A Week in Tokyo 39

I wanna try macbooks since they are used by tons of artists. Once you get used to the software it should be as easy as any other program.

My grandma is korean, she always eats a ton of "red" (spicy) food and tons of meat yet she's the healthiest in the family. She will live to her 90s and maybe more.

Being an american, I don't really have a national dish. We americans just steal other cultures food. My favorite is pizza =p

love the food shots as always, especially the ones of the cakes.

my BF turned me on to Korean food - we love kimchi; we might try making another batch soon :)

you get to go to work at home surrounded by the things that you love - and in shorts too. living the dream, Danny - me so envious~

got both a PC desktop n a macbook. usually i'll buy back tons of snacks for my office folks when i'm in japan.

looking forward to the iphone apps. have you seen the New York Times iphone app? i have that installed in my itouch, of all the news apps, i think the NYT app is best, easily to navigate all the different features/articles and fast uploads.

We've had a few tremors lately over at my place, though the quake was over before I reacted enough. If we have a really big quake, I probably won't survive because I under-react all the time and I don't have an emergency plan.

That's a funny dutch shirt Ken Lee is wearing, it says "don't forget to eat frico" (which is a cheese brand here)
I always enjoy seeing the food photos and think about the things I will be eating when there.
Also.. veru curious about the new employee!

Lol the guy to your right was wearing a t-shirt with dutch text on it: "niet vergeten, frico eten". He's like a walking commercial for cheese.

Hmm... For me if I go back to Indonesia the dish I'd be looking for would be Sate/Satay, the Java style, Soto as well. Not sure about Canada though... don't really have a national dish here. Poutine? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine

Faiz is my fave Kamen Rider ^_^

Say what?? You have to register your bike in Japan? We always have problems with people stealing bikes here, why can't we adopt this system?

Vancouver should be in an earthquake zone, but haven't had one for a looong time now. And I think we're over the swine flu here mostly...

What applications you say.. Maybe a theme, with custom icons for each application and a DC colour scheme.
I'm not a Mac switcher yet, I probably will be in the future though. I see it as more of a thing people in University and above use, and with me still in HS. It is not the time yet, but I would like to start getting used to the Mac format, where's that OSX installation guide Danny!
Favourite national dish from Australia you say, i'd have to go with the good ol' meat pie. It may be plain but it's good, i'm sure there are other foods out there just can't think of them now. No food ticket vending machines in my neck of the woods, probably because they would be abused in some form or another.
Looks like deoderants are getting more popular in Japan. I heard that they are more targetted towards females, and there were rarely any male brands out there.
Earthquakes... Australia... These two things, just don't mix together. Situated in the middle of a continental plate, nothing happens(regularly). Probably the only natural disaster you're going to get here is droughts and floods.
Unfortunately Australia Post has no such service similar to Shuka, well not that I know of atleast. But walking down or driving to the post office isn't a very big deal. I suppose it's convenient for those who have a very busy life such as if you live in the CBD where everything moves so fast.
I await the announcement of the new staff member and this big secret between Danny and Kotobukiya.

Can't really comment on Mac cus I never really touched one before.. ^^;

Mmmm.. Yummy pastry is yummy. I always tend to read photo articles when I'm hungry - that or I get hungry while reading it..

There's loads of different vending machines in Japan eh? I only see drinks n broken vending machines here. Someone has to tell me if they saw others.. ^^;

Can you actually get a refund or soemthing if you see like cigarette ash floating on your ramen? @.@ Eating out isn't really and clean and healthy as home cooked food, which is why I usualy prefer dining at home. Wallet-wise too!

Shuka service ii ne... Nothing like that here. If you don't count Fedex, DHL etc that is.

Eager to know who's the new member of Mirai Inc! Basically anyone who loves Mio should be a nice guy/girl xD

wooo congrats on new employee! XD so exciting! Another busy 2 weeks for you I see ^^;

I heard there is thousands of shrine in Tokyo is that true?

quite a week that was...looking forward to meeting the lucky new employee...

well, i gotta sat, you definitely look better without that head mike.
also, can't wait for ya to introduce your new employee.

I won't ever be getting a Mac. Just not for me and what I do. Not a fan of the Mac UI either and actually love Vista ^^

Housing in the US is pretty much a buyers market now. The prices have dropped a lot around here and people can't even sell their house for what it was worth 3-5 years ago :x

Only time I buy stuff for people other than me is Christmas and birthdays.

All my figures are in my room ^^

I should send you some Tazo and Oregon Chai Danny and see if you like it ^^

Man one thing I miss after leaving Japan every time is the convenience of everything. Like, every sort of thing has been thought of. Entering a store with a wet umbrella? No problem, they got a slip for it to prevent leakage( >.>" ). The whole machine outside of a resteraunt thing is really nice too, I lived off of Udon shops for days. And city bikes aren't ridiculously overpriced there! The only bicycles here that are under $300 are mountain bikes which aren't exactly great utility-wise.

Oh and tethering a 3G USB stick to an access point is possible over here, if only rogers(robbers) didn't take an arm and leg for every MB used D:

that chicken video had me laughing :)

Anyother great Week in Tokyo!!!!!
Love Heroes huh...
The person who plays Ando will be at a convention here in Toronto Canada.
I'll be getting his autograph...anyone want one?

I use mac and pc, but have been using pc longer.

Lovely pictures as always. Hey Danny, you used your DSLR to shoot these right?

Ipod/Iphone apps? Foreign visitors might like a vocal Japanese/English translator with a Mirai/Haruka interface. Maybe JTrain direction mapper. Seen "where to eat" apps, so one specific to Tokyo for visitors would be cool.

Heroes storyline now official is going no where. Boooring.

Housing prices drop 8% since last year which is great for first time buyers. However, those that already own a house are in a jam cause no one wants to buy their old home.

If I ever visit you I'll bring over chocolate banana... covered in nuts.

Like lightning said, I think one of Canada's only national food is Poutine (Fries, cheese curd, and gravy). It's good, but will eventually make your heart stop. In my location, we are famous for steak and beef.

My location doesn't have earthquakes. Now that I think about it, we don't really have any sort of natural disaster problems. Expect maybe minor flooding from poor drainage.

I'm using a Samsung widescreen right now. While I think they're good as pc monitors, I'm not a big fan of their LCD TV displays.

The library bookshelf looks very nice, especially the inclined base!

that monitor sure is cheap. the mio image is nice too XD

Currently a Linux user (Ubuntu), I wish to give a try on Mac too, but don't have enough funds yet. Switched from Xp a couple of years ago, and don't want to go back anytime soon.

Me being from the lazy kingdom of Spain, I love the potato omelette and all kinds of stews my lovely mother prepare for me ^w^.

Permission to park bikes? Here you place yours where u like, and if it gets stolen...well, better buy a strong chain in advance (we're very careless about rules and normatives, u see...).

Have felt a few earthquakes in my life, but mostly very weak ones, and only lasting a minute or so.

