fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Movie Review: Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
By: Patrick J Mullen
Tags: SciFi, Horror, Movie Review, Body Horror, Japanese

This is certainly one of the strangest movies I’ve ever seen. It’s kind of like David Lynch meets David Cronenberg. The two movies I was thinking of frequently were Eraserhead mostly for the experimental style and black and white presentation, and Videodrome mostly for the body horror.

I really like the black and white presentation. Everything is just twisted metal, and without colour, it’s impossible to tell where the human body ends and the iron begins.

As for the plot, it’s definitely hard to describe. There is a plot, I think, in the same way that there’s a plot in Eraserhead. And like Eraserhead, this movie’s very much an experience to watch. At times it feels like a student film, but when it comes to things like the makeup and perfectly heightened performances, it feels very, very professional.

I’d been waiting a long time to see this movie, fearing it wouldn’t be that accessible, but that’s not really the case. It moves quickly, and at just 67 minutes, it’s well worth your time.

Rating: 7/10
Convert Japanese hiragana into kanji and hiragana mixed with tf.keras.Models
Tags: TensorFlow, Sotuu, Speech Recognition, Japanese

We’re are developing a speech recognition engine for Japanese as Sotuu’s first product.

I think we can use Mozilla’s deepSpeech to train our model.

The model is developed and maintained by Mozilla and there are already community around it. It looks like we can train good enough model at least for English.

Why not try it?

But wait, since Japanese language is quite different from English, we need some change to make it work.

there are 2 big differences.

Japanese words are not separated by space

English: I love cat.

Japanese: 私は猫が好きです。 Japanese language has 2 kind of characters, hiragana and Chinese kanji.

Hiragana is kind of like phonetic symbols.

Chinese kanji is ideogram

Ex: 私 and 猫 is Chinese kanji. は and が is hiragana

For 1st problem there are solutions, like Mecab and SentencePiece. Mecab is one of the most famous morphological analyzer for Japanese. Mecab is well tested but not neural network based. SentencePiece is a new one and based on neural network. As far as I tested Mecab worked better than SentencePiece. But SentencePiece is language agnostic and we can set fixed number of vocabulary and unknown words are split into sub words. Sounds sweet. I’ll try it again later when our vocabulary gets bigger.

Anyway today’s topic is about 2nd problem.

If it’s about English we can input audio data and output English.

But if it’s about Japanese, we can input audio data and…

We can output kanji and hiragana mixed.

This is the final goal by the way.

Or we can output hiragana only.

We need to convert hiragana only into hiragana and kanji mixed later at that case.

Since I was not sure which way was better, I have decided to test the way converting hiragana into kanji.

So I googled and I found that a smart guy had already did it and fortunately he put his source codes on github.

Thanks…

What he does is…

use pair of kanji and hiragana as input predict next pair

Because we can always convert kanji into hiragana but not vice versa, some pair contains only hiragana like の/の.

Looks like his model just works. But the datasets was not free and source codes were not working with tensorflow 1.12.0.

So I prepared my own datasets from wikipedia, modify the source codes for tensorflow 1.12.0.

Then I tested it.

I could convert ぱりのれきし into パリの歴史 successfully.

So theoretically I can convert audio data into hiragana into kanji ( and hiragana mixed).

Yay!

I’m not sure I should use this model for our speech recognition system because there is a chance that we should output kanji and hiragana mixed directly form audio data. But this was an interesting experiments.

If you are interested you can check my code here and try my model with datasets I prepared.

Thanks.
Second-hand Site JIMOTY: English Shopping Guide
Tags: Guides And Tutorials, Travel, Japan, Shopping, Japanese

Second-hand Site JIMOTY: English Shopping Guide

JIMOTY (ジモティー) is a site much like Craigslist where users list items to sell and others buy. Prices can be negotiated and the pick-up location is usually set by the seller . For example, if they live in Shibuya, then they’ll set the pick-up place near Shibuya station. There’s an in-app mail system for working out these details.

Today I’ll show a step by step guide to searching for goods on JIMOTY and how to contact a buyer to arrange purchase. It will open up a whole new world of buying opportunities for you in Japan, especially if you like to bargain hunt!

Be sure you have downloaded the JIMOTY app to get started since all my screenshots and instructions come from the official app. See the image below to find out how to register with an email address. Just enter the info in each slot and you’ll be good to go! Your nickname can be anything, English is fine.

Registration

So let’s see the homepage of your app to start shopping.

Shopping

You’ll want to go down to the bottom left side and click the search button, this magnifying glass. Simple.

Next, type the brand name or item you’re looking for. If you want to get the most results, Google translate the name of what you want to find and paste the Japanese word in here.

Be sure to choose the area where you want to buy. I live in Tokyo so my example shows “東京都” which is the kanji for Tokyo. If you live in a different area just find out the kanji for your city and choose it from the list. Wikipedia is good for this (find your city page in English and then change it to Japanese for the correct kanji).

Just choose the city you live in and press the green button below when you’re all done. The part highlighted in yellow shows the number of results for the item you’re searching for in that city. In this case there are 57 Samantha Vega brand items being sold in Tokyo.

This is the fun part! Browse the results! Click on the items that you have an interest in.

