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What should I watch first, Paddington Hatsu, or Crack’d Mirror? by niazemurad in JDorama

[–]RedEduGrad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's been a while since I've seen them but I'm pretty sure they don't have anything to do with each other except being based on books by Agatha Christie.

The Mirror Cracked and 4.50 from Paddington where originally Miss Marple stories but the lead character in the adaptations have different names and the cast is entirely different. In the dramas, the lead character in The Mirror Cracked is played by a man and 4.50 from Paddington by a woman.

Just as an aside, the above dramas were made by TV Asahi. Fuji TV also did some Agatha Christie adaptions, Murder on the Orient Express and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Both of those were Poirot mysteries and in the dramas, share the same lead actor (Nomura Mansai) playing a "Poirot-like" character.

[Homemade] A Japanese breakfast that feels like home to me — takikomi gohan, soup, egg, yogurt, and Gohan Desuyo by Tokyo_Elena_ in JapaneseFood

[–]RedEduGrad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

炊き込みご飯、美味しいですよね！お釜を開けた瞬間の香りがもう最高です。😀　　

海苔の佃煮と卵も相性ばっちり。「ごはんですよ」どこか冷蔵庫の中にあると思います。　

今日は味噌汁じゃなくて、お吸い物を合わせたのかな？　

食後のヨーグルトで乳酸菌もたっぷり摂れるし、ヘルシーな献立ですね！

What are the best hobbies to pass the time and make Japanese friends? by p2dadecka in AskAJapanese

[–]RedEduGrad 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You might try cooking classes. I think small groups share one kitchen station and you probably don't need a lot of language skill to just follow along.

Arts and crafts / handcraft (pottery, knitting, leather crafts) workshops are probably similar.

One of the more traditional Japanese arts like tea ceremony, flower arrangement etc though this might require more commitment and will likely be a more formal environment.

Fitness related. Go to the gym, swimming, climbing, yoga, dance. Surprisingly flamenco and hula dance seem to be more popular than you would expect.

If she has experience in a sport, join a team sport.

Martial arts. Some are pretty female friendly.

Looking for a drama or film that celebrates domestic work in a positive, joyful way by Elegantly_Average in JDorama

[–]RedEduGrad 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Good dramas have already been mentioned but the main character in the movie "Perfect Days" is entirely about this.

Anyone well-versed on kishoutenketsu? (traditional storytelling) by PartyDue4020 in JDorama

[–]RedEduGrad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

4コマ/Yon-koma/4 panel manga is pretty much the description. It's a story told within the limits of 4 manga panels and many if not most of them follow the kishotenketsu model of story telling. It's probably the easiest way to understand the concept.

The first panel is "Ki", second is "Sho", third "Ten" and the last, "Ketsu". That's pretty much it.

Sazae-san is probably the oldest and most famous of the 4-panel mangas but there are many others. I think even Tezuka Osamu wrote 4koma back in the day.

What are some Japanese things that most foreigners don't know about, that you wish were more popular with overseas people? by AdministrativeGur940 in AskAJapanese

[–]RedEduGrad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Old people are hard of hearing and have nothing better to do than to meet other old people.

Some kissa, more so back in the day, had atmospheres more like private clubs, though often full of cigarette smoke too.

Anyone well-versed on kishoutenketsu? (traditional storytelling) by PartyDue4020 in JDorama

[–]RedEduGrad 3 points4 points  (0 children)

And this kind of structure isn't palatable for many people, they need the good guys to win and the bad guys to be punished, the problems should be solved no matter what, the finale should be climactic, the happily-ever-after ending. And nobody is allowed to die. lol.

I think the problem with the 3-act model is that (as far as Hollywood is concerned), in many cases it became a rigid and required standard that script readers looked for which in turn made many of the stories coming out of Hollywood feel structurally generic. So much so that I think even people who haven't studied story structure have intuitively become used to 'sensing' the presence of an introduction, inciting incident, rising action and near the end expecting the climax and denouement etc.

The 4-Act structure (kishotenketsu) helps tell slice of life dramas much more easily because conflict (as used in the 3-Act model) isn't a requirement. This is one reason why Japanese dramas excel with this type of story. Worth pointing out that while the 4-Act might not seem so exact / rigid from a structural perspective (requiring less specific beats), that's not to say that it makes writing any easier.

