Recorded, but no time to edit

Rich Pav 2 Comments

Recorded a podcast last night along with an excellent street performer singining the blues, then another podcast this morning. Unfortunately I don’t have time to put it all together. I’m off to the sleep clinic for a very expensive overnight stay. For what they charge, the package should include a naughty nurse to keep me warm.

Kanji lookup

Rich Pav 10 Comments

In Japanese Windows 2000 or XP there’s a utility to lookup kanji characters by drawing them with your mouse, but if you can’t draw them well enough you’re screwed.

This site will let you lookup characters by choosing radicals. I just found it and it saved me the embarrassment of having to ask a coworker to read for me. (I hate doing that. It’s a man thing, like refusing to ask for directions.)

http://www.frotz.net/nihongo/kanji.cgi

Chinese Whispers about Japan

Rich Pav 13 Comments

This interesting little factoid, dear listeners, is an extreme–but common–exaggeration. It showed up on digg.com this morning.

15 million Japanese No Longer Use Paper Money EVER

Today, however, for 15 million Japanese, paper money is a thing of the past, according to the Japan Research Institute. No longer solely used for online purchases, e-money, accessed via a smart card or mobile phone, has become a way of life for many consumers in Japan.

read more | digg story

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“Shiny Mud Balls” are not a fad. (Well, maybe)

Rich Pav 5 Comments

I think I first read about this “fad” about a week ago on Boing Boing. Search Google for “shiny mud balls” in English and you get 186,000 hits. Search for the same term in Japanese (光る泥団子） and you get 413 hits. The latest fad taking Japan by storm? I think not.

For what it’s worth, I asked the expert this morning (Tony, 8yrs old) and he had never heard of them. Maybe they’re all the rage in another part of the country. Some place where people don’t use the Internet much, I guess.
Shiny Mud Balls

Update: Siuyee, our resident Quality Control expert, notes that if you remove “shiny” from the search term you get 19,700 hits. So it’s quite possible that I’m totally wrong, and my kid’s a nerd. Maybe all his classmates are mass-producing shiny mud balls and hiding them when he comes around. What I do know for sure is that I’m at work eight hours a day and I’ve never seen any of my Japanese colleagues make one…

While we’re at it, let’s also tackle the myth about Japanese being in love with their robotic dogs and manservants. Sony recently stopped production of the Aibo and Qrio to return their focus to products they can actually sell. For a profit.