BIG IN JAPAN

Xmas meets Japan

2011-12-09T02:30:00.002+09:00

Japanese practicality meets Christmas:

Why go through all the trouble of setting up a Christmas tree when you can just hang one that is ready made? (available on Rakuten, which I must admit is my BFF!)
Yes, I am that depressing that my BFF is an online shopping site, I love it! I've got the gold premium member card to prove it!

Age before Beauty?

2011-11-27T01:08:00.004+09:00

So I was reading up on Japan probe and come across a rather interesting article, something that a few years ago perplexed me, but I'd stopped noticing or thinking about it recently.

As many may know, Japanese women are well known for looking much younger than they really are. Or at least to a gaikokujin's eyes, I think Japanese males have already picked up on it :P

A Japanese TV show interviewed several foreigners, inquiring about the age of Japanese women who were pictured. As expected, the big eyed guesses were below the actual age of the femmes.
Now, this was done in the traditional "let's analyze these weird foreign people have a laugh while we are it" but just try to keep up!

Some plausible reasons for this phenomenon have been put forward:

Bags/wrinkles seem to stand out more under the eyes of Westerners.
Many Japanese women avoid the sun by carrying parasols, wearing strong sunscreen, or covering up their skin with clothing. This makes their skin less likely to have wrinkles. (22 countries were represented in their poll of foreign tourists, and apparently tanned skin is seen as a good thing in 17 of those countries).
Japanese women wear make-up. Of 25 Japanese women interviewed, all 25 were wearing full make-up. Of 25 foreign women, only 2 were wearing full make-up. On average, the Japanese women were carrying 10.6 different make-up products, while the foreign women were carrying 2.7 different make-up products.

Without any special thought or sound source, I can totally agree with these findings. Japanese women look good, that's just the way it is and there is little wiggle room about it. That and they run from the sun like... You would run from a swarm of bees heading in your direction.

The issue here is mainly a cultural one, looking good is really embraced here, it's much more important in this culture than any other I have experienced, more so than eastern Europe, where young women also slap on a lot of makeup and dress to the "nines".

There is a lot to be said about image in Japan: the right hair cut, with every strand in place; the right designer bag; the flawless make-up; the impossibly high heels; arriving 45 minutes early to work and last but not least, always remembering to use that flushing sound in the toilet, because God forbid anyone might hear you pee.

Another issue is "full make-up". This to the average American young lady means a bit more make-up than you used on Prom night. In Japan it's the everyday deal. I've actually had a company guidebook that stated that women were expected to wear make-up to work because it reflected pride and interest in themselves and their workplace. Probably true BTW. It also placed lower and upper limit on heels, skirt length and appropriate colours.

Full make-up does have it's drawbacks, for example beige collars and basically just adding about 1cm to your face in the form of paint. It's such a problem that most shops actually provide head covers so that women don't get garments dirty when trying them on. Not joking.

(I think this pic is hilarious!!!)

It's all a bit odd for most foreigners, who don't usually use that much make-up. I've had co-workers shocked when I told them that I use foundation about twice a year. You know, they nod and say how good it is for the skin to breathe and be natural, but deep down they know I'm just too lazy to bother!

(to be continued...)

The return

2011-11-18T02:07:00.005+09:00

Well I should be ashamed... It's been forever since I blogged.

I am soooo sorry!!!

But, I have an excuse!

Give me a moment while I figure out how to put it

Well, here's what's happened since August!

United Arab Emirates:

Brazil:
Unpacking (2 months after moving, I still had boxes to unpack)

A hell of a lot of this:

And not a lot of this:

I've not joined Movember, but I totally support the cause

And... It's

35
Days till Xmas vacations!!!

But who's counting?!

So, it's all good :)

too soon?

2011-08-13T23:22:00.004+09:00

I know Japanese aren't really keen on black comedy, but this was too good to just ignore...

credit: 9gag

It takes a wise man to learn from his mistakes, but an even wiser man to learn from others.

Habemus domus

2011-08-10T03:49:00.001+09:00

After going through a mini hell of discrimination, time wasting, pen pushing and overall stress, it seems like we have found IT!!!
I present to you, our new mansion

drum roll, paaaaaaalllllllllllllllllleeeaaaassse!

Took us long enough to find our place, but damn, WE DID A REALLY GOOD JOB :D

I believe Nissan is hiring...

2011-08-07T14:52:00.000+09:00

Or at least it should be.
I think right about now they should be seriously overhauling their advertising department...

Dance for me, squid.

2011-08-05T14:23:00.003+09:00

We already knew the Japanese liked their seafood fresh and possibly raw...

But what many don't know is that they actually go further, and like it to actually move:

PS - It is actually dead...

A wise man once said...

2011-07-22T02:32:00.002+09:00

"Happiness is the ultimate currency"

I'm working on getting rich!

High tech stuff

2011-07-05T11:56:00.006+09:00

The Japanese never cease to amaze with their modern contraptions.

Last night I came across a Japanese product to help with that age old problem: snoring.

While it may not be a deadly disease, it surely is an annoying hindrance to

a peaceful night. But have no fear, for the crazy scientists are here.

And while you imagine and expect some sort of machine that manipulates sound waves, gives small electric shocks to throat muscles, or forces one to breathe through their ear holes, the Japanese have come up with something much more practical:

If you want to stop snoring, just shut your mouth.

Understanding that it may be difficult to control this while sleeping, they have invented something completely new: a bit of sticky tape. Spotting the possibility of profit, they decide to package it in convenient packs with 21 little sticky tapes, and viola, you now have a reason to spend almost 300yen on this magnificent product.

More evidence that you can fix pretty much anything with duct tape, at a lower cost.

Battle of the weird

2011-06-30T22:03:00.002+09:00

The day Gaga went gaga and thought it would be cool to come dressed as a Chinese animal on Japanese TV.

The weird part was actually the Japanese TV.

Quoting a comment from youtube: "It's like the Japanese are weirding out Lady Gaga as much as Lady Gaga is weirding out the Japanese."

The problem with racist people

2011-06-13T13:47:00.005+09:00

So right now we're looking for a new mansion...

Don't fool yourself, mansion in Japanese just means an apartment, doesn't have the same glamouuuurrrr now, does it...

Anyway, luckily for us there is an abundance of real estate companies, being all shark-like, really anxious to get their hands on our money...

But the system is just absurd:

First, you have key money, which is one or two months rent you GIVE to the landlord as a GIFT, a sign of appreciation that he has accepted to rent his apartment. Yes that's right, it's a "Please sir, please let me give you extra money as a gift, for the excessively overpriced tiny apartment you own, oh pretty please?! "

Then you have renewal fees... OH YES! You sign a contract for one year. And after that year, if you wish to renew your contract... Then you should just go ahead and pay one month extra rent, also a gift, because well, it's a huge hassle to print out the bloody contract again and change the date.

But you see, I'm not even talking about this stuff...

Unfortunately I had the opportunity to be discriminated because of my lack of pointy eyedness... Or maybe it was just my future Mrs. Kimness... Maybe if he was a Mr. Suzuki it would be easier.

Yes that's right, you can rent an apartment in Japan, as long as you have the cash and are Japanese.

BUT WTF? Do they think I'm gonna keep a horse on the balcony? Use the bathtub as a doctor fish breeding area?

I knew it could happen with a landlord, some people are reluctant to rent their houses to foreigners, them being dirty little pigs and all, but I was actually quite shocked to see a real estate company flat out refuse us over the phone without even knowing what house we wanted to see... No questions about job, about where we were from, it was a "Are you gaijin?" and a "We are sorry, but we don't work with people like you" JEEZUS!

Then followed a bit of a Japanese bashing in the form of "First, don't you f*cking call me a gaijin and secondly, good luck renting your sh*t out! Goodbye and good day".

Of course the rest was silent in the mind, but had it come out, it would have sounded something like:

"may you swallow a radioactive pine cone and may it be lodged in your colon, where over the next few years a luscious tree shall blossom making the most mundane tasks in your life incredibly painful to the point where you shall wish for death with every second."

You see, this isn't the country side, this is central Tokyo where foreigners are more than common... Ah well, won't be giving them any gifts, that's for sure!

THE SEARCH CONTINUES... I mean, how hard can it be to find an apartment in central Tokyo that is big, new, has plenty of light and is also cheap? (and accepts foreigners?)

Sob story of the day...

2011-06-10T02:23:00.002+09:00

Well, I'm a sucker for a good old sob story, and this one has got to be one of the biggest and inspiring.

As the "X-factor" and "Somewhere's got Talent" franchise takes the broadcasting/entertainment world by storm, we discover new talents and some life stories along the way...

This one has got to be the one of the saddest stories to appear on these shows... So feel free to cry like a baby :D

I guess this kills my chances of complaining about how crap my week was..?

Mouseland

2011-06-05T03:00:00.002+09:00

Fitting for so many (most?) countries...
After all. Is it not human nature to be eternally unhappy and to b*tch and moan? Seems like it!

A wish...

2011-06-02T22:59:00.002+09:00

Just wanted to say that I really like this song and video :D

I'm bringing bento back, yeah!

2011-05-31T11:13:00.006+09:00

Well Justin Timberlake might be bringing sexy back, but this season I've dedicated myself to bringing the lunch box back.

Yes that's right, the lunch box.
Oh yeah baby! You know you love it, C'mon!

While some us might have dreadful images of our younger school years, having a bag of crisps and a ham & cheese sandwich with no butter, and with the crust still on, cuz our mum was just to damn politically correct to cut the damn thing off, and a banana, like really, who the hell wants to eat a banana at school... What was I saying? I tend to get off topic.

Anyhows, in Japan the lunch box actually has a life of its own, as many of you might have already seen in your interwebbing moments:

Now, these are kiddy orientated of course, and while I would love to spend 2 hours making my food look like a piece of art, I simply don't have the time. Or talent.
You see, even adults have lunch boxes in Japan, albeit not so fancy and artistic.

