♥ MIKERU ON JAPAN TODAY ♥

Rookies the Movie: Graduation works overtime to please, and the film's blockbuster status indicates that fans were indeed satisfied. Non-fans, however, may only be partially convinced. The sequel to a popular 2008 TV drama that was based on a popular manga, Rookies continues the story of the Futakotamagawa High baseball team, a group of thuggish delinquents who were once suspended for getting into a massive on-field brawl. However, as related in the TV drama, the team learned to trust their new coach Koichi Kawato (Ryuta Sato of Gachi Boy) and resolved to make it all the way to Koshien Stadium, the home of Japan's yearly high school championship. Along the way they learned about life and love, plus overacted and got all teary while talking about their dreams. Yep, just like every other J-Drama about reformed delinquents. Tough high school thugs who cry with their teachers - it's practically its own genre.

In keeping with that, Rookies presents a cinematic continuation of the television drama - minus the "cinematic" part. Sure, the movie is shot on film and features the moments where a film camera moves. However, presentation here is only slightly better than normal television, with everything rendered in an obvious and self-indulgent way. Characters don't converse in Rookies - they explain, and everybody seemingly has the infinite patience to hang around and listen. The film also relates its pet themes in constantly repeated dialogue, with characters frequently talking about pursuing their dreams, hoping to see their dreams come true, and likely the dreams they had yesterday as they were having a dream about pursuing their dream. Every time a character talks to another character about their dreams or their respect for someone else's dreams, the music swells unbearably, and sometimes this can happen two or three times within the span of five minutes! As an accomplished piece of cinema, Rookies lacks.

Christmas in Japan is different from western countries like the USA or Australia. The major religions in Japan are Buddhism and Shinto, so Christmas is more commercial event. The main celebration revolves around Christmas eve and not Christmas day.

In Japan it is common to give Christmas presents. Within the family parents give presents to their children, but the children do not give presents to the parents. The reasoning behind this is that only Santa bring presents, so once the children no longer believe in Santa the presents are no longer given.

Most Japanese families would have a Christmas tree and now it is becoming very common to have lights on the outside of houses as you would see in the USA or Australia.
Christmas in Japan for Single Women

For single women in Japan it is really crucial to have someone to spend Christmas eve with. It is also really important for them where they spend Christmas eve and what present they receive. The whole evening must be very special, gorgeous and romantic. Japanese women who have a boy friend tend to show off, so women who don't are not happy to talk about the topic.

There also used to be a sarcasm that Christmas is compared with a woman's age. Cake shops throughout Japan always try to sell all their Christmas cakes before Christmas eve. Any cakes left after Christmas are seen to be very old or out of date. Women over 25 years old used to be said 'unsold Xmas cake.' It's a bit bad joke, though. However, nowadays, the average age for marriage has changed, getting older and older, and it is a history.
Christmas in Japan - Business & Shopping Hours

The shops are open Christmas day and all other days up to New Years day, except they close early on the 31st.

Most shops are then closed on the 1st, 2nd & 3rd. After this it depends on the shop, some will stay closed longer. The trend is towards shops opening on the 2nd of January.
Christmas in Japan - Language

How to say "Merry Christmas" in Japanese - easy - "Merry Christmas"

How to write "Merry Christmas" in Japanese - メリークリスマス

Kitakyushu is located at the Kitakyushu Science and Research Park.

Access: Get off JR Train at Orio Station of Kagoshima Line. Leave the station by the West Exit and take the bus for KSRP from the opposite side of the road, numbers 61 or 65. The nearest bus stop to CUK is ‘Hibikino Minami'.


Kitakyushu: Where Does Your Old Used Car End Up?
Over at Treehugger, we continue talking about Japan’s Eco Model Cities. This time, we take a closer look at Kitakyushu, the industrial city in south western Japan that used to be known as a very polluted place to live. That started to change in the late 1970s when a group of housewives formed an environmental group and lobbied the city to combat pollution from the factories. Amazing what a bunch of dedicated people can do sometimes. Some 30 years later, Kitakyushu is seen as a model city, having received the Global 500 Award from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1990. In 1992, it got the UN Local Government Honours during the Earth Summit. Kitakyushu is active abroad (pdf), and is seen as a human resource development base for sustainable development in Asia.

For example, there is the Kitakyushu Industrial Eco Complex to recycle resources and energies and generate new industries as citywide activities, through the use of local industrial infrastructures.

If you own a car in Japan, this is most likely where it will end up, after you sell it.

Date Time Event Venue Organiser
16 & 17 December 8:30pm- Min'yo - Echoes of Japanese Folk Songs - Auditorium, Dewan Bandaraya KL, Menara DBKL1, Jalan Raja Laut,
50350 KL Embassy of Japan
Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur

5 & 19
December 5th Dec.: 3:00pm-
19th Dec.:10:00am- Weekend Japanese Cinema Shows
5th Dec. "Poppoya-Railroad Man"
19th Dec. "Young Girls in Love" Pawagam Mini P. Ramlee, FINAS,
Lot 1662, Bt. 8, Jalan Hulu Kelang,
68000 Ampang, Selangor
Tel: 03-4104 1375 / 76 (Unit Latihan) Japan Foundation Kuala