Highly Credible UFO Footage from Japan?????

From All News Web UFO / Paranormal

Highly credible UFO video from Japan surfaces

Michael Cohen m.cohen@allnewsweb.com

Perhaps due to the fact that more people are carrying better quality camera phones or perhaps because visiting aliens are becoming more bold in terms of interacting with humanity as possible open alien contact draws nearer, the quality of new UFO footage over the last months has been better than ever.

This UFO clip below from Japan is one of the most convincing pieces of footage i have seen. The sighting occurred around a month ago. Unless someone debunks this video I would say it is conclusive proof that information about all the craft flying overhead is being withheld from the public.

The comments of the witnesses seem genuine and one can sense real surprise in their voices as they exclaim that 'it must be some kind of UFO'. This UFO video is a must see. UFOs are commonly seen in Japan and interest in alien / extraterrestrial subjects widespread. No official disclosure of UFO files has, however, occurred in Japan as of yet.

Original Link: http://www.allnewsweb.com/page1199999415.php

Marketing Japan: The Japan of Free Enterprise

Yesterday, I received some brilliant commentary about Japan by economic expert Marc Abela about the Time Lapse Journey Through Japan post that I thought I'd share with you.

It is just one more reason why Japan experienced such high economic growth until recently (when the Bank of Japan and Japanese government decided to interfere):

"Japan was up until very recently one rare and beautiful battalion of free enterprise, liberal thinking, private property and private responsibility, not just your name, but your whole family name directly on your brand, Honda-san, Matsushita-san, Suzuki-san, Toyota-san, with free customers roaming around and simply picking the favorite amongst a sea of different products to be found on the market, it was competition at its best... and if people didn't like you, no-one there to use violence, you just go through periods where the group decides to ostracize you at best/worst... Rothbard would have loved this country." - Marc Abela 


You can contact Marc Abela through Facebook.


Here's an addendum:


Allow me to push the argument a little further - men who row and fish on the outside of the boat (private sector) find it more and more difficult to feed a whole family, while men sitting in the middle of the boat (public sector) vegetablize themselves (sou-shoku-kei?) and grow in proportion, in the process slowing every day a little bit more the speed of the whole boat and making it more and more difficult for the private sector to row to keep the boat afloat and fish to feed all in the middle. Due to the lack of competition in the public sector and the over amount of competition in the private sector, most men loose their edge and/or their talent, and as a direct result, women tend to less trust men on a general social basis and find themselves choosing to work directly to provide for their own income. This translates into fewer kids per family, less couples, women wanting out of the system, more and more men not buildi ng up the strength to be able to support and feed a wife along with 3? 5? or even more kids, etc etc... A lot of people in Japan think that Chinese service is of a lesser quality, just because... well, just because, people there, are, well, see, they are "Chinese". Nothing to do with the geography or nationality if you ask anyone rational. People in China just spent decades bathing in a socially corrupt environment with tons of central planning and rotted ideas "a la" Mao - so the "social structure" was "the only" reason why Chinese are on average less up-to-date with "quality service" than some of their Japanese counterparts who have been used to "private competition". But the Chinese have been catching up (big time) in speed (at least since the end of the cultural revolution around 1976). Same with the Soviet Union. Many think the Soviet Union fell just because - well, see, it's easy, Soviet failed cause they were all... Russians. At least that's how most school bo! oks will almost attempt to portray things. Funny how so many today still think all they need to do is simply replace Lenine with someone smart and eloquent like Ozawa or with Obama to make it all work. Lenine spoke 7 languages. Not sure how many Obama & Ozawa speak but I bet the number is a tiny bit closer to... 1?

Time Travel: Listen to Tokyo Rose from August 1944

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers

The dog days of summer end tomorrow here in Japan...  August is finished. Of course, every year in August, the surrender of Japan in World War II is celebrated... With it the war crimes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are also remembered....

I was searching through the Internet Archive for something to commemorate this time - but from a different perspective - and I found these recordings of Tokyo Rose.

Iva Toguri D'Aquino

Contrary to what people believe, Tokyo Rose was not just one person. Tokyo Rose was about a dozen different girls broadcasting under the name of Tokyo Rose. The most famous was Iva Toguri D'Aquino.

From Wikipedia:

Toguri called herself "Orphan Ann," she quickly became identified with the moniker "Tokyo Rose", a name that was coined by Allied soldiers and that predated her broadcasts. After the Japanese defeat, Toguri was detained for a year by the U.S. military before being released for lack of evidence.

