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It's not my business what kind of exercise people choose to learn. However, when it comes to the question of "what's the problem?", intentionally turning martial arts, which are practical skills, into meaningless gymnastics by calling them "exercises" seems like a blatant scam. It's like Billy Blanks' Tae Bo, which, interestingly, is based on his own fighting background, and he made me smile by instilling basic movements in health-conscious men and women, like "This is how you twist your back leg when you throw a straight punch!" or "This is how you do a side kick!" I'm concerned about how much of the technique of hitting an opponent with a stick or other readily available object is being taught in their "exercises" when necessary.
Judo is a self-defense art, so even today, high-ranking practitioners at the Kodokan and other dojos still learn these techniques. In terms of style, it's not about aiming for a knockout by punching, but rather about intimidating the opponent and then following up with a throw. In modern competitive judo, techniques that could injure the opponent during a match are excluded, so these techniques may not be seen in modern judo.
Originally a samurai's unarmed self-defense technique, Aikido assumes prior sword (kendo) training, but without a sword. It specializes in countermeasures for situations where you are at a distance and an opponent attacks you, or when an opponent grabs your hand (wrist) to draw your sword at close range. However, when Morihei Ueshiba called it "Aikido," the elements of "punching" and "hitting with weapons" were largely omitted, and these were exported as self-defense techniques. This is a major reason why we see cases where people who say, "I've learned Aikido!" try to fight in a boxing ring at boxing distance and are completely helpless. In reality, Aikido classes require training with wooden swords or staffs, and when used as Jujutsu rather than Aikido, it's common to strike the opponent, and then quickly apply a technique while they are stunned. At the very least, I hope that people around the world who claim to have "studied Aikido" understand the basics: techniques won't work on someone who stiffens their body at the moment they're about to be attacked, and conversely, someone who stiffens their body to avoid being attacked has no footwork, so it's an opportunity to strike them.
Foreigners love ramen shops, but I don't understand why they ignore things like "stir-fried vegetable set meals" displayed as wax food samples in front of regular Chinese restaurants that aren't ramen specialty shops. It's as if they're simply saying, "I don't want to eat vegetables when I'm on vacation! Japan doesn't have enough vegetables!"
Fundamentally, martial arts are about training to perform the necessary body movements when needed, so daily individual training is a given, just like a boxer hitting a punching bag and shadow boxing. However, when you watch short videos of people doing solo combat training in their backyards, especially in places like America, it often seems that these DIY fighters can't even visualize what kind of opponent they're facing, what distance they're at, what they're doing, or what kind of attacks they're using (what kind of attacks are effective). If you can't see your opponent, shadowing is meaningless, and if you can't visualize attacking an opponent, then it's not attack practice, is it? Conversely, martial arts at a general level are merely self-defense/evasion techniques for dealing with unsuspecting thugs. They're not meant for ring matches to determine who's stronger. In fact, those who have learned martial arts as a practical life skill would likely avoid such situations. They don't want to intentionally get hurt. So, this topic is like "Why do people think they can learn guitar on their own?", or rather, "Why is the internet overflowing with people who claim to have learned guitar even though they can't even play chords or understand scales?"
The proverb "Fair skin hides seven flaws" has been around in Japan for over 1000 years, referring to the beauty of women. Of course, fair skin in men is not a standard of beauty. Interestingly, this trend is global, even among people classified as Black, with women tending to have lighter skin. The distorted logic that "they are simply longing for white people" is fascinating because it fails to consider the opposite logic: men with pale skin can appear frail.
It seems that the definition of "for children" differs fundamentally between countries. In Japan, the target audience for syonen (boys) anime is around 10-15 years old, while American cartoons seem to target 5-8 year olds. Perhaps as a reaction to this, American animation that isn't "for children" often suddenly incorporates gore or sex elements to appeal to "adults," or incorporates unique art styles or social satire to appeal to "not for children," often resulting in an imbalance in the overall story, at least from a Japanese perspective. In Japanese animation, when such elements appear, it's usually not unique within the context of the world setting, but rather simply depicts things that young people around 10-15 years old are beginning to learn about and think about the world.
Avatar aired on Nickelodeon, which also featured Japanese anime, making it as famous in the US as Japanese anime. However, unlike typical Japanese anime broadcast nationwide on terrestrial television, it was virtually unknown in Japan except among dedicated fans, as it required a satellite TV subscription (Nickelodeon) to watch. The situation is similar to recent exclusive releases on specific streaming services. Conversely, since it was a children's channel, it should have been dubbed.
The lyrics are basically "Your era will last forever," and the main thesis of communism is the rejection of hereditary power. The government's view that "You" does not refer to the Emperor is a deception, and the left's claim that "it was used to glorify the Emperor during wartime" is also a deception. In reality, it is one of the propaganda logics that ignores the context and instills in pacifists who oppose military buildup and acts of war the old Marxist-Engelsian argument that "wars are started by those in power for their own benefit, and it is the people who die as soldiers. No to war!"—a theory used when speaking about wars in which one is the aggressor.
In reality, unlike the fairy tale envisioned 150 years ago that "a people's government united by the people will not wage war," no one wants to be ruled by the Soviet Union, China, or North Korea, so it is necessary to have defensive forces, and their logic falls apart. And the reason the right wing supports Kimigayo is because "the left wing keeps attacking it/it's always been that way," which is another idiotic argument, so you can think of it as just idiots insulting each other.
The video title appears to be something like "Bagua Zhang vs. Chinese Sanda." Baguazhang is characterized by its circling footwork that gets into the opponent's blind spot, and as usual, the side claiming to be practicing "Chinese martial arts" is undertrained. (Or rather, as usual, they're not performing the movements of the style they claim to represent.) Many Chinese Sanda styles are based on martial arts similar to Muay Thai from southern China, but from what I can see, they don't have any unique characteristics; you could even call them "kickboxing."
That book was so interesting, I wish they'd made a movie out of it. It really showed the stereotypical image of the "world" that the average American has. I wonder what the French think of how their country's situation is portrayed? Also, it seems Americans think that because "space is weightless," anything that floats will float forever.
In Japan, almost 100% of bodies are cremated, so there are no corpses with bodies that could be resurrected. Therefore, ever since Romero's zombie series came out, there has been a joke that in Japan, there would only be companies to capture and process wild zombies that accidentally turn into zombies due to accidental deaths, and society would continue to function normally.