If you found an item you love and really want to buy, click the green button I’ve circled in purple to contact the buyer. You have to communicate with the buyer to arrange the purchase much like Craigslist.

Up next is maybe the most tricky part. You need to send the seller your request to buy the item. If you know a little Japanese it helps but Google translate will help you here! I’ve purchased plenty of items on JIMOTY by using an online translator to both write and read the messages. Keep your English very simple. See below for a few useful phrases.
Japanese versus American Business Leadership Satire Story
By: Mike Schoultz
Tags: Satire, Leadership Development, Rowing, Business, Japanese

Not everything that is faced can be changed … but nothing can be changed until it is faced. - James Baldwin

-

Do you like to read satire stories? As long as they are not overdone, we enjoy reading or writing an article done in satire. This is one such story… about American versus Japanese business leadership.

A Japanese company and an American company decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing. So American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion.

They advised that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing. To prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team’s management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the ‘ Rowing Team Quality First Program’, with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower. There was the discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.

The next year the Japanese won the race by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment.

The money saved was distributed to the senior executives of the firm as bonuses. The next year’s racing team was outsourced in its entirety to a company in the Far East.

Some elements of truth here, don’t you think?

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Garage Find: 5,000 Mile 1980 Datsun 510 Hatchback
By: Sam Maven
Tags: Japanese, Handpicked, Tuner

The original Datsun 510 of 1967 to 1973 is easily one of the most beloved Japanese cars in America. Its success both on and off the racetrack have endeared it to generations of car enthusiasts.

In the late 1970s, Nissan decided to capitalize on that reputation by selling the A10 chassis Violet as the Datsun 510 here in America. From 1978 to 1981, the Datsun 510 was once again available as a coupe, a sedan, and a station wagon.

For a very brief period towards the end of the car’s run, it was also sold as an unusual — but very practical — five-door hatchback, known in Japan as the Nissan Stanza Resort.

Very few were built, and even fewer exist now. Most survivors are on the West coast, where the rigors of road salt weren’t a concern. Imagine our shock when we found this example for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Fairfield, Ohio, with just 5,000 miles on the odometer.

The body and interior look to be nearly perfect, although the Datsun 510 emblems appear to be slowly disintegrating. This is a common issue with the soft plastic emblems placed on these cars in the US market.

These emblems are no longer available, but 3D printing would be a viable solution for those who want to get the car back to 100%. Regardless, we’re sure this car would clean up very nicely.

The thick coating of dust seen in the photos makes it appear as though this car has been sitting for a very long time, and it will likely need some basic service to get running again. Still, for $5,000, it’s probably the only way you’ll ever get your hands on a nearly-new Datsun ever again.
Bank’s own stablecoin
Tags: Stable Coin, Bitcoin, Technotec, Banks, Japanese

Japanese Bank Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) is the fifth largest in the world and the largest in its country. The management of this credit institution decided to issue its own cryptocurrency by the end of this year.

According to Cointelegraph, MUFG would become the first Japanese Bank that issued its own stablecoin!

The Japanese are known for its practicality, so their own currency will not only be tied to the national currency yen in proportion of 1:1, but it will be able to be applied almost instantly, the developers have made the main emphasis on convenience, simplicity and functionality, users will be able to exchange fiat for MUFG Coin immediately through the application.

By the way, testing of stablecoin was successful, though so far it was tested on the Bank’s employees, about 1,500 specialists participated in the test.

Two years ago Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group has already announced a pilot test of the coin, but then it was announced as a digital currency for internal operations of the company. Today, this is another product, it is a full-fledged cryptocurrency not only for the Bank’s employees, but also for the clients.
秋コレ出展情報 — The information of our booth in Akicolle
Tags: 秋コレ, Event, English, Neetcoin, Japanese

＊＊＊日本語はページ下部です。ページ半ほどからお読みください。

We join to Akicolle as exhibit booth at 22nd Sept as announced. We’d like to publish booth information in this article. That mean is it include to act as NPO also there is open to public NEEETCOIN project, it will be step up as result. And we think this is a better PR opportunity.

Akicolle 12th event detail;

Date: 22nd Sept 2019, 11:00am~4:00pm (JST)

Venue: Akihabara UDX 2F Akiba-Square (GoogleMap)

With better effect for a society. Because the showing crypto to the general public is a positive better for many projects, not just NEETCOIN.

Although, should in here focus is the story of the NEETCOIN booth.

We will sell goods as include PR.

It’s Acrylic key chain and stand. Also plus some for example Mouse-pad.

Acrylic key chain …800 JPY

Acrylic stand …600 JPY

Mouse pad Black/Yellow… 1000 JPY each

Button badge (Can badge) … 200 JPY

In addition, we are not forget that collect signature for NPO act on booth. We hope many people will know and become active.

