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10 Oct 08
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Friday Flash..Some Random Photos One of the signs that autumn is here in Nagoya is the appearance of cosmos flowers.Another edition to the KitKat range spotted earlier in the week.Bite sized down sized KitKats.Another shot of cosmos flowers.You can see them blooming in garden plots and... |
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06 Oct 08
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Some Green Polar Bears and Long Necked Geese,Some Humpty Backed Camels and A small article in The Japan Times newspaper September 24 page 3 caught my attention.Apparently visitors to Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens here in Nagoya are "shocked by the colour" of the polar bears.The polar bears are no longer white after... |
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06 Oct 08
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Buying Bentos It seems to be getting harder and harder these days to find a reasonable bento or lunch box around the 500yen mark.Instead of increasing the price,some shops opt not to fill one of the sections or partitions in the boxes.Or they choose to use cheaper... |
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06 Oct 08
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Halloween Cookies A big shout out and thanks to Halli for sending me these homemade Halloween cookies.Im pleased to say that they survived the attentions of the Japanese Customs officers who zealously unpacked and inspected the box.I dont know what they must have thought... |
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03 Oct 08
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Friday Flash..A Few More Dream Car Show Shots A few final shots from the Dream Car Show 2008 held at Port Messe Nagoya last weekend.The first one shows a couple of "kangaru" or campaign girls posing beside a motorcycle.Not my dream car but given the driving habits of drivers in Nagoya it seems a good... |
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29 Sep 08
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Dream Car Show 2008 The Dream Car Show 2008 was held at Port Messe Nagoya over the last weekend.Companies involved in the automotive industry such as audio and body kit firms had stands and vehicles on display showcasing their products.A couple of luxury car clubs had their... |
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26 Sep 08
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Friday Flash..New Haagen Daz Ice Cream Flavours Two more new Haagen Dazs flavours that hit the shelves this week in Nagoya.I spotted them in various supermarkets and convenience stores throughout the city.The first is Cafe Mocha,obviously a coffee flavoured icecream.Its fairly light with dashes of... |
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22 Sep 08
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Toothless in Nagoya There was a loud rendering crunch.I started eating lead.Blood.The apple flavoured stick of KissMint I was masticating had prised off one of my fillings.I spat the dull gray metal onto my desk.Borrowing my co-workers pink Hello Kitty makeup mirror I... |
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19 Sep 08
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Friday Flash..Autumn Tea You can always tell which season of the year it is by looking at the products on sale at convenience stores,supermarkets and the like.Gradually over the last few days the local convenience store has been filling its shelves and coolers with autumnal fare... |
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15 Sep 08
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Sumo...Up in Smoke The first day of the Autumn Sumo Tournament began yesterday set against a drug scandal that has been capturing headlines and television coverage over the last month.The drama began following the arrest of a Russian wrestler Wakanoho after police claimed a... |
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12 Sep 08
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Friday Flash..Additions to KitKat and Haagen Dazs Two new items I spied on the shelves this past week.First up is the new KitKat flavour,Muscat of Alexandria.As the illustration on the box indicates these are grape flavoured KitKats.The photo shows a somewhat lighter green KitKat stick as I had put the... |
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08 Sep 08
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Printed Temptations.. Printed Temptations is the title of an exhibition currently running at the Nagoya City Art Museum.Odd title.Odd exhibition.The blurb reads.."Published art isnt just limited to standard printing.Printed art can be found in a diverse range of medium-from... |
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05 Sep 08
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Friday Flash..Irish Iron Merchandise 2008 Some of the new merchandise available from Irish Iron,the official supporters club of Scunthorpe United Football Club based in Ireland.Proceeds from sales of their merchandise and membership fees go to the club as players kit sponsorship.Check out the... |
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01 Sep 08
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Houjicha KitKats Another addition to the KitKat confectionery range.The actual spelling of the main ingredient seems to vary.Ive seen it spelt as "houji","hoji" and "hoj" but Im sticking with "houji" having consulted several Japanese friends.Whatever the proper... |
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01 Sep 08
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Nippon Domanaka Festival Billed as Japans largest dance festival with over 200 teams and some 23,000 dancers the Nippon Domannaka Festival was held over last weekend.With Saturdays torrential rain I saw many dancers who looked like drowned rats in their soaking wet... |
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01 Sep 08
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Two More Delicious Treats Two more treats from the local bakery/patisserie.The first is a a thick sponge with a creamy lemon flavoured interior.It had quite a sharp zesty,refreshing taste despite its somewhat bland appearance.Topped with a couple of raspberries and a sliver of... |
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29 Aug 08
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Friday Flash..Some more Mejij-Mura Photos Four final shots from MejiMura.There are a variety of buildings and architectural styles on view.The first shot shows the side of a huge sake brewery.The building is on a hill overlooking some of the other buildings.The entrance to one of the... |