If you've been browsing fight porn forums, ask yourself if you want to be one of those people. Often, people who have studied martial arts avoid trouble by taking a firm stance when they see an amateur, because they are confident they can beat them. It's rare for them to actually knock out someone in a bare-knuckle fight and end up with the police or an ambulance. It's the responsibility of every dojo to prevent the emergence of battlemongers who think, "I've studied martial arts! Let's have a fight!" Personally, I would recommend a regular judo class, which you can probably find anywhere. Being able to take your opponent to the ground at any time is an effective technique.
Ken Matsudaira is a Japanese actor and singer. He is known for starring in a long-running period drama series that began in 1978 and has many fans. The golden costume he wears is the costume he wears for the signature song he sings at the end of his dinner shows, and it has become a meme because it is so different from his usual style. Currently, he is more often seen using the "meme" version of himself, so it's not surprising that some people mistakenly think he is a comedian who specializes in that style.
【ENGLISH SUB】The Yoshimune Cronicle: Abarenbo Shogun (Episode 1)【Official】
Japanese people enjoy hearing foreigners' "views of Japan through sunglasses" (i.e., their prejudices), and they thought that as the number of foreign tourists and actual residents of Japan increased, the "true picture" would be understood. But interestingly, whether intentionally or unintentionally, they have now started to apply a distorted logic to those who speak of the true picture, saying that "that's just the surface, and the truth is being hidden from 'foreigners'."
Pizza toast originated in the 1970s when pizza crusts weren't common in Japan. It's made by putting ham and cheese instead of pepperoni on a slice of bread and baking it. It's more substantial than plain buttered toast, so it became a staple for traditional coffee shop breakfasts. Nowadays, pizza sauce and shredded pizza cheese are common, so it tastes pretty much like pizza.
Well, it's not an anime goods shop, but a pachinko parlor advertising slot machines using "Evangelion" and "Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?", so tourists will only lose money if they go in. There's nothing particularly interesting there. You'd be better off going to Don Quijote, which is a short walk away, to buy souvenirs.
Hmm, after checking some Japanese resources, it seems the kimon is a vital point in the pectoralis major muscle below the collarbone. It's usually a spot where a blow would cause unbearable pain. In this case, it essentially means you can grab the pectoralis major muscle there in grappling and thrust your thumb into it. That's the usage being explained.
However, in typical bullshidoboard fashion, he declared, "I'm tough and can withstand any attack, so this kind of 'nipple attack' must be fake! HAHAHA!" Impressive, tough guy.
This is a self-defense form from the Kodokan of Judo, but it includes techniques that are prohibited in modern Judo matches due to the risk of injury. Originally, Aikido is a derivative of Jiu-Jitsu, so it should be a martial art that can do (or is capable of doing) things like this, but it's a real mystery why it's so full of fakes that have deviated from its essence outside of Japan. For people in Japan who actually know the real martial arts style, it's really incomprehensible what the original posters that pop up regularly are talking about as Aikido... What on earth are they talking about when they say Aikido, which is taught to police officers for arrest techniques in Japan, "shouldn't be chosen if you want to fight"?
It's a bit of a pain to explain, but unlike countries where people are told that "traditional Chinese medicine is a scam" and where only fraudulent traditional Chinese medicines are readily available, in Japan, the medicinal components of the main ingredients were analyzed and quantified during the modernization process. Therefore, we know what's in typical traditional Chinese medicines, and herbal medicine manufacturers guarantee the ingredients. Traditional Chinese medicines that are known to be effective are prescribed as prescription drugs in hospitals. (In fact, Japanese-made herbal medicines are in high demand in Asia because their ingredients are guaranteed.) Well, the only traditional Chinese medicine that's commonly kept at home is "葛根湯/Kakkonto" (main ingredient: ephedrine), which is effective for the initial symptoms of a cold. Because it's a stimulant, there have been incidents where athletes have unknowingly taken it when feeling unwell and failed drug tests.
Besides, this post itself starts with the question, "Why is traditional Chinese medicine, which is a lie, still believed in?" so I don't think the discussion will even make sense. People probably think that traditional Chinese medicine is just powdered bones of some unknown, strange animal that haven't even been analyzed for their components.
This is a drawing from the 18th century reporting to the government that "such a creature existed (or appeared)" (it was eventually revealed to scholars). It's a sketch by a local person who could draw, not a professional painter, so the drawing quality is as you'd expect. "kase-wani" is thought to be a local colloquial name, where "kase" likely refers to handcuffs made of two wooden planks joined together. While "wani" literally means crocodile in Japanese, there are no crocodiles in Japan, so they called sharks "wani" to describe dangerous aquatic creatures.
Japanese swords are two-handed swords made light and slender to be easy to wield, so if they dig into things or twist like that, the blade will become distorted. A real Japanese sword is a work of art that costs around $3,000, so it should not be allowed to be used by a boy with that level of skill. (He could injure himself. This is something I also think about when I see short videos from the West.) Cutting bamboo as a test of skill is essentially to check if he has the skill to sever his arm, bone and all.
Previously, literature had to go through the filter of editors and publishers who measured commercial profits through physical books and magazine publications. However, nowadays, it's possible to upload one's writing directly to the web, which has greatly expanded the range of genres in literature, but has also led to a wide variation in quality. I don't know whether to be happy or sad about the emergence of writers whose writing skills are poor but whose content is interesting. The number of publications, including ebooks, has become so large that new releases are often not stocked in physical bookstores, and bookstores are increasingly being removed from my walking routes, forcing me to rely more on Amazon, and sometimes I only realize that an interesting book was published five years later.
I remember a scene in a 90s Hong Kong movie where a Japanese detective arrives in Hong Kong and tries to fire his gun at the airport, but a Hong Kong female police officer stops him, saying, "This isn't Japan, so don't fire your gun so easily!" I almost fell off my chair laughing. (lol) It's true that Japanese police dramas at the time featured gunfights in the climax of every episode. If you judge Japan by that, it becomes like the world of John Wick. (In reality, both then and now, the number of police shootings nationwide in Japan never exceeds 20 per year.)
It's a bit strange, isn't it? Even if we watch "Friends" (an American TV drama), we simply accept the drama's setting as part of the world of American dramas that existed at the time, and I don't understand the intention behind deliberately writing comments online that seem malicious or jealous, such as "Americans live in much worse conditions" or "Not all Americans are like that," (leaving aside the realistic complaint that "you can't rent a room like that in New York now"). A drama is a drama, and an anime is an anime, right?
