Most people arriving in Japan will undoubtedly enter with an International Driver’s Permit, which is valid for one year from the date on the licence, or one year from your date of entry – the shorter of the two dates. Driving on an expired permit is illegal, and you could face big fines if caught doing so, even if you feign ignorance. In order to continue driving after the first year, you will be required to change your international permit to a Japanese driving licence. Similarly, you cannot drive in Japan at all if you enter without an international permit – you must first obtain a Japanese licence.

However, converting a foreign driver’s licence to a Japanese driver’s licence can be tricky. The process varies depending on the country from which you originally obtained a licence; people from certain countries like the U.K and France are (as of November 2011) exempt from having to take a test, while others from countries like America and Brazil are required to take one in order to drive here.

But what about those of us who never learned to drive in our home countries? Undoubtedly a much smaller and select group of people, but a harsh reality if you’re like me and never felt the need to get a driver’s licence while at university. Japan has many unique and beautiful spots that are inaccessible via public transport, and if you live outside of a major city, it can be incredibly inconvenient to get around. Also, what happens if your Japanese driver’s licence expires or is revoked? It turns out you’ll have to go through the same process as I did, getting your Japanese licence from scratch. Read on to learn all about the long and painful process…

Converting a Foreign Licence – an Overview

Most people arriving at this article will probably fall into this category. Fortunately, there’s already a good bit of information out there on the internet to help foreigners who are unfortunate enough to come from one of the countries needing to take a test in order to obtain a Japanese driver’s licence. First up, let’s separate the lucky from the unlucky (Source: Metropolitan Police Department):

No test required:

知識確認、技能確認を免除する国等（23か国・1地域）
アイスランド、アイルランド、イギリス、イタリア、オーストリア、オーストラリア、オランダ、カナダ、韓国、ギリシャ、スイス、スウェーデン、スペイン、チェコ、デンマーク、ドイツ、ニュージーランド、ノルウェー、フィンランド、フランス、ベルギー、ポルトガル、ルクセンブルク、台湾

Countries exempt from needing to take the written and practical driving test:
Iceland, Ireland, United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, Australia, Holland, Canada, Korea, Greece, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Finland, France, Belgium, Portugal, Luxembourg, Taiwan.

Written and practical test required:

Everyone else.

The Lucky

Those lucky people who hail from one of the countries in the above list can convert their foreign driver’s licence to a Japanese driver’s licence for a small fee and a bit of paperwork. Very little pain involved at all! All you need is:

1) A foreign dirver’s licence from one of the above countries.
2) Having held that licence while living in the country for over 3 months.
3) A translation of your foreign driver’s licence obtained from the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) for 3000 yen.
4) Various other application paperwork and fees (about 5000 yen).

(Source: Japan Automobile Federation)

There’s a lot more information here for people who fall into this category. I needn’t go over it all again: Supermelf.com

The Unlucky

Those poor folk who come from a country not listed above will, unfortunately, have to take a written and practical driving test in order to prove they can drive safely on the roads of Japan. The process is as follows:

1) A foreign dirver’s licence not from one of the above countries.
2) Having held that licence while living in the country for over 3 months.
3) A translation of your foreign driver’s licence obtained from the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) for 3000 yen.
4) Taking an aptitude test.
5) Taking a written test about the rules of the road.
6) Taking a practical test within the driving test centre.
7) Various other application paperwork and fees (about 5000 yen).

(Source: Japan Automobile Federation)

In some ways, it’s not quite as bad as it looks above. But in other ways, it’s lot worse…

The written test is usually just a set of 10 simple true or false questions with a pass mark of 7/10. You can even take it in English in many prefectures. The aptitude test generally only checks vision and colour blindness, but can also include hearing and physical fitness to drive. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the practical test can be a nightmare for some people. Theoretically, a good driver even from one of the countries not listed above should be able to pass – you learned to drive safely, right? In practice, people will have various bad habits from having held a driver’s licence for a while already, and what constitutes ‘good’ driving on the road and in normal traffic is most certainly not what will get you through the practical test. Again, the Supermelf book has a decent summary (source):

The practical test is not so much a test of your driving ability as it is a test of your ability to navigate a set course in the proper manner. Sometimes the skills overlap, sometimes they do not. It tests your ability to control the car, whether it is going fast or slow. It tests your ability to navigate very narrow sections of road. It is a test to show that you are aware of any possible danger at any time, even if it is physically impossible. It is a test to show that you are patient and careful.

Opinions differ on which prefectures have harder tests, the cities or the inaka. Every prefecture will have different levels of strictness about different things. In the end, it usually depends on the proctor, so try to make a good impression. The practical test is taken on a private course. The giant course resembles one at a driving school or at a go-cart park. The turns tend to be marked with small signs indicating “B1″ or “D2″ or such so the proctor can be specific. You take the test in their vehicle, not your own. The vehicles are full-sized white-plate cars that used to be taxis, so if you are used to a narrow car, be especially cautious. If you drive a manual, you must take the test in a manual. Otherwise, you may take it in either.

There’s not a lot more I can add to that, but I can verify it from personal experience. In taking the practical test for my provisional licence, I had to drive around the test centre course, often with another person in the back of the car who was also taking the test. It is the same course that people converting their licence will have to navigate.

I was required to memorise all 3 possible routes in the test centre (I found out which route I would drive half an hour before the test). The examiner will be a member of the National Police Agency (all driving test centres are run by the police). They will sit on the left and check you on various skills, such as navigating an S-curve, a standing hill start and L-crank test. They will give feedback in Japanese (unless you are lucky enough to have someone who has the ability to and is willing to speak English). In my experience taking the test at the centre, the examiners were very strict, but fair.

Since I was learning manual, I also had to be reasonably good with the clutch. I failed instantly my first time in the S-curve for catching my wheel on the curb and falling slightly inside the grass area as I attempted to reverse. I failed my second time because the clutch rattled too much. I finally passed on my third attempt with a bare minimum score – 70 points out of 100. Of course, that was just stage 2 of my long journey learning to drive (see further below).

Again then, there’s already a lot of information documented for the unlucky people who fall into this category, including many, many opinions and tips from various people who have gone through the process of converting their licence. I needn’t go over it all again: Supermelf.com

The Real Deal – Learning to Drive in Japan

So finally we arrive at the undocumented section. As far as my research has determined, there is precious little information available in English on the internet for the foreigner learning to drive in Japan. What’s more, there’s even less information about learning to drive without attending a driving school. My aim was to do both – learn to drive, but avoid the extortionate fees associated with all driving schools in Japan. It was a long and laborious process, and certainly not cheap…

First up, let’s get the note about driving schools out of the way. More than 90% of Japanese people will attend one of the numerous driving schools littered throughout Japan in order to learn to drive. Attending a driving school is arguably a much better method than the one I chose, primarily because nearly all the fees associated with learning to drive are included in the base payment and the centre really is like a school – the instructors are friendly and are happy to keep working with you until you pass. Schools also offer different options, including evening sessions for those holding down a job and unable to attend in the daytime, and even short, intensive courses that involve you attending a boarding school and learning every day.

That said, most driving schools are over 300,000 yen. The Koyama Driving School, which seems to be one of the few that offer lessons in English offers a course priced at about 400,000 yen. After graduating from a registered school, you will still need to take the final written test (a small fee of a few thousand yen) at one of the prefectural driving centres run by the National Police Agency. After that, you have your Japanese diving licence!

Needless to say, the thought of paying in excess of 300,000 yen ($3,800 at the current exchange rate in November 2011) didn’t appeal to me. I decided to skip enrolling in a driving school and instead try what everyone said I couldn’t do – learn to drive without attending a driving school.

Learning to Drive Without Attending a Driving School

Let’s get a few things straight:

1) This is the process that worked for me. The fees paid and time taken could vary greatly depending on your individual situation, and most importantly your natural aptitude for driving. It also involved a fair degree of risk, both legally and in regards to safety.
2) Don’t be naive and think you can pass the tests without any driving practice. You are not a natural driver, and even if you have an aptitude for driving, many of the road rules and driving skills you need to demonstrate do not come down to common sense.
3) Don’t for a second think that you can get away with learning to drive for free. Or even ‘almost free’, as I originally fantasised. I had the help of many Japanese friends, including training outside of practice centres and it still cost me a huge chunk of change. Although it was still far cheaper than attending a driving school.

In order to get your full Japanese driver’s licence, you’ll have to follow a rigid process, passing each step before you can advance to the next. Each step comes with its own small fee to pay and will require that you take time off work on a weekday in order to complete it. Depending on how many other people are backlogged in the system, it may also mean you face weeks or even months of waiting between each step.

The Process

So here’s what you’ll be doing in order to get a Japanese driver’s licence from scratch. As I mentioned earlier in the article, this is the same process for people who have had their licence revoked or simply forgotten to renew an existing Japanese driver’s licence. Yes, you heard right. Forget to renew and you can kiss 6 months of driving goodbye and look forward to an expensive and infuriating set of tests, all taken at a test centre run by the National Police Agency. Lose your licence due to bad behaviour, and you will usually be banned for a year from driving before you can even begin the 6 month process to obtain a new licence.

1) Take the provisional written test at a test centre.
2) Take the provisional practical test on the test centre course.

Obtain provisional driver’s licence!

3) Practice on 5 separate days out on the road with someone who has a full driver’s licence.
4) Take the full theory test at a test centre.
5) Take the final practical test out on the road with a test centre examiner.
6) Attend a course in first aid and another final course in driving theory at a driving school.

Obtain full driver’s licence!