Sincerely,

—

— 日本語

発表のとおり、9月22日の秋コレに展示ブースとして参加します。この記事でブース情報を公開したいと思います。

それはNPOとして活動することも含まれますが、NEEETCOIN Projectは公となり、結果としてステップアップすることになります。つまり、これはより良いPRの機会だと思っています。

第12回秋コレ

日時：2019年9月22日 11:00~16:00

会場：秋葉原UDX 2F アキバ・スクエア(GoogleMap)

社会により良い効果をもたらすのではないかと考えています。つまり暗号通貨を一般の方々に見せることは、NEETCOINだけでなく、多くのプロジェクトにとって好ましいことでしょう。

しかしながら、ここで注目すべきはNEETCOINブースの話題です。ブースでは、PRを含む商品を販売します。

アクリルスタンドとキーホルダー、さらにマウスパッドなどを加えます。

アクリルキーホルダー …800 円

アクリルスタンド…600 円

マウスパッド黒色/黄色… 各1000 円

缶バッヂ… 200円

さらに私たちのブースでNPO活動の為の署名も行います。私たちは、多くの人が知り、より活動することを願っています。

— 秋コレ情報 Akicolle info

Webpage : https://akicolle.com/event/akicolle/12/
How to Use the Japanese Tea Practice to Improve Your Writing
By: Jyoti Meena
Tags: Writer, Philosophy, Writing Tips, Writing, Japanese

How to Use the Japanese Tea Practice to Improve Your Writing

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels

Japanese tea practice is an art form. It is not limited to the mere pouring of the tea into the teacups but instead is a 4-hour long process where every stage is treated delicately with a distinctive technique. From the preparation to the drinking of matcha, it incorporates precise and beautiful steps. This art is known as (o)temae.

According to the culture trip, the tea ceremony or the chadō (The way of tea) is seen as one of the cornerstones of Japanese culture. It is a wonderful expression of aestheticism and philosophy in perfect harmony. There is a long history of how the act of tea drinking came to take the form of this ceremony. It is believed that tea was brought from China to Japan by Buddhist monks in the 9th century. Soon, it turned into a status symbol by the samurai and took the form of the eloquent ceremony it is known as today.

Chadō rests on 4 principles, namely harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility as given by tea master Sen Rikyu (1522–1591). The aim is to awaken the senses as well as unite the body and the mind of the participants. You can incorporate these virtues in your writing career in order to ensure that your work shines brightly.
(E-Book) Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana: A Workbook for Self-Study (By-Kenneth G. Henshall)
Tags: Japanese

This is a great books, you can get this book now for FREE. Visit This Link : https://onlinebookreaderread.blogspot.com/?book=4805312270 (Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana: A Workbook for Self-Study)To Download or Read Ebooks for FREE. HAPPY READING AND ENJOY :)..

(Learning Hiragana and Katakana is a systematic and comprehensive Japanese workbook that is perfect for self study or in a classroom setting.Written Japanese combines three different types of characters: the Chinese characters known as kanji, and two Japanese sets of phonetic letters, hiragana and katakana, known collectively as kana, that must be mastered before the Japanese kanji can be learned. Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana provides beginning-level students of Japanese a thorough grounding in the basic hiragana and katakana phonetic symbols or syllabaries. A comprehensive introduction presents their basic function, origin, pronunciation and usage. The main body of the book is devoted to presenting the 92 hira and kata characters along with their variations, giving step-by-step guidelines on how to write each character neatly in the correct stroke order, with plentiful practice spaces provided for handwriting practice. This Japanese workbook includes:Systematic and )

Get Trial 30 days, By click link in above! wish you have good luck and enjoy reading your book.

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Bestsellers! (Audiobook) Gideon: Your weakness. God’s strength: Member Book
How do Japanese people appreciate music?
By: Gj Z
Tags: Appreciate Music, Japanese

Photo by Kat Yukawa on Unsplash

Changes in popular songs

About 50 years ago, the most popular music in Japan was called Kayo. The performances derived from this later formed a genre on its own. Generally speaking, singing singers wear kimonos and sing with their fists in a unique way of singing. The theme of the lyrics has mostly loved the pain of homesickness. Recently, few young people are listening to performances, and they are mainly loved by the elderly.

Glamorous female idol star at the concert

Recently, Japanese idol groups for singing and dancing have been born one after another. “Local idols” that are mainly active in various regions have also become popular across the country. Their charming songs and dance styles have deeply attracted Japanese idol fans.

ballad

There is a unique form of music in various parts of Japan, which is the “folk ballad” passed down from generation to generation. Among them, Okinawa has many izakayas where small concerts of Ryukyu folk songs are held. If you travel to Okinawa, you must go and listen. Eating Okinawan cuisine while listening to Okinawa folk songs, and drinking a few glasses of Okinawa’s specialty wine “Awamori” is definitely a good memory of the trip.

Eye-catching high-quality music

Recently, more and more attention has been paid to high-resolution music (commonly known as hailezo) that reproduces unprecedented high sound quality. With high sound quality that surpasses that of CD, you can hear the breathing rhythm of the singer at the concert and the cheers of the audience. The sense of presence is bursting. In Japan, download services of such high-quality music are gradually increasing, this music can be found on youtube you can search “High-resolution music” on youtube, use youtube to mp3 converter to listen it offline and it is estimated that they will become more and more popular in the future.
How I prepared for Japanese-Language Proficiency Test: JLPT N2 and N1 (part 2)
By: Vanilla, . .
Tags: Jlpt, Japanese Language, Japanese

Preparation for JLPT N1

As a lazy part-time learner, I often prepare for the test about 2.5 months before the exam. My study for the test was like on and off. The test is held twice a year, every Jul and Dec. After the test, I didn’t touch any of the study materials at all. So when it was close to the test date, I started to prepare again. Because of this pace, it took me a long time to finish it.

