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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 39)

Monday Pick-Me-Up: Cute, Headphone-Wearing Girls Dancing Around Japan!

Philip Kendall
Nov 13, 2012
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Arrrrgh, it’s Monday again! I thought we’d all agreed to stop this madness ages ago!?

The weekend’s over, another long week lies ahead and we all trundle back to work knowing that the next weekend could not be any further away…

We need something to pick us up! Something to fill us with genki spirit and give us that energy boost we need to face the day!

We need… videos of cute girls dancing while wearing headphones!!!

Internet, Japan
(cute • dance • energy • genki • girls • headphones)

Beautiful Japanese-Made Fountain Pens Make me Want to Learn to Write All Over Again

Philip Kendall
Nov 13, 2012

As a man whose handwriting could be defined as infantile at best, I can’t help but admire those who can wield a fountain pen like a paintbrush. Thanks to the bizarre way in which I hold my pen (I’m right-handed but people often ask if I’m a lefty purely because my grip is so odd), writing with any pen whose ink is wetter than a cheap ballpoint’s results in my hand turning blue and an enormous horizontal smear of ink across the page as if the letters were warping through time.

After seeing this short video from Japanese pen makers Namiki, though, I’m genuinely tempted to sit down and practice writing my ABCs all over again if it means that I can correct my awkward grip and learn to write as beautifully as this…

Internet, Japan
(beautiful • calligraphy • pen • stylish • writing)

Hospital Restages Daughter’s Wedding for Bedridden Father

Philip Kendall
Nov 10, 2012

It’s stories like this that restore my faith in humankind.

Staff at a hospital in Tokyo went the extra mile this week by organising a second wedding ceremony especially for a patient who was unable to attend his daughter’s wedding in October.

The patient, 57-year-old Masaru Tanaka, was admitted to the hospital in December last year after the driver of a truck knocked him off his motorbike, confining him to a hospital bed after suffering a severe cerebral hemmorhage. Hearing the sad news that Masaharu was unable to attend his own daughter’s wedding, staff at Akirudai Hospital in west Tokyo put their heads together to bring the celebrations to him instead.

Japan
(heartwarming • human interest • true story? • Wedding)

New Magic Liquid Makes any Pair of Gloves Touchscreen Friendly

Philip Kendall
Nov 10, 2012

As great as touchscreen-operated mobile devices are, they’re a real pain in the neck when it comes to winter and you have to pull off your gloves to operate them.

It’s fine if you stop in a cafe or restaurant where you can slip your gloves off and type a quick message or check an email, but when an unexpected phonecall comes in and you’re left swiping at the unlock screen like a cat pawing at the TV during a nature show, you soon grow to hate using a smartphone in winter.

Gloves with special metal fibres in the tips have been on the market for a couple of years now, but they’re not always of the greatest quality. And even if you do find a decent pair, what if you already have a pair of gloves that you’re attached to and would rather use instead?

Japanese company Onsight might just have the perfect solution…

Japan
(clothes • fashion • gedget • invention • smartphone • winter)

Kyoto Bullying Awareness Event Sees Teenager Topple Demon in Wrestling Match, Sends Powerful Message to Bullies

Philip Kendall
Nov 8, 2012

It’s been quite the day for vanquishing bullies here on RocketNews24. First we heard the story of a violent club host being arrested following outcry on the internet, and now a pro wrestling teenager has taken down a demon in an effort to raise awareness of the bullying in Japan’s schools.

As reported by Asahi Digital, in a special pro wrestling event held last Sunday in Kamigyou ward, Kyoto, a young man who once suffered at the hands of school bullies put on an incredible show by quite literally wrestling “The King of Bullies” to the ground.

Japan
(bullying • event • heart-warming • wrestling)

Instant Ramen Maker Sets up Tiny Restaurant in Shibuya Station: Three Dollar Lunch, Anyone?

Philip Kendall
Nov 8, 2012

Japanese food manufacturer Nissin, maker of incredibly popular “like fresh” instant noodle brand Raō, has taken the unusual step of opening a tiny restaurant of its own in Shibuya station, Tokyo. The restaurant opened just yesterday and is situated, of all places, in the very centre of the busy Yamanote line platform.

The miniature restaurant’s menu consists of just two items: two flavours of regular, shop-bought instant ramen, each costing just 250 yen (US$3).

Always eager to try out new food and discover interesting new locations, our intrepid RocketNews24 reporters headed down to see the restaurant for themselves.

Japan
(food • Noodles • original • ramen • Restaurant • Shibuya • station)

【Cheapskate News】 McDonald’s Japan Giving Away Free Hamburgers (Again)

Philip Kendall
Nov 7, 2012

Is there no end to the Golden Arches’ generosity?

Just as the restaurant’s french fry offer comes to an end– but not before some teenagers took full advantage– McDonald’s Japan has announced that it’s about to give away free hamburgers.

That’s right- even to degenerates like you and me!

