I wrote about McDonalds Japan‘s “Big America” Quarter-Pounder burger campaign. (Click here to read it).
They offered the “Big Texas Burger“, then the “New York Burger“, and then the “Hawaiian Burger“. Now they’re offering the final one…the “California Burger“.
Well, to compete, Burger King Japan is selling four different 「世界の美味しさとてつまなくデカイ！ワッパー」 (“World’s Delicious Giant Whoppers“).
Rather than a different flavor burger for four different U.S. states, like McDonalds Japan is selling, Burger King Japan‘s new “Whoppers” are four different flavors from four countries.
From 2010 February 1 – 18, they sold the “American flavor 「バーベキューワッパー」 (“BBQ Whopper“),
and then from 2010 February 19 – March 4, they sold the “Malaysian flavor” 「ブラックペッパーワッパー」 (“Black Pepper Whopper“).
Currently they are selling the 「スパイシーイタリアンワッパー」 (“Spicy Italian Whopper“).
And the final one will be the “Japanese flavor” 「てりやきワッパー」 (“Teriyaki Whopper“), which will be offered beginning 2010 March 19.
Burger King Japan has had unique Whopper burgers before… Click here for my post about their “Bourbon Whopper“, and Click here for my post about their “Whopper 7“.
The American rock band KISS released a new album last autumn titled “Sonic Boom“.
And every summer for the past ten years or so, there is a rock festival in Japan called “Summer Sonic” (actually this is one of the numerous rock festivals in Japan every year).
Well, my good friend Masa told me today that KISS is planning to play at this year’s “Summer Sonic” festival near Tokyo this August to promote their “Sonic Boom” album.
Maybe they’ll call their shows at the festival the “Summer Sonic Boom Tour“. 😉
————————————————
If you like heavy metal music you probably recognize the name Marty Friedman.
He used to be the guitarist for the American heavy metal band “Megadeth“.
Marty played on Megadeth's excellent "Countdown To Extinction" album.
Marty Friedman has a Japanese wife and can speak Japanese. When he was a member of Megadeth, he would do all of the band’s media interviews in Japanese when they toured here in Japan (usually Dave Mustaine, the lead singer, does the interviews).
After he quit Megadeth, he and his wife moved to Tokyo (now, like me, he’s an American KISS fan living in Tokyo with his Japanese wife 😉 ).
Now that he lives in Japan, he makes a living by occasionally co-hosting music shows on TV, writing for music magazines, playing in a variety of Japanese bands, and he has released albums of remakes of Japanese songs.
Most recently, he has recorded TV commercial for the Fanta soft drink with three Japanese musicians and Akenono, the former 横綱 (Sumo Grand Champion).
In these commercials, Marty Friedman and the others (who are all famous in Japan…actually, Marty Friedman is the least famous of the five in Japan) are in a “FANTA” rock band.
Since they are all musicians in real life except Akebono (the former sumo champion)…in the commercials, Akebono plays the drums but always messes up.
The reason that these five celebrities were chosen for the “FANTA band” is that the first initial of each member’s name spells F.A.N.T.A.
They are: Marty Friedman (guitar), Ayanocozey (sometimes called “DJ OZMA”) (bass), Nana Tanimura (vocals), Takamizawa (aka: Takamiy (of the Japanese band “The Alfee“)) (guitar), and Akebono (drums (and “bodyguard” 🙂 )).
These commercials are to promote the new Fanta drink in Japan…”Moo Moo White“.
(Click here to read the post I wrote about this drink.)
Here a video of the TV commercial that Fanta released (it doesn’t show who the band members are…in an attempt to build up anticipation):
And here’s the latest one (Akebono, the sumo wrester / drummer drops his drum sticks):
————————————————
Also, in Japan, yesterday was the holiday “White Day“.
Probably every Japanese person knows who 山下清 (Kiyoshi Yamashita) is.
Have you ever heard of him?
He’s a famous Japanese artist. Often called the “Japanese Van Gogh“.
He died in 1971 at the age of 49…but if he was still alive today, last Wednesday would have been his 88th birthday.
Kiyoshi Yamashita was born in Tokyo on 1922 March 10 (his birth name was Seiji Obashi).
He suffered an illness as a young child that stunted his mental growth and he was diagnosed as mentally handicapped (some people now believe he was autistic).
In elementary school he was bullied because of his mental handicap and slow speech. So his mother enrolled him in a boarding school in Chiba, Japan for special needs children.