The Cost

Here’s a rough breakdown and approximation of the costs involved for me:

Lessons at the local practice centre: 77,000 yen (7000 yen x 11)
Train fees to the practice and test centres: 19,600 yen (980 yen return x 20)
Registration fee for the practice centre: 3,500 yen
Examination fees for the provisional written exam: 6,200 yen (3,100 yen x 2 attempts)
Examination fees for the provisional practical exam: 11,150 yen (1,650 yen first attempt x 1; 4,750 yen extra attempts x 2)
Issuance of provisional licence: 1,200 yen
Examination fee for the final written exam: 2,400 yen
Examination fee for the final practical exam: 18,000 yen (1,000 yen first attempt x 1; 3,400 yen extra attempts x 5)
4hr classroom and practical training fee after passing: 9,800 yen
3hr first aid training after passing: 3,600 yen
Issuance of full licence: 2,100 yen
Lunch fees / petrol costs when driving with friends: 3000 yen (they were extremely generous and wouldn’t let me pay most of the time)

Total: 157,550 yen

(You might also include treating friends to an all-you-can-drink party after passing: 20,000 yen)

To compare:

Cost of attending local school: 344,210 yen
Final written exam fee: 2,400 yen
Issuance of full licence: 2,100 yen
Total: 348,710 yen

Money saved: 191,160 yen

(Source). (Source). (Source).

The Provisional Written Test

The first step, naturally, is to pass the provisional theory exam, taken at one of the designated test centres run by the National Police Agency. At my test centre in Aichi prefecture, written tests were only held on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I had to pay a small fee each time I attempted the test.

I decided to take the test in Japanese, part through the desire to test my ability, and part through hearing that the English translation is a bit dodgy (although I cannot confirm that). I borrowed old textbooks from Japanese friends who had attended a driving school and spent the best part of a few weeks studying in Japanese. As far as I was aware at the time, there weren’t any commercially available textbooks written in English for those learning to drive from scratch. Sod’s Law then, that I discovered English versions of the main textbooks (about 3000 yen per book) are available to buy from driving schools. You’ll need to look for the textbooks entitled “The Master Of Your Driving” by Chubu Nippon Driver School. Probably best to go to the largest school in the area.

There is also a paper-thin summary of the full textbook available from the JAF centres which you can purchase for 1000 yen. This is intended for students who are converting their licence to a Japanese one and need to learn the basic road signs and laws. It does not include anywhere near the level of detail of the full textbook, as I found out to much my disappointment. As such, it is pretty much impossible to pass the test by studying from this little book alone. Seek out the English versions of the main textbooks – they do exist, although I have not been able to find them in bookstores or online.

The provisional test itself is available in English in several of the major prefectures. I passed my provisional theory test in Japanese on the second attempt. It involves 50 questions to be taken in 30 minutes. You need more than 45 correct in order to pass. The test was fairly simple, without many trick questions, but did check important signs and driving knowledge, so it’s advisable to study well before attempting it. Note well: The test is not the same as the incredibly easy 10-question test that foreigners converting a licence have to take.

The Provisional Practical Test

After passing the written test, the student then books a date to take the practical test in order to gain their provisional driver’s licence. This was by far the hardest and most frustrating part of the whole experience for me. Or at least, it was until I graduated to doing the final road test…

I had naively been thinking that I could simply take the test over and over again, improving slowly but eventually passing. The costs weren’t that prohibitive (4,750 yen per attempt), and crucially, each attempt cost less than using the nearby practice centre.

What I didn’t factor into my thinking however, was the waiting between attempts. Surely it’ll just be a week or so? I thought. Not a problem. It turned out that there was a huge backlog of people trying to get their provisional licence. They consisted of mostly Brazilians (Aichi has an extremely large population of Japanese Brazilians, and Brazilians who have come to work, usually in the large automobile factories), a few older Japanese people who had lost their licence for one reason or another, and me.

As I noted before, over 90% of Japanese people attend a driving school rather than taking the tests directly, so it makes perfect sense that most people trying to get their licence at the test centres will be either foreigners, cheapskates or bad/lazy drivers. Talking to the staff at the nearby practice centre, they said they also teach a lot of Brazilians but that, unfortunately, they don’t practice nearly enough. Some of them were approaching their 10th attempt on the provisional practical exam…

Because of the large amount of people stuck in the system not getting their provisional licence, generally I had to wait about 3 weeks between my attempts at the practical exam. There was no way I could stick to my original strategy of taking the test over and over again until I passed. It was begrudgingly that I registered at the nearby practice centre to get some extra time driving and speed up the process. At 7,000 yen for 50 minutes, it was very expensive. But it was on the exact same course and in the exact same cars used for the exam. There wasn’t a better way to perfect the course in preparation for the practical exam.

Up until then, I had been practising in car parks with the help of friends. A little time driving a manual light truck, and time practising basic driving skills in a small automatic car. This was a risky thing to be doing – driving in car parks is still driving in a public space. Although realistically no police are going to be checking or coming down hard on people for driving around a (nearly empty) car park, I was on the wrong side of the law. A friend of mine had told me a story of an international friend of hers had driven just 100m or so down a countryside road, had been caught by the police and severely punished for driving without a licence. I made sure my Japanese friends knew the risks before helping me out in car parks though, and some of them were happy to do so. That said, anyone attempting it should do so at their own risk – I in no way advocate it!

So, with my 10 or so hours of experience in car parks, I figured taking the provisional practical test would be okay. I was prepared to fail a few times and finally pass. Once I had my provisional licence, I figured, I could practice legally to my heart’s content on the road with friends. Until then, practice outside the centre was a risky business…

My first time using the practice centre revealed to me the extent of my inexperience. Several stalls, catching the curb, improper use of the clutch, unable to reach 40km/h on the straight stretch of road, unable to do a hill start with confidence. The list goes on. Even after 10 or so hours practice outside schools, it was clear a couple of paid practice sessions weren’t going to be enough to get me up to speed. That said, I did improve a lot after the first few tries, and by my 4th practice session I was navigating the course without making any serious mistakes.

I failed on my first attempt at passing the practical test. I caught the front wheel turning into the S-curve, riding up on the curb. This would not be a fail in itself, but as I shifted into reverse, my wheel slipped down into the out-of-bounds grassy area. I managed to get out and complete the S-curve, but the examiner told me to return to the start. They didn’t even let me finish the course for practice. Instant fail.

The second attempt was better. I successfully completed the course without mistakes in the L-crank or S-curve. I did a fairly good hill start and didn’t miss indicating anywhere. But my performance was deemed to be unsatisfactory. I needed to drive further left when turning left corners, shift up to 3rd and 4th gear more often rather than staying in 2nd, rest my foot on the floor when not using the clutch and most of all, I needed to get used to the feel of the clutch. My examiner said that there was far too much rattling caused by being in the wrong gear, or not shifting between gears smoothly enough. The difficulties of driving manual cars were apparent…

After a few more practice sessions, I had my third try. This time I did the course with almost no rattling clutch and successfully shifted up and down when needed. Even though I finished without any serious mistakes, my examiner was still very critical, and pointed out that I seemed extremely nervous. As I left the car to wait for my results, she called me back to remind me to take my belongings with me, still sitting in the back of the car. Crap.

But I managed to pass, finally. 70 points out of 100 – the bare minimum for passing the provisional practical test. But a pass was a pass! I could finally get some decent training in without paying the crazy fees at the practice centre!

Road Training

After being issued my new paper licence with a 6-month limit, the member of staff at the centre explained to me the next step. I needed to go out on the road at least 5 times with someone who had held a full driver’s licence for over 3 years. Of course, the car needed to be manual too.

Another conundrum. Nearly every car on the road in Japan is automatic. Everybody drives automatic, except a few select people with a passion for manual cars, or those who drive specialist vehicles, such as light trucks for transporting goods. This meant that I would have a tough time trying to find a friend who owned a manual car, let alone let me drive it. I phoned several rental companies and none had manual cars to rent – the closest they had was a light truck. Quite a different feeling to the regular 1400cc manual car used at the test centre. It wouldn’t be great for practising in. Plus, it would require the person with me to hold a manual licence in order to rent it. Many of my friends were only qualified to drive automatic cars…

But I found my saviour. It was none other than my section boss! He had recently bought a lightweight 660cc manual car – even at the resistance of his family – because he enjoyed driving using a clutch. He was also willing to let me drive it and sign off my form so I could take the next stage of the driving test. Great!

Oddly enough, in order to take the final written exam, the student must first have their mentor complete the form stating they have driven on the road on 5 different days. I have no idea why this had to be in place before taking the written test, but I saw it as another thing dragging out an already long process. I would eventually practice on more than 5 different days in preparation for my final practical exam, but the written exam was a 90-question mammoth of a test, and I wasn’t confident I could pass it first time. Also, there was little chance my boss could take me out on 5 consecutive days to practice. We decided to fill in the form in advance of our practice sessions – something which I had asked one of the police officers about at the test centre on a prior occasion. The officer had said, with a small nod, that of course they hardly ever check to make sure the practice has been done in advance…

The Final Written Test

So it was that I marched back into the test centre a week later with my completed road training form and applied to take the final written exam. There would be plenty of time for more road practice, even after I passed my written exam.

The final theory test was very tough. Again, a true or false format, it consisted of 90 1-point questions and 5 questions worth 2 points, to be taken in 50 minutes. The 5 questions each had three parts. Each one included an illustration of a situation on the road, and the student must answer all 3 parts per question to be awarded the full 2 marks. Getting one part wrong means you get the entire question wrong. This means that there are 105 boxes to check on the whole paper to total 100 marks. The passmark is 90/100.

