Japan
- Should You Take The JLPT?
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December 7th, 2009
The JLPT is over for another year. Some of you attended, some may have missed it, others didn’t know it was on and the rest. Well, care factor = 0.
If you spend any time reading around the interwebs this time of year, you’ll notice the great unwashed coming out of their caves and denouncing the JLPT as a waste of money and/or time.
- Japan Images: Park Fishing Tokyo Style
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December 6th, 2009
I stumbled across a local park in Meguro, Tokyo on an afternoon photo walk and in the middle of it was a large concrete pond with one side lined by mostly old guys fishing for carp. It appeared to be a user-pay system but I can’t confirm the cost or bag limits.
- Japan Images: Meiji Bride
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November 29th, 2009
I shot this image in the grounds of Meiji Shrine (明治神宮) in Shibuya, Tokyo.
As a keen photographer and Japanophile, it’s days like this, when you come across such a stunning ceremony in another country, that puts a big smile on your face.
- Why are there so many Japanese in Brazil?
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November 6th, 2009
In 1907 the Brazilian and Japanese governments signed a treaty to grant the Japanese the right to live and work in Brazil.
The initial immigrants were lured by the promise of employment, with most Japanese-Brazilians (日系ブラジル人) settling in São Paulo, where most of the coffee plantations were located.
Many decades later, Brazil is now home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan with the most recent official figure nudging just over 1.4 million.
- Today is Culture Day in Japan
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November 3rd, 2009
Today is Culture Day (文化の日 Bunka no hi) in Japan.
Culture Day was first held in 1948, to commemorate the announcement of the post-war Japanese constitution on November 3, 1946.
- Joyo kanji list set for 2010 overhaul
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October 21st, 2009
Japan’s official kanji list, known as joyo (general-use) kanji, is set to be updated for the first time in over three decades.
The current list consists of 1,945 kanji that are officially allowed to be used in newspapers and government publications as well as being required learning for all Japanese school children.
- Aussie dollar hits 12-month high against Yen
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October 16th, 2009
This is probably not exciting news to anyone outside of Australia but today we finally crawled back up to just shy of 84 against the Japanese Yen for the first time in twelve months.
Hopefully we can see it nudge up over 90 and then suddenly all those shiny new toys in Akihabara and Yodobashi are going to be back on my list.
- Japan ravaged by Typhoon Melor
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October 9th, 2009
Typhoon Melor (台風１８号) has left a trail of destruction across Japan, killing two people and injuring about 30 people. Melor moved through Tokyo yesterday, leaving more than two million commuters stranded for several hours as train services were suspended following torrential rains and up to 200 kph winds.
- Tokyo loses Olympics bid to Rio
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October 5th, 2009
I missed the news over the weekend but it seems Tokyo has lost out to Brazil’s Rio De Janeiro in it’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
It’s a shame as Tokyo, who last hosted the Olympics in 1964, would have done a great job (okay I’m biased) but after hearing that Rio is first South American city to ever hold an Olympics it is probably a fair call. The other cities in the finals race were Chicago and Madrid.
- Honda introduces Segway-like U3-X
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September 27th, 2009
In the leadup to the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, Honda has introduced the U3-X, it’s own sit-down take on Dean Kamen’s famous two-wheeled Segway.
The one-wheeled U3-X, dubbed by Honda as the “world’s smallest existing transport device”, can move in any direction by the rider simply shifting their weight in the direction they wish to go.