Photographs from a small group of islands
When it comes to learning the Japanese language, many people believe that the singing of a song or two is beneficial, regardless of how bad the bellowing may be. However, whether this be a jolly little J-pop number or a sake-inspired salaryman-esque serenade, once perfected, it’s probably best performed in the privacy of a karaoke booth rather than wide open world of the web.
(video via the FG Forums)
Perhaps due to Japan boasting the current world air guitar champion — for two years on the trot no less — this most peculiar of pastimes has arguably garnered a reasonable level of respectability, of sorts.
Well, at least practicing it has anyway, with this inflatable instrument allowing connoisseurs to confidently hone their craft.
Meaning that one day, they may well be able to match the tantalizing talents of air guitar god, Yosuke Ochi.
If not the tastelessness of his tops.
The titanic but decidedly tedious battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD may have initially seemed like a foregone conclusion in Japan, with the home-grown and previously impervious PlayStation in particular playing a key role in the former’s success. Yet up to now that’s not how things have panned out at all, with poor PlayStation 3 sales and a pitiful selection of Blu-Ray titles leaving the fight far from over.
However things may finally be about to change, with even one Panasonic executive in Japan boasting that Blu-ray will win the day by early next year at the latest. Although while cheaper players will obviously be crucial, it’s almost certainly because of the recent Rats & Star release that Blu-ray — and maybe even boot polish — sales will really start to soar.
In fad driven Japan, it’s somewhat surprising that ParaPara dancing is still alive and kicking, the combination of complicated arm movements and abominable Eurobeat backing somehow securing a place in the hearts of its predominantly female practitioners. The video below amply demonstrating the manic movements and monotonous music synonymous with the trend.
Yet in male dominated Japan, such sanitised shenanigans is simply no good, so one enterprising individual has made the most of ParaPara’s predominantly upper body undulations. The crafty addition of massive animated mammaries creating a hypnotic if not exactly wholesome effect.
(video via Japan Sugoi)
Whilst pachinko is by far Japan’s biggest bastion of gambling — raking in over 30 trillion yen a year — the ball bearing-based game appears to be on the slide, with less and less people frequenting the nation’s numerous ‘parlours’. A peak of 30 million patrons in 1994 dropping to a still substantial but far less healthy 17 million just over 10 years later.
Plus with the majority of such places looking something like the one below, it’s perhaps not that surprising — smoky surrounds and the smell of stale coffee further adding to their less than alluring nature.
Japanese pachinko machine maker Sankyo however has obviously sensed something needs to be done, and opted to sex-up proceedings somewhat — a soon to be released machine based around sultry songstress Kumi Koda aiming to persuade at least some punters to return.
A ploy that may work considering Koda’s immense popularity in Japan at the moment, quite possibly resulting in swathes of middle-aged men frantically fiddling with their balls in the vain hope that a few strokes of luck will help them get the big one they desire, whilst at the same time desperately hoping they don’t blow their budget too quickly.
Or at least something along those lines.
There are a humongous number of hostess bars in Japan, where stressed out salary men can go and have their egos (and maybe even more) massaged — provided of course they pay the generally far from piffling price.
Of late however, Japanese ladies appear to have decided that they too should fritter away vast sums of money on false affection, with host clubs increasing in both numbers and notoriety. The almost criminal amounts of cash some women spend on their favoured fella being a steady source of material for sensationalist TV shows and tabloids.
Yet these meticulously turned out and not especially masculine men are now increasingly branching out into other forms of entertainment, with a host from one Tokyo establishment forming Club Prince.
A hugely talented pop group that amply proves they are far more than just preening and pristinely plucked poseurs.
Perhaps.
(video via Japan Probe)