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Foreign Artists Exhibition 2007
2007-11-05 03:07:00
The Foreign Artists Exhibit ion finished last night having been held at the International Centre in Nagoya.It was the twenty second exhibition.There were around fifty two artists exhibiting from seventeen different countries.Some of the exhibits that caught my eye are below.The first is a painting by Glen Spencer.This paper mache character was created by Marcio Minoru Ueno.Apparently he assembled it on site with just a couple of Japanese newspapers and glue in a matter of hours.Finally a ceramic tile carving by Rezeq Boshnaq.
More About: Reign

Friday Flash...Its Been One Week Since..
2007-11-02 09:11:00
Its been one week since Nova Corp sought court protection from its creditors.One week in which it was announced schools would be closed indefinitely.One week in which Japanese staff and foreign instructors were told via the company website to stand by.One week during which the government appointed receiver has been trying to find a sponsor company to operate Nova.One week in which Ive been spending my time trying to decide what to do next.One week when Ive applied for countless jobs both in Japan and overseas including China.One week in which Ive divided my time between trying to get to grips with the whole situation regarding employment,resignation,certicates of job separation and unemployment benefits and sitting in at the Foreign Artists Exhibition that runs this week.Hopefully the situation will become clearer on Monday 5th November when the receiver will apparently make some sort of announcement regarding the company.
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Foreign Artists Exhibition 2007
2007-10-29 15:57:00
As noted in my last post the Foreign Artists Exhibit ion in Nagoya has provided a welcome distraction from "the dark clouds" of my current employment situation.In fact being told "to wait at home and stand by" until next Monday enables me to attend more frequently.The exhibition opens on Tuesday October 30th and ends November 4th.It runs 10am-7pm each day and 10am-5pm on the 4th.As usual it will be held in on the fourth floor of the Nagoya International Centre.My contribution this year is again based on paper mache.The three cigarette packets are constructed from a chicken wire frame over which paper mache has been layered and built up.Cigarettes and smoking are still very prevalent in Japan.My next door neigbour is a hard smoking salaryman.Banging shut his balcony door loudly each time he steps out on to his balcony like clockwork at 11pm and 1 am each night and again at 7am each morning clouds of smoke drift into my apartment.Paying no heed to the weather and lacking any considerat...
More About: Reign

Friday Flash...The Rabbit Bites The Dust
2007-10-26 16:34:00
"As a manager my heart is torn by grief about the fact that everyones salaries have been delayed and you are all working right up to the edge of this situation".(Text from one of the faxes from the former CEO Nova Group).So I wake up late this morning after a stressful,surreal week at work to a rainy Friday 26 October 2007.An email on my cellphone alerts me to the fact my company has closed its doors.In a late Thursday night meeting the former President was reportedly replaced and the company filed for bankruptcy and protection from creditors under the Corporate Rehabilitation Law.An estimated 43.9 billion yen in debts.Branches closed indefinitely.The government appointed receiver spoke of a month or so trying to find a new sponsor.A month.Another month without a salary payment.Trying to juggle finances.Just how long can one survive on a diet of beansprouts?A visit to Hello Work yes Hello Work is the local Employment Agency yielded little joy either.It could take up to a month for...
More About: Flash , Bite

A Jacket with Attitude
2007-10-22 01:37:00
Im often amazed by the number of clothes I see bearing various obscenities,four letter words and objectionable language.The jacket above isnt the worst Ive seen but its easily one of the more eyecatching.Im still wondering why it was created and who would buy it.Obvivously theres a market for such apparel as I found it in a used clothing store.The price tag stated 18,000yen so heavens know what it cost brand new.
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Autumn Japlish
2007-10-22 01:31:00
Another example of Japlish seen in one of the Osu Kannon shopping malls recently.It reads "We reply the goods you want".
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Osu Kannon Street Performers Festival
2007-10-22 01:03:00
Over the last weekend Osu Kannon hosted its annual Street Perform er s Festival .About 40 odd groups and individual street performers and artists showed off their talents in various parts of Osu on Saturday and Sunday.Traditional drum teams,dance groups,jugglers,pantomime and mime artists went through their paces before the shopping masses.As well as the traditional buskers below,more modern fare such as the koala castle above caters for younger children.
More About: Anno

