Learn Japanese with our free Japanese lessons in podcast format. We use examples from anime and everyday conversation to teach you Japanese that is useful for everyday life. Hitomi-sensei is from Tokyo and will teach you to speak with the most common Japanese accent. If you are watching an anime now and want to know more about a word or phrase you have heard, post a comment or send us an email.
From manga and anime to movies, magazines, video games, advertising and music, Japanese schoolgirls are everywhere.
For years, schoolgirls have shown up in internationally popular anime such as Sailor Moon, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Blood: The Last Vampire. Films such as BattleRoyale inspired Quentin Tarantino to include a fighting schoolgirl in Kill Bill; and recently, Rinko Kikuchi received an Oscar nomination for her role as a schoolgirl in the film Babel.
There are schoolgirl characters in video games such as Street Fighter. And the “Japanese Schoolgirl Watch” column in Wired magazine has long kept an eye on the trends emerging among these stylish teens. In effect, the Japanese schoolgirl has all but replaced the “geisha-girl” as Japan’s new female icon.
This is a “must have” for any serious Japanophile, anime otaku, or fan of Japanese school girls.
If you’ve ever wondered about the origins of the sailor suit uniform, or are fascinated with the power these teenagers hold over the Japanese economy, this book is for you.
K-On! again. This week is a short episode, but we have a huge announcement. Anime director Michael Arias has agreed to do an interview. Make sure to watch this episode and then submit your questions. This is a rare opportunity to find out what it takes to work in the anime industry in Japan.
Just a stunning HD view into Japan. I really urge you to spend some time to check this video out.
From Brad Kremer:
Hayaku: A time lapse journey through Japan.
Japan is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. This is my Japan. This is one of the many reasons why I love Japan. I shot this in many locations around Japan in the summer of 2009. Some of the location include Tokyo, Matsuyama, Imabari, Nagano, Gifu, and Ishizushisan.
I started this as a personal project to try and capture the beauty that I see in Japan. It started as just that…
I just came across this site via Cartoon Brew. It’s simply amazing. Take your lunch break and spend some time watching some of these – it’s a great look into the history of Japanese advertising.
This site is part of an on-line exhibition showcasing domestic life in Japan during the “Showa” period (the Hirohito era, 1926-89). Japan’s Research Institute for Digital Media and Content (DMC Institute) digitized of a large collection of TV advertisements obtained from the Momoya Co., a leading food company. The collection consists of 218 animated TV spots that date back to 1953. Of the 50 pieces posted on-line, the earliest one was produced in 1958. These provide a glimpse at a rarely discussed early phase of anime history
From manga and anime to movies, magazines, video games, advertising and music, Japanese schoolgirls are everywhere.
