Bend it like Beckham
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
2 April 2007
Blossoms and the moon
Blossoms and the moon
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
Back in February:
I'm not sure if these are exactly the same tree, but at least they are on the same street.
A closer look
A closer look
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
Getting closer to one of these school cherry trees through a net.
There will be ten (or more) altogether.
There will be ten (or more) altogether.
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
It's a bit strange to see the leaves coming out at the same time of the blossom.
Smile at me, please.
Smile at me, please.
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
I do think the flowers are bigger than usual. Last year, the flowers on this tree were not this big. Probably because of the warm winter.
In these ten years, the cherry season has changed. When I was at school, cherries are for April, for our 入学式 or 始業式 (start of the school year - in Japan schools start in the first week of April). Now it's for 終業式 (end of the school year) which is around 25 March.
The sky, 29 March 2007, Tokyo
The sky, 29 March 2007, Tokyo
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
View Large.
今日は気温が25度くらいまで上がったそうで、桜が満開になりました。勢いで（？）葉まで出てきているのが少し変。東京。
It was very warm today - almost hot. The temperature was nearly 25 degrees. Probably this drives the cherries to bloom in full. Tokyo, Japan.
Train circle number one
Train circle number one
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
A "priority seat" sign. On a Yurakucho Line train, Tokyo, Japan.
A theatrical play
A theatrical play
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
Inside Hibiya Metro station.
春団治 was a rakugo performer in Osaka before WW II. His life story has been made into stage plays. This poster is for 新橋演舞場, starring 沢田研二 Kenji Sawada [English] and 藤山直美 Naomi Fujiyama, in April.
If you are into "cult movies" of Japan, you might have been the film called 太陽を盗んだ男 (The Man Who Stole the Sun, 1979). Kenji Sawada starred in the film.
Naomi Fujiyama is a daughter of one of the most famous comedians in Osaka, Kanmi Fujiyama.
The wall with posters
The wall with posters
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
This is the wall, seen from まんぷく食堂, where you can dine and drink.
The upper half of the wall is like mini-museum for classic films, and the lower half is an ordinary advertising space for films, theatres and music.
An old comedy film poster
An old comedy film poster
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
On the same wall as this poster.
The film is one of the 社長シリーズ (1956-70), a classic comedy series.
Yet another cinema poster
Yet another cinema poster
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
On the same wall as this poster.
The film is 極道罷り通る (1972), and I've never seen this film either. The leading actor is 若山富三郎 (1929-1992), whose younger brother was also a famous actor, 勝新太郎. The youngest man on the left is 菅原文太.
Another old cinema poster
Another old cinema poster
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
On the same wall as this poster. I wish I could have got a sharper image, but excuse me because it was too dark, and I had had some booze.
The film is 実録安藤組 (1973), a yakuza (gang) film based on a real story. I've never seen this film, but my father and uncles did in the 1970s.
An old cinema poster
An old cinema poster
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
An old cinema poster found at Yurakucho. This is 菅原文太 (Sugawara Bunta), a famous actor. The Wikipedia has an English entry as well as Japanese. The film is one of the Yakuza films he starred around 1970.
The wall is filled with these old posters, intended to be a mini-museum, and I have some more pictures, which will be added here in the next few days.
If you are interested, the mini-museum wall is here, in front of まんぷく食堂. The 食堂 itself feels like a museum, but it was too crowded when we went, so we took our seats outside of the 食堂, looking at the posters.
An old political poster - when it was marginal
An old political poster - when it was marginal
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
An old political poster found on the same wall as the cinema posters, but this does not belong to the "mini museum" project, I believe. Until 1990 or so, Yurakucho area was a sort of "Speakers Corner" for nationalists, and that is why this area has so many posters like this.
I particularly find this poster weird. The message is "Ammend the Article No 9 of the Constitution, for Japan to be a real independent state." You know now it's on the agenda of our government (Shinzo Abe's government), very officially. At the national diet, debates are going on - I don't know if we really can call it "debates". Something that used to be very marginal is now very official.
* I am in no way related to them or their political agenda. This is only photography.