Grammar

Try! Japanese Language Proficiency test N1

Again, I used the Try! series because of its features as described in “How did I prepare for Japanese-Language Proficiency Test: JLPT N2 and N1 (part 1)”. There are about 120 new grammar in the N1 level. I tried to memorize important grammar points, especially the ones with two and three stars. The fact is that there are few questions about casual and honorific languages. Grammars in the N2 level can also be seen in the N1 level.

Honestly, I didn’t comprehended some grammars and particles well. I usually use them based on my familiarity. To understand Japanese well especially complex sentences, going back to studying the basics is also worth it.

Vocabulary and kanji

As mentioned before, this set is a base for vocab and kanji study for me. The book structure is the same in every level. However, for the N1, amount of new words are doubled from N2. I quickly read though kanji book but I reviewed vocab several times.

2. 3000 Essential Vocabulary for the JLPT N1

I found this book later and I like it. So it became my favourite one. The book gathers vocabs that were used in previous tests. It groups vocabs into various sections such as news, health, world, human relations etc. There are example sentences for every vocab. Audio files for every sentence are available. It is a good tool to help with memorizing. Exercise are also provided in separated downloadable files. I personally like this book more than So-Matome because the example sentences help a lot to understand the word usages.

3. New Kanzen Master JLPT N1: Vocabulary

I recommend using this book when you have spare time. The book is rich in new vocabs and kanji sectioned in a variety of themes. I found that among the books introduced earlier, this one is the richest in idioms, compound verbs and especially lists of words that have many meaning. Another good point is there are many exercises, basically at the end of every lesson. The weak point is that the entire book is in Japanese, you have to look up the meaning of new vocabs by yourself which is quite time- consuming.

When considering the huge amount of new vocabs in this level, compared to the small number of questions in the test, you may be frustrated. Remember, the more you know vocabs, the more chance of correct answers. Not only you can answer the questions directly, but you can know which one is wrong. There is a possibility that vocabs/kanji in the test may not in any text books.
How Taking on a foreign language is changing my life
By: Noah Wise
Tags: Language, Japanese

In the last year I challenged myself to learn a foreign language, and to put it bluntly its very hard. Not because I think that the language is hard but because ive found its like working out. You have to stick with it everyday otherwise you aren't going to gain anything in return. Its been a lot more work than I expected it to be, because i truly want to learn it and someday be fluent so it requires a lot of my time and a lot of studying. Its actually inspired me though at the same time, now i feel as though if I can master a new language that I can achieve more. I've found that im challenging myself to take harder classes and be knowledgeable in more things and to try to be someone who continues to work harder at learning and value knowledge more. I definitely recommend learning a new language it has changed my perspective on learning and it has sparked a new found curiosity for learning. Ever since I started learning a new language ive seen a big improvement in my grades as well. I think that when most people think about learning a new language they think about gaining a new language but I think that at least in my experience I've gained a lot more than that.
2022 Acura NSX Type S will have more power | Confirmed
Tags: Supercar, Upcoming Cars, Jdm, Acura, Japanese

2022 Acura NSX Type S will have more power | Confirmed Automotives.Tech Aug 3·3 min read

The Type S will feature performance upgrades, and the 350-unit production run will mark the end of the current-generation NSX.

2022 Acura NSX Type S

Acura recently revived the Type S badge for the 355-hp TLX Type S sport sedan and MDX Type S crossover, and now the company has confirmed that the NSX supercar will also receive the Type S treatment. But there’s a sad caveat: the higher-performance NSX Type S will serve as a send-off for the hybrid sports car, with Acura announcing that 2022 will be the final model year for the current generation.

Every 2022 NSX will be a Type S, and Acura will be limiting production to 350 units in total, with 300 offered in the United States. Last year, Acura sold 128 examples of the NSX in the U.S., down from 238 the year before. This marks the first time a Type S–branded NSX will be sold in the U.S., as the original NSX Type S was for Japan only.

2022 Acura NSX Type S

Acura says the NSX Type S will receive “an enhanced version” of the twin-turbocharged V-6 and the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system. The current 3.5-liter gasoline engine mated to three electric motors is good for a combined 573 horsepower, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Type S crest 600 hp. We’re not sure whether that extra oomph would come from upgrades to the V-6, tweaks to the electric motors, or both

2022 Acura NSX Type S

The Type S could also feature a more aggressive suspension setup, different wheels and tires, larger brakes, and a louder exhaust. There also could be some minor styling changes, as the design has remained virtually unchanged since 2017. These teaser photos indicate it will offer some sort of matte paint and come with a unique wheel design. The 2022 Acura NSX Type S will be revealed on August 12, at which point customer orders for the limited production run will open.

2022 Acura NSX Type S

Although 2022 marks the end of the NSX, we wouldn’t rule out a new generation at some point in the future. Acura said that it “will continue to pursue sports cars,” with Vice President Jon Ikeda noting that the company is “actively investigating what the next generation of sports cars should be in an electrified era.”

