If you’ve been following this site or my Twitter, you’d probably heard these glorious waffles mentioned many a time already. But we’ve have yet to feature Manneken on its own post that it so deserves. Simply put Manneken’s waffles are possibly the best you’ll find in Japan.

Manneken’s waffles boasts a 26 year old history, with the first store opening in Umeda, Osaka back in 1986. The waffles soon proven popular with the locals, spreading throughout Osaka and to other parts of Japan too. Today, there are 12 stores in Osaka alone with another 14 stores around Japan.

Thanks to a recommendation by Wilson, I had the chance to give the wonderful Manneken waffles a try last year in Osaka. I’ve been hooked ever since then.

Manneken shop in Ginza.

Thankfully, you don’t have to go as far as Osaka to get the waffles. There are two stores in Tokyo, one appropriately located at the crossroads of Ginza and another strangely in Akihabara. The Ginza shop is especially easy to spot as it almost always attracts a queue.

The Manneken logo.

Manneken is of course named after the famous landmark in Brussels. The Manneken logo is the literal likeness of the urinating sculpture. Even if it was their first thing to come to mind when thinking of Belgium, only Japanese craziness could have justified its use. Be reassured, their waffles taste nothing like piss.

Lovely chocolate coated waffles.

Manneken’s Belgian waffles come in a small selection of staple flavors, with an occasional seasonal special like their reason Fromage or Sweet Potato flavors. Plain waffles cost 126 yen each while the flavored ones cost 147 yen.

Having tried quite a few flavors, I would have to say that their safest bets, the plain and chocolate ones are the best. The others, with their flavors baked directly into the waffle, tend to distract from enjoying the original waffle’s taste. All of the waffles have a plain crust of sugar already that provide enough sweetness, while at the same time helping to keep the crunchy texture.

Gift packs.

All of Mannkene’s freshly baked waffles are intended to be consumed on the day of purchase itself. For those who want to take home the waffles, there are gift packs available at the stores. They contain individually sealed waffles that can be kept for up to a month.

We’ve also found these packed versions selling at certain supermarkets. While they won’t be able to compare with those fresh out the iron, they’re still darn good as far as waffles are concerned.

Inside.

If you’ve haven’t already. You’ve definitely got to give the Manneken waffles a try. For more information, check out the Manneken website. I’ve also marked the locations for the two Tokyo outlets below.

Manneken Ginza

View Larger Map

Manneken Akihabara
The Akihabara Store is located at the North-Eastern Showadori exit of Akihabara Station.

View Larger Map

Not too long ago, we reported about the Real Grade 1/1 Gundam Project and how it has shifted to Odaiba recently. This week, Bandai revealed their much bigger plans for the life sized Gundam figure with the announcement of the Gundam Front, a small theme park that will open inside of the new DiverCity Tokyo Plaza in Odaiba come this Spring.

Gundam Front at Odaiba.

The miniature theme park will take up the 7th and 8th floors of the newly built DiverCity Tokyo Plaza. Incorrectly reported as “Diver City” by all other English news sources, the name of the building is actually a pun on the word “diversity”. As the base of the New Zepp Tokyo concert hall, DiverCity aims to provide a variety of large scale entertainment options to attract youths.

Gundam Front Tokyo will occupy the 7th floor of DiverCity with a 2,050 square meter exhibition area featuring displays from the popular Gundam series. Some highlights include a large dome theater, models from Gunpla’s long history, secret production materials and a special Gundam shop. The 8th floor will house a second Gundam themed cafe after the Akihabara Gundam Cafe and Bar.

Entrance Concept.

Gundam Front will launch together with the official opening of DiverCity Tokyo Plaza on 19th April 2012. Visiting the giant Gundam and cafe will cost nothing. But while there will be free exhibits at the Gundam Front Tokyo, entry to the exhibition hall proper will cost 1,000 yen for adults and 800 yen for those below 13.

Gundam Front Exhibition Hall Concept.

Images by Gundam Front Tokyo LLP.

Every once in a while my tetsudo instincts kick in and I’m compelled to write an article like this. Despite Japan being better known for its tendency to conform, there’s just something about Japanese train stations and how they each exude a distinct personality that is only possible with privately owned stations such as those by Japan Railways. One large contributing factor is the use of unique departure jingles at many commonly used stations.

Ride the tube enough times and you’ll easily have one of these melodies burned into your memory. The short arrangements are played whenever the train doors are about to close, which is once every 45 seconds at its peak. Many stations use a generic door closing warning, but the stations around the most used Yamanote Line have been famous for its unique tunes. There is a certain sense of comfort in hearing these familiar jingles, though not everyone may agree.

Here are some particularly memorable examples.

“Seseragi” (Murmur). Common generic tune heard at various stations around Tokyo.

Twilight. Another common jingle.

Spring. Again another you’ll hear at many JR stations.

One of the more unique ones. You’ll hear the Astro Boy theme song each time you pass by Takanobaba Station on the Yamanote Line.

The Ebisu Station is named after the same line of beer by Sapporo Brewery. The company has had its headquarters here. Ebisu Station’s train jingle is from one of their old commercials and is also the theme song of the musical Daisan no Otoko (The Third Man).

Harajuku Station has not one but two unique jingles, one for each track.

The Musashi-Koganei station where the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Museum is located has differents variants of the traditional “Sakura Sakura” for each of its tracks too.