I LOLed so hard with the chicken video xD xD

I must have said this a thousand times already, but these articles are part of my fuel to keep on studying nihongo and aiming to go to Japan >_<

@Danny: Did you like the mstand? How are you finding it? It's perfect height for me and love the cord hole.

Really want to get a Full HD monitor soon. At the moment mine is only 19inch, but a 24 inch running at 1920*1020 would be great. Theyre only about 275 USD here, which isnt bad at all for such a huge screen.

22inch and above is awesome for work though, wish the company would get me one :P.

Never seen a bicycle get impounded in Los Angeles and as far as I'm aware there is no registration servie for them either. You don't see a lot of bicycles here though. About the only place I used to see a lot of bicycles was at the University campus.

I'm a die hard PC fan. However I've always wanted to learn my way around OSX though just for experience. Yeah I could probably buy a used Mac or cheap Mac Mini but even then there are a hudnred other things I'd rather buy before that. Maybe one will just fall on to my lap someday lol.

Housing varies a lot in the US since its such a huge country. In Southern California I'd estimate you need at least $400 to $500 thousand for a modest house unless you live wayyy out in the suburbs.

Right now in the Los Angeles area there are just a TON of apartment and condos going up everywhere instead of houses. A lot of the older apartments in this area are 2-3 stories, the newer ones are all 4 to 6 which isn't much compared to Tokyo but they are getting higher here.

A lot of old 20-40 story business complexes are also being renovated into condos. A 25 story old abandonned complex just got renovated within the last couple of year just a block from me. A brand new 25 story shopping/condo complex went up just across the street. These condos start at $300 thousand and get as high as a million if not more.

I've seen those hanged plastic crows. They're scary.

And that's not Nagasaki chanpon, but Nagasaki sara udon. I also cooked them this week.

Grrr, darn you Danny for taunting me with all your delicious foods!! :P I enjoyed this edition of "A Week in Tokyo"...well, i enjoy all of them really lol.

Uhh, national dish? Do we have one in the U.S.? @_@ Local dish though...hmm...a fat fish or carne asada burrito from a "real" Mexican restaurant is always a gooood choice. ^_^

Umm, I don't think bicycles here in Esco. get impounded, and there is no registration either...at least not that I have ever heard of. You can park your bike really anywhere out of the way and not worry about it getting taken...by the police that is. If you don't lock it up real good it will get jacked by someone around here. >.>

I would kill for a nice 22" or more monitor...just can't squeeze out the $200+ to get one though. >.<

At the moment here in the U.S., if you want to buy a home, now is the time to do it...if you want to sell it though, your pretty screwed. Prices have dropped quite a bit, so it's good for consumers, bad for sellers. @_@

Don't get rid of Naru!!!!!!!! IF you do though, I will quite gladly take her off your hands ^^

WTF Danny ... how can you say somehtng like "going to the to-be-retired cabinet" oO

You have a Yu Darvish (09 edition) and a High End Version of the super cool looking Rakuwa Neck X50 ... If you know where to order them (in english and I need it shipped to Germany) please tell me. I am searching for these for months now after seeing 'em in the world baseball classix -__-'

Would be to cool of you knew where to buy them... or make a new giveaway with 'em - lol I absolutely must get it hahaha

Ha you have the same monitor as me what are the odds!!

well seams like another nice week over their cant wait till i go,and as always great pics!

Live Kabutos in UFO Catcher? It is awful. They can be there for ages...

I want to switch to Mac once, but it's currently impossible for me. Someday, though, I believe the day will come. No, it will definitely come but probably no sooner than I become a member of working society.

A few days ago, I wrote to my Japanese friend that in Czech Republic we don't usually eat raw eggs. I can't think of any dish that is served with raw eggs, if you don't count some sauces which are based on eggs, such as tartare sauce. If it came to raw eggs, I would be scared that I might catch Salmonellosis bacteria. I have experienced salmonellosis and it was terrible.

Vending machines selling regular dishes is probably Japan exclusive.

No earthquakes in my town. But they have light earthquakes in the most western part of the Czech Republic. There even used to be volcanoes in the past. I think that's the reason they have some earthquakes there even nowadays.

The water had 30°C? That's awesome! Pools in my country are usually colder than this, and that's why I don't like going swimming. The first minutes are always freezing hell for me ^^

Nothing beats good old, Pork Adobo Fried rice. Delicious!

Awesome pictures as always!
Eager to meet the new employee!

Jumbo Choco Monaka is Japanese soul sweet!（＾－＾）

Gateway FHD2400 24-inch 1920x1200 LCD monitor for general purpose and PC gaming due to its fast response time.

Will probably get a 2nd monitor for photography work, a Dell 2408WFP, 24-inch 1920x1200 for its amazing color accuracy even without calibration. Though its response time is too slow for gaming.

Gateway's ~$500, Dell's ~$600.

Lol, thumbs up to Ken Lee for his Dutch language shirt. d^^b

"Do you have to pay a hefty fine in your kingdom when your bike is impounded?"
If you mean stolen by "impounded" then yes, gotta buy a new bike. Never heard of any bikes being impounded 0.o They usually get stolen if you look away for a min or more.

Those sterilizing sprays seem like a bad idea to me... why bother if you're still gonna pickup the germs the last person left on the handle x.X"

Reading your article reminded me, When are you going to do that osx on the dell mini 9 article danny?

All these great looking Japanese food is driving me crazy, especially looking at them during late night when I'm hungry and such... Jumbo Choco Monaka is one of my favorite snack when I'm in Japan, they taste so yummy :P

Yay ^(O.O)^ A new week in Tokyo. Lots of yummy food in the pictures and cool places. Bikes here aren't impounded ^^; they get stolen.

New firmware was released for the LX3.

My first Mac was a Power Mac 7200/75 Mhz. I believe it was running OS 7. My first exposure to a computer was also a Apple computer. I don't want to say which model for it will definitely date me.

Switched to Mac as I was getting bored with Windows been a Windows users for years and use it every day at work so thought I would give a Mac a try.

After using my Macbook for only a few days I was hooked love how everything just works, is so stable and in general just looks and feels nicer to use, not to mention the laptops themselves are the best looking laptops money can buy IMO, oh and I can do everything that I could with Windows so to sum up I'm well and truly a Mac convert.

Oh and for the people thinking Mac's are expensive make sure you compare the Mac against similar spec'd PC's i.e. with DDR 3 etc etc you will find the Mac is very competitively priced if not cheaper than a comparable PC with the Mac having a much higher quality build to it.

Although because of my job I still need to be very familiar with the different Windows e.g. I have Windows 7 installed on a VM on my Mac, so far Windows 7 is looking to be the best Windows to date very fast and some excellent Macy features even some I would like to see come to OSX.

another great week in tokyo article~
lots of great pics and lots of num-nums too^^
looking forward to the next one!

btw

Kamen Rider Black FTW!