In 1940, Japan was at war and Kiyoshi Yamashita was eighteen years old and now potentially eligible for the Army draft.
So he ran away and began a life as a vagrant wandering around Japan and painting the scenes he saw.
When he was eventually forced to register for the draft he was found unfit due to his handicap, but he said that he enjoyed life on the road and he continued wandering for a fourteen years.
His art style is mosaic. He cuts pieces of colorful paper and glues them to a canvas to create a beautiful scene.
An amazing fact is that he would remember a scene that he saw and recreate it on his canvas later. He was able to memorize all the details that he saw…which is why many people believe he was autistic (the disease that Dustin Hoffman’s character had in the movie “Rain Man“).
Life on the road wasn’t always easy, of course.
He often had to beg for money to buy food. But he spent his money as frugally as possible and at one point he was arrested for vagrancy and the arresting officer found ¥10,000 in his bag that he was able to save up (which was a considerable amount at that time).
But when the police officer accused him of stealing it, Mr. Yamashita wasn’t able to explain himself clearly.
According to Mr. Yamashita’s biography, the officer beat him and pocketed the money.
At one point after Kiyoshi Yamashita stopped roaming the country and settled back down in 1954, he was given a chance to teach an art class for other mentally handicapped people.
He told them to never feel inferior and if they believe in themselves they can be like an Army general.
So, from that quote and also the way Mr. Yamashita had a habit of dressing without a shirt, he was given the nickname 「裸の大将」 (“The Naked General“).
There is a TV series in Japan based on his life. The series is titled 「裸の大将」 (“The Naked General“).
I don’t remember most of the lesser known American holidays, so correct me if I’m wrong.
But, as I remember, in America there are some spring customs but no legal holidays.
First, February 2 is “Groundhog Day” in America.
A groundhog is a type of マーモット…
A groundhog.
Not to be confused with 「モルモット」, which means “guinea pig” in Japanese.
A guinea pig.
In America, on Groundhog Day people watch a groundhog to see if he leaves his burrow or not.
If he does, that’s supposed to mean that spring will start soon…if he returns to his burrow after sticking his head out, that means the cold winter weather will continue longer.
At least that’s how I remember it. It’s an odd custom.
April 1st is called “April Fool’s Day“.
On this day in America, people play practical jokes on each other…if someone falls for one of these practical jokes, then he’s labeled a “fool” for the day–the “April Fool“.
Also Easter, I believe, is on the first Sunday of April.
This is a religious Christian holiday.
Many people in America, Canada (and maybe some European countries too) paint Easter eggs and “the Easter Bunny” gives baskets of chocolate to children.
School students get a week or so “Spring Break” holiday from school…but it’s not the end of the school year yet (as it is in Japan). Summer Break is the end of the U.S. school year.
In Japan spring is different.
Here, the school year ends in March and begins after spring in April.
Students in Japan who will be starting high school or college must take Entrance Exams. (My second daughter passed her Entrance Exam and will be starting high school next month).
At almost the same time as Groundhog Day in the U.S., Japan has Setsubun on February 2nd every year.
In March, Japan has Doll Festival on March 3rd, and White Day on March 14th (tomorrow). But those aren’t legal holidays (I mean, they’re not days off).
But around March 20th is 「春分の日」 (Spring Equinox) is a legal holiday. This year, Spring Equinox is Sunday, March 21st…so it’ll will be observed the next day—Monday, March 22nd will be a day off.
Many people visit their family grave on this day.
A big holiday season in Japan occurs in spring. It’s called “Golden Week“. Golden Week is technically May 3rd – May 5th (「憲法記念日」 (Constitution Day), 「緑の日」 (Greenery Day), and 「子供の日」 (Children’s Day) respectively)…but often 「昭和の日」 (Showa Day), which is on April 29th, is included.
So, some people get Golden Week holiday from April 29th – May 5th.
I wrote a post last month that Tokyo will be getting two new pandas from China for 上野動物園 (Ueno Zoo) to replace the one that died about two years ago.
(Click here to read it.)
Well, I was in the Ueno area of Tokyo yesterday and I noticed the elevator to the underground parking area was decorated with Sakura flowers and a panda and it said 「うえのにパンダを！」 (translates to: “(We want) Pandas in Ueno!“).
So I took a photo of it with my cell-phone camera:
「うえのにパンダを！」 ("(We want) Pandas in Ueno!")