Full details after the jump>>>

Japan
(campaign • food • free • hamburger • McDonald's • promotion)

Curry Hamburger: Delicious! Nutritious!! Contains Cesium!!! Our Brave Reporter Investigates

Philip Kendall
Nov 6, 2012

It’s not every day that you hear of a dish whose ingredients include a chemical element.

When most people hear of cesium, they probably think of either high school chemistry class or, if you happened to be glued to the TV during last year’s nuclear disaster in Fukushima, the element’s association with radiation…

So when a restaurant in central Tokyo openly advertising a lunch-time curry featuring a “cesium burger” came to our attention, we had to check it out.

Our brave food reporter Kuzo headed into town to find out whether the rumours were true and, if they were, to see what on earth a meal featuring a potentially hazardous chemical substance could taste like…

Japan
(Burger • caesium • Cesium • food • Kuzo • Restaurant)

New Touch Panel Technology Provides Intelligent Feedback, “Like pushing real buttons!”

Philip Kendall
Nov 6, 2012

At last week’s Digital Contents Expo 2012 held in Tokyo, cutting edge technology company Kyocera unveiled something that will no doubt appeal to tablet and smartphone users the world over, potentially changing the way we use our modern-day gadgets forever.

The company has produced an intelligent touch screen that mimics a variety of sensations, from soft and squidy jelly, to rigid, clicky buttons. What does this mean for handsome folk you and me? It means all the speed and convenience of touch screens, but with fewer inaccuracies and silly– albeit amusing- typing mistakes. It could also mean that our beloved touch screens will become far more versatile in the future, not to mention becoming accessible to a much larger audience.

Japan
(button • new • smart phone • technology • touch screen)

A Month After Japan’s Strict New Download Law Comes into Effect, Survey Suggests that Consumers are Spending Less Than Ever on Music

Philip Kendall
Nov 5, 2012

As of 1 October this year, knowingly downloading copyrighted music and video in Japan became punishable by up to two years in prison and a 2 million yen (US$25,000) penalty.

The law was passed in June after the Japanese music industry, the second largest in the world after the US, reported continued financial losses, with analysts suggesting that just one in 10 downloads were legal.

Since the law came into effect, there have certainly been some changes, and many internet users have become reluctant to click that download button for fear of receiving a hefty fine, meaning that the law has been a success in a way.

According to a recent statistical survey, however, since the law was passed, sales of music in Japan have continued to fall and consumers are actually showing less interest in music than ever before…

Internet, Japan
(download • illegal • law • music • statistics • survey)

Eating on Trains in Japan: Survey Asks “How Much is Too Much?”

Philip Kendall
Nov 2, 2012

Public transport in Japan has been featured numerous times this week here on RocketNews24. We’ve seen hilarious photos of people crashed out in awkward positions, cats, pigeons and teddy bears taking up seats, and we’ve heard young people– for a change– complaining about the older generation’s bad manners and poor social conduct.

With some of the busiest stations in the world and a population that increases by more than 2 million during the daytime as people pour into the city, Tokyo relies heavily on its bus and rail networks. Crammed into those little metal tubes, sometimes for hours each day, commuters soon learn to cope with being pushed, shoved and having their personal space reduced to the few inches of space around their face.

People soon learn what is and is not acceptable on public transport, and while socially-aware conduct like switching mobile phones to silent mode and giving up seats to elderly or disabled passengers are stipulated by in-train notices or audio announcements, there remains a handful of other, often unspoken, rules that people must adhere to or else incurr the wrath of irritated passengers as they glare, tut and grumble in their direction.

Listening to music too loudly through headphones; reading sexually explicit manga; not removing a backpack during the rush hours; all are considered rude on-board trains. But there’s a special rung in commuter Hell reserved for those who eat and drink during their journey…

Internet, Japan

Sadistic Super Mario World is Back with New Levels, Made by Friends for Friends…

Philip Kendall
Nov 2, 2012

If you’re anything like me, you spent tens, if not hundreds of hours during the 1990s in front of a TV set playing Super Nintendo games like Super Mario World.

The game is often heralded as the greatest 2-D Mario game ever made, and is still played even 22 years (feel old yet!?) after its original launch.

You’d be wrong, though, if you thought that people were still playing just the levels that Nintendo crafted for its consumers decades ago; throughout the world there are entire groups of people with ROM files and hacked versions of the original game code who are regularly creating new levels, sometimes entire worlds, of their very own.

But why create nice, gentle levels filled with dancing flowers and 1-up mushrooms when you could create the most sadistic, mind-bending stages ever conceived of and force your friends to play through them?

Internet, Japan
(funny • levels • Mario • niconico • sadistic • videogames • Yoshi • YouTube)

Incredible Flip-Book Animation Adopted by English Band Muse as Official Music Video

Philip Kendall
Nov 1, 2012

Regular RocketNews24 readers may recall an article we did back in March this year that introduced us to Furiko (Pendulum), the flip-book animation hand-drawn by eccentric Japanese comedian Tekken that had us all welling up with tears.

