Scoop of the Year: The mattresses at the Mitsui Garden Hotel in Nara are made by Toyota. True futon otakus know the Toyota I speak of is not the same…

A weird sidebar on the menu of a pretty lousy Italian chain restaurant in Japan, Saizeria. Turmeric, huh? Just how popular is the “equivalent of cubic zirconium for saffron” in…

NOW OPEN AT EXCLUSIVE NAMBA PARKS LOCATION – FOB COOP! Come partake in noisy group consumption of cheap, smelly food “from the homeland” in a less-than-completely hygienic setting…

Bill was less than thrilled at the present I brought back to his bar from the states. Maybe he just needs someone to show him the light. Hmm… I will…

I took this photo of a chopstick sheath at our doctor-friend’s wedding reception at the Ritz Carlton Osaka. After taking it, I tweaked it with my phone’s onboard graphics editing…

There were giant takoyaki decorations hanging from the ceiling of the main building by the Koban inside of KIX when we left for home in December. By the way the…

The hot new line of kids clothes by the Aeon Corp. You guys rock!

Asse brand chocolate is a sure hit, in my mind. We took several boxes back to the states as gifts because nothing says “I love you” like a handful of…

Watch out, Virgin/Tower/HMV! This little shop in Sumoto proudly boasts CDs, LDs, and cassette tapes! Reminds me of an NTT mobile store in the Kyushu countryside that had a sign…

I get the feeling that the person who thought this product up is frustrated by the idiots at his company who can’t appreciate his visions of a future robotic nanosociety…

When you enter a 100 yen store, make a beeline for the molded plastics section, it will instantly make you feel better, richer even. Do you know how much this…

Went to kaiten sushi with Taro and Mimi. A large tuna roll jammed the dishes rotating off the conveyor. A flying fish egg roll almost fell off onto Mimi-chan. The…