Da Vinci
Da Vinci
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
There is a Da Vinci exhibit in Ueno, from 20 March to 17 June. For more information, see:
www.tnm.jp/jp/servlet/Con?pageId=A01...
なめんなよ - a Showa revival
なめんなよ - a Showa revival
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
Click on the picture and see notes for some language tips.
This is a "no publicity-right violation" poster, like "war on bootlegs".
なめんなよ means ... I don't really know, it's from the 1980s (昭和55年ごろ), very colloquial, showing strong attitude of youngsters (暴走族 - yobs on bikes, so to speak).
The rebel cats with this strong attitude, なめ猫, are from the 1980s. I don't know why. Probably they want their message to reach people in their thirties, who know the なめ猫 series very well.
green board
green board
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
春爛漫 (read: haru ran man) is an idiom, meaning "spring, and in full bloom."
Work Hard.
Work Hard.
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
A Continental Airlines advert.
Saturated ... I played with JTrim software.
oneworld
oneworld
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
An advert. "The Japan Air Lines to join Oneworld alliance." I was reminded of this novel by Max Barry.
Japanese edition at amazon.co.jp:
ジェニファー・ガバメント
マックス バリー Max Barry 泊山 梁
竹書房 2003-12
by G-Tools
Stars in her eyes
Stars in her eyes
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
See notes for some language tips.
A poster by the Tokyo metropolitan police.
The message is:
"I can see a beautiful town without gangs (暴力団)."
On the top left,
恐れない = Don't be afraid of them.
利用しない = Don't use them.
金を出さない = Don't pay them.
Inside Hibiya Metro Station, Tokyo, Japan.
PASMO flag
PASMO flag
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
This is a kind of pictogram. It reads: 電車 (train) も バス (bus) も PASMO.
PASMO poster
PASMO poster
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
PASMO is a newly introduced IC card service on Tokyo's public transport, starting on 18 March 2007. You can use the card on most of the trains and buses in the greater Tokyo area.
The PASMO system, together with JR East's Suica system, is like Oystercard in London. But there is one big difference from London - In Tokyo, you can pay cash without being ripped off.
Yes, We love.
Yes, We love.
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
Love what?
Taken in Hibiya, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan. That is, this is official. The local government of Chiyoda has at least something to do with this Engrish. I wonder why didn't hire a translator or a language specialist before doing this.
By the way, the typesetting is lovely.
Being fashionable
Being fashionable
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
A Tokyo Metro advert. This beautiful girl is Yu Yamada, one of the most popular fashion models. She's here to say "Being in Tokyo is being fashionable!"
Here's Tokyo Metro's poster and commercial film gallery:
www.tokyoooooooo.net/gallery/index.html
Enjoy. :)
The Gold Medalist
The Gold Medalist
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
A Seibu Prince Credit Card advert featuring Shizuka Arakawa, who won the gold medal in the winter Olympic games at Turin. Now she is a professional skater and belongs to the Seibu Prince group (that's why she appears in this advert).
The message, あなたの笑顔に会いたくて, can be translated:
"I'd like to see your smiling face."
On a Yurakucho Line train. Tokyo, Japan.
Not so strong.
Not so strong.
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
"Do not sit on this box because it's not so strong. Thank you. - Station Master."
So, people keep using this as a bench.
The phrase, 腰掛けとしての強度はありません, is somewhat funny for a warning like this. It's too polite, or even scientific. I would write 座るとへこみます or 座ったらつぶれます.
A pun on "ubiquitous" - 「ユビキタス」で駄洒落
A pun on "ubiquitous" - 「ユビキタス」で駄洒落
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
Ubiquitous = ユビキタス in katakana.
ユビキタス = ユビ、キタス = 指、来たっす
指 = finger
来た = has come
っす = a colloquial expression of 「です」 but it's difficult to explain in English.
ケータイ here means:
1) 携帯 = mobile
2) 形態 = form, shape etc
So the message is:
"Ubiquitous computing. You push the buttons with your finger, and it's done! This is the new form of mobile computing."
No dogs allowed
No dogs allowed
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
... But they accept guide dogs. Confusing, because this dog looks like a guide dog (labrador retriever).
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