A recent trend involves posting job openings on various part-time work recruitment social media platforms offering "$1,000 in a short period," targeting impoverished individuals or students with limited social experience (and poor judgment) who desperately need that much money. They then request personal information, just like with regular part-time jobs. Higher-level criminal groups then reveal more details to those they deem "easy to deceive," using individuals who are willing to commit crimes or who can be blackmailed with threats of harm to their relatives using their personal information as pawns in their criminal schemes. Frankly speaking, those who are deceived are extremely unintelligent, unaware that the arrest rate for armed robbery in Japan is almost 100%, that the minimum sentence for robbery with assault is six years or more in prison, and that the sentence for robbery resulting in death is either life imprisonment or the death penalty. This is knowledge that any normal, sensible Japanese citizen (or professional criminal) would know.
Unarmed contests of strength in villages are commonplace worldwide. Similarly, with the advent of armed group combat (war), training soldiers in combat is also commonplace. It is within these contexts that martial arts take shape as techniques are systematized and passed down.
Whether these martial arts become a form of entertainment, continuing as a show sport, or being taught as professional skills for police and security personnel in training schools, are key factors in determining whether martial arts have a historical presence in a particular country.
Countries where many martial arts remain as living skills are likely those where they are widely recognized and taught to the general public as a hobby, such as "self-defense classes."
This is similar to musical instruments and music. In countries where playing a musical instrument is considered a profession rather than a hobby, the techniques are seen as specialized skills, and thus easily lost due to changing trends. However, the more people who view it as a personal hobby, physical activity, or a form of academic discipline, the more likely it is to survive.
Throughout the long history of the world, it has been a recurring cultural pattern to prohibit bringing bows, spears, or bladed weapons into places where people gather (markets, assembly halls). Much of the world's close-quarters combat system is a result of the spread of techniques among citizens to defend themselves with weapons that are not prohibited in public places. In Anatolia (Assyria) around 2000 BC, it was illegal to bring spears into markets, and the decipherment of clay tablets reveals that those who did so were subject to confiscation or fines. Just in case you are unaware of the global standard, in countries all over the world except the United States, if a "gun" is found in a bag without a valid reason, it will result in arrest. Carrying a gun "for self-defense" is not permitted by law in most countries. Your country is currently conducting a social experiment to see "how much the minds of people can withstand in a lawless zone."
Despite being repeatedly refuted by foreigners living in Japan themselves, the false information that "there are Japanese(people)-only shops everywhere in Japan" continues to circulate. they included photographic evidence of signs in "English". In Japanese, "Japanese people" and "Japanese language" are different words. More accurately, you can think of them as two separate words: "Japan-people" and "Japan-language." If a shop in Japan wanted to clearly label itself as "foreigner-excluded," they would likely put up a sign that translates to "No foreigners allowed." It's really just a matter of "the English language's lack of expressive power" causing the phrase "Japan-language only," meaning "staff cannot speak foreign languages," to be arbitrarily replaced with "Japanese" as standard, and then used as strange propaganda claiming, "This means Japanese-people only!" If there really were a shop with a sign in Japanese that said "Japan people only" or "No foreigners allowed," the reaction of Japanese people would probably be one of the following: "It looks like a shop run by a crazy manager, so I won't go near it," or "I'll upload a picture of this shop on social media and laugh," or "It's a small shop with only about six seats, so I'll assume it's not a place for strangers to go."
Try folding your right wrist inward and rotating it clockwise with your left hand. If the force is transmitted correctly, your reflexes will automatically cause your right shoulder to drop and your torso to tilt. Aikido is fundamentally based on this principle. It's not about "joint locks." Now, try doing the same thing by tensing your right arm and shoulder. This time, the technique won't work at all.
Understanding this difference is what separates those who "can use" Aikido from those who "cannot use" it. Just as you need to understand whether your opponent's guard is up or down in response to an attack, it's crucial to seize the moment when a technique will connect. If your opponent tenses their muscles in anticipation of a specific technique, it actually means their movement has stopped, giving you a chance to do something else, just like in other martial arts. This is the difference between Aikido as a self-defense class against an unsuspecting attacker and Aikido as a combat technique. Many people who come from cultural club Aikido classes fail to understand this and try to use techniques against opponents who are anticipating an attack, resulting in failure. Furthermore, it's very common for people who think of it as a "joint lock" to forcibly twist their opponent to the ground and then mistakenly believe, "I've mastered Aikido!"
I remember a time about 15-20 years ago when we were trying to obtain overseas content and games from Japan. Even back then, overseas products not distributed in Japan were difficult to obtain or access until a Japanese distributor was decided upon. Many companies around the world have started to look to the global market and are bearing the burden of overseas distribution efforts themselves without going through distributors, but even today, if you search for overseas content directly by name, you may get a message from Amazon or Netflix saying, "We cannot distribute this in your country due to licensing issues." This is a reciprocal relationship, but with Japanese content names spreading on the internet in real time these days, many people are probably facing this problem.
Karate itself is a collection of various martial arts that were introduced to Okinawa by sea from the coast of China, and it took its current form about 200 years ago. About 100 years ago, Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, was collecting martial arts in Japan when he noticed the unique style of Okinawan karate. He invited Gichin Funakoshi, a master of Okinawan karate, to Tokyo to open a dojo, which marked the beginning of the spread of karate in mainland Japan. Korean students who learned karate in Japan during that period returned to their home country when Korea regained independence 80 years ago and passed on their techniques. However, due to circumstances within Korea, they could not say, "This is Japanese karate," so they claimed in Korea that "This is Taekwon, which has been passed down in Korea for a long time," and that is how Taekwondo began. (For starters, adding "do" (道) to a name is a uniquely Japanese naming convention, and "Pinan," which is taught in classical Taekwondo, is a karate form established about 120 years ago by Itosu Anko based on classical Okinawan karate forms in order to spread karate as a physical education in Okinawa.)
Therefore, at the starting point of the divergence 80 years ago, karate and Taekwondo should have been the same, but from there, unique changes occurred and they changed significantly. Taekwondo, in particular, has increasingly specialized in acrobatic kicking techniques over the past 30 years or so, and high scoring points in matches (sparring) have become heavily skewed towards kicks to the upper body, so the style seen today is very different from karate.
