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Kikujiro Ishii
is a 1999 Japanese road drama film written, directed and co-edited by Takeshi Kitano, who also stars in the film with Yusuke Sekiguchi. Its score was composed by Joe Hisaishi. The film was entered into the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. ''Kikujiro'' tells the story of a young boy searching for his mother during his summer vacation. The film is mostly divided into smaller chapters, listed as entries in the boy's summer vacation diary. Kitano's inspiration for the character (not the film) was his own father, Kikujiro Kitano, a gambler who struggled to feed his family and pay the rent. Similar to his earlier works '' Getting Any?'' and '' A Scene at the Sea'', Kitano references the yakuza only tangentially in ''Kikujiro'', a departure from his work in crime dramas such as '' Sonatine'' and '' Hana-bi''. Aimed at the whole family, the film was allegedly inspired by ''The Wizard of Oz'' with the basic premise being a road trip. Kitano's familiar elements and locales are present: drawings ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takeshi Kitano
, also known as in Japan, is a Japanese comedian, actor, and filmmaker. While he is known primarily as a comedian and TV host in his native Japan, he is better known abroad for his work as a filmmaker and actor as well as TV host. During his time as a student at Meiji University, he became a comedian at the strip theater France-za in Asakusa, Asakusa, Tokyo. In 1973, he formed a comedy duo called Two Beat with Kiyoshi Kaneko, who later became Beat Kiyoshi. Kitano adopted the stage name Beat Takeshi. Riding the wave of the comedy boom, he gained popularity with satirical and sharp-tongued black humor. In the 1980s, he appeared in TV shows such as ''Oretachi Hyōkin-zoku'' which recorded the highest viewership rating of 29.1%, and ''Takeshi's Castle'' which recorded 24.7%, becoming explosively popular on television. He gained recognition as an actor in director Nagisa Ōshima's film ''Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence'' (1983). In 1989, he made his directorial debut with the film V ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yakuza'' is gangster, meaning an individual involved in a Mafia-like criminal organization. The yakuza are known for their strict codes of conduct, their organized fiefdom nature, and several unconventional ritual practices such as '' yubitsume'', or amputation of the left little finger. Members are often portrayed as males with heavily tattooed bodies and wearing '' fundoshi'', sometimes with a kimono or, in more recent years, a Western-style "sharp" suit covering them. At their height, the yakuza maintained a large presence in the Japanese media, and they also operated internationally. In 1963, the number of yakuza members and quasi-members reached a peak of 184,100. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Housewife
A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include Parenting, caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; Sewing, making, buying and/or mending clothes for the family; Grocery shopping, buying, cooking, and Food preservation, storing food for the family; buying Good (economics), goods that the family needs for everyday life; partially or solely managing the family budget—and who is not employed outside the home (e.g., a ''career woman''). The male equivalent is the househusband. ''The Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' defines a housewife as a Marriage, married woman who is in charge of her household. The British ''Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary'' (1901) defines a housewife as "the mistress of a household; a female domestic manager [...]". In the Western world, stereotypical gender roles, particularly for women, were challenged by the femin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Juggler
Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object or many objects at the same time, most often using one or two hands but other body parts as well, like feet or head. Jugglers often refer to the objects they juggle as ''props''. The most common props are balls, clubs, or rings. Some jugglers use more dramatic objects such as knives, fire torches or chainsaws. The term ''juggling'' can also commonly refer to other prop-based manipulation skills, such as diabolo, plate spinning, devil sticks, poi, cigar boxes, contact juggling, hooping, yo-yo, hat manipulation and kick-ups. Etymology The words ''juggling'' and ''juggler'' derive from the Middle English ''jogelen'' ("to entertain by performing tricks"), which in turn is from the Old French '' jangler''. There is also the wikt:j ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hitchhike
Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Signaling methods Hitchhikers use a variety of signals to indicate they need a ride. Indicators can be physical gestures or displays including written signs. The physical gestures, e.g., hand signals, hitchhikers use differ around the world: *In some African countries, the hitchhiker's hand is held with the palm facing upwards. *In most of Europe, North America, South America and Australia, most hitchhikers stand with their back facing the direction of travel. The hitchhiker typically extends their arm towards the road with the thumb of the closed hand pointing upward or in the direction of vehicle travel. Legal status Hitchhiking is historically a common practice worldwide and hence there are very few places in the world where laws exist to res ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taxicab
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice. This differs from public transport where the pick-up and drop-off locations are decided by the service provider, not by the customers, although demand responsive transport and share taxis provide a hybrid bus/taxi mode. There are four distinct forms of taxicab, which can be identified by slightly differing terms in different countries: * Hackney carriages, also known as public hire, hailed or street taxis, licensed for hailing throughout communities * Private hire vehicles, also known as minicabs or private hire taxis, licensed for pre-booking only * Taxibuses, also come in many variations throughout the Developing country, developing countries as Share taxi#United States, jitneys or jeepney, operating on pre-set routes typified ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yakitori
