Welcome to Disneys Spiderman!

Yes, you read it right, folks! Disneys Spiderman! It was reported today (Tuesday) that Disney is stepping up with a $4bn bid to buy Marvel. The bid has been approved by the boards of Disney, and Marvel, and it is now awaiting approval from Marvels shareholders, and from the competition authorities in the US.

This could be an excellent tie-up. Marvel is looking to really expand, and go from its comic book beginnings and capitalise on the popularity of its movies, and become a real global player. It could try to do so, but the growth would be up against competition from the likes of Disney, and Universal.

With Disney, however, they have access to a lot of money, and Disneys expertise in movie making, and Disneys impressive facilities for the afore-mentioned movie making. As well as Disneys global network for marketing and distribution. I expect to see a lot more from Marvel!

For Disney, it is also a fantastic deal. They gain a stable of over 5,000 loved characters, all of whom are popular with older crowds. Can you see Mickey Mouse in a live-action action movie, aimed at adults? Probably not.

So, now, you can enjoy Mickey Mouse and Captain America, Winnie the Pooh and Spiderman, Donald Duck and Captain Britain (yes, there is one!). I know cross-over movies are in the pipeline for Marvel. Once they have ploughed through another Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and possibly another Hulk installment, there is talk of a major cross-over linking many of the stars in the same movie. Will we see Donald Duck joining in the fun?

I dont think so. But it would be cool!

However, I do have 2 concerns.

What happens with Universal Studios Islands of Adventure? Part of the park, with some of the best rolelr coasters I have ever been on are all themed on Marvel characters! Includine the Hulk coaster, and Spidermans 3D ride!

Disney could, of course, find some devious way to force Universal to give up using the images, since they will own the rights once they buy Marvel. However, since the agreement was in place before this, it will be a while before Disney does that.

I think, more likely, is that Disney will allow Universal to keep using the Marvel characters, and laugh all the way to the bank as Universal pony up the readies to effectively help subsidise their rival in the theme park business just across the road!

The other concern.

Can Disney survive Stan Lee?

Mmmm... Burgers...

We all know this. The Golden Arches, the Big M. Yes, the burger juggernaut that is McDonalds! Bringing burgers and fries to a corner near you! Its a symbol of all-American burgery goodness.

A standardised system of a fryer cooking the burgers, matching them to another poor schmuck who is stacking buns with wet lettuce, soggy pickles, and a standard blob of condiment.

The burger is then slid down a chute to wait for a willing recipient to enjoy. Along with a bunch of flash-frozen, re-fried skinny fries loaded with salt.

With a regular flow of customers, McDonalds formula keeps the burgers ticking over, filling customer orders, nothing waiting too long. The issue comes, however, when the flow of customers does not match the speed with which McDonalds can turn out a burger. Leaving some waiting. Its supposed to be a maximum of 10 minutes before they junk them. However, sometimes, with the condition of the lettuce, and the lukewarm nature of the meat, you have to wonder...

However, its not all bad. Here in Japan, given the desire for freshness, they do not leave food waiting in the chutes, they cook more to order. It is slower than McDonalds in the rest of the world, but you are only waiting for a few minutes, and the burgers taste a little better. Lettuce is fresher, the burgers are warm, they taste a little better. However, they are still McDonalds burgers.

Here in Japan, there is a viable alternative.

Mos Burger (Japanese fine burger and coffee) is what McDonalds should be. Mos is set up to cook to order, and cook quickly. The burgers are cooked fresh, as are the fries, and Mos also has onion rings! You do wait a little longer for your food, but trust me, its worth it!

This is one of the chicken burgers, with fresh crispy lettuce, and a REAL glass that holds yer drink!

When busy, it does slow down, but I have never had more than a 15 minute wait for a meal. Best of all, if they cannot cook it whilst you wait at the counter (meaning, NOW), then they will give you a little flag, and bring it to you! Which is nice of them.

This does not mean its all fantastic. What they do, they do well. The burgers are good quality, allways fresh, the fries are a nice size, desserts are excellent. However, on occasion, you are left wondering...

Yes. A teriyaki burger, with the buns made out of rice. Of course, with Japanese rice, it is sticky, so rice balls do stick, and dont disintigrate within seconds. The rice burger is, to us westerners, odd, but it is nice. However, eating the thing is an art on its own. It is sticky rice. Not bread. It will fall apart on you if you are not careful!

Best of all, the staff seem genuinely happy to see you when you walk in, and really want to be amazingly helpful when you order food, and (slightly disturbingly) extatic when you return the tray once you finish!

So, to all the burger bars in the world, you can do far worse than modelling your operations on Mos! And I will enjoy my time there.

It really is a fine Japanese burger!

*Toot toot!* All aboard!

How would you like to be able to travel on one of these?

Or then, how about one of these things?

Well, if you live in England, or the US, I am truly sorry, but you will have to travel. We have France's famed TGV service, German DB's ICE, Japan Rails supersonic looking N500 and the odd-looking but ridiculously fast N700.

In the UK, we have 2 options only.

The only high speed rail available in the UK is the Eurostar running along the new Hi Speed 1 line to the Eurotunnel, and the introduction of the new 140 mph Javelin service in the south east, again, using the new Hi Speed 1 line.

The rest of the UK enjoys speeds significantly under those enjoyed by travellers in Europe, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The East Coast line will run between 120-130mph, with the West Coast line at 125mph. OK, Virgins Pendolino service on the West Coast line is a fantastic train. Comfortable, reasonably brisk, new and shiny. But it covers the line from London to Manchester in just over 2 hours.

