1000 Yen @ Mac’s Japan

So summer just ended in Japan as well last week but in Japan - they had a set menu for 3 for 1000 Yen and 1000 Yen is like 10 bucks here and this campaign lasted the entire summer.  For 1000 Yen - 3 person can expect a Big Mac, a teriyaki burger, a cheeseburger, 3 fries and 3 drinks - not bad for $10 in Japan if you asked me - wished I had known about this earlier - so that I could tell my readers.

Strange Food In Japan

Japan has many wonderful eateries but there are some food combination that i cannot fathom myself - but when you are living in Japan, you kinda gotta try the food at least once right ?  after all, my girlfriends were all slurping them down like they were the most interesting thing they’ve ever come across.  This is one with red bean paste at the bottom of some green tea spaghetti with whipped cream and some fruits - tell me that’s not a strange combination for you? How did it taste?  pretty sweet if you asked me  - and pretty expensive too!   It wasn’t bad but I don’t think I would like a sweet spaghetti anytime soon.

Living In Japan

Houses may be small in Japan - and most people only lived in cubicle houses or apartments - but the Japanese living is by far the most innovative - because they have all sorts of gadgets to make living easier and so much more pleasant.  One would think you cannot entertain in such a small place - but it’s far from the truth - because the Japanese uses the electric grill to BBQ and entertain so much - just like us in the west.   They also have this tako machine that I wished I had bought one back from japan - and they make this yummy tako and have tako parties.  The Japanese loved grilling everything and anything they can lay their hands on - and entertaining whether family or friends is second nature to them.

Shakey’s Pizza In Japan

When you have a pizza in Japan - be prepared to be surprised - don’t expect to find the regular pepperoni and cheese pizza or even bacon bits - but yes - they do have it - but just not very common in Japan. Pizzas are shakey’s are more like a dessert - with chocolate and marshmallows or bananas.

There were eggs for pizza toppings - too funny right?

Gadget Shopping

So the girlfriend from her migrated to Japan in the name of love - and had emailed me to get her a list  laptop computers because hers has broken down and was getting too old and needs to retire.  Being in Japan - you would think she could get one there - with  no trouble right?  but apparently, everything was in Japanese - as you can see above and it’s really expensive to get someone to put in the English version of anything in Japan.  So yes I’m out hunting for a  laptop computers list to compile for her - and let her make some comparison - when it comes to what is inside the laptop.  We are definitely more fortunate here when it comes to shopping for a new laptop or computer - everything is written out and they tell you what the operating system is - and how much hard drive and what kind of video card  - and for someone in Japan who don’t know too much Japanese - to shop for a computer - I can understand why she prefers to shop from here in Canada.  Mailing might be a bit costly - but she said it was worth it.

Dotonbori Osaka

Whenever I am in Osaka - or if anyone talk about Osaka - I remember this Crab restaurant also known as Kani Doraku ( Kani I think means Crab).  This is a well known landmark for Osaka and Dotonbori Osaka. Steamboat and crabs of course !  not too expensive in my humble opinion - so don’t forget to check it out when you are in Osaka.

The Glico man is another landmark in Dotonbori, Osaka

Kobe, Japan

I love Kobe, Japan a lot - there is the old Kobe and the new Kobe - and of course the new Kobe consist of high rise and all the modern stuff - from water pumps and water fountains in the park.  Kobe Bay is one of my favorite places to show off to visitors who have never been here before.

The Kobe Port Tower and the Carillon is another place I like in Kobe.

And of course the earthquake measuring thingie  - to remind everyone of the huge earthquake that Kobe had in 1995.  But like I said - this is the modern side of Kobe - where all the high tech amenities are all over  - but wait till you see the old Kobe - where water pumps are not something they commonly use - they use wells and hot tubs.

Avid Gardeners In Japan

My girlfriend from Canada - who moved to Japan permanently became an avid gardener after seeing what her neighbor did with hers.  In Japan - space and a garden is rare - but those who own their own house definitely took the time to beautify their home and garden themselves and we all know that the Japanese are meticulous and they are quite artsy.  I loved their garden for they are so zen like - so calming - and of course they are into the recycle thingie and compost bin is a big thing for them in Japan.  I never knew much about compost bins till I came to Canada - and now everything needs to be separated.  But with the right compost bin - you can even save on the fertilizer for your garden.  Pretty awesome right !  no wonder the Japanese loved the compost bin so much and of course gardening has never been easier.

Hot Springs and Ryokan In Ito, Japan

We were in Tokyo for a long weekend when a friend suggested we go visit a hot spring and stay in a Ryokan in Ito Japan.   So since I haven’t been to Ito - I said yes - and away we went to book our tickets for a train - bullet train actually to Ito.  We had an uneventful 2 hrs ride up to Ito - and when we did arrived at the Ryokan - we were quite tired.

It was an uneventful trip - we ate, we slept and we took advantage of the hot spring and soak ourselves silly.  hahha

Avid Japanese Golf Players

For those of you who are not aware of this - the Japanese are avid golf players - but there are not many golf course in Japan and it is very expensive - to play golf - therefore when Japanese friends comes to Canada to visit me in Canada - they ask to play golf all the time and some even go to golf resort around Canada.  Here in Nova Scotia - we have many golf resort - and most of them supply the garmin gps for golf - and that’s what the Japanese golf players loved.   A dear friend of mine - who is coming home from Japan asked me to look for a golf resort for his family - that provide this garmin gps for golf - and I’ve found a few that have this gps for golf.   You can sell just about anything to a Japanese golf player - when they are in town - I know that this Japanese friend of mine - will even buy a whole range of golf clubs to bring home to Japan - the yen is so strong - they shop like lords here.  So if you are playing golf with a Japanese - don’t under-estimate them.