Cute anime characters are here to give you all the encouragement you need.
Back before emojis and digital stamps appeared in messaging apps, ink stamps were a popular way to convey messages, and it’s a tradition Studio Ghibli is keen to keep alive, with a new collection of stamps featuring the Totoros from My Neighbour Totoro.
There are 11 designs to collect, starting with six square varieties, priced at 418 yen (US$2.67) each, that convey emotion simply with characters’ facial expressions.
▼ The two “Large Totoro” stamps above are joined by Soot Sprites…
▼ …and the Medium and Small Totoro.
The collection is Large Totoro heavy, though, with the gentle giant appearing on another two stamps, grinning from ear to ear.
This stamp comes with the Japanese hiragana character “と” (“to“), as a nod to “Totoro”.
While the stamps above are ideal for decorating letters, notes, diaries and scrapbooks, the remaining stamps help to convey messages and information, with a cute Totoro twist.
▼ This stamp lets you fill in the date, with the character for “month” (“月”) on top and the character for “day” “(“日”) on the bottom.
▼ This one, with the word ”ありがとう” (“thank you”) is a sweet way to express gratitude.
When you want to make a request, this Totoro, its face sprouting with hope like the seedlings before it, helps to convey your earnest wishes, with the expression “おねがいします” (“onegai shimasu” [“please“]).
And for those times when you or someone you know is dealing with a challenge, the word “ふぁいと!” (“Fight!“) will help to boost their spirit, as the expression is commonly used in Japan to encourage someone to keep fighting.
And finally, we have the largest stamp of all, showing the large Totoro looking down at the Small Totoro, with the words “とってもよくできました!” (“Totemo yoku dekimashita!” [“Very well done!“])
▼ The six stamps above retail for 660 yen each, while the one below retails for 770 yen.
These rubber ink stamps can be used time and time again to bring a dash of joy to all sorts of scenarios. Whether you’re sending cards, making notes, or creating your own New Year’s cards, Totoro has a way of making communication simply adorable. Which is quite the feat for a character with so little words!
Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Gomu-Gomu Fruit Punch is bouncing back.
Maybe it’s just me, but for some reason, the devil fruit from One Piece which we’ll keep calling “Gum-Gum Fruit” for now, looks incredibly appetizing. I first noticed this over a decade ago, when 7-Eleven came out with a Gum-Gum Fruit (Gomu-Gomu no Mi) melon pan, and I bought one without hesitation, followed shortly by a second, a third, and…you get the idea.
▼ A Gum-Gum Fruit
My advice to any food producer is to just make something that looks remotely like a Gum-Gum Fruit and watch the money pour in. One company that’s already on top of this is Baskin-Robbins, which came up with the Gomu-Gomu Fruit Punch flavor of ice cream that not only tastes great but looks great too.
▼ Gum-Gum Fruit ice cream
The base is a fruity sorbet with soda-flavored ribbons inside (in the Japanese sweets world, “soda” refers to a sort of cider-like sweet apple citrus flavor, not cola), and to really give it a punch, white pop-rock candies are also embedded in every scoop. It was first released last April but is already making its return, in time for Tony Tony Chopper’s birthday on 24 December.
Gomu-Gomu Fruit Punch will be sold from 28 November while supplies last for 420 yen (US$2.70) a scoop.
If you’re not interested in this limited-time flavor and would rather have some Rocky Road, well, quite frankly, I do not wish to associate with you. But as a consolation, Baskin-Robbins is also bringing back the special One Piece Design Fresh Pack Mini for about 1,000 yen from 1 December to 28 February. These packs hold about three servings of your choice of flavors and are decorated in either Chopper or Luffy, along with other illustrations of One Piece characters and Baskin-Robbins flavors.
Each pack also comes with a limited edition sticker that can only be found at Baskin-Robbins.
It’s a great chance to try some real-world Gum-Gum Fruit while it lasts. Hopefully, some other brand will craft a Gum-Gum Fruit version of their food for me to transition to by the time this is done. I just hope they don’t make any more bath bombs. I still have the taste of that one in my mouth.
Source, images: PR Times
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Fish possibly caught right after its best friend Krilin was killed.
I always imagine one of the most fun things about discovering something new is being able to name it whatever you want. I could be wrong, though. For the people who put all that time and effort into discovering new things, maybe the last thing on their minds is what they’d call it when they finally do find something.
But sometimes the right name for a plant or animal just seems to jump right out at you, as it did for a research team which included Professor Keita Koeda of the University of the Ryukyus in Okinawa Prefecture. While searching a depth of the ocean known as the “twilight zone” because only a faint amount of sunlight can reach it, University of the Ryukyus graduate Hiroshi Hirasaka managed to catch a completely new species of goby.
Gobies can be found in waters all over the world, and tend to be known for their relatively unattractive appearances. They’re usually brown, grey, or greenish in color and have pudgy faces with large mouths. What sets this new one apart are the uncharacteristically vibrant yellow streaks along its fins and face. It’s hard not to look at it and think that goby’s gone Super Saiyan.
