Archive for “April, 2015”

Photo Dump of Cool Stuff Around Tokyo – And the Fattest Cat in Japan!

(Top image: This wonderful image of a man resides on the side of a dilapidated building in Sangenjyaya. As you can see, the wood the image is painted upon is falling apart. At least I was able to take one photo. This is marvelous! What a waste that it isn’t being preserved.)

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I walk around Tokyo all the time (Duh! I live here). I always carry my smart phone or a video camera. I take photos of interesting things I see.

It’s almost Japan’s Golden Week vacation so I thought I’d share my photo’s on my semi-annual “Photo Dump of Cool Stuff Around Tokyo!” If you are looking for photos of Tokyo Tower or Asakusa or the usual Tokyo fun spots, you won’t find them here. This is a photo dump from some of the back streets and alleys around town.

I’ve posted some photos here with my comments. Hope you enjoy them! I think these things are cool and they actually have another message for people who visit; just like the vending machines that are everywhere in Tokyo and yet no one breaks them or steals them…

E.T Motosumiyoshi

This is an E.T. that is standing outside a small restaurant in Motosumiyoshi on the Toyoko Line.

Japanese motorcycle

Is it a bike or a car? I don’t know but it’s cool and was parked right by the train station where I live.

bad girl

This girl was walking along in Setagaya-Ku and I saw her coat in the early morning. It says, “I can act to bad girl.” The longer explanation was even more convoluted.Tokyo Adult Goods Store

“Adult Convenience”? I guess it’s kind of like a 7-11 convenience store. I also guess that the only thing really in common with a convenience store is that this place, besides daily goods, also sells batteries.

fujimaru

This was at my favorite sushi place. I guess one of the young staff who aspires to be a manga artist drew this at work. Not bad, but pretty typical, I guess…. Look who’s talking! Much better than I could do!

moose head

Kevin Riley, Alpha Geek from Osaka, says, “The dude with the antlers is Sento-kun. He’s the symbol of Nara. (This is the renewal version with shinto priest’s gear.)

cat

The fattest cat in Japan. Maneki Neko is what they call these. They sit at the front of restaurants and establishments beckoning customers to come in and spend money. This is, by far, the fattest one I’ve ever seen. I guess that means he is REALLY lucky!

megane super

This guy was standing out in front of an eyeglass shop called, “Megane Drug.” I guess it’s like a drug store (like the previous convenience store – it has everything to do with eye glasses.)

butler

Finally, here’s a statue of a nice old butler that resides outside of a small coffee shop near Hanzomon station. This statue is standing there outside everyday, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in downtown Tokyo and no one vandalizes it or steals it. It’s been there for at least 15 years… Probably much longer. The first time I saw the nice old guy, was in 2000 when working close by. I remember because I went to that coffee shop that day.

He is still there and doing well!

It’s nice that he is too… It is just one more things that reminds that Tokyo is still the world’s safest city.

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At Robot55 we make video productions for businesses and services and products, but we also pride ourselves on making videos for art and music. Our starting price is ¥70,000 and we are sure we can work out something that fits your budget. Oh, and we love making band videos too! Contact us! contact@robot55.jp

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ROBOT55はビジネス、商業、製品紹介動画の制作のみならず、アートや音楽の映像も創っております。ビジネス動画においてはウェブ動画時代の到来に合わせ、お求めやすい¥70,000という格安価格より承ります。ご予算に応じて皆様にご満足のいく高品質動画を制作致します。勿論インディー・バンド向けPV制作も行っております。よ!

コチラよりお気軽にお問い合わせ下さいませ♬

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格安, ビデオ制作, 動画, 紹介動画, 動画制作, 格安ビデオ制作、ROBOT55, 撮影, 格安, ビジネスビデオ制作,  ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, ビデオ, 東京, 撮影, 格安, ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, ビデオ編集, レストラン, ビデオ制作, 動画, 紹介動画,

 

 

 

The Privates, The Neatbeats and Me – DIY: The Beauty of Doing Things Yourself

Top photo: Left to right: Me (Mike Rogers – drunkard), Ken Nishikawa (fabulous cameraman), Tatsuji Nobuhara (Lead singer of The Privates)

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Today, I’d like to write a bit on the beauty of doing things yourself. The so-called, “DIY” philosophy.

