[ Fiesta Asia! ]

Don't say I didn't warn you, you have 1/2 a day to plan on going yourself...

Damn, the Japanese are lucky! For the Nintendo DS Lite's Touch Generation line, they have something called the Cooking Navigator. Not a video game, but an instructional program. A chef inside barks instructions at you so that you can cook by hearing

[ Nintendo DS Lite could make you an Iron Chef - Slashfood ]

Seems like a great idea, but I wonder how tunable it is to experience, skill level, etc. Does it only do a set number of recipes? What about food aversions, allergies, and the like? Is it WiFi enabled?

I concocted a scheme where I would subscribe to flickr feeds with enclosures and use the folders that it creates to seed the Microsoft Power Toy Wallpaper Changer with those photos for a fun, constantly changing wallpaper. Clearly I spent too much time thinking about it, and not enough time searching for someone else's application that already does this for me:

John's Background Switcher periodically changes the background image on your computer (like every hour or every day).

[ John's Adventures: John's Background Switcher ]

Integrated right in the application is:

You can use Flickr (almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world) - you can choose to select pictures by person, tags, sets or just plain random and there are a host of options to narrow down the pictures and increase the quality of those chosen. You never know what you're going to get next!

I recommend the Flickr Group Domokun Lovers.

Why is it that Coca-Cola can sport this many coffee-in-a-can drinks in Japan, but they best they can do state-side is Blak? Sure, I haven't tried Blak yet, but I've heard rumors that it's arond $2 a bottle, and that there is cola in it....
Update: Perhaps I spoke too soon. Nate snagged some from a gas station at around $1.50 for an 8oz bottle. It is sweet, and I think would make a lovely after dinner desert drink. At 45 calories, that's a dessert that fits in anyone's diet.

Spring in DC has arrived!

The 2006 festival marks the 94th celebration of the original gift of the 3,000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, DC in 1912. Come and enjoy the spirit of the season.

[ Official Website of the National Cherry Blossom Festival - Washington, DC ]

This year I hope to see some of it.

Kangaroo highlights a "Japanese" thing that confuses me, the personification of inanimate objects as young women:

But the accompanying Nihongo doesn't seem to be suggestive in nature, just a discussion of the technical merits of the iPod Shuffle.

I only know one Kanji character. I think you should learn it too:

It's pronounced cha, it means tea. The Chinese character looks basically the same.

Call them straps, charms, fobs, or thing that helps you fish your phone out of your pocket or purse; they are very popular with me and other 14 year old Asian Girls:

We work hard for you keeping in mind this words. This does not mean just to sell well phone straps all over the world. We think that one Phone Strap is a tiny toy or pettit [sic] accessory for a person but it has an infinite loveliness maybe he longs for. This is What we are all about. "From Japan to you, we bring Straps to you with Love"

[ Phone Strap & Accessory, StrapYa! Stuff Introduction ]

They have everything from Zippo lighters, to Hello Kitty, to food items, and even miniature cell phones to hang off your your cell phone. I've been surfing for hours in amazement, and looking for a replacement for the "Hula Girl" that Yaty isn't so keen on. I found another site that has some coffee related charms, but alas I don't speak Japanese, nor live in Japan.

Great article on 1UP.com about the upcoming Zelda title:

This is Nintendo. Little pikachus all around, some pikmin in the back, and a friendly guard who will take us on a whirlwind, song-filled tour of this wonderland of imagination!

[ Zelda Exposed from 1UP.COM ]

Koji Kondo is mentioned, and I'm sure you've heard his music. The entire interview isn't here, they saved the best parts for EGM. Zelda will be huge this year, and could drive a ton of last minute sales for the GameCube and possibly even assist with Revolution as it is said to sport backward compatibility.

Any-which-way, you know you want Zelda, and if you don't you're only kidding yourself...

I think I should start planning now:

Kyoto is one of Japan's leading large cities, founded upon the Heian Capital, which was built in 794 AD. Its population of 1.47 million citizens lives in harmony with a natural and cultural environment which has developed over time immemorial. Kyoto City is a place where you can truly savor first-hand a rich depth of culture and art steeped in tradition, and set against the changing backdrop of the four seasons, with each one possessing its own charm.

[ Kyoto City Web / Message from Mayor / Welcome to Kyoto ]

The question is, will one week be enough? Or perhaps two would be better.

This looks like a ton of fun:

From the entry of the 800-pound o-daiko drum on a cart illuminated by Japanese lanterns to the extreme physicality of the playing positions, the Kodo Drummers are all about ritual performance. Two dozen Japanese musicians man their taiko drums, fues, and shamisens in a performance that includes choreography and vocals.

[ Washington Performing Arts Society ]

I don't have to go to smoky clubs, or listen to crap pop radio stations, and get to find great music. Sure it's a few years old. Sure Sousa's been listening to this guy for years, I'm sure. But I like a new find:

Fantastic Plastic Machine is the project of Japanese DJ Tomoyuki Tanaka. Much of his music reflects a strong bossa nova influence; other tracks are representative of Happy Charm Fool Dance Music

[ Variety Is the Spice of Life - Fantastic Plastic Machine ]

FPM on Rhapsody Radio for those so inclined.

Apparently kids today are enjoying Japanese Culture:

Japanese comics, called manga, take up more and more space on American bookshelves, and they've infused new life into the publishing industry. Japanese animation, anime, is on more and more movie and TV screens. Neal Conan and guests discuss the growing influence of Japanese culture in America.

