Secondhand Bikes, Anyone?

In Japan, many people have their own bicycles, and they use them on a regular basis. While this spells good news for the environment AND the health of the people who use their bikes, it also means tons and tons of old bicycles that are impounded. The sad truth is that many bicycles are picked up by parking police for one reason or another. And once impounded, many of the bikes are left unclaimed. Worse, they are stored in areas open to the elements, laying them to waste.

Enter people like Naomi Aoyama and Toshizo Takada. These two work for the Silver Jinzai Center, a nationwide organization that helps senior citizens find jobs which benefit the community. What Naomi and Toshizo do is to restore those bicycles found in impound lots. Once restored, the bikes are sold at the center’s recycling shop.

It’s actually a win-win situation, if you think about it. The city’s impound lots are cleared up, making space for other things. The old bikes are re-used instead of merely thrown away, making a positive impact on the environment. People like Naomi and Toshizo have jobs. Last, but not the least, people can buy good as new bicycles for a cheaper price.

This sort of endeavor just goes to show that with the right mindset and enough motivation, we can make a positive impact on the environment as well as our way of living. I wonder if this sort of thing can catch on in other countries as well?

The Kyoto Winter Special Is Back!

For those of you who experienced the Kyoto Winter Special last year, you can do so again this year. After a successful run, the organizers have decided to have a go at it once again but this time, they are offering more and better deals for their visitors. For those who are not aware, the Kyoto Winter Special is akin to a festival – 3 months’ worth of cultural activities. This year’s Winter Special runs from 1 December 2008 to 31 March 2009. Easier.com has this feature:

In addition, special admission will be granted to normally restricted heritage sites, and there will be unique winter events and chances to receive special offers from world-famous hotels. With Kyoto Winter Special, the breathtaking beauty of winter in Kyoto awaits you!

Special Events Kyoto’s cherry blossoms and fall leaves are a sight to see, but Kyoto’s magical winter is something special. There will be various events showcasing winter.

Information on events from December to March are listed by month on the Kyoto Winter Special website. The main event during the Kyoto Winter Special is called “Hanatoro”. This event beautifies Kyoto’s nights, with elegant lanterns lighting up Kyoto’s famous spots. Adding a winter event into a visit to Kyoto is a great way to make your trip that extra bit memorable.

Ask anyone who has been to Kyoto and other Japanese cities and they will probably tell you the same thing – there is nothing like Kyoto if you really want to get a hands on experience of what the Japanese culture is like.

Kawaii For The Holidays?

Christmas is only a little more than a month away. Have you gotten started on your Christmas shopping yet? I know some people who are finished with their lists. In fact, they finished months ago. But if you are like me, then you are probably the type who waits till the last minute to get gifts for everyone. Good thing for us, there is such a thing as online shopping. Whoever first thought of online shopping should be awarded some great prize! I mean, I do not even have to go anywhere to get gifts. They will be delivered right to my doorstep – or the recipient’s doorstep!

Speaking of online shopping, did you know that there are great places online where you could find kawaii items? If you do not know what I am talking about, then you should read my previous post about kawaii, or cute things (loose translation). Kawaii has been around for decades and I am sure that most everyone is aware of it although perhaps not by name.

Anyhow, I found a great article on online stores featuring kawaii items.

Sweet Kitty the Anime Store is located in Kent, Washington. You can visit the store in person at 18111 E. Valley HWY S. #103; otherwise, you can purchase items directly from the store at: SweetKittyAnime.com. The store specializes in Japanese items, and it carries brands from Harajuku Lovers to Hello Kitty. The store has the best selection of Sanrio products in Washington State. The owners love their customers and encourage visitors to come to the store. Below are some of the hot items that are in-demand.

ShopKawaii.com is the web store for both Kawaii Gifts and Kawaii Avenue since April of 2006. However, ShopKawaii.com is dedicated to our imported gifts. You can visit the stores personally at Kawaii Gifts, located at 5413-B Walnut St. Pittsburgh, PA 15232. Kawaii Avenue is located at 5413-A Walnut St. Pittsburgh, PA 15232.

Thanks to Katrina-Kasey Wheeler for these wonderful pieces of information.

