Sushi, sushi, and more sushi. That's the ultimate cuisine for all foreigners visiting Japan.
And if you're American, hungry for sushi, and looking for a boost in patriotism (for whatever the reason may be), you've obviously landed in the right spot.
photo: MSN Skillup
Here we have it. The "Yes YOU Can" hand-rolled sushi.
And yes, it's edible! And no, it has no skittles-like artificial color. All made with fresh ingredients, it's the ultimate sushi for all you Americanos!
President Obama has got to be blushing somewhere. The color of his skin here is made of small shrimp, boiled in soy sauce. The black hair is black sesame ("kurogoma"), and the white teeth is minced and steamed fish ("kamaboko").
Here, the master (Mr. Noboru Kawanobori, president of Tokyo Sushi Academy) is designing the American flag. Tuna fish for red stripes; squid for the white stripes. 
The most important element in creating these artistic hand-rolled sushi is the balance and placement of the each ingredient before rolling them up.
"The quality of taste is as important as its visual beauty. After all, it's food, right? The art of it all is complete only after it is eaten with satisfaction!"
You didn't think sushi could "change" the world of cuisine? Time to think again!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
"Yes You Can"sushi
Monday, February 16, 2009
Situp Kinniku Man: Hilarious "workout" USB
Some of you may have seen this character before. It's "Kinnikuman," one of the most popular (if not, the most) manga/anime in Japanese history. Every boy grew up reading or watching Kinnikuman and dreamed that, one day, we'd all have bicepts like him.
You can read all about Kinnikuman on wikipedia 'caues I can go on for pages just talking about the manga. But I won't. Instead, let me introduce you the newest Kinnikuman "gadget."
Just out in stores (or, on Rakuten - Japanese version of eBay), it's called "Fukkin Kinnikuman" manufactured by PC Gadget. It looks like a USB memory stick, and it works like one too. Once you stick it into your computer, it'll start moving, humping back and forth, exactly like the action of a "fukkin" - or "situps." 
It moves like it's doing situps. The fact that a "Muscle Man" continues to work out is funny enough. That it doesn't have the functions of a memory card is icing on the cake! On the store's homepage, it says in red, bold letters: THIS IS NOT A USB MEMORY STICK. Also, it comes in several different characters, including Robin Mask, Warsman, and Ramenman.
This "workout" USB is manufactured in various types, and you can actually see here how it moves once it's plugged into your laptop.
*USB CRUNCHING DOG*
Whoever came up with the idea of using Kinnikuman on this series is a genius. I need to seriously go buy myself one of these...
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Waikiki Hello Kitty entertainer fails to entertain, period!
I was in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl all of last week. It was my first visit to Hawaii, and so not only did it shock me to find out that the entire city of Waikiki was almost catered to the Japanese tourists, but I was also amazed at how some local entertainers were showing their talent to the Japanese tourists.
So the above photo of a man (probably) on the main street of Waikiki. Alls I gotta say is, "Couldn't you have done a better job with that pose and costume!?" Probably thought the Japanese cuties would jump at him. Good golly.
To give you a better idea of how lonely this guy was, here's the video.
So Hello Kitty and hula dance go together great. I guess this is how Japanese are portrayed ... that we're all Hello Kitty lovers regardless of their appearance.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Are you a good kisser? Kiss a girl for a $1.25!!
The size of the Japanese iPhone market is much smaller in comparison to that of the US, but the applications (games) in them are sure making some noise.
It's called "KISSCOMI" and is available for use on your iPhone or iPhone Touch devices. The Japanese name is "Kiss that Girl!" and costs 115 yen (per month, about $1.25) to subscribe to the application. Simple concept: A girl appears on your iPhone screen, and all ya gotta do is KISS!
photo by getnews.jp
Once you start the application, a girl approaches you for a kiss. Not something you encounter in everyday life, huh.
Take a deep breath and, without hesitation, just kiss the girl (alas, your iPhone screen). No cheating here: you can't "touch" her lips with your finger. YOU HAVE TO KISS the girl.
It doesn't end there. The girl (the screen) that you've just kissed grades you on the quality of your kiss on a 100-point scale.
It would suck to pay for an application and have to be told that "you suck" at kissing, but it sure does beat the alternative (no gf, no kisses)...
well, at least that's the common consesus among the Japanese internet guru.
But just imagine the smell of your $200 iPhone after using this application for 5 minutes...ARGH!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
"Penguin Bomb" is da bomb! Japan Media Arts Festival 2009
photo by kamikara diary
Nintendo Wii, floppy disks, anime, and - even - jumping shoes. History tells us that this island is one of the geekish places on earth.
Well, history does not disappoint. Check out these amazing gadgets from the annual Japan Media Arts Festival, helf from Feb. 4 thru 15 in Tokyo.
* The Penguin Bomb (Penguin Bakudan)
It's a simple paper craft, made only from paper and rubber band. As you see, a flattened piece of paper turns into a penguin once it hits the ground. The Penguin Bomb was nominated the festival's special award.
The artist's name is Haruki Nakamura. On his website, he says he wants "to produce papercraft that will enlighten people and that people will never forget." At least I won't forget this artwork!
* TENORI-ON ("Tenori" means "Handy")
You may have seen this before, it's a portable music recorder/player with multiple options depending on how you want to use the device. It's 16x16 LED button matrix is simultaneously a performance input controller and display. All buttons produce a different sound, and by operating and interacting with the LED buttons and the light, they produce you access to the device's numerous performance capabilities.
It's visually amazing. This was awarded Grand Prize in the Entertainment Division last year. More details here.
The Festival's english website provides a list of past award recepients. May be a good intro to what this art festival is all about.
[via: Japan Media Arts Festival]
Monday, February 2, 2009
2 channel "painter" brings life into real image
Japan's largest internet community hub is the "2 channel." It's a compilation of thousands of "threads" (or, message boards) where people communicate on anything and everything. It's THE mecca of Japanese internet surfers.
And in this 2channel, a strange phenomenon sometimes brings thousands together to witness the mighty work of a "painter".
Someone would upload an image file onto the thread, and out of nowhere, this "painter" comes out with his artistic work of that same image. Of course, the "painter" does not (and cannot) respond to individual requests. He just happens to come out of the blue.
No one knows the whereabouts or who this "painter" is. But two things are for sure.
1. He (or she) doesn't get paid or receives any form of reimbursement for his work, and
2. He's pretty damn, godawfully good at what he does.
Here, just to introduce a few...
At times, the "painter" adds a bit more creativiry, and in others,...
he'll be inspired by the content (in this case, a bottle of coke) in the image and adds a touch of humor (the painting is "Nezumi Otoko", a character from the popular anime, "Gegege-no-Kitaro").
>Complete list of the works of the "painter"
(*WARNING: some paintings are adult-related. NSFW/NSFU18)
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