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Japan Now! Official Thread

Kazekawa

Teacher/Entertainer
25 Oct 2015
39
18
24
Greetings everyone, I decided to post this in the forums for those who do not read blogs. I host a youtube show called "Japan Now!". I cover various aspects of Japanese culture on a weekly basis. Things like food, music, anime and of course gaming. I wanted to post it here in this blog to allow more people to enjoy it and get a taste of what kind of things we have over here. There will be Q&A episodes sometimes as well so if you have any questions about Japan or would like an American's point of view, please do not hesitate to ask.

Join me this week on Japan Now! as I try some of the top 5 crazy Japanese candies I could find. Next week I will try 5 more weird candy that should not exist.



If it preferred that I do not post this on the forums, please let me know.
 
Thanks for posting @Kazekawa !

I replied to your email yesterday. I appreciate your courtesy. :)
No problem at all. I just wanted to make sure I was following the rules. I of course would love it if more people could enjoy the videos I am making, but I understand about spamming and advertising.

If my content ever becomes a problem I am happy to stop posting it. I kept checking for the mail but I am not sure it ever arrived. I checked other threads and saw some people had posted their videos so I thought it may be safe to do so.

I hope everyone can enjoy the videos. Now that I have returned to youtube, I produce them every Sunday.
 
No problem at all. I just wanted to make sure I was following the rules. I of course would love it if more people could enjoy the videos I am making, but I understand about spamming and advertising.

If my content ever becomes a problem I am happy to stop posting it. I kept checking for the mail but I am not sure it ever arrived. I checked other threads and saw some people had posted their videos so I thought it may be safe to do so.

I hope everyone can enjoy the videos. Now that I have returned to youtube, I produce them every Sunday.

Glad I joined here, i will sign up and enjoy your channel. Future ESL teacher in training, but you got me on candy, will check it out now :)
 
Glad I joined here, i will sign up and enjoy your channel. Future ESL teacher in training, but you got me on candy, will check it out now :)

Thanks so much ^^. I'll be doing a video or two on the topic of getting started in ESL though there are so many different ways to start a career. If you have any topics you'd like me to cover just let me know.
 
I do like to request infomation and advice on while living in Japan on how to land a new job while working and making your frist move to a new area. For example if I am near the end or midway of a job contract as a teacher what are the do's and don'ts on finding the next job and when is the right time to leave a job for a better one? Then the big one, how to live in tokyo and move there if that is your goal. :)
 
Join me this week on Japan Now! as I try 5 more insane and crazy Japanese candies. Be warned, some of the worst gummies and hard/soft candy are tasted in this video. Not for the faint of heart! Don't forget to stay after the title card for another bonus scene! Continue to be prepared for nonsense.

Have any requests or suggestions for the next video? Let me know down in the comments. If you'd like to help support the show, give the video a like, share it with friends and be sure to subscribe to know when new episodes come out.

 
Well I guess somebody has to do it. Thanks for the public service. Now I know not to buy egg & natto candy accidentally. :hungry:
 
Well I guess somebody has to do it. Thanks for the public service. Now I know not to buy egg & natto candy accidentally. :hungry:

lol, my pleasure... I think x.x. I am not sure my stomach will ever forgive me.
 
The new Japan Now! is here ^^. What is Yo-kai Watch? Find out why it's about to be a very big deal in the US and elsewhere around the world.

 
The new Japan Now! is here ^^. What is Yo-kai Watch? Find out why it's about to be a very big deal in the US and elsewhere around the world.


I wonder if in the non-Japanese series they'll get rid of the many annoying plugs for AKB48 that are shoehorned into each episode.
 
I wonder if in the non-Japanese series they'll get rid of the many annoying plugs for AKB48 that are shoehorned into each episode.

Do you mean the NyanKB girls? Yo-kai Watch takes a lot of pop culture and puts it in the show. Robo nyan quotes terminator, Master Nyanda is very clearly Yoda. The mention the force in the movie and so on and so forth. AKB48 is/was super popular so they put it in. The show is intended to be similar to our world so having them on tv made sense to a point.

Not saying I like it one way or the other though.
 
Hi Kazekawa,

First of all: thank you for your effort to share your view on Japan with others!

