NIPPON-ICHIGO

In this day and age, people get more worked up about certain things than they need to. In fact, people being inundated about information about the entire world should cause that — but wait a moment, take a breath. Things aren’t all bad, or even half bad.

Here are some Japanese songs to remind you of that:

Man – Shou ga Aru. The lyrics are there in the video, and listed in Japanese in its description, reminding us that something can always be done. A reader, Marin, introduced me to Man. Already I like him, singing messages such as these. Some people refer to this age as the “the end times”, for some reason, just because bad things are happening and they are more aware of them now, as opposed to their sheltered childhoods. Well, we’re no worse off than mankind ever has been, and if you’ve ever read a single bit of history then you’ve got to believe that. Revolutions are taking place even as we speak, because people feel compelled to move. Something can always be done.

Ulfuls – Eenen. The lyrics say it all  – “It’s fine if you regret; it’s fine if you start over; it’s fine if you fail; it’s fine if we go again; it’s fine if you face forward; it’s fine if your heart moves on; that’s fine, that’s fine!” I think people worry about some things too much, or view failure in the wrong way. Yes, especially in the US; we even worry about completely rubbish issues that only people in the Esteem level of Maslow’s pyramid would make up. Part of growing up is realizing that dealing with things and just moving on or trying again is fine.

Kishidan – I Love You. The subs in the video are in Spanish – more options here. This song is different from the others in that it deals specifically with relationships and the pain they can bring. Ultimately, you must power through the bad times and accept that love still exists.

I love the great little things life can bring. It all adds up to something fantastic. We can’t ignore or dismiss our problems, certainly, but we also can’t take good things for granted. So, clear your head, lift your hands up to the air and say, “It’s okay!!”

In this day and age, people get more worked up about certain things than they need to. In fact, people being inundated about information about the entire world should cause that -- but wait a moment, take a breath. Things aren't all bad, or even half bad. Here are some Japanese songs to remind you of that: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fPL4jHbyQo[/youtube] Man - Shou ga Aru. The lyrics are there in the video, and listed in Japanese in its description, reminding us that something can always be done. A reader, Marin, introduced me to Man. Already I like him, singing messages such as these. Some people refer to this age as the "the end times", for some reason, just because bad things are happening and they are more aware of them now, as opposed to their sheltered childhoods. Well, we're no worse off than mankind ever has been, and if you've ever read a single bit of history then you've got to believe that. Revolutions are taking place even as we speak, because people feel compelled to move. Something can always be done. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7mvGZzHHbY[/youtube] Ulfuls - Eenen. The lyrics say it all  - "It's fine if you regret; it's fine if you start over; it's fine if you fail; it's fine if we go again; it's fine if you face forward; it's fine if your heart moves on; that's fine, that's fine!" I think people worry about some things too much, or view failure in the wrong way. Yes, especially in the US; we even worry about completely rubbish issues that only people in the Esteem level of Maslow's pyramid would make up. Part of growing up is realizing that dealing with things and just moving on or trying again is fine. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMEWsRENj6A[/youtube] Kishidan - I Love You. The subs in the video are in Spanish - more options here. This song is different from the others in that it deals specifically with relationships and the pain they can bring. Ultimately, you must power through the bad times and accept that love still exists. I love the great little things life can bring. It all adds up to something fantastic. We can't ignore or dismiss our problems, certainly, but we also can't take good things for granted. So, clear your head, lift your hands up to the air and say, "It's okay!!"

As a once-avid fan of Spongebob, and one curious about Spongebob’s overseas popularity, this amuses me to no end.

(Also, take this to be my “not dead” post! Many things happened since October. I may begin occasionally posting things that are simpler to write about, like Japanese video games or conventions. Not often, just sometimes — and always with a theme.)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytHUb9U6i7I[/youtube] As a once-avid fan of Spongebob, and one curious about Spongebob's overseas popularity, this amuses me to no end. (Also, take this to be my "not dead" post! Many things happened since October. I may begin occasionally posting things that are simpler to write about, like Japanese video games or conventions. Not often, just sometimes -- and always with a theme.)