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Okuribito
I watched Okuribito last night. I don’t know why I hadn’t watched it before really considering all the hype – and I love Japanese cinema. It’s actually a hugely satisfying movie with a score by Joe...
View ArticleHow to get ready for work in just 5 minutes
With the grueling Japanese working day being what it is, every second of sleep counts. Here’s how to extend your rest period at the expense of having only 5 minutes in which to change out of your...
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Sennen Soba
If you don’t want to die from ramen abuse, I suggest switching to soba. This place in Ginza is one of my regular haunts. It’s cheap, fast and actually tastes pretty good. The buckwheat noodles are...
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Don’t Smoke in a Crowd. Coats are Expensive.
Witness the pure genius which is the Japanese Smoking Manners sign campaign. Littering with cigarette butts is a real no-no here, and so it should be. Smoking whilst walking down the street is...
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Japanese Toilets
A long time ago toilets in Japan were very different to how they are today. I went into Lawsons convenience store in Yokohama once, and used one of the traditional style toilets, now something of a...
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The Japanese ATM
Often it’s the mundane, easily taken for granted things I find in Japan that fascinate me most. Sometimes it’s the small differences but, in the case of the Japanese ATM, it’s a world apart from the...
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Karigurashi no Arrietty
There’s a new Studio Ghibli movie coming out and it looks to be loosely based on the classic, British children’s book The Borrowers. This isn’t the first time a Ghibli movie has been based on...
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Mutekiya Ramen Shop, Ikebukuro
It’s about time we had another food post. Frankly any post would be welcome around here as I haven’t been posting much recently, I know. I haven’t been resting on my laurels though, I’ve got plenty of...
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Illustration in Japan
Looking through a collection of recent photos, I realised I had quite a few pictures I’d taken of signs and logos where I really liked the illustration they used. That lead me to realise that this is...
View ArticleWestern Movie Stars in Japanese TV Ads
A couple of TV advertisements have been showing in Japan just recently featuring some major stars from the west. First up, we’ve got an incredible spot featuring non other than Jean Reno as Doraemon!...
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Japanese Kanji for 2011
At the end of each year the Japanese public chooses a kanji that best sums up the year as a whole. The kanji for 2011 has been chosen as kizuna meaning bond or connection between people. The kanji is...
View ArticleAlsok TV Advert
Just a quick Japanese television commercial post as I’ve been loving this one just recently. Done in the style of a retro action TV series opening montage, it features Japanese women’s wrestling star...
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Radio Tokyo Volume 4 – Commercial Breaks
This episode of Radio Tokyo showcases some of the more leftfield Japanese artists past and present that I had in my collection. As ever, I don't present or narrate, but at the same time it's not just...
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Japanese Illustrators for Monocle
Reading Monocle, I always wondered who did the illustrations in most of the issues. There are guest illustrators from time to time, and one of them is a Japanese guy called Akira Sorimachi. His work...
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