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Book Review: The Asian Vegan Kitchen 2007-12-18 01:08:00 ??????????????????? The Asian Vegan Kitchen The Asian Vegan Kitchenby Hema ParekhKodansha InternationalISBN 4-7700-3069-6192 ppEven the unreconstructed meat-eater in me could not resist this book. Hema Parekh has collected a wide variety of recipes from around Asia that look and sound wonderful. She is a well-known teacher of vegetarian cooking in Tokyo, and has chosen 200 recipes from many countries in the Far East.The recipes include sushi, northern Indian curries, Vietnamese spring rolls, and spicy Chinese tofu. There are also recipes from Burma, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.The recipes are simple, and the book contains an easy-to-use glossary.This carnivore was nearly converted.Reviewed by C. Ogawa Buy this book from AmazonUSA UK JapanBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsJapanese FictionHappi CoatsTagsJapan Hema Parekh Asian Food Vegan ...

Anti-Racist Graffiti Poster 2007-12-17 06:58:00 ???????On the way back from an outing to a hot spring in Shiga Prefecture, which is just east of Kyoto, this poster stared me in the face as I stood at a urinal in a JR train station toilet.Literally, the poster reads:"If you find racist graffiti, please tell a station employee."The large letters then go on: "Graffiti prohibited."Below that: "People hate [the red is peeled back] thoughtless, crude graffiti..."The words covered by the "Graffiti Banned" poster within a poster would no doubt be "buraku" or perhaps worse.Any reference to "human rights" in Japan--from the small signs on Kyoto buses to large banners outside schools near certain stigmatized communities--is code for Japan's "buraku" community, and to a lesser extent Koreans.These signifiers--the signs and banners and pleas for "thinking about human rights"--tell the uninformed that Japan's outcaste population lives nearby in one of the many buraku, or "villages," spread throughout Japan.The amazing thing, in th ...

Japan This Week 12/16/07 2007-12-16 04:46:00 ????? Japan stunned by shooting at sports club.YomiuriJapanese wives forcing men to sit on the toilet while peeing--lest they"miss" and foul the bog. Almost half of men surveyed admitted to sittingwhen taking a leak.GuardianBusiness sentiment in Japan is falling in part because of the US economy,the rising yen, and the cost of oil.AsahiMan arrested for throwing panties into neighbor's gardens described as"friendly and a stickler for cleanliness."MainichiLast week's Japan newsBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsJapanese FictionHappi CoatsTagsJapan Japan News Japan Statistics sex politics ...

Nima Sand Museum 2007-12-15 00:06:00 ???????????How long does it take for 1 ton of sand to fall through an aperture 0.85mm wide?Exactly one year!At least according to what is believed to be the largest hourglass-sandtimer in the world, located in the Nima Sand Museum in Nima, Shimane.Every December 31st at midnight the huge timer, measuring 5 metres in height with a diameter of 1 meter, is ceremonially turned over to begin marking time for the next year.Opened in 1991, the Sand Museum was built because the local mayor thought that the sand at a nearby beach, Kotogahama, which squeaked and "sang" when walked on, was worthy of being a tourist attraction. Other than the giant sandtimer, the museum has a handful of artworks that utilize sand, but like many attractions in Japan, the architecture is far more interesting that what is housed inside.The Sand Museum is built into the side of the hill, and is topped by 6 glass and steel pyramids, the largest of which houses the Sandtimer.The Sand Museum was nev ...

Nanachan Nagoya 2007-12-14 06:41:00 ?????Nagoya is a fashion-conscious city. The prevailing creed: "If you have the cash - flaunt it!"This industrial, no-nonsense city has even spawned its own look among young women - the "Nagoya gyarusu ['gals']" trend.Carrot beehives, feather boas, tight, satin hot-pants even when the weather is hovering just above zero, high-heels, shed-loads of make-up and a Louis Vuitton accessory or six all thrown together for the complete "$50 hooker look."Well, its understandable when you consider one of the city's defining icons is the 7m (23ft) tall mannequin Nanachan. Turn right out of the Hirokoji exit of Nagoya Station and there she is -- white, bald, legs akimbo and very, very tall.Nanachan gets a makeover two or three times a month and usually dresses according to the season. This year the 600kg (1,325lb) girl with the 2m (78in) bust has been seen in a bikini, a festival happi coat and a Chunichi Dragons uniform after the local team won the Japan Series.At the minute Nanachan ...

