Category Archives: Weird

Elvis in Nakasu

Posted on October 9, 2011 by

So this year I went back to catch a night of the Nakasu Festival. The festival is held in Fukuoka’s red-light district, full of host and hostess clubs and worse. During the festival, women from the community get together and … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Fukuoka, Fun, Music, Uncategorized, Video, Weird | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

On Being Funny in Japan

Posted on September 13, 2011 by

There’s actually no word for “sense of humor” in Japan.

Posted in Fun, Uncategorized, Video, Weird | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

On Being Vegetarian in Japan

Posted on September 7, 2011 by

Most Japanese people don’t think twice about eating living animals. Or more accurately, they think, think again, then go ahead and eat them anyway. The savagery of dining starts small, with bars where you catch eels from a pool to … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, Food, Uncategorized, Weird | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

On Being the Fattest

Posted on July 13, 2011 by

Not every kid in Japan cares about learning English, and so they use class time to work toward other life goals: Homework from other classes, arm wrestling contests or listening to their talking dictionaries pronounce various euphemisms for sex. Recently, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture Shock, Food, Uncategorized, Weird | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

On Using a Japanese Toilet

Posted on June 29, 2011 by

I still don’t know what “standby mode” means for a toilet.

Posted in Culture Shock, Tradition, Uncategorized, Weird | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Carbonated Cough Drops: Reviewing Japan’s “Menthol Shock” Soda

Posted on June 21, 2011 by

Today at the conbini I stumbled across a new benchmark in Japanese Soda Pop: “Menthol Shock,” released nationwide in June.

Posted in Food, Weird | 7 Comments