Monday, 24 December 2007

Merry Christmas 2007!

Sorry I'm too busy to post a longer post! Am getting my place ready for the big day tomorrow! Hopefully this strange video makes up for the length of this post.

During my Christmas shopping the other day in Shibuya, Tokyo I came across a hoard of Santas congregating outside Donquiote. Bizzare, but fun.

Have a great Christmas everyone whether in Japan or elsewhere!

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Labels: christmas, home movies, japan

Friday, 21 December 2007

A Hello Kitty Christmas

A few weeks ago Katie invited me down to to Chiba to a shopping mall near Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea to watch a special Hello Kitty Christmas stage show.

Normally Japanese Christmas shows are weird to say the least, normally hosted by a patronising female bimbo with a voice that could give the Chipmunks a run for their money in the voice department. This show didn't let me down there plus we got two large mascots dancing on stage while singing familiar Christmas songs in nail-on-chalkboard-Japanese.

As the show drew to a close (actually even Katie had had enough) the three crazies on stage decided to do a flag dance to Jingle Bells.... how appropriate. Huh.

Unfortunately I didn't get to take a video of the bizarre Bingo game before the show where the crazy girl screamed out "BINGO...STARTO!!!" before "BINGO...STARTO!!!" drawing "BINGO...STARTO!!!" every "BINGO...STARTO!!!" damn "BINGO...STARTO!!!" number "BINGO...STARTO!!!" for "BINGO...STARTO!!!" half "BINGO...STARTO!!!" an "BINGO...STARTO!!!" hour "BINGO...STARTO!!!". Only in Japan.

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Labels: christmas, home movies, japan

Thursday, 13 December 2007

Tears For You / Nada SouSou by Hayley Westenra

Next up in my Nada SouSou themed posts is the English version sung by Hayley Westenra called "Tears For You".

As I've said before, I first became aware of this version while shopping in the Shibuya Body Shop and heard it on the shop's sound system. I was so hyped to hear and English version but was in a rush and didn't have time to ask who the singer was. I eventually tracked it down on YouTube while doing a random search.

Apparently the song was released as a bonus track on a cd here in Japan and is not available internationally. If you have a Japanese credit card though, you can buy it on the Japanese iTunes store.

Luckily someone was kind enough to rip the song and play it over a photo of Hayley Westenra.

Here are the English for Nada SouSou / Tears for You:

Turning the pages of old photographs
I whisper thanks to each and every one
Deep in my heart you have come, come to live
Sure as the sun to see me through

Come rain or shine however the day may be
You shelter me with your smile
However far your memories may fade
Traces of you I hope to find
Then you appear and I drown in my own tears

I wish on a star, the first star of the night
You'll find me here every evening of the year
As twilight approaches I look to the sky
Seaching for you with all of my heart

In grief and joy I long for you and your smile
Hoping you feel the way I do
If only you could find me from where you are
I do believe somewhere in time
I do believe I will see you once again

Come rain or shine however the day may be
You shelter me with your smile
But as each memory of you fades away
I'm so alone longing for you
You're on my mind as I drown in my own tears

Missing you so I'm missing you so
You're on my mind as I drown in my own tears

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Labels: japan, Nada SouSou

Wednesday, 12 December 2007

Kateigaho International Edition

Last week during my lunch break in Yoyogi, I decided to head on over to Kinokuniya to see if the latest edition of Kateigaho had been released. I love this magazine! It's just such good quality!

Without a doubt every other Japanese magazine aimed at the non-Japanese reader focuses on either dating, clubbing and drinking or inane observation such as how Japanese people take off their shoes before entering a house (people do that outside Japan too you know!), Japanese cleanliness (still no soap in the public toilets here!) or how "Tokyo is the best city in the world!".

This is what sets Kateigaho apart. It's not written by old English teachers who are either here trapped by their Japanese wife/husband or job or by guys fresh off the boat looking for a way to score some hot arse. It's written, edited and published by professionals who actually have experience in the journalism field!

The magazine comes out every four months and covers aspects of Japan that you'd thought you'd see here every day once you got here... but don't, such as the religion(s), fashion, culture, sub cultures, art, etc. It actually renews my faith in the country when it's cons get me down and always reminds me why I came here in the first place.

If, like a lot of people, find yourself wondering why you're still here. Grab yourself a copy of Kateigaho. It'll open up a new aspect of Japan to you that you were never aware existed.

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Labels: japan

Sunday, 2 December 2007

Taiwanese Nada Souou Video and Lyrics

Looking through my site stats for the past few months I've been amazed that over 80% of visitors to my site have come from Yahoo or Google searches involving BEGIN's song, Nada SouSou (Tears for You).

To give the public more of what they want I'm going to do a series of Nada SouSou posts on the different language versions including the music videos (if available), singer information and lyrics (if I can find them).

First up is the Taiwanese version which I had posted in the original Nada SouSou post. YouTube has since removed that video so here's the new link, Nada SouSou Taiwanese Version

The singer's name is 蔡淳佳 which can be read as Joi Chua or Cai Chun Jia. In Taiwanese the title is "陪我看日出" though I can't tell you if the meaning was kept.

Does anyone have the lyrics? If so please let me know. I would love to post them.

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Labels: Chinese, English, Japanese, Music, Nada SouSou