Chinese Character of the Year: "False" 2007-12-12 18:27:00 ??????? Every December the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation chooses a single Chinese character that is supposed to best represent the past year.Submissions are sent in from around Japan.Then, at Kyoto's Kiyomizu Temple, the head priest reveals the kanji that has been chosen. On December 12, Seihan Mori drew the chosen character on a sign measuring 1.5 meters high by 1.3 meters wide.This year's "winner" was ?, which can be read "gi" or "nise" (nee-seh). The meaning is "false."In addition to the usual political and business-world scandals, 2007 witnessed many cases of mislabeling by some of the big names in the food industry: Senba Kicho, Shiroi Koibito, McDonald's, Akafuku, Fujiya, and more.The sign bearing the kanji will be on display at the Temple until December 31.Yahoo Japan Auction ServiceBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsTokyo Serviced ApartmentsBudget accommodation in JapanHappi CoatsTagsJapan Tokyo Kyoto kanji Kiyomizu Temple ...

Get slightly richer ever so slowly 2007-12-12 06:04:00 ??????In my mailbox this evening from one of Japan's biggest banks, a special offer called their "Winter Gift Campaign": government bonds for the ordinary consumer!...and at a compelling 0.68% for 10 years (actually 0.544% when tax is deducted) and an irresistable 0.94% (0.752% after tax) for 5 years.Well, with Japan's total borrowing standing at the end of September this year at (get ready for it) 833,698,200,000,000 (eight hundred thirty-three trillion, six hundred ninety-eight billion, two hundred million) yen, or, in US dollars, 7,499,210,647,971 (seven trillion, four hundred ninety-nine billion, two hundred ten million, six hundred forty-seven thousand, nine hundred seventy-one) - which is well over 150% of the nation's GDP - you can imagine them not wanting to pay a lot for the privilege of yet adding to it further!Yahoo Japan Auction ServiceBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsTokyo Serviced ApartmentsBudget accommodation in JapanHappi CoatsTagsJapan finance governm ...

Spiral Towers Nagoya 2007-12-11 06:40:00 ?????????A new skyscraper in the Nagoya Station area is nearing completion. The 170m Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers building will join Midland Square and the Lucent Tower as the latest high rise in the Meieki district.The tower, which bears a passing resemblance to the Gherkin, designed by Sir Norman Foster in London, was designed by Nikken Sekkei and built by Mitsui Real Estate. The building is due to open in February 2008.Yahoo Japan Auction ServiceBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsTokyo Serviced ApartmentsBudget accommodation in JapanHappi CoatsTagsJapan skyscraper Nagoya ...

Japan This Week 12/9/07 2007-12-09 04:30:00 ????? As a result of economic reforms, Japan's cities are booming while rural areas are dying.New York TimesGovernment task force recommends earmarking 6.8 trillion yen (US$60 billion) to combat Japan's declining birth rate.Japan TimesDemocratic Party of Japan Head Ichiro Ozawa in Beijing to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao.AsahiInterview with the King of Pink: Director Koji Wakamatsu.Midnight EyeCompared to the English-speaking world, the Japanese have gone blog wild. They write Web logs at per capita rates that are off the global charts.Washington PostJunior high school students to learn about the AV industry.MainichiJapan StatisticsTokyo has an estimated 35,000 taxis operating from 333 taxi companies.Source: Construction & Transport MinistryThree prisoners on death row were executed on Friday and for the first time their names were released by the Justice Ministry. There are presently 104 individuals awaiting execution in Japan.Source: Justice MinistryThere are ...

Abandoned Cars in Japan 2007-12-08 06:05:00 ???Abandoned cars are a common site in the suburbs of Japan's main urban areas. Once the shaken (vehicle safety certificate) has expired after two years on an old car it is often more economical to buy a new or second-hand motor than have the old one fixed up to a standard to pass the shaken test.However, it costs money to have a car scrapped and also the license plates must be handed in to the vehicle registration authorities in a process that can take half a day if you do it yourself rather than pay a company to do the paperwork on your behalf.Result -- lots of abandoned wrecks on Japan's streets. After a few days the neighbors will report the abandoned vehicle to the local ward office, who will slap a yellow and red sticker on it...and then do nothing.The car in the photo was ticketed on November 19th 2007, I'll let you know when and if it finally gets towed away.Yahoo Japan Auction ServiceBook a hotel in Japan with BookingsTokyo Serviced ApartmentsBudget accommodation in J ...