It’s certainly what the team thought and gave the fish the official scientific name of Vanderhorstia supersaiyan. They’re stopping short there with the manga and anime references and are proposing “electric goby” (“erekihaze“) as a common name, which also references its shockingly yellow look. In addition to its unique appearance, this goby was found at a depth of 210 meters (689 feet), almost twice as deep as any other known goby species.
Many online were also delighted by the admittedly cute-looking new fish, while some also wondered if it tastes good.
“Because they used the English [super Saiyan] rather than [the Japanese] super Saiyajin, I thought it was caught in another country.”
“I am the fish who came from the sea to defeat you. A legendary fish with a gentle heart awakened by rage… I am supersaiyan!”
“If they find a red one, they have to name it supersaiyangod, and a blue one is supersaiyangodsupersaiyan.”
“To discover such a cute fish in the 21st century. The world really is full of treasures.”
“Its power level looks high.”
“Looks like it would be delicious deep-fried and seasoned with some salt.”
“It kind of looks like a Pokémon.”
This research was carried out in an effort to explore the creatures that inhabit the seas around Okinawa. Since trawl fishing is not permitted there, the area is largely underexamined, and new species have been discovered one after another in recent years. Hopefully, they don’t run out of names for them all and end up calling them Fishy McFishface or something dumb like that.
Source: University of the Ryukyus, Hachima Kiko, Twitter/@hirahiroro
Images: University of the Ryukyus
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Students studying Japanese as a second language in-country hits historic high, majority of teachers are unpaid volunteers.
Global interest in Japan and its culture, both modern and traditional, has never been higher. This is occurring, however, at the same time as another trend in which many are claiming that technology has turned a corner and we can now leave all sorts of previously human-intelligence functions to machines. AI can even communicate for us now, some claim, pushing automated translations as a solution to language barriers.
However, the important thing to remember about artificial intelligence is that it’s different from genuine intelligence. Especially when it comes to translating to or from a language as context-heavy as Japanese. Even when dealing with simple phrases, AI translation can get things wildly, and sometimes even violently, wrong.
So it’s very encouraging to know that more foreigners than ever are studying Japanese in Japan.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology recently released the latest iteration of its annual Survey on the State of Japanese Language Education, compiled from data collected in November of 2024 (which explains why “Speediness” isn’t part of the ministry’s lengthy name). The study found 294,198 foreign nationals enrolled in Japanese-as-a-second-language classes in Japan, the highest number ever and an increase of 31,028 over the previous year.
The number accounts for both foreigners on student visas in Japan as well as other classifications of residents, such as work, spousal, or refugee visas. The previous high, 277,857, came in 2019, followed by a severe dip during the pandemic, dropping down to 123,408 in 2021 through a combination of fewer new learners being able to enter Japan and foreign residents returning to their home countries during the economic instability of the period. Zooming out to a wider view of historic trends, the 294,198 learners of Japanese in Japan are nearly five times the 60,601 people who made up that demographic in 1990.
Number of Japanese language students in Japan
● 1990: 60,601
● 2017: 239,597
● 2018: 259,711
● 2019: 277.857
● 2020: 160,291
● 2021: 123,408
● 2022: 219,808
● 2023: 263,170
● 2024: 294,198
The study also found that there are a total of 2,669 institutions and facilities providing Japanese language instruction to foreigners, consisting of universities, junior colleges, high schools, accredited language schools, local governments and boards of education, international friendship societies, and volunteer organizations. This number is also significantly larger than it was a decade ago, but slightly down from its high in 2022.
Number of institutions and organizations offering Japan language instruction to foreigners in Japan
● 1990: 821
● 2017: 2,109
● 2018: 2,290
● 2019: 2.542
● 2020: 2,516
● 2021: 2,541
● 2022: 2,764
● 2023: 2,727
● 2024: 2,669
Crunching those numbers a little more, the number of university programs has gone down a bit, from 516 in 2017 to 481 in 2024, with rises in the number of language schools (from 466 to 648) and volunteer organizations (from 281 to 695) during the same period.
Foreigners on student visas accounted for roughly two thirds of the Japanese learners, with the others residents of other categories, the largest, 6.6 percent, being those working in Japan or accompanying a family member doing so. In terms of nationality, China was by far the largest source of learners, with 78,821, or 26.8 percent of the total. Nepal and Vietnam came next, with the U.S. being the highest western country on the list at 10th.
Country of origin of Japanese learners in Japan
1. China: 78,821
2. Nepal: 45,821
3. Vietnam: 33,547
4. Myanmar: 18,181
5. Sri Lanka: 10,230
6. Philippines: 9,389
7. Indonesia: 9,280
8. Korea: 7,929
9. Taiwan: 7,786
10. U.S.A.: 6,607
Also hitting a record high in the study is the number of Japanese teachers within the country providing instruction to foreigners, which has grown by roughly the same proportion, about 25 percent, as the number of students since 2017.
