TAXIDERMY TANOOKI ON MT. GOZAISHO

Over the weekends, I joined some members of my hiking club for a day going up Mt. Gozaisho (御在所岳) in Mie prefecture. It's a great day hike from the town of Yunoyama Hot Springs.


Gozaisho is one of those mountains that has been developed. If you're not a hiker, there's a ropeway going to the top as well as a restaurant and vending machine to greet weary hikers. In the midst of the development, I was still able to see some wildlife. If you're wondering, it is a Japanese tanuki.

Photos taken with an HTC-03A.

THE REASON FOR THE INTERNET #2: GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH WEBCAST

Emily Holley, a family friend from Iowa, has debuted new blog that shares her name. Her first post is about a little recognized national observance called National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day.

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EmilyHolley.com: National Grilled Cheese Day

By the way, if you think it is strange that someone would devote 13 minutes and 36 seconds of video netcast to a grilled cheese sandwich, realize there are people out there who carry their passion to a much greater extent.

In Los Angeles there is a yearly competition called the Grilled Cheese Invitational. It is run by a grilled cheese organization that has its own judging society and membership cards.

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The Grilled Cheese Invitational

THE REASON FOR THE INTERNET #1: THE WEEKLY WORLD NEWS ARCHIVES

When I was a kid, one of my secret goals in life was to write copy for this spread. Unfortunately, the Weekly World News is no longer sold. The only ray of light at the end of the fake news tunnel is that the entire thirty year run of this publication is available for free on Google Books.

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MY SISTER HELPED VETERANS

Read more about what she did at Ozark Honor Flights.

YOU'LL LAUGH, BUT I'M NOT TELLING WHY

This has something to do with a Japanese Christmas program that I attended. Enjoy the pictures.

You can click the link for more pictures.
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THIS IS FAKE! JAPANESE MICHAEL JACKSON PARODY

This isn't some "Weird Al" shenanigan. Less than a year after the death of the King of Pop, the Japanese have released a parody video about his life and death. I have yet to watch it. If some knowledgeable stranger happens upon this blog thanks to the Google machine, please leave some details in the comments section.

STUFF IT, KID!!!

I found this in Japan, but I can't classify it in my "Mad Merchandise of Japan" category because this is apparently an American product.

Go out and buy one for all of the young 'uns.

You can buy one here.

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1000KM

When I moved to Japan, I knew that I'd be biking a lot. I decided to spring for a bike with a few extra features including a speedometer and odometer. Last week, I crossed the 1000km threshold on my bicycle odometer.

If you speak American, that means I've ridden more than 621.371192 miles.

If this Terrorists Win this is What your Daughters Will Get...

Okay, the headline might be a little dramatic, but if you're Westernized like me you'll be shocked by this burka doll. My co-worker went to visit his daughter in Afghanistan, and brought this back as a souvenir. He affectionately named it Burka Barbie.

Fortunately, there is a classy woman underneath the burka.

Adult Nintendo DS Face Training Game

Japanese customer service is the world's best. Unless you're breaking rules or asking for something a business doesn't know how to provide, most requests will be answered with a warm smile and a speedy response.

While perusing a Japanese book and video game store, I found this interesting gem that may contribute to Japanese customer service culture. The name of this game is 大人のDS 顔トレーニング. In English this means Adult DS Face Training. The purpose of this game is to teach people to make appropriate facial expressions. The DS even takes a picture of your face and evaluates your ability.

Read a more educated take on this game at Joystiq.
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GRASSHOPPER BENTO

In Japanese students eat special school lunches called bentos. Last week one of my students ate a bento with cooked grasshoppers served on a bed of rice.