Onsen

We went to a beautiful onsen in Tochigi prefecture north of Tokyo called Kita Onsen. It had an amazing rotenburo (outside onsen) with a slide and inflatable rubber rings. Lots of fun!

Fly my pretties, fly

This is apparently the most viewed youtube video in Japan:

New direction...

Dear reader. You probably noticed I stopped posting on this site awhile ago. The reason being I got super busy with other work which includes writing a blog for Japan Times called Japan Pulse. I was thinking of quitting writing this blog but since then have realized that I've got a ton of material that I can't use on the JT blog that I'd like to post here instead. With this in mind, please enjoy this picture of a snoozing cat I took in Shimokitazawa this weekend.

Kirin and Suntory merge

Kirin and Suntory, two of Japan's biggest beverage players are going to merge giving the companies a whopping 50 per cent share in the Japanese drinks market. Read more here.

Mad cycling skills

The Japanese are tops when it comes to multi-tasking be it sleeping and standing on trains or texting and walking. Nowhere is this facility more advanced than when riding a bicycle, I have seen girls holding umbrellas and talking on their mobile phones while nonchalantly pedalling down the street. But nothing beats the casual insouciance of this gent who cruised down a busy road near my house completely engrossed in a book with a contented smile on his face.

'Manner' madness

Train manner posters have reached newer even more dizzying heights of weird on board etiquette. This one instructs passengers not to show off their shopping while on a train. I've never been bothered by people doing this, quite the opposite, I'm nosey to find out what they bought.

Tilt shift calendar

Check this link out to view's Uniqlo's amazing tilt shift videos which enhance the toy town quality of Japanese life.