬の焼き芋屋さん 今回は買えました。 https://t.co/Qhgm9Mwh3L

—
Peridot (@hiroki99837) March 25, 2019

Ken-kun finishes his shift when the sweet potatoes sell out, and enjoys a stroll around the neighbourhood after a hard day’s work.

犬の焼き芋屋さん行ったら売り切れでした。 散歩中のケンくんを写真撮らせてもらいました。 https://t.co/Vx6EXO1VcI

—
Peridot (@hiroki99837) March 21, 2019

The three-year-old pup looks forward to greeting new faces at the stall every day, and with the money going towards Ken-kun’s food and treats, locals are more than happy to stop by and make a purchase from Dog’s Roasted Sweet Potato Stand.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen a canine running a small business – after all, who can forget about Tokyo’s cigarette-selling Shiba Inu? – so here’s hoping Ken-kun continues to warm the bellies and hearts with his hot potatoes well into the future.

Source, featured image: Twitter/@hiroki99837

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Here’re the first actual scenes from Your Name director’s new anime, Weathering with You

Director Makoto Shinkai shares a sneak peak at his upcoming anime movie, and it looks as beautiful as you’d expect.

It’s almost hard to believe that Your Name is almost three years old. Since its release in 2016, no other anime film has achieved anywhere near the level of critical, popular, and commercial success that director Makoto Shinkai’s masterpiece has.

But at just 46 years old, Shinkai still has plenty of stories to tell, and we’re just a few months away from his next. In December, we got our first look at the poster for Shinkai’s upcoming theatrical feature Weathering with You (titled Tenki no Ko, or “Children of the Weather” in Japanese), and now the director is letting us see the first actual images from the movie itself.

【☔️初解禁カット①☀️】 #醍醐虎汰朗 さんが声を務める帆高。 離島から家出したきた高校生は、東京の小さな編集プロダクションに住み込みで働くことになります。 #天気の子 #新海誠 https://t.co/j3qMemuwMt

—
映画『天気の子』 (@tenkinoko_movie) March 30, 2019

First up is a shot of male lead Hodaka Morishima, a teen runaway who finds his way from rural Japan to Tokyo, where he gets a job working for a magazine investigating occult occurrences. It’s not clear exactly why he has such a big smile on his face while getting drenched, but perhaps it’s because it’s during a thunderstorm that he meets…

【☔️初解禁カット②☀️】 #森七菜 さんが声を務める陽菜。 帆高が出会う女の子には、不思議な力があった。“祈る”ことで空を晴れにできる… #天気の子 #新海誠 https://t.co/rz2323EjDV

—
映画『天気の子』 (@tenkinoko_movie) March 30, 2019

…Haruna Amano, a girl who has the ability to make the rain stop and the skies clear by saying a prayer.

▼ The results of Haruna’s power

【☔️初解禁カット③☀️】 連日振り続ける雨。 「ねぇ、今から晴れるよ」 雨雲の切れ間に、わずかにのぞく青空。 太陽の日差しで、美しく光り出す東京の街並み。 #天気の子 #新海誠 #醍醐虎汰朗 #森七菜 https://t.co/TgytezcGV1

—
映画『天気の子』 (@tenkinoko_movie) March 30, 2019

The visuals show that Shinkai will once again be making full use of the vivid, high-contrast color design that’s become his visual signature, with the switch from dark clouds to blue skies feeling instantly liberating even in this series of three stills. Everything being covered in freshly fallen rain also gives the anime’s visual effects team free rein to render everything in the glimmering sheen that Shinkai, and his fans, love.

Story-wise, we haven’t gotten any new details from what was announced in December: that Hodaka moves to Tokyo, where he meets Haruna and her younger brother. Wit the first kanji of Haruna’s name (陽) meaning “sun” and the first of Amano (天) meaning “heaven” or “divine,” it seems like there’s going to be some connection to Amaterasu, the Shinto sun goddess, and her younger brother Susanoo, the storm god. Odds are, though, just like with the pre-release marketing for Your Name, Shinkai will elect to keep the plot details largely under wraps until Weathering with You premiers on July 19.

Source, featured image: Twitter/@tenkinoko_movie
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Instagram queen Naomi Watanabe poses for avant-garde photoshoot, slays fans

Amazing laser engraving machine wows Japanese Internet, shows how far science has come

Watch as this laser turns a flat metal surface into a gorgeous, ornate pattern in seconds.

