“I’m up all night” says Batman

The joy of public transit is that there’s so much to see!! Batman’s nocturnal message, a cute distracted young man, good weather, and the mind wanders.

You know it’s cherry blossom time, when boy bands practice their dance moves in the park

Lest you think spring brings out only positive feelings of joy and choreography, most of the over-heard comments by passers-by failed to appreciate the effort and artistry of these earnest teens. Dance on, boys!

Some very happy ladies!

Japan’s women soccer team has made it to the finals by beating France. That’s a lot of joy!

New slang & trends of 2009

One of the joys of November in Japan is the release of the top 60 new slang and trends of the year. Publisher Jiyu Kokuminsha provides the list, and fortunately Pink Tentacle provides excellent translations of each term (with explanations for those who may be less familiar with pop culture, politics and notorious crimes in Japan).

Next month 10 finalists are selected. I will start introducing some terms on my blog. You can read the full list of 60 new slang of 2009 on Pink Tentacle.

Above is sekushii buchō (セクスィー部長, or sexy department chief), a character with exaggerated masculine sex appeal from the NHK sketch-comedy show “Salaryman NEO.”