Japanese News and Culture Blog Roundup: 12/24/09-12/30/09

Because of the holidays, there weren’t a whole lot of new posts on the blogs this week, but here’s what I could find. Also, this will be my last post on the Hills Learning blog, but it’s been a pleasure writing entries these past few months. I hope you’ve found our posts informative and entertaining. Jon and the rest of the Hills Learning crew will still be posting here, and some new and exciting changes are underway, so stay tuned. Thank you, and good luck with your language studies!

Pink Tentacle

12/28/09: Pink Tentacle greatest hits – 2009 A summary of some of Pink Tentacles most popular blog posts over the past year, including a few I had missed the first time around. Highlights include Monster mummies of Japan, Pregnant dolls from Edo-period Japan, and the hilariously bizarre All-purpose tanuki testicles.

JetWit.com

12/28/09: WIT Life #65: 福袋 An explanation of fukubukuro (福袋), or New Year’s “lucky bags” you can purchase at department stores in Japan. Each bag sells for a relatively low price, but the contents are usually a mystery. Will you get lucky, or be stuck with a dud?

Japan Probe

12/26/09: The Pixar-Ghibli connection A post discussing how Studio Ghibli anime movies like Spirited Away (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirited_Away) and My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ) have influenced and inspired the animators at Pixar in America.

Blue Lotus

Recipe: Pretzels with Mascarpone Honey Dip This post features a tasty-sounding and easy to make pretzel dip found in a men’s magazine in Japan. Or you can also get the scoop on 180 yen sneakers? Yikes. I can’t imagine those would hold up for long.

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