I think it is absurd to think that some girl on the radio would really know any secret information about Allied troop movements or anything else for that matter. Just like people today... People need a job.

The madness of war! One would hope that we'd learn someday... But judging from what is going on right at this moment... I guess we won't.

Anyway, for your enjoyment and for a short trip into the past, here's some recordings of Iva Toguri D'Aquino... The famous Tokyo Rose.



From the Internet Archive: http://www.archive.org/details/TokyoRose

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Keywords:


Mike in Tokyo, Marketing Japan, Iva Toguri D'Aquino, Tokyo Rose, Mike Rogers, Orphan Ann, Mike in Tokyo Rogers

Marketing Japan: A Sense of Humor Helps!

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers

Depending on what you are selling, I think a sense of humor can go a long way... OK, maybe it's not so good for a funeral parlor, but, I think in many instances, humor can help you get your name out to the public.

Take this great low-cost South African airline that I stumbled upon. The name's Kulula and they've even put their brand of humor on their planes!

Humor is a super way to get people to remember your name. Just make sure that the product or service is solid and then do everything to make the customer experience the best. Everyone wants to laugh, right?

Not only does Kulula put their humor on the planes, they even use humor to make the inflight experience more fun. Check these entertaining announcements out:

On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, “People, people we’re not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!”

On another flight with a very “senior” flight attendant crew, the pilot said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants.”

On landing, the stewardess said, “Please be sure to take all of your belongings.. If you’re going to leave anything, please make sure it’s something we’d like to have.”

“There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane.”

I think this is wonderful. But, like I said, make sure that the service or product is solid and then this works. I also think that being able to have a sense of humor makes the experience better for everyone; customers and staff included which point to a better company culture. This will just lead to a better, more profitable company.



Cheers for Kulula Airlines!

Kulula Airlines URL: https://www.kulula.com/
Orignal Article: http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/2010/08/28/an-airline-with-a-sense-of-humor/
More humor: http://www.southafrica.to/transport/Airlines/Kulula-flights/Kulula-humour.php5

Keywords: Humor, airlines, Kulula, South Africa

Marketing Japan: What Will Happen to Tokyo Tower?

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers

I just got a photo sent to me of the new Sky Tree Tower that is nearing completion in Tokyo. The Sky Tree Tower was originally to be called the "New Tokyo Tower" but Tokyo Tower owners did not like that at all and protested so the name was rejected. You'll understand why when you've finished reading this article.

Wikipedia says this about Tokyo Sky Tree:

The project is being led by Tobu Railway and a group of six terrestrial broadcasters (headed by public broadcaster NHK). Construction of the tower is scheduled to be completed by December 2011, with the public opening in spring 2012.

The Tokyo Sky Tree will be taking over basically all of the broadcasting duties for all major Tokyo broadcasting stations. This is because the Tokyo Tower, which was built in 1958, is not tall enough to handle digital duties as there are too many tall buildings around it. Tokyo Tower is 333 meters tall and a landmark of Japan. The Sky Tree tower is almost twice as tall at 638 meters! The Sky Tree not only dwarfs the Tokyo Tower in height but will also dwarf it in revenue. Tokyo Tower has been losing money for years now, I think Sky Tree will be the final nail in the coffin. (Read more about the digital conversion and how that will kill off some major Japanese broadcasting stations here and here.)

According to Wikipedia, the Tokyo Tower's main sources of revenue are antenna leasing for broadcasting stations and tourism. They claim that over 150 million people have visited the tower since its completion. 

Considering that the Tokyo Tower is vey conveniently located in Tokyo, near tourist trap Roppongi, they might still be able to do some tourism business, but I think that's a pretty poor business for them. The last time I went there, the shops were deserted and the place definitely felt run-down.

I also heard some insider information about Tokyo Tower management that I wasn't supposed to tell to anyone, so I will write it down here for you. In the 1980, during the massive growth that was the Japanese bubble economy, the management of Tokyo Tower put millions and millions of dollars into very poor investments and now those bad investments have come back to bite them in the ass. Some of the worst - and stupidest - investments were spending tens of millions of dollars on, are you ready for it? Investments in golf club memberships!

In the heyday of the bubble, people would buy golf club memberships as investments, and many made good money off of them. But, as with any Ponzi scheme, when the scam runs out of suckers, the ones left holding the bag lose their shirts. Unfortunately for them, it seems that Tokyo Tower was one of the last into the game so they were left holding millions of bags. 

