Tokyo nights

It's moving time!

So I've finally set up my new blog.

Here is the address: http://tokyofashionheaven.blogspot.com

I won't be posting much here anymore, and my payments on this site will run out at the end of October.

Click on the new blog link to get all your Tokyo news! Although the first two posts are personal and only have pictures of Canada, so you might want to wait. lol

See ya!

All my bags are packed (not really), I'm ready to go (and how!)...♪　♪

Goodbye, steaming armpit of the world!

In two days I will leave the humid hell that is Tokyo summer and go back to Canada for an extended vaykay. Soon to come are days of barbecuing on the veranda while drinking beer (a big no-no in Japan) and having my fucked up English (Japan does this to you) ridiculed by all my friends.

I know all of you are wondering what will happen to mon chat, Mochi. Never fear, his vet (where he is extremely popular) has a pet hotel, and he will be getting premium care while I'm gone. Only the best for my boy!

Tokyo Nights will be back in operation on August 20th.

In major bloggie news: I am changing sites. I've decided that shelling out money on this site for basic services I could get for free elsewhere is stupid. No offense to Typepad, since it was Tokyo Nights' first home, but I'm moving on to greener, freer pastures. I will post the link for the new site when I get back from holidays.

The direction of the site will also change. I never meant for this blog to become a list of negative complaints about my life in Japan. I really do enjoy living here (unless it's VISA renewal time...or I'm moving apartments), and want to feature more of the positive sides of Japan.

The new Tokyo Nights will still have commentary on life in Japan, but regular features will be fashion and shopping news, reviews of bars/restaurants, news updates for foreign residents, etc. If anyone has questions about Japan they'd like answered, feel free to send them to me. I get the odd question from time to time and am happy to help!

To tide you over until I get back, here are some before and after pictures of Mochi; the cuteness, and the lard ass who doesn't quite fit in the box he recently claimed.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Only in Japan?

So Japan is famous for having limited time goods from different well-known brands. Let's explore two of Pepsi's (in)famous variations since the pictures are taking up space in my phone.

Exhibit A: Shiso Pepsi

Shiso, or Perilla, is a genus of annual herb that is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae (who says Wikipedia isn't useful?). It is also more commonly known as the Beefsteak plant. It's flavor can be compared to mint, fennel, or basil. It's really delicious when rolled up with bacon and barbecued on a stick (most Izakaya's have it on the menu. Try it!).

Pepsi Japan decided it'd be a nifty idea to take that Shiso and turn it into a cola. Now, we're not talking about a harmonious mixture like Coca-Cola's green tea flavor that came out around the same time (a light, refreshing hint of green tea aftertaste in a normal coca-cola), but a total revamp of the Pepsi, both in color and taste, until it's not even recognizable as Pepsi anymore (unless you have the label to look at).

Like most of the limited, weird flavor goods in Japan, this one was a fail. It gives me the sads.

Exhibit 2: Baobab Pepsi

No, your eyes do not deceive you. It really says Baobab on the bottle. The label says they used the image of the Baobab tree, which originally had me thinking that they just made a new fancy label, but looking at the color of the cola, I can tell this one is another wonky limited time flavor. I haven't had the guts to try this one yet. I found it at the Seijo Ishii in Kita Senju. Curiosity IS getting the better of me, though, and I may pick it up this weekend and try it. I'll post an update when I do so that you can live vicariously through my experience. Just kidding.

Not dead and gone. Having terrible internet issues which are far from resolved as I find my new wireless is SO slow that it's like not having internet anyways. Um, yes. Will update later when I'm not foaming at the mouth with ISP issue rage.

Oh, the irony!

For those who live in Japan, or are in the know when it comes to insulting remarks in Japan, let it be known that there is a brand of shoes called "Yellow Cab."

I'll just leave you with a link so you can snigger at the brand yourself. Click here to see some of their wares.

The shoes are trashy and tasteless. Intentional, or funny coincidence?

Hanami post!

My first (and only?) Hanami Bento (cherry blossom viewing picnic lunch box) post is now up on my food blog. Check it out here.

Randomness

I was sitting watching Mad Men season 1 again today and something about January Jones' smile was bothering me. It was so maddeningly familiar, but I kept thinking I hadn't seen her in any other shows.

The more episodes I watched, the more convinced I was that I'd seen her in something I know well and love to watch.

Like a bolt of blue lightening, it hit me.

A quick search on imdb.com confirmed what i thought; January Jones was the girl Jeanie in Love Actually! Very different look, but still the same gorgeous girl.

While I still think Christina Hendricks is the sexiest woman on that show (or any show for that matter), January Jones has a gorgeous face. Mad Men's casting director is brilliant. Not only is the cast fabulous, but the writing and costumes are amazing too (not always, but extremely consistent). No wonder I'm obsessed with it.

And....that's all I had to say.

Promotion

Four new food posts coming up this week on my food blog, Mochi.

Please go check it out here when you have a chance! Everything from the new line up of spring foods in Tokyo to a Sunday home cooked meal. I also posted my Stuffed Chicken Breast with Goat Cheese and Herbed Panko Crust again with a new photo and suggestions of variations you can try.

Bon appetit!

Puzzled

So now that I've renewed the lease on my apartment (that echoing sound you hear is my empty wallet), I've decided to invest a bit in making my apartment more livable. My first order of business is to get rid of my old sofa/day bed since sleeping on that thing gives me chronic back pain.

Herein lines my dilemma; I dunno how to get that fucker downstairs to the garbage room of my building.

When I first got the sofa, it took two heaving, sweating men from kuroneko to lug it inside my door. It's so heavy that just sliding it over about 20 cm requires effort. It's also a two seater, so it's too big for me to carry out the door anyways, regardless of it's weight.

How do I get the damn thing down to the garbage room?

I checked with the garbage website for my ward and they will not pick up large garbage at your home unless you're a senior or disabled in some way. All my male Japanese friends are smaller or frailer than I am, so the weight of the sofa might snap them like dry sticks. 

Recycle shops won't take it because Mochi's claws of doom have done their work on both front ends.

The only thing I could think of was to inquire with a benriya-san (a kind of handyman service in Japan that does almost anything). I just got a quote from one of them back today and it was 9000 yen just to bring the sofa downstairs. Nine...thousand...yen. WTF? For that price I could buy a cheap new sofa! I think it shouldn't cost more than 4000 to 5000 since I'm not asking them to take it away and throw it out for me!

Anyone who lives in Japan, feel free to give me suggestions on how to rid myself of this inconvenient piece of furniture!

Let legacies lie

I read this morning that a stack of screenplays by the late John Hughes have recently been discovered. These scripts were never produced, and there are apparently several movies or movie ideas written in his notes. Movie execs purchased them straight away and now want to put them into development.

I'm of two minds about this. Granted, when I was growing up, John Hughes movies struck a real chord with me. They echoed a lot of the same feelings and sentiments I had. Now I just look at his movies as something nostalgic I watch to remember my youth. From that point of view, I might watch any new movie of his out of sentimental value, not because I expect it to be good. On the other hand, none of the people who watched his original movies are struggling teenagers anymore. Will we even connect to anything he wrote? The majority of his movies were about teenagers who didn't fit in with the life adults expected of them.

If the movie (or movies?) turn out to be terrible, it will kind of tarnish the bright star Hughes ended his career with. Maybe we should just leave well enough alone?