You are listening to this week in Japan, the show that brings you the most trending news stories and cultural insights from Japan. This is Episode 26, and officially our six month anniversary. So I'd like to just take a moment to thank all of you lovely people at home for tuning into our show every week. And remember, if you have any comments or questions about the show, then please send us a message on Twitter at Ryu Tokyo news. Today is October 2, and we're coming to you live from
the Roppongi Tokyo. I'm your host, Julian Domanski. And joining me as always, is my co host and founder of Ryu Tokyo Yasuharu Matsuno.
Hey, guys, welcome back to our show. We had many big news stories in the past week that we can't cover all of them, unfortunately. But I thought that some of them are too big to ignore. For example, um, have you heard the Naoki Hanzawa?
Only recently, very recently
Yeah, so I would say that's probably the single most popular TV drama series in Japan in the past several to maybe even like up to 10 years.
Okay
and eventually ended last Sunday.
Oh, sad times for big fans, I guess.
I suppose. So. Yeah. And just briefly, the main character and Naoki is a renegade salaryman who fights with his, uh, you know, evil bosses, and other companies to, you know, to deliver results in business. you know, he's, he's ruthless.
Is that why it's so popular? Because it's like a renegade salary, man.
Exactly. Yeah.
He's like living the dream of many non Renegade salary.
100%. So, you know, he certainly doesn't sound like a typical salary, man.
I see, See,
he's basically a Superman, except that he doesn't use, you know, physical violence to resolve the issue
Super salary man. That's amazing.
I didn't watch the latest series. But it's estimated that more than 60 million people in Japan, watch the show.
Wow. That's like half the population.
Yeah. And also, this one is a bit sad to announce. But Yuko Takeuchi one of the most popular actresses in Japan, tragically passed away. And, you know, I just want to express my condolences to her and her family. Yeah, so let's move on to the main news of the week.
So in this episode, we're going to be discussing the following big news stories. NTT to buy NTT DoCoMo for 430 billion yen is the largest takeover bid in Japan's history. Japan plans to get rid of hankos paperwork and fax machines. A life-size Gundam robot in Yokohama will be activated on December 19, and a boy successfully infiltrates an elite High School for months
while being undetected. This week, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone also known as NTT, made an announcement that they will buy out NTT DoCoMo for 430 billion yen in the single biggest takeover bid in Japanese history. NTT will be taking Docomo private, allowing it to be free from shareholder pressure, and possibly more
flexible with its pricing. This move is expected to be related to the recent price war between companies that has been incited by Prime Minister Suga calling for a drop in phone costs. However NTT chief executive Jun Sawada made a point of saying that talks with Docomo began last April and the recent government pressure to lower prices has not been a factor. That being said competing company Rakuten recently unveiled a new 5g phone plan that is half the price of rival
companies. This Wednesday, Rakuten Inc, launched an unlimited 5g data plan for 2980 yen around $28 per month. Other companies prices including Docomos range from between 7500 and 8,500 yen. While the new phone plan is undeniably more affordable and attractive, there have been many rumors of unstable connection. In order to utilize the plan, a 5g compatible cell phone is required. And the service area is said to be limited to certain
areas like Tokyo. So yeah, the biggest buyout or I guess, even merger to some degree in Japanese history. as a businessman yourself Yasu what's your take on the situation?
Hmm. So I really think that, you know, things are happening really fast. We only discussed in the in the previous episode. Last week, that Suda made an announcement to kind of like pressure the phone companies to cut the mobile fees. Right.
That's it yeah.
Yeah. And even though the CEO of NTT, denied that it's not due to the pressure from the government, I think it's kind of obvious that you know, these are all connected
of course yeah,
and NTT was originally 100% owned and operated by the Japanese government. But it became a private company in 1985. So almost 35 years ago. But what's unique about this company entity is that even today, more than one third of the company is owned by the Ministry of Finance , So essentially the Japanese government
So obviously, like by the name, right, NTT Docomo, NTT, they're already connected, right? And NTT already owns like two thirds of NTT DoCoMo.
Right.
So what's what's been the major factor behind, you know, then wanting to buy the remaining shares and take it completely private?
