Somewhere in Tokyo.

「目標に向かってする事をしていれば、必ず道は明けます。」
It’s been awhile since I updated my blog. 最近、更新していないね。but a lot has been happening. The weather is finally getting better after a rather cold and wet winter. I moved house, changed jobs, and feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. However some of that is being replaced by a much busier schedule at my new job, however unlike my old job, I actually look forward to getting out of bed and going to work everyday. d(^_^o) そして、グローバル包丁を買っちゃった！p(^_^)q これから自炊しようと。its been probably 6 months since I really did any cooking. 久しぶりに料理するな。うまくできないかも。でも、いい包丁を使えば、楽しみ。 May be a bit of a stretch, but for me, buying this knife is a sign that I’m going to severe some of the difficult things I dealt with over the past year and start anew. 頑張ります！

It’s been awhile since I updated my blog. 最近、更新していないね。but a lot has been happening.

The weather is finally getting better after a rather cold and wet winter. I moved house, changed jobs, and feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. However some of that is being replaced by a much busier schedule at my new job, however unlike my old job, I actually look forward to getting out of bed and going to work everyday. d(^_^o)

そして、グローバル包丁を買っちゃった！p(^_^)q これから自炊しようと。its been probably 6 months since I really did any cooking. 久しぶりに料理するな。うまくできないかも。でも、いい包丁を使えば、楽しみ。

May be a bit of a stretch, but for me, buying this knife is a sign that I’m going to severe some of the difficult things I dealt with over the past year and start anew. 頑張ります！

planetmoney: Here’s a map of the states with the most breweries per capita. The number small breweries in the U.S. has exploded in the past few decades.  Find out more here. 

planetmoney:

Here’s a map of the states with the most breweries per capita.

The number small breweries in the U.S. has exploded in the past few decades.  Find out more here. 

The Japan Times posted an article which caught my attention the other day. It talks about the rise of new young entrepreneurs in Japan who are leaving to go to the US to start their businesses. While this is all fine and dandy for the US economy, one can’t help but wonder why these young, inspired, and highly motivated individuals aren’t staying in their homeland to boost the local economy? The article does a fair job on reporting the reason for the exodus of these Japanese entrepreneurs and it even goes into talking about how there is a small community of venture capitalists and budding business start-ups trying to create a new movement here in Tokyo.

One group that is part of this and that I was particularly fascinated with was the Open Network Lab.

Read more on the article here.

Connan O’Brien’s Dartmouth College Commencement Address.

While Connan’s address is both hilarious and witty, he actually has a really humbling and provocative message. Most interestingly, I think I would never expect to find such a message here in Japan and this highlights the cultural differences brought about between a place like the States and Japan. One emphasizes a path of independence and a freedom to fail, the other emphasizes a path of relative stability and the comfort of knowing what’s to come. While neither is necessarily correct nor better, it makes me realize that what I have experienced has imparted upon me, in even the smallest way, an understanding of the difference between two very different places. This is something that, whether it be a mistake, a failure, or a success, is one that I shall never regret.

There’s something about Suntory commercials that I just love. They really appeal to their target market and obviously put a lot of money into making their products look desirable. I think part of the appeal is that their CMs really hit the right senses like sight and sound. Of course it helps to have really famous people promoting their products as well.

Sometimes you have to remind yourself where you’re at in your life to get a better grasp of the things around you. For me, photos act as the crutch to do this. However, I can never figure out the disconnect between the image on screen and the image in reality - in other words, the photos I see taken of Tokyo are images that I fail to see every day around me, no matter how hard I look. In memory we often see an image of what once was. It’s the same as in a photograph. We see a moment and image captured from before, but it’s not real now. We long to go back to that moment or place. I think that’s Tokyo for me. An image of the first time I came here and everything that I experienced with it: the excitement, the detail, the freshness. I feel as if I’m trying to relive that thing but no matter how hard I try, it’ll only ever exist in memory or as a digital record - whether my own or someone else’s. But I keep searching for that moment and place and that’s what keeps me going here. Reblogged from: ailovejapan: Like everywhere in Tokyo (by c.lemon)

Sometimes you have to remind yourself where you’re at in your life to get a better grasp of the things around you. For me, photos act as the crutch to do this. However, I can never figure out the disconnect between the image on screen and the image in reality - in other words, the photos I see taken of Tokyo are images that I fail to see every day around me, no matter how hard I look.

