A Japanese man has recently started an online petition to urge the government to legalise marriage with a two-dimensional (i.e. anime and comics) character… more than 2400 netizens have signed the petition so far.
The fella states that he is no longer interested with real three dimensional world, but wants to become an inhabitant of a two-dimensional world. He reckons though, that it’s impossible to achieve his dream with present day technology… thus thinking of the possibility to legalise marriage with a two-dimensional character instead.
He also said that he would like to marry Asahina Mikuru (pic) from popular Japanese anime/manga “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” [via Gaijinheart]
A bunch of premium grapes were auctioned for 100,000 yen (~US$920) in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, on Monday (August 11). The bunch weighed around 700g and had 35 grapes, which converts to about $26 per grape.
These expensive grapes are a new variety called the Ruby Roman; nurtured by the Kaga Fruit Land in Ishikawa. It’s said to be the largest grapes in Japan, about 3cm in diameter. The average price for the Ruby Romans at Monday’s auction was about 27,000 yen ($248) per bunch. [via Nikkei]
Yuko Ogura has won the 1st Japan Gravure Idol Award organised by gravure idol site ZAKZAK. The result was based on the sales of DVDs and photobooks, as well as exposure to media and appearances at public events. [via Tokyograph]
Gravure idols are Japanese models who posed primarily in bikinis and other provocative clothings for photo spreads in magazines, photobooks and DVDs. Some gravure idols would cross over into acting and singing… a few of the famous gravure idols could actually match the popularity of some A-list stars.
Below is the music video of “Onna no Ko ♥ Otoko no Ko” (オンナのコ ♥ オトコのコ; Girls ♥ Boys), a song from Yuko Ogura which was used as the ending theme for Japanese anime “School Rumble”…
Cosplay, or costume play, is a popular trend where people dressing up mimicking fictional characters from anime, manga (comics), video games and movies etc.
Japan is generally credited as the origin of cosplay, but there are no actual facts of when the cosplay culture started. The credit for coining the word ‘cosplay’ seems more apparent though… although there are a few versions on how it was created, the credit goes to Nobuyuki Takahashi when he first used the word in some Japanese magazines in 1983/1984.
Akibanana has some scanned image of the My Anime magazine released in June 1983, which is said to be where the word first appeared, written in Japanese - コスプレ (kosupure)…
Shigeo Obara, a Japanese farmer found a clover with 21 leafs last week in his garden. It’s a new Guinness record, beating his own previous record that was set in 2002 when he found a 18-leaf clover.
In Europe a 4-leaf clovers symbolize lucky but in Japan they symbolise happiness, 5-leaf clovers symbolise wealth and 6-leaf clovers are fame. [Hector]
I wonder what a 21-leaf clover would symbolise… lots of wealth, fame and happiness?
A pair of Yubari melons are sold for 2.5 million yen (~ USD23,800) in this harvest season’s first auction on May 13 at the Sapporo Central Wholesale Markets. The price is a record high, surpassing the 2 million yen a pair fetched last year. [Kyodo]
Yubari melons are known for their high quality and sweet taste, and are popular summer gifts in Japan; an average Yubari melon could cost USD50-100.
Giving gifts to corporate partners and clients is a traditional Japanese business custom. It’s usually done twice a year in mid-winter and again in mid-summer.
Conveyor belt sushi (回転寿司, kaitenzushi) celebrates its 50th anniversary on April 2008. Yoshiaki Shiraishi (1914-2001) opened the first conveyor belt sushi Mawaru Genroku Sushi in Osaka in 1958.
The concept has revolutionised the Japanese food culture, with thousands of conveyor belt sushi restaurants operating around the world.
Some might argue that the kaitenzushi is not of the highest quality, which is probably true… but it allows the consumers to have sushi at much cheaper price, and that’s probably why these restaurants are so popular. Most of the people who visit these places are aware of the flaw anyway.
Btw, the kaitenzushi also has a cute name in Japan… the kuru kuru sushi (くるくる寿司, literally sushi-go-around). The Australians are more direct with the name though, by simply calling it the train sushi.
