Too much of a good thing

Yes, it is possible to have too much of a good thing, even when that good thing is Japan. A good buddy of mine introduced me to this website and article. This guy has lived in Japan long enough to see the ugly side. It happened to myself, but I've always tried to give Japan the benefit of the doubt or blame my own ignorance. This particular article provides an unfiltered rant on some real issues that one might come across on a regular basis. He brings up some good points, though I don't have nearly as big of an issue with smoking as he does. But as for smoking at 'toddler-eyeball-burning height' - I think I've actually seen a warning sign that shows a kid getting his face burned. He is correct in that virtually EVERY video game console in an arcade has an ash tray on it. Its interesting to note here that I have yet to see someone steal one of those ash trays.

I was surprised to hear about another vegetarian in Japan, and I completely sympathize with this guy. You can try to avoid meat in Japan, but its a 25 hour a day job. Japan still equates meat to 'genki' - a feeling of energy and vitality. This is akin to the 50's motto of 'eat your red meat, its good for you', which is obviously retarded. I've had numerous experiences like his bacon salad adventure. I usually try to give Japan the benefit of the doubt and figure that Niku (meat) is used to describe the big hunks of meat, not the minced stuff that finds its way in to everything. Big chunks or not, its still meat.

The 'screaming is the message' section was particularly hilarious. Many a time I found myself getting some melon-pan (oh so delicious) at a conbini, standing right next to someone restocking the shelves. Then out of nowhere some incoherent shout caused by Japanese turrets scares the crap out of me, and then silence. Does this guy need help? Should I be calling 119? (Now you know how to call the ambulance in case of an emergency!)

Though everything he says is a little spiteful and a tad overly sarcastic, its fact. I'm so glad to hear that Japanese TV bugs someone else as much as me. I just thought I was spoiled by one of the few things America actually does well.

If you get sick of hearing how awesome Japan is, check out more stuff from Tim

Break me off a piece of that soy sauce bar!

This is a follow up to a post I've already made. I've already mentioned some of the fantastic flavors that Japan has to offer such as ketchup and mayonnaise Pringles, but I seemed to have left some amazing flavors out.
Here is a review of some of the odd Kit Kat flavors Japan sells. I've only had the privilege of trying about half of these. Royal milk tea was quite good, but you have to be a fan of milk tea already. The green tea was very good too but I'm not sure why. The bitterness of the green tea plus the sweetness of the chocolate just went really well. I'm a little disappointed they didn't review the 'apple' flavor, cause I'm sure the comments would have read something like
"better than chrystal meth!", or something along those lines. I didn't know what true happiness was until I found apple Kit Kats.

My lady friend claims that the Soy Sauce flavor is pretty decent, just a bit salty. Apparently salty flavors are popular in Japan lately. I hope Japan isn't growing out of the corn mayonnaise phase!!! I haven't tried it yet, but I would recommend dipping the corn flavored Kit Kat in mayonnaise....I can't see how that could be bad.

Herbivores

Check this out. Its an interesting article about how more Japanese kids are becoming less motivated and men are becoming less manly. This is another article that focuses on men in particular. They call these unmotivated, more effeminate men 'herbivores'. Before I continue, let me just say that find calling feminine men 'herbivores' a bit offensive - especially considering that all human beings are herbivores. Nah, I'm not really offended, but I'm pretty sure that name was picked to be offensive.

Japanese kids are supposed becoming less motivated to find a good job or even study abroad. The men are supposedly becoming less motivated to go through the motions of dating and finding a wife. There must be a problem there because I've seen Japanese women and any guy who wouldn't want to date them is obviously sick....or gay, which is a valid excuse. I've heard many reasons for this trend. Reasons such as no war makes it unnecessary for men to prove their manliness or people are just not motivated to work 14 hour days for the rest of their life, can you blame them?? In defense of the Japanese kids, the survey conducted in the first article to show this trend was a little cheesy.

I feel like this trend has been occurring everywhere, but in Japan (a country very resistant to any kind of change) this kind of change is considered a step back and very scary.

What The Japanese Have That You Don't

Finally, I have a scientific response to the often asked "what do the Japanese have that we (Americans) don't?"
Besides the obvious answer of manners and an understanding of the world outside their own country, the Japanese have a specific gene that Americans do not.

In USA TODAY, I just read that the Japanese have a specific gene for breaking down porphyran, which is found in seaweed. Pretty sweet でしょう？ So much for 'we are all the same on the inside'.

One a similar note, I freakin love 海苔 (nori/seaweed). There are all different types of seaweed and its found in all types of Japanese cuisine. You can put it on your rice like this, or you can just eat the dried sheets like big potato chips (probably my favorite way to enjoy it). Probably not good for your sodium intake, but delicious!

Jihanki

I've only talked about these in passing, but I'd like to discuss vending machines, 自販機, in a little more detail. In America you only hear about the weird ones that dispense panties, liquor, and porn. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I would venture to say you could get EVERYTHING you could want from a vending machine in Japan. Here are some futsuu and bizarre vending machines.

This article offers some additional insight into Japanese society and vending machines and how vending machines actually work in Japan. I have yet to see a machine out of order or steal my dollar. Interestingly, you can use 1000 yen bills (about $11) in jihanki, which is unheard of in America. The article is written in real (British) English, so I hope you know what a 'metre' is...

If you don't have any money (like after an expensive trip to Soap Land or something like that) you can use your phone to buy stuff from some vending machines. You can also get cold drinks in the summer, and hot drinks in the winter. Hot corn soup or boss coffee makes the winter bike rides quite tolerable. Recently Japan initiated a pass system requiring a special card to buy cigarettes to keep the underage kids from getting their hands on them. This pass system spread pretty quickly around Osaka, but I'm not sure its made its way to the countryside yet.

The chu-hai vending machine will always hold a special place in my heart but, like the trains, they shut down around midnight. So start your boozing early or plan ahead!

ちゃりに乗る時

I came across this article today and it paints a pretty clear picture of what commuting is like in any Japanese city - not just Tokyo.

I found the 'mamas on bikes' section particularly spot on. Why are you still reading this, read the other article! (’-’*)

One thing they left out of the article is the sweet little bike bell. Unlike in America where the car horn is typically a sign of someone's frustration, the bike bell is a courteous tool that most people (about 99% from my experience) move out of the way for. The only people who don't are the 60+ year old salary men who are stubborn as hell. Here is an awesome video to illustrate my point.

I think now is a good time to bring up an interesting fact about Japan - Japan is more than just Tokyo. Say what?!?! Yeah, its true. Tokyo is a pretty cool city, but its not the only city (though it is the largest city in the world), and a lot of gaijin tend to forget that. But since most movies that deal with Japan take place in Tokyo, and most companies have their headquarters there, you are pretty much forced to see or work in Tokyo at some point in time....so all is forgiven.

I actually found Tokyo to be the least 'Japanese' city in Japan - it has a huge foreign population and a Chipotle - how Japanese could Tokyo actually be??