MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2022

we touched this same spot with our hands, our feet, our gaze and our dreams

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Metropolis - JANUARY 2016


NEW ISSUE OUT NOW! JANUARY 2016


Catch a thief with Scott Cooper


The Black Mass director spills the beans on new Depp movie

Read more →

Sunday, December 06, 2015

Young men spending more on alcohol

75 YEARS AGO

Friday, Dec. 13, 1940

Young men spending more on alcohol

With their pockets filled with money and their hearts joyful over the anticipation of year-end bonuses, Tokyo’s young men are spending more on liquor, if the evidence gathered by a Miyako reporter at Shimbashi and Yurakucho stations can be taken as proof.

http://www.itravelnet.com/photos/as/japan/tokyo/yurakucho-station.jpgLate Wednesday night a Miyako reporter saw a young inebriated fellow severely taken to task by a policeman close to Shimbashi Station, apparently on account of his careless conduct caused by his drinking. Then, a few steps away, another intoxicated case, causing some trouble to a station employee, was found by the same reporter.

A staff member at Shimbashi Station, when approached by the Miyako representative, is quoted to have said: “About 60 percent of those taking trains here after 11 o’clock at night these few days are more or less intoxicated, I can assure you. Maybe it is because the majority of salaried men’s pockets are now warm with their year-end bonuses. Anyway, we strongly doubt if there are many bars around here where liquor is sold so late at night. After all, the sight of young men feebly walking under the strength of alcohol is not very encouraging when a new national structure (to ready Japan for a protracted war) is being promoted.”

One of the clerks at Yurakucho Station, when met by the same reporter, admitted that they also are having many drunken passengers to handle late at night. “Now, we generally have 700 to 800 passengers who take trains after 11 o’clock at night. More than half of them are seen enlightened with alcoholic beverages.”

However, the paper continues, the cases of complete drunkenness are rare. Some are happy after imbibing in a few drinks, but not drunk; others wobble a bit while climbing the station steps; and not a few appear to be partially intoxicated; but complete drunkenness is seldom noticed.

Saturday, December 05, 2015

Do Animals Sound More Realistic in Japanese or English?


Published on Dec 2, 2015
I noticed that the sound that animals made were different in Japanese and English. Which animals do you think sound more realistic in Japanese vs. English? What do animals sound like where you're from?
Here are the names of animals and the sounds they make, in Japanese and in English.

Friday, December 04, 2015

INTOKYO MAGAZINE - NUMBER 01

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7AhyJnEH51NODQtb3FoZzVlX0k/preview
A new monthly print magazine for visitors to Tokyo and expats alike, 
available at select points in Roppongi, Shibuya and Shinjuku (for now). 
You can download the full InTokyo PDF here: bitly.com/intokyo01

Thursday, December 03, 2015

Tuesday, December 01, 2015

AI Samurai


AI-Samurai was originally designed for the events and conferences to be held in different countries around the world, to provide visitors the information of the venue, navigation of games, and other recommendations. AI-Samurai is equipped with the AI system called "A.I. Galleria" that enables it to recognize a person from the portrait image and interact appropriately in real time. Starting from the international event "SXSW Interactive 2016" to be held in March 2016, AI-Samurai will start his pilgrimage to the world in search of realistic dialogues with humans.

AI-Samuraiは世界各国で開催されるイベントで来場者に会場案内、ゲームナビ
­ゲーション、レコメンドなどを行う目的で製作が開始されました。AI-Samurai­には、A.I.GalleriaというAIシステムが搭載されており、リアルタイムに­画像から個人を認識し、音声での対話が可能です。2016年3月に行われるSXSW Interactive 2016を皮切りにAI-Samuraiはリアルな対話チャネルを求めて世界を行脚予­定です。