Friday Flash...Flying Pigs
2007-10-19 15:49:00
Well Friday 19th October has almost gone.Payday minus four.Still no sign of the salary that was delayed from Monday 15th.And this despite the fact that the fax sent on Monday stated "Instructors are now scheduled to be paid on Friday October 19th.Apparently it will now magically appear on October 31st.Trick or treat?Probably the latter.I'm not holding out much hope of getting it.As for the photo above the pigs first appeared in the Foreign Artists Exhibition 2005.Given my current employment situation I felt it time to dust them off and hang them up at work.Seemed appropriate.
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Caramel KitKats
2007-10-15 16:00:00
Another addition to the Limited Edition KitKat range.Obvivously marketed for the upcoming Halloween season it comes in an orange wrapper adorned with a pumpkin.As well as having a carmel flavour theres a definite coconut taste evident as well.I deeply regret to inform..As predicted on Friday a fax arrived later that Friday after work (conveniently enough) informing instructors that salaries wont be paid on Monday October 15th.To quote from the fax"Instructors are now scheduled to be paid on Friday October 19th".Im not holding my breath.Speculation suggests that pay day may be further postponed until October 25th.My thoughts are with the new instructors still to get their first pay after six weeks and the Japanese staff still waiting for their pay and summer bonuses.So much for the dark clouds being cast aside...
More About: Caramel

Friday Flash...Paper Cuts
2007-10-12 13:10:00
I'm due to be paid on Monday.Possibly.Or there may be a late fax asking for our forebearance.Again.Possibly.However there may be no fax and my salary will magically appear in my bank account.Possibly not.There may be no fax and no salary.Possibly yes.Of course the signs had been there for a long time.Too rapid growth.A move away from locations near railway stations to more suburban expensively rented space in shopping malls.The adoption of a hastily put together cut and paste error ridden textbook series that has plagiarised and pillaged other textbooks.The cutting back of office budgets leading to a shortage of basic stationery items such as whiteboard markers and photocopying paper to the point where both office staff and instructors regularly pay for supplies out of their own pockets to cover the shortfall. Ive stopped trying to work out the machinations of big business,share splits and warrants.Ive stopped reading the sites that pour forth bitter invective,scorn and idle basele...
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Anko KitKats
2007-10-08 02:30:00
Another Limited Edition seasonal KitKat offering graced the shelves this week.Anko flavoured KitKats .Anko is red azuki bean paste.Azuki beans grown throughout Asia are small red beans though white,black and other varieties exist.To make anko azuki beans are boiled,mashed and sweetened with sugar or honey.There are apparently two types of anko.The first is a smooth paste in which the beans are mashed and strained using cheesecloth or similiar material.Alternatively a sieve can also be used.Straining or sieving removes the husks and broken bits of beans from the paste giving it a regular consistent texture.The second type of anko paste is unstrained so retains the broken bean bits and husks giving it a rougher,irregular texture.In Japanese a number of terms are used for red bean paste including an,anko and ogura.Locally,ogura toast which is red bean paste on buttered toast is a well known and popular item on Nagoyan kissatens(coffee shops) breakfast menus.As for the anko kitkats above...

Bretagne Caramel Walnut Ice Cream
2007-10-08 02:16:00
I recently sampled this offering from Dean and Deluca`s Super Premium Ice Cream range.It has a sweet caramel toffee taste.Embedded in the thick,smooth ice cream are pieces of walnut which made for an interesting mix of textures and tastes.The only thing that puts me off eating it more often is the price. At 280 yen it really can be classed as a treat and luxury item for me.
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Friday Flash..Noisette Chocolat
2007-10-05 13:15:00
Noisette ice cream? Curious name.Given my carnivorous upbringing in New Zealand Ive always associated noisettes with meat such as lamb.Delicate small round boneless slices of baby sheep with a garnish of rosemary or a sprig of fresh mint atop.A quick google suggests that as well as being a portion of meat noisette can also refer to either 1...something made from hazelnuts such as beurre noisette or hazelnut butter or 2.a chocolate made from hazelnuts.Obviously this latest seasonal offering from Haagen Daz is chocolate hazelnut flavoured ice cream.Its very light and seems to melt faster than say the classic chocolate which is of a thicker consistency and heavier taste.Its ok as far as flavors go but I wouldnt go out of my way to hunt another tub down during the limited time its available.
More About: Flash , Friday , Chocolat , Choco

