I, Weeaboo
Written by Jeshii on 2010.01.20 – 06:49 -
A not so friendly guy on YouTube introduced me (repeatedly in comments over many videos) to the term weeaboo. I’ll admit, I’m not up on my English Internet slang, so I had to look it up. Apparently, I am one.
And my response? I definitely felt a lot more insulted by this than most of the times I’ve been called 外人. It really belittles my 12 years of studying Japanese, my time living there, my respect for the culture and peoples, and generally the entire direction I’ve taken my life.
I also think it is why I spend more time on ニコニコ動画 (NicoNicoDouga) than a lot of the English-speaking Internets. I’m interacting with people who don’t know or care that I’m an outsider. They (seem to) respect the fact that I have taken the time to learn Japanese. There’s even a community cheering R and myself on to make more videos.
Actually, it’s true that a lot of people on YouTube have been very supportive, but a lot of it boils down to, “When are you going back to Japan.” The truth is, I really don’t know if I’m going back to Japan. And even if I did, I might not make videos without my partners, Rahman and DrLuka.
What I’m trying to say here is be respectful. Just remember what しじみ (shijimi) stands for; し（信じる）じ（自分の）み（道）, or “Believe in your own path.” I know how annoying little otaku can be. Hell, I was one 10 years ago. But I’ve grown up, I have a family, I have a job, and I do my little videos here in America now. No, I don’t get punched for what I do. People are generally friendly wherever you go.
And I really would like to believe that about the Internet as well.
Tags: Internet, japan, life, NicoNicoDouga, rant, respect, wapanese, weeaboo, youtube
Posted in rant | 10 Comments »
Come Meet R of Kaiguys!
Written by Jeshii on 2009.12.08 – 07:18 -
Yes, the on, R of the 海外ズ (Kaiguys) will be at the 秋葉原 (Akihabara) Gamers main shop on Dec. 13th, 2009 at 1pm Japan Time. Be there!
Tags: Akiba, Akihabara, アキバ, 秋葉, 秋葉原, event, japan, kaiguys, R, 海外ズ
Posted in Internet | No Comments »
NicoNicoDouga AKI!!!
Written by Jeshii on 2008.10.02 – 12:00 -So, NicoNicoDouga has had some interesting version names. There was β (beta),γ (gamma), RC, RC2, SP1, then they went with 夏 (natsu).
But then the season changed and now it is fall. So!
The new version of NicoNicoDouga is 秋 (aki)! Makes sense. After Summer comes Autumn. It’s simple. And the video introducing it was funny, saying 「文句あるか」 (monku aru ka, “Any complaints?!”) And, the 秋葉原 (Akihabara) tie-in potential can’t be ignored.
They were calling the next version… “Double Beta,” but no one really knew what that was supposed to mean. So they went with the natural next choice.
New features have been announced… many not yet implemented. Short explanation after the jump.
Tags: aki, autumn, ニコニコ動画, 秋, double beta, fall, japan, lol, NicoNicoDouga, nicovideo, silly, update, version update, video, web
Posted in Internet | 1 Comment »
Awesome Japanese Packaging
Written by Jeshii on 2008.09.30 – 16:40 -
I love Japan (not that you doubted that). Like any love, sometimes they do things that you wouldn’t normally like (packaging, bad for the environment) but they do it so cutely that you can’t help but love them.
Japanese packaging is awesome sometimes. PingMag did a review of their favorites. There are special packages for easy refills, squeezable condiments (they show maple syrup, but my favorite was the combo ketchup/mustard ones), and single coffee serving, complete with filter! I remember a lot of these from living in Japan and I never realized how much I loved them until they were gone.
My favorite? The yakisoba and spaghetti that have a draining mechanism built in (pictured). It’s simple and brilliant.
Read the full article over here: Cleverly Convenient Packaging Design
Tags: clever, coffee, condiments, cool, design, food, japan, packaging, spaghetti, yakisoba
Posted in food | No Comments »
Yamato Damacy
Written by Jeshii on 2008.08.21 – 14:11 -If you know anything about me, you know that I lived in Japan for 3 years and that I made a series of videos while I was there with my friends Rahman and Luka.
The name comes from 大和魂 (yamato damashii), which is a phase roughly translated as “Japanese Spirit,” and is generally a nationalistic phrase. You’d never hear a 外人 (gaijin) saying it… which is why we used that name. It goes along with the surprise everyone had at us foreigners speaking Japanese.
It was a lot of fun. And people seemed to like it. But since I haven’t been able to do anything nearly as big, it makes me feel like a total internet-famous has-been. ><; The best episodes are as follows:
Episode 9: Setsubun
This episode was the BEST. Dressed up as an 鬼 (oni), I ran out of a phone booth to scare people.
Episode 3: Karaoke
This episode was funny just for the end, if nothing else.
Episode 10: Vanity Project
On the whole, we usually would just do interview videos. But in this one, we were fed up showing others, and just made a short film featuring us. It turned out okay, but people really seemed to like it.
Episode 29: Vanity Project 2
This episode was the prequel to Episode 10. The editing and cheesy dialogue make this a classic.
You can see all the episodes on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=40EA472A4F34B0AD
You can also check out the Revecess Wiki entry for even more info.
[Update] I now have pages set up for each of the Episodes here at Yamatologic. Go check them out!
Tags: blogs, friends, gaijin, gunma, japan, jeshii, rahman, video, vlogging, yamato damacy, 外人
Posted in blogs | 4 Comments »
