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well, happy new year
I didn't do all that much today.
I only left the house to get food. I really wanted omurice, but couldn't find a place to get it besides Ito Yokado, and I would prefer fresh omurice rather than something that's been sitting in a box for a few hours. So, instead, I had tempura for dinner, at Tenya, the same place we had new year's eve dinner 2 years ago when Carl and Oren were here. It might just be me, but I think shrimp tempura actually is a somewhat popular new year's eve food here? They were making TONS of bento for people there...
OH, and get this, the Akabane Denny's is GONE. I walked there thinking it'd be a good place to get omurice and just chill out for a bit, and it's an empty lot. WTF WTF WTF.
I bought a bunch of "sparkling" drinks to drink while watching Kohaku Uta Gassen. Like sparkling gogonokocha, and strawberry soda, and grape juice. I drank the first two tonight -- the sparkling tea SUCKED but the sparkling strawberry stuff was fantastic.
I finished Nodame episode 10 before Kohaku and episode 11 afterwards...
As for Kohaku, I typed a few comments in as it was going on, so here you are:
This is going to sound dumb because she's a year younger than me, but Hamasaki Ayumi really hasn't aged well.
The kids thing was a bit weird but cute. (A 10-year-old enka singer?!) What's scary is things like that "NYC boys" group where I realized -- they're the same age as my JHS students were. Yeesh.
The NHK Taiga drama next year is about Sakamoto Ryoma! Played by Fukuyama Masaharu. Why did nobody tell me that!? Of course, I won't get to see it for the most part but still that's pretty cool. Ryoma seems to be the totally trendy Japanese historical figure lately, I swear.
Jero and his hip-hop dancers in kimonos was a bit surreal. And actually the dancers really detracted from his song, I thought.
Hm, I don't think I'd heard of flumpool before but they were really pretty good.
Otsuka Ai had a ridiculous costume involving an ACTUAL BIRDCAGE as part of her dress with REAL LIVING BIRDS IN IT wtf. Seriously.
It was really awesome to hear Remioromen singing Konayuki... which has been my favorite song on Pop'n'Music for quite some time now. They're a hit-and-miss band for me, but I really do love this song.
Whoa, I'd never actually heard of Susan Boyle before, but after the "theme" of Kohaku, called Uta no Chikara, or the Power of Song, they had her come on and sing I Dreamed A Dream. I definitely see why it must have caused such a stir when she was on the reality show or whatever... it really is pretty ridiculous how these days if you want to make music you also have to be good-looking. WTF.
Tokio is one of these bands that every year I see and remember, "they rock because they're a Johnny's band that actually plays their own damn instruments and writes their own damn songs", but then I forget about them again.
Wow.. so after talking about the Japanese musicians who died this year, they mentioned Michael Jackson and actually SMAP did a tribute performance to him. Holy crap! It's kinda funny but -- actually -- if ANYONE in Japan was going to do this kind of thing, it would HAVE to be SMAP, wouldn't it? Like, I'm not sure I can think of any other group/singer who could possibly pull it off, both the dancing and being a big enough name that nobody goes "who the hell do you think you are?"
hmm... onwards, just as Arashi was chatting post-performance (I can't believe this is their first time on Kohaku?? It must be because every year they're doing crap like the Johnny's Entertainment New Years...), we got an impromptu (?!) performance by Eikichi Yazawa? I'm not sure, he wasn't listed on the program but they were obviously set up for him, that was pretty nuts. So Nakai is like "Sorry Arashi," and they're like "Dude, we just got interrupted by one of the greatest musicians in Japan, it's ok, really."
Awwww, Hikawa Kiyoshi. What can I say, I'm a fan. I know it's dorky, but whatever.
Okay, over over...
Onward to Nodame. Finished the TV show now! But -- downloading the two Nodame In Europe specials. I've heard they kinda branch into the movies, basically. I also realized that there were several other references/characters I didn't get in the movie thanks to having not finished the show. Well, at least that'll be solved for Movie 2.
I sent out a whole ton of new year's greetings by cellphone at midnight. I think so did the rest of the country because the replies were really really delayed, heh.
