What: The Japinoy.com Eyeball v1.5 and Christmas Party
When: December 9, 2007 (Sunday) 3PM-5PM
Where: Music21, Jupiter St., Makati City

I now confirm our Christmas Party on Dec 9 (Sun) for Japinoy.com! Some call it the Japinoy 1.5th anniversary, we'll have our celebration in Music21. Like our 1st anniversary, the time will be from 3PM-5PM. We will also have games, trivia, and of course singing! The fee will be P120. This will include food and your first drink (no alcohols and smoking please).

Please confirm your attendance and I hope you can come. Let me know if you have problem with the date and time.
Posted by Wigent
For more information, please visit: http://www.japinoy.com/forums/t/2018.aspx

Originally posted on japinoy.vox.com

What: Japinoy.com free Nihongo Lessons
When: Every Saturday starting on November 3, 2007 (tentative); Either: 9AM-12NN or 1PM-3PM
Where: To be decided (Suggestions are most welcome)
Who: Expected attendees are Nihongo beginners who are active Japinoy.com members. (at least 16 years old)

Details: The Japinoy.com free Nihongo lessons is expected to commence on November. The expected participants are beginners of Nihongo. The lessons will be based on a book (tentative: Nihongo Shoho). Photocopies will be provided every week. Photocopy cost to be incurred by the participants.

We are currently looking for a venue for this activity. We need a place that can accommodate a maximum of 15 or a minimum of six students. Of course the place has to be free. Japinoy.com can only provide the lessons and will not shell out cash. Participants are also expected to bring their own water, food and other materials.

This activity is open only to active members of www.Japinoy.com. In order to enroll, a member should have earned a minimum of 300 points. Points are earned by making post in any thread in the Japinoy.com forums. One post can have different corresponding points. Post points differ on the post quality.

When the classes start, a participant needs to make 80 points a week. Copied news articles or content from other sites are not counted.

(There is still time to make the 300 points to be enrolled. It’s only September now. Japinoy.com team members are automatically enrolled in the class if they want to.)

Lessons include: basic Nihongo grammar, Kanji and Kana writiting, and vocabulary.

Enrollment is not yet open for the moment. We still have to finalize some issues. Note that any of the details here may change in the coming weeks (e.g., book that will be used, maximum number of students, points required).

Originally posted on japinoy.vox.com

Open house 2007- Japinoy members in Kimono

Woohoo! This year's Open House of the Nihongo Center/PIJLC was the best ever! Since the first time I attended the

Open House in 2004, this is the first time I encountered such a big crowd at school. Tons of activities for the visitors too like Origami, aikido, sumo (!), film showing, kimono no kitsuke (kimono wearing), free Nihongo class, trivia contest, karaoke contest, cosplay contest and many more.

(Left) Here is a pic of moeru-san and hirodayuy-san (both Japinoy.com members) in their yukata (summer kimono). I wasn't able to go around much to the different rooms and activities (or even watch 'Howl's Moving Castle) because Keli-sensei asked me to assist with the Kimono room, which I gladly did. The last time I wore a yukata was December last year, for the company's Christmas party, and all I could remember was how to tie an obi (Not Wan Kenobi) in the 'chou musubi' style (butterfly obi, which in my opinion, looks more of a ribbon than a butterfly). There are so many other ways of tying an obi, but I never bothered to learn all of them. At the Open House, there were also the 'instant obi', those that you just clip on the back. Convenient. ^_^

I did promise to visit the Tea Ceremony room, because my friends Masaki-san and Sasaki-san were there with Yamaura-sensei. I never got the chance to visit though. They never visited my room either, so I guess we're even

(Right) Spitz-san, moeru-san and hirodayuy-san enjoying the experience of 'Sadou' or the way of the tea.

Open house 2007- Tea ceremony

One of the crowd-drawing events was the sumo competition, headed by JOCV volunteer, Niimi-sensei (who is about to go home to Japan soon. NCF will miss you, sensei!). Visitors and students participated in the competition; there were hilarious moments like one contestant running away from his opponent. Eventually, it was a trainee from IHI who won the competition. Yokozuna!

This Open House is a once-in-a-year event that I vow never to miss, ever. It is not everyday that you get to drink tea the way Japanese people did many years before.Or wear what they wear. Or speak as they speak. It is not everyday that common Filipinos like us experience traditional Japanese culture. It was fun and educational at the same time. Nerdy of me to say that, but it's true. XD

Open house 2007- Yosakoi

Open house 2007- Cosplay competition

Open house 2007- Okonomiyaki

Originally posted on japinoy.vox.com

The Nihongo Center Foundation and Philippine Institute of Japanese Language and Culture will have the Open House this year at the Samaploc Campus
@ 825 R. Papa Street Morayta, Sampaloc, Manila.

We had it at the Makati campus last year and it was sooo much FUN!

The Sampaloc Campus will be open for anyone who wants to see the inside of the building, sample our Nihongo teaching or join the Japanese activities we have in store!

Japinoy.com will be sponsoring the film showing at the Open House. We'd love to see  you there next week!

For further inquiries pls call 735-3179.
So bring your family & friends and have a fun-filled Japanese experience!

Open House Details

When:
September 22, 2007 (Saturday)
10:00am - 5:00pm

Where:
3f Philippines-Japan Friendship Center
825 R. Papa Street, Morayta, Sampaloc, Manila

Activities
Experience Japanese traditional and popular culture first hand with demonstrations and exhibitions like tea ceremony, kimono wearing, aikido demonstration, origami, sushi making and many more!

Originally posted on japinoy.vox.com

For more Leah news and discussion, please visit Japinoy.com

Congratulations on your first album. How do you feel right now?
I'm so happy! This is my first album and I did my very best.