In memory we often see an image of what once was. It’s the same as in a photograph. We see a moment and image captured from before, but it’s not real now. We long to go back to that moment or place. I think that’s Tokyo for me. An image of the first time I came here and everything that I experienced with it: the excitement, the detail, the freshness. I feel as if I’m trying to relive that thing but no matter how hard I try, it’ll only ever exist in memory or as a digital record - whether my own or someone else’s. But I keep searching for that moment and place and that’s what keeps me going here.

Reblogged from:

ailovejapan:

Like everywhere in Tokyo (by c.lemon)

The glory days (or horror days) of junk food. I found this on another blog and felt like I needed to relive some of my old past-times here. I’ve been pretty slack about updating the 毎日驚く so instead I bring you a review of some of these retro American snack foods (most of which came to life during the golden years known as the 90’s).

1. Crystal Clear Pepsi - This un-tastic soft drink was introduced in 1992 by the Pepsi Cola company and it probably was only on shelves for about 6 months due to its lack of appeal. The trick? Pepsi that was clear like Sprite or 7-up, except it didn’t taste like you think it would. It tasted exactly like regular Pepsi. Somehow your brain made the association between the fact that it was clear and the fact that it was supposed to be Pepsi and falsely fabricated a new taste in your mind. It only took a few sips however to realize, “Hey wait a minute, this is actually just Pepsi.” I think eventually consumers caught onto the trick and that’s why it failed miserably.

2. PB Crisps by Planters - For some reason, America’s favorite peanut company thought it would be a good idea to make a candy/cookie that looked like a peanut and that was filled with peanut butter. I know, sounds awesome right? Wrong. The thing with peanuts and peanut butter is that we like it because it’s sticky, crunchy, and creamy. PB Crisps were neither of these things. In fact, they barely had the crispy aspect going for them. It tasted more like reconstituted sawdust packed into a flaccid peanut-shaped shell. I dunno, it’s probably just me that didn’t like them and is glad that they pulled this one because apparently there’s a petition out there for Planters to bring back the PB Crisps.

3. Orbitz - This beverage was introduced in 1997 by some Canadian beverage company (well there’s the first mistake) with the tag line “texturally enhanced alternative beverage”. WTF? Upon first inspection, this drink looked awesome. You felt like you were about to indulge in some space concoction straight off the set of Star Trek - the little floaties dancing around the clear liquid, enticing you to take a sip. And then you do. And then you feel infinitely let down. If lava lamps had a taste, I imagine this is what it would be like (what was it with the 90’s and our obsession with slow floating bubbles in liquid?) Point in short: people don’t need colored floating balls to make their drinks awesome. They need something that tasted better than wax and sugar water.

4. Squeezit - Now here’s a drink that made its mark on the American kid market (Betty Crocker, is there anything you can’t do?) These delicious, sugary, fruity soft drinks were shaped like cartoon faces that you had to squeeze in order to extract the wonderful goodness that was inside. Each bottle had a different name, face, color, and corresponding taste that was both witty and fun: Chucklin’ Cherry, Grumpy Grape (later changed to Gallopin’ Grape although to this day is still my favorite), Berry B. Wild, Rockin’ Red Puncher, etc. I remember having these with my lunch sometimes or after a long day of school or playing in the woods with my neighbor friends. Eventually parents started to realize that these drinks were really just made up of sugar compounds and dyes and inevitably these delightful beverages met their final days much to the tears of millions of American kids.