Nippon News - Volume 2 Issue 6

Tidbits From Japan

[to follow much of this material you will have to enlarge the photos by double-clicking on them]

It snowed here in Tokyo last night; the first time this season. There will be a huge traffic jam, and all of the flights and the trains will be late. However, the snow is not liable to last long; the people in Kyoto indicated that we were extremely 'lucky' to be there when it snowed! Our string of luck continues to hold, with it being the worst winter in some parts of Japan in the last 60 years! We are off to Singapore and to Malaysia in the next few days, so this will be the last post for a couple of weeks. As a result, below are photos and descriptions of the many, many things I have come across during our travels here.

• not sure about the dogs all poofed up, but I can only say, you have to see some of the two-legged creatures that are found in Akihabara, Shibuya and Ginza. I will have to take a few snaps of the latest in fashion trends here in Japan (stay tuned for a future edition).

• My daughter, Della, holding up an egg boiled in the sulpher spring from an active volcano found about two hours south of here. It is black on the outside, but entirely normal inside!

• A couple of my daughter's friends, (one lives here the other is visiting), posing for a photo during their hike to the top of the active volcano. Note the strict warnings on the sign (by enlarging it by double-clicking on the image of the sign), and then carefully study the intrepid trekkers. Oh, the immortality of youth! Like, bring it on, Dude!!!

• You say you lost your Giant Panda somewhere in the train station and don't know where to find it? Easy! Just direct yourself to the Giant Panda Waiting Area!! (And they even give you helpful directions on the sign!!)

• Stuck In The Translation Machine #1. Along with the beautiful packaging found here in Japan, it is also common to dole out a bit of complementary philosophy by printing something profound on the bag. This first one, God gives us relatives - thank God we can choose our friends, works, but number two seems to have somehow gotten into the spin cycle in the translator device. It says Whenever it is with you, it gets used to a gentle feeling to. Hmmm. Gotta think about that one!
• feeling tired, listless, moody? Seem to have lost your 'edge'? No problem, just drop by your local Stamina and Hormone Drug Store and pick up something to pick you up! (WARNING: Side affects might include dizzyness, vomiting, nausia, bankruptcy and heartburn. Do not take if you are alone, or with others).

• 

• Need to wet your Whistle? We have just the thing for you; a bottle of Whistler Water. As the lable says, it is 'glacier fresh', and it comes in a nifty plastic bottle embossed with the Canadian Maple Leaf. Makes me homesick!

• Whats-It #1. [left] Got any ideas as to what you might use these handly little things for?

• Is it just me, or would you feel a little uncomfortable riding an airliner piloted by the Two Airline Pilot Dudes featured in local advertising? And remember, this is how they look on the way TO work; can you imagine what they look like after a hard day at the office?

• Speaking of Airlines, here is a sign for a local air carrier; Air Do. Of course, all of the english-speaking people here refer to the company as Air Do Do. The Japanese are puzzled by this reference, but when you explain it to them they absolutely crack up over it!

• Stick It In Your Mouth #1. We weren't sure what this really was, but we decided that Jay would give it a go. It turned out to be a choclate filling inside a bread loaf. Sort of a cross between a pastry and a sandwich. Actually, it was very good - you get the sandwich and the desert in the same mouthful!

• the infamous River Chicken Menu. This is the menu at the local Japanese Yakatori restaurant - no tourists here! You had better speak Japanese, or be really good at Charades! (and be prepared to live with the consequences). At least this one had an English translation available, many do not. This gives one a tantalizing view of the many tasty treats favoured by the patrons. Among these you will note; Neck, Chest's Gristle, Heart, Knee's Gristle, Skin, Gizzard, and the ever-popular Limited Stick For Day! While this page was off-limits to us, we did have a great meal here!

• 
• Wet Your Whistle #2; me, at the beer counter of a local market. I am holding some of the offerings from the Kirin B
  eer Company, in the 2 litre and in the 350 mil size. Japanese beer is very good!
• the subway on a busy day. However, this is NOT CROWDED as it will be during rush hour. Note the handy plastic head-wackers placed freely about, and the gratitutious advertising that provides hours of entertainment trying to figure out what it says!

• Stick It In Your Mouth #2. The Japanese adore sweets, and flock to pastry shops, bakeries and specialty stores to feed their craving. This is a line-up outside of a Chocolate Store in the Ginza shopping district in downtown Tokyo.

