It's freezing cold at night in Nagoya. Not much snow this year, not yet anyway, but cold enough to warrant wearing a hat and scarf.... Sort of 4th Doctor, Tom Baker style...
And when we talk scarf, I mean my 4.5 m long, hand knitted 18th Season Tom Baker Dr. Who styled scarf. Nerd? Me? ....Too right!
I can't help myself,...there seems to be a sudden glut of history related magazines coming out recently, and I find myself having to buy them! Takes me ages to find the time to read them, and some of the information I already know, or is in other magazines and books I have,...but just in case, have to buy them...
Sometimes I buy two! One for me, and one for an Oda Nobunaga fanatic friend in America...
Visited the furniture and house ware megastore, Furniture Dome over the weekend.... About time I bought some new bedding and a new kitchen table...
This is a great idea, stick one of these badges on, and the staff won't bother you...I didn't, and they still didn't approach me... must be doing alright for themselves then.
This is what I really want, very 60's kitsch with a futuristic taste! Perhaps next trip to Furniture Dome....
PPF Radio School student, and Pitch-FM reporter, Shirakawa Yo turned 24 this week! Gave him Chicago's latest Best Album!
Went out for dinner with some business friends to a special seafood restaurant,...which sounds nice,...until you hear of their specialty,...
And that specialty is,... an Anago, a large, grotesque eel like creature, and they serve not only the flesh of this sea monster, but also various innards as well, boiled with vegetables and bean curd in a pot. It's considered a delicacy in Japan,...I'd prefer a pizza.
Latest series of samurai history magazines is now available,...this means I have to spend even more money on these now..... Never mind, more information to absorb!
First bit of business for the year involves a computer graphics and a video production company for our latest endeavor.... hopefully more details soon!
Took my radio program, "Radio Orbit" staff flying after the show on Sunday... Took off from Hachiya Heliport for a couple of local flights...
Conditions were perfect! It was a beautiful day, light winds, great visibility...and a lot of fun!
This was the first time in a helicopter for the staff too, and everyone enjoyed themselves!
Star wars Episode 1 3D comes out at the end of January, and European fast food chain, Quick have come out with a Darth Vader and a Jedi burger. I'm a huge Star wars fan, but I think I'll pass on this one! How on Earth could you eat one of those things? May the Fork be with you!
A late night business meeting? Left the office at 11:30pm, and arrived at Japan's second most important shrine, Atsuta Shrines' Ebisu Shrine just after midnight on the 5th for the annual prayer to the God of Commerce, Ebisu. In the shrine grounds was a huge fire where the charms of the past year are burned, and new business good luck charms are sold. Tell you what, the shrines make sure that return business is good!
Posters within the shrine grounds reminding visitors to get their good luck charms and lucky business talismans at Hatsu Ebisu.
For an article for Japan Tourist (see www.japantourist.jp) lunch today was Nagoya's famed Miso Nikomi Udon noodles. Thick, chewy, tasty Udon noodles in Hatcho Miso broth! Perfect on a freezing cold day!
Every New Years, the Japanese go to a shrine to make Hatsumode, their New Years observances, this year I went to nearby Fujino Shrine, about a minutes walk from home. During the construction of Nagoya Castle, the shrine grounds became a small town for the many carpenters brought in to work on the various buildings.
The shrine was also important for blessing the huge stones used in the walls surrounding and supporting the castle. Some still remain in the shrines precincts. Here's to a strong and sturdy 2012!
My friend Kobayashi San is also a Star Wars fan, and recently bought an interesting book. Each page shows a slice of the Millennium Falcon, explaining the engines, weaponry, protective shields, crew and operations quarters, storage facilities etc. It's written as an owners manual, and quite well done,... Now I have to buy one too! Book that is, not Falcon,...
New Years Greeting card for 2012, the Year of the Dragon. In my office, apart from the suits of samurai armor, is a large carved dragon. This is a ranma, a relief set above a sliding door from an Edo Period (1603-1868) temple.
New Years Eve,...it's a Saturday, and as I have to be at the radio station from 5am, Sunday morning, it's a quiet night at home with the crabs! Just went shopping for dinner and decided upon 3,000 Yen ($30) worth of crab! Yum!
It's that time of year when almost every night is a year end dinner / drinkies session with friends and colleagues,...this time with the G-factory production team and Steve Edwards, a local cameraman...
December 26 is Tokugawa Ieyasu's birthday, and to celebrate, I went to the Shogun's birthplace, Okazaki Castle. It was absolutely freezing, and snowing most of the day!
The Shogun's samurai appeared first and put on a sword display,...their teacher by the way is your's truly,.....
X-mas dinner was at Shikimichi, a French styled restaurant in a refurbished 270 year old traditional Japanese warehouse with some business friends...
Not a very X-massy style of dinner, but there was some red and green involved to give the impression of X-mas...
