The “Youth Nurturing and Protection Ordinance,” is a proposal to essentially censor images of “childlike” characters in media. It is set to enter committee on March 18th. Should the bill move through it will be placed before the Diet for a vote on March 30th, and will be taking effect as early as October.

In a country where comics and animation are entrenched in the culture and mainstream media, the effect on Japan would be astounding.

Read more about this proposal at welcome datacomp, where a more detailed explanation of the proposal is given.

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Preparatory education for university entrance examinations is an important rite of passage for many Japanese teenagers. This period of preparation can be a time of profound personal growth, confidence-building, and personal triumph for many of these ambitious youths. Toward that end, Tokyo-based, Mustard Seed Academy (MSA) recently celebrated the debut of its new campus in Shizuoka City last month, introducing to the community a unique approach to preparatory education in Japan. According to author, school dean, and senior English instructor Hajime Nakazawa, “If students deeply experience their worth and value, then they will be empowered to do above and beyond what they think they can do. We strive to provide that kind of uncompromising quality in student care, education and guidance, down to the smallest detail — including the restroom sinks.”

The “sinks”—is he serious, one might ask? The commitment to demonstrate “love, faith and hope” to the students, as stated in the school’s mission statement, is clearly evident in the school’s polished interior design by Ms. Yokoyama of Kukan Kosei Co. Ltd. in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Walking into the school, you cannot help but notice the chandeliers before you, flickering soothing light against the baby-blue colored walls. As you enter across the marbled-floor lobby, you’re greeted by a sienna-colored uketsuke, or front desk which might, at first, lead you to believe you had just walked into a hotel. However, allowing your eyes to follow the white crown molding along the chocolate-colored walls into the two adjacent classrooms for a momentary glance reveals that you’ve indeed entered a very “classy” sort of school.

“We want our students to have a vision of the best things in life. Of what’s possible. That they deserve the very best,” says Mr. Nakazawa, “The atmosphere we create here for learning is not only one of high academic standards but also of high personal and moral standards. Our students deserve all that we can give them. Wouldn’t you want the best for your child?” As this is the fruition of a dream over 10 years in the making, he emphasized that he envisioned a prep school with quality student care likened to a five-star hotel and restaurant, catering to the specific needs of every student like valued guests. “What can I say, we all like to be treated well.”

And yes, down to the sinks. The women’s powder room (and rightly called, as “restroom” would seem quite inadequate) is a sight to behold in a prep school. A chandelier lamp reminiscent of the lobby’s design rests comfortably upon a white half-moon table, decorated sparsely yet elegantly. And yes, the pink flowery-glossed porcelain sink rests below the stylish faucets beyond comparison to those of any school any of us are familiar with. A trip down the hall to the men’s restroom reveals the equally elegant yet tastefully spartan facility appropriate for maturing teens.

Ian Shen, Mustard Seed Academy’s full-time native English-speaking Instructor and Chaplain, explains, “Though it may seem a bit excessive as a cram school to some, I’m very proud that our school reflects of our strong commitment to our students in every way. There’s nothing that compares as far as I know.”

The desire to enter a top university in Japan is the first of many dreams a young man or woman may have. Mustard Seed Academy Shizuoka campus nurtures and educates these students in this five-star, hospitality-based atmosphere, offering its educational philosophy of cultivating hope, faith and love in the next generation of Japanese teenagers, as it has been doing faithfully since 2005 in Tokyo.

Class registration period is currently open for the 2010 school year. Introduction Open School Sessions in Shizuoka are held March 13, 20, 27, or April 1 and 10 from 3PM to 5PM, and in Tokyo on March 10, 14, 17 and 21 from 1:30PM to 3:30PM. For more information, visit http://mustardseedacademy.com or call 03-5261-5217.

Original Press Release at http://mustardseedacademy.com/download/5
Additional photos at http://mustardseedacademy.com/download/4

MSA Shizuoka web.zip (398 KB)

This post was submitted by im3ngs.

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Kirsten Dunst is eating up Akihabara in a new video which covers the Vapor’s “Turning Japanese.” See the original video on itunes here.

The pictures of her taken a few months back in cosplay no doubt were part of the shoot. “Akihabara Majokko Princess” is the accumulated final result. The famous Japanese artist Takashi Murakami produced the video.

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Suzuki Toshio’s radio show Ghibli Asemamire airs every week. The main guest a couple of weeks ago was Google Japan president Tsujino Koichiro and during their talk, Studio Ghibli producer Suzuki told that the famed Japanese animation studio is making a new short film; 10 minutes in length and made by Miyazaki Hayao. As many of the studio’s animators are working on the new feature Karigurashi no Arrietty, Miyazaki himself is even working on animating it as well. Though the short will have no dialogue, Suzuki mentioned it is very interesting, but can’t tell anymore details yet. Suzuki and Miyazaki spoke about the internet and how they were considering to use it for Studio Ghibli’s future. One idea was releasing the short on the internet on a site like Youtube. To help them, Japan’s biggest advertising agency Dentsu is providing them advice.

