Category Archives: fun links

Fun Link Friday: Modern Japanese Crests

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Paula

Here’s a fun link I stashed away since earlier this year: Japanese family crests, or kamon have been embedded in all kinds of items since premodern times, from ceramics and kimono to castles. These days, you might find them most often on samurai … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Persian Surcoat

Posted on July 11, 2014 by LM

Something for the history scholars today: Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s jinbaori robe has been restored and will be on display in Kodaiji Sho Museum in Kyoto for a few weeks. The robe was made from a Persian tapestry from the Safavid dynasty … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: “Let It Go”: Japanese Google Translate Version

Posted on July 4, 2014 by LM

While the actual translation into Japanese of “Let It Go” from Disney’s Frozen is beautifully done, what would have happened if Google Translate had done the translation? YouTuber N.Y. sora not only posts the Google Translate lyrics in Japanese alongside … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: The Secret Science Behind Japanese Food Pairings

Posted on June 27, 2014 by LM

Why does sushi taste so good with wasabi? Why is edamame such a popular beer snack? Graham Nelson explores the science behind popular Japanese food pairings over on Spoon & Tamago. Check it out here.

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Fun Link Friday: All About Tsukemono

Posted on June 20, 2014 by LM

Miki Kawasaki just published a gorgeously photographed guide to tsukemono (漬け物) on Serious Eats. The article covers the history and purpose of tsukemono as well as the how they’re made and how to serve them. Japanese pickles—known collectively as tsukemono—can easily go unnoticed as … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Compose Your Own J-Pop Songs

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Travis

Thanks to RocketNews24, we now have a nice system for composing your own cheesy J-pop lyrics! Just follow the boxes, and make some choices 🙂 Fuller explanation & translation of the chart at RocketNews.

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Fun Link Friday: Meine Meinung

Posted on June 6, 2014 by LM

Meine Meinung, a 4-person musical group consisting of Eriko Iwasawa, Kenta Sato, Makoto Suzaki, and Hiroyuki Kato, love recording covers of anime and video game music and playing concerts, many of which they Ustream for free. If you like Studio … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Three Videos on Language & Ethnicity

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Travis

P. Kerim Friedman, associate professor in the Department of Ethnic Relations and Cultures at National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan, recently posted some funny videos on Savage Minds (one of the most prominent anthropology blogs out there, it would seem, … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: All About Netsuke

Posted on May 16, 2014 by LM

For the kogei- and fashion lovers, Collectors Weekly interviewed Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) director Christine Drosse back in 2011 about netsuke. The link includes links to LACMA’s online collections of Edo- and Meiji Period netsuke as well as to the International … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Harry Potter as an ’80s Anime

Posted on May 9, 2014 by LM

Meanwhile at Neo-Hogwarts: What if Harry Potter were a 1980s cyberpunk anime a la Akira? Check it out on Youtube below. Via Wired.

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