In my preparation for the written exams, I found what turned out to be an incredibly useful website. It’s a huge site with hundreds of mock questions and categories for each level of the written test that lets you practice for free! There is a paid section required if you use the site too much in one day, but I never hit the limit. The format generally consists of a set of questions and a time limit to answer them in. After submitting your answers, it marks them and provides beautifully detailed explanations about every aspect of each question, including additional information related to the question and questions submitted by other Japanese users. Here’s the site:

Safety Driver

It’s no exaggeration to say that this website is the main reason I was able to pass the written tests. Without the frustrating experience of learning how the questions try to trick you, and refreshing specific numbers and situations in my head over and over again, I would have undoubtedly failed several times. You get a feel for how the questions are structured, the tiny differences in the language used and a feel for how quickly you need to be reading and answering. Like the provisional written test, the final exam is also available in English in some prefectures, but I have no idea of the quality of the translation. Because of the complex nature of the questions and amount of trick situations, I have doubts as to whether the English translation will adequately capture the right nuances in language that enable the student to determine whether a question is right or wrong. And of course, there is no English website with example questions to practice from, meaning you’ll have a tougher time learning the trick questions if you’re studying in English.

Again then, I opted to take the test in Japanese. It made the most sense, since all the expressions I had been studying were in Japanese, and all the trick questions I had memorised were in Japanese. I managed to finish the test just within the 50 minutes, but had no time to go back over the answers to questions I was less-than sure about.

It felt long and I was quite tired after finishing it. 10 questions per page, each with 2-3 lines of Japanese text for the question. Some questions were as long as 5 lines with some frustratingly complex situations I had to re-read in order to visualise. But I managed it on my first try, scraping in with 91/100. Hell yeah!

The Final Practical Test

I booked in my final practical test the same day as passing the written test. It would consist of 2 sections: the first, a road test that would require me to memorise 6 possible routes and drive one on the day, and the second, a brief reverse parking test on the test course itself. With a few weeks to go, I padded out my schedule with various driving sessions with my boss and other friends on the road. We would on occasion head to the test site itself to drive the same route used in the final exam. It was no easy feat with the crappy black and white map they provided me with, and especially so because practice was mostly limited to night-time sessions…

I also decided to go back in for a couple more daylight driving sessions at the practice centre. This would prove important for learning the course, as well as getting a feel for using the 1400cc normal taxi-style car on the road. Quite a different feeling to the 660cc light car my boss drove. I slowly began to iron out my right turns and get a better idea of when to indicate (at the time I was doing so far, far too early).

Finally then, the test day rolled around…

I arrived well on time, even taking a stroll through a nearby shrine and chatting with a guide about the history of the place before reaching the test centre. After signing in, I was told the course I would be driving that day – D course – and also the parking course I would need to complete – A course. I was the only person opting to take manual on the day, and a couple of other Brazilian girls were to take the automatic test. Since they couldn’t do both at the same time, the examiner asked me to wait outside at the test centre until they returned.

“Out here?” I asked. “In the cold?”

“It isn’t that cold though, right?” He replied.

70 minutes later, another examiner became free and took me for my test. Slapping my numb hands from the cold, I turned the key in the ignition.

I’d practised D course before, albeit less than the other courses, but it wasn’t a particularly difficult route. The examiner also told me that if I wasn’t sure of the turns, I could confirm them while driving. This made me feel a little better about the situation, and I set off comfortably.

It wasn’t long though before things went horribly wrong. Travelling just inside the 40k/h speed limit down a stretch of road, suddenly an old man tottered out from behind a corner and stood waiting to walk at the pedestrian crossing. There were no lights for this crossing, which meant that I was obligated to stop. Although I knew this at the time, given the speed I was going and small distance between me and the crossing, I figured it would be safer to pass rather than break suddenly. Of course, that immediately pretty much failed me. What if said old man decided to run out in front of me? But equally, I thought, what if breaking suddenly was also seen as unsafe?

I guess the lesson learnt is to drive more slowly, even though we’d been told driving too slowly would also lose us points. Sigh.

The major point I failed on though was failing to notice an oncoming car when making a right turn a short while afterwards. This I can only acknowledge and hang my head for. My attention was making sure no pedestrians were crossing on the other side of the road before turning, and I didn’t double check the oncoming traffic before turning. It was a lesson well learnt, but an instant fail as the instructor had to break the car.

Roll on attempt two.

It was around the time of my second attempt in November that I wrote up the majority of this post, thinking that I would pass on my next couple of tries. As I had learnt from the provisional licence practical test however, the test centre was prone to getting backlogged, meaning I ended up waiting several weeks between each attempt. Tests 2 and 3 went by with fails. I was irritated, but resigned. On one occasion, a Japanese guy who had been driving for 7 years also failed with me, so I was quite sure it wasn’t any form of discrimination that was causing me to fail. I guess I just needed more practice.

And so I did. Imploring my boss to let me use his car on weekday nights to drive around the city, and on some occasions all the way to the test centre so I could practice the actual routes used in the exam. I couldn’t have asked for a more patient mentor and friend, and I am especially indebted to him for continuing to let me use his car even after I managed to scrape the bottom of it on a curb. It was horrifically embarrassing at the time, but fortunately no damage was done.

January came and so did my next attempts. Each time I felt like I was driving well, but I would always slip up on something. One time I hesitated upon seeing a large truck stopped in the road flashing its hazard lamps. The instructor told me to cross over the centre line and pass it if I could, which I was able to do without a problem, but the hesitation (among other small things) was a big minus. On a different occasion I followed the car in front, crossing over the zebra lines restricting right turns. In normal traffic, this would be perfectly acceptable, but because it was an exam, it was a very bad move and I was penalised heavily for it. Sigh.

On my 5th attempt, I was fairly confident and everything was going well until I almost missed a turn on the set course, causing the instructor to tell me off and become irritated. After that I managed to stall the car at the level crossing (a first for me in many months) and to compound matters, I pressed the wrong button to close the window afterwards, resulting in a situation that looked like I was panicking because windows were opening and closing all around the car. Needless to say, it was a fail, but I put it down to mostly bad luck. There were also other small things, such as not hugging the left line enough when making left turns, which they kept nagging me about. All good practice though, as I kept saying to console myself. I was getting extremely worried however, that my provisional licence would expire before I could pass the test. It’s only valid for 6 months (mine until April), and with several weeks between sessions, there was a very real danger that I might only get another 2 or 3 tries before time ran out. And if time ran out – guess what – you start everything again, from scratch. No. Failing again was not an option at all.

Finally on my 6th attempt I was able to pass. It was early February at this time, and I cursed my luck because I got given course C – the one course I had gotten completely lost on when practising at night months before. I had an hour before the exam itself, so I walked the 2 kilometres towards the course in order to see parts of the road. I contemplated ‘borrowing’ a bicycle temporarily, but no such opportunities presented themselves, so I had to time myself carefully walking there and back so as not to be late. Fortunately though, my preparation in checking some of the road beforehand helped, and I sailed through the exam without any mistakes. I was fairly sure that I had passed this time, because the instructor basically only commented on one small thing (my gripping the handle too tightly on turns) and also asked me if I had felt nervous. Funnily enough, I also got asked if I was nervous the time I passed the provisional exam. Perhaps this is an indication..?

But, it was finally over. I got my provisional licence stamped with completion on 9th February. One older Japanese instructor patted me on the back, grinning behind his surgical mask used to prevent colds:

“It took you a while, eh?” he said.

“Just a little while” I smiled. “Thank you again for your help”.

The guy at the reception desk motioned me over and explained to me how to go about completing the course. That’s right – while the worst was indeed over, I still wasn’t getting my licence that easily!

Training Sessions & Finishing Up

In order to actually get my licence issued, I still needed to go and complete two training courses at a driving school. These courses are mandatory and consist of one 4-hour session called ‘shutoku-ji koshu’ (取得時講習) and one 3-hour session called ‘okyu kyugo sochi koshu’ (応急救護措置講習). The 4-hour training is a final check of your driving. You go out on the road with an instructor at the driving school and they record your driving. Afterwards, you look at it together and talk about the points you missed or need to improve. You also watch a DVD about driving on the motorway before going out to do a test drive on the motorway itself. The 3-hour training is first aid training – basic CPR and emergency response. Nothing too difficult in either course, and the atmosphere is a lot more friendly and laid back than at the test centres run by the National Police Agency. I was told you cannot fail these training sessions, although I suppose if you drove dangerously they could deny you the certificate showing you had completed the training.

In order to book these sessions, I had to telephone driving schools and ask when they were offering the training. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it turns out I was in for another long wait. The earliest many schools had was April and some didn’t offer the training until May – another 2 month’s wait! I ended up telephoning over 50 different schools asking in Japanese about the training. The earliest school I could find offering the training about early March – 3 weeks away – but only on 2 separate days. 2 more days I needed to take off work in order to attend the classes… It would have to do. I booked the sessions and went down to my city hall in order to buy monetary stamps ready to pay for the course (regular cash was not acceptable).

I received certificates of completion after attending both training sessions. They were surprisingly fun to go to, actually. Full of young Japanese teenagers and friendly staff buzzing around. It really was like being back at school, right down to a lunch lady selling bento and snacks, and the school bell chiming between sessions. Students carried around textbooks and folders full of progress sheets and red stamps marking their completion. I even made a friend on the 2 days I had my training and it got me to asking myself – was the pain I had gone through to save money really worth it?

