YeinJee's Asian Journal » Japan

Tokyo Girls Collection 2009 Autumn & Winter

Yein Jee — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:01:31 +0000

Tokyo Girls Collection (TGC) is one of the world’s largest fashion festival, held twice annually in Japan since 2005, and is opened to public with affordable price.

The event showcases real cloths, street fashion and casual brands. The show is streamed live on mobile and internet; people can buy their favourite products on the spot or almost real time online.

Below are some videos from the 2009 Autumn-Winter show on September 5; fashion, girls, or music, it seems fun whichever you preferred…

Read the rest of this post »

Tokyo Girls Collection 2009 Autumn & Winter from YeinJee's Asian Journal

BoA ft. Verbal – Bump Bump music video and pics

Yein Jee — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:51:48 +0000

Korean pop star BoA is taking a break from her American activities to release a Japanese single, Bump Bump, featuring Verbal from M-flo. Music video, and some black & white promotional pics further below…

Read the rest of this post »

BoA ft. Verbal – Bump Bump music video and pics from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Keiko Kitagawa plays swordswoman in new movie

Yein Jee — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:49:57 +0000

Japanese actress Keiko Kitagawa is playing a swordswoman in her new movie After the Flowers, which is scheduled to show in March 2010. Don’t have much clue what the film is about; love its promotional pics for Keiko though…

Read the rest of this post »

Keiko Kitagawa plays swordswoman in new movie from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Ex Japanese Prime Minister to voice Ultraman movie

Yein Jee — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:44:49 +0000

Former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has found himself a new job… as a voice actor for an upcoming live-action Ultraman movie.

The full title of the film is Giant Monster Battle: Ultra Galactic Legend The Movie, to be precise lol.

Koizumi will lend his voice as the Ultraman King, an ancient Legendary Hero in the Ultra family. The film will open in Japan on December 12.

Koizumi is one of the most of popular postwar Prime Ministers in Japan. He retired in 2006, and the political arena has been in chaos ever since. The current PM Yukio Hatoyama, amazingly, is Koizumi’s 4th successor in just over three years.

[via Animenewsnetwork and Japanprobe]

Ex Japanese Prime Minister to voice Ultraman movie from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Bijin Tokei = cute Japanese girls + clock = win

Yein Jee — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:13:49 +0000

Introducing the prettiest digital clock ever.

Bijin Tokei (literally beauty clock) is a web application with cute Japanese girls showing you the time on your PC, iPhone, gadget, website etc., which refreshed automatically with a new image every minute.

Read the rest of this post »

Bijin Tokei = cute Japanese girls + clock = win from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Avex USA Star Search 2009

Yein Jee — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:41:20 +0000

Japanese talent agency Avex is running an audition campaign in the US. The first confirmed venue is at Honolulu, Hawaii on November 14; the remainder of the schedule will be decided upon the responses from respective cities.

The online registration will expire on October 31. Japanese pop star wannabe… kindly check the official audition website for details.

Avex is one of the biggest entertainment agencies in Japan; boosting the likes of Ayumi Hamasaki, Namie Amuro, Kumi Koda, Ai Otsuka, BoA and Tohoshinki etc.

Also check out SM audition and JYPE audition, from two major Korean agencies which are hunting talents in Oct/Nov in US and Canada.

Avex USA Star Search 2009 from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Quack… Giant duck invades Osaka

Yein Jee — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:28:33 +0000

A 10m tall giant rubber duck, created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, was displayed in the Japanese city of Osaka recently. The rubber duckie (and its taller cousin) has been travelling around the world since its creation in 2007.

Read the rest of this post »

Quack… Giant duck invades Osaka from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Japan

Yein Jee — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:41:51 +0000

The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan, is the world’s second largest aquarium behind the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, USA. It’s one of the very few aquariums in the world that keep whale sharks in cavity.

Video of Kuroshio Sea, the largest tank in the aquarium; shot by Canadian filmmaker Jon Rawlinson. Mesmerising stuff; I can watch this for hours…

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Japan from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Another life-size giant robot in Japan

Yein Jee — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:33:30 +0000

After the highly popular life-size 18-metre Gundam model in Tokyo, another giant Japanese robot statue, the Tetsujin 28-go (lit. Iron Man #28), is set to welcome its visitors in Kobe following its completion earlier this week.

Tetsujin 28 was created in 1956 by Kobe-born Mitsuteru Yokoyama; it was one of the earliest giant robot characters in Japanese manga. The comic was later adapted into anime series and was aired in US as well, retitled as the Gigantor.

