Whiskey a Go Go

Let's watch as Koyuki shows us how to mix a delicious highball. Don't usually touch whiskey, or whisky according to Suntory, but this ad makes me thirsty.

Cut and Blow

Seems I am always learning a new word. Today's word: GAYANGO, which apparently means "Hair and a lot of fun." Actually, the pronunciation of the katakana would be "gajango," but the romanized GAYANGO definitely rings more accurate for a beauty salon. Of course, it would work better as a title for a gay western or maybe the sequel to "Brokeback Mountain."

Frappucino Petito

Does Starbucks in the U.S. have these cute samples that look like a miniaturized version of a Frappucino? Or is it only here in Japan? I am pretty sure the contents of my sample (coffee jelly and frozen coffee) is only on the menu in Japan. The Japanese sure do love coffee-flavored jelly! I had never eaten it until I worked at a Japanese public school. JELL-O Brand apparently tried to market coffee-flavored gelatin in North America, but it was discontinued.

Rainbows at Night

All buildings should light up at night like the Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills.

Akihabara Anniversary

I should have posted this last week. I went for lunch on June 8 in Akihabara, not far from my office, and passed the street corner where a year ago to the day some nut went on a stabbing spree, killing seven people. News reporters were gathered around the spot where people had placed flowers as a memorial. Akihabara is always crowded, pretty much like the rest of Tokyo's business and shopping areas, and it's hard to imagine what I would have done if I had been one of the people who just happened to be strolling along the street that Sunday. I had passed this street corner dozens of times before the murders and dozens of times since. Random violence like the Akihabara murders is the scariest kind of violence because it could happen anywhere at anytime. Yet, just like with earthquakes, we generally don't let the fear of these kinds of incidents stop us from going about our daily lives.

May Disease

For some reason, I totally lost any desire to blog about anything over the past month and a half. It is quite possible that I was suffering from what the Japanese call "gogatsu-byou," literally May Disease. In Japan, the new business and school year starts in April, so new recruits and students work really hard for the first few weeks. Then, BOOM, we get this great week of national holidays, and it seems to wreak havoc on people's mental ability to function. This leads to a kind of depression. (At least, this is my understanding of "gogatsu-byou." I ain't no doctor.)
But since I didn't just start my job in April, I really have no excuse. And since it's halfway through June already, I must just be lazy.

Love Sub

Supposedly there's a love hotel in Shibuya with a swimming pool in the room. Supposedly there are geeks who rent the room out to play with their remote control submarines. Supposedly there is a video of this on YouTube. I'll believe it when I see it. . .



This gives a whole new meaning to the euphemism "watching the submarine races."

Wash and Go

Washlets (toilets with a bidet-like spray nozzle) have become so common in Japan, you not only find them in homes, but also in the restrooms of offices, department store and restaurants. You could say that ass-washing is almost a national sport. (OK, not quite.) I've always made it a point not to use a public sprayer because I figure that any water spraying up has to fall down. . . and where is it falling? Onto the very spray nozzle that everyone is using. Well, bathroom fixture manufacturer TOTO must want to tap into this market of people who are either afraid of using public washlets or are simply afraid of going to toilets without one available. This portable washlet that I spotted yesterday at Yodobashi Camera runs on one AA battery and can fit into your purse or briefcase. The display at the store even had English explanations aimed at making this product appeal to all those foreign tourists who "suffer from hemorrhoids" or those who want to clean themselves "during or after pregnancy."

Train Robbery

This notice on a train ticket vending machine warns people that gum or other substances may have been placed intentionally in the coin return to rob them of their money. Most people are in such a rush that they probably don't count their change, and after they have gone through the turnstile, someone will place their fingers into the machine and pocket the blocked coins. Some of the machines even let you buy a ticket with a 10,000 yen note, so any change over 1000 yen will come out of a separate bill return. Now if I could only find a way to block that, I could quit my day job.

Extra Appendages

My gym has a room outfitted with massage chairs, and I often use it after my "rigorous" workouts. There's a poster on the wall that explains, in Japanese and English, how to behave (no sleeping!) and how to use the chairs (15-minute time limit!). I've never really looked closely at all the rules, but the other day some text caught my eye. At first I thought the vibrations of the chair had shaken my retina loose. Upon closer inspection, though, I realized it said exactly what I thought it said. Apologies for the blurry pic -- I rushed in order not to disturb the people that were "not" sleeping. The English says, "Please put the spare prick in the basket." The original Japanese says something like "Please use the basket for your belongings." How that translates to "spare prick," I have no idea.