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Philip Kendall

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Hailing from Liverpool in the UK, Philip Kendall made Japan his second home in the summer of 2006 after dolefully abandoning his childhood dream of becoming a ghost buster. Setting up camp in beautiful Fukushima prefecture, he brought joy to literally hundreds of junior high school children as ‘that tall, handsome teacher’ or more often ‘the one with the big nose,’ before relocating to Tokyo at the end of 2011.

Writer, foodie, gamer and eternal student of the Japanese language, Philip now works as a freelance writer and translator, submitting to Tokyo Weekender magazine and website and Learn Japanese Pod, as well as co-running Suds, Grub & Joe- a website dedicated to all things beer, food and coffee-related in Tokyo. Follow his ramblings on his personal blog or on twitter.

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Posted by Philip Kendall (Page 16)

Man spends $140,000 a month on cosmetic surgery, girls still aren’t impressed

Philip Kendall
Mar 22, 2014
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Imagine dropping vast sums of cash on plastic surgery in an effort to make yourself appear more attractive, only to be told by a host of female celebs on national television that they wouldn’t touch you with a barge pole.

In classic Japanese variety show fashion, that’s precisely what TBS’s Watashi no Nani ga Ikenai no!? has in store for viewers next week, according to a recently released teaser trailer.

Japan
(cosmetic • plastic surgery • TV • video)

Well I never knew that! Video shows secret sleeping quarters for night bus drivers

Philip Kendall
Mar 22, 2014

Most haulage vehicles have snug little sleeping compartments for their drivers to crawl into after many hours on the road, but if you take a look around an average Greyhound or overnight bus you’ll notice no such place to hunker down.

So if a driver needs a little shut-eye between trips, where do they get it? Motels? Some kind of depot? Sitting up in their seat with a neck pillow? According to the following video, night bus drivers in Japan actually have another alternative, and it’s a lot closer than we thought.

Japan
(bus • sleeping berth • Trivia • video)

Computer equipment: the new way to keep your pet birds warm and happy?

Philip Kendall
Mar 21, 2014

When you think about all the power our modern devices burn through each day, particularly when some of us leave our gear switched on when it really needn’t be, it seems like a tremendous waste. So why not put some of that lost heat energy to good use and keep your pets warm?*

Internet, Japan
(birds • cute • PC • pets • photo)

Home sushi train kit commercial is cheesy/awesome

Philip Kendall
Mar 20, 2014

A couple of weeks ago, we brought you news that Japanese toy maker Takara Tomy Arts had just released a revolving sushi kit for home use, which comes complete with miniature sushi train and sushi making tools. Aimed primarily at kids it looked like tremendous fun, but having seen the promotional video for the product we’d like to take this opportunity to upgrade the product’s status in our estimations from “tremendous fun” to the more scientifically accurate “OMFGWANT!”.

Full video after the jump.

Japan
(cool • food • Kaitenzushi • sushi • toys • video)

A day in the life of a Japanese high schooler 【Photos】

Philip Kendall
Mar 20, 2014

Ah, high school. Acne, gangly limbs, and enough rampaging hormones to give you more shakes than a full pot of coffee. Can’t say I miss it. But by the looks of things, kids in Japan are totally owning high school, and today, hot on the heels of last month’s photo collection, we bring you a selection of photos of high school kids who clearly know how to have a good time.

May we present, in photo form, A Day in the Life of a Japanese High Schooler.

Japan
(funny • high school • photos)

Xbox One finally gets a release date in Japan – We hope you’re not in a hurry

Philip Kendall
Mar 19, 2014

That’s right ladies and gents, despite its predecessor’s somewhat dismal performance in the Land of the Rising Sun, Microsoft’s games console-cum-media hub Xbox One is coming to Japanese shores after all. But it won’t be for a while yet…

Japan
(Microsoft • release date • video games • Xbox One)

Newsflash: Sony unveils “Project Morpheus”, new virtual reality headset for PlayStation 4

Philip Kendall
Mar 19, 2014

Sony Computer Entertainment has just lifted the lid on brand new hardware at GDC 2014 in San Francisco: its own virtual reality headset for PlayStation 4, codenamed Project Morpheus.

