Random Japan

Anime fans pick which Ghibli heroine they’d like to have as a girlfriend

Totoro may be the most instantly recognizable Studio Ghibl character, but the exalted animation house has produced a far larger number of memorable heroines than cute critters. From warrior princesses to ordinary schoolgirls who defy anime conventions by actually being ordinary, almost every Ghibli film has had a woman as either its central or most important figure.

Each has her own claim to fame. Spirited Away’s Chihiro remains the studio’s highest-grossing leading lady, Arrietty its shortest, and Princess Mononoke’s San the most violent. Now, a recent poll has bestowed yet another title by asking fans which Ghibli character they’d like to have as a girlfriend.

stats

• 79,000Number of new arrival/departure slots under consideration for Narita and Haneda airports in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, according to the transport ministry
• 100,000-200,000Number of PCs in Japan believed to be infected with the so-called GameOver Zeus virus, which is used to defraud online bank users, according to the NPA
• ¥2.5 millionWinning bid for a pair of Yubari melons at the first auction of the season at the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market

NICE MOVES

• Yoshiharu Habu became the third-winningest shogi (Japanese chess) champion in history last month after notching his eighth victory in the prestigious Meijin tournament, which was held at Naritasan Shinshoji temple in Chiba.
• A Japanese man was threatened with divorce after telling his wife that he didn’t think the Disney movie Frozen was all that good.
• Mariko Kida became the first Japanese dancer to win the Prix Benois de la Danse, which is awarded by the Moscow-based International Dance Union to ballerinas of exceptional promise.
• Schoolteachers in Saitama have come under firefor attending the entrance ceremonies of their own children instead of the ceremonies at the schools where they work.

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‘Patriotic wives’ few in number — but loud

BY LINDA SIEG

One by one, women take the microphone near the crowded Hachiko crossing in Tokyo’s Shibuya shopping district on a hot and humid weekday, denouncing the pacifist Constitution, blasting China’s “recklessness” and mocking the South Korean flag.

“The Japanese Constitution that cannot protect our children’s future is more dangerous than nuclear power,” states a banner held by members of the self-styled “patriotic women’s group” Hanadokei, which sponsored the event.

Angered by demands from China and South Korea that Japan apologize again for wartime misdeeds, and mistrustful of mainstream media and politicians, ultraconservative housewives, mothers and working women are speaking out.