I guess the city’s trying to promote the arrival of the pandas so hopefully many people will visit the zoo to see them once they get here.
I’m sure there will be a huge crowd to see the pandas when they first arrive…and I’m sure they’ll continue to be popular for as long as they’re here. Pandas are always very popular in Japan’s zoos.
Have you ever seen a panda in a zoo? Are they popular in your country like they are in Japan?
It’s getting close to 花見 (“Cherry-Blossom Viewing“) time in Japan.
Every spring, during the short time that the pink Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) are in bloom, Japanese people enjoying hanami (“Cherry-Blossom Viewing“).
This ancient Japanese tradition is basically a picnic under the Sakura trees.
Japanese people will often join a “hanami” party more than once during the period the flowers are in bloom…because people will often join a party with friends, another with co-workers, and another with their family.
It’s very enjoyable to sit under the delicate flowers as they fall from the trees in the spring breeze like a pink snowfall and enjoy good food and beer and conversation with friends and / or family.
Sakura is a symbol of Japan and it’s appreciated for it’s beauty and also that it’s gentle and is gone soon after it blooms…like life itself.
Quite a contrast from a strong thorny flower with a long life like a rose.
Anyways, “MAPPLE” is probably the most famous map company in Japan. And on their website they have a 「お花見地図」 (“Cherry-Blossom Viewing Map“).
On this map, you choose an area of Japan from the list on the left (it looks like this):
And then the map will highlight that area of the map of Japan with images of Sakura trees that are color-coded to indicate whether the sakura flowers in that area are “in full bloom”, “just beginning to bloom”, “not yet”, “almost all past”, or “finished”.
There’s a key in the upper-left corner of the site that indicates what the colored trees mean:
If you can read Japanese, you can click here to see the 「お花見地図」 (“Cherry-Blossom Viewing Map“).
Have you ever gone on a 「花見」 (Cherry Blossom Viewing)? Did you enjoy it?
Will you go this year?
Today is the 88th birthday of 水木しげる (Shigeru Mizuki).
Mr. Shigeru Mizuki (born 1922 March 8)
He is an anime artist that I like.
His most famous work is the 「ゲゲゲの鬼太郎」 (“Ge-ge-ge-no-Kitarou“) anime series.
This series is about a group of 妖怪 (ghouls) led by Kitaro who protect humans from other, less-kind ghouls who want to hurt them.
It’s a fun series.
And Mr. Shigeru Mizuki, the artist, is a person with an interesting life story.
When he was a child he enjoyed drawing and listening to an old neighbor lady’s ghost stories.
And when he was a young man, both he and his brother were drafted by the Japanese Army to fight in World War 2.
The army sent him to help defend their base in New Guinea.
While he was there, he lost his left arm (the arm he used to draw his art with) in the Allied bombings.
Unbelievably, he taught himself to draw using his other hand.
While he was in the base hospital recovering from his injuries, he met and became close to some of the local tribes-people.
The chief of the tribe offered him some land and a position in their tribe if he married the chief’s daughter.
He decided that the offer sounded good and told an officer in the army that he wanted to stay on the island after being discharged.
The army officer told he that he could stay there…but he should first return to Japan to say goodbye to his parents. He decided to follow that advice.
But upon returning to Japan, he decided that he couldn’t go back to New Guinea because his parents were ill and had no one else to care for them since Mr. Mizuki’s brother was convicted of war crimes by the Allies and executed.
So he stayed in Japan and cared for his parents…and he became a popular anime artist.
I wrote another post about 水木しげる (Shigeru Mizuki) and the 「ゲゲゲの鬼太郎」 (“Ge-ge-ge-no-Kitarou“) anime…click here.
He was born in Taiwan on 1910 March 5. In the 1940’s, he moved to Osaka, Japan and became a naturalized Japanese citizen.
Soon after, he started his own company called 「日清食品株式会社」 (Nisshin Food Corp.) and he made 「チキンラーメン」 (“Chicken Ramen”).
He sold these packages of instant noodles for ¥35 each.
They’re still popular in Japan today…the price nowadays is only about ¥60 (about US$0.75) for a package.
Chicken Ramen
In the early 1970’s, Momofuku Ando invented 「カップヌードル」 (“Cup Noodle“) which became a worldwide success.
I think “Cup Noodle” is called “Cup Noodles” (plural) outside Japan. Is that what they’re called in your country?