I like DIY for several reasons. Firstly, whatever one does, when they do it themselves, it truly is a reflection of themselves and their heart and soul. Secondly, it is not some concoction that was made by some professional who makes things for people in an office far away; it is “Real.” Thirdly, because it was made by the people who really do have a vested interest in their product or service, it is much cheaper. Fourthly, making something for someone – whether it be dinner, a birthday or Christmas present shows true love.

Making things DIY takes heart, a dream, sweat and practice. Is this any different from starting your own business, club, restaurant, band, music or any other project? When you do it DIY it is true love and shows your sincerity much better than anything one could buy at any store!

Staff poses for photo after DIY event in Tokyo on Jan. 26, 2015. That event holds the record for attendance at that club. Tatsuji Nobuhara is standing in the back with the aqua blue T-shirt. Immediately behind him is Ken Nishikawa. Mr. Pan is the guy standing in the back with the brown hat. I'm wearing the stupid Dodgers baseball cap. (Photo by Osamu Arai).

Staff poses for photo after DIY event in Tokyo on Jan. 26, 2015. That event holds the record for attendance at that club. Tatsuji Nobuhara is standing in the back with the aqua blue T-shirt. Immediately behind him is Ken Nishikawa. Mr. Pan is the guy standing in the back with the brown hat. I’m wearing the stupid Dodgers baseball cap. There are several other famous rock stars in the photo including the 50 Kaitenz. Can you spot them all? (Photo by Osamu Arai).

I have a few good friends that always do D.I.Y. and that really impresses me. Today I’d like to tell you about them.

Two of my good friends have been doing their rock bands as independent artists for decades. One is named “Mr. Pan,” he is the leader of the band, “The Neatbeats.” They’ve been doing the DIY thing for more than twenty years and are very successful at it. They are big in Europe. And why not? They are the easily described as “The Japanese Beatles!” Watch this video and see what I mean. These guys are hot. Of course, this is a DIY video:

I’m going to be writing about him and the Neatbeats quite a lot, I think, in the coming months. We are making a rock and roll ghost movie together. Read about that here: http://robot55.jp/blog/edit-the-movie-a-rock-n-roll-ghost-story/

One other friend, who will also be in the movie, is a guy named Tatsuji Nobuhara. “Nobu” is what everyone calls him. Nobu has been the lead singer and heart and soul of a rock band named “The Privates” who have been around for more than thirty years. How do I describe The Privates for a foreign audience? Perhaps a “Japanese Buzzcocks”? It’s a healthy comparison. See for yourself:

Thirty years of doing things independently and making a good living at it; it’s the true “Rock and Roll” dream – and everything they do is DIY. They manage themselves and do all their own booking. Not only do they have their Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holiday schedules booked up with performances around Japan, The Privates and the Neatbeats tour the world too!

I think these two bands are an inspiration to us all! Really. Can there be any better way to really live the true “Rock and Roll Dream”?

The Privates 2015 Tour poster test

The Privates 2015 Tour poster test

Yesterday, we had a meeting about the Japanese Rock and Roll Ghost Story movie we are making. After the meeting was over, I asked Nobu what his plans were for the evening. He told me that he was going to some office and was going to design his posters and T-shirts.

This morning, he sent me some photos of the stuff he is making.

The Privates 2015 Japan tour T-shirt

The Privates 2015 Japan tour T-shirt

Wow! I am impressed! This stuff is so cool!

And, like I said, it is “Real” and it is him. His idea, his sweat and his efforts. He is creating a legacy for himself that will last long after he has died and left this earth.

Isn’t that what it’s all about, my friends?

Don’t we all want to make something to leave a legacy for our children and our children’s children? I know I do.

How about you?

If you are running a business or club, why don’t you start making all your promotional posters and logos and designs yourself? And how about making a video for Youtube to promote your business? Hate to sound like I am a salesman, so I’m giving you free professional advice on how to do so below.

