Commuter Oasis
Shinagawa is one of the busiest train stations in Tokyo, but right in the middle of it is this odd little alcove. At first I thought it was some sort … Continue Reading Commuter Oasis
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
This is the handout I got today at my Japanese school. Once a week we’re subjected to Business Japanese. Recently we had to write an essay on “What Is Your … Continue Reading What’s Wrong With This Picture?
Pancakes: Not Just For Breakfast Anymore
Unless you live in Japan, you may not have experienced a Croque Monsieur made with…pancakes. Yes, here in Tokyo, pancakes are regularly repurposed as sandwich fixings and dessert. At the … Continue Reading Pancakes: Not Just For Breakfast Anymore
All-You-Can-Eat Rockabilly
I pass this “#1 Shabu-Shabu” joint on the way to school every morning. Not sure what connection the buff dude with the Elvis ‘do has with all-you-can-eat hotpot, but for … Continue Reading All-You-Can-Eat Rockabilly
Zombie Sardines
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 … Continue 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 … Continue Reading Doggy Dinner
Giant Rubber Bugs
Surely you know someone who would want a two-foot tall, anatomically correct, rubber cockroach staring at them while they watch TV? Apparently, the buyer at Tokyu Hands believes that not … Continue Reading Giant Rubber Bugs
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 … Continue 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 … Continue Reading No Seaweed, Extra Chili Peppers
Head Shrinking, Japanese Style
I saw this poster in the window of a esthé salon in Shin Okubo, advertising a facial treatment that supposedly delivers that holy grail of Japanese pulchritude, the “small face.” … Continue Reading Head Shrinking, Japanese Style
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 … Continue Reading Next I Want To See The Bonsai Tulip
The Edible Hello Kitty
I’ve seen Hello Kitty’s face on everything from officially licensed Tokyo buses to obviously unlicensed machine guns, but this is the first time I’ve seen Kitty-chan rendered in…rice. This bento … Continue Reading The Edible Hello Kitty
Philosopher X Tagger
This is one of the most beautiful stylings of kanji I’ve ever seen. I discovered this little plastic-bagged note taped to a girder in a back alley in Shibuya, amid … Continue Reading Philosopher X Tagger
Harroween
Please excuse the wretched low-res phonesnap, but I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures at a typical Halloween bar party in Shibuya. Japanese costume favorites were well represented: boys dressed … Continue Reading Harroween
Nuke Your Own Potato Chips!
If you’re anything like me, you weren’t aware of a burning desire on the part of the Japanese populace to buy a device that makes potato chips in a microwave. … Continue Reading Nuke Your Own Potato Chips!
Rockabilly Daruma
If you had a burning desire for Elvis to be alive and running a ramen shop near Yoyogi Park – conveniently located, of course, for the leather-jacketed, ducktailed rockabilly dancers’ … Continue Reading Rockabilly Daruma
Mango Burger
I’m sorry, but some things are just wrong. Nothing against mangos or burgers, but I think there’s a reason this seasonal offering at Freshness Burger is the first of its … Continue Reading Mango Burger
Obscure Stuffies
Japanese toy makers can usually rise to the challenge of making a cute stuffed animal out of even the most unappealing lifeforms – witness Capybara-san, a surprisingly popular character even … Continue Reading Obscure Stuffies
Zaku Zaku Technique Explained
My local coffee shop just started offering “Mille Fueille” and when I sat down to eat mine, I discovered they’d helpfully provided a little instruction sheet on how to tackle … Continue Reading Zaku Zaku Technique Explained
Happy Death Anniversary
I love the idea of death anniversaries. In Japan, people don’t forget all about you after you die. One year after, they throw a party. Family and friends are invited, … Continue Reading Happy Death Anniversary
No Rescuing Allowed
This is the first time I’ve seen a Japanese subway poster advising people NOT to follow their noblest instincts. Usually the general public is being admonished to silence their cell … Continue Reading No Rescuing Allowed
Speedboat Sushi
Conveyor belt sushi joints are a fast food fixture in Japan, but I’d never been to one that delivered the special orders on a red speedboat before. This place near my … Continue Reading Speedboat Sushi
Elvis is Alive and Performing in Yoyogi Park
It was a beautiful autumn afternoon yesterday in Yoyogi Park, and the rockabilly clubs were out in force. These guys gather around boom boxes near the Harajuku Station entrance, occasionally … Continue Reading Elvis is Alive and Performing in Yoyogi Park
The Ur-Vending Machine
I was walking along a little back street in Tama when I came across the great grand-daddy of vending machines: this little neighborhood vegetable hutch. People leave their backyard surplus … Continue Reading The Ur-Vending Machine
Mozart-san
Yep, it’s the profusely be-wigged, all-Japanese production of Amadeus. • Jonelle Patrick is the author of four novels set in Tokyo…
Dessert Pizza from Hell
Yes, those ARE marshmallows joining the pumpkin and red bean paste topping, drizzled with black sesame sauce. I’m sure you’re craving an extra large. • Read a novel set in Tokyo…
The Vinegar Cafe
Vinegar is not my favorite thing. Not even close. So I was kind of lukewarm on the idea of going to a café where the house specialty was drinks based … Continue Reading The Vinegar Cafe