That's a good question. And there are a few different theories about it to my take, is that in order to, you know, reflect the government's strategy in the in the most efficient way, by making it 100% a subsidiary, and when you think about it, this is a very strategic move. Because last week, when we discussed Suga's announcement to cut the mobile phone piece, I wasn't too sure. Like how he's going to do
it. Because it's not illegal to, you know, charge high prices for, you know, mobile phones for, you know, those companies, right, yeah, of course. So just giving you a pressure doesn't necessarily, like determines you to, you know, lower the price, right. Maybe by like 5% or, you know, something like that. Something negligible. Not to like anger the government. But to cut the cost, like 30% or 40%. Like that dramatically. You know, you need more than just a like mental like pressure.
Hmm. I mean, yeah it seems to be working. And, you know, like, almost every single person in the country pays for a phone, right? No one's gonna look at this news as a bad sign. You know, if it means we pay less money
Yeah complains? right? Unless you're working for Softbank. Or some other company
Yeah. But But you said, you know, just a couple of minutes ago, everything's connected. The way I was looking at, it was a slightly different angle, but it's the kind of the same kind of thing is like, you know, if Subaru saying drop the drop the fees by 40%. But he's saying that because people that are average, people think the prices are too high, right? And people complain about it. So he's thinking like, oh, in order to gain favor from the people who vote for me, I'm going to do
something for them. You know, it's, you know, it's just classic politics. Right? And th n that also brings in this i terruption of Rakuten mob
And 5g is originally expected to be more le, coming in, like a ridiculou ly low price. Because the 're thinking like, well, Suga s asking you guys to do it, bec use that's what the people wan . So we're just going to come in and give them like straight u , give people what they want. Right below price. expensive than 4g, of course. And 4g is offered that around 8000 yen per month. So everyone thought that it will be more
expensive than that. But now Rakuten is offering 5g plan at less than 3000 yen or just about 3000. Yeah. Which is really impressive.
And it's unlimited as well.
Oh, is it?
Yeah, that's the that's the big catch as well
Oh, yeah. it says Unlimited. That's crazy.
Yeah. So which is good. I mean, we talked about this last week. And you know, I told you, I recently upgraded my plan. But I doubled the price. And I'm paying like 6000 yen for like 20 gig, or 50 gig or I can't remember what I bought. But, you know, this is seriously making me consider switching to Rakuten. Because I actually recently bought a 5g phone as well, which I'm not currently utilizing. So yeah, I want to be able to, like I want to be able to use the speed that my phone
is capable of. So Yasu, would you know when this Rakuten services can start?
Yeah, so I was just checking online. And it seems like they've already started offering the 5g service in like big cities like Tokyo Osaka already.
Oh, okay
Yeah. surprising
because the announcement was yesterday or two days ago?
Well, it says that a Rakuten was originally planning to release the service in June, but because of the corona it's been like postponed
Oh, but they had it prepped already. Oh, okay.
And it says that they keep like expanding the the service area. And by March 2021 the 5g service should be available in all three vectors.
Oh, wow. Okay, well, that pretty much seals the deal.
Yeah. So I'm also curious, like, how fast and how stable the connection is.
I guess Only time will tell
and please let me know like how it's like after you start, you know, using the Rakuten 5g.
I'll give you a fully detailed report. Don't worry. Okay, so moving on to our next story of the week. Popular government official Taro Kono has taken up a new mission as the recently appointed Minister of administrative reform. The former defense minister announced last Friday that he will finally put an end to fax machines, excessive paperwork
and hankos in Japan. During a media conference, Kono told the press he feels that many administrative procedures don't really need to be printed out and faxed, and that it is simply because a hanko seal is required that these processes continue. Last weekend, he announced to his over 2 million Twitter followers that he will be setting up a hotline to take complaints regarding the inefficiencies of red tape in
the workplace. However, the hotline had to be temporarily shut down the next day, due to the thousands of messages he received. Some people in Japan strongly oppose getting rid of Hanko, and see them as an important part of Japanese culture. But Cano has stated that he recognizes their cultural importance, and only aims to take them out of official administrative procedures. Despite minister kono's resolve, he could have a
long road ahead. According to the information technology cooperative, more than 95% of businesses in Japan still use fax machines today. I don't even know what's more alarming about this story. So 95% of businesses still using fax machines, or the fact that a member of the Japanese government was willing to admit that something is outdated and needs to be changed. Just unprecedented
right? I mean, I think like 95% It's a bit like misleading Because u, You know, like, no, no business people in Japan use fax machines daily. I mean, at least the majority of them, but, um, I used to work for a Japanese company. And yes, I have to admit that I used the fax machine a few times. But it's not like an obsolete, like, fax machine, as you may imagine. But it's just a you know, big like a like printer machine like Made by like Canon or Xerox, which has a fax functionality.
