Australia provided an (admittedly unacknowledged) touch to Monster Prince (怪獣王子), one of Japan’s most popular TV shows in the late 1960s. Monster Prince told the story of Takeru Ibuki, a boy left stranded on a tropical island while a baby when his family is caught in a volcanic eruption and subsequently raised by dinosaurs living there. Together with his brontosaurus friend, Nessie, Takeru defends the island, and by extension the Earth, from invading aliens. And that’s where the Australian touch comes in…Takeru’s weapon of choice is a boomerang! The show ran for two series and was made by Nihon Tokusatsu…
Nationwide all-you-can-eat sweets franchise Sweets Paradise make amazing cakes decorated to look like main meals but almost indistinguishable from them until tasted. Sweets Paradise makes an assortment of foods that look like main dishes but are actually cakes, including bowls of noodles, omelets, katsudon and eel. What’s more, the prices are extremely reasonable, at around 1,200 yen, which is about half what you’d normally pay for a similarly sized cake anywhere in Japan. Sweets Paradise has outlets throughout Japan, but also sells its wares online.
Spring finally seems to be on the way. Carp in a pond basked in the warm rays of the spring sun.
Back in the early ’80s Australia did not command a great deal of attention in Japan (to be honest, it still doesn’t command that great a presence to this day…) Things changed, however, with the launch of Lucy-May of the Southern Rainbow. Lucy-May of the Southern Rainbow was an anime by Nippon Animation that aired weekly from January 10 to December 26, 1982. The cartoon told the story of Lucy-May Popple and her family, who had emigrated from Yorkshire to live in Adelaide, Australia. The story was based on a book called Southern Rainbow by Australian author Phyllis Piddington. The…
日本は世界中に素晴らしい家電など電気製品で知られているが、オーストラリアもグローバル存在感が大きな電気製品会社があったのは知った? それはブレビル社という会社。 1932年にメルボルン市で設立されたので歴史がそこそこあるが、家電を中心に展開した。 日本ではブレビル商品に関してバリスタが使うコーヒーメーカーかジューサーが主な商品だけど世界中に発売されている。日本ではお馴染み薄いが、トースターについて英語圏の一部ではトーストサンドが「ブレビル」と呼ばれているぐらい浸透している。 チャンスがあったら、オーストラリアのブレビルを使ってみてはいかがでしょうか?
オーストラリアの定番おみやげとなっている「カンガルーの玉袋」が不足している。 この数年、洪水、間伐その他の気候変動によって行っている現象がカンガルーの数に影響を与え、本体が少なくなってれば玉袋も当然稀となる。 オーストラリアの有数カンガルー玉袋製造者であるジョン・クルーガー氏によると激しい天気になるとカンガルーがもっと安全である内陸へ逃げ狩りづらくなる。 気候変動による激しい天気の頻度が高くなっている。 Kangaroo Scrotums Are the New Victims of Global Warming(英語)
Kangaroos are used for advertising in a surprisingly large array of Japanese businesses. Sometimes, the connection to the leaping marsupial is obvious and needs no other explanation. Other times, the link is less apparent. Even so, the reason for using the Australian symbol is rarely given. A rare exception to this case is the Tanida Dental Clinic based in the Hyogo Prefecture city of Nishinomiya in western Japan. At first glance, there seems to be little reason for a dental clinic to use a kangaroo and joey to advertise its business. But the clinic provides an explanation for why it…
Once upon a time, an Australian kangaroo commanded a dominant position on some of the world’s fiercest battlefields. Before conjuring up images of warfare, thought, the fields being referenced were actually courts and the competition was for tennis. Simpson was a brand started in Australia in 1937 and was known for its prominent display of a kangaroo logo. It would outfit the Australian Olympic team in 1948 and through Olympic Games in the 1950s. The brand was favored by the Australia Davis Cup team and tennis stars including winners of Grand Slam events such as John Newcombe, Tony Roche and…
Continuing on from yesterday’s entry, there’s more Maruishi Cycle brilliance on show. Here is a bicycle crank featuring a kangaroo motif. This work is especially notable as it was done before World War II. Also note the kangaroo print on the pedal shaft. Pretty amazing bit of work, though the kangaroo connection remains a bit of a mystery, yet once again forms a link between Japan and Australia.
Maruishi Cycle Ltd. is a prestigious bicycle manufacturer perhaps best-known today for its vintage models that until late in the 20th century also included penny farthings. Maruishi continues to make fine touring bikes in Japan. The company’s history dates back to 1894, though it has been Chinese-owned since 2006. Of greatest interest for Kangaeroo readers, though, is that Maruishi’s symbol throughout its history has been a kangaroo! Why Maruishi chose a kangaroo remains a mystery, though its cycles are renowned for their luggage-bearing capability, which probably goes some way toward providing an explanation. Although current Maruishi kangaroo displays appear largely…