There's an ad showing up on TV here in Japan recently that seems kind of odd to me. See, there's one younger woman, clearly laying down on this star-shaped pillow, talking... with her cell phone plugged into it. Then they cut to an older man, laying on a similar pillow, talking on his cell phone. They're joking, just light talk, but the point is ( Read more... )

The other day, one of the news shows had a fluffy white rabbit and a glass globe full of seahorses as props to talk about the new year. As they reminded us, 2011 is the year of the rabbit. And they showed us the fluffy white rabbit -- a long-haired variety who was quite happy to be on TV.
( Why is a seahorse a dragon? )

While I'm thinking about it, another bit of Japanese fun at this time of year ( Read more... )

This is a seasonal Japanese treat. This morning, one of the daily news hosts was shown at the shelters in Tohoku, happily pounding mochi. What do I mean by that?
( What is mochi? )

(just for fun ( Read more... )

This morning, Mitsuko had the TV on (she likes to leave it running). There was some funny guy in a yellow spandex outfit -- StretchMan! -- showing us how to do some stretching exercises. Stand straight, lift your right arm and stick it out, now grab your elbow with your other arm, and pull your arm around straight across your chest. Don't twist ( Read more... )

Well, actually... one of the news reports this morning was about a new app for grandpa and grandma. It's from the bus company, out in the rural areas. And what it does is allow grandpa to easily make a reservation -- including the location -- for the new "healthy bus" service. Which is actually small vans, not buses, and some apparently are ( Read more... )

Do dogs really need a special massage?

The other day, a roving report happened to take a stroll through Azabu Juban, in Tokyo. This is a pretty ritzy area, with lots of specialty stores. Maybe kind of like Rodea Drive in Beverly Hills, from what I've heard of it? Or pick your ritzy area.
( Say what? )

Just another quick bit from the news this morning. Somewhere in Tokyo, I think, they were showing what apparently is the newest gadget for store owners. It wasn't quite life-size, but basically it looked like a mirror... Except when the female news person walked up to it and looked at herself, it started showing her image in various outfits from ( Read more... )

Here's a fun bit from the news today. In some kind of sidewalk survey (no, they didn't go into details about how they got these numbers), the news people report that ( Read more... )