31st August 2006
Is Abe a wolf in sheep’s clothing?
The big question in Japanese politics now is who will succeed prime minister Junichiro Koizumi. The two main characters for the job are chief cabinet secretary Shinzo Abe and foreign minister Taro Aso. So far Koizumi has not endorsed any of them. So, the question is: what will they do different? Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: Shinzo, Abe, Taro, Aso
Posted in Politics & History | 1 Comment »
30th August 2006
The claim: “Japanese service is good, but too automated. It’s all “irrashaimase” and no listening to the customer. Service workers are afraid to break the rules if you ask them for something out of their routine”. Buying a used scooter I found this to be wrong.
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Technorati Tags: Japanese, Buying, used, scooter
Posted in Becoming Japanese, Tokyo and around | No Comments »
29th August 2006
After the poster of the pregnant Britney Spears had been banned and censored from appearing in the Tokyo metro it has now been cleared. What a victory for free speech! Two voicies from the crowd: 83 year old woman Tsuyako Egashira said “Why would a pregnat women want to show her belly? It’s absurd.” More positive was 78 year old Takuro Shimizu. He had arrived from Saitama only to take pictures of the ad. “I think the campaign will be good for the low nativity numbers”. Nude Britney. Mahalo.
Technorati Tags: pregnant, Britney, Spears, Nude
Posted in Daily events | No Comments »
28th August 2006
The most fun place to shop in Tokyo is not found in a department store, not in the electronics district of Akihabara, nor in Shibuya or Ginza. The are all good places to visit with your wallet, but not nearly as fun as the Ameyoko or “Black Market”.
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Technorati Tags: shop, Tokyo, Ameyoko
Posted in Tokyo and around | 3 Comments »
27th August 2006
This weekend furniture giant IKEA gave a preview of their new store in Japan. On September 15 the new store in Yokohama will open. After the first successful store in Chiba, east of Tokyo, it’s now time for store number two in Yokohama, west of Tokyo. Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: IKEA, store, Japan
Posted in Tokyo and around | No Comments »
24th August 2006
After the ban was lifted on American beef Japan slowly started eating it again. But since a Japanese inspection found spine in some meat bound for export nobody here eats American. Which is a problem if you like it. This story claims that American meat can only be found in a few Costco stores in Japan. It’s not true, and I’ll help you find the stuff. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Daily events | 1 Comment »
22nd August 2006

Japanese boxer Koki Kameda who won the title for the World Boxing Association’s light flyweight championship on august 2 may be forced to defend his title again. Venezuelan fighter Juan Landaeta should have won the match according to many, since he was dominating the match in large. Today NHK announced the news: Read the rest of this entry »
Technorati Tags: Kameda
Posted in Martial Art, Daily events | No Comments »