We’re surrounded by engraved items everywhere in our daily life, but have you ever wondered how those engravings get put onto the metal in question? Back in the old days it was done by hand, but technology has sped things up… and sped them up further, and then further again!

Now it takes only seconds to etch a beautiful design into a sheet of metal. Twitter was abuzz recently about a video of a laser engraving machine that covers a metal disc with symmetrical borders, angles and whorls in no time at all, leaving a gorgeously decorated item in its wake.

▼ “Engraving via laser. We’re at the stage where magic like this is commonplace. If someone from the past were to see this, it’d shock the living daylights out of them!”

レーザー彫刻。これもう普通に魔法ですよね。古代人が見たらビックリしますよ。 https://t.co/oY5IYrh3M3

—
岩井洋一（柔術新聞速報版） (@busujiujitsu) March 27, 2019

The video is just ten seconds long, and in it you can see balls of light travel around the disc, leaving imprints of the pattern behind. The CO2 laser beam engraves the pattern by heating a very small designated area to an intensely high heat, which essentially eliminates the top layers of metal and leaves a visible groove.

As you might imagine from the original poster’s tweet, many of the replies gave in to the obvious joke of “heck, I’m from the modern era and I’m shocked!” with a couple of “guess I’m from the past” comments thrown in for variety. One though, brought up how much the process looked like a screen from a nostalgic game console:

▼ “This here is a PS2.”

@busujiujitsu ここPS2 https://t.co/Js4d0lh2Px

—
🏰📚若とりから🐴☠️ (@wakatorimedal) March 27, 2019

▼ “Takes me right back to those days….”

@wakatorimedal 懐かしい… https://t.co/iRY4ZNWkjq

—
シュヴァンツ・フォッツェ少将 (@Wehrmacht_NSDAP) March 27, 2019

Multiple people also pointed out how modern science and magic are virtually indistinguishable. If you can make a pretty design appear on solid metal with nothing but a series of flashing lights, isn’t that essentially magic?

Meanwhile, one user answered the question on everyone’s mind:

“Do you know what’s being engraved? It’s a grinder, something you use to crush marijuana into smaller granules. Anyone who’s studied in the States will surely recognize it, LOL.”

There’s a good reason the original poster might have ommitted that from the initial tweet, as Japan as a whole isn’t especially into drug culture or casual drug usage, much less tools to make smoking it easier. But this one looks so stunning, maybe you could keep it around the house anyway… for those rare occasions you might need to shred some fresh herbs for cooking, or maybe mash up some crickets.

Source: Twitter/@busujiujitsu via Hamusoku
Featured image: Twitter/@busujiujitsu
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Yakiniku chain store lets customers enjoy delicious Japanese barbecue together with their dogs

JoJo cosplay by buxom Japanese celebrity seriously wows Internet【Pics】

Andrew Jackson Didn't Shoot First

The bloodiest field trip ever continues with a lesson in duel rules.

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Japan Rail baffled by man who jumped onto tracks and disappeared

Mystery man caused a 30 minute delay of service.

At approximately 8:20 p.m. on 25 March, the Azusa No. 33 express bound for Shinjuku Station was approaching Musashi-Koganei Station at a high speed. Just then the driver spotted a man jumping off the platform and onto the tracks.

Thinking fast, he pulled the emergency brake and brought the entire train to a screeching halt at the station. Staff scoured the area looking for the dead or seriously injured jumper but were surprised to find nothing. Not even a speck of blood on the train or tracks. It was as if the man had vanished.

▼ Not many places to hide in front of one of these things

Wikipedia/Rsa

The stoppage and ensuing search resulted in a one hour delay on the Chuo Line and is said to have affected roughly 37,000 passengers. A JR rep told media that they are certain a man had jumped based on the driver’s testimony. However, they said they cannot comment on any possible surveillance camera footage of the incident.

Readers of the news online are leaning towards a paranormal event or divine intervention.

“I guess he was instantly reincarnated.”
“He left this world.”
“Maybe it was a secret military training exercise.”
“They can’t comment on the cameras? What are they hiding?”
“It was probably the ghost of someone who had jumped from there before.”
“Maybe the train hit him so hard he vaporized.”

Some also noticed similarities to the manga series Gantz in which people who get hit by a train are instantly summoned to participate in a violent and sexy alien assassination game.

It wouldn’t be the first time either. A few years ago an incident occurred in Osaka when a woman suddenly rushed into a station and jumped in front of a train. However, when the train had come to a stop, she emerged completely unscathed and ran away without ever being identified.

