Manners

For as long as I have been living in Japan JT has been running a campaign about manners. Tonight on my way home I saw a poster that I thought was quite good.




Usually these posters are related to good manners for smokers. But recently JT has started producing posters encouraging people to behave on the train too.

This one I felt especially heart warming.

For anyone who doesn't already know, JT is short for Japan Tobacco. They produce frozen foods (such as importing Gyoza from China) and cigarettes.

Outlet Mall Engrish

Never before have I seen so many fine examples of quality Engrish, so I decided to be a little creative and present a story to you.

I was walking around the shopping mall when an


Struck me. I decided to make good use of my time, as you only


Thus I decided to take some photos and


around the mall. As I looked at the many stores I was developing a


about the use of Engrish in Japan and how there might be a


where Japanese is mis-used in the west. Still as I have been caught up in a


which picked me up high into the air. Eventually I landed


Which really hurt my bum. It was there I met a


who introduced herself to me. But I don't


as well as she does about the mall. Next we decided to eat some


It was really good. The pasta was aldente , the sauce just so and the waiter


at me after seeing the size of his tip. After lunch she took out a cigarette and


and relax after a nice meal. However there was a problem with the


and he told her not to smoke. Nearing the end I will have to make a


And bid you farewell.

Jamaipanese Interview

Today I would like to introduce you to a fellow Japan blogger, Kirk of www.jamaipanese.com

So we have the man, but lets get to know the blogger a little more, shall we?

1 Tell jDonuts readers a little bit about yourself.

Hey JD readers. My name is Kirk, I am from Kingston Jamaica, I am tall, slim and a very proud otaku.

2 Why did you start blogging about Japan?

Japan is the source of or plays an important role in many of my hobbies and interests. I hope to visit one day and started learning Japanese. My blog is a outlet for my Japan related interests, a place to practice my Japanese (albeit very limited) and to meet other people that share my interests.

3 Why have you continued blogging about Japan?

My blog has done well to teach me more about Japan and I have met many friends and been exposed to many things I would not have exposed to if I wasn't blogging. I am most excited about the people I will meet and the experiences I will have in the future...due to my blog.

4 What Anime character are you most like and why?

Jiraiya - respected, skilled, a rebel, powerful, jovial and free spirited. I'm not as big a pervert as him but I like how he is sincere and true to his character.

5 If you only had one day in Japan and ￥10,000 what would you do and why?

thats easy....Akihabara. I've read so much, watched so much on TV and read so much...I can't wait to have a first hand experience making the Akihabara pilgrimage that in my mind all otaku must do ^_^. I'd need 100 times that.

6 What are two of your favorite posts (on your own blog) and why?

The three places in Japan I would love to visit - A post talks about some places in Japan I would like to visit and why.

and
Jamaipanese.com online - My first ever post on my blog that I read from to time to time to be inspired.

7 What are two of your favorite posts (on other Japan blogs) and why?

Prepare a trip to Japan in 10 steps - a recent post on one of my favourite japan related blogs that offered some insight on the steps I need to take to eventually visit Japan

and

just about any post from akihabaranews.com - a great blog that all Japan enthusiasts and technology junkies must visit.

8 Go crazy after this, say anything you like! (but please keep child safe)

If you read this far please check out my blog ^_^

(That's www.jamaipanese.com if you hadn't already figured that out by this far, Contamination)

9 Who would you like to see interviewed next? (Max 3)

Hector of Kirainet.com
R.O. of Blackjapanman.com
Neil of Neilduckett.com

And there you have it. My first ever interview with Kirk of Jamaipanese.

But please remember that Kirk isn't just a Japan blogger, he is also an avid gamer and could possibly cut down the number of hours if needed. ;-)

Have A Nice Day

"Have a Nice Day! The love to you is alive in me."
So cute, I want to be sick.



"Have a Nice Day! The love to you is alive in me. You are aside of me every day"
Here we can see the rest of the message. Nope, I still feel sick.



And just the thing to do it! A 4 liter bottle of Nikka Black Clear blend. Only 37% but doesn't burn the pipes too badly.

Starbucks Bear

Look what I found at my local Starbucks today



It's the cutest little bear with a JAPAN flag. Naturally it's sporting a jacket with the company colors and logo but as unofficial Olympic merchandise it's pretty cool.

Unofficial Olympic merchandise? Well why would Starbucks release a toy supporting the country which _just_ so happens to be before the 2008 Olympic games? Hmm....

Oh and FREE TIBET!

Engrish at the Clothes Store

Yesterday I decided to head into a local clothing store with my son to kill some time and see if they had any Engrish. I wasn't disappointed.



"Unconfined explosion. oneself is oneself. you are you."
Really? well that's a relief, for a while I was beginning to think I was someone else!



"It lives mutually naturally. It is our obligation. The life with happy only person who defended the regulations comes."
Well I am glad that they were sent to defend our regulations. I always support the troops who defend regulations!