The Tokkaido line in Japan is at least 50% longer, and yet, the N700 Shinkansen "Nozomi" service does the run in the same time! Not only that, but you have 12 car trains running at 15 minute intervals at peak times. It offers well over 20,000 seats an hour. Significantly over the West Coast line!

However, this may all be about to change. Network Rail has, today, announced its preferred route for the construction of Britain's first real high speed line. The route will run from London, to Birmingham, to Manchester, and on to Edinburgh and Glasgow. It will also include a spur out to Liverpool.

Not surprisingly, MP's serving the east of the country have got angry over this, saying the line should run to Leeds and Sheffield. Unfortunately, I have some sad news for you.

There are 2 main reasons why the west coast gets the upgrade first.

Firstly, Manchester and Birmingham are the top 2 cities in the UK (after London), and both account for significantly far more business and trade than Sheffield and Leeds.

Next. We have had £9 billion splashed on the West Coast Main Line. EVEN after all that, the capacity of the line is expected to be reached within the next 20 years. Trains can run faster, but capacity has not been significantly enhanced. Trains are still basically the same size.

What are the drawbacks of a high speed line? Er. Apart from being crushingly expensive at the start, not really big on the drawbacks side. For example, in Japan, to Joetsu Shinkansen line from Tokyo to Niigata (Does not go anywhere near Joetsu!) brings Tokyo to about 2 hours from the seaport city on the Japan sea coast. This line is reputedly one of the most expensive lines in history. Clocking up $24,000,000 per kilometre. However, the line was built to encourage regional development along the route.

The estimated cost of the new line in the UK is about £34 billion. A huge number. However, it is estimated it will deliver a boost to the UK economy over the life of the track in the region of £55 billion. So it easily pays for itself.

So, apart from the NIMBYism, and the cost, what are the benefits. Well, you get to ride in something massive, like the MAX Toki

Its a massive two deck Shinkansen. It may not look like it, but this can do the run from Tokyo to Niigata at around 240kph! How cool is that! It can out pace most cars! And holds hundreds of people!

Next, a high speed line is good for the environment. High speed rail is proven to be far less carbon intensive per passenger kilometre than pretty much any form of transport (not including walking or bicycles.) Not only that, but high speed lines cut the need for flights. I enjoy flying, but I can freely admit that flying is not exactly a cuddly green form of transport. On many lines, the competition has pretty much died out, with the rail replacing the need for planes on city to city runs.

It develops a boost to the local economy. More people can move quickly from one place to another. Businesses can reach more people and can spread out. And they bring a huge amount of employment directly, which then spills out and helps spread employment in the cities they live.

But best of all, they are unbelievably cool. Cars are great. Planes look amazing, until they disappear into the clouds. A train looks magnificent whipping through the country. A long snake-like bullet passing by with barely any sound!

I say go for it!

Summer Koshien

In Japan, every High School has a Baseball team. It can be the prie and joy of the school, bringing pride and honour on the school by doing well. All year, these teams battle it out to go to the National Baseball Championship, or Summer Koshien. It culminates in a prefecture-wide 1 or 2 week tournament where the winner gets the honour of representing their prefecture at the summer tournament. So, in the end, 49 prefectures are represented by their champions (2 from Hokkaido since its so big, and 2 from Tokyo since there are so many schools!).

The teams meet in a huge tournament held in Osakaduring the height of summer. This tournament is hugely important, and a big test of a teams will to win. The games are played during the heat of the day, with virtually no shade. The heat is also a test for the fans! With a lot of the young men going shirtless (At the baseball field, its one of the few times this is socially acceptable) and women wearing as much as possible (to protect the paleness of their skins).

Not only that, but the players have to play in thick socks, with a long sleeve under-shirts and thick outer shirts (not many schools can stump for a summer set!).

There is also a lot of ritual and social rule at play in the tournament, with players bowing to each other at the start and end of the game, the winning school gets to sing its song, pitchers doff their hats to the batter whenever they strike the batter with a wild throw, the list goes on. This, however, does not mean a huge deal, as I am not trying to describe the tournament itself, rather 1 game.

A very important game.

The final.

I have not mentioned it before as I have not been that interested. This time, however, I was.

It say the debut of Nihon Bunri High School. This team finally made it to the final for the first time in its history. Not only that, but hailing from Niigata, it was the first team from the prefecture of Niigata to make it to the final.

The game itself was a picture-perfect Disney movie final. If anyone watches any of the Disney sports movies, you can spot a standard plot that builds up the plucky underdog line. Team of good, but unspectacular players pull together and achieve something amazing to get to the final. At the start, they play well against the higher ranked, better team, keeping it close. In the middle third, there is a collapse, and then in the final third, pull it together and win in the nick of time, or just hit the post as the clock dies.

So this game went!

Niigata (Nihon Bunri is too long, and not location-specific!) took to the field on a blazing August day to face Chukyo. A team that has been close many times, and winning the thing about 40 years ago (remember, Niigata has never had a team in the final, so this 1 school has managed better than our poor impoverished prefecture!)

It did not get off to a good start, with Chukyo getting a 2 run homer in the very first innings. Niigata however, struck back, managing to get one round in the 2nd innings, and Kashiwazakis own Takeshi striking a home run in the 3rd.

(*Disney movie. Final game. Act 1!*)

The game stayed in the balance, with Chukyo trying everything to crack open the Niigata team, and Niigata stubbornly refusing!

