5 animes that taught you Japanese culture/history without you even knowing it

The word anime means “Japanese-animation”, all of us who have been watching these Japanese cartoons should at least know that much by now.  It can be assumed that all of us have learned at least something from anime regarding the culture or history about Japan so not only are we having fun watching something that we like, BUT we are learning something about the culture from where it is produced.
Here are some of the anime that I wanna mention that all of us consciously or subconsciously have learned about Japanese culture from:

5.  Tenchi Muyo (天地無用) – Any teenage boy w/ a boner’s fantasy right here.  Who wouldn’t like be the only guy (well I guess “young” guy) in a house with 6 chicks that want to have your baby???  You also get a miniature rabbit/cat thing as a bonus ^_^.  Tenchi and his harem of space chicks go on all these cool adventures involving all kinds of space pirates and royalty trying to distract Tenchi from which chick he was gonna bang first.  But during all of this you get to see many “little” things about Japanese culture like:

–What the Japanese country-side looks like
–Shrines/Temples

–Beach culture (water melons and yakisoba)
-Japanese houses outside/inside (architecture, futons, tatami, rice cookers)

A lot of things from everyday Japanese daily life in the country side (well, everything excluding the hawt chicks and space ships), but overall it was a fun story and anime to watch on Toonami after school.

4.  FLCL (フリクリ) - Ok, so this anime you probably wouldn’t have seen unless you were staying up late and watching Cartoon Network (and if you weren’t, well, like kill yourself, lol).  This is brought to you by the same creators of the waaaaay more popular anime “Neon Genesis Evengelion”, but that is gonna get it’s own Tkyosam article in the future.   FLCL or “Fooly Cooly” is an anime about a boy named Naota who is pissed off at life or rather the lack of excite which is missing from his life, then one day he get’s hit by some alien chick on a scooter and all this crazy shit starts happening.

FLCL showed us the other” country side a lot of people don’t get to see.  Which is kinda like the U.S midwest: people are bored and kids are driving their parents cars. :p  …well not that bad but it did show us stuff like:

-riverside areas, you always see these in Japanese anime, but it does show that those places place a certain significance in where the “adolecent crowd” in Japan like to linger, also a good place to befriend a wierd dog robot that eats cars…

-Japanese cars- it really does show how small and plain Japanese cars are.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.  But after Tokyo Drift came out everybody thought there would be Viper Gtz and shizzle everywhere…

Japanese community/housing- WIth the exception of that building that looked like a giant clothing iron, everything fromNaota’s house/bread-shop are authentically looking Japanese.  Especially the Kotatsu that Taku and his grandfather sat under in their living room.

3.  Great Teacher Onizuka（グレート＊ティーチャー＊オニツカ）・Great Teacher Onizuka is an anime about a guy named “Eikichi Onizuka”. This guy is an ex-biker turned high-school-teacher in order to finally lose his virginity and hook up with as many high school girls as humanly possible. This anime is already pretty popular but it really gives you a good look into the Japanese school system such as:

・ Teaching exams- The poor teachers in Japan in order to become teachers in Japan, after they graduate from university they have to take a 2 part test. Part one is them having to teach an actual class for 1-2 months then they have to take a written test to pass as well. I’m not sure if they covered this in the anime or manga though…aw well this is a blog, no need for citing sources when I am writing this for fun and not getting paid for it J

・ Bosozoku- The official/un-official bad boys of Japan. Onizuka was the leader of one of the of the biggest. These bad boys drive around in motorcycles and cry about how they weren’t hugged as children. Really, I have met a lot of guys like this in Japan and most of them were nice guys who would get their asses kicked if ever trying to step up to an American, lol.

・ Game centers-Onizuka kicks Murai’s ass at every game that he is challenged to, which includes classics like Virtua Fighter 3, Point Blank, and this weird arm-wrestling game.

This anime

・
2.  Samurai Champloo（サムライ＊チャンプル）- Take the awesomeness of Cowboy Bebop, throw away the Sci-Fi shizzle, guns, and hot blonde chicks and you get Samurai Champloo. This anime is about a girl named Fuu trying to find this samurai “who smells like sunflowers” and the 2 roaming Samurais (Jin and Mugen) she randomly meets up with in episode 1. What’s this anime got that introduces you to Japanese culture and history:

・ Miyamoto Musashi・ (famous samurai who basically wrote the book on Bushido, gets a name drop from a weird old samurai who saves Jin in one episode).

・ Ainu- the traveler who saves Fuu when she falls off a waterfall. Turns out that traveler is “traveling” because his whole village up in Northern Japan was wiped out and he is on a trail for revenge. The way his home looks when he is describing it and by the clothing he is wearing gives the hint that he was from Hokkaido where the FIRST, original people of Japan were from.

