I Love Japan: #89

Geta （下駄）



Or as I like to call them, "more footwear that will never fit me." The traditional sandals for kimono and yukata, geta really tie together the total Japanese look... that, and a surgical mask. (More on that later.)

I Love Japan: #90

Public holidays

We get all sorts of days off here in Japan. Take today, for instance. It's the birthday of the old Emperor, Showa, who reigned before, during and after World War II.

Here's the complete list I nabbed off some website:

1 Jan New Year's Day.
12 Jan Coming of Age Day.
11 Feb National Foundation Day.
20 Mar Vernal Equinox.
29 Apr Showa Day.
3 May Constitution Memorial Day.
4 May Greenery Day.
5 May Children's Day.
20 July Marine Day.
21 Sept Respect for the Aged Day.
23 Sept Autumnal Equinox.
12 Oct Sports Day.
3 Nov Culture Day.
23 Nov Labor Thanksgiving Day.
23 Dec Birthday of the Emperor.


I don't know what a third of these actually celebrate, but any day that involves pizza and soccer, and would otherwise be spent at work, is fine by me.

I Love Japan: #91

Koban （小判）



Everyone's seen these before, right? The gold currency used in feudal Japan? Anyone? Anyone? Beuller? No? Maybe seeing it referenced in a modern context will help you out:



Yes, that's a koban plastered on that Pokemon's forehead. (Side note: Meowth himself is another reference of Japanese culture...)



A Japanese proverb, "Neko ni koban" ("Give a koban to a cat"), means the same thing as "Cast pearls before swine," or that inappreciative people shouldn't be given valuable things. Interesting note: In the Japanese version of Pokemon, Meowth's Pay Day attack (where he throws coins--or more accurately, koban--at the enemy) was called Neko ni Koban. The more you know! (Cue shooting star over NBC logo.)

These coins probably bought a lot of sashimi 400 years ago, back in old Edo. They're obsolete nowadays, of course (good luck trying to insert one into one of the many vending machines around here), but some can be found on display in museums and antique shops. I saw a whole bunch of the hash brown-shaped relics at the National Museum in Tokyo. Now, I've never been into the whole "vintage" scene, but I gotta say, I've never wanted to steal anything more than I wanted to steal those koban. Could've taken them to the bank just to mess with the teller. "Can I get some stamps?"

I Love Japan: #92

Yuzu （ゆず）



Yuzu is a Japanese citrus with a half orange, half lemon flavor. You can find it in grocery stores, and as a main ingredient in salad dressings, pasta sauces, vinegars, oils, syrups and juices. And I think it's pretty healthy, too. A yuzu a day keeps the swine flu at bay!

I Love Japan: #93

Vending machines

Unlike America, Japan has vending machines everywhere. And when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere.

Including the top of Mt. Fuji.



While snack vending machines aren't as common, it's likely you'll run into a drink-dispensing one within sixty seconds of walking out your front door--literally. Sidewalks are dotted with them, and many times they can be located right outside a person's house. Some even sell beer. (And are located right outside of a high school, as is the case in my town...)

Here are some (of the many) situated outside my school:



What you don't see is the other triplet of machines directly across the street from these. Let's take a closer look at its wares...



Finally! Innocent brew! Praise be to God, the mornings of forcing down corrupt caffeine are finally over. Now I can start my day with a wholesome coffee that won't steal my woman, tens from my wallet, or my Visa to buy Snuggies on QVC. Thanks, Roots! You're the best part of waking up.



Momma, let me be!



A cute gimmick to promote recycling. Personally, I'd prefer to see the can with horns, a pointed tail and a pitchfork. Maybe have it say, "You haven't seen the last of me, humans!" with blood dripping off the serifs. Something tells me it wouldn't bode well in this land of plush keychains and Hello Kitty, however. Oh well, I'd probably recycle anyway!

I Love Japan: #94

Bizarre beauty products

Collagen marshmallows. I just saw these tonight when they were on sale in a drug store in Shizuoka City.



Here's one that's also an exquisite example of Engrish. It's Horny Remover!



And ladies, feeling a little inadequate about your twin peaks? Put away those padded bras and balled-up tissues--here comes Bust Up Gum!



From the makers of F-Cup Cake.

I Love Japan: #95

Shamisen （三味線）

This three-stringed, widely-recognized banjo holds a premiere seat in the pantheon of great Japanese instruments. I think we can all agree that its sound is the most iconic of Japan. Sometimes I see performers playing shamisen in train stations.

Awesome shamisen player:



The Yoshida Brothers:



Dueling shamisen:

I Love Japan: #96

Omikuji （おみくじ）

These are little paper fortunes you get when you visit shrines.




Some are good ("blessings") and others are bad ("curses"). Each comes in varying potencies; for instance, you might get a "great blessing" one day, and the next day, you get a "mini-curse." I think the worst I've ever gotten was "half-curse."