Number of Japanese-as-second-language teachers in Japan
● 1990: 8.329
● 2017: 39,588
● 2018: 41,606
● 2019: 46.411
● 2020: 41,755
● 2021: 39.241
● 2022: 44,030
● 2023: 46.257
● 2024: 50,309
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Japan will have enough teachers, should current trends continue. A key issue is that in the most recent survey, more than half of teachers of Japanese as a second language were in the 50s or older, with at least one in six 70 or older.
Age of Japanese-as-second-language teachers in Japan
● Under 20: 0.9 percent
● 20-29: 5.8 percent
● 30-39: 7.1 percent
● 40-49: 13.3 percent
● 50-59: 19.3 percent
● 60-69: 21.7 percent
● 70-79: 14/7 percent
● Unspecified: 17.3 percent
Not to discount the wisdom, experience, and vigor of older instructors, the heavy balance towards teachers over the age of 50 could be a sign that the industry is having trouble attracting younger applicants, which could create a problem in coming years if the talent pool isn’t restocked as older teachers eventually leave the workforce.
▼ “No, Mr. Tanaka, you need to rest!”
“But…my students…if I don’t go, who will save them from the terrors of the ‘so’ and ‘n’ katakana?”
However, that in turn raises the question of just how much of an “industry” teaching Japanese as a second language is in Japan. Out of the 50,309 teachers identified in the most recent study, the majority receive no salary at all, with 51.1 percent saying they teach on a volunteer basis. Only 13.6 percent said that teaching Japanese was their regular job, with the remaining 33.3 percent saying they teach on a supplementary or irregular basis.
That might sound like shameless labor exploitation, but it’s important to remember that the study included local community center and international friendship organization programs, many of which are free for students and take a relaxed approach that focuses more on grass roots cultural exchange and community outreach than serious scholarly pursuit. Less than 3.3 percent of instructors for university, junior college, or high school programs said they teach on a volunteer basis, and out of the 14.424 language school teachers, only 13, far below 0.1 percent, were volunteers. Conversely, it was local government and international friendship societies that had the highest proportions of volunteers, at 87.5 and 90.3 percent, respectively. Whether full and part-time compensated teachers are getting paid enough for their services is a question for another day, but at the very least it’s safe to say most, if not all, volunteer instructors aren’t really looking to make money off teaching in the first place. Volunteers making up a large proportion of the total number of teachers could also explain why so many are in their 50s or older, as many people become more active in local community programs in their post-retirement years.
▼ Mr. Tanaka isn’t in it for the money, he just likes meeting new people and being helpful.
That does still leave the potential problem of making sure enough new teachers are coming into the field, though, and also ensuring that the types of courses offered (relaxed community center lessons, intense university curriculums, and everything in between) are being made available proportionate to the needs of the student base.
Finally, we can’t discount the effect that exchange rates must be having on the situation. Coming to Japan on a student visa becomes much more viable when a weak yen means the savings you’ve built up in your home country will go much farther while you’re out of the full-time workforce, and should the yen rise up again, studying in the country will suddenly become much less viable for many people considering making the move.
For now, though, it’s great to see the international community showing such a strong interest in not only learning Japanese, but in immersing themselves in both the language and the culture by studying it in Japan.
Source: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology via Yahoo! Japan News/Kyodo
Top image: Pakutaso (edited by SoraNews24)
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2, 3, 4)
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Howl’s Moving Castle antagonists hit the streets in the real world.
Studio Ghibli merchandise is largely dedicated to the heroes, heroines, and friendly allies from its films, but on occasion, the antagonists get to make their mark, and that’s what’s happening now with the release of a new Howl’s Moving Castle T-shirt from streetwear brand GBL.
The T-shirt evokes the world of Howl’s Moving Castle with dynamic images of the Witch of the Waste and her henchmen, known as “Gomu Ningen” (literally “Rubber Humans“) in Japanese or “Blob Men” in the English version of the movie.
The Witch of the West resides on the chest, in a pocket-esque design that sees her peering out of a window, just as she does when riding in her carriage.
On the side are the Blob Men, designed to look like they’re emerging from within the seam, and to make their appearance even more realistic, they’re carefully printed on the material before it’s sewn together.
▼ Rubber printing is used to give them a glossy look.
The attention to detail continues inside, where the tag is designed to look like the curse from the Witch of the Waste.
Made from 100-percent cotton, the T-shirt is comfortable to wear and available in five sizes from S to XXL.
For a relaxed style, pair the shirt with wide pants, overalls, or denim. For a clean look, slacks or skinny pants are recommended.
However you wear it, all eyes will be on the Blob Men, in the hopes that they won’t fully escape from the confines of the shirt seam.
Priced at 8,800 yen (US$56.39), the shirt can be purchased at GBL stores and online, where you can also pick up a Howl’s Moving Castle stole to add even more characters to the look.
Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku
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