It’s April 1st tomorrow, the start of the new financial year, and JR East are putting into practice their new policy of no smoking at stations in central...
Archive - March 2009
With the cold weather, the Sakura have taken a while to come out. Most years we tend to have one day which is really warm and the Sakura bloom quickly only to...
Although Shibuya is one of the major shopping/entertainment districts in Tokyo and the area around the station is fairly well built up, there are always some...
I recently bought a new USB device that basically does nothing. Actually it lights up 3 cones and moves the arm on a stick man for the Koji Genba setup. It is...
Recently in the convenience stores the shelf area for candy seems to be seeing packages that have more variety than before. The most recent range of Pure Gummy...
I went past this bike cover in Shibuya today. I think it is a bike under there but it could be some sort of animal. It sort of looks like a dog if you pin a...
The online edition of the NY Times, Opinion section, carries a blog by Ben Schott focusing on the words of our times. Ben makes a review of the latest new...
Found these great JR keyring chains with the station names on. The design is the same as the real display sign at the station. The product has been around for...
In the bubble years, the image of golf in Japan was one of wealthy businessmen paying exorbitant sums of money to be members of elite golf courses where...
Nagatani-en (永谷園) have released their first range of “function orientated” miso soups. A number of makers have been selling miso soup products with...
There are a number of chocolate and other flavored power bars on sale at the moment. making me think a niche has been identified in the market that...
Takara Tomy earlier this year released a new line of miniature walking robots called ROBO-Q. They are billed as the world’s smallest consumer robot standing at...
Pachinko is popular throughout Japan and while some of the parlors have ultra-modern architecture and look more like Las Vegas casinos, some still are the old...
The prediction for Sakura to arrive in Tokyo this year was the 22 or 23rd of March. With the weather forecast for rain tomorrow, it looks like Monday 23 should...
In a year of economic downturn, this years group of university graduates looking for a job must be finding things very tough. Companies seem to be busy cutting...
You can find almost any kind of service in Japan from the mundane to the obscure. This is the land of maid cafes, muscle-building theme parks, cosplay and pet...
Omron have brought out a set of digital scales that not only measure your weight and body fitness but also allow you to capture that data on your mobile phone...
I have obviously had internet access at home for some time now, but tonight I feel as if the internet has arrived at my home for the first time. I bought a...
The Solar Bear stands outside of the entrance to Mediage at Odaiba (お台場) in Tokyo. It represents the threat of dramatic climate change. The statue has a...
Tokyo Tower was opened on 23rd December 1958, over 50 years ago. It is enjoying a revival at the moment with internal renovations, new merchandise, new events...
The iPhone has not proven a big hit in Japan but that has not stopped a number of applications that were popular with the imode range of phones being ported to...
Nice touch of Spring here as the Ume blossom at Odaiba. Tokyo is set to have its first Sakura blossoming around the 22/23 of this month. Here is a really...
This year, 2009, marks 150 years since Japan, from the port of Yokohama, opened to the West in 1859. To celebrate the occasion, Yokohama is hosting a series of...
Meiji have launched 2 new flavors under their Fran line of chocolate sticks. They are Mix Berry and Apricot. It might not seem like they go too well with...
A nice change from the rain today as the sun comes out in force. Plenty of people on the street and a new campaign ad up at 109 for the music artist JUJU...
It is just a spec at the moment and pricing will certainly be a watchpoint, but the SDXC Association has announced they will be able to offer a 2 Terabyte...