But, for the last month or so, I've tried to bring my lunch box, or Bento (べんとう, 弁当) to work whenever possible (That means when I actually bother to cook dinner and make enough for the next day). There are several reasons, one of them being that ever since I've started grad school, my finances have taken a bit of a shaking and eating out everyday was one of the target areas for saving (better to save on food than online shopping, that's my theory), also because I've been trying to eat a little healthier and avoid processed foods.
I must say, it's been a

So, I know you might be curious as to what my bento looks like, so I kindly took a picture of it today.

Don't mind all the pinkness of it, I'm just really into having girly stuff. The fruit is actually half dessert, half afternoon snack. Needless to say I also have a pink bag to carry all this stuff in, but it fits in my hand bag, so I don't get to shock the black suit wearing locals :(

I expect to start my bento world domination soon, please place your orders. Normal colours are also available.

5.5 at 7:10 and kiddie abduction

2011-05-22T08:42:00.005+09:00

Today I got a nice little awakening, Japanese style: a 5.5 at 7:10! Nothing like a little shake up in the morning to get the day going... EXCEPT IT'S SUNDAY!

Ah well :)

I've been a teeny weenie LOADS of busy, hence the lack of activity on here. But alas, I am back, for now anyway. Today I thought I'd bring you some "legally social" insight into Japan.

Marriage. Yes, even the highly evolved Japanese people have it.

But I'm not here to talk about marriage, I'm here to talk about D-I-Vorce. The thing that some marriages lead to. While Japan has enjoyed a very low divorce rate for the last decades, the level has been steadily rising. While this wouldn't be something I worry about, it proves a difficult issue when it comes to dividing the ex-couple's most valuable asset: children.

Most of us outsiders have a clear concept of sharing and/or custody, for the Japanese it is not so simple, I will quote something I got off the BBC NEWS website:

Osamu, who doesn't want to use his full name, got divorced five years ago and his daughters are now 17 and 14. He sees the younger girl once every two months, the older girl about twice a year.

"I thought about their best interests," he says. "So I gave in and let their mother have custody."

Osamu says that at the time of the divorce he thought of splitting up his daughters, with the parents having custody of one each. But he decided it would not be good for them.

"In Japan traditionally men go out to work and women look after children. We tend to think women will be better off taking care of them, especially when they are small.

"Of course, there are exceptions. Maybe the father's family has a business and needs the next generation to take over."

Osamu added that men tend to think they can go on, get married again and start a new family more easily than women. From his experience it's usual for fathers not to see children at all. (My highlighting)

So, that's basically how it is in Japan. I've always found the expectations of private life to be the most difficult point of Japanese culture to understand...
Well this really wouldn't be such a problem, as most Japanese men and women accept that this is the way it has been and will always be, that if a marriage falls apart, the father is expected to piss off and reset his life and the mother must be, well you know, a mother.

In fact:

The number of marrying foreign is higher than the number of marrying foreign

It is rare for a marrying to marry a Western , but marry Western.

A marrying marrying a foreigner is most likely to marry a from , the or , in that order.

A marrying a foreigner is most likely to marry a from , the or

The problem is that many Japanese marry foreigners, who often have a different idea of how things are going to pan out. That and many people choose to escape to Japan, because it's kinda like Brazil for Portuguese who are looking to avoid jail time: all you need to do is get inside the country and you can forget all court orders issued in other countries.
This is because Japan is the only modern country that has not ratified the Hague convention (you know, the part where you cannot abduct your kids). So why is this a problem? Well, it becomes a problem when your husband/wife runs off with your kids and you can do nothing about it, even if you have full custody.

But alas! It seems that Japan will soon accept the "new order" and sign up! This will mean thousands of parents will soon be able to see the kids someone tried to make them forget they had! I can only imagine scenes of family reunion sounding something like this:
- "Who's your daddy?"
- "知らない。。。"

Perhaps this in the future will lower the number of parents who cannot access their children or who won't divorce in fear of losing them.

100 + 1

2011-05-06T14:39:00.002+09:00

The next 100 days will be super busy and full of new things for me :D And after all that is done... I will just say "Hello"... Actually it'll be in another language, but we can talk about that later ;D

I do not know who is worse off...

2011-05-04T15:22:00.000+09:00

Those that are content with their simplistic, boring and superficial lives, yet know nothing about the true meanings and possibilities that the world faces or the real consequences of actions taken by themselves, their friends and their leaders;

Those that are lost in the inner scaffolding that holds our society together, picking apart every moment and every action, unable to enjoy or decipher the mundane and shallow happiness that exists in most moments of life.

Plan B

2011-05-02T15:28:00.002+09:00

Plan B isn't usually the most desirable, but as life teaches us, it is more important to want what you get, than get what you want.

Plan B consisted of revisiting the great Izu Islands, specifically Niijima and Shikinejima.

It had been almost two years since my first visit, and I can honestly say that the island was pretty much the same! I think all of us who travel feel like this, when we return somewhere it is as if we never left, and time somehow stood still.

But I did upgrade my stay slightly from last time, instead of camping and taking the "cattle" ship, I used the jet-foil and stayed at a local minshuku, which made it all MUCH, MUCH BETTER!

If you ever get tired of Tokyo, then this is one of the nicest places I know where you can get out without having to leave.

Change of plans...

2011-04-23T02:12:00.004+09:00

Well, I was really looking forward to next week...

But, as I should have known, plans were made to be ruined!
Due to unforeseen circumstances involving passports, visas and the delays caused by the earthquake/tsunami, I have had to cancel my Golden Week vacation, and I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT!!!!
I'd been planning this forever (almost 3 months heh!) and it had been hell to book tickets and coordinate plane rides and hotels with our tightish schedule. But after all that hard work, this is what I WON'T be seeing:

PLAN B IS IN MOTION!

(Plan B involves not leaving Japan and trying to get a good break without breaking the bank, with less than a week to go to one of the major holiday seasons... Yes, plan B is Mission Impossible, I'm trying to get a hold of Tom Cruise as we speak).

it's snowing petals

2011-04-15T18:29:00.006+09:00

This week I finished work early a few times, and I took the long way home, through my local park.

The sun was shining so it was nice and warm, the floor scattered with fallen petals from the cherry trees, it looked like snow from a distance. Children playing and laughing provided background music as I made my way home slowly, being showered with petals every time the soft wind blew.

This only lasts a few days, before all the petals fall.
But, the short time it does last, it's unforgettable. I really enjoy walking home through these areas, it feels like you are walking through an artist's masterpiece, it's surreal, somewhat movie like.
I know everything has it's place in the ecosystem, but I wish there were more of these trees in other countries . They possess an intense yet short lived beauty, maybe that's what makes them all the more beautiful...

744 hours later, 27,000 people less...

2011-04-11T17:03:00.003+09:00

One month ago the biggest earthquake to ever hit Japan triggered a massive tsunami, together and in less time than we can fathom, almost 30,000 people lost their life. Hundred's of thousands lost their livelihood. It is really an impossible task to imagine the scale of the hardship that they must be suffering, unless you go through it yourself.

After one month, can we still call the "temporary shelters" where hundreds of thousands live temporary?

(Just had a 7.1 while writing this)

So what do you do when there is an earthquake? In my case, you feel the initial shakes and wait, they usually slow down and die out.
But, if it's a big earthquake you take cover, in my case, under a table.
Those of you who know me, know that I always have my phone handy... (That and when I noticed that the earthquake was getting stronger my instinct was to grab my phone and my bag and dash for the door, but they kindly shouted at me to "GET UNDER THE TABLE NOW!" so you know, I did.
So here I am, on the 7th floor, in a classroom, under a table that's pretty much made of plastic and won't really protect me much. What do you do as you shake? You go on facebook of course:

Now note that it was shaking to the point where I couldn't even write it properly, and I did this update at recording breaking speed...
So you've updated your facebook status and that was nice, but... It hasn't stopped shaking, you're still under the table, people are beginning to let out little screams "aAHhH" "OOoUHuHuaAaA", and you begin to wonder when the roof is going to cave in or the building collapse.
You're on the top floor of a pretty old building and this has been shaking for a while and we're talking shaking like a polaroid picture here. So, as the seconds pass, and you're not sure if they are seconds or whatever, you lose notion of time in these situations, you begin to think that hey, this is it, and this is how you are going to die. So what do you do next? What do you do when you presume that you've got very limited time left? If you are me, you begin to want to say bye to the people you love, so what's the best option? You go back to facebook of course.
And so, as I thought that was it and Kaput, in a few seconds I'll be, yah know, under twenty tonnes of ruble, the only thing that came to mind was this.

What else is there to say? Any better ideas? I'd like to be prepared for the next time I'm scared sh*tless and thinking that I'm going to die.

Tokyo Song :D

2011-04-10T23:23:00.003+09:00

I don't know how I came across this, but I'm so in love with it :D

I think you might need to have a minor insight into Tokyo to get it though!

:D

You are nothing, but you are all you've got.

2011-04-08T23:03:00.004+09:00

All I can hope is that this makes us all realize how truly irrelevant everything we worry and complain about is.

Live, Learn, Love, Learn some more, Live and Love a lot more and when it's all over... Smile and let go.

(With Portuguese Subtitles)

That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there — on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors, so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.

Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the only home we’ve ever known, the pale blue dot.

Things I don't like about Japan...

2011-04-07T00:17:00.003+09:00

You see, I'm an avid shopper. And by that I mean I spend a lot of money on a regular basis to buy useless sh*t. It's a hobby, what can I say?