In recent news, Japanese TV stations have expressed their desire to have trains stations replace generic station tunes with those from television commercials. This is through the use of a brand new patented system developed by Zenrin Promo and Switch (the sound company responsible for JR and Tokyo Metro’s unique train jingles) that will allow for programmable jingles.

Discussions with the larger railway companies are still ongoing. But next month, two stations in Kanto will adopt this new advertising system that is being called 発車メロディー deプロモ (Promo by Departing Melody).

During the New Year’s holiday season, nearly every shop or brand offers Fukubukuro these days. Literally, translated as Lucky Bags, Fukubukuro are packs filled with random items but often of more value. This year, I ordered myself a bag from the Radio Eva store. We unbox the contents within.

Some less reputable shops may take the chance to pull a fast one on buyers. But it is usually tradition for bigger brands to give back to loyal customers to win over their continual support and perhaps clear out on some of their old stock.

We saw some really awesome fukubukoro by brands like LIZ LISA and CECIL McBEE. In the case of LIZ LISA, they offered lovely luggage bags for 10,000 yen, which also happened to contain a bunch of random clothing worth well over the cost. Other brands like Baby, The Stars Shine Bright chose to sell fixed fukubukuro sets, which offered an entire change of clothes from head to toe, for the price of a single dress.

While a fan of what Radio Eva has done with the Evangelion franchise, the limited edition nature and resultant prices of their clothing doesn’t fare well with my wallet. Seeing reports of really great hauls from the previous year’s goodie bags, inspired me to give this year’s Radio Eva Fukubukuro (RADIO EVA 限定福袋) a try.

The loot.

This year’s Radio Eva Fukubukuro was available for 10,000 yen a bag. I’ll be running through the items inside, while stating their actual cost at the shop and some thoughts.

For starters, all of the items were shipped to me in a large NERV EVERYDAY BAG (Black). 5,040 yen.

It was good that I got the black one here, since they come in a number of other less desirable colors too.

Random small items.

Here we have a bunch of random flyers, pin badges, stickers and an empty packing for a 3 pack of plain tees. Strangely though, the t-shirt pack was empty and I could find no instructions. Did they forget to include my tees? Am I supposed to claim them somehow? Did someone on the shipping end swipe them? Or did they have an extra wrapper? I will never know.

Most of the stuff here have little use or purpose. The only thing I managed to find an actual price for was this Eva Keychain Set 4. 1,000 yen.

Logo tote.

Next, another bag. ROOTOTE (Ivory x Black). 3,465 yen. Though it screams otaku pretty loudly and I will have less use for this tote than the previous.

Hoodie.

I can think of at least one person who would like this Uniform NERV 003 Hoodie. 7,665 yen. It’s one of safer options in the bag, since it solely features the new NERV logo from the Evangelion movie remake. Probably not going to wear it in Singapore though or best kept for the office.

First tee.

RADIO EVA SPECIAL FLCL T-Shirt 01. 3,675 yen. The first of 5 t-shirts inside. This should be one of the more wearable designs with its plain colors. It’s also the cheapest out of the lot being a fairly new, still in stock design. Not so sure about the anime characters. But it’s not very apparent from far.

Wearable tee.

The Baseball-T(黒02). 5,040 yen, is easily the most wearable tee out of the lot with its varsity theme. There’s a huge “02″ in bold behind though. But only those in the loop would get the reference.

Unwearable tee.

Yet another standard t-shirt. This one is a pretty gaudy limited edition cross over featuring a Japanese MMA fighter called Sauraba Kazushi. PREMIUM14 Sauraba Kazushi. 5,040 yen.

Couple generic looking tees.

Here’s a pack of one long and one short sleeved shirts with the same Unit 01 logo as on the tote. RADIO EVA 023 and RADIO EVA 044. 5,985 and 8,190 yen respectively

Watch. In Mari colors.

There was already quite a bit of stuff inside. But the shop promised a possible accessory with each fukubukuro. Mine contained the DAYKEEPER (RELAX PLUS PLUGSUITS EDITION) マリモデル. 5,040 yen. It’s a watch in Mari Illustrious pink. It also comes with purple, blue, red as well as white and black versions (which are sold out). Would have loved the blue or red ones, but this is still much better than the purple. The watch is pictured here sitting on a set of Large-sized Handkerchief (monogram). 3,465 yen.

Finally, there’s a pretty cool bonus plastic calendar poster, which I can put no price to.

Calendar poster.

All in all, the items unboxed have a combined value of 53,605 yen (SGD$900). A pretty good value for the 10,000 yen the bag cost. From other unboxings, found that others seemed more lucky in their selection of items, especially when it came to tees but that might be a matter of personal taste. Few others got the neat watch though. Everyone else received items of a combined value of 55,000 yen or higher, with some getting bags worth as much as 70,000 yen (mostly due to getting a pair of shoes for their accessory).

Overall, the fukubukuro was definitely worth it, even just considering the few items that I would wear. You can be sure I’ll be a grabbing a bag next year too as well as more bags from other favored brands.

Many locations in Asia are famed for its nightlife, including perennial entertainment favorites such as Tokyo, Singapore, Bangkok, and Macau, which offer virtually any experience under the sun depending on your tastes. Whether you’re looking to play casino games, dance into the wee hours at popular clubs, or spend a more refined evening at the ballet or opera, you’ll be able to find something to enjoy among the diverse and sprawling continent that is Asia.