Now those investments are now worthless.  

I hate to keep saying doom and gloom for many Tokyo companies but, once again, I predict that after the digital conversion in July, 2011, Tokyo Tower will be insolvent within a very short time.

Who knows what will happen to it after that? One thing is certain, in future Godzilla movies, you won't be seeing Godzilla kicking over Tokyo Tower anymore. It will be Sky Tree... And in that symbolism there will be volumes spoken about what has happened to Tokyo and Tokyo Tower.

Thanks to:  Tatsuyaman

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Keywords: Tokyo, Tokyo Tower, Marketing Japan, Mike Rogers, Sky Tree, Tokyo Sky Tree, Mike in Tokyo Rogers

Marketing Japan: Japan Sunday Bizarreness! Darth Vader & Giant Squid on Train!

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers!

Great ideas come from getting out of the rut and going out and seeing and doing things that widen your horizons. That's why, today, I'm starting a new Sunday series called, "Japan Sunday Bizarreness!" It's just going to be short tidbits of weird stuff I've found in Japan that I hope you get a kick out of. Hopefully, they can help you to think of good ways to promote or market your product or service.

Two guys were riding a train and they were going to work to do some sort of promotion. Who knows what? But they decided to have some fun and one guy crouched behind the giant squid while the other took his photo. Maybe a possible good idea for a promotion? Hmmm? 

This was a while back, but I just found it. They had a kids night at baseball to get youngsters more interested in the sport. I hear that young kids no longer are interested in Star Wars (tell that to my 6-year-old!) and are into Poke-Mon, but this is an interesting idea too...

Okay, while we're at it... for all you Star Wars fans... This one about Darth Vader in Japan is pretty funny.

This next photo is at a McDonald's in Japan. It looks like these kids are between, or before, a performance for school or something. Interesting...

It's definitely fall or winter... You could never wear that mask during summer in Japan! Too hot!

Finally! I found a great place to study Japanese for free and it's on Youtube of all places! Youtube has an entire section of old Japanese fairy tales that you can watch. Studying animations on TV was how I learned to speak Japanese. I think it is a great way.  Here's how:

1) Watch the videos over and over.

2) Record the sound to your MP3 player or cassette. Listen repeatedly.

3) Write down the entire text in a notebook.

4) Get a Japanese speaker to help you learn the text by heart.

The Youtube site is called  まんが日本昔ばなし (Manga, Japan's Ancient Stories). The Youtube site is here. The level is easy so it's a great place to start. I've embedded one here for your enjoyment.

This great site was introduced to me by my good friend Leon Tsunehiro Yu-Tsu Tai. Thanks Leon!

Have a great weekend! Comment or write to me sometime!

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Keywords, Star Wars, Darth Vader, Mike Rogers, Squid, McDonald's, Marketing, Marketing Japan, Manga, Youtube, photos, Manga, Mike in Tokyo Rogers, Manga, Japan's Ancient Stories, Ancient stories

A Time Lapse Journey Through Japan by Brad Bremer

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers

Good Sunday morning! It's now 6:15 am on Sunday in Tokyo. It's a beautiful day and the morning brings the winds of early autumn to my window. I hope this day brings you bliss and some of your dreams, however great or small, closer to you.

For your Sunday pleasure, once again, I'd like to show you a wonderful time-lapse video I've found of Japan. This is beautiful.

It is by Brad Kremer. Enjoy

http://vimeo.com/12112529


Hayaku: A Time Lapse Journey Through Japan from Brad Kremer on Vimeo.


Brad Kremer writes: 


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...

But now that I have finished, I see it only as a beginning. This video, along with SAIJO MATSURI is just the start of a much larger project that I have now decided to do.



Saijo Matsuri 2009 西条祭り from Brad Kremer on Vimeo.
Saijo Matsuri link.

Anyone interested in helping fund/produce these dreams of Brad Kremer's please feel free to contact him and tell him Mike in Tokyo Rogers sent you:
brad@bradkremerfilms.com


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Keywords: Mike Rogers, Marketing Japan, Tokyo, Time-lapse, Mike in Tokyo Rogers, Matsuri

Now the Japanese Government Reports a 200-Year-Old Man Discovered!!!

I reported earlier today that those clowns in the Japanese government had reported that, on their books, they had found a 186-year-old man "living" near Hiroshima .... I wonder if he was still receiving old age pension payments from the government?

