Travel, work and living guide to the Kinki regionTravel, work and living guide to the Kinki regionIf you're visiting living or working in Kyoto, Osaka, Nara or Kobe then check out the Kinki site! Tips and info.
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Bona fide Thai karai
2008-05-19 08:54:00 “Oooh, you’d never catch me scoffing down a nice bit of spicy” cry most people in Japan. “Karaiii!!” (spiceeee, you see) Still, it might be better to hear that than the habitual “kawai” at times. Anyway, I’ve found the nicest bit of spicy ever. It comes in the form of Thai food cooked by a bona fide Thai ... More About: Food and Drink
The continuing saga of nu-wave rice balls
2008-05-15 15:57:00 Oh zowie Cavie! I know I’ve banged on about nu-wave rice balls before. But I felt inclined to inform the world of the glory that is the latest edition to the kombini collection. (Whoever called me a kleptomaniac?) Get this: pizza potato riceballs!!! Could you pack in any more carbs if you tried? If that’s not completely fabulous, ... More About: Food and Drink , Rice , Balls , Wave , Saga
Falafels found at last
2008-05-12 14:52:00 With Japan having such an intrigue for all things foreign and strange, you’d have thought that people here would’ve cottoned on to the glory of falafels long before now. I feel a fanfare coming on, parp parp, hurrah! I couldn’t quite believe my luck when I stumbled across Falafel Garden in Kyoto yesterday. Yes, it has a ... More About: Food and Drink
The ultimate Japanese-Japanese restaurant
2008-04-30 06:33:00 There’s Japanese food, and then there’s Japanese-Japanese food. What do I mean by that? Well, you can quite happily enjoy a good ole donburi or tonkatsu at any ole greasy spoon and still call it ‘Japanese food’. Or you can go the whole hog and have the full-on extreme of a 2-hour banquet in a washitsu (traditional Japanese ... More About: Restaurant , Food and Drink , Ultimate , Japanese restaurant
Cherry blossom: believe the hype
2008-04-30 06:07:00 Ethereal. Ephemeral. Ensconsed in cherry blossoms to my ears. Cheery. Yet wistful. I love o-hanami with my heart. In Kansai, the following spots are particularly recommended: * Osaka Castle Park * Osaka Mint Bureau (’Zouhei-kyoku’; late bloomers) * Sakura Shukugawa (JR line, near Nishi-no-miya) * Kyoto Nijo Castle (for ‘light-up suru’ at night) * Kyoto Arashiyama * Kyoto Philosopher’s Walk (’Tetsugaku-no-michi’) Ima, doko? Going, going, gone. More About: Cherry Blossom , Hype , Cherry
Ex-pat visits the Motherland
2008-04-30 05:55:00 Oh what a trip to go on a trip back to the UK after a long, long time. I think I fell back in love with my roots, going back to the source as it were. In Japan, people are infatuated with the myth of the English Gentleman. I’ve never met one myself, but I’d love to because ... More About: Get Out , Motherland
Black bean black tea
2008-04-30 05:49:00 Fancy a nice cuppa tea, luv? In J-land, it either boils down to (boom boom!) o-cha or ko-cha (that’s green tea or English tea for all those non-conisseurs), so Polly, put the kettle on. But how about this? “Black bean black tea”. A new taste sensation sweeping the nation! Or maybe not as the case may be, but ... More About: Food and Drink , Bean
Osaka immigration centers moves to Osaka Ko
2008-03-13 15:04:00 The Osaka prefecture immigration centers have merged and moved to a brand new building in Osaka Ko area. Take the Green Chou line to the last station Cosmo Square and then use exit three. It is a 1 minute walk to the new center. Here is a google map of the Cosmo Square station and ... More About: Living , Immigration , Moves
Egg roll inscriptions
2008-03-02 12:41:00 Today in Japan is what’s camply known as ‘Doll’s Festival’. No, not any mannequins to smother in lace or cake with make-up like Miss Girl’s World, but rather an excuse to make a show of some nice cutie-pie figurines you might have lying around, which - let’s face it - is often the case. Traditionally, I heard that the origin of Doll’s ... More About: Culture , Roll
Quintessentially Kyoto
2008-02-25 13:35:00 This morning, I randomly found myself in Kyoto . It dawned on me that living in the heart Osaka can sometimes deprive a boy of all things traditionally Japanese, so in a bid to get to the heart of the Japanese heart, I randomly found myself in a plum blossom viewing festival being held at Tenmangu Shrine. Is there some kind of ... More About: Culture
