Jon’s translation work is defining the future of Japanese literature around the world, and we are thrilled to be able to work with him.

For more information about the Shirley Jackson Awards: http://www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/

The post Congratulations Jonathan Lloyd-Davies, Recipient of the 2012 Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel appeared first on Bikoo.

Anyways, all around great news and a new frontier for us to explore.

The post iBooks Selling Japanese eBooks appeared first on Bikoo.

I think we’re much closer to something like this being a reality than it might appear.  There are only a few things holding it back, namely biodegradable, flexible LCD components.  Printable circuits already exist, so creating a basic CPU built into the packaging along with a tiny biodegradable capacitor to hold a charge long enough to power the animation seems like a small leap.  The design and packaging opportunities boggle the mind.  I’d love to be able to paint my wall with LCD’s and watch it come to life with animations.

The post Design Ah! Exhibit in Tokyo appeared first on Bikoo.

Japan has officially become the world leader in awesome real world products that exploit biometrics in freaky ways:

Time to setup a booth at the next local furry convention.

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For years Japanese developers (as mentioned in another blogpost, Naver, the company behind Line, is actually Korean, but the developers behind Line are in Japan) have been insulating themselves and creating apps that only appealed to Japan.   It’s great to see a group ditch the equivalent of cultural inside jokes and develop a real platform that’s attractive to a global audience.

Watch out Facebook.

Take a look at how much Line pours into advertising:

The post Facebook Flatlining in Japan appeared first on Bikoo.

They’re following the same path as Facebook as well, deliver a compelling product, make connecting with people easy, then add gaming to increase stickiness.

Bikoo called it first, Facebook will either buy Naver Line or lose to it.

The post Line – Japan’s Largest Social Network Attacks Gaming appeared first on Bikoo.

Who could deny my coolness if I’m walking down the street rocking a lollipop on my belt?  How many licks to the center of a tootsie pop?  ::Slaps the Owl::  It doesn’t matter, owl, it goes in my custom wooden lollipop belt holder.

Victory… Bikoo…

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Birth

The official record shows that Kukai’s mother became pregnant after dreaming of an old Indian sage entering into her womb.  He was born in the town of Zentsuji in 774 to an aristocratic family and the position of his family afforded him the comfort of a stable upbringing.

Kukai grew up during the Heian period during a period of renaissance in Japanese Buddhist thought.  As a young child, he was educated by his Uncle who was a Confucian scholar.  Of the three most prominent systems of thoughts during this period, Kukai was becoming well trained in two of them, Buddhism and Confucianism.  He would also go on to study Taoism.  Kukai’s first major work was a comprehensive comparison between the three systems.

Kukai’s Growth as a Philosopher

While Taoism and Cunfucianism can be said to be esoteric in the sense that they preach a system of behavior that leads to an improved relationship with reality, Buddhism in ancient Japan was an exoteric system, or a body of practice based on the study of philosophy.  While Taoism and Confucianism were similarly limited in the depth of their philosphy from a cosmic perspective, they at least provided a real path towards improved living.

Kukai became frustrated with Confucianism as a school of thought and dropped out of his university, retiring into the mountains for reflection.  During this period, he spent a great deal of time studying the myriad Buddhist sects and became convinced that hidden in the various branches was a path for him to achieve enlightenment.  In his early 30’s, he was officially sanctioned by the Japanese government and made his way to China to continue his studies.

The more romantic summary of his desire to go to China is summed up thusly:  Upon hearing a voice in his dreams that told him to search for an ancient scroll, he travelled to China and studied under Master Hui Guo of the Qinglong Monestary.  The Master, being near death, took an immediate liking to Kukai and made a concentrated effort to fill him with as much knowledge as he could: arranging for lessons from masters in Sanscrit, Chinese Poetry and Literature, as well as esoteric Buddhism.

In any event, the fact is that among thousands of disciples that had practiced with Hui Guo for decades, Hui Guo chose Kukai to follow him as the eigth patriarch of esoteric Buddhism.  Kukai’s studies in China went beyond Buddhism to include poetry, calligraphy, and many other art forms.

Return of the Grandmaster

Upon returning to Japan, Kukai would go on to write a number of vital works on the subjects of mind, body, matter, and enlightenment, firmly planting esoteric Buddhism, or Shingon Buddhism, as the principle body of philisophical thought in the country.  Exoteric Buddhism, or Nara Buddhism, preached that enlightenment was only possible through studying and completing a process that would occur over many lifetimes.  On the other hand, Kukai formed a body of thought that provided for the ability for anybody to achieve enlightenment with physical and mental practice in their current lifetime.

