Blogs on Japan

Blogs on Japan has started a new feature where we interview different bloggers who blog about Japan. On the menu today is, Tofu Sando. If you would like to be interviewed, please contact me! Also if you are looking for some interesting blogs on Japan, take a look at the previous interviews.

When did you start blogging about Japan and why did you start?
I started blogging about Japan in December of 2006, not too long ago I’d say. I wanted to blog about Japan because I wanted to learn more about the country through blogging about it, and I wanted others to learn about Japan through my blog.

Describe your blog in one word.
Otaku.

How did you first get interested in Japan?
I first got interested in Japan when I was six years old. That is when I first started to watch anime such as “Pokemon” and “Dragon Ball”. I wanted to learn more about the cultural references in anime, so I read many books on Japanese culture. This is when I became an avid “Japanophile”.

If you could introduce one of your posts to new readers which one would it be and why?
My “Japan vs. Korea” post. It views the differences of Japan and Korea, and concludes that one cannot compare the two.

What blogs do you read?
I often visit Japan Probe, What Japan Thinks, and Danny Choo.

The best thing about Japan is…
I think the best aspect of Japan is its safety, one can walk the streets of Tokyo at night with minimal threat.

The worst thing about Japan is…
Its cultural ignorance regarding other cultures.

Who is your favorite Japanese celebrity?
My favorite Japanese celeb is Akira Toriyama, I grew up on his works such as “Dragon Ball Z” and “Dragon Ball”.

What is the most disgusting food you have had in Japan?
I hate yamaimo, but I had in in California, not Japan. It irritates your skin and is really slimy.

Thanks for the interview!

Blogs on Japan has started a new feature where we interview different bloggers who blog about Japan. Today we have royalty stopping by, the Otaku Hime herself, Vaneea. If you would like to be interviewed, please contact me! Also if you are looking for some interesting blogs on Japan, take a look at the previous interviews.

When did you start blogging about Japan and why did you start?

I started in early April of 2007. I had been wanting to blog for a while, but never really find a subject. One day I rolled off my bed, turned on my computer, and decided that I should started writing about what I am most passionate about. I thought that if I am a writer, my dream job will be writing about my obsession with Japanese entertainment (manga, anime, TV, movies and music), culture and design.

Describe your blog in one word.
animeculturedesigndramamusictraveletc (lol)

If you could introduce one of your posts to new readers which one would it be and why?

That is tough. I will direct them to my “Lone Adventure in Tokyo” story which I had to divide into three posts since it was really long (part 2 and part 3).

I wrote a travel journal while I was in Tokyo last May just for my blog readers. I knew that I will have no time to write while I was there and there was no way that I was going to remember everything. Out of the 3 days I was in Tokyo, this day was the most adventurous and I would like people to experience it through my posts.

What blogs do you read?

• notcot.org
• pingmag.jp
• bittbox.com
• japanprobe.com
• http://randomc.animeblogger.net/
• personal blogs at asoboo.com

What is your favorite place you have been to in Japan and why?
I love Shinjuku. It really fits my personality. Along side my otaku self exist a city girl who loves shopping and bathe in the bliss of being among a crowd of people. So far Shinjuku is the only place that can give me such thrill other than Hong Kong.

How long have/did you live in Japan?
I’ve never lived in Japan. I’ve visit for a couple of times, but I would like to try living there once my economy will provide for my desired living style in Japan.

The best thing about Japan is…
Multitude of wonderful things with great designs that are available for purchase.

The worst thing about Japan is…
It is so expensive!

Who is your favorite Japanese celebrity?
Yamashita Tomohisa (but not as a singer)

One thing about Japanese culture that I will never understand is….
How sex and fetish tendencies have become a large and firm part of its rigid culture.

What is the most delicious food you have had in Japan?
Almost everything was delicious, but the food at the Yakitori restaurant, Fugu was delicious!

What is the most disgusting food you have had in Japan?
Green Tea ice cream. Now, I love tea, especially green tea. But it just doesn’t taste right in ice cream.

What is the coolest gadget you have used or seen in Japan?
Hmmm good question. I can’t remember. Maybe the umbrella wrapping machine. Although I found one in front of Takashimaya in NYC and utilized it!

Are you really the Otaku Hime (Princess)?
I am a self proclaimed princess! Maybe one day all the otaku of the world will unite and crown me.

Do I smell something burning?
Yes. I forgot that I was boiling water while I was filling out this interview. I didn’t realize it until my fire alarm started going all out.

Well you should go take care of that! Thanks for the interview your highness and good luck with the blogging!

Blogs on Japan has started a new feature where we will interview different bloggers who blog about Japan. Stopping by today is the Japanese Innovations Writer at Inventorspot, Steve Levenstein. If you would like to be interviewed, please contact me! Also if you are looking for some interesting blogs on Japan, take a look at the previous interviews.

When did you start blogging about Japan and why did you start?

In May of this year I was accepted as the Japanese Innovations Writer at InventorSpot. I had been looking for an opportunity to write about Japan’s unique & interesting products, people and cultural phenomena, and in my blog I try to share my discoveries and impressions with the wider world. Japan really is a world apart from the life and lifestyle we take for granted in the West, and appreciating the differences can enrich us
all IMHO.

