The Full scale 18 meter tall, 35 ton RX-78-2 Gundam in Odaiba, Tokyo Japan took very little time to be built and was completed long before it was official unveiled On July 11th. The crowds were already gathering when only the legs were up and not surprisingly Shiokaze Park is now overrun with Gundam fans traveling from all over Japan to take a look at the giant robot and take part in the celebrations surrounding 30 years of Gundam.
RX-78-2 Gundam with lights and smoke effect – photo by hiyang
Some people weren’t even fans of Gundam decided to go to see the giant robot that they were seeing on TV and that everyone was talking about. The word “Gundam” is a combination of the word “gun” with the last syllable of the word “freedom” to form the name “Gundom” which was eventually changed by series animator Yoshiyuki Tomino to “GUNDAM”. Take a look at some videos and more pictures below. read full post…
I teased it a few days ago in my review and as promised I have teamed up with Philip Seyfi of NihongoUp to give visitors to Jamaipanese.com the opportunity to win their own copy of what is an excellent Japanese reviewing tool and game.
Don’t expect any complicated entry requirements, entering to win one of the 5 licenses to the full version of NihongoUp is quick and easy and there are many different ways to enter. Really want to win a copy of NihongoUp?…then enter multiple times by using different contest entry types. full details below. read full post…
My interest in time lapse videos of Japan continues. I surfed into my latest favourite by Andreas Doppelmayr a few days ago entitled Tokyo & Yokohama – A High Speed Journey. It joins Alone in Tokyo and Tokyo Time Lapse on my list of great Japan related videos I have to share.
Red barrier lights means danger while road work takes place
Tokyo isn’t the only star of this video as Yokohama also shares the spotlight. Yokohama is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kanto region of the main island of Honshu. It is a major commercial hub of the Greater Tokyo Area. read full post…
My study of the Japanese language is a stop and go process but I have been making a lot of progress lately. On the reading side so far I am confident of my Hiragana and Katakana knowledge and have been practicing recognizing more and more Kanji starting with the first year elementary school ones off the JLPT4 list. There are a myriad of text books, software, websites, tools, games and other resources offering to help you learn Japanese and although that is a good thing sometimes you can get swallowed when you have have so many options. That is exactly what has been happening to me lately but I have discovered a very useful Japanese educational game and reviewing tool called NihongoUp.
What is NihongoUp?
NihongoUp isan application that runs on Windows, Mac or Linux that assists persons learning Japanese by helping them to retain what they have studied. If practicing Hiragana or Katakana users type the meaning of the character on screen while in the case of Kanji or particles users choose the right answer from the multiple choice list. read full post…
Robo-Geisha is one of those movies that you will either love or not even try to watch in the first place. Japan is known for some really really really crazy and “unusual” films bit Robo-Geisha has got to rank up there as one of the best or worst, depending and if you like these movies or not.
I’m not even sure if I will watch it but in case these movies are your cup of tea (laced with the blood of a martian and fried shrimp) check out the not safe for work (or the feint of heart) trailer below and look out for it later this year if you are in Japan or early next year for the rest of us. read full post…
My journey as a newbie figure collector continues with my latest figure being the Gundam Astraea Type-F. The Astraea is a protoype mobile suit used to test out technology and equipment for what will be used in later Gundams primarily the Exia. This is my first 1/100 scale gunpla as all my other Gundam figures are either 1/144 scale or Chibi type models.
Astraea with GN Sword and GN Shield
Astraea appears in the side-stories of Mobile Suit Gundam 00P and Mobile Suit Gundam 00F (which I have yet to read). A prototype mobile unit, which serves as the intermediary design between the 1st-generation GN-000 0 Gundam seen in flashbacks during the Gundam oo anime and the 3rd-generation GN-001 Gundam Exia which is piloted my the main character in the first season of the Gundam oo anime. The GN Drive control mechanism differs from that of 0 Gundam, and benchmarks with both higher output and higher instability which I’m guessing means it’s stronger than Exia but with extended use explodes into a ball of fire. read full post…
A few days ago I was asked to donate blood for a coworker’s father who was about to undergo an operation. A few years ago I was scared of needles albeit not as bad as some of my friends. Over time though I slew the needle monster after various medicals, compulsory HIV tests and blood donations for friends doing operations or having babies. Apart from that point when the needle is poked through your skin and into your vein, I try to remain cool plus there is something about an attractive young nurse smiling and asking “are you comfortable Mr Brown?” that is so reassuring.
I remember reading (or glancing over) some information on a website a while back about the importance of your blood type in Japan. Apparently it’s as big as horoscope is in the west and can decide everything from the type of girl or your ideal soul mate to your chances of getting into a school or getting that new job. So of course I decided to see what my blood type says about me (at least in Japan) and this is what I found. Also please vote in the poll at the end of this post. read full post…
For the past few months I have been enjoying an excellent blog called I Speak Japanese more specifically their video entries entitled “Happy Hour Japan”. The blog is updated primarily with video posts by fellow Japan enthusiasts Aaron and Kevin who have both visited and spent a lot of time in Japan. I found every single one of their short, to the point, engaging and natural videos very informative but fun at the same time. It’s hard to even choose a few of my favorites to link to. For someone like me who have never been to Japan and can only dream about it for now I can’t get enough of their videos.
While checking out BBC World News recently I saw a very interesting episode of their travel program called Fast Track. I’ve seen Fast Track at random times before as it covers news and recent developments in travel industry but when I heard Tokyo, anime and saw a dancing storm trooper on screen that episode reached an all new interest level.
The short program showcases Japanese technology, research and culture and the Japan Tourist Board’s effort to attract 10 million visitors a year by 2010 to Japan. Click here to watch the 10 minute long video. read full post…
Tokyo may be the capital of Japan but that doesn’t mean that it’s the only city allowed to enjoy an awesome 1:1 giant robot displayed for it’s inhabitants to go crazy over. It may have a 18 meter 35 tonne Gundam but Kobe is getting it’s own 18 meter giant robot named Tetsujin 28-go that outweighs the puny RX-78 Gundam at 50 tonnes.
Tetsujin 28-go
According to Wikipedia Tetsujin 28-go (Iron Man #28) is a manga from the mid 50’s which features the giant robot that was supposed to save Japan from defeat in World War II, by the time it was completed however the war was over and Japan had lost so what does it end up doing?…fighting criminals and other giant robots of course. Tetsujin 28-go was the the first manga to feature a giant robot and it’s illustrator Mitsuteru Yokoyama who passed away a few years ago was born in Kobe. Unlike the giant Gundam in Odaiba this one will not have any moving parts but the trade off is that Iron Man #28 will be a PERMANENT statue! Official unveiling is expected to be in September, check out the video after the jump. read full post…
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