Beyond growing into an official role as the religious leader in Japan, he was also involved in the successful management of a number of important public works projects, including the restoration of reservoirs and the building of temples and schools.

As a historical figure, Kukai is granted all fashions of mysterious powers.  Upon his death, he was entombed at the monastery on Mt. Koya.  Some time after his death, it was discovered that his body had not decayed.  It is said that Kukai had entered into a state of eternal repose, enlightened and forever meditating.  A single monk at Mt. Koya is tasked with the job of caring for Kukai’s body, entering the tomb once a day to feed, cloth, bath and groom Kukai.

A few decades after his passing, Kukai was given the ceremonial title Kobo Daishi, or the Great Deacher Who Spread the Dharma.

The Psyche Diver Series, By Baku Yumemakura pits a crazed, demented group seeking immortality through hellish rituals–rape, incest, slaughtering young women and drinking their blood–against members of Kukai’s sect of Shingon Buddhism in a violent, lust filled battle.  The story begins with the kidnap of Kukai’s Shinbutsu, or mumified body, by the evil group.  They plan to enter into the mind of the eternally meditating Kobo Daishi to the secret of immortality.

The first volume of The Psyche Diver Series, By Baku Yumemakura, Demon Hunters:  Desires of the Flesh, is available now on the Kindle Bookstore.

Sources:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kukai/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kūkai

http://ww2.coastal.edu/rgreen/kukai.htm

The post 弘法大師 – Kukai – Kobo Daishi – The Grandmaster Who Propagated the Buddhist Teaching appeared first on Bikoo.

What in Japan’s Name is a Sacrosanct Barrier?

He sat in the center of a Sacrosanct Barrier, a circular area with a ten-meter radius.  Biku had evoked it himself, leaving strands of his hair at the four cardinal points around him: north, south, east and west, each exactly ten meters away from the center.  The hairs functioned as anchor points surrounding Biku in something like a spider web of psychic energy.  Biku would be alerted the moment someone crossed it.

When Biku sits enshrouded by darkness waiting for Hosuke Kumon.  He decides to erect a “Psychic Web” around him that allows him to detect the presence of intruders.  A Sacrosanct Barrier is, in a sense, an alarm system made of pure Psychic Energy.  When a person enters this web of energy, the delicate balance of the Sacrosanct Barrier is disrupted and they are immediately detected.

Why is it Important?

Sure, it’s 2013 and complex alarm systems are a dime a dozen, but can they detect Demons?  Most likely not.  How many times have people invested hundreds if not thousands of dollars to protect their loved ones against intruders that never manifest, only to find that their house is suddenly overrun with Demons?

Take your own risk.  It’s just your family’s prosperity and lives that are on the line.

What Do I Need?

• String
• A compass
• A ruler
• Scissors
• A step-by-step user guide (Provided for free by your friends at Bikoo)

Step 1:  Detect the Cardinal Points

Using your compass, make note of the four cardinal directions: East, West, North, and South.

The four Cardinal Points, represent the four Chinese creatures of the constellations:  the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the West, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise of the North.  These four beasts of the cosmos are incredibly powerful spiritual entities, so by linking their energy we will begin to design our web of Psychic Energy

Side note:  If anybody can draw us a picture of a Vermilion Bird, we will be forever in your debt.  (We’ll probably give you a free copy of Psyche Diver – Demon Hunters: Desires of the Flesh too…  If it’s an incredible work of art.)

Step 2:  Measure 10 Meters in Each of the Four Directions

Now that you’ve oriented yourself by finding East, West, North and South, it’s time to march out and measure 10 meters in each direction.

Why 10 meters?  For centuries, Japanese Onmyoji, psychic warriors that mastered the art of divination and magic, argued about this distance.  Too far and the psychic web is stretched thin, leaving large gaps and weakening the signal.  Too close and by the time you detect a demon, they’re already on top of you, doing all sorts of freaky things to your body and mind.

Make sure you walk straight for 10 meters in each direction.  Place a mark on the ground to remind you.

Step 3:  Create the Sacrosanct Locks of Hair

Don’t worry.  Creating sacrosanct locks of hair is not nearly as difficult as it seems.  In fact, it’s much easier than saying sacrosanct.

Using a pair of scissors, cut 5 bunches of your hair, maybe a half centimeter in diameter each.  Take some string and wrap it around each of the locks to create 5 distinct bundles.  The bundles can be styled any way you feel is appropriate.

The ancient mystic warriors of Japan had different feelings about how this was best approached.  Some felt taking the time to make each lock look fabulous was wasteful and better spent sitting in wait for the Demon’s arrival.  Yet some would go wild and create the most incredible half centimeter bundles of hair this side of the Shibuya.

Step 4:  Set the Anchor Points

Remember how we paced out and marked four locations at 10 meters to the East, West, North and South?  Those were the sacrosanct anchor points, and now we’re going to prime them.

Take four of the sacrosanct bundles from Step 4 and place them each at each of the anchor points.  Now that the first elements have been placed, you should begin to feel a web of the Psychic Barrier taking shape.  Your awareness of the realm within the barrier should heighten.

“Wait, what the heck was that??  Oh, never mind, a spider just scratched its butt 23 feet to the Northwest,” are some things you’ll say to yourself when you’ve begun to experience such an incredible sharpening of your senses.

Step 5:  Seal the Barrier, Close off the Demon’s Gate

Why couldn’t I sense him?  The answer was clear.  Ahh…  Biku nodded to himself.  The black figure was to his northeast.  The northeast led to the kimon, the gate of the devil.  It was the Sacrosanct Barrier’s only flaw.  Coming from the northeast there would be a corridor wide enough for a man with his arms spread to cross.  The shadowy figure had come directly through the devil’s gate.  In order to seal the corridor, Biku needed to place another anchor point, another lock of hair directly at the north-easternmost point of the barrier, in the direction of the devil’s gate, but he had neglected to do so.

The Kimon, or the Demon’s Gate, is one of the most feared points of weakness in any structure.  To the Northeast lies a dark swell of energy through which some of the most wicked and horrific demons have been known to cross.

The only way to seal this dark passage is to place another anchor point between the North and East points.  Take the 5th bundle of hair, walk between the two points, and gently place it.

Listen as the Demon Gate snaps shut.  You should hear the groaning of disappointed demons.  This usually sounds something like “…Aw man.”

Step 6:  Sit in the Center of the Sacrosanct Barrier

You’ve now managed to create an impenetrable Psychic Web.  The moment anything, living or dead, enters into this zone, the strings of the Web will vibrate in your mind, instantly alerting you to their presence.

Suggestions for things to do as you lie in wait:  knit a pair of gloves, peel potatoes for dinner, sip a half melted big gulp, really the possibilities here are endless.

Step 7:  Continue Learning to be a True Psyche Diver

Sure, you’ve mastered the craft of protecting yourself and your loved ones from the horrors of the Demon Realm, but there are more tricky ways for Demons to exploit you.  Learning is an endless discipline.

For more information, read The Psyche Diver Series – Volume 1 – Demon Hunters: Desires of the Flesh by Baku Yumemakura.  It’s chock full of intense sexuality and graphic violence, occasionally involving Demons.  Not only that, but it also happens to be a rip-roaring adventure through a modern day Japan stuffed to the max with sex-crazed monks, kung-fu fighting ninjas, and sexy, sexy ladies.

The Psyche Diver Series is available on Amazon.com and is free for all Amazon Prime customers!

The post How To Build A Demon Proof Alarm System – Psyche Diver appeared first on Bikoo.

For readers outside of Japan, it’s easy to think the series is pure fantasy–the work of a guy obsessed with sex and violence.  But the book is a virtual introductory course on the craziest elements of Japan’s past.  Time to countdown the top five crazy things that are really real:

5.  Tachikawa-Ryu – Enlightenment Through Sex

To be united as a man and woman is to be united with Buddha.

Who doesn’t love a threesome with the man himself?  In Psyche Diver, Biku is a heroic martial arts and Buddhist master, both incredibly beautiful and shockingly handsome, and also a practitioner of the ways of the Tachikawa school of Buddhism.  Tachikawa practitioners sought nirvana through sexual intercourse.  The ritual went something like:

1. Take a bath in a blessed hot spring.
2. Agree to the oaths (Don’t fight, be happy, help each other, blabbity Oprah blabble)
3. The man turns to the woman:  “I aspire to enter the womb realm”
4. The woman replies:  “I aspire to receive the diamond realm.”

No wonder Tachikawa-Ryu grew to be roughly the same size as vanilla Buddhism in ancient Japan.  Unfortunately, there were a few weird practices, like the act of mixing the man’s fluids with the woman’s and rubbing them on a block of gold for 7 years.  Weird, but I don’t think it justifies completely abandoning the religion.

I for one intend to bring it back.  I just tried #3 on my wife.  She slapped me in the diamond realm.

4.  Kapala – A Blood Filled Half Skull

Sure, it’s easy to read about a skull cut in half and made into a ritual bowl for blood sacrifices and think that it’s fantasy, but you’d be slapping Indian Tantric Buddhism in the face.  From Wikipedia:

The kapala is made in the form of a skull specially collected and prepared. It is elaborately anointed and consecrated before use.

And we all know Wikipedia doesn’t lie.

