In 1986, when I was sixteen years old, if you had asked me my opinion of music that was released twenty-five prior to that (in 1961)…music by artists such as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and Chuck Berry was popular at that time…I wasn’t interested in that type of music and I probably would of considered it “ancient”.
It’s now 2011 and 1986 is now twenty-five years in the past!
My taste in music hasn’t changed at all. I still listen to the same great albums that I bought in the ’80s.
My I-pod has a number of albums from 1986.
Look at this list of albums that are now twenty-five years old (listed here in order of release). You can’t deny that they’re all excellent…much better than most of the forgettable “music” that is released today:
Black Sabbath “Seventh Star”
Ozzy Osbourne “The Ultimate Sin”
Metallica “Master Of Puppets“
Van Halen “5150“
Judas Priest “Turbo”
AC/DC “Who Made Who“
Savatage “Fight For The Rock“
Loudness “Lightning Strikes“
Great White “Shot In The Dark“
Iron Maiden “Somewhere In Time“
W.A.S.P. “Inside The Electric Circus“
KiLLeR DWaRfS “Stand Tall“
Have you heard any of these albums? What do you think of them?
As for me, even though they’re twenty-five years old now…and nearly every one of these bands have better albums in their catalog (except Metallica—“Master Of Puppets” is legend!…these albums still stand the test of time!
John Lennon had a Japanese wife and they were both strongly opposed to war. So isn’t it ironic that he was killed on the thirty-ninth anniversary of the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor?
On 1941 December 8th, the 日本海軍 (Japanese Imperial Navy) attacked the U.S. Naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (It was December 8 on the Japanese calendar but since Hawaii is on the other side of the International Date Line, it was December 7th there).
It’s the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Also on this date thirty-nine years later John Lennon of the English rock band, The Beatles, was assassinated in New York.
Today is the 30th anniversary of John Lennon’s death.
Click here to read a more detailed post that I wrote about these two events
In the summer of 1985 one of the greatest movies made was released.
“Back To The Future” hit the theaters when I was fifteen years old…close to the age of the lead character in the movie played by Michael J. Fox.
I’m of the generation of the ’80s (often called “Generation X”), so watching a movie about a teenager of the ’80s* going back thirty years (from 1985) to 1955 and experiencing a type of “culture shock” was fun to watch…at least pulled off by the excellent actors Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Crispin Glover it was.
(*Actually Michael J. Fox is nine years older than me. He wasn’t a teenager in 1985…but twenty-four years old.)
Anyways, it’s hard to believe that the first “Back To The Future” movie is already twenty-five years old!
They could make a remake of “Back To The Future” about a kid of today’s generation going back to 1985 and it could probably have just as many “generation gap” gags.
To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of “Back To The Future“, Universal Studios is releasing the entire “Back To The Future” trilogy together in one-set on high-definition Blu-Ray discs on 2010 October 26.
This new set will contain over two hours of bonus material including sixteen deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage and “Tales from the Future,” a new six-part retrospective documentary.
Here’s the ad for the upcoming “Back To The Future” 25th anniversary re-release on Blu-Ray:
Compare that to the original 1985 trailer for “Back To The Future“:
And it seems that the “Scream Awards” (which recognizes the best horror, sci-fi and fantasy movies) honored the 25th anniversary of “Back To The Future” a few days ago with a reunion of the cast.
Here’s an ad for it:
Last June I wrote a post about upcoming heavy metal shows in the Tokyo area.
Some of the concerts I wrote about in that post have already occurred but Metallica will have a concert in Japan later this month and next month will be the annual “Loudpark 2010” heavy metal festival with bands such as Ozzy Osbourne, KoRn, RATT and Motorhead scheduled to perform at this year’s event.
But before either of those concerts, the “Thrash Domination2010” festival is coming to 川崎 (Kawasaki, Japan).
This is a two-day event with five thrash metal bands scheduled to perform.
Saturday, September 18 is called “Kill Night”…Agent Steel will go on stage first, then Outrage, followed by Nevermore, then Exodus and Overkill will headline.
Then, Sunday, September 19 is called “Brutal Night”…the line-up is nearly identical but rather than Nevermore, Sanctuary will be the third act on the bill and then Overkill will be fourth, with Exodus as the headliners.
Also, on the day before the festival, Overkill will have their own concert in Osaka on September 17th…and Exodus will have their own concert on September 20th (the day after the festival) in Shibuya, Tokyo.
The official "Thrash Domination 2010" T-shirts
Do you like heavy metal? How about “Thrash Metal”? Would you attend this heavy metal music festival?
Japan has become a powerhouse in the sport of baseball.
In the American MLB there are many Japan star players such as Ichiro and Hideki Matsui, the Japan team was the world champions in both the 2008 and 2009 “World Baseball Classic” games (which, unlike the so-called “Baseball World Series”, is a real international baseball championship), and tonight (4:00 AM Japan Standard Time (JST)) Japan will play in the final game of the 2010 Little League World Series.
