No Mo' Kimono

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is nothing more beautiful than a woman in a kimono.…

Correction, there is nothing more beautiful than a Japanese woman in a kimono. There is something about a white girl in a kimono that is both awkward and kind of disgusting, but I digress...

The kimono has been around hundreds of years before America was ever discovered and is made up of many layers. So its pretty much exclusive to skinny Asian girls. Honestly, I don’t really care for the white fur that many girls tend to wear on their shoulders, it looks a bit too cave man-ish. Everything else about the kimono is adorable. The bright colors, the obi, the helpless way you have to walk when wearing tight clothes and tall wooden shoes. It’s the perfect outfit!


Which is why I was a little concerned when I read this. The number of people who actually know how to produce these gorgeous pieces of clothing are dying out. Kids don't seem to be lining up to take on the family kimono business like they used to.

Indeed you can walk the streets of Kyoto at any time of day and see at least 3 women in kimono, but for the most part its reserved for ceremonies. That’s a shame because if it were up to me, I’d make a day called kimono kinyoubi – kimono Fridays. I guess in a sense it would be the opposite of casual Fridays. And guys can wear Kimono too, but typically people mean a female kimono when they say kimono.

If you’re as upset as I am about the decline in Kimono producing popularity, just watch this. It always cheers me up!

And then this just brings me back down…

But this brings me way back up! Way up!

マクド

Japanese McDonald's are going to start banning smoking. Go ahead and let that sink in for a second. Is it just me or does that sound absolutely retarded? Cause you certainly wouldn't want the mild inconvenience of smoking while your sipping your 4000 calorie milkshake, right??

For some reason, Japan has been moving in the anti-smoking direction recently...and I don't see the point. Japan even recently imposed its largest tax hike on cigarettes. So much for 300 yen per pack (about $3.70). Its now up to about 440 yen per pack (about $5.40).

For the most part, smoking establishments have decent ventilation or even a separate section separated by a glass door. And in case you haven't done your research or even seen an episode of Penn & Teller's Bull Shit, it hasn't been proven that second hand smoke is harmful. Just let this guy give you the short version. Nevertheless, I find it extremely hypocritical that Makudo would start banning smoking. Being only 24, I can vaguely remember a time in America where smoking was still cool to do indoors, but I always thought Japan would stick to its guns.

Speaking of McDonald's, I usually enjoy all the specialized foods the Japanese McDonald's has to offer, but it tends to be lost on the gaijin crowd. Foreigners (basically, Americans) tend to look at the menu items in a mixture of surprise and disgust. I can only respond with two words..."Screw you." Seriously, its hard to talk about how gross a teriyaki or shrimp burger are when you come from a country that eats Chitterlings, Turducken, and Deep Fried Twinkies. And KFC just came out with a damn "sandwich" that's just two pieces of chicken, bacon and cheese! Congratulations on developing a 3000 calorie sandwich without a single friggin vitamin.


I honestly wish McDonalds in America was more like the Makudo in Japan - because then I might actually go...