So the Kapala is real, but what about filling it with blood and pouring it over a bunch of sweaty bodies in the middle of an orgy?  Well, we can’t speak for the orgy part, so we’ll just believe in it like Santa Clause, but as for the blood ritual:

Traditionally it was filled with blood, flesh and other fluids and today these have been replaced by alcohol, tea and cakes made to resemble flesh. It is a reminder of the transient nature of existence.

Even more crazy, google that mofo and you’ll find a whole section on Alibaba dedicated to selling Kapala’s made from real human skulls.

3.  Fist Conditioning by Punching Stones

He would hammer his maimed fist into piles of stone, heedless as blood sprayed from the torn and blistered flesh. – Psyche Diver Volume 1, Demon Hunters:  Desires of the Flesh

It’s easy to assume there’s some extra salt thrown in there to make it sound more intense.  After all, who would be crazy enough to bash their fingers into stones until they sprayed blood, only to do it again as soon as they healed?

Well, it is crazy, to the extent that Fuminari was punching stones, but the idea of punching extremely tough things until your fingers bleed is a pretty normal concept in fight training.  Take for example, Makiwara, which translated means hard wood wrapped with thick, gnarly rope.

Other ways to strengthen your knuckles include: slapping a stone with the front and back side of your hand, doing pushups on your knuckles, and playing the wheelbarrow game with a friend, only you’re on the bottom and walking on your fists.

I’m skipping this one.  While I like to believe I use my fists for the common good, realistically that amounts to (a) Typing, and (b) Putting Banh Mi in my mouth.  Banh Mi is the new Torta.  Bikoo called it here first.

2.  Sokushinbutsu – The Art of Self Mummification

That’s right, Brendon Fraser’s excellent The Mummy was in fact notthe first time the idea of mummies was created.  Actually, mummification is a real thing and apparently the desire to make dead people look sort of like they were living has been a thing for a long time, and not just for Puerto Rican gang bangers.

The rest of the world was content to mummify the recently deceased.  But what’s good enough for the rest of the world is often just the starting point for Japan, and along with Shingon Buddhism, famous monk Kukai brought the ancient method of self-mummification to Japan in the 8th century.

The self-mummification process happens while the monk is still alive.  Hundreds have tried, but only 24 successful examples of Sokushinbutsu have ever been found.

The recipe:

For 1000 days, the monk would eat a special diet of nuts and seeds while working out like crazy to strip them of any body fat.

For the next 1000 days, the monk ate only tree bark and roots combined with a poisonous tea made from the sap of the Urishi tree, which is usually used to lacquer bowls.

The result is a body that is so poisoned and nasty that even maggots are too disgusted to eat it.

If the monk managed to survive 6 years of agonizing preparation, he would lock himself in a chamber, and enter the lotus position.  All he had was a tube for air and a bell to ring.  Each day, the monk would ring the bell to signal he was still alive.  When the bell stopped ringing, the air tube would be sealed and the monk would be locked in the airtight chamber for another 1000 days.

Upon opening the chamber, if the monk was found to be sitting in the lotus position and preserved, he would be hailed as having achieved nirvana and in a state of eternal meditation.

If his body had deteriorated, there would be an awkward silence, everybody would leave the room and his only friend monk that always believed in him and acted as a sort of father figure would pat his back and whisper into his ear, “You tried your best, and that’s all that matters.”

1.  Psyche Diver – The Actual Machine

This is where we get to brag about Baku Yumemakura.  You see, before there was the Matrix, before Paprika and Inception, before all the memes there was The Psyche Diver series.  The Psyche Diver series was released in 1984, some 15 years before The Matrix, introducing the concept of a device that would let someone enter into the mind of another.

The concept of telepathy has been around for centuries, but despite the migraines caused by people trying really hard to pull it off, it’s a matter of pure fantasy.  The concept of using a machine to map brain waves, create images, then sync two minds allowing one to experience the mental pictures of another, takes us from fantasy to Science Fiction.

Funny thing about Science Fiction is sometimes reality starts to find ways to make it non-fiction.

Of course, the negative Nancy in your mind is saying, that fuzzy little shape is a long ways from anything close to a Psyche Diver machine.  Thanks for the input Nancy.  The gigantic room sized vacuum tube computer from the 40’s was a whole shit ton away from creating computer tablets that fit in your hands, but bam, 50 years later you’re probably reading this on the same kind of tablets they used in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Is it around the corner?  No, but we’re a few quantum leaps from having this technology in the palms of our hands.  I, for one, am well prepared for this future world.  I’ve been trying to read people’s minds for decades, and I have the wrinkles from over-furrowing my brow to prove it.

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