Tokyo Extreme

A little bit too late with posting this, but Dutch TV host Bo went to Japan to explore Tokyo and made funny reports in 3 parts: Tokyo Extreme.

The vids are in Dutch so we'll try to translate most of it! :)

Part 1: Maid cafe

Bo is going to work in a maid cafe as a *kawaii* angel. But she has some difficulties to behave very humble, (almost obedient) as Dutch aren't obedient at all haha. When the maid cafe shift is over Bo is tired to be all sugary nice. And wants to do something wild, so she's going to buy a Hello Kitty vibrator.

JUMI upgraded

Just fitted JUMI into a new dress!
More new stuff is coming.....

The Dutch proudly present the 'Peestore'

Imagine you're in Amsterdam to do some nonstop shopping at the cutest/coolest stores, visiting all museums you can find, such as the chocolatefactory and eating and drinking during all the activities...but then, because of all the excitement, you feel you need to go to the bathroom, very urgently...yet, you find out that all the bathrooms/toilets are occupied, or you even can't find a toilet nearby....Help!
Well, soon there will be a solution, introduced on the 17th of February, at the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam: the first toiletstore 2theloo.

Yes, here you can use the toilets for its purpose. Besides the active functional part of the store, you can also buy bathroom/toiletproducts and gadgets. Finally, no more stress finding a toilet, just go 2theloo!

Let this cute annoying bear read your tweets

Twitter, tweets...There are people who really want to share everything with the world about the most useless stuff ever (what do I care about someone's finding out about the hole in his sock, or a tweet about a teacher's bad hair day). Some use it wisely and actually have an interesting, newsworthy message.

If you're a twitterreader who frequently follows someone's (or some company's) interesting twitter, but sometimes get tired to read all the tweets yourself, you might like this new invention: The Charatter!

Toymaker WiZ Co (Japan) came up with this cute solution that allows you not to read all the tweets yourself anymore: the bear Charatter reads it out for you. After plugging him in your computer/IPhone and installing a software, just sit down, relax, close your eyes and Charatter will tell you the tweets. Charatter is now adoptable, and available in stores in Japan (2200 yen).

Check out the video and listen to the cute voices, here at Jumi!


Source: The Wall Street Journal, Japanrealtime

Sweatshop

This song has been on my mind the whole day! Just had to share it.
The song is called Sweatshop by De Staat, a Dutch band. Funky♪

Waiting for the bus for 2 hours? That's OK!

Jumi is a hardcore public transport user. Sometimes I miss the bus and need to wait another thirty minutes for another one to arrive. And well, if it's early in the morning, and I didn't have a coffee, I can get really cranky, waiting for a very very very 'long' time....

It would be different if I just live in San Francisco. Then I don't mind waiting for (one or two) hours for the bus to arrive. Why?

In San Francisco Yahoo installed special touchscreens at twenty busstops where people can play games, while waiting for the bus. Simple games as puzzles and quizzes. The funny thing is, that the games in these busstops are connected with each other, so travelers can actually play against each other. How cool is that! In that way it's possible to battle together with your co-travelers against travelers from other neighborhoods in this city.

Check out the website www.busstopderby.com for more info!

Jumi on tour: Japan Expo Brussels

Already having plans to visit Brussels (Belgium) in April this year? Well, write down the following event in your agenda:

Japan Expo, Belgium - From 22nd till 24th of April

Japan Expo is the biggest (Japan) cultural festival of Europe. Last year this festival was in France (this year too, in June-July). Now for the first time it will also be held in Belgium. Get to know the traditional culture by manga, anime, cosplay, games and (J pop-) music and much more.

Check out the video of Gamushara Oendan, funny crazy guests of last years Japan Expo in France, here at Jumi!

First 3D(orama): Tokyo Control

Jumi loves dorama! Well, I'm sure we don't have to wait another ten years, to enjoy and watch our favorite drama series (and characters) in 3D.

Together with Fuji TV, Sony produced the first 3D(orama) Tokyo Control. This dorama is about the life of the staff of traffic controllers of the airport in Tokyo. The premier of Tokyo Control was last wednesday at Sky PerfecTV! HD, a paid service. I'm not sure if this will be a major success, because not many people have a 3-tv in their livingroom...

Late Autumn

S.Korean actor Hyun Bin (known from the dorama Secret Garden) is going to star in the movie Late Autumn. The movie is a love story, loosely based on the popular 1966 South Korean film Full Autumn, and depicts people abandoned by society. A S.Korean and Chinese immigrant meet on a bus to Seattle. The woman is on temporary release from prison and the man is on the run from the police.

This movie was shot in Seattle AND the actors are speaking English in this movie. So I'm quite curious for this movie!! Here's the cute trailer:



*wuah* wish i'd meet Hyun Bin on a bus..

Super Mario Orchestra

We've seen Super Mario played on violin. Some played the tune by guitar, some even tried beatboxing and singing Mario's song.

Well, I was impressed by this version of the all time favorite game. In 2008 the People's Association Youth Chinese Orchestra played the beautiful theme in Japan.

Watch the Orchestra version here at Jumi!

Ghibli @ Milkyway (NL)

If you're a Ghibli-fan and you'll be in Amsterdam in March, you definitely should plan a visit to the Melkweg. From 9th till 30th of March, the cinema of Melkweg will show some of the beautiful movies of Ghibli.

A Jumi-must-see-recommendation is Grave of the Fireflies (1988).
This story is about the life of a boy and his little sister during the World War II, who are trying to survive without family. It's a sad story, but definitely worth watching it (one of my Ghibli favorites)!

And there will be a NATIONAL PREMIER:
The Borrower Arriety, the newest production of Ghibli, will be shown for the first time in the Netherlands, on the 9th of March. The movie is based on the childrensbook of Mary Nortons, about little people who are living peacefull and quietly under the floor of a house, until a boy Arriety discovers them.

You can also watch other Ghibli movies: Princess Mononoke, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Pompoko, Porco Rosso, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, My neighbor Totoro, The cat returns, Ponyo, Whisper of the Heart and Tales from Earthsea. The last movie is from Goro Miyazaki (son of Hayao Miyazaki), who's coming with a new movie Kokurikozaka Kara. Check out the website of Melkweg for more info www.melkweg.nl

For now, enjoy this beautiful live performance of the song Tonari no Totoro, here at Jumi!

Our own dutch Willy Wonka factory

One of my alltime favorite movies is Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory (1971). Who didn't dream about it, walking all by yourself in this beautiful chocolate factory, eating candy, drinking so much chocolate milk that your stomach gets upset. Keep on dreaming....

Yes, I will, until 2013! That's right. Recently I found out that Amsterdam will get a real chocolatefactory-themepark!

Visitors can choose between 3 different directions in the chocolatefactory:

1. a tour for real adventurers, where you will be 'transformed' into a cocoabean and have to experience the process to become a chocolate (kidstour);
2. the museum tour, where you'll walk along the old (dummy) chocolate machines and get to know the history of the cocoa- and chocolate industry;
3. the educational tour, where you'll get to  know everything about all sorts of beans. Guided by a real chocolatemaker, you will be taken to a lab for a class to make your own chocolate.

In the factory you'll also find a real chocolatefountain, where you can tap your own chocolatemilk and ofcourse there's a restaurant and a chocolatebar, jummy!

So, if you're planning to go to Amsterdam, just wait two more years, and experience this dream for real!

Check out the website for more information: www.dechocoladefabriek.nl

Secret Garden

If you haven't started watching the Korean dorama 'Secret Garden' yet, you should do it now! Seriously this drama is SO funny! I am now watching episode 6 and this is the first time a dorama can make me laugh loud non-stop!

Story:
The drama tells the story of Kim Joo Won (Hyun Bin), a seemingly perfect man who hides an arrogant and eccentric side, and Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won), a stuntwoman whose beauty and body are the object of envy amongst top actresses. One day they went deep into the mountains and entered a strange house, where a strange grandmother offered them a weirdlooking drink. The next day, they found themselves in the other's body.