Gamblers in Asia used to be hard pressed to find their favorite casino games but that’s completely changed over the last decade, with Macau long ago passing Las Vegas as the world’s top gambling destination based on revenue and stories the same true as Singapore finds casino success in its own right. Both Macau and Singapore now offer mega resorts and casinos such as Vegas does, with not only some of the largest casinos in the world but also luxurious hotels and entertainment complexes that include top clubs, bars, and concert venues.

Kabukicho sleeps in the day and comes alive at night.

Tokyo may not offer up an casinos but it has one of the most vibrant club scenes in all of Asia, with the city’s entertainment districts such as Ginza, Kabuki-cho, and Roppongi filled to the brim nearly every night. World famous clubs such as ageHa (which plays host to up to 5,000 clubbers on four different dance floors) Womb, and Club Asia draw visitors from around the globe, with some of the top DJs on the planet dropping in from time to time to show off their stuff in Tokyo.

Bangkok has a reputation for a more loud and rowdy nightlife scene, with the sprawling city catering to nearly every taste and delight. Whether you’re after a tour of its famed go-go bars, a ladyboy show, gay clubs, or a more sedate night out on a dinner cruise, Bangkok offers it all, and at a fraction of the price that you’ll find at many other cities. Bangkok is also an excellent jumping off point for visitors who go on to explore the rest of Thailand, which offers a wide range of nightlife and entertainment opportunities.

After making its debut at Odaiba back in 2009, the giant Gundam was moved to the Shizuoka Hobby Fair where it stood until March this year. Since August, parts of the famous life sized Gundam statue were returned to Odaiba where they were put on display. But last month, work began on reassembling the statue Gundam once more at Odaiba.

We had the chance to pay the fair a visit prior to its closure at Shizuoka and witnessed the amazing sight. Here are some more photos from that trip.

Higashi Shizuoka Station.

From the station's travelators.

The 1/1 Gundam model was conveniently located at a carpark just beside Higashi-Shizuoka station. The city is famous for its clear views of Mt. Fuji, at least on clear days. The grounds which contained the statue also housed a hobby museum and various food stands as part of the Hobby Fair, though we decided to give the rest a miss. Entry was free and mostly paid for in souvenirs (see below).

Map of the fair grounds.

The 1/1 Gundam.

The Real Grade Gundam was actually built to commemorate Gundam’s 30th anniversary back in 2009. But they figured that it’d be a waste not to display it after. Thanks to its popularity and exposure in media both locally and overseas, the Shizuoka Prefecture Tourist Association felt that it’d would be useful to promote tourism to their city. It seems to had worked, considering that there were quite a few visitors here on this afternoon even though it had been around for more than half a year here. Though I’m sure many (like us) took it only as a stopping point to our destination.

Quite dwarfing indeed.

Especially for Gundam fans.

Though I did play around with some Gundam figures as a child, the level of skill required is quite off putting for kids. So while not a Gundam enthusiast myself, it was still a worthwhile and enjoyable visit. The size and amount of craftsmanship put into the thing was definitely impressive. The level of “realism” (for the lack of a better way to describe it) was uncanny and it doesn’t look pre-fabricated at all. You can imagine it coming alive at any moment.

Amazing detail too.

Can only image the amount of work that must had gone in to making this a reality.

Just a few steps away from the real thing.

While you won’t be able to own your own life sized Gundam anytime soon, fans could still take home a piece of the experience. The Real Grade Gundam Project shop sold various merchandise exclusive to the fair, from actual model kits, to Gundam-themed omiyage. Prices were actually rather affordable, though the more popular items were sold out by now.

Special souvenir shop.

With goods not found elsewhere.

Gundam manju.

A mini-Gundam kit that could also be broken down into its display parts.

Perhaps as a result of being awestruck, many of the things put up for sale looked liked particularly attractive purchases even for me. I was particularly interested in one of the guide books they had that documented the statue and the entire process of the Real Grade 1/1 Gundam Project in great detail. Blue prints, all the way down to a step-by-step breakdown of the construction and assembly of the life-sized figure were provided. Alas, this was one of the more pricey items at 3,800 yen, so I resisted.

Special edition tees.

Commemorative postcards.

There was also Gunpla 30th Anniversary Official Guidebook that showed their entire model kit and anime history. These were a more affordable 2,000 yen and would had been a must buy for fans. That or the 1:48 Perfect Grade kit versions of the Real Grade model.

Perfect grade model of the life sized model.

Last week, most of the final touches of the 1:1 sized Gundam seemed to had been put in place at Odaiba already. However, the renewed project will only open to the public in Spring 2012. It will stay there for one entire year this time, until March 2013.

Today marks the day of the second release by avex trax’s latest group of music talents, Fairies. The new single is a double A-side of Hero / Sweet Jewel. Both songs feature high quality, pleasant and incredibly listenable sounds, with Hero reiterating their hip hop inspired style established in their first single and Sweet Jewel being a more typical Christmas themed pop song.

Hero / Sweet Jewel.

You can find previews of both songs below. If you’ve been following my feeds over at Twitter, you would have had to endure hearing quite a bit of my fondness for Sweet Jewel especially.

To one up the competition, avex trax have also made the full “Making Of” footage of their music videos available for free at the official Fairies YouTube Channel. There are separate versions for each member of the group even.

