I get to Shibuya Station a little early to meet a friend, and suddenly I’m so hungry I think I’m going to die. Whipping inside the handy Tokyu store, I buy a miniature bag of chocolate cookies to wolf down before my friend arrives. Nom, nom, whew, ravenous feeling assuaged. Oh no, unanticipated pitfall! NowContinueContinue reading “The Scene Of The Crime”
Monthly Archives: June 2012
It’s Coffee Jello Season!
The first time I encountered little cubes of coffee jello in an ice cream parfait I thought ewww, weird! But then I became acquainted with Japanese summer weather, which sort of feels like being in a room where the shower has been running full blast on ‘maximum hot’ for an hour. A nice big dishContinueContinue reading “It’s Coffee Jello Season!”
Fruity Pizza
No your eyes do not deceive you: those are adorable – if un-pizza-like – miniature marshmallows joining the pineapple and kiwi goodness of this summer offering at the Shakey’s all-you-can-eat bar. Topped off with festive multicolored sprinkles, the “slightly acidic flavored sweetness” of this dessert pizza will definitely rustle your jimmies. •
Snacks With Tentacles
If you run out of Snacks With Eyes, break out the munchies that double as creepy things to sneak up on someone with the next time you’re watching Alien. Dried squid snacks are one of the most popular junk foods in Japan – I had a hard time choosing between the many varieties for sale atContinueContinue reading “Snacks With Tentacles”
The Ashlet
With a play on words that’s appreciated by everyone in Japan who has used Toto’s legendary Washlet toilet, behold the Ashlet! While sadly lacking an exhaust fan like the genuine Washlet, it does have a cigarette-extinguishing bidet function, and gives cigarette smokers a handy place to um, park their butts. Saw these at the Village Vanguard store inContinueContinue reading “The Ashlet”
Dubious “Foreign” Delicacy
I wonder why I’ve never encountered this avocado-chocolate combo at any Indonesian restaurant I’ve ever been to…? Hmm. Saw this today on the lunch menu at the “pan-Asian food” cafe in Inokashira Park. •
Pickle-flavored Pringles
Japanese consumers eat pickles by the gallon, but not THESE kind of pickles. Rating three splats on the Sour-O-Meter, Screamin’ Dill Pickle Pringles are the most mysterious flavor I’ve seen yet. I mean, last time I checked, sourness wasn’t the most prized attribute of potato chips. I can tell they’re not a locally developed product because theContinueContinue reading “Pickle-flavored Pringles”
Burger Pizza
What all-beef manhandler’s got lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions, all topped off with two kinds of cheese and a special sauce? Yes, it’s Burger Pizza! The all-you-can-eat lunch buffet at the Shakeys in Takadanobaba is featuring this fast food mash-up as their summer special. Pass the Ketchup Gun! •
Running Blind
Today in Yoyogi Park I saw a big group of runners warming up near the place where I regularly fall off the slackline. That’s not unusual – packs of them regularly lope through Tokyo, getting their exercise on. What was different about this group is that half of them couldn’t see, and some couldn’t hear.ContinueContinue reading “Running Blind”
Fanimals
So, okay, there’s not really any reason to make these fans look like smily animal faces, but I love that the designer did anyway! •
Tattoo Disguise
From this display at a trendy shop near Nakano Broadway, you’d think there was an epidemic of tennis elbow going around the yanqi-ish young men prone to wearing leopard fur accessories and clothing emblazoned with Our Lady of Rude Kustoms. In fact, this particular demographic tends to have something to hide, especially in summertime. Tattoos. DuringContinueContinue reading “Tattoo Disguise”
Only In Japan 