I’d saved about 200,000 yen – around 2/3 of the actual cost it would be to attend a school. But getting a driver’s licence by attending a school could be done in the evenings without having to take much time off work, with friendly instructors and in a safe environment. I would get to know other students and we would go through the trials together. I did ask how long students usually take to complete the driving course at a school too. Apparently it’s several months, so not a great deal shorter than it took me to complete it myself, which was 7 months. I guess it really comes down to what you value more in this situation – time or money. Given the choice again, I would still have chosen to save the money, because I learnt a lot following this indirect process and had to overcome a lot of hardships that have definitely shaped me as a person and pushed my Japanese skills. But after it all, I just don’t think I can recommend the same approach to other foreigners wanting to learn to drive in Japan. Just pay the money and attend a school. It’s far, far too much trouble to go through the indirect approach as I did, unless you particularly like challenges!

As the final step in the whole process, I had to take my certificates of completion back to the test centre, along with my personal seal (inkan) and pay 2100 yen to get my licence issued. As usual, this had to be done on a weekday morning. I got up, had a shower, popped my contact lenses in and headed out on the train for one last time to the test centre. One of the female police officers there recognised me and offered her congratulations on finally passing as I processed the paperwork. Most of the staff there seemed to know me by that point… A group of 5 or 6 of us were then led upstairs to have our photograph taken, and then our licences were created. At impeccable speed too, I might add, considering how darn long the whole process had taken thus far!

I walked outside to feel the warm spring air, clutching the new licence in my hand. It had a lime green stripe, signalling to the world that I was a new driver. Penalties are particularly strict in the first year after getting the driver’s licence, and by law I must put beginner’s marks on the car when I drive. I thought back to one year earlier: It had been February 2011 when I first started seriously thinking about getting my licence. I practised a few times with friends, but never got seriously underway until August when I passed the provisional theory test. Here I was, 7 months later on the 8th March, finally just happy to be done with the whole thing. It turned out to be a bloody expensive piece of paper to get!

But, I suppose the real lessons I learned from repeatedly failing and the knowledge I gained from the intensive Japanese study are worth much more. Plus, having experienced this painful process, I am now absolutely resolute in that I will not let anything come between me and my Japanese driver’s licence! This is the exact process you must go through to get back a licence that has been revoked due to too many points or illegal activity. It’s also the same process you must go through if you forget to simply renew your licence before it expires after several years, as one poor Japanese guy was telling me as he took his test… It’s blindingly clear to me now – never, ever lose the Japanese driver’s licence. Ever!

And on that note, there’s just one thing left to do now – take my friends out for drinks to celebrate! :D

Special Mentions

Ota-hancho, my boss, for his tireless efforts driving me back and forth to the test site when practising for my final practical exam. Also for having courage to let me take his light 660cc manual car that was only a few months old out on the road. Without it I would not have been able to practice using the clutch, which was crucial in saving me money from having to attend the practice centre. (Nearly all cars used by normal people in Japan are automatic, save for light trucks).

Fukada-san, a colleague who I attend badminton with. He let me practice driving his large automatic car in car parks and on the road after getting my provisional licence.

Kurahashi-san, for letting me drive his light manual truck in car parks during the early stages, including taking me to a countryside road to practice hill starts using the clutch.

Koumei, for lending me his old (annotated) textbook and letting me practice in his small automatic car in car parks during the early stages.

Manami, for lending me her pristine textbooks and warning me how tough the process of learning to drive was.

Mayumi, for constant support and studying with me while I was preparing to take the written exams.

And a huge thanks to everyone else who helped and chatted with me along the way, including all the awesome people who supported me on Google + and Twitter :).

This year shows plenty of words related to the Great East Japan Earthquake that struck Japan at 2.46pm on 11th March. We also see Nadeshiko Japan – the popular women’s football team – surfacing, as well as the hit song this year ‘Marumaru, Morirmori’.

**Update: 1st December 2011**. The top 10 results have been selected by judges. They are:

#1 Nadeshiko Japan – なでしこジャパン
#2 Bonds – 絆
#3 Smartphones – スマホ
#4 Loach Cabinet – どじょう内閣
#5 Stuck-up Face – どや顔
#6 Returner Refugees – 帰宅難民
#7 Is it an echo? – こだまでしょうか
#8 11th March, 2011 – ３．１１
#9 Harmful Rumours – 風評被害
#10 Love Injection – ラブ注入

**********

1. Agepo-yo (agepo yo – あげぽよ)

A word used among teenage girls to mean ‘high spirits’ or ‘a heightened feeling (of excitement)’. It originated from previously used slang terms あげ～ (age) to mean ‘lift up’ and was cutified by sticking ぽよ (po-yo) on the end. The opposite is sagepo-yo (さげぽよ), to feel down.

2. …And then just go with the flow (ato ha nagare de – あとは流れで)

A buzzword coming from professional sumo wrestling meaning ‘to let the match finish itself’. The phrase was found being used between parties who fixed games, often utilising a scenario where the wrestler would hit hard first, and then follow the agreement to let the opponent win.

3. After 4 (afuta 4 – アフター４)

After the Great East Japan Earthquake, in order to save electricity, many companies adopted daylight savings and moved the ‘standard’ work finishing time forward by one hour to 4pm. ‘After 4′, then, refers to activities after work during the period after the disaster.

4. Myth of Safety (anzen shinwa – 安全神話)

This phrase is used in reference to beliefs in the safety of a given situation, often without good reason but with strong conviction. Consequently the myth nuclear power plants were safe was shaken when the triple disaster occurred in March. (More)

5. Certain Point (ittei no medo – 一定のメド)

An extremely ambiguous expression used by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano during the Great East Japan Earthquake. Basically amounts to a ‘fixed goal’ or ‘predetermined level’ and suggested that, while the situation was not resolved, some level of progress had been made.

6. To ‘Eda’ (edaru – エダる)

To work hard, without rest, far beyond reasonable expectations. Coined after the amazing stretch where the Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano worked for (supposedly) over 100 hours straight, responding to press conferences and the immediate dangers of the crisis following March 11th. ‘Ru’ is added to the end to make the word a verb, much like 事故る – to crash (a car) and ググる – to Google something.

7. Ending Notebook (endingu noto – エンディングノート)

A book that became popular allowing people to write their wishes if they should happen to stumble upon misfortune, such as whether or not one would like life-support equipment to be used if they became ill, or the kinds of care they would like to receive if admitted to hospital.

8. Mr. Second-helping (okawari-kun – おかわり君)

The pet name of home-run-king Takeya Nakamura, infielder of the baseball team Saitama Seibu Lions. He admitted in an interview that his favourite word was ‘okawari’, meaning a second serving or refill when dining. The media picked it up an used it in combination with various other words, such as ‘okawari homerun’ and ‘RBI okawari’.

9. Recommended Members (oshimen – 推しメン)

Derived from ichi-oshi-member (一押しメンバー), the term is usually used in contexts related to the Hello! Project or idol group AKB48. It refers to the popular group members or ones who are being heavily plugged and supported.

10. My Lady, are you blind? – (ojyosama no me ha fushiana de gozaimasu ka – お嬢様の目は節穴でございますか)

From the mystery novel ‘Riddles come after dinner’ about a rich, female detective and her sharp-tongued butler. The phrase 失礼ながら、お嬢様の目は節穴でございますか – With all due respect, m’lady, you must be blind’ left an impression on readers.

11. Older Sister Characters – (onekyara – おねえキャラ)

A broad-reaching category that sees men dressing up or acting as women on talk shows. Often such people will showcase their talents and knowledge of subjects usually considered the domain of women, such as jewellery, make-up, cooking, fashion and dance.

12. Rubble (gareki – 瓦礫)

The wreckage, broken stone and concrete left in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

13. Ganbaro Nippon! (ganbaro nippon – がんばろう日本)

Otherwise known overseas as ‘Pray for Japan’. The phrases conveyed messages of warmth and consideration for the victims of the triple disaster in March, as well as rallying people to donate and volunteer where they could. The message also had a minor negative reception where people felt as though the words, literally ‘do your best, Japan’ did not emphasise with the feelings of the victims, instead repeatedly telling them to just stand back up and fight.

14. Bonds (kizuna – 絆)

A word that became popular alongside ‘Ganbaro Nippon’ through the efforts of volunteers and those supporting the victims of the disaster. It was also chosen by the chief abbot of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto as the character that best represented 2011.

15. Returner Refugees (kitaku nanmin – 帰宅難民)

People who were severely inconvenienced in returning home during the initial earthquake and disaster on March 11th. Much of the public transportation was stopped and people forced to walk long distances to reach their houses, if they were still in a liveable state at all.

16. Hey, you’re pretty cute! (kimi, kyawayui ne – 君、きゃわゆいネェ)

A trademark gag that became popular from comic duo ‘Oriental Radio’. Shingo Fujimori made the line by utilising the classic playboy stereotype (charao – チャラ男) and flashy line – ‘you’re pretty cute’ (君、かわいいね) and corrupting it further. Also lesser-known is that the line helped revive the duo, who had been seeing a drop in success beforehand.

17. Scheduled Blackouts (keikaku teiden – 計画停電)

Due to the damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami, Fukushima Dai-ichi and Dai-ni Nuclear Power Stations were brought offline, as well as thermal power plants, hydroelectric stations and transformer substations. The resulting electricity shortage was managed by controlled blackouts of Tokyo and surrounding areas.