“But, Mike! I am not good at design and art!” That’s OK. Then, when you do ask a professional to make your work, instead of just handing it off to them to make for you? Why don’t you ask that they, instead, help you and give you guidance? Or, you make the poster or art and then give it to them and ask them to polish it up for you? Then when the finished work is given to you, you really can say, “I designed this.”

It will be a reflection of you and who you are.

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At Robot55, we make videos for businesses and services. We can help you to create something that is the real you. This is why we always try to make the proprietors of every business to be in their own videos! People no longer want to see an actor or actress (who doesn’t use your product or service or isn’t your ‘fan’) telling them how great something is; it’s not “Real.” But you being in the video, now that “Real” and it’s sincere. Here’s one we made (it’s in Japanese) and we insisted the shop owner tell his own story. This is fabulous! The owners tell us that their business is booming!

If you want to make your own video, do it. Here’s some free advice from me on how you can make a great video for your project for absolutely free!

For free tips on making your own video:

6 Easy Tips For Making a Viral Video (http://robot55.jp/blog/6-easy-tips-for-making-a-viral-video/)

Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Pt. 1 (www.robot55.jp/blog/video-tips-make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-pt-1/)

Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Part 2 (www.robot55.jp/blog/video-tips-make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-part-2/)

Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Part 3 – You Need a Map: How to Write a Script! (http://robot55.jp/blog/make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-part-3-you-need-a-map-how-to-write-a-script/)

Video Tips! Make Your Own Video For Your Business For Free! Pt. 4((www.robot55.jp/blog/video-tips-make-your-own-video-for-your-business-for-free-pt-4/)

If you need any help, you know where to reach us. We gladly give out free advice…. But we mostly want to help you to create your dream. Contact me! contact@robot55.jp

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At Robot55 we make video productions for businesses and services and products, but we also pride ourselves on making videos for art and music. Our starting price is ¥70,000 and we are sure we can work out something that fits your budget. Oh, and we love making band videos too! Contact us! contact@robot55.jp

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ROBOT55はビジネス、商業、製品紹介動画の制作のみならず、アートや音楽の映像も創っております。ビジネス動画においてはウェブ動画時代の到来に合わせ、お求めやすい¥70,000という格安価格より承ります。ご予算に応じて皆様にご満足のいく高品質動画を制作致します。勿論インディー・バンド向けPV制作も行っております。よ!

コチラよりお気軽にお問い合わせ下さいませ♬

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格安, ビデオ制作, 動画, 紹介動画, 動画制作, 格安ビデオ制作、ROBOT55, 撮影, 格安, ビジネスビデオ制作,  ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, ビデオ, 東京, 撮影, 格安, ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, ビデオ編集, レストラン, ビデオ制作, 動画, 紹介動画,

我輩は漱石である – ROBOT55奇譚

本日は志向を変えて人の巡り合わせに関する不思議な実話をお届けします。

筆者の住んでいる街は100年を優に超える歴史があります。それはアメリカ人、特に西海岸に住んでいた人間にとって凄い事なのですが、日本の人達にとってはせいぜい「日本には1,000年以上の歴史を持つ街や神社がいくらでもありますから……」といった感じなのでしょう。 Continue Reading…

Top 3 Videos For April 27, 2015 〜ミュージックビデオも制作

Time once again for this week’s Top 3 New Artist Videos for the week of April 27, 2015. This week I want to show you my fave videos for the week. And, guess what? It’s ladies day at the Starlight Ballroom! So all three videos are from girl’s groups or bands with lead vocals.

But enough of my yappin’! Let’s rock!

Danny from the 50 Kaitenz sent me this first band and he recommends them highly. One listen and so do I! This is a new girls group from Kobe and all 4 of these girls are in their senior year at university! They are hot!

NoName – NoName Theme – https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=15&v=fXbMlFW8B_0

Next up is another new artist and her name is Colleen Green. She is considered is an American “indie pop” musician and she is from Los Angeles, California. She is currently signed to a cool label with a great name: Hardly Art records.