Anyway, the problem with Japan is that everything is ridiculously overpriced. I first noticed this with high street shops like H&M, Zara, Mango, etc,. Not only do they charge double or three times more for the same product as they do in Europe, they even have the audacity to have the price in several currencies on the tag, just so you can know exactly how much you are being ripped off. And don't start with "it's the shipping cost", you know all this stuff is made in China and Vietnam, and that's right next door.

As to prove my point:

Cath Kidston, very popular here in the the land of radioactive sushi, sells this wonderful bag, probably designed by someone's grandma, for £45.00.
Head on over to the Japanese website, and you will see the same item for ¥11,025.

So what's the problem you ask? Well elementary my dear Watson, the problem is that it's almost double the price.

¥11,000 = £80.00 (give or take a few bob)

Why does this bother me? Because I'm the female version of Scrooge McDuck, just a bit stingier! That and I hate being ripped off. My solution? Buy everything on eBay from "cheaper" countries, pay the transport and still save half of the Japanese price. I know, I AM SO CHEAP!

Just sayin'.

Resource update

2011-04-05T00:13:00.000+09:00

The International Atomic International Agency keeps a daily log of what is going on.

If you are interested!

If you have 45 minutes...

2011-04-03T20:34:00.005+09:00

You know, I don't think anyone can say they haven't had access to information about the events in Japan.
What all of us can say, is that we haven't had access to many good sources.

So, if you are interested, please take a look at this, it might explain a lot :)

As to the Nuclear Problem, I have come to a conclusion:
It looks a lot more complex than it really is, however, I've been "into nuclear stuff" for several years now... So if you take the time to study the available resources (AND I DON'T MEAN CNN!!), you will be able to understand the difference between gamma, alpha and beta rays, why cesium-137 is a product of nuclear fission and why every area has different radiation levels, more importantly, you will begin to realize that many major cities in the world are about 100km from the nearest Nuclear station (that's you Hong Kong, Moscow, London, New York.., etc). So stop b1tching off about how Tokyo is 250km away and there are fault lines.

So, for now, please inform yourselves and make up your own minds about what is going on and what will happen, both in Japan and in the future of your own and neighbouring countries.
There is a saying in Madeira "mata-te para não morreres" (kill yourself so you don't die) that applies well to this situation :D

Anyway, this last week has made me a bit more humble as to how important and fragile life is, and I really appreciate how odd I am... After all, who knew my nuclear hobby would prove so useful.

That's my glove @ Chernobyl

(PS - I HAVEN'T DIED FROM RADIATION. YET)

I have really bad timing when it comes to jokes...

2011-04-01T01:16:00.003+09:00

- "(...) Actually, what was the biggest natural disaster to hit the United States?"

- "Hum... Bush?"

I loled myself :D But then I am crazy like that, I laugh at my own jokes.

In all honesty, the only thing I could think of was Katrina. I did however highly doubt that it was the correct answer...

After checking with my friend google, I did find it out it was the Galveston Hurricane of 1900.

Moral of this story: Safety is an illusion, so is everything else.

It's Wednesday, We so excited!

2011-03-30T16:44:00.003+09:00

I too thought Ms. Black (AND HER +65 MILLION VIEWS) were terribly annoying...

But then, I have to admire what a 13 year old girl and a couple of thousand of dollars can achieve. Many have spent millions on publicity and not had 10% the visibility she has :D

And, if I may... I leave you with a decent remake!

And so it is...

2011-03-28T03:35:00.003+09:00

Those of us who are lucky enough to suffer effects from the events of March 11th from a relatively safe distance have been able to get back to "normal" life. We've even been able to get our minds off the matter for long periods of time, with work and leisure.

But we cannot forget... That as of 9pm on Sunday, 27th March:

Number of people killed 10,804
Number of people missing 16,244

Source: Kyodo News

Life in Tokyo is pretty much back to normal, and I for one, am counting down the hours until the day when I get to escape from all this madness and stress, if only for a short vacation.

T minus 740 hours and counting.

And you may ask: Why do you count hours and not days?
Well DUH!... Hours go by quicker!

Stay safe :)

Frenzy

2011-03-21T18:14:00.006+09:00

Throughout this week, it became blatantly obvious to me that there were higher powers at work:

Money and/or Politics

So, for now and for future reference, please be well aware that the safety of human life and giving correct, unbiased information was not and is not high on the agenda of information outlets, and that whatever access you have to news/information should be taken with a (very large) pinch of salt.

So when you are watching the news about Japan, Libya, Middle East, (...), please, PLEASE keep that in mind. Media is not a public service, it is a profitable industry.

This video (shown on UK Channel 4) might give you an idea of what has been going on this week. Please note the video has some strong language and is bit funny if you are prone to British humor :D

Anyway, today is a national holiday in Japan, just as well as it's raining and overall glum, numbers are now at over 21,000 dead or missing...
Tomorrow I'll be back at work again, my boss has been kind enough to allow me start later in the morning so I can avoid the rush hour.

H2O, I-131, Cs-137...

2011-03-20T04:48:00.004+09:00

Since the beginning of this whole "nuclear affair" I've been paying a lot of attention to all the media sources I could get my hands on (although I do tend not to take conspiracy websites too seriously, in order to avoid general paranoia - I already think I'm a bit insane in the membrane, better not risk further damage!).

It's been a bit over 8 days since the news of the imminent nuclear disaster started, things seem to be A LOT calmer in the media now, I guess you can only tell people that the next 24 hours are crucial so many times before they stop taking you seriously. Now the French have decided to drop some bombs in Libya, so that should give us a break from the same story.

Today we have received confirmation that some radioactivity has been detected in food and water supply. While this is worrying, it is hardly surprising. If anyone expected there to be no evidence of radioactivity then you have been reading the wrong material. What was, and still is claimed is that these increased levels are not harmful to humans. The veracity of these claims we will only be able to fully analyze in hindsight, so let's talk about that in a few years time!!!

So, down to some facts, you might have noticed I have a certain tendency to mathematize :D

Iodine (I presume that they are referring to the radioactive isotope Iodine-131):

77 becquerels of iodine was found per kilogram of water in Tochigi, 2.5 becquerels in Gunma, 0.62 becquerels in Saitama, 0.79 becquerels in Chiba, 1.5 becquerels in Tokyo and 0.27 becquerels in Niigata.

Caesium (I presume that they are referring to the radioactive isotope caesium-137):

The amount of cesium per kilogram of water was 1.6 becquerels in Tochigi and 0.22 in Gunma.

For most people this means nothing, but precisely because we don't understand it we get scared and run for the hills, again.

So, what are safe levels?!

The Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan limits intake of:
Iodine at 300 becquerels per kilogram of water
Cesium at 200 becquerels per kilogram of water

As some of you might now, Japanese have a tendency to be really cautious (sounds a bit strange to say that now), so these numbers are actually MUCH lower than those in EU Countries, thanks to European Union Regulations (Iodine has a limit of 500bq/kg and Caesium is 1000bq/kg!!!!)

So please, before you go stressing out, please check your local information... You might just find your water isn't as pure as you might hope.

I remember two weeks ago reading about tainted rivers and water in the USA
"radium at 275 times the drinking-water standard and with other types of radiation at more than 780 times the standard."
Having radioactive material and other impurities in water isn't something we should be happy about, but it's not that unusual unfortunately.

Speculation

2011-03-19T01:39:00.005+09:00

Much has been said in the international media about what life is like for those us in and around Tokyo.

After reading reports that are a mix of sci-fi and terror, with a bit of drama in the middle, I have decided to give my account:

Trains are working, there are less trains than "pre-earthquake" days, when there were trains every 5 minutes or less, now we are looking at a wait of 8 to 10 minutes for the next train. In suburban areas, like where I live, all trains are now local, where as before the quake some were local, some were semi-express, some were express, etc.
The main reason for this are power cuts. For obvious reasons Japan now is using more energy than it is producing. A large area of Japan is now affected by rolling power cuts: power cuts that affect one area for 3 hours, move onto another for 3 hours, and so on. I am in the affected area, but due to the fact that people have made a large effort in saving energy (and there are less trains), we have managed to even out, so only a few power cuts have been observed. As yet, I have never lost energy.
Shops and other businesses are working. Many close early (3pm for example) in order to save energy and allow for staff to get home before it is dark and power cuts start affecting transport.
Supermarkets and shops are open, some items are low in stock/out of stock: milk, bread items, instant noodles and toilet paper. Most other items are in stock. The areas hit by the quake and tsunami were industrial, not surprisingly this has a lot to do with the items that are out of stock: Milk generally comes from the North of Japan, so although not severely hit by the quake, the roads and train lines that are needed for transport are badly damaged. A large part of the paper industry was in Miyagi, one of the prefectures badly hit. Many factories are simply not there anymore, as well as storage houses being washed away.

Also relevant: there are hundreds of thousands of people in shelters right now (I cannot be sure how many, I hear numbers ranging from 260,000 to more than 400,000). These people also need food (more than those of us in Tokyo if I dare say) and so a lot of the stock is being directed North to Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.

I have been uploading some pictures that I've been taking, talk is cheap as they say, and an image is worth a thousand words...

You can check them on my facebook, I have made the pictures public, click

http://tinyurl.com/4ta5h92

In order to calm down some of the speculation about what life is like in Tokyo since the quake... We have minor inconveniences with some stocks and power cuts, but we have full knowledge that our "problem" is trivial compared to the reality in the areas hit by the tsunami. People have lost all their worldly possessions, home, job, children, parents, friends to the power of the tsunami and now live in shelters that are freezing cold, with little food and overall difficult conditions... So not having milk, bread and toilet paper isn't something I personally worry about. 6900 confirmed dead and more than 10,000 still missing :( (Updated 18/03/2011)

I don't understand...

2011-03-18T03:09:00.002+09:00

And people say:

"Why do you know so much about all this stuff?"
"Why are you still in Tokyo?"

Well... I'm from Krypton.

No, the real truth is...