Additionally, the girls have been traveling around malls since early November with live performances to promoting the release of their single. Despite their young age, they boast some impressively powerful vocals and energetic movements. You can find various camera feeds from the events over from fans over at YouTube as well.

Despite being a solid song, their debut release More Kiss / Song for You failed to make it to the Top 10 charts back in September. Hopefully, more might had come to appreciate their talents in the time since then.

While the sparsity of Krispy Kremes often attracts long queues to the cafe during lunchtime hours, Mister Donut shops are rarely packed. I used to be an avid Krispy Kreme supporter too but when comparing the two now, Mister Donut takes the cake for being my preferred doughnut place.

Mister Donut was originally an American brand but almost all of the stores back there have been converted to Dunkin’ Donut chains. A company in Japan acquired the rights a long time ago and has expanded the business to over 1,300 stores spread around the country, making Mister Donut the largest doughnut chain in Japan. Osaka is the home of Mister Donut but you’ll have a hard time not being able to find one with dozens scattered around every city.

Mister Donut Ameyoko.

Mister Donut at Shinsaibashi Osaka.

Mister Donut at Odawara Kanagawa.

Mr Donuts offers an admirable amount of choices at discount prices (at least when compared to other cafes). Mr Donut holds promotions all year round, with a point card system that lets you claim free doughnuts or stationery of their brand mascots. Prices start slashing near closing hour too despite fresh ones being made throughout the day.

Great variety, at least before everything sells out.

I seem to have found a fave in their “pon de ring” lineup though. The light eggy pastries maintain their bounce for long stretches of time and the amazing springy texture is accented by its small beaded shape. Would definitely recommend these.

Pon de rings are my regular faves.

They remain springy for long enough to enjoy on the go or at home too.

Many of their menu staples mirror those found at other doughnut places but are less sweet especially when compared to Krispy Kreme, something that I appreciate since you can eat a lot more without being sick of it. Not too fond of their “old fashion” doughnuts though, which are cookie like blocks that are kind of dry.

A interesting thing to note is that there are always unique seasonal offerings at any point of time, such as the teddy bear ones in the title image above.

Just some of the many types available.

In more recent times, Mister Donut opened Cafe Andonand, which positions itself as a more up-classed doughnut cafe. Prices are twice the original but they offer more fancy varieties here. The coffee is also Rainforest Alliance certified, something that might resonate those who liken themselves hipsters. Cafe Andonand has been around for more than a couple of years now but only runs two outlets, at Yokohama and Namba Osaka.

Donuts from Cafe Andonand.

Fast rising Avex Trax idol group SUPER☆GiRLS announced that they will be releasing their new album scheduled for 1st February 2012. This is their second stage album after Chouzetsu Shoujo last December and will provide them with new group and unit songs for their 2012 performances.

SUPER☆GiRLS’s first three hit singles Ganbatte Seishun, MAX! Otome Gokoro and Joshiryoku Paradise will be joined by a number of new original songs for a total 13 songs in the album. Avex has just released a sneak preview of the album’s titular song EveryBody JUMP!! yesterday evening. It’s an upbeat and catchy feel good tune not unlike their previous sounds.

The set list for the rest of the new album is as follows:

1. Welcome to ♥ S☆G Show!! II
2. 女子力←パラダイス
3. 絶対自分前進宣言！
4. がんばって 青春
5. メガ★トゥインクル
6. シェルターなんかいらない
7. 夕焼け空に、また明日。
8. My dream
9. MAX！乙女心
10. BELIEVER
11. EveryBody JUMP!!
12. Dear～未来の地図～
13. 笑顔の羽根

As is the trend, EveryBody JUMP!! will be available in multiple versions. There will be a CD+DVD Limited Edition Box Set (6,500 yen), CD+DVD Edition (3,800 yen) and a number of normal CD only versions (all 2,500 yen each).

The Limited Edition Box set being the most expensive will come with a number of different bonus items, including a photo booklet, a DVD containing the EveryBody JUMP!! and all of this year’s promotional videos and “Making Of” videos, a handshake event ticket, 3 redemption codes for SUPER☆GiRLS’s online social game as well as lottery coupons that will entitle fans the chance to win “Real Goods Presents” from the filming set of the EveryBody JUMP!!.

First press versions of the CD+DVD Edition will not have the photo booklet or “Making Of” videos but will also include the handshake event ticket, social game codes and lottery coupons. The first press CD only version will also contain all of the above, save the bonus DVD of course.

As with previous releases, there will also be special versions exclusive to Avex’s own mu-mo shop. There will be two CD only versions available here that will not contain any of the previous mentioned bonus items (except for the social game codes).

The first mu-mo exclusive CD version will come with 1 of 12 random card sized photos. While the other mu-mo version will actually be member specific versions of the album. Apart from having their favorite member grace the album cover, fans will have the chance to win either a matching colored bracelet or jacket as worn by the girls during the handshake event.

As part of the album’s promotion, each of the members have released video messages to their fans, where they can be seen sporting some of the goods. The official SUPER☆GiRLS’s site has also been appropriately updated to reflect the new EveryBody JUMP!! theme.

Yasaka Saori

Shimura Rika

Kano Kaede

Akita Eri

Watanabe Hikaru

Miyazaki Rina

Katsuta Rino

Arai Reira

Tanaka Mirei

Mizote Ruka

Goto Aya

Maeshima Ami

Previously we mentioned Google Japan’s efforts to promote Japan’s cultural offerings and encourage foreigners to continue visiting Japan in response to the Tohoku disaster. Since May this year, the Japan Street View team have been actively working on another humanitarian program with their Mirai e no Kioku (Memories for the Future) Project.