Colleen Green – TV –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2VUAi-sIYM

Next up is one of my favorite groups in the entire world! Their name is Taffy and they are great! I haven’t heard music that I like this much since the British Pop movement of the early nineties and bands like The Primitives and Transvision Vamp.

Check out what Drowned in Sound has to say about Taffy:

“Tokyo based four-piece taffy are something of a unique entity in being possibly the only Japanese band this past ten years to stir up any kind of interest in western territories. As sad a state of affairs as that may be, considering the wealth of talent that does exist in that part of the world, the main component of Taffy’s sound that sets them apart is their seemingly unparalleled love affair with British underground pop.” Read more: drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4144840-a-lot-of-japanese-bands-seem-to-be-obsessed-with-being-the-new-beatles-or-nirvana—dis-meets-taffy

Here they are with their latest song that is making heads turn.

taffy – Suicidal Bunny https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzQQIFH7e0A

Well, that’s it for today. See past weeks of Top 3 Video countdown below and see you back here next week!

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PAST ISSUES:

This Week’s Top 3 New Artist Videos (04/21/15) 〜 robot55.jp/blog/this-weeks-top-3-new-artist-videos-042115-〜ミュージックビデオも制作/

Top 3 New Artist Videos (04/14/15) http://robot55.jp/blog/this-weeks-top-3-new-artist-videos-041415/

This Week’s Top 3 New Artist Videos (04/07/15)  robot55.jp/blog/this-weeks-top-3-new-artist-videos-040715/

Top 3 New Artist Videos (03/31/15) robot55.jp/blog/top-3-new-artist-videos-033115-〜ミュージックビデオも制作/

Top 3 New Artist Videos (03/25/15) 〜ミュージックビデオも制作 http://robot55.jp/blog/top-3-new-artist-videos-032515/

Top 3 New Artist Videos (03/17/15) 〜ミュージックビデオも制作 robot55.jp/blog/this-weeks-top-3-new-artist-videos-031715-〜ミュージックビデオも制作/

Top 3 for the week of March 12, 2015 here: This Week’s Top 3 New Artist Videos #2 & the Sex Pistols’ Glen Matlock! 〜ミュージックビデオも制作 (http://bit.ly/1Br0f66)

Top 3 for the week of March 5, 2015 here: This Week’s Top 3 New Artist Videos & Shonen Knife!〜ミュージックビデオも制作 (robot55.jp/blog/this-weeks-top-3-new-artist-videos-shonen-knife/)

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At Robot55 we make video productions for businesses and services and products, but we also pride ourselves on making videos for art and music. Our starting price is ¥70,000 and we are sure we can work out something that fits your budget. Oh, and we love making band videos too! Contact us! contact@robot55.jp

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ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, ビデオ, Top 3 videos, ROBOT55, 撮影, 格安, 格安, ビデオ制作, ロボット・ゴー・ゴー,  動画, 紹介動画, 動画制作, 東京, ビデオ編集,  撮影, 格安, ビジネスビデオ制作, 格安ビデオ制作、Top 3 videos

 

 

Natsume Soseki and Me – Another Unbelievable But True Story!

I live in a neighborhood that, from what people have told me, is over 100 years old. To Americans, that’s pretty interesting; to Japanese, that’s like, “So what? There’s a million little towns and villages in Japan that are hundreds and hundreds of years old.”

That’s true.

I’ve even been to towns in Kyushu that had temples that were almost 2,000 years old. So, a couple of hundred years old is not that big of a deal here.

The folks who live in my neighborhood all know each other and we greet each other by name whenever we pass by. That’s one of the very nice things about Japan: neighbors know each other and they show manners and respect other people’s ‘space.’

On my particular street, all of the folks who have lived here for 30, 40, 50 years (or more!) are related somehow. I hear this land was farmland 100 years ago and it was owned by the grandfather of all these good people who live here; the Uchida family are blood-related with the Watanabe family (of which there are two Watanabe families; and, of course, they are related to each other). And all of them are related to the Yanai family who live in the back corner of our road which ends in a dead-end besides the Yanai family house.

I also hear there used to be a small temple up the road by where the Yanai house now stands.