So, you know, doesn't look odd. But you just need to like punch in the fax number, like phone number and send it to your client? Yeah, but just a few occasions in the past,
because they have them in the convenience stores. Right. So like the the more up to date ones. Because I think for like a lot of Westerners, you know, myself included, right? When you think about you know, you hear about Japan still using fax machines, we're thinking about the old style one, like the reel of paper with a little hole punch in the side, right? And you know, it comes out all that crappy quality like a receipt
and you can barely read it. But basically, it's just like, yeah, it's like a copy machine and it just sends a copy to another place.
Yeah.
So it's not that old fashioned, I guess in that regard. But it still is a bit out of date. And the fact that like, obviously, having digital copies of documents is helpful for so many reasons.
Exactly.
So probably one of the most important reasons to get rid of fax machines, I would say it's just a waste of paper. Not all documents need to be printed. But in Japan, as Kono has said himself, you do need to print them because you need to put the hanko seal on, right. And that's kind of the stem of the problem.
so um, you know, I'm renting a new space for our recording and filming like soon, right.
Yeah,
yeah. So there was one document or the contract that I need to use my hanko, you know, to stamp it. Uh, but what's ironic is that she sent me the document in PDF. Hmm, that's quite standard. Right. But in order for me to, you know, in order for me to stamp hanko, I need to print it out. And, you know, press the hanko. And how am I supposed to send the document? Then I have to like, scan it again. So I complained because I was
outside. I was in a rush. And I still, you know, needed to like, print out the document for the hanko. Basically, So I just called the guy and hey, um, can I just skip the hanko part? you know, it's 2020. Yeah, you know, everything is like, starting to be like digitized. And like, you know, can I just skip it? And, yeah, to my surprise, he said, That's okay.
Oh, nice.
Yeah. So I just feel that the document on my laptop and just sent sent back the digital file. Oh, nice. That's useful. Well, that's great. I mean, like I said right at the start the other angle of this story is that the Japanese government is not known for being you know, forward thinking or flexible can we say, for things that are very traditional, right? hanko being a very traditional part of
Japanese culture, right? But he's, he's recognizing that they're just causing an unnecessary delay problem, especially in a world where everything moves so fast. And, you know, we're just talking about 5g, you know, phone signals. And but we still have to like manually stamp paper. It's like two steps forward three steps back kind of thing. Yeah that's like 1g
Yeah 1g stamping. Yeah. So anyone that doesn't know what hanko is, it's basically just like a little wooden stamp that you carry around with you. It's got your personal seal written on it, usually the kanji for your name. And yet, compared to like the western style of signing something with a pen, by Japanese people will have to basically carry the Hanko around and stamp it onto official documents. To make sure it's kind of you know, official.
What does your Hanko look like? Because you don't have kanji for your name Do you?
No it's just Domanski In katakana.
Oh, wow. That many words? Because in my case, right? It's matsuno so matsuno is just only two Kanji characters. But you have how many like six?
Six. do ma n su ki. And then the extender. so six in total? Yeah.
Interesting. So you have to, like, make a special order for it?
No I just went to Don Quixote. The magical Wonderland store that has everything.
And they had Domanski stamp?