Book Review...Espedair Street
2007-10-01 01:31:00
Espedair Street .Iain Banks.Abacus 1990.249pages.Needing a diversion from work I noticed a battered paperback on my bookshelf.Espedair Street kept me entertained over the last week as I read the account of the main characters rise and fall as a member of a rock group.For me,what sets Banks apart from other writers such as Elton or Hornby is the depth of his characters and descriptive powers.Even minor characters are memorable such as a beer-swilling,curry eating dog.Somehow they seem more rounded and realistic."My eyes bulged,my nose was huge and hooked and my hair was long and thin and slick with its own grease."pg24.Alternate chapters flash back and forth chronicling his early life and his later success.Theres a nice contrast built up between his deprived childhood and the excesses of his musical career.Banks also uses the main character to reflect on the relationship between fans and their idols.He also makes observations about what motivates rock stars and the sddictive effect of...
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Friday Flash...Veggie Bento
2007-09-28 13:15:00
A small but filling vegetable selection from a local supermarket.Looking from the front there are two slices of pumpkin on the left.Nestled beside these are a couple of slices of boiled or steamed red skinned sweet potato,satsumaimo.Two white circles of potato squat on what tasted like sticks of celery in the foreground.Wedged between the potato balls and the two blocks of tofu are the heads of two small mushrooms.Toward the middle on the left are two circular pieces of crunchy lotus root or renkon that remind me of catherine wheels or the old style rotary dial telephones.Beside the renkon is what I believe is a bamboo shoot,takenoko, again crunchy and fibrous.Atop the blocks of tofu is a piece of carrot cut out in the shape of a maple leaf.Behind the tofu are two slices of slippery gelatine-like konnyaku.Hidden away top left are two small lumps of lightly fried renkon which if I heard the shop assistant correctly was renkon no suage.Quite a colorful collection for the start of autumn.
More About: Flash , Friday , Bento

Waiting for the Train that Never Comes
2007-09-24 16:10:00
Ive been reluctant to write about my current work situation over the last few weeks.Being a bit of a "doubting Thomas" Im not apt to believe the swirling clouds of rumours and unsubstantiated speculation from the chattering masses about its imminent demise.I do know that this months pay,(actually wages for last months lessons taught), were late.Five days late.Regular rank and file instructors were paid last Wednesday while ATs and BTs will be paid tomorrow,Tuesday.Hopefully.Its been unsettling.Not knowing whether you will be paid for work done and whether the last months work has been nothing but voluntary.Not knowing how you will meet this months local government tax bill demands or rent for your apartment.The weight and difficult task of finding another job.The real possibility of a drop in monthly salary.Having to start again in terms of holidays and seniority allowances.The dilemma of whether to stay and look for a job here or return home or even look to another country.I mean w...
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Friday Flash..Autumn Chestnut KitKats
2007-09-21 11:09:00
Despite the continued heat being generated by a stationary high pressure area hanging off the Pacific coast of Japan there are some signs that autumn is coming.One sure sign is that on Monday its the autumn equinox.Another is the appearance of seasonal food,drinks and confectionery in the stores and supermarkets.The latest limited release in the KitKat range is this chestnut flavour.It comes in a beige coloured box.The wafer biscuits are also encased in a beige-like chocolate.Personally I dont think they taste much like chestnuts or marron at all.More like a light coffee, almost carmel taste.Two willing assistants who sampled the same flavour came to a similiar conclusion.Still they are edible and quite pleasant.
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Irish Iron Merchandise
2007-09-17 02:36:00
The photo above shows the back of a T-Shirt available from the Irish Iron ,the offical supporters club of Scunthorpe United in Ireland.All the money raised through club membership and the sale of merchandise and fundraisers goes to Scunthorpe United in the form of player kit sponsorship.I recently ordered the T-shirt and polo shirt below from the Irish Irons range of merchandise.Theres also a range of enamel badges,scarves,key rings,baseball caps and the like available as well.
More About: Merchandise , Chan

Friday Flash..Fishy Bento
2007-09-14 13:35:00
This fishy snack has a variety of fish,textures and tastes to it.From left to right there is an omelette-like slice of egg,then a slice of Pacific saury or sanma,a fish that resembles a sword.It is often grilled with salt or served as sashimi.Next is a thick slice of salmon or sake,which apparently tastes good also grilled with salt.To its right is shrimp or ebi and finally a bite size morsel of eel.Each of the above sit on a small "finger" of rice.The usual condiments of parsley and ginger can be seen as well as thin green plastic strips which divide the various items from one another.
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Interesting Advertising/Sumo
2007-09-10 02:16:00
This photo shows part of an advertising poster that appeared last week covering the front wall of a sports club I regularly frequent.I did a double take when I saw the phrase on the front of the womans T shirt."Real women ride 20 inchers".I just wonder if the "humour " translates and is understood by the majority of those who pass by it every day.Autumn Grand Sumo TournamentThe Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament began yesterday sans yokozuna Asashoryu.New yokozuna,Hakuho,hoping to consolidate his position as sole active yokozuna since Asa's suspension lost on the first day to Ama.Kaio,the oldest active ozeki at 35 was also defeated.However newly promoted ozeki Kotomitsuki,who at 31 is the oldest wrestler to be promoted to that rank since the 6 tournament system began in 1958 began with a win.
More About: Interesting , Advertising , Vert , Eres