Also I found some magnetic stickers of my friend Oshiri Kashiri Mushi!

But most importantly, I found something that I really want. Some cheap pot!


Yep, I bought some cheap pot hand towels. At ￥78 each with an amusing design, I couldn't pass them up! In the background you can see my Totoro Keychain and SO903i.

This is a joke, right?

Schools will not move to stop using words like mum and dad, or girlfriend and boyfriend, the NSW Education Department says, despite reports that public schools are under pressure to provide gay-friendly environments.

Read: Mum's the word as gay lobbyists denied

This is a joke, right? This can't be serious?

Because someone makes a lifestyle choice and then chooses to un-naturally bring children into it, they want to stop calling me Dad? Are they out of their minds.

I don't mind equal rights for gays & lesbians but when you expect to drag my natural name of Dad down to that of Partner, you go too far friend. Don't expect to be treated the same when you are not.

The natural way to be a parent is two people who love each other, are married and financially stable decide to bring a child into the world that they know they can love, care for and support.

Not those who leave it too late and have to resort to IVF, there's a lime limit on fertility for a reason.

Not those who decide to put the connector in the wrong hole, that's biologically impossible.

Not those who cannot support the child properly, if you can't look after it properly, don't have one.

For the record, I'm an Atheist. I firmly accept evolution as proven scientific fact. I also accept that homosexuality has a proven place in evolution too. But not for the purposes of producing children but supporting others who choose to do so.

So don't you dare challenge what my children can and can't call me, don't you dare bring me to your level. I'm not a cowboy, so don't call me partner.

100 Men

Great video.

We won an Anpanman Playmat

Look what arrived with Pelican Delivery today!


It's Anpanman!

We always buy Nepia Genki nappies as they are simply the best quality. And when you have a toxic load, you certainly want a nappy that will hold it in.

But with all things in Japan they have a points system, collect enough points and you can enter a competition. So you could imagine my surprise that we actually won something.

There was also a wall poster and DVD in the delivery box, but I will save them for later.

It will make our apartment feel more homey.

Shopping

Not a particularly exciting weekend. It rained pretty much all day yesterday and today was occupied mostly by shopping. Though I did go for a walk in the morning and again in the afternoon with my son. It was nice to be able to watch the trains go by so close with him on my shoulders.

I found this item of Chinese junk today.

Yep, it's a "Wee" not a "Wii". Just your regular crappy Chinese DVD player doing it's best to sound like something popular. Heck it doesn't even do DivX.
For ￥4980 it's a cheap DVD player with a rip-off name. No I didn't buy it.


2.7Litres of 40% Whiskey for ￥3450. It's environmentally friendly as the container uses less energy to produce / recycle and I end up saving ￥450 or so against buying the same volume in individual bottles.

It's no fine whiskey, but for something to mix with Dr Pepper it's quite passable.

Happy Day Engrish

"Happy Day" "Brush one's teeth use a toothbrush."

Good advice. Why is it that most Engrish is using the Comic Sans font?

My English is Engrish

I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine, we know each other in the real world but recently he has started blogging. So I'd like to give other bloggers a heads up.

He is a Japanese man with a strong interest in new technology. His obsession with new technology makes me look out of date by comparison. He always has the latest, coolest gadgets!

Check it out! My English is Engrish.

Meeting a Friend From Oz

You could imagine my combined delight and sadness last week when I received an e-mail from one of my friends (a former coworker) that she was coming to Japan alone. Joy that I'd be able to see her again but a little sad that I wouldn't be catching up with two friends.

Still, it was great to see her as I was walking out of the station after listening to some George Carlin on the train to work. It was good to see her a year after my last trip back to Sydney. I was pleasantly surprised to find that she had brought a bag of goodies for me and my family!



We have Little Ted and some CD's from Play School. Some Body shop Aloe deodorant for me and some perfume for my wife. C, do you think we smell bad? :-)

So we sat down and had lunch at Skylark. Then we chatted for quite a while, reminiscing about work, who was doing what and people we both knew. Some people had moved on, some had been promoted and one haven't been run over by a bus yet - but I still pray. It's amazing how loosing a nemesis can leave a hole in your life. Sigh....

Next we headed over to Yodobashi Camera where C picked up some inner ear earbuds, there was a choice of save 5% against tax for a traveler or get 10% in points. I took the points and gave her the ￥　instead. Better that way.

After that I helped her pick up some stamps at the post office and we sat down for a bit to watch the world go by at Starbucks. Lastly I took her to a local department stores food hall to have a look at the gourmet delicacies on offer and to try a few free samples.

I was rather sad when I put her on the train to go back to her hotel. It was so good to see her again and to catch up but today reminded me about the things I had to give up to live in Japan. Do I regret moving here? No. But I do miss a few things, my Australian friends especially.

CostCo Japan Shopping Accomplished!

