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Category: Random

01 Mar: Sayonara Shinkansen 500 - The Retirement of a Champion
Not long ago, I wrote about the reduced lifespan of Japanese trains, approx. 15 years (7 Reasons Why Japanese Trains Are Different). Perhaps the best illustration of this principle was the ... »
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28 Dec: 2010, the Year of the Tiger
Today, at the Tsutenkaku Tower in Osaka, took place the 54th ceremony of the zodiac sign replacement. The animals representing the old year (the Year of the Ox) and the new year (the Year of the ... »
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28 Dec: Traditional Japanese New Year Decorations (part 2)
Kagami mochi (鏡餅) is a special New Year Japanese decoration, usually displayed in the kamidana, for the toshigami, the god of the new year, to bring good luck and prosperity in the ... »
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27 Dec: Traditional Japanese New Year Decorations (part 1)
On the New Year, there is a custom in Japan to display, on the house entry door or on the porch, a special knitted rope made from rice straws called shimenawa, on which are hung special strips of ... »
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25 Dec: Japanese New Year Postcards
In Japan, starting from mid-December, everybody starts sending nengajo ( 年賀状 ), New Year postcards for friends, relatives and colleagues. According to the tradition, nengajo ... »
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24 Dec: Japanese Christmas Cake
The customs and traditions regarding the Christmas were brought in Japan by the Christian missionaries. Usually, in Christian countries, the Christmas menu is important and varies widely from ... »
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15 Dec: 7 Reasons Why Japanese Trains Are Different
Anyone who experienced the Japanese trains has a story to tell... There are hundreds of stories about the punctuality, the speed or the cleanness of the Japanese trains. Nevertheless, what makes ... »
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10 Dec: New E5 Shinkansen at Start
An article from today's Mainichi draw my attention: JR East started testing today the new generation of Shinkansen trains - E5, and the new train appeared yesterday in Tokyo Station, running ... »
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18 Nov: Happy Birthday, Mickey Mouse
His films may have influenced the development of today's anime. He's by far the best known cartoon character and his name (written ミッキー) is equally popular even in ... »
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24 Oct: Haiku and photography 2
Sometimes, a photo reminds me of a haiku... like this Raindropped Blue Hydrangea, by Mark Highton Ridley:hydrangea a bush is the little garden of a detached roomBasho Click on photo for ... »
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30 Sep: The Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Today in Abu Dhabi, the 24 member states of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage - UNESCO, decided the 76 elements inscribed on the Representative List of ... »
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21 Sep: Haiku and photography
A beautiful photography by Mark Highton Ridley reminded me of this Basho haiku:summer grasses all that remains of warriors dreamsThis post is also my entry to this months freebie prize ... »
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03 Sep: Happy Birthday, Doraemon!
Doraemon, the extremely cute cat robot, was created on September 3rd 2112, at the Matsushiba Robot Factory. His birth date (12/9/3) is related to a representative number for Doraemon: 1293. ... »
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16 Jun: Odakyu's Romancecar, the best train
I just read in the Mainichi newspaper that Odakyu Electric Railway's express train Romancecar ( ロマンスカー ) type 60000 MSE has won the Japan Railfan Club's ... »
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18 Feb: Leapsa: Adevarat sau fals
Am primit leapşa de la Mononoke: trebuie să fac 14 afirmaţii despre mine, 7 adevărate şi 7 false.01. Nu mănânc sushi 02. Nu-mi place culoarea albastră 03. Îmi ... »
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05 Feb: Roboti care imita fiintele primitive
Yoichiro Kawaguchi, profesor şi computer graphic artist la Universitatea din Tokyo a realizat o serie de roboţi care imită formele primitive de viaţă, care sunt expuşi ... »
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30 Jan: Mini USB construction site
Un gadget pe care l-am văzut pe CrunchGear, un mini set USB format dintr-un muncitor şi mai multe panouri luminoase, mi-a adus aminte de Tokyo. :dream:Orice zonă în care se ... »
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27 Jan: Roboti bunraku
La National Science Museum din Tokyo vor fi expuşi până pe 8 februarie roboţi realizaţi în stilul păpuşilor folosite în teatrul bunraku. Capul păpuşii ... »
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25 Jan: Masca Noh hannya
Actorul din rolul principal (shite) din piesa Noh Aoi no Ue (葵上, Lady Aoi), care se va juca la Teatrul Naţional pe 6-7 februarie, va purta în partea a doua a piesei o mască ... »
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31 Dec: Top 20 cele mai vândute DSLR
La sfârşit de an, Akihabara.news a publicat un top cu cele mai vândute DSLR-uri în Japonia în 2008:1. Canon EOS Kiss X2 (cunoscut la noi ca EOS 450D) 19.1% market share 2. Nikon D60 ... »
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15 Dec: Tokyo desenat din memorie
Am citit mai demult despre Stephen Wiltshire, un băiat autist care are un talent deosebit. De fapt, pot spune că are două talente: memorează arhitectura clădirilor până ... »
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08 Dec: 28 de ani de la moartea lui John Lennon
Astăzi se împlinesc 28 de ani de la asasinarea lui John Lennon, liderul trupei Beatles.Ştirea are legătură cu Japonia pentru că, aşa cum se ştie, Yoko Ono, ... »
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16 Nov: Am două umbrele...
Am reascultat o melodie veche a lui Alexandru Andrieş, "Am două umbrele" şi m-au amuzat foarte tare versurile:Dacă fata-i frumoasă Las umbrela acasă la ea Şi ... »
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