Would like to switch to Mac, tried OS X on my PC and loved it. But if I switch I'd like too upgrade on the performance side too. So the only joice is a Mac Pro which means saving money for some time.
Using two Samsung Syncmaster T240 24" leading to 3840x1200px.

"Please put this card on your breast"
Lol, any female attendees with that on their oppai spotted?

Why are deodorant ads all over the world always completely nuts?

Really liked this week in Tokyo article. Waiting eagerly for your "unboxing" of the new employee.

Am so going to Japan because there are NO vending machines here in Malaysia and especially not much awesome UFO catchers .

Eating spicy things is actually good for the heart , I always eat Nandos when it comes to spicy food . I sometimes get sweaty after eating some chicken from Nandos . Wondering if theres a Nandos restaurant in japan ?

Recently there are 3 cases of H1N1 in Malaysia but the government is trying there best to stop the H1N1 from spreading any further .

Lands and Houses here in Malaysia is going up as well . Its weird because just about 3 hours ago , my parents just lost a bid to a huge house by a Rich Guy . DARN IT ! >.< Am so looking to move from this small house .

It seems Danny's neighborhood has a crow problem but my neighborhood is even worser. My neighborhood has a cat problem . Every time ,we find cats sitting on top of my fathers car and scratching it . Some cats just usually sneak into our house and find food in it . These are one of the reasons why my parents wants to move from this neighborhood .

I guess Japan really does care about there people ^^ with the spray from supermarket and the blood presure machine in the swimming pool .

Great week Danny, and as for Korean Food, I recommend you to eat Kimchi every days, good for your health ^^

nice photos as usual!

now... for a Mirai app... using the accelerameter, make her sway and jiggle when you move the phone, and when you turn her upside down, her skirt falls open!! with little speech bubbles saying stuff like be carefull, visit danny choo... or have her flash you when you post something new on the site... he he

I can't wait for ROTF! I'll probably be going to the theaters and watch it there.

Isn't that beetle vending machine and that frozen crab ice block a violation of animal rights? Not that I'm complaining though. I think it's rather cool to see those two crabs frozen :P

My fave national dish would have to be "sisig". It's basically pork cooked in a sizzling plate mixed with some onions and other vegetables. What's unique about it is that it's the cheek and ear of the pig that is used in the dish. I know, it sounds disgusting. That was also my reaction when I heard what it was made of, but they told me that AFTER I finished a whole plate of the thing! But even with that, it tasted oh so good. Too bad you can't eat it everyday since it's very fatty and oily. I only eat it once a month because I myself can't eat too much oily food. It makes me head ache for some reason.

I think only Japan has those food vending machine things O_o

I'm that too when it comes to giving my family, friends and relatives souvenirs whenever I go to trips. But it's the thought that counts, right? LOL XD

I didn't know chickens can do that! And this is coming from a guy whose uncle raises chickens just next to our house! O_o

You leave your bike here in the open, expect it to get stolen!

All of my figures are in my room. That is probably where they are really safe from harm! Besides, I don't have that many figures to scatter around the house. I wish I did though :D

Just like Japan, the Philippines sits nicely in the Pacific Ring of Fire so we experience earthquakes from time to time too. I remember this one time in 2007 during my first year in college, while I was attending a class on the 12th floor of the country's tallest school building, an earthquake struck and we can actually feel the building swaying violently. At first I though I was getting dizzy until it got a bit stronger and the chairs actually started sliding from side to side. After that all of the people in the building had to evacuate and wait for the inspectors to check the building for damages before we can go back to our classes. Although it was scary, I want it to happen again! LOL XD

Actually, the swine flu fever here is just beginning! We really thought that our country would be safe from the virus until the number of victims started to increase. From one victim some weeks ago to the current number of 14! I think it's going to rise a bit more in the coming days. At least no one has died yet.

I don't buy magazines very often. The only magazine I buy is about airsoft :P

Another cool week Danny

Its true that the US is having trouble with selling property. Houses can vary depending on what part of the country you live in. Houses near the cost and in fancy districts/big cities, can range from any were from 200,000 USD to 2,000,000 USD. In my town, houses are usually somewhere around 150,000 USD to 300,000 USD... but thats because I live in the mountains.

i remember years ago when danny set public computers' default webpage to dannychoo.com, most of the people will click on the idols' section. ^^;

never tough so the % of dannyh choo readers use a Mac is pretty much.
(waiting for a quad core version before i buy one too)
Its it only me but one of the veggie mail look like a dolfin ...

LOL at the plastic dead crow. Bit compact than an actual scarecrow.

Jumbo Choco Monaka! my wife and I are addicted to that. thank goodness we found a grocery here that has it on stock.
nice to see Narusegawa is still up and about on image 26805.

Well I've switched to mac for about 2 years and I'm really happy with it, even if I still need to use windows for some stuff, I prefer the mac and I think my next buy will still be a mac.
All that delicious food on the photos always looks so good... My favorite national dish would be "feijoada" which I can't really explain in english but would be some kind of stew with dark beans and meat and some other things that I can't find the equivalent in english, "enchidos"? and served with rice.
I don't think we have that kind of postal service here, but it would be helpful some times, also those food vending machines must be very convenient, but you can't find them here.
As for bikes, people don't really ride them much around here, so I've never seen any impounded because there aren't that much park spaces for them to begin with... but if you leave in the street, must leave it chained or it will get stolen.
I haven't bought a magazine for a very long time... but I used to buy anime magazines.
Here house and land prices aren't really dropping but they just don't sell for a very long time.
Now people aren't worried about the swine flu anymore, since there weren't many cases here to begin with, but I believe it will come back again.

Portable WiFi gadget, what a great way of sharing ^_^

Malaysia national dish: Nasi Lemak (Cholesterol Rice) literally ^^;

Dont have that food ticket vending machine here, it'll be very convenient to implement it.

"chefs smoking while prepping your meal" I would not have dine there........

As for mail pick-up service, I was using FedEx before I switched to DHL for international shipping.

LOL @ the crows scaring method....

"Please put this card on your breast, or other conspicuous body parts." ROTFLMAO!

That "Phiten" neck band which have micro titanium balls in it & help relief muscle pain. Was introduced to this product when I was still semi-active in golf. It does had it effect though, been wearing it (http://item.rakuten.co.jp/ikustim/tf050152/) for 3 years now.

Very interested to find out who is the new member in Mirai Inc ^_^

Lol, nice card.

Your night shots always seem to have so much green them. Are the places illuminated with green lights...?

Bought some candied beans when I was in Kawagoe for my mom, but I noticed the expiration date was before the end of my trip. Going to make another trip before I leave, or gotta find something that lasts longer than a week.

for someone who uses apple computers and monitors for a long time, i'm pretty sure you would have noticed the lack of color accuracy of TN Panel LCDs (like the Benq that you just bought)...

