5.29.2008

Pictures from Pontocho

After work is finished I usually walk around in Pontocho hoping to see any Maiko from one of the nearby Okiyas walking about. Pontocho is basically a very narrow street that connects shijo street and Sanjo street and goes along the kamo river so most of the restaurants have an open terrace where you can sit and enjoy your drinks at night time while listening to the river current and also they have very traditional store fronts. I took some pics from this street to show you guys:
This is basically how most of the houses look in pontocho, wooden fences, sliding door entrance, bamboo curtains etc..

I found a very interesting store in Pontocho, they only sell things with rabbits on them and even though their merchandise is super cute , like the Bunny's you see in the picture above, what called my attention more was the fact that the store is a very old traditional style Japanese house and when you walk in you get to experience how small the space in these houses really is.

More traditional style facades, the curved bamboo screen you see on the floor were used long ago by tea houses and restaurants to keep people outside the store from overhearing conversations inside , it is intended to keep people away from the wall, you can see these curved bamboo screens in many places in Kyoto.


The picture above is a display from a traditional sweets shop in Pontocho, the box on the left has hitokuchi warabi which is a sort of jelly with a sweet sesame powder sprinkle on it, to the right is another sort of jelly but this one is mixed with Azuki bean paste, it is called Yokan and it comes inside a bamboo shoot, both these sweets are very very yummy and they have a very light refreshing taste so it is perfect to eat them in spring.

Mata ne!

5.26.2008

Change

Yes, your eyes are not failing you, that IS kimutaku with the bad hairdo and glasses, it's his look for Fuji Tv's latest dorama named "Change" where he plays the son of a politician who is forced to enter the field against his will in order to replace his father and brother after they tragically die in a plane accident.

Here is the preview for the dorama:






Kimutaku, as always, plays the part perfectly and he has been appearing in many cup of noodle commercials recently , promoting their new eco cup while using the look from his character from the dorama. You can see his commercials on this page: http://www.nissinfoods.co.jp/product/cm/




You can watch the episodes of Change as they are still being loaded at Veoh.com , they have only aired until chapter 3 so far so you will have to check back every week to see the dorama same as us folk in Japan. here is the link for the first episode, remember to download Veoh TV so you can enjoy the full episode : http://www.veoh.com/videos/v12001339HhZYjGwP?searchId=927532497320033128&rank=8


Dont forget to visit the Official Change Website




Mata ne!

Universal Studios Japan

We went down to the Universal Studios in Osaka. The day was cloudy and a bit rainy so it was excellent for walking around and not get punished by the sun and also the park was about 50% full so we didn't have to spend too long on lines to ride the attractions.


The park is themed after different states in the U.S.A so all the signs are in English and there are a lot of American flags around and also the music on speakers throughout the park is American Pop Songs so I got confused when the characters in the attractions spoke in Japanese, it took me 3 rides to get used to it.

We saw Wicked and the songs are mixed , some parts are English and some are in Japanese but the show was very good. There are a lot of foreigners working as performers in this park, I saw more foreigners working there than visiting.


Here are some of the pictures I took while watching the "Fantastic World" performance:

The park, like any other park in the world , has high prices for drinks and food but you can exit the park to eat at one of the many restaurants located right outside the park, like 5 minute walking distance, they offer more variety and more reasonably priced menus.

The park also offers a fast pass , that you can buy to avoid having to wait in line, it costs almost as much as the entry fee but it spares you the tedious time wasted on a 55 minute waiting line.

It was a lot of fun to go so if you're visiting Osaka and you have the time, drop by and have some fun

Mata ne!


5.21.2008

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!

5.20.2008

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

5.19.2008

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!

5.13.2008

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!

5.09.2008

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 !