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OMG OMG OMG! The iPhone is finally hitting Japan on July 11th. Just 1 month to wait. The US price is $200 so I guess it’ll be about ¥22,000 or so. I wonder how much the Softbank plans are going to be though…
From the Lawson combini near the office, Naruto Ham and Egg Sandwich!
It seems like the Japanese have replaced their designer pouches with designer pooches. From cafes to salons, weddings to fashion, a dog can live a pretty plush life in Japan. There are more than 25,000 outfits in Japan itself that cater for dogs alone and the streets now overflow with pampered pups in child like strollers and the latest fashion fads — from trendy t-shirts to dyed prints — anything goes. With a market now estimated at 1.5 trillion yen per year it’s no wonder businesses have been cashing in from the pet boom, which started back in 1992. According to experts fewer births, people living alone and the cute factor are at the heart of the dog obsession. Experts have also suggested that the Japanese are now replacing children with dogs. Statistics show that dogs, at 12.5 million, now outnumber children under 10 in Japan
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For those that really want to see some doggy style, Omotosando Hills and Roppongi Hills are the places to hit. From mudpacks to massage from restaurants to doggy cakes, the Japanese have taken the phrase “man’s best friend” to a whole new level.
In our last episode we covered what expecting mums need to know in the early stages of their pregnancy. This time we’ll go more in-depth by looking at delivery options, registering your child, maternity and paternity leave, and getting out and active after the birth.
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Being an expectant mother in a foreign country may seem overwhelming at first, especially if you don’t read or speak the language. Fortunately there are others who have trodden that path before you, and many are happy to share their knowledge.
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When you’re learning a foreign language, there are times when you learn a new phrase and then for the following week hear it constantly. Last week, my Japanese word was “Zeppin” (絶品, superb quality), after I ate a Lotteria Zeppin Burger. This week, it’s been “Hara Hachibu”.
I saw the kanji (腹八分) flash by on a tv show and was wondering what it meant, when a few days later an author from Berkeley called Michael Pollan mentioned it. He was giving a great talk about healthy eating and said that the Okinawans came up with this practice.
Haru Hachibu talks about eating until you’re eighty percent full, not until you’re absolutely 100% stuffed. Apparently it can add years to your life. Here’s a page explaining about it:
http://okinawa-diet.com/okinawa_diet/hara_hachi_bu.html
The incredibly interesting YouTube video is after the jump.
I just noticed in the Spinshell Events page that Toho Cinemas in Roppongi is having a series of classic trilogies and showing them all back-to-back every Friday. Tomorrow is the X-Men trilogy and next week, it’s Lord of the Rings. Not just any old Lord of the Rings though, it’s the special edition. It starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 29:50 (translation: 5:50 a.m.), running for 681 miles! Whoops, that was a little English mistake by whoever made the Toho website.. 681 minutes! Bring a big bag of popcorn. Click here for the Toho schedule page
X-Men starts tomorrow at 23:30 and ends at 29:35, running for a comparatively short 334 miles. I love the name they give it: Ikkimi Night (Ikki is what you say to encourage someone to down a drink in one. Mi is short for Miru, to see).
Tickets go on sale a week before, which means that X-Men may be sold out, but you can probably get LOTR tickets from tomorrow. The price is ¥3000 (¥250/hour for LOTR). The following weeks are The Godfather and Death Note.
More information in the Events Guide Page.
Here’s what you’ll look like after 12 hours of Lord of the Rings:
Residents of Tokyo have long enjoyed living in a city of gastronomic delights. And many have noticed that the fan-base has grown to include a steady stream of out of town guests. Following the release of Michelin’s 2008 Tokyo guide, Japan’s capital has now reached global culinary fame.
But what sets Tokyo’s restaurants apart from the rest?
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Here’s some spinach I bought in my local Ito Yokado supermarket, which has a picture of the farmer who produced it. I’ve often seen pictures of happy looking farmers above the Japan-produced vegetables in my supermarket, but this is the first time I’ve seen it included in the actual packaging. I like the personal touch it gives, knowing that your veggies were made by a human, not a big hulking farmotron robot. There’s even a QR code which links to a page with more infomation about the farmer. (You should be able to point your keitai at the screen here to link to it.)
more pictures after the jump..
Tokyo is a city brimming with creativity. From its unique architecture to the artwork that adorns its pavements it’s no wonder that foreigners flock here to become part of the design scene. But how easy is it to make your mark in a city of 12 million people?