![Podcast [English World] Episode 104: Karaoke recognized as tech milestone](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fenglish-kyodo.ismcdn.jp%2Fmwimgs%2F0%2F7%2F1200x%2Fimg_075a328e2df41555a6054a0592ab8c031120869.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Podcast [English World] Episode 104: Karaoke recognized as tech milestone
Three Kyodo News reporters -- Junko Horiuchi, Ellessa Yamada and Donican Lam -- talk about the Japanese invention of karaoke being recognized as an entertainment tech "milestone." Listen as they discuss the evolution of karaoke and other Japanese inventions that have taken the world by storm.
Article mentioned in the podcast:
First karaoke machine recognized as entertainment tech "milestone"
Kyodo News presents a bilingual podcast for English learners about the ins and outs of news writing and how to translate tricky Japanese phrases into English. Have fun listening to journalists discuss recent articles as they occasionally go off on unrelated tangents.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
SoraNews24
3 hours ago
- SoraNews24
How to make pickled plums like the Japanese grandparents you may or may not have【Part 1】
Today in the SoraKitchen, we're not just making umeboshi, we're making umeboshi inside our office. SoraNews24's HQ in downtown Tokyo's Shinjuku neighborhood is made up of two rooms. There's the main room, where our in-office staff writes articles, and the conference room, which is used for meetings, interviews, and making pickles. That last one is a recently addition to the conference room activity list, courtesy of our Japanese-language reporter Go Hatori…but really courtesy of Go's grandpa and grandma. A few years back, Go's grandparents taught him their recipe for making umeboshi, Japanese-style pickled plums. Summer is the season for making umeboshi, and Go tried his hand at it for the first time in 2021. The results, he says, were less than delicious, and his plums turned out slightly, but not much, better in 2022. 2023 was a breakthrough, though, as Go managed to produce a truly tasty bath of umeboshi, and even his grandpa was impressed when he tasted Go's work. ▼ Go's granddad with a whole bunch of umeboshi Sadly, Go's grandpa passed away in 2024, and our reporter took that year off from umeboshi making. He's ready to try again, though, not just because he likes umeboshi, but also as a way of keeping his connection with his grandpa through his pickling legacy. But why is Go making his umeboshi in the office? Because he's having construction work done on his apartment balcony this summer and he won't have anywhere to hang the plums to dry (the final step of the process). He'll need to make periodic adjustments to the batch, so doing his pickling at the SoraHouse, way off in the mountains of Saitama Prefecture, won't work. That leaves making pickles at the office as the best option, and that also means that we get a front-row seat to the process, so even those of us without a Japanese grandpa or grannie of our own can learn how to make umeboshi too. From start to finish, it takes several weeks to make umeboshi, so today Go will be showing us the initial steps, and we'll check in with him again when it's time for the next stage. What supplies do we need at the starting stage? Japanese plums, or ume, as they're called in Japanese, are first on the list, naturally. Next we'll need coarse-grain salt (we'll explain the exact quantities below). A toothpick and paper towels will come in handy, but those are things you probably have in your kitchen already and won't need to make a special shopping run for. We're also going to need a container to keep the plums in as they pickle. While you could possibly get away with any old bucket, Go recommends getting a specialized pickling bucket, which has two lids. Amazon Japan has a bunch here, with several available for about 1,000 yen (US$7]. He suggests getting a 'pickling stone' too, which is a fancy name for a weight designed to sit on top of the pickling bucket's inner lid and keep it firmly clamped down. Again, you could probably use any suitably disc-shaped heavy object, but you can get a pickling stone from Amazon Japan for 2,000 yen or less, so Go thinks it's a worthwhile investment. And last, Go strongly recommends getting a pickling bag that can be tied up to protect the plums during the process, and once again, you can get them from Amazon Japan, with Go's preferred brand being about 500 yen for a set of two bags. And with that, it's time to get started making some umeboshi! ● Step 1 The first thing to do is to remove the stems from each of the plums. This is where the toothpick will come in handy, since it'll allow you to dig the stem out without slicing up the rest of the fruit. ● Step 2 Wash the plums in cold water to remove any dirt or debris. ● Step 3 Dry the plums using a paper towel. ● Step 4 Now let's talk about the quantities of plums and salt to use. For the plums, you can use as many or as few as you want, of course, but just make sure you weight them, because Go's grandpa's recipe ratio calls for an amount of salt equal to 15 percent of the total weight of the plums. So, for example, if you had two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of plums, you'd use 300 grams (10.6 ounces) of salt. For Go's batch of office umeboshi, he's got 1.89 kilograms of plums, so he measured out 284 grams of salt. ● Step 5 Place the pickling bag inside the pickling bucket. Really, this is a failsafe step, but the extra layer of the pickling bag will help keep things secure and hygienic during the pickling process. ● Step 6 Place the plums and salt in the pickling bucket. Start with a layer of plums, sprinkle salt over them, then add another plum layer, then more salt, and keep going until you've got all of your ingredients in there. ● Step 7 Tie the pickling bag closed and place the pickling bucket's inner lid on top of it, and then place the pickling stone on top of that, and then put the bucket's outer lid in place. ● Step 8 Place the pickling bucket in a dark, cool place. Oh, and if you're making your pickles at work, you'll probably also want to make sure it's somewhere so that the container won't be in the way while you and your officemates are working. And with that, we've completed Stage 1 of Operation Make Go's Grandpa's Umeboshi. We've got about two weeks until Stage 2, so like our pickled plums stay cool, and we'll see you back here then. Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Tokyo Weekender
3 hours ago
- Tokyo Weekender
What Japanese Subculture Are You Based on Your Zodiac Sign?