-by Amaan Attar
[Japanese Kimono Terminology Series#02] The meaning of kitsuke
Tags: Japanese Culture, Japan, Kitsuke, Kimono, Japanese

( From this passage now on, the word ‘Wafuku’ will be used to refer to all the traditional Japanese clothing, while ‘kimono’ will be used to specify ‘nagagi’, a type of Japanese traditional clothing in which it is long till the ankle. If you have any doubts, you are welcome to check my previous English passage.)

To know more, please feel free to check it out :

Hi, everybody! I am Clearwater(清水)! Is there anyone who have dressed in a kimono before when you travel to Japan? If you do, do you remember there is always a person standing next to you to help you dress your kimono? Even though you don’t have such an experience, it’s totally fine. Because I am here to introduce this person to you!

The person wearing in black is kitsukeshi ( source: Photoac)

This person, who always stands next to you, helping you to dress your kimono up is called kitsukeshi( Japanese: 着付師／着付け師，Romaji： Kitsukeshi). Kitsukeshi is an expert who knows the skills of ‘kitsuke’. They understand the knowledge and hold the actual skills of ‘jisou’ and ‘tasou’. Kitsukeshi normally appears when someone needs to wear a kimono. Due to this, they normally work at places that are related to the kimono, such as gofukuyan or in the photo studio. Some will also open their own kitsuke school to teach people the art and actual skills of ‘jisou’ nd ‘tasou’, letting more people know how to wear kimonos by themselves or acquire the skills of helping others to wear them.
I don’t know what I REALLY want to do
By: Sharan Aithal
Tags: Japanese, Learning, Science, Goals, Confusion

This is the stage I am in. There’s not one thing that I want to do.

Maybe it’s because I let myself be distracted by my smartphone which is quite smart in distracting me.

Do you think if I stay away from it, I’ll figure something out? It’s worth a try, right?

Music remixing

This is what I felt like doing a couple of days back when I spent just 3 hours without internet, phone & computer.

Home tutoring

Is something I know I’ll enjoy. I love teaching and making somebody understand something.

A fight between learning Japanese & learning Science

This is a big conflict I’ve had in my mind since half a year now.

There’s this inner need that says I should know about human beings' accomplishments & findings in the field of Science.

But another side says, “Get yourself a skill like knowing Japanese so you can at least market your services & be eligible to earn.”

Which one to choose between these two?

I once did go with Science, but it started to feel pointless. Maybe I forgot the intention with which I had started, which is, to know about my fellow human beings’ findings. When I forgot that, learning lost its charm.

Interesting find. (Get it?)

Either way, I’m gonna stick to Japanese. But I don’t feel like. And this is where commitment comes in.
In family, you can find a place to call home
By: Christopher C.
Tags: Language Learning, Home, Family, Kanji, Japanese

In family, you can find a place to call home

Today’s word is 家族(かぞく), which means family.

As I was waiting to cross one of the busy streets of Sydney CBD, I noticed two people standing out of the bunch of high schoolers on the opposite sidewalk: a father and his daughter.

Seeing that little girl in her father’s arm made me feel nostalgic. It reminded me of my own time as a child, when my little arms were begging for my parents’ love. Both my dad and my mom were rarely home. Needless to say, I felt lonely. I never called that big empty house home, because I only felt like I was home whenever I was with my family.

When I learned how to say “family” in Japanese, I immediately felt a connection with it because of the way it was written.

In 家族, you can find 家(いえ), which means house.

And I can’t agree more. Family is more than just a matter of blood. Family is made of people around whom you feel comfortable. A true family will always give you a place where you can escape the cruel world for a bit. You will always find a place to call home in your family.

And that’s what I saw in the little girl’s eyes. She was there, staring at the chaotic order of society, but she didn’t look scared because she felt protected by her father’s warmth; she felt at home.
Hello, Medium !! (And The case I’m working on.)
By: Yuki Takeda
Tags: Foreign, Vtuber, Taiwan, YouTuber, Japanese

My first story of Medium!!

Hello!!

I’m Virtual Youtuber “Yuki Takeda”!

In Medium, I want to talk about a somewhat unusual case that I’m involved in.

This is not talked about on the blog or on Twitter, etc.,but it’s a definite truth.

If I write about it on Twitter or my blog, my identity might be exposed and I might get banished from the site.

Oh, we’re on linkedin and facebook in English!

(So if you have any promising information, please let us know!)

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

Well. Do you know about the “Taiwan 228 Incident”?

Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash

These are events that are not in the textbooks of my native Japan, and (presumably) have not survived in Chinese documents.

But they really do exist.

These are events that relate to all of Taiwan, Yonaguni Island in Japan, and to China at the time.

It happened on February 28, 1947.

After seizing Taiwan from the Japanese, the Kuomintang regime used the pretext of putting down a rebellion, and killed scores of people across Taiwan, in the name of The “February 28 Incident”.

Among the tens of thousands of alleged victims were Okinawan officials who had remained in Taiwan and were “foreign Some Okinawans have yet to be certified as victims of the disaster.

(As of July 2020, one case has been admitted.)

Our struggle continues!!

Photo by 傅甬 华 on Unsplash

I am tired of making this long, so I would like to write another article about the details of the Taiwan 228 Incident and what I actually experienced in Taiwan and the tragedy that happened to my great-grandfather.