However, Niigatas luck finally ran out in the 6th, (*cue Disney movie, final game, act 2!*) when their visibly tired pitcher finally began to wobble. His control began to leave him, and Chukyo capitalised. In the 6th inning, they built a big 6 point lead very quickly. Extended to 8 by the 7th inning as they took advantage of Niigata's smaller squad and reliance on one pitcher, as Chukyo rested the starting pitcher, and switching to the reserve.

It looked like it was all over. Niigata managed to get nothing in the 8th, allowing Chukyo to put 1 hand on the champions flag (not a cup, a flag).

In the 9th and final inning, Chukyo began the slow march towards the title by dismissing the first 2 Niigata batters with relative ease (*cue Disney movie, final game, act3!*). The next Niigata batter marched to the plate, and settled in. Strike! Ball! Strike! Foul ball! Ball! Foul ball! Niigata simply refused to give Chukyo an easy ride in the final inning, with the batter flat out refusing to budge, until, finally, he managed to get hold of a pitch from the increasingly nervy Chukyo pitcher and send it deep into the outfield, allowing him to sprint to 2nd base.

Up marched the next batter, and again, he flat out refused to shift! Again, catching a ball, helping himself to a race to 1st, whilst the first batter scampered round and home! Up stepped another batter, this time, he was clocked square on the bum (pitcher doffs his hat, and batter marches off with a stinging bum, but pleased he can get on base.)

Niigata flat out refused to die and like a bulldog backed into a corner, dug in, and fought back. Clawing point after point. Slowly eating into Chukyo's lead. Finally, a bit of a break through. Niigata managed to slam a home-run! Grabbing another 2, bringing the score to 10-8, and 1 on 1st base!

1 more batter came up, and by now, Chukyo had switched back to the original pitcher. A little tight now, his control was a little wild and he was made to pay, with another ball struck all the way out to left field. bringing the score to 10-9! Cue people beginning to believe the impossible may happen!

So, with 1 on 2nd base, and another batter walking up, Niigata had the chance to actually take the lead for the first time in the entire game! First pitch in was wild, the Niigata batter cought the ball well and sent it flying on its way screaming off and away...

Into the mit of Chukyo's 3rd baseman who was in the prefect placement to catch it! 1 foot either way, he would have missed it, that ball would have been all the way to the wall (if not over it), and Niigata would have been able to take the lead!

Ah well.

That brought the curtain down on a game that ebbed and flowed, and saw one huge and amazing moment of glory when the upstarts from Niigata shook things up by poking one in the eye of one of Japanese baseballs status quo!

They may have lost the game, but they won many hearts that day.

Being from Niigata is not something that marks you out as something amazing.

But the Nihon Bunri team stood up and shouted. A shout that carried throughout the prefecture, and reverberated round Japan.

Now, we are something amazing.

Well done Bunri. You made it to the final. There is next year!

Its the first Face Off!

Its arrived. The new hockey season is just around the corner. And for the Manchester Phoenix are at the dawning of a new age, with their debut coming up in the EPL. There are huge differences between the EPL and the EIHL. For a start, in the EPL, you are only allowed 4 players who did not learn their trade in the UK. The UK, of course, with its labour laws, will not allow an employer to discriminate against someone just because they have a European passport. This makes it harder for Canadians to get in, but since they can trace their family to Europe, they can usually claim one. However, the EPL gets round this by introducing a rule that limits the number of people on a team who learnt their hockey outside the UK. No mention of nationality.

Anyhoo.

This year sees the Phoenix taking on a whole bunch of new teams. Gone are the days of taking on the Steelers, the Panthers, the Devils and the Stingrays, and in is one "old" face in the Basingstoke Bison, and the new adversaries in the Sheffield Scimitars, Guildford Flames, Bracknell Bees, Romford Raiders, Swindon Wildcats, Milton Keynes Lightning, Slough Jets, and Peterborough Phantoms. A whole bunch of teams I have not seen in a long time.

The Phoenix sport a new team sporting a mix of young and old.

First of all, led by Tony Hand. A veteran player who leads the team as coach, and being an amazing player. Capable of racking up the points and making the plays the team needs.

Tony is joined by Ed Courtney, almost as old as Mr Hand, but still more than capable of finding the back of the net. And with his experience, is no-ones fool.

Andre Payette is another veteran player who is joining Tony this season, getting on a bit, still capable of living in the EIHL, but at EPL, will more than likely be one of the leagues stand outs. Capable of bagging the points, he is not expected to be a scoring machine. His job is to be a physical presence on the ice. Scoring goals is but one part of his game. The rest, he will be expected to stand up and back up his team mates.

Jaakko Hegelberg hails from Finland, as set to be another tough-nosed forward willing to grind it out. Which is good, as the EPL promises to be a league that may be short on skill, but high on the tough stuff.

On the blue line, Tony has brought in Andre Mattsson. A Haitian born Swede. He will be expected, as the "old man," to lead the line. Bringing his experience. He will be expected to protected the net.

Up front, the Phoenix have signed many exciting young players.

Adam Walker is a returnee from last year. A player who improved in leaps and bounds and will bring his improving talent to the front line.

Iain Bowie is a new player who comes highly regarded from Edinburgh, coming through their system, which has generated many excellent players over the years.

James Neil and Robert Lachowicz both came through the ranks at Nottingham, and are in Manchester on 2 way deals. Playing for the Phoenix, and maybe on occasion suiting up for the Panthers. Though, given the Panthers desire to sign Canadians, we will see.