Japan is a country that values order and conformity, but for every action there's an opposite reaction. People with rebellious, creative streaks have long carved their own spaces in retaliation to the convention-following ways of Japan. The result: a flurry of colorful subcultures, each with a distinct aesthetic that drives home the message of ignoring the status quo. These subcultures have powerful personalities… much like each of our zodiac signs. Here's which Japanese subculture you're destined to be a part of, according to the stars. List of Contents: Aries: Bosozoku Taurus: Hime Gyaru Gemini: Decora Cancer: Mori Girl Leo: Visual-kei Virgo: Lolita Libra: Shibuya-kei Scorpio: Yami Kawaii Sagittarius: Ganguro Capricorn: Yankii Aquarius: Shironuri Pisces: Otome-kei Related Posts Aries: Bosozoku Bosozoku (which literally means 'reckless driving group') is the Japanese term for biker gangs., This subculture flourished from the '70s to the '90s, known for being loud and lawless — just like our fearless Aries, who was practically born revving a motorcycle. With sky-high pompadours and long, embroidered tokko-fuku coats, bosozoku members — just like Aries — unapologetically question authority and go against the status quo. They charge headfirst into chaos, and probably need to learn how to use their indoor voices. Taurus: Hime Gyaru Taurus are known for their love of luxury and softness, making the hime gyaru aesthetic perfect for them Literally translating to 'princess gyaru,' it's a sub-section of gyaru style. While gyaru are known for their dyed hair, heavy makeup and wild attitudes, hime gyaru are a little softer. Their look tends to be ultra-kawaii, epitomized by big hair, anime-like makeup and more pink and lace than should legally be allowed in a single outfit. This is great forTaurus, who expects to be treated like royalty and spends hours on personal care. Taurans may be high-maintenance and absolute divas, but no one can deny how incredible they look. Gemini: Decora Decora is the subcultural epitome of chaotic good, and Gemini is the decora kid of the zodiac — bright, noisy and armed with 150 hair clips (but not a single plan). Decora exploded in Harajuku in the early 2000s: rainbow layers, sticker-covered cheeks, toy accessories and enough visual stimulation to short-circuit a digital camera. This level of overstimulation resonates with Gemini, who changes their aesthetic every hour and typically communicates through a barrage of emojis, TikTok sound bites and conspiracy theories. You have to keep an eye out for them in case they start a cult in a candy shop. Cancer: Mori Girl Mori girl ('forest girl') fashion is peak softcore escapism: earth-toned vintage layers, knitted cardigans and the general aura of someone who makes jam and cries when they see a tiny mushroom — something the gentle and emotional Cancer has definitely done before. Like the typical mori girl, Cancers romanticize everything from heartbreak to the sound of leaves underfoot, and their friends are used to their random disappearances. We get it — you're a hopeless romantic, but bringing a picnic basket every time you step outside is a bit much. Leo: Visual-kei Visual-kei is a flamboyant glam-rock-meets-gothic-androgyny subculture born from the '80s music scene. It fits nicely with the attention-demanding nature of Leo, a sign that's not just dressed to impress, but to transcend human norms. With towering hair, velvet capes and sharp eyeliner, visual-kei members dress to get a standing ovation when they enter a room, and if they don't, they're probably not sticking around. In truth, their characteristic flair for the dramatic makes Leo — and visual-kei — lovable and entertaining, but 15 minutes of their presence can feel like enough stimulation to last a month. Virgo: Lolita Hyper-detailed and high-maintenance in the most aesthetically obsessive way — Virgo is Japan's Lolita fashion personified. This Victorian- and Rococo-inspired subculture isn't just an aesthetic, but a whole lifestyle. Sporting crisp blouses and tiered petticoats arranged with military precision, Lolita are Type A but make it fashion — just like Virgo, who has more checklists than friends and probably irons their bloomers. Flipper's Guitar