Just like the World Baseball Classic, the “Little League World Series” is an international championship match for the best baseball teams of boys up to age thirteen.
The “Little League World Series” is held every August in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA since it was started in the late 1940s. At first, only American teams played, but in the ’60s it became an international event.
The Japan team took the championship the first two years that the series became open to other countries, and has held the championship a total of six times so far (only America and China were champion more times).
The Tokyo Little League won their game against Taiwan yesterday and tonight they will represent Japan in the final match of the 2010 Little League World Series against the Hawaiian team (who are representing America).
After the game tonight* (it will be nighttime in Japan, but 3PM in America where they’ll be playing), either Japan or America will be the 2010 World Little League Baseball champions and the other team will be second place.
A great job by both!
I like to listen to heavy metal music. I enjoy most all “genres” of heavy metal (as “heavy metal” itself is a “genre” of rock music, you may be surprised that there are different “types” of heavy metal music).
Some of my favorite bands are KISS, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Megadeth and “pre-1991” Metallica.
But I’d say my favorite heavy metal genre is “Shock Rock“.
Bands that have a shocking* or “over-the-top” image and stage-show to go with their excellent music.
Bands in this genre includes acts such as KISS, Alice Cooper, Lordi, GWAR, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Marilyn Manson, W.A.S.P., etc.
The concerts by these bands include frightening costumes and/or make-up, fire, blood, guillotines, snakes , and bats (one even had it’s head bit off 😉 ) all while playing the type of music I enjoy.
It’s a much more entertaining concert than is common by musicians of other types of music.
And of course since I’ve been living in Japan for the past twenty years I listen to a number of Japanese bands as well.
I wrote a post about the Japanese hard rock band X-Japan. I think they’re okay.
Then there’s the Japanese band 「カブキロックス」 (Kabuki Rocks). Probably inspired by the American band KISS (who, ironically, were inspired by Japanese 歌舞伎 (Kabuki theater)), Kabuki Rocks dress as Japanese kabuki actors while they’re on stage performing.
Here’s a video of them performing their most famous song 「お江戸」 (“O-Edo“):
But probably the best Japanese band in this genre is 「聖飢魔 II」 (“Seikima-Two“).
「聖飢魔II」 ("Seikima-II")
Their name is kind of a Japanese play-on-words. It’s spelled to say “The Holy Starving Demons (II)” but is pronounced “Seikimatsu”, which means “The end of the century”.
The reason for their name is because their gimmick is that they are a band of demons who came to Earth from Hell to punish humans for destroying the environment.
The band was formed in the 1980s and they intended from the beginning to take over the world and disband on New Years Eve 1999 at 11:59:59PM (the “end of the century”), and that’s what they did.
(Well, they didn’t take over the “world” but they were popular in Japan in the 1990s).
I remember at the height of their popularity in the ’90s, the lead vocalist “Demon Kogure” was doing funny TV commercials for Fuji Film.
"Demon Kogure", lead vocalist
In these commercials, the “demon” with his spiky hair and make-up was the “father” of a kindergarten-age girl.
Instead of his usual outfits that he wore, in these commercials he dressed in regular “human clothes” and he’d have some humorous adventure and his “daughter” would snap a photo of his facial expression with a “Fuji Film” disposable camera.
I liked these commercials a lot.
Here’s one where his “daughter” is on her school bus and he’s trying to give her her lunch that he forgot to give before she got on the bus:
And another one where he’s trying (and failing) to fly a kite with his “daughter” at New Years time (which is a tradition in Japan):
These commercials were so popular in Japan in the ’90s that Fuji Film began to offer “Demon Kogure” alarm clocks and pajamas (with “spiky hair” night-cap).
I remember that I wanted the alarm clock…but I didn’t buy film often enough to acquire the necessary “points” to get one. Oh well.
Here’s the commercial for the clock and pajamas:
Anyways, as I mentioned above, 「聖飢魔 II」 (“Seikima-II“) disbanded on New Years Eve 1999 at one second before midnight…but this year they had a reunion concert (including a show in America and one in France) and a new album.
I intend to get their new album.
Here’s a promotion video for a song by them that I like. It’s called 「蝋人形の館」 (“House of Wax”):
Today is the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing of 広島 (Hiroshima, Japan).
And every year on August 6th in Hiroshima and August 9th in Nagasaki, there are peace ceremonies to remember those who died in the bombing and to hope for a future with no more nuclear weapons…or even war.
But today’s peace ceremony in Hiroshima and the one in Nagasaki on next Monday will be different because the American ambassador to Japan will attend the ceremonies…which will be the first time an American government official attended them.
A photo of the floating lanterns at the Peace Ceremony in Hiroshima a few years ago.
