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"Dont the Sun look angry through the trees..Dont the trees look like crucif
2009-04-27 10:31:00
from Desperados under the Eaves..by Warren ZevonI thought of these words from Warren Zevons album "A Quiet Normal Life"as the trees outside my apartment building were removed over the last two weeks.Twenty four trees,twelve each side of the large intersection on Route 19 have been unceremoniously lopped,topped and extracted from the centre island of the road.Their removal will allow the construction of traffic turning lanes into the intersection to take place.There was nothing particularly outstanding about these specimens.Just your uncommon urban tree.They were functional.A touch of greenery one could gaze down on.They provided nests and perches for birds.They were homes to the seasonal cicadas that broadcast their raspy metallic beat from their boughs every early summer.They were a barrier against the constant grind of traffic noise.A filter against the fumes and filth that blackened their limbs. I for one will miss them.
More About: Trees , Angry

Spring Postage Stamps
2009-04-13 14:21:00
Some recently issued stamps featuring various flowers common at this time of year including cherry blossoms and tulips.Two cherry blossom trees in the grounds of a small local shrine.The weather was almost summer like today,reaching the high 20s and relatively clear.Some of the earlier flowering varieties have virtually finished flowering and now wear a fresh green mantle of foilage.
More About: Spring , Stamps

Friday Flash...Grape KitKats
2009-04-10 02:39:00
I received this presentation or gift pack of grape flavoured KitKats recently.I hadnt seen them before so presume they are regional variations using local produce.This pack Im told came from Nagano Prefecture. Upon opening the box you find the contents consist of 12 packs of twin mini bars.The wrappers are purple and black.The KitKats themselves taste of purple or black grapes and are encased in dark brown chocolate.
More About: Flash , Friday

Food Prices and Increases
2009-04-06 10:08:00
Food prices seem to have been on the rise recently.Or maybe Ive just been more aware of it since my new reduced contract came into force from the start of the month.Seems there are at least two methods being employed to pass on increases to consumers and customers.The first and most obvious is the straight price increase.Exhibit number one is the small bag of shredded cabbage in the shot above.Last week 100 yen.This week 108 yen.Same amount just an 8 percent increase if my math is correct.The second method is to charge the same price but reduce the contents.I draw your attention to exhibit 2 above.The packet of coffee.Last week a 150 gram pack cost 478 yen.This week the contents have been reduced to 130 grams.Same price 478 yen but 20 grams lighter.I need to cut back on my coffee consumption so now i've got a ready made excuse to do so.Then again in an attempt to avoid price hikes some companies are using cheaper ingredients in their food items substituting cheaper ones instead of ...
More About: Food , Prices

New Haagen Dazs Ice Cream
2009-04-06 09:56:00
This newcomer with its banana and chocolate and cookie ingredients seems to have all the required food groups within its mini cup.Theres a distinct banana presence as soon as you peel back the plastic cover revealing the grainy brown surface embedded with pieces of cookie and softened with melting chocolate sauce.Id suggest waiting a few minutes after getting the ice cream from the freezer.This will give an opportunity for the contents to melt and allow the chocolate sauce within to blend with the harder cookie pieces.Definitely worth a try.
More About: Ice Cream , Cream