Greg Wood completes the front line, after coming in from Coventry.

The defence is also packed with a lot of exciting new players.

Carl Graham and Luke Boothroyd both developed over the last few years for the Phoenix, and are shaping into excellent, dependable defencemen. Good to see them back.

Joe Graham has also joined from Nottingham, and comes highly rated.

Ben Wood is another local player making the step up from the ENL team to the top team. Good luck!

In net, Summerfield returns as backup, and is a reliable nettie, with good speed, and learning all the time. However, the signing of Steve Fone has excited people. Steve may not be the top goalie in the land, but when he played for Manchester as cover, he did very well. Now he gets to work as the leading man, with the crease as his domain! Good luck to him.

So, there is the Phoenix. Some old heads, and lots of exciting young talent. If Tony can get them together and playing well, then this team can be expected to do great things, all the while playing some good hockey. Tony has taken a risk signing a lot of young talent, it could prove a master stroke, or it could explode in his face. However, Tony is a master tactician of the game, so there is a chance it will blow up, but less than the chances of success.

Whilst in the EIHL, Tony always built teams that could live with the Big 4. The only reason we did not have more success, was the fact we where simply out-budgeted.

I personally think that the Phoenix will pick up some sort of silverware. The league will be a tough stretch as we will have to maintain the teamwork and effort over the whole season, not just in one-off games. It will be hard. But the team can. I expect to see Basingstoke up there with us, and the usual suspects of Guildford and Slough. Both have excellent teams, with a settled core of players. Peterborough may do something, but looks like they are suffering a little like McClaren. Last years successes has left them stretched and not able to afford a similar push this year.

To round it all off, the Phoenix are sporting a new look! A new season, new league, and a new look!

4 new shirts, all for the new season. A natty red number at home, blue for away, an interesting one for the cups, and a warm up kit.

So, it is the re-birth of the Phoenix! Again. For the second time...

We have to stop doing this...

Japanese culture time!

OK. I did say I would write about aspects of Japanese culture, and today, I am. Again. This time, I am going to cover something that fascinates many a western man. I felt compelled to write about this, as it does show some of the thinking here in Japan, and the article I read about this, got me thinking.

It is the Japanese schoolgirl. (Bear with me, we are going somewhere with this, I am not weird!)

Now, Japanese women are beautiful. Japanese schoolgirls are cute. And with many of them, you know they are also going to grow up and also be heartbreakingly beautiful as well. What is disconcerting for those of us who live here, and actually TEACH these litle angels, is how amazingly SHORT the skirts end up.

It is odd.

Not only that, But guess which area has the shortest skirts?

Tokyo? No.

Osaka? They are crazy, and out there! No.

Hokkaido? Are you kidding?! Too cold!

Okinawa? Weather is hot enough... But no.

The answer is...

Drum roll...

Niigata! My home prefecture! There was a TV programme that investigated this issue, and declared Niigata to have the shortes skirts!

(These are stills from the TV programme, not me!)

In Japan, the regulation, is that the skirt rides no higher than just above the knee. In Tokyo, the average is 16.7cm over the knee. In Niigata, its over 20cm! That pretty much makes the skirt so flippin short that its hidden when they put on a Jacket, or sweater!

This does of course, lead to all sorts of problems. Dirty men learing at them, making solo travellers deeply uncomfortable. Some men try to take advantage and attempt to "cop a feel" on the crowded subways/public transport. So, lots of social problems. There are also plenty of REAL issues as well.

Not only that, but they make guys like me uncomfortable. I appreciate a beautiful woman like any man (Heck, Yuko is fantastic!), however, these are all under the age of 18. They are going to be amazingly beautiful, they have good legs. But I do not want to see their underwear! Does not really float my boat. So, riding escalators when a group of girls gets on is out of the question until they have finished!

In Tokyo, a short skirt is great in the summer, and during winter, not a major issue as Tokyo never gets too cold.

However, in Niigata, we get amazing quantities of snow (nearly as much as Hokkaido) and the temperature as either at, or below freezing. With that much flesh unveiled, then yes, the cold is a real health issue. It is common to see girls going to school and taking a blanket with her as the school is too cold.

So, Niigata has decided to do something about it. There are regular uniform inspections, but as the next demonstration shows, it is woefully inadequate.

The uniform check is announced, and worked out with the parents. So, all the girls do is simply unroll the skirt. Once the check is finished, roll the thing back up again. Also, the schools dont help themselves, because during winter, when the school is cold, rather than compelling the girls to lengthen their skirts, they allow then to keep the skirts at that length, but wear their gym shorts underneath, or even their tracksuit pants. But the skirt remains the same!

Another option under way is a big poster campaign to convince girls to cover up. Except, wierdly, the girl on the poster has a skirt as short as the girls she is trying to convince not to!

How successful this campaign will be, time will tell. I dont hold out much hope. The motivation for change is not something that the government has actually tackled with the poster campaign.

There was an interview with one of these girls who opts for wearing the "belt." She was quite enlightening. They asked a simple question. Why? There are many reasons for NOT wearing a short skirt, such as leery old men, gropers, and the weather. To which the girl agreed. Possibly having a man stick his hand down your underwear is a worry, she said, and in winter, it was bad with having cold legs. Having men stare was not such an issue she said. She believed she had good legs!

The interviewer asked with all these problems, why the shortness of the skirt? To which she replied, "Because my friends do."

