(Flickr photo credit: 
Outrage, the new film from Japan’s legendary Takeshi Kitano (ZATOICHI: THE BLIND SWORDSMAN, BROTHER, VIOLENT COP) opening in Los Angeles and New York on December 2, 2011. It stars Beat Takeshi, Kippei Shiina, Ryo Kase, and Tomokazu Miura.
In a ruthless battle for power, several yakuza clans vie for the favor of their head family in the Japanese underworld. The rival bosses seek to rise through the ranks by scheming and making allegiances sworn over saké.
Long-time yakuza Ôtomo (writer/director Kitano, using his screen name “Beat Takeshi”) has seen his kind go from elaborate body tattoos and severed fingertips to becoming important players on the stock market. Theirs is a never-ending struggle to end up on top, or at least survive, in a corrupt world where there are no heroes but constant betrayal and vengeance…
Running Time: 109 minutes
Language: Japanese (with English subtitles)
Rating: R for violence, language, and brief sexuality
Ok, ok, so you just want to know how you can win some free tickets and DVDs? Read on!
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Before you watch this commercial for Japan’s “Calorie Shaper” underwear, make sure that you have two minutes of your life to wonder what the hell you just watched. And you might want to get the wastebasket ready when the 70′s era music hits your eardrums. The idea of “functional underwear” is actually pretty interesting, albeit something that I would probably never spend on forty dollars on (2,940 yen is about $38USD).
Basically, the Calorie Shapers are a printed resin that supposedly makes your muscles work more due to the stress in the elasticity. I think the best way to describe it, is if you starch pressed some skinny jeans, and tried to break them in would have a similar effect.
Most amusingly, there is another great feature about this underwear:
Bonus fact—another attribute of the magic underwear is its ability to “absorb the body odor of middle-aged and elderly men,” something Goldwin says it might dial down when advertising to women.
Ever heard of showers? Okay, you can now click start, and proceed to throw up into that wastebasket from the marketing music.
Shopping With GASP!
One young woman in Japan decided to play some sort of joke on her husband for his birthday and spent the better part of a day digging a 2.5m hole in the sand with a couple of the guy’s buddies. Then she covered it up with a sheet and sand on top, and invited her husband out to the area later that night. As expected, they both fell in, but instead of the amusing “ha ha” moment, the sand toppled over them and they both suffocated.
What bugs me about this story isn’t the fact that the two people died. What bugs me is people not understanding how a sand trap works and using it as a joke. A 2.5m hole would mean that the sand pitfall was basically a 8 foot long by 8 foot deep hole that caves in on itself. There is no way anyone would be escaping from that. Alas, I suppose that some people don’t really think about the worst possible scenarios from their actions and things like this befall them. It’s a sad story, but sometimes you just have to do a facepalm.
If you really want to screw with your mind without taking drugs, just watch this guy’s optical illusion video. For a while there, I had thought they were four separate rings, but they’re actually two rings that are touching each in the first part of the video. What is totally wacky is how this Japanese guy has amazingly steady hands and knows about how far a ring’s diameter is to move them so that they actually look like synchronized movement. You’re half waiting for him to pull his hands back and the rings just move by themselves. Completely trippy stuff.
A bunch of people sent this video to me saying that I’d find it funny, but I just watched this in horror. Basically this video is of a cute little bear cub being scared out of its wits by a baby lion, monkey and monkey’s shadow. Ok, so maybe that shadow thing was kind of funny. But overall, I thought it was pretty cruel what they were doing to the bear. Adding in the facial reactions of the Japanese variety show folks and the soundtrack of the audiences saying “Kawaii!!!” didn’t change that, but maybe I need to see the full version of this, which evidently shows the bear cub exacting its revenge on its (previous) terrorizers. What do you think?
I was lucky enough to attend an early screening of Inception at the Arclight in Hollywood on Wednesday night. Like Dino-Ray, I enjoyed how thought-provoking the film was, and truth be told—two days later, I’m still reeling at how mind-blown I was by this film.
You really have to see the film for yourself to appreciate the brilliance of Christopher Nolan’s writing and direction, but without strong characters and actors to take the audience through the emotional journey, I think the story driving Inception might have easily lost in the amazing visuals as well as the overwhelming amount of chasing, shooting, fighting, and other action and suspense sequences. So for me, it was the strength of Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance, balanced with those of all the supporting characters– in particular the characters played by Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, Dileep Rao, and of course, Ken Watanabe that made the film so compelling.
Last Friday, Ken Watanabe was good enough to spare a few minutes on the phone with me for a quick chat about Inception, his own reaction after seeing the film, his thoughts about different audiences worldwide, and what he’ll be doing next.