Tonight I did it, I finally managed to buy some stuff at CostCo. In reality it's no big feat but compared to the disaster on Friday, it went quite well. It was still quite busy but nowhere near the madhouse that I experienced Friday.

This afternoon I came home from work a little early and I decided on the spur of the moment to head out and try it again. Naturally I took my son along for the ride and left the wife at home. I figured she could use a break. The drive took 25 minutes instead of over two hours like Friday, so that was a vast improvement. And I was able to get a parking spot on the roof quite quickly also.

Inside there were still quite a lot of people, but again, not as bad as Friday. Even while shopping, I can't stop thinking of blogging.



A selection of tea. As we can see there are two types of tea bags and loose leaf. There were others that wouldn't photograph as well on my SO903i. Penguin, this one is for you!



Though in true American style, the coffee section way outdid the tea section!



Here is what I ended up buying, nothing too exciting for people living in Australia or America. But for a guy like me living in Japan, being able to buy such basic products felt like a total luxury!

XXXX beer, 24x330ml cans ￥2998. DrPepper, 24x355ml cans ￥1038 (The casing doesn't have any soft core porn like the Japanese edition), Granola ￥1288 (The same like my friend bought for me), 5Pack of Pringles ￥858 (I forgot the ￥300 coupon), 25 pack of Shlick razor blades ￥998, National Geographic April 2008 ￥768, Bilingual Kids cardboard Truck & Car book ￥998.

Feel free to look up exchange rates and compare these prices to what's available in your country.



The view behind me before I went to the checkout. As you can see, still quite busy. But only 1-2 people lining up for the checkout.



The "FoodCourt" is a selection of Pizza slices, Chicken or Bologa bake, Clam chowder, Cesar Salad, Hot Dogs, Twist Churros or Ice Cream. Once again, nothing exciting but it's just different from what is usually available to me.

So with my Mission Accomplished, a cold can of XXXX in my stubby holder, and Pringles crumbs on the table I have been able to experience a little slice of American life in Japan.

Opening Day Madness at CostCo

Today we went along to the new CostCo. As it was the opening day we expected things to be a little busy and so left allowing plenty of time to get there for the opening at 8AM.

Oh boy, did we underestimate the popularity!

The usual 20 minute trip ended up taking the best part of two hours because there were so many cars trying to get into the parking lot and so many people milling about the entrance. Madness is the only way to describe it.

Once inside we were confronted with a sea of people!



Plus the queues for the checkouts were at least 30 people or so long. Despite finding quite a few things we wanted to buy, with lunch time & nap time rapidly approaching we decided to abandon our shopping, eat and leave.

The range of goods inside was a little disappointing, it consisted of a few American or International brands, a couple of local brands and the generic Kirkland brand. Being able to pick up English magazines, XXXX beer and 1KG lasagna put a smile on my face but it wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be. ￥80 for a cup of softdrink with free refills at the food court was pretty good value but many of the products inside were no cheaper than from Belc, Besia or Cainz Home for local goods. I'll be coming back for the things I can't usually buy otherwise.

I'm looking forward to going back when the initial buzz has died down. If I learned anything from today, it is to stay away from opening events in Japan. You'll be crushed by housewives scrambling to save 20￥ on a pack of eggs.

2008 More Sakura

Today we walked up to a local park to see all of the Sakura in bloom.



Another close up shot, similar to the photo's I took last week.



Families enjoying the flowers, fresh air and a bit of sunshine. There isn't much you could ask for in life more than this.



Of course we have the usual festival food stalls.



"Daddy, why is that man smoking as he prepares the food?" "It's to add flavor to the food son, didn't you know that?"

Much as I love to support the people that make an effort to set up these stalls, hygiene is lax, prices are expensive and the quality is questionable. I'll stick with a packed lunch thank you.



When I saw the Oshiri Kashiri Mushi fairy floss bag, I knew I'd have to post that on my blog. It's interesting how this character appears on many products.



After visiting the park, we all walked down to the river I went to with my son last week. This view is from the other side as we were about to walk up the ramp to the bridge.

After all that walking, we were a little tired, so we grabbed a taxi and went to our favorite local restaurant for lunch.

Dolphin Hunting

The story of how this film of the barbaric killing and subsequent butchering of dolphins was made — together with the resulting sale of their meat that massively exceeds Japanese and international limits for mercury content — is told here
Read: Secret film will show slaughter to the world

This isn't the first time that I had heard about the slaughter of Dolphins in Japan.

My anger about this subject is based on the cruelty of the slaughter and how unnecessary it is. Considering that the meat is also considered to be unhealthy (Wiki Page , News report Taiji officials: Dolphin meat 'toxic waste' ) it boggles my mind as to why this happens.

It's a crying shame that these things continue to happen in this modern day and age. With so many other, safer, food alternatives why do some people feel the need to continue with such barbaric practices?