The online site is the result of Google Street View vehicles traveling over 44,000 kilometers of the worst hit areas of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. With Mirai e no Kioku Street View, users are able to view first hand the devastating effects of the disaster.

Google Japan have included an option for disaster area residents to upload videos and photographs of their life and hometowns before the events. By request, they’ve also included the option to view the areas before and after Street Views.

The creators hope that the project will serve as an archive for memories of survivors’ lives before the disaster which they can preserve for future generations (safely at Google’s data centers), while at the same time presenting a clear message of the actual severity of damages and losses faced by the tsunami victims.

You can visit the Memories of the Future English siteto view the project’s Street View. Clicking on the Japanese link will take you to the photo and video archive segments.

Blogger turn fashion model Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ) is back again with her first individual single release since the album Moshimoshi Harajuku, which contained the much talked about PONPONPON.

Scheduled for release on 11 January 2012, Tsukematsukeru (つけまつける) is yet another catchy electropop tune from capsule’s Nakada Yasutaka, who seems to have shifted his attention to the young Kyary considering Perfume’s sparse releases. Tsukematsuke translates to fake eyelashes in Japanese and is the gist of the song’s nonsensical lyrics.

Once again, the zany music video will entertain many.

Today marks the 6th anniversary of AKB48′s theater debut at Akihabara and will be celebrated in the evening with a grand performance no doubt, a performance that we tried applying to but sadly failed to get tickets for. Instead, we’ll be cheering them on from the sidelines.

At 12.30 PM this afternoon though, many waited in anticipation as the AKB48 YouTube channel revealed a special announcement. AKB48 will be teaming up with search giant Google, to make use of their new social network Google+ in their future efforts to reach out to global fans.

The announcement comes as quite a surprise that will likely shake up social media news in no time. Having met with lukewarm reception in the rest of the world, Google+ hopes to tackle the Japanese social media instead. A market that proved impossible by other foreign attempts in the past.

But will Google succeed where others have failed? Well they certainly hope so, having roped in Japan’s most popular idol sensation. One cannot doubt the influence AKB48 has demonstrated in recent times. However, Google has collaborated with many other global celebrities in the past to varying results.

Today, AKB48 producer promised that all local 48 groups, AKB48, SKE48, NMB48, HKT48 as well as overseas and future efforts will make use of Google+ as their medium of choice. The campaign, titled “AKB48 Now on Google+” is already effective immediately to some extent. You can find the AKB48 member profiles here.

Fans will be able to befriend members on Google+ and in turn AKB48 members will be able to use Google+ to reach out to fans through the network’s “Hangout” feature, that functions as sort of a live chat. AKB48 performances will also be streamed live to Google+. Unfortunately, one caveat is that AKB48 members below 18 years old would have to be omitted from participating in the service.

Supermerlion wouldn’t be nearly as successful without having benefited from many of Google’s APIs and SEO advantages that we have been granted. But despite being a firm supporter of Google’s technologies, observations has been that the social network has still has a ways to go to catch up to Facebook’s 7 year lead or the familiarity of Japanese SNS like Mobage and Mixi. Ultimately, it will be time and conversions that will determine whether Google+ wins out on the competition, and not just the inclusion of a bunch of Japanese idols.

Regardless, can we expect a sudden surge of AKB48 fans signing up for Google+ right now? I signed up for Google+ a while ago but can’t really find a use for it yet though. Facebook will remain our method for divulging information for now.

Earlier today, the Dentsu Innovation Institute released their findings for 2011′s top “hit products” in Japan. The list shows the top 20 items, figures and phenomenons as seen from a internet survey the company carried out earlier this month. It’s a nice representation of the current buzzwords and what’s hot in Japan right now.

#1. Smartphones
Retaining the number one spot as least year are Smartphones. Ever since the introduction of iPhones into Japan in 2008, the public had finally been exposed to a cellphone that wasn’t running the terribly chunky user interfaces they had been putting in their “keitais” since eternity. 2011 has seen Android phones overtaking the market in all but the most KY of countries and Japan is no exception. Japan has always had an unnatural reliance on cellphones, perhaps more so now that they have their hands on some that are actually easy to operate.

#2. LED Light Bulbs
The impact of the the unfortunate Tohoku earthquake and tsunami can be seen in many of the names making this list. While already gaining awareness since last year, the “setsuden” energy saving campaign that swept through Japan explains the sudden increased frenzy towards low energy consumption products, most popular being LED light bulbs.

#3. Tokyo Sky Tree
Tokyo’s new terrestrial broadcasting tower climbs up this year’s list as we ease closer towards its public launch date next May. The 634 meter structure is already the second tallest structure in the world and is hallmark towards the Japanese media’s complete shift to digital broadcasting by next year.

#4. Nadeshiko Japan
Japan women’s national football team that beat America this July to become the first Asian team ever to win the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

#5. AKB48
Quite literally Japan’s largest pop idol group, AKB48 continue their invasion of Japanese media and chart topping releases throughout of this year too.

#6. Ashida Mana
Popping out of nowhere to take the 6th spot is Ashida Mana. This 7 year old child actress has been clogging television screens since her appearance in popular dramas late last year. Now Ashida pops up in just about ever commercial break, ensuring you can’t ignore this child talent even if you skip all her programs. Like most other talents her age, Ashida is another victim of adultifation that leaves her looking like a creepy, middle-aged midget.