I like riding on my tricycle
2008-02-21 15:16:00 There’s nothing cuter than seeing one of those Japanese primary schoolers (elementary, my dear Watson, you were never a Yank) riding on one of those cute unicyclethingies, right? Right. But there’s nothing more ruddy irritating than not only seeing, but worse still - encountering - one of those doddery old battleaxes who wobble all over the pavement on a bicycle. Well, today literally on my ... More About: Living , Riding , Tricycle
Punk rock Japanese breakfast
2008-02-05 15:46:00 I know this might be enough to have most Japanese people up in arms, but I really do have to sing the praises of natto toast. Especially in Kansai, people are usually sent squirming by the mere mention of the word natto itself, let alone the idea of serving it on toast. That’s almost unthinkable, almost blasphemous. One has ... More About: Punk , Breakfast , Punk Rock , Rock , Food and Drink
Winter vacationing in the Peens
2008-01-21 04:21:00 Happy New Yeah! Winter vacation: Manila, I heart Philippines Weather: hot Reaction: thumbs up Key phrase: “Here in the Philippines…” Key question: “How’s my driving?” (bloody awful, mate) Pardon?: “Come again, sir?” Breakfast treat: champorados (chocolate-flavoured glutinous rice porridge) Breakfast untreat: champorados with sardines Not far behind it: purple salted duck eggs Culinary freak-out: soft-boiled chicken embryos (completely fowl, boom boom) Street treachery:?tricycles (lawnmower-engine motorbikes with loosely ... More About: Get Out
Face to face with Jaws
2008-01-21 04:07:00 A couple of years ago I met some delightful housewives who seemed to take a shining to me. The feeling is mutual, so much so that we occasionally go out on the town together. Last week, they invited me out to a traditional Chinese banquet. When you hear the word ‘traditional’, maybe you’d be forgiven for thinking it would include something along ... More About: Food and Drink , Face , Jaws
Happy X?Mos (Burger)
2007-12-21 14:39:00 Never been one for junk food, me. Just conjures up yucky images of yucky greasy yuck. It sticks to your insides and everything. Send that one right back. But I do make one exception, and that is for Mos Burger . Not just yer bogstandard Maccy D’s, but rather Japanese Fine Burger and Coffee. And we’re not being ... More About: Food and Drink , Happy , Urge
Evidently, the proof is in the pudding.
2007-12-21 14:38:00 I’ve always maintained that Japan is the most eccentric country I know this side of the solar system, and that’s the reason why I love it so much. Well, sometimes the proof is in the pudding and the pudding is in the proof. Why? Because last week I came across someone giving out flyers for the most insane ... More About: Food and Drink , Proof , Pudding
Still sweating after the Japanese Language Proficieny Test!
2007-12-03 04:38:00 Being the glutton for punishment that I am, I decided to take a stab at the (in)famous Japanese Language Proficiency Test , level 2. Having never studied in a proper formal fashion, I brought out my tweed suit and employed the services of a professional Japanese teacher for the last month or so. After a couple of lessons ... More About: Culture , Japanese language
Gingko goes nuts!
2007-11-29 14:13:00 Living near Umeda certainly has its perks, but sometimes do you ever worry that you’re becoming an urbanite, just by nature (or unnature, let it be known!) of being surrounded by concrete madness, 24-7? Hmmm, me too. Like, when was the last time you saw a tree, let alone a leaf? Oh gah, and this is supposed to ... More About: Osaka , Nuts
Bah humbug!
2007-11-18 11:55:00 I know this might sound terrible, but one of the perks of living in a distant country from one’s own is to escape the over-hype of Christmas. Maybe I’m wrong, but when I first came to Nippon a few years ago, I only seem to recall people putting up a token gesture of a decoration, perhaps ... More About: Living
Make mine a nice banana black vinegar
2007-11-15 13:10:00 You know when you go round to a mate’s place and they offer you a drink, you’d expect it to be a nice cup of tea, right? Maybe my friends are just weird or something, but imagine my surprise when I was offered a ‘nice’ cup of banana-imbued black vinegar. ???????? Nice being the operative word, ... More About: Banana , Food and Drink , Black , Mine , Make
The ten yen coin comes to life!
2007-11-04 04:10:00 “Once you’ve seen one temple, you’ve seen them all”, lament many cynics. Well I challenge you to a duel! Yesterday, me and my delicious friend Lester went on a temple-hopping mission to the nether regions of Kyoto. First up was the sleepy little town of Obaku surrounded by lush emerald greenery, home of Manpuku-ji, a Chinese-style temple ... More About: Life , Coin , The Ten
Excitement! At The Sushi Bar
2007-10-01 13:39:00 My friend Masa has a penchant for gory movies. He says he doesn’t, but he so does. Take yesterday, for example. Sukiyaki Western Django which was basically a bloodthirsty affair with some kind of Quentin Tarantino-type thing going on. I mean, Japanese cowboys? Blowing up temples? Purrrleeeeaaaase!! Give me a break, ta very much. BUT! Although Masa has odd ... More About: Restaurants , Sushi , Excitement , Temen , Excite
When is a pear not a pear?
2007-09-29 14:49:00 Good question! But the answer is simple: when it’s a Japanese nashi. Next question: What is a Japanese nashi? The answer is simple: it’s a Japanese pear, so deal with it, sister! Oooh, and I can’t rate them highly enough. A bit confusing, though, one must admit. A friend of mine was recently saying he went to a banquet hosted ... More About: Living , Pear
New wave riceballs
2007-09-21 16:21:00 The times they are a-changin’… Besides being old enough to know better…and the vague name of Bob Dylan, I remember a time in Japan when you could call a riceball a riceball, in much the same way you can call a spade a spade. Yes, welcome to the wonderful world of new wave o-nigiri! For just 135 yen ... More About: Living , New Wave , Wave
You?ve been squid ink?d!
2007-09-16 10:17:00 To celebrate my friend Teppei’s boythday (incidentally not from Brooklyn, but I love the accent!), we all trundled off to a little (or I should say BIG?) gem of a restaurant in Umeda’s Chayamachi called Cafe La Boheme. Are those marshmallow pillows stuck to the walls? No, simply the daydreamy interior design running amok in an ambient chic ... More About: Squid , Been
The precision of Japanese precision
2007-09-11 16:23:00 Everything in its right place. And that’s never a bad thing in my books. I’ve got Germanic blood in me, for crying out loud. Alles in Ordnung, alles klar. Next to where I work is a plethora of pachinko parlours. Why anyone would want to while away their time pinging ballbearings about for kicks is beyond me, ... More About: Culture , Japanese , Precision , Reci
All hail HEP 5!
2007-09-10 14:20:00 Kyoto speaks of mystical temples, Kobe has its quaint finesse…while Osaka is just, well, no-bones Osaka, really. Never really been a city to write home about the tourist attractions, you’d be hard pushed to find any bona fide ones….buuut if you look hard enough there is of course the glorious HEP 5 big wheel thingy. Or ...
Summer Sonic, then: the verdict
2007-09-03 15:23:00 What with the Fuji Rock line-up being a sorry state of affairs this year, thank the Maker for Samaa Sonikku Zero Sebun!! (^_^) So how the devil was it? The answer is simple: a series of nothing but mishaps and happy happenings, simultaneous heaven and hell. Why? Read on… You’d think that waking up on the first ... More About: Summer , Sonic , Osaka , Verdict , Verdi
Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?
2007-09-03 15:12:00 Slapbang in the middle of the city near to where I work, there’s this huge pedestrian crossing thingy-me-jig. Although there are nice zebra stripes painted on the road and flashing little green men to assist the pedestrians in their bid not to get run over, there is a set of the politest, most adorable employees ... More About: Culture , Cross , Chicken , Road , The Road
Go karting in Osaka - Maishima island
More articles from this author:2007-08-05 06:25:00 For anyone fed up with getting stuck at the millions of traffic lights and want to put the pedal to the metal without risking a 100,000 yen speeding ticket (!) you can vent your boy racer yearnings at a go kart track located on the artificial Mais hima island near Universal Studios in Osaka . The “Infinity Circuit” ... More About: Karting , Island , Kart 1, 2 |
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