To all 2009 and 2010 JLPT registrants:

We are sending this message because the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles’ web and mail servers were unlawfully attacked. There is a possibility that your personal information including credit card number and date of birth were stolen.

The Japan Foundation and our web developer, Hampstead USA, are closely investigating this case right now. In the meanwhile, we recommend that you contact your credit card company immediately to inform them of this case and follow their suggestions in order to prevent any fraudulent charges on your credit card.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause.

So call your bank folks. I’m personally having trouble remembering which card I put it on.

If you are trying to register for this year’s test, their website says the following:

Important Message from the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles
Our website is temporarily unavailable. The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, is working together with our Web Developer, Hampstead USA, to quickly restore access to our website. We understand that this is a critical time during the year, especially for those trying to register for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

Please check back later, thank you.

Let’s hope it gets fixed by the deadline. However, this makes me not want to give them my credit card number again. What are they doing keeping the credit card numbers on the webserver anyway?

I may have failed last year’s test (1級 >ω<;), but looks like they fail at web security.

Technorati Tags: credit cards, crime, hacking, Japan Foundation, Japanese, Japanese language, Japanese language proficiency test, jlpt, Los Angeles, nihongo nouryoku shiken, 日本語, 日本語能力試験

If you are still feeling 明るい (akarui) after that, check out what the great folks at NicoDou have come up with based on this after the jump.

First off, we have a very well done MAD. Not exactly PG, but hey, this is meant for 20 year olds, right?

The dance is too much for people to not do:

The band version is amazing:

A classic NES version:

And a SHUZO version:

Technorati Tags: akarui, band, Coming of Age Day, dance, Go! Go! Election, Indian, ＧＯ！ＧＯ！選挙, MAD, nes, remix, seijin no hi, seijinshiki, shuzo, 成人式, 明るい, 松岡, 松岡修造, 修造

What happens when Santa is seen as a Bodhisattva by a NicoDou obsessed monk?

This is very, very odd. It’s a Buddhist Christmas Service. But, I’m completely on board. Oh, Great Santa-sama! Please free me of worldly ties by giving me presents… wait, that’s not right. Maybe he really gives presents to Christians as a punishment for being attached to the world?

Anyway, this is definitely 6 of the weirdest minutes you’ll spend this Christmas.

Technorati Tags: bozu, buddhism, Christmas, monk, NicoNicoDouga, santa, Santa Claus, service, X'mas

www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_9i8HoISo8

I think I like this episode the best since it really reminds me of the good ol’ YD feel. I mean, talking to チンピラ (chimpira) and 女子高生 (joshi kousei) was all we ever did. However, I don’t think either BakaDaruku nor David were nearly drunk enough.

Fantastic. Check out the new SYD channel!

Technorati Tags: BakaDaruku, bousouzoku, 高崎, gaijin, gaikokujin, high school girls, interview, Japanese girls, japanese high school girls, joshikousei, Luka, obama, shin yamato damacy, SYD, Takasaki, video blogs, vlogging, yamato damacy, YD, 女子高生, 暴走族

The 1.0 version had a lot of good features for searching, even by ローマ字 (romaji) or 部首 (bushu), but the new one has multiple radical search (they call it “By Component” search) and even search by conjugated form. I think my favorite new feature is the ability to use the by component entry system to look up things in the main dictionary. Brilliant.

In addition, they are challenging Anki mobile with their own flashcard system and a JLPT study list that also has how many days until the next test! I wonder if they account for the fact that the test is done twice in Japan per year, but only once overseas…

The animations showing you how to draw the 漢字 (kanji) are back. That was really one thing that set 1.0 out and above everything else.

Anyway, it is normally $20, but was on sale until 2.0 was released… which seems like it was today. The app store description and website aren’t updated yet, so go get it NOW while it is still cheap! Even at $20, you get the functionality of a $300 piece of equipment. After breaking 3 electronic dictionaries over the years, I’m glad to have this all in 1 app. Go convergence! (More screen shots after the jump.)

Pics:

Component Search

Flash Card System

Emailing Vocab Lists

Technorati Tags: anki, Anki Mobile, Apple, code from tokyo, iPhone, iPod Touch, Japanese, jlpt, kanji, nihongo, 日本語, 日本語能力試験, 漢字

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvg6Wf5GtQk

This uploader of this video went to Antigua, Guatemala and made a video of magma BBQ. Yes, he used a volcano to cook some meat. The real action starts at 2:21.

The verdict? The meat was pretty good, but had a grainy texture from magma getting on it. The vegetables didn’t cook very well and were still sort of raw. Seemed like it was too hot to stick around to wait for them to cook. However, it was so hot, that some of the other meat in his bag got cooked right there in the bag as he was hiking around on the volcano.

I think this could be the start of a whole new tradition of BBQ.

Technorati Tags: @BGM, Antigua, barbeque, BBQ, Guatemala, mario world, volcano, yakiniku

www.youtube.com/watch?v=G09qA2N0Rj0

We had a guy who used to sell 焼き芋 (yaki imo) around my house. Would he have to yell ほかほか (hokahoka)??? Should I start an ice cream truck and yell “Ice Cream! BurrBurr!!!”

Extra MADness after the jump.

Technorati Tags: ぷりぷり, ぷるぷる, ぷる～ん, わらびもち, わらび餅, ice cream man, puripuri, purupuru, rice cakes, selling, sweet potato, vendor, warabimochi, yaki imo, yakiima, yakiimo

An interesting tidbit about こどもの日 is that despite officially being a day for all children, it is more of a celebration of/for boys based on the original holiday of 端午の節句 (Tango no Sekku). The day that is more of a celebration of/for girls is ひな祭り (Hina Matsuri), which is on March 3rd.

There is even a controversy saying that the fact that the こどもの日 is a national holiday while ひな祭り isn’t is a sign of gender discrimination. I personally thing that having a day off probably benefits any of the kids in the family!

And, as I live in Los Angeles, I do not have the day off while people plan on celebrating Cinco De Mayo tonight. I wonder if my son will grow up associating こいのぼり with Mexican food?

Technorati Tags: こいのぼり, boy's day, carp, carp streamer, girl's day, golden week, holiday, holidays, kodomo no hi, koi, koi nobori, koinobori

Who knew coffee could 萌える (moeru)?

Technorati Tags: art, エンターテイメント, カフェラテの無駄使い, スイーツ（驚）, テラアート, ニコニコ美術館, バリスタ, barista, Caffellatte, coffee, entertainment, 芸術, 飲みたいけど飲めない, latte, NicoArtMuseum, starbucks

I lol’d pretty hard to this one. This one is for you, Luka! XD

Technorati Tags: おかしい, funny, lol, nicovideo, orz, OTL, video