This album has a lot of your expressions and feelings, but which song is your favorite?
I think it's [Aishiteru]. This is the first song I wrote in Japanese by myself. This is a deep song that is connected to my self-confidence and maturity when I came to Japan. There's also [Drive me crazy]. Written from a negative point of view, this song is different from the rest in the album, which goes around the theme "love". I'm happy with it.   

You also did one song with your younger brother. How was it working together with him?
Since our age gap is not that big, I was worried that we'd fight and all, but in reality, nothing like that happened (laughs). We played the guitar together, and managed to make a demo tape. But he went home (to our country) before my recording finished so he hasn't been able to listen to the final version.

One surprising thing is that you did a cover of Culture Club's [Time], which was a hit in the early 80s, before you were born.
That is right. I know this song and like it. So when we were talking about which song to make into a cover, I just said 'Culture Club's Time!'. This song is a bit sad but good, so I'm really happy with this as a cover.

Lastly, tell us the reason behind the title [Destiny Line]
In Japanese, [Destiny Line] is 運命線. Fate is like a road, right? You get lost sometimes, but you still move on. My coming to Japan is fate. Also, the journey that is life, it's not just going to your destination, but continuing with the journey. Life is not just fun, it's harsh, it's also sad and so many others. Until my destination, I wish to keep on moving on. With that thought, I decided on [Destiny Line] as title. - Translated for and by www.Japinoy.com. Please credit/link back when reposting elsewhere. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Oricon.

**************************************

To mark the launching of her first album, popular gravure idol and singer Leah Dizon (20) held a commemorative event yesterday at Tokyo's Tower Records (Shibuya).

Leah performed 4 songs from the album, including [Again and Again], which she co-wrote with her younger brother. Leah presented on a stage that is less than 1 meter away from the audience.

Leah also had a talk show where she did not have a translator, showcasing her already improving Japanese. The singer-idol turns 21 on the 24th of the month. She reminisces "Before, during my birthday, I would be bagging groceries at my part time job at the supermarket".

Originally posted on japinoy.vox.com

We are looking for people who wish to learn basic Nihongo for some free Nihongo classes every Saturday, 1:40-4:30 PM

Classes are for free and will be held on Saturday afternoons (1:30 - 4:40 PM) starting on 22 September. The course will run for 4 Saturdays. Venue is the Nihongo Center Foundation in Manila (In front of FEU Gym).

We are looking for students who:

- Have zero knowledge of Nihongo
- Can attend the classes consistently

If you are interested, kindly leave a comment.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

Originally posted on japinoy.vox.com

...is about to come. I am planning to get a flat of my own. I hope to move in by September; had a chance to look at some units last night, and already decided on one. Which means, I will have to cut back on spending...which means the DS Lite R4 that I've been wanting to buy will have to wait. Which means I will have to bore myself with my Mario Kart game -- I still have that 150cc mirror race to finish, anyway. Or, I can just work my way up the Kanken levels. I'm currently switching among 10kyuu, 9kyuu, and 8kyuu. I can't believe I've become ワープロばか...I've become too dependent on the PC, that I don't know how to properly write Kanji :(

Aside from that, I still have to worry about the language assessment test that the company will be administering in two weeks. I HAVE TO PASS THE NIHONGO TEST! Geez...this feels even worse than the JLPT. Har. There is a 30-minute written exam, then an hour with a language specialist to test my reading, listening and conversation skills. Gawd. I have to prove I really passed 2kyuu...Lord, help me.

It's back to school again tomorrow -- good thing I already finished the Kanji stuff we had to bring to school. I'm so tired!!

Originally posted on japinoy.vox.com

Rock band GLAY held an unprecendented live house performance yesterday, August 23, at O-EAST in Tokyo's Shibuya.

It has been 4 year's since the group's last live house was in Hakodate in 2003. Yesterday's performance was attended by 850 people, and tickets were sold out in 10 minutes. 

An excited TERU (36, vocals) said "This live house is really wonderful. I just want to let it all out and not think of anything." The crowd likewise literally rocked the place, shaking the floor with their jumping. The group performed 18 songs, including hits HOWEVER and Glorious and their new single "ASHES-1969" (due for release in October 31).

This live house is due for broadcast on NHK in November. - Translated for and by www.Japinoy.com. Please credit/link back when reposting elsewhere. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Originally posted on japinoy.vox.com

Tarentos Ogura Yuko (23) and Leah Dizon (20) appear in a new commercial for Yukimi Daifuku, which has start airing on August 21st.

The CM features the pair clad in kimono and talking to each other in English and Japanese and not understanding each other. In the scene where the girls were stretching out mochi, Ogura's shoot reportedly took only 5 takes (since she was used to mochi) while Dizon took 40 takes to perfect the scene because it was her first time to experience stretching mochi. - Translated for and by www.Japinoy.com. Please credit/link back when reposting elsewhere. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Originally posted in Houchi Yomiuri on August 21st.

Originally posted on japinoy.vox.com

Popular group NewS has been chosen as the image characters for the surfing brand RUSS-K, it was announced on the 22nd. This will be the first time that the 6 members of the group come together in a CM since NewS was formed 4 years ago.

The CM was shot in the first week of July, with the group filming 6 individual scenes all in one day. According to Yamashita Tomohisa (22) "With the 6 of us together in the shoot, it was easy to relax. Also, being able to shoot a CM that's related to surfing, which I love, is a reward for me".

The CM will start airing nationwide on the 24th. - Translated for and by www.Japinoy.com. Please credit/link back when reposting elsewhere. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Sankei Sports

Originally posted on japinoy.vox.com