Rice bra supports Japanese girls

Gyaru farmers is one trend Japan has seen over the last couple of years and now here is a somewhat random tangent of that.

Girls keen to keep their agricultural hobby close to their heart can now grow their own rice in a special bra designed by lingerie maker Triumph and modeled here by Triumph image girl Reiko Aoyama.

Triumph, which periodically releases crazy bra-concepts such as golf bra and marriage bra, claims it came up with the “rice bra” because of the growing popularity of those gyaru farmers and farming in general amongst Japanese city dwellers.

Growing concerns over food safety and the environment, and the ideal of a more laid-back lifestyle, are slowly attracting more people out of cities such as Tokyo and into the world of agriculture.

Like other Triumph crazy-concept bras, it will not go on sale, but expect to see it advertised about the Japanese media.

Commuters crowd into Tokyo’s weekday morning trains.

Mojibakeru

From the 17th of May, Bandai are to release a new series of trading figures in the form of kanji that transforms into its animal counterpart. The product is called "Mojibakeru" [もじバケる] which is a compound word of "Moji" [文字] meaning "character" and "Bakeru" [化ける] meaning "to change into."
Me thinks these would be useful to help folks remember kanji - they just need to make more.
There will initially be 6 kanji to collect and will cost a mere 105 yen each - they also comes with some gum to chew on while you figure out how to transform it. Each kanji comes in 3 colors giving a total of 24 different combination's.

Portable flushing noise gadget

Emitting the noise of a flushing toilet to spare a woman’s blushes, the Toto Otohime ("sound princess") is a standard fixture in many toilets around Japan. But what do you do when you enter a toilet that doesn’t have an Otohime installed? Enter the Keitai ("Mobile") Otohime. This slender pink device, which comes in two attractive designs, can be slipped into a ladies’ handbag or connected to your phone or purse.


Japanese women often flush the toilet to hide embarrassing sounds but as each flush uses up around six liters of water, in these environmentally conscious times, a device like the Keitai Otohime allows you to both be discreet and save the planet. By simply pressing a button you can mask the noise of your toilet activities.

The Keitai Otohime features:

Portable small sound device x1
Makes sound of running water to mask toilet noises
Made in collaboration with Toto, maker of the original Otohime toilet function
Colors: pink
Versions: Ribbon or Forest
Size: 85 x 55 x 15 mm (3.3 x 2.2 x 0.6")
Material: ABS, acrylic
Power: AAA batteries x2 (tester included)
Continuous usage time: 7-10 hours (120 days is used 5 times per day for 10 minutes)
Instructions: Japanese only

Nail Art of Harajuku Girls

Sky Tree - the tallest structure in Japan

Tokyo Sky Tree, a new tower under construction for terrestrial digital broadcasting, reached 338 meters Monday, surpassing Tokyo Towerand becoming the tallest structure in Japan. The new tower in Sumida Ward will be 634 meters tall when it is completed at the end of 2011.Tokyo Tower, a 333-meter radio and TV transmission tower in Minato Ward, was the country's tallest structure for 52 years.

Even though Tokyo Sky Tree will not open to the public until spring 2012, it has already become a tourist attraction.

Sakura beer cans

It is Sakura (cherry blossom) time in Japan..You can find everything newly packaged in line with Sakura..Above is the beer cans..

Modern Compact House in Tokyo

Located near the center of Tokyo, Reflection of Mineral is a modern 480 sq ft (44 sq m) house designed by Japanese architect Yasuhiro Yamashita.

For more photos click the title...

High School Uniforms for Girls in Japan

Rubik's cube solving robot

watch out the cubestormer...

Yamanote line sound map

Click on the station name to hear the announcement:)

http://www.rickbenedict.com/jams/

The Meaning of Bride's Veil in Japan

With a white wedding kimono, instead of a veil the bride wears a tsuno kakushi. Tsuno means 'horns' and the purpose of wearing this headdress was to veil her horns of jealousy, ego and selfishness - attributes that should not be displayed at a wedding in front of the groom and his family. It symbolized her resolve to become a gentle, obedient wife. Also in those days, hair was thought to be unclean so people wore a headdress to hide it.

Until the end of the Edo period in 1867, brides wore awataboshi hood which was supposed to conceal the bride's face to everyone except the groom. Both the tsuno kakushi and the wataboshiare still used at traditional, non-Western style weddings in Japan.

Mad about sneakers

New trend is colorful sneakers. You can see them everywhere. They are popular among high school and university students. One of the most trendy brand is madfoot.

www.madfoot.jp

Manner Poster of Tokyo Metro

An Interview with a geisha

Nice video...

http://blog.gaijinpot.com/video/japanese-geisha-interview/6713/

Taiyaki

Taiyaki, literally "baked sea bream" is a Japanese fish-shaped cake. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Other common fillings may be chocolate, custard or cheese.

