Latest posts by Scilla Alecci from November, 2009
Japan: Buy Nothing Day
Started in 1992 in Canada by artist Ted Dave, the Buy Nothing Day movement [en] has spread to more than 60 countries around the world, Japan included. In line with the philosophy of the movement, next Saturday (November 28) Japanese are invited to refrain from shopping and reflect upon their...
Japan: Secondhand books to loose yourself in
Photographer Damoncoulter presents some pictures of the Secondhand Book Fair in Shimbashi (Tokyo). In the heart of the Tokyo business district, the fair (held in middle November) was mostly attended by “salarymen” looking for rare pieces of literature to read on the way home.
Japan: British teenager becomes a YouTube star
She is British, blond, slim and cute. Her name is Beckii Cruel [ja] and, at age 14, has become an idol on the Japanese web. Beckii Cruel started to gain popularity at the end of this year thanks to some videos posted on YouTube where she appears dancing in her...
Japan: Obama's eagerly awaited visit
Ingmar, at Demotix, uploaded some pictures he took on Friday, when President Obama arrived to Tokyo to meet the Emperor and PM Hatoyama. The photos show the arrival of Obama at Suntory Hall.
Japan: I want my husband dead
Hideki Sakamoto (坂本 英樹)comments on the topic of the week: the bizarre results of the predictive search function of some Japanese search engines. “If you enter the word otto (夫, husband) in the Google search bar, and then press space, a few phrases are shown. But at the head of the...
Japan: A message to Tatsuya Ichihashi
Naoki Motoyama (本山直樹), guest professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture, addresses [ja] a post to Tatsuya Ichihashi (市橋達也), the alleged murderer of Lindsay Hawker captured on Tuesday after having been on the run for almost two years. The blogger, who used to belong to the same karate club at Chiba School...
Japan: Hitler's “Mein Kampf”, the manga version
After more than 80 years since its first publication, Hitler's Mein Kampf has become a Manga comic. The 190 page volume, which sold some 45,000 copies in the first printing, tells in a very simple way the story of Adolf Hitler, from his childhood to his rise as the leader...
Japan: Anti fur demo
Damoncoulter, at Demotix, uploaded photos of the anti fur demo that took place in Tokyo on October, 25. According to Damoncoulter “The campaign hoped to raise awareness of the cruelty in the production of fur clothing which has become fashionable again for Japanese youth.”