I am a Jedi

With a lot of free time on her hands. And a lightsaber. Oh yeah.

Geiger counters

2011-03-16T23:59:00.002+09:00

As many people are afraid of going outside and are really fearful of the "radioactive air", I would like to mention that your computer is emitting radioactivity. You cellphone... radioactivity. Your french fries? Yes, you guessed it, radioactivity (and cholesterol, a deadly mix :P)

Radioactivity is NOT a dangerous thing, much in the same way water, wind and the sun are not dangerous, but they can be lethal in excessive doses (in fact, water and tectonic plates, all perfectly safe things, are one of the reasons we got into this mess)

Radioactivity is not a dangerous thing, it is a natural resource, it exists all over the world, from both natural sources (soil, sunlight, food, rocks) and man made sources (wireless internet, tobacco, building materials and... YOU - I wasn't sure if people were natural or man made :P).

Do you remember a song

"I feel it in my fingers,
I feel it in my toes.
Well love is all around me,
and so the feeling grows.
It´s written on the wind,
it´s everywhere I go"

Radiation and love have a lot in common.

This to say... If it makes you feel better, you can check the geiger counters in Tokyo and thus check the levels of radioactivity in and around Tokyo! :)

Counter in Ota - ku, South Tokyo (counting in counts per minute)
Counter in Koto - ku, East Tokyo (counting in counts per minute)
Counter in Chiba , Prefecture west of Tokyo, where Narita International airport is (counting in microSieverts/hour)
Counter in Hino, West Tokyo (counting in counts per minute) - I keep a special eye on this one, it's the closest one to my house and it's a graph, easy to see how things have evolved.

Compare this to what the USA is experiencing right now, in it's non crisis state:

So, OMG, why aren't they evacuating New York? Denver? SAVE YOURSELVES; RUN FOR THE HILLS... But wait, these are normal everyday values for them, so why do people live in such awful radioactive areas?!

WHYYYYY?

Because all these numbers are trivial, very VERY low, and have absolutely no effect on your body.

So unless you start seeing levels of millions of cpm... (thats 1,000,000cpm or more) then don't worry, be happy :)
And if you consider how many digits all these counters have... Then you won't be seeing high values anyway.

Now people, remember in those counters you are looking at...
cpm = counts per minute
uSv/h = microSieverts per hour

100cpm ~ 120cpm = 1 microSievert per hour (uSv/h)

PLEASE NOTE:

All geiger counters are different, some have very large variations depending on the type of meter, where it is (outdoors, indoors, underground, 37th floor, by a PC, etc). So don't start screaming MELT DOWN COVER-UP because they give out different readings.
The counters are sometimes down, Tokyo is experiencing power cuts, upstream is constantly being updated, their internet connection might not be stable, etc. If a counter is down, do not assume it's because we have been blown away by a mushroom cloud (nuclear meltdown wouldn't even create a cloud, but whatever)

Information Access

2011-03-15T08:00:00.003+09:00

UPDATE:

I know there have been news about the radiation, but please do not be confused by commonly used words, like "high levels", "40 times the average", "a yearly dose" etc.

Here is a Geiger Counter about 18km away from my house

http://park18.wakwak.com/~weather/geiger_index.html

Even when the line goes off the map (I will not be surprised when it does), over a 100, even over a 1000, it is still a PERFECTLY safe situation, it is not a NORMAL situation, but there is NO HARM to human life.

Please, inform yourself, and don't take my word for it, do your own research and make your choices. I have not left Tokyo, I completely support those who have and I think they have done the best thing for themselves. I do NOT support those who are putting uneducated fears or unfounded hopes into the minds of others.

--------

Due to the immense offer of "news", some people are not getting credible information in a timely manner.

Please use all the REPUTABLE sources you can, and don't buy into "ratings" war.

To keep up to date with the news from Japan in English:

News:

NHK WORLD NEWS (Live stream)
NHK
Kyodo News
Reuters

Earthquake information:

For Earthquakes/Aftershocks: JMA
Tsunamis: JMA

Social Networking:

Gakuranman
Daily Yomuri
Japan Times
Daiichi Power plant Crisis (mixed English and Japanese)
Tokyo Reporter
Tokyo Radiation levels

Thank you!

I'm OK

2011-03-13T03:47:00.002+09:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am OK.

My thoughts are with all of those affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

There is a lot of information, but if you'd like to see the Japanese news channel in English, here is the link:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-world-tv

Simple math...

2011-03-07T02:38:00.002+09:00

While it's well known that Japan has one of the lowest obesity rates in the world, notably more than 10 times lower than the USA... But next time you're in an elevator, do some simple math and find out how much the average is where you live! Here for example, in a 20 floor office building, the average worker should weigh in at 67.5 kg, that's including the coats and whatever else they carry.

Anti Crime BALLS

2011-01-31T21:36:00.001+09:00

Using balls against crime...

It's not a new theory, (I guess :D) but the Japanese have really brought this to a new level.

It's basically about throwing your balls on a criminal. I kid you not.

I'd seen a video about this stuff last year, but I'd never really noticed them before...

Until now, at my local post office!!!

And for those of you who don't have super powers of deduction, here is a a very educational video :D

So high tech for some things, so weird for others, huh? :D

God knows how these women do it...

2011-01-26T21:29:00.000+09:00

Japanese people are (traditionally) short and thin.

Even today they have one of the worlds lowest obesity rates, which is uncommon especially in more modernized countries.

I think it's all the walking and sushi they eat, but even so, it's beyond me how a country that has a Starbucks and Mcdonalds on every corner (not even exaggerating here!) manages to do it...

Especially when they sell this kind of stuff in convenience stores.

I guess it's a Sand-dessert or something. I've never tried it myself, so I can't really comment on taste and what not, but really? Strawberry and cream sandwich?!

Holidays...

2011-01-23T20:57:00.002+09:00

Not that I have any planned, but if I did...

I'd be considering it :)

Back with a break :D

2011-01-20T03:28:00.004+09:00

I've been a bit busy (doing nothing much, let's face it...); resulting in the neglect of my blog :(

But I'm back now, and if there is something that my friends seem to love about my *Japanese reports*, it's my Kit Kat adventures :D

For those of you that don't know, Japanese may not be so good at "breeding" population, but when it comes to Kit Kats, damn, it's the gift that just keeps giving!!!

I have in the past tried to document my Kit Kat adventures here on my blog:

(the first two are written in Portuguese, so just look at the pictures if you can't understand it!)

Have a Break
Have a Break, the saga continues
You know Halloween is almost here when...

But then I got busy (or lazy) and kinda stopped... However, I did document my kit kat adventures on facebook :D

This is the kind of thing I'm talking about, green tea, baked sweet potato... It's all a question of imagination and lack of taste buds!

For those of you that would like to see the full collection (and I am quite proud of it!), I've made my album public, so you can view it HERE :D

I've been good this year...

2010-12-08T00:44:00.001+09:00

How more security makes you feel unsafe

2010-11-05T00:35:00.002+09:00

When APEC comes to town...

The close the lockers, remove the trash cans and have a security guard on every corner... Like really, and that's just the stuff I noticed!

Funny though, it doesn't make me feel any safer, au contraire...

You know Halloween is almost here when...

2010-10-23T18:48:00.002+09:00

... there is a new KitKat :D

And now for something completely different!

2010-10-05T14:22:00.005+09:00

Nothing about Japan in this post, you have been warned!

I came across this article this weekend, and although I'm not sure how I feel about some of the half witted remarks, that are either funny or ofensive (both technically).
World class journalism it might not be, but an interesting read, oh yes.
By the way, the author of the text is well known for ruffling up some feathers.

European Debt Crisis Assimilating Portugal into Spain?

Draconian measures were taken this week in Portugal by the "Socialist" (only in name) Government of José Sócrates, yet another right/centre right Government asking the Portuguese people to make sacrifices, a plea repeated time and again as this long-suffering, hard-working nation slips a few cogs further back into the quagmire of misery.

And it is not because they are Portuguese. Go to Luxembourg, which tops all the socio-economic indicators, and you will find that twelve per cent of the population is Portuguese, the people who built an Empire stretching across four Continents and who controlled the coastline from Ceuta on the Atlantic coast, round to the Cape of Good Hope, the Eastern coast of Africa on the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Persia, the Western coast of India and Sri Lanka.
This week, Prime Minister Socrates launched another wave of his austerity packages, cutting salaries and increasing VAT, more cosmetic measures taken in a climate of laboratory politics by haughty academics devoid of any contact with the real world, a mainstay in the Portuguese elitist political class in the PSD/PS see-saw of political mismanagement which has plagued the country since its Revolution in April 1974.

The aim? To reduce the deficit. Why? Because the EU says so. But is it just the EU?
No, it is not. The wonderful system that the European Union has allowed itself to get sucked into is one in which the Rating Agencies Fitch, Moody's and Standard and Poor's, based in the USA (where else?) virtually and physically control the fiscal, economic and social policies of EU member states through the attribution of credit ratings.

With friends like these agencies and Brussels, who needs enemies?
Let us be honest. The European Union is the result of a Pact forged by a frightened and trembling France, terrified of Germany after its troops marched into its territory three times in seventy years, taking Paris with ease not once, but twice and by a crafty Germany eager to reinvent itself after the nightmare years of Hitler. France got the agriculture, Germany got the markets for its industry. (...)

http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article23193.html

Mameshiba frenzy aftermath

2010-10-01T04:09:00.001+09:00

So, after that overload of leguminous trivia, don't you just love mameshiba?

Lucky for you, mameshiba has an English website with all the videos (so far 20, but they just keep on coming!).

Mameshiba Website

Mameshiba frenzy ends

2010-09-30T04:02:00.000+09:00

Round five
Legume: The Chili Bean

Mameshiba frenzy still alive!

2010-09-29T03:51:00.001+09:00

Round four
Legume: The Cashew Nut

Mameshiba frenzy goes on...

