Baby Sumo

A competition for the student wrestlers to make the babies cry .. and win the competition.. but i guess this year’s sumo babies just wouldn’t cooperate .. hahaha!!!   I think it must be a really funny sight .. just to see the sumo carrying those small babies.. and trying to make them cry.. but instead .. they continue sleeping or just giggle making the crowd laugh instead.  Superstitious Japanese parents believe that by getting the sumos to help make the babies cry.. they will grow up in good health… hehehe!!  if only it was that easy.  My g/fs in Japan used their  PDAs to send some of these awesome pictures home.

J Pop Star Arrested For Indecency

Drunk and arrested for running naked in a public park at 3am in the morning.. and some ppl think that he shouldn’t be arrested..??  are they crazy..???  of course he should..!!!!  just because he is a pop star.. he doesn’t get the same treatment..?? what bullshit eh.  Narcotic or alcohol.. it’s still wrong for him to run around naked.. and if he got commercials and contract cancel.. that’s good isn’t it..?? that should teach him a lesson.

Cherry Tree Time

The cherry tree time is almost over and one of the best thing when I was in Japan is this Sakura festival.  The Japanese just loves having picnic during this festival and enjoy the petals falling on their heads. Hanami season in March and April, the Japanese love this time of the year and consider it the best time of the year.

The cherry blooms for 7 to 10 days and families organized picnics and outdoor parties during this time.  And for those who wants to visit Japan, this may be the best weather, not too warm nor too cold.  And everyone is just relaxing and in party mood.  The advent of the blossoms not only heralds the end of a harsh winter but also the beginning of another school year and a new fiscal year for businesses, so hanami is like a party to celebrate a new beginning.  Visiting the farmhouses and farmhouse sinks is another great thing to do.

Japanese Soft Swirl Ice Cream

While looking into some life insurance lead while i was in Japan on vacation, I can’t help but eat these soft swirl ice cream that are everywhere in Japan.    These ice cream are so awesome.. and only at $4.00 a cone .. and I can eat them .. everyday .. because the hotel that I was staying in .. was just very near one of the shops.  Like I said.. they are just about everywhere.. even when you are visiting the Fuji Mountain .. on one of the station.. they do have a snack place serving these awesome ice cream.  It was cold.. in February .. when I was in Tokyo..  but i still had some.

Ice Cream Puff

Not that crazy I assure you .. because in Japan.. you can see gals dressed up all in anime costumes.  These however can be found in LA  - a japanese store that specialises in bringing you .. all the good stuff from Japan.  So no worries about finding your hello kitty .. and feeding your fetish.  Now if only they have some plus light bulbs for sale… and i’ll be flying over to get some.

Antique Mall In Japan

The Ginza Mall is home to approximately 300 shops that sell European, Asian and Japanese antiques as well as antique Kimonos, fabric and Japanese furniture.  Visit the shops in the mall to find that one of a kind treasure that will always remind you of your time in Tokyo or pick up some great souvenirs for your friends and family.  Conveniently located just off Ginza’s famous Chou Dori, the Antique Mall Ginza is easily accessible from a number of number of Tokyo Metro Stations and is open daily from 11AM to 7PM except on Wednesdays.

Climb Fuji Mountain Cheap

Japan travel site JAPANiCAN.com has begun accepting reservations for its 2-day climbing tours during the 2009 Mt Fuji climbing season. The official climbing season will begin in July and last through the end of August, during which time over 300,000 climbers are expected to attempt to reach Fuji’s peak. I was asked to bring  KVM switches for my fuji climb some 10 yrs ago.

Last year JAPANiCAN’s 2-day tours proved extremely popular, and the company hopes to increase this year’s sales with a 10% lower price, it said in a statement.

Climbers embarking on the 2-day tour will tackle Fuji’s slopes in the early afternoon, setting out from the 5th station. The tour’s price includes a rest at an 8th station lodge before beginning the final ascent and reaching Fuji’s summit in time to see the sun rise over Japan.

The tour also includes transportation by bus to and from Tokyo, and a chance to relax in a hot spring bath following the climb. The tour will cost 28,800 yen, and reservations are currently being accepted at JAPANiCAN’s English site.

Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum

And since i’m on Sake, i thought i might as well.. share the brewery museum with all of you.   This brewery museum is one of the most interesting of the many sake attractions in Kobe’s compact brewery district. It’s actually been put together inside an old sake kura, so unlike a modern museum it really smells like old wood and straw. There are life-size mannequins throughout the big two-story structure, caught in the act of inspecting the mash or stirring the yeast or performing any of the other many sake-making steps that are explained in great detail.

Barrels for the sake, i assume.

Men at work at the brewery

Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum

Open 9:30am-4:30pm (enter by 4pm); closed Mondays.

Admission free.

Tel: 078-822-8907; fax: 078-822-4891.

http://www.hakutsuru-sake.com/

Hanshin Sumiyoshi Station, Kobe (5-minute walk from the station)

Anti Pee

A new pill offers relief for women who have to run to the toilet often. Lady Guard is the first OTC pee reliever in Japan. Kowa Company Ltd. introduced the pill foreseeing a need by the current and increasingly large number of elderly people in Japan. The product could use a more descriptive name. Suggestions:  “HapPee Delay”;  “Ladies Little Piddle Pill”;  “Woman No-Whiz”.  Watch the Lady Guard TV commercial and read more details at Lets Japan, i wonder if they also have discount supplements .

Sake Festival

Yearly sake festivals in Tokyo and Osaka are a great place to try out different premium brands from around the country. While you’re there you can also check out the latest fashions in the sake world. Here’s a look at what stylish brewers are wearing these days.