2012 version of annual Tokyo Marathon will be held on February 26, with 36,000 runners who luckily win the lottery from 283,988 applicants.

At the marathon, one of the official supplier Dole Japan is going to provide 96,000 "lucky" bananas, named "Goku Sen"(Extremely Selected) [J], which will be chosen from its over 100 kind of bananas, harvested from its special farm in Philippine in early February.

After arrival at Japan, on its 7-days ripening process, Dole Japan will apply a special treatment for this special occasion, air the Japan's most popular girls unit AKB48's hit number "Heavy Rotation" to let banana listen.

The song was chosen because the research over the member of Toyo University Ekiden club, who won the annual Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay this January, showed that the song is the most favorite in the club members' private and training time.

There was a myth that Japanese stock farmer let cow listen Mozart to make beef tender in English news before. But there is a company who sell Mozart-listening banana [J]. Their page says that another Mozart thing was tried for Tomato and Japanese sake.

Dole Japan opened the special site for this lucky banana, with banana-related quiz and games. The site is also connected with Twitter/Facebook.

On February 8 at Japan’s first banana vending machine in Shibuya, Dole will do this lucky banana give-away for people who check in on Facebook, Mixi or Foursquare.

via Ichigaya Keizai Shimbun [J]

See Also:

AKB48 Now On Google+ – Google’s Marketing Challenge

Popular Idol Group AKB48 Enters ISP Business

Asiajin » tagged "AKB48"

Dole Japan Offers Special Bananas Listened AKB48 For Ripening At Tokyo Marathon 2012

Every year on the coming-of-age national holiday, when people celebrate reaching 20 years old, 2-channelers criticize youthful escapades, such like too drunk and/or violent behavior on a ceremony, reported on media.

But this local mayor of Aso-city, Yoshioki Satoh went wilder than 20-yo first drunkers. He sang Masaharu Fukuyama and AKB48 songs in front of 254 young attendees.

According to NHK [J], he does this kind of performance every year.

Here is the AKB48's original version for case you want to compare.

via News4vip [J]

Aso-city Mayor Sings AKB Song At Coming-of-Age Day Celebration

Japanese discipline was showed after the Eastern Japan Disaster 3/11 last year. And it is not only at earthquake.

The video by a Nico Nico Douga user munyaka is a time-lapse animation on the third day morning of the massive self-publishers' comic conference Comic Market 81(Comike81), December 31, 2011.

The video started around 00:50, there were already some people lining up. Small red lights moving around are by Comike staff.

Around 5:30 a.m. (00:01:10 in the video), when the first trains were arriving (there are no owl trains in Japan), more and more people came and then Sun shine show up the whole battalion of people who aimed at purchasing popular comics as many as possible.

About 9:30 a.m. (00:02:05), the first group of the long line began to be guided by staff, to move into the convention centre. The more and more arriving people comes from upper-left of the frame.

The one re-uploaded on YouTube may be easier to watch as it does not have overlay Japanese comments (You may turn off the overlay comment by the right-bottom button on Nico Nico Douga embedded player). But this one does not clock, too.

via Hatena Bookmark

Comic Market Waiting-People Time-Lapse Video

SOme 2-channel users tried to translate captions of popular ascii-art, drawing by letters they often post on 2-channel.

Yaruo

The bear is known as the origin of Pedobear in 4-chan, but in 2-channel, it does not have pedophilia attribution.

Maro is a character came from stereotype of Heian period(AD 794-1185) aristocrat who demands free images to others. In other 2-channel word, Kure-kure-kun (Mr. give-me-give-me guy)

Shobo-n (named after Japanese onomatope shows whimpering) is a counterpart of English "Forever Alone" meme.

"What did this happen?" utter hopelessness may make you manic.

popular line "Yaranaika" from old gay manga

"May I warm up (by microwave oven)?" is the phrase which convenience store staff ask you when purchasing bento=lunch box.

general 2-channlers' attitude against people who want to regulate the internet

There are many ascii-art dictionary sites (1) (2), from where you can copy and paste onto 2-channel.

via 2ch (already into the restricted server) via 2ch summary site Chaos Channel

Ascii-Art Translated To English By 2-Channelers

Radio Kaikan, an Akihabara's landmark which was closed in August 2011 and waiting to be deconstructed, got a fallen satellite today.

It is a promotion around an Sci-Fi game STEINS;GATE which set in Akihabara. The construction has been reported [J] by many Twitter users.

