New Years

New Year's is the most important holiday in japan and has businesses shutting down from  December 29 all the way to January 3rd.  Around this time of year houses are decorated with ornaments made of pine, plum trees and bamboo, also homes are cleaned to welcome the new year.

On New years eve toshikoshi soba is eaten before midnight for a long life, eating them after midnight means bad luck.  Shrines at this time are preparing for the endless amount of visitors that will come to visit them.   At these shrines people will send out prayers for what they hope for in the year and obtain their fortunes with o-mikuji.

Happy New Years Everyone!

Personal Post! It's Christmas!!

Yes, its finally here Christmas time.  The cold is settling into your bones but the hot chocolate or the warm fireplace are making you hot.  For this time of year of course presents come on this day brought to us by Santa Clause or our loved ones and the feelings of niceness are floating all around.  So nice, of course this is no different in japan, though Christmas is more of a couple holiday than anything else with everyone on dates with their respective other or spending time together with their friends which is not much different  from the way some spend Christmas anywhere else.   Though in japan a sponge cake on Christmas eve is a must to celebrate the season of giving.

Anyway what ever way you celebrate this time of year whether you pick to do it with your family or with your friends I wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and of course a Happy New Year which is close to coming our way.  I hope that all the Christmas wishes that you long for come true!

MATANE!!!
またね！！！

めりーくりすます
Merry Christmas! 

Anime Time!! Attack on Titan

Based on a manga Attack on Titan take place in world where, titans, giant human like monsters have

rampaged the earth and terrorize humanity.  These titans have wiped out the human population to a point where only a few thousands are left, these humans live withing three walls that protect them from the titans.  The story follows Eren, a boy who wants to join the Recon Corp the military force that is known for fighting the titans and losing most battles against them.  This sets the scene when the out most wall falls to an armored titan, death and despair begins to rampage through out humanity as the first wall falls.  The survivors of this attack live now within the inner walls but famine and lack of food means sacrifice to everyone that has already lost it all.  Eren having seen the horrors of the titan vows that he will kill them all and enlist in the military with this goal in mind.  The story revolves around Eren as he grows and comes closer to this goal. 

If you've been anywhere on the internet lately you've probably heard about Attack on Titan its one of those things that gained popularity quickly and with very good reason.  Attack on Titan deals with a lot of psychological standpoints on human nature as all the characters are changed by the clear realization of the death and the losing of the war going on around them.  Truthfully the anime is impacting in this way and it absolutely gets it point across while at the same time showing a storyline that will keep you wanting more and basically calling then screaming for what will happen next.  The anime also has its twist and turns that at 25 episodes so far will, if not anything, most likely blow your mind.   Now as the second season ended in September and it quickly catching up to the manga I am not totally sure whether the anime will have a third season but an OVA will be made in April so hopefully it won't move away from the original story line too much.  That being said this anime is on the strongly recommended list and is a must watch, the hype its getting is definitely deserved.  That being said.

Matane!
またね！

Senbazuru: A Thousand Origami Cranes

In Japan the crane is regarded as a symbol of good fortune. it represents a long life, since its believed

that they live 1000 years, and of fidelity since Japanese cranes mate for life.  Senbazuru is a word that means 1000 cranes and was popularized by the a legend that says that whoever fold 1000 origami cranes will have a wish granted to them by, what else, a crane.  The legend sometimes says that besides the wish one is granted eternal good luck, a long life or recovery from illness.  Now a days though these thousand cranes are made and given to others as gift hoping that they will have a happy life.

The topic of Senbazuru would not be complete though if we didn't talk about the sad but beautiful story of Sadako Sasaki, because of her the Senbazuru is also a symbol of hope and peace.  Sadako was born during World War II  and was two years old when the bombs fell on Hiroshima even after this she grew up to become a healthy and happy girl.  In 6th grade she was the fastest runner in her school and dreamed of becoming a physical education teacher.  At the age of 11 though she was diagnosed with Leukemia which was caused by the radiation she was exposed to after the bombing.   While in the hospital she heard the story of Senbazuru. So she began making the cranes and hoped that by folding all the cranes she would get well again.  She died by the end of that year, there are some versions of the story that say that she did not finish making the thousand cranes while there are others that say that she did.   Never the less a statue was put up in Hiroshima after her death to honor her and all the children that died because of the bombing.  The statue depicts Sadako holding a paper crane and it reads "This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace on Earth."  The story of Sadako was also made into a book which tells the whole story of her life. 

Personal Post!! I had something planned!

Well I had something planned that was going to be both educational and fun but I looked at my calender and found out that my finals and all the assignments I haven't done for college are due this week.  Because of that I began to be responsible over my homework and over studying and could not for the life of me put everything together in time but if all goes well I will by the end of the month *thumbs up*  But of course I won't be leaving you with nothing to do till then oh no no no I would never think of such a thing I'm leaving hints as to what it is and I could leave a thousand hints but I will do no such thing it would be no fun that way right.  So here's to you figuring it out and me getting out of finals week without many injuries.

Matane!
またね！

Drama Time! Akuto - Juuhanzai Sousahan

In the world there are rabbits and hyenas, a docile rabbit will live its life peacefully but hyenas are out chasing the rabbits then sucking them dry. Can a rabbit protect other rabbits from a hyena? or is it a fight between the hyenas to see who eats the rabbit first?
 
