Mari - diary

Yahoooooo! Japan Wins!

My Gym is called Konami Sports Club. If you love games, you know that Konami is big game software maker of, for example, Bomberman etc. The corporate parent of the gym has gym each machines there and they have many functions. For example, my favorite stepping machine has a smart exercise moniter, a vertical trip game, a quiz game, a tv, etc. So, tonight I could watch the Asia Cup 2004 soccer match, Japan vs Jordan!! I love sports, especially soccer, one of my favorite sports. Any ways, it was a frustrating game to watch, not only for people of Jordan, 99% of the Chinese supported the Jordan team, and sometimes I felt the refereeing was unfair. I heard the Japan team received unreasonable treatment etc,. etc,. (you have to excuse me, in regards to sports, I am never calm). Jordan scored the first goal, but Japan added a goal to send the match into extra time. However after 30 minutes of the extra time the teams were still even at 1-1. Then fianlly, finally Japan won in PK!! La La La La La La. Thank you! thank you! thank you very much. Any ways, I was really exhausted after the match because I was stepping during the whole game; almost 2 and a half hours! Who could stop watching such game!

Kamaboko

The first time I went to London, I was really surprised to see very, very colorful gummy, nebulous red, blue, yellow and black foods!! I tried to eat one...hmm it was lethal weapon to me. :-p. I don't remember the taste well, because visually it was so intense for me. I had never experiented eating a rubber textured food with such artificial and vivid color, I thought. HOWEVER I was so wrong.

We have this type of food here in Japan too! Yes, I did forget this. It is steamed fish paste and called Kamaboko. The regular type's, like this are yummy and I love them. On celebratory occasions, this kind of Kamaboko appears. Oh so RED! COLORFUL!. In Japan porgy is a celebratory fish. But how red they are! But, I don't want to eat such Kamaboko. Any ways, Kamagoko is easy to design, like this; here is a Pikachu Kamaboko and a car Kamagoko and even　Kitty Kamaboko. You wanna try?

Rules of a 'group of five' hero

I watch CNN news at home and CBS news at work often. Right now, all topics seem to be about the Democratic Convention in the US. While I was eating my Obento, I was watching Edwards "Hopes on the way" speech.

The national elections in the U.S are really big events compared to elections in Japan. Take a look at this site a about a election in Japan. This looks like a poor local CM and we have information about the election of a Yamaguchi prefectural governor. They say go to the election on 8 August. "Senkyo ni Ikunger!!" Ahh sorry, what a poor CM. Generally speaking, the turnout at the polls for these election is so low in Japan. But this AD was made to get people interested! No chance, I really wonder if they are serious, just looks like a waste of tax payer's money.

Any ways, that poor CM is imitating the style of Goranger the 'group of five' hero. Goranger is the original TV series of SENTAI MONO (group hero's), Power Rangers in Space was a remake of Goranger. (I heard, they changed the setting to the U.S).

In Japan, the 'group of five' hero was popular, like Gacha-man (Battle of the Planets / G-force) and Goranger. Here is a few rules of the 'group of five' hero:
1. one of them should be a woman.
2. one of them should be overweight and I think I can plus.
3. the Fat one should come from the Kyushu area and talk in dialogue.
4. and the Fat one should like to eat curry.
Amino Sapli (sport drink), there is a fat guy and a girl. The rule is alive, still. In Goranger, Yellow(Kiranger) was that FAT type. There is many web sites and when you search, use the keyword 'Kiranger' at Google Japan. There is many sites that are "curry fan sites".

I know, I know, this sounds strange, but for Japanese, this is a sort of default setting for the 'group of five' hero. Look at this new CM of

Calpico, Calpis, Cow piss?

Coke is the representitive softdrink of the U.S, and we may say that CALPIS is the representitive softdrink of Japan? ( I may be exaggerating a little when I say the name). Any ways, it is a sort of lactic acid bacteria beverage with a 85 year history. When I was kid, this was popular as a summer gift, however soda's like Coke and PEPSI were becoming more popular. Currently, CALPIS is not so popular like before (at least as far as I know). After all, it is too sweet and full of high calories! I basically need to mix it with water to drink. Very troublesome! Now, they have reduced half the calories and have different tastes. There is Calpis water (already blended) of course. But hmm I am not interested. I have checked some new product and now you can find a green tea CALPIS, too! Ha, ha now we have another new green tea product.

Any ways, CALPIS is sold in the North America. But since CALPIS sounds like cow piss, they have changed the brand name to CALPICO. 　Cow piss!! Yes, I agree, you don't want to drink a soda with a name like that! How about POCARI SWEAT? Is it sold in other foreign countries? Of course, it is not sweat, it is a kind of sports drink. If Otsuka Seiyaku will sell this, will they need to change the name? Or, take a chance on the name POCARI SWEAT? Hai, "Body requests POCARI SWEAT!" nice ad copy they have.

Healing is a serious trend in Japan!

They say, recently, a very expensive massage and relaxation machine has become a big seller. Look at that! It has a massaging "hand" and will stretch your knee and leg automatically! Massage machines were popular about 30 to 40 years before, but at that time it was a sort of a symbol of being a little rich. This time around many people need this for relaxation for themselves. A stressed and overworked society makes people need to heal themselves.

Well, if I had more rooms in my apartment and could make a relaxation room, I think I would consider one. But I don't want to see this always in my living room or bed room! It is too big and most of all, at a glance, it looks like a "holding machine" or "a chair in dentist" ! I think using it would be heaven, but looking at it would be an offense to the eye. Don't you think so? Massage machines, traditionally, always have this problem of not looking nice, but working quite well... So I have to come to a conclusion, I should have a relaxation room.

I hate this more than anything in this world

I saw a clear, green caterpillar on the street this morning. I hate caterpillars more than anything else in this world. As a child, just one glance would make my heart beat so fast. So when I read my little brother’s insect picture book, I had memorized the images of caterpillars and larvae. I try not to look at those pages to hard, even if I open the pages by mistake. One day I stapled the pages together. This made my little brother so mad!! These animal picture book and the insect picture book were his favorite treasures.

Expanded polystyrene houses

When we mention domed houses, we refer to Dr. Buckminster Fuller's famous Domes! In Japan expanded polystyrene dome houses are selling now. They say this type of house is extremely durable, adiathermic and has good sound insulation . Easy to build with identical parts of 7 meter diameter and with 3 meter ceilings. They say the style would be good for unique house, music room, resort house, restaurant, etc,. What do you think? If you want to experience, there are resorts using this house style in Kyushu called Aso Farmland.

'Brown the rice'

My rice cooker arrived at my new apartment today, which I bough at a Yahoo auction for a very reasonable price. In Japan rice cookers have many functions now, they cook white rice, brown rice, rice with red beans, make rice gruel and sprouted brown rice. ( the heat settings are different for each type). The trend for rice cookers is to return to the old fireplace style. The rice which is cooked at a fireplace is delicious and apparently it is different from rice cooked on electric heat. Actually this type of pan is really popular now. But electric rice cookers are advanced now and brown the rice as a selection as the OKOGE MODE ( the rice brown mode). We love to eat Okoge. Actually we have Okoge cup noodle. This is browned rice and vegetable soup. Any ways, the high tech digital rice cooker makes old analogue Okoge. ha ha ha

Steamboy at Roppingi Hills

Steamboy is Katsuhiro Otomo's new movie. He is famous for the movie called AKIRA. Here is an English fan site.

Today I went to Roppingi Hills to see a media review of Steamboy Retro Future of London . Steamboy is the story of a boy in London in the 19th century. So, the exhibition introduces the invention of the stream train and also shows Steamboy in the background pictures: Amazing, exquisite miniature art of the 19th century London was displayed ( of course, I did not see it, though) .

The style is heavy, dark and a mixture of the new and the old showing the invention of the steam engine... It is hard to see the detail trailer in a small window on a PC!!. The movie will be released globally, so please check the detail with your own eyes. This realism which people create with thier imagination and skill is completely different from the realism of the 3D animation. I am very bored with 3D animation movie like NE*O! :-p

Any ways, when I went through the entrance check, a clerk asked me "what is this? show me" Well since I bought two Goya=bitter melon in my lunch time for my supper. At Roppingi Hills, a woman who show big two goya from the bag was me. :-[

The Sanrio Puroland theme park

Today I went to Sanrio Puroland ,on business, which is a small theme park. In Japan, schools are on summer holiday and so there were a lot of families at the park. Actually, I met a guy who said, that 10,000 people visit there on the weekend.

To be honest with you, Puroland has not been financially healthy for some time now. Not only was the theme park in trouble but other Sanrio products, after the first big sales boom started about 30 years ago. I did not think Sanro was popular anymore, but about 10 years ago or so, a popular singer (at that time) Tomomi Kahara declared she loved Hello Kitty and then Kitty products enjoyed another big boom in sales again. After that, Kitty became very popular in foreign countries. Finally, Puroland is quite healthy financially. Any ways, I went there as a client and they kindly gave me some puroland suveniors, but of course I gave them all to my Kitter Guy co-worker. Of course, he was so happy :-S