The Highschool I should have attended!

So one famous thing about the Japanese nightlife is the amount of host and hostess clubs available for business men and lonely women to visit so they can sit with a pretty looking well dressed person who serves them drinks and gets paid to flirt. Well, not only is this popular but so is themed hostess bars. For example if you are into nurses then there is a club for you. Whether you like school girls, office ladies, mature women, midgets, etc. there is a hostess/host bar out there for you. The picture above is of a hostess club catering to men who like either cute high school uniformed girls or naughty teachers. The name of the club is what really attracted me to this ad. T-back is Japanese-English for thongs. Maybe visit it if you are ever in Sapporo.

Do you want this all over your dishes?

I know people are skeptical about advertising and the subliminal messages that are added into everyday media but you can't get any more phallic than this.
This is a dish detergent that I am sure went over well with the obasan housewives all across Japan. Or should I say came all over.
Maybe in other colors the bottle might seem a little more...subtle but in pink the first thing I think of when I see this bottle is DIL-
What do you think?

Beating the heat! Unfashionably!

A human lamp!?

So summer is here. And like many countries Japan gets really hot and humid during the summer months. Usually Japanese people hide in underground malls, air conditioned spaces and generally stay out of the sun. However, this year because of the earthquake and energy crisis, Japan has had to find other ways to stay cool without using energy. So here are just some ways people survive the terrible heat.  The government has recommended companies switch to cool biz. This means men can work while wearing casual pants, short-sleeved shirts and no ties. But what about the housewives?

1. The ladies have decided to do what they usually do when they want to stay out of the sun; use sun umbrellas. This keeps their face out of the sun and provides the shade they need to stay cool.
2. Long thin gloves that go from your fingertips to your shoulders are also popular to keep from getting a tan. 
3. This year especially the trend is to buy giant metallic visors that look like you are part of a disco swat team. this covers your face completely from the sun's harmful UV rays.
4. A thin scarf like fabric which you insert frozen gel capsules goes around your neck and keeps it cool. It is quite helpful in keeping the humidity at bay.
5. And it wouldn't be Japan without some unbelievable technology that only the Japanese could figure out. This year the pharmacy's are selling out of a spray product that you spray on your clothes which somehow keeps your clothes cool and sweat free and detracts heat. Kind of like wearing a wet t-shirt without the discomfort and visible nipples. Pretty sweet.

How do you stay cool in the summer besides fans and air conditioners? Let me know.

Hitler's Moustache lives in Japan!

Hitler Thanks you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some people believe Hitler is still alive. Others believe the government has his brain frozen and being tested. Others believe his DNA was saved and lives in a test tube in a basement waiting to be cloned. Well, I have found his moustache. It is showing up in the weirdest places in Japan. As the picture shows above, it was at an Izakaya welcoming guests. It only stays for a short time and then disappears. No one can trace it and nobody knows where it will show up next.

I was at the zoo in Japan and decided to ride the kids motor car ride. And as you can see from the picture below, Hitler's moustache showed up policing the riders.

I believe Radrey found an old poster  with Hitler's moustache pouring beer at a pub. Have you seen Hitler's moustache?
Only in Japan..

Food on a stick!

Meat on sticks!

Every country has food on sticks. You can get kabobs all around the world. Corn Dogs are popular in North America. There is ice cream, lollipops, Popsicles and cotton candy. But japan seems to have everything possible on sticks.

Two girls one squid (or two)

Yaki-tori is a popular food in Japan which incorporates meat on sticks. Wooden sticks grilled with chicken, beef and pork are a popular salary man food after work with beer.  But Japan goes one step further and has tons of non-meat non-candy foods on sticks. Here are just a few:

• Fish
• Squid
• Sausages
• Mochi (rice cake)
• bananas
• bacon and asparagus
• cheese

Can you think of anything else on a stick that I missed?

Boys with bananas

Got Mascots?

Every ninja town needs a frog?

The mascot for McDonald's...Ronald MacDonald. For KFC...Colonel Sanders. For Michelin Tires...the tire guy. That is pretty much about it. When you see ads on television or the newspaper in North America you see the brand name. You also see a logo. But very few products or services have a mascot. Many kids items do in fact have mascots (ie Tony the Tiger) but that seems to be the end of it.

Not in Japan. Here, there is a mascot for everything. For restaurants, stores, train lines, theme parks, shopping malls, tourist attractions, magazines, hotels, government agencies and even funeral homes. The picture above is a small theme park made to look like an old fashion town with ninjas, samurai and everyday folk. Even here, the mascots were a samurai dog and worker frog.

