AltJapan

Some of Edo's Finest

A friend sent me this list of "localized" titles of television shows from Toei's website. "Please note that they frequently give the different titles in the actual locality." 

They weren't kidding. There are some real classics on here that I really want to check out, like the almost-a-porn-title Hold Out! Mammy and some new show called Dungard Ace.

Confessions of a Mask

Hiroko and I make the cover of Metropolis again! This time, they've graciously run several excerpts from Ninja Attack, which is out in Japan right now. It won't hit bookstores abroad until the end of the summer, so this is your chance for an early sneak peek at the "datafiles" for ninja sniper Sugitani Zenjubo and the femme fatale Mochizuki Chiyojo!

All Kappa, All The Time

 

The 8th annual Kappa Ten (Kappa Exhibition) is being held at the Artist Garden gallery in Ikebukuro from July 22nd through August 8th. As always, it's a celebration of everyone's favorite cucumber-eatin', sumo-wrestlin', anus-attackin', water-dwellin' yokai from Japanese folklore. 

I won't have anything on display this time -- I was too busy this year to design a "sequel" to the Kappa Machine -- BUT!! Kappa-related artwork from more than twenty artists will be on display, like manga-ka Yutaka Kondo (who illustrated Ninja Attack -- perhaps you've heard of it) and some killer sofubi from toy maker extraordinaire Koji Harmon.

The show officially kicks off on July 22, but a special opening reception is being held from 5pm to 6pm on Saturday, July 24th. Swing by for some kappa maki, beer, and your chance to hobnob with some of Japan's top yokai artists. Here's a map -- see you there!

Love Minus

Oh, those wacky Japanese! Now, no less a source than the Huffington Post is repeating reports of a Japanese-language Livedoor News poll alleging that a "majority" of Japanese women feel they can't compete with the girls in video games. “There’s no way I can beat that level of cuteness,” claims one of the women surveyed. Oh, the humanity.

The only problem? It's all based on a mistranslation. A very subtle one, but still one that leads to a misinterpretation.

When you read the original article, it becomes obvious that a majority of the respondents are actively repulsed by the idea of men who are obsessed with virtual characters. In fact, the very first survey question, which all of the foreign sites seem to leave out of their reports, is "How do you feel about men obsessed with dating simulators?" 

They're nuts: 15%.

They're kind of gross: 48%. 

I'd prefer they play other games: 15%

I don't really have a problem with it: 22%

"I don't really have a problem with it" = 別にいい, which hardly equates to strong support. But let's treat those women as supporters for the moment. That gives us 78% of Japanese female respondents who have a serious-to-minor problem with dating simulators. Seventy-eight. And more than half of those think men into dating sims are either nuts or gross!

Now check out the results to the second question, which is "But what if the man in question is your boyfriend?" 

I want him to stop: 45%

I don't want him playing them around me: 28%

I'd dump him: 7%

I don't really have a problem with it: 20%

The number of "I don't really have a problem with it" responses actually DROPS to 20%, giving us the information that eighty percent of Japanese women polled pretty much avoid men who play dating simulators.

So keeping that in mind, let's look at the final question, the one that the foreign sites are laser-focusing on, which is being translated as "could [you] win against a 2D game character [your] boyfriend was besotted with?"  It sounds pretty straightforward, but the actual translation of the line is below, with emphasis added:

"If your boyfriend were the sort to be obsessed with dating simulators, would you feel confident in being able to appeal to him more than the girls in the game?" In response to this totally loaded question, we get:

No: 53%

Yes: 47%

Now just think about the question for a second. It isn't asking Japanese women if they feel inadequate compared to virtual dating-sim girls. It's asking them if they think they can compete with virtual dating-sim girls in the mind of a person obsessed with dating sims. This is like asking a heterosexual woman what she thinks her chances are of being seduced in a gay bar. Does this speak to the "inadequacy" of Japanese women, or simply having the savvy to know when to choose their battles? You make the call.

Welcome to West Tokyo

 Another summer day, another "photochemical smog" announcement in Mitaka. 

Viva la Difference

Top 5 books on Amazon.com right this very second include "Women, Food, and God," three novels by the late Stieg Larsson, and preorders for George W. Bush's upcoming memoir.