The detectives from the Fourth Section of Minato-cho Police Precincts Togashi Masayoshi, Iinuma Reiko, Shibata Yasuharu and Yamashita Manabu are detectives with the highest arrest record out of all the divisions. An amazing achievement which is shrouded by the rumor that illegal methods are used to get the job done. After the strange death of their chief officer from falling off the roof of a building during a chase a new chief is to be instated.  Satonaka Keiichiro is appointed for the job by the head of police administration , Maejima Ryuzo, as the Fourth Sections New Chief Officer. Though he believed he was demoted he is in fact sent there to keep tabs on the Fourth Sections activities on behalf of the head of police. Working together Satonaka finds that the rumors are true. Has Satonaka been placed into a hyenas play ground? Or are the hyenas really rabbits in disguise?
 
Unlike detective dramas from the past that I have reviewed this one ccertainly had no fall back on comedy going on but still it captivates you all the same safe to say its a mature detective drama.  The story lines in the beginning makes you absolutely doubt everyone and the first episode is a moment where you trust none of the characters to be the good detective they are suppose to be.  Though as the story line progresses you have to use your own judgment to decide whether or not they are doing good or just using justice as an excuse to do as they please.  Togashi Masayoshi the silent but most obvious leader of the detectives makes for a very exceptional character with an unwavering belief in what he does and Satonaka is his opposite although in the beginning he seems sure he wavers in his beliefs after meeting the four detectives from the fourth section. The four detectives were very well made up each with their own stories or background that correlated with the main storyline. 

The most shocking thing about the drama above all things is the ending, a happy ending seems in order after all the events that have happened but for the tone the drama had kept all through it a happy ending is not what you get, the last ten minutes of the drama leave you stunned and wanting to know what happens next.  To know what happened I'm guessing you would have to watch to know.

Till next time!

またね！
Matane!

Anime Time! Amnesia

Based on a video game this anime takes place as the protagonist wakes up on August 1st with no memory of who she is.  In order to restore her memory, with the help from a fairy, she decides to interact with the people around her to figure out who she is.  The thing is that every time she gets a clue as to who the people around her are, she wakes up again on August 1st with memory of what has happened but everyone around her, although they are the same people, change characters and personality if this isn't shocking enough when she wakes up different people claim to be her boyfriend every time she wakes up?! Will she be able to figure out what's going on? And will she ever figure out who she is?

Well this anime I found randomly through some fan art so I knew absolutely nothing about it before I watched it besides the fact that the characters had playing card symbols on them, and because I love love LOVE playing card symbols when used in anime or manga, I decided to watch.  Sadly though this one didn't do much for me I had problems with the characters, since the main character was kinda meek I expected the other characters to shine out above the rest but this was not like that.  But that was before I knew the anime was based on a video game.   The video game is called an otome game (first time I've heard of that) and its basically the player gets to choses who she ends up with, after learning this I found the problems I had with the characters solve seeing as the video game would be ruined for some if their characters changed or turned out not to be what they imagined them as.  From a selling point of view I can understand that the anime was marketed toward the fans so I can't really criticize it for that.  The drawing style is very nice and the plot itself is okay, this is the kind of thing you could watch when you want the trill of a intricate story line without the intricacy.  For a college student who's brain is being fried by exam week (ME)  it is the perfect anime to watch.  Or for the ladies that want to be swooped off their feet by a animated character this is your anime, for the guys though I'm not sure as to whether the guys I know would watch it but if you like cute things the main character is cute and so is her fairy.  Well then,

Matane!
またね！



To all the students who are on mid-terms right now, truly from the bottom of my heart good luck!

Anime Time! Kuroshitsuji/ Black Butler

The month of October isn't over yet! I wracked my brain to try to figure out what Halloween themed thing I could talk about this week and I came up with kuroshitsuji, a demon butler is definitely something that could make you shiver but at the same time not so scary until he decides to eat your soul.  If you don't know what this anime is about well heres a brief explanation.  The anime is places in the Victorian era and is about a boy named Ciel Phantomhive who is known as the Queen's watch dog as he fulfills the wishes that the Queen cannot handle out in the open.   Seems simple enough but that is not all Ciel is only thirteen and has come to be the Queen's Dog through tragedy.  While still a child a fire engulfed his mansion and killed all his family leaving no remains of the Phantomhive family existence, he too was thought to have died in this fire but two years later he returned to his old home with nothing except for a mysterious black butler, Sebastian Michaelis.  This butler is the best of the best completing even the most troubling task in a matter of seconds  and completing all his masters wishes wonderfully, he is of course "One hell of a butler".  This amazing butler and young master have quite the secret being that the butler is actually a demon who only promises to keep helping the young master until he can enact his revenge on the people who killed his parents.  As the Queen's Watch Dogs Ciel goes against many enemies slowly getting closer to the men that killed his parents but at the same time becoming steps closer to losing his soul.

The anime is quite fun throwing within it some dark humor as well as making light of other wise not so bright situations.  The supernatural fighting against an eccentric grim reaper would be the prime example of this but while the anime has its fun moment there are many time where the seriousness of things do get addressed.  All in all its a anime I would recommend for the Halloween times as well as any other time of the year.  Now though I do love the anime the manga ,which is still ongoing last time I checked,  is wickedly wonderful the feeling the drawing style gives off fits the story line perfectly and you get more things explained to you than in the anime, but if you're looking for a quick fix the anime is always there and will get you acquainted with our haunting main characters.   That being said the dark season of Halloween is almost ending so until the clock strikes mid night on the 31st, be safe and watch out for those dreadful ghost and ghouls.  Happy Halloween!


またね！
Matane!

Drama Time! 100 Tales of Horror

It's October the month where ghost and ghouls walk the earth freely, because of this I though that the 100 Tales of Horror would be a perfect drama to watch for everyone.  The drama itself features a total of  10 classic Japanese ghost stories that are all distinct from one another.  The stories themselves aren't scary at all so even the faint of heart can watch them with ease and not be scared at all.   For the month of October I really recommend it. 


またね！
Matane!

Eiga Time! Kaze No Shounen

This movie is about the short life of Ozaki Yutaka whom was a famous singer/songwriter in japan.  He died young at the age of 26 but left many songs to be remembered by, which are still beautiful songs to listen to.  There's not much to say about the movie except that the actors did well by portraying the characters and that it is a shame that Yutaka had to die so young.  If you do not know of Ozaki Yutaka's songs I would suggest you search for I Love You by him, it is a truly beautiful song and the first song that I ever heard by him, though he has many songs this one is the one I like most.   So listen closely to his songs and if you're more interested about him watch the movie!


またね！
Matane!

Drama Time! Nihonjin no Shiranai Nihongo

Kano Haruko is a charismatic girl with amazing if not eccentric fashion sense so amazing is her fashion sense that she has been featured in magazines.  But despite her loud image and success as a model her dream is to become a high school teacher.  With the promise that she would be introduced to a real Japanese high school teaching position she takes a job to be a Japanese teacher to foreigners in a Japanese language school.  There she is in charge of nine very different students with very different reasons for learning Japanese.  The students range from an American businessman to a Swedish girl with a goal of meeting a ninja.  With many different people from around the world this drama has many lessons to teach.  Kano Haruko's path to becoming a teacher starts like this.

The name of this drama itself was what caught my attention before I watched it, the 'Japanese the Japanese don't know' is what the name translates to and the thought  that Japanese didn't know Japanese just baffled me.  But after watching the drama I understood how this could happen, there are everyday words that the common everyday speaker use that aren't correct but eventually because everyone speaks that way you forget that its not the correct way to speak.  The drama illustrates that the modern world sometimes forgets where things begin.  The drama besides teaching both foreigners and natives new Japanese words goes into depth in teaching things about Japanese culture that are not well known, with great illustrations and explanations.  The drama was good and you can learn a lot from it, but at the same time you're learning you are also being fully entertained by the weird and quirky characters that make up the drama.   I really do recommend it especially if you are learning to speak Japanese because it will let you learn something's that might be difficult to learn from books.  It is really a great drama so go watch it!

Matane!
またね！

Personal Post! Procrastination & Classes

Procrastination to most is something that is completely inevitable, it happens and you do not even realize it is happening until you see the work piled up and your time running out.  Yes, most suffer from this problem but how to get rid of it?  Well, I find that routine can help in fending off this fiend.  If you set a certain time to work and everyday at that same time you do work then eventually you will be able to do everything with ease!  It's okay to start of slow and to take breaks in between just make sure that the breaks are of less time than the work time or else you'll have two hour breaks for five minutes of work, and if you're a master of procrastination then that will happen to you often.  But you must try your best to keep stress away and feel happy about your work. 

Since class started this blog has been put literally in the back of my thinking cycle.  I've been drowned in essays, lectures, and books that I haven't had the time to write anything worth writing about.  When I do have time though my brain is so fried that I can't even put a sentence together properly let alone a complete post.  Since I don't want to just put out random anecdotes and I want to do well in what ever it is a post I don't really want to rush things when it comes to actual post.  The personal post that I put are more flexible theme wise and they don't really need a direction so I'm totally fine with them being nonsense (hehe) but as for everything else I would like it to be well written, believe it or not I do make an attempt to write well, I hope it shows.  At any rate I've logged in a couple of times with the mind set to write about a topic that been on my list of things to write about but every time I come to the sudden realization that I have homework to be done and the blog gets put once again at the back seat of everything.  So since I will have to write a few essays for the next 3 weeks I will make the most sincere attempt to post at least one post a week and if able to the regular two post a week.  I will try my best!


Matane!
またね！

Drama Time! Perfect Girl Evolution

Takano Kyohei is a college student blessed with godly good looks because of this he is constantly harassed by crazed girls who want him for themselves. While working at a restaurant he loses his temper at a few of his crazed fans and gets fired from his job. That's when the glamorous and rich Nakahara Mine picks him up and gives him a home with another three good looking guys. Nakahara Mine tells them that they can live for free in the house as long as they can turn her niece, Sunako, into a lady. Everyone is more than enthusiastic thinking the job would be an easy task but once Sunako arrives they are left horror struck thinking she must be a ghost. Sunako is a morbid girl who likes horror movies, the darkness and hates bright things and upon seeing the four gorgeous guys she runs away into her dark room or faints. Because of Sunako's love of the morbid and her absolute hate for bright creatures many troubles arise but Takano Kyohei will not give up on turning Sunako into a lady because it means he gets to eat for free.

Among many mangas that I've read through out my life, the wallflower manga is one of my favorites, so I was a bit reserved at first about watching the drama since usually the drama is never better than the manga but I actually found myself falling in love with the drama as well. The characters where all well portrayed and even the character that weren't in the manga I found myself falling in love with. The relationship between Sunako and Kyohei is the same as in the manga but somehow I felt that the personal connection between them was better established in the drama of course that really doesn't mean anything when they don't know they like each other or at least deny it to the very end. The rest of the cast is really funny but definitely the one that stole the show for me was the added character, Nakahara Takeru. He acted as a narrator at the beginning of each episode and was just absolutely too cute for words. There were added scenes with Mine because of him which made it both heart warming and funny, in the end he was a smart kid that just absolutely steals your heart.   For those who have read the manga, you will enjoy the drama thoroughly and for those who have not read the manga, you will also enjoy the drama thoroughly.  I recommend it.  

Matane!
またね！

Personal Post! Thoughts on music.

If you feel like its two much reading second and third paragraph can be skipped happily.

When it comes to music like many other thing in the world with lots of variety there are thousands of choices in which you can listen to, many types of genres and sub-genres that you might like or hate.  Personally I like all types of music I don't discriminate because of language or genre.  If its good I'll listen to it, this being true my music library is full of rock, pop, oldies, 50's, 60's, 80's, 90's, ballads, kpop, jrock, classical, techno, electronic you name it I probably have it.  Putting my mp3 on shuffle will confuse you constantly because nothing ever comes out in the same language or mood, one second you could be head banging the next you could be crying because of a sad ballad.  

Now because I don't have only one genre I listen to I get criticized constantly because of the music that I like especially when its in another language,  I don't know why, but something about kpop and jrock that puts closed minded people off.  They don't understand how I can listen to something when I don't understand what they're saying, well music is about transmitting emotions if I can feel the emotion that is being put out I will listen to it more.  With jrock although few I have bands which I absolutely love like The Gazette, LM.C, and Scandal, which are my favorite bands in their respective orders,  but its extremely difficult to keep track of them because for some reason japan isn't that big on releasing things on the internet in they're completeness a 3 minute song will only be played up to the 1 and a half minute mark.  This is one of the things I personally hate because if you like it you'll never listen to it completely.  With these 3 though I can listen to the songs and watch the videos in their completeness which is nice.  With kpop things are easy to access if you like a group or person you can probably find everything they have ever done on youtube, (plus Korean variety shows are hilarious!) which is great because good kpop groups make Japanese songs and albums too, which is the way I cheat at life and pretend like I have more jpop in my music library.

 Anyway I got off topic there just in case no one noticed, The Gazette, LM.C and Scandal are my favorite bands when it comes to music in another language vocals are key to me liking it, since I can't judge them on lyrics, even though there are times you can tell that there's absolutely no message to the song,  I listen to the vocals because with the right voice you can transmit the emotion necessary for the song and even when the listener doesn't speak your language.   In kpop with vocals that are beautiful there's many groups but my favorite is JYJ as a group together they have come out with many nice songs but when they work individually you can really tell how talented and unique their voices are.   Many close minded people will never listen to music outside their genres or language but those who are fortunate will learn much about music from expanding their horizon.    If you don't know The Gazette I suggest you listen to Guren the vocals are especially pretty in that song, though its more ballady than the rest of their songs you'll be sure to like it.  

Since school has started my sanctuary away from it all revolves around music.  Music is everywhere and its all beautiful so to not listen to something simply because it doesn't relate to you time period or group of friends confuses me.  I urge everyone to listen to everything and judge for themselves whether they like it or not.  With that I'll see you guise later!

またね！


oh wait! Do you guise have some type of music or band that no one you know likes?  Which is it? Share with me a story!!

Drama Time! Proposal Daisakusen

Iwase Ken has been friends with Yoshida Rei since elementary school and has been in love with her for the longest time. Sadly Iwase Ken is clumsy and stubborn when it comes to love but still the lively and cheerful Rei is the girl that was made for him.  Rei on the other hand seems to not think the same way about Ken and is about to marry another man.  Ken sadly attends the wedding ceremony thinking of giving up on his love for her, that is until a fairy appears because of Ken's strong desire to change things. The fairy sends Ken back in time giving him a 'last hallelujah chance' to win the girl of his dream.

This drama was very sweet and at first it tricks you into thinking that the groom for the weeding is actually Ken but of course that's not the case.   I myself was annoyed through out half the drama but that is only because love stories to me are very simply solved and though the answer was written clear as day to me it was not to Ken.  I was mad at Ken through out this drama mainly because all his troubles where literally ended with a simple confession but he dragged it out because he was afraid of what would happen if he confessed.  The whole time I said things along the line of 'I mean come on man she's already getting married. It cannot get any worse for your love life than that, can it? No, just confess already!'   But of course he can't hear me as I scream in anger at him so he just did what ever he wanted to do, at his misguided attempt to win the girl back.    Any one else besides me would think that his go about was correct, he was in the end only trying to make her memories of him good and in turn hoping that this might change their relationship, and I suppose that is really sweet seeing as he cares about her more than himself.  Plus it would've  been a much shorter drama if he had gone by my way of panning things out.  All in all its a very nice drama to watch especially if you like corny love dramas (Not being insulting just can't find other words to say it.) 


Matane
またね！

What are Kami?

Before I get into this I'd like to say that I myself cannot speak on behalf of the Shinto religion as I myself have not experienced it first hand, all of what I write is from a outside stand point as I've never experience Shintoism first hand.  But from what I have read and learned the Shinto religion is very beautiful and again this is without experiencing it first hand.  So let's start shall we?

The concept of Kami is tricky to explain at least from a religious view with an omnipotent god.  Unlike some religions which worship an all powerful god,  the Shinto religion believes in many different spirits or god's called Kami.   Kami can range from anything between a god to a spirit but it really doesn't end there, a kami can be an element of nature and can be found in almost anything that shows greatness.   But while Kami can be found in everything only those things that show their 'kami nature' are referred to as kami.  A kami is suppose to have a specific life giving power and a truthful will, so people that lived an outstanding life can also be worshiped as kami and forces of nature, mountains and lakes can be kami also. 

In the Shinto religion there is no sole Kami that all should worship but thousands of Kami that can be worshiped depending on where you live or who your ancestors are.   Kami are also not perfect or all powerful as they have been depicted making mistakes and behaving badly and although a powerful enough Kami can live a longer life than a generation of mortals it can eventually die.  Ultimately all kami coexist in the same world as humans and respond to prayers as they want humans to find happiness in life.

Drama Time! Nobuta wo Produce

Kiritani Shuji is a person that thinks of life as a game, because of this he does his best to be liked by everyone, no matter who they are or whether he thinks they're weird or creepy, he will get along with them. That is, everyone except Kusano Akira, he is a weirdo that does what he wants, talks weirdly and never has a reason for the way he acts to Kiritani, Akira is a pest and his life would be much better if Akira didn't talk to him.   But Akira is the only one that knows that Kiritani isn't the same cool guy that he pretends to be.   One day a new transfer student comes to their class, Kotani Nobuko, she is extremely quite and always keeps her head down making it easy for her to be bullied.  Kiritani Shuji and Kusano Akira seeing that their youths were being wasted in they're everyday school life decide that they would produce Nobuko into the most popular girl in the school, under the condition that no one ever finds out that they are working together to make it possible. Together they go through many trials and find that being with each other is more fun that being alone or pretending to be someone they're not.

Kiritani Shuji is a character who at first I found interesting but then found annoying and then in the end liked.  His character was extremely cruel to others even though to everyone else it appeared that he was a cool and nice guy, this really made me mad at him as a character in the beginning.  Thank god for Akira though, out of all the characters of any drama or anime that I have ever watched EVER Akira became my favorite most loved character, one of the reasons this drama is so memorable to me was because of him.   He is an eccentric character who at first I found funny and liked instantly for making Kiritani's life hellish but as the drama progressed I found that he was kind and thoughtful when it came to the people close to him, so in a sing song voice I can safely say. I love him.   Much like Amemiya in Hotaru no Hikari who gave me the goro goro, Akira gave me the unexplained Kon Kon gesture which every time I remember him I find myself doing in his honor. Unlike Kiritani and Akira there's not much to say about Nobuko except that she was extremely sweet and a good girl and it was funny how she followed Akira's flow at times with the Nobuta Power pose.  There was love interest in this drama but in the end they choose friendship over love.  Really loved this drama and do recommend it, you won't regret watching it.

Matane!
またね！

Shinto Festivals

 In Japanese festivals are known as matsuri.  In the Shinto religion kami are worshipped,  kami are curious of the lives of human world so at times they leave they're peaceful homes to observe and visit our world.   The time where the kami come to visit and the time that matsuri are held are the same.   There are countless of different matsuri in Japan all held year round, some are local or national, some official or unofficial, and some private or public the festival that one area might celebrate depends on the shrine and the kami of the areas worship.

Matsuri are typically divided into three main parts, Kami Mukae literally or welcoming the kami. Shrines and temples hold a special welcoming ceremony to invite the deities to earth. Shinko the main festival event, this often include parades, music, dancing, theatrical performances, food, and games.  Also this involves the carrying of the Mikoshi around the festival area and shrine.  This gives the kami a chance to tour the territory. The last part of a Shinto festival is Kami Okuri , or sending the kami back.  The kami are not abandoned at the end of the festival, but sent back to their homes.  To do otherwise is believed to cause calamity.

Drama Time! Last Cinderella

'Women today can sometimes forget about their gender, as they devote themselves deeper and deeper into their career. Among such women, some suffer overwork, unbalance of hormones, hair loss and the likes. In fact, few women even experience the growth of a thick mustache! According to a survey, there have been results indicating that about 60% of women feeling that they were "turning male" in the past. At 29, these women only had to be concerned with marriage or work, but at 39, the time limit draws nearer, with increased concerns of pregnancy, divorce, aging parents, and change of job.' Taken from wiki addicts description.

Last Cinderella shows what its like for three women of that age who are trying to live life as best as they can. The main character Toyama Sakura is a 39 year old she is an unfeminine and unruly hair stylist who becomes worried that she's becoming a man because of not having been with a man in ten years.  Tachibana Rintaro is Sakura's boss of same age who has knows Sakura for many years but constantly argues with her.  Upon hearing that Sakura was determined to find herself love he makes her angry, making Sakura even more determined saying she would find someone within a week.  Because of this she goes to a goukon set up by one of her customers. There Sakura meets a man at least ten years younger than her, Saeki Hiroto, who says that he has fallen in love with her.   Although Sakura denied the relationship at first as they get to know each other they slowly fall in love even with the great age difference.   Sakura's friends are also stories that are followed through out the drama.  Takenouchi Miki is Sakura's best friend who is suffering from a sexless marriage and because of it believes her husband is cheating on her and Hasegawa Shima, Sakura's other best friend is addicted to sex and finds a different man every time she feels a need. There's much more to each story than what first appears making it an exiting love comedy to watch.

I liked this drama from the very first scene as it reminded me of Hotaru no Hikari because of the main characters way of living and then again when I saw the character Rintaro and was yelling Buchou the moment I saw him. But after laughing about these two similarities I quickly realized that the two dramas are totally different. Last Cinderella shows the real life of people in their late 30's and how even when they're not young they can still go through the same problems they would when they were. I enjoyed watching it and laughed countlessly while at the same time I receive glimpses of what it will be like as I grow older. This drama gives many excellent lessons to any adult, and I say adult because there are a few scenes that are not for children and although they are extremely hilarious or for those who are more conservative surprising they should not be watched by children. But what kind of scene can be surprising and hilarious at the same time? You will have to watch the drama and find out won't you.

Matane!
またね！

Shinto Shrines

Shrines are the sacred places that Kami live in, a large enough shrine can house several smaller sub-shrines for many Kami to live in.  Since Shrine do not necessarily have to be buildings things such as rocks, trees and mountains can all act as shrines. Some shrines can expand to several thousand acres while other can be even a few square feet. Torri gates and Shimenawa ropes are used to separate the shrines from the rest of the world and mark the place where the human world and the supernatural world meet.  Every village and town in Japan will have its own Shinto shrine, dedicated to housing the local Kami, most Japanese see shrines as their spiritual home and attend the same shrines regularly throughout their lives.  Although relatively new those that must move far away from their shrines might use a kamidana to continue their worship of they're local Kami.  Since Shinto shrines don't have a specific day when they should be visited, people go to shrines at festival times and other times they feel the need to do so, to pray for their well being or for family members.

Drama Time! Sunao Ni Narenakute

This drama deals with the lives of five people who have meet through twitter, each one has their own life and while meeting each other for the first time they attempt to deal with they're own problems while maintaining their friendship. Nakajima Keisuke 'Nakaji' is an photographic assistant for a porn magazine who dreams of being like a photographer like his father, who was a well known war photographer, but so far cannot reach his dream. Mizuno Tsukiko 'Haru' is a provisional high school teacher on probation questioning whether teaching was what she was meant for when she can't seem to do the right thing by the schools standards. Nishimura Hikaru 'Peach' is Mizuno's best friend who although did not meet everyone else on twitter decides to join the group to deal with loneliness in her life. Ichihara Kaoru 'Linda' is a magazine worker who is being sexually harassed at work by his chief editor and cannot get anything published unless he does as she asks. Park Seon Su, on twitter, says he is a doctor but is actually a medical equipment salesmen who is down on his luck but is trying his best to take care of his younger sister. The story revolves around all five simultaneously and does a splendid job of keeping each characters story down to earth and realistic.

This was literally the first Japanese drama that I ever watched, before I thought that all dramas where like Spanish soap operas about love and this guys loves that girl but she loves some other dude, and the thought of watching dramas made me really nauseous since love stories aren't really my thing. But thanks to one of my friends who is a kpopper and is in absolute love with the actor that plays 'Doctor', Jaejoong who's from one of the biggest Kpop groups in all of Asia named TVXQ but now is in JYJ (long story behind that not getting into it). Anyway since she knew that I liked Japanese and had been slowly introducing me to TVXQ and JYJ because they also make Japanese songs and albums and had been nudging me for some time to watch any form of drama she, with much effort, made me watch Sunao ni Narenakute. This drama opened a whole new world for me because it was nothing like I had expected. It was lovely to watch and the characters where very well portrayed and had a lot of definition to them against the 2D personalities I had been thinking they would have had. The story was beautifully written and it dealt with real life issues such as homosexuality, suicide and social pressures but at the same time it also gave moments of laughter, love and friendship giving a well rounded portrayal of the real life of each character. The character whom I connected to the most was Linda as his problem struck a cord in my heart because he was afraid of what others might think of him while at the same time hiding who he really was, it was extremely saddening and had me completely and utterly depressed.  He was a character that brought all the other characters together he was kind and wise and I absolutely fell in love with him though I loved all the characters he was indeed my favorite.  So this drama I extremely recommend as it is a wonderful drama to watch.


Matane
またね！

Personal Post! Life sucks, School Starts

Can this be true? Why can't it be a lie!? Two months gone in the blink of an eye.  School starts in a week and I'm not ready to go back.  There's so much to do, so many places to see, so many things to unlearn!  But alas it will come inevitably and I can do nothing to stop it.  There were many things that I wanted to blog about but I won't get to touch till I get some free time again as I don't want to write them completely awfully, as compared to the ones before of course. Ill try my best but knowing myself as I do, there will probably be many empty weeks ahead in this blog.  That annoys me but there's not much I can do. 

Since summer is ending I would like to wish all my fellow students a great and successful school year, I know that some of us don't much enjoy school but we must find a happiness in what we have, whether it be friends, books, teachers, or homework find the thing that makes you want to get up in the morning to go and do your best.  I myself only like the many books that my library has to offer so I look forward to free time in-between classes rather than class.  So find that thing that gives you joy in that school of yours.  And to those who might not be students anymore, I wish you best in work and/or other things for the rest of this year.  We can last till Christmas! I promise!

Mina, Matane!
みな　またね！

Drama Time! My Hero, My boss

Sakaki Makio is a 27 year old school drop out with the intelligence of a grade schooler and the brawn's of a rabid animal.   Known as 'Tornado Makio' he is a yakuza leaders son he believes that he will be the next boss of the gang. That is until his father tell him that he will have to finish high school before it can happen.  By matter of buying Makio back into school through bribery, Makio and his father make a deal that if Makio is able to graduate high school he will take over the gang and if he is unable to complete high school his little brother, Micky, will take over instead.   Besides Makio and the principal no one in the school knows his secret and Makio must pose as a 17 year old and make sure that the fact that he's 27 and that he's part of the yakuza does not get out or risk being immediately expelled. With his temperament and rough personality the task seems impossible but as the days goes Makio learns that theres much more to be offered in high school besides test and studying.

I really enjoyed this drama but this dramas plot itself is completely and utterly impossibly ridiculous, though I don't mean that in a bad way.   I mean it in a how did no one in the high school catch on sooner? It has one of those things that completely obvious to the viewer but no one in the actual drama catches on.  Like how Super Man is Clark Kent, just because he takes off his glasses and pushes his hair back no one notices that he is Super Man, those kind of unbelievable disguises that are just too uncanny to not notice. But I digress after getting over the fact that Makio looked nothing at all like a high schooler and at the same time having that dawning at the back of my head I found this drama really amusing.  The main character although old had a very child like and innocent personality after deciding to make the most of high school which threw you off for a while since he was a soon to be gang leader nicknamed Tornado.   It had many extremely hilarious moments, my favorite one involving a cow, and although the drama could totally and utterly never really happen it was very nice to watch, but don't take my word for it watch it and tell me what you thought.

Matane!
またね！

The Great Shrine of Izumo

Entrance  to Izumo Taisha

The Great Shrine of Izumo or the Izumo-taisha is located in the center of Izumo or the Shimane prefecture in Japan.  Izumo is known as the land of the gods and the land of myths. Considered one of the oldest shrines in all of Japan the Great Shrine of Izumo is one of Japan's most important Shinto shrines. Although there's no exact record of when the great shrine of Izumo was built its believed to have been already been built well before the Heian period.

Upon entering the Izumo-taisha visitors will be confronted by a wooden structure that is used a the worship hall. The worship hall has the biggest shimenawa in all of the world hung across half it length. Behind the worship hall lies the main shrine which is the tallest shrine building in Japan. The main shrine measures approximately 24 meters in height but it is supposed that when it was first built was 48 meter in height or taller. Both buildings are designated as national treasures. Also within the shrine is a treasure hall which exhibits old painting, documents and lavishly ornamented containers all having to do with Izumo-taisha.

The kami of worship in this shrine is known as Okuninushi. According to creation myths, Okuninushi was the creator of the land of Japan and the ruler of Izumo. He also became known as the deity of good relationships and marriage.

Every year from the 10th to the 17th day of the 10th lunar month, Shinto's eight million kami from across all of japan gather at the Great Shrine of Izumo. At this time in Izumo is know as kamiarizuki or month with kami while in the rest of japan this time is known as kannazuki or month without kami. During this time the kamiari festival is held in the shrine.

Drama Time! Hotaru no Hikari

Amemiya Hotaru at work is a fashionable, pulled together office worker in a famous interior design company.  To everyone at work she is the ideal woman who has no flaws and must have a wonderful love life but once at home she is the complete opposite of what they think. She lives alone in a house she rented off a man in a bar one night and when she isn't working she is lazying around in the house doing nothing but sleeping, eating and making a mess. She's also not interested in love thinking of it as a waste of time that she could be using to sleep. Takano Seiichi is Hotaru's boss a neat man that lives his life with many rules and regulations, after a separation from his wife he ends up moving back to his childhood home only to find it in a complete mess. To his shock his father was the man that rented the home to Hotaru but deeming their deal invalid he decides to live there indefinetly telling Hotaru to move out as soon as possible, but Hotaru has no plans of moving out because the porch of that house is her favorite place. Takano calls Hotaru a himono-onna (dried up woman) seeing it impossible for any man to fall in love with her, but to much surprise love found its way.   Amemiya Hotaru though not interested in love at first, begins to have feeling for Teshima Makoto a new co-worker in her department and so the stage is set, with Takano unwillingly helping her with her romance and keeping her double life a secret, will Hotaru be able to find and keep her first love?

This I believe is the first drama I've ever written about that has some real actual romance in it, blasphemy, I know.  Though it's not the sort of romance drama that is in your face and makes you wonder constantly why you don't have a partner making you binge on ice cream and cry until your eyes start falling out, no, it's not that sort of romance in actuality its a romance comedy, so its light hearted and it'll make you laugh without fail. The characters have nicknames for each other, Hotaru calls Takano, Buchou (manager) which will confuse you at some point into thinking that's his real name and Buchou calls Hotaru, Ahomiya, which is a play on her name, aho meaning stupid. Buchou is so mean! Really and truly merciless. Hotaru on the other hand is a person that you will fall in love with, she's hard working and she means well, she just has bad at home habits that need to be killed, but then again that's what Buchou is there for so I guess she's okay. Buchou you might come to like although at first he's rigid like a wall as time progresses he bends to Hotaru's personality, so he's kinda like bamboo bending to strong wind. (HA!)

Theres one concept in the drama that got me though himono-onna, after watching this drama I've been fully convinced that I am one! Let's make a list shall we? Jersey? Check! Sweat-pants? Check!  Laze around all day when I don't work? Double check! Interest in love? None. According to the answer to all these questions I'll never get married... ah who cares I'm happy and still young I can't be the only one I'm sure theres a buchou out there for me or at least a himono-otoko, that's what this drama taught me, another thing this drama taught me is the joy of rolling around saying 'goro goro' great stress reliever really Hotaru was not wrong on this one. But to know the full joy of the goro goro you must watch the drama! Till then....

Matane!
またね！

Fushimi Inari-Taisha

One of the oldest shrines in Kyoto and the head shrine for all the 40,000 Inari shrine in Japan, Fushimi Inari-Taisha sits under Inari mountain in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto. Dating back to at least 711 and predating the Heian period. The Fushimi Inari-Taisha has thousands of Torri gates that have been put on the pathway up to the shrine, all of which bear the name of businesses that donated the gates because they are grateful to Inari for bringing them fortune. This pathway takes about two hours to complete and is called the Senbon Torii which means a thousand Torii gates. The path is a preferable visit near dusk when the  Torii gates are lit making it a beautiful sight to behold.

Foxes are considered
Inari's messengers.

Stern bronze foxes can be seen throughout the shrine holding keys in their mouths. The keys that some of them hold are for the rice granaries. 

Eiga Time!!! Crow Zero

On a scale of one to ten this movie is f-ing awesome! The fights scenes are well done, and oh boy are there a lot of fight scenes, the way things happen in the movie and the shooting fits the story line and the feel nicely, you never feel out of place, then again it takes you a while to realize what the movie is about but the characters guide you through it helping you understand how things work, at first it feel like your a freshman just entering the school, which makes sense since one of the first scenes is the welcoming ceremony of the high school.

