John W. Williams II: Fascination with Japan

Sanmitsu

Fri, 18 Mar 2005 02:05:13 GMT

Of course, talking is not doing. However, I once read in a Stephen K. Hayes book on Ninjutsu, that there was a philosophical term in Japanese called Sanmitsu, which I believe is translated as "three secrets." The three secrets are: Thought, Word, Deed.

Anabukinchan (interesting online video 6)

Tue, 30 Nov 2004 07:57:52 GMT

Let's increase our dreams, Let's increase our expectations, Let's increase our chests (pride?).

See here also for some not quite correct translations. (I don't quite understand the whole thing either, but I saw some errors in this person's page.)

Oh, there's more here if you just back up the path of the URL.

found via "roro"

Minimoni DVD

Sun, 31 Oct 2004 13:33:24 GMT

My buddy Hiro in Japan sent this mini-moni CD at my request. MiniMoni is, as I understand it, a sort of girl group, which was selected by some talent contest in Japan. They sing silly songs in music videos - for children's entertainment. My kids love it! - and they are asking me the meaning of more Japanese words, which is always a good sign. I stumbled upon MiniMoni via RoRo The Clown - a supa-crazy waaa-Ork dude who fled the Bay Area for Seattle. Thanks Rich!

Sun, 19 Sep 2004 06:13:48 GMT

Interesting Online Video 5 Ping Pong Matrix - from Japan.

Shiso

Tue, 06 Jul 2004 05:27:08 GMT

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Shiso is a magical herb. No, not that kind of magic. Though you may feel blissful upon eating Shiso wrapped around Maguro (Tuna) Sashimi. It is magical because it has a minty/basil full bodied flavor which combined with anything you eat will hit all your good tastebuds. The experience is like eating good quality Chocolate, though not as sweet. Some higher class Sushi restaurants will put Shiso on your sashimi-moriawase, but many mistake it for just a garnish. In the west, Shiso is named Perilla, or Beefsteak Plant. The Japanese use Shiso to flavor many recipes. The red variety is used when pickling vegetables and fruits, to which it imparts a pinkish color. "Umeshiso" is a kind of pickled apricot mixed with Shiso. It has a salty sour taste, and goes well with white rice.

I once grew a batch of Shiso from seed to 2 foot tall stalks. I had both red and green types. I ate shiso with just about everything that summer.

I discovered that Home Depot in Cupertino had baby Shiso plants this summer. I can't help but imagine that we have Shiso here because of the large Asian population in Cupertino. I grabbed a few red and green ones and put them in a pot set near the backyard lawn where the sprinkler oversprays.

Now I can enjoy Shiso again, and next year, I'm definitely going to grow some from seed once more.

Interesting Online Audio/Video! ENTRY TWO

Sat, 26 Jun 2004 20:04:06 GMT

My daughters and I have been enjoying MiNiMoNi's JankenPyon video. Japan continues to secure their world position as the masters of cute (in addition to everything else they do so well.) Found via RoRo The Clown : click the video link to watch it! [size 39MB]

Mon, 14 Jun 2004 06:07:35 GMT

Here's a very thorough site in Japanese about one of my favorite war movies: Kelly's Heroes. The site has a larger content about tanks in the movies.

New Movies From Japan - Repost

Wed, 10 Mar 2004 18:19:09 GMT

Good stuff coming soon from Japan (repost):

Casshern - not sure what the story is on this

AppleSeed - Anime styled CG animation of Masamune Shirow's AppleSeed. (fan page).

Innocence - Anime styled CG animation of Masamune Shirow's "Ghost In The Shell"

Tue, 09 Mar 2004 19:28:41 GMT

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Gyoza.org

Sat, 30 Aug 2003 06:57:23 GMT

The Defense Agency of Japan has requested 142.3 billion yen be allotted in the fiscal 2004 budget to develop a missile defense system.

Some of the money will be for upgrades to destroyers equipped with the Aegis air-defense system and also for the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) antimissile. These systems are scheduled for deployment in 2007.

