I have been studying Japanese on and off far too long to not be good at it and while I have sought to blame my delinquency on the lack of opportunities to practice, my inability to remain motivated, a ‘busy’ lifestyle and procrastination there are a few simple words and phrases that have made their way into my vocabulary. My coworkers, family members and close friends have now learned a few of these words as I use them almost naturally, now if only I would study Japanese more consistently. A Few of these words I have listed below along with an example situation or situations I would use a few of my favourite ones and where I picked them up or heard them.
If my grandmother was a ninja I'd want her to be Chiyo
masaka – unbelievable!
Crazy and surprising things happen in life, my life is so different and on an almost daily basis there are a few unexpected occurrences that cause say “masaka” in different tones depending on the situation. A recent “masaka moment” was when I witnessed a speeding car get out of control and barely miss a head-on collision with a bus going in the opposite direction. I was taught this word by a lovely Sand Village ninja named Chiyo. Continue reading →
Occult Academy is one of the series on my interesting summer 2010 anime list. I was impressed by the trailer I saw a while back and the plot overview and decided to take a look at after watching the first 3 episodes I can’t say I have been disappointed so far, in fact I have been quite impressed and this show as well as Highschool of the Dead are my two favourite shows in the summer season.
Meet Maya - one crazy lady
Plot Overview
Maya Kumashiro is one crazy chick who is daughter of the former headmaster of Seikimatsu Okaruto Gakuin or Occult Academy – a private academy dedicated to the study of all things supernatural, unexplainable or that go bump in the night. Her father dies mysteriously and she becomes to new principal with the her main goal being to destroy the school which she hates so much. Not long into her “reign” she comes face to crotch with Fumiaki Uchida the quirky agent from the future who falls from the sky with the aim of saving humanity from extinction at the hands of aliens? Continue reading →
Another month has flown by and it’s time again for the Operation Visit Japan report, this time for July 2010. The saving plan continues to progress nicely each month and I seem to be on a blogging roll, spitting out post after post almost daily and my brain is a constant hum with new post ideas especially late at night and creating notes for little plans I have for my blog in the near to midterm future so stay tuned!
It’s summertime in the northern half of the world and many people are enjoying themselves while I have to balance school exams and one of the busiest periods of the year at work for me as I try to finish up and meet mid year deadlines. Only one exam remains though and in another week my workload should fall and the regular scheduled laziness may resume, hopefully uninterrupted. Continue reading →
In Darkness, Death is the title of the third book in the Samurai Mysteries series written by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler. I have already read and reviewed the first 2 books in the series, the eerie Ghost in the Tokaido Inn and the unpredictable Demon in the Teahouse.
The young merchant turned samurai Seikei is back with hos adopted father Judge Ooka who is described as the Japanese Sherlock Holmes. Their task this time is to find out who killed one of the shogun’s samurai while he should be well taken care on in the capital. Started reading this only a few days ago and will be posting my full review in the coming days so look out for it. The authors will have to keep up the high standards and enjoyability of the first two book to continue to impress me, lets see how it turns out. Continue reading →
Last weekend I made an impromptu trip to the movies with Mrs Jamaipanese to check out Karate Kid, the remake of a cult classic that I must have watched at least a hundred times as a child. I knew very little about the remake before hand, so little in fact that I didn’t even know Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith played the lead roles. Jackie is an acting legend, albeit an aging one and Jaden is the son of an acting legend so I had high hopes.
Disclaimer: Please dont try at home, your groin will thank me
It was a wonderful film that I enjoyed and I don’t regret paying money to see but from my post Karate Kid remake watching experience I started to check out a few reviews and apparently I’m not as smart as I think I am, as everybody and their uncle’s aunt was wondering why the pluck is the movie named “Kung Fu” Kid if the tween is taught Kung Fu. わかりました？ Continue reading →
Keisei Electric Railway Company recently official opened the new Narita Sky Access train route which connects Narita International Airport with the Nippori Station which is along the Yamanote Line in downtown Tokyo in only 36 minutes. It’s competitor the Narita Express by JR makes the run between Narita Airport and Tokyo Station in 52 minutes. The design of the Narita Sky Access is based on a concept by fashion designer and civil engineer Kansai Yamamoto and it’s sharp lines and blue tones are influenced by the wind and a sense of speed.