Pink
2009-03-30 13:09:00
It being Spring and all,the primary seasonal colour is naturally pink.Be it on advertising hoardings,clothes,or desserts pink is everywhere.If you look carefully above one can discern a small cherry petal to the left of the strawberry in this dessert.Again the main colour is a resounding pink.There is a clear gelatine like layer under which the aforesaid cherry blossom is embedded.Below this is a layer of custard.Across from my apartment block in Osu Kannon there is a small tree bearing an unusual combination of blossoms.As well as blooms that are a standard ordinary dark red colour the tree also has flowers that are white with a dash of pink in them.The white and pink stippled blossoms contrast with the no nonsense red blooms.Set against a clear blue sky such as we got today the effect is quite striking.Im pleased to say I wasnt the only passerby who stopped to snap a photo and admire its short-lived beauty.
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Windy Spring Day
2009-03-23 10:31:00
Very windy today.Hats flying.Bicyles upended.People leaning at 45 degrees into the face of gale force gusts that ambush them as they head round the sides of buildings.The barely opened cherry blossoms and magnolia blooms took a battering from the winds today after enduring a miserable grey wet day yesterday.Up in Tokyo a FedEx cargo plane crash-landed and flipped.Judging from the film of the landing and speculation on NHK it seems wind shear had a part to play in the accident.I saw this new Haagen Dazs flavour recently.Green tea latte.I found it pretty bland.The green tea flavour isnt strong enough to overcome the accompanying vanilla tasting ice cream which nullifies its strength.An uneasy mix which I wont be trying again.A couple of Hello Kitty bottles that I spotted in the Sanrio shop the other day amid the pink decor and other Hello Kitty merchandise.
More About: Spring , Windy

Friday Flash..A Few More Flower Photos
2009-03-20 12:55:00
A few more shots from last weeks Flower Dome held at Nagoya Dome.Another shot of one of the bigger orchid displays.A floral umbrella using ferns and colourful pansy flowers.A planter made from a canvas bag with some nicely shaded flowers.A topiary horse feature made from ivy.
More About: Flash , Photos , Friday

Flower Dome 2009
2009-03-16 08:37:00
Once again Nagoya Dome ,home of the Chunichi Dragons baseball team,was the venue for this years Flower Dome.Apparently its the largest annual show of its kind in Japan.It would be hard to argue against this assertion if the size of the crowds are any indication.Even though I got there shortly after the gates opened at 9:30am there were already a large number of people crowding the exhibits and the walkways between the various display sections.The crowds multiplied steadily throughout the morning making it increasingly difficult to get a good view of all the plants and flowers on display.The fact that it was a sunny Sunday must have helped draw the throngs.It may have been quieter and more accessible during the weekdays.As was the case last year there were different competitions and exhibits open to companies,professional designers and individuals.As well as stands of individual plants such as orchids there were displays of tableware,paintings that used plants and flowers as well as p...

Friday Flash..A Few More Auto Trend 2009 shots
2009-03-13 01:23:00
A few more shots from last weeks Auto Trend 2009 show in Nagoya.One of a number of highly customised Hummers on display.This one had expensive interior fittings and a huge stereo system.The paint work shone like glass.Another photo of a set of models who drew hordes of admirers vying for a photo or an autograph.A nicely finished and detailed Mini.There are a number of kits available to accessorise and customise these cars such as bumper bars,muffler sets and various audio and video equipment options.This model was standing near one of the audio stands.
More About: Flash , Shots , Friday

Nagoya Auto Trend 2009
2009-03-09 12:01:00
Nagoya Auto Trend 2009Once again the annual Auto Trend show was held over March 6th,7th and 8th at the Port Messe Centre near Nagoya Port.Below you can see a Datsun sportscar that featured in the Datsun Sports Car Club of Japan stand.Two of the many girls that attracted the camera toting hordes.Not sure which company or products they were promoting.There were numerous companies that had displays of their products including mirror finish mufflers,tv and dvd kits for your car,stereo systems and custom built kits.There were also companies showing off their paint and lacquer finishes.Not only four wheeled vehicles were on display.There were three wheel motor trikes and custom built scooters and motorcycles like the one below with its own customised paint job.Some more models posing beside some upmarket foreign cars that had been given a sporty look with carbon protectors and over fenders.It seems theres a coorelation between the size and type of cameras and the amount of attention one ...
More About: Nagoya

KitKats...Going Postal
2009-03-02 14:21:00
Surprisingly I havent seen these at my local post office.Despite the fact that the pack can be mailed.On the reverse side there is space for a stamp and room to put the name and address of both the receiver and sender.The pack contains four regular single stick kitkats so apart from the packaging the contents are fairly unremarkable.
More About: Postal