• I had already realized that the Japanese were fanatics for cleanliness and tidyness, (but I could never figure out how, when you can never find a garbage can!). However, even this one blew me away. It is a plastic-wrapped fire hydrant, complete with a sign warning all dog owners to keep ther $#@%^&'ing dogs away!

• A Beauty Museum???? (read the fine print on the sign) We weren't even going to ask, let alone look!!!!

• Stuck In The Translation Machine #2. OK; first of all, I want to make it clear that I think you should cut someone some slack when they try to write in another language, but try these two little gems out. The first says IT IS A FRIEND WHOLLY. An animal and relations will become good. Nature has given us various things. Therefore, we have to value nature. OK so far? Well it goes on: The sun gives us the light of a life. Rain gives the water of a life. I'm still with you, so far. However, we don't quit there: All also of an animal and a plant are friends. The life which is useful to earth is connected as one ring. NATURE AND THOSE WHO LIVE.
• the Paradox of Japanese Culture #1. This photo was taken in Akihabara; in the very heart of the electronic district. Here you can buy the most advanced computers, HD-TVs, cam-corders, I-pods and digital cameras. And what do they use to haul away all of the packing in which all of these high-tech toys come?

• What's It #2. This one is difficult; can you guess what it is?

• Hmmm. The sign, obviously for a barber-shop, says that it is FOR YOUR SMILE. I thought that would be a DENTIST!

• The Paradox of Japanese Culture #2. This is a scene from a busy pedestrian mall. And what is built just ABOVE the shops? A Shinto Shrine!

• What's It #3: An easier one. What do you think the little gadget at the right does?

• 
• a coin-operated bicycle pump [left]

• some sort of a weird sea-weed cartoon figure at the local market [at right]

• the control panel of a high-tech toilet. [below] If you were in a hurry, what would you press? Let's see, this baby has a bum-wash (complete with temperature-adjustable water pressure), a Bidet option, a temperature-controlled heating element in the seat to ensure your comfort, the ever-popular music option while you wait, and even a deodarizer for emergencies. There are more controls near the floor, but I had no time to investigate!

• a high-tech robotic dog from Sony that can be yours for only $6,000 CDN. It comes when you call it, can sit, stay and obey other commands (unfortunately, only in Japanese in this model). Also, it loves to be cuddled, scratched and played with; when it is happy, it wags it's tail. Batteries are extra.

• Wet Your Whistle #3. Me, with a 4-litre container of whiskey. No, we did not buy it.

a restored version of the prototype for the famed Nissen Z-80. This one is the 1969 Fairlady; sold only in Japan! Proudly on display in the automotive dealer showroom in downtown Tokyo.

• an example of the elaborate packing that the Japanese love. This is a Block Print I was given for my birthday. The framed print was first bubble-wrapped, then put inside a custom-fit cardboard container, then wrapped with the heavy paper, then firmly tied with cord, and topped with one of those handy plastic carrying handles. There is even a biography of the artist thrown in, as is the business card of the vendor. Now, if we had told the man that this was a Gift-O, he would have really gone to town with fancy paper and wrapping, and no doubt included an elaborate bow and a blank card, ready for signing!

• As for the What-its, - item Number 1 are hot-pot mitts! - here my son Scott holds a pair. The second Whats-It is actually a paper towel dispenser. The roll goes over the carrot, and the blue Bugs Bunny figure snugs up to it. As the towel is dispensed, Bugs gradually turns away from view, until all you can see when the towel is gone, is his tail! Number 3 is a nifty sesame-seed grinder/dispenser. You turn it upside down, rotate the little wheel and, Pesto, fresh ground sesame seed for your ramen!

In closing, I have to once again comment on the unbelievable kindness of the Japanese people. Just yesterday two examples of this generosity occurred. Shopping in the Ginza District, Sandra went into a Komino Store to enquire as to where she might be able to purchase the special display clips that are used on the merchandise in the window. There and then the owner of the shop insisted that Sandra take a complete set as his 'gift'. Later, we went for supper at a Japanese Curry Restaurant that Jay has been going to fairly regularily for the past year. We were there some weeks ago, when Jay had asked the owner for a post-dinner drink of Sho Chu (a traditional Japanese distilled spirit). Apologizing profusely, the owner explained that he had no Sho-Chu on hand. However, when next we appeared at his estalishment, he took the opportunity to present Jay with a complimentary bottle of top-quality Sho-Chu to take home with him and enjoy! Incredible! A photo of the owner with Jay, and a second one with his wife, are below.

Anyway, that's it for now. I will be back in February with more stories, photos and stuff!

Doug-San in Japan

Saying Sayonara for now.

i