A New Blog. A New Day for Japan-enthusiasts...

Ok. Perhaps that title is a bit melodramatic. :D

What is this all about?

It's simple (but very exciting), we are starting a new blog.

It is exciting because this new blog will have a unique purpose.
A purpose that we hope will be beneficial to all Japan-enthusiasts.

The blog will showcase the people, the sites, and the projects that are making the web a better place for Japan-enthusiasts!

And here is the part we are really excited about:
It will not only feature information about them. Oh No. It will be full of behind the scenes, exclusive interviews with the people themselves!

These are the people who are bringing you unique views of Japan, amazing experiences, solid advice, great language tools and materials, and all the wonders a J-enthusiast could ever ask for!

In this blog we will also go in-depth into projects that are producing free resources for the benefit of all. We plan to interview wikipedia and wikibooks editors who are heavily involved in creating free entries and even free Japanese language textbooks!

Your window (or better yet, x-ray) into Japan on the web.

So consider this your official welcome (from your buddies James, Keitaro, and Tori) to...

A New Day For Japan-enthusiasts!
And a new interview everyday
On









(Set to launch, September 7th 2007. What a tease!)

Dreamers Never Give Up

I have to be honest, sometimes I feel like giving up...

Trying to affect change and carry out a vision is hard work!

That's what we are trying to do with Nipponster.com

We are trying to make the web a better place for Japan-enthusiasts

But it is not easy.

I did not think that it would be.

But I did not expect it to be this hard.

The main problem boils down to how to create buzz about our mission.

How can we get lots of people behind it?

How can we make them passionate about revolutionising Japan-related content on the web?

How do we get people involved in projects (like making a free comprehensive Japanese text book)?

We don't know the answers yet.

And we could always use your input.

But one thing is for certain...

We are dreamers.

And Dreamers never give up!

-Tori

Bringing Japan to the world!

In talking to Japan-related blogger and web site owners we meet a lot of people with similar goals/interest.

What are the similar goals?


To Bring Japan to the World!

That is really cool goal I think, because many people are fascinated by Japan.


There is a mystery and curiousity about Japan.

And Japan-related blogs and websites give them the window. A window to see Japan.

Each blog/site has unique message and they are each beautiful.

Their beauty needs to get out so that more people can see it.


That is why Nipponster is dedicating itself to developing new exciting ways to promote those blogs and websites.

Maa, I cannot tell you about specifics yet, ne.

But we will let you know more in a few days!

Stay posted,

~~Keitaro

RepeKanji on the Nipponster Japan Toolbar

We just added something new to the Japan toolbar

It is pretty cool.

Videos teaching 50 kanji each, so you can study 50 kanji a week.

It's ...















For those who already have the Nipponster Japan Toolbar <--(link to post with demo), you can find these videos on your toolbar by going to "Japan Links" --> "Learning Kanji and Kana" --> "Repe Kanji"












If you haven't downloaded the Nipponster Japan Toolbar yet you can Download it now

The Nipponster Japan Toolbar (w/ Free Japanese TV!)

It is the first and (hopefully always will be) best toolbar of Japan-Enthusiasm! It is the Japan-Enthusiast's toolbar.
And we are constantly looking for ways to improve it for you, because... we want to make the web a better place for all you Japan-Enthusiasts

We love you guys,
-Tori

p.s. Leave a comment on this post and let us know how we can improve the Japan toolbar!

Man-Eating Sushi

"In Tokyo, sushi is finally getting its revenge."

- Andrea Sachs
This is possibly the greatest quote ever :)



What is this all about? And how has this "sushi" finally exacted its diabolical revenge on mankind?!



The bizzare story begins in Ooedo-Onsen-Monogatari, a hot spring in Odaiba...

















It was a sunny day in May 2006, the elementary school children were marching along to their schools in their little yellow traffic safety hats, salarymen in their near-identical black business suits were hussling to work en mass, and a mysterious turkish package was arriving at the doorstep of one of Tokyo's swankiest spas.



Little did they know, it was a package that would strike "mild horror" in the hearts of spa-goers and that's contents would be described as simply "disturbing".



Are you ready?!
























As the first brave soul dipped his hand into the mysterious tank dozens of black creatures warmed!

Oh, THE HORROR!

Like something straight out of the pages of a sci-fi thriller, the Garra rufa hunger for human flesh! Dead human fleshhhhhh!

Hey wait, before you run for the covers, I'm talking about dead skin.



Garra rufa, if you want to get scientific, are natives of the river basins of the Northern and Central Middle East, mainly in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. They are an internationally-sought-after, rare and highly protected....
Fish

That's right a fish, but not just any fish, a "Doctor Fish"

These bizzare little "sushi" actually eat the dead skin off of one's fingers and toes, while leaving the live skin clean, refreshed, and most inportantly, intact!

What a way to get a manicure!

All part of the new excitement at the spas and hotsprings of everyone's favourite odd-ball country.

And so, in a deliciously (or disgustingly) ironic turn of events, in the spas of Japan, the sushi eats you!

- - -
-ToRI

p.s. If you want find more info on this here are some interesting searches using nipponster
Japanese skin-eating fish manicure
Doctor fish
others for you to try on your own:
Doctor Fish Japan Limited
sushi getting revenge