On another note Studio Ghibli’s new film Karigurashi no Arrietty is due for release in Japan on July 17th. The director is Hiromasa Yonebayashi.

Below is Miyazaki Hayao’s original project plan for the film:

The project of the feature length animation Chiisana Arrietty is based on Mary Norton’s The Borrowers. Its location has been moved from England 1950s to Japan 2010 though. To be more exact, its specific detail location is around Koganei where things are familiar to us. A family of tiny people live under the floor of the kitchen of an old house; the fourteen year old Arrietty and her parents. They are “borrowers”; to live they borrow everything they need from the humans above them. They can’t use magic, nor are they fairies. Instead, they fight against mice, suffer from termites, dodge pesticide spray attacks, escape from cockroach traps and live cautious in order not to be seen. There still remains a classical family image though. The father has enough bravery and patience to go hunting for his family, the mother is responsible for keeping the house with creative thinking and the daughter Arrietty is a curious girl with a rich sensibility. With this, seen by 10cm tall tiny people, a world familiar to us will be restored with freshness. The story starts from the tiny people’s life. Arrietty meets a boy, makes a fellowship and separates. Finally, they escape from the storm blown up by callous humans and go into the field. The wish for this film is to comfort and encourage people who live in this chaotic and anxious time.

On Miyazaki’s project plan Studio Ghibli producer Suzuki Toshio commented, “As can you see, Miyazaki’s original title was Chiisana Arrietty (Little Arrietty), a bold change he made compared to the title of the original novel.

Read More at: GhibliWorld.com

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Vocaloid Hatsune Miku dances and sings to “Ren’ai Circulation,” a song by Kana Hanazawa.

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Sakura-Con is going to be bigger and better than ever this year!

With Appearances by:

Tsuyoshi Nonaka is a Mechanical designer known for his work on D.I.C.E. (TV) and Shin Mazinger Shogeki! Z-Hen. This will be Nonaka-San’s first Sakura-Con.

Yasuhiro Imagawa has directed several unconventional updates of classic Japanese robot stories, such as Giant Robo, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, and most recently, Shin Mazinger Shogeki! Z-Hen. He also wrote scrips for Pet Shop of Horrors, Violinist of Hamelin, Beserk and Harelya II Boy. This is Imagawa-San’s first Sakura-Con.

Yutaka Minowa is a character designer and animation director who works almost exclusively with Madhouse, one of the premiere Japanese animation companies. His work is most notably recognized in the Yoshiaki Kawijiri movies he has designed characters for, among them Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. He’s also worked as character designer and/or animation director for many popular titles including Outlaw Star, Animatrix, and many, many more. This is Minowa-san’s second Sakura-Con.

The thirteenth annual Sakura-Con will be April 2nd-4th at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Downtown Seattle Washington.

Register for the event here: https://secure.sakuracon.org/registration/register.php

More about Sakura-Con:

Sakura-Con is the Northwest’s first and largest convention devoted to Japanese animation (anime), comics (manga), gaming and Asian culture (established 1998). It is the destination event for an expected attendance of over 18,000 fans, industry leaders, celebrities, and artists. Sakura-Con is one of the largest events of it’s kind in the United States-ranking in the top 5 for attendance.

Sakura-Con features artists, performers, educators, musicians, authors, directors, producers, and more from anime, manga, j-pop, the Asian cultural community and gaming. The event runs 24 hours a day, round the clock from start to finish and is packed with programming including: 4 theaters, concerts, the largest console and video gaming suite of any event in the Northwest, fan panels, industry panels, cultural panels, guest appearances, art show, cultural performers, educational panels, and an exhibitors hall with over 250 vendors.

To attend Sakura-Con you must become a member of the Asia Northwest Cultural Education Association. Once a member you will be able to attend ANCEA’s main event and will additionally receive members benefits including a local mailing list to keep you in touch with Japanese cultural events in the Greater Puget Sound area, a Member’s Newsletter, and discounts for special ANCEA/Sakura-Con events and offers as available.

To Register just visit www.sakuracon.org. Memberships are priced to encourage early registration to help ANCEA put on the best Sakura-Con possible-as well as to provide the most benefits to our members.

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Three female “ambassadors of cute” were appointed by the Foreign Ministry last year to spread the word of “kawii” aboard.

