dannychoo photos on Flickr

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26698/K+Anime.html

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26288/Anime+Magazines.html

Yui Takamura Figure by Danny Choo

4

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26906/Yui+Takamura+Figure.html

Canon Electronics by Danny Choo

1 1

Can you imagine working in a place where the boss got rid of all the chairs and put in alarms which go off when you don't walk fast enough?

Well some of the folks who work at Canon don't need to imagine - its a reality for them.

The president of Canon Electronics Hisashi Sakamaki is also the author of a book called "A company will do well if you get rid of the chairs and computers" - available on Amazon.

According to his book, employees can concentrate on the meeting at hand without chairs and they have been able to half the number of meetings each year.

He also says that by standing at work, the employees develop a closer relationship with each other and that problems are solved much more quicker. The company also saves on the cost of buying chairs as you can see in the photo.

Also in the photo you can see a blue sign on the floor. When Nikkei went to interview the president, while walking in the corridor a siren and flashing lights went off.

The corridor was designed to detect whether employees were walking at least 5 meters for every 3.6 seconds.

The blue sign on the floor also says "Lets rush - if we don't then the company and world will perish."

The president says that the factory is huge and is foolish to waste time walking which is why he put those sensors in place to let the employees feel how fast they should be walking.

Folks at 2ch have put together a comparison between the employees work conditions and a few photos of the boss relaxing in his office ^^;

And what do folks at Itai News have to say about all this?

-Its like a prison

-Its old gits like this that cause damage to Japan

-Whats with the brain washing

-I feel despair for the employees. I'm not buying Canon

-Its like science fiction

-They are not treated like humans

-Hes got no sense - it should be 100 meters for every9.8 seconds

-Get rid of the tables too!

-This is why suicide rates don't drop

Next time you take a photo on your Canon - think about the employees ^^;

Via Itai News.

I feel all guilty as a Canon user sitting down at work.

The current office layout taken from this weeks A Week in Tokyo 39.

Good time to switch to Nikon ^^;

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/19639/Canon+Electronics.html

Indonesia Itasha by Danny Choo

5

More Itasha related posts below!

Indonesia Itasha

Mirai Itasha Mini Countryman Version

Mirai Suenaga in Malaysia

Japan Road Bike

Kipi

Mirai Suenaga Itasha Ver 2

Kobuichi Itasha

Moekana - ku

Ita G Festa 3 (part 2)

Ita G Festa

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26654/Indonesia+Itasha.html

Dollism by Danny Choo

3

A doll event called Dollism took place last Sunday which was attended by a load of DC readers.

Avan took a load of snaps and kindly gave me permission to www.dannychoo.com/clickout.php?url=http://www.figure.fm/p....

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25722/Dollism.html

1

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26698/K+Anime.html

1

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26698/K+Anime.html

One Piece Kirino Kousaka by Danny Choo

2 1

And this is what Kirino would look like around your workspace.

More figure photo reviews listed up below.

Dark Magician Girl

Kaiyodo Office Tour

Volks

Mirai Suenaga Doll

Asuka Shikinami Langley Kotobukiya

Dollpa 29 Part 2

Dollpa 29

Yui Takamura Figure

Cu-poche Madoka

Iron Man Nendoroid

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26933/One+Piece+Kirino+Kousaka....

Doll Show 35 by Danny Choo

3

The 35th Doll Show took place today in Tokyo and I managed to muster a couple of hours at the event before heading back to the office. As usual the place was filled with lovely dollies and accessories.

Any doll events in your neck of the woods?

Check out doll related posts listed up below - or you can check out doll.fm and follow the doll.fm Facebook.

Dollism Plus Tokyo

I Doll

Yuzuriha Inori Dollfie

Ultimate iPhone Case

Happy Chinese New Year 2012!

Merry Christmas 2011

2011 Christmas Giveaway

Kashiwazaki Sena

Hatsune Miku Dollfie

Saber and Melon

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26674/Doll+Show+35.html

Some retro schoolgirls.

