i hope your dreams for 2010 come true!!!

よいおとしを

happy new year

i got told off for taking these photos...but i did it anyway!!!

(roppongi hills...estnation)

some nice repetition i found in hibiya today...

parasite single (japan) versus kick them out (uk)...

the guardian reports today that  tough love is considered best by the government for young unemployed people...read article here...basically don't molly-coddle them!!!

in japan we have 'parasite singles'.. a term coined in japan for adult offspring still living with parents...some see it as negative...others as positive...read more here

make up your own mind...but personally i can't see what is wrong with living with your parents if everyone is happy about it...it makes economic sense at least to say nothing of other benefits

it is just whether we can individually stand the situation!!!

what do you think???

a balanced meal...

dinner at kazue's

clear soup with wakame seaweed and fu (wheat gluten)

rice cooked with mushrooms and ginko nuts

simmered daikon (radish) with miso and yuzu garnish

deep fried seasonal vegetables

(pumpkin, lotus root and green pepper)

avocado and tomato salad for xmas colours

i read this in the japan times yesterday...

in contrast to the recent chaos on eurostar,  japan's bullet trains are rarely disrupted by a cold snap...why...they have several measures to tackle snowfall...hot water is sprinkled onto the tracks, plows are put onto the front cars, cables are coated with a substance that prevents snow from sticking!!!

the shinkansen between tokyo and osaka operates 323 trains a day...its average delay is 1 minute...yes 1 minute!!!


but even the shinkansen technology cannot cope when the earth moves or nasty typhoons arrive!!!


but snow is not a big problem!!! 

look what the postman brought on xmas day!!!

perfect timing

thanks ms cc!!!

xmas morning breakfast!!!

baked tofu cheesecake

we made this yesterday at my cooking circle

it has to be eaten today!!!

xmas eve in japan is a time for a special cake...

sponge cake

covered with fresh cream

decorated with strawberries

eaten on xmas eve

often preceded by fried chicken

usually bought at KFC!!!

made by kazue...not me!!!

please refrain from drunken behaviour...do it at home!!!

...poster at gaiemmae underground station

actually there is a series of posters

about manners on the subway!!!

room with a view...ha ha...

more food...conveyor belt sushi this time...

sushi chefs hard at work

rice-stuffed tofu pouches

with picked ginger and green tea

pintokona...roppongi hills

earthquakes...

i have found the most amazing web site for japanese earthquake info

here

we have had 3 earthquakes already today!!!

tv ad...not a good name!!!

royal milk tea kitkat...not nice!!!

royal milk tea is tea with hot milk...

this is a japanese take on tea with milk...

and in itself it is quite nice

but as a kitkat it just does not work!!!

too sickly!!!

but nice packaging!!!

out-of-town schoolgirls in tokyo (shibuya)...

these schoolgirls are NOT from tokyo i am reliably informed...the giveaway signs are:

1. white socks

2. large coloured rucksacks

3. the design of their collars

4. style of sports shoes

5. they were looking everywhere!!!

the earth moved at 05.56 today...

here for more information...to me it meant i was woken up by the building shaking a bit...it was quite short and not a biggie...but it moved again a little bit at about 8.45 am!!!

we have no idea what will happen in tokyo if a big one hits...apparently it is long overdue!!!

japan airlines (JAL) and british airways (BA)

i was interested in 2 articles about the above 2 national airlines in my newspaper (the japan times) here yesterday

the news about BA is that 92.5% of cabin crew have voted to walk out over the holiday season...from dec 22nd to jan 2nd

the news about JAL is that one measure by the company to regain some stability has been to propose to retirees to cut their pension benefits...in a preliminary survey 75% have given approval!!!

quite an interesting comparison???

jizobosatusu...

at the foot of tokyo tower is a buddhist temple...zojoji

with a lot of these little statues in the grounds

they're called jizobusatusu

they are the buddhist equivalent of angels

and protect the souls of unborn children

people who have lost an unborn child can dedicate an image

and decorate with bonnets, windmills, flowers, etc

upmarket shopping in ginza...not for the likes of me!!!

tokyo tower...333m high...to be outdone in 2012 by the tokyo sky tree...634m!!!

toyko sky tree info here

more food...korean this time...but cooked in tokyo!!!

chijimi

a kind of pancake

tteopoki

spicy sauce with vegetables and rice pasta

i like cake...all kinds are ok!!!

there are still a few persimmons left on the trees...

 (nakameguro)

i don't like karaoke in the uk...

singing in a huge room in front of total drunk strangers is not my idea of fun...but in japan..it is fabulous...we get our own room with just our group...disco lighting...an enormous selection of songs...a good menu of food/drink all delivered by a waiter!!!

which do you prefer?

over-the-top mikimoto...or minimal applemac???

nice patisserie near oyamadai station...

i chose a polonnaise cake

and a hot milk tea

yummy!!!

the latest hearthrobs for japanese women...

apparently these 4 are the latest craze for middle-aged, mostly married japanese women...this adoration of idols is taken to extremes here with obsessive behaviour like waiting for hours at hotels for a sighting, queueing to get tickets, buying all kinds of spin-off goods like books, pens, key-rings, housekeeping books, passport covers...the list is endless

the korean actor craze has been and still is the biggest craze here..."winter sonata" the korean drama that started it all was shown on tv here in 2002 and the craze for the main actor, yon-sama, continues...he has released books, opened a restaurant here and is the voice-over for an animation version of the drama...women even go to korea for what are called shadowing trips...the women are taken to places where the idol is expected to be...like the gym or cafe...and they wait and wait and wait for a sighting or hopefully a smile

this behaviour is quite interesting to me as i cannot imagine it happening in the uk...of course we  follow celebrities but not to this extent...maybe the japanese are just very very good at capitalising on a product...my own personal theory is that a japanese housewife has a husband who is so busy at work and tired at home, she needs romance and fantasy to interrupt her domestic routine and fill some kind of hole in her emotions

there is no doubt that these guys are good-looking...but i don't think i can wait for hours to catch a glimpse...but...you never know!!!

today's sky...