Shopping

Janken, or Rock-Paper-Scissors, Made Takashi Hashiyama a Famous Man

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Takashi Hashiyama was serving as the CEO of Maspro Denkoh, which manufactures electronics and television equipment in Japan. Pieces of art by Van Gogh, Picasso and Cézanne had come into the company's hands over time. Eventually, Takashi Hashiyama decided to auction off this impressive collection of impressionist paintings.

Hashiyama contacted both Sotheyby's and Christie's, and he asked them about the best way to bring the paintings to market. Naturally, he was concerned about how each individual auction house would try and maximize the amount of money from the sales. Each of the firms presented him with an elaborate proposal in the hopes that they would gain his business.

Large Trees Under the Jas de Bouffan by Paul Cézanne

Large Trees Under the Jas de Bouffan

However, neither of them was actually convincing and Hashiyama had no interest in splitting up the large collection into separate auctions. The painting Large Trees Under the Jas de Bouffan by Paul Cézanne was worth upwards of $16 million alone, so neither of the auction houses wanted to loose his business. On the other hand, they weren't able to reach a decision. In a shocking decision, the CEO told the two firms to play a game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who would get the rights to auction the material in 2005.

In a strange twist of fate, rock-paper-scissors has a fairly big following in Japan as a whole. Most Japanese people call the game janken, which is a contraction of the phrase jan-ken-pon. The actual origin of the name seems relatively sketchy. Ken is the Japanese word for fist, and janken falls into a series of ken games. Older ken games include san sukumi ken. Interestingly enough, the name refers to the manner in which snakes, frogs and slugs can instill fear in one another with their glances. Such an observation of nature seems to fit Japanese philosophy as a whole. Some Japanese card-based video games even use a combat system based around the same concept as rock-paper-scissors.

Ultimately, Christie's won the match. They had suggested that the 11-year-old twin daughters of the department that handles such artwork at their organization should pick their strategy. Naturally, rock-paper-scissors has little real strategy, and Sotheby's simply choose to play paper. Unfortunately for them, Christie's choose scissors because of the idea that most people expect one to choose rock. In the end, that game of rock-paper-scissors cost Sotheby's a large $20 million auction. Maspro Denkoh must surely have been proud of Takashi Hashiyama for making that sort of money for the company.

Omnibot, Shaberoku and the Japanese Robotics Revolution

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For many people, robotics and electronics represent the most important iconic industry in Japan. In the 1980s, Tomy decided to take things to the next level and released the Omnibot series. Sequences of commands could be recorded on cassette tape, which was relatively common for computer technology developed at that time period. Naturally, the Omnibot robots could also play regular cassettes, so fans of 80s hair metal must have also loved the machines.

While the original Omnibot had a strange plastic bubble around its head, the more advanced Omnibot 2000 lacked this feature. Omnibot 2000 stood at 25 inches tall. A 6-volt lead-acid battery provided power for the circuitry along side of a pair of AA batteries. Users could move the right arm with a remote control, but the left arm could only be posed by physically manipulating it.

Japanese Electronic Robot Toy

1980s era Tomy Omnibot 2000

The robotic designs varied slightly. Some of the smaller ones weren't actually as impressive. For instance, Flipbot was supposed to be an athletic design that rolled around and flipped up when he struck something. He didn't do much beyond that, however.

Shaberoku moved his mouth and hands in time with music. This music was provided by an internal AM and FM radio receiver. The Pocket Bots by Tomy were more like conventional robotic toys, and they worked via a wind up clockwork mechanism. During their production run, these were probably quite collectible and might have occasionally made it into gashapon machines.

Predictably, Tomy produced one in the shape of a cat. Nyanko, or Kitbot to Americans, was supposed to look like a sweet little kitten. Fans of Japanese popular culture might notice that nyan is in the name. Nyan is the Japanese analog of meow, and indicates a purring sound. However, one of the stranger designs of this era might very well have been a certain mechanical cow.

The Japanese toy industry is certainly quite fascinating. Bandai came out with the Gyudon hoeing cow toy in 1985. She was six inches long with black extremities. Some models also shipped with pink extremities. The robot moves around frantically for a while before she suddenly stops and started to move a plastic hoe in the manner of a farmer.

In today's world, many of these toys are collectible on both sides of the Pacific. Many older works of anime and manga prominently depicted such designs, and robotics is still a popular industry in Japan. In fact, many of today's models can be traced to these early outings.

Learn Japanese from an Audio Sensei: the Genki II Teacher’s six CD set for an Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese 2

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The Genki II teacher's set of six CDs for the second portion of the Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese 2 is just as good as the first. The Japanese English-language newspaper, The Japan Times, was instrumental in developing the only Japanese learning system that actually takes its students into account. For those who take the full the course, they will experience an entire set of twenty-three lessons, and this Genki II set is absolutely perfect for anyone who has already taken the first set of lessons.

Just like the first, it is equally at home in the classroom, and the organized textbook and workbook sets that it interfaces with can work perfectly to teach a class in an academic or business environment. Unlike so many others, each of the lessons in this system has helps students to master hiragana, katakana and 300 of the most common Kanji characters. Anyone beginning Japanese, or trying to get up to the third level for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, will find that this language learning set works perfect for his or her own needs.

Those that have the textbook and companion workbook will find that these teacher sets have a complete set of dialogue, vocabulary, comprehension and conversational materials from the text. They are housed in a clamshell case that will hold up to most of the damage that a classroom environment can throw at it, and come complete with a track guide to match them up to the pages in the text. Considering that teaching a number of students can get rather hectic, this will prove to be very handy.