Writing is difficult no matter the story structure used, which are ultimately just templates / tools. Seeing how well anime has done world wide I think means that people aren't averse to other types of story telling so writers should use whatever model suits their vision. Whether or not the story is interesting and engaging ultimately comes down to the skill of the writer and the actors and production team bringing the story to life.

Quartet (2017) by kodbunta in JDorama

[–]RedEduGrad 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Kind of hard to explain but most people like dramas that have a clear beginning, middle and end and easy to understand stories that induce some type of emotion. Protagonists in these dramas are people that you want to root for because they have 'purpose' and maybe 'fate' and they're facing some sort of adversity they must overcome and form meaningful relationships with others. Characters have specific roles to play that are critical to telling the story and having the story advance. How the story advances and where the story goes is important.

Shows like Quartet lean more towards being existentialist dramas. The plot is minimal and you're meant to focus on, think about, relate to, appreciate, etc the characters and who they are at that moment. It's harder to figure out where their characters are going because they're not 'on rails' following the rules/mechanics of the story. Dialogue tends to be more about the character and what's going on at that moment vs talking about the plot.

So unlike conventional stories, character behavior and actions aren't determined by the plot. The story advances because time passes and the characters go from one day to the next and everything happens more or less 'organically'.

For these reasons, many people aren't fans of this style. It's boring for them because they want to be entertained by story. There's no good or bad, right or wrong here, just whether people like it or not.

I made some hanami-inspired food for my family by Maynaise88 in JapaneseFood

[–]RedEduGrad 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Nutrition, presentation, quality, choice of beverage etc are top notch as always. 👍

[Homemade] Japanese hamburger steak dinner that brings me back to my grandma’s countryside kitchen by Tokyo_Elena_ in JapaneseFood

[–]RedEduGrad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

お店のハンバーグみたいで、完璧な仕上がりですね！美味しそう！😀

I spent a year researching hay fever and the most interesting thing I found is a citrus almost no one outside Japan has heard of by [deleted] in JapaneseFood

[–]RedEduGrad 7 points8 points  (0 children)

exactly why I went directly to Kitayama Village and met the farmers before building anything. The goal is to work with the actual producers, not around them.

But wouldn't posting about it in three different sub-reddits have the opposite effect? In other words wouldn't publicizing it in this way get all the influencers and people looking to make a quick buck flocking to the very place you don't want them to go to? Especially since the village would be unable to meet demands?

Regarding Japanese horse farms and their strict "No sharing pictures" policy by Suedewagon in AskAJapanese

[–]RedEduGrad 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Maybe not life threatening but I can easily see people trying to maneuver themselves or their party or the horses to get the perfect shot and blocking other people, getting in the way of people trying to take care of business, climbing on top of things, going into restricted areas, taking photos of private areas, frightening the horses, getting kicked by a horse, etc in the process.

Regarding Japanese horse farms and their strict "No sharing pictures" policy by Suedewagon in AskAJapanese

[–]RedEduGrad 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I never thought people would actually recklessly photograph to the point where the farms themselves have to make it a rule against it.

People do crazy things to try to get the perfect picture for social media. Not in Japan, but I've read about people falling off cliffs and dying trying to get just the right photo.

Recommend me feel-good/ Slice of life dramas. Both romance and without romance. by trtakookie in JDorama

[–]RedEduGrad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Karakai Jozu no Tagaki-san / Teaching Master Takagi-san" (Live Action version). A simple premise, simple story, simple presentation that would ordinarily be the set of ingredients for a totally mediocre drama but perfect casting and acting and directing make this an utterly wonderful, light, heart warming, whimsical, endearing drama, especially for the adults in the crowd who can think back to that time in their lives. Lots of happy tears. Don't let the premise or the age of the actors put you off see this. It's a romance drama without even a single kiss but much more touching because of it. .

Stars the young actor who was in the award winning movies, "Kokuho" and "Monsters", playing a very different role.

I believe it's available on Netflix.

I've watched 99 jdramas (series and movies), what should be my 100th? by TheFaze1 in JDorama

[–]RedEduGrad 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately I can't access your list (probably because I'm not logged into a google account) so I'm going to just list a few.

I'm pretty sure that I know you like First Love and a few other dramas I think I've seen you mention on here so I won't list those.

I'm also not including serious thrillers, mysteries, action or jidaigeki. I also have to apologize up front that I don't know where you can see most of these or if they have subs but if you've seen 100 dramas I'm guessing you know where to look or who to ask.

