Posts in "Japan"

Located in the town of Ikaho is the Ikaho Toy, Doll and Car Museum which wifey and I visited a while back. One thing that has obviously helped me learn more about Japanese culture is having a fair command of the lingo. Another thing that I've been ve...

Had the honor of speaking recently at the largest university in Japan - Nihon University. And you could squeeze them like this while making a "puni puni" sound.

Just got back from spending a most awesome few days in Shanghai. The last time I was there was in 2008 - so much has changed in these few years not only in my life but in China too. Some of my clients had been sharing with me sales stats of how China...

Apart from the usual photos in the A Week in Tokyo series, I also take a load of street photos that I've been meaning to share for a while. I've always been in love with Tokyo's urban architecture and never get bored looking at the same streets every...

Looks like I left it for over a month this time ToT I'm sure one day I'll actually be able to write these every week like I did back when I started the A Week in Tokyo series back in 2007. Maybe when I retire? ^^;

AKB48 had been encouraging folks to vote for who they wanted to be the next governor of Tokyo. There were a load of ads on the trains and on TV too - CM below.

Stick most food photos in the A Week in Tokyo series but sometimes there be too much - I'm either taking too much photos or eating too much ^^; Following on from the Japanese Food photo post comes part 2 - filled with a load of great food that one ca...

Located in the West of Tokyo is a ward called Nakano which is home to the Bushiroad Headquarters, Nakano Sunplaza and the Nakano Broadway shopping complex. Folks in the West of Tokyo who need to get hold of anime, manga, idol, figures, doll and douji...

Very interesting find thats been going around the Internets of late. The above painting is an Ukiyo-e [浮世絵] - Japanese woodblock prints produced between the 17 and 20th centuries. The above painting is said to be produced between 1797 and 1861 (so...

Previously posted a few job positions which have lead to full and part time positions in Japan for readers at companies like Ami Ami, Rinkya, Good Smile Company, J-List and very recently Nico Nico Douga. This time round J-List is looking to fill ano...

Mandarake - the company with many shops located around Tokyo that sells a ton of second hand otaku goodies - manga, anime, figures, dolls, trading cards, gatcha and a load of other merchandise. We previously took a look at the history of Mandarake a...

Tis currently the Hanami [花見] season where folks come out onto the streets and flock around areas where they can enjoy the company of cherry blossoms which are currently in full bloom around Tokyo. This year however is different as folks are in "Ji...

Korean Pop is big business in Japan - you see and hear a lot of it on TV and while walking out n about town. K-POP has been around for a while in Japan but seems to have really taken off last year in 2010 with groups like Girls Generation (少女時代)...

Something not widely reported in foreign media (probably because nuclear panic sells) is the state of emergency that the printing industry has declared - paper and ink in Japan is running out. Had no idea about the situation until I was talking to a...

After the earthquake, a huge tsunami hit Japan and damaged a few nuclear power reactors meaning that not enough electricity can be generated for the West of Japan given the current power consumption rates. The government split up most areas in East J...

Its been 2 weeks since the Tohoku-Kanto Earthquake hit Japan and today we'll take a look at whats been happening in Tokyo since then. First photo taken in a small street near our station - we've got a load of streets around here full of personality.

Update : Thanks for all the feedback about how the situation is being reported in your neck of the woods. Here are a collection of just some of it. While there are some folks leaving Tokyo (who mostly seem to be foreigners with children), there is n...

Media around the world continues to go on about how everybody is leaving Tokyo and that its a ghost town. These photos were taken a few hours a go in one of the busiest shopping/restaurant districts in Tokyo called Shibuya. While there are folks lea...

Photos taken last night in Akihabara - 6 days after the magnitude 9 Earthquake hit East Japan. There were less folks out n about but that was mainly due to all the shops trying their best to save electricity by closing early - most were open for busi...

Continuing the earthquake coverage which is all being tagged "earthquake201103." I knew from speaking to folks like Steve Nagata in Tokyo that the place was going to be a mess when we got back to Japan. Steve's place was in a mess and even furniture...

After the earthquake, I heard that food supplies were getting dangerously low in Tokyo. The possibility of a mag 7 Earthquake to hit Tokyo is still 40% (reduced from 70%). Many people are worried and started to panic buy staple foods such as bread, r...

Just arrived back in Tokyo. Right up until we got on the plane, had to deal with a barrage of calls from parents/relatives asking us not to go back to Japan. They talk as if everybody in Japan is going to die. How on earth is everything being reporte...

Updated with images from Kyung Lah at CNN. A huge earthquake hit Japan this afternoon. I've got a headache thinking about the safety of my friends. To be honest I would rather be back in Japan at a time like this - my own safety is the last thing o...

At Ikaho hot springs in Gunma, there is a shrine called Ikaho Jinja [伊香保神社] at the top of the Ishidan steps. We went on a weekday so not many other folks around. Felt like I stepped back in time.