This kanji reads “ganbaru,” which is usually translated as “good luck” but which actually means “try hard.” This explains Japan better than any other example I can think of. We all groaned when the Japanese kanji teacher handed us this week’s schedule: on Friday, in addition to her weekly test on the 25 characters we were supposed toContinueContinue reading “Congratulations! Your Test Has Been Preponed!”
Monthly Archives: November 2011
Steaming Hot Orange Soda
For your wintertime beverage enjoyment, behold the Hot Orange. At first I figured the distributor was just getting rid of last summer’s overstock, but the packaging definitely says this vending machine offering is not only meant to be drunk steaming hot, it’ll deliver a dose of vitamin C to fend off those pesky winter colds.ContinueContinue reading “Steaming Hot Orange Soda”
Magic Mask
These three pictures are of the same Noh mask. It’s carved from wood and has no moving parts, yet just by tipping his head, the actor can change his character’s expression. Ignorant foreigner that I am, I have to admit that Noh drama is really hard to watch. The language is ancient and arcane, theContinueContinue reading “Magic Mask”
Yakitori in a Can
If you can’t be bothered to boil water and make your own Cup Noodles, this vending machine’s for you. On offer are curry udon (thick white noodles smothered in curry gravy), all manner of ramen (thin crinkly noodles in pork soup flavored with soy sauce or miso), zōsui (rice gruel with vegetables), chicken yakitori (grilledContinueContinue reading “Yakitori in a Can”
Nail Queen
I love Japanese TV. Sandwiched between a news story about protesters being pepper sprayed by police in a dangerous foreign country (America) and a piece on noodles topped with grilled intestines (horumon udon) was a story on the 2011 Tokyo Nail Expo’s Nail Queen. Nails are big here, and anything goes. It’s not unusual forContinueContinue reading “Nail Queen”
The Battle Against Unsightly Tans
Those cute little skirts on the handlebars of this lady’s bike aren’t the equivalent of doilies on armchairs – they’re to keep the sun off the rider’s hands while she bombs down the sidewalks of Tokyo. Even as fall slides into winter here, and long sleeves replace short ones, women are ever-vigilant against becoming <shudder>ContinueContinue reading “The Battle Against Unsightly Tans”
Your One-Stop Shop for Cold Drinks and Heart Defibrillation
I’ve seen AED stations all over Japan (and of course applaud the effort to get emergency equipment into the hands of bystanders so they can help someone having a heart attack) but hmm, this one made me think twice about buying that extra-caffeinated coffee drink… •
Elf/Dwarf Confusion
While we ‘re on the subject of Christmas in November, every year these sinister nodding dwarves appear outside the Meidi-ya supermarket in Hiroo. They’re definitely of the Snow-White-and-the-Seven variety rather than the elvenfolk who slave away helping Santa come across with the Christmas goodies. I learned today in my Japanese class that there’s a wordContinueContinue reading “Elf/Dwarf Confusion”
Colonel Santa
The day after Halloween, I knew it was a bad sign when I heard music in my local supermarket that sounded suspiciously like “The First Noel,” but when I spotted The Colonel duded up in his Santa suit today, Season Creep was confirmed. Without Thanksgiving as a sort of cultural moat between Halloween and Christmas, JapaneseContinueContinue reading “Colonel Santa”
Mini Kimonos
A 7-year-old in her first grown-up kimono and obi. Today was the official day of Shichi-Go-San, but for weeks families have been dressing their 7-year-old girls, 5-year-old boys, and 3-year-old girls in traditional finery and taking them to shrines to wish for long life and good health. No expense is spared. The 7-year-olds have beenContinueContinue reading “Mini Kimonos”
Zombie Sardines
This was the scene when I got off the train at Shibuya this morning. Japanese trains are legendary for the number of people packed into each car during commute hours, so you can imagine how quickly things get out of hand when there’s even a slight delay anywhere along the line. Late trains are such aContinueContinue reading “Zombie Sardines”
Doggy Dinner
While many dog owners here do cook meals for their pooches – dogs here enjoy lives that would be envied by many children – this nabe pot just looks like a cheerful shiba-ken. It’s really for making hotpot stews and cook-at-the-table meals like sukiyaki and shabu-shabu. Nabe pots are made of special hardened clay so they can beContinueContinue reading “Doggy Dinner”
Coffee, Tea, or a Shot of Hot Red Beans?
It’s the season when warm drinks reappear in vending machines all over Japan, offering morning jolts of coffee, black tea, cocoa, green tea and…red bean soup? Yes, it’s time for shiruko, that wintertime favorite made from crushed sweet red beans, thinned so it can be slurped from a can in an alleyway on the wayContinueContinue reading “Coffee, Tea, or a Shot of Hot Red Beans?”
No Seaweed, Extra Chili Peppers
In the battle for the hearts and minds of Japanese midnight noshers, Pizza Hut fights back with the Gorgeous Four, the Melting Camembert and the Super Korean Purokoki! This flyer landed in my mailbox yesterday, promising that with a single phone call, I could be dining on a pie topped with Korean BBQ beef andContinueContinue reading “No Seaweed, Extra Chili Peppers”
Next I Want To See The Bonsai Tulip
Yep, it’s a bonsai chrysanthemum. I saw this prize specimen at the Yasukuni Shrine last weekend. It’s the wickedly competitive chrysanthemum exhibiting season in Japan right now, and shrines all over Tokyo have erected little huts filled with obsessively nurtured flowers. Not only do the un-bonsaied varieties have to be perfectly symmetrical, with their bloomsContinueContinue reading “Next I Want To See The Bonsai Tulip”
Only In Japan 