Thank you for your interest!
About Japan — 2. *Assignement of “Improve Your…
By: Andawn Fong
Tags: Japanese

*Assignement of “Improve Your Intercultural Competance” Week 3–3.14

Sports and exercise:

Common forms of exercise among the general population (include photos)

Answer:

Contrary to most people’s impression, walking is the most popular form of exercise for the Japanese, according to a survey (https://whatjapanthinks.com/2007/03/20/walking-most-popular-japanese-exercise-method/)

People tend to pigeonhole a culture with cultural elements that are most famous. For instance, many people thought everyone in China practices the Chinese Kung Fu, which is false.

Likewise, you might think every Japanese does Karate or Jujitzu but it is not the case.

For commoners in Japan, 22.5% take walking as a daily exercise, another way of connecting human with the nature in the cultural sense.

Languages and ethnic groups:

Names of the major ethnic groups

Answer:

“Japan is among the most homogeneous societies in the world, with it estimated that Japanese peoples make up approximately 98.5% of the population.” (Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_groups_of_Japan)

Another major ethnic group in Japan is called the Ainu people, like the Indians in the U.S.

Holidays:

Name of major holidays and when they take place (include images or photos)

There are public holidys in Japan every month:

January 1 — New Year’s Day (Ganjitsu)

(Ganjitsu) The second Monday in January — Adult’s Day (Seijin-no hi)

(Seijin-no hi) February 11 — National Founding Day (Kenkoku Kinen-no hi)

(Kenkoku Kinen-no hi) March 20 or 21 — Vernal Equinox (Shunbun-no hi)

(Shunbun-no hi) April 29 — Showa Day (Showa-no hi)

(Showa-no hi) May 3 — Constitution Memorial Day (Kenpou Kinenbi)

(Kenpou Kinenbi) May 4 — Greenery Day (Midori-no hi)

(Midori-no hi) May 5 — Children’s Day (Kodomo-no hi)

(Kodomo-no hi) The third Monday in July — Marine Day or Ocean Day (Umi-no hi)

or (Umi-no hi) August 11 — Mountain Day (Yama-no hi)

(Yama-no hi) The third Monday in September — Respect-for-the-Aged Day (Keirou-no hi)

(Keirou-no hi) September 23 or 24 — Autumnal Equinox (Shuubun-no hi)

(Shuubun-no hi) The second Monday in October — Health/Sports Day (Taiiku-no hi)

(Taiiku-no hi) November 3 — Culture Day (Bunka-no hi)

(Bunka-no hi) November 23 — Labor Thanksgiving Day (Kinrou Kansha-no hi)

(Kinrou Kansha-no hi) December 23 — Emperor’s Birthday (Tennou Tanjoubi)

(https://www.japan-zone.com/culture/holiday.shtml)

The most important ones are:

*(original hyperlink contained)

Music and art:

Names of famous artists whose works appear in museums or art galleries (include images of photos)

There are too many. I am just going to list 2 of my favorites:

Miyazaki Hayao, the cartoon artist, Oscar winner.

Michio Hoshino, photographer. Died in Alaska on Aug 8, 1996, killed by an Alaskan bear.
Finding the Right Japanese Tutoring in Perth
By: Japanese Lessons Perth
Tags: Japanese Course, Japanese Tutoring, Japanese Lessons, Japanese Teacher, Japanese

Finding the right Japanese tutoring is not as easy as it seems. It takes precise consideration to choose the right Japanese tutoring Perth. For instance, the experience of the tutor, lesson quality, etc. At the point when you are picking a tutor, it’s significant that you discover somebody who has experience teaching. Regardless of whether you discover a tutor that talks familiar Japanese you should check their teaching certifications. The Japanese government is severe with regard to certification programs for individuals who need to educate Japanese. If you discover a tutor that has official certifications then you know you’re in great hands. If the Japanese tutoring in Perth online school you are contacting is hesitant to uncover these details at that point, you should reconsider before you enroll.

Lessons aren’t just about talking, so you should consistently ensure that the service will give lessons recorded as a hard copy too. This is particularly significant for individuals who need to learn Japanese as there are three different types of letter set to learn; Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana. If you truly need to ace the language then you should get familiar with these characters to perfection. When looking for reliable Japanese Course Perth, you can visit Japanese Lessons in Perth.
Thanks for the writeup, her is a little more background on us.
By: Izakaya Juraku
Tags: Japanese Beer, Restaurant, Japanese Food, Craft Beer, Japanese

Thanks for the writeup, her is a little more background on us.

