Where can you find the best sushi in Tokyo? Which is your favorite piece of art by Takashi Murakami or Japanese manga/anime character? Send us your ideas and suggestions and we'll post your comments below.
• From: Joey Dobias; Sapporo, Japan • Posted: Dec. 15, 2006 • Comment: Tokyo is certainly a dynamic and exciting (and exhausting) city. Yet it should be appreciated on its own seperately from the rest of Japan. Having lived in Japan for 6 years (2 of those in central Tokyo) I can say that Tokyo seems like a totally different country to the rest of Japan. Tokyo is very much a city on the go and it will keep you constantly on your toes as you move through its many districts and get pummelled with contrasting images of the same city. If you thrive of unrelenting energy, Tokyo can be the place to visit. But if you seek traditional culture and some rest and relaxation, other cities may offer more for you as Tokyo can be a bit mind blowing for some people.
Because travelling out of Tokyo shows just how different it is to the rest of Japan in terms of aesthetics and culture, other great cities such as Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Sapporo (night-life capital of Japan) and their outlying areas should not be left out.
• From: Nathan L; Seoul, Korea • Posted: Nov. 1, 2006 • Comment: I've had the opportunity to live for extended periods of time in Japan, China and Korea. Out of all of these, Korea, and consequently Seoul, is the most overlooked.
While Seoul may not be as ostentatious as cities in Japan or China, it does have it's charm. It has some great restaurants, absolutely stunning mountains, a burgeoning art scene, and the nightlife is one of the best I've seen, with throngs of young people coming out of their homes and offices, shedding their conservative clothes for something a bit more risqué, and partying till dawn.
People often pass up visiting Korea every time the North barks, but I'd like to have someone show them that Korea is fun, modern, interesting and just as big a part of Asia as anywhere else.
As for people that might be good hosts for the city: Yunjin Kim from Lost or maybe even the pop singer Boa.
• From: Amy Stupple-Bagnall; England, UK • Posted: May 8, 2006 • Comment: Very strange to me that beautiful Japanese girls want to look like Western, orange skinned, blondes. Bizarre
• From: Jim; New York • Posted: May 4, 2006 • Comment: Accupuncture with "aipon" heat transmission a "Japanese tradition"? Eh, no, it is, in fact, like so many other things that the Japanese took, and copied but refused to admit, is Chinese. I challenge CNN to point out that blatant misrepresentation. Any responsible media has a duty to do it.
• From: Matt; New York • Posted: May 8, 2006 • Comment: Jim, You are absolutely right with your point that a lot of seemingly Japanese things originated from other cultures. However, in another point you are dead wrong: It is not the Japanese who refuse to admit that. Nobody in Japan claims acupuncture along many other things to be Japanese. It is our Western perception and how a lot of Japanese products/services are marketed in our Western world that make a lot of people believe they are Japanese where they are in fact not. So, I think it is a noteworthy point to make this distinction. Japanese people generally have not the slightest problem with acknowledging that a lot of daily products/services used in today's Japan are not originally Japanese. I experienced that especially those Chinese who are hostile towards Japan refuse to let go of this wrong thought as it fuels their hatred and dislike towards the Japanese.
• From: Matt; Brighton • Posted: May 2, 2006 • Comment: Gunm or 'battle angel alita' by Yukito Kishiro has to be one of the best Manga (and anime adaptations) around (shouldering up to the almighty AKIRA). Huge cyborgs, an amnesiac robot girl with a 'slightly' changeable personality and a father figure with a rocket propelled sledgehammer - all combined with death and dismemberment - How can you go wrong!
If you are new to Anime (or japanimation as it seems to now be called?) my suggestions for ones to watch would be the series of 3 x 3 eyes (grusomely funny!dismemberment, followed by gore and more dismemberment, with the occasional bit of random nekkidness), Akira (cult grail of manga/anime **CA-NA-DA**) along with the other classics (the guyver, ghost in the shell, appleseed, the evangelion's etc..) - and if you just want some light hearted craziness, try Excel saga - **go moochi**
If you want some great manga style artwork from comics, but can't engage with the stories, go forth and search out work by Adam warren **Genius**
Recommended japanese music- if you're into Ska punk, check out a band called Young Punch if you get a chance, and if you want to go for the whole hog and be consumed by over amped JAPmadness electro - dive in with ' The mad capsule markets'.
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