NHK is the Japanese equivalent of the BBC. A channel with no adverts which the viewer funds. Unlike in Britain, I don’t actually know anyone who pays their TV licence. It seems like there isn’t any legal requirement to pay the bill and no one ever gets any fines.  So when the NHK man comes a knocking, people pretty much ignore him until he goes away. Perhaps as a result of this lack of funding NHK isn’t the most exciting of channels, choosing to focus on news and educational shows. Most of which are dull but some can stick out from the crowd and be quite fun to watch.

One very throw away programme they put on goes by the name of 0655 (or 1155). It is just a 5 minute thing put on as a space filler in the schedules. Named after the times it is shown, it consists of short random animations and clips. The aim of it is to get you up and ready for your day or wind you down before bed time. This programme first caught my attention when it showed an episode of Simon’s Cat, which are cute little animations about a man and his cat. They first turned up on YouTube so I was surprised to see them on TV, more cat fun followed and it completely charmed me.

Ore, Neko (I’m a Cat) lasts barely a minute but is wonderful. NHK viewers send in pictures of their cat and they are shown on telly with a fun little musical accompaniment.

The cat on this particular day was called Chaff.

But just what is this singing cat trying to tell us? Let’s find out:

おれ、ねこ　おれ、ねこ
ore neko, ore neko
I’m a cat, I’m a cat.

ここ　おれの家　ここ　おれの家
koko ore no uchi, koko ore no uchi
Here is my house. Here is my house.

これ　いつものご飯　これ　スペシャルご飯
kore itsumono gohan, kore supesharu gohan
This is my usual meal. This is my special meal.

それ　大好きおもちゃ　それ　落ち着く寝床
sore daisuki omocha, sore ochitsuku nedoko
That is a toy I love. That is the bed I unwind in.

おれ、ねこ　これ　家のやつ
ore neko, kore uchi no yatsu
I’m a cat. This is my house’s human.

こいつ　ご飯をくれる　こいつ　遊んでくれる
koitsu gohan wo kureru, koitsu asonde kureru
This human gives me food. This human plays with me.

おれ　ねこだから　こいつの言葉わからない
ore neko dakara koitsu no kotoba wakaranai
Because I’m a cat, I don’t understand what this human says.

おれ　ねこだけど　こいつの気持ち　なぜかよくわかる
ore neko dakedo koitsu no kimochi naseka yoku wakaru
Even though I’m a cat,  for some reason I can always understand this human’s feelings.

おれ、ねこ　おれ、ねこ　おれ、ねこ　おれ、ねこ
ore neko, ore neko, ore neko, ore neko
I’m a cat, I’m a cat. I’m a cat, I’m a cat.

Now we know all about Chaff, lets hear from Miro, a female cat.

あたし、ねこ　あたし、ねこ
atashi neko, atashi neko
I’m a cat, I’m a cat.

ここ　あたしん家　ここ　あたしん家
koko atashin uchi, koko atashin no uchi
Here is my house. Here is my house.

これ　いつものご飯　これ　スペシャルご飯
kore itsumono gohan, kore supesharu gohan
This is my usual meal. This is my special meal.

それ　大好きおもちゃ　それ　落ち着く寝床
sore daisuki omocha, sore ochitsuku nedoko
That is a toy I love. That is the bed I unwind in.

あたし、ねこ　この人　飼い主
atashi neko, kono hito kainushi
I’m a cat. This person is my owner.

この人　ご飯をくれる　この人　遊んでくれる
kono hito gohan wo kureru, kono hito asonde kureru
This person gives me food. This person plays with me.

あたし　ねこだから　この人の言葉わからない
atashi neko dakara kono hito no kotoba wakaranai
Because I’m a cat, I don’t understand what this person says.

あたし　ねこだけど　この人の気持ち　なぜかよくわかる
atashi neko dakedo kono hito no kimochi naseka yoku wakaru
Even though I’m a cat,  for some reason I can always understand this person’s feelings.

あたし、ねこ　あたし、ねこ　あたし、ねこ　あたし、ねこ
atashi neko, atashi neko, atashi neko, atashi neko
I’m a cat, I’m a cat. I’m a cat, I’m a cat.

I love how these 2 songs show the difference in male and female Japanese. Chaff, the male cat, refers to himself using ore, this is a very harsh boyish way to refer to yourself. It is mainly used by little boys or men trying to sound tough. Miro, the female cat, on the other hand uses atashi. This is a very cutsie way of saying I, only said by young women. Chaff also refers to his owner in rather a over familiar almost derogatory way by using yatsu and koitsu. These words can be translated as fellow, guy or bloke but in English I couldn’t think of a unisex equivalent so I just went with human, this is a cat speaking after all. Miro uses the much more usual and polite hito which just means person. She even uses the word kainushi which actually means owner.

So we can tell that Chaff is an impudent little rascal while Miro is a wonderful, polite Nadeshiko of a cat.

