Tag: Japan

The Amazing Race – One does not simply walk through Miyazaki

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The time has finally come for the Fourth Annual Amazing Race Miyazaki! This is one of our biggest events of the year. Some of you may already be familiar with the American TV show, The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race Miyazaki is loosely based around this televised competition, except that teams will follow clues which will take them to different “Quests” within the boundaries of Miyazaki City. This year, each Quest and their Clues are inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s books and their movie counterparts, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. So go watch the movies or read the books to get yourself in the mood! amazingrace2015_logo 今年もやって参りました －ＭＡＪＥＴの第四回目のアメージング．レースみやざき！ ＭＡＪＥＴのイベントの中でもっとも主要なイベントです。アメリカのテレビ番組、The Amazing Race をイメージとしたイベントで、アメージング．レースみやざきの参加者はチームと一緒で、ヒントに従って「クエスト」を完成させる宮崎市内の場所にたどりつく競争です。 毎年レースの「ヒント」や「クエスト」はテーマがありまして、今年は J．R．R．トールキンの「ホビットの探検」/The Hobbitと「指輪物語」/ロード．オブ．ザ．リングのシリーズがテーマになります！ Continue reading →

Kero Kero Bonito – The Bilingual Beats You Need To Hear

The following is an article that was written by one of your fellow MAJETers. It was published in AJET Connect Magazine’s March 2015 issue.
It is posted here with the author’s permission and some extra pix ;).

 

Gus, Jamie, and Sarah, the trio that make up Kero Kero Bonito, are a group of young people in London whose music has been taking off at laser speeds. They recorded their first album independently in the summer of 2013 and re-released it through Double Denim Records last August. It brought nods of approval from producers like Blackbird Blackbird, features by The Guardian, DIY Mag, and Pitchfork, plus special edition album art commissioned by Tower Records. It’s clear that the beats are resounding across the globe and that the message, in all its bilingual glory, is coming through.

Their music is fresh – it’s really the only word that comes to mind. Light and poppy, nostalgic but new, and above all, unique. Fittingly, no one has seemed able to nail just how to describe it, with tags ranging from “contemporary J-pop” to “turn-based RPG soundtracks.” Kero Kero Bonito, though, have wrapped it into something that commands listening to: bilingual schoolyard dancehall.

Click on Sarah’s awesome artwork throughout the article
to listen to the debut EP!

Small Town

Sick Beat

Pocket Crocodile

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Nabé Time!

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Another winter season has almost come and gone, but before it ends, we were wondering:

Have you cracked out your nabe pot yet?

These little beauties are wonderful for dropping everything that you love into a pot and letting the magic work. If you’ve never made nabe before or are looking for something new to inspire you, we have two recipes to share today! Take them as a starting point to work off of: substitute dashi with chicken broth or miso, chicken with pork or stay vegetarian, and swap out noodles in the pot for rice on the side, carrots for sweet potatoes, plus anything else you can think of!

どうぞめしあがれ (douzo meshiagare) !

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History of Japan – The Origins of Coming of Age Day

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Last Monday marked Coming of Age Day across Japan. Traditionally an important day in the life of youths and their families, the holiday revolves around coming of age ceremonies (成人式 seijin-shiki) at which the country’s 20-year-olds are welcomed into adult life. Along with their legal responsibilities, on this day, new adults in Japan celebrate their rights to (legally) purchase and smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and vote.

With a celebration so important that it deserves its own national holiday, it’s worth looking back into the past to try to track the origins of this ceremony. Continue reading →