Regular readers of mine will know that I always try to be kind to older people. They have lived such exciting lives and they have the best stories to tell. I wrote about one dear friend who passed away a few years ago. (Please refer to: Very Sprite, Alert and Healthy 97 Year Old Guy Gives Tips for a Long Life – modernmarketingjapan.blogspot.jp/2011/03/very-sprite-alert-and-healthy-95-year.html)

Like I said, I love to sit and chat with folks who lived through the good and bad times of the past. In Japan, people who saw World War II and lived through the fire-bombing of Tokyo or the atomic bombings; or experienced the “Japanese Economic Miracle.” Even if they weren’t there in that exact place, they all have their own dramatic and thrilling stories to tell.

I feel sorry for young people who are not interested in these amazing lives these fascinating people have lived. I respect these folks so much. Of course, I always give up my seat on the train for them and try to help them out if I ever can in some small way.

You should too. Why not? We all are going to be old someday and we’ll need all the help and kindness we can get.

But I digress… I was talking about my neighborhood and neighbors. I like to be a good and kind neighbor if I can.

One day, several months ago, I was walking around the neighborhood and saw Mrs. Yanai on her hands and knees doing something on her porch. As I walked closer to investigate, I saw that she was scrubbing off some sort of mildew that had built up on her porch.

“Oh, my gosh! What backbreaking work!” I thought.

Mrs. Yanai is a very nice lady and she is always sunny and smiling. I like her a lot – she sort of reminds me of my own mother. So I ran over to her and asked what she was doing. She confirmed what I had thought so I volunteered to come over with my Karcher high-pressure water cleaner and just blast away at the mildew for her.

It just won’t do to have Mrs. Yanai on her hands and knees scrubbing the porch, would it? So I volunteered to do it.

A week or two later, when I had an off Saturday, the job was done. My device couldn’t clean as well as I had hoped, but it was a little bit of an improvement, I think. Mrs. Yanai seemed a bit happy. I was happy with myself.

Fast forward a year or so and I went to the Yanai family house again this morning to volunteer services. Mr. Yanai invited me into their home and we sat and chat. He’s an extremely friendly guy too and has a tons of great stories. As we were talking, I asked if I could look at some of the many photographs and collectibles they had in their house.

It was then and there I saw a photograph that just dropped my jaw. I knew immediately who the man sitting on the left was in the photo. It was Natsume Soseki! I also immediately knew that this photograph had to be on their living room mantle place for a very good reason; there must be a blood relation to him in the photo.

I said to Mr. Yanai, “Who’s this?”

He stood up and smiled, Oh, that’s Natsume Soseki and my uncle and Natsume Soseki’s grand-daughter. ”

What!!!!!???????

Some of you folks from the west reading this might think, “So what? Who is Natsume Soseki?”

Folks, Natsume Soseki was the guy on the Japanese ¥1000 bills.

Let that sink in for a second. In the USA we have George Washington on the $1 dollar bills. Imagine going to somebody’s house and seeing and old photo of George Washington or George Orwell or Albert Einstein, with some other people and when you ask your host about the photo, he nonchalantly says, “Oh? That’s my uncle!”

The top of your head might blow off! What are the chances of something like that being in your neighbor’s house? In my neighbor’s house! You have a bigger chance of winning the lottery than something like that happening!

Wow!

Here’s what Wikipedia says about Natsume Soseki:

Natsume Sōseki (夏目 漱石) February 9, 1867 – December 9, 1916), born Natsume Kinnosuke (夏目 金之助) was a Japanese novelist of the Meiji period (1868–1912). He is best known for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat and his unfinished work Light and Darkness. He was also a scholar of British literature and composer of haiku, kanshi, and fairy tales. From 1984 until 2004, his portrait appeared on the front of the Japanese 1000 yen note. In Japan, he is often considered the greatest writer in modern Japanese history.

Natsume Soseki (left), Gyoutoku Toshinori (standing), Hisayo (Natsume Soseki's grand daughter)

Natsume Soseki (left), Gyoutoku Toshinori (standing), Hisayo (Natsume Soseki’s grand daughter)

So that’s the explanation of the photo at the top of this article. In that photo, Natsume Soseki (夏目漱石)is sitting down to the left. He is 44-years-old at the time. Standing is Gyoutoku Toshinori (行徳 俊則). He was a doctor and is the uncle of my neighbor Mr. Yanai. The little girl to the right is Natsume Soseki’s granddaughter, Hisayo.