Tokugawaen Garden
2007-09-10 01:45:00
Shrugging off the heat and humidity as well as the leftovers from Typhoon Number 9 I ventured forth to Tokugawaen Garde n .Tokugawaen is a park about 10 minutes walk from JR Ozone Station on the Chuo Line from Nagoya.It consists of a shallow central lake around which various landscaped features have been constructed and a wooded area through which waterfalls and streams flow emptying into the lake.There are also areas of plantings such as an irises bed and peonies to provide year round interest.The lake mirrors the black pines and maples on its edges and provides a home for a small number of koi (carp) that seem to populate every Japanese garden I visit.On Friday numerous dragonfly species flitted fitfully above the surface of the lake oblivious to the high temperatures.The wooded area was very peaceful and pleasant to stroll around.The streams and various waterfalls have been built to provide visitors with the refreshing sound of running water.One of the waterfalls is a three tier ar...
More About: Arden

Friday Flash..Vanilla Beans KitKats
2007-09-07 13:52:00
Another addition,albeit on sale only for a limited time,to the growing range of KitKat flavours available here in Nagoya,Japan.As with the recent orange and chocolate kitkats I spotted late last month,these also bear a label indicating their short term availabilty.Which got me wondering...if the flavour is a hit would the KitKat people continue making them or stop producing them after a short time as shown on the box and run the risk of disappointing consumers who have become addicted to that particular flavour.Surely some flavours are more popular than others and deserve in terms of sales and customer loyalty to be available 24/365 at ones local convenience store.I mean surely the banana kitkats deserve a regular spot on the shelves more so than the sickly sweet lemon ones.As for the vanilla beans kitkats above,they do taste and smell strongly of vanilla and bond well with the accompanying wafer biscuit.Nothing really special though as with the chocolate and orange ones or in fact ...
More About: Flash , Beans , Friday , Kats , Vanilla

Wake Me Up When November Comes
2007-09-03 02:01:00
A story that seems to have dragged on as long as this summer came to some sort of resolution late last week.Yokozuna Asashoryu left for Mongolia on Wednesday after the Japanese Sumo Association granted him permission to return home.Way back in July following the Nagoya Summer Tournament his stablemaster submitted a sickness note citing injuries and absenting him from a JSA regional sumo tour.He was then filmed playing in a charity soccer match in Mongolia.On his return to Japan August 1st the JSA suspended him for two tournaments,forbid him to leave his apartment except for hospital and training visits and a salary cut.On August 4 a psychiatrist says Asa is melancholic and should return home.By August 6th his condition seems to have worsened as he is diagnosed as suffering from acute stress disorder.On August 20th he is further diagnosed with a dissassociative disorder by his personal doctor and a JSA doctor.On August 28 following an extraordinary JSA board meeting it agreed to allo...
More About: Wake , November

Friday Flash...The First Sign of Autumn?
2007-08-31 12:56:00
Spotted this new(well it is for me)flavour at a local convenience store.Its the second flavour in the Dean and Deluca ice cream range Ive seen here.I wasnt actually aware Dean and Deluca made ice-cream for the Japanese market until a few weeks ago.At 280 yen for this size its definitely at the top end of the price range.A similiar sized mini cup Haagen Daz retails round the 263 yen mark.As for the marron flavour its aimed at the local market as "marron" translates from French into Japanese as "chestnut".Dont ask why.I think its similiar logic that translates what I think of as a "cream puff" type pastry into "choux cream" in Japanese.The ice-cream appears in the photo above more like vanilla than a green/tawny colour I'd expected.It also tastes very vanilla-like despite containing marron and marron paste according to the labelling on the container.Whatever,its quite pleasant and smooth with a hint of brandy coming through.No doubt I will see more cakes and confectionery containing...
More About: Flash , Friday , Sign , Autumn , Autum