I guess in theory I should do goals/resolutions soon, huh? I've been saying I'm staying in Japan for another year because I have goals left here, but I never really ennumerate them, so really, I should do that, dammit, and accomplish them, and then leave with a clear conscience.
On one final note, I'm trying to make myself stop my Marinerds hiatus, so I took this photo today...
120 games is a lot. Yay 2009.
I only left the house to get food. I really wanted omurice, but couldn't find a place to get it besides Ito Yokado, and I would prefer fresh omurice rather than something that's been sitting in a box for a few hours. So, instead, I had tempura for dinner, at Tenya, the same place we had new year's eve dinner 2 years ago when Carl and Oren were here. It might just be me, but I think shrimp tempura actually is a somewhat popular new year's eve food here? They were making TONS of bento for people there...
OH, and get this, the Akabane Denny's is GONE. I walked there thinking it'd be a good place to get omurice and just chill out for a bit, and it's an empty lot. WTF WTF WTF.
I bought a bunch of "sparkling" drinks to drink while watching Kohaku Uta Gassen. Like sparkling gogonokocha, and strawberry soda, and grape juice. I drank the first two tonight -- the sparkling tea SUCKED but the sparkling strawberry stuff was fantastic.
I finished Nodame episode 10 before Kohaku and episode 11 afterwards...
As for Kohaku, I typed a few comments in as it was going on, so here you are:
This is going to sound dumb because she's a year younger than me, but Hamasaki Ayumi really hasn't aged well.
The kids thing was a bit weird but cute. (A 10-year-old enka singer?!) What's scary is things like that "NYC boys" group where I realized -- they're the same age as my JHS students were. Yeesh.
The NHK Taiga drama next year is about Sakamoto Ryoma! Played by Fukuyama Masaharu. Why did nobody tell me that!? Of course, I won't get to see it for the most part but still that's pretty cool. Ryoma seems to be the totally trendy Japanese historical figure lately, I swear.
Jero and his hip-hop dancers in kimonos was a bit surreal. And actually the dancers really detracted from his song, I thought.
Hm, I don't think I'd heard of flumpool before but they were really pretty good.
Otsuka Ai had a ridiculous costume involving an ACTUAL BIRDCAGE as part of her dress with REAL LIVING BIRDS IN IT wtf. Seriously.
It was really awesome to hear Remioromen singing Konayuki... which has been my favorite song on Pop'n'Music for quite some time now. They're a hit-and-miss band for me, but I really do love this song.
Whoa, I'd never actually heard of Susan Boyle before, but after the "theme" of Kohaku, called Uta no Chikara, or the Power of Song, they had her come on and sing I Dreamed A Dream. I definitely see why it must have caused such a stir when she was on the reality show or whatever... it really is pretty ridiculous how these days if you want to make music you also have to be good-looking. WTF.
Tokio is one of these bands that every year I see and remember, "they rock because they're a Johnny's band that actually plays their own damn instruments and writes their own damn songs", but then I forget about them again.
Wow.. so after talking about the Japanese musicians who died this year, they mentioned Michael Jackson and actually SMAP did a tribute performance to him. Holy crap! It's kinda funny but -- actually -- if ANYONE in Japan was going to do this kind of thing, it would HAVE to be SMAP, wouldn't it? Like, I'm not sure I can think of any other group/singer who could possibly pull it off, both the dancing and being a big enough name that nobody goes "who the hell do you think you are?"
hmm... onwards, just as Arashi was chatting post-performance (I can't believe this is their first time on Kohaku?? It must be because every year they're doing crap like the Johnny's Entertainment New Years...), we got an impromptu (?!) performance by Eikichi Yazawa? I'm not sure, he wasn't listed on the program but they were obviously set up for him, that was pretty nuts. So Nakai is like "Sorry Arashi," and they're like "Dude, we just got interrupted by one of the greatest musicians in Japan, it's ok, really."
Awwww, Hikawa Kiyoshi. What can I say, I'm a fan. I know it's dorky, but whatever.
Okay, over over...
Onward to Nodame. Finished the TV show now! But -- downloading the two Nodame In Europe specials. I've heard they kinda branch into the movies, basically. I also realized that there were several other references/characters I didn't get in the movie thanks to having not finished the show. Well, at least that'll be solved for Movie 2.