The Radio Kaikan and Steins; Gate collaboration event is held from today 28th to 30th [J].

Satellite Hits An Akihabara Building

If Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's Ponponpon got 7 million views on YouTube worldwide, this new "Papepipu♪ Papipepu♪ Papepipupo♪" by Nozomi Sasaki may be welcomed by Japanese weird-music fans.

Nozomi Sasaki is one of the most popular "gravure idols" recently. (Google Image Search)

See Also:

The cute 'n' kooky world of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Japan's newest pop idol | The Japan Times Online

Papepipu Papipepu Papepipupo

Tama Art University 20 yo female student Mayuko made this great alphabet font by human leg hair.

The font used on an ad-board in real[Update] the ad board is a "sample" by Mayuko.

via ITMedia [J]

Leg Hair Font

Oita Airport is a local airport in Oita prefecture, Kyushu island, Japan.

When you arrive at the airport, you will see a big sushi dish on the conveyor,

(photo by @yuwt)

You can also watch how it is on a movie by cdefinverter,

A local incorporated association Tourism Oita runs this to promote their variety of seafood.

There are two sets of sushi, sea urchin from Kabae, Saeki city (the top photo) and shrimp from Himeshima (below).

The size of the dish are 70 centimeters high and 30 centimeters wide, weighs 25 kilogram.

via @yuwt via @checkela [J]

Oita Airport Baggage Conveyor Belt Is A Big Sushi Shop

A certain (of course anonymous, as usual) 2-channeller wrote that the shape of Great Britain islands looks for him like a girl worrying her bust size. The first reaction was "you are sick" but some followed and drew it.

The reason Manchester is emphasized is... ahem, it sounds similar with a certain body part of female in Japanese language.

via hiko2*blog [J]

2-channellers See A Girl In Great Britain

It has been 12 years since 2-channel serves Japanese net users. The gigantic anonymous bulletin boards are still kept simple without image/movie, all you type is texts.

You may post URL of images there, and many 2-channel viewer clients, which many users are now using, extracted to display in the posts for convenience. But still, many prefer to use so-called Ascii Art, drawing composed by letters and symbols.

There are a lot of Ascii Art dictionary sites (example [J]) and assisting tools. 2-channel users copy and paste an Ascii Art which shows their emotion.

On a certain thread on 2-channel, users tried to make an animated gif version of well-known Ascii Arts.

Here, the Japanese letters "Ban-ban-ban" in background means a sound you bash not PC.

ﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝ
ﾊﾞﾝ　　　　　　　ﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝﾞﾝ ﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝ
ﾊﾞﾝ（∩`･ω･）　　ﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝﾊﾞﾝﾞﾝ
　＿/_ﾐつ/￣￣￣/
　　　 ＼/＿＿＿/￣

Wake-waka-ran = I am in complete confusion.

　　ワケ　　　　　ワカ　　　　　ラン♪
　 ∧＿∧　　　∧＿∧　　　　∧＿∧
　（　・∀・）　　（　・∀・）　　　（　・∀・）
⊂　⊂　 ）　　（　Ｕ　　つ　　⊂__へ　つ
　<　<　<　　　　）　）　）　　　　　（＿）|
　（＿（＿）　　（_＿）＿）　　　 彡（_＿）

whew... uh.. yeah... I am really excited!

　　 ∩＿＿＿∩三　ー＿　　　　　 　 ∩＿＿＿∩
　　 |ノ　　　 　　三-二　　　 　ー二三 ノ　　　 　　ヽ
　　/　　(ﾟ) 　　　(ﾟ)三二-　￣　　 - 三　　 (ﾟ)　　　(ﾟ) |　　
　 |　　　　( _●_)　 ミ三二 - ー二三　　　　( _●_)　 ミ　ウオーオォーアッヒャアウオホーオオオ
　彡､　　　|∪|　　､｀￣￣三-　三　 彡､　　　|∪|　　ミ　　　　テンション上がってきた！！
/　＿＿　 ヽノ　　　Y￣)　三 三 　 (/'　　　　ヽノ＿ 　|　　　　　　テンション上がってきた！！
(＿＿＿）　　　　　　　_ノ　　　　　　 ヽ/　　　　　(＿＿＿）

These animation show well how Japanese are seeing action in few texts drawings.

There are more on a 2-channel summary site Kinisoku [J].

Popular 2-Channel Ascii Arts Animated