“The Kings of Asia”

Yesterday was the final match of the 2011 Asian Cup soccer games that were being held in the country of カタール国 (Qatar).

The Asian Cup is a soccer competition of countries in the Asian region (including Japan, North and South Korea, China, Vietnam, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Australia and others) and is held every four years.

I’m not really a big soccer fan. I think the Japanese comedian “Beat Takeshi” had an excellent idea to improve the game of soccer.
But I did watch the final match last night. It was Japan’s “Blue Samurai” vs Australia’s “Socceroos“ (maybe it’s a cultural difference…but don’t Australian people think the name “Socceroos” is embarrassing?)

As is “par for the course” for the game of soccer, the score of the Japan v. Australia game remained 0-0 for almost the entire match…until Japan’s Tadanari Lee (who is actually a naturalized Japanese of Korean descent) scored the only goal of the entire game.

Tadanari Lee of Japan's "Samurai Blue" national soccer team.

So now Japan are the 2011 Asian Cup soccer champions.

The Japan team was crowned the soccer "Kings of Asia".

So now out of the fifteen “Asian Cup” soccer competitions that have been held since these games started in 1956, Japan has been the champion team the most often.
Japan has held the title four times: in 1992, 2000, 2004 and now in 2011.

Here is a four-and-a half minute video of the highlights of the Japan vs. Australia champion game that was played last night (2011 January 29).
The video shows the failed goal attempts (which are a regular event in a soccer game) and the winning goal (which was actually quite excellent teamwork between aforementioned Tadanari Lee and Yuto Nagatomo):

(The photos in this post are from the Official Asian Cup Games website.)

Can’t decide what to drink? This machine knows what you’d like…

When you think of Japan what is the image you have?
Many people who’ve never been to Japan imagine it to be ancient and traditional. Others imagine Japan is futuristic and high-tech.

Both of these images are accurate. In Tokyo you can often see the ultra-modern side-by-side with ancient traditional.

Another thing that visitors to Japan are often surprised by is the number of excellent convenient 自動販売機 (vending machines) here.

Vending machines are plentiful in Japan and can be found everywhere. And Japan has vending machines that sell everything you can imagine…newspapers, hot and cold drinks, fruit, eggs, rice, beer, umbrellas, magazines, videos, stamps, sandwiches, and so much more.

And the machines themselves are modern and convenient.
In Japan, you can make pay for purchases at most vending machines, train and subways stations, convenient stores, etc with cash of course, but also with your train pass card or your cellular phone!

Well, as if the vending machines here weren’t high-tech enough…now many vending machines across Japan are being replaced with new futuristic vending machines.

Rather than having a display of cans and bottles of the drink choices available in the machine, these new machines have a digital interactive display.
When there aren’t any people in it’s immediate vicinity, it displays a cartoon face and randomly has a “speech bubble” that offers random questions…such as “Are you thirsty?” or “Would you like to buy something?”

Japan's newest vending machine

But once someone moves closer to it, the digital display shows the choice of drinks…but the most amazing aspect of this new machine is that it scans the faces of potential customers and then offers a few 「おすすめ」 (recommendations) based on the person’s approximate age and gender.

Check out this TV news broadcast about it:

I won stamps…again

As I mentioned before on this blog (including this post), Japanese people send friends and family 年賀状 (New Years postcards) every year and each of these postcards has a unique six digit serial number on the back lower-right-hand corner.

This number is for the annual お年玉 (Japan Postal New Years lottery drawing).

Every year in late January, the post office announces seven sets of winning numbers.

This year’s winning numbers were announced today.

They are:

— First Place (with a 1 in one-million chance of winning) postcards with the number 651694.
People who have a card with this number can choose a prize of either a digital TV,

a trip to Hawaii or any domestic (Japan) location,
a set of office supplies,
a laptop computer / digital camera / digital printer combo,

or a bicycle

— Second Place (with a 3 in one-million chance of winning) has winning numbers of either: 403580, 228949, or 022471.
These prizes are a choice of a wii Game set,
a digital camera and digital frame set,
a humidifier,
a domestic trip (with hotel, dinner, and lunch), or
a coffee maker.

