176
There's a tradition dating from the Edo era of eating "toshikoshi soba" on New Year's Eve - "year-crossing soba." It's often said the long, thin noodles represent long life. Here, a soba seller poses with a towering delivery in a 1935 photo.
twitter.com/tokakudo/statu…
177
Absolutely mental and creator-hostile. Wtaf. twitter.com/TwitterSupport…
178
"When I asked, “Why do I need to bring a swimsuit?”, [my manager] said, “You can probably go without one, but...[the director's] been good to you, you owe him a little something, right? Just get in [the mixed bath] with him for a bit!'" - @HirokoKonishi
179
Shinkai Makoto’s new film SUZUME NO TOJIMARI depicts the amusement park Brazilian Park Washuzan Highland in Okayama Prefecture as abandoned - which doesn’t sit well w/ its operators. “Our park is bright & fun & a place of joy….No one who’s seen the movie has visited.”
180
As many predict the assassination of former Prime Minister Abe to have major effects on tomorrow's elections, #投票は香典じゃない ("a vote is not a funeral offering") is now trending on JPN Twitter.
181
Some especially impressive engineering by a high school class for their bunka-sai (school festival). Who knows - they may have a career ahead of them as imagineers at Tokyo Disney.
twitter.com/kusatta_www/st…
182
"Got out of the bath to find myself being watched over with great intensity lolololol"
twitter.com/potechi_nikki/…
183
JPN-language Twitter didn't initially have as negative a reaction upon the change of management here, but after various outages and service problems things have been taking a turn. Today is one among many where issues with Twitter are trending - today, it's "the Twitter Ice Age."
184
"Santa Claus drawn in ukiyo-e style.
The creation of Kawase Hasui, an ukiyo-e artist active during Taisho and Showa eras.
Can't get enough of the mismatched feeling of seeing Santa walking through a Japanese garden bearing presents."
mobile.twitter.com/tokakudo/statu…
185
Apparently the tanuki that was previously cited in a Shinjuku bookstore also made their way to the JR Shinjuku station. (No word on whether they successfully managed to reload their Suica.) twitter.com/core_kaopy/sta…
186
“Hide and seek with my 3 and 2yo but both thought the other was hiding” twitter.com/NatsuTagu/stat…
187
“Unbelievable when cut in half, just genius level stuff” twitter.com/tyomateee/stat…
188
Once, Benshi - professional live narrators for silent films in Japan - were bigger stars than the actual actors onscreen. This is the story of a lost cinematic art form.
189
"Here in Japan, being different from other people makes you a potential scapegoat…. Even if a rule is clearly ridiculous, nobody will speak out against it. People think, “If I say something, others will think I’m different.” - Takami Koushun, author of Battle Royale
190
Someone took all the music they found on signs and made it into actual music. twitter.com/nsmrnoak/statu…
191
Earlier this year, a maiko (apprentice geisha) spoke out about abuses within her community. Her tale went beyond the difficult stories of isolation and confinement one might expect - they revealed an upsetting trend of sexualizing pressure placed upon a then-underaged girl.
192
Liberal Democratic Party rep and strategy chair Nishida Shoji says Japan shouldn’t regulate hate speech against LGBTQ people because it’s a human rights violation that will “split our society”, so, therefore, we…need to…allow hate speech to…preserve harmony? 🧐
193
In Nagoya, two large boars barreled down on a group of 10 people. They were saved by a cop who shot his gun in the air and shouted, “I’ll shoot!” (撃つぞ！).
The boars, who’ve obviously been practicing their Japanese, stopped & sauntered off to less gun-filled pastures.
194
JPN twitter is filling up with tributes to Noda Satoru's popular manga Golden Kamuy, which releases its final chapter today. Golden Kamuy is notable for its portrayal of the indigenous Ainu, Uilta, and Nivkh of Japan's colonies in Hokkaido and Sakhalin.
twitter.com/Reman_Kamuy/st…
195
Japan has the best passport in the world. Sadly, fewer people than ever are using it post-pandemic. The already low passport holder rate in Japan has fallen to 19%. One professor from Keio University called the trend “wasteful”.
196
Japanese new religious movement Sukyo Mahikari purports to seek true happiness through the practice of universal principles. But there's a dark side to the movement, which harbors anti-Semitic and doomsday beliefs similar to those of the infamous Aum Shinrikyo cult.
197
Elon Musk's recent comment that Twitter is "Japan-centric" is drawing interesting comments from JP users on Twitter's appeal. Many cite the service's character limit as working well w/ the Japanese language, while others say it's where they always go for info during earthquakes.
198
OP says his parents told him to “settle down and start a family” (身を固める; mi o katameru) so “in accordance with their wishes” he bought a suit of armor to “protect his body” (身を固める).
10/10 wordplay, no notes twitter.com/sakone_shogen/…
199
"1978, Shinjuku looking out in the direction of San-chome."
Amazing how an image from 45 years in the past can look so similar and so different simultaneously.
twitter.com/japan80to00/st…
200
In 2015, a 68yo woman died after being forced to houseclean for an elderly patient for a week w/o rest. But Japan won’t declare it death by overwork (karoushi, 過労死) bc “housework” doesn’t qualify. A new petition seeks to overturn that ruling.
change.org/p/%E5%AE%B6%E4…
The Japan you don’t learn about in anime. Staff account.