Yeah, yeah, for sure well not- No, they didn't have Domanski They have a machine that makes it. Oh, have you ever seen it? It's really cool.
no
So I don't know. Like, I think the machine is made for people who just want to get a stamp quickly. Right. So because you can do kanji on there. So it's not just for like, foreign names. But I think it's mainly geared towards like tourists, you know, and people who wanna maybe, because hanko is like a cool thing you can get as like a souvenir. Sure, you know, it's kind of a novelty,
right? So you go in, you go to the machine, the first thing it asks you is like, what style because they like plastic and different types of acrylics and stuff? What size like the thickness. And that obviously makes it a bit more expensive or whatever. I think the next question is like, do you have a kanji name or katakana name? So you can actually just just ask you straight up, like, basically, do you have a
Japanese name or foreign one? so you choose katakana, you punch in the name, I think the max is eight characters, and then use like a laser, like cuts the print onto the end of the stick. And then it just comes out the machine.
How much does it cost?
It was really cheap. It was like 1000, 1200 yen
Hmm. That's not bad.
You know, for you know, custom.
Yeah. Custom one,
you know? Yeah. Which is totally fine. You know, and it's not something you need to buy often, right? I bought that. And, you know, I just bought the cheapest acrylic one, but you can get more fancy ones or, you know, if you go to proper Hanko shop, you can get really fancy ones right at the end of the stick. And yeah then it just comes out the machine. How much does it cost? It was really cheap. It was like 1000, 1200 yen
Hmm. That's not bad.
You know, for you know, custom.
Yeah. Custom one,
you know, yeah. Which is totally fine. You know, and it's not something you need to buy often, right? I bought that. And, you know, I just bought the cheapest acrylic chair under Yeah, but you can get more fancy ones or, you know, if you go to a proper Hanko shop, you can get really fancy ones. So yeah, this is obviously a welcome change for
everybody. Right. Hopefully, it doesn't diminish the, you know, the cultural side of the hanko., but I think almost everybody can agree that it's just unnecessary most of the time. You know, like you figured out yourself this week, you know, out in a rush and stage and just sending you a PDF of a document is printed off and stamped and scanned back in. It's just a hassle, right? So yeah, the sooner we make this
change, the better. Okay, moving on to some entertainment news next, Gundam fans will soon be seeing a dream come true. Last week, footage leaked of the Gundam factory Yokohama special project, an 18 metre tall moving Gundam robot. The video showed the giant robot moving about as it took a knee walked forward and pointed up towards the sky.
The project has been underway for several years and was initially going to be opened this October, but due to the Coronavirus it is now being revealed to be opening on December 19. Gundam lab Yokohama will not only feature the lifesize Gundam behemoth, but also a two story exhibition center that will allow visitors to learn about the building of the giant robot and stock up on every kind of Gundam merchandise. There will also be unique merchandise only available at Gundam factory
Yokohama. Furthermore, SoftBank will feature Gundam pilot view 5g experience, which will put people right in the virtual cockpit of the 80 meter tall moving Gundam. This unique site will only be available for a limited time. The Gundam is currently only planned to stay in Yokohama until March 31 of 2022. After that time, it could be moved again or even closed down. So you've seen the video of this Yasu.
I did.
It's just incredible. As someone who's not even remotely a Gundam fan, just massive robots are just badass. It's undeniable.
Yeah, the video has been like circulating online this week. I mean, it's everywhere. Whether you're a Gundam fan or like I'm kind of going viral. I knew that this life size Gundam was completed earlier this year. But because of the Corona, we didn't know when It becomes available to the public. But yeah, finally, you know.
Yeah, like so many things this year, there was always stuff planned to happen, like in the summer of this year, because of the Olympics. Right? The Olympics was like the, the central pillar of like, Japan's economy this year. And so many people were planning events based around that, right? Because they were going to try and capitalize on all the tourists coming in. Sure. And yeah, like I say, I'm not a big fan of Gundam. But I've got a
lot of friends who are. And I know, it's very popular in the West, you know, just big battle robots, basically. It's a very popular genre. So it's cool to see. And so the the model of this Gundam is the same kind of design as the one that's you know in Odaiba. The big Gundam statue.
Yeah, it was quite some while ago. They now have a new Gundam model called Unicorn Gundam in Odaiba.
Oh, they changed it.
Yeah.
Oh, I didn't know.