But in this particular incident, the fact that JR is being very coy about what happened suggests two possible things. Either something so shockingly bizarre and fantastical occurred that revealing footage of it to the public would undo the very fabric of society, or the company doesn’t want to admit that their driver might have been feeling a little tired and could have been seeing things while operating a train.

I think the answer is obvious, and next time I’m standing on a train platform I’ll be sure to keep some holy water and prayer beads on me, just in case.

Source: Asahi Shimbun, Huffington Post Japan, Golden News
Top Image: Wikipedia/Ten-nen Gas

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Japanese gamers with “Multiplay Phobia” avoid online play so they won’t cause trouble for others

Even before anyone gets mad at them, they don’t want to spoil other people’s fun.

The best part about video games with online multiplayer modes is how they let you share the experience with a huge group of other people. Coincidentally, the worst part about online multiplayer is also sharing the experience with a huge group of other people.

Many people forget their manners when they’re hiding behind a veil of online anonymity/outside of real-world punching range, and the lack of tact and consideration that so often peppers the interpersonal experience of Internet gaming can quickly sour a session. However, Japanese Twitter user @shimesaba67 has a different problem with the interpersonal aspect of online multiplayer:

最近ネットゲームで「マルチプレイ恐怖症」というのにかかっている 勝手に自分で命名した病気なんだけど 自分のプレイのせいで、味方に迷惑かけてないか？とか、マイナス思考になって ゲームするのが怖くなっちゃう症状なんだけど　わかってくれる人いるかな…

—
しめさば帝国 (@shimesaba67) March 25, 2019

“Recently, I’ve been suffering from ‘Multiplay Phobia.’ It’s a term I made up myself, to describe the negative emotions that come when I find myself worrying that my poor play might be a nuisance to the other people on my team, and I become scared of playing the game anymore. I wonder if anyone else feels this way…”

At a quick glance, this might sound like the same “People are dicks online” observation that gamers all over the world regularly make, but there’s a key difference. @shimesaba67 isn’t talking about making a mistake, then having other players suggest you kill yourself in real life to atone for your in-game mistakes. Instead, he’s talking about an internally generated sense of guilt, where he, on his own, feels bad about spoiling the fun of more skilled players by hurting the team’s overall performance.

It turns out he’s not the only one who feels like this in Japan, as other Twitter users responded with:

“I completely understand what you’re saying.”
“That’s totally me too.”
“I don’t get that way, but my friend ends up feeling like that a lot when he plays games online.”
“I absolutely get what you’re saying. I’m OK if I’m playing with people I personally know, but if they’re strangers, I feel [Multiplay Phobia] pretty strongly.”
“I’ve given up playing games where you join a guild or have to work with others. I’ll be a solo adventurer only from here on out.”

Of course, there’s no doubt that the online gaming community’s stigma as unwelcoming of newbies and intolerant of screwups contributes to @shimesaba67 and others worrying that the rest of the team won’t enjoy the game if their play is less than perfect, so several commenters also took the opportunity to speak out against short-tempered gamers in general. “There are too many online gamers who forget the simple fact that in the beginning, everyone is a beginner, and that everyone makes mistakes,” lamented one.

On the plus side, the fact that so many people could sympathize with @shimesaba67’s Multiplay Phobia shows that there are gamers out there who’d appreciate a more cordial environment. So for the sake of all those suffering from self-initiated Multiplay Phobia, the next time you’re playing online and a teammate ruins your shot at victory, maybe sending a quick message of “No prob-it’s only a game” would be a good gaming strategy.

Source: Twitter/@shimesaba67 via Jin
Top image: Pakutaso
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Tomioka High Dance Club’s accomplishments grow as they dance in a classic ’90s-style commercial

These girls are climbing sky-high in their careers, and they haven’t even graduated yet!

A high school dance club from Osaka may never have expected to become celebrities when their fabulous ’80s-inspired “bubbly dance,” which won second place at a local competition, became world-famous two years ago. Since then the Tomioka High Dance Club filmed a promotional video featuring a dance to the song “This is Me” before the release of the musical The Greatest Showman, and now they’ve achieved their second major break: starring in a TV commercial!

The commercial, which was directed by former member and famous choreographer Akane, replicates a classic 90’s commercial known as the “Takefuji Dance“. This new version was choreographed by former members of the group in the style of the original commercials, with the girls wearing characteristically tight suits and dancing to the same, lively song that starts with a rousing “Let’s Go!”

