Month: September 2002

Featured Food – Onigiri

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Today’s featured food is a staple of fast-food life here. But this ain’t no greasy hamburger. For only ¥100, you get a tasty, healthy snack. Onigiri is a rice ball, usually filled with one ingredient and wrapped in seaweed. All convenience stores offer a large selection, ranging from ¥100 to ¥150 (one U.S. dollar is currently about ¥117). My favorite is the one with smoked salmon in the middle. The convenience store (“conbini”) versions are cleverly wrapped to prevent the seaweed from touching the rice until you unwrap it. This keeps the seaweed crisp and fresh.

I’ll be eating the one in the picture as soon as I post this.

Remembering Quietly

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For the past couple days, I’ve been trying to put together some thoughts on how I’m glad to be outside of the United States as the commemoration of Sept. 11 passes. I’m relieved to be spared the barrage of an American media spectacle, especially when that spectacle is presented as if it were restrained and solemn. It’s been nice to be somewhere where any observances are more restrained, and are not packaged into entertainment passed off as news. It’s not that there hasn’t been extensive coverage of the anniversary here in Japan, but it’s nothing like what Americans are being subjected to. And the language barrier makes it easier to miss all the noise.

Just about everyone involved in the media industry in the United States means well, of course. But the nature of our entertainment-saturated society means restraint is just a lowering of the volume from 10 to 9, and a time for talking heads to put on even more comically serious faces.

Remembering the terrorist attacks and reflecting on them outside of the bubble of American culture has been a relief.

A couple related editorials:
The Onion
The New Yorker

Buy Our Pesticide Spinach, Or Else

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Which is more important: free trade or democracy? These two ideals are often lumped together as if they were a package deal. But with the World Trade Organization, it may be more of an “either-or” choice. The latest example of this is being played out in Asia right now. China has threatened to take Japan before the WTO for banning imports of Chinese spinach found to contain 180 times the permitted level of pesticides. China says this is unfair trade and could theoretically find a sympathetic ear before the WTO.

Continue reading “Buy Our Pesticide Spinach, Or Else” →

Bad Hair Night

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I had a dream last night of a hair cut gone bad. Somehow, I ended up with longer hair than when I started, and was a dead ringer for Dale Bozzio. I think it must be anxiety about going back to a salon here, where prices are high and communication is difficult. My last cut was decent, though, and on the bright side the scalp massage went on forever.

Modern Wheels

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My faithful granny bike (given to me by the outgoing teacher) has been relegated to shopping duty only. I bought a used mountain bike this past week from a friend who is leaving the country. The frame is a bit small for me, but I can live with it. The bike was a bargain at ¥10,000 (about $85). This is my first bike with suspension. After all the bouncing and shaking on the old bucket of bolts, I now feel like I’m riding on air.

The Mirror Project

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You’d think a website dedicated to photos taken by people of themselves would come off as pretty narcissistic. But The Mirror Project offers a great collection of snapshots, especially for a site with a pretty open submission policy. There’s something compelling about people who are posing for themselves rather than for others. I posted two pics today; one taken this summer in Japan and one taken two years ago in LA.

What Will They Think Of Next?

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With all that hype about the Segway Human Transporter (“ginger”) last year, I completely missed hearing about the Megway…

Introducing the Megway Transporting Human (TH), a revolutionary new invention from 0sil8 Heavy Industries. Megway TH represents a bold step forward in pedestrian science and engineering. To learn more about Megway’s exciting capabilities or to see Megway in action, click here

Roasting

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Not a cloud in the sky. Current temperature—99 degrees. That’s 10 degrees hotter than it is in Tokyo, which is unusual. Time to head to the pool.

Perversely, there is a ban on the use of sunscreen products at swimming pools here. Part of the effort to keep the water pristine, I would imagine (clean water now—skin cancer later). It just means having to apply in advance.