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25 Aug 08
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Meiji-mura Museum Wishing to escape the confines of my apartment and the heat I travelled to Meji-Mura Museum for the day.Meji-Mura is an open-air museum that contains over 60 buildings from the Meji Era 1868-1912.Various buildings from all over Japan have been brought... |
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22 Aug 08
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Friday Flash..More Photos from the Midland Square Building A final few shots from atop the Midland Square Building.Looking down over Nagoya you can see a variety of buildings.You can peek down into one of the more popular rooftop beer gardens that operate in summer.Towards the middle of this photo you can see a... |
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18 Aug 08
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Midland Square Building Nagoya Currently the tallest building in Central Japan,the Midland Square building was completed in autumn 2006.The building stands at 247m and has 47 floors.There is a three floor observation deck,the Sky Promenade,which costs 700 yen for adults to enter.As you... |
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15 Aug 08
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Friday Flash..Summer Food A few samples of Dean and Deluca ice cream from the Midland Square store in Nagoya.From left to right Fromage Blanc with Raspberry,Belgian Couverture Chocolate,Kyoto Green Tea and Madagascar Vanilla.The Fromage Blanc contains cheese,raspberry,raspberry... |
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11 Aug 08
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Moshobi "Moshobi" roughly translated is Japanese for days of extreme summer heat.When the mercury climbs past 35 degrees celsius.Over the last fortnight in Nagoya there have been many moshobi days.Unlike the fish at Shirotori Garden its difficult to find a cool... |
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11 Aug 08
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A Trio of Quick Book Reviews Despite the summer heat and humidity giving me cause for impatience and a lack of concentration Ive recently read some thought provoking and diverting stuff.In no particular order then firstly..Rubicon. Tom Holland.2003.Abacus.389 pagesHaving had my... |
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08 Aug 08
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Friday Flash..Traditional Confectionery Jelly like sweets in the shape of watermelon slices.Small wafer like biscuits shaped like fans.The toothpick serves as the handle.The wafers are stuck together with a small molasses like filling.A summer stalwart.Basically its just a pile of shaved ice... |
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04 Aug 08
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Tajimi City Fireworks Festival 2008 As with many places around Japan in August,Tajimi City holds a summer festival complete with dancing competitions,food stalls,parades and fireworks.The area has recently made the headlines for having very hot summer temperatures.Yesterdaywas no... |
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01 Aug 08
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Friday Flash..Endoji Shopping Arcade Being the middle of summer it seems theres a festival or matsuri being held literally on every street corner.I ventured out to the Endoji Shopping Arcade earlier this week to see what was happening at the annual Tanabata Festival.The Endoji Shotengai is a... |
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28 Jul 08
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Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament RoundUp 2008 The Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament ended yesterday.Hakuho had wrapped up the Emperors Cup on day 13 so the only real interest was whether he could end with a 15 win 0 loss record.Which he did by beating Kotooshu in the last bout of the final day.Kotooshu... |
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28 Jul 08
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Mad as a Box of Frogs... Sometimes you have to shake your head.Some ideas are best unsaid.Case in point,the idea that on the last day of the month students will be given wine to drink in classes.Apparently the CEO,Mr Inayoshi is taking the credit for this.Once again the... |
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25 Jul 08
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Friday Flash..Watermelon KitKats Another addition to the KitKat range I spied in a local supermarket.Again its a limited edition i.e only available for a short time.The packet comes with the suggestion that you put the mini bars in the freezer.Not a bad idea considering the last week the... |
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21 Jul 08
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Marine Day Monday July 21 2008 It was Marine Day today.A public holiday that celebrates Im not sure what.Maybe it marks the start of the national water accident and drowning season.More likely its a sign that the summer festival season is upon us again.The annual fire works display at... |
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18 Jul 08
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Friday Flash..More from the Nagoya Sumo Tournament A couple of shots from the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament I attended earlier in the week.Below is a photo of yokozuna Asashoryu performing the traditional dohyo-iri or "entering the ring" ceremony.Accompanied by two lower ranked wrestlers and a judge,the... |
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14 Jul 08
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Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament July 2008 I dragged myself up early and along to the second day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.There was a line of people already waiting when I arrived at the ticket office.After standing in an orderly fashion for 10 minutes in the rapidly rising heat I... |
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11 Jul 08
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Friday Flash..Triple Berry KitKats A recent addition to the KitKat range are these triple berry kitkats.They come presented in a shiny box that glitters with small stars as you move it.As for the contents they are pink and striped.The KitKats combine the berry flavours of... |
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07 Jul 08