The Takefuji Dance was originally an ad that aired late at night in Japan, with many different versions appearing between 1991 and 2003. Each commercial featured a group of ladies dancing in leotards or skin-tight jumpsuits to the same song, and they were a hit for many viewers throughout the 12 years they aired, even though they never really had much to do with what they were advertising: consumer credit company Takefuji.

▼ A compilation of the ads in their original ’90s glory

The Tomioka High Dance Club does appropriate homage to the nostalgic commercial. They choreographed a similar dance and even made efforts to create a similar setting for the video, though it’s significantly edgier than the originals. Since Takefuji has long been bought by other companies, the revival of the commercial is to advertise So-net, an Internet service provider in Japan and Taiwan run by Sony, who is hoping to re-brand the dance as the “So-net Dance”.

So-net is running a campaign on Instagram and Twitter, called the “#So-netDance End of Heisei Dance Challenge”, whereby amateurs can record their own “So-net Dance” and possibly win cash prizes or collaborations with akane. Interested dancers can record and post their dances with the hashtag #ソネットダンス.

The end of the video, by the way, shows two women, who watched the dance on their tablet, looking at each other as if they’ve just hatched a major plan, so perhaps we can expect sequels to the So-net Dance! Hopefully they’ll feature the Tomioka High Dance Club again, because we can’t wait to see what they come out with next!

Source, images: YouTube/Akane Kikaku
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Shared By Lumberjacks

Jessica Clemons and Annie Humphreville cozy up with Jess and Rekha for a throuple in a snowy cabin.

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Sailor Moon Lost in Translation

Amy Vorpahl, Emma Fyffe, and Stef Woodburn ponder Pluto's planethood and remember Bilbo's birthday.

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Japanese man discovers his grandmother’s door plays The Terminator theme song

There’s music all around us-eerily unsettling music.

Who could forget James Cameron’s cinematic masterpiece that is The Terminator. I can still vividly remember sitting in the theaters and watching Rose and Jack sail away on an ill-fated voyage to cut down a magic tree belonging to a noble race of blue monster people.

This was all accompanied by the driving synth soundtrack of Brad Fiedel, whose work is summed up best in the iconic “The Terminator Theme.” Let’s take a nostalgic listen at this immortal score, as performed by Twitter user Gocchan’s (@_GocChaN_) grandmother’s front door.

俺 「俺のおばあちゃんの家のドア、ターミネーターなんだよね」 友 「何言ってんのお前」 https://t.co/lc7yAJc4Xz

—
▫️ごっちゃん@マイキー▪️ (@_GocChaN_) March 25, 2019

The quarter-million likes that this tweet has already received shows that most people were easily able to pick out the rhythm of The Terminator Theme from the simple act of closing a door. For those who haven’t heard the 1984 composition in a while and need a refresher, Twitter user Ke-sake (@ke_sake3) mixed the door with the original recording.

@_GocChaN_ どうしても作りたくなってしまった。 https://t.co/jOShLY4c4f

—
けーさけ（わいわいスタジオ） (@ke_sake3) March 25, 2019

Others imagined the fun that could be had with such a musical door.

“I’m going to the store! [du-nun-nun nu-NUN] I’ll be back.”
“Time to go to work! [du-nun-nun nu-NUN] Hasta la vista, baby.”
“Wow, even the tempo is right.”
“You should worry about JASRAC [Japan’s music copyright collection organization] fining your grandma.”

But I think the general consensus of Japanese Twitter users could be summed up as:

@_GocChaN_ @inori_xyz5568 https://t.co/VCY5FZPo5n

—
スライムセンセイ🍙 (@Yamstarch) March 25, 2019

While it’s undeniable that this old door is a dead ringer for the Terminator theme, there is a far more pressing matter to this whole situation. A few of the comments have reminded me that in Japan, Arnold Schwarzenegger is sometimes referred to as “Schwa-chan” (Shuwa-chan).

▼ “Schwa-chan, good smile!”

シュワちゃんグッドスマイル！😍 https://t.co/JWriBBqxfw

—
加藤 テツナオ（ブレラン） (@_BladeRunner_) March 20, 2019

With this knowledge, it’s clear now that all of us around the globe must make a concerted effort to refer to the bodybuilder-turned-actor as “Schwa-chan” from now on whenever the opportunity arises. “Gov. Schwa-chan” is also acceptable if you’re American and adhere to the honorary titles used there. Either way, it needs to be done until the name sticks.

Together, we can make a difference.

Source: Twitter/@_GocChaN_
Top image: Twitter/@_GocChaN_

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