This is a very rare photo as there aren’t very many photographs of Natsume Soseki in existence and this is in superb condition too. It seems that Gyoutoku Toshinori was in Kumamoto and there he met his friend, Natsume Soseki, purely by coincidence. Natsume Soseki was so pleased that he asked him to sit for a photo session together.

What a treasure! It just goes to show how we must take lots of photographs and videos to show the children of the future!

Mike Yanai Kazuo

And, for my own treasure, here is a photo of me and my neighbor and friend, Mr. Yanai (柳井一生). The nephew of Gyoutoku Toshinori – who was a great friend of Natsume Soseki! And, as they say, any friend of Mr. Yanai is a friend of mine.

Thanks Mr. Yanai for your friendship and the really great and interesting story!

Now you know how close I have come to Natsume Soseki! Gee, I wonder if any of my neighbors had relatives who were best friends with Akira Kurosawa the movie director, or even Shakespeare?

I guess I’ll have to ask around.

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At Robot55 we make video productions for businesses and services and products, but we also pride ourselves on making videos for art and music. Our starting price is ¥70,000 and we are sure we can work out something that fits your budget. Oh, and we love making band videos too! Contact us! contact@robot55.jp

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格安動画制作、ビデオ, ROBOT55, 撮影, 格安, 格安ビデオ制作, ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, ビデオ編集,  撮影, 格安, ビジネスビデオ制作, 動画, 紹介動画, 動画制作, 東京, ロボット・ゴー・ゴー,  格安, ビデオ制作, 格安動画制作

 

【お詫び】昨夜はお騒がせしてまことにすみません…

皆様こんにちは、ROBOT55(ロボット・ゴー・ゴー)です。

 

昨日はニコ生出演!?という世紀の大誤報を流してしまいましてまことにすみませんでした…

 

この場をお借りしてご迷惑をおかけした関係者各位、及び楽しみにされていた視聴者の方々に心よりお詫びを申しあげます。 Continue Reading…

The Old Mass Media Heading Out the Door?

The old guard media are on the way out and there’s no way to stop it.

Yesterday, I had a meeting with the president of one of Japan’s leading internet companies. They run the biggest and most popular blogging portal in Japan as well as many other internet related business and internet media broadcasting. Their business is exploding.

In our short meeting yesterday, we discussed television and radio. He had a few words. He said very directly, “They have no future at all.”

In these past few weeks, I’ve been working with some other people who are very much in touch with internet broadcasting as well as experienced in traditional media. Here’s some information that I gathered that I’d like to share with you:

Did you know that nearly all smart phones have FM radio built in to them but the makers do not turn it on because they have determined that there is not enough demand for it?

Did you know that all Japanese car manufacturers stopped putting FM radios in cars as a standard item in 2010?It’s now an option; you have to pay for it if you want it.

Did you know that there is not a single company in Japan that manufactures FM radios anymore?

According to a recent survey of Japanese young people by one of Japan’s largest publishing companies, people between the ages of 13 to 30 showed that only 11% had a TV in their bedroom. Less than 7% had a radio.

But over 98% of those people in that demographic had a smart device or PC in their bedrooms.

Now you know how and why some Japanese internet video sites can get 5 million viewers for some shows. The vast majority of young people do not watch TV or listen to the radio on any sort of a regular basis…

By they way, Niconico Douga (Japan’s version of Youtube) is the #8 most popular internet page in Japan, above both Twitter and Facebook…

And yesterday, this:

Norway to Become First Country to Switch Off FM Radio in 2017 www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/norway-first-country-end-fm-790131

In what will likely be the opening move in a global transition to digital radio, Norway has announced it will shut down its FM band.

