Maid in Japan

Onsen

2009-10-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

We went to a beautiful onsen in Tochigi prefecture north of Tokyo called Kita Onsen. It had an amazing rotenburo (outside onsen) with a slide and inflatable rubber rings. Lots of fun!

Fly my pretties, fly

2009-10-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

This is apparently the most viewed youtube video in Japan:

New direction...

2009-10-04T20:22:00.000-07:00

Dear reader. You probably noticed I stopped posting on this site awhile ago. The reason being I got super busy with other work which includes writing a blog for Japan Times called Japan Pulse. I was thinking of quitting writing this blog but since then have realized that I've got a ton of material that I can't use on the JT blog that I'd like to post here instead. With this in mind, please enjoy this picture of a snoozing cat I took in Shimokitazawa this weekend.

Kirin and Suntory merge

2009-07-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

Kirin and Suntory, two of Japan's biggest beverage players are going to merge giving the companies a whopping 50 per cent share in the Japanese drinks market. Read more here.

Mad cycling skills

2009-07-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

The Japanese are tops when it comes to multi-tasking be it sleeping and standing on trains or texting and walking. Nowhere is this facility more advanced than when riding a bicycle, I have seen girls holding umbrellas and talking on their mobile phones while nonchalantly pedalling down the street. But nothing beats the casual insouciance of this gent who cruised down a busy road near my house completely engrossed in a book with a contented smile on his face.

'Manner' madness

2009-07-06T03:11:00.000-07:00

Train manner posters have reached newer even more dizzying heights of weird on board etiquette. This one instructs passengers not to show off their shopping while on a train. I've never been bothered by people doing this, quite the opposite, I'm nosey to find out what they bought.

Tilt shift calendar

2009-06-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

Check this link out to view's Uniqlo's amazing tilt shift videos which enhance the toy town quality of Japanese life.

Medicom Toy Exhibition

2009-06-13T03:16:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge Bearbrick fan which is why I'm totally gutted that I'm going to miss the Medicom Toy Exhibition at Parco from 20 June to 29 June. It's only 300 yen to get in, bargain.

Akira Uno at Parco

2009-06-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

I recently went to Parco's 1969 art exhibition and was really blown away by the design of Akira Uno, see above. His work really reminds me of Aubrey Beardsley but unfortunately I couldn't find more of it online. If you want to check it out the show ends 15 June.

Racist march Shibuya

2009-06-07T20:50:00.000-07:00

While enjoying a lovely meal outside with my friend yesterday in Shibuya this 'orrible bunch walked past destroying our peaceful Sunday with megaphones screaming out hysterical anti-Chinese messages. Their message was for "bad Chinese get out of Japan", specifically Chinese mafia. But we don't think they were too picky with who they wanted out of Japan. Many customers at the cafe were foreigners like me and one guy faced us screaming "foreigners get out of Japan" through his megaphone. Though this kind of thing is depressing I was heartened to see that there weren't many people in the demo (only about 70 or so) and passersby were ignoring them. We have the national front in the UK who are equally vile but usually anti-racist groups stage demos on the same day. However this often leads to violence so one wonders if the Japanese reaction of pretending they're not there isn't better after all.

Space management

2009-06-07T20:48:00.001-07:00

No parking space for your car? Just use your shop front like this business in Ningyocho, Nihonbashi.

Brazilian cup noodle add

2009-06-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

Find out more at Pink Tentacle.

Umbrella vending machine in Roppongi

2009-06-02T22:29:00.001-07:00

What a nifty idea and only 300 yen. Now we just have to find the fabled panty vending machine.

Haruhi season two

2009-05-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

Haruhi Suzumiya, possibly the best anime ever, is back unexpectedly for season two. Can't believe I forgot to post this before because I watched it on Sunday just after it came out. I won't give anything away but I will say it didn't dissapoint.

Fujitsu FLEPia: first colour ebook reader

2009-05-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

I'm gagging to get my hands on an ebook reader but don't think I'll be able to afford this latest snazzy product from Fujitsu. It costs 99,750yen but is the first ebook reader to boast a colour screen. It also has WiFi, 4Gb storage and supports Windows. It's soo lovely though and can be bought here.

'Don't treat us like cattle,' protest Japanese men

2009-05-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

A cell phone website called 'boy's ranch' has had Japanese men up in arms. Once women register men on the site, the chaps become livestock with ratings for wealth, looks and whether or not they are herbivorous (see previous post) or carnivorous. In this way female friends can check guys out. It's common in Japan for women to introduce male friends as prospective dating prospects to their female friends, so this service is a natural progression of a traditional practise.
Due to a huge amount of protest via email from beleaguered blokes, the service has shut down. Men clearly don't like being treated like pieces of meat, hopefully in future they'll keep this in mind when they sit about assessing women over a beer. Via Watashi to Tokyo.

Awesome time lapse video of Shijuku

2009-05-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

static : pulse from Samuel Cockedey on Vimeo.

Rubberduckzilla

2009-05-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

I found this silly add via 3Yen News apparently it's out in the UK.

Japanese sweet making

2009-05-11T03:39:00.000-07:00

This is Ms Matsuki and she very kindly demonstrated how to make sakura sweets for me the other day.

Robot senbe

2009-05-06T20:19:00.001-07:00

Been a bit lazy with posting of late due to Golden Week holidays. So here is some groovy robot senbe bought in Akihabara recently.

Loincloths make a comeback

2009-04-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

This via Reuters. An underwear making is calling this the latest in 'liberation for women' due to the light feel of this cotton garment that doesn't need elastic to stay in place. Personally I'm not sure whether a nappy of cotton bunched up around my privates would feel particularly liberating. Besides, we all know it's not elastic that oppresses Japanese women but the very conspicuous glass ceiling in the workplace.

SMAP in naked shame

2009-04-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, long-standing member of boy band SMAP, has been arrested for cavorting around a park in central Tokyo totally nude. For anyone who doesn't know, SMAP are huge in Japan, they've been famous forever and constantly appear on TV. Apparently as Kusanagi is now in custody, many TV shows are scrabbling to fill his slot.
When arrested Kusanagi called out "What's wrong with being naked?". What indeed. Personally I think this will blow over in six months or so. Anyone taking a train at night can see drunken businessmen behaving badly and for the most part they don't face serious repercussions. Plus the Japanese are not really that uptight about nudity. He'll apologise on TV, keep a low profile for awhile and then be accepted back no questions asked. The Japanese entertainment industry would implode without SMAP. From The Times.

Giant spider terrifies Yokohama

2009-04-19T19:48:00.000-07:00

French art group 'La Machine' have made a monster spider which patrolled the bay front at Yokohama yesterday. These French performance art groups are really amazing. Back in 2006 another group made a giant puppet elephant that marched through the streets of London. Check out the link. This story was via pink tentacle.

Poken the digi business card

2009-04-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

It's a pain writing down people's phone numbers or carrying around business cards that fill up your wallet. A new gizmo launched recently in Japan is the poken that is basically a USB stick that can communicate its own personal information by exchanging info with other USB sticks. Pocken merely touch hands to transfer social networking info. But will it catch on, to be worth carrying it around the thing really needs to become a craze. It costs about 2, 480yen on their online shop so it may yet infest the nations pockets. Poken comes in a number of cute designs and I am seriously tempted by the geisha pocken above. Via What Japan Thinks.

Stop motion wolf and pig movie

2009-04-13T06:47:00.000-07:00

This via Zitronic.