My favorite things

“Howl's Moving Castle” is a Japanese feature animated film produced by Studio Ghibli. It is based on the fantasy novel "Howl's Moving Castle" by British writer Diana Wyn Jones. Story summary: The stage of the movie is a world where science and magic exist simultaneously. The eldest daughter, Sophie, works as a seam. One day, Sophie becomes a 90-year-old grandmother after being enchanted by a witch in the wilderness that chases Howl, because she met Howl, a rumored wizard in the city. When Sophie leaves the house without worrying about his family, he is led by the strange Kakashi whom he met in the wilderness to howl's moving castle. Sophie begins life with Howl, his disciple Markle, and the fire devil Calcifer. Voice actor: Takuya Kimura , also known as "Kimutaku" ,is a Japanese actor, singer, and radio personality. He is regarded as a Japanese icon after achieving success as an actor. He was also a popular member of SMAP, one of the be...

"Weathering With You" is a Japanese animated film directed by Makoto Shinkai. Released July 19, 2019. Story summary: A high school student who lives in the Izu Islands, Hodaka Morishima , runs away and comes to Tokyo. That year, the Kanto region is plagued by long rains that continued for more than two months. Hodaka , who has run out of money, relies on Suga , the president of a small editing production company, whom he met on a ship coming to Tokyo to start working live. After an incident, Hotaka meets a girl named Hina Amano . Hina has a mysterious ability to call the clear sky locally by praying to heaven. Fafrotskies/ Rain of animals: Raining animals is a rare meteorological phenomenon in which flightless animals fall from the sky. Such occurrences have been reported in many countries throughout history. One hypothesis is that tornadic waterspouts sometimes pick up creatures such as fish or frogs, and carry them for up to several miles. However,...

A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 dystopian crime film adapted, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Anthony Burgess's novel A Clockwork Orange. Story summary:  The movie is set in London in the near future. Alex is a 15-year-old boy who spends his days fighting with his rival delinquents and fighting, sacking the homeless. Eventually, he was arrested by the police due to his fellows' betrayal and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Ludovico technique, which is forced to open your eyes and show cruel video, will cause physiological rejection in any violent act, and Alex will return to home as a true man. However, it is treated with cold by parents, and it ends up receiving Lynch from old friends. He who is full-fledged seeks salvation from a house, which was once the home of the writer he attacked. Ludovico technique: Ludovico technique is widely perceived as a parody of aversion therapy, which is a form of classical conditioning. It is a per...

Tattooing in Japan is actually illegal. Japanese tattoo artists are required to have medical licenses. It is crazy because tattooing is not a medical procedure, and it is a big difference between Japan and other countries. Tattooing is art, so there are no tattoo artists who have medical licenses. Becoming a medical doctor costs a lot of time and money. It is ridiculous to think that people get a medical license to become a tattoo artist. I tell you a story about Japanese tattoo artist Taiki Masuda. In September 2017, the Osaka District Court ruled Masuda had performed unlicensed medical procedures when he tattooed the arms and other body parts of three women between July 2014 and March 2015 at his home and studio in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. Masuda was ordered to pay a fine of ¥150,000. The district court reasoned “the treatment could possibly cause skin lesions or allergies”, so tattoo artists need medical knowledge and expertise to understand the risks and how to ...

I love tattoos. I have 23 tattoos so far. When I came to Hawaii, I just had four tattoos. Tattoo is considered as a severe problem in Japan. I say that tattoo is taboo in Japan. Most of the Japanese people, especially older people, are biased against tattoo. There are two reasons why Japanese people are biased against the tattoo. First reason is that tattoo was punishment in the past. In 1720 (mid-Edo period), referring to Chinese punishment, Irezumi was adopted as a punishment for minor thieves. Criminals were given punishment tattoos on their foreheads and arms, but the shapes differed from region to region. Second reason is that tattoo is a symbol of Japanese gangsters. "Gangster" is called "Yakuza" in Japan. In the 1960s, masterpieces called “Yakuza movies” were screened one after another in the Japanese movie world and became famous. The tattoo picture drawn on the actor's skin made the character's settings and story visually easy to un...

I live near Ueno. From my house to Ueno, it only takes 5 minutes by train. I always visit Ueno when I go back to Japan. Ueno is a popular tourist area that attracts travelers from Japan and overseas. The city has excellent transportation access, and there are various sightseeing spots where you can enjoy Japanese culture. 1. Ueno Zoo Ueno Zoo is the oldest zoo in Japan and is a popular sightseeing spot for people from all over the country. A monorail runs through the wide park so you can easily enjoy the entire day there. The most popular attraction is the giant pandas donated from China. 2. Ueno Ameyoko  After the war, candy was a luxury item, and they could be found in this area because it flourished as a black market. It became known as  Ame City. Now there are more than 400 stores all linked together. It gets especially crowded at the end of the year when people do their shopping for the New Year's meal there. The scenery of the assertive shopk...