Archive for October, 2007
Bloggers, Let’s Make Sure the Next Japan Blog Matsuri Rocks! - an interview with Rocking In Hakata
On October 21, 2007 in Interviews, JapanBlogMatsuri, On the J-web
We’re back again today with Deas from Rocking In Hakata. Yesterday I mentioned why RIH is one of my favourite sites. Today we’re going to hear about Deas’ motivations for starting the site and a bit about the Japan Blog Matsuri.
So let’s get started:
Daily J: What motivated you to start Rocking in Hakata?
Deas: I started the site for a few reasons. 1) I live on an island where everything closes down at 7 or 7:30, and I needed a hobby and a way to stay connected to the outside world. 2) I wanted a way to have the kinds of discussions I used to have in person with my buddies - so as an expressive outlet? Sounds kind of uppity to say it that way. I basically like sharing thoughts. 3) It is partially a continuation of my old student journal, which was there for other prospective students. I don’t know how accurate that is anymore, though.
Daily J: Where did you get the idea for the name of your site? (i.e. why “rocking”?)
Deas: This is probably boring…but it comes from the slang phrases in English. You know, “Rock on!” and so on. I’m not in a band here or anything. It was actually part of my cell phone email here. During study abroad, I had a bad pun - Youth in Asia - in my address. This time, it seemed popular to reference your placement as an ALT (on the JET program) in the cell address. Maybe people can keep better track of my location than they can my name? I’ve actually been thinking of changing it…because…what happens when I’m no longer on Hakatajima? (Plus, people frequently think I’m talking about THE Hakata. The one in Kyushu. Understandable.)
Daily J: Can you tell us a bit about April’s blog matsuri? Have you heard any word on the next blog matsuri? Will you do it again if there is one?
Deas: April’s Japan Blog Matsuri was an attempt at a Japan-themed Blog Carnival that was put together by Ken Y-N over at What Japan Thinks. I highly recommend that you ask him for an interview next. He’s a great fellow. Anyway, it was my turn to host the matsuri, so I chose the theme of “tourism.” It was…well, in a word, mediocre. It was astoundingly difficult to inspire other bloggers to participate, and ginning up support requires a lot of time and effort. Due to the lack of enthusiasm, the official Japan Blog Matsuri is on hold…but I’m more than willing to jump back into it when / if it’s reinstated.
It’s sad to hear things like “lack of enthusiasm” and “difficult to inspire other bloggers to participate.” I think that bloggers have a responsibility to all the other Japan-enthusiasts out there. And it is a fun responsibility so I don’t know why coming together is so hard. But I know that it can be done and if we work together the next Japan Blog Matsuri will ROCK!
Well, I’ll get off of my soapbox now. Be sure to check out RockingInHakata. And then tune in again tomorrow as we will be chatting with Deas about some of the creative and entertaining content on his site. Heroes and horses and whales, oh my…
Rock Out! Why this site is one of my favourites - an exclusive interview with Rocking In Hakata
On October 20, 2007 in Interviews
I have enjoyed interviewing all of the sites interviewed so far here on Daily J. But the next site I especially enjoy. That site is Rocking In Hakata written by JET teacher Deas Richardson. I cannot fully put into words why I like his blog so much but I think these next snippets are a big part of it:
Daily J: What part of running Rocking in Hakata is the most fun for you?
The community interaction is what I like about blogging. I’ve met some really cool people who are in similar situations, studied with them, and most importantly, goofed off with them. (And yes, that really is important.) I also like the idea of getting non-typical Japan stuff out there. My site isn’t riddled with the stereotypical stuff. It’s very low key. It’s whatever pops into my head, language riddles and things I want to better understand, musings and whatnot.
Daily J: What would you say is unique about your site and how can readers get the most from it?
As I mentioned earlier, it’s a different kind of Japan-related blog. No idols, no anime or manga, no ninjas, and very little of sushi and video games. More cultural delights and hang-ups, language conundrums, real world experiences, and culinary adventures. That’s kind of where my site is, I think, and I like that. It’s a more engaged, interesting, playful way to explore Japan and Japanese language. I leave all of that other stuff up to the myriad sites who specialize in it.
All I can say is “Thank you!” It’s refreshing I think to have a site that keeps it simple. Totally Zenned: sparse on the ads and stereotypes, but packed with awesome content. The way it should be, but I may be a bit biased…
So if you are looking for something real, check out RockingInHakata <–click it now, you know you want to! 
And then join us again tomorrow for more Rocking goodies!
