Latest posts by Tomomi Sasaki from July, 2009
Japan: Yokohama Mayor Resigns
Shisaku on Yokohama Mayor Nakada Hiroshi's resignation: “When an electoral shoo-in like Nakada takes a leap like this into the unknown, it is just one more indication that postwar system is on the verge of final, precipitous collapse”.
Japan: Fireworks in Tokyo
Auberginefleur at Japan Now & Then has compiled a handy list of Tokyo's firework events for 2009. suzurzan.ranran, cadm2, chris.jan have uploaded their photos of yesterday's Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival, one of Tokyo's biggest summer events.
Japan: Possible Twitter Novel Publication
Netafull [ja] reports that writer/essayist Mica Naitoh tweeted [ja] that she has received an offer to publish her Twitter novel, just a few days after she started tweeting with the hashtag #twnovel.
Japan: School Lunches
Kara at morotsuka.com has chronicled what goes on during school lunches in Japan.
Japan: No Twitter for Election Campaigns
In response to the government's decision that the usage of Twitter in election campaign activities violates the Public Offices Election Law, Kengo Preston wonders why disruptive methods such as direct phone calls and street speeches with megaphones are permitted while these low-cost and practical new technologies are not.
Japan: Japanese characters as ccTLD?
Motoko Hunt reports that a new conference is being set up to discuss Japanese ccTLD (country code Top Level Domain) issues. We'll be seeing ccTLD with Japanese characters, such as “xx.日本”. (日本 is ‘Japan’ in Japanese.)
Japan: Personal Donations to Politicians
With “Love Japan“, Rakuten Inc. has enabled personal donations to politicians via credit card, a first in Japan. Hit Okano [ja] ponders about the relationship between the amount of donated money and its influence on politicians, while blogger Satotaku [ja] refers to U.S. President Obama's success with online contributions and...
Japan: On How to Perceive the Japanese Web (Part Three)
Continued from Part Two. As examples of the Japanese web that it isn't ‘disappointing’ at all, many bloggers referred to the success of the video sharing website Nico Nico Douga. A-list blogger Dan Kogai pointed to the recipe site Cook Pad (which went public a few weeks ago) and Yahoo!...
Japan: Aokigahara and Suicide
Matt Holland at Feedbackward on Aokigahara, and Meaningful Suicide in Japan – “The ubiquitous and accessible nature of trains in Japan make them a logical and effective choice for those attempting suicide, but it is Aokigahara, the forest situated at the base of iconic Mount Fuji that hosts the most...
Japan: Implications of the Population Crisis
Ian Wright at Japanian analyzes the implications of the diminishing population in Japan from an economic, political, and military point of view.
Japan: On How to Perceive the Japanese Web (Part Two)
Part Two and Part Three of this post highlights some of the discussions in the blogosphere and Twittersphere that followed the conterversial interview “The Japanese web is ‘disappointing': An interview with Mr. Mochio Umeda, summarized in Part One. [All links in this article link to Japanese content unless otherwise noted.]...