Taiyaki

The newest KitKat

I think only in Japan there are many types of Kitkat. Since sakura (cherry blossom) time is coming, today I ate this one which is mixed with a scent of sakura and green tea. But for more types you can check the below link.

http://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2009/01/24/kit-kat-japan/

Japanese Gestures

Sitting

The Japanese have traditionally sat on tatami (a padded straw mat) at their homes. However, many homes today are completely Western style and don't have Japanese style rooms with tatami. Many young Japanese are no longer able to sit properly on tatami.

The proper way of sitting on tatami is called seiza. It is to bend the knees 180 degrees tuck your calves under your thighs and sit on your heels. This can be a difficult posture to maintain if you are not used to it and requires practice, preferably from early age. It is considered polite to sit seiza style on formal occasions.

Another, more relaxed way of sitting is cross-legged (agura). Starting with legs out straight and folding them in like triangles. This posture is usually for men. Women would usually go from the formal to an informal sitting posture by shifting their feet just off to the side (yokozuwari).

Though most Japanese do not concern themselves with it, it is proper to walk without stepping in the edge of the tatami.

Beckoning

The Japanese beckon with a waving motion with the palm down and the hand flapping up and down at the wrist. Westerners may confuse this with a wave and not realize they are being beckoned. Although this gesture (temaneki) is used by both men and women and all age groups, it is considered rude to beckon a superior this way.

Maneki-neko is a cat ornament that sits and has it's front paw raised as if it is calling for someone. It is believed to bring good luck, and displayed in restaurants or other business in which customer turnover is important.

Indicating Yourself

The Japanese point to their noses with a forefinger to indicate themselves or to ask, "Who, me?"

Banzai

"Banzai" literally means ten thousand years (of life).It is shouted in happy occasions while raising both arms. People shout "banzai" to express their happiness, to celebrate a victory, to hope for longevity and so on. It is commonly done together with the large group of people.

Foreign people seem to confuse "banzai" with a war cry. It is probably because the Japanese soldiers shouted "Tennouheika Banzai" when they were dying during World War II. In this context what they meant was "Long live the Emperor" or "Salute the Emperor".

Hinamatsuri (Doll's Festival)

"Hinamatsuri (Doll's Festival)" is held on March 3rd. This is a day to pray for young girl's growth and happiness. It is also called "Momo no sekku (Peach Festival)" because of the peach blossom season on the old lunar calendar. May 5th is "Kodomo no hi(Children's Day)," and this is so called "Boy's Festival." While Children's Day is a national holiday, Hinamatsuri is not.

Most families with girls display "hina-ningyo" (special dolls for Hinamatsuri, see the photo below) and dedicate peach blossoms to them. They are usually arranged on a five or seven-tiered stand covered with a red carpet. At the top are the Emperor and Empress. The next step contains three court ladies (sannin-kanjo), followed by five musicians (gonin-bayashi), two ministers (udaijin and sadaijin), and three servants ending the bottom row in a five-tiered display. There are also small pieces of furniture, small meal dishes, and other things.

Japanese Elvises at Yoyogi

Interesting video..Check it out..

Japan's weirdest museums

Meguro Parasitological Museum

You won't find many English translations – or tourists for that matter – at the Meguro Parasitilogical Museum, but its hundreds of jars of preserved parasite specimens, many of them spilling out of organs and dead animals, don't really require much explanation.

The world's only parasite museum aims to be an educational affair, but its value lies more in the astounding gross-out factor. If you've ever wondered what a preying mantis infected with horsehair worm looks like, or a how leeches attach themselves to the eyelids of sea turtles, this museum will provide the answers in gruesome, well-lit detail.

The prized exhibit is a perfectly preserved 8.8-metre long tapeworm, reportedly removed from a healthy(ish) man.

Be sure to stop at the gift shop where you can buy preserved pinworm and hook worm in key rings.

Thankfully, eating and drinking is not allowed inside the museum.

4-1-1, Shimomeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo. Nearest train station: Meguro.

Ace World Luggage Museum

This personal collection of the owner of Japan's Ace luggage company (the world's first producer of nylons bags) is better than is sounds, with more than 400 examples of handbags, travel bags and trunks made from every conceivable skin. It could almost double as an endangered species display - from antique trunks made from antelope to zebra-skin handbags and bags made from the skins of seal, elephant, shark and even aardvark. Bizarre.

1-8-10 Komagata, Taito-ku, Tokyo. Nearest train station: Asakusa

ADMT Museum of Advertising and Marketing

Japan loves its advertising, as evidenced by the colossal neon signs that light up every street, and this free museum outlines the history of the country's industry.

The permanent display features a timeline of advertising, from Edo-era woodblocks, revealing that product placement has been around some time, to today's TV ads.

