It's hard to think of Japan without 京都 springing to mind; it's one of the old capitals of Japan, hosts tens of millions of tourists each year and boasts around two thousand temples and shrines. It's also very straightforward to get to by 電車 (でんしゃ - densha - train) or 新幹線 (しんかんせん - shinkansen), which is just as well because you'll probably need two days to even scratch the surface. Fortunately I'll be doing most of the hard work for you this time - two posts for a two day trip. Don't forget your camera!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
祇園祭 (ぎおんまつり - Gion Matsuri) - Gion Festival
祇園祭 takes place every year in 京都 (きょうと - Kyoto) and is considered one of the "big three" festivals of Japan. It happens throughout July, culminating in a parade of floats on the 17th. Several of the roads of the 祇園 (Gion) district are reserved for pedestrians and huge shrines stacked with people, intricate tapestries and carved gold leaf rumble through the streets. So huge, in fact, that overhead power lines have had to be relocated in the past to stop the shrines getting caught on them. Did I mention many of them have trees on top as well? I may be overstressing the point, but it's certainly been a while since I've heard "boring" and "festival" in the same sentence.
Friday, July 16, 2010
電車 (でんしゃ - densha) - Trains
One of the things that probably springs to mind when you think of Japan are 電車; probably the image of the 新幹線 (しんかんせん - shinkansen - bullet train) gliding past 富士山 (ふじさん - Fujisan - Mount Fuji), or men with white gloves shoving the last few passengers on to a packed train. You could say that 電車 are the backbone of Japan and when you get here, you'll see why - they get billions of people a year to where they need to be. Let's have a look at the Japanese rail system and see what makes it one of the best in the world.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Japaneats その4 - ファーストフード (Fast food)
Let's face it - there will be gloomy days during 梅雨 (つゆ - tsuyu - the rainy season) when you just want to veg out and eat junk food. Fortunately, you can kill your ハンバーガー (hamburger) cravings in true Japanese style. Whether it's a burger place you won't find at home or an imported chain, let's have a look at what's on offer. Loosen your belt, grab some napkins and pull up a plastic stool for today's Japaneats.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
オタクの世界 (おたくのせかい - otaku no sekai) - The world of "otaku"
There seems to be some disagreement about what "オタク" actually are but for the sake of brevity, let's just call them "nerds", "geeks" and as some people on the internet call them, "fanboys/fangirls". Essentially, they're people with an obsession; their lives seemingly revolve around something that isn't nearly as important to other people. This is commonly referred to in Japan as a マニア (mania), which is why オタク are sometimes called マニアック (maniacs). Given that this is the land of アニメ (anime), マンガ (manga) and テレビゲーム (terebi geemu - video games) these are the most common マニア which I'll be focusing on today, but there are others. One of my coworkers is a self-confessed 電車オタク (でんしゃおたく - densha otaku - "train geek") and I'm told this isn't uncommon! Next stop, オタクの世界.
The word オタク started out as derogatory - it had the same connotations as "loser" or "freak", but that's started to change. Some people now wear it as a badge of honour, but it can still cause offence for those who don't. The modern オタク community has properly found its feet on the internet with Japanese image and chat boards such as 2channel (pronounced "二チャンネル" - ni channeru). Forums like this offer オタク the chance to post anonymously on thousands of different topics; most Japanese internet slang, jokes and pop culture come from boards like 2channel. Sometimes they even blossom into full-blown cultural phenomena. Probably the most famous example of this was an incident known as 電車男 (でんしゃおとこ - densha otoko - train man). It involved a romantically clumsy オタク who spent several months getting advice from posters about how he could win over a girl he met on the train one day. True or not, it ended up being made into several マンガ series and even turned into a soap opera! This is definitely worth Googling.
Not all オタク are shrinking violets, mind you - there are many public events and conventions that cater to their hunger for collectibles and spending time with like-minded people. These are sometimes known as オタコン ("otacon"), which is a Japanese shortening of the words "オタク" and "convention". At these, オタク are able to buy マンガ, フィギュア ("figyua" - figurines of popular characters), prints based on their favourite series and almost any other merchandise you can imagine. If it exists, someone collects it.
