Thursday, 21 January 2010

saginomiya...a quaint little place i go to each week


waiting at the level crossing



level crossing again



old shops by the canal



canal



daily life



the back of a block of council flats
it was a good day for drying yesterday!!!

Monday, 18 January 2010

japanese like a substantial lunch...


chinese



japanese



english pub menu



lunchtime sushi menu

Sunday, 17 January 2010

this is a kabosu...



a japanese citrus fruit produced in oita in kyushu...similar to a lemon or lime but much sweeter with its own particular taste...i have never seen one in the uk..this one is organic and from my friend's mum's garden in oita...thanks reiko!!!



kabosu next to a lemon

Thursday, 14 January 2010

dessert in jonathan's shin-okubo...


green tea
mr whippy
warabi-mochi
black sugar syrup

Tuesday, 12 January 2010

i heard that...

...the guys who do this kind of job are into climbing...so basically they're enjoying their hobby everyday at work!!!


Wednesday, 6 January 2010

my new...











this is my street in liverpool now!!!


(ta to cc for photo)

an open-air launderette...yes no doors and unstaffed!!!






impossible to have this in the uk...the machines would be ripped out or vandalised in a minute...i do not cease to be amazed at how safe this country is...one theory is that the japanese see themselves as one big family and therefore do not steal off each other...if you leave your bag on the train it is very very likely it will be handed in intact!!
it is very nice to be living in this kind of society

(aside: the japanese word for launderette is "coin laundry"...cute isn't it!!!)


Monday, 4 January 2010

bliss...my washlet...

toilets in japan are beyond belief...i heard madonna bought one to take back with her after experiencing them!!!



you might notice it is plugged into a socket...why???
first the seat is heated with a choice of 3 temperatures!!!


yes...the seat is heated!!!



second...the washlet has the ability to spray water (we can choose the temperature of course) on our parts while we are sitting on the seat...one spray is called bidet and is in the direction for women...the other is in the direction of everyone's bottoms...


mine is a bit unsophisticated but some also puff out warm air to dry and some even puff out deodoriser!!!
...some even have an automatically opening lid...when you walk into the room the lid opens!!!



another little natty feature is the hand-washing facility!!!
the new water to fill the cistern
 comes out of a little spout
 and we can wash our hands!!!

towel is to hand of course!!!

if this has whetted your appetite check out more details here

and...don't worry that we will all be electrocuted...we are on 110 volts electricity here...so it is very safe


Saturday, 2 January 2010

some nice new year decorations...


gotanda



at the hotel entrance



in the lobby
grand prince takanawa hotel

it's the year of the tiger...



...and they've dressed up the statue
 on hamamatsucho station platform!!!

 
such bad taste
in a country of refined elegance!!!