Giant Robot Store and GR2 News – Tagged "japan"– Page 65 – GiantRobotStore

japan · money · News · quake · Aug 19, 2011

Japan Folk Return 78 Million from Quake Rubble

We’ve seen the Japanese Returns $78 million from Earthquake rubble type headlines for almost a week now, and that’s no surprise. That’s really all you need to know. Eventually, it’ll get to 100 million, and that’ll be no surprise either. Surely, there are folks who are pocketing some cash or using it since they’re not being helped by the tons of donated moneys or are just keeping it. Surely there are treasure hunters as well. That said, this type of news is still not surprising. The above image came from Michael Arias article and this one of his photos. Take a look at the article, it’s amazing. link.

cyber-war · Dokdo Islets · Gwangbokjeol · japan · News · South Korea · Takeshima Islets · Aug 12, 2011

There’s a Japan-Korea Cyber War Looming on August 15th

Forget that lunatic Oakland preacher’s new deadline for the Rapture; the cyber doom of both Japan and South Korea may be this Monday! Yes, apparently South Korean internet users are using the occasion of Gwangbokjeol, the holiday which celebrates Korea’s independence from Japanese colonial rule, to implement a massive attack against Japanese websites which say unfavorable or damaging things about South Koreans and their country. (Wait, didn’t we just report a story about tensions between Japan and Korea? Oh yeah, that was yesterday, when the controversy was about too many Korean dramas on Japanese TV.) Anyway, in response to the anticipated Korean cyber-attack, Japanese internet geeks are planning a counterattack, also massive, against South Korean government and civic websites that advocate for South Korean sovereignty over the hotly-disputed Dokdo (Takeshima in Japanese) Islets. Whatever the reasons each side has for cyber-attacking the other, it looks like the next three days are going to be a huge mess on the parts of the internet connecting Japan and Korea. Oh, and did we mention one of the reasons for this dust-up is a female Korean mixed martial artist got beaten up by three Japanese comedians on live TV? It’s never easy between South Korea and Japan, is it? (The Korea Times – Japan-Korea Cyber-War This Monday) For details on the Korean martial artist vs. Japanese comedians incident, click over to New American Media.

Fuji TV · japan · Korean backlash · Korean dramas · News · Sousuke Takaoka · Aug 11, 2011

In Japan, Sousuke Takaoka and a Backlash Against Korean TV

Unfortunately, there is nothing new about animosity between Korea and Japan. The two countries have had a troubled relationship for centuries, although much of the current tension is the result of deep resentment over the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. Ironically, the latest dustup between the countries is due to a sort of reverse invasion of Japan by Korean TV dramas and pop-music idols. The controversy reportedly started in the last week of July, when Sousuke Takaoka, a popular Japanese actor (“Battle Royale”), used Twitter to voice his criticisms of Fuji TV and the high number of Korean dramas the network shows. Part of Takaoka’s rant was the claim that Japanese people truly want traditional Japanese drama programming. For his trouble, Takaoka was fired from his talent agency on July 28th, which is reportedly the reason he issued an apology for his anti-Korean TV programming remarks less than 24 hours ago. Nevertheless, the actor’s Twitter-based outcry against Korean TV shows opened up a floodgate of anti-Korean sentiment in Japan. On Sunday, August 7th, for example, roughly 500 demonstrators assembled outside Fuji TV’s Tokyo headquarters to protest pretty much the same things Takaoka did last month. The unfortunate rumor about the protest is that it was either started, or heavily attended, by Japanese ultra-nationalists. No violence or injury was reported from the Fuji TV protest, but demonstrators did apparently call for the Japanese government to revoke Fuji’s broadcast license for showing too much Korean TV programming. Another protest against Fuji TV is planned for August 21st. This is a sad development, we think, because the cross-pollination of the Korean and Japanese entertainment industries might be the best way for the two countries to finally come to understand one another and at least try to get along with each other. (CNNGo – Japanese Korean TV Protest) There are additional details about this story on Tokyo Times. Excerpts from Sousuke Takaoka’s August 11th apology can be read here.

cat cosplay · cat fashion · cats · cosplay · japan · News · Takako Iwasa · Aug 11, 2011

NewsBot QuickShot: A Book Of Kitty Cosplay From Japanese Author

If one is going to do something well, even if it is a bit silly, one should take the endeavor quite seriously. And dressing up cats appears to be something Japanese feline clothing designer Takako Iwasa takes very seriously and does quite well. Her new book, “Fashion Cats”, is a surprisingly delightful-looking volume full of pictures of cats dressed and accessorized as various types of fanciful characters. At the link, you’ll see pictures of (what appear to be) very patient kitties dressed as everything from a rabbit and a frog to a king and a queen. There is also a short video in which a beautiful pure white kitty is fed a couple of cat treats, which we suspect may be how author Iwasa secured the cooperation of her group of lovely and fuzzy fashion models. (Laughing Squid – Fancy Kitty Costume Book) “Fashion Cats” is published by Vice Magazine, which has a page promoting the recently-released book here.

christina chou · earthquake · Features · japan · News · Aug 11, 2011

Heroes Remain: Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Aftermath

Manga Road begins right outside of the train station and spans across the city. Various life-sized iron anime figurines are bolted to the ground. Ranging from superheroes to beloved characters, these structures stand out in the aftermath, still brightly colored. The road ends at the Mangattan museum, or Ishinomori Manga Museum, which was built in 2001. The edifice, comically shaped like a bubble and UFO saucer, boasts of Ishinomori’s original artwork, unique exhibits, and displays of Cyborg 009, characters from Android Kikaider, Robocon, and many more.

Ishinomaki is a quiet town whose main attraction is Manga Road and Mangattan (石ノ森萬画館), an oblong-shaped museum dedicated to Ishinomori. The city celebrates Shotaro Ishinomori (石ノ森章太郎), a mangaka, or manga writer, renown for his creation of 1970’s popular anime Kamen Rider, among other long-running series. Ishinomori is often compared to American Marvel comic book writer, Stan Lee, an equally prolific creator of Spiderman and other heroes.

I trundled into the Ishinomaki JR station dripping sweat and smelling like karaage (から揚げ)—fried chicken. Even three months after the earthquake and tsunami, trains still couldn’t run directly into the city due to reconstruction. Relief workers and I transferred several times and then took a tightly packed bus whose exhaust fumes smelled crispy and tantalizing. Shooting footage of tsunami relief for a documentary—we were naïve to think we could come away unaffected.