Morning Glory

This morning before work I passed by the Pontocho Kaburenjo Theater, (its 1 block away from work) to do some geisha stalking and see if I could get lucky and snap some pics for you guys.

The show starts at 12:30 and I arrived at 10:30 so my chances were slim but I did get to capture someone, I say someone because I cant be sure who she is, she has a red neckline which would indicate she is a Maiko but her age is not of a Maiko and also her hairstyle is different from a Maiko's also her hair ornaments are special, so I'm not sure if its a Geisha in costume for the Kamogawa Odori wich is now playing , but I am sure she is one of the two since no one shows up to the Kaburenjo theater in that kind of getup unless they are one of the 2.

If you can make out who she is please post her name. tnx

if you would like to know more about the Kamogawa Odori visit these websites: http://japundit.com/archives/2006/07/05/2957/

Mata ne!

Osaka Castle Pictures

Here are some pics I took while visiting the Osaka Castle:

Before I got there, I thought the castle was the original structure but...... its actually a reconstruction , the castle has a museum inside complete with elevators, theater room, and showrooms.
You can go up by elevator but you must come down using the stairs since the elevators are mainly there for handicapped people , on the top floor there is a balcony .

This next photo reminded me of the observatory at the empire state building in NY, even though it is not nearly as high you get a good view of the city and the souvenir shop is also on this floor, same as in NY.

Mata ne

Bamboo Charcoal

I went shopping with my friend Mie,
we went to the Daimaru department store in Kawaramachi
while we were looking around, we came across a big stand selling bamboo charcoal which for me was really strange , I mean who buys charcoal? right?

well........

Mie said that charcoal is actually quite commonly used in japan, in her home they use it to cook the rice because it makes it shinier and also makes it taste better and adds a whole bunch of good for you minerals to the rice, she also said that charcoal freshens up the air by taking away bad odors caused by bacteria.

After I heard this I thought I had to try it for my self and so I bought a pack of 3 bamboo charcoal sticks, I placed 2 in the house for air freshening and kept the remaining one for cooking.

I tried the rice and its true its comes out a bit shinier though not that much but the taste is different.

I looked up the properties of this type of charcoal and it actually has a lot of benefits like :
1- absorbs chlorine in water
2-promotes deeper sleep
3 absorbing unpleasant smells
4- releasing negative ions

the list goes on an on but you have to read it for yourself, so visit this website to learn more about how to use this around your house: http://www.can.com.sg/neocan/en/streetwise/shop/black_to_nature/the_benefits_of_bamboo.html

these pages also have great info :
http://www.pyroenergen.com/articles/bamboo-charcoal-benefits.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_2145666_use-bamboo-charcoal.html

Mata ne!

Sakuran - The movie

Last sunday I got to watch the TV premier of Sakuran the movie.

Sakuran was originally released on January 2007, it is an adaptation of the popular manga version created by Anno Moyoco and it was directed by Mika Ninagawa.

The plot, I'm sorry to say , is the typical story of the little girl that was sold in to slavery to an edo period brothel only to grow up to be the most beautiful Oiran so she could later run away for true love's sake at the end.

ho hum.........

The original manga portrayed Kyoha (the main character) as a foul mouthed strong headed Oiran, but in the movie all that fiestiness and all the effort leads to her running off with the guy that holds her umbrella, and not once is there any trace of Oirans having to have other talents like calligraphy or any artistic skill, it completely centers on sex only.

The story is weak and quite predictable, but........ the graphics were gorgeous, the color saturation and the scene compositions along with the music choice make this movie quite pleasing to watch, it was very well directed, the actors are also an all star cast, there is even a cameo appearance by Oguri Shun as a low rank flower boy.

I personally prefer movies that are based on a good story and don't have so much sugar coating on them but every one has their one preferences, you have to judge for yourself if you like this movie or not.

You can find out more about Sakuran the movie at the official website and you can see the Movie trailer here:


Official Sakuran Website

Mata ne!

May 2008 top 20 Japanese songs

According to the Oricon Countdown these were the top 20 songs of april 2008 in Japan.

1- Shuchishin by Shuchishin (羞恥心).
2- Mirrorcle world by Ayumi Hamasaki.
3- Burn by B'z
4- Drink it Down by L'Arc-en-Ciel
5- 60s 70s 80s by Namie Amuro
6- Kurikaesu 春 by 244-ENDLI-x
7- Soba ni iru ne by Thelma Aoyama feat. Soulja
8- Tsubasa wo Hirogete by Zard
9- Rizonanto Buru by Morning Musume.
10- Ore ja nayka, kimi ja nakya by 20th Century
11- Double-action climax form
12- Umi Yuki by Jero
13- Wajima Asaichi by Kaori Mizumori
14- Arigatou by Ohashi Takuya
15- Waremokou by Sugimoto Masato
16- Brake the chain by Tourbillion
17- Double Action wing Form
18- Zutto Issho sa by Tatsuro Yamashita
19- Kisha ni notte by Yuki
20- Engine Sentai go-onger by Takahashi Hideyuki

Enjoy

Mata ne !