Watch it here.

Mos Burger finally overseas?

One of the jummy things i've eaten, during my trip in Hong Kong, was a riceburger of Mos Burger, filled with veggies seasoned with some sort of soysauce. For me it was a revelation: the freshness (you have to wait a bit long, for the burger to be served, because they're freshly made), the smell, and the taste ofcourse!

If I want to enjoy eating this beautiful, jummy burger again, I have to travel all the way to Asia, unfortunately. Or not?
Well, I have good news (for myself hihi). Recently there has been an announcement that Mos Food Services is planning to open more restaurants overseas, in Europe and the US! 'MOS Food Services President Atsushi Sakurada said the expansion will definitely take place within the next 10 years.'


Hmm, I don't know how long we have to wait, but I will definitely keep you updated. For now, enjoy watching this commercial of Mos Burger.

Source: Asahi

Finally Norwegian Wood

We had to wait a long time to see Norwegian Wood in the cinema, and YES yesterday was the big day to see this beautiful story on screen.

With the beautiful stage setting, it was like traveling back in time, into the sixties: big rotary telephones, huge sunglasses, brownish-orange interior, beautiful music by the Beatles...Some shots where beautifully made (shots outside), it really emphasized the emotions/feelings of one person, at that particular moment.

Kenichi Matsuyama (Watanabe) has the leading role in the story and he did it very well. I've seen other films with Kenichi, and I was impressed by his acting skills. I remember him as a cute boy in Nana, and now he's all grown up!

Rinko Kikuchi also played the role (Naoko, girlfriend of Watanabe) very very good, that you almost feel like you're sorry for Naoko's sadness. (By the way, last Wednesday, she turned 30! Happy B-day!)


Now I have seen Norwegian Wood I definitely want to read the book. Sometimes I had the feeling that the film moved too fast into some scenes, yet other scenes were unnecessary long. This is quite understandable, because the film itself lasted 133 minutes. Too much to tell, unfortunately not enough time to film everything. A good reason the read the book, to get more into the story and the characters.

Don't expect a typical 'Hollywood-drama-movie' where one dramatic happening, directy follows another dramatic event. Norwegian Wood is a 'quiet drama with much conversation'.

Gaming while peeing - peeing while gaming?

Girls, aren't we tired of dirty toiletseats, because our male friends don't use the toilet properly (leaving everything next or on the toiletseat instead of inside)? Well, there might be a solution to solve this problem, once and for all (besides yelling at him).

Sega came up with a new invention: a gameconsole installed in toilets, the Toylet. Yup, in Japan they installed the consoles in public toilets for men (for now, I think). Toylet has a screen on the wall above the toilet and inside the toilet a special sensor. So that means that games can be played by peeing on/in it. An example of a game is Graffiti Eraser, where the gamer has to remove graffiti by peeing on it. Haha, how silly is that. Well, hopefully this invention will be a helpingtool for cleaner toiletseats. Unfortunately Toylet has only been installed in public male toilets, but in the future we probably can afford to buy it ourselves :)

Talk to Robobear

Remember those days, where they had (and still have) teddy bears and other cuddly animaltoys, who can talk and say 'Hello' without moving their mouths, only by pressing a button. Hmm, how ' incredible' ...Well, technology 's moving fast and in the near future, you can find teddy bears which are a little bit more realistic.

Recently Fujitsu came up with a robotbear, which shows human expressions and gestures. This robot can be used in hospitals or other carecenters as a companion for ill children and elderly. It's an alternative for real pets. Robobear has tiny little devices on his body, for example a small camera in his nose, special touch sensors and a little microphone. It also has been programmed with 300 different facial expressions, gestures and movements, so it reacts on human eyecontact and physical contact.

It's not the first time that robopets are being used as some sort of companion or pet. A few years ago, a robotic seal, Paro has been introduced. For the next couple of years, I don't think that we can afford to buy Robobear for ourselves :(
So for now, we'll just have to enjoy this video of Robobear (Check out how he moves his eyelids, it's so cute, he moves and looks like a funny old grandpa bear)!