watashi to tokyo

Fashion Royalty and Shokugan

Some asked "What do you wish someone had told you before you went to Japan (or, indeed, anywhere outside the United States) for the first time?". It's fun to read people's reply. First one was "How to operate a Japanese toilet." Actually I agree to say "operate". This is a video about a high-performing toilet from AFP NEWS. It measures and records your weight automatically and check your blood pressure etc,. Do I need this? No I don't. I love the cover opening function though.

Tokyo is still super hot, bad part is the price of vegetable or fish go up and up. five piece of green peppers cost about $2, spinach cost $3. And I read many many Yuru chara are damaged in each summer events in Japan. But this crazy heat attack no only Japan. LA Times reports new fashion in China. "China tries in vain to keep bellies buttoned up". Ha ha ha I know how you feel, but...

I love this site "The room of Doll and Shokugan". She use Fashion Royalty of Integlty Toy and show a various type of Shokugan series. One post picks one set of Shokugan like "American snacks set", grandma's tea time set, "kitchen tools set" in comedy sketch. All gimmick miniature are shokugan, not products for dolls. Here is the biggest shokugan site.　They have sweets, store, appliances, make up things, american series, it's hard to find that we can't have in Shokugan. It is perfect for doll house.

"hay baling fun"

the most craziest thing I have found today. "hay baling fun"
 

In summer time groins is itchy, itchy..

A Japanese commercial for itchy groins. They sing: "In summertime, groins are itchy, itchy..." orz

Kewpie has nice obento site,, it's not for charaben but they have nice cute bento decoration ideas. I think it might be good for party foods. This is a promotional site for "cooked egg sheet". They have a natural yellow one, an orange one made with carrot paste and a green one made with spinach paste. Obento for kids has changed because of charaben, it'd be tough to make one every morning.

Because of the long long recession, the food industry is struggling to survive. One way is by competition to keep the prices down. It is really easy to find 270 yen izakayas in big Tokyo neighborhoods like Ikebukuro or Shibuya now. Today I found a new type of cheap izakaya: the self service Izakaya. You order food through a machine and go to the counter yourself to pick up your order. The new system reduces labor costs by decreasing the number of employees, so they can charge less for food. They say that most menu items are 250 yen and beer is 250 yen too. I don't want to go self cooking one but I'd love to try this. Actually, foods look good!

How to learn Japanese in manga

Satoshi Kon. the director of Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika and the television series Paranoia Agent died. He was 46 years old, too young.

"My son is a meme?" One guy put his infant son's photo on the Internet, but the baby was either too cute and maybe he fit the general image of a foreign baby boy, so Japanese people started to use his photo as a template for self-deprecating humor or ironic jokes. It is called "Masani Gedoh" (exactly the foreign way). Usually the baby's words are ironic or typical of a foreigner saying something stupid or arrogant. The words on the left mean "a real outsider." Here is a generator, here are the results of an image search, here is the article on Uncyclopedia. I feel sorry for him and his dad. They are probably uncomfortable with this...

This is a great site: ""Japanese in anime and manga"." You can learn Japanese through manga or anime on the Internet. Onomatopoeia are often used in manga, but they hardly ever appear in dictionaries, so that site would be very useful for looking them up.

Anyways, I finished reading GANTZ!! It was great (though a little bit grotesque). Please check it out.

How to learn Japanese in manga

Satoshi Kon. the director of Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika and the television series Paranoia Agent died. He was 46 years old, too young.

"My son is a meme?". One guy put his pretty baby's photo on the Internet, he was too cute and maybe he was so general image of foreign baby boy for Japanese,so people started to use his photo as temprate to say some self-deprecating humor or irony. It is called "Masani Gedoh" (exactly foreign way). Usually baby's words are too ironic or typical foreigner saying or arrogant. The words on left means "exactly outsider". Here is generator, here are the result of image search, here is the article in uncyclopedia. I feel sorry to him and dad. They will be uncomfortable to this...

This is the great site "Japanese in anime and manga", you can learn Japanese in manga or Anime on the Internet. Onomatopoeia are used in manga but they are hardly in dictionary, so that the site will be so useful.

Anyway I finished to read GANTZ! It was great(a little bit grotesque though). Please check it out.

Sansuke, it's washmen

A bit of trivia about Japan: if you hear the The Beatles song "HELP" at Ito Yokado (the biggest supermarket in Japan), it's a message meant for staff: "we need help at the register on the food floor."

AXE made always crazy web sitesa good documentary about "SANSUKE"," which are washing men in public baths. Go to the SANSUKE part.

I read that a Finnish scientist created the most difficult Sudoku puzzle. It takes a few days to solve the puzzle. I will try. And speaking of Sudoku, some people solved the HOMES puzzle, we have 8 days until the deadline. On 2ch, there are a few message boards talking about this and people are struggling to solve it. Many people found that the answer to the Sudoku puzzle means 2727778, which means "apart" (what you get when you enter 2727778 on a cell phone keypad). A few days ago, the site gave us a third hint: it said just the meaning of "apart" and "reform." 11 people have solved it so far but is still plenty of opportunity to win those free apartments.

blind restaurant

A izakaya in Akasaka a "Guess what?" menu. People have to wear blindfolds and guess gyoza (Chinese dumplings) are filled with. If you can answer correctly at least three out of four times, you will get one free drink. The fillings are usually something you can guess easily like chocolate, cream cheese or banana, but they say it is really hard to tell with a blindfold on.

We have a similar game on the TV show of the comedy group DownTown (of ""don't laugh" or "24H Tag"). On that show, they try to guess what brand they're eating first from the same type of foods.

smoosy shampoo?!

Check this. I agree to most of them so that our impression to people won't so change in countries. My American friends said he see ugly male + beautiful female couple in Japan more than America. I am not sure it it true though.

I think this is a great toy "Bird of Rainbow". You can make your small rainbow by yourself. It's such simple idea, but we have never had before.

This summer is too hot! In Yokohama area, some barbers stared "ice shampoo". They mix menthol shampoo and ice and make them like smoosy. People like it cause cool and it give good hair skin massage. Hmm if I had short hair, I wanna try.

Japan Times has a blog (Wow I didn't know it). They wrote about from to Kyushu in Japan and of course deep Tokyo too. I will check this event listing. Wow! I can get there in 5 minutes! maybe I will try.

Basara

I didn't watch Inception yet, but I will! This article made me want to go watch it. I may find another trick on the movie!

One, two, three jump!

Ahhhhh I miss this exhibition! "Basara" at spiral hall. Hisashi Tenmeiya collects as curator some Japanese NOT mainstream, NOT Otaku culture, but having a spirit of rebelliousness and glamourous works. The exhibition had Hisashi Tenmeiya, Kuniyoshi, Takehiko Inoue, Tadanori Yokoo, Akira Yamaguchi, Deco track, and Japanese tatoo. etc,. All arts are my favorite!!

it's too hot

Here is the web camera of Abbey Road. I have been there before and act like THAT, of course.

Ha ha Cute. "Amazing Feats of Balance"

Everyday is too hot and I am still using AC during night, an official mascots of soccer team was down from the heat. Poor frog.

Summer is horror seacon in Japan. I read this is the scarest hornted manshon (obakeyashiki) in this summer. You have to off your shoes and enter a house. The ghosts will try to touch your feet.

Did I picked this before? He used iPad as dish for food. Use fittable dish for each foods. :-)

I wrote about Gojin Ishihara before on this Mario's topic. Here is his work archive.