I could do a whole series of posts on unusual restaurants and food traditions in Japan (many already have and there are even a few books on the subject), but for now, I'm just going to look at one: The Christon Café. Featuring a ridiculous amount of Christian imagery in a Gothic dungeon setting, this same restaurant in the US would attract a horde of nut-job protesters faster … [Read more...]
Japanese Internet Café: Your Choice of Pain or Pleasure
Have you ever sat down to use a computer at an internet café and been frustrated by the complete lack of amenities? Were you forced to sit in a plastic chair? Did you have to wear your own uncomfortable shoes? No massage? No PlayStation to keep you busy during long loading times? Anyone who's used a public computer in Southeast Asia or India or most places really has … [Read more...]
Ichiran Ramen — The Perfect Bowl of Noodle Soup
Japanese ramen is one of my favorite foods and Fukuoka is arguably Japan's top ramen city. I lived there for two years and enjoyed countless bowls of the local tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen from many a local ramen place, but when most people around Japan think of Fukuoka ramen, they think of Ichiran. Famous as much for its ordering procedure and privacy-focused seating … [Read more...]
Japanese Built Road Through Building
What do you do when you're constructing a highway and there's an office tower in the way? In Japan, you run the road through the building. This is the Gate Tower Building in Osaka as seen from the rooftop observation deck of the nearby Umeda Sky building, which is hard to miss as it looks like this: … [Read more...]
Treading Chlorine in a Public Pool in Japan
The pool itself was 25 meters long and divided into four lanes of varying sizes. The largest lane took up half the width of the pool and was filled with the cast of the Japanese remake of Cocoon doing water aerobics more or less in sync with an overly enthusiastic instructor. Mostly less. With all the thrashing about in the water the whole scene looked more like an open … [Read more...]