I don't like how many years ago but the very original Gundam in Odaiba. I mean, became available almost 10 years ago. And then they removed it. Maybe a few years later, and build a new Unicorn Gundam that still exists today. Have you
I don't think so. I've only been to Odaiba seen that one? like two times, but I didn't really notice it because I remember which of Odaiba I went to. I went to that like, like digital art museum. But it's not right next to that is it. I didn't see it. Yeah,
yeah. It's located right in front of the shopping mall called diversity.
Oh okay. Becuase you said you went to daiba with your kids last week.
Yeah. And I've seen the Gundam a few times. Yeah. unicorn one.
Yeah so How big is it compared to the- this robot is 18 meters tall?
I think that one was also about like, 20 meters tall.
Oh, so yeah, pretty big.
Yeah, it looks really cool. it really looks like the the Anime like robot comes to life, you know? But that one doesn't really move around. Its arms and legs. You know, bend the knees and anything?This new one in Yokohama. It moves. You've seen it, too.
Yeah, of course. One of the most impressive things about is just the engineering
It even like, you know, moves the fingers.
Yeah, like individual digits. Yeah, it can like curl it has knuckles, right, that make like hand gestures?
Yeah.
It's really, it's pretty crazy. I mean, I heard, I heard one of the biggest challenges I had with designing the robot was just basically in like the feet and the knees, designing gears that would hold the weight of everything above it, because it's just pure metal, right? It's just so heavy. And so he's actually kind of attached at the back of on his spine. It's connected to a rail, because it looks like it's in one of those, like, you know, like a launch
pad of like a rocket. It's like a frame that holds it right. Just connected to something that looks a bit similar to that. So it can it can move around within those kind of constraints, but it can't actually walk off, you know, it cannot walk off into Tokyo. And so yeah, that rail, I think is holding up most of the weight, but it is still like
stepping on the floor. So the gears and stuff have to be you know, they have to design the gears in a specific way that, you know, they're strong structurally As well as being flexible so they can bend so
Right. That's also the impression I got from the movie. And you know about the guy who shot the videos or the builds of the Gundam?
No
the most famous guy is called yokan. And he's been filming this lifestyle Gundam for the last 11 years. Since the the original like Gundam statue came into Odaiba. He's been like visiting the construction sites quite often. And he shares the videos of the basically the process of the construction. So, you know, up until this Gundam in Yokohama, there's been like three Gundam. You know, The first one in Odaiba, second Unicorn Gundam and this, you know, life size of
a moving one in Yokohama. And he, You know, what's funny is that he took the interview from some some large media, I don't know which one. I think he was also interviewed by CNN. And he said that he felt that it is his duty to document all the processes of construction. And the official release of the Gundam is like seeing his child becoming an adult. And he even cried when you know when it was completed.
Oh, but he's like not like the creator of Gundam right?
Oh, no, he's Like some random guy taking pictures, videos.
So it's a bit weird.
But yeah, he was like, you know, I feel responsible, you know, for documenting all the construction process,
you know, like, I feel like when people do this kind of thing, like it's cool, right? For the interest of like preservation of information, that's totally fine. But like, you know, an engineering project of this scale, they have very detailed specific plans of like, every single square millimeter of that robot. So he doesn't need to document anything. It's all there, like three terabytes of data and models and stuff.
And like, he's almost taking the glory away from the people who actually design that thing.
Yeah, in a way
they're all walled off, you know, because it's not open, right? So they're walled off in their little construction site the're building away you know, they're doing on their tests. And he's just like some random guy in the park next door. Just filming a fence.
Yeah, that's a that's actually good point. Because the company who's in charge of this Gundam owns and operates the Gundam is prohibiting any people from videotaping or you know, taking pictures. Until I mean, before the completion.
That's it yeah. But yeah, this guy ended up on CNN getting all the glory.