When we opened in 2018 we took a long moment to think about what we really wanted to bring to the Japanese restaurant scene in New York. We knew that we wanted to open an Izakaya (Japanese Gastro Pub/ Japanese Restaurant) but as we thought of the finer details we realized that there is a big void in the market when it comes to Japanese Craft Beers. In a country so obsessed with craft beers it is very hard to find any Japanese Craft Beers (especially at restaurants) and when you do you can usually expect to pay an arm and a leg. We decided that we wanted to bring the experience of Japanese Craft Beers and the over 300 Japanese Craft Breweries here to the States and we wanted to offer them at a reasonable price. The craft beer list at our restaurant started off with just a dozen Japanese craft beers including the well-known ones such as Hitachino and Echigo. As we started to see what else was out there we continued to add to the restaurants beer list and we are continuously working with producers and importers to try to bring more interesting and exciting beers for our guests to try. We hope that by doing so we can bring more attention and appreciation to the Japanese Craft Beer scene one bottle at a time and we wish that you would come down to Izakaya Juraku in the LES (Lower East Side of Manhattan) to try one of the beers!
BigQuery 的巢狀結構 Array / Struct
By: Pei Lee
Tags: Data Warehouse, Google Cloud Platform, Bigquery, Database, Data Science

一般的資料庫中，我們會看到這樣一個欄位一個值：

圖片來源：QwikLabs

如果今天想要紀錄誰吃了哪些水果，則會變成：

圖片來源：QwikLabs

這樣便不符合資料庫正規化的原則，因為 name 一直重複地出現。在傳統做法中，我們會很直接地想到拆成兩張表，但在 BigQuery 中有個更快速的方法處理這個問題，用 Array 的方式儲存達到下面這種效果：

圖片來源：QwikLabs

雖然看起來跟原本那剛表很像，但它實際上只算 2 個 Row。它的概念比較像是這樣的狀況：

Array

嘗試看看這樣的 Query：

#standardSQL

SELECT ['raspberry', 'blackberry', 'strawberry', 'cherry'] AS fruit_array

得到的結果會像是這樣 1 個 Row：

如果要把它變成多個 Row 則要使用 UNNEST()：

#standardSQL

SELECT *

FROM UNNEST(['raspberry', 'blackberry', 'strawberry', 'cherry'])

UNNEST()：把 Array 轉成 Table，所以 UNNEST() 是放在 FROM 後面的。

然而，Array 裡面每個元素都必須是相同的資料型態。如果需要儲存不同的資料型態，則需要使用 STRUCT ()。

STRUCT

試試這樣的 Query：

#standardSQL

SELECT STRUCT("Rudisha" as name, 23.4 as split) as runner

可以同時存在 STRING 以及 FLOAT：

另外，也可以放入 Array：

#standardSQL

SELECT STRUCT("Rudisha" as name, [23.4, 26.3, 26.4, 26.1] as splits) AS runner

如何知道一個欄位是 STRUCT 還是 ARRAY？

STRUCT：Type =RECORD, Mode = REPEATED，能容納不同型態。

ARRAY：Mode = REPEATED，只能容納單一型態如上圖的 FLOAT。

如何 Query 這樣的 Table？

table name: race_results

如何下 Query 執行出這樣的結果：

先想像假設今天是傳統的資料庫，我們可能會去 JOIN race 這張表以及 participants 這張表，今天不一樣的只是 participants 是一個 STRUCT 的物件，但我們仍可以把 STRUCT 視為 Table 中的 Table，因此可以用 CROSS JOIN：

#standardSQL

SELECT race, participants.name

FROM racing.race_results

CROSS JOIN race_results.participants

注意 participants 還是隸屬於 race_results 這張表下的，因此要將 table name 也打上去。有個更簡潔的寫法：

#standardSQL

SELECT race, participants.name

FROM racing.race_results AS r, r.participants

用「,」代替 CROSS JOIN。

不論是 Array 或是 Struct，在進行操作前一定要先攤平裡面的元素。

如何找到名字是 R 開頭的選手，並將總成績由好到壞排序？

#standardSQL

SELECT

p.name,

SUM(split_times) as total_race_time

FROM racing.race_results AS r

, UNNEST(r.participants) AS p

, UNNEST(p.splits) AS split_times

WHERE p.name LIKE "R%"

GROUP BY p.name

ORDER BY total_race_time;

實際測過，發現有沒有加 UNNEST 結果都一樣。

以上。
Airflow and superQuery
By: Eben Du Toit
Tags: Big Data, Bigquery, Apache Airflow, Data Science, Data Engineering

Airflow and superQuery

Photo by Soheb Zaidi on Unsplash

“What is the cost?” A question asked so frequently in the tech world that every person at a small start-up shudders slightly when it is asked. The answer of which invariably is: “We’re not sure”.

One of the best tools for scheduling workflows in the data engineering world is Apache Airflow. This tool has taken many a business out of the inflexible cron scheduling doldrums into riding the big data waves on the high seas of Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs).

Of course this means that large globs of data are being moved into and out of databases and with this glorious movement often comes unavoidable costs.

One such database, a supercomputer if you will, is called Google BigQuery. It is the flagship of the Google Cloud offering and allows data processing at the Petabyte scale. It is very good at making you worry less about the power of the database infrastructure and more about the quality of your analysis and data flow problems in need of solving.

One key factor to consider with BigQuery is how open any individual or organisation is to driving up costs spent on scanning data on this platform. Even the most savvy of data engineers will tell you in angst about their errors in scanning across data they didn’t really want to and pushing their business’ monthly analysis bill over the budget.

