Join Our Newsletter
  • Visit Our Store
  • Come Write for J-List!
J-List Blog
Visit J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
No Result
View All Result

The 70th anniversary of the sinking of the Yamato, plus kawaii voices in Japan.

Peter Payne by Peter Payne
10 years ago
in Your Friend in Japan

The 70th anniversary of the sinking of the Yamato, plus Japan's voice actresses

We’re entering a special time in WWII-related history, when the 70th anniversary of many iconic wartime events will be arriving regularly. April 1st marked the beginning of the Battle of Okinawa, a desperate conflict that saw 250,000 Allied combat troops invade Japan’s southernmost island territory in a battle that raged for 82 days and saw the deaths of 150,000 local civilians. Today is another solemn day here in Japan: the 70th anniversary of the sinking of the Battleship Yamato, the symbol of Japanese power during the war. The largest battleship ever constructed, Yamato carried the most massive guns ever fitted to a warship, although ironically she did little to forward Japan’s wartime cause, only firing her main guns once at an enemy target during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. On her last mission she was rushing towards Okinawa, intending to beach herself and become an unsinkable gun emplacement, but the Allies had broken Japan’s military codes and intercepted her, ending her with bombs and torpedoes. All wars are romanticized as they fade into history, and Yamato has found a truly unparalleled place in modern pop culture, first being rebuilt as the Space Battleship Yamato to travel to the Andromeda Galaxy to bring back a device to clean radiation from the earth, and more recently in the moe shipgirl game-and-anime Kantai Collection.

The Japanese are masters of influencing emotions using voice, and I’m often amazed at the eerie beauty of the voices that enter my ear here. If you watch anime in Japanese, of course, you know how talented Japan’s seiyu are, and their ability to bring a character to life that would otherwise be (literally) two-dimensional is one of the major attractions of the genre. But the strangely compelling beauty of Japanese voices isn’t limited to anime: you can find females trained to speak in a uniquely pleasing way in various professions, too, such as the bus guides who entertain passengers on long sightseeing trips, or “elevator girls,” women who stand in elevators and call out what products are located on each floor in lovely sing-song tones for shoppers. (This is quite a rare profession these days, though I hear they can still be found at the Takashimaya department store in Nihonbashi.) Another job that calls for an amazingly attractive-sounding female voices are ウグイス嬢 uguisu-jo or “nightingale girls,” the term for female announcers at baseball games who call out the names and stats of the players as they come to the plate. Their voices are so musical and perfect, there are fans who attend baseball games just so they can hear their favorite announcer’s voice.

Littlewitch Romanesque is coming to STEAM

The day is finally here: the launch of our first game on Steam. Littlewitch Romanesque is an amazing “bring-up game” in which you must teach two young witches-in-training how to use magic spells and go on quests, and win love and romance from the various colorful characters in the game. The title goes way beyond most visual novels with its high quality gameplay, which combines both strategy and amazing visuals. The game offers 30+ hours of gameplay, 300+ CGs by the dreamy art by Oyari Ashito, 79 quests to complete, and 20 endings to unlock, plus full support for Steam Trading Cards, Steam Cloud and more. We hope you’ll help make this great new release a success, and we’re having a 10% launch sale for the first week to help!

Tags: culturehistorysportsvisual novelswwii

More Posts Like This

I Raised That Boy
Your Friend in Japan

What Anime Raised You? J-List Customers of Culture Respond!

by Peter Payne
4 months ago

One reason I love social media like X, Bluesky, and Facebook is that I can post questions to my followers...

Isoroku Yamamoto From Zipang
Your Friend in Japan

Why Did I Watch a Film About Isoroku Yamamoto on Pearl Harbor Day?

by Peter Payne
2 years ago

I have a minor obsession with films released in the year of my birth, 1968. The other day, I was...

Western Tourist Who Paid To Take A Photo With Samurai Armor Blog

Meet the First Weeb in History, Complete With Samurai Armor

2 years ago
Vinland Saga Season 2

Vinland Saga Ends! Why Was This Anime ‘Peak Fiction’?

2 years ago
Bad Anime Translations

Why Do Fans Hate Bad Anime Translations So Much?

2 years ago
Vinland Saga Season 2

Seven Reasons to Watch Vinland Saga!

2 years ago
Next Post
Jlistfront Dele1e W

The history of whiskey in Japan, and a new Haruhi series?

Trending Today

Yandere Dark Elf Episode 1 Featured Image
Featured

Yandere Dark Elf, Episode 1 — Love Heavier than Chocolate Melons!

2 months ago
The Top 10 Jav Actresses Article
Your Friend in Japan

The Top 10 JAV Actresses to Browse During J-List’s Sale!

6 days ago
Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime Web Cover
News

Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime and Where to Watch Them

3 months ago
The Top 11 Anime Sex Scenes Blog
Your Friend in Japan

Happy Sex Day! Let’s Rank the 11 Most Surprising Ecchi Scenes in Anime

1 week ago
Haite Kudasai, Takamine San Episode 7 Featured Image
Featured

Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san, Episode 7 — Peeking Through the Thin Veil

5 days ago
Get the Newest Figures from J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
Re Ri Haruka Riri Photo Book
Photobooks

Haruka Riri’s New Photobook Is Here – Let’s See What’s Inside!

by Peter Payne
June 18, 2025

Single Girl Seeks Mate in The Gorilla God’s Go-To Girl

Haruka Riri’s New Photobook Is Here – Let’s See What’s Inside!

Modern Ecchi Anime — Where Kawaii and Perviness Collide

Bunny Girl Atago Cosplay by HaneAme

Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube Defends His Students from Evil

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Discord
  • YouTube

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.