Norway will start turning off FM radio on Jan. 11, 2017, and plans to stop transmission of the last FM signal to the country’s northernmost regions by Dec. 13 of that year. The announcement, made by their Ministry of Culture, makes Norway the first country to do away entirely with FM radio. The move is intended to save money and allow a full transition to digital radio, which Norway argues will give listeners “access to more diverse and pluralistic radio content and enjoy better sound quality and new functionality.”

In its statement, the Norwegian government said the cost of transmitting national radio channels through the FM network is eight times higher than via the Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) system, the standard digital radio technology used across Europe.

Wow! A digital radio station can be operated at 1/8th the cost of a traditional FM station?

The writing is on the wall for FM radio. It has been a wonderful partner and part of my life.

I love FM radio. I hate to see what is happening. But progress shall not be stopped.

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At Robot55 we make video productions for businesses and services and products, but we also pride ourselves on making videos for art and music. Our starting price is ¥70,000 and we are sure we can work out something that fits your budget. Oh, and we love making band videos too! Contact us! contact@robot55.jp

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格安ビデオ制作、ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, ビデオ, ROBOT55, 撮影, 格安, 格安, ビデオ制作, ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, ビデオ編集,  撮影, 格安, ビジネスビデオ制作, 動画, 紹介動画, 動画制作, 東京,

This Week’s Top 3 New Artist Videos (04/21/15) 〜ミュージックビデオも制作

Time once again for this week’s Top 3 New Artist Videos for the week of April 21, 2015. This week I want to show you my fave videos for the week as well as a new video we made for a Japanese band named Su Ko D Koi, (which I think is one of Japan’s best new girl punk bands!) Of course, I play these artists and these songs on my regular weekly FM radio show, “What the Funday” on InterFM that is broadcast in Tokyo and Nagoya (and all over Japan on the Radiko.jp network. You can listen to that (if you are in Japan) here: http://radiko.jp/).

First up, if you liked the Psychedelic Furs then you are going to love this! It’s Psychedelic Furs former guitarist John Ashton’s newest group, Satellite Paradiso.

Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about John Ashton:

John Geza Ashton is a British musician, songwriter and record producer. He is a guitarist and former member of the Psychedelic Furs along with brothers Tim and Richard Butler. Since the band reformed in 2001, Ashton has joined the band on occasion for tours. Currently, Ashton is an active producer, and has worked on a number of projects including Marianne Faithfull, The Sisters of Mercy, Red Betty, and Seven Color Sky. His first solo album, Satellite Paradiso, was released on 27 May 2014. Ashton currently resides in Woodstock, New York.

#3) Satellite Paradiso – Touch The Sky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LshAJKO-T6Q

Next up, could this be Japan’s hottest new girl’s punk band? Their name is SU凸KO D凹KOI! (Su Ko D Koi). The powerful sound these girls make is incredible! And there’s only three of them!

The song is called, “Busu” which means “Ugly.” Check it!

She sings、

“Ugly, ugly, ugly, ugly…. I know I am ugly….

But, I got a boyfriend and we have been going out.

But one day, out of the blue, he hit me for no reason.

I woke up in the hospital and he had his head in his hands.

Then he was gone….

But, I finally was able to realize that finally, he treated me like a woman!

I was happy!”

(It’s kind of like that 1950s song, by the Crystals, “He Hit Me, and it Felt Like a Kiss”)

SU凸KO D凹KOI! (Su Ko D Koi) – Busu (Ugly) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE0s_D8G5hc

And last but not least, the Ettes. The Ettes are a garage rock band that formed in 2004 in Los Angeles, California. They are now currently based in Nashville, Tennessee.

#1) The Ettes – You Were There https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBah9fbFN3A

That’s it for today. See past weeks of Top 3 Video countdown below and see you back here next week!

