Japanese Hobby

Stunning Underground Parking System for Bicycles in Japan

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I’ve spotted some fantastic looking bikes in Tokyo time and time again. All fixies (that’s what we call bikes in Germany without any fancy stuff), plain and simple rides for the city. A friend of mine is very much into bikes as well and got one which is pretty similar to the white one on the picture down below. Always makes me envious that I’m not into the technical stuff with bikes. The problem which comes with a looking one is that you can’t just leave it on the street. I bet there is much less stuff being stolen in general in Japan but still. You wouldn’t want to leave such a treasured item where you invested so much time and money in on the street. And there comes the new fully automated bike storage in handy. It’s good to know that it’s stored absolutely save in a place where not even rain can touch your treasured bike.</div>
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Automated underground parking systems are already around for a couple of years in Japan but I didn’t know that they had an equivalent for bikes as well. Unfortunately I could’t find much more information on this only that it’s located in Tokyo. The whole process only takes a mere 16 seconds which makes it really quick to use. Nearly the same as if you would just lock it with a key.</div>
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Would you store your bike in a place like this? I still own a vintage Honda Dax which is in perfect shape. Unfortunately I solely use it these days because I just can’t leave it anywhere. Even with a solid lock. Two persons could just grab it and load it into their car. Note to Tokyo. You need storage space like this for motorbikes as well.</div>

Stunning Underground Parking System for Bicycles in Japan

I’ve spotted some fantastic looking bikes in Tokyo time and time again. All fixies (that’s what we call bikes in Germany without any fanc...

Learn to read Manga with Mangajin

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I love Japanese the manga way and couldn’t resist buying the book which started it all. Or rather the collected articles which started it all. <em>Mangajin </em>was once a manga magazine which had a little column inside which was called <em>Basic Japanese</em>. It stands to reason how basic the topics discussed really were but to be frank everything Genki I and II can easily be considered “basic Japanese”.  Unfortunately the magazine itself is long gone but there is still a <a href="http://www.mangajian.net/" style="color: black;">website</a> floating around. The best way to learn a language is always with real life examples. What applies to learning new vocabulary applies to Grammar as well. Learn it in context. And if you like manga then it’s a great idea to learn Japanese grammar with some comic scripts.</div>
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Mangajin is basically the same as Japanese the manga way. Both in terms of layout and the way the topics were chosen. And that’s where we come to the difficulty of the grammatical quirks discussed in this first volume of Mangajin (there are two in total available). You shouldn’t use this for your very first steps in Japanese neither does this book aim to replace a real textbook like Genki. It’s meant as a fun supplement which rather wants to explain <em>when</em>some grammar terms are used than <em>how</em>. Japanese is just so different compared to a Roman-language that you can’t just express yourself in the same manner you would in English or German or French for that matter. Maybe you read my review about Japanesepod101 where I always stress the importance of getting to know the certain “rhythm” of a language. And that’s basically what Mangajin is doing on paper with a detailed deconstruction of real Japanese manga material.</div>
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If you like reading manga in Japanese and still feel that you don’t really “get” most titles, maybe Mangajin can help. <em>Japanese the manga way </em>is equally awesome there is just no better way to say this. Both feature different content but are using the exact same approach.</div>
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Learn to read Manga with Mangajin

I love Japanese the manga way and couldn’t resist buying the book which started it all. Or rather the collected articles which started it a...

See Hatsune Miku pop-up with Tomy’s new barrel game

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Tomy will be releasing a new Pop-up Pirate game, however, the one popping up in this one won’t be a pirate in a barrel full of swords, but virtual diva, <span style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Hatsune Miku</strong></span>, who will be popping up in a barrel full of keys.</h4>
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Just like other Pop-Up Pirates games, the objective is insert the keys into the holes and whoever gets the “unlucky slot” and manages to launch Miku, loses the game. It will be released on May 23, 2015 and will cost 1,000 yen plus tax.</div>
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Tomy is also releasing Kantai Collection versions of Pop-up Pirates, and they feature fleet girls like Shimakaze, Kongou, Myouko, and others.</div>
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See Hatsune Miku pop-up with Tomy’s new barrel game

Tomy will be releasing a new Pop-up Pirate game, however, the one popping up in this one won’t be a pirate in a barrel full of swords, but ...