This, I think, tells it all.

The hope that the girls will lower the hemline of their skirt is forlorn. Simple fashion is not at the heart of it. Girls dont wear it to rebel against authority. The girls are not under pressure to change, really, since the unform rules are only enforced on occasion. The girls wear their skirts short because it is what the group does. Fitting in is very important to the Japanese, and if the group wears pink fluffy slippers, then the new person will wear pink fluffy slippers just to be part of the group. This is the biggest motivator in Japan.

If the government at prefectural and national levels is serious about bringing in a degree of modesty, then the link between short skirts, and the group, has to be broken.

The schools can help, by actually keeping the dress code rules. If a girl walks in with a short skirt, the teacher has to tell them immediately to lengthen the skirt. If the girls keep getting told, then eventually they will join the "new age."

Until then, then the Japanese schoolgirl will remain an object of interest to many men, and the source of inspiration for "racy" manga for many years to come.

Moviestars land on hard times!

Poor moviestars! Times are hard! What do the likes of Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, and Cameron Diaz do in between filming major blockbuster movies? Do they work? Do they live off the royalties from the last movie?

Well, looks like the poor dears actually have to WORK! The poor dears must be short of cash.

How does an actor do this?

Well, may as well act! But in what? They tend not to do commercials. Which they beleve will damage their image back in the US. However, they will take the coin on offer from Japanese companies! The belief is that they can get away with it since the ad will be on Japanese TV, and wont really travel much beyond that because, well, only the Japanese really speak Japanese!

This does lead to some wonderful commercials.

The biggest at the moment are a series of commercials run by the Telcoms company Softbank (Cellphones, finance, baseball team...). They are currently running a series which includes Brad Pitt working as a Sumo wrestlers PA (The wrestler is Mushashimaru, a former Yokozuna)

This video includes both current videos.

That is not the only series! Here is a taste of some of his previous work for Softbank!

BRAD PITT *COUNTRY CM *
Uploaded by screamingangie. - Explore more family videos.

They are all getting in on the act! Softbank is spending the most on using Hollywood stars, Cameron Diaz has got in on the act too, with a series of very bubbly, bouncy commercials!

Yes. That is a gratuitous shot of her backside!

Moving on. Disney tried to launch a range of cellphones in the US, only for them to crash and burn. Ah well, never one to give up, they realised that they would work in Japan! A combination of technology, and Mickey Mouse! Automatically appealing because the Japanese love technology, and love Mickey Mouse because he is cute!

Cue Hillary Duff.

Hilary Duff For Disney Mobile(Soft Bank)
Uploaded by Hilary_Duff1118. -

Lets move on to my favourite.

Coffee.

Or Boss Coffee. Not to miss a trick, Boss Coffee wanted their own Hollywood star, and landed Tommy Lee Jones! The point behind the commercial is that he is an alien, landed in Japan, and trying to fit in! Kinda apt, really, its a bit like me! I'm an alien, in Japan, trying to fit in!

But its not just the stars that get in on the act. Keifer Sutherland ended up doing a series of commercials in Japan, based on his ever-popular tv series, "24." A smash hit here in Japan!

Richard Gere as well decided to take the Yen on offer, with this nice little number for the male "estetique" chain, Dandy House. Basically, male beautician chain, with massage.

The most stars, however, have been to Japan to promote cars. Including a smattering of British stars! Including the ever-popular and ever-green Mr Bean!

Ewan McGregor decided to hook up with Toyota to promote their MPV, The Alphard.

It is also worth noting that Ewan has also starred in Japan promoting an English language school, and Roots, another brand of coffee!

I could go on, and on, and on! Instead, I will just put up a list. If you want, you can go and hunt them on Youtube!

Paul Newman : Nissan Skyline (1982)

Harrison Ford : Honda Legend (1993)

Dennis Hopper : Toyota Celica (1994)

Anthony Hopkins : Honda Avancier (As Hannibal)

Jean Reno : Honda Orthia, and Toyota Alphard

George Clooney : Honda Odyssey, Toyota Mark II

Kyle McClaughlin and Antonio Banderas both for the Subaru Forester

Bruce Willis, Rod Stewart, Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner, and J-Lo have all been in commercials for Subaru's Legacy

Leonardo DiCaprio : Honda Prius

Michael J Fox : Honda Integra

And currently, my employer, Geos, has an agreement to use the stars from Dreamworks! So, recently, we have featured Shrek, and now, we are featuring the stars from the Aliens v Monsters movie!

And all of thses dont even begin to scratch the surface of Hollywoods love affair with Japanese tv commerical money!

I will try to bring more of these as and when I find them!

ShanzaiLooks !

Now. The iPhone is one of the coolest gadgets you can get your hand on these days (though I am waiting to get my hands on Docomos t-01a! Much better!). However, only 1 of these is a real iPhone. The other is a "hiPhone" if you will. Or more specifically, a Shenzhai phone. Produced by one of the hundreds of small phone manufacturers that have sprung up in China that make phones.

The market in China went nuts in 2007, when the government decided you did not need a licence to manufacture phones. Not only that, but a chip company in Taiwan produced an open source chip that was cheap enough to allow these guys to simply and easily upload software to the phone to make it work.

This all sounds nice. However, China has a bad reputation when it comes to copyright law. In China, there are car companies producing near carbon copies of a Rolls Royce. You have Pizza Huh, and Starbooks Coffee. Now, these small companies are getting in on the act.