is a Japanese type of skewered chicken. Its preparation involves attaching the meat to a skewer, typically made of steel, bamboo, or similar materials, after which it is grilled over a charcoal fire. During or after cooking, the meat is typically seasoned with sauce or salt. The term is sometimes used informally for (grilled and skewered foods) in general. Preparation As it is designed for convenience and portability, is typically cooked using step-by-step methods. Traditionally, it was accomplished using portable charcoal grills. That is the method most often employed by , however, restaurants may use stationary grills and, depending on the situation, higher quality charcoal. At home, appliances known as or are used. are small electrical appliances that use a heating element similar to that of a broiler or toaster to cook the food placed on top. To facilitate even cooking, the meat is cut into small, roughly uniform shapes and then skewered with ; after which t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Track Cycling
Track cycling is a Cycle sport, bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles. History Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it was held on velodromes similar to the ones used today. These velodromes consisted of two straights and slightly banked turns, though they varied more in length and material than the modern 250 m track. One appeal of indoor track racing was that spectators could be easily controlled, and hence an entrance fee could be charged, making track racing a lucrative sport. Early track races attracted crowds of up to 2,000 people. Indoor tracks also enabled year-round cycling for the first time. The main early centers for track racing in Britain were Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester and London. The most noticeable changes in over a century of track cycling have concerned the bikes themselves, engineered to be lighter and more ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toyohashi
is a Cities of Japan, city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 377,453 in 160,516 households and a population density of 1,400 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . By area, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefecture's second-largest city until March 31, 2005, when it was surpassed by the city of Toyota, Aichi, Toyota, which had merged with six peripheral municipalities. Geography Toyohashi is located in southeastern Aichi Prefecture, and is the capital of the informal "Higashi-Mikawa Region" of the prefecture. It is bordered by Shizuoka Prefecture to the east, and by Mikawa Bay and the headlands of the Atsumi Peninsula to the west. To the south is the Enshū Sea of the Pacific Ocean. The presence of the warm Kuroshio Current offshore gives the city a temperate climate. The stretching in adjacent city of Tahara to the west, Toyohashi, and the city of Hamamatsu to the east is a sea turtle nesting spot. Climate The city has a climate characterized ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most populous urban areas in the world. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes Tokyo and parts of six neighboring Prefectures of Japan, prefectures, is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with 41 million residents . Lying at the head of Tokyo Bay, Tokyo is part of the Kantō region, on the central coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island. It is Japan's economic center and the seat of the Government of Japan, Japanese government and the Emperor of Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government administers Tokyo's central Special wards of Tokyo, 23 special wards, which formerly made up Tokyo City; various commuter towns and suburbs in Western Tokyo, its western area; and two outlying island chains, the Tokyo Islands. Although most of the w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shitamachi
and are traditional names for two areas of Tokyo, Japan. Yamanote refers to the affluent, upper-class areas of Tokyo west of the Imperial Palace.Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version While citizens once considered it as consisting of Hongo, Kōjimachi, Koishikawa, Ushigome, Yotsuya, Akasaka, Aoyama and Azabu in the Bunkyō, Chiyoda, Shinjuku, and Minato wards, in popular conception, the area extended westwards to include the Nakano, Suginami, and Meguro wards after the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923. Shitamachi is the traditional name for the area of Tokyo including today the Adachi, Arakawa, Chiyoda (in part), Chūō, Edogawa, Katsushika, Kōtō, Sumida, and Taitō wards, the physically low part of the city along and east of the Sumida River, mostly consisted of commercial areas and chonin residential areas during the Edo period. The two regions have always been vaguely defined, as their identity was more based on culture and caste th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angel
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in various traditions like the Abrahamic religions. Other roles include protectors and guides for humans, such as guardian angels and servants of God. In Western belief-systems the term is often used to distinguish benevolent from malevolent intermediary beings. Emphasizing the distance between God and mankind, revelation-based belief-systems require angels to bridge the gap between the earthly and the transcendent realm. Angels play a lesser role in monistic belief-systems, since the gap is non-existent. However, angelic beings might be conceived as aid to achieve a proper relationship with the divine. Abrahamic religions describe angelic hierarchies, which vary by religion and sect. Some angels have specific names (such as Gabriel or Mich ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