[ NPR : Manga, Anime and Japanese Culture in America ]

Oh, wait, I knew that...

The first speaker's book Wrong About Japan : A Father's Journey with His Son isn't quite out in paperback. And Viz published many manga and the magazine Shonen Jump, which I almost picked up for Iman, perhaps when she's a bit older.

The good news? My favorite manga was made into a movie, and now is being released in the US:

The year is 2131. A non-nuclear war has left the earth barren. Deunan Knute roams the badlands, one of the many soldiers who, with lines of communication cut, continue to fight, unaware that the war has ended. Deunan is never one to take things lying down: a highly trained soldier with police and SWAT experience, she is prepared for nearly anything -- but not for the heavily armed helicopter that assaults her without warning. Before she realizes what's going on, Deunan is losing consciousness: her last thought is hazy realization that she's been hit by a tranquilizer. Not only that, but one of the perpetrators is her old love Briareos. He has arrived with the beautiful Hitomi to intercept Deunan and take her back with the to the enigmatic utopia, Olympus.

[ Appleseed ]

The bad news? Limited release. Apparently there is no perceived market for Anime in the DC area. New York, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Hawai'i, and Philadelphia are all represented, but nothing anywhere near DC. Obviously the distributors have never been to Annandale or near the Merrifield Theater, I'm sure this thing could run a week or two and do a good deal of business. *sigh* I guess I'll have to keep my eye out for the DVD release.

I heard it was good. And I resisted.

[ davidkearns.com: Cowboy Bebop ]

The geekery continues. I found an Amazon.com seller who had the Cowboy Bebop Movie, Series, and soundtrack for a decent enough price that I just had to order. Seems like they were all made for the Chinese market, but the DVDs appear to be region-free, and seemingly legit, so I'm happy.

How about freshly cooked crepes and Italian gelato? The sweet aroma of crepe and gelato fill the shop!

[ Shopping & Dining ]

I love the Japanese graphics too. When I read this I can smell the coffee, the gelato, the crepes. Oh yummy!

Note: I just recieved my bilingual map of Tokyo, so excuse the posting that makes me seem like a 12 year old Japanese school girl. Arigato Gozaimashita!

I'm spending a day in Tokyo, and expect to have pistachios with me, so I had to find out if Japan allows them to transit.

Most types of nuts (with the exception of walnuts, which are prohibited) may be brought into Japan, particularly if they are salted, dried, or roasted.

[ Consulate General of Japan ]

I'm sure this will come up on Jeopardy in the next week, or be a vital fact that a friend needs to know.

Update: The prohibition of Walnuts is not due to a dislike of Walnuts, or an aversion to Walnuts, but an attempt to keep pests out of Japanese crops.

Cowboy Bebop is the tale of a futuristic maverick, Spike Spiegel, a space cowboy and his band of partners (Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Edward, and lets not forget Ein the dog), as they race across the galaxy on daring adventures. They are Bounty Hunters struggling to survive in a world that is a strange combination of past, present, and future. There are fantastic space crafts and interstellar casinos side by side with droopy sombreros and slow traffic lights. With each new bounty that they go after, new characters are introduced, and new cosmic landscapes are explored.

[ 3,2,1 Lets Jam! Emily's Cowboy Bebop Page ]

I heard it was good. And I resisted. But then, after a night at D&B's with da boys, I needed some wind down time. Low, and behold, on Adult Swim, Cowboy Bebop. And, now, I think I'm stuck. Just added vol 1 to my NetFlix queue, and looking forward to seeing the movie.

In the last few years, Japan has become a rising force in a wide swath of fashion-focused industries, from kids' toys to entertainment, cell phones, and car racing. In an April report, Tsutomu Sugiura, director of the Marubeni Research Institute, figured Japan's cultural exports, including music, books, magazines, films, handicrafts, collectibles, patent royalties, and performances at $15 billion in 2002, up from $5 billion in 1992.

[ Yahoo! News ]

This is quite a shock to me. Perhaps I've been too busy playing my Nintendo and watching Cartoon Network to notice this trend. I wonder what sort of influence the Japanese have had on my life? Certainly I don't have any music, books, magazines, films, handicrafts, or collectibles from Japan, or do I? Perhaps Yahoo is on to something here...

It was like the California tech superstore Fry's but it was denser. It was Fry's on meth.

[ Japan: Tokyo: Akihabara ]

And I might get to visit...

The type of game makes a difference as well. "Doom 3," "Half-Life 2," and "Halo 2" are three of the most anticipated upcoming games among Western audiences. Don't expect them to do well in Japan, however. In fact, they will have two strikes against them even before they land on the docks. All three games are, in addition to being violent, played from the first-person perspective. Such first-person perspective shooters (FPS) are big in the West, but have never really caught on in Japan. And few violent games sell well there, either.

[ MSNBC - Video games that get lost in translation ]

Apparently the problem with quality consoles selling is due to their sphere of influence. GameCube seems to have only “Japanese” games and XBox has only “American” games. PlayStation provides both and therefore seems to be more popular. Of course consumers apparently don't mind crappier design, crappier price, crappier controls (multitap in specific), and crappier performance.

Here's hoping GameCubeNext and neXtBox both kill PS3 at the register... (Oh did I get off topic?)

Don't you hate it when all the really cool games only come out in Japan?

[ 動物番長 ]

If only I could figure out enough about this game to tell what is going on...

Update: I took the time to translate the name of the game, and now it all makes sense. When oh when will they release “Animal School Gang Leader” in the US?

Update: Of course if you live in Japan, you can get it from Amazon.com