Culture

• Top thirty cutest corporate mascots in Japan
• Are the Japanese actually Jewish? - Looking at the mysterious connections between Japan and Judaism
• Eating alone in Japan
• TV Champion - Chopstick Masters
• Tokyo Super Sentos
• Kage-e: Shadow pictures
• Things to give up when married

See more culture links here

Funny, Cool and Weird Japan

• Japanese Poop Museum
• Beauty Treatment From Japan Made of Bird Poo
• Always suit up your banana
• Faking Japanese
• Crazy Penis Festival in Japan, Kanamara Matsuri (maybe NSFW)
• Fukuoka sets up collection boxes for discarded false teeth
• Crafty hostesses lead men to the dogs

See more funny, cool and weird Japan links here

Kinky and Sexy Japan (maybe NSFW)

• Asuka Sawamoto - Multi-sexy idol - Arrested for Flashing
• The Business of Selling Naked Women Filmed in Japan
• Japanese hands-free help
• Get wet and go wild: housewife rakes in extra loot at the neighborhood body wash
• Japan?s ?love hotels? now target women
• Fearless flashers bag bonus points for landmark exhibitionism
• Naughty Nagoya shop offers oral hors d’ouvres before serving the main course
• Fuko?s Giant Breasts as Bowling Balls (slightly NSFW)

See more kinky and sexy Japan links here

News and Other

• They made it safe, so why is fugu liver still banned?
• Man destroys loud neighbor?s apartment
• 4 More Japanese Men WhoCan’t Keep Their Hands to Themselves
• U.S. issues call to reopen beef markets
• Tokyo offers free pizza to lure pensioners from their cars
• Danica Patrick makes history in Japan
• JAL pleads guilty, is fined $110 million over air cargo cartel

See more news and other links here

Photography

• JR Yamanote Line - Gotanda
• Hiking near Mount Fuji
• JR Yamanote Line - Akihabara
• A Nice Day
• Japan pictures - part 1 of 3

See more photography links here

Technology and Video Games

• Hi-tech tombstones in Japan let mourners link to images, videos of deceased
• Worlds Largest Television
• Coming very soon: Common Web TV standard in Japan
• Mobile Music Sales in Japan up 91%
• Cigarette vending machines to accept driving licenses for age checks
• Magic: Visual Search Engine Coming to iPhone in June
• Japan’s cyborg research enters the skull

See more technology and video game links here

When did you start blogging about Japan and why did you start?
I started at the end of May 2007. I hoped to document what I had previously left to my rapidly fading memory.

Describe your blog in one word.
Evolving.

If you could introduce one of your posts to new readers which one would it be and why?
“A lotus grows in Takayama: blogging about Japan”

I think this post outlines what I want to do with the blog and how I look at the problem of trying to write about life in Japan.

What blogs do you read?
I scan a good number of blogs, but I really enjoy The Westerner’s Fear of the Neonsign for its ironic point of view, Blue Lotus for Japanese food posts, and Tokyofoodcast and Tokyo through the drinking glass for posts about sake.

What is your favorite place you have been to in Japan and why?
I have a real fondness for mountain towns like Matsumoto, Hida-Takayama, and Yonezawa: friendly, talkative people, interesting local culture, excellent food, and gorgeous scenery.

How long have/did you live in Japan?
I first lived in Japan from July 1990 to October 1992. I returned in November 2005 and will leave in late 2008.

The best thing about Japan is…
Onsen ryokans.

The worst thing about Japan is…
Drunk old men on trains late at night who think I don’t speak any Japanese.

Who is your favorite Japanese celebrity?
Asashoryu isn’t Japanese, so I guess I’ll pick Gal Sone. She seems to embody the bizarre contrasts in modern Japanese pop culture.

One thing about Japanese culture that I will never understand is….
No PDA. When my husband and I are out, we always hold hands, kiss each other hello and goodbye, and give each other reassuring squeezes. Young Japanese couples seem to be more physically affectionate than older couples, but I rarely see kissing and hugging. I know it’s a cultural difference (and none of my business), but I couldn’t live like that.

What is the most delicious food you have had in Japan?
A well-crafted junmai yamahai sake can make me moan with pleasure.

What is the most disgusting food you have had in Japan?
I pride myself on enjoying all food, so I find it shocking to find a food I actively dislike. Yet, no matter how different kinds I try, I just don’t like natto.

What is the coolest gadget you have used or seen in Japan?
I’m not much of a gadget person, but my automatic bathtub at home is awesome. I set it to fill and stay hot with just the touch of a button. I can’t believe U.S. bathrooms are so primitive.

Thanks for the interview! I totally agree with the primitive bathrooms…don’t even get me started on the super toilets they have here!

When did you start blogging about Japan and why did you start?

I actually started a blog in the first instance as a way of keeping in touch with friends back home in Australia. I was easier than an email which often promotes responses and more work. I liked the idea of getting out a story and some pictures at the press of a button. Living in Japan my writing obviously had a Japanese flavor to it, after a few months i realized what an interest many people had in Japan and what an interesting place it was to live and write about. I then decided to broadcast my blog a little more and get it out into the greater public. I like the idea of seeing and doing things on the weekend to then later post a story about it. The desire to write interesting stories often gets me out and about on the weekend rather than staying at home which is another big bonus.