18. Nuclear Power Villages (genshiryoku mura – 原子力ムラ)

A term often used by those opposed to nuclear power to describe the non-transparent connections between businesses, industries, media, government agencies and researchers who are in collusion to promote atomic energy. The situation is likened to a village – that is, closed off to the outside world and with exclusive rights and advantages for members. (More)

19. Is it an echo? (kodama desho ka – こだまでしょうか)

The name of a children’s poem written by Misuzu Kaneko used in the AC commercial that aired over and over again following the disaster in March. It tells a seemingly baffling story that I couldn’t fathom at first, but a little hunting dug up the answer. The poem shows how young children generally repeat what they hear, or play games repeating the speaker, suggesting the words they hear influence their responses. Kind words lead to kind replies, and nasty words lead to nasty replies. The poem ends by asking: Is this an echo? and answering: ‘No, everyone (is influenced in this way)’. That is, our own words and thoughts are influenced by the things and people around us, and those words in turn influence the people around us. So let’s all think carefully about how we speak to one another.

The CM was played so much that it caused complaints, and also spawned several parodies on the internet, including one that plays on the types of bullet trains in Japan – Kodama, Hikari and Nozomi. こだまでしょうか。いいえ、のぞみです。 – Is is Kodama? No, it’s Nozomi.

20. Post-disaster (saigo – 災後)

A word emerging to refer to the period after the Great East Japan Earthquake, just like the post-WWII term sengo (戦後).

21. Renewable Energy – (saisei kano enerugi – 再生可能エネルギー)

During the crisis after the earthquake and tsunami when there were numerous problems at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants, renewable energy such solar, wind, hydraulic and geothermal, were once again thrown into the spotlight as safe alternatives to nuclear energy.

22. 11th March, 2011 (3.11)

The date the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, at 2.46pm. Creepily enough, 6 months apart from 10 years after the events of 9.11.

23. Sieverts (shiberuto – シーベルト)

A unit of radiation that attempts to diagnose the effects of ionising radiation to biological tissue such as that in the human body (as opposed to a simple dose measurement). After the catastrophe at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, suddenly everyone was forced to become an expert in radiology, which led to much misunderstanding and fear-mongering by primarily foreign media sources. Particularly easy to mix up were milli-sieverts and micro-sieverts, each 1000 times smaller than the previous. (More)

1 sievert (Sv) = 1,000 millisieverts (mSv) = 1,000,000 microsieverts (μSv)

24. Self-restraint (jishuku – 自粛)

Following the earthquake, people were asked to exercise self control in a variety of ways, such as reducing electricity usage, avoiding travel, having parties or going flower-viewing. This also had the unfortunate effect of people reducing spending, slowing the economy.

25. Jasmine Revolution (jazumin kakumei – ジャスミン革命)

Tunisa in Northern Africa saw a political upheaval this year, with the long-running dictatorship coming to an end and the president fleeing abroad. It was dubbed the Jasmine Revolution by teh western media. (More)

26. Decontamination (jyosen – 除染)

Using special chemicals, radioactive materials were removed and cleansed from buildings, facilities, machinery, clothing and other items that became contaminated through radioactive leakage form the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

27. Smartphones (sumaho – スマホ)

Mobile phones that use an operating system that allows the user to install applications and other gadgets. The market has seen increasing amounts of these new types of handset, including the iPhone, Android OS and Windows phone.

28. Saving Energy (setsuden – 節電)

A major buzzword for this year, especially in regards to electricity consumption following the dip in supplying power due to the effects of the earthquake and tsunami. Factories and offices were hit especially hard and expected to reduce their consumption. Some companies even rescheduled production to weekends to avoid the cuts and spread the demand more evenly.

29. Not zero (zero de ha nai – ゼロではない)

Made infamous by Haruki Madarame of the Nuclear Safety Committee for the Cabinet Office. His remark that ‘the possibility is not zero’ (再臨界の可能性はゼロではない) in regards to nuclear fuel in a state of rest becoming re-active and showing nuclear fission sparked a public discussion.

30. Beyond what was expected (yosogai – 想定外)

A word repeated by many expected and politicians in regards to the aftermath of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis. The situation and damage was far beyond what was hypothesised.

31. Social Media (sosharu media – ソーシャルメディア)

Social media platforms such as Twitter were highlighted this year, again in the days following the earthquake and tsunami. Citizens relayed useful information and points of view, creating a new layer of media to contrast that of the conservative Japanese media outlets and fear-mongering foreign media outlets.

32. Tiger Mask (taiga masuku – タイガーマスク)

Beginning in Gunma, an unidentified individual calling himself ‘Naoto Date’ sent 10 randoseru backpacks for kids to a children’s consultation centre. Following that, another donation was made by the same named individual in Kanagawa, spurring repeat events across the country. The name given was the same as that of the lead character in the manga Tiger Mask who grew up in an orphange, and so the mystery person became known.

33. Immediately (tadachi ni – ただちに)

Following the disaster in March, another word that came up repeatedly was ‘immediately’ (ただちに), often used in phrases like ‘there is no immediate risk to health’ and ‘please evacuate immediately’.

34. De-nuclearisation (datsu-genpatsu – 脱原発)

Following the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the number of voices in opposition to nuclear power rose, and calls increased for nuclear power plants to be scrapped and alternative ways to generate energy properly considered.

35. Building (tateya – 建屋)

An alternative word for a storage facility for machinery and other equipment that came into use following the crisis at Fukushima Daiichi. For example 4号機原子炉建屋 – the 4th reactor building.

36. Tablets (taburetto – タブレット)

Along with smartphones, this year tablet computers have begun to take off in Japan as thin, simple alternatives to desktop computers and laptops.

37. Digital Refugees (chideji nanmin – 地デジ難民)

With the switchover from analogue to terrestrial digital broadcasting on 24th July, many institutions and people were left with reception due to lack of preparation and knowledge. Stories of these people left behind became news, coining the new term.

38. Ultra Strong Yen (cho-endaka – 超円高)

The Japanese yen is at its highest in the postwar period, leading to fixed prices on imports but problems for large exporters, such as automobile and electronics companies. There have also been effects on consumer spending and employment.

39. Every Man for Himself (tsunami tendenko – 津波てんでんこ)

Not quite sure how best to translate this one, but the literal meaning is ‘each for their own life’. It’s a word coming from the Sanriku region of Iwate prefecture meaning to ‘take responsibility for yourself and escape to high ground when a tsunami comes’. Tendenko means ‘each’ or ‘individual’ and it refers to an alarm warning system in place in the prefecture that teaches everyone, from children to adults, to run to high ground when they hear the alarm and not to wait for others or go back home. One particular school – Kamaishi Higashi Middle School – saw all of its students saved because each child followed this rule and looked after themselves alone. (More)

40. Tohoku Soul (tohoku tamashi – 東北魂)

The comedy duo ‘Sandwichman’, who were out shooting in Kessennuma, Miyagi prefecture when the earthquake struck promoted ‘pure Tohoku soul’ on a radio show and set up a bank account for donations to help the victims of the disaster.

41. Age-difference Wedding (toshi no sakon – 年の差婚)

Popularised by the wedding of Cha Kato, a 68 year old member of The Drifters, and 23 year old Ayana – a 45 year age difference and number larger than the age of the lady herself.

42. Loach Cabinet (dojyo naikaku – どじょう内閣)

From the 2nd September when the Noda Cabinet was formed. In a short speech, the Democratic Party’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda compared himself to a loach: “I’ll never be a goldfish in a scarlet robe, but like a loach in muddy waters. I’ll work hard for the people, to move politics forward.” (More)

43. Operation ‘Friend’ (tomodachi sakusen – トモダチ作戦)

The code name for the operation US forces carried out in Japan following the disaster in March, within over 20,000 personnel, 20 ships, 160 planes. The forces co-operated with Japan’s Self Defence Force bringing necessary items to the disaster-stricken areas and helping rescue victims swept out to sea.

44. Stuck-up Face (doya gao – どや顔)

Popularised by Kansai comedians and celebrities, the phrase means ‘stuck-up face’ or ‘looking pleased with oneself’ in reference to a superiority complex and boastful attitude.

45. Internal Radiation Exposure (naibu hibaku – 内部被曝)

With the fallout from the Fukushima plant, concerns about radiation exposure and the effects of consuming contaminated food and water spread in the media. Internal radiation is generally considered more harmful due to its close proximity to internal organs, although dosage and effects vary depending on the type of radiation and type of tissue.

46. Nadeshiko Japan (nadeshiko jyapan – なでしこジャパン)

The National Women’s Football Team in Japan, otherwise known as ‘Nadeshiko Japan’. They achieved fame for their victory in the FIFA 2011 Women’s World Cup over America, and are now featured in the media fairly often, following the player’s activities and the coach’s technique.

47. No Sides (no-saido – ノーサイド)

Referring to the rugby term at the end of a match where, after the whistle is blown, no-one is an enemy. Prime Minister Noda called for a no-side within the Democratic Party of Japan in response to in-party squabbling.

48. Jogging Beauty (bi-jyoga – 美ジョガー)

A combination of beautiful woman (bijo – 美女) and jogger (ジョッガー) to describe beautiful girls who like to run.

49. Harmful Rumours (fuhyo higai – 風評被害)

Economic damage done due to harmful rumours and information. After the radioactive leaks from the Fukushima power plant, many agricultural facilities had to undergo inspections and food products thoroughly tested for contamination. Because of the fear of radiation and contaminated products, many businesses suffered due to lack of sales and negative press, affecting areas such as tourism.

50. Fukushima 50 (fukushima 50 – フクシマ50)

A term created by foreign media labelling 50 or so workers who remained at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima even after the explosions and radiation leaks. In reality, the number was more than 50 individual people, but the term itself became viral.

51. Recovery (fukko – 復興)

The road to recovery in Japan is a long and arduous one, and this has been taken up by the media and government as the immediate effects of the disaster fade and focus shifts to rebuilding the disaster-stricken areas.