The movie is based on a manga named 'Crow' but it doesn't follow the story line of the manga instead its two years before the manga starts so it tells the story of what happened at Suzuran All Boys High school in the past. The movie is about Takiya Genji who transfers into the Suzuran All Boys High school, a school where all the delinquents end up after no other school will take them in. Takiya Genji transfers there on his last year of high school with the goal of taking over Suzuran but the task proves to be more than difficult as the school is a war ground where every one has the same goal and to take over the school one has to beat the Serizawa Army who is lead by Tamao Serizawa nicknamed 'The Beast'. 　Serizawa at the moment that Genji transfers is the closest to taking over the school.　 Being hot headed Genji goes directly to Tamao Serizawa for a fight but is stopped by Tokio, who is Genji's childhood friend and a part of Serizawa Army. Genji is told by Tokio to take down Rindaman before challenging Serizawa. Rindaman is a giant and has never been beaten by anyone, he ends up ignoring Genji as he doesn't see him as much of a fight. After some random events Genji comes into contact with Ken Katagiri, a failed Yakuza member who's dream when he was younger was to take over Suzuran, seeing as Genji's fighting potential he starts mentoring Genji on how to take over the school. With Katagiri's misguided help Genji rises rapidly into power at Suzuran, but even seeing as he rises to power Serizawa ignores him out of concern for Tokio.  One of the Serizawa Army 'generals' Tokaji decides not to ignore Genji and takes action on his own provoking Genji but he is stopped by members of his own army, before doing anything stupid. Later its found out that Tokio has a cerebral aneurysm and has only a 30% chance of survival if he undergoes surgery. Tokio decides to continue on going to school because he wants to be able to fight when the big battle between Genji and Serizawa happens. Tokaji again covertly attack the Serizawa Army using The Armoured Front for kidnapping provoking Genji and his Army to attacking. As they fight they find that The Armoured Front did not in fact kidnap anyone but it was Tokaji laying a trap. Upon finding out that Tokaji had been playing dirty tricks behind his back Serizawa punishes him and accepts Genji's proposal for a final battle. The GPS (Genji's Perfect Seiha Army) and Serizawa Army face off even though the Genji Army is clearly outnumbered. While the battle goes on, Tokio was convinced to go on with the surgery and is being operated leaving the fight to Serizawa. The battle seems like it has been lost by Genji but The Armoured Front joins the battle along with GPS and the tides change. By the end of the battle only Tamao Serizawa and Takiya Genji are left standing and the outcome of the battle is left to them. The battle is won and the victor goes on to fight Rindaman. Not saying who won because that a bit of a spoil.

Okay, so that is not even half of all that happens in the movie I summarized mostly the war parts but there is so much more going on than just the battle and so many more characters that I did not mention that have a huge part in the story but if I retold the whole movie this would be three times too long! This movie I really enjoyed a lot it had a lot of action and an equal amount of laughs it was great I really enjoyed watching it, so much that I ended up watching the second movie directly after and reading the first 6 volumes of the manga because I wanted to know what ended up happening after all the dust settled.  I recommend it if you like fighting movies since its not like some fighting movies where the story line falls flat behind the fighting. Needless to say the movie was great the way they showed you why Serizawa was nicknamed 'The Beast' leaves you with your mouth hanging open then rolling over in laughter, I just loved it.   Yes, so from fear of making this any longer.....

Matane!
またね！

Shimenawa

Less recognizable than a Torii gate, a shimenawa is a traditional rope made of twisted straw that mark sacred or holy territory.  Straw, paper or cloth streamers are hung from the shimenawa.  They can be small and light or can weigh over 3,000 pounds, the heaviest one being in the Great Shrine in Izumo.   Because they are believe to ward off evil spirits shimenawa are used in purification rituals and are often hung between the uprights of a Torii Gate or around sacred areas as well as sacred trees and rocks that are believe to house kami.

Torii Gates

They are scattered through out Japan and along with Mt. Fuji are a recognizable symbols of Japan. But Torii gates are more than just a decoration Torii Gates are the boundary between our world and the infinite world of the kami, they exist in between both the human world and the spirit world.
Usually made of wood and painted red and black Torii gates are the entrance into the holy ground that resides within a Shinto shrine, because there is no actual gate within the Torii arch shrines are always open to visitors. 

Personal Post- Shinto religion

Since the beginning of this month I've become quite re-interested with the Japanese Religion called Shinto which if you didn't know originated in Japan.  I've been doing a lot of research on it and have learned so much.   I want to share what I learned but before I go into a deep explanation on what the Shinto religion is and how it works I have to give out vocabulary and explain a bit about its structure both physically and spiritually.   Since religion can be a complicated thing to explain and the Shinto religion is already complicated in itself I don't want to go deep into it without touching on some subjects first. I would like to explain the concept of Kami and what Shrines are in the Shinto religion, as well as some of the myths and stories that talk about the beginning of Japan in the religion itself. There is much to talk about and touch when it come to Shinto religion since it sets the foundation for Japanese history and it affects the culture quite deeply.  I'll try to spread a lil knowledge on it but if your interested in it don't stop here there are many places where you can learn a little on the Shinto religion, drink from all the water of learning as it would be and research it as I did, religion is complicated and what I understood from this religion could be something completely different from what you understood as it is left for personal interpretation. What doesn't change is that the Shinto religion is deeply rooted into Japans everyday life and its something that is good to know to understand the culture. Before anything I would like to explain Shrine structure since its understandable then I will go from there and explain more as we go along.   Since I'm explaining Shrine structure there will be two mini post talking about the parts of the shrine that I will be explaining and it will go on like this every time I come up with another part of Shinto shrines to explains and that day will also have two mini post unless it needs more elaboration.  This will probably go on happening until I have explained the Shinto religion and all the things that come with it.  With that I'll take my leave, today's actual posts will be up in a little while I just wanted to explain this before we went into it. 

Matane
またね