Have a great day
Daily J
Something cool from the J-web
On October 19, 2007 in Announcements, On the J-web
A bit of stalling until we rock out with our next interviewee…
(WARNING: The following contains a shameless plug for our Nipponster Japan Toolbar 
)
There is a really neat little AJAX widget for typing in Japanese online without having to download any software:
http://ajaxime.chasen.org/index.html
And we just added it to the Nipponster Japan Toolbar. Click this to read about it –>Kaizen and the Nipponster Japan Toolbar
I think that this is a pretty useful tool (especially when travelling) and the article explains why it is so useful. I hope you find some benefit from it!
It is the kind of Japan-related gem I was thinking out for the promised e-book 25 gems of the Japan-related web that you knew nothing about
So click it and take it for a spin–> http://ajaxime.chasen.org/index.htm (be sure to click the “IME on/off” button)
Well, that’s all for today
Come back tomorrow for a rocking interview!
Daily J
What’s happening on the Japan-related web & Why I think your Japan-related site has a responsiblity to all Japan-enthusiasts
On October 18, 2007 in On the J-web
I’m thinking about ways to bring Japan-related websites together and help more Japan-enthusiasts find their content (in new innovative ways).
This blog is not so much about Japan as it is about reporting on the Japan-related web.
I want to know, and make known to all of the interested Japan-enthusiasts out there: what is happening on the Japan-related web, who is making it happen, when it is happening, where it is happening, why and how.
A lot of sites talk about Japan, but maybe it is time for a site to talk about those sites (I admit, it sounds a little silly put like that 
).
Maybe it is time for a greater degree of community among J-sites and with it greater communication, collaboration, and service for the benefit of all Japan-enthusiasts!
Maybe it is time to come together and figure out how to really make the web a better place for those looking for insight into Japan.
Remember back to that time when you first set foot in Japan (for those who have been). If you were like me you were lost and mesmerised. Everything was new. Some things were exciting, others bewildering. And you wanted to know about them all. Like a baby, you had a million questions…
We can provide those answers. No, let me take that back. It is almost our duty to provide those answers.
I know that no one can provide all of those answers. And I know that sometimes half of the fun (and satisfaction) comes from stumbling around lost until you figure it out yourself. But I think that we have the opportunity to help these poor lost newbies (and everyone else with an interest in Japan) in very real ways.
Whether they’re just on vacation, studying abroad, or working in Japan they are starting on what may be one of the most memorable adventures of their lives! Doesn’t the fact that they come to us for help and info about such an important experience mean we have a responsibility? We have the experience, resources and abilities to help them. And we can do so more and more if we collaborate.
So I offer my support to any one who wants to help Japan-enthusiasts (so contact me). I want to collaborate. I want to innovate. Let’s see how we can work together.
And add your own ideas and feedback below.
Daily J Mailing List (sneak peek)!
On October 17, 2007 in Announcements, Suggestions Please
Ok. As mentioned before we’ve been working on a little mailing list to help you keep up with all that we are doing here. And you can stay current on all things Nipponster, if you choose to receive Nipponster-related emails.
Most of all, we hope to provide you with great Japan-related morsels through these mailing lists.
We still need to work on integrating the lists into the site (will have a little sign up form). But in the meantime, for all of you early-adopter types we are giving you the opportunity to jump in ahead of the crowd.
Here is the link for the current sign up page:
Daily J Mailing List (in Beta)<– So click here and sign up already
Now some people (like me) are weary of email newsletters because they are afraid that they will be bombarded with ads and sales pitches. Please read our about page section on “anti-ad policy.” No ads. If you ever see ads unsubscribe and send us a “shame on you” email
Tech stuff:
The mailing list is running on phplist. For now it might be a bit buggy as we are just starting to get use to it. Please be patient with us. Yoroshiku!
Also, we love feedback (good, bad, or ugly). So please talk to us!
Well that’s enough excitement for one day.
See you tomorrow,
Daily J
The Good Stuff, from Japan - an exclusive interview with Digital World Tokyo
On October 16, 2007 in Interviews
Hi all. We are back again today chatting with Mark from Digital World Tokyo. So far we’ve already talked about his search for guest bloggers, wacky USB gadgets, and why DWT is unique.
So Today let’s get to know a little more about Mark:
Daily J: What motivated you to start your site?
Mark: It was originally published by the Japan division of a large US publisher. When management there proved - um, how can I put this? -less than inspired, I acquired it from them in 2006.
Daily J: What was the most difficult part of starting your site?
Mark: Ha ha - I refer you back to my previous answer.
Daily J: What part of running a site is the most fun for you?
Mark: Definitely attending press events and meeting the real people behind the news.
Daily J:What is your favourite post? And why?
Mark: Definitely the toy dog that humps your PC’s USB port. It’s crude, stupid and pointless but has received tens of millions of hits.
USB Port Humping Dog!
Daily J: What is your favourite Japanese gadget(s)?