The video, set to English band Muse’s symphonic track Exogenesis, told the story of a young couple’s life together, following them from the moment that they first met through middle-aged marital hiccups before they meet their inevitable mortal end. The video received deservedly high praise, not just because every one of the 1,038 pages that make up the animation were hand-drawn, but because the video managed to pack as much genuine feeling and emotion into three minutes as most hollywood blockbusters in two hours.

Months later, Furiko has caught the attention of none other than Muse themselves, who were so moved that they decided to make it the official music video for their beautiful track.

Global, Internet
(animation • collaboration • emotional • Muse • music video)

Ueno Zoo’s Panda Enclosure Goes Big Brother, Installs Real-Time Cameras for All to See

Philip Kendall
Oct 31, 2012

Okay, who likes pandas?

Of course you do! How could you not? They’re fuzzy and cute, they walk around eating bamboo all day, they rarely maul people to death when they bump into them in the woods like their bigger brown relatives… That said, with fewer than 3,000 pandas estimated to be in existence across the globe, the chances of running into one while out for a morning stroll are pretty slim…

So thank goodness that Ueno Zoo in Tokyo– home to two of just 11 pandas in the country– has installed a set of cameras in its panda enclosure, allowing the public to take a sneaky peek at the pair from the comfort of their own home.

Internet, Japan
(animals • camera • cute • panda • watch • zoo)

Paris Syndrome: A Psychological Condition that Hits Japanese Hardest

Philip Kendall
Oct 31, 2012

Paris: city of love, romance, food and… mental anguish?

In an article over on Gold Rush, writer Senya talks about the devastating psychological condition that has come to be known as “Paris Syndrome”; a condition that, bizarrely, seems to affect Japanese people in particular, with many visiting the city suffering from symptoms similar to depression that, in rarer cases, results in suicide.

What is it about Paris that has such a debilitating effect on Japanese? What could they do to avoid it or lessen the symptoms?

We delve a little deeper to find out…

Europe, Japan
(culture shock • health • psychology)

Man Enters Woman’s Apartment, Demands Underwear at Knife-point

Philip Kendall
Oct 31, 2012

A 32-year-old man in the town of Hino, Tokyo, was arrested late last week on suspicion of having entering a woman’s apartment and demanding that she hand over her underwear.

According to an FNN News report, the man crept into the premises before brandished a knife and telling the resident to surrender her panties, but was apprehended soon after.

Japan
(crime • pants • thief • underwear)

Young People Speak Out: Recent Survey Suggests That Japan’s Older Generation’s Manners Stink

Philip Kendall
Oct 29, 2012

While walking home from the station last weekend, eyes glued to my mobile phone as is my own particular vice, I suddenly found myself enveloped by vast plumes of cigarette smoke. Looking ahead of me, a guy in a business suit walking in the same direction had lit up a cig and was merrily puffing away, obviously in need of a hit having just disembarked a train himself.

While I’m definitely one of the anti-smoking set, I have absolutely no problem with other people smoking if they want to- just so long as it doesn’t affect the people around them. For me, smoking is like farting; go ahead and enjoy your own, but please don’t share with everyone else.

Breaking into a little jog, I overtook the smoker- a man in his late fifties wearing a business suit- and, once again able to breathe freely, walked up-wind of him.

No sooner had I done so that a second man, a little older this time, emerged from a side street. He blew his nose noisily on a handkerchief and stuffed it into his coat pocket, at which point he coughed, sniffed and, with what sounded like a tremendous physical effort, spat something brown out onto the pavement just a few feet ahead of me.

Quite forgetting myself, I muttered “kitanai naa” (“man, that’s dirty…”) a little too loudly, but received little more than a quick, disinterested glance from the man as he passed by.

So when I came across an article over on NicoNico News titled “Senior Citizens Have Worse Manners Than Young People”, I couldn’t help but feel that it might be on to something…

Japan
(manners • opinions • smoking • survey)

【Sad News】 Hiroshima Elementary School Girl Killed by Own Abusive Mother

Philip Kendall
Oct 27, 2012

A 28-year-old single mother from the town of Fuchu, Hiroshima was arrested earlier this month after causing the death of her 10-year-old daughter, exposing a long history of abuse and neglect in the family.

Over at NicoNico News, a heart-rending story reveals the broken family’s background and details the sad details of the girl’s early years. Perhaps even more tragically, though, we learn that the girl– who spent much of her life in care– once sent her abusive mother a letter in which she states how much she loves her.

Japan
(abuse • child • sad)

Bad at Reverse Parking? Would a Back Seat that Vanishes at the Touch of a Button Help?

Philip Kendall
Oct 26, 2012

The clever minds at prestigious Keio University in Tokyo have created a new device that makes the rear seat “disappear” when reversing, and have released a new video demonstrating how, with its help, the sometimes arduous task of reversing into a space could soon become a breeze.

Tinkering around with a modified Toyota Prius, the university’s graduate research team have been putting their latest technology through its paces by having a driver with a particular fear of reverse parking give the maneuver a shot both with and without the device installed…