52. Heisei-era Opening of Japan (heisei no kaikoku – 平成の開国)

Ex-Prime Minster Naoto Kan’s slogan leading into 2011, parallel to the 1853 opening of Japan to foreign trade and travel.

53. Radiation Dose (hoshasenryo – 放射線量)

The amount of radiation scattered in an area, or dosage of radiation. The number of people keen to know precise figures has naturally shot up with the events of March, and people are even taking matters into their own hands and taking measurements themselves.

54. Hotspots (hottosupotto – ホットスポット)

Specific areas where radioactive material has collected (such as gutters collecting radioactive rainwater) such that the radioactive dose is higher than the surrounding environment and background radiation. Sometimes these hotspots have been determined to have been caused by materials unrelated to the leaks from the Fukushima plant, but were detected because of raised awareness and concern.

55. Po-po-po-pon (popopopon – ぽぽぽぽーん)

A lyric from a public service announcement released by the public corporation ‘Advertising Council Japan’ (AC). The song is entitled ‘The Magic of Greetings’ and the message: ‘When you greet people properly, you make friends.’ (More)

56. Trembling with Anger (manshin no ikari – 満身の怒り)

A phrase that became popular from a Youtube video going viral. It showed Tatsuhiko Kodama, head of the Radioisotope Center at the University of Tokyo, appeared as a witness to give testimony to the Committee on Welfare and Labour in Japan’s Lower House in the Diet. He expressed that he was ‘shaking with anger’ at the government’s response to the nuclear crisis and inspection of contaminated food. His remark is at 5.49 in the video below.

57. Marumaru, Morimori (marumaru, morimori – マルマル、モリモリ)

Hit t.v. theme song to the drama ‘Marumo no okite’ – ‘Marumo’s Rule’. After airing, Fuji TV was flooded with calls enquiring about the song, which led to its release. The video below stars child actor Fuku Suzuki and child actress Mana Ashida and the song is by Kaoru to Tomoki, Tamani Mook (薫と友樹、たまにムック). The single debuted on the Oricon chart in 3rd position, making the band the youngest to make the top 10. Maru-maru means ‘healthily (plump)’ and mori-mori means ‘with a voracious appetite (for eating, studying and living – etc.)’ The song is surprisingly addictive! (More)

58. Let us show you baseball’s potential (misemasho yakkyu no sokodikara wo – 見せましょう野球の底力を)

A phrase from a speech made by Motohiro Shima, baseball player for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Players of the baseball world were struggling with their commitments to the game and schedules, and being unable to return to disaster-stricken areas when the disaster struck. Shima’s speech resounded with fans and echoed the player’s feelings and commitment to help the recovery efforts through baseball.

59. Meltdown (merutodaun – メルトダウン)

Fuel rods inside the nuclear reactor superheating and melting, resulting in the release of harmful radioactive substances. In the case of Fukushima, fuel rods heated up to an extremely high temperature, falling to the bottom of the pressure containment vessel. The vessel was damage and radioactively contaminated water leaked out. (More)

60. Love Injection (rabu chunyu – ラブ注入)

A gag from comedian ‘Tanoshingo’, saying ‘love – injection!’ while making a heart shape with his hands.

Sources: Hatena Keyword, Ryukogo et al.

What words do you think will be picked for the top 10?

Some of the scenes really aren’t stretching the truth that much either. Head into the backstreets of Japan and you’ll quickly find dilapidated old buildings and creeping plants reclaiming man-made structures for mother nature. Apply that to the iconic landmarks of central Tokyo and other areas of Japan, and you have some gorgeous concept art for what Tokyo could look like if man were wiped from the planet.

Anyway, enough talk. I scoured the net for the biggest and best pictures. Enjoy.

Shinjuku Skyscapers

Shibuya 109 Department Store

Tokyo Big Sight

Haneda Airport

Rainbow Bridge

Shibuya Sakuraya

Hamamatsucho Station

Shinjuku Station

Osaka Streets

Sofmap Akihabara

Kabuki Theatre in Ginza

Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Tokyo Streets

Ueno

Tokyo Tower

Wako Building in Ginza

Akihabara

Tokyo Monorail

Shinjuku HAL Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower

Shibuya 109 Department Store in Heavy Rain

Shibuya Sakuraya

Saigo Mori Statue in Ueno

Nakano Station

Nakano Station 2

Osaka Tsutenkaku Tower

Osaka Billiken

Moai Statue in Shibuya

McDonalds

Hato Bus

Asakusa Hanayashiki Amusement Park

Akihabara Sofmap

Akihabara

Yoyogi Station

Shibuya Sakuraya

Shibuya 109 Department Store Halloween Edition

Tohoku Save Japan Image

The Walker Poster

Shibuya Station

You can find Tokyo Genso’s website here, and the Deviant Art page here. He works as an animator and concept artist for games, and ‘Tokyo Genso’ is his original artwork. Some interesting shots on him working on a watercolour piece here. Check out his blog with lots of fisheye photography and quirky trips :)!

This year’s young actress, Gouriki Ayame, was chosen as the Face of 2011 to introduce the magazine at the press event, as well actress Katase Nana and Ohne Hitoshi, producer/director of the hit film this year ‘Moteki’. Nikkei Trendy has been publishing these annual lists of since 1987, and it’s a great way to get an overview of popular trends in the past year, determined by three factors – sales, innovation and impact. It also makes its top 10 predictions for the upcoming year too, which makes it especially interesting to compare the predictions from last year to the hits this year.

Hikosaemon beat me to the punch while I was writing this post, but hey. Let’s get started anyway!

Top 10 Product Predictions for 2011

Hikosaemon has a handy list with further explanations of last year’s predictions.

2011′s hit keywords were ‘Small Luxuries / Mobile Diversity’ (プチ贅沢・モバイル多様性).

#1 – Geo-location Games & Prizes – 得するジオゲーム
#2 – Mobile Beauty Products – モバ美（モバビュー）
#3 – Home Appliance-Linked Smartphones – スマホリンク家電
#4 – Fishing Gear for Women – 釣女ギア（ちょうじょギア）
#5 – Luxury Shinkansen Tours – 新幹線・極上ツアー
#6 – Notepad-sized Tablets – 新書サイズタブレット
#7 – Natural Product Cosmetics – 多様生物コスメ
#8 – Nissan Leaf & Electric Car Conversions – リーフ＆コンバージョンEV
#9 – Automatic Vending Machines – おまかせ自動販売機
#10 – Commuter Shoes – 通勤トーニング・シューズ

So how do they match up to the products that were deemed popular? Here are the top 10 from this year’s list of 30 popular products.

Top 10 Hit Products for 2011

#1 Smartphones – スマートフォン

No surprise here. Over double the 2010 sales at around 20,000,000 handsets, iPhones and other smartphones have taken off in Japan and the boom continues, with new models being released alongside the traditional clamshell-style phones. Newer models manage to cram everything inside, including the ‘three major features’ (３種の神器) – Osaifu, One-seg and Infra-red previously only found on regular clamshell-style phones. Several of my younger Japanese friends, and pretty much all of my foreign friends have one. Just me that hasn’t jumped on the bandwagon. Yet.

#2 Facebook – フェースブック

Hikosaemon has an excellent analysis of why Facebook became hot this year:

This time last year, Facebook was dead and buried in Japan, unlike Twitter which was very much up and coming. Uncomfortable with the requirements of disclosing personal identity and other information, Japanese users have for years avoided Facebook. However, very astutely, Facebook threw its substantial pile of cash at a commercial tie-up with Japanese advertising monolith, Dentsu back in February, and instantly Facebook suddenly started getting not just widespread advertising, but a lot of favorable media coverage and discussion embedded in existing magazine articles and TV shows, including Nikkei Trendy. The quake itself was used to boost the profile of Facebook – where Twitter was far and away the most useful source of information after the quake, many magazines started – questionably to my mind – claiming that Facebook was the most useful online tool after the quake.

Whatever was going on in the background getting Facebook so much media attention, sure enough, the Dentsu generated boom occurred, and this year I have been flooded with Facebook friend adds from hundreds of old Japanese workmates and friends. The rise of Facebook this year has been something to behold, and completely against my expectations, which shows the power of institutional marketing machines in Japan.

#3 “Energy-saving” Fans – “節電”扇風機

This is one product that is clearly the result of the Great East Japan Earthquake. I even bought a floor fan myself from Muji to circulate the air. I reorganised my room so that my desk was under the air conditioner and bought ice pillows for sleeping on at night. As a result, I didn’t use my air conditioning unit as much this year, and when I did, it was generally between 28 and 30 degrees C, quite a bit higher than the temperatures I was setting last year. But it wasn’t all about saving electricity – several luxury brands such as Dyson’s bladeless model and Balmuda’s model which marketed the ‘quality of air’ also sold well for prices between 20,000-50,000 yen.

#4 Sanyo GOPAN Bread Maker – GOPAN

A new type of bread maker marketed to Japanese consumers on the premise they one could make bread from using the rice at home. Orders were so great during the initial launch that they had to stop taking them until April 2011 – 60% of the annual predicted sales were taken in 3 weeks! Orders didn’t cease even after being re-initiated, and it looks set to sell over 200,000 units by the end of the year.

#5 Nissin Cup Noodle Rice – 日清カップヌードルごはん

The market for microwave meals (即席食品) looks set to double in size in 2011, despite poor performance in the past. One product in particular has done very well – the Nissin Cup Noodle Rice product has, by leaning on the popularity of the Cup Noodle brand, managed to surpass expectations. After initial launch in August 2010, orders were so high that they were stopped and the production line increased for a nationwide launch in July 2011.

