Battle Royale isn't banned in the US. It just never found a distributor. Michael Moore was facing the same situation when Disney dropped him but he found a way around it. Battle Royale was released in 2001 in the US but no-one wanted to touch it. That happens to a whole host of worthy films. In this...

Don't forget the third "dropped" verse: "God grant that Marshal Wade / May by the mighty aid / Victory bring. / May he sedition hush / And like a torrent rush / Rebellious Scots to crush / God save the king." It was written just after the Scots were defeated so it was appropriate...

The origin of the term "limey" for a person from England is from when Captain Cook (who comprehensively mapped most of the Pacific) mandated that his crew carry limes onboard to prevent scurvy. Most other sailing nations at the time hadn't even made the connection between scurvy and vitam...

oops...double post

Seems to be getting a big push by her record company right now but I think her photo albums are the money spinner. I suppose you have to say good luck to any FG who can make it on local terms. She speaks very good Japanese.

TBS ran a programme about Japanese girls buying boys in Bali back in 1998. It was almost an exact copy of a programme 10 years earlier about Japanese girls buying sex in Hawaii, Guam & Saipan. Sorry, can't help you with the JT link.

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/f20367ccf9ea9e3f26f9a0fe7dfba98b.jpg Just caught a live event in Shibaura with Taiwanese idol Yin Ling. Not the strongest singer on Victor Records' roster. I think she is relying on other aspects of her character for her appeal. http://www.fuckedga...

Greenaway was tipping his hat to Kobayashi's 1964 "Kwaidan" which was based on story adaptations by Lafcadio Hearn.

he is a gaijin and no gaijin has ever been allowed out on bail or on ever. Not even a guarantor can help a gaijin in the claws of Japanese injustice. That is wrong. That quote only pertains to immigration cases. In other matters Gaijin have been allowed out of jail on bail or personal recognizance....

I was reading this thread with the usual detachment of an overseas FG until a quick downpour reminded me that I was in back in Tokyo. Please tell me this is going to blow right through and Fuji Rock will be sun and smiles.

One of the points that Kuwayama makes is that the "center of anthroplogy thinking", broadly speaking, the English speaking world, does not regard itself as a subject for anthropological study. Social Studies and linguistic studies are common but true anthropology still seems to be directed...

Business Week has an unenviable reputation for picking up on world trends at least a year too late. By the time they have turned their oil tanker, the trend has usually peaked. This applies, in particular, to glowing articles on company CEOs which has often preceded a fall in company fortunes. This ...

"Asylum for the criminally insane" - I think the first step in building these things is to find an appropriate euphemism.

You'd have to be prepared to accept a Taroyen with that smile beaming out at you.

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/f00b00f5712b82b2287c380ecea0a4b9.jpg Facilities for criminally insane stalled Atsuko Kinoshita / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer The government is unsure when it will be able to begin construction of asylums for the criminally insane, due to oppositio...

Cancer patients turn to Japanese faith healing A controversial four-decade-old Japanese cult, whose first disciples were bar girls, has now found a different kind of following in Nepal. Sukyo Mahikari is a religious movement started in 1959 by Japanese mystic Okada Yoshikazu, who envisioned bathing...

Good Link. Thanks. If you are a Ruins fan, I've just seen this on pitchfork Review of Korekyojin - Arabesque His Ruins duo hijacked hardcore punk with the intention of bringing the savage theatrics of France's Magma, Italy's Area and Sweden's Samla Mammas Manna to an audience beyond the usual dark, ...

Not sure about your suggested therapies and treatments I was watching the TV show with a friend who is a clinical psychologist. In fact, he's why the damn thing was on the only TV in the house in the first place. I kept thinking tough love was surely the answer too but he was adamant that we were lo...

Thanks for the speedy clarification. That certainly makes a lot more sense what with DoCoMo investing in the brand overseas. I haven't even had time to embarass myself talking about this.

Just spotted this date too: http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/5608d1441808c372f0f6b68369249a43.gif August 18th - Lolita 18 and others at Shibuya Chelsea Hotel I've read so much about Lolita 18 that I've almost convinced myself I know them well. However, I haven't heard anything they...

OMIGOD...I Forgot....
and

Marshmallow Spike
Shinjuku Jam
Sunday August 22, afternoon (time TBA)
Tickets: 1,200

A few things on over that period as far as I can tell. I can't vouch for them all but you never know what you might stumble across. August 11 - the band apart/Mo'some Tonebender at Ebisu Liquid Room. MT have almost made it to the mainstream after slogging it out on the livehouse circuit. They can gi...

From Today's Japan Times Illegal foreign labor worries Japanese More than 70 percent of Japanese are worried that an increase in the number of illegally employed foreign workers could undermine public safety and result in human rights abuses against the workers themselves, according to a government ...

Saturday's Asahi/IHT had an interview with Takami Kuwayama on the books page but I don't see an online version (probably somewhere). I've read his book and he has good points to make. He thinks that the US anthropology "Japan Specialists" are now so numerous that they can conduct academic ...

I saw the TV show that Adam and Joe put together in Japan around teh time of the World Cup. They can be pretty funny but, unfortunately, it was deeply unimpressive. It eventually only got aired on BBC's low audience digital channel. Love Hotels, Host Clubs, feaky food...it was newbie reporters with ...

Thanks for the heads up. Always good to get some background on bands. Your man got some good venues. A lot of up-and-coming overseas indie bands play Astro Hall in Harajuku and Shimokitazawa is band-central in Tokyo.
If the guys get any good pics when they are out, post them here.
Cheers

No stuntmen, no wire action, no slo-mo or fast action etc etc. This is the guy's first film but it could also be his last if he keeps that work ethic going.

From what I remember, his parents were obliged to leave the house for 4 or 5 hours while the guy plucked up the courage to go to the bathroom down the hall. If they came back before he was back in his room, he would stay in the bathroom for a couple of days to settle himself.

The basashi aisu (horse meat ice cream) warranted a mention on BBC Radio 4 this morning.