And yeah, he's, he's, it's almost like, you know, leaving comments as a father of random does it Yeah. Maybe. Oh, I designed this Gundam. You know, I wrote the I created the original like anime of Gundam. You know
that's kind of my impression of it. So I don't want to discouraging like super fans out there. You're if you're into a franchise then and you just love that franchise. And that's cool, right? But I think this guy might be taking it one step too far. Okay, so now it's time for our final story and random news of the week. Last week, a boy who had been successfully infiltrating an elite Tokyo High School for
months was caught. The incident occurred at Kaisei Senior High School, an institution with the highest record of graduates entering into the competitive University of Tokyo. The imposter has been banned from the school grounds, and the original student he was pretending to be has been expelled. The original student was confirmed to be present for both the high school entrance exams as well as orientation that was held in February. However, from March classes went
online. When school reopened on June 29, a different boy showed up instead of going by the student's alias. finals were held in July and the school went on summer break, all while failing to notice the imposter.
However, the gig came to an end, when Kaisei high failed to receive a cumulative guidance report from the students former Middle School, which is typically sent out in April, when the middle school was contacted, It came to light that the report had been sent to a different High School, and one staff confronted the fake student whose identity was
revealed. So you know, this story is kind of it's almost on the level of the one we had a few weeks ago with the guy who stole the bike and rode all the way from Kyushu to Tokyo. It's one of those things is like, borderline a crime, you know, very questionable, but in a way, I kind of admire it.
Yeah, I mean, this is really unheard of, you know, a part of this the reason why the took so long for the high school to notice the impersonation is I think it's because the classes were held online. And I think if it wasn't for Corona, maybe something like this could never happen. Well, what I find odd about this, this boy is that he wasn't really trying to be stealthy, so to say, but he was wearing like a, you know, all the earrings and had a conspicuous like hair perm.
a two-block Cut. Troublemaker
Yeah, true. Like, it's quite eccentric. That's, you know, Japanese high school students show. So some people doubt whether, you know, he was really trying to impersonate the boy who actually passed the exam. Um, you know, like, it's so hard to say like, what he was really trying to do.
Yeah, like, what is the aim here? Like, it seems a bit weird because at the end of the day, he's taken the person's name, right. So even if he got all the way through school, he aced the exams, he got, like, you know, top points, perfect grades, and then the certificate at the end of the day doesn't have his name on it. So like, you have to just keep being this other person for the rest of his life and what happened to the other person. Does anyone know like
so allegedly that the other person could be his like brother. They could be like a sibling, but because they're boys right teenage boys are not all the information is disclosed, but allegedly a parent of some other student. Yeah, kind of like leaked the the information to the media. Yeah. And according to her, this boy has been trying to interrupt the progress of the class. But yeah, it's for what?
Yeah. So like, even though he's like undercover, you just kind of making a name for himself as a troublemaker. So yeah, I'm sure a lot of you probably heard of University of Tokyo. But apparently this case, a senior high school produces some of the highest ranking students at the University. Right?
Yeah. So um, I have some good friends that are from Kaisei. And, you know, basically, it's always considered one of the three top of high schools for boys in Japan. Yeah.
Are you sure that you know who they really are? Yasu. See your friends?
When you asked me, yeah, I need to double check, maybe. But yeah, they are really smart kids. You know, some people say that it's harder to get into Kaisei then, like, getting accepted by Tokyo University later on. Because when you take the entrance exams for these high schools, or Kaisei has Middle School too, you know, you're still at the age of like, 12 or if it's for
high school. 15. Right. So one of my good friend who graduated from our Kaisei, he started going to a cram school from the age of like, seven or eight
wow that's Intense
really intense, right? Yeah. But well, he's he's super smart. Yeah. So he works in the finance, like real estate industry now. And he had to get the license, you know, certain license related to real estate business in Japan. And he went to a bookstore, to, you know, study for the license. And he found the book, oh, like how to get this license in like, one month. And he used that textbook, and got the license in two weeks. So he was like, oh, maybe I can write the book. You know,
he then should sue the company and was like, No, I did it in two weeks. This book is a lie.
It didn't take one month for me. Yeah. But yeah, they are really like, good at how to say, memorization, I guess. Especially. And yeah, some of them are like, super creative. So you know, when I saw this news, I just, you know, I mean, we were just discussing, this is like incomprehensible to us. And we don't understand why they even like, do these. And, and most people in Japan are, you know, showing the same reaction?
