This Monday The Japan Society of New York City will host a lecture by the Innovative Daniel H. Pink. This authors past works have appeard in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Wired, where he is also an contributing editor. His analysis of business & technology trends has been seen on CNN, CNBC, ABC, NPR, andother various national/international networks. Even more interesting is Dan held a position in the White House, where he served as chief speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore.

As the author of “The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need, he breaks a new mold as the first American author of a business Manga! Yes… you heard it this New York Times and   best seller’s new endeavor is in Manga format.

The lead protagonist of this comic, Johnny Bunko is a just an average guy.  He never strayed from doing the proper thing and was respectful to those who would give him direction like parents, teachers, and counselors. But now, stuck at a dead-end job, he’s is unhappy. He begins to suspect that what he thought he knew is just plain wrong. One bizarre night, Johnny meets Diana, the unlikeliest career advisor he’s ever seen. Part Cameron Diaz, part Barbara Eden, she reveals to Johnny the six essential lessons for thriving in the world of work

So please come down to this Japan Society event; it starts around 6pm. The Japan society is a lovely building that host various events, films, classes and information. It is situated on 333 east 47th st, right across from a lovely park called Dag Hammarskjold  Plaza. For ticket information you can call the Box Office at (212) 715-1258

Tags: Business, Dan Pink, Japan Society, japanese, manga, Politics

Voting for the Cosplay Photoshoot Contest is official closed as of 12PM today. It’s been a long week and we’re happy to finally announce the winner! We’ve gone through over 500 contest entries and chosen 50 finalists which is now down to the top three.

Again, the top three will be interviewed by our Ningin Bloggers while the overall best cosplayer voted by the users will receive two super exclusive tickets to the private premiere of the Megaman Movie and to Comic Con in February 2009.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest. So now without further ado, the contest winners are….
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Tags: anime, cosplay, cosplay photoshoot contest, manga, new york anime festival, winner

Honorary Gary Locke (left),James Yee (center), Dale Minami (right)

http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/governorlocke/bios/bio.htm

http://www.mltsf.com/lawyer-attorney-1067081.html

On Friday October 3, 2008, James Yee and other notables attended an Obama Victory Fund event at the home of Laurie and Scott Oki in Bellevue, WA. The Asian American Finance Committee also headed the event.

Representative Mike Honda was scheduled to attend this event, but he was unable to attend, because he was voting on the Emergency Bill to bail out Wall Street. The first person that spoke at this event was Washington State Senator, Maria Cantwell. She talked about why Obama is good for Washington State and for America. There were several people who were there from the Microsoft community. It was not surprising, because Microsoft is headquartered in Seattle.
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Tags: Asian American Finance Committee, Bellevue, chinese, civil liberties, Dale Minami, Didi Saluja, election, Emergency bill, Fred Korematsu, Gary Locke, Indian American, james yee, japanese, Laurie Oki, Maria Cantwell, Microsoft, Mike Honda, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Obama Victory Fund, Scott Oki, Seattle, wall street, Washington

The world of Asian Media is small and you can find fans everywhere, even where you least expect it. 4 months ago I would have never thought that I would be dancing along side Ichigo Pantsu, a group of girls ready to boogy to just about anything. Lara and I had met this group at AnimeNext this year, competing against them in the masqurade. Both our routines involved dancing but, in the end IchiP! kinda kicked our butts with neater costumes and sharper moves. However this time around at NY Anime Festival, we met again as better friends with a common interest in dance. On the last day of the con, IchiP! had a dance workshop where they taught a very popular para para called “Night of Fire” by Hinoi Team. It was so much fun to learn from these energetic teachers. We later had an interview with the three girls Erica (IchiRi), Michele (IchiRu), and Venus (IchiRe). Unfortunately, the 4th member Laura (IchiRa) couldn’t attened because we all know she’s having the greatest time ever studying abroad in Japan. The girls were extremely nice and were willing to dance with us in the end!

Click here to see that dance!

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Tags: asian media, dance, erica, ichi-p, ichigo pantsu, michele, new york anime festival, nyaf, tell me, venus

All these news about the recent Korean celebrity suicides made me think about the past. My mind went down memory lane, and then I decided to Youtube videos of my favourite ahjumma style songs. Or at least the old songs from when I enjoyed as a child. One of the songs I entered was 인디안 인형처럼 (Indian Inhyung Chu-lum = Like an Indian Doll) originally done by Nami.
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Tags: ahjumma, bada, finkl, guam, karaoke, korea, kpop, music, nami and boom boom, no rae bang

I tried to depart a little from the traditional martial-arts genre. Instead of treating these characters as heroes, I wanted to see them as ordinary people – at the stage before they became heroes. – Wong Kar-wai

Wong Kar-wai’s restored, re-scored, expanded, recolored and re-edited Ashes of Time Redux premiered tonight at the New York Film Festival. Playing before a sold out crowd at the 1,131-seat Ziegfeld Theatre, Wong Kar-wai was joined on stage afterward for Q&A with the still beautiful actress Brigitte Lin and cinematographer Christopher Doyle.