2010-09-28T03:50:00.000+09:00

Round three
Legume: The Soybean

Mameshiba frenzy continues...

2010-09-27T03:30:00.000+09:00

Round two
Legume: The Green Pea!

(No pun intended on the "pea")

Mameshiba frenzy begins

2010-09-26T03:16:00.000+09:00

Mameshibaaaaaaa!

Mameshiba is... Well nobody is sure, but imagine a legume and a dog had a wild and crazy night and 9 months later a Mameshiba came out.

Mameshiba is here to fill your mind with completely useless trivia! And, in my opinion, is after the initial shock of being really weird, becomes pretty cute.

The mameshiba takes on the form of a different legume and will dazzle you with earth shattering information on a completely useless subject, unless you happen to play a lot of trivia games and appreciate useless details.

So for the next few days, I will blow your mind away with the amazing mameshiba videos!!!
With English subtitles of course.

Round one
Legume: The peanut!

I am a lucky girl...

2010-09-24T03:04:00.003+09:00

I think it is difficult to understand how marketing works in Japan, but... With ads like this, you might get an idea:

On a side note, would you understand what she was saying if there weren't any subtitles?

Leave all your love and your longing behind

2010-09-20T01:00:00.004+09:00

Nothing to do with Japan directly, but some advice for anyone who isn't where everyone else thinks they should be.

If you want to have more... Then start to let go.

Giant Boo...

2010-09-13T23:25:00.002+09:00

Boo...
Could be a few things...

- A *cute* little girl;

- A Dragon Ball character;

- A disapproving sound yelled at football players when they fail to live up to their exaggerated salary;

- Slang for boyfriend or girlfried;

- A word often used by children to refer to a small cut or scratch on the skin.

- *Something* you would do in the toilet...

So when my local supermarket starts selling "Giant Boo", you might be just as baffled as I was...

I did buy the boo, and I did eat the boo, and it wasn't all bad! (or bood)

And what is a boo? Look for yourself...

Sushi Cat, Sushi cat what are they feeding you..?

2010-09-07T23:36:00.001+09:00

A few years back there was a song along the lines of "smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you..."

It was a big hit with those that followed the series Friends. If you are under 23 years old or something terrible like that you probably have no idea what I'm going on about.

Anyway, look what I found...

Sushi cat!
The aim of the game? Feed the cat sushi, make it fat and win the game:

http://armorgames.com/play/5379/sushi-cat

Wake me up when September ends...

2010-09-02T23:53:00.002+09:00

No matter how hard I try, I cannot explain the pure agony that is surviving Japanese Summer.
But Ok, I'll try.

Before you bombard me with your local temperatures, the temperature in Japan is high, but it isn't what makes it unbearable!

It's the humidity!
While half the world battles against fires, and the other half fights to stay above water, Japan manages to mix the these two worlds.

So mix 35ºC with minimum 60% humidity and what do you have? Hell. Sweaty, uncomfortable hell.

Try riding a train that is fully packed... In these conditions. People are literally sweating all over you. Like really. Everyone has a little towel that they use to wipe off the sweat from their face and neck (I won't expand on other possible uses). Some put it around their head, others opt for a Hugh Hefner look, with it rolled around the neck, half hidden under a shirt. The possibilities are endless.

Heck, even I have a little towel.
That's how bad it is.
I have a sweat towel that I carry in my bag and use dozens of time a day.
Disgusting? That's Japanese summer for you.

And as summer doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon, just wake me up when it's over...

I'm feeling very Zen...

2010-08-25T18:27:00.000+09:00

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a flat tire."

Japanese Tarento

2010-08-21T23:59:00.000+09:00

Talent, or as they call it "Tarento" :D

A few months back my cousin posted a video about this hugely talented young man. His talent, as useless as it may be, is still impressive:

Now, while I don't even know if Gambit here is even Japanese, I do know of other throwing talents... That are Japanese:

Cup noodles. Serious Business.

Electric are they?

2010-08-16T04:18:00.000+09:00

So almost a year ago I posted about a Japanese TV show...

And I'm back with the same theme!

Good Old Family entertainment!!!

Baka Gaijin...

2010-08-10T03:41:00.000+09:00

Vocabulary lesson one:

Gaijin is, as many of you probably know, a word that means "outsider/foreigner". But it means it in a nasty URGH you dirty little alien way. Gaikokojin is pretty much the same thing (foreigner) but is more polite. No matter how you put it, if you are a foreigner in Japan then you are perceived as an alien (in the Sigourney Weaver way)

Baka is a useful word, it means stupid.

Baka gaijin (stupid foreigner) is actually a pretty common expression, as is henna gaijin (weird foreigner).

So basically, being a non pointy eyed person (actually, being pointy eyed and non Japanese puts you in the same bag) is a sign that you are:

a) Exotic
b) Stupid
c) Weird
d) Dangerous

Now, of course these are generalizations and in the larger cities you don't suffer so much (there's a lot more "gaijin" to distribute the hate around) I love the hate mail but go easy on me here before you start bashing me.

If you annoy a Japanese person by say, blocking their view of Mount Fuji, stepping on their foot, or worse still simply existing, don't be surprised if they call you a "baka gaijin".

So, this stereotype is perpetuated by TV ads, where foreigners take on roles that are funny but still don't make them look like normal folk:

Time to move on

2010-08-07T03:30:00.000+09:00

In June/July the world was invaded by ~~killer bees~~ the Vuvuzela

Actually if you really miss it you can "blow me" here...

Now that that craze is over, I think it's time we found another equally annoying instrument.

Low and behold, I present you the

オタマトーン
otamatone.

I think it stands a really good chance of becoming the next vuvu. Don't believe me? have a listen/look for yourself:

And yes, I know you want one.

And because I KNOW you want one, I've taken the liberty to provide you with the tools to start the craze:

Buy the Otamatone on Amazon!

Got Milk?

2010-08-04T03:22:00.000+09:00

I'd hate to bore you with lame youtube videos, but everyone else does it, so why shouldn't I? :D

So, here is Inochi-kun, he is... Well he's a robot school boy, and he was used in publicity for milk (Japanese school kids drink milk with their school lunch, it's not a choice, it's the only option - as is the lunch, you either like it and eat it or you don't like it and you eat it anyway).

I found these three ads on Youtube, and it's cute because it mixes puppy love, milk, erections and perviness in general.

Yes, you saw it here first.

You know you had one...

2010-08-01T02:42:00.001+09:00

if you don't know what this is then you should just leave and never come back.

Ok, I am joking, but really, you've never seen one of these?!

Back in the time when men were noble and not that many women had nose jobs (early 1990's) this was EPIC.
I would spend hours and hours on this, and I was a damn lucky girl because I actually had the ZAPPER!!!
And for those of you that don't know what a zapper is, I won't be showing you the exit button again, the ZAPPER is basically a gun. Ok, it was THE GUN.
Now I'll be honest with you here, I never understood how this thing worked, because it was beyond me (kind of still is) how the computer actually knew where I was aiming.
And although I was lucky enough to have a zapper, I only remember having a few games:

Anyway... It was pretty cool, I was totally addicted to it, loads of people had one and I'm not sure what happened to it, but I haven't touched my NES game in a truck load of years! Until today:

http://supermariobroscrossover.com/

You can plan Super Mario, with a few extras! And you don't even need a NES console! Maybe they are actually worth something on eBay, after all, this is one of the technological marvels of the previous millennium! So, please rejoice on old tech, and relive what life was like before Playstations and iEverything...

You're looking at it in the wrong way...

2010-07-29T02:17:00.000+09:00

So due to recent events on a world economic scale, jobs are hard to come by according to the statistics.

And GAWD, there are billions (if not thousands) of websites with info on how to get a job, on how to prepare for interviews, how to write resumes... And I think job seekers are going about it in the COMPLETELY WRONG WAY.

And I'll explain.

As a young woman, it's kind of given that I have a large part of my brain dedicated to

a) Shoes
b) Diets*

*scientifically proven

And I'll try not to get lost here... Let's focus on Diets.
Ever since I can remember I was dieting (like on an hourly basis: the hours I didn't eat I was on a diet, at lunch, dinner and snack time I wasn't).
Soon I figured out I wasn't too good at it. So I developed a plan B. It was simple: I'd get everyone else fatter, so that I'd be thinner (at least by comparison - that and there's only so much food available, if they eat more, logically there would be less for me to get my hands on). I was a smart kid, huh?

So listen up people, this is what you have to do:

Focus on getting others fired.

I know, I know, it's evil, but A Girl's Gotta Do What a Girl's Gotta Do.
So, to help out the least resourceful, here is how you go about it:

a) Figure out what job you want
b) Find the person who currently occupies that position
c) Become BFF with said person
d) Get access to their facebook/blogger/email account/colleagues emails/etc.

and then use out the large array of ideas given here and here

Of course, my plan is slightly flawed when you consider that now you still have to land their ex job, but hey, like I said, how to do that is well documented on the web.

What's in a name?

2010-07-27T02:03:00.005+09:00

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd...

Romeo and Juliet

And no, I haven't gotten in touch with my female side.

Being blessed with a peculiar name has had it's moments, as most of us that served as vents for a previous generations creativity will know... But what is a name? I think it does change the essence of things... At least in this next scenario:

iSushi

2010-07-25T23:56:00.002+09:00

The internet is full of images dissing the qualities of the iPad... But once again, the Japanese prove themselves to be a country of superior technology, by showing how the iPad is truly a useful tool.

Low an behold:Source

De pequeno se torce o pepino...

2010-07-11T00:41:00.004+09:00

Um dia destes fiquei deveras impressionada porque alguns jovens (nos seus 5 e 6 anos) na zona onde vivo frequentam uma das cadeias de ginásio mais populares no Japão. Todas as Quintas, lá para as 4 da tarde, uma carrinha do ginásio (toda janota diga-se de passagem) leva as crianças para a sua sessão de exercício semanal.

