Pretzel and Coke, my favorite comboCAUTION!!
"My mother always said when you're eating pretzels, chew before you swallow" (George W. Bush, in January 2002)
8/16/2007
8/10/2007
Dadakko (だだっ子)
If you are visiting Tsuruoka, Yamagata (山形県鶴岡市) in August:
It's a bit late to see alpine plants on Gassan (月山). (It's still nice, though)
Don't forget to bring your bathing suit.
But, can't miss "Dadakko (だだっ子)", the best selling sweets of Yamagata. It must be named after "dadacha-mame", Yamagata's specialty green soybeans. But, "Dadakko" also means a spoiled, unmagageable kid. So, don't be Dadakko even if you miss the best season to see alpine plants and forget a bathing suit. Oh, and unseasonal "summer" oysters are good as well.
It's a bit late to see alpine plants on Gassan (月山). (It's still nice, though)
Don't forget to bring your bathing suit.
But, can't miss "Dadakko (だだっ子)", the best selling sweets of Yamagata. It must be named after "dadacha-mame", Yamagata's specialty green soybeans. But, "Dadakko" also means a spoiled, unmagageable kid. So, don't be Dadakko even if you miss the best season to see alpine plants and forget a bathing suit. Oh, and unseasonal "summer" oysters are good as well.
8/04/2007
Work hard but not too hard
If you're tired of working, the top priority is to take a vacation (It's a vacation season!!). But, unfortunately, many Japanese (incl. myself) are not brave enough to take a long, long vacation (not days but weeks!). According to a survey by the Economist, Finns enjoy 44 days off per year while Japanese salarymen get 18. Yet, note that the survey includes public holidays and Japan has some 15 or so public holidays...
So, here are my tips when you want stop working:
1. Have a break have a kitkat (I prefer Snickers, though)
2. Watch the movie: "the pursuit of happiness"
3. Listen to Consequence's "Don't quit your day job"
In my office, there are some living history of workaholic Japanese. But, as seeing my boss hospitalized last month, I reminded myself of the words: "work hard but not too hard".
So, here are my tips when you want stop working:
1. Have a break have a kitkat (I prefer Snickers, though)
2. Watch the movie: "the pursuit of happiness"
3. Listen to Consequence's "Don't quit your day job"
In my office, there are some living history of workaholic Japanese. But, as seeing my boss hospitalized last month, I reminded myself of the words: "work hard but not too hard".
8/01/2007
Where's Waldo (or Wally)?
Best town to live with your family
Best town to live by yourself
No.2 town to raise your kids
No.2 town to live after your retirement
No.4 town to take a walk
The town is Kichijoji, my favorite town for last 20 years or so (i.e., since I was 10).
These are the results of Nikkei's survey in the late June; answered by approx. 6,000 people in Metropolitan Tokyo (Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures). And this is where I spend most of my weekends. It's ONLY 30-minutes' walk from my apartment! (Mostly I take an Inokashira line to get there, though)
If you wanna see me, find a man just like Waldo (or Wally). But, note that most of Japanese men look like Waldo. Catch me if you can, and I'll buy you a cup of Starbucks coffee. No venti size but short...
Best town to live by yourself
No.2 town to raise your kids
No.2 town to live after your retirement
No.4 town to take a walk
The town is Kichijoji, my favorite town for last 20 years or so (i.e., since I was 10).
These are the results of Nikkei's survey in the late June; answered by approx. 6,000 people in Metropolitan Tokyo (Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures). And this is where I spend most of my weekends. It's ONLY 30-minutes' walk from my apartment! (Mostly I take an Inokashira line to get there, though)
If you wanna see me, find a man just like Waldo (or Wally). But, note that most of Japanese men look like Waldo. Catch me if you can, and I'll buy you a cup of Starbucks coffee. No venti size but short...
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