The acclaimed film has has been digitally colorized from the 1994 print, at times adding beauty to the cinematography, but sometimes too digitally enhanced for some viewers of the original release depending on who you asked at the screening. It seemed everyone was in agreement the subtitles received a nice revision. Regardless, if you’ve only seen this film on DVD, you’re in for a special treat when this story of swordplay and ill fortunes gets a wider theatrical release in the USA on October 10.
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Tags: Ashes of Time, Brigitte Lin, Christopher Doyle, cinema, hong kong, kung fu, Maggie Cheung, martial arts, new york city, New York Film Festival, Sony Pictures Classics, Tony Leung, Wong Kar Wai, Yo-yo Ma

Sigh, I guess the following for the once popular Taiwanese boy band F4 still remains strong. I thought the group disbanded, much to my delight, a few years ago but the four members (Jerry Yang, Vannesse Wu, Ken Chu and Vic Zhou) reunited this week and held a concert in Japan.  The Japanese organizer had only intended to do three shows but the demand was so strong that they had to add three more. From Bae Yong Joon to these four heart throbs of yesterday, there is no denying that the “obasans” are fascinated with chicks who have a dick.

Below is a link to one of F4’s MVs. Get ready to be dickmatized in a lezzie way!

F4 - Waiting For You

Tags: F4, Japanese Concerts

We got a very special sneak peek of the incredible exhibition opening this weekend at Japan Society, New York City!

New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters is the first comprehensive overview of centuries-old methods of basketry using bamboo as a new medium for modern sculpture in Japan.

As soon as you walk into the lobby, you’ll be greeted by a large-scale, split-bamboo kakoi (enclosure) by bamboo master Kawana Tetsunori commissioned especially for the exhibition by Japan Society. Even the moss underneath the bamboo kakoi is specially selected by the artist. It’s an incredibly tasteful pairing of matching hues and textures. Along the walls, you’ll see a series of intricate bamboo constructions by the New York-based (and only non-Japanese) sculptor Stephen Talasnik, who illuminates Western architectural and engineering principles.

New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters presents 23 innovating artists, many of whom completed rigorous apprenticeships to become master basketmakers before breaking and bending the rules they so dutifully studied.

New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters opens October 4, 2008 and remains on view through January 11, 2009 at Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street between First and Second Avenues, New York City.
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Tags: contemporary art, Japan Society, kakoi, modern art, New Bamboo, new york, Talasnik, Tetsunori

Get this: a director from Iceland films a story about a Filipina transgendered prostitute. How did that happen? Well, truth is stranger than fiction, and director Olaf de Fleur took many cues from real life in “The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela.” In fact, he created a new genre—a “visionmentary.” The unique way he filmed “Queen Raquela” shows how this subculture unfolds in the Philippines and beyond.

By happenstance, de Fleur ran into a couple of overdressed “ladyboys” on a trip to the Philippines. A ladyboy will sometimes describe herself as “a chick with a dick.” Crude, but hey, it gets the point across. These people have not undergone sex-change surgery—they believe they are female on the inside, male on the outside. They dress as girls, and often work as prostitutes, but dream of marrying straight men and having children like little girls anywhere.

De Fleur was fascinated by this “conundrum—it was like a snake eating its tail.” So he found Raquela Rios, one such transsexual, and allowed her to play “herself” in a story that was loosely based on her own life. This filming method gives “Queen Raquela” an engaging plot with the ring of realism.
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Tags: fantasy, Filipino, movie, queen, transsexual

First and foremost, Happy October everyone. It is Brest Cancer Awareness month so please be sure to remember, recognize or donate. Sankyu!

As promised, here’s a double roundup to make up for the one missed a few weeks ago. Gomen gomen! I hope you enjoy this weeks round up as some of the videos are old and new. I really liked picking out this weeks because I didn’t have to be as super selective.

Our Cosplay Photoshoot Contest is still going on so if you haven’t voted please do before Sunday 12PM EST. There are a lot of amazing cosplayers out there so check them out in our on the NY Anime Festival microsite or our gallery.

So again, enjoy!
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Tags: b.o.y, dbsk, epik high, girl next door, girls generation, hisokan, mihimaru gt, music video, seeya, snsd, weekly music roundup, wonder boys, wonder girls, yuna ito