Beautiful Views of Japan Taken With Cellphones!

It's a Sunday morning at 10:30 am here in Tokyo and I've been up since 4 am doing work. I'm pooped and it's hot as heck out there!

So, since it is Sunday, I want to relax.... How about a Japan photo mini-matsuri?

Here's some photos that my friends have taken in Japan recently that I thought were wonderful and, simply enough, these were taken with cell phones. 

That's Sheena (OK, that one is not taken with a cellphone!)

I took this photo of my mini-barbecue (Shichirin) and my favorite BBQ squid!

InterFM DJ George Cockle took this wonderful photo of the shore off Enoshima (Look very closely and you can see the outline of Mt. Fuji)....

Alright, already! A friend says he can't see Mt. Fuji. There it is marked in red. The arrow shows the snow line:

Tsukasa Sato took this breathtaking view of Tokyo

Toru Tsuno captured this great shot of Mt. Fuji in spring

Takatoshi Uchiyama from 76.1 InterFM shot this great photo of Zushi beach

I was going to work one day when I came upon this gentleman and his friends going to play baseball. I loved that handlebar moustache! I shot the photo with my iPhone then used Photoshop to add the baseball diamond in the background to give it a "Baseball card" feel.

James F. Setz took this great late afternoon shot of Tokyo (Shinjuku)

My ex-wife, Masako, with my daughters Wendy and Sheena at Narita Temple. (That's Sheena who was in the kimono at the very top of this article).

Gaijin Gourmet: Soba Wars At Hanzomon Station in Tokyo

Long, long ago in a land far away, Soba was made sometime during the Tokugawa period. 

The ancient scrolls of the Wikipedities say:

Soba is the Japanese name for buckwheat. It is synonymous with a type of thin noodle made 

from buckwheat flour, and in Japan can refer to any thin noodle (unlike thick wheat

 noodles, known as udon). Soba noodles are served either chilled 

with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a 

noodle soup. 

It takes three months for buckwheat to be ready for harvest, so it can be harvested four times 

a year, mainly in spring, summer, and autumn. In Japan, buckwheat is produced 

mainly in Hokkaido. Soba that is made with newly harvested 

buckwheat is called "shin-soba". It is sweeter

 and more flavorful than 

regular soba. 

In Japan, soba noodles are served in a variety of settings: they are a popular inexpensive 

fast food at train stations throughout Japan, but are also served by expensive 

specialty restaurants. Markets sell dried noodles and men-tsuyu, 

or instant noodle broth, to make home preparation 

easy. Some establishments, especially cheaper 

and more casual ones, may 

serve both soba and 

udon as they are 

often served 

in a similar

 manner. 

Soba is the traditional noodle 

of choice for 

Tokyoites. 

Yude Taro

In one place in Tokyo, that I go to everyday, the Soba Wars are in full swing. Let me introduce you to what I think are the major players. The station I am talking about is Hanzomon station on the Hanzomon Line. Leave the station at exit 5 to find both of these battling warriors within sixty-seconds walk from each other.

The first one is Yude-Taro. Just across the street from exit 5 as you walk out the station.

In my opinion, Yude- Taro is the empire of the soba shops; it is cheap, delicious and clean.

Yude Taro is spacious, extremely clean and has seating enough for you and a troop of Wookies.

Seating and standing room. Don't bother going there right at 12 pm on a workday, the place is packed!

As you can see the kitchen is extremely clean.

Buy your food tickets from the machines outside. The staff who handle your food never touch money.

The killer for Yude Taro is that the soba noodles are made on the premises. This place is cheap but just as delicious as a shop that costs twice the price.

Large Zaru soba (¥320) with Wakame (seaweed) total is ¥390. That's about $4.70

Wide menu that even includes curry rice and, of course, fried foods.

Window dressing

That's the commander of Yude Taro in front of a spotless kitchen and freshly fried veggies and fish.

..... And now, to the rebel base!

The next place that isn't quite as tasty (in my opinion) as Yude Taro is Komoro Soba (about a 45 second walk around the corner). BUT! Komoro Soba is cheaper by about ¥30 ($.50) a plate for the soba. If you are on a budget, then maybe Komoro Soba is for you. The exact same menu of Large Zaru soba with Wakame (seaweed) is ¥390 at Yude Taro (about $4.70) but at Komoro Soba it is ¥310 (about $3.90)... Now, if you are a cheap skate bastard like me, that makes a difference - ESPECIALLY when you are eating this healthy and wholesome food everyday for a week or a month!

Komoro Soba

To go to Komoro Soba, you need to walk out of the station and turn left (and left again at the corner) instead of walking across the street to Yude Taro)

The soba alone is ¥290 at Komoro Soba (about $3.68) while it is ¥360 (about $4.60) at Yude Taro. Yude Taro tastes a bit better (of course, their noodles are made on premises, but it depends on your pocketbook if it is worth it or not. And, unless you've eaten soba a lot, you might not be able to tell the difference!)

Komoro Soba is also immaculate and plenty of seating.

Kitchen is spotless too (I love Japanese restaurants!) Here is a photo of clone making soba.

As usual, the machines sell the goods and so these are not the droids you are looking for (unless, of course, you want a great meal for a great price!)

Map of the galaxy.... Go and seek. 

There is no try. There is only do or not do.

Do try these great places to eat. May the force be with you!

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The BBC on Pussy Riot

No comment...

...Just a lot of laughing and nodding in complete agreement

Russian Punk Rockers Pussy Riot: 2 Years in Prison? A Travesty of Justice? No way!

The Russian punk band Pussy Riot have been sentenced to prison for two years. The western media are in arms.

Even Amnesty International wants to cash in on the act:

Amnesty International USA writes:

"We are outraged that a Russian court found 3 members of Pussy Riot guilty of "hooliganism" today for singing a 30 second protest song and sentenced to 2 years imprisonment in a penal colony! SHARE this image to stand in solidarity with Masha, Katia and Nadia..."

That's not true at all. The members of Pussy Riot were not sent to jail for "singing a 30 second protest song." Not only is Amnesty USA guilty of lying, they are morons to boot. (As if Putin has so much free time on his hands he is concerned about a bunch of hooligans crashing a church ceremony!)

That's "morons," as in "idiots" and that includes Amnesty International, the band Pussy Riot, the western media and the western public who thinks this is a travesty of justice.

Here's why:

Despite the "Spin," Pussy Riot weren't convicted of "speech crimes" or singing a song....The band, Pussy Riot, were convicted of breaking and entering, trespassing, assault, resisting arrest, assaulting a police officer, TERRORISM!, threatening people with violence and a a handful of other charges...(AND, to make matters worse, this was their second offense!) - the 1st time they got off with a fine and a warning from the judge that if they pull this kind of sh*t again, they'll go to jail! (follow the links here for a more in-depth story on Pussy Riot). http://poorrichards-blog.blogspot.jp/2012/08/russias-pussy-riot-stunt-supported-by.html?m=1

And, then they go do it again!

As Homer Simpson would say, "DOH!".... 

Don't you think for one second the courts - in any country - don't enjoy making an example out of people like this?

Did I say, "Idiots?" I did? Thanks.

If you did this in the USA, you wouldn't go to jail, would you? Nah. Probably not. In the USA the cops probably would beat your ass to a pulp and then shoot and kill you.... 

I've been a follower of this band for a long time - before anyone here had ever heard of them... This was a foolish gamble and they lost. 

You go try this stunt where you live and see what happens to you. Remember this was not the first time. It was the second time along with a warning from a judge that you are going to jail if you do it again and see what happens!

Don't be fooled by US propaganda. 

Also, please consider; isn't the timing of this suspicious? Think about Syria and the Russian connection here....

The western media complain that because this is Russia, then that's why there's no freedom of speech!!? Don't make me scoff! 

America hasn't a leg to stand on when it comes to complaining about "lack of freedom" in any other country.

Imagine this: You and your friends put on a ski masks and run into a church on Sunday downtown in downtown, Boonf*ck Iowa, during a congregation.... 

Then you shove your way onto the stage and then start screaming and insulting the 70 year olds attending.... Then the church people (nuns and the well-known muscle-bound clergymen) try to get you to leave. You threaten them and refuse.

Then you and your genius friends take over the church services and set up your  guitars and start playing loud music. You then shout political and social revolutionary slogans and insult and threaten the audience with violence; you continue to insult the church-goers and guests (Gee, if you were a church guest, might you not think this is a terrorist take over (ski masks?!) and be frightened out of your sh*t?) 

Then the cops come in a SWAT type of vehicle and there's a massive ruckus... 

Then you and your rocket scientist friends fight with the cops who drag your asses outta there all the while you scream and shout some insane rantings about "Free Pussy!"

