tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36073122011-09-23T10:56:51.242-06:00All the cool of Japan, without the Kanji!Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.comBlogger471100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-12176004269723354642010-02-14T21:01:00.009-06:002010-02-14T21:37:21.015-06:00

Last night I was talking to my friend Gini who ran around with me in Japan for a couple of weeks after I left Midorikai and I suddenly remembered this AWESOME pic she took with her iPhone of these stupid eastern European tourists we saw on the train going out to Nikko...no comment necessary.

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-81038987374932517442009-03-28T03:41:00.005-06:002009-03-29T04:49:10.640-06:00

Apparently the Japanese can render anything "cute". This time it's bondage theme keitai (cellphone) charms - this Kewpie montage says it all...

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-60193714098092484002009-03-26T06:54:00.005-06:002009-03-26T07:17:50.161-06:00

Uh - I'm not really back, actually, I'm kind of not here right now - I'm in Kyoto and have been for the last six months. A long, strange story, but hopefully I can begin to fill in the gaps now that I have some reliable internet action going again. Those stories you've heard about Japan being this super-advanced high-tech country? A myth - not true - at least if you're in the sleepy north

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-39784073812874228762008-06-01T07:20:00.004-06:002008-06-05T07:25:22.506-06:00

Take one inexplicably sweet character, cross it with Japanese keitai (cellphone) culture, add a dash of pragmatism and you get - Juju-chan! She's a plushy cellphone charm, shaped like a steamed bean jam bun. With a winsome little smile, she's on a mission to keep your phone make-up and face-grease free - but most of all - she's FREAKING CUTE! Get her at www.strapya-world.com - but be warned,

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-48843508499818255162007-10-14T08:33:00.000-06:002007-10-14T09:04:39.860-06:00

Stephen Colbert is caught, RED HANDED, in Maureen Dowd's (op-ed) SLOT!

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-80546679458100758222007-09-01T23:30:00.000-06:002007-09-02T00:17:31.308-06:00

This IBM breakthrough will soon have us computing on an ATOMIC level. It's so 21st Century it makes me dizzy.

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-41582968140179553372007-05-22T21:19:00.000-06:002007-05-25T11:50:47.363-06:00

I'll settle!Steven Colbert rocks the house!

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-9996415894997448222007-05-18T15:18:00.000-06:002007-05-18T15:23:22.690-06:00

The Inner Life of a Cell

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-2629057506659652572007-03-28T19:43:00.001-06:002008-05-20T20:27:19.579-06:00

I love Google. I really love Google. Since the twilight years of the 20th century, there's been no other search engine for me. I sampled all the early search engines during the free-for-all 90s, when everybody and their dog was launching an internet start-up, and they were all pretty much the same; usable, sure, but overly commercial, busy and distracting. Then Google came - as a revelation,

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-86843547004231120082007-02-23T21:25:00.000-06:002007-03-18T09:31:46.669-06:00

So I finally figured out why my hit count has been so unusually high lately - people are searching for Charlie Price and his online appointment scheduler and amazingly, the first ranking link on Google is my blog entry from 2005.Well, Charlie's got his own setup now, called - appropriately enough - Hair by Charlie. The grand opening was last night and plans are already afoot for a second salon

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-13872967980346785692007-02-17T19:16:00.000-06:002007-03-25T10:09:07.779-06:00

The Top Sushi Restaurants in Dallas, in no particular order:Ino BistroJinbehSushi SakeKampai SushiBest Groceries:SuraShop Minoya 99 Cent PlusSeabose Sakanaya

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-80304234014656238062007-02-16T23:12:00.000-06:002007-02-23T22:26:38.424-06:00

I am just DROOLING over some of the beautiful kimono I'm seeing lately on kimonoichiba.com! I've been looking for a slighty more formal kimono and the choices come down to mainly tsukesage and houmongi (visiting wear) Check these out:Just LOOK at the shimmering weave on this houmongi! Have you ever seen a more gorgeous bokashi-gradient effect!?View more shimmery details here.Shibori Alert!