Global
(playstation • project morpheus • Sony • tech • video games • virtual reality • VR)

7 hilarious/inexplicable Japan moments in South Park

Philip Kendall
Mar 18, 2014

With its crude animation and humour, South Park shocked audiences when it first aired back in 1997, with viewers unsure of its place in the schedules and target audience. Since then, Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s animated comedy has grown to become arguably one of the most entertaining, risqué and cutting-edge shows on TV today, with episodes pumped out at breakneck speeds so as to ensure that their content is always as topical as it is amusing.

With endless spoofs, homages and no-holds-barred social commentary, South Park has entertained audiences in dozens of countries for almost 17 years now, but there’s one theme in particular that just keeps cropping up season after season: Japan.

So come with us today as we take a look at seven of South Park’s most memorable and outrageous “Japan” moments. Trust us when we say that this isn’t one for the easily offended.

Global, Japan
(animation • comedy • funny • Japan • South Park • TV)

Frozen’s “Let It Go” sounds just as impressive sung in Japanese 【Video】

Philip Kendall
Mar 17, 2014

I’ve honestly never been much of a Disney fan (anyone else just want to punch Mickey in the face? Just me, eh?), but after having passively listened to Frozen‘s “Let It Go” as my wife played it a good 30 or 40 times over the last few months, I have to admit, it’s a superb song.

The movie finally released here last Friday as Ana and the Snow Queen (didn’t I tell you Japan was always late with movie releases!?) in 2-D and 3-D, with both dubbed Japanese and subtitled versions available. Something of a purist, I insisted on watching the film in its original English if I was to see it at all, but having just caught the Japanese version of “Let It Go”, it almost makes me want to watch the film in its translated version too.

Check out the Japanese version of arguably one of Disney’s best tracks ever after the jump.

Japan
(Disney • frozen • Let It Go • music • Takako Matsu • video)

Bandai Japan releases hugely impractical “sprout” desk accessories, catchy jingle

Philip Kendall
Mar 16, 2014

In the world of capsule toys, there’s always room for newcomers. Part of the reason so many people buy gashapon is the tiny thrill of excitement they get as they hear the capsule drop down into the dispenser and excitedly grab it to see whether they were lucky enough to get the toy they really wanted.

The toys themselves are often quickly forgotten about, doomed to a life of rolling around in the bottom of a bag or lining a windowsill turning a weird shade of yellow in the sun. But these new “desktop accessories” from toy maker Bandai, if their accompanying commercial video is to be believed, are designed to make their presence felt at every possible occasion, to the point of making your emails indecipherable.

Japan
(Bandai • commercial • gashapon • ki no me • pun • toys • video)

Osaka medical association warns against angering the gods through marijuana use

Philip Kendall
Mar 15, 2014

Drugs are bad, mkay. We know this. But apparently someone at the Osaka Pharmaceutical Association felt that the message would be better delivered by two shirtless men made up to look like (we think) Jesus Christ and Buddha…

Japan
(funny • manga • marijuana • Saint Oniisan • wtf)

Misprinted 1-yen coin sells for US$27,500 at auction

Philip Kendall
Mar 14, 2014

I kid you not, dear reader, someone in Japan just paid tens of thousands of dollars for a single one-yen coin–a tiny disc of aluminium whose ordinary street value is just US$0.009.

Internet, Japan
(auction • coins • misprint • weird)

Free ninja robots mini-games for PlayStation 4 Camera coming later today 【Update: Now live】

Philip Kendall
Mar 14, 2014

As cute and fun as it is, there is not as yet a tremendous amount to do the PlayStation Camera, the motion-sensing add-on device for PlayStation 4. Every one of Sony’s new consoles comes with a copy of The Playroom, a collection of augmented reality (AR) games which, with a camera plugged in, combine real-time footage of players in their living rooms with computer-generated images to give the impression of sharing the same space. But once you’ve vacuumed up robots with your controller and played a few rounds of AR air hockey with a pal, you’ve seen most of what’s on offer.

Thankfully, Sony has just announced some additional content for The Playroom in the form of NINJA BOTS, which will be available later today and completely free. And it actually looks kind of fun.

Global
(DLC • ninja AR bots • Playstation 4 • The Playroom • video games)

YouTuber becomes internet sensation with gibberish impressions of world languages

Philip Kendall
Mar 13, 2014

Meet YouTuber Smoukahontas, the girl who became an internet star in a matter of days with her video “What Language Sound Like To Foreigners”. In it, the bespectacled brunette runs through a long list of languages from Arabic to Japanese, blabbering nonsense word combinations in genuinely impressive accents, resulting in something that sounds to the untrained ear just like the real thing.