The Tetsujin 28 statue is located at Kobe’s Wakamatsu Park. It’s similar in height with the Gundam statue, but doesn’t have moving parts like the Tokyo counterpart. The Kobe robot is built as a permanent structure though, whereas the Gundam was disassembled after two months of exhibition.

If the trend keeps going, we might be seeing dozens of giant robot models across Japan in future… pretty fitting tourist attraction for the #1 robotic nation lol.

[image from the project's official website [Jp]]

Another life-size giant robot in Japan from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Final Fantasy XIII official trailer @ TGS 2009

Yein Jee — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:29:11 +0000

Video game developer Square Enix has released a seven-minutes long Japanese trailer for Final Fantasy XIII at the Tokyo Game Show 2009…

The Final Fantasy console game series was revolutionary in the 80s and 90s, popularising the role-playing-game (RPG) genre with its well written plots and high quality visuals & soundtracks.

Not sure if the game will appeal to younger generation these days; but for RPG gamers who grew up in that era, it’s a highly anticipated game for sure.

FFXIII will be released in Japan in December 2009 on PS3. Xbox and international versions estimated to be available in spring 2010.

[video via qarisu@Youtube]

Final Fantasy XIII official trailer @ TGS 2009 from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Yoshida Brothers – Kodo music video

Yein Jee — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:42:55 +0000

Yoshida Brothers are Japanese musicians famous for playing the shamisen (三味線, lit. three flavour strings), a traditional Japanese music instrument.

Kodo (鼓動) was released in 2004 in the Yoshida Brothers II album; a remix version of the song was used for Nintendo’s Wii commercial in 2006.

Yoshida Brothers – Kodo music video from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Asian music video collection (6)

Yein Jee — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:55:53 +0000

Chinese song by Taiwanese singer Wilber Pan & Korean diva Lee Hyori, another one from Chinese-Korean combo group Suju-M; Japanese song by Yuki Kimura; and a Korean song by Clazziquai…

Lee Hyori & Wilber Pan – As Long As I Love You

K-pop diva Lee Hyori singing in Chinese for Hyundai i30 commercial, featuring Taiwanese star Wilber Pan. The MV style seriously reminds me of the Anycall commercials; same production team perhaps. Weird accent, but decent song…

Read the rest of this post »

Asian music video collection (6) from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Asian music video collection (5)

Yein Jee — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:06:16 +0000

Chinese song by Taiwanese singer Jam Hsiao; Japanese song by SMAP; and Korean songs by Drunken Tiger and Tiara.

Jam Hsiao – Princess

“Princess” (王妃; prince’s wife to be precise) by Jam Hsiao from his same-title album, released in July 2009. Not a bad song, love his voice as always…

Read the rest of this post »

Asian music video collection (5) from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Shokotan coming to Singapore for AFA09

Yein Jee — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:03:26 +0000

Popular otaku celebrity Shoko Nakagawa, popularly known as Shokotan, will be performing at Anime Festival Asia (AFA) in Singapore on November 21-22, 2009.

AFA is one of the the biggest anime-comic-game conventions in South East Asia; first held in 2008, the event is back again in 2009 following last year’s success.

Besides Shokotan, other celebs that will be performing at the I Love Anisong concert are May’N, Aniki and Yoshiki Fukuyama. Other sections of AFA09 include cosplay, toys & games exhibits, and maid cafe etc.

The organisers held a press conference on September 1 to officiate the 2009 event; check out the coverage by blogger Darkmirage, Alafista and Double.

More details and updates on AFA09’s official website or Facebook.

Anime Festival Asia

Previous: Anime Festival Asia 2008

Shokotan coming to Singapore for AFA09 from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Kirsten Dunst cosplay at Tokyo Akiba

Yein Jee — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:41:18 +0000

American actress Kirsten Dunst shot a video in Tokyo’s Akihabara otaku district in a seriously-too-colourful-and-wicked sailor costume on August 27.

The video will be used for an exhibition later this year at Tate Modern in London.

[more images][via Japanprobe and 3yen]

Kirsten Dunst cosplay at Tokyo Akiba from YeinJee's Asian Journal

Japanese antique world map

Yein Jee — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:11:36 +0000

Vintage world map by Japanese mapper Nagakubo Sekisui, created in 1850…

Notice how huge Antarctica was portrayed back then; global warming lol?

[more Japanese antique maps at Joel's blog]

Japanese antique world map from YeinJee's Asian Journal