Now Its Personal
2009-03-02 12:27:00
The icy winds of the current economic climate reached me last week with the arrival of two contract renewal offers.I need to put them into perspective to see what they mean.Currently as you see below I'm on a salary of 325,000 yen a month.Five days and forty hours a week.Well above the average salary being offered nowadays.However you must factor in that I've been here a while and got some increments.Im fully aware that the economic circumstances now are not good.Some students I instruct are having to do without over-time and even in some cases have gone to a four day working week.A friend had done a spreadsheet taking into account exhange rates and possible salary changes.My current salary and details are below.So to the two new contract offers.The first was a four day on,three day off contract with a base rate of 168,000 yen.Topped up with regional and shift allowance it came to the grand total of 226,000 yen a month.The second contract offers 3 full days and 2 half days a total...
More About: Personal

Book Review..Mort.
2009-02-23 09:31:00
Mort .Terry Pratchett.Corgi Book s.1987.315 pages.As with William Gibson,I was aware of Terry Pratchett and his Discworld novels but never heard or read any of them.Once again thanks to the BBC Comedy 7 channel I was able to listen to a few of the abridged Discworld novels last month.There was a short Terry Pratchett season during which Mort,Wyrd Sisters,Guards!Guards! and Small Gods were read.I found Mort a very entertaining listen and bought the book after the readings finished.As I expected the book has more detail,twists and turns than time allowed for on the radio.The story centers on Mort,a young farm lad,who becomes Death's apprentice.There are lots of bad jokes,adventures and fun with the English language.As an example you only have to look at the boys name to see he's eminently suited to such work.Matters such as death and reincarnation were lightly touched on leaving me to ponder about them later.I also enjoyed the Wyrd Sisters,Guards!Guards! and Small Gods readings.The "...
More About: Book Review , Review , Mort

Your's Army World ??
2009-02-23 09:24:00
Apart from the odd grammar Im also at a loss as to what happens within the walls of this otherwise nondescript building near Kanayama in Nagoya.The poles outside the building also bear signs with the same name.
More About: World , Army

KitKats..White and Yellow Peach mini pack
2009-02-23 09:09:00
Just in time for the Spring comes this mini pack of white peach and yellow peach mini kitkat bars.Interestingly my friends and I tried a blindfold test and couldnt always tell which peach flavour we were nibbling on.On a positive note they smell rather more fruity and less artifical than other types.
More About: White , Mini , Yellow , Peach , Pack

Book Review...Pattern Recognition
2009-02-16 08:16:00
Pattern Recognition .William Gibson.2003.Berkley Publishing.367pages.About six months ago I stumbled across the BBC Comedy 7 website.It plays a selection of old and new comedy series such as The Goons as well as dramas and serialised book readings.Well worth listening to.Theres usually at least one show or reading that catches my attention during the week.In recent months Ive listened to a variety of readings including "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson and "Jaws" by Peter Benchley.Both books have been adapted and made into movies.Its interesting to listen and compare how the books stand up against the movies.Certainly the latest"I Am Legend" movie with Will Smith is a pale imitation of the novel.Although most of the book readings are somewhat abridged they give you a good idea of what to expect should you want to go out and purchase the original hard copy.My interest was piqued late last month and I purchased a copy of "Pattern Recognition" by William Gibson after hearing the abridge...
More About: Book Review , Review , Book , Pattern

Friday Flash..Valentines Day 09
2009-02-13 00:59:00
Once again the shelves of convenience stores,department stores and supermarkets are loaded with chocolate confectionery prior to Valentines Day this Saturday.Because it falls on a Saturday as opposed to a regular working week day there is less need to buy so-called "giri" or duty chocolate for ones colleagues.According to various news reports and surveys despite the economic downturn chocolate sales dont seem to be suffering.Above you can see a couple of Hello Kitty bags on sale for Valentines Day.
More About: Flash , Friday

Andrew Wyeth:Emotion and Creation
2009-02-09 08:53:00
Currently on show at the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art on the 10th floor in Sakae,Nagoya is an exhibition by Andrew Wyeth entitled Emotion and Creation .I knew little about this American painter except for his well known painting "Christina's World" and the fact that he died January 16th aged 91.The exhibition provided me with the chance to learn a little more about the man and his works.There are some 150 pieces on display that range from preliminary pen and paper studies and sketches to watercolours and tempera paintings which are the end product of these earlier studies and sketches.Its interesting to see the detail in the early sketches such as the crab in Flint or the studies of hands,hair and lanterns in some of the other preparatory sketches and then see the progression and changes in the final pieces.You could read the notes he wrote in some of the sketches referring to such things as shading,dust in the water of buckets or colours to be used in the final works.The exhibit...

