Win a potato

Yes kids, it's the prize you've all been waiting for. Forget limited edition plastic models of Lupin the 3rd or the latest Gundam robots, what you really want to snag with your UFO catcher is a raw potato.

Sony's dancing speakers

Sony just released the Sony Rolly on November 21. The Rolly is a mobile speaker that dances around the floor as you play music. It's controlled by blue tooth so you can give it instructions from your mobile phone. Rollys can be synchronised to dance together in formation. Perfect for creating a robot disco on your living room floor to scare the cat with.

A white pre-Christmas ski trip

I went to Furano in Hokkaido last weekend for some pre-Christmas snowboarding. Because the season hadn't quite kicked in it was a really cheap deal: just over 30,000 yen with number one travel. That included flights and transfers from Haneda to Furano, hotel and ski lift. On top of that you can rent ski wear for only 1,000 yen a day. The only downside was that on the first day it rained. After that though, loads of lovely snow. And unlimited access to the hotel's onsen. We stayed at Furano Prince Hotel which opens straight out on the slopes.
Going to try to get out again before the end of the season. I want to make it down a slope just one without tanking it. Click on this link for more pics.

Christmas gift guide

My guide to shopping for Christmas gifts in Tokyo has just been published in Metropolis Magazine. So if you're looking for pressie ideas click on this link. My personal favourite is the bath planetarium (see pic above). I'm hoping someone will get me one because I just spent the past few days punishing my body on the snowy slopes of Hokkaido and plan to spend the next few days soaking away my muscle pain in the tub.

Do it at home

Tis the season when public drunkenness reaches epic proportions. Many companies throw 'Bonenkai' (end of the year parties) for their employees and as a result the trains are filled with drunken revellers even more than ever. Businessmen passed out on train seats are a common sight as are piles of puke on the platforms. Yuk!