Why are these mascots necessary? My theory is a) they want to be able to sell souvenirs of the mascot to make money and b) to connect an object with a personality.  Japanese people love giving inanimate objects features to make it look more human or animal like. A box with a cute face or a robot with facial features. Everything looks more kawaii if it can be humanized.  Sometimes it is cute, other times annoying but always interesting to see how they can create the most random creatures to represent consumerism.

Only in Japan...

The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Sans Joseph

It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack

Japan is known to go through tons of fads and trends at an extremely fast pace.  Food, electronics, toys and fashion are constantly being introduced. One of the fastest and most interesting is all the fashion trends that young Japanese pick up.  There is always a growing number of fashion styles being introduced and upgraded. These include, Lolita, Gothic, Gyaru and Yamanba.

This picture shows two girls walking down the business district of Sakae in Nagoya. Many cool Japanese teens congregate here to show off their fashions, meet friends and hang out.  However, these two girls really stuck out as they not only dressed in vivid pink and orange but decided to dress similar. Girl power!

Only in Japan...

Would you like your sushi paper or plastic?

Looks teeth cracking delicious!

Look at that traditional sushi set up. Wooden tray, sushi displayed neatly, sliced ginger to cleanse your palate. The sushi sliced so perfectly ready to be dipped in wasabi-soya sauce and eaten. The only problem: It's made of plastic.

Japan is famous for all the restaurants that display samples of their foods in the window. Everything looks so fresh and tasty...and real. However, this is a big business in Japan. Plastic food factories are a major industry and even have tours for people to see how the food art is created. On a tour, people also have a chance to try and make some food.

I am sure plastic food can be found all around the world but the amount of detail and precision that goes into these displays is truly Japanese. One of my favorite things to do in Japan was to walk around looking at all these displays and touch the food. Not poke, but just slightly brush the plastic foam on the beer or feel the bumps of each individual rice grain.

Not only is it easy to order having these visual aids but you can see exactly what you will get. And trust me, it looks exactly the way it does in the display when it arrives at your table. Sans plastic.

Only in Japan...

Pop the cherry (blossoms)!

Cherry blossom attack

Besides Mt.Fuji and Sumo, the typical person who knows very little about Japan also envisions those pink flowers the Japanese love so much.  Though it is stereotypical, it is true. The Japanese love Sakura. So much so they decide to wake up early in the morning, reserve a nice spot under the sakura trees by placing their tarp on the ground and spend the whole day getting drunk and singing.  This sakura viewing picnic party is called Hanami.

Why is it such a big deal? Well, the cherry blossoms are found all over Japan, bloom late March or early April and only last a couple of weeks before the petals fall to the ground and blow away.  It represents the beauty of life and how short it is. It also is a beautiful sight that should be shared with all.  More than a tree, the sakura represents the celebration of life and death.

Because of the earthquake the government has recommended this year people should avoid having Hanami parties for the respect of those that have lost loved ones or have themselves been lost.  I respect and understand this idea. However, I also see the other side where people want to rebuild, move on and enjoy their lives because much like the sakura flowers, it is gone too soon.

Whatever your opinion, no one can doubt that Japan and the Japanese will always celebrate their sakura tree and feel it is a part of their country's foundation. No other culture in the world loves the sakura tree as much as the Japanese.

Only in Japan...

Samurai fights anime!

Old meets new in Japan

What the hell is this? Are you telling me there are real Samurai's fighting real life characters from Anime? Well, kind of.  For those of you who don't know much about Japan or who are American (just kidding) let's get things straight. Japan no longer has real life Samurai. That is an actor. And anime characters aren't based on real life people. Those are just cos-play fans.

This photo was taken in Kyoto at a theme park called Eiga-Mura which means Movie Village. It is the Japanese version of Universal Studios I guess.  The park looks like a replica of an old Japanese town with people dressed as locals, farmers, fishermen, Samurai and even ninjas. There is even a Godzilla in the pond.

The samurai walk around and take pictures with people. This one just happened to be taking a picture with 3 teenagers who dressed up like their favorite manga characters. I was lucky enough to be watching and grabbed a shot.

Kyoto is famous for temples and shrines but if you are looking for something a little more light and touristy then Eiga-mura is a fun way to kill an afternoon. They even have live shows filming in the studio and a cool "How to shoot a ninja" scene show.

Only in Japan...