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Sumo Practice The Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament is due to start this Sunday July 13th.Last week sumo wrestlers descended upon Nagoya and have been practicing in various beya or stables dotted round Nagoya in preparation for the 15 day competition.I tagged along with a... |
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04 Jul 08
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Friday Flash...Another Concrete Mt Fuji Another example of a concrete Mount Fuji in a local park.This one doesnt look that safe or maintained compared to the other example I posted last week.The paint on this one has faded and in places bare concrete can be seen.The surface is very smooth and... |
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30 Jun 08
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Rainy Season Blues It finally felt the rainy season had arrived last week.There were continual heavy showers between bouts of high humidity.The remains of Typhoon Six,now downgraded to a tropical depression,pelted down adding to the seasonal rainfall for the month.One... |
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30 Jun 08
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Book Review..The Pound The Pound. David Sinclair.Arrow Books.2001.286 pages.David Sinclair's book traces the history of the British currency from the dim days of Anglo-Saxon England to the advent of the Euro and the global economy.As with language,several rulers over the ... |
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30 Jun 08
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New Cake Selections Two more new cake selections from my local bakery/patisserie.The first features a buttery,flaky pastry that crumbles nicely as one bites into the surrounding creamy filling.It reminded me of a slice of mille feuille,a traditional French dessert. The... |
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27 Jun 08
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Friday Flash..Concrete Mount Fuji Ive only recently noticed how frequently these concrete Mount Fuji structures appear in small local parks.The slopes are quite steep and difficult to climb.Some have rocks embedded into them and dont appear to be that child friendly should you lose your grip and fall.Often painted in garish hues they add a splash of colour to what is often a desolate grassless area frequented by crows and homeless people. |
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23 Jun 08
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Book Review..The Story of French The Story of French. Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow.St Martin's Griffin.2006.450 pages and appendices.This book is divided into four parts.It attempts to trace the origin,spread,adaptation and changes of the French language.And pretty much succeeds... |
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23 Jun 08
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Book Review..The Story of French The Story of French. Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow.St Martin's Griffin.2006.450 pages and appendices.This book is divided into four parts.It attempts to trace the origin,spread,adaptation and changes of the French language.And pretty much succeeds... |
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20 Jun 08
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Friday Flash..A Few More Tram and Subway Museum Photos Just a few more shots from the Nagoya Tram and Subway Museum I recently visited.The first shows a bogie and wheels.The second picture shows the model train layout as described in my last post.Prominent buildings in Nagoya are featured such as the JR... |
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16 Jun 08
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Nagoya Tram and Subway Museum I visited the Nagoya Tram and Subway Museum earlier in the week.Its near Akaike subway station on the Tsuramai Line.Theres a wall map at the station.The museum is basically a block behind the station.Turn right as you leave Exit 2.Walk straight down the... |
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16 Jun 08
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Tropical Cake I thought this would be a cherry flavoured slice of sponge cake judging from the colour.How wrong I was.Its not in fact sponge cake at all.More of a jelly or custard.Hidden inside is the best part of a whole mango.Very sweet and juicy.Slices of mango... |
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13 Jun 08
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Friday Flash..Haagen Dazs Sorbets I saw these new additions to the Haagen Dazs ice cream range in a local convenience store during the week.According to my battered Oxford Dictionary "sorbet" is defined as "a water ice".The Wild Apple Sorbet certainly meets that definition being... |
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09 Jun 08
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Irises in Tsuramai Park Away from the noise and bustle of Tsuramai Station and behind the band rotunda one can find some iris beds.Somewhat sunken,sheltered and shaded by surrounding trees the flowers are at their best at the moment. While the majority of blooms are various... |
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09 Jun 08
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A Few More Local House Photos. A couple of other homes that caught my eye while I wandered around last week.You have to remember that they arent in the middle of nowhere in rural Japan.Both are a five minute walk from a newly built Meitetsu rail station in a built up area.This is the... |
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06 Jun 08
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Friday Flash..Rainy Season Flowers Tsuyu or the month long summer rainy season begun earlier in the week according to weather officals.Hydrangeas and irises in particular seem to thrive at this time of year and make the most of the abundant moisture available.The two photos above were... |
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02 Jun 08
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Photos of a local Neighbourhood. Ive been working the last couple of weeks at a new school.About fifteen minutes from the main business area of Nagoya.Its serves as a dormitory suburb for the masses of black suited workers who daily invade and retreat from the city.Its pretty... |
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30 May 08
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Friday Flash...Brazilian BonBons It never ceases to amaze me the variety of imported foods one can find here.Case in point these Brazilian sweets in the photo above.During the week I read somewhere that Japan was the world's largest food importer and is reliant on five countries... |
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