Category Archives: fun links

Fun Link Friday: deep kyoto & Kyoto Baths

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Travis

It can be really easy to get templed-out in Kyoto, or to otherwise get overwhelmed or tired out by the big-name tourist sites and the feeling of a need to hit them all. As I found a few summers ago, … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Wakayama’s Underwater Post Box

Posted on January 25, 2013 by LM

While Wakayama prefecture is most famous for its pilgrimage trail, holy mountains, and dramatic coastlines, one of the prefecture’s other claims to fame is the deepest underwater postbox in the world. Located off the coast of the town of Susami, … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: “The Wonderful Worlds of 100 Waka”

Posted on January 18, 2013 by LM

For some interesting insights into the politics of translating poetry, check out Stuart Varnam-Atkin’s special to The Japan Times, “The Wonderful Worlds of 100 Waka.” In this article, Varnam-Atkin discusses the history of waka and the Ogura Hyakunin Issin, a poetry collection used in a parlor game played at … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: 20 Years of Docomo Cell Phone Design

Posted on January 11, 2013 by LM

NTT Docomo, one of Japan’s big-three cell-phone providers, recently showcased all the models of its cell phones dating back to 1987 at Tokyo Design Week 2012. DesignBoom’s coverage of the event, “Evolution of the Mobile Phone by Docomo,” includes photos of … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: “Yabusame: The Japanese Art of Horseback Archery”

Posted on January 4, 2013 by LM

Perhaps you think that Mononoke-hime‘s Ashitaka looked particularly cool firing arrows from atop his elk, or perhaps you love playing the Gerudo Valley horseback archery game in Ocarina of Time. If so, you’re in luck: today’s fun link is “Yabusame: … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Designer Nori

Posted on December 28, 2012 by LM

After the destruction the earthquake and tsunami caused in Tohoku in March 2011, Miyagi-based seaweed shop owner Umino Hiroyuki got creative, asking Tokyo advertising agency I&S BDDO to help him create an online campaign to rebuild their business.  In the … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: 5 Japanese Homes Designed to Keep You in Shape

Posted on December 14, 2012 by tnguyen3729

The holidays. I bet you’re thinking about social gatherings with friends and family, copious amounts of food including cakes and cookies, staying warm by the fireplace, and all the general merriment that comes this time of year. I, however, was told … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: The Best Japanese Junk Food of 2012

Posted on December 7, 2012 by LM

Food culture fascinates me, and one of my favorite things about living in Japan is enjoying  the regional and seasonal sweets. Ichimi (pepper) flavored Kit Kats from Nagano? Sea-salt ice cream from the Noto? Coconut Pocky for summer? Sign me … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Todaiji Recreated with LEGOs, Pop-Up Style

Posted on November 30, 2012 by LM

While many of us cherish our Nanoblock replicas of Tokyo Tower and Shirakawa-go, LEGO-builder Tapalz recreates Japanese historical buildings on a far larger and more complicated scale: his models fold into a neat case and “pop up” like pictures in … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Interview with Frederik L. Schodt

Posted on November 16, 2012 by LM

Along with Helen McCarthy, Frederik L. Schodt was one of the first authors I read when I began researching anime and manga over a decade ago. The author of Dreamland Japan and Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics, Schodt … Continue reading →

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