Today (April 22nd, 2014) is 「アース・デイ」 (“Earth Day”). It is observed in many countries, including Japan.
This is the day set aside to remind us to protect the environment, not only on Earth Day, but always.
At the very least, we should remember the “3Rs”…reduce, reuse and recycle.
In honor of Earth Day, a website has been made by Google and Time Magazine that allows visitors to upload their photos of “My Beautiful Earth
Click here to visit the “My Beautiful Earth” website.
It’s November 22nd (2013). Former U.S. president John F. Kennedy was assassinated fifty years ago today.
JFK, 1917 May 29th – 1963 Nov 22nd, RIP
(His daughter, Caroline Kennedy, has recently become the U.S. ambassador to Japan, by the way. Click here to read my post about that.)
I was born in November 1969. Six years after the JFK assassination. My parents were junior high school students back then…so, of course, they remember that day well.
Since I hadn’t been born yet, I obviously have no memory of that event in history.
The earliest historical event that I can remember is the U.S. bi-centennial in July 1976. I was only six years old, so I didn’t really understand it…but I seem to remember it somewhat.
The earliest historical event that I can remember clearly and that I understood was was the U.S. diplomats in the U.S. embassy in Iran being taken hostage in 1979. There were yellow ribbons tied to trees, car radio antennas, etc all over America.
How about you?
Do you remember the JFK assassination? What are your memories?
What other historical events do you remember?
石田太郎 (Taro Ishida), a Japanese actor who also did voice dubbing for many Japanese releases of Hollywood movies. He was the “voice” of Gene Hackman in most of Hackman’s movies in Japan. He was also the Japanese voice of the late Peter Falk’s TV detective character “Columbo“.
Mr. Ishida died this past weekend.
Taro Ishida, 1944 Mar 16 – 2013 Sept 21, R.I.P.
Did you know that there are aliens in Tokyo?
Have you ever seen these aliens in Tokyo?
Do you know where they are?
I’ll give you a hint: Do you know where 「中野ブロードウェイ」is?
Tell me some of the worst movies you’ve ever watched.
As for me … here are some movies that I’ve had the misfortune of enduring:
Lost In Translation
2001
The Shining
Forrest Gump
サンシャイン 2057 (Sunshine 2057)
Have you seen any of those?
What did you think of them?
What are some movies you hated?
When my kids were little, they each had a 「たまごっち」(“Tamagochi”)… the Japanese electronic “pet” toy.
I hadn’t thought about those toys in years.
But I was talking to my kids today. I asked them if they remembered their old Tamagochi toys (they do).
So I told them about some of the “pet fads” that were popular in America when I was young (these never caught on in Japan though).
When I was little, there was always an ad in the back of comic books for “Sea Monkeys”.
I convinced my parents to buy these for me once.
What a disappointment!
They were nothing like the picture!
Another big fad of the 70s was the “Pet Rock”.
I was never interested in having a pet rock. The name wasn’t a joke or ironic … it was simply a stone in a cardboard box!
It was popular for a short time though … so I guess many people had one.
Another pet fad that didn’t interest me was the “Invisible Dog”.
It was simply a stiff dog leash with no animal.
I don’t know if they’re “fads” or not, but I also had a Venus Flytrap (ハエトリグサ) once and an antfarm (蟻の農場) another time.
I have written a number of posts about interesting people. Most of whose stories are related to Japan in some way.
Maybe you haven’t seen many of them…so I decided to put links to all of them on a new page that I titled “Who’s Who?“.
Please check them out and leave comments to let me know what you think.
The new page is here.
Do you know 富野由悠季 (Yoshiyuki Tomino)?
If you’re a big fan of the Japanese anime series “Gundam” you might know who he is…because he’s the creator of the Gundam series.
Today (2011 November 5) is Mr. Tomino’s 70th birthday. He was born on 1941 November 5 in 神奈川県 (Kanagawa Prefecture), just south of Tokyo.
I wrote a post with photos I took of the “lifesize” Gundam robot when it was in Tokyo (click here to read it).
Actually, I’ve written a number of Gundam-related posts.
Have you ever watched Gundam? Are you a “fan”?
If Evel Knievel hadn’t died four years ago, today would be his 73rd birthday.
Coincidentally, Evel Knievel spent the last few years of his life in Clearwater, Florida...the same town that I grew up in!
Do you know who Evel Knievel was?
Maybe only Americans recognize that name…and maybe only Americans who are at least my age.
When I was a child in America during the 1970’s, Evel Knievel was one of my idols.
He was a daredevil stunt motorcycle jumper who often jumped rows of cars and trucks with his Harley-Davidson motorcycle on live television.
He also attempted jumps over the Caesars Palace fountains, lions, rattlesnakes, tanks of sharks, and the Grand Canyon!
Evel Knievel jumping the Caesars Palace fountains.
He crashed many times and he’s listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having sustained the most broken bones in his lifetime.
When I was a kid I had an Evel Knievel lunchbox and motorcycle rider toy.
Did you know who Evel Knievel was? Did you watch his jumps on TV?
Evel Knievel 1938 October 17 – 2007 November 30, R.I.P.
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Also, today is the 21st anniversary of the day I came to Japan. I came here on 1990 October 17.
I can’t believe it’s already been twenty-one years…I’ve lived in Japan longer now than I lived in America!
Japan has changed a lot since I first came here.
McDonalds opened their first shop in Japan in 1971…forty years ago.
Japan was one of the earliest overseas (ie: outside the U.S.) markets that McDonalds opened in.
To celebrate McDonalds 40周年 (40th anniversary) in Japan, they will be offering a few different special campaigns at different times.
The first campaign is a free hamburger.
From 5:00 PM Saturday, 2011 September 24th – Sunday, September 25th, if you order any Value Meal set at a McDonalds in Japan, you will receive a free hamburger with your order.
They haven’t announced yet what the following campaigns will be.
Tokyo Five 
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