Overseas, for a long time, many Taekwondo dojos operated under the name "Karate" until Taekwondo was recognized as a distinct martial art, which is why the distinction is very ambiguous.
I have a home fiber optic plan that combines ISP and line usage fees for about 5000 yen per month (31 dollars; this is cheap externally at the current exchange rate, but it hasn't changed since before the exchange rate fluctuations, so it feels like 40 dollars). The speed currently shows 480 Mbps in a Google test. I haven't changed my email address because my oldest one (I've been using it since the 90s) is linked to my ISP, but switching to a newer internet provider might make it even cheaper and faster (if their commercials are accurate).
In reality, shrines are built in quiet forests with the intention of making them a resting place for the gods, so the shrines themselves are regularly repaired and rebuilt. Unless there is some special significance, such as "an old shrine made with 1000-year-old timber remains," it's more of a feeling of "what a waste" when ancient works of art are damaged. In Japan, there are probably several shrines with a history of around 500 years within a few kilometers, much like churches in Europe. Living shrines will likely be restored quickly. Incidentally, the Reikado (a Buddhist fire-worshipping building), which seems to be the most recent news, was destroyed by fire in 2005.
In schools of martial arts, the raised hand is interpreted as a block, and the hand points outwards. However, in schools that interpret the raised hand as a throwing technique, where the hand is placed behind the opponent's neck and the throw is performed using the rotation of the left hand and body, the movement is as described.
Martial arts forms are, in a sense, like a great boxer teaching students their style, saying, "I was good at this kind of technique." Unless it's a place where the tradition is directly passed down in a live setting, the original meaning tends to be lost. Furthermore, important points like "this is the key to making this technique effective" can easily become the norm when these forms are passed down, leading to students becoming mere robots tracing movements. In reality, the starting point is internalizing the technique as a usable skill by sparring (if possible) with an opponent in mind, after the body has memorized the movement. After all, people's body shapes and sizes vary greatly.
In its original martial arts meaning, this stance represents the posture of an ancient Chinese soldier thrusting an opponent with a spear, the standard weapon of the time. (Despite its name, "bow stance.") Because a heavy weapon is being wielded and the entire body is used to thrust, the back leg is used to propel the body forward without lifting the heel, delivering a heavy, deadly blow. Even after the shift from weapon techniques to unarmed combat, this stance remains a fundamental one that soldiers or those studying combat techniques should naturally master, and it appears repeatedly in various contexts. Depending on the style, it can be used to deliver a powerful thrust from a distance, or as a way to maintain balance even when colliding with an opponent at close range. In many cases, within the form, it represents the moment of the "finishing blow," so practitioners, like modern boxers, should be conscious of whether the back leg is propelling the body forward and whether the power of the entire body is being transferred to the point of attack.
So, to us, it essentially looks like someone seeing a boxer practicing the slow motion of throwing a straight punch, consciously focusing on the correct transfer of force from their legs, hips, torso, arms, and fists, and then asking a baffling question like, "Hey, you never stand there with your arms out like that during a fight, do you? What's the point of that?"
Rather, it's perfectly normal for fighters from various schools of martial arts to win and lose in a match, so I'm surprised that some people perceive McDojo's exposure as a "scandal that renders traditional martial arts useless." It's common knowledge that martial artists injure themselves through flashy sparring and excessive training, so training in sports that you don't consider "traditional martial arts" is structured to prevent such injuries. What exactly are you even talking about?
Rather, shouldn't you be asking yourself, "Why do you hate those countries?" Generally, human feelings towards countries with which we don't have a particularly strong relationship are neutral. Why do you feel hatred towards a specific country on the other side of the world?
Is there a government that oppresses its people? That's not good. However, each country in the world is like a "home." Domestic violence occurs due to power dynamics within the home, or relations with neighbors are extremely hostile. That's not good. So, what do you want to do? You're heartbroken by the plight of the children, so are you going to grab a gun, storm in, shoot the parents, and say, "Hey, you're free! Go ahead and be free!"? What did that family do to earn a living, and how was it managed? Or are you going to side with one of the families with bad relations with the others and conspire to say, "Hey, that family is the 'enemy,' so let's storm in, wreak havoc, and make their finances unsustainable!"? What will happen to the children of that family if that happens?
We, the people of the world, know there are no magic bullets to solve other people's problems. All we can do is provide them with the knowledge and good economic relationships necessary for their households to function properly, for the children to mature, and for them to choose their own paths.
You are asking people around the world, "Why do you like that family? (Shouldn't everyone hate them?)"
By the way, who instilled this "knowledge" in you? Why did you think it was a good idea to force other families into your control or to shoot them? What exactly do Americans perceive the world to be?
In those forms, the lower body essentially involves repeatedly shifting its center of gravity between gonbu (bow stance) and xibu (cat stance). Therefore, without adding upper body movement, how about starting with basic exercises where you repeatedly switch between gonbu and xibu without moving your feet, feeling the shift in your center of gravity and practicing lower body stability? Gonbu involves using the power of the back leg to move and push the body forward. It's somewhat like a fencing thrust. Xibu involves shifting your center of gravity onto the back leg to stabilize the body. It's like sitting on one leg. Many forms are built upon this foundation.
I think that people who have actually trained in some kind of martial art, unless they're incredibly stupid, wouldn't dismiss another martial art they're unfamiliar with. For net warriors whose hobby is watching sports, the "effectiveness of martial arts" essentially boils down to whether or not they participate in sports events where people fight in a cage wearing only their briefs, so not participating in that means they judge it as not effective. After all, they're not fighting themselves.
Ah... I've written several times about Japan's "bubble economy" from the perspective of someone who actually lived through that period as a university student, but more than 30 years later, the "bubble economy" as it's described is nothing more than an "urban legend." Essentially, it was a bubble economy created when Japan invested the money it earned from trade into land, so only large corporations, banks, and real estate investment companies benefited, and the stories of their extravagant spending at the time are simply recounted as legends.
It's like telling the stories of the nouveau riche who made and squandered huge sums of money during the dot-com bubble in America, as if everyone at the time lived that kind of lifestyle.