"Hot" screenshots from IS: Infinite Stratos Love and Purge

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5pb. has released a bunch of hot and steamy screenshots for their upcoming<span style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"> IS: Infinite Stratos</strong></span> <span style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Love and Purge game</strong> </span>for the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita, and it includes some pretty revealing ones.</h4>
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The story takes place right after the World Purge OVA and will center around Ichika Orimura and his relationships with his fellow IS pilotsm Houki, Charlotte, Rin, Cecilia, Laura, and the Sarashiki sisters, Tatenashi and Kanzashi. Houki’s sister, the inventor of the IS, Tabane Shinonono is revealed to also be part of the game.</div>
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<a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_002_cs1w1_400x.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.428571429; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_002_cs1w1_400x" class="attachment-thumbnail" height="150" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_002_cs1w1_400x-150x150.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(207, 207, 207); box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="150" /></a><a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_005_cs1w1_400x.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.428571429; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_005_cs1w1_400x" class="attachment-thumbnail" height="150" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_005_cs1w1_400x-150x150.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(207, 207, 207); box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="150" /></a><a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_004_cs1w1_400x.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.428571429; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_004_cs1w1_400x" class="attachment-thumbnail" height="150" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_004_cs1w1_400x-150x150.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(207, 207, 207); box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="150" /></a><a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_003_cs1w1_400x.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.428571429; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_003_cs1w1_400x" class="attachment-thumbnail" height="150" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_003_cs1w1_400x-150x150.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(207, 207, 207); box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="150" /></a><a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_006_cs1w1_400x.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.428571429; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_006_cs1w1_400x" class="attachment-thumbnail" height="150" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_006_cs1w1_400x-150x150.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(207, 207, 207); box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="150" /></a><a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_007_cs1w1_400x.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; line-height: 1.428571429; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_007_cs1w1_400x" class="attachment-thumbnail" height="150" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_007_cs1w1_400x-150x150.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(207, 207, 207); box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="150" /></a><a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_008_cs1w1_400x.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.428571429; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_008_cs1w1_400x" class="attachment-thumbnail" height="150" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_008_cs1w1_400x-150x150.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(207, 207, 207); box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="150" /></a><a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_009_cs1w1_400x.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.428571429; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_009_cs1w1_400x" class="attachment-thumbnail" height="150" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_009_cs1w1_400x-150x150.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(207, 207, 207); box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="150" /></a></div>
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New screenshots from the game’s “Reward” and “Punishment” system have also been released. This “Reward” and “Punishment” system uses “Brave Heart Points” which Ichika must acquire through his actions and conversations with the game’s various heroines.</div>
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<a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_010_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_010_cs1w1_640x360" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-107777" height="360" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_010_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="640" /></a> <a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_011_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_011_cs1w1_640x360" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-107778" height="360" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_011_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="640" /></a> <a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_012_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_012_cs1w1_640x360" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-107779" height="360" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_012_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ichika must deepen his relationships with the girls with these “Brave Heart Points”, and to do that, he must talk with them and be careful with what he says, because the Brave Heart Points he acquires depends on how he treats the girls. He could also rack up the Brave Points by massaging the girls, however, if he messes up, he loses points instead.</div>
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<a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_013_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_013_cs1w1_640x360" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-107780" height="360" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_013_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="640" /></a></div>
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And then there are the new event CGs…</div>
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<a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_015_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_015_cs1w1_640x360" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-107781" height="360" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_015_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="640" /></a> <a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_016_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_016_cs1w1_640x360" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-107782" height="360" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_016_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="640" /></a> <a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_017_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_017_cs1w1_640x360" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-107783" height="360" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_017_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="640" /></a> <a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_018_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_018_cs1w1_640x360" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-107784" height="360" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_018_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="640" /></a> <a class="fancybox image" href="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_019_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #eeeeee; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="is_019_cs1w1_640x360" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-107785" height="360" src="http://images.sgcafe.net/2015/02/is_019_cs1w1_640x360.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="640" /></a></div>
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IS: Infinite Stratos Love and Purge is scheduled for release in Japan on July 30, 2015 for the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita. </div>

"Hot" screenshots from IS: Infinite Stratos Love and Purge

5pb. has released a bunch of hot and steamy screenshots for their upcoming IS: Infinite Stratos Love and Purge game for the PlayStatio...