King Of Tattoo
People from all over the world flew in to be worked on by the international artists at the King of Tattoo three-day inkfest in Daikanyama yesterday. I don’t have any … Continue Reading King Of Tattoo
More Alike Than You Might Think
This week my friend Tomoko and I searched out a tiny vintage kimono shop in Shimo-kitazawa that was featured in Yamato Kimono-hime, the magazine from which I scanned the fabulously styled photo on the left. That article made … Continue Reading More Alike Than You Might Think
RIP Goth-Lolita Sewing Circle
The 7-story Yuzawaya in Kichijōji used to have a huge section devoted to Goth-Lolita sewing patterns, decidedly morbid cotton prints, and spooky trims. Now, sadly, it’s reduced to a few … Continue Reading RIP Goth-Lolita Sewing Circle
Extra Cheese, Hold The Mayo
Domino’s Japan is not for the pizza purist, but how could starving otakus survive without Mayo-Jaga: potatoes, pancetta, corn, onion and tomato sauce topped with liberal squeezes of mayonnaise, all served up on … Continue Reading Extra Cheese, Hold The Mayo
Eat A Peach
That’s the name of the tiny bar in Shimo-kitazawa where we ended up last night after listening to Brazilian jazz at Apollo, a slightly larger drinkery where you sip your beer … Continue Reading Eat A Peach
Not Your Mom’s PB&J
No, that’s not a peanut butter sandwich that was abandoned in the fridge last winter behind the eggplant pickles and the half dozen half-empty packets of various kinds of miso. … Continue Reading Not Your Mom’s PB&J
Elvis is Alive and Living as a Bonsai Tree in Ōmiya
Yesterday I was out at Bonsai Village with my friend Robb (who runs the great website bento.com) and I got to puzzling over the explosion of “no picture taking” signs … Continue Reading Elvis is Alive and Living as a Bonsai Tree in Ōmiya
Midnight Mess
Saturday night I went to the monthly Goth party at Club Marz and met up with famed author/journalist/TV host La Carmina, who was filming a segment for NHK Tokyo Kawaii … Continue Reading Midnight Mess
Whale Bacon
The friend I went to Tsukiji with this week told me that when she was growing up in Kyushu, the only kind of bacon they ever had at home was … Continue Reading Whale Bacon
Typhoon Squeegee Guy
This intrepid subway worker’s job was to deal with the rain that suddenly smashed down ankle-deep on the Nakameguro Station platform during Wednesday’s typhoon. If you’ve ever been caught in … Continue Reading Typhoon Squeegee Guy
Giddyup, Kabutomushi
From the wear and tear on this piece of playground equipment, I’d say that lots of stag beetle grubs have been lassoed and branded by local 3-year-old cowboys. • Read … Continue Reading Giddyup, Kabutomushi
Would You Like A Giant Bug With Your Coffee?
I know, I know, they put it in the window because the cicada is the quintessential symbol of Japanese summer, but even prettying it up with pinkness and flowers does not … Continue Reading Would You Like A Giant Bug With Your Coffee?
Love’s Eternal Flame
Okay, actually it’s eleven waiters bearing blazing baked Alaskas into the banquet hall at the excellent wedding I went to yesterday. At all the Japanese weddings I’ve been to, the … Continue Reading Love’s Eternal Flame
Pikachu, Wedding Crasher
Today I went to the most excellent Japanese wedding ever. In addition to the usual Japanese wedding reception elements – the announcements to get out the video cameras because a … Continue Reading Pikachu, Wedding Crasher
Little Red Riding Colonel
In Akihabara, apparently even Colonel Sanders is into cosplay. This is a somewhat homemade-crafty-looking attempt to draw attention to KFC’s current apple pie promotion. Must check my other favorite life-sized … Continue Reading Little Red Riding Colonel
Bagels You Won’t Find In New York
Yes, this month’s special flavor at the Excelsior Cafe chain is the Mugwort and Red Bean Bagel. You gotta problem wid dat? • Read a novel set in Tokyo…
My Other Cigarette is a Prius
And this cigarette is a “hybrid” because… It doesn’t give off air-polluting smoke, it actually repairs the ozone layer, cigarette by cigarette? Or maybe the more you smoke them, the better … Continue Reading My Other Cigarette is a Prius
How to Carry a Basketball on the Subway
Yeah, those are dedicated basketball carrying bags. And they’re not so twee as you think. In a country where hardly anyone travels by car, all kinds of equipment needs to … Continue Reading How to Carry a Basketball on the Subway
Geek is the New Blonde
I wish I could sell you the phone app that magically removes glasses glare from photos, but alas, the reason this girl’s aren’t lighting up like a full moon under … Continue Reading Geek is the New Blonde
Custom Engraved Lipstick
Here in Japan, occasionally I’m brought up short by a completely unexpected question. In the line at the supermarket: “Would you like that fruit gift-wrapped?” At the post office, trying … Continue Reading Custom Engraved Lipstick
Oktoberfest in…September?
Yep, it’s pretty much Oktoberfest all summer long in Tokyo, where a roving beer party moves around from district to district between May and November. It’s set up for 10 … Continue Reading Oktoberfest in…September?
Goth Yukata
What Goth girls wear on romantic dates to watch the traditional fireworks of summertime. Love that Kera magazine suggests accessorizing it with a black and white polka dot water pistol. … Continue Reading Goth Yukata
Need. Wooden. Keyboard.
Saw this in the window of a shop at the Aki-Oka artists’ colony under the train tracks in Akihabara. Hacoa specializes in beautiful modern things made of wood: computer stuff … Continue Reading Need. Wooden. Keyboard.