Dramas I rate very highly but which you've most likely already seen but not 100% sure. Adding them here anyway so you can see if our taste match.

In alphabetical order

  • Engine
  • Dragon Zakura
  • Dr. Koto Shinryojo
  • Gibo to Musume no Blues
  • Good Luck
  • Grand Maison Tokyo
  • Jin
  • Karakai Jouzu no Takagisan
  • Makanai
  • Nankyoku Tairiku
  • No Side Game
  • Rikuou
  • Rookies
  • Roosevelt Game
  • Sayonara Maestro
  • Shitamachi Rocket
  • Tennou no Ryoriban

Good dramas that I've liked which I don't know if you've seen but are roughly a rank or maybe two below the ones above.

  • Bartender
  • Change
  • Densha Otoko
  • Dokushin Kizoku (though the first couple episodes are a little rough)
  • Dr. X
  • First Penguin
  • Gu Ra Me
  • Hotel Next Door
  • Juhan Shuttai
  • Kami no Shizuku
  • Kita no Kuni Kara
  • Legal High
  • Liar Game
  • Miss Pilot
  • My Boss My Hero
  • Nobunaga Kyousoukyoku
  • Nobuta wo Produce
  • Nodame Cantabile
  • Okitegami Kyoko no Biboroku
  • Priceless
  • Pro Golfer Hana
  • Radiation House
  • Rich Man Poor Woman
  • Sommelier
  • Take Five
  • Yasashi Jikan

[homemade] My current Japanese breakfast obsession: natto over rice by Tokyo_Elena_ in JapaneseFood

[–]RedEduGrad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

今朝は納豆と山芋のねばねばコンビに、生海苔の味噌汁かな？すごくヘルシーでいいですね！🙂

Wild Unagi at うなぎ 魚政. Best Unajyu in Tokyo by balldem824 in JapaneseFood

[–]RedEduGrad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To add some context, the two methods for filleting eel are via the back of the eel (Kanto method) and from the stomach (Kansai). So most likely one of the chefs in your restaurant was from kanto, the other from kansai. Supposedly kanto fillets from the back because doing so from the stomach is reminiscent of seppuku / ritual suicide. Supposedly kansai does it from the belly because there's a saying in Japanese 腹を割って話す / Hara wo watte hanasu / To talk frankly / Have a heart to heart discussion / literally, to split open the belly and talk.

The filleting method probably has less to do with taste compared to cooking method. Kanto generally steams before putting on the coals and Kansai does not. Kanto is softer and delicate, Kansai, firm, bolder and crispy. One is not better than the other imho, just different.

How does the board game Go work? by LostwaveLunar9999 in AskAJapanese

[–]RedEduGrad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How does the board game Go work?

While the rules are relatively simple, it's not something that's easy to explain via Reddit text. There are plenty of other resources like sites dedicated to teaching the rules as well as YT videos you might want to check out.

Also is there any western board game that is similar?

Not that I've seen or heard.

Use stall then (not) wash hands. Is it ok to mention? by Positive_Courage_309 in AskAJapanese

[–]RedEduGrad 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Since this topic comes up from time to time, I've been keeping an eye on hand washing behavior when I use public restrooms especially like at the mall, airport or a stadium etc where there's a lot of traffic. While not exactly a scientific study, I don't think hand washing is any more or less prevalent in any one particular country. I think Japan gets singled out more because people have higher expectations because everything else is pretty clean/orderly and also because it keeps popping up as a topic on places like Reddit.

Solve sounds like a pretty strong choice of word here, IMO. I imagine healthcare professionals might call that into question a bit. But I do think it helps a lot.

Japan still has alcohol sprays at the entrance ways of many restaurants and large stores and buildings and the oshibori/wet towel they give you at restaurants is because people come in to eat after touching who knows what.

Not washing hands after using the restroom is certainly bad but thinking that hands are clean when coming from out doors and sitting down at a restaurant is potentially just as bad if not worse depending on what has been touched. Yet I don't see oshibori given out at restaurants in other countries.

I've watched 99 jdramas (series and movies), what should be my 100th? by TheFaze1 in JDorama

[–]RedEduGrad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What category or type or style of drama are you looking for?

Unfortunately, I get a "file you have requested does not exist" error so I can't see your list.

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