Nature and Japan

From the Green Archipelago (midori no retto) of Japan, comes a festival of haikyo (廃虚), fauna and sacred mountains...welcome to the Nature and Japan Matsuri (日本自然の祭り)!

In response to my invitation for the Japansoc August Matsuri, a group of 8 J-bloggers and 1 up-and-coming Japanese NGO, come together in a show of exhibitionism, baring Lady Nature - with at least one photo per entry.

And now, on to the festivities! Feast your eyes, and don't get lost in the woods...

Shinto priests, midnight mountain climbs and military guards? Budget Trouble reveals all on a nocturnal hike up Mount Nantai. Tips for beginners going up the mountain included.

Don't sh*t where? Take a peek at ancient sacred areas in the wild with The Blog Side of Life

Trees dominating humans? Island cities being eaten up by nature? Chottomatte, its not Atlantis...

A place for lost souls? Or a victory for the woods? Join Gakuranman in the holy pilgrimage for haikyo (廃虚)

Eager for a hiking trip in Japan but don't know where to begin? Surviving In Japan provides invaluable tips

Want to spend summer in Tokyo, but in a place with more soul than glass and concrete buildings? Look no further for The Soul of Japan

Long a companion of the samurai, and part of rural life, the horse is a crucial piece of Japan. Hear the tales of the legendary 8 Japanese horse breeds from NihongoUp

Rhinocerus beetles, Kamen rider! - a veritable treasure trove of creepy crawlies or mushi (虫) abound at Nippon Ichigo

We end with a grim message from the Green Future Foundation, an environmental NGO in Nagareyama (流山市) city in Chiba, Japan. It promotes environmental action on a local level - especially Earth Day & Earth Hour. It is now in the 3rd year of its inception.

かたつぶりそろそろ登れ富士の山
O snail
Climb Mount Fuji,
But slowly, slowly!
- Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828)

Notes
- Matsuri (の祭り) means festival in Japanese
- Haikyo (廃虚) is a sport involving urban exploration of ruins
- Japan was one of the first nations to implement top-down forest management, starting back in the days of the Tokugawa Shogunate

Soc it here if you like it

Read More......

Going Gravure

Yukari Nakai (中井 ゆかり)




Natsumi Kamata (鎌田 奈津美)


Izumi Asuka (泉明日香)

Read More......

Blogging Part 2

Blogging tips for beginners, continued from Blogging Part 1


Layouts, Layouts, Layouts
Presentation is the key element of communication. The easiest and most convenient method is of course is to select from preset layouts offered by your blogging host (such as Blogger or Wordpress).

The basic blog layout consists of your posts on the main body of the page and a directory to your posts by date of publication at the side. You can also add dimensionality to your blog by grouping your posts based on topic (or sub-topic) - like what I've done with the left sidebar of my blog here.

Most major blogging hosts do offer some degree of customization with layouts, but for those who want to create something from scratch, try learning HTML or Flash.

Accessorizing
Once you get your layout going, you may want to arm it with blog "widgets" to enable your readers to interact more with you, make your blog more navigable or to just to make it look cool. Some useful widgets:

1. The comments section you see at the bottom of this page (although the comments widget comes as a default with Blogger)

2. Linkwithin, which puts thumbnails to your other posts under each of your posts - so that past posts get re-read by new readers

3. A search bar (like the one I've put on top of my posts) to help readers search for content

4. A "Recent Comments" widget - to help readers keep track of their latest comments as your blog grows

There are many, many other widgets out there you can add to your blog - just ask Google. But keep in mind that the more widgets/images you add to your blog's main page, the longer it is going to take to load. Some of your readers have a slow web connection or no software to view Flash websites.

First Post
So...now you've got your blog set up, how do you write your first post? Like in a book, start with an introduction - introduce your blog and/or yourself and what do you plan to write about. You may continue with your first topic (or put that in the subsequent post). Once your done, spread the word! Go to your communities online (and offline) and share your first post :)

Next up, being a member of the online community...and marketing your blog!

Read More......

Burqa Blues

The Burqa Band is a female rock band from Afghanistan. All 3 members wear burqas (in protest against the Taliban's Islamic dress rules). They released a single, "Burqa Blue" in 2002.



The Story
When the religious Taliban-movement was in power in Afghanistan they banned all music because they thought singing and dancing was the work of the devil. People listening to music would be beaten or put in prison. Watching television, flying kites and wearing make-up was also forbidden and women were forced to wear a burqa.

Nargiz* started the Burqa Band when she met a German music producer in Kabul in late 2002. The producer was teaching Afghans to play modern music, and Nargiz learned to play the drums.

The Song
One day she wondered why all the burqas in Kabul were blue, and together with two friends she wrote the song "Burqa Blue" which is about burqas and the way you feel when you wear them.



The song was recorded in Kabul with help from the German producers. The band would rehearse behind locked doors, so nobody would find out that the women were playing music. The burqa also helped hide who the bandmembers really were.

Note:
The burqa (برقع) is a garment worn by women in some Islamic traditions. It covers the face, head and envelops the entire body.
*Narqiz is not her real name

Read More......

Japan Blog Matsuri - August 2010 Theme

Closed for submissions! Read the entries here

Okay folks, its time for another Japan Blog matsuri (festival)!

First off, a big thank you to last month's host, Daigakudeki, for sharing with us with what is chotto chigau (ちょっと違う) or "not quite the same" in Japan. Back to the present:

Theme

Nature and Japan
Your entry can be can be anything regarding nature and Japan or Japanese culture: it can be a hiking trip, a belief, a theme in a film/anime or a Japanese practice rooted in nature. This is a rather broad topic in which anybody, inside or outside Japan, write about.

Rules and Guidelines

• Please include at least one picture
• Write some words - with a theme like this, its tempting to submit a picture gallery of trees and mountains - do describe those pictures and what they mean
• Follow the Japan Blog Matsuri Rules and Guidelines

How do I submit my entry?

Either:

• Leave a comment on this post with a link to your entry, or
  
• Submit your entry via the Blog Carnival Widget, or
• Email me the link to your entry (Email: theenvoyoftefa@yahoo.com)
  

Deadline

The submission deadline is August 22nd 2010.

I will then gather your entries into a big post here. Looking forward to your creative entries! Have fun! がんばって!



More questions? Check out the Japan Blog Matsuri FAQ here or get in touch with me for more specific questions.

Read More......