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-44151449287533417232007-01-06T13:37:00.000-06:002007-01-07T12:44:14.111-06:00

About 3 years ago I made the switch from coffee to green tea. Since then, it seems everywhere I turn I see another news story touting the health benefits of green tea, and how it does everything, from shedding fat and boosting brain power to fighting every cancer known to man. There's no doubt that green tea is the best thing EVER and I am a true believer, but lately I've noticed a lot of strange

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-21512459958085289562006-12-13T18:55:00.000-06:002006-12-13T19:17:06.190-06:00

It is with deep regret that I report the demise of one of the first English kimono sites online, Moto-ya.com. I bought my first uchikake from Moto-ya, as well as numerous obi and kitsuke accessories. The owners were always very helpful and polite and the quality of presentation & packaging of purchased items was second only to the folks at Ichiroya. There's not much left on the site now, but

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1164086187890738422006-11-20T22:59:00.000-06:002006-11-21T10:06:35.223-06:00

Just got back from a 6-month prison sentence. I mean, of having no internet at home. GOD, it was horrible. The landscapers accidentally cut the phone lines to our building this spring, and for multitude of mundane reasons, I never got the DSL turned back on. Mainly, because I heard Verizon was laying fiber optic in my neighborhood, so I thought, "Oh, I'll just wait for fiber, it won't be long

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-63847874777174570672006-09-11T23:07:00.000-06:002007-02-23T23:11:23.363-06:00

Mistress G is SO dead-on with her Five years ago: where were you when it all went down? I couldn't possibly have said it better myself.

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1147730585991974002006-05-15T15:48:00.000-06:002007-01-07T12:47:24.516-06:00

A lovely May evening in Dallas tonight – clear and breezy with a bright full moon. It was the perfect setting for an Arts and Letters Live evening with Liza Dalby and Arthur Golden at the Dallas Museum of Art. Moderated by Sylvia Komatsu of public broadcasting affiliate KERA, it was an interesting conversation on the Memoirs of a Geisha book and film.Gini and I started it off with some Sapporo

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1145672479360859372006-04-21T19:48:00.000-06:002006-04-21T20:21:19.373-06:00

I try to keep the political stuff to a minimum on this blog, but I just gotta to give a shout-out to Mistress Gee over at Mascorrolandiafor her eye-searingly hysterical rant on gas prices and "pig sluices," not to mention the next EXCELLENT viral MP3 to sweep the internet....pour ON the juice, baby! I'll light the match! ;)

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1144932913018015212006-04-13T06:50:00.000-06:002006-04-13T19:14:22.620-06:00

Just received word that Liza Dalby will lecture at the Dallas Museum of Art on May 12! Together with Arthur Golden, they'll be talking about the their experiences as consultants for the film, Memoirs of a Geisha.Our Ms. Dalby is a Stanford Ph.D in anthropology and is the only non-Japanese woman to have ever worked as a real geisha. Her book Geisha is a highly detailed and sensitive account of

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1144287984393995532006-04-05T19:26:00.000-06:002006-04-05T19:59:39.723-06:00

For matcha:Any Marukyu KoyamaenHojin no Shiro and Matcha-Banreki no Mukashi (Zabousai okonomi) at Ito-enAny Kanbayashi

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1143509809509771702006-03-27T19:25:00.000-06:002006-03-28T16:11:58.516-06:00

Fans and contributors of one of *my* favorite blogs got a nasty surprise today when http://www.japundit.com was pointlessly defaced by hackers. Why anyone would target this site is beyond me...To the "BrEakerS":I'm sure you think the shout-outs to "All the Muslim hackers" really lends your little circle an edgy, dangerous cachet, but you'll probably regret that, sooner or later. You might also

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1142998819580285782006-03-11T00:33:00.000-06:002006-03-21T22:09:59.060-06:00

That was the opinion handed down by Sensei when I showed her my Nezumi "mouse" Shino chawan.I was so proud to show her my cute little tea bowl, but it seemed like I saw a momentary expression cross her face, like a nervous parent might have when the toddler starts running around with the Baccarat. It must be very old, she said, because there is no maker's signature. "furuimono desu" - antique

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1141615579622134532006-03-05T21:24:00.000-06:002006-03-28T20:04:20.130-06:00

I was flying out to Kansas City late last year on business when I noticed that the December issue of Vogue had a "behind the scenes" article on MOAG - so of course I had to have it. On reading, I noticed that in the Health and Beauty section where they were highlighting some MOAG product tie-in they dropped the term "yuzen" with no explanation, as if everyone is familiar with this term. Then

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1142995116565133402006-03-04T20:00:00.000-06:002006-03-23T19:20:20.180-06:00

Meet my new girls, a Taisho-era (1912-1926) trio of Sannin Kanjo court ladies join the growing Hina population in Dallas.In Japan, March 3rd is celebrated as Girl's Day, or the Peach Blossom Festival. Dolls mimicking characters of classical Heian court culture are displayed in hope that the girl of the house will grow up beautiful and marry well. Of course, it's also a great excuse to dress up

