News Sushi #70: Morsels of News from Japan and Beyond
News Sushi #70 And we keep serving News Sushi!
Editor Note:It is Friday and that means it is time for the World Famous, soon to be Intergalactic Famous, News Sushi from our very own, Hamish Downie. Hamish brings us a decidedly different slant on Pop Culture as viewed through the lens of a non-native living in Japan.
Thank you Hamish, for your insights.
Reporting to you semi-live from the driest rainy season I’ve experienced in Japan… it’s NEWS SUSHI!!!!
Let’s start with a lovely new song from Towa!
Who has been busy making subtitles for my film recently.
Joel Haver answers the age old question… “What to do when your best friend is a Jackass?”
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joelhaver
From the ridiculous to the sublime… we now see a young Japanese LGBT couple get married at a shrine, where my partner and I have visited (this is very, very far from the big city).
They say on the youtube page that the “Ordinary is Extraordinary”. This is certianly true when only maybe one or two shrines allow same sex couples to get married there. It’s still not officially recognised nationally. Some prefectures will “recognise” the existance of the relationship, but don’t really give Japanese LGBT couples any extra rights.
The couple celebrated their traditional wedding at Kumano Hongu shirne in Wakayama Japan. Here I am at the original site of the shrine…
The young couple were happy that they could be together on that wonderful day.
“We believe love is love, no matter what sexuality is. Just following our heart, we want to come back to Kumano again in the future with our gray hair.”
RICE PADDY ART
From youtube: “In the village of Inakadate, Japan, elaborate expanses of “rice paddy art” grace the surrounding landscape. Looking for a way to boost tourism and contribute to the village’s rich culture, town officials turned to what they knew best — growing rice. Using dozens of varieties of rice as their color palette, locals gather to plant each new masterpiece, taking inspiration from local geography and Japanese folklore. With each image taking up to three months to complete, it truly takes a village.”
Line Stickers in Shocking Pink
LGBT artist Sepha, has released new stickers for the LINE app.
Bridgestone Tyres are developing new type of curb-stone to promote safety (Japanese): https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20190701-00010003-norimono-bus_all
Japan is moving to change it’s road rules to allow more roundabouts (Japanese): https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20190706-00010002-norimono-bus_all&p=1
Morinaga Confectionary will stop producing the iconic (and delicious) chocolate flakes due to the deterioration of the production facilities (Japanese): https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/article?a=20190705-00289242-toyo-bus_all
The Eye of Shinjuku has been found damaged (English): https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/07/03/national/vandalism-suspected-eye-shinjuku-artwork-found-damaged/
Kyoto’s Gion District on Fire
HOT LINK of the WEEK
TTFN
Hamish