The display of advertising posters from the 20th century is a graphic designer's dream, while their collection of vintage bric-a-brac – toys, games, cereal boxes, etc – is an amazing potted history of Japan's pop culture.

Higashi-Shimbashi 1-5, Caretta Shiodome B1F. Nearest station: Shimbashi.

The Tobacco and Salt Museum

Another of the city's museums that is more entertaining than it sounds, outlining the importance of salt and tobacco in Japan's history, where both were, until recently, government monopolies. As well as the educational side there are great displays of vintage cigarette packets, pipes and all manner of smoking paraphernalia from around the world. This funky museum also hosts temporary exhibitions of all kinds, from 19th century prostitutes' wigs to Mexican silverware. Well worth a visit.

Jinnan 1-16-8, Shibuya-ku, Nearest station: Shibuya

Other bizarre Tokyo museums worth a visit:

Ryogoku Fireworks Museum, 2-10-8 Ryogoku

The Iris Button Museum, Chuo-ku, Nihonbashi Hamamachi 1-11-8

The Japanese socks Museum, 1-9-3 Midori

The Laundry Museum, 2-11-1 Shimomakuro, Ota-ku,

10 Cool Japanese Food

1. Yakitori 「焼き鳥」

Skewered chicken pieces that are grilled over hot charcoals.

2. Sukiyaki 「すき焼き」

Thinly sliced beef and vegetables simmered in a shallow iron pot in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin.

3. Ramen 「ラーメン」

Noodles in broth garnished with small pieces of meat and vegetables. Check out two of my favourite ramen shops Ippudo Ramen and Kyūshū Jangara.

4. Okonomiyaki 「お好み焼き」

A savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. Okonomi, meaning “what you like”, and yaki meaning “grilled”. My favourite okonomiyaki was at Kiji(in the basement of the Umeda Sky Building) in Osaka.

5. Sushi 「寿司」

Cooked vinegar rice commonly topped with raw fish, or put into rolls.

6. Kushikatsu 「串カツ」

A deep-fried cutlet of meat or vegetable skewered on bamboo skewers and eaten with a tonkatsu dipping sauce. I had some good kushikatsu at a store called Daruma located at the base of Tsūtenkaku in Osaka.

7. Yakiniku 「焼肉」

Thinly sliced beef and vegetables grilled over a charcoal or gas burner and eaten with a tare (sweetened, thickened soy sauce) dipping sauce.

8. Yakisoba 「焼きそば」

Ramen-style noodles stir-fried with pieces of pork and vegetables and flavoured with yakisoba sauce.

9. Tempura 「天ぷら」

Thin strips of vegetables and seafood lightly dipped in batter then briefly deep-fried in hot oil and eaten with a tentsuyu dipping sauce or sprinkled with sea salt.

10. Nikuman 「肉まん」

A steamed pork bun.

New cherry blossom tree blooms all seasons

A new breed of cherry blossom tree that blooms all year round has been created by RIKEN scientists using heavy ion beams at RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerated-Based Science. The new breed blooms longer, produces more flowers and grows under a wider range of temperatures than existing cherry blossom trees, demonstrating the power of accelerator technology in horticulture.

To create the new breed, researchers used beams of carbon ions from the RIKEN Ring Cyclotron at the RI Beam Factory to induce mutations in branches from the cherry blossom tree known as Keiou-Zakura No. 13. The branches were grafted and cultivated to create the new breed, which has been aptly named ‘Nishina Otome’.

Unlike regular cherry blossom trees, Nishina Otome does not require a period of cold weather to trigger growth. As a result, the new tree is able to bloom all year round when cultivated indoors, and during autumn and spring when grown outdoors. Given sufficient exposure to low temperatures, it produces three times more flowers than the regular varieties, and its spring bloom lasts for twice as long.

The use of heavy ion beams to generate new breeds of plants by mutagenisis, an approach to horticulture unique to Japan, is drawing attention worldwide as a powerful alternative to conventional genetic engineering that is capable of shrinking breeding times to only a few years. The second breed of cherry blossom tree to be registered by RIKEN, the Nishina Otome hints at an exciting future for accelerator-based mutation breeding, one which opens the door to the design of plant varieties better able to cope with a changing environment.

Hisago - Tasty tempura in Akihabara

If you want to eat delicious tempura why don't you try Hisago in Akihabara. It is an authentic Edomae tempura restaurant. It is in UDX building which is only 3 minutes walk from the JR Akihabara station electronic town exit.

http://r.gnavi.co.jp/fl/en/g483602

Nice blog about life in Tokyo.

http://www.wordpress.tokyotimes.org/

Mascot of Kebap

Star Kebab/Derebey Co., Ltd.