 

So here we are, coming up to the end of another year. Now is the time that various best of the year lists turn up. I’m never one to disappoint anybody so here is my list of the best songs I listened to in 2010. It’s not necessarily like the lists you would get on normal websites, this is a list of my 10 favourite songs that I heard for the first time this year. It doesn’t matter the year they were released, just that I heard it this year.

I’m so selfish….

Before we start though, here is a link a Youtube playlist with all the songs on it for your convenience. Why only Youtube? Unfortunately, some of the songs are not available on Spotify. To make it up to you though, I’ve put a bonus song at the end of this playlist.

Crookers – Cooler Couleur (feat. Yelle)

There is something about Yelle, she just oozes cool and her classy vocals really add something to this song. A fairly standard dance number but every time I listen I can’t help but shake my hips to the beat. Maybe it’s because Yelle’s accent does funky things to me.

Citrus – Blue Mercedes – Simply Eternal Reality

Last year I said I rated Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana as album of the decade and some time ago I wondered: Does anyone agree with me? In the few websites I found that covered Japanese music, my pick did indeed feature highly in most of them but so did a 6 song EP from a band I’d never heard before.

That band was Citrus, they never made a full album but this 6 song 10 minute piece of glorious sunshine really is a great piece of work.

The songs on the EP work better as a unit but I have chosen the 1st song on the album because despite the unintelligible lyrics, number 1 is always a great place to start.

Tokyo Jihen – Denpa Tuushin

My love for Shiina Ringo and her band Tokyo Jihen continues unabated. Although I feel the quality of her product isn’t nearly as good as what she was producing almost 10 years ago, it remains wonderful.
From an album called Sports, in which almost every song feels like the video should be of some sort of relay race, this song is the fastest paced of them all (actually that is debatable). It will not be looked at 50 years down the line as one of her most thought provoking and beautiful but it is a lot of fun.

Spiritualized – Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space

This was the album that lead to my worrying Yoko Kanno itch finally boiling over. Ironically though, this song as plagiarism issues of it’s own. On original release the sample of Elvis’ Can’t Help Falling In Love had to be removed. Reinstated for this version, I can’t imagine how it would sound without it. This song gives a good indication of the direction the album goes in and it is one of the best albums I have ever heard. Not since Kalk Samen Kuri no Hana has an album have the power to completely envelop me in the music.

A Camp – Bear On The Beach

I’ve always loved the sound of Nina Persson’s voice. When I listen to this song it travels straight into my brain and creates the most interesting visual images in there. I’d love to be able to draw a giant watercolour painting of them but I doubt I could do it justice. It is great to listen to just before bed and does a great job of putting me at ease. Lovely.

Marina & the Diamonds – Numb

If I was a music critic working for one of those glossy music magazines, I would have reviewed the album this song was from by writing ‘A TRIUMPH *****’ in size 50 font across a double page spread. The album was great, it’s very rare I find an album where I love every song on it and Numb is my highlight. There is something about it that incites me to visualise colours, shapes and other imagery. Maybe by listening to this song I can get an idea what synesthesia is like. Maybe not, but I can think of an ace music video for it.

Nujabes – Reflection Eternal

In February this year Jun Seba passed away. Previous to this I had only listened to the soundtrack to Samurai Champloo, which he contributed to. After his death I was inspired to check some of his albums and I found out that his instrumental stuff is some of the coolest, most chilled out music I’ve ever heard. It is so calming, perfect stuff for mellowing out with after a busy day. It’s a shame he is no longer around to create more.

Midori – Sayonara Perfect World (Live)

I’m so glad there is a band like Midori in this world, they are quite unlike anything you have ever heard. I was going to compare them to the Pixies more shouty moments but that is just lazy. The Pixies never had a keyboard or double bass in the mix. Sometimes Midori’s songs can be a bit much, this one however nails their formula perfectly and this live performance is just brilliant. Please give it a listen, it will be a new expirience for you if you do. I even uploaded the video to youtube myself, the sound has randomly come out a bit tinny so it lacks the ‘oomph’ of the original but it’s still ace so give the link a click.

Shakira – Waka Waka (Esto Es Africa) [K-Mix]

Ah! Shakira, 12 years ago you were an intelligent singer/songwriter with songs about anger, lust, longing and politics. Now you are just a pop singer who can shake her hips. Shakira seems quite happy with this state of affairs though and as long as she keeps on pumping out fun, catchy songs I guess I have to be too. This song was the official World Cup song and unusually for such a thing it was very good. Every time I hear it I just want to get up and dance, surely that makes the song a success. This version, apparently mixed by the bloke from The Killers, is the best I reckon.

The Divine Comedy – Perfect Lovesong

I’ve always loved The Divine Comedy but for some reason the Regeneration album just didn’t appeal to me. I listened to it long ago, was sorely disappointed and forgot all about it. Recently on Twitter someone mentioned that she would be singing this song at a wedding and that it was beautiful. Intrigued I dug out the old album and was amazed. It was indeed beautiful and I felt ashamed that I had ignored it for so long. I then tried to listen to the whole album again but was left nonplussed. This song though is like a diamond shining in the rough.

