People should stop being cheap and hire real translators.

From AdFreak.com, via Boing Boing.

From an anonymous reader on Slashdot:

“A recently-introduced law in Japan requires all businesses to have mandatory obesity checks (video link) for all their employees and employees’ family members over the age of 40, CNN reports. If the employee or family member is deemed obese, and does not lose the extra fat soon, their employer faces large fines. The legislated upper limit for the waistline is 33.5″ for men, and 35.5″ for women. Should America adopt universal health insurance, could we live to see the same kind of individual health regulations imposed on us by the government? By comparison, the average waistline in America in 2005 was 39 inches for men, 37 inches for women.”

I guess extreme problems call for extreme solutions!

Now, this also worries me. Potentially having to move in Japan soon to follow my love, and me being a bit overweight, will that new law make it impossible for me to find a job?

From Pink Tentacle:

Swedish furniture giant IKEA has converted the Kobe Portliner Monorail into a moving showroom before the April 14 opening of a new retail outlet at Port Island. The redecorated train, which features a colorful exterior, bright upholstery and fancy curtains, will carry passengers in style until May 6.

I wish they would have pulled that publicity stunt on a Yamanote train or a shinkansen!

From Yomiuri Shimbun:

A uniform manufacturer in Chuo Ward, Osaka, has developed a T-shirt intended to provide protection against knives, following an increasing number of malicious crimes that have victimized children and late-night convenience store clerks.

The site cubo.cc has only one page. It features a Japanese woman following your mouse pointer with her eyes. While I’m sure this will bring out the peeping Tom in some of you, I couldn’t help not to notice how red her eyes are.

The site itself doesn’t offer any further information other than an e-mail address and a link to another site. However, inspecting the source code, the technology seems to originate from motionportrait.com.

Seen on Mixx.

From CBC News:

Japan has created an unusual government post to promote animation, and named a perfect figure to the position: a popular cartoon robot cat named Doraemon.

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura appointed the cat as “anime ambassador” at an inauguration ceremony Wednesday.

From Slashdot, reported by RemyBR:

“Controversial scientific research happens all the time, but a review conducted by scientists in Japan uncovered a list of ‘bizarre’ trials - including one program designed to crossbreed cows with whales. ‘Scientists have analyzed 43 research papers produced by Japan over 18 years, finding most were useless or esoteric. The scientific research included injecting minke whale sperm into cows eggs, and attempts to produce test-tube whale babies.’”

Whale, I’m just speechless. Cow you really do that?! (Intentional bad pun for their intentional bad idea.)

I challenge anyone to use Photoshop and come up with a picture of a whale-cow crossbreed.

Some Japanese English I’ll never understand.

“And up and down again always anywear round and round and i’ll share my pillow too with you never…”

Originally posted on Rémino.

Last year was my first time to write the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. I wrote level 4: it was too easy. I received my certificate in March, and as I thought, I passed with flying colours.

Since I thought level 3 was quite similar to level 4, I thought for this year’s JLPT, I would be best to simply skip 3 and write level 2!

I went to Toronto last Sunday and wrote the exam. It was a big mistake. My derrière got served to me on a silver plater. Plus, I didn’t study a lot of kanji this year, so I’ve been punished for that too. At least, the listening part was a bit funny.

One interesting note, we’ve been warned if ever we reveal any information about the JLPT, the Japan Foundation will disqualify you. Since the test happens in the morning of the same day around the world, I heard some people in Japan, for example, are giving out answers to people in other countries. (Because of time zones, the exam starts later than Japan in many countries.)

Did you write the JLPT this year? If so, which level, and how was it? I’m also interested to know how you prepare yourselves for such an exam. I’m thinking I’ll simply learn and practice a new word everyday, starting New Year 2008!

While I agree to some comments on the linked page that is shows how Japanese people may be more patient than us in crowded places, I also agree that I would never be able to “relax” in such a place. Click the picture below for a video.

Taken from kilian-nakamura.com.

 Here are the answers to Sunday’s pop quiz, featuring references to Wikipedia:

1. How many Japanese islands have hosted the Olympic Games?
   2, Honshu (Tokyo 1964 and Nagano 1998) and Hokkaido (Sapporo 1972).
2. Who was the first non-mythical ruling Empress of Japan?
   Empress Suiko (推古天皇, ,593-628), the 33rd emperor of Japan. Empress Jingu (神功皇后 AD 169-269) precedes her as a mythical Empress.
3. Which train route was inaugurated in 2005, which goes from Tokyo to Ibaraki?
   The Tsukuba Express, which links the Akihabara station in Chiyoda, Tokyo to the Tsukuba Station in Tsukuba, Ibaraki.
4. In what year was the group Morning Musume formed, and with how many members?
   In 1997, with 5 girls. Yuko Nakazawa (中澤裕子), Natsumi Abe (安倍なつみ), Kaori Iida (飯田圭織), Asuka Fukuda (福田明日香), and Aya Ishiguro (石黒彩,).
5. Which coin, used in Japan until 1953, was equivalent to 1/100th of a yen?
   Sen (錢).
6. The famous Japanese social networking site Mixi was proposed in 2003 by a programmer now known as Batara Eto (衛藤バタラ). In which country was he borned?
   Indonesia.
7. What is the name of the temple which has the largest wooden building in the world?
   Toudai-ji (東大寺), which houses a giant Buddha status called the Daibutsu.
8. Since March 2005, who is the voice actor (or “seiyuu”) for the character Doraemon?
   Wasabi Mizuta (水田わさび).
9. Name an actress who played in the movie Death Note and in a special episode of GTO.
   Nana Katase (片瀬那奈, pictured).

For the bonus question, “Who was the first Japanese settler in Canada?” His name was “Manzo Nagano.”

When I asked those questions at our local Natsu Matsuri, I asked two tie breaker questions for first and second places. They were “What is the capital of Japan?” and “Japan is part of which continent?” For the second question, however, only later I realized most Japanese do not treat Japan to be part of Asia.

Congratulations to TofuUnion who got most of the questions right! Thanks to all those who participated!

Hi, I’m Rémi, a new contributor to Japundit. I’m Canadian and I’ve been studying the language and the culture of Japan as a hobby since years. Today, my first post will be a pop quiz for you. Here are the questions:

1. How many Japanese islands have hosted the Olympic Games?
2. Who was the first non-mythical ruling Empress of Japan?
3. Which train route was inaugurated in 2005, which goes from Tokyo to Ibaraki?
4. In what year was the group Morning Musume formed, and with how many members?
5. Which coin, used in Japan until 1953, was equivalent to 1/100th of a yen?
6. The famous Japanese social networking site Mixi was proposed in 2003 by a programmer now known as Batara Eto. In which country was he borned?
7. What is the name of the temple which has the largest wooden building in the world?
8. Since March 2005, who is the voice actor (or “seiyuu”) for the character Doraemon?
9. Name an actress who played in the movie Death Note and in a special episode of GTO.

Bonus: Who was the first Japanese settler in Canada?

When I asked those questions at the local Natsu Matsuri, everyone hated me for asking them. I’ll go easy next year. Comment with your answers, and don’t cheat!