It seems like nothing is sacred these days—not even the kebab, that late-night post-drinking gut-filler par excellence. To celebrate its 11th anniversary, Akihabara institution Star Kebab (1-8-10 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku; www.kebab.co.jp) commissioned voice actress and illustrator Toromi, famous for devising a manga mascot for a temple in Hachioji, to create a similar character for the Turkish fast food business. The result?Kebabutan, a wide-eyed little girl swathed in a pink belly-dancing outfit, armed with a sword and accompanied by the cutest skewer of meat you’ve ever seen. While Star Kebab reportedly doesn’t have any big things in mind for Kebabutan, eager fans can now rack up points on stamp cards decorated with the mascot

The ABCs of living in Japan

By AMY CHAVEZ

"A is for apple." Every Japanese person learns this when they learn the E nglish alphabet. But couldn't it be, just for once, "A is for antelope?" Or how about "A is for anarchy," "adult" or "aspirin?" Wouldn't that be more helpful? We could also use our own alphabet to teach Japanese culture and language to foreigners. Something like, The ABCs of Living in Japan:

A is for Amaterasu, the sun goddess and Japan's best-known deity. A is also for amanogawa (the Milky Way), Aomori Prefecture and All Nippon Airways.

B is for Buddhism, bo-san (Buddhist priest) and bon dancing — now take a bow. B is also for batsu (literally "X"), the Japanese gesture of crossing your arms in front of you — an alarming way — to indicate something "can't be done."

C is for cheezu! (Cheese!) said when taking a photo. And C is forconcriito, a virile form of concrete that grows everywhere in Japan.

D is for dame (no way!), daijobu (OK) and Disney.

E is for Ehhhhhhhhhhhhh?! — an expression of disbelief, such as at theeki (train station), when you realize you've gotten on the wrong train.

F is for futon, fufu (married couple), and furin (to cheat on your spouse).

G is for gaijin (foreigner), and proud of it! G is also for the gakusei(students) you may teach at the gakko (school). And when your students do well, be sure to say "Goo!" (Good!)

H is for hai! (Yes!), the answer to all questions in Japanese, whether you understand them or not.

I is for itadakimasu! said out of respect before eating a meal. Iiiiidesu ne? (Isn't that nice?)

J is for "Japan as No. 1," the country your family thought you went to.

K is for kawaii (cute!), kewpie dolls, konbini (convenience store) and Kitty-chan . . . the real Japan you've come to.

L is for lice (foreign rice) as distinguished from kome, Japanese rice, the staple food in Japan.

M is for the mama-san who serves you miso soup in the minshuku."Mooooiii desu" (Enough already!) M is for maru, appended to all boat names.

N is for natsukashii, something you fondly remember from long ago. N is for natto (fermented beans). No, not natto!

O is for ohayo! (Good morning!), onsen (hot springs) and "Oh no, I'm still wearing the toilet slippers!"

P is for pachinko chocolate and Pocky, those cylindrical frosted snacks. P is for "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea."

Q is for Q&A, especially the questions that may never be answered about Japan.

R is for Rosu (Los Angeles), Roson (Lawson's), Rasu Begas (Las Vegas), and "I rabu you." (I love you.)

S is for shochu (Japanese distilled spirits), sake and the Gods who beckon you to toast them at 7 a.m. Shinto ceremonies. So desu yo!(It's true!)

T is for taihen (difficult) and tatemae (a form of flattery) that the token gaijin may at times endure. T is for "taoru," (towel), especially those you receive from local businesses with advertising on them. And T is also for takoyaki (octopus balls). Tee-hee.

U is for U-tan (U-turn — people moving back to their hometowns), something you may do yourself some day. But don't be like Urashimataro, who returned home only to find himself hundreds of years old.

V is for the bwee-sign, that gesture given when Japanese pose for photos. You may have thought the V was for victory, but it is really the visual sign for peace.

W is for wan-chan (dogs) who get carried around in their owners' bicycle baskets. Wan-wan! (Arf-arf!). W is also for wairo, the wonderful world of bribery.

X is for Tokyo's X-rated Kabukicho, XX-rated movies, and XXX-rated cabaret clubs.

Y is for yokozuna (the highest rank in sumo), Yoko Ono and making lots of yen!

Z is for zen, which not surprisingly, rhymes with yen.

Something good in Japan

nice blog about Japan...

40 great vintage Geisha Photos

Chocolate-flavored soda by Suntor

Chocolate-flavored soda by Suntor

Japan is home to the weirdest drinks in the world, like for example the Pepsi Cucumber. A brand new chocolate-flavored soda has been recently launched to the market by Suntory. Today before coming to work I stopped by at the conbini (abbreviation of “Convenience Store”) and bought a bottle of Suntory’s newest product called Sparkling Chocolate.

The thing that disturbs me the most is that it has almost no bubbles and looks like still mineral water, but when you drink it tastes like chocolate.