Monthly Archives: December 2009

Magic PET bottle creatures

Published December 30, 2009
Magic PET creatures from the depths of the sea! What now?! Yes. They float, they sink, they wobble playfully in the waves of your bottled green tea or iced coffee. Discover these mysterious new life forms living in your drink today!
Posted in Other | 2 Comments

Light Photography in a Rotting Onsen Hotel

Published December 28, 2009
Last week I took you through the bowels of a water-ridden, decomposing onsen hotel haikyo in the heart of the Japanese countryside. The ample time we had made it possible to try out some long exposure light photography. So here’s the artistic side of the hotel, as well as some background to the ghost story.
Posted in Haikyo / Ruins | 28 Comments

Roly Poly Cat Egg for Christmas?

Published December 23, 2009
Since it’s Christmas, I figured this week’s Omoshiro Zakka (Interesting Items) should be Christmas themed. But you’d be surprised at how boring the average goods are that depict Christmas. Santa in underwear is your closest bet… So instead, let’s take a look at the Yura-Koro Tamago Nyanko!
Posted in Other | 5 Comments

Rotting Onsen Resort Hotel

Published December 21, 2009
Haikyo (ruins) are often very unsettling. The eerie silence punctured only by unknown bumps in the dark. Warped, decaying wood and floors riddled with damp. Such was the onsen resort hotel I stumbled upon recently. Something about this one said I shouldn’t enter alone, so I enlisted the help of a friend…
Posted in Haikyo / Ruins | 47 Comments

Ice Cubes that Tell Stories

Published December 16, 2009
This week’s Omoshiro Zakka (Interesting Items) are quirky ice cubes. If you’ve ever wanted to liven up a boring glass of coke or impress your cocktail party guests, these are for you. There’s even the potential for murder mystery games if you let your imagination loose!
Posted in Other | 9 Comments

How blogging is changing Public Relations in Japan

Published December 13, 2009
How has social media and blogging affected the way companies market in Japan? In this article, I take a look at Consumer Generated Media (CGM) and the way blogs have been utilised by several companies to improve their public relations and then go on relate it to the wider context of marketing in Japan.
Posted in Japan | 9 Comments

Sea Anemone Accessory Holder

Published December 9, 2009
This week’s Omoshiro Zakka (Interesting Item) is the sea anemone named ‘Harry’ (seemingly named after its designer). A fun-filled desk item that allows you to stick just about *anything* into its tentacles. I recommend accessories, though…
Posted in Other | 12 Comments

Top 5 free online Japanese English dictionaries

Published December 7, 2009
Free Japanese resources are plentiful on the internet, but have you ever wondered if you are getting the most out of them? While studying Japanese and working as a translator I’ve found a lot of great tools. So here’s Gakuranman’s top 5 picks for the best online dictionaries for Japanese-English translation!
Posted in Japan | 40 Comments