“Profound Truths” About The Japanese Culture (Part 3)

Here is the last installment of this mini-series. I found a couple more interesting points in the Russian Bear’s post and here they are.

Sushi in Kyoto on Shijo street, next to the river are to die for. That is the sushi heaven. Whatever you do, don’t eat the sea urchin roe in the raw; it will make you puke. However, the rest of the food is delicious, not spicy, and looks quite healthy.

I have never been to these places but I do know for a fact that sushi abounds in Japan. You can even go to 711 and buy great sushi and sashimi for a good price – can you believe that? Of course, I would probably be under fire for saying that 711 sushi and sashimi is great but I just had to say that. It is really amazing!

The Japanese don’t only drive, but also walk on the left. It is hard, but important to remember, or else you will run into people all the time.

The reason I picked this point is more because I wanted to emphasize the fact that the Japanese will not drive unless they need to. Even company CEOs would take the public transportation to work on a daily basis. The reasoning is that they do not want to spend money when there is a perfectly reasonable option. I guess that is why they are successful in general.

We sure could learn a lot from the Japanese culture, couldn’t we?

Photo courtesy of jad_23

“Profound Truths” About The Japanese Culture (Part 2)

We had “toilet talk” in the previous post. What does the Russian Bear have for us today? Some other “profound truths” about the Japanese culture. Here goes.

You need a small towel with you at all times to wipe off the sweat from your face and neck. That and a hand fan are pretty much a necessity. You can get away with napkins, but you need to go to Starbucks to get napkins, because the Japanese has a prejudice against paper napkins, and you won’t get them at most places, even where you buy ice cream.

I think that this is not something unique to Japan – at least the wiping off of sweat from your face. It is more of a foreigner being used to colder temperatures and finding himself in warmer conditions. I don’t really understand this much, though, as I have always thought that Japan is colder than other Asian (southeast at least) countries. Perhaps it depends on which area you are in? The lack of paper towels, I have an explanation for – the Japanese are very conscious about the environment and using paper towels for everything when you can use washable (reusable) towels is something that is embedded in their way of thinking.

Everything is about half of the American size: cars, fire trucks, benches, seats, meal portions. Overweight Japanese are a true rarity.

Very true. Even other Asians who tend to have more weight on them are surprised at how lean the Japanese are. It has a lot to do with their diet and they health conscious lifestyle. Try going to a public bath – where you have to go in in your birthday clothes – and you will know what I mean.

Solar Power For Houses To Be Encouraged

With the problems that we are encountering with fuel consumption and global warming, the best possible course for us to take would be sustainable source of power. We all know that solar power is one of the most feasible sources of energy and perhaps this is would be what the future holds for us. The Japanese government seems to think along the same lines.

Based on a report by Reuters:

The Japanese government will come up with measures on Tuesday to promote the household use of solar power systems by introducing subsidies and tax breaks from next year, the Nikkei financial daily reported on Sunday.

The paper said the steps, following an environment initiative announced earlier by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, include halving the cost of buying solar power systems in Japan, home to major solar component makers.

These include Sharp Corp, Kyocera Corp and Sanyo Electric Co.

This is really a good move by the government as the more people make use of solar power, less people will be using conventional power sources. I am sure that many of us would love to go solar but the costs of converting to this source are very high. But since the government is giving subsidies, I suppose that more people will be able to afford solar power.

Perhaps other countries in the West should study this example. It is never too early to start making use of more sustainable sources of power.

Photo courtesy of Rich_Lem

Cigarette Vending Machines That Can Check Age

Trust the Japanese to make use of technology for very practical reasons. This is, in fact, one of their strongest points, in my mind. They have been gifted with the aptitude for innovations when it comes to technology and they have not hesitated to make use of it. As simple as things may be, the Japanese are known to be able to create applications that are quite useful.

One of the latest things that the government is working on is to enable their cigarette vending machines to be able to check the age of the buyer using his or her driver’s license. An AP article gives more information:

The Finance Ministry plans to allow a new type of cigarette vending machine that accepts driving licenses for age verification, in addition to those that read “taspo” smart cards, sources close to the matter said Sunday.

The move is planned because vending machines with the taspo card function have proved unpopular, probably due to the extra procedures required to obtain the integrated circuit card, they said.

In order to prevent underage smoking, Japan plans to restrict access to cigarette vending machines to adults carrying taspo cards by July.

Vending machines that check a buyer’s age by reading a taspo card have already been introduced in some areas, including Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures.

But according to the Tobacco Institute of Japan, only 8 percent of the around 26 million smokers had applied for the cards as of April 13.

To obtain the taspo IC cards, consumers need to fill out applications distributed by tobacco shops and to mail them to a designated address together with copies of personal identification papers such as a driving license.

The new type of vending machine, to be approved by the ministry, can verify a cigarette buyer’s birth date when a driving license is inserted in it, they said.

Nomi No Ichi – Japanese Flea Markets

A flea market by any other name is still a flea market – and in Japan, it is called nomi no ichi. This traditional name is still used by the older generation in Japan but the young people use the global term flea market. Today, flea markets still abound in Japan, perhaps even more than in the past. This should not really be a surprise as the Japanese are known to be environmentally conscious, maybe more than some other nations today. They even have the word mottainai, which refers to the concept of recycling – reduce, reuse, and recycle.

As such, one can find most anything in the nomi no ichi – everything that the Japanese people deem reusable can be found here. Flea markets can be found almost anywhere in Japan. They are normally held during on the weekends, from early morning to late afternoon. The venue is usually on temple grounds and shrine grounds. According to the Japan National Tourist Organization, some of the most popular nomi no ichi in Japan include:

*Togo-no-Mori Nomi-no-ichi at Togo Shrine in Tokyo (3-min. walk from JR Harajuku Station); 1st Sunday of every month.
*Hanazono Jinja Nomi-no-ichi at Hanazono Shrine in Tokyo (5-min. walk from Shinjuku Sanchome Station); every Sunday (except May and November).
*Kyoto Temmangu Nomi-no-ichi at Kitano Temmangu Shrine in Kyoto (30 min. by bus from JR Kyoto Station); on the 25th of every month.
*Kyoto Toji Garakuta-ichi & Kobi-ichi at the South Gate of Toji Temple in Kyoto (10-min. walk from Toji Station on Kintetsu Line); Japan’s largest flea market, the 21st of every month, with a smaller market 1st Sunday of every month.

The next time you pay Japan a visit, try roaming these grounds and you might just find something to take home with you!

Urawaza – Quirky Japanese Solutions

We all love how the Japanese think – they are just a breed of their own! I believe that nothing showcases this way of thinking more than a recently released book entitled Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan. Quite obviously, with the release of this book, these supposedly secret everyday tips and tricks no longer remain secret.

Written by Lisa Katayama, who was born in Tokyo, Urawaza highlights tons of quick fixes for mundane things. It could have been an ordinary collection of DIY tricks except that the solutions that Katayama are things that we probably would not have thought of – that is, unless you are Japanese.

How’s this for starters – put your plant in a water soaked diaper if you are going away on a trip and you can’t find anyone to water it for you. Over time, it will slowly soak the water from the diaper, making sure that your plant will not die. Think that’s clever? How about this one – having problems with your sled sliding smoothly down the hill? Give it a boost by spraying nonstick cooking spray! You’ll be gliding down the hill at speeds you’ve never imagined before!

If these quirky solutions have caught your attention, then you would want to get yourself a copy of Urawaza, which, by the way, is the Japanese term for “secret lifestyle tricks and techniques.” The book is available at Amazon for only $10. Even if you are too conventional to try out the tricks, it would be quite a good read.

Kids’ shoes that are eco-friendly

Talk about corns and feet and the first mental picture you’ll probably get is that of painful, swollen calluses on your toes. But in Japan, corns and feet have a new meaning — one that is eco-friendly.

Moonstar, a shoe manufacturer in Japan, has recently partnered with Kuraray in releasing a new shoe line for children. The Biomass Hadashikko are the first shoes to be made from corn. The manufacturer uses biomass technology in producing the shoes, which reduces the total carbon emission when compared to using fossil fuel.

The shoes do not scrimp on comfort, too. using Comfort Saver technology, Moonstar claims that children will be assured of sensations that are akin to actually walking barefoot without sacrificing ample support for the soles that active children need.