Tokyo Weekender Magazine: Top 10 Reasons Why I Miss Japan

I just finished reading an article written by Benjamin Freeland, a Canadian who lived in Japan for 7 years, in the latest issue of Tokyo Weekender Magazine (Vol 40 No. 6).
Well, we are still living in Japan, after about 1.5 years of a 2 year international assignment with my company, but I can relate to [...]

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Twitter: Geek and Poke

A few recent funny postings on Geek and Poke about the latest and fastest growing social networking phenomenon, Twitter, that is attracting a lot of media attention.  Twitter is a micro-blogging site with a limit of 140 characters per update or “tweet”.
 
  

Below is a funny YouTube video about Twitter called the Twitter [...]

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Odaiba

Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo.  Initially built for defensive purposes in the 1800s, it dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, developed into one of Tokyo’s most interesting tourist spots and a highly popular leisure, shopping and entertainment areas.
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Pocari Sweat

There are many types of (non-alcoholic) bottled and canned drinks that you can buy in vending machines and at convenience stores in Japan.  One of the most popular, which has a very strange name is called Pocari Sweat, first sold in 1980.

A mild-tasting and relatively light sweet drink, it contains water and electrolyte minerals such [...]

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Tokyo International Anime Fair 2009

Although we are not big fans of anime (actually, I hate to admit that I don’t really know much about it, so don’t ask), my son and I attended the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2009 in Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan, while my wife went shopping nearby (will blog about Odaiba at a future post).

It was [...]

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Japan in the News: Walking, talking female robot to take part in fashion show

Japan leads the way in advanced robotics.  A recent article from the Associated Press describes a female robot participating in a Tokyo fashion show next week (in a special section, not with human models).

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St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Tokyo

On Sunday, March 15, the Tokyo’s 2009 St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held in the swanky streets of Omotesando-dori, Harajuku with over 1,000 participants and some 20,000 spectators.  First started in Japan in 1992, this year’s parade once again was organized by the Irish Network Japan.

With lots of green, there was Irish music and [...]

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Tokyo Dome

Tokyo Dome City is a leisure complex in central Tokyo consisting of the Tokyo Dome stadium, an amusement park, the LaQua spa, a variety of shops and restaurants and the Tokyo Dome Hotel.  It is conveniently located in central Tokyo, with several subway lines and stations (Suidobashi, Korakuen and Kasuga stations).

Tokyo Dome [...]

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Japan’s Lost Decade

In a recent article written by Paul Krugman in the New York Times titled Japan Reconsidered, he wrote that Japan’s Lost Decade doesn’t look so bad now compared with the current situation in the US.
This article reminded me of the many recent references to Japan’s Lost Decade such as:

Globeandmail.com: Is Japan’s ‘lost decade‘ a [...]

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Ume Yume Festa

The Ume Yume Festa, featuring yosakoi and hip-hop dance, music performances and a flea market with over 100 booths, was held on February 8 and 22, 2009 in Umegaoka Shotengai, Setagaya near Tokyo.

Both old and young participated in the performances, with a cultural contrast from traditional Japanese dance …

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