"Irrelevant"? 

Sure. Sure. The only thing that is irrelevant is the function of the logical thinking capacity of people who think this is a travesty of justice and who think they wouldn't go to jail or prison in the west for the exact same stunt.... 

Hell, in many places, you'd have your ass in prison or an insane asylum for more than just two years. Hell in some places in the USA, a drunk driving conviction is 7 years in jail!  

The people who think this is a travesty would make shit-assed band managers and promoters and deserve jail time for this sort of thing or, better yet, deserve getting their ass sued in court (by the girls in Pussy Riot for shitty advice by the way!) for pulling a stunt like this. 

This stunt ends the career of Pussy Riot.... 

Brilliant!!!!!

A promotional stunt that ends their career? Wow!

Folks, we live in a time where people watch way too much TV and don't read and have extremely short memories... Here's a word association game for you: Ski masks... Chechnya...Terrorists.....Attackers seize Russian school kill over 200 people in 2004...Court judges....  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3624024.stm .... 

Oh and, as if some 70 year old court judge even knows what "punk rock" is.... 

Laughable.

Sure. Russia is a terrible place because they have no freedom....

As if it wouldn't be worse for these dumb girls in the west.

More on "Who is Pussy Riot."

Also: "...the case of the Pussy Riot prosecution in Russia which is very much in line, or even less severe, than what is considered the norm in most western countries (check this excellent and detailed legal analysis by Alexander Mercouris for more info).... The sad truth is that the West's support for Pussy Riot is, in reality, nothing more than yet another expression of its rabid hatred for anything Russian or Russian Orthodox.  And if that means erecting a small group of sexually dysfunctional women into a banner for freedom, so be it!  And that if that also means looking away from the obscene and outrageous persecution of a real hero for freedom like Julian Assange by the US Empire and its vassals - then so be it also!" http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32225.htm#.UDDsvgnT1c0.facebook

Watch this video: http://modernmarketingjapan.blogspot.jp/2012/08/the-bbc-on-pussy-riot.html


Thanks to Glenn Williams. Glenn is a longtime music industry professional from the UK with over 30 in the business.

Cool & Strange Music: Japanese Animation "Mach Baron!"

Ken Nishikawa, always on the lookout for cool stuff, send this along to me. Ken writes,  "Cool theme tune from 70's Japanese TV robot programme called "Mach Baron"!" これは本物のRock & Roll!

Wikipedia says:

Super Robot Mach Baron (スーパーロボット マッハバロン Sūpā Robotto Mahha Baron) is a Japanese tokusatsu series that aired from October 7, 1974, to March 31, 1975. It was a sequel to Super Robot Red Baron.

Somewhere in Asia, the series was adapted into a 86 minute feature film which used footage from the original series. That movie was also released in Spain (under the title "Mazinger Z - El robot de las estrellas") and Germany ("Roboter der Sterne").

Thanks Ken! If Ken's name sounds familiar to some readers, it's because Ken and I often make music videos and documentaries together.

We just finished the newest promotional video for Shonen Knife, "Ghost Train":

Japan Debt to GDP Approaches 300%!!!

The Atlantic has an interesting article that made my eyes bulge out of my head. Why, it was just two years ago that people were sounding the alarm that Japanese debt to GDP had surpassed 200%. Then, last year, it was 230% over GDP.

Now? Here's an article that is talking about the debt nearing 300% of GDP.

From the Atlantic "Will Japan Become Greece?":

Japan's government has borrowed so much and for so long, without having to pay higher interest rates for the privilege, that we've come to assume it can go on for ever. At the same time, this gravity-defying feat may lull us into thinking that public debt can also rise far, far higher in the US without giving rise to serious problems. James Hamilton links to a study that casts doubt on both points.

As is well known, Japan has benefited from low interest rates despite its high debt ratio because nearly all of its public debt is domestically owned, and its savers are a compliant lot. But as Hamilton explains, a demographic transition is getting under way that will thin their ranks. The study by Hoshi and Ito shows that the household savings rate is going to fall, forcing the government--by this time with a debt ratio approaching 300% of GDP--to borrow more heavily from abroad. The pressure would be worse if interest rates start rising in anticipation of the problem.

Remember, what's not sustainable won't be sustained. 

Read more at Will Japan Become Greece?

I've said it a hundred times and will keep saying it, "Got gold?"