Beautiful Japan

Japanese woman in a pink shirt

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:17:35 -0500

Like women all over, Japanese women are obsessed with pink; I guess this is their way to emphasize...

Japanese flower girl stole my heart I know that Japanese girls...

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:13:38 -0500

Japanese flower girl stole my heart

I know that Japanese girls love flowers but that flower in the hair drew my breath away.

Japanese woman ties a scarf as a belt Remember this Japanese...

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:42:37 -0500

Japanese woman ties a scarf as a belt

Remember this Japanese girl who made a necktie out of a scarf? I love how this woman has tied the Indian dupatta as a belt complete with a bow. I think the cuteness factor has exploded.

Japanese girl looking for a sugar daddy My understanding is that...

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:36:19 -0500

Japanese girl looking for a sugar daddy

My understanding is that gold-diggers dress well (often using other men’s money) so that they can bag yet another rich man who will fund their lifestyle that often includes trips to Florence or London or Paris and lots of shopping at Chanel and Burberry boutiques.

A girl in tattered clothes? I am not so sure if that works. Or is this yet another example of Japanese people having trouble with English on their teeshirts?

Japanese movie Premonition I never lose an opportunity to watch...

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:21:43 -0500

Japanese movie Premonition

I never lose an opportunity to watch a Japanese movie and the other day when I was surfing the Comcast On Demand menu to pick something, I came across Premonition (considering how many horror movie they have, I was not surprised). As I curled up on the couch with a glass of red wine, I was ready to be scared, but actually, while the movie is about many people dying, I have a hard time classifying this as a horror movie, especially a J Horror movie, because they can be really scary.

To me, it was actually more of a mystery, and in the end, it almost became a philosophical movie (I don’t know why I kept thinking of Santiago in the book The Alchemist). Briefly, it is the story of a couple Hideki (Hiroshi Mikami) and Ayaka Satomi (Noriko Sakai) and their daughter Nana, returning from a weekend trip, when due to a road accident, the little girl dies. Then the couple start to come across the newspaper (Kyoufu Shinbun or newspaper of terror) that warn of forthcoming events, that they try to stop. It is a movie about psychics and visions (which I find to be total BS in reality but good enough for entertainment). Overall, an interesting movie to watch about Japanese society.

Japanese girl wearing a shirt with necktie, paired with a mini...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:46:34 -0500

Japanese girl wearing a shirt with necktie, paired with a mini skirt and thigh high socks

Remember that Japanese schoolgirl look with a necktie? Yep, I am starting to enjoy this girl who wears a necktie with her feminine clothes look a lot more attention. And it doesn’t always have to be necktie because she can use a scarf to make it look like a tie.

Japanese girl in a rose patterned floral top with shorts Now...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:41:33 -0500

Japanese girl in a rose patterned floral top with shorts

Now this is not an all flower dress that can distract the eyes a bit, it is simply a floral printed blouse paired with plain shorts (what a great way to match it). Overall, a great piece of style.

Scarf made to look like a man’s tie As you already know by...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:37:34 -0500

Scarf made to look like a man’s tie

As you already know by now, I love the women who put on a men’s necktie and come up with that androgynous style but still very feminine. Even the schoolgirl with the tie sounds pretty good to me.

Japanese girl who loves flowers I mean that is a whole lot of...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:32:35 -0500

Japanese girl who loves flowers

I mean that is a whole lot of flowers to wear on a dress. The only reason she manages to pull of a floral print dress is that she is dressed for summer, probably in a tropical paradise.

Did President Barack Obama bow the right way for Emperor of...

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:03:52 -0500

Did President Barack Obama bow the right way for Emperor of Japan?

I lived in Japan and did work there for 5 years. I also speak fluent Japanese. During my period there I did business like a regular Japanese businessman.

Bowing in Japan is not just a casual greeting. It is actually governed by a series of complex social rules and practices and that determines who you bow to and how low do you go.

In my opinion, both the Emperor Akihito and Pres. Obama are heads of states and thus equal. Obama’s handlers should have told the President that if the emperor was going to shake hands, there was no need to bow. Additionally, President Obama need not have gone so low and should have gone just as low as the emperor did.

Doing what Pres. Obama did makes it appear that he treated the Emperor and Empress Michiko with far more respect than they deserved. I think it might make some Japanese people feel a bit arrogant but in the end it might also create a lot of goodwill. And like a lot of gaijins like me who have made mistakes like this in Japan, we have also earned their love for trying too hard. In other words, no damage done. Japan is our partner and being extra-nice to your friends never hurts. I wouldn’t be surprised that the Emperor was shocked by President’s politeness and is already embarrassed.

American flag scrunchie I think it was more fun to see the...

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:06:34 -0500

American flag scrunchie

I think it was more fun to see the American flag bras popular in Japan but this hair accessory is interesting too.

My boyfriend is the president video game Anyone who has ever...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:56:29 -0500

My boyfriend is the president video game

Anyone who has ever watched Japanese television, particularly during day time and late night, knows that things get pretty weird and the commercials (CM) are atrocious with a female voice that sounds like that of a six-year old. Using a montage of pictures of the Pope, Barack Obama, and Vladmir Putin, this promotional clip for this video game is hilarious, and a bit, scary.

Miss International Ai Haruna There are so many beautiful...

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:48:00 -0500

Miss International Ai Haruna

There are so many beautiful Japanese women to talk about that I would not normally pick Ai Haruna. The difference is that at one time she used to be a man and as this image shows her transformation has been so remarkable that she won a beauty pageant in Thailand. I mean, if I did not know her history, I would have never guessed that she was born a boy.

Japanese snack Pocky While talking about Japanese snacks and...

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:44:42 -0500

Japanese snack Pocky

While talking about Japanese snacks and large variety of beverages that one finds, how I could not talk about Pocky. Or maybe I should also talk about Pocari Sweat.

Japanese woman in corset

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:40:22 -0500

As you probably know from my selections, too much pink can be a little destabilizing regardless of...

Japanese girl with wool scarf

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:35:28 -0500

Since I noticed this girl using a scarf to spice up her outfit, I am fascinated how Japanese women...

Japanese woman in floral printed dress

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:30:50 -0500

Since I showed this Japanese lady in a floral print dress I have been searching for other Japanese...

Red is beautiful

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:26:59 -0500

I am sure that on the heels of black is beautiful and white is beautiful looks, I had to...

White is beautiful

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:23:00 -0500

Did I not just say that black is beautiful? Am I contradicting myself? Not really; on the...

Black is beautiful

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:18:31 -0500

There are some great reasons to like black color but the only thing I hate about it is that once...