Just Add Water (and Turtle Food)

So hen i got them they were the size of a Toonie (Canadian two-dollar coin) or a five-hundred-yen coin (in Japan). But now, four years later they are HUGE!!!! And they eat a ton! If this is what turtles are like, i`m terrified of having kids!! Eek!
Kobo is the brown one and Shotoku is the green one.

Kobo, when i first got them in 2004:


And then next to a five hundred yen coin in 2005:



And next to the same coin in 2008:

Pandas and plastic straws

Ulala and i went to the movies last week and saw Kung-Fu Panda, which was very funny and much better than i had expected. Apparently a chatty panda is a good look for Jack Black. And Dustin Hoffman was excellent as well. Jackie Chan was pretty much himself with a tail (i wish he`d had a bigger role). Most of the other characters were sorely underdeveloped. But hey, it was a kung-fu movie after all. The best part of going to the theater (a ridiculously expensive outing here in Japan) is in the picture below:

Beer in a plastic cup through a straw. All class, baby, all class.


Ulala hanging out with Po, the star of the film.

RandomLand Moments #75

Once again illustrating how completely and utterly random this fine country can be at times, which is a big part of why i love it here so much.

For the businessman who just can`t enough of suits. So much so in fact that he wants to eat a suit: The Necktie Snack Cake. Shaped like a necktie, complete with knot and frosting stripes.
I haven`t tried wearing it to work yet...



Dog in a shoe (actually by an American brand). It`s a dog... in your shoe. woah.



That is all. Join us next time when who the f*&% knows what we`ll see.

All-Star Game

So a while back ( July 31st ) Tony, Greg, Nishimura-san and i all went to Osaka Kyocera Dome to watch the Japanese Baseball All-Star Game. Not being a huge fan of baseball, i didn`t know much about the players but i did know a few names and i had a lot of fun. The game itself was a bit of a let-down since the Pacific League ("Pa-League") won and we were cheering for the Central League ("Ce-League") - they have the Hanshin Tigers. The Pa^League won in the last inning and did so without much grace. Ah well. What was cool was seeing all the different fans of different players and teams all mixed together in the stands and all cheering one hundred percent, so the atmosphere of the game was incredible. There was even an amateur brass band in the stands, playing the team songs and player chants (there is actually a unique chant for almost every singly player!). Not like a North American game where everyone shit-talks the other team and yells obscenities. I always find that Japanese baseball games have more sportsmanship and good spirit. Also, they serve beer right to your seats. And it was my first time in Osaka Dome, or the "Nipple Dome," which i can actually see from my office despite being over an hour train ride away. I work on the 15th floor and we have a pretty amazing view of all of Osaka. On sunny days the top of the Dome gleams in the distance like a shiny UFO just landed in the middle of a concrete sea. Word.

Bar Tour101 / Tony`s Birthday

Once again flying in the face of chronology, i bring you a recent event while many others wait in the wings. The Osaka Bar Tour hit Umeda this past weekend and it was also in honour of Tony`s birthday that Ulala and i actually ventured out of our couples coma to see the world at night once more. Overall a good night, cut a bit short by Ulala not feeling well (though probably for the best). We also met a couple new people while running around collecting stamps at various bars for the "treasure hunt," one of whom is Clemens (in the photos below). AND we got stuck in the pouring rain for the early part of the night, adding to the sense of adventure.... and wetness. Meh.



Clemens and i downing a whiskey and coke faster than ought be done. It was a race after all...

As a bonus i got to see the crew at Captain Kangaroo for the first time in way too long:



Two of many funny signs seen during the evening:

I don`t know about you but i`m hungry for some cubes, yo.


And nothing says "cut loose and party hard" like V.D.!

Nagoya Castle

While in Nagoya we also got a chance to see the castle. Nagoya-Jo ("Nagoya Castle") is much like that of Osaka - razed in wartime and rebuilt as a museum. The exhibits of Nagoya history and samurai armor and weaponry were interesting, but the feature draw of Nagoya-Jo are the "Shachihoko,"usually translated as "golden dolphins" though they look nothing like dolphins seeing as how dolphins have no scales. My electronic dictionary has a more accurate translation: A fabled fish with a lion-like head, dragon-like sharp scales along the back and an arched tail that points skyward. They sit in pairs on castle rooftops throughout the Land of the Rising Sun. I have yet to figure out why Nagoya`s are considered so special. The castle also has lots of good photo ops and a beautiful view of Nagoya city.

`Red Hair Anne` strikes again

So on Saturday we woke up nice and early and took the Kintetsu train (about two hours) and arrived in Nagoya where we met Noriko, Ulala`s cousin who recently married and moved there. While waiting we saw a giant billboard in the lobby of the shopping center where we were meeting Noriko. It was an add for an "Anne of Green Gables Fair"!! WTF?! They LOVE "Red Hair Anne" here in Japan. To the point of absurdity. You may recall the previous post on this blog about the Love Hotel that bears her name (what you bare inside is up to you, buddy). Up on the top floor of the department store we found a massive gift shop of Anne goods and Canadian Food Fair!! Sweet! I bought a piece of carrot cake (which was delicious and covered with cream cheese icing- just like home!) and we got some maple sweets. There was a big exhibit all about Anne`s life, L.M. Montgomery`s life and the life of the woman who originally translated Anne in to Japanese (who became something of a national hero). There were pictures of East Coast Canada and models of Green Gables. Air Canada even had a table! At the end you could put on the ubiquitous red hair pigtails wig and hat and have your photo taken (see below). Good times.