Pepsi Shiso

Japan is certainly an interesting place to live.  For example, you will find many different and unique types of flavorings in various food products such as chocolates (Kit Kat), potato chips, snacks and drinks.
With fellow Japan bloggers TokyoFive and BusanKevin (also others listed recently in JapanProbe) trying out the new Pepsi Shiso (just available only [...]

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Outliers: The Story of Success

Outliers: The Story of Success is the latest book written by Malcolm Gladwell (author of The Tipping Point and Blink, both books I have previously read), examines why some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential.

Gladwell uses a wide variety of interesting stories as examples to [...]

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Akiba Mikoshi

Previously, I blogged about Akihabara.  I have also blogged about numerous Japanese festivals for the past year, where portable shrines called mikoshi are carried by townspeople enthusiastically through the local streets.
Combining these two results in the Akiba Mikoshi, a portable shrine made for Akihabara containing otaku type items or geeky decorations such as anime figures, [...]

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Daikanyama

Daikanyama, in Tokyo’s Shibuya ward, is a short train ride (one local stop) from Shibuya Station on the Tokyu Toyoko Line and is a quiet and elegant contrast to what is often the Shibuya area’s crowds, noise and brash consumerism.

High-priced boutiques, some of the best cafe culture in Japan, and Fumihiko Maki’s Hillside [...]

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Shinjuku

Shinjuku is one of the most popular and famous districts in Tokyo, Japan, a large commercial area with shopping, cinemas, restaurants, bars and hotels.

Shinjuku is also a major urban transit hub with the JR (Japan Railways) Shinjuku Station, with over 3.6 million passengers daily, the busiest station in the world.  It houses interchanges [...]

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Vending Machines in Japan Redux

Last year, I blogged about vending machines in Japan.  Japan has the highest number of vending machines per capita, with about one machine for every 23 people! 
And I have been collecting pictures of interesting and unusual vending machines (yes, I am weird that way) that I have encountered for the past year …
This vending [...]

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Samurai Underwear

What will they think of next?  Looks like the new Samurai Underwear, which costs about US$90, is selling very well in Japan.  Looks cool, but 90 bucks for underwear – isn’t there a global recession?

For more information, read Shibuya246’s Battle Underwear blog posting and Japan Today’s article titled “Samurai underwear proving soft touch for [...]

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Transformers 2 World Premiere in Tokyo

Last weekend, our whole family enjoyed watching the Transformers movie on Blu-ray at home.

Last night, the World Premiere of the new Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen movie was held in Roppongi Hills in Tokyo, Japan.  The film opens in Japan on June 19.  All the stars (Megan Fox, Shia LaBeouf) and the director (Michael [...]

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US President Obama and Diversity

Everyone knows that President Barack Obama is the first African American US President.  He appointed Hilary Clinton as his Secretary of State and just nominated the first Latina woman, Sonia Sotomayor, to the US Supreme Court.  This past week, in his visit to Egypt, Germany and France, showed Obama and his very diverse background.
First, He [...]

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Hot, Flat, and Crowded

Just finished reading the book titled “Hot, Flat and Crowded” by Thomas Friedman, 3 time Pulitzer Prize winning writer from the New York Times.  Hot, Flat and Crowded means the convergence of three forces:  Global warming, Globalization (which was the topic of his last bestselling book, “The World is Flat”) and Global population growth.
 
Friedman believes [...]

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