Shirobako, the anime about making anime, and industry salaries

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I continue to enjoy Shirobako, the slice-of-life show about a group of girls who realize their dream of going to Tokyo and working professionally in the anime industry. In the show we get to see everything about how animation is made in Japan: the hectic schedules, the dysfunctional personalities, the directors who won't finish the storyboards for the last episode, the voice acting recording sessions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-KTWib-PPBA1UPZ07sq_RSkTzI4j94ASnlDC8VNSj_1KAPTlIvv4fQWsRheGGkck9IKuZ85D7hEcZ0rKOYYDPWNKsb0sdl2CzAtdd1rhlxzBboaoo10ktdl9HVn57TEFmhqMi3bRc1w/s1600/shirobako-main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-KTWib-PPBA1UPZ07sq_RSkTzI4j94ASnlDC8VNSj_1KAPTlIvv4fQWsRheGGkck9IKuZ85D7hEcZ0rKOYYDPWNKsb0sdl2CzAtdd1rhlxzBboaoo10ktdl9HVn57TEFmhqMi3bRc1w/s1600/shirobako-main.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In one story arc, a 2D animator gets upset when it's decided that an important scene he's preparing to animate by hand will be done with CG. I enjoyed this part of the story because I, too, obsess about overuse of CG in traditional anime, especially when it's taken beyond animating <a href="http://www.jlist.com/search/all/moero_downhill_racing_car" style="border: 0px; color: #44779e; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">exciting mountain racing scenes</a> to the realm of actual character animation, which -- as of 2014, at least -- can feel quite unnatural, as seen in the otherwise excellent <a href="http://www.jlist.com/search/all/sidonia" style="border: 0px; color: #44779e; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Knights of Sidonia</a> and <a href="http://www.jlist.com/search/all/Arpeggio_of_Blue_Steel_submarine" style="border: 0px; color: #44779e; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Arpeggio of Blue Steel</a>. There's a very "meta" segment in which the main character Aoi talks with another production assistant about how far CG animation will go in the future. "Will hand-drawn anime ever disappear?" "I don't think so, since there are always things better expressed using traditional animation. But the number of anime series being produced is increasing, so when you think about the need to control quality, CG will certainly be more important in the future."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPck8D6OvPvi9urGu0maEPdqhlWYzdn0W9op4xkb14gsHFuvlGRUx366G-81pOLStR1Erot79YKQsFqAxaqEnHX87x3QJZZDUPgDJXgTbycKuxD8pViqmFJHBxQPspYCf5AR_AhuIoYpI/s1600/shirobako.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPck8D6OvPvi9urGu0maEPdqhlWYzdn0W9op4xkb14gsHFuvlGRUx366G-81pOLStR1Erot79YKQsFqAxaqEnHX87x3QJZZDUPgDJXgTbycKuxD8pViqmFJHBxQPspYCf5AR_AhuIoYpI/s1600/shirobako.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Shirobako is interesting for another reason in that we get to see what people working in the industry are paid on average, thanks to <a href="http://jli.st/1vCuh7p" style="border: 0px; color: #44779e; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">a graphic</a> a Reddit user posted showing what salaries the animators, production assistants, directors and producers pull in annually. The bottom line is that the salaries of everyone involved with creating animation in Japan are frightfully low, with all the jobs except Executive Producer paying below the median income of jobs in the U.S. Starting animators make only $9400 per year, which explains why many of these jobs have been exported to South Korea, China and the Philippines. The only people raking in cash in anime are the A-list voice actors like Hanazawa Kana (the voice of Kuroneko from <a href="http://www.jlist.com/search/all/kuroneko_oreimo" style="border: 0px; color: #44779e; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oreimo</a> and Mayuri from <a href="http://www.jlist.com/search/all/steinsgate/sales/1" style="border: 0px; color: #44779e; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Steins;Gate</a>), who are managed by smart talent agencies which charge big bucks to have their voice actors appear in an anime or game. We're sometimes frustrated by these talent studios, who often demand tens of thousands of dollars in royalties to include Japanese voices in <a href="http://www.jlist.com/category/808/wishes/" style="border: 0px; color: #44779e; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">English visual novels</a> we want to publish, occasionally causing projects that would have gone through to be abandoned.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPAkNdyb0Mlfa3fD9D-XepXuH5SAWTDJEwZ_GtjRWrdGpWK0CKhNoXJOZK3ZBOgdwgD39jqy4aFF57_3QhrpJk2RRDSBPRLIpaWfP0Z_i86CIORRT1YCpEd-3UI9BLA9_TOIw8Z9iL48/s1600/shirobako-salary.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPAkNdyb0Mlfa3fD9D-XepXuH5SAWTDJEwZ_GtjRWrdGpWK0CKhNoXJOZK3ZBOgdwgD39jqy4aFF57_3QhrpJk2RRDSBPRLIpaWfP0Z_i86CIORRT1YCpEd-3UI9BLA9_TOIw8Z9iL48/s1600/shirobako-salary.png" width="640" /></a></div>

Shirobako, the anime about making anime, and industry salaries

I continue to enjoy Shirobako, the slice-of-life show about a group of girls who realize their dream of going to Tokyo and working professi...