In steps superQuery. The philosophy offered by superQuery is that you don’t have to worry about your costs because you have all the information you need and some safeguards that give you the opportunity to make an informed decision.
Slowly Changing Dimension Type 2 (SCD2) in Big query
By: Hariharan Ramachandran
Tags: Data Warehouse, Google Cloud Platform, Sql, Bigquery, Dimensions

Slowly Changing Dimension is the technique for implementing dimension history in a dimensional data warehouse. There are two predominantly used SCD techniques for most of the usecases, SCD1 and SCD2.

SCD1: Updates dimension records by overwriting the existing data — no history of the records is maintained. SCD1 is normally used to directly rectify incorrect data. Basically when the source data changes you directly apply an update on that record in dimension table.

Considering we have a staging table which holds the records from the source and these records need to be pushed to the target dimension table in the data warehouse (Bigquery), then the below SQL will do a direct update on the existing records and performs an insert for the additional new records. This is acheived using the powerful merge command in bigquery.

Note : The examples below just focuses on the generic way or an idea of performing SCD2 on a specific column(qunatity), in a real world scenario when we are dealing with ’n’ number of columns we can induce implementing hash or md5 before updating any record.

Query:

Staging Table:

Target Table before merge:

Target Table after merge:

SCD2: Maintains dimension history by creating newer ‘versions’ of a dimension record whenever its source changes. SCD2 does not delete or modify existing data. Basically when the source data changes you expire the existing record in the dimension table via an indicator (boolean or date or any standard technique of marking a record as expired by setting a flag).

Considering we have a staging table which holds the records from the source and these records need to be pushed to the target dimension table in the data warehouse (Bigquery), then the below SQL will expire the old data and insert the new record and performs a normal insert for the additional new records , acheived using the merge command.

Query:

Staging Table:

Target Table before merge:

Target Table after merge:
Transforming BigQuery JSON API responses recursively
By: Eben Du Toit
Tags: Json, Bigquery, MySQL, JavaScript

Flying the nest, recursively

Ever watched the movie Inception? It’s a goodie. A timeline within a timeline within a timeline. And when it all rolls back you see how things fit together. In similar fashion, recursion has a very small footprint in code, but can address huge computational (read “nested”) complexity.

Okay, enough riff-raff, let’s get to it!

BigQuery’s query API return JSON

This is a sample of Google BigQuery’s API response after doing a query:

BigQuery’s query API result looks like this

The schema shows you how the data is structured and the rows indicate, with “f” for field and “v” for value, what values fit into the schema.

Now, isn’t it easier to read and manipulate the JSON when it looks like this?

Transformed BigQuery result into something more manageable

If you agree, then you’re in good hands.

The solution

Here is the node.js code that does this transformation. Feel free to use it, adapt it to your needs and generally make your life simpler and your data happier. The interface to the function is:

convertBQToMySQLResults(schema, rows)

and you pass in the BigQuery results like so:
Take Your SQL From Good to Great: Part 4
By: Taylor Brownlow
Tags: Data, Bigquery, Sql, Data Science, Analytics

Take Your SQL From Good to Great: Part 4

This is part 4 of a 4-part series on some of my most valued SQL ‘hacks’.

Check out the others in the series:

This is the last one I’ve planned for, but if you want to see more, drop me a note in the comments!

But, now on to the #content.

Intro

Window functions are some of the most beloved functionality for SQL users. They are very powerful and quickly eliminate the need for nested subqueries and annoying cross joining.

Yet, due to their insanely verbose implementation and unhelpful keywords, many people are afraid to dive into the window function waters. This article will give a brief intro to the workings of window functions before diving into some of my favorite window function use cases.

All of the examples in this notebook were built using BigQuery syntax, but there will be few fundamental differences between dialects. You can view & edit the code in full here.

Window Functions Explained

“In SQL, a window function or analytic function is a function which uses values from one or multiple rows to return a value for each row.” — BigQuery

The key thing to understand about window functions is that they compute a value for each row of the specified table. This contrasts with aggregation functions which will summarize values across specified groups.
BigQuery: date sharding vs. date partitioning
By: Mark Mccracken
Tags: Warehouse, Sharding, Google, Bigquery, Partitioning

Are there legitimate reasons to use date shared tables instead?

Why does GA360 export tables in date sharded tables if google also recommends using partitioned tables?

If you’re designing a data mart for analysts to use, certainly aim to use a partitioned table — they’re more fully featured than the options of sharding, easy to set up, and easier for the end user of your warehouse.

However, if you’re a data engineer and you’re moving data around, date sharded tables can often be an easy alternative that allows breakpoints in your flow, and simpler management for import/export.

Dealing with these table shards can be simpler — if you just want to export a single partition of your table with a partitioned table, you’d have to run a query to select just the relevant partition, and export the query result, which costs time and money and adds complexity. However if the table is already date sharded, you can simply export it.

Also, if you’re running a large ETL system, a common pattern might be to write some data into a table like so:

insert into `example_dataset.partitioned_table`

select

distinct *

from `example_dataset.table_with_duplicate_rows`

where date = date_sub(current_date, interval 1 day)

However this step isn’t idempotent — if this task were to accidentally be run twice, you’d end up with duplicate data in your partitioned table. However if your partitioned table were instead date sharded, you can overwrite the entire shard — even if this runs more than once, the effect is idempotent. This same mechanism also applies to importing tables from Cloud Storage or other sources. It would look like so: