Check the phone number of family and friends:

Docomo: http://dengon.docomo.ne.jp/Einoticelist.cgi?es=0
AU: http://dengon.ezweb.ne.jp/E/service.do?p1=dmb221
Softbank: http://dengon.softbank.ne.jp/pc-e1.jsp

Google Response site: http://www.google.co.jp/intl/en/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

Emergency Messaging Service:

If stranded and you need to message someone, dial 171, then 1, then your own home phone number, then leave your message. To pick up a message, it’s 171, then 2, then your home phone number (the number you think the stranded person would have left).

Tsunami Information:

Tsunami Information: http://www.jma.go.jp/en/tsunami/

Shelter list and map:

http://www.timeout.jp/en/tokyo/feature/2530/Japan-earthquake-live-report

Google Mapping of those: http://maps.google.co.jp/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=ja&brcurrent=3,0x605d1b87f02e57e7:0x2e01618b22571b89,0&msa=0&msid=215507572864740295322.00049e31ae027259c4dda&z=12

Live Footage:

NHK official Ustream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-gtv
FujiTV: http://www.fujitv.co.jp/index.html
TBS Japanese live footage: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/tbstv
Alijazeera English live footage here: http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/

Ongoing Earthquake List:

Earthquake list (Yahoo Japan): http://typhoon.yahoo.co.jp/weather/jp/earthquake/
Earthquake list (US): http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Maps/10/140_35_eqs.php

• 生麦生米生卵（なまむぎなまごめなまたまご）
• 隣の客はよく柿食う客だ（となりのきゃくはよくかきくうきゃくだ）
• バスガス爆発（ばすがすばくはつ）
• 赤巻紙青巻紙黄巻紙（あかまきがみあおまきがみきまきがみ）
• 赤パジャマ青パジャマ黄パジャマ （あかぱじゃまあおぱじゃまきぱじゃま）
• 蛙ぴょこぴょこ三ぴょこぴょこ合わせてぴょこぴょこ六ぴょこぴょこ（かえるぴょこぴょこみぴょこぴょこあわせてぴょこぴょこむぴょこぴょこ）
• 武具馬具武具馬具三武具馬具合わせて武具馬具六武具馬具（ぶぐばぐぶぐばぐみぶぐばぐあわせてぶぐばくむぶぐばぐ）
• 李も桃も桃のうち 桃も李も桃のうち（すもももももももものうち もももすももももものうち）
• 啄木鳥傷付くキス好き好きだから（きつつききずつくきすすきずきだから）
• お綾や親にお謝りなさい（おあややおやにおあやまりなさい）
• 東京都特許許可局局長（とうきょうととっきょきょかきょくきょくちょう）

※ただし、現実には存在しない組織である。

• ブラジル人のミラクルビラ配り（ぶらじるじんのみらくるびらくばり）
• 隣の竹垣に竹立てかけたのは、竹立てたかったから竹立てかけた（となりのたけがきにたけたてかけたのは、たけたてたかったからたけたてかけた）
• 裏庭には二羽庭には二羽鶏がいる（うらにわにはにわにわにはにわにわとりがいる）
• 椰子の実を獅子が食い菱の実を狒狒が食う（やしのみをししがくいひしのみをひひがくう）
• 坊主が屏風に上手に坊主の絵を描いた（ぼうすがびょうぶにじょうずにぼうずのえをかいた）
• 抜きにくい釘、引き抜きにくい釘、釘抜きで抜く釘（ぬきにくいくぎ、ひきぬきにくいくぎ、くぎぬきでぬくくぎ）
• 猫が拝みゃがる、犬が拝みゃがる、馬が拝まぎゃる（ねこがおがみゃがる、いぬがおがみゃがる、うまがおがまぎゃる）
• 新人シャンソン歌手による、新春シャンソンショー（しんじんしゃんそんかしゅによる、しんしゅんしゃんそんしょー）
• 獅子汁、獅子鍋、獅子丼、獅子シチュー、以上獅子食試食審査員新案獅子食七種中の四種（ししじる、ししなべ、ししどんぶり、しししちゅー、いじょうしししょくししょくしんさいんしんあんしししょくしちしゅちゅうのししゅ）
• 鵜が鮎を追い合う（うがあゆをおいあう）

Anyway, I was able to find and understand a few, I am sure there are others:

AM=Atode Mata (後でまた) - see you later!

CB=Chou Bimyou (超微妙) - extremely subtle

IW=Imi Wakannai (意味分かんない) - incomprehensible meaning

JK=Joshi Kousei (女子高生) - high school girls

3M=Majide Mou Muri (マジでもう無理) - extremely impossible!

3H=Hentai.Hage.Haradeteru (変態・ハゲ・腹出てる) - perverted, bald, beer belly

3K=Kimoi.Kitanai.Kusai (きもい・汚い・臭い) - disgusting, dirty, smelly

MK5=Maji Kireru 5 byoumae (マジでキレる５秒前) - on the verge of going ballistic!