So there you go, a nice list of songs. I kind of feel a bit of regret that I choose to limit this list to 10 songs, there were plenty of other things I loved this year such as Janelle Monaé, The National and Laugh & Peace. The Divine Comedy’s new album was great too and listening to the live version of Tokyo Jihen’s Kimaru was a great expirience, I had never seen a hall full of people in awe before that moment. Anyway, please take the time to give these songs a listen. It would be heartbreaking if all this was just ignored.

The other day I was sitting on the couch watching random YouTube videos of old footballers (again). This time the old footballer in question was Gary Lineker.

While watching extracts from an interview he did with Diego Maradona, I was thinking about what a lovely guy Lineker seems to be and that surely it is impossible to dislike him. My house mate chose this moment to come up to me and say,

“Is that Gary Lineker? He’s a dick.”

I was kind of shocked at this declaration and when I pressed him on his dislike for Mr Lineker he refused to elaborate. I can only guess that he is allergic to crisps or something.

I would like to use this opportunity to go on record and say that I think Gary Lineker is lovely and I have nothing against him.

That said, I have noticed something strange.

Gary Lineker, England’s highest scorer at the World Cup finals, respected sports broadcaster and seller of crisps, only has one joke in the world. Over the course of about 15 years I have noticed him endlessly repeat this joke on just about every TV or radio show he has ever appeared on. Whether it’s a sport themed panel game, football highlights, being an interviewer or an interviewee, he just can get enough of it.

The joke refers to his time playing in Japan for Grampus Eight of the J-League (this is a Japan related blog after all). It goes a little bit like this:

When I was playing in Japan for Grampus Eight of the J-League, it was the only time I would come back for opposition corners. ‘Bring back the big man’ they used to say.

Gary Lineker is 5 ft 9 (1.77 m).

He was also a notorious goal hanger during his playing career.

I’m not saying that the joke isn’t mildly amusing but it is certainly not worth peddling ad infinitum for 15 odd years.

Gary Lineker please, get some new material!

When I first came to this country it felt very much like I was on some sort of bizarre holiday. Walking around with my camera constantly taking photos of everything and anything, which I found to be quite an odd roll reversal from the stereotypical view of a Japanese tourist. Since then, things have kind of settled into normality, or a least the kind of normality where you can’t really have a half decent conversation with 90% of the people you meet.

This week, the feeling of normality has well and truly been shattered and I’m back into holiday mode. It all started last week when a friend from home moved here to teach as well, so I finally had someone to play Metal Slug with again. Which is something I’ve missed. Then, on Saturday, I did a karaoke all nighter without having to worry about going to work the next day, a feeling that frequently ruins my Saturday nights.

I didn’t need to worry because I was having an (unpaid!) day off. It was a very special day indeed, not only did I get to look at the famous Japanese cherry blossoms which really are a sight to behold this time of year but I attended a youtube hanami party! It was a party organised by Kevin Cooney, at bit of a legend around these parts for his great vlogs. So, I got to say hello to him and a few other Japan vlogger types, which was nice. I even got a chance to sample (COLD) Taco Bell. It certainly had that genuine Mexican pinto bean flavour but I’m not sure if I would recommend it over Mike’s Tex Mex here in quaint Higashi Rinkan.

That wasn’t the best of it though, that evening I experienced something that I thought would never happen, I got to see X Japan live! X Japan broke up about ten years ago and in the following years their lead guitarist died, their lead singer joined a cult and their drummer became manically depressed. Well, by some miracle they have now reunited and played 3 gigs over the weekend. It was a quite sensational experience. The 50,000 strong crowd gave it their all, as did the band and I haven’t been to or will ever go to a better gig.

Highlights of the show included the way they appeared to be walking on the crowds shoulders when they walked along the stage ramps, their performance of X and being able to do the X jump in public without feeling silly, a version of Weekend that didn’t suck, seeing Sting in the crowd, the entire bloody stadium singing when Toshi lost it, the looks of awe on the western journalists in front of me who obviously didn’t realise quite what they were letting themselves in for and just as you thought it had all ended, the piano solo from Art of Life kicked in and they played their half hour epic with the image of Hide projected on the stage.

Not even the fact that the next day I had to get up at 6.30 a.m for a monumentally long day at work kicked me out of holiday mode. That was because I was going to Tokyo Disneyland that Wednesday. Being a veteran of two previous Disneylands I was interested to see how different it was from the American one. It turned out that, like the French one, it wasn’t different at all. Maybe I’m doing a disservice to Euro Disney, at least the signs there are in French, here I may as well have been in Orlando. Only the fact that there were separate bins for burnables and non-burnables gave it away. Safe, traditional, family fun was had by all though.

So as I sit here typing this I’m still in the holiday mood. I want to strap my camera to my belt and go on an adventure. I wonder how many days of teaching it will take until I’ve have this feeling ground out of me?