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1127277595543054452005-09-20T20:16:00.000-06:002005-09-23T22:02:32.653-06:00

Having checked into the hotel, Taj and I headed over to the JapanTown Mall. As a Japan-fanatic, this was a delightful but extremely dangerous place for me to be.Genji Antiques is located on the edge of the Miyako Mall and is a veritable wonderland of tansu, ranma (transom), pottery, dolls, kimono and some surprising items I have never seen before - I defy anyone to step foot in this shop and not

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1126670868506329532005-09-13T21:59:00.000-06:002005-09-13T22:07:48.510-06:00

Sent to me by a very good but Republican friend...Just listen to it:Bush sings "Imagine" by John LennonBonus points to the person that can identify all Beatle's song references.

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1126053906480373462005-09-06T18:38:00.000-06:002005-09-10T19:25:02.110-06:00

I've been too busy at work and too freaked out on the Katrina disaster to post much lately. I will finish the San Fran trip report, but for now, I'm adding a pic of the bottle of wine the company CFO gave me for my birthday today. Somehow it kind of reminds me of New Orleans - so let's everyone raise a toast to that baudy old dame! (and I don't mean myself...)(For those of you that care, it's a

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1124934959151280652005-08-24T17:34:00.000-06:002005-08-29T22:34:59.853-06:00

Don't we all *heart* San Francisco? OK, maybe the street beggars are a little aggressive, and the hills can be a real whipping when you're on foot all day, and of course there are the housing prices that instantly crush any fantasy of actually living there. On my second visit to the City by the Bay, I wasn't as wide-eyed and awed by it all, but I still found even more to love about this most

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1121261127977695792005-07-13T07:10:00.000-06:002005-07-13T21:20:53.246-06:00

Being suddenly without a competent hair stylist in whom you can place your complete trust creates a giant vacuum of insecurity, ranking up there with suddenly losing your job, or having your car engine blow during rush hour. A girl's best friend is not her best friend, or even her cat - it's the hair stylist that understands her hair and makes her beautiful again every six to eight weeks.Dammit!

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1121011516332122332005-07-10T09:56:00.000-06:002005-07-10T10:15:00.596-06:00

Possibly the Greatest Time-Waster of All Time! Fabulous!! Click below for "I Know Where Bruce Lee Lives" the UltraInteractive KungFu ReMixer!!Special thanks to Taj and Firefox for their hours of dedicated surfing! We couldn't do it without ya!

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1118462203240955902005-07-05T21:56:00.000-06:002005-07-05T22:36:52.183-06:00

Ever wonder about the meaning of the vaguely asian tattoo on the neck of the kid standing in line in front of you at the gas station? Well, wonder no more, Tian has the answer, and it's not what you (or the kid) thinks! HA HA!http://www.hanzismatter.com

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1117508538396708712005-05-30T20:41:00.000-06:002005-06-09T20:57:40.800-06:00

My friend logs the "Deep in the Arts" calendar for our local NPR affliate (KERA 90.1), and thus has her finger on the pulse of all music and arts events throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area. She keeps me well informed on everything even remotely Japanese-related, so I was very keen to check out the textile exhibition & sale at the Cliff House Gallery. Cliff House Gallery is tucked away in the

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1115867016540140452005-05-11T20:13:00.000-06:002005-05-11T22:09:12.756-06:00

Finally watched "Lady Snowblood" (Shurayuki-hime) over the weekend. Said to be the "inspiration" for Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" series, it's actually more like the template for those films. I used to think Tarantino was quirky and original, but now I find he's just a rip-off artist with a taste for cheesy films from the 60s and 70s. If you've seen "Kill Bill Vol.1" you'll recognize the

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1114963453934997292005-05-01T09:49:00.000-06:002005-05-01T10:11:30.463-06:00

Dear Readers & Friends-I got a few good laughs out of today's Ichiroya newsletter (except for the part about the dead train passengers) so I thought I'd let Wada-san fill in for me on this post:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Dear Customers & FriendsHello from Japan!This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No 93.Firstly we would like to thank

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1114571207020924092005-04-26T20:28:00.000-06:002005-04-26T21:26:48.016-06:00

Week 2 of my new yoga regimen and all the muscles under my flab are either screaming or moaning like incoherant hospital patients. I keep telling myself those "duty now for the future" things just to get through the class, when all I really want to do is just collapse into a sweaty heap on my mat, which is more like a slip-n-slide than anything else, and gasp for air like beached whale...sheesh!