If you get a curse, you tie it to the rack and abandon it, as opposed to taking it home with you. Unless, of course, your mini-curse is in the third trimester. In that case, you must keep it, unless there's a dumpster or Bojangles restroom nearby, in which case you can inconspicuously ditch the omikuji, where it waits helplessly until someone comes to its rescue. Maybe somebody like a lonely janitor with too many cats, or a hooker with a heart of gold. Many frown upon such a practice, however.

I Love Japan: #97

Yakisoba （やきそば）




One of my favorite Japanese foods. I want one of my Japanese friends to teach me how to cook proper yakisoba so I can try to recreate it in the States, though I hear you can buy yakisoba at some grocery stores nowadays (!). It's basically Japan's take on chow mein. It's pan-fried noodles with pieces of pork, cabbage, bean sprouts, pickled ginger (the red stuff), seaweed powder and fish flakes, all in a sweet sauce. You can get it any which way: in packages of instant mix, as a side dish at an izakaya, for a main dish at a nice restaurant, shaken not stirred, in a box with a fox, etc.

It's also common to find it served in between hot dog buns. Sure, you can put anything in a hot dog bun! Didn't you know?

I Love Japan: #98

Uniqlo

My matriculation of memories continues with Japan's favorite clothing franchise.




Uniqlo is kind of Japan's Old Navy, but nicer. They're all over Japan, and have one hundred stores in Tokyo alone. Apparently they're looking to expand across the world, and opened up a store in NYC not too long ago.

Japanese people hail it as being "cheap," and by Japanese standards, it is. Just last weekend I spent about 100 bucks and got three collared shirts, a t-shirt and two pairs of shorts. And it's not cheaply made, either, so it's gonna last me a while. Plus, the girl folding the khakis was really cute.

The franchise's commercials, like a lot of things in Japan, are very inventive:



All in all, I'm gonna miss Uniqlo when I get home, and Japanese clothing stores in general. This country's clothes fit me well. Whaddya think the odds are of a Uniqlo opening up at Jefferson Pointe?

I Love Japan: #99

Koinobori （鯉幟）





When I was a little kid, I loved windsocks, especially really cool ones. That being said, I reckon 5-year-old me would've thought Japanese windsocks--or koinobori--were the coolest things ever. I also probably would've pestered my parents into putting some up in the backyard. It would've guaranteed at least honorable mention in the neighborhood association's landscaping contest. Who needs a daylily garden or a water feature when you've got a family of cloth carp billowing in the breeze? Keep up with that shit, Joneses.

It's appropriate that my younger self would've been enamored with koinobori, because they're put up in annual celebration of Children's Day, which takes place during Golden Week on May 5.

Here's a traditional song that kids sing on Children's Day:

屋根より高い鯉幟
大きな真鯉はお父さん
小さな緋鯉は子供たち
面白そうに泳いでる

Higher than the roof-tops are the koinobori
The large Black Carp is the father
The smaller Golden Carp are the children
They seem to be having fun swimming.

Cool, eh? P.S.: I brought my camera to take pictures of some koinobori outside of a house near school, but they took them down. I'll try to nab some shots during Golden Week, so don't have a cow, man.

100 Awesome Things About Japan

Here's the deal.

As of today, I officially have 100 days left in my contract on the JET Program. Bottom line--I don't have enough time to keep taking this opportunity for granted.

So, from now until July 27, 2009--exactly one year since I arrived in Japan and the day my contract expires--I will lovingly devote daily posts to various tidbits about Japanese life. Things you just can't find anywhere else in the world except in this country, and things I'll miss once I leave. One hundred awesome things about Japan.

I must admit, this is not my idea--last year, I stumbled across a couple of JETs' blogs, and they did the exact same thing. Now I'm jacking it for my own. I guess that makes me the Rob van Winkle of the blogosphere.

I must also admit that, for a guy who cites his passion as writing, I've done a craptacular job of keeping this blog reasonably updated. Hopefully, this list will keep me more on the ball with that, and will keep me living in the moment during these last few months in Japan.

And so, ladies and germs, let's get this countdown rolling! It'll be a lot like Casey Kasem's show, minus the Flo Rida and "long distance dedications." (Sorry, Nancy of Missoula, but Lou from ninth grade algebra doesn't remember you, definitely doesn't love you, and won't hear you dedicate "Eternal Flame" to him on the air. He's watching Press Your Luck in rehab.)



#100: "Sumimasen!" （すみません！）

If there's one word you should know when visiting Japan, it's this. It'll be your Swiss army knife, or your ShamWow. You can use it for anything. Basically meaning "excuse me," you'll find yourself pulling it out time and time again. Want somebody's attention? "Sumimasen!" Ending a phone conversation? "Sumimasen!" Did you back into somebody's one-year-old car in a restaurant parking lot, leaving a dent the size of a pizza box? (Yes, this happened to me.) "Sumimasen!"

I say this word roughly nine hundred times a day. It's versatile, and in Japan, apologizing repeatedly and profusely for nothing in particular will never do you wrong. It's a surefire way to get on people's good sides. You'll be a real stud at the maid cafe! Oh--you're not into that kind of thing? Sumimasen.

Learn from the strangers on YouTube:





All right, that's it for today. The countdown rolls on tomorrow. Remember, everyone: keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars!