Mari - diary

Roll up piano and the fastest chopstick.

I started learning how to play the piano when I was an elementary school girl, but I stopped learning because I hated the lessons :-P. Ahh you don't know how much I regret that decision now. So I am now thinking to start playing piano again by myself at home, MAYBE I can play at sonatine level still now. If not I will start from Beyer again. I was looking for good electronic keyboard and have found this one, Roll Up Piano!! You can take this keyboard anywhere and play it. I think this is really great. Very useful! Actually I heard this keyboard sells well.

And I have found other useless stuff too! Iriso Seimitsu is metal processing company which made parts for the F1 car engine. Actually they have such high level technique. For example they have Guinness record for domino. which has quite accurate balance and less deviation. It costs about 50, 000yen. oh oh.
Then this is the fastest chopstick in the world. Okay the fastest chopstick in the world. No good joke. nothing fun. who need such a sharp chopstick? *

The price of train AD

JR East Japan annoucnes the result of best train AD 2004 and we can see them in some Yamanote line train inside. This morning I could get "the result train". Here is the result, Grand prix winner was Mag lite Japan. Mag lite site show thier AD history more cleary. Actually it is good. However so far?

The seconde winner is KIRIN "8gatsu no KIRIN series" and JT "manner series". Well well I will say this year, every AD does not look so good for me.

Bye the say I have no idea, how many people will ride on Yamanote line, I treid to find the number, but I could not good one. At leaset I could suppose advertising on Yamanote line would be so much expensive!! Then I check the price (Japanese pdf).
Center AD : 2200 sheets of poster for 2day(weekday) costs 2,079,000yen and 3 days (weekend and Monday) costs 1,081,500yen.
Above Window : 800sheets of poster for 1 month costs 3,255,000yen. How do you thinkg? I am surprised because this is much cheaper than I supposed. How do you think? *

Ideal employer rankings in Japan

Today I read an aritcle. American students want to work at Micosoft most. Hmmm Ah So (indeed?). Then I checked how is "Ideal employer rankings in Japan". There will be some resarchs, I picked a online job information site for college studesnt.

This is the result of last year.
1. Sony
2. Toyota
3. JTB (Japan Travel bereau)
4. NTT Docomo
5. Dentsu
6. Fuji Television Network
7. Suntry
8. Shiseido
9. Honda
10. JAL
Except for NTT docomo, last 10 years this ranking has not changed a lot. Docomo could be popular because of imode service, it has started at 1999? I think. In best 50, there is McKinsey & Company and P&G as foreign company.

This is UK ranking. No1 is Goldman Sachs! Hmm Ah So (indeed) There are many foreign company like Bayer, Loreal, Deutsche Bank.

Regarding my job history, I worked in trading section in a big company after college. But soon I got bored, then I started to work as a assistant directore of docmentary TV program. It was fun, I was glad to see my name in end roll always. However I could not rest at all,( maybe I did not have off day over three months sometimes ) then I was stressed out then sick. :-( Now I am working at my forth employnee. Not world wide famous like my first one, but now I am enjoying. Salary is better than before. :-> . Dosnt matter where I work at. the point is what I can do. *

Japanese speech machine

Internet help us to learn Language. Actually I can not update my site everyday without online dictionary. Regarding J-E dictioanary, my American friend reccomands this . And I like this in Japanese online site.　Since junior high school, I have been learning English. But still it's very hard... Actually how many mistakes I made today here? ( need someone for proof reading. please!! ) However I suppose to learn Japanese will be harder? Grammer is unique, writeing and reading is complicated because we have three characters, Kanji(Chinese characters), Hiragana, Katakana, and we use alphabet too. For example, we have four way to write "I"

Chinece character :私
Hiragana : わたし
Katakana : ワタシ
Alphabet(Romanji) : watashi

Especially Chinese charactore has different sound in each combination and meanings. I will introduce simple online program , Japanese Speech Machine. Please copy and paste this sentense, you can know how to pronouce and talk. *

I love "Popee the performer".

Like I talked before, My favorite TV program is funny dumb show POPEE the Performer. Very surreal and cruel 3D short film. (only 5 minutes each). It comes on CATV every mid night. So even though I am late to get home because of job, (yes I work until 9 or 10 pm often) I run to home for Pepee time from the train station. :-D

Since this is too much surreal, it will be able to comes on only CATV ( not network ) and at mid night ( for no kids time) in Japan. I really want to introduce this on this my site and today finally I have found short "av file" of POPEE on internet. This seems promotion film of soundtrack. Since this is just digest clip, not so fun. But you may know how crazy they are.

You can buy on some internet online store, like this. You will join Popeemania club like me?
Caution! too dark. you have to like black jokes.

P.S. Japanese language students?! no need to worry if you don't understand the song. It is not Japanese. Crazy meanless words. ---Unjya raka Popee the crown donburiharakero? I can not understand!! *

Good Design Award 2004

Since today, Japan Good Design Award 2004 Presentation has started. The Copy of this events is "Something I have never seen, something I want to keep on wathcing". The result of 2004 is annouced on October 1st. Now you can see the result of 2003 here. Wow! winner was PRIUS! I did not know that.

I will introduce some which entry in this year.
Micro Oven.....Hmm cool, I want to change my ugry micro oven.
A cup .....Pretty, yes pretty.
Art Event...This is Vincent Gallo art event, entry to comminication design category.
Nail Clipper.....entry from Henkel.
Snow Stopper......As snow stopper, this will be sophisticated. maybe.

You may check all entries (JP) here. Please click 5 raibow color buttons. they will show them at random. *

Sapporo beer black label, great AD

Sapporo beer "Black label" have made some of the coolest TV commercials before. You can check their latest version on the Sapporo web site. The first one isn't very good (a guy has a mobile phone). The next one is better because of the delicious sound collections.

However these are very different to their old masterpeices that I wanted to show you all just how good they were. Today I have found them. These two ads got a commercial film award in 2000.

The first commercial is called "the battle" and has two guys (Japanese actors) having very serious battles on harmless games such as table tennis, BBQ, Karaoke, snowball fighting and godlfish scooping. Only this site has this precious advertisings. Do not miss them! I like the table tennis and karaoke battles!

The second advert is called "the fight". A famous professional baseball player (Furuta) is attacked by random men up to no good! But an ordinary man steps in to help Furuta and helps fight off the bad guys. Then the man drinks a can of beer after the advert. *

Superheated Steam Oven

Sharp release new product.
Electric Superheated Steam Oven featuring a newly developed Superheated Steam Generator that bathes food in a spray of superheated steam*1 to provide low-calorie cooking as well as removing fat and salt from foods. This will make Low-Calorie Cooking! Low-Salt Cooking! Low-Oxygen Cooking!
Great isn't it?!

My dad has a cholesterol problem, especially in his heart. So this spring he had a operation to enlarge his blood vessel. My mom cooks with less oil and salt for my dad now. So when I visit my parents home, I bring this type oil (JP) which work to reduce the level of cholesterol. However when this oven release! I will get this for them soon.

By the way My Dad does not eat much, he keps really nice shape, slim, had never had serious sickness, and most of all he loves walking! So why he had to have such operation?! He did not drink water when he was walking and also he did not drink tea or coffee at home too. Healthy walking may cause of your serious sickness wihtout water. ! Water is very important for body. *

Anthropomorphic gold fish, a very interesting Ukiyoe

Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream and Madonnawere stolen from an art museum in Norway on Sunday. I was surprised that the robbery was committed in broad daylight! Will these paintings be sold through the black-market channels? I am sure the people of museum will not be able to sleep until they get their paintings safetly back. They are hoping no harm or damage will happen to the paintings. Maybe.

By the way, I will introduce a pretty, little weird Ukiyoe today. Those are the works of Kuniyoshi Utagawa. It is a series called Kingyo Zukushi. The motif of Kingyo Zukushi paintings are anthropomorphic gold fish.
Susano no mikoto, Matoi, Sake no Zashiki, Niwaka Amenbou, Sarai Tonbi, Tamay Tamaya, Hyaku monogatari

You like them? You may get Kingyo Zukushi works at Museum shop of The National Museum, Tokyo. I have bags and letter set. : ) *

Azabu Jyuban and a small Taiyki Shop

A lot of foreign Embassies and Consulates are grouped in a certain small area called Azabu Jyuban in Tokyo. Before opening a new subway called the Nanboku line, it was an inconvenient area to visit. But now it is easy to visit and also close to Roppoingi Hills . This weekend the Azabu Jyuban area held a small local summer festival . This festival is very popular because the 30 embassies or so open their doors and present food stalls of their nations's food. I heard Argentina embassy had very delicious food. People have fun, eat and dance there. It is a very small summer festival and with an international feeling in a very relaxed setting.

By the way, we have fish-shaped Japanese sweets, called Taiyaki . Tai means red sea bream, Yaki means baking. In Azabu Jyuban there is a small and very famous delicious Takiyaki shop called Naniwaya. When I go to the area, I do not miss to enjoy their Taiyaki. Oyoge Taiyaki kun (=Swim! Taiyaki kun) is a song for children that was a very big hit long time ago. Actually the record label could build a new building because of Oyoge Taiyaki kun. Song is… Taiyaki is bored to be baked everyday, one day he decides to run way to the sea. He really enjoyed and loves the freedom, but finally he is hooked and has to be eaten. Ha ha. Poor Taiyaki kun. I have found English version of Ronnie Rucker. The song has its setting at Naniwaya in Azabu Jyuban. When you have a chance to visit Azabu, please enjoy Taiyaki of Naniwaya too. *