But now,  that's nothing. In less than 24-hours, a different prefecture in Japan reports that they have discovered a 200-year-old man! They are now investigating and will delete the man's name if they confirm that he has, indeed, died... Well, I guess so... If he is 200-years-old, he would have had to been born the same year the famous piano composer Francois Chopin was born in.

From the Mainichi Daily News:

'200-year-old' man listed as alive in family register

IKI, Nagasaki -- A "200-year-old" man is listed as alive in his family register at the municipal government, city officials said.

The man, who was born in 1810, would be as old as classic music composer Frederic Francois Chopin. City officials said his birthday and address are unknown.

The Iki Municipal Government computerized family registers it manages in 2006, but did not touch those for such elderly people.

In Iki, there are 72 people aged over 120, who are listed as alive by their family registers but are not registered as residents.

"We'll conduct an investigation and delete their family registers if they are confirmed dead," a city official said.

This is the kind of good government services we pay taxes for. ...

Thanks to: SYU_and_YuChan and Kotohime195! You guys are the best!

186-Year-Old Man Found in Japan!

Well, you couldn't make this stuff up. The government of Japan says they have a man in Hofu (near Hiroshima) that is listed as alive and now 186 years old.

Congratulations to the man who, if he is still alive, will be the oldest person on the earth... The birthday boy was born in 1824!

The Mainichi article reads:

According to the Yamaguchi Regional Legal Affairs Bureau, among 17 cities and towns in the prefecture, there are 9,414 people over 100 listed on family registers as alive but without a resident registration showing where they live. The 186-year-old Hofu man is one of them.


Possible reasons for the discrepancies are people moving and not updating their resident registrations, or the entirety of a family perishing in World War II, according to municipal governments.


No, I think the best reason for the discrepancy is that the government is full of a bunch of incompetent idiots.


But there really is a 120-year-old man alive in Japan...

His name is Shigechiyo Izumi of Isen on Tokunoshima. Read about him here.

UPDATE!

Mummified body confirmed as that of '111-year-old man'

Police have determined that the mummified body found last month at a residential house in Tokyo's Adachi Ward is that of Sogen Kato, who lived there and was registered as still being alive at 111 years old, investigative sources said Thursday. They have also decided to build a criminal case against his family members for fraudulently receiving the pension payments he would have been entitled to as a widower, according to the sources. Kato's relatives are suspected of illegally receiving some 9 million yen in pension money payable to his late wife, a former teacher, after her death in September 2004, despite knowing that he was dead, according to the sources.

Update from Breitbart.

Gaijin Gourmet: Best Place to Buy Fresh Vegetables and Fruit in Tokyo!

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers


I've found another fantastic place that I just must introduce. It is a fresh produce and fish shop near Okachimachi station in eastern Tokyo. The shop is called, "Sakana no Yakata." It is a chain store run by a company called Yoshiike.

Sakana no Yakata - Go out South exit of Okachimachi station. Turn left. 5 seconds walk.

Folks, I went to that store for the first time ever and I was totally floored by how fresh the produce was and how incredibly cheap the prices were. It is the closet thing to a real Farmer's Market that I have ever seen in Japan.

The shop was packed with people on a weekday. They had tons of items on sale. Some items, like strawberries, I haven't seen on sale in quite a while.

Other items, like fresh bananas with five bananas in a pack sold for ¥30 yen (35 cents) a pack! My local store, which is dirt cheap (or so I thought) sells them for almost three times that price!

Look for the huge cod

Go out Okachimachi South Exit #1 and look to the left. You'll see "Sakana no Yakata" (魚の館）on the corner. Here is a map.

Marketing Japan: The Future of Business Success is a Super Price for Super Service

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers


I was thinking the other day about the state of the economy and where the business opportunities lay when I came upon a small news article buried in the very back of a publication. It dropped my jaw. Read on.


My company has been doing much promotion, marketing and PR for mostly airlines and travel related industries so we have a pretty good grasp of the state of that business. From what we can gather, most airlines are cutting routes, services and amenities to passengers. The so-called "premium carriers" seem to be the hardest hit and the mid-class carriers want to change their image to "premium carrier."

I think there is a big difference between wanting to be a premium class carrier and actually being one. Changing a middle class carrier into a premium one takes much more than a note handed down from corporate; it takes a fundamental shift in corporate culture. Some, of which, by the way, will be impossible for most US carriers to accomplish. I won't state names here.