Mark: Ooh - that’s a hard one… I’m not a fan of technology for its own sake — a product has to actually be useful or fun, so let’s go for the IC chips that are in most new phones; I could never go back to life without my Suica card, credit card and e-cash right in the phone and that’s very telling.
Is’n it great to have everything in one place? The cellphone is now tv, internet, digital music, game console, credit cards, train pass, and dictionary… I heard somewhere that in the future we will even use them to make calls 
A very big thank you to Mark from Digital World Tokyo for the interview. It’s been fun!
And thank you all for reading. Be sure to drop by DWT and check out some gadgets and other good stuff from Japan.
To all a great day
From Daily J
Interview with Digital World Tokyo
On October 15, 2007 in Interviews
I put the cart before the horse. So far I’ve given you snippets of our interview with Digital World Tokyo. But I forgot the most important part: what makes DWT great.
Daily J: Who would love Digital World Tokyo and why?
Mark: People who hate the inane comments infantile readers leave on most tech sites and who don’t mind that we don’t cover everything — we’re not Reuters.
Daily J: How can readers best benefit from DWT?
Mark: Well, there are a few Japanese tech sites out there that are better known, but none produced by proper journalists with the old-school ethos of reporting the news accurately and fairly. That and it can be fun to read on the odd occasion!
Daily J: Where did you get the idea for the DWT logo? It’s so cute!
Mark: That was done by Jon Siegel, a supremely talented illustrator based in Tokyo. Check out the cool variation he did on our affiliate dating site:
http://weheart.digitalworldtokyo.com I feel lucky to have worked with both him and developer MJ from Souzouzone.
Daily J: What is DWT’s mission?
Mark: Right now, it’s just about me enjoying it without any commercial pressure to do X number of posts a day. It’s a useful tool for driving traffic to the store, which helps pay for some pretty costly hosting and development costs.
I think it is always a good thing when bloggers can just enjoy blogging, without constraints. Happy bloggers write fun blogs, right?
So be sure to check out Mark’s super happy fun blog :). And then join us again tomorrow to as we continue our chat with Digital World Tokyo.
Mothers, lock up your USB ports… Digital World Tokyo has let the dogs out
On October 14, 2007 in Interviews
We interrupt our regularly scheduled interview to bring you this shocking expos:
Wow. So that’s how computers get viruses… 
If you missed it yesterday, we talked to Mark from Digital World Tokyo about his plans to open up DWT to guest bloggers (be sure to click and take a look!).Today we are back chatting with him and learning about one of his recent projects.
Daily J: What’s the most interesting project you are working on currently for DWT?
Mark: Building out the online store is fun simply because it gives me motivation to keep improving. A new version has been sitting on the drawing board for about a month now — it’ll go live any day now.
Welp, that’s all for today! I just wanted to give you that little snippet, the bulk of the interview will be posted tomorrow. I know, I’m a content Nazi, but at least I’m not humping your USB port
Be sure to check out DWT’s new store and see all of the little pups for yourself.
And hurry back tomorrow for more interviewy goodness.
To all a good day
From Daily J
“Alright Kids, Who Wants to Write for DigitalWorldTokyo?” “I do, I do!”
On October 13, 2007 in Announcements, Interviews
Today we are excited to bring you the first snippet of our interview with Mark from DigitalWorldTokyo.
I say “snippet” because today I am only giving you one question/answer (yes, I know I am a “content Nazi”). But hear me out because it is one very important answer. What’s the skinny? DWT wants YOU!
Daily J: Where do you see DigitalWorldTokyo going in the near future?
Mark: I’m opening it up to contributors who wish to post stories that publicize their own sites. A good example is the noted anime expert Emru Townsend, who posts trailers for his own stories on DWT — those items are really popular and drive lots of traffic. Both sides benefit, as we can send lots of readers to the partner site and we get some nice new content.
Anyone reading this is welcome to contact me at jml[att]digitalworldtokyo.com to talk about the opportunity.
Now listen up (I’m feeling pushy today)! If you are a blogger, it seems to me like this is an awesome opportunity! You will have the chance to talk to a whole new audience. And this seems to me like a great way for J-bloggers to build stronger relationships which will produce better content (i.e. make the web a better place for Japan-Enthusiasts ) . Interested? Ok, email him now (I’ll wait)… Done? great.
We have plenty more DWT goodness for you, so be sure to tune in tomorrow!
To all a great day
From Daily J
More stalling and a hilarious video from Slash And Burn
On October 12, 2007 in Announcements
Hi. Still stalling on the next interview posts
(a gadget blog and a joke translator)
My excuse? What can I say, things are busy…
So in the meantime I leave you this wacky video to entertain yourselves with.
If you liked that there are more (and some explanation) on Adam’s blog Slash And Burn - Gimme Gimme Takora
And if you missed our early interview with him click these:
Slash And Burn - exclusive interview part II