#7. Hybrid Vehicles
Japan continues their raised awareness in all things green, with hybrid vehicles jumping 9 places up.

#8. Disaster Prevention/Emergency Food Supplies
Again related to the Tohoku incident. You’d think something of such importance would rank higher though.

#9. Electric/Battery Powered Fans
During the energy saving campaign, many opted to switch out their air conditioning for more primitive alternatives. Electrical and battery powered fans became a sudden need to get item, like the other setsuden related items on this list.

#10. Digital Broadcasting Ready Widescreen LCD TVs
With 2011 being the last year before switching to full digital broadcasting, it was about time the last few people owning analog TVs moved onto more recent technology. But in lieu with the events, the complete transfer has been delayed.

#11. Chunky Chilli Oil
Singapore’s Lee Kum Kee chili oil (which they refer to as 具入り辣油 over there) has been garnering unprecedented fame over in Japan these couple of years. It drops from a number 3 spot since last year but the oil features just the right amount of spiciness for the Japanese who are so known for their cat tongues to still stay on this list.

#12. Energy Saving Home Appliances
We’ve got to wonder exactly how much good switching to the new, apparently energy saving appliances does but that certainly doesn’t stop their popularity among those not willing to compromise their existing reliant lifestyles.

#13. Lady Gaga
While attracting media attention for all the wrong reasons, Lady Gaga’s involvement with charity efforts has generated enough buzz to put her on this year’s list.

#14. Automatic Bread Makers
This time last year, Sanyo revealed the first ever rice cookers that could automatically turn normal rice into bread. The “Gopan” machines sold over 58,000 machines in its first month alone and have continued to be a major hit in the market.

#15. Tablet PCs
PCs or Pasocons as they are called, have taken far longer to see consumer use in Japan than in the rest of the world. Tablet PCs on the other hand combine the tool with the mobile technology that they so love. Which probably explains the rising interest for tablets from last year’s 19th place.

#16. B-Grade Local Gourmet Food (Casual inexpensive food)
As Japanese locals continue to hold on tightly to their wallets, casual inexpensive restaurants continue to be the food of choice.

#17. Steve Jobs
While Apple products have not seen nearly as much popularity in Japan as elsewhere, the news of Steve Jobs passing have made enough ripples to be felt worldwide.

#18. Twitter / Microblogging
Japan has been resistant to attempts by Facebook to penetrate the country, preferring instead to stick to local mobile social network systems like Gree and Mixi. Twitter is a rare exception, having struck a chord with Japan’s platform of choice. The Japanese language lends itself effectively to Twitter too, with the 140 character limit being a non-issue for oriental users. But with just about everyone having tried or on Twitter already, most of the buzz that put it at number 2 on last year’s list has vanished.

#19. Electric Cars
Though Japan leads the production of eco-cars, just like in the rest of the world acceptance has been sparse. Electric cars creep into the bottom of this year’s list, though probably only in lieu of this year’s events.

#20. K-Pop Groups
Despite the utmost efforts, the surge of K-pop that has taken the rest of Asia by storm has had little effect in Japan. Instead, Korean artists find themselves fulfilling a small niche in Japan.

It has always been a struggle to find food that agrees with the rest of the crowd while not breaking the wallet, especially when one is in town over the weekends. I’m happy to announce that with the recent addition of Yomenya Goemon in town, it could really be a good option to dine at. After all, how many people can say no to both Western and Japanese food?

While a relative newcomer to the Singaporean culinary scene, Goemon is a long established restaurant in Japan. Consider them as the Pastamania of Japan. You can find them in just about area in Tokyo and major cities in Japan. With their success, they’ve managed to break into the China market in Shanghai and more recently, Singapore.

Yomeonya Goemon, 313 Somerset branch.

Before you make any wild guesses, Goemon serves up Italian spaghetti, with a Japanese touch. Well you could consider it Japanese-Western fusion food. But if it’s delicious, no one would be complaining anyway. With 34 years of experience under their belt, there should be no way that they would mess up by serving highly experimental pasta dishes that will shock the diners.

Cook on order spaghetti is the way to go.

While still on the variety topic, diners will definitely be overwhelmed by the sheer variety of flavors offered at Goemon. Aside from the usual 3 styles of tomato, cream and olive oil & garlic, there’s also the more experimental Asian and Japanese styles like butter & soy sauce and cod roe flavors. For those opting for even more unusual stuff, there are a few soup and cold pastas offerings.

Spoiled for choice.

It is also good to know that instead of serving par-cooked pastas, Goemon only start cooking individual servings after the order is place. It ensures that el dente pastas are served every time to the diners’ delight.

Another twist that goes on when dining at Goemon is that everyone is given chopsticks instead of the usual fork and spoons to eat their pastas with. A funky Japanese gimmick to remind one that they are eating fusion pasta? Maybe.

Fork and spoons can still be requested from the staff if diners find it a hassle to eat their pasta with chopsticks. But I’d stick with the interesting chopsticks way of eating.

Tomato based seafood pasta. Regular set meal.

Pastas in Goemon come in 2 sizes, regular and “oomori” size which is an extra 250g serving on top of the regular size. Unless you are really very hungry, I would recommend against ordering the larger size since most would have trouble finishing it.