I sent out a whole ton of new year's greetings by cellphone at midnight. I think so did the rest of the country because the replies were really really delayed, heh.
I guess in theory I should do goals/resolutions soon, huh? I've been saying I'm staying in Japan for another year because I have goals left here, but I never really ennumerate them, so really, I should do that, dammit, and accomplish them, and then leave with a clear conscience.
On one final note, I'm trying to make myself stop my Marinerds hiatus, so I took this photo today...
120 games is a lot. Yay 2009.
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If you think of the last half century or so as "lately," yeah, you're right. Ryoma was pretty much put on the Japanese historical map by Ryotaro Shiba, Japan's James Michener, who wrote 竜馬がゆく (Ryoma ga Yuku) in the 1960s. Until then, he was a minor figure, but ever since he has sort of been the Japanese "Marble Man" much like Robert E. Lee was made into a "Marble Man" in the U.S. by Douglas Southall Freeman's "R.E. Lee." Not that I dislike Ryoma's story, but it's kind of disturbing to learn that history has been pretty much rewritten by one historical novel. I'm pretty sure that Ryoma did not have the influence on Meiji Japan that Lee had on the American Civil War.
I find the choice of Fukuyama as Ryoma also interesting. I don't think the guy has ever been in a period piece, but maybe that's part of the allure. Hopefully it will be better than this year's 天地人 (Ten Chi Jin) with Satoshi Tsumabuki, but I'm not going to get my hopes up until I've actually seen some of the episodes. If NHK had really wanted to make a good series, they would have used Masahiro Motoki or Teruyuki Kagawa both of whom are far better actors and the latter even looks a bit like the actual Ryoma. I guess that was ruled out since they are in the "special drama/mini-series" 坂の上の雲 (Saka no Ue no Kumo) that NHK will continue over the next two years.
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I rarely watch NHK dramas to begin with but it's useful to know which historical figure will be trendy this year, at any rate (like what was it, a year or two ago with Atsu-Hime?)
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Atsu-hime in 2008 was probably one of the best 大河ドラマ (taiga dorama) in a long time. NHK actually found a young actress who can act and also did a great job in casting the other parts. I think it revitalized a couple of careers.
I'm not sure, but since fewer people seem to be watching the 大河ドラマ these days, I think NHK is putting more effort into its "special mini-series" (坂の上の雲） that I mentioned above. I know that they've spent a boatload of money on it (probably more than any movie ever made in Japan), and are showing it in the Sunday 8 o'clock slot usually reserved for the 大河ドラマ for each December from 2009 to 2011.
Anyway, I have a feeling that NHK is making a big mistake by casting Fukuyama as Ryoma. Ryoma's biggest "fan" base is middle-aged and older men all who pretty much think they know what Ryoma should look and act like (usually as Ryotaro Shiba depicted him). I'm not sure about Fukuyama's fan base, but I doubt that it overlaps with Ryoma's. I think that NHK is trying to get the 大河ドラマ to appeal to a wider spectrum of viewers, but I don't think it's going to work.
I guess we'll see....
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They must have deliberately make her look like she was going to be awful for that one, because in subsequent appearances she has more of the accoutrements of a professional singer.
One would fear that with actual birds in one's costume that they would emit foul substances at inappropriate times.
Sparkling Tea indeed sounds very strange.
Jero's original video is a bit surreal too, no? I thought that was the point of him.
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Anyway, here's one of the YouTube versions that hasn't been taken down:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
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So there's another contender to the costume war in addition to Sachiko Kobayashi and Kenichi Mikawa?
I'm amazed SMAP is still around and performing. O_o I still remember their first appearance as an individual band back in 1992!
I caught the Susan Boyle news when it was circulating, but it's pretty dang cool to know that it's still going on. :)
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I'm not sure SMAP will ever go away, given how far they've also permeated the TV and movie industries. But I did notice today that Arashi now really does kind of remind me of SMAP 10 years ago. I think some of these bands age, and some of them just go away. Like your beloved Hikaru Genji :)
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I'm downloading Kohaku now, but it's ridiculously large and in uncompressed mpeg...
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