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25741/Japanese+Schoolgirl.html

Japan TV Production by Danny Choo

3

Culture Japan is currently in its first season and is being broadcast on Tokyo MX TV in Japan every week. Even though we have only broadcast 3 out of the 13 episodes, the show seems to have gained popularity in Japan and looks like we already have sponsors for a second season. But I'll be taking a short break before Season 2 or each show would be broadcast from my coffin ^^;

Pretty much all of my time right now is spent either filming, editing or preparing for the show. Preparation includes everything from the filming equipment (camera, sound, lighting, tripods) to things like working with the makers/shops/locations/event PR folks to organize the shoot.

Most of the Japanese TV industry uses Final Cut Pro which I managed to get the hang of though the very late nights working on the show - I had no idea what I was letting myself in for ^^;

After editing all the footage, we send the audio tracks to the folks who does whats known in the industry as "MA" or Multi Audio. They add any sound effects needed and also makes sure that narration and background music is balanced out. This process is also known as "Sei-on" [整音].

At the same time, the translator is working on the English/Japanese subtitles which are then read into Final Cut Pro using XML - this then creates a sequence with all the subs placed at the correct times - we used to do this manually!

Once the subs and final audio track is complete, we render the final video in full HD which ends up being about 50GB. This is then taken to a studio which records the show on tape. The tape is then taken to Tokyo MX TV for the final process called "Nouhin" [納品] which means "delivery of goods."

Learned how to use tools such as Photoshop, Fireworks and Illustrator over the years which have become handy as these are used in TV production a lot too. If you are interested in working in Japan in the content creation field then do consider adding Final Cut editing skills under your belt too as there is much demand for this skill set. But don't forget that you need Japanese language ability too.

There is a poll embedded in this article.

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25851/Japan+TV+Production.html

Dark Magician Girl by Danny Choo

2

More figure photo reviews listed up below.

Kaiyodo Office Tour

Volks

Mirai Suenaga Doll

Asuka Shikinami Langley Kotobukiya

Dollpa 29 Part 2

Dollpa 29

Yui Takamura Figure

Cu-poche Madoka

Iron Man Nendoroid

Mikoto Misaka Beach Side

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26940/Dark+Magician+Girl.html

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26698/K+Anime.html

Desk Diary 2010/12/29 by Danny Choo

1

The Desk Diary was another series that I was supposed to write regularly which covers the changing work environment together with any other bits and bobs that are going on in life. The last one I wrote was in September when it was still hot - its bloody freezing now!

Since the last installment, the office has had a few additions which are mostly for Culture Japan production. The iMac is where all the main Final Cut editing goes on. Sometimes we have 3 Macs rendering stuff but really need to make time to look into having some sort of cluster just for rendering.

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25952/Desk+Diary+2010+12+29.html

2

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26698/K+Anime.html

CJ Night Malaysia 2012 Winter Registrations Open by Danny Choo

1

Culture Japan Night is an event that takes place around the world which brings together folks who share the same passions for Japanese Pop Culture. These folks are brought together to grow their own network of not just business contacts but new friendships too. Check out this category to see what previous events have been like.

This time we will have Moekana tournaments, anisong, cosplay, figure and doll display.

I'll be in Malaysia for Comic Fiesta on the 22 + 23rd December and as usual we will hold Culture Japan Night right after on the 24th. If you fancy joining then just register using this form! Details of the event below.

Date: December 24th 2012

Time: 5PM - 10PM - come and leave anytime.

Entrance Fee: RM20. The venue need to pay their bills. I would prefer for you to come for free but would cost me 3 limbs for the space. I need my limbs to get back to Japan.

Address: Menara PGRM, No.8 Jalan Pudu Ulu, Cheras 56100 Kuala Lumpur.

Hall: "Dewan Pulau Pinang 1 & 2" Level 4, Tower 1

Nearest station: Taman Maluri LRT-station (5min walk)

Google Map: goo.gl/maps/jyIic

Parking: Basement & Outdoor, RM5 flat rate per entry.

As with previous events, we have undercover police to make sure that trolls are dragged out by the goolies and to make sure that everybody has a fun time on the night.

Cosplayers can change in the toilets.

There will be tables to display your daughters - bring them along!

No smoking, no alcohol, farting ok as long as its the odor level does not go above Ninja.