Chinas development is fuelling demand for technology. People want the latest coolest thing. Problem is, the latest coolest thing is the iPhone, and it is way too expensive for the average Chinese.

Up steps the Shenzhai company, who within weeks is churning out very good knock-off copies of the iPhone. Looks the same, pretty much the same functions, but the price is lower by at least 1 zero!

The shenzhai industry has, in the space of a few years, managed to spoof most of the major manufacturers.

There are more examples of this. For example, all the Japanese companies regularly send people over on "Mystery shopper" trips, and they usually find their entire range of phones, on sale, at significantly lower prices.

So far, sounds like a big rip off.

Its not all doom.

These companies can be enormously imaginative with their phones, too.

Yes, some of the phones include impressive speakers, add-on zoom lenses for the cameras, a cellphone watch, assorted cars, and boxes of cigarettes! They also will turn a range of cartoon characters into cellphones! They also include nifty little extras, like UV lights to check for counterfeit money, cigarette lighter, 2 slots for SIM cards allowing 2 numbers at a time, amongst many.

This side does sound good. However, be warned, there is a health risk with these! Usually the radiation is over and above what is considered "safe," and there are risks with the manufacture of the phone itself. Half the reason mobile phones are so expensive is the heavy use of exotic metals such as gold for the transmitter, platinum for its conductivity, and palladium for its ability to connect things on a circuit board, AND for its ability to withstand pretty much all forms of corrosion.

This is where the shanzhai companies fall down. They will use gold. Out of all of these metals, it is the easiest to get. However, signal quality is not so good as platinum is expensive, and hard to get. The most important, is palladium. They dont use palladium. It is more expensive than gold, and much rarer. So, they stick with ordinary steel.

So, if you get youself a shanzhai phone, if you open it up, there is a good chance that it will be quietly rusting away!

This is a problem, as there have been reports of these phones exploding! Including one that exploded in the shirt pocket of its owner whilst he was at work!

Is all this a problem. Yes, and no. I find it deeply annoying, that the Chinese, with all their expertise in making stuff, still want to rip off others that spent decades getting their product just right. These companies have shown they can bring some nifty little products to the market that could easily find a niche, if they did not insist in copying everything out of Japan, Europe, or the US.

If they where to work on their safety record too, I could be tempted! I do like the watch/phone! Very Star Trek!

Ooooh! The excitement!

Its here again! At last! Oh the excitement is so much, that I may just have to lavishly wet myself!

Or not.

It is Election Time! Japanese style!

And wow! Is it a humdinger of a campaign!

Or not.

Politics in Japan is constrained when it comes to campaigning. TV commercials are fine. However, you dont find attack ads like you get in the UK, and definately not like the attack ads in the US. Most you can hope for is a sombre note of disapproval.

Posters, no problem. Leaflets, OK. The internet? No. Each party has a website, but thats it. The limits on using the internet are very strict!

However, the current dominant party , the LDP has launched a new Anime slot on Youtube designed to paint the DPJ in a bad light!

Its basic premise is that the new guys are not ready to govern, and that the LDP is the only party capable of running the nation, and dragging it from the doldrums. However, in this bloggers humble opinion, neither is Mr Aso, and his LDP. They have essentially capitulated to the real rulers of Japan, the beurocrats.

The DPJ, however, are riding high in opinion polls. well, as high as they can expect to. The Japanese are not so keen on them, and may vote for them, not because they offer something new (they dont, really), but because they are simply, "not the other guy."

So, the campaigning is on, and today marked the official start. Both leaders where out on the stump, and guess what one of the major speaking points was?

Guess. Its a doozy!

Nope. Try again.

Closer...

There you go! Yes, its me! Well, to be more accurate, its foriegners who are permanent residents. None of us can vote. And for those of us on visas, thats fair enough. However, there are those in Japan, such as those who have got married to a Japanese but still dont qualify for the right to vote. There is also a group of people that the Japanese are reluctant to help. The Koreans. A whole bunch of Koreans stayed in Japan after the colonisation of the peninsula, and the end of the war. The Japanese government allows them to stay, but still classes them, and their decendants as Korean, and not Japanese. They dont get to vote.

The debate today was simple. Should permanent residents be able to vote. Not in national elections. No. One step at a time. We just want to vote in local elections. Unfortunately, the governing party, the LDP is set against foriegners getting the right to vote. After all, these are the guys who want to tighten the screws on me over the gaijin card!

However, in a moment of earthquake proportions, the DPJ have actually declared that since we foriegners pay tax, the issue should be "looked into!"

Whilst this is only them looking into it, in Japan, that means something will happen. Nothing ever gets started without being finished. Usually, these plans get shelved, then dragged out later, dusted off, and pushed through anyway.

So, the DPJ looks like they will make the majority in the next parliament, and will be governing Japan for a while. They have made noises about thinking about helping us poor put on foreigners. This is a big step forwards.

It is not much.

But its a start.

WorldWideWebisphere: British Baseball

WorldWideWebisphere: British Baseball

British Baseball

Now, many people dont know this, but Britain was the first nation to win a real world baseball championship. And an even lesser known fact is that Britain also has its own version of baseball! No, not Cricket!

British baseball is a very small game, based in a few cities round the country. It is popular in cities like Liverpool and Cardiff.

British baseball shares many similarities with its large American cousin. However, there are many differences.

1) The bat. An American bat is basically a tube. A round thing which makes hitting the ball hard, but when you connect, sends the ball for miles! In British baseball, the bat is the same shape, tapering down to the handle, but it is flat!

