Obama Meets Obama

It's an old story, but it's still funny. Nozomu Sato (aka: Nocchi), an Obama impersonator, gets to meet the man himself.

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Japanese Obama meets real Obama

(midway through story)
Sato screams. “I’m Obama!!!”

Their eyes meet, their hands shake.

The Japanese Obama is hysterical.

The real Obama notices the resemblance. Obama points at himself, points to Sato, back to himself and again to Sato.

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Tokyo CGM

CGM = Consumer Generated Media

The video also features a party.

(Video by: cruxay)

Hadaka Matsuri

Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Festival) is a Japanese Festival in which Japanese men wear a Fundoshi (Loincloth) and attempt to touch the Shin-Otoko (God Man) to rid themselves of bad luck.


(Video By: Gimmeabreakman)

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Konomiya Hadaka Festival

(midway through story)
The festival begins in mid-afternoon on the 13th day of the lunar new year when thousands of men dressed only in loincloths carry a bamboo pole covered with pieces of paper carrying the excuses of people who couldn't make it to the festival that year.

When the shin-otoko appears from the shrine the assembled men - many of them aged 23 or 42 (ages considered unlucky or yakudoshi) - converge on the shin-otoko in an effort to touch him and thus pass on their bad luck and so rid themselves of evil.

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Be Humble

I thought this video was interesting, because so many don't seem to understand that in Japan, they don't brag. It's considered rude. In fact, from my experience, it can applied to many cultures.


(Video By: tofugu)

"Tofugu" on Japan Times

(Video by: tofugu)

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Tofugu

A "wonky Japanese language and culture blog" is how Tofugu.com describes itself. While posts come from multiple contributors, the driving force behind Tofugu.com is 23-year-old Koichi, who prefers to be known only by his middle name and lives in Portland, Oregon. The blog covers a variety of news, oddities and tips, but much of it is fueled by Koichi's passion for the study of the Japanese language, which he's been studying for eight years. Past posts include one on the wisdom of learning Japanese from Yoda, a YouTube series on Koichi's favorite online resources, ways to get free lessons, and so on.

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Blood Type

(Video by: Hikosaemon)

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In Japan, you are what your blood type is

TOKYO – In Japan, "What's your type?" is much more than small talk; it can be a paramount question in everything from matchmaking to getting a job.

By type, the Japanese mean blood type, and no amount of scientific debunking can kill a widely held notion that blood tells all.

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Tokyo Eruption

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Volcano erupts near Tokyo raining ash down on city

TOKYO – A volcano near Tokyo erupted Monday, shooting up billowing smoke and showering parts of the capital with a fine ash that sent some city residents to the car wash and left others puzzled over the white powder they initially mistook for snow.

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Manzai (Taka and Toshi)

This is a type of Japanese comedy known as "Manzai". The comedy is usually done with two people. One person is the "Normal" person while the other person plays a sort of "fool".

Japan Bribes the Economy

(Video by: ActionTeacher)

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Japan's economic stimulus package 'a waste of money'

Prime Minister Taro Aso announced the Y2 trillion handout, part of an emergency package worth Y5 trillion, on Thursday. The government hopes it will encourage the public to spend, with Mr. Aso describing it as an antidote to "A harsh storm seen only once in 100 years."

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Don't Laugh in High School

Funny show that I thought I'd share. Fairly typical of Japanese comedy.


(Show: ガキの使い [Gaki No Tsukai])

"The Cove" Sundance Hit

(Trailer: The Cove)

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Dolphin slaughter film a hit at Sundance

Standing ovations greeted the judges' verdict Sunday that the documentary "The Cove" had won the prestigious U.S. Audience Award at the 25th annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

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Double Standard Divorce

(Video by: ActionTeacher)

ActionTeacher is the account of an ESL (English Second Language) professor in Japan (Victor-Sensei) who makes videos to help Japanese people learn English (that's why he's talking the way he does in the video).

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Divorced woman sues city for refusing to register her baby

OKAYAMA (Kyodo) A woman sued a municipal government in Okayama Prefecture on Monday, arguing it is unconstitutional for authorities to refuse to register her baby under a controversial Civil Code provision about the registration of babies born within 300 days of the divorce of a parent.

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Intro

The point of this blog is to share news, videos, and just something random about Japan. It could be about politics, random facts, interesting videos, experiences, or whatever, but it will be (mostly) in English (or with English Subtitles). The details will be worked out later, but right now, enjoy this video.


(Video by: tokyojosh)