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Abductions
Prime Minister Koizumi is in North Korea today, attending a summit with tetchy neighbors. The hot topic at the summit–abductions. Japan claims that North Korea abducted a dozen or so Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 80s. NK has sometimes completely denied this; at other times they have launched “missing person” searches in cooperation with…
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It’s a long holiday
It’s a long holiday weekend here. Yesterday, I stayed away from the computer for most of the day. Tod & I went to Ikebukuro to check out the Gyoza Stadium, a pot-sticker theme park operated by game giant Namco. For 3,500 yen you get all-day, all-you-can eat gyoza in a dozen different styles from around…
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Holy 1950s
Don’t I look like Mrs. Cleaver in my jewelry and apron? I’m showing off cleaning products for the video. These all have pictures on them, which are helpful for the functional illiterate who wants a tidy room.
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Road (construction) rage
Plans for filming yesterday were thwarted by road construction. My valiant camerawoman got no sleep because of all-night construction near her house. So we put off our reshoot in Ginza until the MJ gets some sleep and we have another sunny day. Tomorrow we’ll shoot the grocery store and cooking scenes. It’s coming together slowly,…
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Irritating patriotism
Is it safe to read news yet? I stopped a few days before “the anniversary of the tragic event” and I do not relish seeing any nationalist, patriotic aftermath. Would someone check to see if all the flag-waving, teary-eyed reportage is over? Love, Your Cynical Friend
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Subliterate goofiness
My head is all funny.
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Bloodlust for mosquitos
Bloodlust for mosquitos. I’m not the sort to kill insects but mosquitos are an exception. I despise them. The damp weather has caused a boom in the population and they are finding their way inside. That’s not too hard since we have no window or door screens in this building. When I see one, I…
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Hiccough cure
How do you cure hiccups in Japanese? By answering a simple question: What is tofu made of? Daizu. This evening at dinner, it worked better than holding my breath, drinking out of the wrong side of the glass or being frightened. Soy beans have magical powers…
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Printing digital photos
These are digital camera print kiosks. For 50 yen a print, you get your images printed directly from your camera’s storage media–Compact Flash, Smart Media, Memory Stick, PC Card, even floppy. These are at a big electronics store, but our local Family Mart convenience store has one, too. Ah, technology. Personally, I like to work…
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Candy nostalgia
Glico is marketing Tic Tacs in Japan now. I hadn’t realised I’d missed them until I tasted their imitation vanilla coating. Ah, childhood memories…. When Zoupi returned from Belgium, he brought some original Belgian Frisk mints with him. They’re blue! And they have sorbitol in them, the stuff that gives Velamints their slippery texture (and…
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