These posters for her have been doing the rounds.

Kyoto has issued some data for tourist numbers in 2010. The 5.7% rise may seem somewhat irrelevant given the problems this year but there was one figure which caught my eye. The greatest number of tourists to Japan come from Asia, but it seems Westerners, specifically Americans, still hold the top s...

Noahpinion: Do property rights increase freedom? (Japan edition) ...Since the dawn of time, libertarians have equated property rights with freedom. Intuitively, this makes a lot of sense: if the government can come and confiscate your stuff, or tell you what to do with it, you don't feel very free ...

Sanrio has hooked up with K-Pop band AFTERSCHOOL for a Hello Kitty project.

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/images/vbimghost/9794e4c28a0dd1d4.jpg Kevin Maher is the former head of the State Department's Office of Japan Affairs. He was replaced in the role after allegations he criticized Japan in some unguarded comments. He also appeared on FG a couple of years ago after...

The prosecution expects to make a response to the new findings before September 16th.

Source (Japanese)

The Ministry of Education has announced findings that 28,511 foreign children currently in state schools have insufficient Japanese ability for daily conversation. That's 38.4% of the 74,214 foreign pupils registered as of May 2011. It represents a small drop of 64 pupils compared with a similar inv...

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The video for "Man on Mars", the new single by British band Kaiser Chiefs, was filmed during their recent visit to Japan for a performance at Fuji Rock.

In September, Sanrio will open Club KT in Shibuya's 109 building. Aimed at offering a club and fashion experience to young teens, it will feature "DJ Hello Kitty":

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/images/vbimghost/9794e4a55cb118d4.jpg Kokeshi dolls are a well-known souvenir of Tohoku but it's Gunma prefecture which is most associated with kindai kokeshi ("modern kokeshi"). These are often more popular with overseas visitors and Gunma supplies around 60-70% ...

[YT]liuW8ITNYJk[/YT] British rakugoka Dianne Kichijitsu (aka Orrett) has been the victim of an email scam. Her address was hijacked and messages sent out in her name saying she had been robbed in Spain and needed money sent to her hotel. Around 1000 people in her address book received the mail, alth...

I didn't follow up this case but in September 2007, it was settled out of court. The customer offered an apology and paid compensation of 300,000 yen. The topic has just resurfaced on the web. A site called Sekisui Nezumi has been putting out criticisms of Sekisui ever since the company announced it...

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/images/vbimghost/9794e49faeca9db9.jpg http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/images/vbimghost/9794e49faecbbadd.jpg Born of a Filipino mother and Japanese father, Mary Jun Takahashi on the left and her younger sister Yu on the right. Mary Jun is a Cam Cam model while Y...

Not Japan: Korea Herald: Four found dead in apparent group suicide Two men and two women were found dead in a studio apartment in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, on Thursday in an apparent group suicide. The four people in their 20s seem to have inhaled toxic fumes after burning coal briquettes ins...

Russell wrote:The BBC is supposedly not associated with any religion. isn't it?

The BBC charter calls for the corporation to reflect religious belief in the country. This wasn't a specifically religious programme but it was broadcast on a Sunday.

Josei Seven decided to investigate the charge of "sexless Japan" by convening a panel of foreigners to discuss sex in Japan. The group included two girls - a 27 year old Italian and 24 year old Canadian - and 3 men - a 37 year old Ghanaian, 36 year old Pakistani and 29 year old Romanian. I think FG ...

[YT]2MhpoAZJd_g[/YT] BBC Radio recently broadcast a 30 minute programme on the Bach Collegium Japan . You can still listen to it here for a few more days. It's a fascinating story of how Masaaki Suzuki was determined to put together a top class Japanese ensemble to perform the works of Bach. Europea...

Coligny wrote:...in those days J-Wominz were still on par with the rest of the planet as far as charisma and beauty is concerned...

I've got no problem with 1969. Wakaki is no superstar but my point was that she looks better in the first picture compared with the second.

This photo of Moe Wakaki looks like it was taken in 1969:



This is how she more usually appears.

The Mayor of Kyoto has apologized to Rikuzen Takata over the matter. He points out that the radiation standards for goods such as firewood are the same as those for foodstuffs and hopes that the government might review the criteria.

Source (Japanese)

Do you really think it is theft to find an item in a public space and keep it? Do personal property rights extend to things we have lost? In Japan, it's a criminal offence not to hand in lost property you might find. As a carrot, there's a designated reward schedule if the item is claimed and it be...

HuffPost: Shark Attack Survivors Get Free Sushi In New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Restaurant The new sushi promotion for shark attack survivors at a Florida restaurant is the oceanic version of Hammurabi's Code: A bite for a bite. Anyone who's been nibbled on by a shark can walk into Kaiju Sushi and Rice B...

The has been a bit of a fuss over Kyoto's Gozan no Okuribi festival which involves burning bonfires on the hillsides around the city. Japan Probe noted that organizers had planned to use firewood from Iwate but received complaints from citizens concerned about radiation. Tests revealed no contaminat...

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/images/vbimghost/9794e451cdd313c1.jpg Unclear whether this was the couple asking about love hotels. The Shibuya Tourist Information Centre , located in a railway carriage set up outside the Hachiko exit of Shibuya station, is halfway through its six week tenure. S...