I once had a few friends with me who all ordered an oomori size each, but only one managed to finish his plate. Yomenya’s regular servings are already ample and are served with a plentiful amount of sauce, filling one’s stomach quite easily.

Cream based four cheese smoked chicken pasta. Alar carte.

For those who want to try more varieties of their pasta at one go, Goemon serves up a half-half set meal, which consist of two half portions of different pasta styles of your choice. There’s also the option of a regular set meal and the oomori set meal to choose from if you desire to have your salad, drink, pasta and dessert all in one sitting.

Or plain fried with olive oil and garlic, with a Japanese twist.

Being spoiled for choice is one sin that we humans desire for, and Goemon serves that up in abundance. So if you’re up for either some great made to order pasta or trying out experimental flavors, Goemon will be the place to hit up in town. Either way, Goemon serves up affordability, fullness and variety in one good package. Just try to perfect your chopstick holding skills before visiting.

If you’re walking in the middle of Kyoto taking in the cool atmosphere while the yellow autumn leaves wavering with each caress of the wind, you’ve had that craving for soba. Honke Owariya is one soba shop that is worth a try. The restaurant has been making buckwheat soba since the Edo period. Their soba noodles have served the Japanese Imperial family since then.

View Larger Map

Located near the Subway Karasuma-Oike Station, the restaurant is about a 10 minutes walk. Nearby attractions include the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijyo Castle, making this a well located place for a meal after much sightseeing. Honke Owariya originally opened as a confectionery shop about 540 years ago but it moved on to serve soba dishes prepared in a wide variety.

Honke Owariya.

The restaurant itself is a very old building. The rooms are traditional Japanese design with tatami mats, sliding paper doors and Japanese dolls as decorations. And yes, you will be sitting on your knees and smelling the pleasantries from your socks. The lights were rather dim, yet it gave a very cosy feeling that complemented the colors of the room.

They continue to dabble in buckwheat snacks.

Customers are served with tea and confectioneries when seated. They do sell them over at the counter by the main entrance, or locate their confectionery outlet a few blocks away if you want more.

English friendly.

For the non-Japanese folks, the restaurant might look old, but they do cater for the international crowd with an English menu.

Their original Hourai Soba.

If you are spoiled for choices, we do recommend the Hourai Soba under the “Honke Owariya” Specialties menu. It has a spread of 8 toppings – mushroom, sliced egg, sesame horse-radish, seaweed, leek, deep-fried shrimps, grated white radish and grated red pepper.

For the uninitiated, who have only tried eating cold soba dipped into sauce, they do provide a slip of instructions in English to enjoy the dish the correct way.

Each level of the dish tower contains some servings of soba, seemingly catered perfectly for each topping. The buckwheat soba noodles were delicious, and the Hourai gave an interesting and refreshing way to enjoy soba.

Mixed tempura sides.

Also do have a try of their Tempura Chirashi Hors d’oeuvre

Hope you have the chance to drop by this traditional soba restaurant and enjoy the flavors of their noodles. Do check out their English website for the menu.

In the past couple of years, the Sundown Festival have brought an assortment of popular Korean and Japanese artists over to Singapore. Acts primarily consisted of Korean boy and girl bands such as Brown Eyed Girl, Afterschool and FT Island, growing in 2010 to encompass Japanese visual-kei bands SuG and L.M.C..

The Sundown Festival 2011 returns this Saturday at Marina Promenade’s F-1 Pit, with similar performances from fast rising K-pop group Teen Top and visual-kei band ViViD. But the outdoor concert extravaganza also expands to Taiwan’s Mandopop scene with guests Show Luo, Zhang Yun Jing and Hebe Tien (of S.H.E. fame) being featured as this year’s top acts.

Promo Poster.

Details are available at the Sundown Festival 2011 website and tickets are available online through Sistic.

Interestingly, fans who had subscribed to the festival’s Facebook page were actually given the chance to vote for their favorite songs for the performing artists. The top voted song for each artist will be performed at the upcoming concert. It’s a novel and actually nice social campaign that we would love to see implemented elsewhere too.

To complete the festive atmosphere, the Sundown Festival venue will be littered with food stalls serving up street food from Taiwan, Korea and Japan. The organizers mention that the food will be sold at affordable prices. We can already see how this year’s event will likely be a big hit.

Sundown Festival 2011
26 November 2011
Saturday, 5.30 PM

Tickets:
VIP – S$148 (Limited Available)
Super Early Bird – S$78 (Sold Out)
Early Bird – S$118 (Sold Out)
Standard – S$138 (Available)

Hokkaido’s mascot, Marimokkori is a play on the two words Marimo and Mokkori, the later of which is Japanese slang for erection. You’ll find this whimsical (to put it nicely) character for sale at almost all souvenir and gift shops from Hokkaido and as far as Tokyo. It’s apparently popular among kids too.

There are a whole assortment of different Marimokkori merchandise, none of them subtle.

Marimokkori even has its own theme song, sung by a trio of kids dressed up as rappers. Because it’s not awkward when children are singing of boners.

Only in Japan.

Image by Melty.

While researching on wasei-eigo for a second, more interesting follow up to our popular Made In Japan English article, I came across this survey by search engine Goo where Japanese netizens answered what words they were previously most unaware of actually being Japanese Engrish.

#1. Order Make
Actually, Custom Made though Made-to-order now sees use in the English language, especially in Asia.