Many youth around the world are fascinated with anime and “cosplay,” or the hobby of dressing up in costumes based on their favorite characters. So, inspired by the characters in Japan’s distinctive “anime” films and “manga”, one of the new ambassadors dresses as a schoolgirl(Shizuka Fujioka) and another as a Victorian doll(Misako Aoki) in voluminous frilly skirts. The remaining of the trio is a very fashionable singer(Yu Kimura) that would smolder the streets of Harajuku.

Japan has been making concerted efforts to boost its “soft power,” a strategy that analysts see as important. When Prime Minister Taro Aso, a comic book fanatic, was foreign minister, he promoted “pop culture diplomacy” by establishing an international prize for “manga.” So why not cute? And that’s the thinking.

“You get people to love your culture and use that as a way of gaining power around the world,” said Phil Deans, professor of international relations at Temple University’s Tokyo campus.

Image - MOFA

“It’s all about mutual understanding,” said Tsutomu Nakagawa, the head of the cultural affairs division at the Foreign Ministry, after presenting the three envoys to the foreign media back in March of 2009.

“We want people abroad to know these kind of people exist in Japan and to feel close to them.”

But some people are raising eyebrows over the use of “kawaii” as culture campaign.

In fact, some diet members have expressed that they don’t think Japan should be popularized by short skirts.

To put this in perspective though, the appointment of the three envoys comes only a year after Doraemon, the rotund blue cartoon cat with no ears, was named a special ambassador. And also after Hello Kitty was named Tourism Ambassador.

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At 14-years old Beckii’s popularity in Japan rocketed after her YouTube videos were picked up by the popular Japanese website Niko Niko Douga. Her Japanese DVD debut, This is Beckii Cruel: Too Cute to be Real, was released last November and debuted at number eight on Japan’s DVD charts.

Her success has led publishing giant Tokuma Japan to sign up Beckii, teaming her with 18-year-old French college student “Sara Cruel”, from Lyon, and a 16-year-old student from Portsmouth known as “Gemma Cruel”. The trio – Beckii Cruel and the Cruel Angels – release their debut album in Japan on Wednesday, when it is expected to reach the top of the charts.

Beckii’s looks have created a sensation in Japan, where she has become a “moe idol”, a female worshipped for her small face, large eyes and slender limbs, similar to those found in anime characters – the Japanese animation-style heavily influenced by manga comic books.

Read more: Isle of Man schoolgirl becomes an anime star in Japan

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Their stocks are plunging and they are preparing to file for bankruptcy, but that’s not stopping the struggling Japan Airlines (JAL) from offering travelers the opportunity to fly with Doraemon, the beloved cartoon gadget-cat from the future.

According to a press release on the company website, JAL will begin operating the “Doraemon Jet” — a Boeing 777-300 decorated with large colorful images of Doraemon characters — on domestic routes (mainly between Tokyo Haneda, Sapporo, Itami, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Okinawa) beginning in mid-February.

The anime-themed aircraft is the result of a joint effort between JAL and the creators of the Doraemon movies to promote this year’s annual Doraemon film, Doraemon The Movie: Nobita’s Great Battle of the Mermaid King (a.k.a. Doraemon The Legend), which will hit theaters on March 6. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Doraemon movie franchise.

In addition to operating the Doraemon Jet, JAL will be offering Doraemon-themed tours to Okinawa from February 15 through April 30 with daily departures from Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Kitakyushu. The carrier will also provide a selection of Doraemon entertainment on domestic and international flights, as well as a Doraemon kids’ corner at airports and limited-edition Doraemon goods through their in-flight catalog.

Story: pinktentacle and JAL press release

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Earthquakes are an every day occurrence in Japan, but every 80 years it is predicted that Tokyo will be hit by a really huge earthquake. And now there’s a new anime about to be released with just that doomsday scenario as its premise. The anime draws its inspiration on the statistic that there is a 70% or higher possibility that a magnitude 7.0 earthquake will occur in Tokyo in the next 30 years.

So in 2012…

The anime will depict what would happen if an 8.0 earthquake took place. The story will center on Mirai, a middle school freshman girl who goes to Tokyo’s artificial Odaiba Island for a robot exhibition with her brother Yutaka at the start of summer vacation. A powerful tremor emanates from an ocean trench, the famed Tokyo Tower and Rainbow Bridge crumble and fall, and the landscape of Tokyo changes in an instant. With the help of a motorcycle delivery woman named Mari who they meet in Odaiba, Mirai and Yutaka strive to head back to their Setagaya home in western Tokyo.

There are 11 episodes in the series each lasting 23 minutes. The series originally aired this last July in Japan.

More Information:

Official site of Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
www.animenewsnetwork.com

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