Global, Internet
(accents • funny • impressions • languages • video • YouTube)

Newsflash: Chinese satellite photos show “possible debris” from missing Malaysia Airlines plane

Philip Kendall
Mar 13, 2014

Chinese authorities have released satellite images which show what they believe could be debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which vanished without trace last Saturday.

China, SE Asia
(Malaysi • MH370 • news • satellite images)

Burger King Japan hits back at the competition with enormous sausage

Philip Kendall
Mar 13, 2014

Hot on the heels of McDonald’s Japan’s announcement of its spring-themed Sakura Teriyaki Burger, Burger King Japan has just revealed a new product of its own, and it looks to be quite the mouthful. This, ladies and gentlemen of the cholesterol-loving world, is the King’s Dog (and yes, that’s “dog” without an “n”, boys at the back), which packs in roughly five times the meaty goodness of a regular Burger King hot dog.

Japan
(Burger King • fast food • food • hot dogs • King's Dog)

Yes, of course Sailor Moon dog cosplay exists in Japan 【Photos & Video】

Philip Kendall
Mar 12, 2014

Japan loves anime. Japan loves cosplay. It also likes tiny little dogs. So it was probably only a matter of time until someone decided to dedicate an entire blog to photos of, you guessed it, tiny cosplaying dogs. And not just any cosplay either; Sailor Moon cosplay.

Internet, Japan
(cosplay • cute • dogs • Sailor Moon • wtf)

Sony gives PlayStation 3 game cases a facelift, netizens complain they can’t tell games apart

Philip Kendall
Mar 11, 2014

Stroll into virtually any games store and, alongside a wall of lime and dark green that marks the domain of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Xbox One, you’ll now find the sea of blue that is the PlayStation section. With its latest console, Sony went with dark blue for the majority of its packaging, with all games shipping in cases with dark blue headers stamped with the stylish “PS4” logo. The cases are the exact same colour as those for Sony’s portable console, PlayStation Vita, though since Vita game cards are so ridiculously tiny the cases are roughly half the size of the PS4’s.

But now, PlayStation 3 games wearing the same colours as their PS4 and Vita brethren have begun showing up in stores. Clearly Sony is aiming for a unified look across its PlayStation brand, but some gamers in Japan are not exactly pleased about the change and say that the new packaging is confusing.

Japan
(box art • playstation • PS Vita • Ps3 • PS4 • Sony • video games)

Remembering the people of Tohoku three years on

Philip Kendall
Mar 11, 2014

At 2:46 p.m. today, exactly three years will have passed since a Magnitude 9.0 earthquake shook Japan to its very core, moments later sending an enormous tidal wave that claimed tens of thousands of lives in the Tohoku region.

Today is a day to remember the people who are no longer with us, and to think of those whose lives were changed forever–many of whom were displaced from their homes and are still trying to start anew.

But today should also be seen as something of a gift. Those of us who came away from March 11, 2011 unscathed or are fortunate enough never to have known loss like the people of Tohoku are given days like today to pause and take stock of what we have. Whether or not you observe a moment’s silence this afternoon, and wherever you are in the world, try to keep Japan in the back of your mind today, but also try to look a little closer to home. Use today to effect some positive change in the world or in your own life, however small and seemingly insignificant. Donate to a charity you believe in; call your mother; switch off your phone for an hour and look at all of the cool stuff around you; start work on that book that you’ve been crafting in your mind for the past five years; buy some nicotine patches instead of another pack of cigs; book that holiday you’ve been meaning to take; pay for the guy in line behind you in Starbucks; tell your dog that he really is a good boy; make an awesome cake, then sit with a pal and stuff it into your faces while pretending to be dinosaurs.

As dramatic as it may sound, days like March 11, 2011 are firm reminders that sometimes there isn’t a tomorrow to put things off until, so make the most of today. Ganbare, Tohoku!

Need some inspiration? Maybe one of these groups could use some help:

Japan Red Cross Society / Cancer Research UK / (RED)
Global Giving / Save the Children / World Vision / WWF

Japan
(2011 Tohoku Earthquake • 3.11 • earthquake • Fukushima • Japan • message • remembrance • tsunami)

Tokyo Tower displays special message ahead of Tohoku earthquake and tsunami anniversary

Philip Kendall
Mar 10, 2014

A special message is being displayed on Tokyo Tower in memory of those lost during the March 11, 2011 earthquake and resulting tsunami, as well as to promote a sense of unity across the country.