For those who want to tell the story of Japan's decline, "Japan's lost XX years" is a very convenient phrase. By portraying it as if there was a golden age before that, they create the impression of Japan's decline, and sometimes modern children who weren't even born then completely believe it. But, well...it's a simple matter. If you ask, "Is the society and living environment around you worse than in the 1980s?", most people over 50 in most countries around the world will actually recall the past and answer, "No, everything is better now. The balance between costs and salaries might be slightly worse now, but..."
In fact, compared to my deceased father's generation, my own salary has steadily increased, my work-life balance has improved, and I've been able to build wealth through investments.
Stories like the one posted by OP, "Young Japanese people are despairing about a declining Japan," are fictional stories that have been posted in large numbers recently by someone targeting overseas audiences who want to hear such stories. I don't really understand what kind of people in what country are creating and systematically posting videos in languages other than Japanese for audiences outside of Japan.
This post itself is presented as if it was posted by a German using the "Japan is in decline!" video, but who are you, and where did you get this video and post it?
Karate training is divided into basic exercises, kata (forms) which involve practicing combination blows, and sparring (kumite) which develops a sense of distance with an opponent, in order to avoid mass-producing children who think, "Okay, I've learned karate! Now I can try hitting someone!" However, it's a waste to have trained your body's muscles to perform these movements but not take the next step of integrating them yourself to create a self-defense technique that you can use for a lifetime.
If it's an actual physical sound, it's probably an acoustic device designed to prevent people from lingering there. They're sometimes installed in very crowded places to discourage groups of young people from standing there. They also serve as animal deterrents. However, as hearing ages, people over 20 gradually lose their hearing and the sound becomes harmless.
Well, assuming that once they die, their souls are reincarnated in another world and one day attain liberation, leaving the cycle of reincarnation and becoming a Buddha, the way of saying "Your story in this world is over, so I hope you live a better life in the next world" is something that people without that premise probably wouldn't understand. That said, I don't think Charlie Kirk immediately became a Buddha in the next world either.
Rather than an economic downturn, I think the "lost decade" refers to the fact that the abnormal overheating of investment from the late 1980s led to a massive influx of capital into some companies and exorbitant salaries in certain professions. The subsequent decline in wages compared to the previous generation in the 1990s is simply what people are calling it. It's similar to the "things were better five years ago" sentiment after the dot-com bubble burst in the US in the early 2000s, after the Lehman Shock, or during the COVID-19 pandemic. (In fact, as a university student during that time, I was looking at job postings for truck drivers paying $3,000 a month while receiving a $500 allowance from my parents to rent a $250 room; the only benefit of the bubble was the abundance of part-time job options.)
If it's a traditional karate dojo, you'll likely be learning several kata. Try searching for some videos explaining how to apply them. (Some interpretations seem correct, others seem incorrect (lol).) Basic training and sparring are originally meant for self-defense in emergencies, but many dojos overseas tend to focus on throwing arms and legs during sparring. Don't claim "I saw this online" at your dojo, as it would be criticizing their style.
Japanese karate originated when Jigoro Kano of Kodokan Judo introduced karate, a striking-focused martial art from Okinawa, to mainland Japan. He invited karate masters to Osaka and Tokyo to teach people, which marked the beginning of its spread. Therefore, karate and judo are complementary, and I recommend judo.
Regarding jujutsu, the term "jujutsu" is currently used overseas to refer to the current ground-based Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which is very confusing. In its original Japanese meaning, it simply refers to unarmed combat. While competitive judo has removed punches, kicks, and dangerous joint throws from its standard curriculum, martial arts other than the traditional style of "judo" are categorized as "jujutsu." Many of these include aikido, local martial arts dojos from the Edo period throughout Japan, and even those known as "ninjutsu dojos (lol)" around the world, making it difficult to distinguish between genuine and fake.
It feels strange to consider our own perspectives versus those of people in other countries, but I think Japanese people tend to view "unknown things that arise in the environment" quite neutrally. Our basic stance isn't to immediately try to eliminate the unknown as something "alien," but rather to observe how it relates to us and consider how we can build that relationship. Therefore, rather than being "positive" or "optimistic" about AI and robots, the stories Japanese people tend to conceive are often along the lines of, "If it exists, then coexisting with it would be like this. Problems arise here, and if we clash here, this is what happens." And, unless it's a "catastrophe ending," it will likely end with some kind of coexistence.
Regarding recent "AI" and "robots," for now they are categorized as "an evolved version of Google search" or "machines designed to do complex things," and the threat posed by "they" hasn't yet materialized. It's like having 10 AIs that require 5 humans to support and correct their mistakes. While the fundamental technology may eventually be established and become a social infrastructure like railways or the internet, there are significant technical hurdles and a long road to completion.
As you'll see if you try it yourself, there's a huge gap between a beautifully generated image from AI and something that matches your desires. It's similar to a machine playing music if you give it sheet music; in fact, it's often faster to play the instrument yourself. The conflict between artists and AI in Western online public opinion reminds me of the 70s and 80s debate about how synthesizers would eliminate acoustic instruments.
In Japan, many types of shellfish are managed by local fishing cooperatives, so you need permission from the cooperative to collect them in areas where local fishing rights are established. This applies regardless of whether they are foreigners or not; it's common for Japanese beachgoers from cities, often unaware of the rules, to be reprimanded by local fishermen for collecting prohibited seafood in such areas. While accidentally collecting them might only result in a scolding, collecting large quantities that are legally considered "poaching" can result in a fine of up to 1 million yen (approximately $7,000).
You can only freely collect shellfish in areas where recreational activities are set up with the purchase of collecting rights from fishing cooperatives, or in areas where no fishing rights are established in the first place. Collecting rights are mainly established for types of shellfish such as clams, turban shells, abalone, cockles, freshwater clams, oysters, and ear shells. Basically, these are seafood products that are "sold."
It's not a "cultural gap," but rather the existence of local laws in another country.
"Ride-sharing services haven't been introduced in Japan because of the country's national character, which cannot accept the concept of personal responsibility. In Japan, once something happens, there's a strong emphasis on 'finding the culprit', that is, determining who is responsible".
In Japan, private railway companies played a significant role in the modern expansion and development of cities. More than just transportation, they developed residential areas around railway stations in line with urban expansion, creating a daily stream of "passengers" commuting from home to work. As a result, in the average Japanese city, almost every location can be reached by public transport for $3 in 30 minutes and a 10-minute walk.