As far as i know Apple never use any TN panel in their products for LCD, usually only IPS panel (which translates to great color accuracy, this is one main reason why apple monitors is highly regarded as very suitable for graphics design use)
), but i could be wrong though, i am not an apple user myself (but have been thinking of trying one, maybe i'll try a hackintosh distro or two to get a feel of it first,

speaking about apples, you should have already realized that you deserve SAFS from apple because you help them to spread the apple virus, i am an example of a poor fellow infected from you, i've been using windows as main OS for years, other than that, it's only some linux distros for office work)

back to the LCD talk, i remember that NEC and Eizo originates from japan. Those 2 brands are also regarded as great quality monitors with accurate colors, heard their professional monitors
intended for graphic design are so bloody expensive, it would cost you a leg or an arm to buy one... or maybe not, why don't you try checking one, i'm sure you will be delighted to find the quality of the display, but might get hold back after seeing the price tag

"There is something amusing about this salad."

http://www.dannychoo.com/adp/eng/1712/A+Week+in+Tokyo+39.html#image26777

I think Rin should be giggling at the "Veggies stuffed with minced meat above"; it looks like grilled Dolphin to me...

http://www.dannychoo.com/adp/eng/1712/A+Week+in+Tokyo+39.html#image26776

I guess it's just me...

I love eating Catsup/Ketchup/wateva alone. Does that count?

beetles in ufo catchers.. what would happen when they get dropped :s

image ID#26809: there is a dancing storm trooper shirt? :3

Wooow great stuff!!!!

I develop business software for Windows, so I've always been a Windows user - until a couple of weeks ago that is.

I always liked the look of Macs, especially the Aluminum iMac and the G5. So much so that when building my last PC a few years ago I bought the Lan-Li PC-V1000 in silver because it looked like a G5.

A few weeks ago I bought a new Mac Mini with 4GB RAM and 2.26 Ghz CPU.

I am hooked and can never go back.

Windows is now running in VMware Fusion but I rarely use it when I'm on the Mac. I use my work laptop for Windows development.

Not only is Mac OS X much more intuitive than Windows, but the Mac Mini is silent, which I love.

I was using a DELL 2408WFP as my sole monitor. A week after getting the Mac Mini I broke down and purchased the Apple 24" LED for my Mac. It is a beautiful monitor. You just can't use anything else for your Mac.

Will be getting a Macbook next month to share with my bro. He's a windows users and with bootcamp or parallels running, it will benefit him and me. As I'm starting to support more Mac users @ work, it's only reasonable for me to get one and learn OS X more.
On a self-development side, it will help me broaden my knowledge in using other software programs.

How cool, yot another big screen....

Sausge rolls and Meat pies as 'national dish' - ahahaha

Spicy foods can make you leaner, and kimchi can help your body in nutritious ways.

I'd love to try those food that you get to eat.

I'll be switching to Macbook for my transition in to college this fall. My computer is about four years old, and still runs Windows XP. Not too long ago, my mother got a laptop that runs Windows Vista. The few times I've tried to help her on it or use it myself, I've just gotten so fed up with how every little thing crashes the system. A few family friends of ours are big Mac users, and they've only had good things to say about it. The few times I've used the Macs at their house have been fantastic. I'm a bit anxious about learning the new OSX, but I think I'll be okay X3

My favourite dish from home is probably "Ketoprak". It's not something I can find easily here in Canada even at an Indonesian restaurant. In case anyone is wondering what "Ketoprak" is http://www.google.ca/search?q=ketoprak+recipe&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a.

I have been wanting to try Mac but $$ is the reason so I probably opted out to hackintosh since it works well on your Dell Mini one of these days. Did you find it easy installing on your Dell Mini ? Any compatibilities issue when you create a backup from your Dell Mini and restore it on your other mac machine ?

For your question regarding post office service, I am really jealous with the service you get from your local post office. I believe a pair of wings on my back will come true sooner than receiving that kind of service from local post office here or couriers (DHL,FedEX, UPS, etc) without extra charge. Everything I have something ordered online, I always say I hope my package arrives undamaged ^^;;

What is youkan made of ? it looks delicious.

Decent size monitors are getting cheaper and cheaper every day since new ones are always coming out every week/month. I use BenQ too and it is BenQ v2400W. It has HDMI input at the back which is nice because I can hook up my PS3 to this monitor. Back then, I got it around $400 but right now it probably goes down $300. There is no really specific brand that is really superior because it depends on the product line. If it's a high end product line, quality is awesome but so is the price. The best way to choose a good monitor is to go to an electronic store and see bunch all at one. That way, you will notice the difference.

Land/house prices start going up here in Toronto. My real estate agent told me that she has been extremely busy for the last 3-4 weeks since people start buying condo/house as they are worried that the price is increasing. Currently, it's a buyer market so it's advantageous to buy a house/condo now and mortgate rate is really low too due to recession.

Hm... 22" HD. Sounds nice. I go with 2x22" non-HD. :(
"niet vergeten Frico eten" is awesome.

I wouldn't mind trying out a Mac, might get one when my current laptop gets too old.

"I notice that many of you post your Japan loot but do you also buy stuff for folks at home too and if so what sort of stuff?"

I bought stuff for folks in Germany too.
My mother and my grandma got both original japanese fans. Since they like them.
My dad got a Tokyo Picturebook. My little sister got a sleeping Pikachu doll. My big sister and her husband got love amulets I bought at Meji shrine. My grandpa got japanese brushes. They cost a bomb but they are the best brushes in the world.

I noticed, you're not wearing black danny. What happened? ^^

We do not have thos food vending machines in Germany. Would be really nice to have them in the bigger cities. I tried it in Tokyo. Was really comfortable and fast.

I thought of switching to Mac, since media designers use them and danny is always recommending them ^^ But the price is shocking :/

nice article but you ask too many questions at same time. theres no such national dish in india i think, since we have a lot of religions and cultures here. houses are too costly and prices went up in recession :S i love spicy foods. i dont like apple. they ridicule people using normal pcs. i wont buy any apple stuff. period.
my country does have some good earthquake zones, but they are dormant most of the time.

Yup. I also live in earthquake country, San Francisco.

Also the only reason I don't have a Mac is probably the same reason Danny didn't get one before. I don't think it can do what I use my PC for. Maybe in the future I will get one if mine dies again.

I've had a mac for a year now and I love it. The reason why I wanted to change to a MacBook Pro was because with the new Intel cpu's you could run Windows on it and it's unix based. But since 90% of the apps I use are on Mac too, I never came round to installing Windows on it ;p So I just have a little XP running in Parallels when I need it for a few apps that don't come on mac and for QA on IE6/7, and trusty Total Commander (which I miss under mac, been wanting to make my own version is java, but never got round to fully begin working on it).
I'm mainly a developer and at home I develop in PHP and Java, and for work I've got a separate laptop with Windows for development in WinDev and PHP. (WinDev is mostly Windows based). So I've got everything separated nicely ;p I've also noticed that lately many apps get released for both PC and Mac, so that's even better ;p

My favorite national dish, that would have to be Belgian fries with mayonaise ^^ (no, they are NOT french fries, but history seems ambiguous...), with or without a nice steak ;p

I actually only pic up mags when I'm in Japan ^^

As for an HD display, I have a 24" Samsung (SyncMaster 2443BW, 1920x1080). I think nothing beats Samsung for quality flatscreens.

i wanna use mac as well because i have a ton of psd. files on my windows machines (which is kinda slow)and i dont wanna get photoshop for windows coz it costs a ton. so a mac is my only other option.