I know many young people are attracted to Japan because of anime, manga and "crazy stuff", but I personally have no interest in those aspects of Japanese culture. I believe there are many channels that cover the crazy part of Japan, so I think it would be a nice addition to the Youtube landscape if you include the more serious parts of Japanese culture as well (spare time activities, traditions, interviews with everyday people such as bar owners, office workers, expats, maybe even homeless people, how things are done in supermarkets/post office/city hall/ restaurants/ sports games etc etc).

Feel free to reject the suggestions of course, but it would attract me as a more serious Japan enthusiast.👍
 
Do you mean the NyanKB girls? Yo-kai Watch takes a lot of pop culture and puts it in the show. Robo nyan quotes terminator, Master Nyanda is very clearly Yoda. The mention the force in the movie and so on and so forth. AKB48 is/was super popular so they put it in. The show is intended to be similar to our world so having them on tv made sense to a point.

Not saying I like it one way or the other though.

I do mean the NyanKB girls. I take your point that the programme introduces lots of popular culture, but the sole reason for the NyanKB girls appearing in every episode is that Dentsu bankroll both AKB48 and Yokai Watch. It gets annoying when the program is so blatantly made primarily for the sponsors, and even my 6 year old son, who adores the programme (hence my knowledge of it) finds the endless references annoying.
 
I do mean the NyanKB girls. I take your point that the programme introduces lots of popular culture, but the sole reason for the NyanKB girls appearing in every episode is that Dentsu bankroll both AKB48 and Yokai Watch. It gets annoying when the program is so blatantly made primarily for the sponsors, and even my 6 year old son, who adores the programme (hence my knowledge of it) finds the endless references annoying.

Aren't all the cartoons pretty much just vehicles to advertise associated merchandise?
 
I know many young people are attracted to Japan because of anime, manga and "crazy stuff"... I believe there are many channels that cover the crazy part of Japan, so I think it would be a nice addition to the Youtube landscape if you include the more serious parts of Japanese culture as well (spare time activities, traditions, interviews with everyday people such as bar owners, office workers, expats, maybe even homeless people, how things are done in supermarkets/post office/city hall/ restaurants/ sports games etc etc).
Interestingly this fixation on Japan as we want it to be vs what it is has been going on for over 100 years. Many of those old early pictures of Japan showing samurai, geisha, etc. were staged and made for foreign consumption.
How Tourism Shaped Photography in 19th Century Japan | Smart News | Smithsonian
Photographs from 19th-century Japan portray an "exoticised" version of the country, Jozuka writes, filled with geisha, samurai and cherry blossoms. The reality of the era was very different: these photos were staged, then sold as souvenirs for European tourists.
 
I do mean the NyanKB girls. I take your point that the programme introduces lots of popular culture, but the sole reason for the NyanKB girls appearing in every episode is that Dentsu bankroll both AKB48 and Yokai Watch. It gets annoying when the program is so blatantly made primarily for the sponsors, and even my 6 year old son, who adores the programme (hence my knowledge of it) finds the endless references annoying.

Yet the girls love it. All of the my female students often sing their songs and make references to it. Sure WE know what they are doing but it balances out the mostly male cast.
 
Interestingly this fixation on Japan as we want it to be vs what it is has been going on for over 100 years. Many of those old early pictures of Japan showing samurai, geisha, etc. were staged and made for foreign consumption.
How Tourism Shaped Photography in 19th Century Japan | Smart News | Smithsonian
Photographs from 19th-century Japan portray an "exoticised" version of the country, Jozuka writes, filled with geisha, samurai and cherry blossoms. The reality of the era was very different: these photos were staged, then sold as souvenirs for European tourists.

And yet this applies to almost every country. How we want something to be versus reality is incredibly common if not the standard. Everyone in England has a castle and speaks the Queen's English right? Most people in Canada travel around by horse or moose?

This applies far beyond something simple like countries. The series you are invested in, the game you preorder, the relationship you desired forever and finally got.
 
Hi Kazekawa,

First of all: thank you for your effort to share your view on Japan with others!