Perhaps the most interesting part of オタコン and other events is the コスプレ ("cosplay"). This is another Japanese shortening of "costume" and "play", basically meaning fancy dress. Given the dedication of some people to their art, the results can be amazing, as I found out when I visited this year's "Osaka Street Festa".
This might not be quite what you imagine when you think of reserved, measured Japan! The surging crowds spoke for themselves, though - hundreds of オタク dressed in specially made costumes, wigs and all. When the hair was too impractical to be real, they just made it themselves!
The Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon and Dragonball fans were out in force and for every one cosplayer there were ten people there to take photos.
Some of the cosplayers themselves even had the cameras out - these One Piece fans in particular didn't want to let the opportunity for some good photos get away.
Not everyone was dressed up as modern characters of course, like this cosplayer dressed as 食い倒れ太郎 (くいだおれたろう - kuidaore tarou). He's an old clown-like drummer puppet that stands outside a restaurant in Osaka, who's become a bit of a symbol of the city. His name roughly translates to "eat until you collapse Tarou", which must be something Osaka is renowned for!
In what would have to be the strangest part of the event, the cleaners then showed up in full costume. I think it's the only time I'll ever see people in samurai costumes picking up rubbish on the street! Welcome to オタクの世界, where even the cleaners enjoy a little コスプレ. I find it amazing that such a large community has sprung up from what must have been humble roots - such is the power of the internet and two-speed Japanese culture. オタク rejoice, and rest assured that whatever kind of マニア you have, there'll be plenty of other マニアック you can share it with. They might even help you make your costume.
The word オタク started out as derogatory - it had the same connotations as "loser" or "freak", but that's started to change. Some people now wear it as a badge of honour, but it can still cause offence for those who don't. The modern オタク community has properly found its feet on the internet with Japanese image and chat boards such as 2channel (pronounced "二チャンネル" - ni channeru). Forums like this offer オタク the chance to post anonymously on thousands of different topics; most Japanese internet slang, jokes and pop culture come from boards like 2channel. Sometimes they even blossom into full-blown cultural phenomena. Probably the most famous example of this was an incident known as 電車男 (でんしゃおとこ - densha otoko - train man). It involved a romantically clumsy オタク who spent several months getting advice from posters about how he could win over a girl he met on the train one day. True or not, it ended up being made into several マンガ series and even turned into a soap opera! This is definitely worth Googling.
Not all オタク are shrinking violets, mind you - there are many public events and conventions that cater to their hunger for collectibles and spending time with like-minded people. These are sometimes known as オタコン ("otacon"), which is a Japanese shortening of the words "オタク" and "convention". At these, オタク are able to buy マンガ, フィギュア ("figyua" - figurines of popular characters), prints based on their favourite series and almost any other merchandise you can imagine. If it exists, someone collects it.
Perhaps the most interesting part of オタコン and other events is the コスプレ ("cosplay"). This is another Japanese shortening of "costume" and "play", basically meaning fancy dress. Given the dedication of some people to their art, the results can be amazing, as I found out when I visited this year's "Osaka Street Festa".
This might not be quite what you imagine when you think of reserved, measured Japan! The surging crowds spoke for themselves, though - hundreds of オタク dressed in specially made costumes, wigs and all. When the hair was too impractical to be real, they just made it themselves!
The Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon and Dragonball fans were out in force and for every one cosplayer there were ten people there to take photos.
Some of the cosplayers themselves even had the cameras out - these One Piece fans in particular didn't want to let the opportunity for some good photos get away.
Not everyone was dressed up as modern characters of course, like this cosplayer dressed as 食い倒れ太郎 (くいだおれたろう - kuidaore tarou). He's an old clown-like drummer puppet that stands outside a restaurant in Osaka, who's become a bit of a symbol of the city. His name roughly translates to "eat until you collapse Tarou", which must be something Osaka is renowned for!
In what would have to be the strangest part of the event, the cleaners then showed up in full costume. I think it's the only time I'll ever see people in samurai costumes picking up rubbish on the street! Welcome to オタクの世界, where even the cleaners enjoy a little コスプレ. I find it amazing that such a large community has sprung up from what must have been humble roots - such is the power of the internet and two-speed Japanese culture. オタク rejoice, and rest assured that whatever kind of マニア you have, there'll be plenty of other マニアック you can share it with. They might even help you make your costume.
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