・ The Dutch- Oh the Dutch, how they get so much crap after Austin Power’s dad said they sucked. But hey, the people that made Pot legal, can’t be all that bad, can they? Turns out that you can learn from this anime that the Dutch were some of the first people to come to Japan and openly trade with the government there. We learn that when Fuu gets her ass handed to her in an eating contest by this white dude who says he will give her all the money and shizzle she lost in the contest if she and the guys just show him around town.

・

・ There are a lot more examples I could bring up, but those were a few of my favs from the show I thought I would share.

・
1.  Gintama（銀魂-) Whats the perfect way to make an anime where you can literally do whatever you want?  Well, for starters, have the main characters job description be 万事屋 (yorozunya) which basically means “10,000 jobs store/Any-service store”.  This anime is great because it’s no holds barred and makes fun of not only itself, but also makes fun of Japanese pop culture at the same time.  There are soooo many “in” jokes when it comes to referencing Japanese culture that most of the time, even I don’t pick it up. Where to start? Well…

・ Kabekura- these are bars where men with money go NOT for women to show their tits, but to have the women talk to them and pour them drinks. One of the characters sisters works at one to keep their dojo open.

・ Shinsengumi- The Shogun’s (president of Japan figure guy) special police. Probably never as present are they are in this manga. Plus, with the guy who did the voice acting for Mugen(Samurai Champloo) doing the voice for one of the character of Hijikata, makes it all fun.

・ Otaku・there are MANY kinds and Gintama writers go out of their way to to make fun of them. From anime to music idol fans, no Japanese reject group has been left out of this anime.

SSGintama is probably the biggest pop-culture teach you are gonna find when it comes to the anime department.

In In conclusion:

I guess that I would wanna end this telling you guys that are reading this, that it IS possible to learn as much as you want about Japanese langauge and culture WITHOUT having to being physically being IN Japan.  Sure it helps, but with today’s internet resources and everything, there are plenty of ways for people to learn about the culture without having to pay for the expenssive plane ticket.

Thats it for now, you all stay black and classy.

-Sam out

Racism complaints from a viewer…

SOON.

Loyal Tkyosam viewer:

Hello tkyosam,

Thanks for the interview with Mr Debito. It was really interesting to hear his opinions for real. The best part for me was the part where the japanese refused to speak japanese with debito. Reminds me that no matter who you are, to them we are still just ignorant white guys who are incapable of understanding the remotest part of japanese culture or language. The sheer frustration of never being accepted as an equal is possibly the hardest part of living in japan. I admired Debito’s handling of the situation, he remained very calm despite this complete lack of respect for a paying customer/ human being. I’ve totally flipped out and called the manager over before when a waiter simply refused to speak japanese despite many 何だよコラ、俺たっちゃ白人なのに、日本語喋れるじゃねえか馬鹿やろう、このフラ！！！！ but then hey who cares.

Sorry to vent this on you its just that I for some reason thought that I’d be immune to this when I came to japan (I am just as good as debito at japanese) and I guess it shows you that as long as your skin colour is white (or at leas non asian looking) then you speak english and cannot possibly speak japanese.

sorry for the excessive negativity , but the video really just struck a nerve.

Stan (name changed)

Sam:

hahaha, no worries dude.

I should really put into the description: “SHE WAS CHINESE!!!”, lol, her name was “Li”.

I like Debito for his information for living in Japan, not the whole racism/activist stuff, which I honestly couldn’t give a fuck about.  The only times I have been discriminated against was at a Soapland that I went to with my J-coworkers, but it’s ok, I was only coming because they were gonna pay.

If you look at this country from a negative view, you will  HAVE a negative view.  People like to blame shit on Japan being racist, but like Debito put on his website like the hair salons and real estate places and shit not allowing or not helping foreigners I just say “fuck it”, go somewhere else, there are PLENTY of other places that allow people in, so go there.

There is some racism (or people you don’t wanna deal with) and even if you couldn’t change their mind without the help from cops or the court, then just simply don’t deal with them.

Thanks for the email, stay black

-Sam

Old Footage 29-”Tokyo Dome Hotel”

New one is out, enjoy peoplez,

This is at the Tokyo Dome Hotel’s 43rd floor bar and it is great fuckin’ place with classy-ness up the ass-ness!  I suggest anybody check it and dress for the occasion as opposed to me in this video

stay black

-Sam

50 little things I like about Japan :)