#2. Skinship
One of the words brought up in our previous article. Refers to personal contact but carries the extra meaning of being something valuable to the Japanese (Skin + Friendship).

#3. Consent
Power Outlet. Derived from shortening “Concentric Plug”. Not quite what you’d expect when asking for consent in Japan.

#4. Key Holder
Your usual Key Ring or Chain.

#5. Power Harassment
Bullying. Sometimes wasei-eigo does a good job at shortening stuff but often fails as much.

#6. Decoration Cake
A fanciful decorated cake.

#7. Guard Man
Security Guard.

#8. Coin Laundry
Laundromat. Arguably makes more sense than the English counterpart.

#9. Reform
Would make sense if it wasn’t only used to refer to building renovations.

#10. Revenge
A re-match in any game or sport

Waseo-eigo is actually pretty handy, sometimes being clearer than the original words but ends up being confusing when they take the form of actual English words with a different meaning.

The rest of the answers and what they really mean.

#11. Grade Up
(To) Upgrade

#12. Number Display
Caller ID

#13. Spats
Tights

#14. Free Size
One Size Fits All (Has been absorbed into most Asia vocabulary by now)

#15. Mug Cup
Mug

#16. Baby Car
Stroller/Pram

#17. Mail Magazine
Email Newsletter

#18. Note Pasocon
Notebook

#19. Panty Stocking
Stockings

#20. Mania
Enthusiasm (Used as a noun, such as “Idol Mania” referring to an obsession of idols)

#21. One Pattern
Used as an adjective to refer to someone with a repetitive manner

#22. Fried Potato
French Fries

#23. 3 Size
BWH (Breast, Waist and Hip measurements)

#24. Plus Alpha
Additional Value (Usually used as slang for bribe)

#25. Paper Test
Written Examination

#26. Restruct
Corporate Downsizing

#27. Fantajiku
Fantastic (Just a misspelling)

#28. Radio Ca-se
Derived from Radio and Casette but actually refers to Boomboxes

#29. Televi Game
Video Game

#30. Gasoline Stand
Gas Station

The list of wasei-eigo constantly grows with time and this survey was taken quite a while back and so my not be an accurate depiction of the state of Japanese English today. But it still shows some of the principal offenders.

Information collected from Goo Rankings.

If you’ve ever been to any touristy area in Tokyo, or had the misfortune of watching either season of Majisuka Gakuen, then you would had probably have come across these jackets. Sukajan, an acronym for Yokosuka and Jumper refers to these snazzy jackets made popular by their badass appearance.

Sukajans hail from Yokosuka, which is part of the Greater Tokyo area. The town has been the American’s base for naval activities ever since the Japanese defeat in World War 2. It is thought that Sukajans originated from the stadium or varsity styled jackets that the American soldiers wore.

The jackets are just one of the many interesting creations in the clash of two cultures. At some point, the American soldiers started sewing motifs of dragons, phoenixes and other Japanesey motifs onto their letterman jackets and that was how the Sukajan was born.

Okuma Shoukai at Ameyoko Market.

Sukajan are now a proudly Kanagawa creation that have caught on well with locals and tourists alike thanks to their Yazuka-ish image. In truth, Japan’s most notorious tend to prefer the elegant and more classy look that a simple suit provides but that doesn’t stop many wannabe youths from sporting a Sukajan.

Thanks to their popularity with travelers, you’ll find a ton for sale over at touristy spots like Ueno’s Ameyoko market. There’s an outlet for Okuma Shoukai there, which claims to be the oldest Sukajan shop in Japan. And there does seem to be some evidence to their 60 year claim.

Okuma Shoukai seems to be the main distributor for Sukajans, both local and export wise. The company enjoys a great amount of publicity from many other tie ins with the Japanese celebrity world. Sato Tomohiko wore one for his character in the drama Voice, Toda Erika was seen sporting one in the Death Note movie and Ishikawa Rika appeared in one on the cover of her photo book Shiawase no Ashiato Happy.

As seen on Majisuka Gakuen.

Okyuma also happens to be the brand sponsoring the jackets for AKB48′s “four heavenly queens”. Admittedly, I was hoping to get one myself, if only precisely because of Majisuka Gakuen. But the jackets are kind of too gaudy for wear out even by my standards.

You can find Okuma Shoukai’s online store here. Most of their jackets are also available for purchase online through Rakuten (ships globally). Apart from the whole association with AKB48 though, the other shops actually seem to carry nicer and more elaborate designs (as seen in the title image).

Every year, the Nabana no Sato theme park in Kuwana, Mie is decorated with millions of sparkling LED lights during the Winter season. This year, the park outdoes its previous record with an amazing 6.3 million lights adorning the beautiful night time landscape.

Ever part of the entire theme park has been covered by LEDs, even the fields have been made into seas of light. Some of the highlights include the returning 200 meter long corridor of lights that features over 1.2 million LEDs, as well as the new “Four Seasons of Japan”, a 6 acre stretch of the park that rotates between four illumination colors at regular intervals.

Photo from one of last year's exclusive displays.

Kuwana is just 20 minutes away from Nagoya by local train. The lights will remain in operation at Nabana no Sato between 3rd November 2011 up to 11th March 2012, so those visiting will have ample opportunity to witness the wonderful sights. Nabana no Sato is no doubt extremely popular with couples. You can learn more about this year’s exhibits here.

Images of last year’s event by Emran Kassim.