Book Review...Botchan by Natsume Soseki
2007-08-27 01:22:00
Botchan.Natsume Soseki.2006.Kodansha International.172pages.Botchan was first published in Japanese way back in 1906.It was written by Natsume Soseki who is widely regarded as the best modern(i.e post 1868)Japanese prose writer.As well as novels he also wrote essays,literary criticism pieces and composed traditional haiku and poetry.Botchan is one of his earlier works and reflects his experiences as a secondary school teacher in Shikoku and Kyushu.The leading character of the book Botchan is used as a vehicle by the author to poke fun at various institutions and parts of Japanese society as well as individual human foibles and failings.One doesnt have to be Japanese to identify with the urban/rural distinctions he draws such as the perceived backwardness of small towns versus the modernity of cities like Tokyo.I enjoyed this easily readable light satire and can see why it has retained its popularity and become a standard school text book.The translation into English by J Cohn wasnt ...
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Goya..the vegetable,not the painter
2007-08-27 00:53:00
Goya is a bitter gourd like vegetable that originally comes from Okinawa.Its becoming increasingly popular and a common sight this time of year in supermarkets and on green grocery shelves.In Okinawa,goya chanpuru,a stir fried dish with pork and tofu is a common way of serving it.Other ways of eating it include goya tempura,goya sweet and sour and goya soaked in brown sugar.Personally I slice it up,quickly boil it and then fry it in a little oil,soya sauce and sugar to lessen the bitterness.Goya is rich in vitamin C and is reputed to help beat the summer heat.Products such as goya juice and goya tea can be found as thirst quenchers.As well as being held up as one way of fighting heat its also said to stimulate the appetite and moderate blood pressure.And despite its lumpy,warty outward appearance it is said to be good for your skin as well.
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Friday Flash...Orange and Chocolate KitKats
2007-08-24 11:20:00
Another KitKat flavour made a brief appearance on the shop shelves this week.Like other seasonal flavours the orange and chocolate kitkats above are of the limited edition variety.In fact when I went back to purchase another box the next day,the convenience store had already sold out.The kitkats have a kind of jaffa taste and a distinctive sweet orange smell once the box is opened.The heat continued through the week.It seems the last month or so the temperature has hovered round the thirty degree mark which is ok if you are a cactus but somewhat trying if you need to sleep or function in any intelligent manner.Consequently Im too exhausted to do much again this weekend except nap and read on the tatami in my bedroom.
More About: Flash , Orange , Chocolate , Friday , Range

I've been lying in a bed of coals...
2007-08-20 15:46:00
The sizzling weather remains this week.The heatwave of the last ten or so days may abate towards the weekend but the humidity and continual mid thirty degree temperatures are fraying my nerves and making it difficult to sleep at nights.Even escaping to the swimming pool provides little relief.The lukewarm water temperature doesnt cool and invigorate those who enter it.Rather,it left me feeling much as a lobster would.Thrashing about,red-faced and panting in a cooking pot.My place of work,Tajimi City, is still a leading contender in the highest daily temperature stakes in Japan.The local convenience stores are doing a roaring trade in cold drinks and ice creams at the moment while parasol makers must be rubbing their hands with glee at the constant demand for their products.The number of people suffering and dying from heatstroke has also been regularly reported in the various media.Last Friday,for example,heatstroke was apparently the cause of 11 deaths throughout Japan while the pr...
More About: Lying , Been

Book Review..Occupational Hazards
2007-08-20 02:07:00
Occupational Hazard s. Rory Stewart.Picador 2006.434pages.Stewart's book is based on his year long diary that chronicles his time in Iraq helping to rebuild the infrastructure and establish a new Iraqi government prior to the hand over of power in June 2004.He was appointed by the Coalition Provisional Authority as a Deputy Governor of two provinces in the Marsh Region of southern Iraq following the U.S led invasion which destroyed Saddams regime along with the huge centralised bureaucracy that had controlled Iraq for the previous 30 years or so.No small challenge.As with his earlier book,The Places in Between,each chapter is prefaced with a relevant quote.In this book most come from Machiavelli.The author goes to some pains to detail the historical and social background of the regions he was concerned with.Generations of tribal conflict,religious rivalry and centuries of Islamic tradition stand in the way of Western style democracy taking root in Iraq.There had been no free electio...
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Friday Flash...Kyo mo atsui wa ne?
2007-08-17 13:04:00
Kyo mo atsui wa ne?(Its hot today isnt it?) was a bit of an understatement in the rural city I work at.Yesterday the temperature in Tajimi City,Gifu Prefecture hit 40.9 degrees celsius.Tajimi is a thirty minute train ride from Nagoya,the sprawling,oft-ignored metropolis between Tokyo and Osaka.Tajimi lies in a basin,nestled between low-lying hills.In summer,due to its topography,it regularly tops the national temperature charts.As I left work late yesterday afternoon I noticed about four or five television trucks camped round the train station with camera men and interviewers stopping locals and asking for their comments which seemed to amount to "atsui,atsui" its hot its hot. Yesterday,along with Kumagaya City in Saitama Prefecture,Tajimi broke the previous national record of 40.8 degrees celsius set in Yamagata way back in 1933.Although it was my day off today and I sweltered in Nagoya,Tajimi hit 40.8 degrees equalling the old record.As for the photo above...I havent seen the Dea...
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