Album Cover | Libra: Shibuya-kei Curated yet chronically indecisive, Libra is the human version of a chic vinyl record store, and Shibuya-kei is their aesthetic soulmate. Though the term is most commonly used to describe a s ub-genre of '90s Tokyo indie music , Shibuya-kei has its own distinctive look, too. It's like the love child of French pop and Japanese vintage, with thrifted blazers, berets and a dreamy nonchalance that says, 'I like obscure bands you've never heard of.' Libra, like the endlessly better-than-you Shibuya-kei follower, seems to float through life — but they're often hiding a major inferiority complex under their severe bob and dark-rimmed fashion glasses. Scorpio: Yami Kawaii If anyone was going to make mental illness into a fashion statement, it'd be Scorpio. Yami kawaii ('sick-cute') is the pastel-pink-meets-depths-of-human-darkness subculture that draws on motifs of illness — not just mental, but physical too: oversized sweaters, medical accessories and bedazzled slogans like 'I want to die.' Are they aesthetic? Always. Are they okay? Probably not. Sagittarius: Ganguro Sagittarius effuses a sense of sunshine-fueled rebellion, just like the ganguro subculture. Born in the late '90s as a middle finger to traditional Japanese beauty norms — pale skin, dark hair, subtle makeup — ganguro is a branch of gyaru culture. Adherents to ganguro style typically have a deep orange tan, bleach-blonde hair, lips painted white with concealer, neon everything and 8-inch platform sandals to stomp through Harajuku. Like the audacious Sag, they live for shock value, despise restrictions and laugh in the face of subtlety. Capricorn: Yankii Yankee has a different meaning in Japanese — Yankii are delinquent youth. You can spot them by their sagging uniform pants or long pleated skirts, slouched stances and permanent scowls. This fits well with Capricorn, the school delinquent who still shows up on time. Cap is rebellious — not for the sake of disobeying rules, but to enforce their own. They're the type of person to say they're focused and responsible, but they're actually always three seconds away from brawling in the parking lot because someone looked at them wrong. Aquarius: Shironuri Shironuri ('white-painted') is the surrealist aesthetic of eerie face paint and oversized silhouettes, with an overall vibe of 'lost soul haunting a post-apocalyptic garden' — which is so Aquarius. Aqua doesn't just think outside the box, but rather burns the whole box and builds a shrine from its ashes. Just like Aquarius, the aliens of the zodiac, those who partake in shironuri are avant-garde and allergic to convention. Pisces: Otome-kei Otome-kei ('maiden style') — with its retro floral dresses, brooches and the general aesthetic of a Ghibli film narrated by Virginia Woolf — is the visual representation of Pisces' delicate, romantic soul. They're the type to cry when a cloud looks like their neighbor's dog and fall in love in three languages. People call them sensitive, which is a nice way of saying, 'You had a breakdown because your tea got cold.' Pisces live life like a melancholy antique doll, and honestly, we're happy for them. Related Posts What Generation I Pokémon Are You Based on Your Zodiac Sign? How to Find Tokyo's Secret Nintendo Bar: 84 Hashi Cafe Super Nintendo World's Donkey Kong Country Area Swings Into Action
The Mainichi
6 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Myaku-Myaku, other mascots show off moves at Osaka Expo dance event
6375151122112@brightcove OSAKA -- Visitors to Osaka Expo were treated to a dance recital by mascot characters from various countries in a recent event organized by the Australian pavilion to entertain guests. The June 30 dance event at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, was joined by 20 mascots including those from Australia, the United States and the European Union. On the Australian pavilion stage, they jumped up and down, showed off their moves to the song "Hot Potato" by The Wiggles, a children's music group from the country. Osaka Expo's official mascot Myaku-Myaku also made an appearance, exciting the audience as they called for an encore. (Japanese original by Takehiko Onishi, Osaka Photo and Video Department)