Monkeys 2007-12-06 21:01:00 ?So..., I was sitting quietly at my desk when I was disturbed by a noise on the roof above me, so I popped my head out the door just in time to see a big male monkey jump off my roof with a persimmon in his hand and bound off into the woods. From the other noises and movements in the trees I could see that the whole troop of about 20 monkeys were paying us a visit, or rather were engaging in a raid not only on my persimmon trees, but also the gardens, where daikons are a favored choice.The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) are common and widespread throughout Japan, and its estimated that there may be as many 150,000, having enjoyed a population explosion from about 15,000, 60 years ago. I grabbed my camera and went outside and was lucky enough to get some shots thanks to my trusty zoom lens. I’ve spent many an enjoyable hour sitting looking out of my window and watching the monkeys behaviour,… the moms with their babies on their backs, the adolescents, not yet frightened of man ...

Four Stories -- Osaka 2007-12-05 05:30:00 Four Stories Japan Winter Season Opening Night in Osaka!Four Stories returns to Japan on December 16th. We are back in Osaka and have a great lineup.FEATURING prose readings from:* Jane Joritz-Nakagawa, author of Skin Museum and Aquiline; poet, essayist and associate professor at a national university in Japan, whose work has been featured in New American Writing, ACM, Tinfish, 580 Split, Otoliths, One Less, and numerous other literary journals, anthologies and zines.* Chris Page, editor of Kansai Scene magazine; author of the novel Weed; and writer of short stories and articles in The London Magazine, The London News Review, and more.* Tracy Slater, Four Stories Boston and Four Stories Japan founder; teacher of writing and literature in Boston University's Prison Education Program; author of essays in or forthcom ...

Trendiest Expressions of 2007 2007-12-04 08:04:00 ????????The annual list of the trendiest words was announced in Tokyo yesterday.Topping the list for 2007 was an expression from a local dialect from Miyazaki Prefecture: ?????????? (Do gen ka sen to ikan). Meaning "I/we/somebody have/has to do something (to solve a problem)," it was popularized by former tv talent and current Miyazaki governor Sonomama Higashi (ne Hideo Higashi).Number two was ?????? (hanikami oji). This refers to the embarrassed smiles of teenage golfer and serious heartthrob Ryo Ishikawa. He is enormously popular among women. "Oji" means prince, "hanikami" bashful. Thus, the image is of an attractive, humble young man not sure how to respond to the attention of many women fans.3. ??? (o gui). Literally, this means "big eater" or "eat a lot." This was made popular by the tv idol Gyaru (gal) Sone, who is of a normal build but can eat with the best of them. She is alleged to have downed 70 plates of sushi in one g ...

Hikone Castle Shiga Prefecture 2007-12-02 09:56:00 ???Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture is one of Japan's most beautiful and historic castles.Hikone Castle is set on the shores of Japan's largest lake - Biwako - and is an easy day trip from Osaka, Kyoto or Nagoya.Completed in 1622 after 20 years in construction, the ornate, black and white fortress was the base of the local Ii family daimyo (feudal lords).The castle's impressive, stone walls and double moats are designated as important cultural properties and the wooden stables (umaya), just outside the castle's main gate, are the only surviving example of a castle's stables in Japan. Horses were kept ready here for riders to take messages to neighbouring provinces and along the Tokaido via change of horse to Edo (Tokyo).Also worth visiting within the castle grounds is the Genkyu-en strolling garden, built around a large, ornamental pond in the Chinese style in the late 17th century. There are good views of the castle on the hill above and a chance to sample traditional Japa ...

Japan This Week 12/2/07 2007-12-02 05:42:00 ?????China and Japan begin trade talks, hoping to improve bilateral relations.New York TimesOut of fear of angering the US, Japan cancels tour for Chinese sailors, in Japan on a historic visit, to an Aegis ship.Japan TimesJapan McDonald's falsely labeled food production dates for six years.Daily YomiuriBanned Mongolian grand champion sumo wrestler returns to Japan, vows to change his ways.GuardianSex brings good fortune, says soothsayer, especially when it involves women in red panties or couples that sprinkle themselves with gold leaf.MainichiJapan StatisticsJapan was in 91st place out of 128 countries for gender equality in a ranking by the Swiss-based World Economic Forum.Source: The Kansai Time OutTaxi fares in Tokyo will increase tomorrow from 660 yen to 710 yen. Kerosene prices have hit an all time high of 1628 yen (14.65 USD) for an 18-liter can.Source: Japan TimesA poll of 1757 adults found that 20.4% of Japanese people think that Japan does not have good relations w ...