Top 5 books on Amazon.co.jp right now? A Female Doctor Explains Satisfying Sex, former AKB48 idol Riko Yamaguchi's first nude photo book, the latest Fullmetal Panic manga, "The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs," and the appropriately named Schoolgirl Complex, which appears to be a book consisting of nothing but close-up photos of high school girls' (clothed) behinds (best review: "One star. Because I was expecting MORE fetish content.")

Aa, Jiyuu no megami sama

 

They may have gotten the "life" and "pursuit of happiness" bits down, but...

An oldie but goodie from Hello, Please, taken in Misawa, Japan a few years back. The caption reads: "Stop illegal border crossings! Thanks for reporting suspicious activity!"

Shinobi no mono

 

Ninja Attack officially goes on sale today in Japan -- yoroshiku!

(US, Europe, and Asia to follow this fall!)

 

 

What people are saying:

"I wish I'd had this beautiful book back in 1983 when Kevin Eastman and I created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles -- it would have helped a lot! At the very least, the 'ninja stuff' in our comic would have been quite a bit more authentic."

Peter Laird, co-creator, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

"The illustrations are brilliant! I wish there was a Japanese edition."

Takashi Okazaki, creator, Afro Samurai

"A very enjoyable and well-researched book that demystifies the ninja of legend!"

Stan Sakai, creator, Usagi Yojimbo

"Subterfuge! Assassinations! Secret weapons! Super-powers! Authors Yoda and Alt dig deep into Japanese history, folklore, and pop culture to bring back a saga overflowing with insight and action."

Patrick Macias, author, Tokyoscope: The Japanese Cult Film Companion

Samurai from Outer Suburbs

I have been dying to talk about this for close to a year, and now that the show is finally hitting the airwaves, I can! After Hiroko and I filmed that giant salamander mini-documentary for National Geographic several years back, they asked us to provide content for an all-new television show then in development. Now it's here. "Nat Geo Amazing!" is a 10 episode series that airs Friday evenings at 7:00 (EST) on the National Geographic Channel, starting this July 9th. 

It's an "omnibus" style show, with each episode comprising a bunch of short segments. We handled the ones filmed in Japan. This represents our first foray into primetime programming, so you can imagine we're pretty excited about it. 

What we tried to do: deliberately go a little deeper than the usual "Japan Cool" fluff. Did we succeed? We didn't get final cut on any of the bits we filmed, so you'll have to judge for yourself. But I like to think our little segments prove that the short form (essentially the TV equivalent of a blog post) can go deeper than just sound bites. Here's a list of the ones we worked on.

Bionic Turtles

After rescuing a loggerhead turtle named Yuu-chan from a shark attack, researchers from the Sea Turtle Association of Japan work with a human prosthetics company to rebuild her better, faster, and stronger than before. Watch the segment here!

Okotanpe, the Body Juggler

Okotanpe is a master of the art of contact juggling, able to manipulate a heavy crystal ball in mesmerizing ways. We follow him into the heart of darkest Harajuku, where he draws massive crowds. Watch the segment here!

Yabusame Archers

The art of yabusame -- archery on horesback -- has mesmerized crowds in Japan for close to a millenium. We follow an otherwise normal-looking salaryman who has managed to master this notoriously difficult sport.

The Monkey Whisperer

Dr. Nobuo Masataka is a professor of animal behavior at Kyoto's primate research institute. Can he establish communications with Japan's famed snow monkeys, or are they too relaxed from kicking it in the hot tub? Tune in to find out.

Tetsuro Shimaguchi: Samurai Swordsman

Everyone loves samurai movies, but very few realize just how much work goes into executing the swordfight scenes. So we set one up ourselves with the help of professional tateshi Tetsuro Shimaguchi! His film credits include choreographing the swordplay between Uma Thurmond and Lucy Liu at the climax of "Kill Bill." Watch the segment here!

How to Make a Giant Monster Movie

Giant monster movies, called "kaiju eiga" in Japan, are beloved the world over for their unique approach to special effects. But even in the digital age, sometimes the best way to film a monster stomping a city is by filming a monster stomping a city. Director Tomoo Haraguchi shows us how it's done on the set of his latest film, "Death Kappa." Watch the segment here!

Tokyo Crows

Tis the season... for massive, ferocious ravens to swoop down on unsuspecting passerby to protect their spawn.

 

I have to admit having a soft spot for the suckers, though. Photos by Hiroko: