Rainbow Over Allah And Putting A Tiger In The Tank

Work slowed down and it was a little easier to enjoy life, which allowed for stopping to smell the roses and capturing such opportunities as a rainbow shining above the Tokyo Mosque and beefing up Bargearse the bike.

Mrs. Kangaeroo and I also got to visit an exhibition by the delightful Kyoichi Tsuzuki, who has been chronicalling Japan’s quirky side for decides.

He was showing displays from hihokan, the now vanishing but once almost ubiquitous sex museums across Japan.

Bargearse, meanwhile, my erstwhile fat bike, got an upgrade with tiger decorations, taking over from a predecessor pedallar that piqued my interesting in pedalling.

Cop A Gander At These Rippers Too...

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    Aussie Anime hits Tokyo with a Blast….of Flatulence!

    Gus, the animated tale of a Neanderthal child with uncontrollable flatulence, is one of two Australian films selected to take part in the Japan Kinder Film Festival drawing to a close in suburban Tokyo this weekend. 豪作品ガスのコントロール出来ないネアンデルタール人子供の話アニメ『GUS おならで大発見！』と短編映画『ジュリアン』という２作品が１９日調布市グリーンホールにて20th Anniversary キンダー･フィルム･フェスティバルに上映される。 Accompanying Gus will be Julian, a short film that will feature Japanese voice actors performing live translations of non-Japanese films as they show. 『ジュリアン』の上映は、声優さんがその場でライブで日本語に吹き替える。 Japan Kinder Film Festival, the only international film festival for children in Japan, has one final session to run on Sunday, Aug. 19, from 1:30 p.m. at Green Hall, Chofu. Ticket prices range from 150 yen for children, pensioners and the disabled to 500 yen for…

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    Tets-J Doing a Dinkum Bewdy of a Job Spreading Indigenous Aussie Culture in Japan

    Tets-J is one of the great unsung heroes promoting Australian culture in Japan, and he’s even more remarkable for advancing indigenous Aussie culture. Tets-J learned about the didgeridoo while staying in Melbourne, taught himself how to play, then returned to Australia’s Arnhem Land and studied under Djalu Gurruwiwi, a master didgeridoo player and member of the Yolngu people. He has devoted his life to spreading indigenous Australian culture throughout Japan, which he does through his performances, his store, Dinkum Japan, classes, lectures, workshops and live performances he gives across the country, as he is currently doing on weekends in Tokyo. Aboriginal Cultural Week Vol. 2, the collection of lectures, workshops…

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    ‘Die Jockey,’ ‘Pyscho,’ ‘Odds Calais Summer Days’ & Hugh Jackman’s Other Japanese Lessons

    　 「サイコ」、「騎士死ね！」と「オッズ、＜フランスの＞カレー夏の日々」が豪出身俳優ヒュー・ジャックマン氏が「ウルヴァリン」シリーズ映画撮影のためこの頃来日した際使えた日本語のヒントだった。「最高」、「大ジョッキー」と「お疲れ様です」を示すがジャックマン氏が使用した英語版ヒント・シートには日本語の発音を近づくために使った英語の言葉が上記の意味となる！ “Psycho,” “Die Jockey!” and “Odds Calais Summer Days” were some of the phrases given on a Japanese language cheat sheet Hollywood heartthrob Hugh Jackman used recently in Japan while here to film the latest installment of the Wolverine movies. Far from being anything sinister, though, Psycho was the description given for saiko, awesome, great, outstanding, the best, Die jockey! the rendition of dai jokki, a large beer glass, and Odds Calais Summer Days, which sounds something akin to a vacation on the French coast, but actually refers to otsukaresamadesu, a largely meaningless phrase used to encourage or praise a colleague upon completing a task and that literally translates…

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    シドニーが年中で最も輝く一日

    　世界有数なお大晦日行事がオーストラリア最大・最古都市シドニーで行う。 One of the world’s most renowned New Year’s Eve parties takes place annually in Sydney, Australia’s oldest and largest city. 　日本で紅白歌合戦が行うと同じようにシドニーでは同市の有名なハーバー・ブリッジとオペラ・ハウスを背景に豪華な花火大会を開催する伝統がある。 Just as Japan has a New Year’s Eve tradition of the Red-White Singing Contest, Sydney’s custom to mark the end of one year and herald the start of another involves setting off fireworks with its famous harbor bridge and opera house as a backdrop. 　世界中から真夏のシドニー大晦日を楽しめるために大勢がやって来るし、今年俳優レオナルド・ディカプリオとジェーミー・フォックスがそこでパーティを開いて新年を迎えた後個人ジェットでオーストラリアと時差18時間があるラス・ベーガスに飛べ再び新年を迎える予定だ。 People come from all over the world to celebrate the midsummer fireworks spectacle, with this year’s celebrants including Hollywood superstars Leonardo di Caprio and Jamie Foxx, who plan to welcome the new year in Sydney, then hop onto a private jet and fly…

  • Green Godzilla

    On what was something of a strange weekend, perhaps the weirdest moment came when I got to come face-to-face with a green, as in made of plants, Godzilla. There’re plenty of Godzilla statues and effigies all over Tokyo, as I’ve reported before, and the rest of Japan, some life-sized, others tiny and plenty in-between and loving devoted to Japan’s most adored monster. In western Tokyo, where I live, the most famous example is probably the Godzilla statue outside the TOHO CO., LTD. studios near Seijogakuen-mae, which is a bit of a trip for me further out in the boonies. So, I was surprised to learn that there is actually a…

  • Aussies, Look And Learn! Japanese Cleanup Of Melbourne Was By Residents, Not Tourists

    オージー、見習いなさいよ！街のごみ拾い日本人が観光客じゃなく、一緒に住んでいる住民だよ The Herald-Sun (among multiple media outlets) is rightfully lauding a group of Japanese people for cleaning up the streets of Melbourne. But the Hun is wrongfully claiming they’re tourists. They aren’t. The civic-minded bunch are mostly residents of Melbourne who devote their own time to volunteer and clean up the city in an act other Aussies should take good heed. オーストラリアの新聞「ヘラルド・サン」が、メルボルンの街を清掃する日本人グループを称賛している。ただし、同紙は彼らを「観光客」と紹介しており、そこには誤りがある。実際には、このグループの多くはメルボルン在住者であり、ボランティアとして自主的に清掃活動に取り組んでいる人々だ。 The group cleaning the streets was a collection of residents, many of who belong to a Facebook group whose stated aim is to foster a love for Melbourne. この市民グループは、メルボルンを愛する気持ちを広めることを目的とするFacebookグループ「メルボルンにいる日本人集まれ！」のメンバーが中心となっている。参加者たちは見返りを求めることなく、街の美化のために貴重な時間を割き、活動を続けている。 These quiet achievers give up their valuable time to get together and work to keep the streets clean with…