A package of "Cup Noodle" made for outside Japan is called "Cup Noodles".
Mr. Momofuku Ando died on 2007 January 5. Only three years ago, and only two months shy of his 97th birthday.
Well, the day before yesterday (2010 March 5), would have been Momofuku Ando’s 100th birthday…which is all the more special if you know that his interesting first name is written as 「百福」. The characters that spell his first name “Momofuku” translate literally to “One hundred good fortunes”.
So to commemorate the 100th anniversary of their founder’s birth, Nisshin Foods is having a few different campaigns.
First of all, the original instant noodle, 「チキンラーメン」 (“Chicken Ramen“), is being sold in a retro package that looks like the original package…and it’s being sold at the original price for a limited time: only ¥35 each.
Also, a package of original flavor 「カップヌードル」 (Cup Noodle) is now available for only ¥100 each.
And Nisshin is also selling a new product in honor of Momofuku Ando’s 100th birthday…packages of 「百福」 (Momofuku) noodles (either “Chicken salt broth Ramen” or “Duck broth Soba”) for ¥170.
These are in large packages because each noodle is 100 cm long!
And lastly, if you go to the 「ららぽーと豊洲」 (“Toyosu Lalaport” shopping mall) in Tokyo from 2010 March 27 – April 4 between 10:00AM – 6:00PM, you can see a special event for the 100th anniversary of Momofuku Ando’s birth.
They’ll have an exhibit that explains the history of Nissin Foods, instant ramen, and Mr. Ando.
They will also 「わたしのカップヌードル」 (Custom Cup Noodle) in which you can add whatever flavors you choose to your instant ramen for ¥300,
As well as other displays, shows and foods to try…including “Space Ramen”, which is the special package of instant ramen that Nisshin Foods made for astronauts to bring into space with them.
Have you ever tried 「カップヌードル」 (Cup Noodle)? Do you like it?
I like instant ramen. It’s good. But “real” ramen from a ramen restaurant in much better!
Have you ever tried Japanese ramen at a restaurant? I recommend 「坦々麺」 (“Tan-tan-men”)…it’s a spicy flavor of ramen. I like it alot. Have you ever tried it? Do you like spicy food?
Yesterday was warm in Tokyo. The high temperature was 20°C.
But today it’s raining and alot cooler. The high temperature is only 12°C today.
Tomorrow is forecast to only be 6°C and snow!
The rest of this week it’s forecast to have many rainy days and many sunny day…and the temperature will range from 7° – 16°C.
It’s like this every year at this time in Tokyo…the end of winter, the weather fluctuates from warm to cold a lot until Spring finally starts.
In Japanese, the expression for “the temperature going up and down everyday” is 「三寒四温」 (Sankan-shion)…which translates literally to “three cold, four warm”.
***
On another note, I have begun listening to an American heavy metal band called “Disturbed“.
I guess I discovered this band late. But I don’t keep up with the music scene anymore like I did when I was a kid.
Do you like this band?
Yesterday was the Japanese holiday 「ひな祭」 (Doll Festival). Click here to see my FAQ about it.
People with daughters decorate their homes with an elaborate princess doll display.
We have 「ひな人形」 (princess dolls), but we haven’t set them up since my kids were young.
It’s also common for families with daughters to eat sushi for dinner on this day. We had an excellent sushi dinner yesterday.
Also, Tuesday was the 65th anniversary of the famous World War Two battle on 「硫黄島」 (Iwo-to (aka: “Iwo-Jima”)) between the U.S. Marines and the Japanese Army.
The photograph of the U.S. Marines raising the American flag on the island is very famous.
In honor of this anniversary, there was a ceremony held on this island to remember those who died in that very bloody battle.
Both U.S. Marines and Japanese soldiers attended this ceremony. The actual remaining survivors of the “Battle Of Iwo-Jima” are too old to make the journey, so younger Marines and soldiers attended in their place.
Ceremony in honor of the 65th anniversary of the "Battle Of Iwo-Jima"
By the way, the name of the island is correctly called “Iwo-To“…”Iwo-Jima” is another possible pronunciation of the characters 「硫黄島」 that spell the island’s name and during the war, it seems, the U.S. military mistakenly began calling the island “Iwo-Jima” and that remained in use after World War Two. But it was recently officially changed back to the original name of “Iwo-To“.
Tokyo Five 
Recent Comments