Alright...this has nothing to do with teaching, but many of the people who read this blog are teachers in South Korea. Many of the folks who read this blog will have an interest in seeing these amazing pictures that were just shown in the Boston Globe.
Many of the photos are by photographer Eric Lafforgue.
Check them out....they're really impressive!
Cheers,
Kevin
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Little America in Japan? (America Mura) アメリカ村
Last weekend I went into Osaka to do a few things. I checked out Sumiyoshi Shrine...for a fairly important reason....booking my wedding later this Fall. As well, I went downtown to Namba. Namba is the ever groovy heartbeat and pulse of Osaka's youth culture. Many an English teacher in Korea who had done a visa run to Osaka knows the place well. The Korean Consulate in Osaka is located in Namba, beside the cool areas Shinsaibashi and of course Dotonbori.
I walked all over the place. In one of my latest YouTube vlogs, you can see me checkin out America Mura (American Village). Is it really like America? NO, of course not!! It's completely different, but it's such a cool place. A young hipster's shopping paradise. I'm by no means hip, but for me it was a great place to people watch and admire how freakin' cool young Japanese people really can be!
American Village (America Mura) アメリカ村
A BusanKevin vid...
I saw the throngs of people gathered around the strange robotic-like clown wackin a drum when I was in Osaka last weekend. I wondered what the Hell was happening. Why do thousands of folks want a picture of such an odd thing?? Here's the answer!
Popular Osaka restaurant Cui-daore closes doors after 60 years
Mainichi
OSAKA -- Cui-daore, a popular restaurant here known for its drum-beating mascot, closes its doors on Tuesday, putting an end to almost 60 years of history.
Attention is now focused on the fate of the mascot, Cui-daore Taro. The restaurant, situated in the Dotonbori entertainment district in southern Osaka, has been flooded with inquiries about the mascot, many from people offering to buy it. The restaurant owner is negotiating with several people and businesses over the terms to buy it.
"We're asking them about their purchase conditions, and are considering each case. We can't easily decide (to whom we will sell the mascot)," said an executive of the company that operates Cui-daore restaurant.
The company is considering the possibility of displaying it somewhere in the Dotonbori district or continuing to hold the trademark rights over the mascot.
I walked all over the place. In one of my latest YouTube vlogs, you can see me checkin out America Mura (American Village). Is it really like America? NO, of course not!! It's completely different, but it's such a cool place. A young hipster's shopping paradise. I'm by no means hip, but for me it was a great place to people watch and admire how freakin' cool young Japanese people really can be!
American Village (America Mura) アメリカ村
A BusanKevin vid...
I saw the throngs of people gathered around the strange robotic-like clown wackin a drum when I was in Osaka last weekend. I wondered what the Hell was happening. Why do thousands of folks want a picture of such an odd thing?? Here's the answer!
Popular Osaka restaurant Cui-daore closes doors after 60 years
Mainichi
OSAKA -- Cui-daore, a popular restaurant here known for its drum-beating mascot, closes its doors on Tuesday, putting an end to almost 60 years of history.
Attention is now focused on the fate of the mascot, Cui-daore Taro. The restaurant, situated in the Dotonbori entertainment district in southern Osaka, has been flooded with inquiries about the mascot, many from people offering to buy it. The restaurant owner is negotiating with several people and businesses over the terms to buy it.
"We're asking them about their purchase conditions, and are considering each case. We can't easily decide (to whom we will sell the mascot)," said an executive of the company that operates Cui-daore restaurant.
The company is considering the possibility of displaying it somewhere in the Dotonbori district or continuing to hold the trademark rights over the mascot.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Life in Japan
It's been a really long time since I've updated my blog. Sorry about that for all of those who are readers. I suppose I've been focusing my "content creation" juices towards my YouTube Channel. I've been having a lot of fun making videos about life in Japan and meeting other Japan-based video bloggers.
Things are going well for me in Japan. The initial few weeks were a little on the bumpy side, but I'm really enjoying myself here. Kobe is a great city and I'm constantly finding new little restaurants, cafes and cool places to shop. Of course, life here is never boring! It's always great to carry a camera in your pocket every time you leave the house since you'll always see something interesting, weird or cool! That is some advice I'll give to anyone living in Korea, Japan, China, etc. Always have a digital camera in your pocket. Especially one with video/audio capabilities, because you're almost guaranteed to encounter something strange everywhere you go.