Nada contra, mas hoje tropecei nesta pérola na amazon Japan:
E fiquei a pensar... De cedo se torce o pepino Japonês.

Lembrei-me

2010-06-25T17:30:00.003+09:00

Há uns anos atrás os meus amigos *do continente* vieram passar umas férias comigo à Madeira, entre colchões no chão e seis pessoas enfiadas num carro, passou-se bem!

Lembro-me da espalanada, à beira mar, serviço minimamente aceitável, ar fresco... Aproxima-se a jovem funcionária. Pedem as suas bebidas. Chega a minha vez:

Eu: Boa noite, queria uma meia de leite...
Funcionária: Meia de Leite (?!) Aqui diz-se Chinesa.

Após uns anos a viver no Norte de Portugal lá me desabituei aos pormenores do dialécto Madeirense, que nunca cheguei a dominar pois não vivi lá muito tempo. Mas de certa maneira a dica era adequada, mas o tom altivo e gozo do "Aqui diz-se..." não.
Foi um bocado agreste. Deu para um riso geral da mesa de café, mas foi um mau exemplo de customer care. Lá me resignei, que remédio.

Pouco depois vieram as bebidas

Ao entregar o dinheiro para pagar a conta, num momento de karma universal, a jovem funcionária sai-se com uma pérola:

"Thank you"

Era caso para responder "Aqui diz-se Obrigado"

Japan, the strange country

2010-06-21T23:53:00.000+09:00

In the News...

2010-06-16T19:22:00.002+09:00

Man punched in face by fellow train commuter over phone manners

A man was arrested after punching another man in the face for purportedly having bad cell phone manners Monday morning at Takadanobaba station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line.

According to police, 49-year-old Hiroshi Matsukawa had warned a fellow passenger to obey the mobile phone manner rules while the two were riding the train. The man reportedly talked back to him, causing Matsukawa to get angry and punch him in the face when they both got out at the next station, witnesses said. After being punched, the man teetered on the edge of the platform and his arm was broken by a train passing through the station.

Matsukawa was quoted by police as saying: “I warned him and he complained back at me. That really pissed me off.”
From JapanToday.

The problem with sharing such a small space with millions of others... Is that you never know when you will meet someone who is even crazier than you.
So, next time you're on the bus or the train and answer the phone, remember that that sort of behaviour can get you killed in some countries.

Fuji from the Sky

2010-05-21T02:02:00.001+09:00

O monte Fuji é conhecido mundialmente... É um do símbolo típicamente Japonês, logo a seguir ao Doraemon :P
São muitos os locais e turistas que se aventuram a subir o imponente monumento natural... Eu não faço parte desse grupo.
Não sou fã de andar 9 horas para ver o nascer do sol. Nada contra quem o faz, mas eu sou mais xixi cama a essas horas!

Mas... Se a eu não vou à montanha a pé... Sou pessoa para dar uma olhada da janela do avião, nisso sim, eu alinho.

I'm just going around the corner...

2010-05-19T01:49:00.002+09:00

When I was a little girl, someone told me I was

One in a million...

In Japan, you could say I am one in 127 million.

But this week, I thought I would go all out...

Let's see how I manage being one in 1.3 billion

They're man eaters...

2010-05-18T01:34:00.001+09:00

Um pouco de matemática... Para começar a semana em grande estilo!

a) um aquario manhoso
b) peixe fresco para jantar
c) uma jovem a conter os gritos

A resposta... Passa por aqui: Doctor fish. Ou seja, peixinhos especialistas na arte de comer pele morta. Ui, quem resiste a dar umas trincas em pele falecida? Hum? Pois, eu não como pele morta... (e daí umas asas de galinha contam?) mas sou curiosa quanto baste para experimentar isto. O resultado? Um espetáculo para os presentes. Não lido bem com cócegas...

Miyajima recreation park

2010-05-16T13:00:00.004+09:00

Eu até gostava de poder tirar um break num local qualquer com praias desertas, um calorzinho agradável... Mas como geralmente só tenho férias na mesma altura que toda a gente, isso nunca acontece, porque "deserto" é algo que não se encontra nas urbes Japonesas, e em lado nenhum em época de férias. Mas... Saiu-me a sorte grande há duas semanas na ilha de Miyajima, quando pedalei até esta relíquia:

Junta-se a isto toalhas gratuitamente cedidas pelo centro recreacional, um dia maravilhoso graças ao aquecimento global e... Temos uma tarde bem passada.
Praias do Japão: não são de jogar fora...

Voltámos...

2010-05-14T03:14:00.003+09:00

Mais uma Golden Week... Mais uma voltinha!

O ano passado rumei para sul, Kyoto e Osaka.

Este ano rumei ainda mais a sul, até Hiroshima e Miyajima!

E sabem qual é a pior coisa das férias?
É que rápidamente elas acabam e voltamos ao mesmo:

São 11:20 da manhã, hora morta e ainda para mais é feriado nacional...
Mais calmo do que isto é difícil.

The OMG cat

2010-04-26T14:01:00.003+09:00

Como fã ávida que sou das internets... De vez em quando encontro algo que acho digno de partilhar. As coisas menos apropriadas costumo colocar no facebook, mas este... Na medida que a personagem principal é Japonesa, achei que poderia mostrar aqui.

Faço uma advertência para o contéudo do vídeo, que poderá chocar os mais jovens e/ou frágeis.

O aviso está feito.

Pequena explicação: Há um video que corre pelo youtube com um gato... O gato não tem nada de especial, a não ser que faz uma cara de espanto bastante realista e engraçada. Isso e o gato é Japonês! Ora, para aqueles que entendem pouco da coisa: OMG é uma sigla para OH MY GOD... Coisa que habitualmente se diz quando algo inesperado acontece. Então um jovem qualquer encontra o vídeo e faz um mash-up com outro...

O que eu gosto mesmo é do jeito que ele mexe a cabeça ao segundo 25...

Reestruturação

2010-04-26T13:06:00.009+09:00

Analisando bem a coisa... Há que mudar o modelo em que é baseado o blog. O mundo actual está em crise (em parte) devido à incapacidade de adaptação das suas bases, crenças, modelos operacionais às mudanças actuais. Ou melhor, rejeitam a ideia de que o antigo já não é o que era, e só porque funcionou durante X anos agora pode não ser o suficiente.
Agora, não tenho aspirações para retomar economias ou governos - pelo menos este ano - por isso vou-me dedicar a algo que é-me muito mais querido e importante: O blog (ou diz-se blogue? Estes acordos ortográficos... Não chego lá sem um tutorial em .pdf).

Senão vejamos, começado há mais de 16 meses, o blog a modos que estagnou. Melhor dizendo: morreu, já era, pifou, fez-se em chocapic.

E porquê?

Porque o Japão é muito giro, mas estar a pegar nas raridades e factos manhosos que diariamente por cá acontecem rapidamente perde a piada quando estamos a vivê-los no dia a dia, não como turista ou simples observador, mas como parte integrante desta sociedade. (A integração no Japão é no entanto uma miragem, por isso entendamos o "integrante" como quem diz: pago impostos, uso o combóio, não fico escandalizada com casas de banho que são um buraco no chão).
Há que aceitar, por mais estranho e enigmático que seja o país e a cultura, deixamos de notar certas coisas que são deveras manhosas e extraordinárias, simplesmente porque... Já não as achamos tão singulares quanto isso.

Sendo assim, o blog continua, mas não focado no mundo nipónico, mas em algo muito mais importante: toda e qualquer coisa que me ocorra publicar :D (podem rir, era uma piada).

Vou dar mais uso e ênfase às tags, para que aqueles que só vêm aqui para ver fotos de meninas Japonesas e as suas fardas à marinheira do alto mar possam continuar a fazê-lo.

Tábenhe?

Rijo c'mo aço!

2010-04-11T16:47:00.003+09:00

Ora bem, tenho andando ausente... Sou preguiçosa à falta de desculpa melhor!
Mas para recompensar os meus fiéis seguidores (olá mãe) hoje tenho uma pequena pérola para mostrar...

Ah poisé, nada como um festival do falo de aço!
E dizem vocês, e com razão: "oi?!"

E passo a explicar rapidamente antes de deixar um link para o wiki:

Trata-se de um festival Shinto (a religião dominante no Japão).
Tem lugar num templo onde se veneram pénis.
(juro que não estou a inventar!)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanamara_Matsuri

Algo deste género:

estas imagens foram da net, já que as fotos que eu tirei não inspiram tanta confiança:

E assim se passa uma tarde em Kawasaki!

A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle

2010-03-26T15:19:00.003+09:00

What I am trying to say is that I am in what could be the worlds fishiest country... And I don't have a bike!

So the real question here is

Does a woman need a bicycle?

And if so, will I need to learn how to ride it?

This summer I had my rented bike for a few days... But I found the best way to stop was crashing into a wall, or to fall into bushes.

I don't think that would work out here in the city...

Portuguese Proverbs

2010-03-21T00:38:00.000+09:00

Na sequência do post anterior... Perdi um bom bocado de tempo com o meu amigo google a pesquisar provérbios... Pois de facto gosto desta sabedoria antiga.

Encontrei um provérbio supostamente de origem Portuguesa, que desconhecia por completo...
E fiquei a pensar... E não tou teçer comentários. Mas... Pensem nisso :P

The only good thing that comes from the east is the sun

~Traditional Portuguese Saying

Japanese Proverb

2010-03-19T00:29:00.003+09:00

Alguém uma vez disse-me que o Japão era uma coisa muito peculiar...

Que após uma semana no Japão sentimos que podíamos escrever um livro sobre a aventura...
Após um mês uns capítulos...
Após um ano uns paragrafos...
E que passados 10 anos nada teríamos a dizer.