Rainbow Rolls and Other Treats
2009-02-09 08:20:00
A couple of recent food purchases.The rainbow rolls below contain avocado and cream cheese among other ingredients.This lunchbox contains a small green salad on the left hand side.On the right are some spicy chicken knuckles while above these are three salmon rolls containing cream cheese and lettuce.
More About: Rainbow , Treats

Friday Flash...Early Spring Flowers
2009-02-06 01:21:00
The traditional start of Spring was marked on February 3.Setsubun which translates as "a division of the seasons" is the day before "risshun" which is the first day of Spring.This year risshun fell on Tuesday and as I was working I didnt get to the traditional bean throwing ceremony as I did last year.Although its still cold at the moment there are the odd signs of Spring appearing as in the photo above.
More About: Flash , Flowers , Friday , Early

Yamachan Restaurant Chain
2009-02-02 08:42:00
Yamachan is a restaurant chain in Nagoya.There are three such restaurants in close proximity to each other behind the JR Kanayama Station.By the entrance you can see the company logo a half-man/half bird-like creature with feathers and avian like feet.It also adorns many of the plates and the menu.The restaurant has the usual things on the menu you'd expect such as potato fries or fried potato and various noddle dishes.Also on the menu are examples of typical Nagoya fare such as misokushikatsu (below) which is breaded and deep fried pork dipped in miso sauce.Its a bit of an acquired taste being somewhat chewy and some people find the miso sauce a little overpowering and strong. The signature dish of the chain though is tebasaki or grilled seasoned,spicy chicken wings. A local breed of chicken,the Nagoya kochin, is used to produce this crisp,crunchy fare.You can see an example in the shot below. The photo below shows the picture menu which contains photos of the dishes available.T...
More About: Restaurant , Chain

Friday Flash...Still More KitKats
2009-01-30 01:04:00
None of the three KitKat flavours Ive posted here are new to me.Its really just a case of "old wine in new bottles".The packaging is new or in the case of the blueberry and strawberry kitkats available in a bigger number.Above you can see the blueberry kitkats and its contents.Below you can see a new designed lemon flavoured kitkat box specially in time for Valentines Day.The Valentines box is designed so you can write a message to the recipient.I just wonder why the lemon flavour was chosen instead of one that conveys a sweeter image for this occasion.
More About: Flash , Friday

Show me the Monet
2009-01-26 10:02:00
Claude Monet..Impression,Sunrise..Currently showing at the Nagoya City Art Museum until February 8th is an exhibition entitled Claude Monet..Impression,Sunrise.To celebrate 150 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and France the Nagoya City Art Museum has on display Monets painting "Impression,Sunrise" from the Musee Marmottan in Paris which gave rise to the term "Impressionism".An art critic of the time,Louis Leroy on viewing the painting at an exhibition in 1874 branded all pictures that "focused on shimmering water and flooding light "Impressionism" to mock them".(Art for Dummies pg 152.)The term had been intended as a negative description not only of one picture on display but a central aspect of the style in general.In fact as the introduction notes at the gallery make clear and what I tend to forget is that Monet and other painters of this era were regarded as revolutionaries.What now seems fairly tame and the stuff of chocolate box lids,parasols and cards was seen as f...
More About: Show