The new Macpros have amazing resolution. For my pc I am using a Samsung Syncmaster. It's actually a T.V. I have converted into a computer monitor. It's 720p, so as HD as I need. It makes most things look wonderful!

>They don't charge extra for this service and saves you from going to the post office to queue up and log parcels around. Similar service where you are?
Sadly no:(

>Looks like the new employee likes Mio too ^^; Will announce who it is soon.
Oo, you already found your new employee? Looking forward hearing about him/her..

For Kamen Rider, I think its a tie between Kabuto and Agito for my favorite series. Kabuto was insanely awesome action, visually amazing but got shaky at times with plot and character development. Agito had a great plot and characters but the effects were a bit dated.

As much as I want to try Mac's, there are too many programs that I've become acustom to for me to abandon Windows PC. Plus I'm kind-of in love with Windows 7 ^^I
I would like to use a Mac for a server though.

Tried using a Mac for 3 months but did not like the UI. Too simplified with few customization options. Plus, I occasionally play games so that didn't help.

I prefer to run whichever OS does the job best. Windows is still the most versatile graphical OS, whereas Linux is the best server OS and that's exactly what I use.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dannychoo/3578004360/sizes/o/

It's... people! Soylent Green is made out of people!

the deoderant woman who says good is halirous

fffffffff Dannychoo is into Kamen Riders?

I AM SHOCKED AND PLEASANTLY SURPRISED!

Great set of pictures, can really get a feel of the areas. The Chevy Transformers videos were cool. Nothing like having Shana with a box of pastry's. Rin Kokonoe is now laughing at the chopsticks sitting on the plate of 'French Fries', she says "silly you, eat those with your fingers". No food machines like that around this area, loads of fast food drive throughs and 'we' don't eat raw eggs here as they seem to all come with bad stomach bugs if not cooked well. Leave a bicycle around here and poof its gone and it might even have been a cop that took it for themselves lol but you won't get them back most of the time. Love the swimming pool part, "One has to wear a cap and remove all jewelry/watches/firearms before they jump in". Cracked me up and I am still grinning, got a really good loud laugh out of it.

Yum... Korean food. I've been eating a lot of kimchi recently because my brother's girlfriend is korean. As a result, my tolerance for spicy food has gone up slightly but still fails to match what she can handle. I often her her complaining that its not hot enough ><

lol /me liked the granny deoderant commercials

Been a PC user my whole life, but now I'm considering switching to a Mac, especially since my laptop died a few weeks ago.. Worried that I won't be able to get used to it. What's the learning curve for the Mac and how long did it take for you to become proficient at it?

Ahhh illegal bike parking is everywhere in Japan huh. There are plenty of signs saying not to park the bikes there but everyone does it anyway. I remember letting a friend borrow my bike for a day, he parked it outside the train station and it got taken away.. Had to pay 2,300 yen to get it back and had to ride it all the way back to the dorm, twas tiring..

Another great set of pictures, i'm enjoy with this website far too much. Waiting for a new week in Tokyo

Wow...so much delicious food...making me staving...and really nice desk...I guess i will stick with my Windows...as i am too clumsy in using mac...always seems to lose my windows in the mid of my work...

Okay trying one more time to post! First time poster, long time reader. Love the food pictures danny, that's what I post mostly on my own blog as well. Keep up the good work eh? Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will visit my city on July 8 I'll try to get some pictures of this!

I would love to try a mac someday. But talking about this photo article it seems to be something I don't experience everyday but you do. Guess this is what they are talking about when envying other countries, because you have been living in your country for a long time you start having the urge to travel and see new sites. Think this will be part of my dream, to travel.

During my last voyage, the vessel i sailed had a port call in Kobe. it a very beautiful place... however, my chief engineer told me that he witness the kobe earthquake just after the vessel his was on cast off from the port.

I have family members who use Mac, so I've tried both Mac and Windows. I can see how others might like it, but personally I find the interface to be an unwieldy mess. Just not a right fit, I guess.
I've never tried a lot of the foods you show in your articles, but a lot of them look quite good. I'm hoping to get to try some when I go to Japan in a couple months (finally!)

Ooo... Pretty RX-7 in front of you in image26810. I want one. >.<

I'm not a big Mac person, though I can kind of see the point. I like the OS, but I've always been bothered that Apple won't officially release it for machines outside of the ones they make. They could at least market it to the power users out there; those folks who would actually be able to properly get it installed on non-Apple-made hardware. I'd likely give it a whirl, an I know you would too!

The so-called Apple tax is just too much for a lot of folks, especially in the current economy. :(

So hungry...debating what I want to eat for my birthday dinner- sushi? dim sum? something more normal and cheap? This post just makes me think I should go to the good Japanese place in town more and more, even though it's a bit expensive.

The post office offers to pick up packages from home, but I feel like I would be bothering them when I only have one thing to send. Is that weird? XD;

Why would you spray your feet to prevent swine flu? *confuzzled*

Just wondering is the new employee Chris Gaunt, because I got a feeling you gave us a hint "Back at the office with Chris Gaunt on the far right and Hector on the far left"

worried about how much heat those oomputers dissipate

Switched to Mac back in 2006 when the Macbook Pro was announced, have never looked back. At first I only wanted a laptop, and knew I wanted to make the switch (however costly) because I needed something light and heavy-duty to bring with to art school.

I used PCs for 10 years up until that point, but always noticed how unstable they were -- went through two or three PCs until I finally got my MBP. OS X is wonderful, the UI and just how amazing your workflow can be. I've noticed I get things done a little bit faster now

I noticed it took a while for Adobe to get Photoshop "right" without any glitches, but CS4 is perfect as far as I know. Same with Painter XI.

Once you go Mac, you can never go back! ...or something like that. :)

Been using Mac since Mac II ci, so lots of Macs:)
Don't enjoy using PCs, Windows are quite silly.

I use PC's mainly for gaming purposes.
PC's are a pain to edit video, especially HD now a days, the codecs are too messy and such.

I would love to use FCP, as it has native support for so many formats.
But alas, I cannot afford a 2k+ Mac...

PC it is for now.

Love the pics. I want to go to Tokyo RIGHT NOW!

"Please put this card on your breast, or other conspicuous body parts." LOL! This made my day.