Taxis, on the other hand, evolved in the opposite direction. They became more upscale in competition with the public transport network, becoming like privately hired carriages for those who can afford the high fare of $15 for 30 minutes and those who urgently need to go directly to their destination.
Japanese people are naturally aware of these differences and choose their mode of transport depending on the situation. The last time I used a taxi was several years ago when I was discharged from the hospital and returned home.
Now, related to my initial point, even if Japanese people living in urban areas have cars in their garages, they usually use public transport. Weekday commutes are primarily by public transport. They probably only use their own cars on weekends for recreational activities or when going shopping at a mall more than 10km away. Almost everyone who doesn't drive a car daily for work is a "Sunday driver" (likely a Japanese-made English term).
The reasons why ride-sharing services like Uber haven't become popular in Japan are a combination of these factors:
• There's simply no need to use a shared car for transportation other than emergencies. There's no demand.
• Resistance from the high-priced professional taxi industry.
• Japanese people themselves are aware of the small number of people who drive regularly, so they are skeptical about the skill level of Uber's part-time drivers, who aren't officially employed as drivers.
In reality, Uber's original main service, part-time ride-hailing, is not legally permitted in Japan. When you request a ride from Uber, a "taxi" is called. Furthermore, the taxi industry itself has been operating taxi-hailing smartphone apps for many years, so you can simply call a taxi using an app.
The environment and assumptions surrounding the simple act of "getting a ride to a destination" are different, so attributing this to "the uniqueness of Japanese people" is (as usual) a very unique form of casual racism.
The moment she positioned her foot there, she should have finished dodging and preparing for Kao, so I don't understand why her movements stopped there and why she turned completely around. I suppose the interpretation is that performing Kao with her back to the opponent is prioritized, but overall I can't understand her intentions or the opponent's current position. In the latter half, it looks like she's striking empty air with her explosive power.
Martial arts forms, unless they are basic training forms, are essentially "shadow" training. They train combinations to dodge and counterattack an opponent, assuming the opponent is at a certain distance. However, even after watching this video about 10 times, I can't see what kind of opponent she is fighting or what she is doing. She's just making movements that look plausible. I spent the remaining 10 times looking for flaws in the AI generation. The video is well done.
It's extremely common in the long history of pop music worldwide for people to enjoy listening to yo-gaku (what's called foreign pop music in Japan) without understanding the meaning, only to find out later that the lyrics are very gloomy after translating and researching them. I'm actually surprised you've never read the Japanese lyrics to Kyu Sakamoto's "Ue o Muite Arukou (Sukiyaki)." It's just that music originating from the internet these days often deals with content that's difficult to release commercially (difficult to market), and that's absolutely not a "trend of young people in Japan these days." If someone were to say "people of that era..." just because I own a Simon & Garfunkel CD, I'd be appalled🙄
My understanding is that Choy Lee Fut's style involves swinging his arms around, a kind of Haymaker technique, and from watching his form, I can see that he uses a combination of swings with both hands to deflect the opponent's stance or punches, including their one-two combinations, and then, using the rebound from the powerful deflection to target the opponent's backfist when they are unable to effectively guard. But what do you see from your experience, or perhaps your wit?
If you're actually practicing with others, including sparring, then it's good to read books to understand "what they're doing" and incorporate it into your own style. Many kata are like a culmination of finishing blows, teaching "if you can get into this position in this form, you can take your opponent down like this," but if you lack the basic practice to even get into "this position," it's meaningless. Many McDojos, unlike traditional dojos, treat kata as a magical tool, an easy shortcut that can be used without training. In any authentic dojo of any style, "real" practitioners train for several hours every day.
Conversely, if they see genuine traditional martial arts and laugh, saying "that's just dancing," without understanding what they're doing, they'll be thrown to the ground before they even know what happened, like a judoka throwing them.
To make her relatively powerful area-of-effect heals work, you need to hit enemies with the flail, so if you intend to coordinate attacks with the tank, your positioning will be similar to Moira or Lucio. If you're simply using her to support the backline against flankers, you'll have to sacrifice healing output to stay in the backline. It depends on the situation, and a skilled Brigitte will use both styles depending on the circumstances. In any case, there's no point in pushing too far forward and dying.
We don't understand the meaning of the regularly posted complaint that "doctors don't listen to you." In any country, it's common for patients to (unintentionally) lie or fail to mention necessary symptoms or background information. In Japan, when a patient visits a doctor, they are first subjected to tests (multiple blood tests cost around $15), and the type of illness is identified based on the patient's claims and the results. While it's a common complaint lately that doctors only look at computer screens displaying test results without actually examining the patient, this is an individual doctor issue—a matter of whether you get a "good" or "bad" doctor.
Conversely, if a patient were to tell a doctor they've just met, as is common in certain countries, "I have these symptoms, so I have this disease. Give me this medicine," Japanese doctors would be very skeptical of the patient's claims. This is because Google amateur self-doctors (as is the case worldwide) are a troubling problem for doctors in Japan as well.
If a patient who doesn't appear to have an emergency makes a strong claim, a doctor might prescribe a mild medication and say, "See how it goes for about a week." In reality, in Japan, powerful medications that instantly eliminate symptoms and "give you wings" are rarely prescribed.
While this is a unique case even in Japan, in 2018, a bus company in Okayama Prefecture held a fare collection strike (a free ride strike, meaning they refused to collect fares from passengers). Since buses are a vital mode of transportation for citizens, a strike to halt service would not garner public support. Therefore, the workers (drivers) refused to collect fares, even though they would continue operating the buses as usual. Perhaps this news was distorted and spread to your friend through the internet and rumors.
Japanese language learners often wonder, "Why do Japanese kanji have so many different readings?" but the reason is actually the other way around. The kanji 明 (mei) means "lighten" in Chinese, essentially "the state of being brightened (by some kind of light source)." On the other hand, in Japanese, 明るむ is an original colloquial expression meaning "it's getting brighter around" When kanji were imported into Japanese, it was decided that when the Chinese expression "明" would apply in a given context, the word "lighten" would be written as "明" in Japanese. (Therefore, although not commonly seen, there are different ways to write "akarui" using the same characters: 明るい, 陽るい, 亮るい, and 郎るい. The meaning follows the meaning of the kanji, so they are used to express things like sunlight or a person having a cheerful personality. All are pronounced "akarui.")
Therefore, a better way to remember it is to simply memorize the variations in meaning of the Japanese word "akarui," and knowing the meaning of the kanji "明" will allow you to understand the meaning of sentences without memorizing everything.