50 small things I like about Japan:

hehehe, they need more of this in teh J-land

1.  Smoking in Cartoons
2.  Teriyaki burgers @ Macdonalds
3.  Cars are smaller
4.  Cars are all the follwing colors: Grey, White, Black, Silver
5.  Short commercials (15+ seconds)
6.  Arcade machines you can SIT down at to play
7.  Police box always near by
8.  Convienent store always near by
9.  Cars drive on the LEFT side
10.  You can buy ice cream in a squeeze pouch :9
11.  Anime theme songs are done by popula/upcoming artists
12.  A “L” size meal set @ Macdonalds is the size of a “M” size in America
13.  People dress their kids in adult clothing
14.  School uniforms
15.  People who AREN’T businessmen/women, still wear suits -.-
16.  Public transportation is fast/reliable
17.  Cup Ramen has like 1 billion+ flavors here, all for less than $3
18.  Japanese fast food is a rice bowl w/ anything on top
19.  Computers are cheaper and easier to find here
20.  Thrift/Recycle stores sell stuff that is practical and good shape
21.  Internet is fast as F*CK 
22.  There are like, “5 brands” of beer and they all taste the same
23.  People keep beetles/other-bugs as pets here
24.  100円 store has almost ANYTHING you need to start up living here
25.  I can pay most of my bills @ the convienent store
26.  Most students come to school EARLY and leave LATE so they can take part in their school clubs
27.  Earth Quakes
28.  Seafood is cheap and plentiful
29.  CHEAP SUSHI ;9
30.  CHEAP MANGA (In U.S, they’re $10 a pop new  <.<)
31.  Manga can be bought almost anywhere
32.  Public drinking
33.  Toilet stalls down to ankle level
34.  Toilet seats with built in air freshener, deoderant, and seat warmers (*~x^*)
35.  Baths, what they lack in length they make up for in height
36.  CD’S new cost $30
37.  Games/Movies can cost $50+
38.  It’s “cool” to own a scooter or minivan -.-
39.  Vending machines are everywhere!
40.  I get to play all the video games here before they get released in other countries (can anybody say “Tekken 6″???)
42.  You take off your shoes when going into somebody’s house
43.  Buildings (schools, apts., etc.) don’t try to look very unique on the outside
44.  There animals are still ALIVE when you walk by a public place (fish, turtles, ducks, etc.)
45.  I can dry my clothes outside
46.  The awesome “No hang-over drink” Ukon no Chikara
47.  Parents looks cool/young here
48.  REAL (well, at least “bitter”) Green Tea is in vending machines (hot or cold)
49.  I can practice speaking Japanese ANYWHERE
50.  Kanji is on EVERYTHING

There ya go, 50 little things/observations I made about this awesome country I am living in.  Stay black peoplesz.

-Sam

Noriko Calderon

I’m from the U.S and ANY illegal immigrant can come into the country and have a child and the child is automatically granted U.S citizenship despite their parent not being in the country legally.  I even read that it is popular for Korean mothers to visit the U.S when they are pregnant so they can have the child born in the U.S just to recieve U.S citizenship.

It’s obvious that unless Japan makes it easier for it’s citizens to have/raise kids, people are gonna keep not having them and the poplulation is going to keep decreasing.  Which means at one point Japan has to lift it’s arms in defeat and say “FINE!  FUCK IT!  BRING IN MORE FOREIGNERS!!!”, so they have people to take the construction jobs the ex-retired senior citizens keep complaining about doing.
In America, my family was poor and I grew up in government housing (ya know, the apts. in the ghetto parts of town).  It was like being in The Jeffersons, except not being “black” or “funny” -.-  It was funny, because my family was the ONLY one that WASN’T Mexican (from Colorado, remember) and so I had plenty of Mexican friends, all of which told me their parents were illegal immigrants, kinda ironic, considering this was all housing subsidized by the government, lol.  Point is, most of those people were GOOD people that might have don’t bad things to get into America, but I didn’t hate them on the circumstances their parents chose on how to get into the U.S.

Wow, 3 paragraphs later and I’m still not to the point yet.  So this girl Noriko Calderon’s parents came to Japan on false passports 10 or so years ago.  Now they were caught, were jailed, paid their fines and now are facing deportation, but their daughter, who has lived here for all her life, who doesn’t know any other language besides Japanese is being forced to go back to a country she know’s nothing about.
The options are:

1.  The government will allow her and her parents to stay in Japan.
2.  The government lets Noriko stay, but her parents have to go back to the Phillipines.
3.  Noriko and her family get all deported and sent back to the Phillipines.

It’s a tough choice, if Japan chooses #1, it will let Japan seem like it’s being more of an open country to foreigners,like the U.S, but it might show that the country is now letting anybody who sneaks into the country the same circumstances if they are caught.
If #2, then it at least shows Japan has SOME compassion as opposed to NONE.
If #3 then shows Japan can give a good example to world on how it doesn’t take shit from outsiders, like a reverse-Perry-gaijin-smash.

So this blog is about dieting, but seeing as I am not writing about that so much, I decided to start writing about other shit recently, so it will get me to write more about my opinions while I live in this country and shizzle.  Plus, the more you write the more your +writing skillage+ you get in this life RPG, so I gotta keep grinding this shizzle.

laterz peoplesz
Sam