The new Narita Sky Access gets you into downtown Tokyo in 36 minutes
Inspired by the wind
Narita Sky Access is capable of speeds up to 160 kilometers per hour which makes it the fastest train in Japan that is not a Shinkansen or Bullet train. The train features more seating space with a power outlet and other amenities like a secured luggage area and wheelchair access. The aspiring train otaku in me has already spent an hour checking out videos of the new train and I have embedded one of the better ones below for others like me interested in seeing the train on the track and interior. Continue reading →
Let me start off this review by saying Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an awesome anime series, so awesome that it has made its way unto my list of favourite anime ever! Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way I’ll get into the meat of the matter on why FMA: Brotherhood is so awesome but first lets me explain why it is different from the first Fullmetal Alchemist series many might be familiar with and give a short overview of the story including the main characters.
The Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric
Follow the manga, or else?
The Original Fullmetal Alchemist series diverted from the main story of the manga, resulting in the awesome meter of the series taking a huge nosedive. The series creator Hiromu Arakawa beat back the anime into submission and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood was born in the spring 2009 season that rewinds to the point of the diversion and chooses the manga path forward, sticky to the story of the creator and allowing the awesome meter of the show to soar once again. As a follower of the manga this was awesome news although now the manga has ended and the anime series has done the same. Continue reading →
All Nippon Airways or ANA is the second largest airline in Japan after Japan Airlines. ANA has teamed up with Bandai Namco to mark the 30 anniversary of Gunpla in Japan by painting one of its Boeing 777-300 aircraft with a Gundam on one side and a ANA x Gundam logo on the other side.
Gundam fans will flock this plane
The ANA x Gundam Sky Project plane will only be doing local flights between now and March 2011 and Gundam fans in Japan have already began snapping up tickets not only for the opportunity to fly on a custom Gundam painted plane but also to be able to purchase a special limited edition Gunpla kit only available to passengers on one of these flights. Special custom painted planes are nothing new to Japan as in the past there has been planes decorated to other popular characters like Pokemon and Hello Kitty. Continue reading →
Posted in General
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Tagged ana, gundam, gunpla, jet
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Jamaipanese.com is starting to feel like a child of mine, a child that was brought into the world 4 short years ago but has grown so fast you can’t believe. It is by no means the biggest and best out there but I am quite proud of it and has put a lot of work into it over the years. I decided to get me a pack of business cards to help promote my blog and I thought I’d share a couple pictures of them with you.
Jamaipanese.com business cards featuring pictures of my Gundam Figures
I decided to get business cards done because it was becoming increasingly difficult to tell persons I know or met at events like the Japanese Calendar Exhibition, Jamaica Pegasus Tweetup and Anime Nation Costume Rave about my blog and what it is about. With the cards now though it is so much easier share my site with new people especially when I don’t know them ^_^. The cards where designed and ordered through Moo.com using images that I had taken for my blog posts about my anime figure collection (mostly Gundams). I also mixed in some favourite scenic shots of Jamaica I took like that awesome waterfall in Portland and a view of the pier and Kingston Harbour in Port Royal. Continue reading →
I spend a lot of time on the web and discover a lot of cool websites, resources, games, videos and more almost daily. My interest in Japan greatly influences which kind of discoveries I make and lately I am been going on many a Japan themed excursion using the internet as my mode of transport. One of my recent discoveries is a video called “Tokyo in 6 minutes” shot by named Warren den Engelsmanplus.
who could miss one of the most famous landmarks in Asakusa
He has a lot of videos uploaded on vimeo but Tokyo in 6 minutes remains my favourite. The six minute video was shot in Asakusa, Ueno, Odaiba and Shibuya – all districts within Tokyo and show some great normal, everyday life scenes and photographs that will make any Japan enthusiast’s toes curl. Video embedded below. Continue reading →