#6 Daihatsu Mira E:S and Mazda Demio 13 Sky Active – ミラ イース ＆デミオ 13-スカイアクティブ

Compact cars which get high mileage and have a low fuel consumption. Having started learning to drive in Japan this year, I’ve become more aware of the sorts of differences between types of car, and especially the mileages they get. One car I’ve practised in is over 10 years old and has especially poor mileage – about 3km/litre. In contrast, some of the newest cars are insanely good, with 30km/litre when driving without stopping. The Daihatsu model is one such vehicle. A light 660cc car with a compact build and very competitive price at 800,000 yen and as such has succeeded in capturing young adult consumers and men who wouldn’t usually consider a light car. Mazda also succeeded in creating the Demio – a normal powered car that also runs at 30km/l.

#7 Makkori Rice Wine – マッコリ

The Korean rice wine Makkori from Suntory has doubled its imports over 2011 to around 3,000,000 cases of the alcoholic beverage. Targeted at women aged 20-30 for home consumption, the drink Seoul Makkori and Jinro Makkori succeeded in capturing the attention of young women looking for a sweet drink with a rich tradition.

#8 Willcom Call Anyone Plan – だれとでも定額

A fixed rate calling plan offered by Willcom has re=started the PHS boom of the 90s. For 980yen/month, for up to 500 calls under 10 minutes each, the charge is free. At the end of 2010, Willcom opened up the service nationwide and also ran a campaign in January that offered a free second handset to friends or family. It also benefited from heavy t.v. coverage and a catchy name だれ定 – ‘fixed for everyone’.

#9 Loxonin S – ロキソニンS

A well know pain killer that was previously only available on prescription became available over-the-counter. Over the year prior to selling the product, over 8000 briefing sessions were held around the country to teach pharmacists about the class 1 drug in order to sell it in ordinary stores, contributing to the success.

#10 Kamen Riders Transformation Belt (DX Orz Driver) – 仮面ライダーオーズ 変身ベルト　DXオーズドライバー

A toy belt aimed at kids that has had great success in sales due to its combination of medal choice and card game. Children collect medals (of which there are over 100 varieties) and insert them into the belt. This responds to the the combination of medals (which contain IC chips) once inserted into the belt, which play a transformation song when scanned. The medals are low priced and available via a variety of different means, including capsule machines and in sweets.

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There seems to be little correlation between last year’s predictions list and this year’s hot products, with perhaps exceptions for smartphones (although not linked to home appliances), and electric cars (a preference for high mileage, low fuel consumption cars). Of course, making predictions is extremely difficult, as there are numerous market factors that cannot be well determined in advance. There are also unforeseen events, such as disasters like the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and global economic changes that were unaccounted for this time last year.

Hikosaemon notes, however, that the publishers have tieups with various companies, so lists like this tend to reflect the marketing and business strategies for product makers for the upcoming year. So while they list may be a useful barometer for determining what sort of things we are likely to see advertised, it’s not always a very good indicator at what will turn out to be a hit product. The point he makes about predictions being self-fulfilling would logically seem to be true, but comparing last year’s list to this years shows a woeful lack of accuracy in the predictions.

Publishers tend to work cooperatively with companies to get the inside information and scoops they publish, but as a result, they tend to be very good on detail and analysis, but lukewarm at designating clear WINS and FAILS for products.

Nonetheless, Nikkei’s reputation, popularity, and close ties with many of the companies it features means that when they publish a list of “top 20 hit product predictions for 2011″, this is often something that you can take to the bank. While there is of course editorial input into such lists, the general content tends to reflect the marketing and business strategies of leading product makers for the next year, so they tend to foretell what we are likely to see featured in newspapers, magazines and television commercials for the next six months, which often makes the predictions self fulfilling.

As a result, such top 20 lists tend to be pretty accurate and interesting peeks into the year ahead.

Top 10 Product Predictions for 2012

The hit keywords for 2012 are ‘Escaping the Nest’ and ‘Re-inventing the Old’ (脱巣ごもり・定番×新技術).

The first is a very interesting term. It’s a reversal of 巣ごもり(すごもり), meaning ‘to withdraw to one’s nest’ or ‘spend more times indoors’. It’s often used in the term 巣ごもり消費 – indoor spending – a consumer trait that places more emphasis on spending money on products that are meant to be used in the home, as well as including indoor shopping habits, such as using online marketplaces like Amazon.

　2012年のキーワードは「脱巣ごもり」「定番×新技術」。2011年に「超巣ごもり」を強いられた反動で、旅行やレジャー需要が盛り返すと予測する。その脱巣ごもり系商品・サービスの中でも超目玉となるのが2012年5月22日に開業する東京スカイツリーだ。

Conversely then, 脱巣ごもり is the opposite – ‘getting back outside’ or ‘escaping the nest’. Tours around Tokyo’s new Sky Tree, as well as luxury cruises for the family are predicated to be big this year. I wonder if those predictions extend to a drop in online spending and a return to the high streets? Seems a little far-fetched to me…

The second keyword 定番×新技術 – familiar devices x new technology – revolves around re-inventing old standards. ‘Short cuts that give a little extra’. The best example of this merging of new technologies into old, proven concepts is the 2nd ranked prediction this year – augmented reality trading card games. Trading card games are a tried-and-tested moneymaker, and handheld game devices are very popular, so the hope is that merging this new AR technology into existing products will invigorate the market and also attract new users.

　また、「定番回帰」現象が目立った2011年よりもさらに進化し、王道の商品に最新技術やアイデアを施した「王道プラスアルファ」的な商品が増える。中でも注目は2位の「ゲーム機連動ARトレカ」。大人気のトレーディングカードが、AR（拡張現実）という「最新技術」と携帯ゲーム機という「強力なツール」と連係。従来のユーザーだけでなく、新規客をも呼び込むことになる。

Here’s the list:

#1 Sky Tree Tours – スカイツリー下町観光

Downtown Shitamachi is forcast to help revive Japan’s tourism with both domestic and international visits to the new Tokyo Sky Tree. It will begin taking pre-orders for tours as of 22nd November 2011, for the grand opening on 22nd May 2012.

#2 – ゲーム機連動ARトレカ

Popular trading card games will be combined with augmented reality (AR) technology in handheld games devices such as the Nintendo 3DS and upcoming Playstation Vita to digitally manipulate the real world. This looks incredibly cool! It’s expected to draw new consumers to the devices.

#3 – Children’s Dance Wear – キッズダンスギア

Fashionable dance clothing and shoes targeted at kids, due to the increase in popularity of dance through groups such as Exile and K-pop stars Kara. Dance will become a compulsory subject for kids in the 1st and 2nd years of middle school, so that’s also likely to have an effect.

#4 Order-made Smartphones – スマホオーダーメード

The boom of smartphones doesn’t look set to die out yet, but the focus of the battle may change. Apparently there are still a lot of new smartphone users who really don’t know how to get the most out of their phones, so marketers are set to focus on this lack of ability when selling new models, such as by offering beginner’s classes and simplified models.

#5 All-purpose Television Recorder at 100,000 yen – 10万円全録レコーダー

An all-purpose television recorder. The newest 2TB device from Buffalo, set to be priced around the the 100,000 yen mark, is capable of recording 8 different television stations at once, for you to watch later at your convenience. I’m curious how the television networks and advertisers will take to these sorts of devices. They put the power in the hands of the consumer, so there’s a potential loss in revenue and impact from previously unskippable adverts.

#6 Toyota Aqua and PHV (Hybrid Cars) – アクア＆PHV（プラグインハイブリッド車）

Ultra compact, low fuel consumption and high mileage vehicles, the Aqua and PHV hybrid cars are set to take eco-friendly transport to the next level. The Aqua will be capable of 40km/litre and is a normal powered car at 1800cc available for 1,690,000 yen. The PHV is a ‘Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle’ utilising both electricity and petrol in order to power itself. The problems with EV Electric Vehicles are that, for long distance travel, a large battery and long charging times are required. A hybrid car uses both an engine and a motor to minimise CO2 emissions. The new plug-in hybrid however, will further extend these benefits by adding a battery to the mix, allowing travel over short distances around town to use very little fuel at all.

#7 Low Cost Carrier Air Travel on Domestic Routes – 国内線LCC

Domestic air travel in Japan is becoming cheaper, with a battle between the major carriers to lower costs. New low cost carriers such as ANA’s Peach Aviation are springing up one after another, promoting great savings on many domestic travel routes as an alternative to transport such as the train or bus.

#8 Time-saving Cooking Devices – 時短調理ツール付き調味料

With the pressure to cut back on electricity usage this past summer, an unexpected change occurred in the kitchen. The new focus was be on making nutritious and good food without using much gas or electricity. It’s expected that this trend will continue with various seasonings and flavourings selling well, in addition to time-saving devices that allow preparation of easy meals in the kitchen. Such things as seasonings that include kitchen tools and devices, such as Maggi’s roast chicken seasoning that comes with a special oven bag to cook the meat in.

#9 Non-alcoholic Bars – “ノンアル”酒場

With the rise in popularity of non-alcoholic beer and drop in sales at drinking outlets such as izakaya due, in part, to the disaster this year and wanting to get home earlier, the natural prediction is to expect bars to begin offering more non-alcoholic choices to the menu. These could include non-alcoholic wines and cocktails, shochu and even amazake.