And a great article as always, Danny. Now, answering your questions:
-What sort of apps would you like to see from Mirai and Haruka?
I do not have an Iphone (it is extremely expensive in Brazil) but I'd be happy with anything with Mirai. Even more with Haruka. ^^
-What could be in store for you?
Something great as always, I'm pretty sure about that.
-Are you a Mac switcher and if so why did you jump boat on Windows?
I'm stuck with Windows XP Pro Edtition since Mac does not support more than two thirds of the games I occasionally play. But I'm considering buying an Apple notebook in the future.
Whats your fave national dish?
Brazilian cuisine does have some originality, but there's also a lot of influence of toher cuisines because Brazil has the largest Japanese, German and Libanese coloniesof the world. Not to mention the size of the Italian, Portuguese and African communities. If I have to choose only truly national dishes I'd say it would be the feijoada ( http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Feijoada_01.jpg ) and sun beef ( http://portalamazonia.locaweb.com.br/sites/saboresdaamazonia/img/upload/picui_carne_do_sol_02.jpg ). But a lot of people say our pizza is better than the traditional Italian pizza. I agree and pizza is for sure my favorite dish. ^^
Do they have these food vending machines in your neck of the woods too?
Unfortunately no.
I notice that many of you post your Japan loot but do you also buy stuff for folks at home too and if so what sort of stuff?
I plan visiting Japan in a matter of two years and I think I'd do quite the same you used to do, Danny.
Speaking of chickens - can you do this with your head?
LOL! No. I can't believe I bothered trying. =P
Do you have to pay a hefty fine in your kingdom when your bike is impounded?
I think so. I do not know for sure cause *revelation* I've never learned well how to ride a bike. Actually, I have never felt very interested about it. And yes, people do mock on me because of that. ^^;
Are all your figures in your room or do you have some out n about the house?
They are still in my room, but next loot will have to be placed somewhere in the living room.
Are you in earthquake ridden land?
No earthquakes in Brazil. I remember reading in somewhere that earthquakes are nearly impossible here since the country stands in the middle of a tectonic plate.
Swine flu panic still on where you are or has died down?
I guess I was the unique Brazilian worried about it. Really, I've seen much more people trying to scare others pretending to have swine flu than people really worried about it. I remember seeing one guy on the streets with surgical mask that pretended to cough everytime a person passed by him, after coughing he said "Oh, I will never go to Mexico again!". lol
Similar service [集荷] where you are?
Nopes. All I can tell you is that our postal service is below average. >.<
What sort of mags do you pick up and how often?
I rarely ever buy magazines since I spend most of my money on manga. But when I do I end up buying a magazine on World History (História Viva), one on Japan (Made in Japan) or one on Economics (Conjuntura Econômica).
Are you using a HD display too?
No, but it woulb be one of the first things I'd buy as soon as I manage toget a job.

Singapore's National dish?
Too many dishes to state a specific one as a national dish.

I'm so getting myself a nice monitor soon. My old CRT is a waste of space.

another excellent article Danny-san!

I'm Scottish so I guess the national dish I like and will miss is Haggis - though I don't eat it often.. I am shortly moving to Okayama to study for a year and can't wait for a big bowl of Ramen!! yum!!

I was in Japan in 2006 and whilst in Kyoto went to a fast-food place with a vending machine for ordering, order beef and rice and it came with a raw egg on top of it.. I wasn't expecting this at all and spent the next 5 minutes carefully lifting the yolk of the egg off of my dish with chopsticks, definitely my finest chopstick moment!! :)

I was also in Kobe on that trip and couldn't believe how well the city had recovered from the earthquake (my Japanese tutor at the time was from Kobe so she told me all about it), I'd read Haruki Murakami's 'after the quake' but I never realised the devastation fully until watching that vid you posted, now i'm even more amazed at the recovery.

Looking forward to the next post, it's helping me prepare for my life-changing trip :)

lemme guess: one of the future employees of Mirai Inc is in one of today's pictures.

switched to mac because of the LED monitor..hehe!

hey danny, how do i get that clock looking thing on the iPhone?

On the matter of getting Mirai on the iPhones and iPod touches, what I want right now the most is the specialized version of the site to make it much easier to read of course.

After that though, a Mirai clock or something standard but with that kind of flair and offered for free would be a good introduction-and surely lead to more Mirai themed apps with more functions and a price tag.
(^^ )

Great photos Danny! I use both Windows and Mac as I have a Dell Mini 9 as well :X
May consider using Mac but I don't really know all the applications in it.
I'm still waiting for my dad to get me a new desktop after using mine for years.

So are these wooden houses just poorly made on the cheap, what are they like living wise, paper thin walls poor fittings? Seems crazy to build a second rate house that will be worthless in 20 years or so and just investing in the land.

image ID#26810

Thats a RX7 right there, awesome.

Never knew you were into Masked Rider too!

It used to be difficult to find a Kabuto Zecter belt here but the local television station has decided to air "Masked Riders Kabuto" so the department stores are starting to be flooded with Kabuto toys. I think I'll watch it to hear how funny the English dub is.

Impressive!!! So what's the lovely camera behind these awesome shots??? Anyone...

Pretty Awesome.... NIcE shots, if i dont say so myself..just wondering what camera did he used.....?>?>

Lots of food pictures. Not a good thing for a guy who skipped dinner. >_<;

California is earthquake territory because of the San Andreas fault. We're waiting for "the Big One" that's supposed to happen within 50 or 100 years. Part of me wants to leave CA because of this, but I can't think of any other place in the U.S. with really cheap, good Chinese food.

Another Nice Tokyo week.

Will be switching to MAC soon after my recent Windows Vista crashed in front of me and make my whole data dissapear like a wind. ^^;;

I still miss my country food and yet can't find any taste here that is exactly like what I had back then.

Missed alot of events as I'm quite busy these days. ^^;;

63 million yen for a house and lot that small? dunno why I 'm shocked, seems I underestimated the outrageous real estate prices in Japan.

Never notice about the chicken head. Maybe I should try too when I come across a live chicken.

"I stayed in Seattle for a while but didn't experience any earthquakes while I was there. There was a major one just before I arrived though - was in 2003 or 4? Are you in earthquake ridden land?"

There was in fact a major Earthquake in Seattle in 2001. The epicenter was located in Olympia about an hour or two south and measured 6.7. We could feel it up in Vancouver although it had diminished to around a 3 by the time it reached here. I remember that day because the earthquake caused school to let out a couple hours early.

Lot of pics and lot of food, must be great to eat out so often.

Noticed how the price of fruit seems quite costly but house price quite good for a city.

Another interesting week of pictures. foooooood..

Philippines has it's fair share of tremors but nothing big as of late thankfully.

Currently using a Vaio FZ25G with 4gb of RAM, and will be picking up a 17" LG LCD, I've heard fairly good reviews for it but will share soon as I get the chance. And if funds permit, I might grab myself a Macbook in the next few months for graphic work. :)

> Please put this card on your breast, or other conspicuous body parts.

