The fairy tale chapel in this subway ad has nothing to do with religion – it’s actually a new wedding hall outside of Yokohama! Traditionally, Japanese couples got married in a shrine with only immediate family in attendance, then threw a reception party afterwards at a restaurant or nice hotel. But recently, wedding halls andContinueContinue reading “Lights! Camera! Wedding!”
Monthly Archives: February 2013
Tea: Not Just For Toddlers Anymore
Baby tea comes in mugi-cha (barley tea) and hoji-cha (roasted decaf green tea) flavors. In Japan, you’re never too young to start drinking tea! Now even babies can take a break from the hard work of learning that the hand that just hit them in the face is actually attached to the end of theirContinueContinue reading “Tea: Not Just For Toddlers Anymore”
Shop ‘n Chill
So you get to the Ginza Mitsukoshi department store food hall bright and early to nab a coveted bunch of First Grapes Of The Season before they’re sold out, then you spot a nice piece of salmon for dinner. You buy it before remembering that you have to go to the dentist after doing yourContinueContinue reading “Shop ‘n Chill”
“Ocean’s 11”: All-New, All-Japanese And All-Female!
From left to right: Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Shaobo Qin, and Don Cheadle The Takurazuka stage production of the classic caper film naturally features the usual all-female cast, with lots of choice roles for the otokoyaku actresses who specialize in male roles! Taking a page from the training traditionsContinueContinue reading ““Ocean’s 11”: All-New, All-Japanese And All-Female!”
Magical Food At The Ninja Restaurant
I have to admit, until last week I’d never been to a restaurant where my waitress brought me an egg, set it on fire and turned it into a chicken. Apparently, when the waitress is a ninja, this is no big deal. A minor exertion, in fact, after conjuring up a drawbridge so we couldContinueContinue reading “Magical Food At The Ninja Restaurant”
A Japanese Garden That Makes Music
This garden is actually a musical instrument! All you have to do to play it is scoop up a dipper of water and pour it over the rocks. If you put your ear up to the end of the bamboo stick nearby, you can hear the water as it drips down into the buried cistern,ContinueContinue reading “A Japanese Garden That Makes Music”
Tevye-san!
If I were a rich-san, yooby dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby doo! Yes, it’s the all-Japanese production of Fiddler On The Roof! I’d like to meet the yenta who put this one together! It seriously challenges the productions of Mozart-san and AKB48 idols starring in Peter Pan for the Local Interpretation Award. •
Why Do Only Men Get Chocolate On Valentine’s Day?
This picture actually has nothing to do with the strange interpretation of Valentine’s Day in Japan, but doesn’t it look like there’s a big blue heart in the sky over the shrine next to my apartment? So, you know how in Japan, women don’t get any chocolate or roses or 600 carat diamond necklaces onContinueContinue reading “Why Do Only Men Get Chocolate On Valentine’s Day?”
Japanese Latte Art: Cuteness By The Cup
All kinds of art creates buzz, but not many deliver the added bonus of tasting like a fine arabica roast while they’re doing it. Baristas the world over compete for foam finesse, but few can rival Japan’s coffee artistes when it comes to sheer cuteness. These are all cups of coffee I was served atContinueContinue reading “Japanese Latte Art: Cuteness By The Cup”
Funeral For A Pin
In Japan, February 8th is the day that old and broken needles are laid to rest. Anyone whose work involves sewing stuff together gathers at Awashima Shrine in Asakusa for a requiem service to thank their old needles and pins for good and faithful service. During the harikuyo memorial service, seamstresses, tailors, shoemakers, and milliners approachContinueContinue reading “Funeral For A Pin”
Fish Bone Crackers
骨煎餅（ほねせんべい／hone senbei） Look! Look! They have fish bone crackers on the menu at this izakaya! I love fish bone crackers! What? Oh, haha, don’t you mean “fish bone” crackers? Uh, no. That would be fish bone “crackers.” Eww, does that mean what I think it means? Yeah, they’re made from real fish bones. Little fishieContinueContinue reading “Fish Bone Crackers”
What The Well-Dressed God Is Wearing This Season
As I walked through the grounds of Zojo-ji Temple after watching some obligatory bean-throwing at Setsubun, I couldn’t help but notice that several of the figures of o-Jizo-sama had been gifted with quite the fashionable winter outfits! But while these displays of Jizo fashion creativity made me smile, they made me kind of sad too.ContinueContinue reading “What The Well-Dressed God Is Wearing This Season”
Out, Troll, Out! Setsubun For The Modern Age
While everyone was congratulating themselves on demon possession being at an all time low…damn! The pesky oni sneaked out and rebranded themselves! But that doesn’t mean we have to just lie back and let ourselves get trolled! Setsubun is the perfect holiday for showing those rickrollers the door. Here’s how: Chances are, you have aContinueContinue reading “Out, Troll, Out! Setsubun For The Modern Age”
From Sixteen Nearly-Extinct Barley Seeds…
Only in Japan would a guy bent on coming up with a new brewskie start by requesting sixteen seeds of a nearly annihilated strain of barley from the Department of Agricultural History, then spend years cultivating his little two-foot-square patch of grain into a crop big enough to malt for production! After-work company drinking partiesContinueContinue reading “From Sixteen Nearly-Extinct Barley Seeds…”
Only In Japan 