Moreover, teachers will like the fact that these are not the only compact disks that the Genki learning system uses. While the teacher's sets are indeed the master sets for the classroom, there are student versions for those times when they need to study without guidance from their sensei. Of course, it will be up to the teachers themselves to figure out how to actually get their students to study alone. A CD set can only do so much by itself, but considering how fun this system makes learning Japanese, it might not be too hard after all!

You can order your Japanese language CD from J-list

DX 3 Tier Jubako Box with Floating Mari, Fan and Flower Pattern: Use it to Store Food or Something Else

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The DX 3 tier Jubako box with a floating Mari, fan and flower design is truly something special. Naturally, one's eye might initially turn towards the impeccable workmanship. The design is truly impressive, and needs to be viewed in person to be completely appreciated. That being said, it does not make the stackable nature of this box any less remarkable. While those who want to use it as a mobile bento box will surely want to have a bento belt to keep the contents from spilling out, the three tiers serve an important purpose. They can be used to store different types of food.

For instance, one might want to place rice in the bottom and steam vegetables or meat in the middle section. The top might be reserved for desert or something special after a boxed lunch. The box itself is quite spacious at 7.8 x 7.8 x 6.2 inches, so anyone who wants to grab a meal in this time honored method will certainly find ample room for their food. That is, if one can stop admiring the work done on it. As well as the design on top, everyone's head will turn at the pattern on the sides of the box as well. Anyone who gets a grip on this Jubako bento box will surely feel like they were Japanese nobility from a bygone era.

Of course, some individuals might feel that it is simply too nice to be used for holding food, and in that case, the ample room might make a great storage place for jewelry. Naturally, with this quality design, the DX 3 tier Jubako certainly stands on its on own as an attractive piece of art. It could easily become the focal point of a room if used as part of a tasteful Japanese motif.

You can purchase your DX 3 Tier Jubako Box here

Taking a Second Look at a Small Town: Kihoku, Ehime Prefecture

in Food, Outdoors, Shopping
Those who have already explored the farmer's markets at Morinosankakuboshi and Yumesanchi will certainly find plenty of other things to do in Kihoku. While the western imagination might consider Japan to be a country obsessed with modernity, the nation has perhaps more pride in their natural beauty than any other. A visit to the Narukawa Valley should prove this to anyone. Hikers, campers and fishers will certainly enjoy the natural amenities. The scenic valley is beautiful, and simply gazing at the area should be enough to settle the spirit. Of course, that isn't to say that physical needs aren't thought of as well, and visitors will be able to treat themselves to a meal of pheasant at the lodge that accompanies the valley. For those who want to have a traditional bath, the valley also boasts an onsen.

The Yasumorido Somennagashi is something of a seasonal attraction, and is open between mid-July and the end of August. Clumps of somen noodles get forces through a trough and customers pick them out with their own chopsticks. A dipping sauce is provided, and the process is really quite unique. A small pond is located nearby, and is stocked trout for those who'd like to enjoy some fishing. Of course, the Yasumorishonyu Cave attracts people during the hot summer months because of the cool temperature it boasts.
The Kawanobori Ekiden is a so-called river climbing relay race that consists of teams that rush along the Hiromi River. Though they can run in shallow areas, each single step must land in the water. As well as this one of a kind athletic event, the town also hosts a Tetsujin iron-man race for individual runners. Perhaps it isn't so strange, then, that professional baseball player Tadashi Shiba is from the town. A dynamic and athletic area was probably also a great home for Tadashi Hyodo, who was the first female in Japan to gain a pilot's license.

Kihoku: A Hidden Agrarian Paradise in Ehime, Japan

December 15, 2011

Since it is located to the north of Mt. Onigajo, the name of Kihoku in Ehime Prefecture reflects where it is. Naturally, this makes it a great place from which to enjoy the Onigajo rage, and it often receives crisp weather because of the elevation. Those who enjoy the cool mountain air should certainly enjoy [...]

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Jiji Thermal Bento Box Set with Kiki’s Delivery Service Theme for the Witch in Training in Your Life

November 16, 2011

While a boxed lunch might evoke images of black lacquer ware, the Kiki’s Delivery Service themed Jiji Thermal Bento Box Set is about as far from that stereotype as possible. As anyone who has seen the Miyazaki masterpiece can tell you, Jiji is the talkative black cat that accompanies Kiki nearly everywhere. Just like that [...]

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Japanese Pottery

August 24, 2009

Japanese pottery dates back to Neolithic times. Over the centuries, many potters have distinguished themselves and found a place for themselves in history. By the 6th century BCE, Japanese potters were making coiled pots. They would mold clay rope and coil it into various pot shapes and then bake them over an open fire. This [...]

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Plenty to Do in Shibuya!

May 9, 2009

Shibuya refers to a very well-known shopping and entertainment area of Tokyo.  It is best known for the busy intersection in front of the train station known as the Hachiko Exit. Huge numbers of people come here every day to shop, meet friends or use the train station. This corner of the region is heavily [...]

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Why Not Go Shopping in Japan

September 29, 2008

If you are planning a visit to Japan in the near future, you will not want to pass up the fantastic shopping the cities have to offer. If Tokyo is in your plans, be sure to visit one of the several 100yen shops in the city. Similar to an American dollar store, 100yen shops offer [...]

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