Please keep an eye on your belongings!

If you got a pack of Moekana - bring it along and we shall battle in the official tournaments?

Please use the hash tag #culturejapan

Once you have registered then just turn up on the day!

Bring a name card with you if you plan on networking - all the reasons why you should name a name card anyway are covered in this post.

Register for Culture Japan Night Malaysia 2012 Winter!

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26786/CJ+Night+Malaysia+2012+Wi...

1 1

More JSPT example questions - What do these girls like to do on a weekend?

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25741/Japanese+Schoolgirl.html

Singapore Dollfie by Danny Choo

5 1

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25898/Singapore+Dollfie.html

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26698/K+Anime.html

www.dannychoo.com/clickout.php?url=http://www.dannychoo.c...

1

And the author is being none other than Brian Ashcraft who writes for Kotaku and a ton of other publications.Folks who are interested in passing the JSPT can get their copy of Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential at www.dannychoo.com/clickout.php?url=http://www.amazon.com/..., www.dannychoo.com/clickout.php?url=http://www.amazon.co.j... or JList.And if you need to do any additional study on the subject then have a look at the following posts:-

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25741/Japanese+Schoolgirl.html

About Mirai Suenaga by Danny Choo

2

Who is Mirai Suenaga?Mirai Suenaga (末永みらい) is the site mascot character for Culture Japan (dannychoo.com) who I developed with illustrator Azami Yuko. Mirai started off as a single illustration in the corner of the site back in 2007 and since then has gained much popularity worldwide.

There has been many Mirai collaboration projects with Japanese companies such as Good Smile Company, Cospa, Nitro Plus, Kadokawa, King Records and more.

More about MiraiThe kanji of her name is 末永未来 but "Mirai" is written as Hiragana. Her name means "Eternal Future".

Name: Mirai Suenaga [末永みらい](すえながみらい)

Birthday: March 3rd

Height: 165cm

3 size: B86cm W58cm H85cm

Age: Forever sweet 17

Blood type: Unknown (has rare DNA)

Eldest daughter of the Suenaga family

Honest and diligent

Bright personality

Kind and gentle. loves to help others

Often jumps up and down when she's happy about something

Always wants to try out new stuff that she's curious about regardless of the outcome. Sometimes will end up dropping, breaking or unintentionally hurting somebody ^^;

As Mirai is an honest girl, she often believes anything she's told.

Haruka thinks that Mirai likes Eiji

Hobby is collecting Japanese swords and often swings them about in her room while watching samurai movies.

We often see Mirai's serious side as she battles with evilness to protect her younger sister Haruka.

Mirai's weapon of choice is the Millennium Blade.

Interests are Japanese swords, dogs, archery and taking photos of roadworks.

Spoken languages are Japanese, English and Soruni.

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26269/About+Mirai+Suenaga.html

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26288/Anime+Magazines.html

2

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26288/Anime+Magazines.html

Example question time - which of these girls is the odd one out?

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25741/Japanese+Schoolgirl.html

Mirai Suenaga School Uniform by Danny Choo

Japanese school girl skirts are designed in a way to allow them to be rolled up at the waist - Mirai-chan's skirt also has this feature built in ^^;

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26165/Mirai+Suenaga+School+Unif...

Dollfie Mio by Danny Choo

3

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26114/Dollfie+Mio.html

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26698/K+Anime.html

Robotics Notes Anime by Danny Choo

3

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26692/Robotics+Notes+Anime.html

Some sites recommended by the author.

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25741/Japanese+Schoolgirl.html

2

First up is a load of Megami Magazine - each volume available from J-List at 14 USD each. Megami [女神] means "godess" and each edition is filled with a bunch of em in the form of news n posters.

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26288/Anime+Magazines.html

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26288/Anime+Magazines.html

Flumpool by Danny Choo

1

Spent time with the pop rock band flumpool on one of their previous tours - if you watched Season 1 of my other TV show Japan Mode then the following photos will seem familiar.

Flumpool is an immensely popular band in Japan - their music and posters are all over the place. Since their first single Hana ni Nare back in 2008, they have released a ton of singles and albums which you can check out in their Discography.