Describe your blog in one word.

“!”

If you could introduce one of your posts to new readers which one would it be and why?

I would recommend two, if I may: “Ten Ways The Japanese Do It Better” and “Ten Ways The Japanese Do It Worse“, because together they present what I feel are two sides of the Yen coin. When it comes to Japan you’ve got to take the good with the bad, and by doing so you can gain a fuller appreciation of what makes Japan so very special.

What blogs do you read?

I enjoy Japundit, Tokyomango and, of course, Blogs on Japan. Together they provide a great source of Japan news & views.

What is your favorite place you have been to in Japan and why?

That’s a tough call… I will always remember the first time I enjoyed Oden, at a small restaurant high on Mount Fuji, or being greeted with a cheery “Hello!” by dozens of yellow-capped school children marching in single file along a hiking trail in Hakone. If I have to choose one, it’s the time we stayed at the Magoroku Onsen in Akita prefecture. The feeling of enjoying an sulphurous outdoor hot spring bath overlooking a burbling snow-crusted stream and surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery… words simply can’t do justice to the experience!

How long have/did you live in Japan?

I live in Canada but I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Japan numerous times with my Tokyo-born wife. My first visit was in 1990. I keep up to speed on things Japanese through the blogosphere and by watching NHK news and other programming via TV Japan.

The best thing about Japan is…

The food… from an expansive traditional spread at a ritzy hot spring resort to a humble MOS Burger, it’s all good.

The worst thing about Japan is…

The crowding in big cities, especially Tokyo. Then again, it’s a tribute to Japanese modern society that things don’t degenerate into a mad rush and total chaos.

Who is your favorite Japanese celebrity?

Beat Takeshi is always entertaining, even when he’s dubbed over in English for MXC, the repackaged Takeshi’s Castle. I also enjoy Kaori Manabe because she combines beauty with brains.

One thing about Japanese culture that I will never understand is…

The “Lolita Complex” and how openly it’s catered to.

What is the most delicious food you have had in Japan?

One time we were staying at a government-run resort at Miyako on the Pacific coast. The place was known for its fresh seafood, or so the guidebook told us - it wasn’t lying! I ordered Uni (sea urchin) and watched, amazed, as the waitress brought me one that was dripping wet, they must have yanked it off the ocean floor shortly before serving it to me. Indeed, the long black spines were still moving even though the creature was neatly cleaved in two! Well, what was I to do, look like a squeamish Gaijin (and yes, you better believe I was being stared at constantly)… so I dug right in, spines or no spines, and it was the best thing I have ever tasted! Footnote: after I had plucked out everything edible from the sea urchin, its spines were still doing their hypnotic dance.

What is the most disgusting food you have had in Japan?

See above… like I said, you gotta take the good with the bad!

What is the coolest gadget you have used or seen in Japan?

I mentioned this one in one of my blog postings, “Top Ten Ways Japanese Live Small”… the first time I used the washroom while staying at a Japanese friend’s home outside Tokyo, I was confronted by an obvious and
ingenious device: the toilet featured a faucet on top of the tank. When the toilet was flushed, the tank re-filled via the faucet which filled the concave tank-top before draining into the tank itself. A classic example of Japanese practicality - the tank had to be re-filled anyway, you’re going to wash your hands after flushing and the combination negated the need to take up space with a separate sink. Things like this epitomize the mix of weird and wonderful that I find so appealing about Japan!

Thanks for the interview and keep up the good work with sharing about Japanese Innovations!

Blogs on Japan has started a new feature where we will interview different bloggers who blog about Japan. Up this time is Kirai.net, a great blog about Japan that is written in English and Spanish! If you would like to be interviewed, please contact me! Also if you are looking for some interesting blogs on Japan, take a look at the previous interviews.

When did you start blogging about Japan and why did you start?
I started blogging about Japan three years ago when I received the good news that I would be enjoying one year internship in Japan.

Describe your blog in one word.
Geek.

If you could introduce one of your posts to new readers which one would it be and why?
Japanese Aesthetic Values. It explains two important concepts of Japanese aesthetic values and beauty. I try to explain why Japanese simplicity is many times so beautiful.

What blogs do you read?
In English my favorites are http://blog.q-taro.com/ and http://www.dannychoo.com.

What is your favorite place you have been to in Japan and why?
I like Hakone, because of the lake and the beautiful views, you can really relax one weekend over there and then come back to Tokyo full of energy.

How long have/did you live in Japan?
I’ve been here three years

The best thing about Japan is…
There are not many things to worry about once you get used to life here.

The worst thing about Japan is…
Japanese are very open at the beginning when you first met them, but after that they are more closed and it’s difficult to make real friends.

Who is your favorite Japanese celebrity?
Don’t have any favorite celebrity.

One thing about Japanese culture that I will never understand is….
Why do they follow VERY stupid rules even when they know it’s stupid?

What is the most delicious food you have had in Japan?
Here in Japan I discovered one of my favorite dishes: Unagi.

What is the most disgusting food you have had in Japan?
Natto.

What is the coolest gadget you have used or seen in Japan?
I like the Sharp Zaurus PDAs a lot. Why do they not export them?

Thanks for taking part in the interview and keep up the good work!