• Strine - Unknown Nichigo

    Reminiscing: The First Time Australia Mattered in Kangaeroo’s Japan

    Kangaeroo has lived in Japan since the late ’80s, just as the Showa Era (reign of Emperor Hirohito from 1926-1989) drew to a close. Japan back then had possibly an even stronger fascination with English than it does even today, especially as it was far less accessible in a slower, less connected world. But English and overseas meant America and Japan had an obsession for the United States. Occasionally, news would filter through from other powers, such as then recently reunited Germany, France, Italy, Britain and the crumbling Soviet Union and Russia. It was rare, pretty close to unheard of,…

  • Unknown Nichigo - やばいリンガル

    オーストラリア最大恐竜がエロマンガに

     オーストラリアの最大恐竜がエロマンガにあった。  本当。  下品なことを考えってんじゃねぇよ!エロマンガはオーストラリア先住民の言葉で「風がよく吹く平野」という意味だそう。  エロマンガは、北部クイーンズランド州にある小さな村です。石油とオパール鉱業が中心となっている人口約40人の村である。  1990年代までエロマンガ有名なことはオーストラリア内で海から最も遠く離れている町ということだった。(今でもそうと主張しているが、そうじゃないという人もいます。)  いずれにせよ、クイーンズランド州都ブリスベーンから約1,000キロ西の方に置かれている。  1994年にチャリ乗りの少年が化石を見つけて、以降次から次へ恐竜の化石が発見された。  2007年にみつかった化石が今までオーストラリアで最も大きいな恐竜のものだった。  その恐竜がティタノザウルス類の一種であり、エロマンんがの恐竜がクーパーと名付けられた。  しかし、名前は名前なので、当然にエロマンガという村が日本に注目を浴びた。  数多くの日本のエロ漫画や普通の漫画もエロマンガの話が出ています。  その中は「ニニンがシノブ伝」、「サムライフラメンコ」というまでもなくオーストラリアで児童ポルノとして禁じられている「エロマンガ先生」がある。  今、エロマンガに恐竜研究が励んでいる。  2017年に開館したエロマンガ自然博物館が運営しているが、コロナ禍で苦しんでいるだろう。  それでも、間違いなくエロマンガがオーストラリア恐竜研究・跡地の最前線にひとつということはまちがいない。  これからもエロマンガにますます期待できるだろう。      

  • Unknown Nichigo

    Dekochari, Proud Member of Japan’s Itasha ‘Cringeworthy Cars’ Family

    Long past their heyday, even in English-language coverage, dekochari, decorated bicycles, continue to survive in miniscule numbers even in today’s Japan. Dekochari derived from the dekotora, decorated trucks, that became hugely popular throughout the archipelago in the 1970s on the back of the Torakku Yaro series of films, and which seem to be a symbol of Japan for some right through to this day. Dekochari are ordinary bicycles adorned with flashing lights, blaringly loud horns, flags, chrome panels, mirrors and assorted other ornaments. Most of the dekochari are handmade by kids too young to get a license, and many are…

  • Unknown Nichigo

    So It Goes…

    Today marks farewell to Premiership Palace. Kangaeroo is no longer a Kanagawa kenmin (resident of Kanagawa Prefecture) from Kurokawa. Well, at least not after today. If nothing else, at least the pandemic allowed Kangaeroo to explore the neighborhood, getting to know what a delightful place it was. Time in Kanagawa has been very kind to Kangaeroo. In addition to allowing for a ramping up of cycling efforts, it has also been the place where he could watch his beloved Richmond Tigers become the most dominant team in Australian football. When Kangaeroo arrived in Kanagawa, the Tigers were something of a…

  • Unknown Nichigo

    May It Be That Way

    May is Kangaeroo.com’s favorite time of the year. Normally, dry, warm and sunny, flowers bloom and the month is a visual and sensual delight. This year has been unseasonably sodden, but that’s good practice for the upcoming rainy season that will begin in early June. Normally, May is a great time for relaxing and cycling, but this year has also been a bit different. Kangaeroo is on the move and has spent most of the month getting ready for the shift. In that regard, the lousy weather has been a bit of a godsend, limiting the temptation to get on…

  • Unknown Nichigo

    Rain, Rain, Go Away

    April in Tokyo can get wet, but it can also be warm and dry. Unfortunately, today it’s the former. On the upside that means more photo opportunities and a slower pace to enjoy riding. Make no mistake, though, April is when spring really starts to, well, blossom in the Japanese capital. Not far from Kangaeroo’s home is the delightful Yakushiike Park. The park has some delightful archetypically Japanese scenes, with the crooked bridge over a pond, terraced rice paddies and beautifully manicured gardens. Flowers and new greenery sprout everywhere and days are longer and generally warmer. Then there’s the wind.…

  • Unknown Nichigo

    Strange Days, Indeed

    There have been better days than today, but this one is up there for peculiarity (in a minor sort of way). The morning ride was nice in spite of tiredness that became increasingly more obvious the more Kangaeroo rode. Not helping was having woken before 3 a.m. again and not being able to get back to sleep. Sunrise was spectacular, but fleeting, and didn’t really make for the nicest of photos. Still, it is a wonderful time of the year in Tokyo. Following a morning meeting, there was enough time left before work started to nick over to Costco to…

  • Unknown Nichigo

    Cheating Death!

    Kangaeroo recently added a recumbent bike to his collection. A recumbent has long been part of the Kangaeroo dream. When Kangaeroo started cycling, he often shared his commute through suburban Tokyo with a seasoned Kiwi cyclist called John. Kangaeroo was a rookie (and still is, really), but John had been riding for decades, and often shared his knowledge and experience. This went on for about a year. Kangaeroo came to appreciate and admire John as he put into practice the advice he had been given. One day, John turned up riding a bike where he was lying down. Kangaeroo immediately…

  • Unknown Nichigo

    Neighborhood Stroll

    After a warmer than usual winter (despite initially showing signs of being a cold one), spring is suddenly upon us and cherry blossoms have bloomed at one of the earliest times ever, though the covid pandemic prevents them from being widely enjoyed. On the weekend of higan, the vernal or spring equinox, when the day has roughly the same amount of daylight and dark, Tokyo got hit with a horrible spring storm. One benefit of the rain was bringing the opportunity to go for a stroll around the local neighborhood and catching a glimpse of sights like this one.