"明るむ," "明らむ," "明ける," and "明るく" are not so much based on the kanji, but rather on Japanese grammatical changes meaning "it's getting brighter," "it's become brighter (archaic)," "(usually meaning 'the sun has risen') the date has changed," and "bright." Memorizing them from the kanji side will create a completely incomprehensible diversity. It's probably faster to remember that the meaning of the kanji "明" is roughly "lighten."
To offer a slightly more interesting explanation, Confucianism essentially preaches general morality. It teaches that kings should govern well, people should live peacefully without disrupting society, and that one should respect their parents and elders, etc. It's not entirely wrong, and is rather similar to how monotheistic churches like Christianity regulate their followers by saying, "Our believers must follow these rules."
Now, hundreds of years later, a school of thought called Neo-Confucianism emerged, interpreting Confucius's teachings (writings) as absolute truth. This is essentially akin to the fundamentalism of various religions. It became dominant in China and Korea (Joseon). In contrast, another school called Yangmingism also emerged. This school criticizes the formalism of Neo-Confucianism, emphasizing practical application of Confucius's teachings, following one's heart, and the unity of knowledge and action. Because this school gained influence in Japan, despite being under the same philosophical influence of "Confucianism," Japan has a somewhat different culture. No, perhaps it's because they were different cultures that Yangmingism became dominant instead of Neo-Confucianism.
Is this question coming from a culture that considers shoes to be impure? Adidas regularly releases shoes named after cities (and sometimes with names on them), like their City Series, so Japanese people don't particularly mind if there's a name written on them. In fact, children often write their names on their indoor shoes at school to avoid mix-ups.
This is more of a subjective feeling than a political one, but while Japan faces the Pacific Ocean, according to the IHO's terminology, the sea encompassing the southern half of Japan, east of Okinawa, south of the Ogasawara Islands, and east of the Philippines is strictly speaking the "Philippine Sea." Because this would require dividing the Japanese coast into north and south sections for naming purposes, it's generally referred to collectively as the Pacific Ocean. Although, since the area beneath the sea surface is the "Philippine Sea Plate," this term is used in relation to earthquakes and other related information.
I remember in elementary school, we used to look at world maps and play quizzes with friends trying to guess the names of countries. Looking at the current curriculum, it seems that at age 10 we learn about our own region, at age 11 about our country's land and industries, and at age 12 about countries related to history and civics. World geography as part of public education starts in middle school. However, world map puzzles and globes are popular educational toys for lower elementary school students, so I think many people have at least some knowledge of the names and locations of countries.
Overall, it seems that the American Hollywood star system from the 1920s, or the American and Japanese idol training and marketing systems from the 1970s, are currently experiencing a golden age in South Korea. "Idols" are trained as "products" with commercial value and "sold" through large-scale advertising by companies. This system functions on the premise that large-scale sales can be achieved by "manufacturing" and "advertising," but in countries that were a little ahead in history, after reaching the stage where "manufacturing and advertising doesn't sell due to changing consumer preferences," the business shifted towards discovering emerging "new talent" and commercially marketing them. Naturally, since these are sold to different segments of the population with different tastes, "hit charts" that compete for single sales figures have become meaningless. Judging from BTS and subsequent groups, it seems that even within South Korea, due to the diversification of tastes, no single group has songs that everyone knows. This method may still work in some parts of the world, so the manufacturing → advertising → sales system may continue to work for a while, but I think K-POP will stagnate unless it diversifies its genres.
Japanese people tend to associate Mexico with climate, and while Mexico is indeed a country on the North American continent, located south of the United States and north of the Isthmus of Panama, the image most Japanese people have of it is "a sunny southern country." Those who think of Mexico as being in South America probably weren't paying attention in geography class.
Because it's quite salty, instead of pouring it directly onto the rice, it's more common to put a little in a small dish for condiments, dip the main dish you've picked up with chopsticks into the condiment dish, and then eat it with plain white rice. It's similar to how you don't pour soy sauce directly onto sushi, but rather put some in a small dish and dip the sushi in it. In Japanese cuisine, the main dish is usually seasoned with condiments (including soy sauce), so there's no need to add more soy sauce.
Soy sauce itself is a popular condiment, so for example, you can spread it on onigiri and lightly burn it in a pan, or when cooking rice at home, add about 40cc of soy sauce to 2 cups (360cc) of rice to make soy sauce-flavored rice.
For a light snack at home, you can sprinkle bonito flakes on a bowl of rice and add a little soy sauce, melt a piece of butter with the heat of the rice and add a little soy sauce, or pour a raw egg over rice and add a little soy sauce. The last option is only suitable for places where raw eggs are safe to eat. Since some people like raw eggs and others don't, if you think, "I can't finish this," you can always fry them in a pan and turn them into fried rice.
First of all, we don't have the kind of creation myth that "someone created everything at the same time at some point." So, if there is a hypothesis that "this is the reason why living things come into their current form," and there are more scientific facts that support it, then we don't need to deny it from the start. If, as a "theory" of the same dimension, something like, "We interpret our religious texts in this way, and in order for these religious texts and our interpretation to be correct, we must refute another theory, so we will refute it in this way based on the descriptions in the religious texts!" is presented, it has no empirical background, so it is not science, and as a religion, it will be said, "You are free to believe that, but that is a religion, so please keep it within your own circle. It is not something that should be dealt with in public education."
Yes. Law enforcement officers, who hold power, know that if they flaunt their strength or engage in corruption, they will lose the cooperation of the people in criminal investigations. So, they try to work with an attitude of "it's our job to enforce the law, so we have no choice" and "that's just the nature of the profession," just like firefighters do when it comes to fighting fires. Therefore, they are not hated by the people of the city simply because they are police officers. Well, everyone thinks "damn cop!" when they get fined, though.
On forums like Ask Japanese or Japan History, where images can be freely shared, it's possible to discuss historical changes and actual differences in hairstyles based on social status and occupation. However, this is probably impossible for people who create images and call them memes. In reality, just as people in other countries can tell a person's social status and occupation from their hairstyle and clothing when watching historical films from their own country, there are clear differences.huh
It depends on which country you're referring to, but nowadays, working hours and restrictions are less than in the US or China. In terms of wages, it's easier to live here than in those countries. However, performing your job professionally and courteously is included in your salary, so even as a part-timer, ignoring customers and fiddling with your smartphone is unacceptable.
