March, 2010
Inside Meiji Jingu temple there is a natural fountain (quite strange in downtown Tokyo) which is the spring of a small water stream that ends up a little further in a small pond on the limit with Yoyogi park. It turns out that the fountain is considered one of he most “energetic” places in the [...]
Near Matsumoto Castle, next to a river, there is a street plenty of small shops. The street is called “kaeru”, which in Japanese means many different things; the Japanese language has many homophone words, just like the Chinese language. The three different meanings of “kaeru” that gave name to this street in Matsumoto are: “frog” [...]
Sometimes when Japanese people dress up like a “foreigner”, they put on a fake plastic nose trying to imitate our noses, which generally are more protuberant than theirs. For example, in this TV show, the comedian Tsukaji Muga is dressed up as an “Amerika-jin” (American). Notice the fake big nose and the tie In the [...]
If you have never taken a bath in a Japanese onsen (public baths) you will find the following videos interesting. The water used in onsens is of volcanic origin and depending on the location of the onsen the water has different proprieties; in general having a bath in an onsen is good for the skin. [...]
Last year, back in April, I visited with friends a temporary exhibition about Terminator where they had some real models that had been used in the movies. Some of the models were really impressive. For example, the Cameron model eyes were so realistic that they were scary. The showcased T1 turned out to be a [...]
Japan is the country with the biggest comics market in the world; people read manga in trains, in coffee breaks at work, laying down on the grass in parks… The obsession is such that in the 60′s some cafeterias saw a business opportunity and started to offer a catalog of different manga volumes for which [...]
Can you remember about Dr. Nakamats? He is the most prolific inventor in history; this month he reached 3,500 patents. He is already more than 80 years old but he is still in good shape and maintains a really active lifestyle. A Danish producer came to Japan to film a documentary about the popular inventor [...]
Lately I’ve been enjoying “traditional Japanese festivals” (matsuris 祭り) more than ever. Matsuris are usually held next to a temple and one of the main activities is to eat. Omikoshi processions and traditional dances are common activities as well; but somehow I have the feeling that what is really important and brings people to the [...]