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PAST ISSUES:

Top 3 New Artist Videos (04/14/15) http://robot55.jp/blog/this-weeks-top-3-new-artist-videos-041415/

This Week’s Top 3 New Artist Videos (04/07/15)  robot55.jp/blog/this-weeks-top-3-new-artist-videos-040715/

Top 3 New Artist Videos (03/31/15) robot55.jp/blog/top-3-new-artist-videos-033115-〜ミュージックビデオも制作/

Top 3 New Artist Videos (03/25/15) 〜ミュージックビデオも制作 http://robot55.jp/blog/top-3-new-artist-videos-032515/

Top 3 New Artist Videos (03/17/15) 〜ミュージックビデオも制作 robot55.jp/blog/this-weeks-top-3-new-artist-videos-031715-〜ミュージックビデオも制作/

Top 3 for the week of March 12, 2015 here: This Week’s Top 3 New Artist Videos #2 & the Sex Pistols’ Glen Matlock! 〜ミュージックビデオも制作 (http://bit.ly/1Br0f66)

Top 3 for the week of March 5, 2015 here: This Week’s Top 3 New Artist Videos & Shonen Knife!〜ミュージックビデオも制作 (robot55.jp/blog/this-weeks-top-3-new-artist-videos-shonen-knife/)

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At Robot55 we make video productions for businesses and services and products, but we also pride ourselves on making videos for art and music. Our starting price is ¥70,000 and we are sure we can work out something that fits your budget. Oh, and we love making band videos too! Contact us! contact@robot55.jp

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格安ビデオ制作、ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, ビデオ, ROBOT55, 撮影, 格安, 格安, ビデオ制作, ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, ビデオ編集,  撮影, 格安, ビジネスビデオ制作, 動画, 紹介動画, 動画制作, 東京,

 

 

Old VHS Video Tapes Becoming Expensive Collector’s Items! Do You Have Any of These Tapes?

Good News and Bad News!

Good news first!

Remember those old VHS video tapes that everybody had back in the eighties?  Well, now some of those old VHS video tapes might be worth a bunch of money! That’s right! Some VHS tapes have now become valuable and collectable antiques selling for several thousand dollars!

What’s the Bad News?

The Bad News is that you or your mom or wife, or dumb boyfriend, dumped boxes of them into the garbage years ago… And you said, “OK!”

Arrrrrgggghhhhh!

Now, antique and collectable professionals and experts say that those VHS tapes are joining the ranks of vinyl records as valuable and rare collectibles and some of them have been getting sold for over ¥1,230,000! (That’s over $10,000 (USD)).

Arrrrrrgggghhhh! Again!

As the years went by and DVD’s became popular, VHS tapes have disappeared from the average household. Add to that the big retail chains going bankrupt and you have a massive amount of VHS tapes being dumped and ruined in land fills.

But VHS cassettes and boxes that are still in good shape can demand high prices. They have been gone and out of our existence for just long enough to inspire nostalgia.

David Jinks, a famous international collector of goods and antiques, said: ‘It’s time to learn the lesson of vinyl. Many old LPs and singles are now worth huge amounts of money.”

I once saw David Bowie’s “Man Who Sold the World” (The Orange Jacket) selling for over ¥4 million yen (That’s about $40,000 (USD)) at a store in Shinjuku! Today, some VHS video tapes are considered just as collectable as original records.

Even now, sometimes you can see piles of old VHS tapes being thrown out. There are probably few items more unwanted at the moment than old VHS video tapes. Many people probably have a boxful in the basement and they, of course, don’t have a working VHS machine (who does?)

Did you know that charity stores like Goodwill or Salvation Army and other second hand stores won’t even take the VHS tapes and machines for free? because nobody wants them!

But it is because they are being thrown out in the trash that they have become valuable.

Uh, you wouldn’t, by any chance have any old Betamax tapes or a Betamax player, would you?

They definitely will become expensive collectables in the future too… The question is, “Where we going to store all this stuff?”

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At Robot55 (ロボット・ゴー・ゴー) we make video productions for businesses and services and products, but we also pride ourselves on making videos for art and music. Our starting price is ¥70,000 and we are sure we can work out something that fits your budget. Oh, and we love making band videos too! Contact us! contact@robot55.jp

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ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, 紹介動画, 動画制作, 格安, 動画,  ビデオ制作,  ロボット・ゴー・ゴー, ビデオ, 東京, 撮影, 格安, ROBOT55, 撮影, 格安, ビジネスビデオ制作, ビデオ編集、格安ビデオ制作, ロボット・ゴー・ゴー