I also am puzzled at how people perceive the term "Kakuyasu" in Japan. "Kakuyasu" means "super discount." Most people seem to have a bad image in their head about this word, but I think this is nonsense and I also think that perceptions are quickly changing.


While many may gruff and snort at the term Kakuyasu, the public is eating it up. One good example is the discount liquor store that even put the term "Kakuyasu" in its name: Kakuyasu. Kakuyasu is a discount liquor store that originally started out as a family shop in 1921 and was derided as low class when it first incorporated as a chain discount liquor store in 1982. Now they have 140 stores all over Japan and are #1 in liquor store sales... Kakuyasu even outsells 7-11 in liquor sales in Japan!


So, while, still to this day, some people will hold their noses at the term "Kakuyasu," the public loves it and has turned this particular store into a smash success that has over $860 million dollars (USD) in annual sales. 

So, while the economy tanks and the old school belittles discount services and products, they continue to make serious in-roads into to public consciousness and then increase their profitability.   


This brings me back to the point of this article and what I set out to write about in the first place. It is an interesting little topic that seems to have slipped between the cracks of the major news outlets. Now, a Chinese Low Cost carrier (LCC) is offering flights from Japan to Chinese for ¥4000. That's less than  the taxi fare is from my home to downtown Tokyo (and that is only about 20 minutes!)  

Chinese discount carrier Spring Airlines will offer a 4,000 yen one-way ticket between Shanghai and Ibaraki Airport, about 80 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, from September 15 to 29 on a total of 14 flights, it said Wednesday. The discount fare will apply to around 10 percent of the total 180 seats per flight, while fares for other seats are set at between 8,000 yen and 26,000 yen.

Spring Airlines launched chartered flights between the two destinations in July, and has recently received approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to offer the 4,000 yen ticket.

The airline will accept online reservations for the discount tickets from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2, and will continue offering the ticket beyond Sept. 29 if the ministry permits.

Ibaraki Airport is located in Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture.


How can an airlines cut prices so much and still stay afloat? For one, they have financial backing and are taking advantage of other airlines cutting services. If the other carriers cut services then that means airports and airline manufacturers are losing money. 


Airports losing money means that they are more willing to allocate spots to new airlines - at a discount - to help make up for lost revenues. Airlines cutting flights means airlines manufacturers and companies that lease aircraft are hurting too! Since most airlines do not own their own planes and lease them all, this means that aircraft manufacturers have many planes just sitting around. If some new carrier wants to come along and lease planes, then people like Boeing are willing to make excellent lease terms. It's the perfect storm for the benefit of Low Cost Carriers (LCC) and I, for one, cheer this arrangement.


So, like I said, while some will look down upon and thumb their noses at discount services and products, the public seems to want all it can get.... It reminds me of the old quote about giving the public what they want; 


When massive crowds attended the 1957 funeral of L.B. Mayer, the head of MGM, a writer was quoted as saying: "Well, it only proves what they always say, 'Give the people what they want, and they'll come out for it.'"


The smart businessman will recognize this for what it is.

Marketing Japan: Weird Summer TV Commercial in Japan.

This is a bizarre TV commercial for a an amusement park called "Fuji Kyu Highland." The park is about 1.5 hours from Tokyo and has a huge swimming pool, tons of white knuckle rides and all sorts of amenities.

They are also most famous for, most probably, their huge roller coaster which is the biggest in Japan.


DOUBLE CLICK TO SEE FULL SIZED VIDEO

DOUBLE CLICK TO SEE FULL SIZED VIDEO

They've also got a pretty cool homepage that shows you videos of all their hair-raising rides... The page is in Japanese but you don't need to speak the language to watch the videos!

Fuji Kyu Highland web page: http://www.fujiq.jp/

The page is cool and pretty crazy so I recommend clicking around. There's lots of fun stuff!

Japan's New Game Sensation! Chabudaigashi

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers

Pissed off at the world? Yeah. There seems to be lots of other people who share your feelings. Now, the good folks at Taito games in Japan have come out with a game that's just perfect for you.

The game is called Chabudaishi. "Chabu" is an old-fashioned, very small Japanese style dining table. "Daishi" means flipping over that table.

It's a game where you can take out your frustrations on the world as well as your family or friends. Wow! Sign me up! 

At home, during dinner, do the kids talk constantly on their cell phones or play hand-held computer games when all you want is to sit down and have a nice quiet family dinner together and spend some quality time? Well, don't put up with it. Show your wife and children that you are just as dysfunctional as they are by screaming and slamming your fists on the table and then, finally, throwing the table over and spilling everything on the floor in a fit of rage!