I know many young people are attracted to Japan because of anime, manga and "crazy stuff", but I personally have no interest in those aspects of Japanese culture. I believe there are many channels that cover the crazy part of Japan, so I think it would be a nice addition to the Youtube landscape if you include the more serious parts of Japanese culture as well (spare time activities, traditions, interviews with everyday people such as bar owners, office workers, expats, maybe even homeless people, how things are done in supermarkets/post office/city hall/ restaurants/ sports games etc etc).

Feel free to reject the suggestions of course, but it would attract me as a more serious Japan enthusiast.👍

I really appreciate you taking the time to write to me and suggest your ideas. I totally agree, a lot of videos and what people focus on are usually the insane and extreme and that's because it's what sells.

However, have you looked over my channel? Most of my Japanese content is in restaurants, interviews with Japanese nationals, traditions and going to various locations.

The original run of Japan Now! had about 18 episodes. I removed many of them from my channel recently due to copyright problems and bad choices of music and such I made when I first started, but I kept a few episodes around under the playlist Japan Now! Legacy Videos.

There are a ton of websites, professional companies and of course youtubers who offer a straight documentary/news like view of Japan. Though they are educational, they often are not interesting for the common viewer.

I prefer a balance of both the goofy side as well as the serious side of Japan. Sure, I covered weird candies for 2 weeks, but this most recent Yo-kai Watch episode for example was mostly informational.

I have a long list of things I would like to discuss and cover as time, budgeting and opportunity allows, so stay tuned for it ^^.

Thank you once again for your message!
 
I really appreciate you taking the time to write to me and suggest your ideas. I totally agree, a lot of videos and what people focus on are usually the insane and extreme and that's because it's what sells.

However, have you looked over my channel? Most of my Japanese content is in restaurants, interviews with Japanese nationals, traditions and going to various locations.

The original run of Japan Now! had about 18 episodes. I removed many of them from my channel recently due to copyright problems and bad choices of music and such I made when I first started, but I kept a few episodes around under the playlist Japan Now! Legacy Videos.

There are a ton of websites, professional companies and of course youtubers who offer a straight documentary/news like view of Japan. Though they are educational, they often are not interesting for the common viewer.

I prefer a balance of both the goofy side as well as the serious side of Japan. Sure, I covered weird candies for 2 weeks, but this most recent Yo-kai Watch episode for example was mostly informational.

I have a long list of things I would like to discuss and cover as time, budgeting and opportunity allows, so stay tuned for it ^^.

Thank you once again for your message!

In all honesty I assumed that the three videos on this page would represent your entire repertoire. If you say that you cover the more serious stuff as well, I will certainly take a look at it after work 👍
 
In all honesty I assumed that the three videos on this page would represent your entire repertoire. If you say that you cover the more serious stuff as well, I will certainly take a look at it after work 👍

Fair enough though the hope was that people who enjoyed the videos or were intrigued by them would then follow them to their source and see what else was on offer. That being said, I don't plan to post the old videos here. Even if it were these 3 videos... I am not sure if there was any harm in showcasing some odd candy and an animated series. I have covered Cherry Blossom viewing, various restaurants, differences in fast food chain menus, various traditional foods, conveyor belt sushi, various singers and actors... just to name a few xD.

It should be said though that I didn't enjoy just reporting on topics in a purely formal manner. I always add goofiness and gags to my work. Modern Japanese culture is full of oddities and rare delights which is why the topic lures people to it.

I hope that my videos can be enjoyed by people but if my focus is not to your liking than I apologize. There will be more traditional topics in the future, but it's a weekly show and it's still trying to find an audience. I work full time, so the topics I cover each week are based upon availability, what is actually accessible and if there is anything interesting going on that week. For example, next Sundays episode will be a pocky/pretz video as November 11th is the national pretz/pocky day.

I look forward to more of your comments in the future ^^.
 
Yet the girls love it. All of the my female students often sing their songs and make references to it. Sure WE know what they are doing but it balances out the mostly male cast.
I'm wondering how old your students are. I asked my children (8 and 6) whether AKB48 were popular with boys and girls in their class and they weren't with either.
Mike Cash - you're absolutely right, if cartoons weren't made to sell the merchandise, there'd be far fewer of them around, though it still grates that a children's program is being used to promote the rather sordid AKB48 business, whose main audience seem to be adult men.
 
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