2) The bases. There are 4 bases in a diamond shape, like American baseball. However, unlike American baseball, these are sticks planted in the ground. Also, the 4th base is separate from the batting plate.

3) Pitchers mound. The pitcher has the chuck the ball, under arm, from inside a box, not off the top of a mound.

4) Scoring. In American baseball, if you get all the way round, that is one run. In British baseball, by sprinting between bases (the sticks) and touching them, you score 1 run as you run between them. So, if you sprint all the way round, that counts as 4 runs! If 2 balls miss the strike zone, then an extra point is awarded.

5) Getting a batter out. In American baseball, if the batter hits the ball, and its caught, you are out. Same in British baseball. However, in British baseball, if you get 2 strikes, you are out. You get 1 ball which you can "ignore." The second ball, you have to try to hit it. If you dont, you still have to run. If you dont run, out. If th backstop tags you, you are out. If the ball is touched to the first base-stick, you are out. If the ball touches you, you are out. Unless it hits your arm.

6) The batter. There is no home plate (Thats 4th base, and its a couple of yards away!). The batter strikes from one of 2 sticks in the ground. 1 for lefties, and 1 for righties! Your foot has to touch one, or the catcher can tag you out!

It seems a little complicated, but I for one would like to see this game survive. A True homegrown alternative that is worth keeping alive! It does not have the silly names like Cricket, and is not "American" so if you dont want to play Baseball because it is "American" (Why you would use THAT excuse I dont know!) then you cna give this game a try! All you need, literally, are 4 sticks,

Wikipedia has more info!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_baseball

Fireworks!

Well, the rainy season here in Japan is rolling to an end, but in passing, we have seen a round of firework displays all over Japan. Many places have allready hosted theirs, and many others, will be hosting them during the rest of this month.

These desplays are taken very seriously, with the local populace, and local companies sponsoring sections of the displays.

I have been lucky enough to partake in 2 this year. Kashiwazaki, ranked in the top 9 in Japan, and Nagaoka, ranked in the top 3.

To start with, Kashiwazaki.

The display comes at the end of the 3 day Gion festival. Day 1 sees kids marching bands, and city-wide folk dancing. The second day sees the local community groups hauling floats out, omikoshi and barrels of sake being paraded, and lots of merriment ensues. The fireworks come on day 3.

The display really starts in the morning. People wake up at stupid o'clock in the morning and head down to the beach in order to park their sheets to reserve a spot. This display is ranked in the top 9 across the country. Lots of people come. And whilst Kashiwazaki has a nice beach, it is not that big. Space is at a premium.

The display is truly magnificent with lots of explosions, colour, and all of it launched from pontoons out at sea. These pontoons allow a good distance between the firework and the beach. However, some of the fireworks are truly massive, and feel like they are right over your head! An amazing experience.

Next, Nagaoka.

The following week, we made it to Nagaoka. This time, the display was launched from 3 areas on the river, so everyone goes and sits on the bank. The display is so amazing, but the problem is, parts of the display are a long way away.

Not to take anything away, even though we sit cheek by jowel (there are THAT many people!) with our neighbours, we dont need to worry as all that pales into the background when the display kicks in leaving people breathless!

The highlight of the show however, is "The Phoenix." Produced by a firework factory in the small town of Katakai, Niigata (Yay! I can claim it!).

Just to give you some stats on this. Now, in Japan, most of the fireworks are mortar-launched. In other words, the firework is a ruddy great ball that they put in a tube, and launch it skywards. This allows for a more spherical (and pretty) BANG! The Phoenix itself sits at a healthily sized 1.2m in diameter.

This firework is impressive in every stat. It is so big and heavy that it has to be winched in off its own truck!

As I said, all these are mortar launched, here is a monument at the factory that shows the sizes of tube involved! These things are BIG!

Now, a few more things about this. The firework, when launched, goes up. Keeps going. Then a bit more. Until finally, at 800 m up in the sky, it lights the sky like a sunrise! Unfortunately, at the Nagaoka display, it shot into the clouds, and my camera was too slow to take a pic as it lit the clouds like a sunburts through them! A truly awesome sight! However, did catch it as the display sank through the cloud!

The light you can see in the bottom left corner is the bridge being lit up by a waterfall shower. The PHoenix itself was actually launched from a pontoon located about 100 meters behind the bridge, even though it looks like the shower is falling in front of it.

Thanks to "Somafire" on Youtube for getting it on video!

And to put it into context, a few smaller fireworks added in to show its size!

I strongly recommend to any readers who stumble on this page, and likes fireworks, to consider coming to Japan during the summer! Japan is hot, but the people are nice, and the fireworks are truly amazing! The factory is likely to try to produce another one bigger than the Phoenix at some point, as they strive to set off a firework that glows perfectly spherical!

It is amazing to behold! If a bit noisy...

2009 J-League. The season so far.

Well, the J League is now halfway through and has been enjoying a little break, punctuated with the All-Star game on the 8th, with the J League All Stars taking on the K League All Stars from Korea.

As it stands, Kashima, last years Champions, are making fantastic progress towards holding on to their title. Kawasaki have managed to put a run together and take advantage of Niigata's recent stumbles to pull into third and haul Kashima to only an 8 point lead.

The big shock of the season however, is my home team (In Japan, anyway) Albirex Niigata. Ever since they broke into J-1 back in 2003, Albirex have enjoyed the 2nd biggest fan base, some of the most vocal fans, and lower table mediocrity. Apart from 2007 when they managed a respectable 6th. However, this year sees them currently lying 3rd, duking it out with Kawasaki for 2nd, and for a few weeks, flying high at the top for the first time in their history! It has tken Japan a little by surprise. Usually, the top teams feature at the end of the highlight programs in longer sections. But for some reason, Albi, despite being ranked in the top 3, still featured in the "rest of the teams" section. That situation has now changed.

So, the season so far.

Kashima Antlers. Coached by Oswaldo de Oliviera from Brazil (Kashima usually have Brazilian managers) the Antlers have a very strong squad they have maintained over the last few years. Lead by Marquinhos, Kashimas lead scorer, Kashima have not had to rely on any 1 player for goals, contributing from all over. However, the last 2 league games saw them wobble alarmingly to 2 defeats. However, the break will allow them a chance to regain the focus.

Kawasaki Frontale. Currently lying second taking advantage of Niigatas wobble. Another Brazilian leads the scoring in the form of Juninho. Kawasaki play some good football, but have had an inability to put away opponents. They will finish in the top 3.

Albirex Niigata. Now 3rd after an amazing first half of the season. The front line of Pedro Junior (Brazil) and Yuno (Japan!) have been steadily contributing goals without lighting aything on fire. However, where Niigata have improved is the defence. Last year, at the best of times, the defencive line looked somewhat uncertain together. This year, whilst still not filling me with complete confidence, and able to go on walkabouts, it has proved much more solid, allowing the team to make real headway. My hear hopes for top 3, and getting into the Asian Champions league, my head says achingly, 4 or 5.

Currently in 4th, the "big spenders" of the J League, Urawa Reds. Biggest fanbase, a squad full of stars including (ex-Niigata) Edmilson, this team, for some reason, has not been firing on all cylinders. However, ranked 4th, and only a point back. However, if they play the second half the way they played the first, and they finish 3rd, it will be down to Niigata fading away, not Urawas brilliance.

Shimizu S-Pulse. Usually a good all-round team that plays solid football, if not so pretty (The lurid kits they have worn in the past makes up for that!) Will finish fairly high.

FC Tokyo. A good side that promises so much, and goes on good runs, has a good number of the Japanese national team on the books, does rely on Naohiro Ishikawa for the goal production. However, he is producing, ranked as the J Leagues top scorer!

Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Solid team, nothing spectacular. However, Niigata, Kawasaki, and Urawa owe them drinks after Sanfrecce turned over Kashima in the last game before the break!

Gamba Osaka. A good team that has slid this year. Last year, they won the Asian Champions League, and are currently trying to defend the title. The team does look more tired this year!

Jubilo Iwata. This used to be one of the top teams, but have slid somewhat over the last few years. Mid-table mediocrity beckons.

Nagoya Grampus. Saw the return of Dragan Stojkovic. A top player for the team from the 80's to 90's, he hails from Serbia originally, and conducts all interviews in English! Last year, Nagoya finished 3rd, but this year they have slid down the table. Scoring is not a problem, with Davi providing a regular supply. The issue this year has been the defence has suddenly got all leaky!

Yokohama F Marinos. Bankrolled by Nissan, this team promises a lot. But not often delivers. There was a hope that the teams shining light Sunnoske Nakamura would return after finishing with Celtic, and wanting a return to Japan now his kids are getting older. Unfortunately, Nissan are in a lot of problems and could not pony up the money to pay for him, and he has ended up in the sunshine of Spain, playing for Espanyol.

Kyoto Sanga. A solid team if not that exciting. Nice kit though. Lovely shade of purple.

Omiya Ardija. A good team that has the ability to languish in the lower levels of the league, but then explode and knock off a top team! Wierd.

Montedio Yamagata. This years surprise team. Recently promoted from J-2, representing the small northern town of Yamagata. They have a small but hardcore support, and a hard working team to match. They are not star-laden, but they work hard together, and started the season at a burn! However, they have now been found out a little, and their league position of 14th reflects this. However, they do work hard (unlike Newcastle did as they crashed), and will work themselves away from trouble.

Vissel Kobe. A team that has had huge problems. Went bust, got bought by the guy who runs Rakuten, and had their colours changed to match the corporate colours of Rakuten. Did not sit too well with the fans. The team is still rebuilding. The team plays some good football at times, but also manages to implode on the field.

JEF United Chiba. Team backed bythe railways, been known as Tokyo JEF United, JEF United Tokyo, but now settled on naming themselves after where they play! This season has seen them not really progress, in spite of the teams best efforts.

Kashiwa Reysol. A team that manages to deliver in fits and starts. Not bottom. Only because Oita is worse! May not be able to do enough to save themselves from the drop.

Oita Trinita. The only team based on Japans southernmost island. Last year, qualified for the Pan Pacific Cup, ranked 4th, and where going places. Oita built a team from the back, and forgot to worry about the front. They managed to get their high ranking through having the tightest defence in the league. This year, the front line has been called upon to deliver more goals, but has been unable to, whilst the backline has not been quite so watertight this year! However, they have managed to score a couple of notable results such as a recent 2-1 win over Grampus. It got so bad that as of July 14th, the manager, Perecles Chamusca, got fired. Definately going to not avoid the drop!

This year has seen the usual suspects perform, or not. However, we have also seen some teams inexplicably slide, and others step up. As long as the second half of the season proves to be as good as the first, then we will be in for a ride until November!

Come on Niigata!