— Third Place (1 in 10,000 chance) are cards with the last four digits of 8363.
The prize is a choice from a large variety of foods.

— Fourth Place (2 in 100 chance) are cards with the last two digits of either 69 or 02.
The prize is two Japanese postage stamps with pictures of a rabbit (2011 is “The Year of the Rabbit”).

Last year (2010), I had a post card with the winning number for a set of two stamps with pictures of a tiger (2010 was “the Year of the Tiger”)…and this year I have two postcards with winning numbers for stamps again.

Maybe one year we’ll win one of the big prizes.

The BBC mocks Japanese bombing survivor

About a year and a half ago I wrote a post about Tsutomu Yamaguchi.

He was the only person officially recognized by the Japanese government as a survivor of both the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Click here to read the post that explains his story in more detail.

Well, I saw on the TV news today about the extremely insensitive “comedy” show that the BBC of England aired that made light of Mr. Yamaguchi’s story.

Japan lodged an official complaint with the BBC and many Japanese people e-mailed the station to express their anger and disappointment over the show which was titled “The Unluckiest Man In The World”.

On the show they laughed and joked about the experiences of Mr. Yamaguchi. With comments such as “(maybe) the bomb landed on him and bounced off”.

The BBC has issued an apology for the episode and removed the video of it from their website, but the surviving members of Mr. Yamaguchi’s family said that they could never forgive them.

Here is the offending broadcast:

Pepsi manga bottles

In Japan, Pepsi-Cola often teams with the Japanese company Be@rbrick and give away cell-phone straps of bears modeled after famous characters with purchases of their “Pepsi-NEX Zero Cola”.

In the past they have offered Be@rbrick bears modeled after Paramount movie characters, and Star Wars characters.

Be@rbrick has also offered in Japan figures modeled after the rock band KISS and MOS Burger staff.  (MOS Burger is a Japanese fast-food chain).

Well, Pepsi Japan has currently teamed up with Be@rbrick again.
For a limited time, they are giving away cell-phone straps of Be@rbrick bears in the image of Gundam with purchases of Pepsi NEX Zero Cola.

(Since the 30th anniversary of Gundam in 2009, there have been a number of Gundam tie-ins…such as the Gundam cell-phone.)

Another limited time only campaign that Pepsi Japan is currently offering is specially designed bottles of Pepsi NEX Cola with the “One Piece” manga characters on the label.

This is to help promote the new One Piece 3-D animated movie titled 「麦わらチェイス」 (“Sugiwara Chase”).

There are five different labels available.

(There was a “One Piece” campaign in Japan about thirteen months ago for the previous “One Piece” movie titled “Strong World”).

Is Gundam popular in your country? How about “One Piece“?
Does Pepsi sell “NEX Zero” cola where you live? Do you like it?

Go! Go! Asia!

Besides the western (mostly American) fast-food chains that are in Japan, there are number of Japanese original fast-food chains. Most of them are actually much better than McDonalds and Burger King.

Probably the most popular Japanese chain is MOS Burger.

Their name is  頭字語 (an acronym) for Mountain, Ocean, Sun.

I have eaten at MOS Burger many times. Their food, although a bit expensive, is quite good.
I didn’t know before though that the Japanese hamburger chain MOS Burger has restaurants in other countries around Asia.

Currently MOS Burger is having a special campaign at all of their stores in Japan and across Asia.
This campaign is being called “Go! Go! Asia!”

Now until early February, MOS Burger is offering a new limited-time-only grilled chicken burger as a part of their “Go! Go! Asia!” campaign.

It’s called 「塩バターチキンバーガー」 (“Salt Butter Chicken Burger“) with ペッパー風味 (pepper taste).
The burger has a grilled chicken patty covered in salty butter sauce with crispy French Fries on top.

Kind of unusual. It might be good but I don’t eat at MOS Burger very often so I probably won’t be trying it.

How about you? Does this burger look good to you? Would you try it? Have you ever eaten at MOS Burger in Japan…or in another country?

In Japan, the price for the 「塩バターチキンバーガー」 (“Salt Butter Chicken Burger“) is ¥360 (about US$4.30).

A real-life “Tiger Mask”

Maybe you know that Japanese school students wear a uniform to school.
But did you know that they wear the uniform in junior high school and high school only?

In Japanese 公立小学校 (public* elementary schools), kids wear their regular “street clothes” to school.
*(Japanese 幼稚園 (private kindergartens) and 私立小学校 (private elementary schools) have uniforms that their students wear).

Even though students at Japanese public 保育園 (nursery schools) and 公立小学校 (public elementary schools) wear street clothes to school, they still have some mandatory things that they must wear…for example, a school hat while walking to and from school (it’s almost always yellow so that drivers in cars can notice them easily), gym uniform, and a uniform school bag.

The school bag that kindergarteners carry is small and light but Japanese elementary school kids are given a ランドセル (Randoseru bag) from their parents or grandparents just before they begin the first grade.

These bags are high-quality hand-stitched genuine or synthetic leather and are designed to last for at least the six years of elementary school. Usually though they last much longer.

Most schools allow the students to use a ランドセル (Japanese elementary school “Randoseru” bags) of any color they like…but the majority of girls choose a red one and boys choose a black one.

When my daughters were in elementary school they each had a red one.

Since ランドセル (Japanese elementary school “Randoseru” bags) are hand-made and very durable, they’re also pretty expensive. About ¥30,000 (US $360) on average.
Because of it’s high price many lower-income families have to give their children used or hand-me-down ランドセル (Japanese elementary school “Randoseru” bags).

ランドセル (Japanese elementary school "Randoseru" bags)

Well, it was on the TV news here last month that an orphanage in Japan received an anonymous donation of ten brand new ランドセル (Japanese elementary school “Randoseru” bags) around X-mas time.
Without this donation, worth about ¥300,000 (about US$3,300), the children in the orphanage who will start first grade this April would have had to use hand-me-down school bags from older kids.

The anonymous donation had a note that that they were from 「タイガーマスク」 (“Tiger Mask”).

「タイガーマスク」 (“Tiger Mask”) is a Japanese マンガ (manga (comic)) from the late 1960s – early 1970s about a professional wrestler called 「タイガーマスク」 (“Tiger Mask”) who wears a mask that looks like a tiger.
The 「タイガーマスク」 (“Tiger Mask”) character was an orphan who gives large anonymous donations to the orphanage where he grew up.

 

Due to the fact that the 「タイガーマスク」 (“Tiger Mask”) comic is over forty years old, the news media has begun speculating that the donor of the ランドセル (Japanese elementary school “Randoseru” bags) must be middle-age and that he might even have grown up in an orphanage.

Also, this news has inspired numerous “copy-cats” recently. Other orphanages around Japan have recently received anonymous donations of ランドセル (Japanese elementary school “Randoseru” bags) or money with notes from “Tiger Mask” or other famous Japanese fictional characters.

Claude Monet art exhibit in Tokyo

I’m not an expert on art by any means.

My tastes might be considered “low brow”.
I listen to heavy metal music, my favorite TV shows aren’t really educational or anything, and I don’t see the appeal of “over-rated” movies such as “Lost In Translation“, “Forrest Gump” and “The Lord Of The Rings“…those movies were all boring to me.
The movies I like are more exciting.

And I don’t feel comfortable eating in “four star” fancy restaurants…I prefer a simple 「居酒屋」 (Japanese izakaya “blue collar” type restaurant).

Even though I may be a “simple man” I can appreciate art sometimes.
I have never attended an opera or even a musical on stage, but I have watched 歌舞伎 (Kabuki) plays and sometimes I go to art exhibits at museums.