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In other news, a Japanese version of the Hollywood hit movie “Ghost” (that starred Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze) is due to be in theaters in Japan this coming November.
A promo poster for the original U.S. movie "Ghost".
The Japanese remake movie will be titled “Love And Soul” and will star Korean actor Song Seung Hun and Japanese actress Nanako Matsushima.
Song Seung Hun and Nanako Matsushima
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And also, the Japanese college national baseball team traveled to America to play the U.S. college national team.
The only experience I have with the American public school system is when I was a student in the ’70s – ’80s in West-central Florida.
But I’m sure Florida’s public schools aren’t too different from schools in other parts of America. And even though I graduated from high school in 1988 I guess American schools aren’t too different today (with the exception, of course, of fashion and music tastes. And there are probably computers in U.S. classrooms now.)
My experience with the Japanese school system is from having three teenagers who attended Japanese public schools from kindergarten to the high school they’re currently attending (college).
Some differences between these countries’ school systems are:
– In Japan, the school year begins in April and ends in March. In America, the school year starts around September and ends in June. Also, students in Japan have fewer days off than American students.
– There are no school buses in Japan. In Japanese public kindergartens, mothers take their kids to school (often by bicycle). Public elementary schools and junior high schools are close enough for the students to walk to* (*in urban areas, like Tokyo, students must walk to school…no bicycles allowed. But in more rural areas of Japan, kids are often permitted by ride their bikes to school.)
High schools in Japan require passing an Entrance Exam to attend…so these schools usually require the students to take a short commute by train.
(Private schools in Japan, on the other hand, aren’t usually within walking distance from the students’ homes…so kids who attend private schools (even elementary school) can be seen commuting by train with their classmates.)
– In Japanese public schools, elementary school kids wear street clothes to school (like in American schools), but starting in junior high, they must wear a school uniform.
– In Japanese schools, everyone must remove their shoes at the entrance and change into 上履き (indoor shoes).
– In Japanese elementary and junior high schools students and teachers all eat the same school lunch. There are no choices.
In most high schools, students and teachers are required to bring a 弁当 (packed lunch) from home.
And very few Japanese schools have a cafeteria. Students eat lunch in their classroom at their desk.
In American schools, there are “lunch ladies” who prepare the school lunches and then serve the students, but in Japan, the “lunch ladies” cook the lunch but students take turns serving lunch to their classmates.
– Japanese school children don’t take a shower after gym class.
– There are no janitors in Japanese schools. The students clean their school everyday.
– In junior high and high school in Japan, almost every student joins a after-school club or team.
– 夏休み (summer vacation) is about five weeks long in Japan. It was about twice as long in America, if I remember correctly.
And during summer vacation, Japanese students have to go to school many times for their school club / team practice. Also, Japanese students must do a lot of homework during summer vacation.
– In American schools, there are no 入学式 (“School Entrance Ceremony”), and 卒業式 (“School Graduation”) isn’t until high school has been completed.
But in Japan, there are both 入学式 (“School Entrance Ceremonies“) and 卒業式 (“School Graduations“) for kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, high school and college.
– In America, school grades are counted as 1 -5 for 小学校 (elementary school), 6-8 for 中学校 (junior high) and 9-12 for 高等学校 (high school).
In Japan, 小学校 (elementary school) is six years (grades 小1-6), 中学校 (junior high) is three years (grades 中1-3 (equal to grades 7-9)), and 高等学校 (high school) is also three years (grades 高校 1-3 (equal to grades 10-12)).
There are many other differences…such as the way homework and tests are administered and checked, the manner that classes are arranged, the fact that Japanese students stand and greet their teacher at the beginning and end of each class, the way that students are trusted in empty classrooms alone…even in kindergarten.
I’d say that schools in Japan and America have more differences than similarities. And I think education and school life that my children are getting in Japan is superior to what I had in America.
Today is ７月４日 (July 4). 「アメリカ独立記念日」 (American Independence Day).
I don’t usually do anything special on this day. Although there are many 花火大会 (fireworks shows) in Japan during the summer, they don’t usually start until late July or early August.
Watching fireworks is a “Fourth Of July” tradition in America, but I don’t live in America.
(It’s possible that the U.S. military bases in Japan will have a fireworks show this evening. I’m not sure. I don’t live near any U.S. military base anyways).
But anyways, in honor of the 234th anniversary of America’s independence from England, I am writing a list of some of American inventions that have changed the world (in most cases, for the better).
So, according to the U.S. Patent Office, this is a list of some of the numerous things that have been invented in America:
Swim Fins: (1717) Invented by Benjamin Franklin
Franklin Stove: (1742) Also invented by Benjamin Franklin
Refrigeration: (1805)
Circular Saw: (1813)
Dental Floss: (1815)
Morse Code: (1832) Invented by Samuel Morse
Revolver (Firearm): (1836) Invented by Samuel Colt (founder of the Colt Gun Co.)