But at the same time, like certain people that are considered like geniuses, you know, like such as, like Steve Jobs, or Elon Musk. They have some, like, really bizarre, or, you know, atypical like personality. Yeah. And it's hard to tell what they're, you know, really thinking or you know, what's inside their brain? So I think even for this one, we may never know. it doesn't add up. It's definitely a mystery. And I think it's going to remain a mystery for, you know, for the
foreseeable future. And I think that that's why it makes a great random news of the week.
Certainly. Okay, so that wraps it up for all the news stories, this episode. Now let's jump into the final segment of the show. Word of the Week.
So this week, I'm going to introduce you another wasei eigo or Japanese English phrase that's very often used amongst people that play video games. but, it's so often used that most non gamers would understand it. Yeah. So the Word of the Week is rasu bosu.
Rasu bosu. I never heard that. But I can pretty much guess what it means. last boss.
Yeah
like the final boss.
yeah, you got it.
I played too many games Yasu
right right. Yeah, I had a feeling that you could you know, get this one right because you know, you play often too
but there's no like hidden meaning to it. Because that one seems too obvious.
Yeah. Oh, but before I talk about that, like do you know a variation of it called a chu bosu,
I guess chu like middle Yeah, exactly, like middle level.
oh wow, your guess is so accurate when it comes to like games, right?
Yeah that tends to be true.
Yeah, so chu bosu and rasu bosu
Yes, actually, for anyone that does play games, you probably refer to chu boss like a mini boss. So the best thing example I can think of that is like Zelda. You know, you get up every Zelda game as dungeons. And there's like, you get to the end of the dungeon. There's always the main boss, but halfway through, there's always a mini boss. Yeah, so we call it mini boss, you usually you kill the mini boss. And then you get the item that you need to defeat the big boss or the main boss.
Yeah, so um, I saw a video, YouTube video while ago when an athlete was trying to jump over a vaulting horse. You know what that is?
Yeah, like in gymnastics, right?
Yeah. Like a tall like, has a stack of boxes?
Yeah, like a wooden crate, basically.
And for a professional athlete, the height of it can go over like two meters. two meter, like 2.2 meters or two or three meters or something? And the guy was saying, Oh, this this one is the rasu bosu for him. yeah. Yeah. So it's not only use in the game context, but also in the sports or even in business. You know, if you are dealing with a really complicated project, and you enter the the final stage of the project. But at the same time, you know, that's where things are most challenging and
complicated. then you can call it. This is our Rasu bosu.
So it makes a lot of sense. You know, I think, I think I've used that kind of same phrase in English before, you know, like, more like jokingly like, Alright, come on, guys, final boss, you know, or like, you know, final level or something like that, last level, referring to a game, where it's like, you know, obviously, last level and then like new Mario or something like that. It's always the most challenging, like
platform. And you got to beat The beat bowser or whatever, and get like, fireballs flying at you. And there's just everything's trying to kill you at the same time.
Right. But yeah, for those who don't play games, maybe another example is, do you watch Star Wars?
Yeah
so the Emperor Palpatine. I would say he's the real like, rasu bosu
so yeah, so maybe Vader is like chu bosu
like middle class boss. Initially, you think Vader is a rasu bosu, right?
Yeah, true. Yeah. But yeah. Interesting. Yeah. I don't know if I'll find ways to use that. In the future. I don't usually find myself in many challenging situations, but
but maybe when you're editing videos, and and where you need to utilize some like special, you know, challenging effects then maybe you call it chu bosu or rasu bosu.
Yeah, that's true. You know, you load all those effects in like, premiere pros crashing and like Windows Update. I don't have enough Ram. It's it's just all everything's going wrong.
Yeah. It's even challenging for hardware. Right?
That's it. Yeah. For the for the hardware. It's, rasu bosu. Okay, so that's all for this week in Japan. Whichever platform you're listening to us on, make sure that you're subscribed for a new episode every single week.
Thanks for listening, everyone. We're also releasing new videos every week on our YouTube channel. So search for Ryu Tokyo and find us there.
Okay, everyone, so stay healthy, stay safe. And if you've got any challenging projects at work this week, I hope you'll be able to defeat your rasu bosu so be sure to check back next week. The very next episode of this week in Japan.