I have seen a number of 浮世絵 (Ukiyoe Japanese woodblock prints) exhibits…and yesterday, my wife and I went to 渋谷 (Shibuya, Tokyo) to see the 「モネとジヴェルニーの画家たち」 (“Claude Monet and the Giverny Artists”) exhibit.

It’s at the “Bunkamura Museum” in Shibuya, Tokyo until 2011 February 17th.

I learned that Claude Monet moved to a tiny French village called Giverny and painted the natural views that he saw there. And his work inspired many artists from other countries, but the vast majority were Americans, to go to Giverny and set up an “artist colony” there to learn from Monet.

Also, Monet was inspired by Japanese art (other famous Western artists, including Vincent Van Gogh, were too) and he had a collection of Japanese Ukiyoe prints.

Monet's painting of his wife in Japanese kimono.

Monet's painting of his garden in Giverny, France.

Monet's painting of a hay stack.

 

Are you interested in art? Monet? Ukiyoe?
How about your taste in food, movies, music, etc?

Even after over twenty years

I have been living in Japan for most of my life.
I came here when I was twenty years old…and that was over twenty years ago now.

I think Japan is the most beautiful country in the world and Tokyo is the best city.

I wanted to show some scenes that I see regularly in Japan and I may have started taking for granted but they are a part of what makes Japan so special.

Rather than go through the photos in my camera’s memory cards, I decided to be a bit lazy and see what I could find online.
I found a website called Getty Images that has many stock photos…some of them of Japan.
The people who take these photos must have cameras that are much nicer than mine because they took some really nice photos.

I use photos that I took myself in most of my blog posts, but the following photos are from Getty Images.

Every January, when the "Tokyo Stock Exchange" reopens after the New Years holidays, the female staff wear kimono.

A"bird's eye view" of Tokyo

A traditional Japanese breakfast.

A Japanese garden.

The symbol of Japan: 富士山 (Mount Fuji).

Tokyo's "Rainbow Bridge".

Japanese "Green Tea".

The Shibuya area of Tokyo

The Shinjuku area of Tokyo.

新幹線 (Bullet trains)

Tokyo Tower

By the way, today is the seventh day of the New Year.
On this day it is Japanese custom to eat 「七草粥」 (“Seven Herbs Porridge“) for breakfast.
I will have it for breakfast today as I usually do on January 7th.

Click here to see my post that explains this tradition in more detail.

Big America 2

Last January, McDonalds in Japan began offering, for a limited time, four new burgers at different times that were collectively known as the “Big America” burgers.

First they offered the Texas Burger, then the New York Burger, followed by the California Burger and finally they offered the Hawaiian Burger.

Click here to read my post about the McDonalds Japan “Big America” burgers campaign.

Of those four I thought that the “New York Burger” and the “California Burger” were the best and the “Texas Burger” was the worst!

I guess most people felt differently though because it seems that the “Texas Burger” was the most popular of the four. I don’t understand why…I thought it wasn’t good at all.

Anyways, now a year after the original “Big America” campaign, McDonalds Japan will begin the “Big America 2” burgers campaign next week.

The first burger will be the “Texas 2 Burger” because of the popularity of the original Texas Burger.
The “Texas 2 Burger” will become available on 2011 January 7th until late-January. And it says that the recipe has been changed a bit…hence the name “Texas 2“.

After that, from late-January until mid-February, the new “Idaho Burger” will go on sale. As the U.S. state of Idaho is mostly famous for it’s potatoes, this burger will have a potato hash-brown on it!

From mid-February until mid-March, the “Miami Burger” will be available and it will have nacho chips on it!

Then, beginning in mid-March the “Manhattan Burger” will be on the menu. It will be designed to be like a NY deli sandwich with pastrami beef and mozzarella cheese.

I still think that the Texas Burger doesn’t look good…even if they “updated the taste”. The Miami Burger (even though I think nachos on a burger is a strange idea) and the Manhattan Burger look the best to me.

Which do you think looks good? Will you be trying any of these?