Sun, 18 May 2003 09:15:17 GMT

Panawave Laboratory

White-robed members of a mysterious doomsday group which calls itself "Panawave Laboratory" make their way around their mountain road camp draped with white sheets in "protection against electromagnetic waves"...Cult members are convinced that the human race will be destroyed on May 15 this year because of a dramatic change in the angles of the Earth's axis.

Fri, 16 May 2003 23:06:58 GMT

Japanese law would stiffen war defense Pacifist nation turning from post-WWII stance

Sun, 11 May 2003 09:31:00 GMT

China's policy has backfired

China secretly smiles when North Korea causes trouble for the U.S. (and Japan), and it has always been a useful card to play as a diversion if it came to war over Taiwan. But the scheming policy is backfiring now, as Japan considers missle defense, and possibly even Nuclear weapons. It would have been easier for many Asian countries like Japan countries to have fallen into China's economic orbit if China had kept their nuclear genie in the bottle.

Tue, 29 Apr 2003 17:35:48 GMT

The Virtual Picture Album --Japan

The grid below is an annotated index to part of the Virtual Picture Album compiled and distributed by the Less Commonly Taught Languages Project at the University of Minnesota. The pictures in this section of the VPA are of people, places and objects in Japan.

Wed, 23 Apr 2003 19:04:10 GMT

April 10 2003: Japan scrambles jets after Korean breach

North Korea warns Japan that it is turning to the right and "remilitarising" - while failing to consider how Japan should react to a neighbor who is becoming increasingly confrontational, and developing missile and nuclear weapon systems to threaten everyone in the region. Seems like Japan will have no choice but to give up its 50 year policy of no nukes and no offensive military capability.

Wed, 12 Mar 2003 21:01:39 GMT

Comments made by former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone

Very rational and insightful comments on the Iraq situtation. Yasuhiro Nakasone was always very pro-U.S., however, and once made the statement that Japan would be an "unsinkable aircraft carrier for the United States." I agree with what he says.

Tue, 11 Mar 2003 08:38:35 GMT

Tokyo draws line in the sand, sends signal to Paris, Berlin(20 Feb 2003)

Japan backs the U.S., but also wants U.N. backing..

Takeuchi stresses need for U.N. backing on Iraqi strike (12 Feb 2003)

Mon, 03 Mar 2003 19:51:17 GMT

Seven riddles suggest a secret city beneath Tokyo

Shun Akiba, a former high-level foreign reporter, has identified hundreds of kilometers of Tokyo tunnels whose purpose is unknown and whose very existence is denied.

Sun, 05 Jan 2003 09:26:22 GMT

China protests Japan islands lease - BBC News

Japan took a lease out on the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. It doesn't say much about from whom the islands are leased

Tue, 24 Dec 2002 22:35:33 GMT

Apple's Cube form factor was not very successful. Will a Sphere shaped x86 PC do any better?

Sun, 15 Dec 2002 03:01:30 GMT

Geisha asobi a weblog by a Japanese lady (in English) about weird sites in Japan and around the world.

Fri, 06 Dec 2002 02:59:09 GMT

NASA chief highlights Japan role in space station

TOKYO - NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said Thursday that Japan is providing a good share of its technological and human resources to an international initiative to construct a space station as the project marks a major transition phase next year.

Thu, 21 Nov 2002 07:50:58 GMT

Japan to Study Linux Software

TOKYO (AP) Eager to catch up with nations switching to computer systems other than Microsoft Windows, Japan will study the possibility of using open-source software such as Linux (news - web sites) at the government level.

The public management ministry is earmarking 50 million yen ($410,000) for a panel of scholars and computer experts, including Microsoft officials, to finish the study by March 2004, Tatsuya Kawachi, a ministry deputy director, said Wednesday.

Japan lags behind Germany, the United States, China and other nations looking into or using open-source software such as Linux, which can be used and modified for free.

Although Tokyo does not disclose a breakdown, government computer systems mostly use Windows, a closed system.

Tue, 19 Nov 2002 09:06:50 GMT

Explosions near U.S. military base in Japan

Two small explosions were heard late Monday near the headquarters of the US army in Japan. As VOA's Amy Bickers reports from Tokyo, police suspect it may have been an attack involving leftist radicals.

Thu, 14 Nov 2002 09:34:43 GMT

About Tea - Maccha