Joz: You’ve had a long and notable career in Japan prior to your exposure to American audiences in ‘The Last Samurai’ and other English-language films. What are the main differences and similarities you find when you’re doing a film for an American (and international) audience, versus that of a Japanese audience?
Ken Watanabe: I couldn’t find [any] different perspective. To make a film just, I need to connect one audience, not [different] people. All people have the same feeling and same mind — a little bit different custom and culture and background and language, but same feelings, I think. I’m [an] Asian and Japanese actor so I want to try always [to balance]. [Like a] Japanese brush painting is [just] black and white [watercolor] — not oil — but still really sensitive [and shades in between]. Not yes or no, but just between good or bad, happy or sad… sensitive… between-gray area.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B74s4MgQ1rw
I am amazed at how people could even attempt to make the sounds they do through beatboxing. But just as Asians have started to dominate the bboy scene, it seems that they are starting to go crazy also with beatboxing. Daichi and Hikakin are the two most well known beatboxers from Japan, and both have done several television appearances.
Hikakin was the first one that my wife found out about when she was searching about Nintendo music and ran across his Super Mario beatbox. What’s really crazy is that most DJs use records and equipment to all the mixing and scratching, but these guys can do it straight from their throats with absolutely impressive beats.
Except for Moye*, the Japanese/Japanese-American folks I know aren’t usually people who do much complaining. While that’s a pretty big generalization, we all know the stereotypes– both real and perceived– of the “quiet” Japanese men and women who don’t like to talk about or dwell on hardships. Those who work to document the Japanese American internment often report that many of the Issei and older Nisei wanted to leave those memories in the past– forcing a younger generation to push for Redress. But I digress.
Regardless of whether “not complaining” is a “traditionally Japanese trait,” there are reports that today’s Japanese have becoming increasingly vocal complainers. According to an article in Japan Today, the nation “…it seems, is fast becoming an “ichamon” [いちゃもん] society, where people don’t merely raise complaints, but make false charges and pick fights at the slightest pretext.”
Last July, Shinichi Sekine, author of “The Claimer Next Door,” (Chuokoron Shinsha, 2007) published a “White Paper on Complaints.” Of over 5,000 respondents to Sekine’s questionnaire, nearly 40% noted that complaints at their workplace have been increasing of late.
The highest response was among teachers and educators, of whom 53.7% of whom said they had been directly in the line of fire.
“Until 2008, I’d been an administrator at a university for three years,” a source from academia tells the magazine. “During that time, I constantly had to field claims by students’ parents. Their methods were hardly different from yakuza. They would latch on to the smallest problem and demand that I acknowledge it, and apologize to them. Whenever I conceded a point they would ratchet up their claims.”
The day after cream stew was served at the cafeteria of a Tokyo primary school, a parent called to confront a teacher, saying, “My kid hates stew, so yesterday he only ate bread. I want a refund for that day’s lunch.”
The author of the white paper believes this trend actually reflects a change in the temperament of Japanese people. “They are not just complaining; their methods are becoming increasingly spiteful, such as demanding money or an apology in writing,” says Sekine. “I think a key factor may be the declining sense of contentment.”
Maybe so. But a commenter suggests that this might be because Japanese people are just “spoiled.”
What do you think? Is Japan on its way to being a nation of chronic complainers? Or do Americans still have a lock on that?**
*Just kidding. I’m only picking on Moye ‘cuz it’s fun! She is not a complainer– though she does, however, make keen observations about things that truly suck!
**Ok, another big generalization. But am I wrong about that?!
Pediatrician Dr. Wolffe Nadoolman was puzzled by the symptoms shown by a 18 month old toddler of Asian descent. The whites of the boy’s eyes were pink, yet there was no crusting or discharge that is typical of conjunctivitus (pink-eye). He ran a low grade fever for five days. What could the problem be? As this New York Times article later reveals, the toddler had Kawasaki Disease.
Kawasaki disease is an inflammation of the middle size arteries that occurs in children. This inflammation can affect many areas, but the most serious and lasting problems happen in the heart’s arteries, where aneurysms can lead to heart attacks, even in young children. Common symptoms are a prolonged fever with pink eyes or pink lips, such as shown by this baby. It most commonly occurs in children of Japanese descent. Most children completely recover from the disease, which is treated with aspirin and Gamma Globulin. Long lasting complications, when they occur, are typically heart problems caused by damage to coronary arteries.