#10 4G Routers – “4G”ルーター

4G routers are expected to continue with the trend of ever-increasing download speeds on the internet. 3x faster than the existing 3G networks, it can offer speeds of between 40-110mb/s – easily enough to watch films without playback issues (providing the company streaming them has enough speed in its upstream). 3G trails behind with a mere 14mb/s. My how far things have come since my little 56k connection…

Sources: Nikkei Ranking, Uguisu and the December 2011 edition of Nikkei Trendy.
Hikosaemon’s posts and great analysis of this year’s rankings: Part 1, Part 2.

Central Tokyo, over 200km from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, has seen elevated levels of background radiation and Japan has had numerous problems with contaminated food exports from Fukushima and the surrounding areas. There are also dangerous hotspots that have built up even in locations outside the exclusion zone, primarily due to contaminated rainwater collecting in crevices. But while there are still many problems and concerns, ambient background radiation and the shock reports of hotspots being discovered are not nearly as headline-worthy as they may seem to be.

There is definite reason to be concerned about the long term effects the fallout will have on the northern region of Japan, its economy and particularly agricultural exports. Whether actually contaminated or not, the minds of the people have been irradiated with report after worrying report of food that is unsafe to eat. It will take a long time, and serious government measures, to properly reassure the Japanese public and the wider world that exports from the region are safe again. The cleanup and reconstruction efforts will take years, perhaps even decades, to complete and the worst affected areas immediately around the plant may remain no-go zones for a long time to come.

It’s also not easy to determine just how accurate the information we receive is. There are numerous sources in a constant battle, each with their own invested interests and takes on the situation. The mainstream media need headlines and shock stories to sell papers and hook readers. The scientists need fully verified, concrete facts to reassure the public and calculate the exact risks. And even among those best informed about radioactivity and the substances being detected, there are disagreements about how much information the public needs to be told and just how much radiation is a ‘safe’ level, if indeed any level of radiation can be called safe at all. Be aware of that when reading any information you find. The thoughts of one scientist are not conclusive proof of anything. That goes tenfold for the thoughts of one journalist or the mass media.

The Setagaya Incident

So, what about this “extraordinarily high” amount of radiation detected in Setagaya? It was recorded at a hotspot measuring 3.35uSv/h at one point near a house ajoining a road, measured 1m off the ground. The government calculations based on spending 8 hours day outdoors and 16 hours a day indoors at that location for one year would give you a radiation dose of 17.6mSv. That’s certainly much higher than the specified limit of 1mSv/year set by the Japanese government.

But let’s just think about that. That’s about the equivalent of a couple of CT scans and a few international flights. You’d also have to be pretty reclusive to remain in that location for an entire year to absorb that amount. Furthermore, it’s a single location in one neighbourhood – not a measure of the ambient dose in the surrounding environment.

It turns out that the high level of radiation measured that had nothing to do with fallout from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, but was actually due to what is thought to be radium 226 (used in cancer treatment and fluorescent paint) found inside some old bottles. The bottles contained the powder measuring 600uSv/h and were found hidden inside a wooden box underneath the floor of a house no longer lived in. Pretty curious stuff if you ask me! I’ve come across very old bottles containing mysterious powders and substances before in old haikyo medical clinics while exploring, so it makes me wonder how many other undetected hotspots there may be that will now be discovered by concerned individuals with personal radiation detectors.

But even now that we know it’s probably unrelated to the Fukushima incident, let’s step back and examine the high reading that was given in the media anyway. Comparing the 17.6mSv annual dose from the spot outside the house that to current background levels of radiation being reported around Tokyo then: Shinjuku on 14th October shows 0.055uSv/h (pretty representative of Tokyo in general, although there are levels higher up to about 0.1uSv/h) which would result in a perfectly normal 0.48mSv of radiation in a year if the amount remained constant and one remained outside at all times. A huge difference to the hotspot and a very important point to note when hearing these shock stories in order to keep things in perspective.

In Fukushima, the majority of places even relatively close to the plant are about 0.25uSv/h (that’s 0.00025mSv/h). Assuming the worse case scenario of remaining outside in constant exposure for 1 year, we’d absorb 2.19mSv. Still less than the natural background radiation in other places like India, China and Brazil. Ramsar, Iran shows an average of 10uSv/h (87.6mSv/year), for example.

The average amount of natural background radiation around the world is 2.4mSv per year. The limit deemed acceptable by the Japanese government for exposure to non-natural radiation per year is 1mSv (excluding that for medical purposes). For example, a CT scan will give you about 6.9mSv and a return flight from Tokyo to New York about 0.2mSv. There are also naturally occuring places such as hot springs giving higher-than-normal doses of radiation.

The problem is that the elevated background radiation around Fukushima is not all natural anymore. It will undoubtedly also include elevated background levels of radioactive elements not usually present in those amounts and risks being absorbed by the local population in ways not usual (such as growing food in contaminated soil). The true scope of such matters are quite beyond my limited knowledge of the subject but, from what I gather, there is no definitive consensus among the larger scientific community on the effects of elevated levels of ambient radiation:

However, at low doses of radiation, there is still considerable uncertainty about the overall effects. It is presumed that exposure to radiation, even at the levels of natural background, may involve some additional risk of cancer. However, this has yet to be established. To determine precisely the risk at low doses by epidemiology would mean observing millions of people at higher and lower dose levels. Such an analysis would be complicated by the absence of a control group which had not been exposed to any radiation. In addition, there are thousands of substances in our everyday life besides radiation that can also cause cancer, including tobacco smoke, ultraviolet light, asbestos, some chemical dyes, fungal toxins in food, viruses, and even heat. Only in exceptional cases is it possible to identify conclusively the cause of a particular cancer.

…

With all the knowledge so far collected on effects of radiation, there is still no definite conclusion as to whether exposure due to natural background carries a health risk, even though it has been demonstrated for exposure at a level a few times higher.

http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Factsheets/English/radlife.html#harmful

So what are we as citizens supposed to do? Clearly avoiding exposure to additional or elevated background radiation is advisable and it is important to clean up hotspots and the environment. Consumption of radioactively contaminated products is another topic entirely and carries arguably greater risks due to the radioactive source being much closer to the vital organs once consumed. The government has set regulations for acceptable limits on food and have given orders to check radiation levels, but it is still not clear to me just how to judge the situation yet and there are concerns that the levels set by the government are still too high to be considered safe. More reading on my part is required to further understand the situation, but if any readers have helpful, factual links, I would appreciate them.

There’s lots more information in Japanese including answers to questions at a Q&A session that was held by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) here or here for posterity if you have time to read.

So goes the age-old philosopher’s quote on the front of Iori Tomita’s book ‘Transparent Silence’. A curious collection of see-through animals, preserved in jars and dyed with colourful chemicals to give a 3-dimensional x-ray look into each specimen. Pretty much the exact kind of bizarre cross between science and nature that I love!

The project is called 新世界「透明標本」 – New World Transparent Specimens. The specimens are created using a preservation and dyeing technique usually only used for scientific purposes, such as examining the skeletal system and the underlying biological makeup.

Tomita uses an enzyme to dissolve the natural proteins in the flesh. He then injects red dyes into the harder bones and blue dyes into the softer cartilage, thus highlighting usually unseen internal structures. The dead creature is then preserved in a jar of glycerin.

If you’re the strange type like me, you’ll be pleased to know that you can even buy smaller versions of some of the specimens at select Tokyu Hands department stores in Japan. Larger, rarer versions are also on sale at exhibitions. I might have to take a trip to the Nagoya branch and have a look next time I go!

From Tomita’s website:

“Originally, the method of making transparent specimens enzymatically turning the protein transparent, dyeing the bones magenta and dyeing the cartilages blue was established for scientific purposes to study the skeletal system. Taking this a step further to refine the form and coloration of the specimens requires time and experience. I create transparent specimens as pieces of work that help people feel closer to the wonders of life. People may look at my specimens as an academic material, a piece of art, or even an entrance to philosophy. There is no limitation to how you interpret their meaning. I hope you will find my work as a “lens” to project a new image, a new world that you’ve never seen before.”

He also has two books available – a photo book with descriptions of the creatures and another book with more stunning photographs woven together, curiously, with the wise words of Wittgenstein.

You can read more about these fascinating creations on Tomita’s website, which has more pictures, information about exhibitions and other cool stuff. One upcoming event is the Tokyo Mineral Show this December 9th-12th at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro.

Tomita on Twitter.
New World Transparent Specimens book
Transparent Silence book
2012 Calendar

Pretty neat stuff! Would you mind having one of these sitting on your shelf? Or does the idea of hosting an aquatic corpse made you shudder with disgust? :p

Over on Gakuranman.com’s sister site, Gakuu (short review here), I’ve put together an ever-growing list of (mostly free) websites and books that can be used to learn the language. You can access and bookmark it right here:

Japanese Language Learning Resources

A brief explanation then. It’s divided up into convenient sections and marked with a traffic-light code to clearly show resources for different levels of student.

Beginners can start with the green links to learn hiragana and katakana, as well as basic grammar and help for how to learn Japanese. Intermediate students can stretch their legs with amber resources, such as reading and listening exercises. Finally, I’ve also collected together a handy list of websites and dictionaries for advanced learners and translators, marked in red, to save you some time searching for them. For example, in the screenshot below:

There is also a growing list of links to other resource sites, so you can use it as a starting point on your quest for free tools and websites to learn Japanese. The ultimate aim is to create a go-to list containing the best of the best! A reference for any Japanese learner and a collection of links to enable motivated students to continue their study of the language in their own time and at their own pace.

If you have any suggestions for additions to the list or cool sites for how to learn Japanese, please leave a comment! If they are free, that’s even better!

What are your favourite websites for learning Japanese?