Check them out in action below.

For the flumpool special, I spent time with the folks who manage the sound, lighting, equipment and visuals. They especially put a lot of effort into the visuals which are quite stunning and really compliment the music and atmosphere in the hall.

When I was younger, artists that I would go see perform include Kylie Minogue and Nishida Hikaru. These days, the only time I get to peek at concerts are the ones at Anime Festival Asia and Anime Expo while I'm back stage ><

As for music - most of the stuff I listen too these days is jazz internet radio stations like Jazz.fm.

What concerts have you been attending of late and what music are you listening to of late that you recommend to your comrades?

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26899/Flumpool.html

Summer Wars by Danny Choo

5

The full results of the most popular anime movies of 2009 over at Dengeki are:-

Evengelion You Can (not) Advance

Summer Wars

Macross F

Nanoha The Movie 1st

Tales of Vesperia (The First Strike)

Haruhi (The Disappearance of Haruhi)

One Piece Strong World

UP (Pixar)

Gurren Lagann

Kara no KyoukaiWifey and I enjoyed Summer Wars a lot as we did The Girl Who Leaped Through Time - t'was an honor to meet Mamoru Hosoda who was the director of both of these flicks at the AFA last year.

Natsuki was played by the gorgeous Nanami Sakuraba ^^What was your fave anime movie in 2009?

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25729/Summer+Wars.html

Desk Diary 2011/03 by Danny Choo

Folks who follow my Twitter or Facebook will know that I've been spending a lot of time running around Tokyo working on trying to build up the business. New clients such as Dentsu, Kadokawa and King Records have been keeping me rather busy. The Japanese government (METI) have also been handing me challenging projects too ^o^

Other stuff that I'm working on are things like Mirai-chan's cameo anime appearances (which start in this Summers season), Culture Japan TV preparations, product development and prepping a few talks too - one of which will be done at the Cannes Advertising Festival.

Am also constantly spending time with many illustrators who are working on art work of our Mirai-chan.

Event planning is another thing that I'm working on - in particular Anime Expo. The organizers flew in from LA and will be coming over to the office in a couple of hours.

Must also find time late this month/early next month to do volunteer work up North for a few days.

Took these photos last month before the Tohoku Kanto Earthquake. Prepared some of the post but didn't get round to finishing it off until today ^^;

First off is the big change in the office - this corner used to have a table like so but we decided to move it up to the third floor instead.

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26085/Desk+Diary+2011+03.html

Dollfie Hong Kong by Danny Choo

5

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25759/Dollfie+Hong+Kong.html

Devil Survivor 2 Anime by Danny Choo

1

More anime news and event photos listed up below.

Space Battleship Yamato 2199

Red Data Girl

Date A Live

Anime Valentines Day Card

Ayase Hazuki

Enako

Moe Heroes

Thailand Game Show

TGS 13 Culture Japan Booth

Mirai Music

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26854/Devil+Survivor+2+Anime.html

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26698/K+Anime.html

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26288/Anime+Magazines.html

Koenji by Danny Choo

1

Located in West Tokyo is an area called Koenji [高円寺[こうえんじ]] - a very cozy residential area filled with Shotengai. Shotengai [商店街[しょうてんがい]] are streets filled with shops which cater for the residents living nearby - restaurants, grocery stores, supermarkets, pharmacies, barbers, post offices, book stores, game centers and izakaya (pubs).

Areas like Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya are not called Shotengai and are usually referred to as Hankagai [繁華街[はんかがい]]. Hankagai are usually located around major train stations in non-residential areas.

Koenji has a large population of young folks. There are many one room apartments/mansions and food and clothing is generally cheap. There are also many cheap second hand clothing stores and zakka (life style products) to be found.

Koenji is also where you can enjoy the Awa Odori [阿波踊り] festival which takes place every Summer - this year to take place on August 25th.

Koenji would be a great place to see a slice of life in Tokyo and you can get there by getting off at Koenji station [高円寺駅] on the JR Chuo line [中央線].

[gmap=35.70549, 139.64988]

View more at www.dannychoo.com/post/en/26468/Koenji.html