Describe your blog in one word.

Me

If you could introduce one of your posts to new readers which one would it be and why?

I personally like my story on Nampa, it’s an interesting topic and a fascinating thing to watch and participate in.

What blogs do you read?

I read a lot of blogs, too many to mention, narrowing it down to Japanese blogs though - some that stand out as daily reads for me are;

• Japan Probe
• Japan Sugoi
• 3 Yen
• Pink Tentacle
• Danny Choo

What is your favorite place you have been to in Japan and why?

So far one of my favorite places would be Kobe. It had a very cool mix between modern society and centuries old culture. I only spent a short time there while on a holiday to Osaka. I would like to go back and see more of Kobe.

How long have/did you live in Japan?

I first came to Japan for work in 2002 for a week, i then returned in 2003 for a week and said to myself one day i will live in Japan. I got restless and decided to move here and landed September 2006.

The best thing about Japan is…

There are many things i like about Japan, although the language makes things difficult at times i find Japan an easy place to live. I can live a simple hassle free life with fewer expectations in Japan.

The worst thing about Japan is…

At times the routine of it all. Japan is a very repetitive place and it’s easy to get into routine.

Who is your favorite Japanese celebrity?

I have a few but the 2 main ones would be …

Aki Hoshino, she’s just so damn Cute.
Yoshio Kojima, i never tire of that dance.

One thing about Japanese culture that I will never understand is….

The interaction between single guys and girls, it’s so far from what I’m used to in Australia it’s not funny!

What is the most delicious food you have had in Japan?

Akanko Ramen in Hon-Atsugi if i had to pick one thing off the menu

What is the most disgusting food you have had in Japan?

Nato

What is the coolest gadget you have used or seen in Japan?

I am very happy with my Sony Living Room PC Set-up. It makes blogging very easy and comfortable.

OK, I think that about does it for the questions. Any last words?

Thanks for the opportunity to be interviewed Evan. I have some interesting things in store which I’ll be rolling out towards the end of January which will be great for both readers in and outside of Japan, i can’t announce specifics until just yet but i expect to have it live on the site by February 1st at the latest.

I will also be running more competitions this year, the Canon Camera competition i ran last year was a huge success and was a great way of increasing my readership. Be sure to visit my site and subscribe by e-mail and RSS so you get all the site and competition details.

Nick Ramsay. You won’t get a more accurate description than that!

If you could introduce one of your posts to new readers which one would it be and why?

Oh my Gomi! This was one of my earlier posts and is still one of my favorites. I wrote about the crazy recycling and rubbish disposal rules I had encountered, and talked about one particular bag of “gomi” I carried around for five years!

What blogs do you read?

Japan Probe, Tokyo Times, Jason’s Random Thoughts and Michael McKinlay.

What is your favorite place you have been to in Japan and why?

The climb was a struggle, but I’ll never forget standing at the top of Mount Fuji. While hundreds of people gathered on one side of the summit to see the sun rise, I stood on the other and watched the most amazing shadow of the mountain grow on the clouds.

How long have you lived in Japan?

I’ve been here for just over ten years. That’s nearly a third of my life!

The best thing about Japan is…

The people. You don’t often hear them whinging like me and my fellow countrymen, i.e. the British.

The worst thing about Japan is…

The people. Sometimes, I wish they’d all band together and complain about something. Maybe then we’d see some positive changes!

One thing about Japanese culture that I will never understand is…

Why a Japanese hanko is necessary. I lived without one for my first six years in Japan, but when I went to open a second bank account, they insisted I get a hanko. My objections fell on deaf ears so I went to the 100 yen shop and bought a hanko that had the kanji for “nishi” because I’m from the “west”. To my surprise, the bank accepted it even though it wasn’t my name.

What is the coolest gadget you have used or seen in Japan?

Those vending machines in some fast food restaurants. They saved my life when I first came here and couldn’t even speak enough Japanese to order dinner. I just put my money in the machine, pressed a button, and gave the little ticket that came out to the guy behind the counter. Easy.

What is the most delicious food you have had in Japan?

McDonalds. Okay, if I must choose something Japanese then I’d have to say “hoshigagki” - dried persimmons.

What is the most disgusting food you have had in Japan?

It goes without saying that “natto” is disgusting, but I also had a honey-covered grasshopper which I wasn’t too keen on.

Who is your favorite Japanese celebrity?

I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I do like Japanese dramas. So, I’d have to pick Kusanagi Tsuyoshi. He was brilliant in “Koi ni Ochitara” and again in “Boku no Aruku Michi”. I also love his impersonations of Ronaldinho and Japan soccer coach Ivica Osim on SMAPxSMAP.

What are some things you’d like to do in Japan but haven’t (due to time or money)?

Take my wife out for dinner!

Haha, well let’s stop the interview here then so now you have the time, sorry I can’t help you with the other part! Thanks for the interview!