Best American Short Stories 2008
2009-01-19 12:20:00
The Best American Short Stories 2008Editor..Salman RushdieSeries Editor..Heidi Pitlor. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.Meh.Disappointing.And then some.I struggled to finish all the stories in this volume selected by guest editor Salman Rushdie.Nothing stood out.One story bore me.Steven Millhauser's 29 page diary like marathon failed to capture my interest.In the contributors notes at the back he writes of the origin.."an idle thought,of no particular interest in itself".Unfortunately the same could be said of this piece.Rushdie notes in his introduction that many short stories today have "that flat polished sameness of tone".Unhappily there are many examples of this within this tome.What Rushdie says he "expected and perhaps feared:a widespread humorless bloodless competence" pervades these pages.None are to my mind particularly strong or original.Kate Chases effort reminds me of Margaret Atwoods HandMaid's Tale while the characters in Allegra Goodman's "Closely Held...
More About: Book Review , Short Stories

Its all a bit Mickey Mouse really...
2009-01-19 10:18:00
Two of the "schools" I worked at last week were without their regular Japanese office staff.I had to scramble about and check that the schedules were firstly available and also that they were accurate.Nothing like preparing for a lesson without knowing who is going to turn up.Apparently its going to be a regular occurrence in at least one of these "schools" as the staff there only works part-time.Management havent figured out that the busiest day of the week probably isnt the best day to be without staff.So not only do I get the responsibility of opening up the school,print out the schedule,I also have to check the class attendance.Bear in mind that there are 10 minutes between classes to write up notes for a possible five students,find another five files and prepare for the next one.Time is already short without the extra task of taking the roll.The students naturally raised their eyebrows at the lack of staff.They couldnt book a lesson at the time,pay money,arrange counselling or...
More About: Mouse , Mickey , Mickey Mouse

Friday Flash...More KitKats
2009-01-16 01:36:00
Some recent different KitKats Ive seen on the shelves.The apple and strawberry flavours appear to be re-released in different packages.Clockwise from the apple kitkats in the centre is the candied sweet potato flavoured or daigakumio kitkats.To the right of these is shiruko or sweet red bean soup flavoured kitkats. Below the shiruko box is a pack of ajiwai strawberry flavour kitkats.Finally to the left of those strawberry kitkats is a box of cookies and kitkats flavour.
More About: Flash , Friday

Toyota Shock....The 2009 Problem
2009-01-11 13:34:00
Two terms recently bandied about in the local media are "Toyota shock" and "the 2009 problem"."Toyota shock" refers to the sudden slump and reversal in profits of Toyota Motor Corp.There are predictions of a huge fall in operating profits.The group earnings forecast anticipate an operating loss of 150 billion yen in the fiscal year through March 2010.Apparently it will be the first time Toyota has reported an unconsolidated operating loss on a full year basis since fiscal 1949.The principal reasons given are the slump in global car sales and the yens strength against the U.S dollar.Toyota sells a third of its vehicles in the North America market which has fallen away due to the U.S financial crisis.Toyota's U.S sales nosed dived 33.9% in November while its overall global sales dropped 23.8%.Other car makers such as Nissan,Honda and Mazda also posted falls in sales for November.The picture isnt any brighter locally as the domestic car sales market fell in November to a 39 year low.T...
More About: Shock , Problem

Friday Flash...Yet more food photos
2009-01-09 14:25:00
A typical lower end bento thats available year round.In the top left is a black mass of pickled eggplant and is surprisngly tasty.The photos above and below show some handmade sweets.Of the two I found the apple ones had a more appealing taste than the bitter lemons.The final shot is of a bento available over the New Years break.At the bottom you can see shredded salmon pieces on rice.The centre contains a small portion of chicken and a crunchy shrimp together with a baby potato and a small slab of omelette by way of contrast.
More About: Food , Flash , Photos , Friday

Happy Moo Year
2009-01-05 13:22:00
2009 is the year of the ox according to the traditional Chinese calendar.Ox are regarded as a sign of prosperity gained through hard work and fortitude.The ox is hard working and methodical.The postive attributes of an ox include being strong minded and intelligent.On the other hand an ox's faults include being intolerant,gullible and stubborn.The shot above shows some of the nengajo or New Year greeting cards that were available this year.
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