Here's something I came across recently. A glimpse into the slower side of life in Japan. Normally, when you see documentaries about living here or YouTuber blogs, it's about the fast-paced life in places like Tokyo and Osaka. This is a mini-documentary about an Australian who is a rice farmer in rural Japan (Shikoku).
Japan: The Slow Life
The best Japanese food you won’t easily find outside of Japan
Forbes Magazine has an article about the “Best Japanese Foods You Can’t Get At Home.” The full list of foods is in photo slideshow form, and starts with natto, a food that many foreigners apparently do not like.
Japanese underdog, hot to reclaim NY gluttony title, gets 2 fewer minutes
Mainichi
NEW YORK (AP) -- He's suddenly the hot dog underdog.
World renowned competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi of Japan is aiming to chomp his way back to the top of Friday's annual Fourth of July hot dog eating competition on Coney Island after a disappointing three-dog loss last year shattered his six-year winning streak.
And this year it could be even harder -- organizers said two full minutes would be shaved from regulation time after it was recently revealed that the original competition in 1916 was just 10 minutes long, instead of the 12-minute limit used in more recent years.Read More...
Tommy Lee Jones in Japan??
A BusanKevin vid...
Things are going well for me in Japan. The initial few weeks were a little on the bumpy side, but I'm really enjoying myself here. Kobe is a great city and I'm constantly finding new little restaurants, cafes and cool places to shop. Of course, life here is never boring! It's always great to carry a camera in your pocket every time you leave the house since you'll always see something interesting, weird or cool! That is some advice I'll give to anyone living in Korea, Japan, China, etc. Always have a digital camera in your pocket. Especially one with video/audio capabilities, because you're almost guaranteed to encounter something strange everywhere you go.
Here's something I came across recently. A glimpse into the slower side of life in Japan. Normally, when you see documentaries about living here or YouTuber blogs, it's about the fast-paced life in places like Tokyo and Osaka. This is a mini-documentary about an Australian who is a rice farmer in rural Japan (Shikoku).
Japan: The Slow Life
The best Japanese food you won’t easily find outside of Japan
Forbes Magazine has an article about the “Best Japanese Foods You Can’t Get At Home.” The full list of foods is in photo slideshow form, and starts with natto, a food that many foreigners apparently do not like.
Japanese underdog, hot to reclaim NY gluttony title, gets 2 fewer minutes
Mainichi
NEW YORK (AP) -- He's suddenly the hot dog underdog.
World renowned competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi of Japan is aiming to chomp his way back to the top of Friday's annual Fourth of July hot dog eating competition on Coney Island after a disappointing three-dog loss last year shattered his six-year winning streak.
And this year it could be even harder -- organizers said two full minutes would be shaved from regulation time after it was recently revealed that the original competition in 1916 was just 10 minutes long, instead of the 12-minute limit used in more recent years.Read More...
Tommy Lee Jones in Japan??
A BusanKevin vid...
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
"The Office"....Japanese version!
We all know that the hit American television show "The Office" actually began as a British show. BUT....did you know that, the British version was actually inspired by a Japanese "Office"? hehe...check out this SNL skit!
The Japanese Office
The Japanese Office
Monday, May 19, 2008
Kobe Matusri...pics and vids....
Well...as I mentioned in my previous post, I went to the Kobe Matsuri. It was a cool time. It wasn't the "traditional" matsuri many people may think of with folks running around carrying giant shrines and screaming "bonzai." It was more of an international themed festival with a wide variety of acts and show performing.
Here is a video I put together for my Youtube Channel about the Kobe Matsuri.
It was a beautiful and sunny day, but pretty damn hot. After a few hours of checkin stuff out in the sun, I was spent! See the original...
This was my first festival in Japan so Idefinately thought it was very cool. I'll be off to the Himeji Matsuri in a few weekends. Apparently it will be a more "pure" matsuri. It will be much more traditional without all of the corporate sponsorship and "international" flare.
Here is a video I put together for my Youtube Channel about the Kobe Matsuri.
It was a beautiful and sunny day, but pretty damn hot. After a few hours of checkin stuff out in the sun, I was spent! See the original...
This was my first festival in Japan so Idefinately thought it was very cool. I'll be off to the Himeji Matsuri in a few weekends. Apparently it will be a more "pure" matsuri. It will be much more traditional without all of the corporate sponsorship and "international" flare.
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