What enjoyment!

Or, you are out at a bar or restaurant with friends just wanting to have a nice time with a few drinks and laughs reminiscing about old times. What's that? The waitress keeps screwing up your order or the service is too slow? Don't put up with it. Why call the manager when you can slam your fists on the  table and dump it over to make a public scene and get your ass kicked out of the restaurant!

What fun!

The best part of it all is that you score points and get better scores for the more outrageous your uncontrolled outbursts are.

Why take a tranquilizer and have a nice cup of tea to calm your nerves when you can really act like an idiot with an uncontrollable temper and make a complete fool of yourself.

Chabudaishi by Taito Games. It is so Japanese and, if you fancy, it can also be so you!

Your wife and kids will thank me.

Check out the website where there are many videos of the game that you can watch. It's pretty funny!: http://www.taito.co.jp/arc/noko/chabudai.html

Thanks to my friend Lacarmina

Translating English to Japanese Texting

Translating English to Japanese texting. Ah so! That's what those things meant!

From Wired Magazine

Japanese Anime versus Foreign Anime

DOUBLE CLICK ON IMAGES FOR FULL SIZE

DOUBLE CLICK ON IMAGES FOR FULL SIZE

DOUBLE CLICK ON IMAGES FOR FULL SIZE

DOUBLE CLICK ON IMAGES FOR FULL SIZE

From a very cool website called, "My (Confined) Space": http://www.myconfinedspace.com/

In the Collapsing Japanese Economy Even Samurai Have No Work

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers

The economy is getting really bad here very quickly. Today the Nikkei 225 declined for the 4th day in a row. The yen is nearing an all-time high.

On top of all this bad economic news, the thing that is even worse is the mood of the people. I spoke today with a young 27-year-old company worker who works in the music industry and he told me that there was talk at his company that they weren't going to last the year.

Later, I spoke to the vice president of a large Japanese music publishing company and even he told that, "Things are bad. Everyone is cutting staff and budgets... And it's only going to get worse."

Certainly, the economy is bad and there is no good news on the horizon but, it's also the mood of the people that makes things worse. A vibrant economy needs people with confidence and a positive attitude. Japan certainly doesn't have that now.

It's gotten so bad that even Japan's modern samurai are out of work and that is not a joke.

This report from Al Jazeera:

Samurai movies once made Japanese cinema famous worldwide.

In the 1950s, films such as the Seven Samurai by Akiro Kurosawa were extremely popular both in Japan and abroad.

But waning interest is now leaving many of Japan's silver screen swordsmen out of work.

Cinema and music are escapes for people. They are a cheap way for people to forget their cares.

When people working in these industries start screaming for help then it's probably long past the "canary in the coal mine."

Old Photos of Japan

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers

Are you interested in the mystique, magic and enigma of old Japan? I certainly am. I love things that represent old Japan: art, furniture, culture, bonsai and photography.

The photography of old Japan is usually the part that leaves me quite unsatisfied as, since Japan was such a poor country, and generally closed to the west for centuries, there aren't that many quality old photos representing Japan from the 1800's... Or so I thought!

Today, I'd like to introduce you to a wonderful web site that I stumbled upon yesterday called Old Photos of Japan. It is a fantastic cornucopia of photos from a bygone era that will keep you enthralled with the quality of the work and the artistic intention.

From the homepage:

OLD PHOTOS OF JAPAN:
shows photos of Japan between the 1860s and 1930s. In 1854, Japan opened its doors to the outside world for the first time in more than 200 years. It set in motion a truly astounding transformation. As fate would have it, photography had just been invented. As the old country vanished and a new one was born, daring photographers took photos. Discover what life was like with their rare and precious photographs of old Japan. 

Old Photos of Japan includes work by some of the better known western photographers of the era like Adolfo Farsari and many many more that were completely new to me like Julian Cochrane's very early work from the turn of the century.

Old Photos of Japan is a wonderful online vacation and time trip back to a day long gone past. Please, when you have time, go click on the site and adventure. It might make us all long for a time when life wasn't so rush rush and in a hurry. Old Photos of Japan is a wonderful web site that is like a dream vacation online.

Old Photos of Japan web page.

Also, if you wish to see much more from Adolfo Farsari, please click here.

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Keywords: photo, photography, photographs, old Japan, adolfo farsari,