Oddly enough, while Kawasaki disease happens more often to those of Asian ancestry, Americans of all ethnic groups are getting it. It tends to happen more in groups with higher socio-economic status. John Travolta’s son Jett, who died earlier this year, had the disease when he was 15 months old. There is some speculation that environment factors, such as carpet cleaners, are responsible for this increase, and there is also some theories that an infectious agent is responsible, as the disease often occurs in outbreaks and tends to be seasonal during late winter and early spring.
Hat tip to Tim
I try not to take for granted the vast number of cool events that happen in Los Angeles. I know that a screening of an almost 60 year-old Japanese movie doesn’t sound like the sort of thing that you can only find in L.A., but it is! The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences is presenting a stunning new restoration of Akira Kurosawa’s classic Rashomon, taken from a 35mm print created in 1962 from the original camera negative.
The truth of the matter is that because the heart of the film industry is here in Los Angeles, so is the heart of film restoration efforts. Film restoration is extremely tedious and costly, and many of our film treasures are being lost at a rapid rate. Because are we lucky enough to be in a city where much of the restoration is done, occasionally beautifully restored films are publicly screened here!
In this case, we’ll get to see the groundbreaking Kurosawa masterpiece Rashomon, starring Toshiro Mifune in the role that catapulted him to stardom. The film depicts the rape of a woman and the apparent murder of her husband through the widely differing accounts of four witnesses, including the rapist and the dead man (through a medium). The stories are mutually contradictory, leaving the viewer to determine which, if any, is the truth. Rashomon has become synonymous with the unknowability of truth, and spawned the term the “Rashomon Effect.” regarding the subjectivity of perception on recollection.
Regarding this particular restoration:
While the [35mm print from 1962] print itself was in good physical condition, the source material from which it was made was extremely battered. Due to the extensive printing and handling it had received over its lifetime, many shots were already starting to shrink and warp, and there were numerous scratches, dust, and dirt in the damaged negative. Scanned at 4k resolution, that 47-year-old print has been meticulously cleaned both digitally and by hand, complete with a new, seamless soundtrack. This essential restoration has been made possible by the Academy Film Archive, the National Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo and Kadokawa Pictures, Inc., with funding provided by Kadokawa Cultural Promotion Foundation and Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation.
Rashomon opens Friday, October 2, 2009 at Landmark’s Nuart Theatre, showing through Thursday, October 8 for an exclusive one-week engagement. Showtimes: Fri-Sun at 12:00, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30 & 10:00; Mon-Thu at 5:00, 7:30 & 10:00. Landmark’s Nuart Theatre is at 11272 Santa Monica Boulevard, just west of the 405 Freeway, in West Los Angeles. Program information: 310-281-8223; www.landmarktheatres.com
Over at Bicoastal Bitchin, I caught the above segment and found it too useful entertaining not to share. Assuming I haven’t stayed up all night due to insomnia, I usually have a hard time waking up and getting ready for work in the morning. This Japanese guy practically has it down to a science. In five minutes, he somehow manages to get up, brush his teeth, make & have breakfast, get dressed and get out the door. Damn, that’s less than one punch of the snooze button for me. Anyway, in all fairness, I will point out that this guy doesn’t use the facilities in the 5 minutes, nor does he brush his hair. And since he’s not a girl, no make-up, either.
But another reason this post caught my eye is this line from Bicoastal Bitchin:
Although, I’ve totally already mastered the 7-second food-face-cram at 3:24. Oh, and the 2-second flash disrobing at 0:20. Except I call it the “Hellooo Daniel Liu“.
Ha. I love that my cousin has a “stripper move” named after him now. Awesome.
Crazy weight loss gimmicks are certainly not unique to Japan, but I’m trying to figure out why anyone would use this “Boneless Belt” underneath their clothes. An anonymous commenter says that “the name supposedly comes from the term “boneless ham,” which is basically the japanese version of calling somebody a ‘muffin top.’ Imagine a big fat ham with that net around it, and the meat pushing out through the net.”
Yuck. So why would you do this on purpose? Supposedly, the belt actually helps you lose weight!
From Inventor Spot:
In effect, the structure of the rubber belt is a large mesh grid that splits the dieter’s belly, side and back fat into easily manageable blobs. This allows for increased metabolic consumption of calories and raises the propensity for increased blood flow values. More blood flow = more heat = more burning of fat. Got it? Good… What’s NOT good is that a multitude of fat blobs are squeezed out in a manner that disturbingly resembles mini-boobs.
If you really want to buy one, check out the Japanese Yahoo store which offers them.
Or, you can save yourself 4,000 yen and the trauma of seeing yourself as a blobular mess by just hopping on a treadmill, instead.
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