They know the kind of skebes the security guards are so that's the first place they look. ^^;
...
wait...
they gave *you* that card?
werid, weird...

Awesome collection of pictures. Food makes me hungry lol. XD
The first pic kinda mesmerized me for a min...very beautiful.

There are so many great Chai-Flavours, it's pain in the a'* to get them all. Danny you should try the Mango Chai from Precious Divinity Chai!
Or Sweet Chai, Green Chai, Black Chai from Lebensbaum. Dunno if they sell the last three in japan. They are from a german firm, that mostly sells organic food stuff!
Holler me, if ouy want testsamples ;)

I really live in a lively earthquake zone. The last major earthquake I experienced was in 1999.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_%C4%B0zmit_earthquake

And the tragic thing is that the researchers tell that in a few years they expect another one around the scale of 7.

"At the Apple store where I like to set the HP to dannychoo.com and watch how users navigate the site when they first see it "

LOL! Very cheeky :D

I use an HD display. I use a Samsung 23" display with a resolution of 2048 x 1152, 20000:1 contrast ratio, and 2ms GTG response time. Ran about 200 US Dollars. It's a Samsung SyncMaster 2343BWX and I certainly recommend it. Samsung, and LG right now are probably the best display companies since It's nearly impossible to find a Sony display that isn't a TV anymore.

As I thought... browsing Danny's articles at night is never a good idea, they always give me the urge to eat. Now the area below my conspicuous body part will grow even bigger!
...and I mean my stomach.
Kinda off topic here but Danny, how do you manage to take all those photos with monitor displays on it without getting horizontal flicker lines like I always do? Is there a trick to do it?

I used to go around setting the homepages of public computers around my middle school and where I lived, although the homepages where a lot more obscene and usually induced dry heaving and screams of agony when viewed. I was a very incorrigible child.

"What sort of apps would you like to see from Mirai and Haruka?"
- 'Dating Sim' (ROFL!)

"Are you a Mac switcher and if so why did you jump boat on Windows?"
- I walked into my current job to find a Macbook White on my desk. Had the option to install Windows on it but I took up the Leopard challenge. Took the Mac home and mastered/tweaked it over a weekend. I still prefer Windows for the tweakability factor. It's my passion to take low end computers and squeeze as much performance out of them. At work there are only 13 Macs out of 70ish computers I support. I don't mind support Macs for freedom-of-choice reasons but I will not entertain ideas to make the whole network Mac only (for the exact reasons I support them).

"When visiting folks in Japan, one would usually bring over some sort of food stuffs as a courtesy. Here somebody got us some yummy pastry filled with chocolate and covered in nuts."
- I hope they were fully baked in Japan. In Australia I'm seeing a trend where stores are importing shaped and half-baked pastry dough from Europe and baking them "fresh".

"Whats your fave national dish?"
- Kangaroo. We're the only country in the world where the animals in our coat-of-arms are edible (the other being Emu).

"Do they have these food vending machines in your neck of the woods too? I've only seen them in Japan."
- It was a shame that I missed out on seeing some of the more fancy vending machines when I was in Japan 3 years ago (was on a guided tour).

"Lunch with Ken Lee and Yang Yang from Appliya. Ken is studying a PHD over at Keio University and also writes some iPhone apps available in the app store."
- +1 fan of Ken's shirt

"Japan is in earthquake territory and in the event of a disaster folks will seek refuge at areas designated by the local ward. The 1995 Kobe earthquake - you may not have seen modern day Japan like this before."
- had to watch a scientific documentary on it in high school a year after it happened.

"Are you using a HD display too? If so which brand and do you recommend it?"
- Benq E2200HD. Absolute bargain when I bought it (AU$249). The amount of protective plastic film on it is phenominal. Was still finding bits to remove a month later.

Haha, at the first group photo in the office, the guy in red is wearing a weird Dutch t-shirt. It says: Don't forget, eat Frico (it's like a cheese brand of some sort, wich explains the picture). Didn't expect to see that. ^^;

Not a Mac user at all - I try every now and then but I just can't seem to find anything or do anything. It's all so Different! My Wife though would love to have a Mac-laptop (of any sort) but the cost is holding us back - if/when we are cashed up I'll give in and let her buy one... then maybe I'll get a chance to play and see if I like it.

I do use Safari and iTunes etc... I think she is slowly changing me...

If we were to get a Mac-laptop what would Danny Choo readers recommend?

LOL at the scarecrow pic. It is surely a more suitable deterrence than a straw man.
I assume the English printed in that card is basically a literal Japanese translation?

I was actually published in MacFan, the Japanese Mac magazine, a few times. Great people to work with, too.

I recently switched but not from windows but from linux.
I got tired of all the configuring and tweaking. Maybe I just got old and wanted the tweaking done for me. I love macs now.

As for Singapore food, why don't you visit here again?

And where do I subscribe so that I know when you are visiting here so I can meet the Danny Choo in person? If that's at all possible. :p

Love the first 2 photos Danny~ :3

And posts of food always make me hungry orz... Would like to try kimchi, but unfortunately I have almost zero tolerance for spicy stuff [surprising as I'm for s.america ^^;;]
As for red foods, I love tomatoes, strawberries, watermelon and my mum puts red capsicum in the some of her dishes, though I don't like it ^^;; I always put tomato sauce/ketchup on my rice and hot chip :q

National dish... hrmmm, there's fish and chips over here xD; I have too many favourite foods, it doesn't help that we have everything here since it's so multi-cultured :q

I'm gonna go and say that my favorite national food is the cheeseburger you can't get any more American than that (even though we stole the concept from Germany.) >_>

Kinda wish I had an iPhone myself with all the neat apps coming out for it. I just really don't want to have to pay extra for the data plan they have.

Check out that RX7 on the way to Yokosuka!! My neighbor had one for awhile, but the engine kept busting...stupid wenkel engine.

Danny, figures dont ever get "retired"...they "graduate"! ^^

The chicken video was actually far more amusing that I thought it'd be. I kept wondering if the chicken head was edited in. ^^;

And yeah, as you said up there, Danny, you ask a lot of questions. I don't remember any of them any more. XD

That 'yummy pastery' stuff looks like quasants (can't spell it), it's a french thing.

We are in earth quake zone and was in a wood working class in middle school during a quake. Having dangerous items like saws move around wasn't really fun ^^;

The metal braclet thing is something I don't believe in what so ever. My mom has it for her circulation but not changes =_=

That second picture reminds me a lot of those scenes from 5cm per second. Great movie...
I hear you are coming over in September. May I ask what you will be doing there?