Cada vez mais entendo e concordo esta teoria da batata.

O Japão por tudo o que tem de maravilhosamente fascinante, tem outro tanto que escapa à mentalidade Ocidental à qual me encontro (a bem ou a mal) restrita. É díficil explicar a diferença cultural que se vive e se sente... Não é nosso lugar julgar, somente respeitar e quiçá tentar compreender.
Uma das coisas que mais me impressionou (e ainda hoje impressiona) é a atitude Japonesa perante a família e o trabalho.
Sobre isto, poderia de facto escrever um livro... Mas limito-me a citar um provérbio Japonês:

A good husband is healthy and absent

Spotted II

2010-03-07T01:59:00.000+09:00

Fevereiro 2010, Toys'R'Us, Tokyo

Nintendo DS não incluída.
Para quem não sabe, uma DS é coisa que TODOS os jovens têm.
Prontos, todos não digo, mas 97%.

I wanna be a part of it...

2010-03-05T01:48:00.001+09:00

Se a Elma não vai a Nova Iorque... Vem a um pouco de NY até Tóquio.

À primeira vista, qualquer incauto poderia pensar que esta foto vem de terras do tio Sam... Mas não, baía de Tóquio, garanto-vos.
Chama-se a Deusa da Liberdade e é uma (das muitas...) réplicas da original.

Aceito donativos para comprar uma Nikon ou outra coisa qualquer toda catita com o intuito de tirar fotos que façam justiça a locais como este...

Have a break... Take III

2010-03-03T03:17:00.004+09:00

Quando vocês pensam que já viram tudo... Lembrem-se que estão muito enganadinhos.
Isto é tipo o senhor dos anéis, já vai no terceiro episódio e ainda só viram umas coisas meias abixanadas no ecrã.

LET THE KIT KAT SAGA CONTINUE!

6) KIT KAT
Moranguinhos

Nota 5.
Isto tem um trago qualquer meio ácido... Assim nem é doce nem é salgado... Mas fica na língua. Chocolate cor de rosinha como não podia deixar de ser. E este nem sabe mal, mas para mim... Isto de comer chocolate sem ter *chocolate* tira um bocado a pica da coisa...

7) KIT KAT
Maple Syrup

Nota 5.
De notar que este vende-se em embalagens com 13 miniaturas (número curioso!)
Deve ser a propósito das (já acabadas) Olimpíadas, o número certamente ajudou à sorte do Japão no que toca a medalhas.
Voltando ao chocolate: o cheirinho é de facto característico do xarope de ácer (só agora descobri agora o nome Português) mas o sabor... O sabor em nada se relaciona com a mencionada substância pegajosa.
Dou-lhe um cinco porque nem é bom, nem é mau. Aliás, deve ser péssimo, demorou um mês a acabar o pacote.

Abre e fecha...

2010-02-25T04:37:00.003+09:00

Sempre fui fã de eBays e compras online...
Agora que estou no Japão... Muito mais ainda.
Desde Marks and Spencers a Mangos... Tudo se vende em lojas oficiais pela internet, e como por cá ou não existe ou os preços nas lojas são inflaccionados (estamos a falar do dobro ou triplo do preço em mercados Europeus)... Dou a volta à coisa, ecomendo para lá e é enviado para cá!

Até mais ver... Ainda nao tive problemas, mas eles andam de olho...
Certamente somente queriam verificar qual foi a minha mais recente aquisição..?

Spotted

2010-02-22T20:01:00.005+09:00

Dando aso a uma nova rúbrica...

O Spotted.

Ora bem, tendo sendo "abençoada" com um nome invulgar... Como será óbvio ao longo da minha vida fui sujeita a trocadilhos... E já foi referido num post anterior e ainda noutro.

Desde o Elmer, . Inimigo eterno do nosso coelhinho preferido. (Gostava de relembrar que não tenho problemas de fala do género: "Be vewy vewy quiet... I'm hunting wabbits").

Ainda houve a fase mais gordurosa/saborosa. Passei a ser a Hellmanns. Sim, maionese
. É de referir que chamavam-se assim, meio a cantar "Hellmanns! A verdadeira Maionese!" Ainda hoje ouço isto, e acreditem ou não, surge espontaneamente... As pessoas do nada associam-me a maionese.

Outro nome carinhoso que me deram foi o de um boneco vermelhinho... Algo maluquinho.

Ah poisé, o Elmo.
Embora ache que o monstro das bolachas tem muito mais em comum com a minha personalidade.

E assim surge a rúbrica.

Spotted:
Janeiro 2010, comboio. Tokyo.

O Inverno por estes lados é diferente...

2010-02-20T03:33:00.006+09:00

Enquanto criança levei com chuva todos os dias (got to love that good old British weather...), depois na Pérola do Atlântico fui abençoada com invernos suaves, natal de manga curta... O tempo era quentinho e não chovia tão regularmente, mas upa upa, quando chovia... Vinha metade do monte abaixo. Literalmente.

Se sempre fui habituada com invernos chuvosos e sombrios... Agora não convivo com disso.
Por cá, o inverno é caracterizado por céus límpidos, uma luminosidade deveras estranha...
É certo que não chove, o céu está quase sempre azul sem nada que ofusque a imensidão... Mas... Está um frio :(
Dou por mim com saudades do fim do verão, passear de chinelinho e a queixar-me da humidade... Serões nos barquinhos do rio...
Mas voltando à realidade: já caiu um pouco de neve, (nada que se compare com as aventuras de dois anos atrás por terras de Leste) Mas... Não consigo parar de queixar-me deste frio.

Eu definitivamente deveria estar numa zona assim mais temperada... E enquanto não me mudo definitivamente para uma destas... Parece que vou ter de gramar com o frio

E pensam vocês... Que exagerada que esta rapariga é... O Japão nem é assim tão frio.
E é capaz de ser verdade, isto não é a Sibéria, nem sequer é o Norte do Japão, mas não são vocês que andam com saquinhos daqueles que aquecem sozinhos pois não? Pois logo vi...

Não sei não...

2010-02-15T02:28:00.002+09:00

Tava aqui a remexer no meu Facebookas... E lembrei-me que há algum tempo partilhei lá uma pérola que se calhar não deveria publicar aqui, mas sa lixe...

Podem confirmar pela árvore iluminada que isto foi por altura do natal... Que até vem a jeito, porque com uma oferta destas, ainda restam dúvidas que o pai natal existe?

Poisé, 24 horas, banda desenhada, jogos e ainda um duchezito...

Que mais quererá esta juventude Japonesa?

Fruta?

2010-02-13T02:12:00.003+09:00

Pelos vistos bloggar é como tudo na vida...
Uma pessoa quando pára... Tem uma certa dificuldade em recomeçar.

Por isso achei que seria óptimo para abrir as hostilidades uma piada mesmo foleira...

Lembram-se disto?

Pois para quem não sabe, Konami é de origem Japonesa, e por aqui disfarça-se de multinacional que produz e edita video jogos, quando na verdade sabemos que isto é fruta podre, a mim é que não me enganam!
Podem confirmar pela foto tirada a horas um pouco tardias numa rua de Roppongi que eu estou sempre atenta a estas coisas...

And we're back

2010-02-04T01:37:00.012+09:00

Poisé, tenho estado ausente.

Desde que regressei de Portugal que senti o Japão de forma... vá, diferente.

Enquanto estudante, (ó, esses anos "dourados"... Ou não), lembro-me de estudar, creio que numa das aulas de História do Direito, que era preciso esperar 50 anos após um acontecimento para poder analisar o mesmo com sangue frio, de forma imparcial, sem o toldo do sentimento...

Se podia esperar 50 anos, poder... Podia. Mas não era a mesma coisa.

Após 14 dias em Portugal (um deles roubado, já que o vôo de regresso foi cancelado... Mas remarcado... Mas entretanto esse também cancelado... Mas depois foi remarcado e foi mesmo dessa vez que levantei vôo!)

Mas dizia... 14 dias em Portugal é como que uma lua-de-mel, em que estou recém casada com a pátria Portuguesa.
Passo a explicar.
Vive-se uma sensação de reencontro amoroso com a nação. Olhamos para ela com olhos apaixonados, percorremos os dedos pelos trilhos já conhecidos, mas parece que tem um sabor diferente... Encontro mil e uma facetas novas... E é tão divertido, mas tão divertido, que quando a lua-de-mel acaba... Ficamos a pensar... Ohhh Paaaa! Porque é que não posso estar em honeymoon eternamente?

E foi isso, regressei ao Japão com uma DPP.
Eu chamei-lhe de DPP. (Sem qualquer filiação política)
Depressão Pós Portugal.
Durante uma semana questionei a minha situação.
Afinal, que raio estou eu aqui a fazer? Podia estar em Portugal numa boa vida e em vez disso tou aqui, longe de tudo.

Poisé meus amigos, Portugal durante 14 dias pareceu-me um paraíso jeitoso.
E se calhar é um paraíso jeitoso...
Se eu pudesse estar em Portugal com fundos monetários e tempo disponível; a coisa até era gira. Era toda boa até. Eu ia lá.
Se eu pudesse todos os sábados lanchar em Braga, depois apanhar o comboio até o Porto, comer um gelado com uma antiga colega de curso, para depois ir Jantar com ex colegas de estágio , aterrar na casa de uma colega às 7 da manha, para acordar 3 horas depois, e sem banho nem pequeno almoço apanhar o metro até o aeroporto porque ao meio dia tenho vôo para Faro, sim, porque vou até Faro na medida que apeteceu-me passar o dia com os antigos colegas de curso do Sul, e é mesmo só um dia, porque dia seguinte apanho outro avião para o Porto...
Se eu pudesse fazer isto sempre que me desse na real gana... A coisa até nem era má de todo.