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1114405994432571892005-04-24T23:04:00.000-06:002005-04-24T23:13:14.433-06:00

Who knew law students could be so amusing? Actually, this guy is thoughtful and well-written.Superbee's PhilosophyIt's so unusual to find blogs worth reading, I should certainly add this one:Barely Legal: The Blog

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1114392533917391422005-04-24T19:24:00.000-06:002005-04-26T11:33:19.570-06:00

It must have been 2.5 hours and hundreds of casino blogs before I stumbled onto this:the delicious lifeItadakimasu!

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1114379453775845932005-04-24T15:47:00.000-06:002005-04-24T15:51:34.840-06:00

Got this link from Strawberry~Wink:your real japanese name generator!Me? I'm Saruwatari ChiakiSaruwatari (monkey on a crossing bridge) Chiaki (very fine in autumn);)

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1114368031774940532005-04-24T10:59:00.000-06:002005-05-30T21:07:29.750-06:00

It's that time again! The time of year every tea lover looks forward to in mouth-watering anticipation: the harvesting of the first flush of leaves from the tea bushes of Japan! First harvest tea, also known as "shincha" is even more special than regular sencha. Even though the particular brand of sencha I am addicted to is very good, the shincha batch is even sweeter and brighter than usual.

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1113879354589494992005-04-18T20:53:00.000-06:002005-04-18T20:55:54.590-06:00

FINALLY, after sifting through countless ad blogs, crap blogs and display-my-baby-to-the-world blogs, finally I find an blog worth reading (OK, an unknown blog worth reading...all my friend's blogs are definitely worthwhile). The name is Princess Sparkle Pony and it's good for several laffs: read it here: http://sparklepony.blogspot.com/

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1113786733953655882005-04-17T18:34:00.000-06:002005-04-24T23:20:50.223-06:00

As of Wednesday, the aforementioned security problem has been fixed, thanks to the quick work of the "X" Police Department, and their "working-over" of the thief in our midst. After several days of imagining the worst and wondering what my new career was going to be, it turns out that our exposure is relatively low; it could have been MUCH worse. It just goes to show, no matter how tight your

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1113102081677004952005-04-09T22:29:00.000-06:002005-06-17T07:26:30.556-06:00

Just got home from Sensei's sendoff. It's been a long day, and there were some unexpected developments...My boss called just before I was leaving to tell me we may have a security breach at work. Can't give a lot of details at the moment, but suffice it to say that if that is indeed the case, we are in some serious trouble. He asked that I provide him with a report with certain information and to

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1113018914063043882005-04-08T21:42:00.000-06:002005-04-08T22:35:15.703-06:00

Well, I think I am finally prepared:Sashiko pillow - check2 bottles of Nambu Bijin - checkRoseville bowl as kaishi-bachi - checkBoxes and wrapping for said items - checkThe pillow turned out "OK", I guess. It wasn't absolutely covered with sashiko like I envisioned; I ran out of time. Didn't even work on it last night, as a post-menstrual headache laid me low around 8PM. But I finished it tonite,

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1112841452282032992005-04-06T20:31:00.000-06:002005-04-08T21:57:41.986-06:00

I've noticed a plethora of new Japanese sellers on ebay lately. This is a good thing, since 99% of the sellers on the Yahoo! Japan auctions will not ship internationally. (and there's SOOO many cool things on the Yahoo auctions) Today I discovered uhiro111. This is from their "About Me" page:Hello,I would like to introduce you to Japanese good products.I would like to show you Japanese nice

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1112755111898899232005-04-05T22:37:00.000-06:002005-04-24T23:32:05.696-06:00

Today I finally received the Ichiroya newsletter. I was beginning to worry that something might have happened to the Wadas, some disaster that prevented the weekly newsletter that I love so much from going out on Sunday morning as per usual. No disaster though, just a technical glitch, and the newsletter arrived safe and sound in my inbox.This week, Ichiro-san touched on a topic that I have been

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1113878003383017932005-04-05T22:36:00.000-06:002005-04-18T20:35:19.570-06:00

Super-nice Taisho Shibori Haori with Tabane Arrow Design

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607312.post-1112663410625764512005-04-04T18:41:00.000-06:002005-04-17T19:44:10.910-06:00

Today, the postman delivered unto me a happy red Netflix envelope containing the new Criterion Collection DVD release of "Kagemusha" (Shadow Warrior). I cannot wait to watch it. I saw it once, while I was visiting my sister one Christmas in Colorado. Unfortunately, the VHS tape must have been at least 15 years old, possibly even older, and the quality was very bad, with the bottom 1/3 of the

Japan-O-Matic!noreply@blogger.com0