MM=Maji Mukatsuku (マジムカつく) - bloody angry

DTN=Darui Tsurai Nemui (だるい・つらい・眠い) - tired, hard, sleepy

FM= Futamata (二股) - having two lovers at the same time, two-timer

HD=Hanage Deteru (鼻毛出てる) - nostril hairs are protruding out!

Apparently these acronyms are popular amongst the youngsters, especially when they are sending sms messages over their mobile phones. So if  you want to appear younger you can use those with your Japanese acquaintances. Do you know more of those?

Addition by our friend JunJun!

Those abbreviated words are generally termed ‘KY語’.

DQN= DoKyun (ドキュン) - is one of the most recent words used by youngsters. A word of contempt indicating those mens who do not have high educational background or those companies which lack common sense.

7K＝NanaKei (ナナケー) - is also a recent word meaning the low popularity of japanese IT companies among young mens. 7K is derived from the new 3K (Kiken-Kitui-Kaerenai) adding four new word:
KisokuGaKibishi (規則が厳しい) - the office regulations are very hard
KiyukaGaTorenai (休暇がとれない) - no vacation, no time off
KesyouGaNoranai (化粧がのらない) - too tired to make-up well
KekkonDekinai (結婚できない) cannot mary

hoooo this is brilliant! 7K なんだ！ I like that one very much. I guess my company is only  3K for now

Only I was amazed there are also books about those KY語, like this one: KY語辞典.

「アルゴリズムたいそーう！アルゴリズムたいそーう！」

こっちむいてふたりでまえならえ～
あっちむいてふたりでまえならえ～

こっちむいてふたりでまえならえ～
あっちむいてふたりでまえならえ～

てをよこに～あらあぶない
あたまをさげればぶつかりません

てをよこに～あらあぶない
あたまをさげればだいじょうぶ

ぐるぐるぐるっ　ぐるぐるぐるっ　ぐ～るぐる
ぐるぐるぐるっ　ぐるぐるぐるっ　ぐ～るぐる

ぱっちん　ぱっちん　がしん　がしん
ぱっちん　ぱっちん　がしん　がしん
ぱっちん　ぱっちん　がしん　がしん
ぱっちん　ぱっちん　がしん　がしん

すってはくのがしんこきゅう
すってはくのがしんこきゅう～

「アルゴリズムたいそう終わりっ、アルゴリズムたいそう終わりっ」

A video link here.

ToMOTko is a nice flashcard maker with a great ability to import xml files and the author gives us a nice tool to convert from other format.

You can create your own flashcards, edit yours and exclude what you already know and edit your cards on the fly if needed.

You will find this piece of software is a nice ipk package that you can download from the sourceforge page .

Merci encore a Frederic Bergeron. (j'espere que ce n'est pas celui que je connais)

You may follow the update on this interesting discussioin thread on OESF.

ペラペラ is actually an adverb used to translate fluent. Speaking a language the ペラペラ way is rather good as you would imagine; unless modest flattery of Japanese people is involved it may just mean that you Japanese is ok and they can understand you.

This is something I wish had been available when I lived in Japan. The one-page format explains a concept and has examples in kanji and romaji. Too many beginning Japanese books don't include kanji, rendering them useless for practicing with Japanese coworkers who find it as difficult to read romanized Japanese as it is for me to read phonetically spelled English.

I am sure you now want me to divulge the mentioned link, so here it is as part of the daily yomiuri.

After a not so good Xacti C5 and C6, Sanyo comes back with an upraged Xacti CG6. More good features and better light sensitivity. I quote a few comments:

SDHCカードスロットを備�?��?�MPEG-4ムービーカメラ�?��?「Xacti C6�?�?�後継モデル�?��?�る。CCD�?�有効画素数約600万画素(�?画素数約637万画素)�?�1/2.5型�?�従�?��?��?��?��?��?��?外形寸法�?�C6�?�68×23× 108mm(幅×奥行�??×高�?�)�?�ら�?67.7×34.5×100.3mm�?��?�若干スリム�?��?��?短�??�?��?��?��?�る。

�?�止画撮影時�?��?�新�?��?��?感度ISO 1600�?�利用�?��??るよ�?��?��?��?��?�。�?��?��?動画�?��?�従�?��?�9画素混�?�技術をより強化�?�る�?��?��?��?暗所撮影能力�?��?�上。「ランプモード�?�?�設定�?�る�?��?��?��? フレームレート�?�30fps�?�ら15fps�?��?��?��?��?��?最低被写体照度約2ルクスを実�?�。「�?�?��??�??�?��?�程度�?�明る�?��?�も撮影�?��?��??る�?�?��?��?�。

�?��?��?iTunesを介�?��?��?Xacti�?�撮影�?��?�MPEG-4動画をiPod�?�転�?�?�能。Web-SHQ/HQ/S�?�解�?度�?��?��??�?��?��?��?�??れ以上�?� モード�?��?�iTunes�?�QVGA�?�変�?��?��?��?�ら�?生�?��??る。�?��?��?第6世代�?�iPod�?�640×480ドット�?�動画も�?生�?��??る�?��?三洋�?��?�「新 iPod�?��?CG6�?�撮影�?��?�640×480ドット�?�動画�?��?生�?��??る�?��?��?��?��?�?��?�動作検証�?�終�?�?��?��?��?��?��?�?��?��?��?�る。

Sanyo's site

Impress

We lived in the same city, I was trying to find places to learn Japanese with an very nice �?�爺�?�ん.

I am glad I changed my lesson's day this night. I usually don't communicate much with people around because eh I don't speak Japanese. But this night, 2 groups were conversing in Japanese. Mine and her's. She sounded like she was native, I still cannot imagine why she was taking classes. Oh well, my 先生　hooked us up by just introducing me to her. I have to thank him for that. Shy as usual I don't really say anything, but it happened that we were heading home by the same route, so as talkative as she is we chatted.

It was about 8pm when the lesson ended and then times flew and we had to part. I had being living for while in Japan, without friends to meet - I had friends but we would never meet because they became real salarymen - and it was the first time for me to actually met someone and talk with this person. So I had to do something, I could not just let her go without a contact info, remember I had to change my lesson date and I figured out that she had too so there would be no way to talk to her again. I probably had thought the sentence 1-2 minutes and it came out: 時間�?��?��?��?�ら�?コーヒー飲�?��?��?�ん�?�？

I am glad I used all the courage I had to say that - I know me and I am sure I would not have say anything. She said YES. So we were off for a coffee and chatted. Well she chatted and me trying to catch up. This taiwanese girl has been studying Japanese for while now and she is very fluent, and me I have never keep up my Japanese and I am still very bad. But she would do the discussion and I would follow and interact as much as I could. It was a good duo that ended up about 2-3 hours later with her giving me her meishi and me saying that I would when I'll start working - yeah it was before I start working for ロイター　and before going to 石巻.

And we would hang out together from time to time. Not as much as I wanted too, she obsiouly had more friends that I did and were way more busier than me. Oh well, coffee, dinner, seaquarium, attraction park, we were a good team... we would even try 居酒屋　together sometime.

Then you know, I had to leave Japan.

I met her today on msn, well she left a message while I was away yesterday - I most of the time forgot to logout my msn when going back home. And we chatted for about 3 hours in Japanese. She said she missed me and yeah I missed her too, honto
The more interesting in this story is that I didnot know she has a really good English - and Mandarin of course, but this I knew. And everytime we would meet, we would chat in Japanese, always.

To sum up: I think this is the way to go for future hand pc. Bring it with you and work and dock for full input performance use. Too bad it is Sony, they suck with their all proprietary everything.
Well I dont own this toy (yet), so I am just quoting a review and providing a link.

The good

So far, I’ve given just general impressions of the UX50, so let’s move on to look at the little things it does really well. Firstly, as a mobile email device it’s unparalleled here in Japan. (Remember, we don’t have any Treos or Blackberries.) Being able to log onto a public hotspot and reply in brief to messages from the office without having to resort to a laptop was a pleasure.

The dual webcams embedded in the front and back of the screen part of the case are most definite plus points and make videoconferencing a breeze. Sony has even preinstalled Skype and a Japanese videophone application. I’ll leave the typically junky startup PC clutter aside (that’s what msconfig is for, right?).

Perhaps tellingly, one of the outstanding features of the UX50 is its fast wake-up from standby. Check out the video below (sorry about the shakes; the aircon was pumpin’ in the office today) and you’ll see exactly what I mean — to get up and running from a cold start in around six seconds is both impressive and useful.

Source

I really wonder why those are not used in the west. Well only a little...here is what I have found on the net.

Anyway, there has been a little progress since I last looked. There's a sourceforge project that has released Java code that will decode QR codes. If anyone has the skills to package this up J2ME style for Symbian, you'd make me very happy. There's also plans (I think) to turn the code into other programming languages - again, if you're good at Java translating, then contribute. If you have a Japanese phone, you can download an appli and test it out.

I also found a really good QR code reader for the Mac - it's in Japanese, but isn't hard to figure out. I may try to produce an English interface file for it. Haven't found a good one for the PC yet.

Other things I have found:
A good set of QR code generator programs in all sorts of languages (plus how to encode it, in Japanese, natch).
An open source (standard 1d) UPN bar code reader for Symbian/S60.
Visual codes, a very nice research project, with real demos on S60 (and in Sourceforge). Uses their own encoding format, but nicely illustrates lots of uses for this.
Semacode continues to go from strength to strength. It's now implemented on bus stops in the US, and he's quietly released a server as well. It's a pity Simon doesn't like QR codes - I think they'd add something to the URLness of semacode.
Wikipedia page on QR codes.
Anothr good QR code generator (in English).
QRcodeblog is a weblog, where every entry is encoded in QR code. Also features QR code chocolate.
Colourcodes is a new rival to QR codes - however, with the need to be online (their server does the lookup from code to URL - a business model that fails), and the lack of carrier acceptance, it's unlikely to dent QR code's dominance in Japan.