The term "kung fu" is probably used to mean "Chinese martial arts," but the question might change if you realize that this is similar to calling boxing, savate, wrestling, fencing, or even HEMA "European martial arts" without understanding the style.
When someone says they are "practicing boxing," the level of practice differs depending on whether they are practicing to compete in tournaments or simply learning how to punch as exercise or self-defense. To become a fighter, master, or coach, it takes several hours of practice every day, but the McDojoe instructor, whose identity has been revealed in online videos, doesn't seem to have had enough training.
It's my hobby to decipher the form training of various styles, asking "What is this form doing?", and I often find that modern boxing combination training (especially including footwork) is doing the same things as "kung fu" (lol), so I can't underestimate kung fu practitioners who properly train for several hours every day.
As has already been written, in typical martial arts classes, it's normal to train your body in order to use techniques, so in that sense, it seems like a straw man argument. On the other hand, regarding the obvious premise that "a 100kg man is stronger than a 50kg woman," if you ask, "Is it taboo to ask a woman why she doesn't train to reach 100kg?", I don't understand what you're asking. Ultimately, there are limits to how much you can train your physique, so the only answer I can give is that martial arts ultimately comes down to honing your skills.
Furthermore, in terms of practical self-defense rather than a sport, if your opponent is bigger and heavier than you and possesses some kind of technique, you should avoid fighting. If you absolutely must use your own technique, and you need to force your opponent to the ground without taking a clean hit, being grabbed, or being pushed down, you'll have to consider a list of things that would be considered fouls in sports. At that point, it's no longer a simple test of strength, but rather speed, precision, and determination.
My parents took a trip to China for over 10 days in the 1990s to see the Dunhuang ruins, but for some reason, in the 2020s, mainland China is now known as a country where tourists are suddenly arrested as spies and sentenced to years in prison in closed-door trials, and it is no longer a popular tourist destination, on par with Russia or North Korea.
In Japanese, there's no need to say "I" when the speaker (themselves) is speaking. If there's only one person you're talking to, you can also omit "You." This isn't just about whether it's possible to omit them; rather, both parties in a conversation understand this, so they don't use pronouns at all. This is seen in many languages, but conversely, English is a language that frequently specifies "who is talking to whom," so in English translation, the translator needs to insert "who" wherever they deem it necessary in the English expression. Because of this, depending on the translation method, it can become redundant or lead to mistranslations. It's not necessarily "beautiful," but sometimes, in songs or other situations where the lyrics are intentionally vague, like "the singer is asking themselves a question," and the target of the question becomes clear to the listener as the song progresses, I sometimes see English subtitles where the translator has to descriptively fill in the blanks with "I," "You," or "We" due to the characteristics of the English language, and I think it's bit a waste, like seeing the spoiler of a mystery novel.
The original meaning behind the name was likely that it combined elements of hardness and softness, and that it aligned with the martial art's nature of grasping the Tai Chi (the whole picture, reading the flow of the situation). However, from the perspective of the name itself, it sounds like "The Whole Fist," which can be considered an exaggerated name like "Ultimate Fist."
If the Lizard King is the Water Dragon in the back right, then it might not be the boss of the main route. There's an exit to the next map at the top, and you might want to go there first.
This game relies heavily on self-discovery, so if you already understand this, it might be redundant advice, but you can summon multiple elemental spirits. Water restores HP every turn, wind restores SP every turn, and fire increases attack power. The element toggles with the enemy, so if the enemy summons a water spirit, your water element is taken away, and the enemy's HP will continue to recover at the end of each turn until you summon a water spirit again.
"Tai jutsu" (体術/body-arts) is simply the meaning of the Japanese kanji word, essentially referring to body manipulation techniques and martial arts in general. "Tai Chi Chuan" (太極拳/Taijitu-fist) means something like a martial art that combines yin and yang, and is the name of a style of Chinese martial arts. Since Tai Chi Chuan is a martial art, it's not fundamentally wrong, and since I don't know what kind of martial arts classes are near you, I can't recommend anything else. (In Japanese style, it would be something like judo, aikido, karate, or jujutsu.)
Regarding Tai Chi Chuan, please note that the style of the classes themselves is divided into health exercises and martial arts classes. The latter accepts general students for health improvement, like a boxing gym offering boxing exercises, and the martial arts aspect may be mild, but in the former case, the coach themselves may even view Tai Chi Chuan as health exercises and not be able to use it as a martial art. In a normal class, they will probably start with the standard 24 forms, so there is meaning in learning that in itself. Be a little careful if the teacher starts talking about the power of qi. While the concept of "qi" is sometimes used in martial arts to become more aware of one's own body, it's not some kind of occult superpower.
The invention itself was made in 1901 by Alexander P. Anderson of the University of Minnesota and became widely known at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. There are two main theories regarding the commercial machines themselves: one that they were made in the United States in the 1900s, and the other that they were made in Germany in the 1920s. The German machines are said to have used cannon barrels, so the design may be of that lineage. In Japan in the 1920s, street vendors would sell pop rice to children with a handful of rice they brought from home and the cost of fuel, so it probably spread throughout the world quickly after its invention as an easy performance business. I sometimes hear stories from my mother about a vendor who made and sold pop rice right in front of the village children in the 1940s. In Japan, pop rice is divided into two types: street vendors selling it at festivals and pop rice snacks that are manufactured in factories and distributed as snaks. As the number of street vendors has decreased, the former is now only occasionally used in local festivals in front of children as a cultural preservation. I recently learned that in China (Taiwan/Hong Kong), small, home-use pop rice makers are still sold as lucky charms (like firecrackers). If you used one of those in a normal residential area in Japan, people might call the police or fire department asking, "What just exploded?"(lol)
Releasing unnecessary tension and applying the weight of the torso directly to the arms to generate unexpected power is an important technique in some martial arts, but the problem is that (as seen in previous videos) she is not doing it at all. Unless she taught herself from books, someone must have taught her the theory, so what kind of teacher didn't tell her that she wasn't able to do it?
I thought British police officers, while not always carrying guns, were more trained in arrest techniques than American police officers, but I was surprised when, instead of restraining a suspect by putting his arms behind his back and arresting him, he stopped restraining him (released himself), stepped back, and tried to use a taser.