Vulcanized Rubber: (1844) Invented by Charles Goodyear (founder of Goodyear Tires)
Safety Pin: (1849)
Potato Chips: (1853)
Rolled Toilet Paper: (1857) Surprised this one took this long. Before this invention, people were using pages from old newspapers and magazines or leaves from plants.
Escalator: (1859)
Roller Skates: (1863)
Cowboy Hat: (1865)
Paper Clip: (1867)
Barbed Wire: (1867)
Cash Register: (1879)
Electric Chair: (1881)
The “STOP” Sign: (1890)
U.S. "Stop" sign
Japanese 「止まれ」 ("Stop") sign
Ferris Wheel: (1891)
Zipper: (1891)
Radio: (1893)
Flashlight: (1898)
“Teddy” Bear: (1902) A toy maker made a stuffed toy bear and named it “Teddy” after the U.S. President at that time, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, who went hunting but decided against killing a bear cub.
Air Conditioning: (1902) Before this invention, places in the southern U.S. such as Florida (where I grew up) were unpopular to live.
Airplane: (1903) Invented by the famous Wright brothers.
Ice Pop: (1905) Usually called by the brand name Popsicle in the U.S. In Japan, it’s called 「アイスキャンディー」 (“Ice Candy”). It was invented by an eleven-year-old American boy.
Automobile Self-starter: (1911) Eliminated the need to engine hand-cranks on cars.
Fast Food Restaurant: (1912) For better or worse, these changed the industrialized world.
Traffic Signals: (1912)
Fortune Cookie: (1914) Although many Americans associate it with Chinese food, the “Fortune Cookie” is only found in Chinese restaurants in America. Actually, it was invented by a Japanese-American man.
Ice Cube Tray: (1928)
Electric Razor: (1928)
Chocolate Chip Cookies: (1930)
Electric Guitar: (1931)
Stock Car Racing: (1936) Led to the formation of the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR).
Corn Dog: (1942) Called a 「アメリカンドッグ」 (“American Dog”) in Japan.
「アメリカンドッグ」 (Corn Dog)
Napalm: (1943) A terrible substance used as a military weapon.
Supersonic Aircraft: (1947)
Windsurfing: (1948)
Cable Television: (1948)
Polio Vaccine: (1952)
Barcode: (1952) Invented in America, but Japan turned them into an art form.
Eight-track Tape: (1964) This impractical medium for playing music was actually popular for about a decade.
KISS "Alive II" on 8-track tape
Snowboarding: (1965)
Inline Skates: (1979)
Space Shuttle: (1981)
Nicotine Patch: (1988) To help people quit smoking. I wonder if it actually works.
Global Positioning System: (1993) Commonly known by it’s initials GPS.
Self-balancing Personal Transporter: (2001) Commonly known by the brand name “Segway“.
On 1980 May 22, the Japanese video game manufacturer Namco released a new game that was invented by their employee 岩谷徹 (Toru Iwatani).
The game was called 「パックマン」 and was written as “Puckman” in the English alphabet in Japan.
On that day thirty years ago, the game was released at only one video game arcade (ゲームセンター) in 渋谷 (Shibuya, Tokyo).
The game was given the name 「パックマン」 because 「パック」 (“pakku“) or 「パックパック」 (“pakku-pakku“) is the word Japanese use to describe chewing (click here to read a post I wrote that describes this word and other like it in the Japanese language) and the point of the game is to maneuver the yellow Pac-man character around a maze and eat every dot in the maze without running into any of the four ghosts that run around the maze at the same time. There are four strategically-placed “power” dots that temporarily turn the tables and allow Pac-Man to eat the ghosts.
It was probably decided to use the letters “Puckman” to write the game’s name in Japan because “pakku-pakku” sounds similar to “puck-puck“…at least when said with a Japanese accent.
Anyways, this game was an instant success in Japan and caught the attention of “Midway” game manufacturer in America and a deal was struck to bring 「パックマン」 (“Puck-Man“) to the U.S.
But first, Midway decided, the name should be altered before kids in America vandalize the machine to make the “P” in “Puck-man” look like an “F”.
So, “Pac-Man” was introduced to America in the early ’80s and became a part of America’s pop-culture almost instantly.
Just like most kids in America (and probably other countries too) in the early ’80s, I was obsessed with Pac-Man for awhile.
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been thirty years since Pac-Man was first introduced to the world!
I heard that Pac-Man was recently added to the “Guiness Book Of World Records” for being the most readily recognized video-game character around the world even today.
Even the Google search engine changed their logo temporarily to honor Pac-Man‘s 30th anniversary. Click here to try the Pac-Man game on the Google website. Click the “Insert Coin” button the site, a game starts then use your keyboards arrow keys to move Pac-Man around the maze.
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