Well, I dislike Macs, but I have not used a Mac since OS 9.4, so I'm sure they've gotten better. But they are way too pricey for me. And most of the apps I use are on or run better on Windows (AutoCAD, LabView, and so forth.) Also, most of my family use Windows (My cousin dual-boots, but he's the only other real techie in the family, so I get to be the family Tech Help Desk...) So I will probably not switch soon.
As for displays, I like my LG. It's not HD, but it looks nice. I have seen their HD models, and they are great. My Insignia HDTV can work as a comp monitor, and it looks great, even though it's only 720p HD. I've also heard good things about the Dell series of HD screens.
It's a good thing I was eating when I read this article. Otherwise I think my stomach would have complained.
Those cords remind me of those magnet bracelets that they used to sell on TV for health issues. I can't remember what they were called.
Oh, and a possible contest idea: Give away one of your extra Macs! You could customize and sign it!

lol. My manager just got one of those neckbands from a friend that was visited Japan. He always talks how it helps his muscle pains. Which i kinda see it working since he doesn't get angry so easily anymore lol.

I'm a recent Mac converter, I got the new 17 inch Macbook Pro. There are a few reasons why I switched. The biggest one being, the previous desktop computer I had was about 5 years old and always wanted to get a mac since I used one in college labs using Final Cut Pro and Photoshop.

I grew up watching Kamen rider v3 so that`s the oe which I still have fond memories of.

Correct me if I`m mistaken but isn`t that saraudon as oppossed to chanpon?

I love seeing all the yummy food in these articles ^^

Whenever I`m away from New Zealand for a long time I miss the good ol` fish `n chips and pavlova with kiwi fruit mmmmmm

Daiso...heheheh 100Yen shop....got to love those places for the variety of cheap goods they carry. Hey its cheap but at least they don't skimp out on quality....but i did noticed that most of the goods are made in china...hmmmm go figure.....??

image ID#26834
Looks like they will be going into the to-be-retired cabinet and given to the next guest to the office ^^;

can i be your guest at your office..

I usually bring back food for my folks when I go overseas, I dont like bringing random craps home ^^;

Well, I think i already commented, but i dont see them, so here it goes again...wow,truly amazing quality....so what camera did u use??

As i keep reading these blogs, they're reinforcing my wanting to move to Japan - once I'm done
uni and all. I'm curious to how expensive everything is down there though, in comparison to Canadian dollars. Any idea?

Another great week!
Mac is too expensive to try...and most game is not compatible with Mac...

Beautifull daughter~ ^^
Your meals seem to consist of a lot of eggs xD

63,000,000 yen...
is that the full cost of building the house + buying that land to build it on?
or just the building of the house alone?

Thanks for the post Danny. A lot of content and food for thought in this one. I agree with you about the Japanese service. Throughout the country, as a customer, it is nice to be treated like your business is valued. That is really lacking here in the US. It is always a let down to go into a local business here after returning from Japan.

The house...it nearly costs me one million.
not gonna like it.

singapore national food? Hainanese Chicken rice!!
the card was highly suspicious...maybe its a slim c4 bomb!!lols..
Danny,i shall be your next delivery man..hehehe...random...

lol @ image ID#26776, the eggplant looks like a p3n!5 xD

> Apparently eating food thats red is particularly good at keeping your organs young.

Probably because they have to replace themselves more often.

LCD monitors - LG only. :)

Favourite food - fried chips as well, although I normally have 3-7 times as many as you have in your photo.
My next favourite is tomato sauce, which goes with the chips. ^-^;;

want me to give you recipes? many many food pics here XD

Not too many people ride bikes around here... roads weren't made for bikers so its too dangerous~
The few that do just put their bike anywhere and they usually don't get in trouble.
You'd probably get in trouble in a real town thoughxD

The night photos are gorgeous! Would you mind posting the settings at which they were taken?

I just wanted to say that I LOVE MAC! Thanks Danny! Macs are the best. I graduated from PC's and Windows in 2005, when I got my PowerMac G5 Tower. I use it constantly while doing broadcast production and video editing as well as surfing the net. I'm not really a game player, but I do love the quality of the games I've seen on mac's.

Everyone... Please consider Apple.

Also... I LOVE JAPAN!
I MISS JAPAN!
I really miss Japan.

Will be going to Japan in 2012, will be bringing my camera kit & hope that my pics will come out as good as yours! I can look at these incredible photos from your Week in Tokyo series all day! Thanks for sharing, as well as the words of wisdom you pass on to your loyal readers as it is inspiring and appreciated!!

Wasn't long after I treated myself to the U2 4G iPod during Christmas '04 that I began "drinking the Mac Kool-Aid" when I happened upon a refurbished iBook. Hadn't regretted leaving Windows since, jaw dropped at how OS X handled Photoshop & Corel Painter! Will never go back to the Microsoft OS nightmare. "The horror......The horror....."

Currently own a refurbed 15" intel core duo 2 MBP & a 23" Cinema Display, have my heart set on a Mac Mini for my 42" flat screen. Since I can operate our firm's Windows platform remotely via Mac OSX Citrix I don't have the need to run Windows in Parallel or VM Ware.

Cool! Now I can let out my Kamen Rider Otaku out of the closet here at Dannychoo!

Kamen Rider 555 is my favorite, I loved the "Faiz" design and use the "555" henshin sound FX as a ringtone on my iPhone. I recently finished watching all of "KR Kiva" and loved it! I especially love watching the shows so I can watch the on-location scenes be it drama or the much loved Kamen Rider action goodness! The BGM music and theme tunes are a fun listen as well!

Are you still working on the site's iPhone App? If so, will it be available via US iTunes?

Thanks again for sharing! Peace!!

Hmmm...hot springs. I wouldn't mind getting in one. It's an experience!

I have a Windows Vista computer here now. Bought at Aldi {the no-frills grocery store!}. It's by Medion of Germany. (Its technical specs are here = http://sn.im/sdr001 )
I have used Apple computers infrequently. I had to compose my article about the 2006 U.S. Open Cup (soccer) Final on a bar in Denver's Apple computer (it had three) during lunch hour the day afterward. (The Final was here in Chicago, but I had an early flight to Denver the next day to attend the Great American Beer Festival.)
When I stay at an editor's office in Tomigaya (Shibuya-ku), his computer is an iMac.
I can't really get the hang of Apples. I am keyboard-oriented. My computer's mouse is right-handed, but I write and print with my left hand.

BENQ G222HD Monitor see color ok
but,text display is poor with other band.

i luve your photo walks danny it makes me feel like the inner secrets of japan daily life and not the pocky, hello kitty, manga, anime, naruto etc of what the western interpretation of japan is. then again its still japan but things like these interest me.

For LCD PC monitors best to go with Samsung or LG....as for HDTVs, either Samsung, Sony or Sharp. ;)

I can't wait to go to Japan!

"You often would see an illustration of a gaijin trying to get into the onsen with shorts on and a Japanese person saying "NO!""

This is why we must allow America to keep Japan in-check every now and then!

I used Windows since 1995. Last year, a friend lend me a G4 for a week. At the end of the week swore never, never I will buy other PC with windows in my life. Today I´ve an iMac 20" and a Mac Book 13,3". MAC FOREVER!!

Love the photos of Tokyo, wish I could see it again in person.