A questão é que passei 2 semanas com a minha família, amigos, conhecidos e outros afins numa verdadeira BOA VIDA, em que dediquei-me a dormir, compras, jantares, compras, andar de norte para sul, cafés, bolos, compras, até fiquei até as 6 e tal da manhã a jogar Catan (de realçar que ganhei uma partida - aquela em que "nao se preocupem com a Elma, ela não conta para a estatística" - Eu não perdoo :P)

Ou seja... A minha mente, que nem sempre está no seu auge... Ficou mole. Lembram-se da Never Ending Story? (Nem é a propósito da extensão deste post...)
Basicamente "the sadness of the swamps was getting to me", e eu andei assim durante uns dias, tipo cavalinho a afundar-se...

E prontos, uma semana depois passou-me, já estava tudo normal. Se calhar lembrei-me do velho ditado " Everyone knew that whoever let the sadness overtake him would sink into the swamp..."

E assim passou-me a neura, quando me apercebi que de facto eu podia viver assim para sempre.
E poder podia, mas e dinheiro? E tempo? E que os amigos arranjem tempo e disponibilidade, alterando as suas agendas para quem está de visita é uma coisa, mas exigir a dita atenção a tempo inteiro é outra coisa completamente diferente.

Tão deixei de lado as possibilidades infinitas que terei disponíveis quando ganhar o grande prémio do Euromilhões, (e eu vou ganhar, não tenham dúvidas), e abraçei a minha vida no Japão com o fulgor de outrora.

E voltei ao estado normal :)

E sim, a vida no Japão corre bem, mesmo com neve que cai e derrete no mesmo instante. Já o frio... esse é que teima em ficar.

P.S - Sabiam que por definição, lua-de-mel é o primeiro mês do casamento?!

Ainda em terras Lusitanas!

2010-01-10T02:03:00.002+09:00

Observações dos últimos dias em Portugal:

1) Faz um frio... Ui!
2) Andei a comer à grande e à Portuguesa durante quase duas semanas...
3) Vou precisar de férias para recuperar das "férias"!
4)Com uma greve anunciada mas entretanto desconvocada e um vôo de regresso cancelado... Começo a achar que as forças superiores não gostam que eu faça tantas viagens!

Jetlaaaaaaaagada

2009-12-31T04:50:00.002+09:00

Observações dos primeiros dias em Portugal:

1) Jetlag para já não é nada de especial :D
2) Autoestradas são uma xulisse
3) Este tempo não está com nada
4) Os saldos, onde andam??!!

Nihongo!

2009-12-27T06:20:00.002+09:00

Não sei se já disse... Mas por mais díficil que seja a língua Japonesa, há coisas que são tão óbvias, mas tão óbvias que até metem nojo, e só me fazem pensar: Como é que ainda não sei falar esta língua.
Ora vejamos...

Agora que já passou o Kurisumasu, vou pegar na minha suutsu keesu e no meu pasupo-to e vou até Porutogaru!

Wakarimasu ka? :D

Que Soninho II

2009-12-26T06:11:00.002+09:00

Há quase três meses relatei aqui o tal fenómeno Japonês da narcolépsia...

Venho só mostrar que isto não é sazonal, é eterno!
Ora vejamos, o cenário: comboio, cerca das 6 da manhã...
Admitidamente que a maioria destas pessoas não vão trabalhar, mas sim para casa por o sono em dia...
Mas há alguns que não conseguem esperar até chegar à cama:

E sim, começo a perder a vergonha de tirar fotos a estas cenas :D

OMG they killed Christmas!!!

2009-12-25T02:01:00.003+09:00

No Japão não se celebra o natal...

Reformulando...
No Japão não se celebra O Natal...
Há luzinhas por todo o lado, arvores, prendas...
Mas nem é feriado (ah poisé, dia 24 e 25 a bombar!) e o Natal Japonês é sobretudo uma festa romântica, em que as jovens esperam receber uma noite digna de filmes hollywoodescos... É momento para arranjar um vestidinho daqueles, ir para um jantar chique e de seguida ir beber um copo de qualquer bebida refinada... Depois receber uma prenda soberbamente cara e depois acabar a noite num love hotel a pensar na vida*.

* Usem a imaginação

Como eu não sou Japonesa não tenho direito a estas iguarias.
Mas como ando por cá, trabalho dia 24.
E 25.

Mas... dia 23 foi feriado!!! Tão, como não podia deixar de ser...

Lá improvisei um mini natal, hehehe!
Como este ano também não tive direito a Carnaval, achei por bem celebrar os dois feriados perdidos ao mesmo tempo!

E assim ficam os meus votos de um Feliz Natal e Boas Entradas em 2010 para todos :)

Até breve...

Have a break... The saga continues

2009-12-22T07:34:00.004+09:00

Na sequência do post da semana passada... Continuaremos na nossa aventura das papilas mais ou menos gustativas!

4)KIT KAT
White

Nota 4.
Hum... Este devem conhecer, a única diferença é que de facto... O chocolate é branco. Não sendo fã de chocolate branco, acho-lhe um pouco... bah.

5) KIT KAT
Vegetable and Fruit Juice

Nota 6.
Opa... Estava com um medo deste! O conceito parece estranhamente agradável: a Ito-en produz bebidas à base de vegetais e fruta... Tão pensaram: vamos meter 25% da dose diária de vegetais e fruta... num chocolate!!! O chocolate em si é cor de laranja, e cheira a maçãs... E NÃO É MAU! É sobretudo diferente! Leva o 6 pela inovação e pelo facto que cheira a maçãs... Isso e porque conseguiram fazer isto sem sabor a maçãs e cenouras podres :D

Empresas Japonesas...

2009-12-20T03:14:00.005+09:00

Há empresas Japonesas que são bem conhecidas pelo mundo:
Toyota
Nikon
Sony
Nintendo
Yamaha
Pioneer
Toshiba
Mitsubishi
Shiseido
Pentel

E podia continuar...

Mas há empresas que nunca terão sucesso em Portugal, nem que a vaca torça o rabo...

Exemplo 1:

Uma empresa de bebidas...
E passo a citar: manufacturer and distributor of tomato based foods, and fruit and vegetable juices...

Com produtos deste género, não admira que a empresa se chame...KAGOME

Pudera... Com misturas destas não seria de esperar outra coisa...

Rainy Matsuri food

2009-12-17T13:50:00.003+09:00

Guardo um lugarzinho no coração para noites de festa em Portugal... Com churros, pão com chouriço, pipocas... E um bolo do caco quentinho com manteiga de alho... (isto são momentos aparvalhados de quem está quase a ir a Portugal, não liguem...)

No Japão, não há nada disso.
Mas quando se vai a um matsuri existem outras iguarias...
E sem mais delongas, deixo umas fotos do tipo de coisa que se pode ver, comprar e comer num dia de festejos locais, não façam perguntas, porque eu também não entendo muito bem...

Há quem pense que sou uma esquisitinha para comer... Não é verdade, tenho somente gostos esquisitos. Por exemplo, não gosto da maioria do sushi, come-se, mas não gosto.
A minha comida preferida por cá... É sem sombra de dúvida... Okonomiyaki!!! Já em Maio coloquei aqui uma foto do dito cujo.

Tão, como era dia de festa... O meu jantar foi isso mesmo. E passo a mostrar:

OK, OK...
Bem sei que o aspecto deixa muito a desejar, mas foi comprado na rua, num dia de chuva... Que querem pá? Além do mais, pode não parecer grande coisa, mas no fim já so restava isto :P

E como diz a minha maezinha, "Beberagem de um dia não engorda o porco..." lá me dediquei a uma sobremesita.

É um género de suspiro gigante, mas com sabor a caramelo :D

E pronto, estava a festa feita, porque sejamos honestos... Fogo de artifício, andores e outras coisas que para lá inventam... No fundo todos sabemos que o interessa mesmo, é a comida.

Have a break...

2009-12-15T15:24:00.007+09:00

Hoje vamos falar de um tema que me é muito querido.

Chocolate.

Mais precisamente, Kit Kat. Ok, não é nenhum Cadbury's Whole Nut... Mas come-se.

No Japão, o Kit Kat é um mini fenómeno... Há uns anos atrás virou super moda andar sempre com um, porque um kit kat dava uma sorte do caneco!

Eu explico: Kit Kat dito em Japonês parece algo como Kitto Katso, (para quem ouve mal claro). Kitto katso dizer qualquer coisa como "Vais ser bem sucedido certamente".
Então estudantes começaram a comprar muitos chocolates em época de exames, para dar sorte!

Mas adiante... Não era bem isto que vos queria dizer... O que queria dizer é que vou lançar uma rubrica para o blog, em que descubro comida manhosa do Japão e dou-lhes uma classificação de 0 a 10... Sendo o que temos e conhemos em Portugal é sempre um 5.

Não entendeste? Pois eu também não, mas vamos começar à mesma:

1)KIT KAT
O original

Nota 5.
O sabor já lhe conhecem, não muda nada por isso nem vou me dar ao trabalho de escrever mais. Ah, sim É MAIS PEQUENINO... Mas isso não é novidade nenhuma.

2) KIT KAT
Royal Milk Tea

Nota 2.
Isto nem sabe a chá nem a cevada... Sabe a bolacha maria com um toque de bolor... Mas mais doce.

3) KIT KAT
Farinha de Soja

Nota 7
Vem em formato de barra gigante, que também existe na versão original... Curiosamente não sabe muito diferente do original, não lhe sinto sabor nenhum a soja... Mas acho-o melhor! Parece que esfarela-se mais e sabe nham nham... (nham nham não é Japonês, é Elmisse para "saboroso")

Para já chega que não quero assustar ninguém, mas aviso já que há mais... Tenho ali um de frutas e vegetais para provar... Vou ganhar coragem e depois relato!