Photo Frenzy 7: Coin Laundry

It may seem like a strange detail of Japan to discuss, but coin laundries here are slightly different than their American counterparts.

Most people in Japan don't own dryers. Instead, clothes are hung outside to dry. However, during the rainy season or when needing to dry something heavy like a futon it's nice to have another option. Coin laundries are therefore abundant in and around residential areas. They usually consist of far more dryers than washers, some of them very, very large. This place charged ¥100 for 10 minutes of drying time.

It also had an assortment of weekly manga collections on hand to read while you waited. There was a line of coin operated massage chairs as well. I only had enough clothes to last two of the three week trip we had planned, so it was nice to get them clean and dry quickly. If you ever find yourself in the same predicament in Japan, coin laundries are probably your best bet.

Photo Frenzy 6: Tako Spaghetti

As I've likely mentioned before, Ariake's signature food is たこ (tako) or octopus. Initially, I didn't know the word for octopus, but learned quite quickly the difference between it and タコス (takosu), which is tacos (a famous dish from my home state some might say). For lunch one day, I decided on some tako spaghetti from Ripple Land.

It was pretty good. I've naturally grown accustomed to the tast of octopus, as it was routinely made part of my school lunches. I've had takoyaki, sashimi, many different soups, and occasionally even our rice was garnished with small pieces of octopus. It's generally fresher here and thus isn't as chewy as I remember squid from central Texas being.

Most places in Japan have signature dishes. For example, Kumamoto prefecture is known for basashi, or raw horse meat, there is a town nearby that was well known for a type of orange called a mikan, Aoyama is famous for apples, and Himedo is known for crab. One reason for these highly publicized dishes is おみやげ (omiyage) or souvenirs, usually food, that are almost expected to be given out to coworkers anytime you return from a trip. The next time you're in Japan, I suggest seeking out the signature dish of the area you're in and discover the myriad of ways it is prepared.

Photo Frenzy 5: Slide

There's a park in Ariake near a restaurant/onsen called Ripple Land. It's part of the area that's used for the anual Sazanami Festa. It also happens to be the destination for one of my school's ensokus (field trips) last Thursday. The park has some pretty standard equipment like tire swings, monkey bars, and a climbing rope tower but what makes it really stand out is one particular slide.

It starts about half way up this spiral tower. You can see the line of people for the slide on the left side of the picture.

It then goes out and over a walkway before starting a spiral. The whole slide consists of rollers, so you slow down considerably at the loops to the left.

It finally ends near the rest of the park. The rollers actually hurt quite a bit the first few times, which is why the school brought little boards for the kids. Aside from that, though, it is a blast and I had a great time sliding down over and over with my former students.

Photo Frenzy 4: Purikura

Here's a picture of the new purikura machine at our local karaoke hangout, B-ko:

For those of you unfamiliar with this particular facet of Japanese pop culture, purikura are basically photo boots with built in editing options. If you look closely at the left side of the machine, you can see Amanda and Doug are busy adding fun details to our pictures behind the privacy curtain. These machines are often found in karaoke establishments and game arcades. They are a fun and inexpensive way to remember your experiences in Japan.

Photo Frenzy 3: Tsutaya Amakusa 5th Year Anniversary

Down here in Amakusa, there aren't too many options when it comes to shopping. Sure, we have a few supermarkets, a fair number of convenience stores, and the typical fast food chains like Mos Burger, McDonalds, and KFC. But if it's DVDs or games you're looking for there are really only two stores: Tsutaya and Geo. Imagine my surprise, then, to discover the Amakusa Tsutaya has only been here a few years longer than I have.

It may be hard to make out in the picture, but the seal in the corner (and the much larger Japanese text beside it) proudly proclaim this to be the 5th year anniversary of the store. As my most frequented store, I have a difficult time imagining Amakusa without it.

The entrance was similarly decorated with giant "T"s made of colored tissue paper flowers. My students used a similar style for the borders of their sports day mascots. おかげさまで translates to "with your backing/assistance". I like the inclusion of the heart on the right side. Naturally, I purchased a few things during this visit: the current Hyper Hobby Magazine and the DVD for The Gothic World of Nyanpire. Look for a review of the latter some time soon.

Photo Frenzy 2: Consomme W Punch Red

Many foods and drinks in Japan are seasonal. For instance, now is a good time to find strawberry flavored foods. Others are limited time specials, such as Cassis Fanta, which disappeared a few years ago. So it's nice to know at least one of my favorite Japanese snacks is still on the shelves after all this time. In fact, it's gotten even better.

Calbee Consomme W Punch Red is delicious. Consomme is apparently a type of soup. I've never had it and for the life of me I can't remember why I first picked up these chips, but I'm very glad I did. Originally, these chips were simply called Consomme Punch, which you can still get. The addition of the "W" signifies that it has double the flavor of the original (anyone familiar with Kamen Rider W will know there is no distinction between the words W and double in Japanese). The moniker "Red"is new and means that it is spicy. As my students would say "Why don't you try?"

Weekend Review: Kanji Transformers 3

Today, I'll be taking a look at the third series in a line of transformable kanji toys called moji bakeru (letter transformer) in Japan.

As you can see, this set consists of a lion, elephant, bear, crab, snake, and whale. These are candy toys and can usually be found in supermarkets or even convenience stores for ¥100 (about $1).

Each toy transforms from the kanji that represents the animal into a small figure. I find the concept alone pretty clever and it's a fun way to help remember some simple characters. The color variants for each figure are displayed along the lefthand side of the packaging. The colors have changed from series to series. This one has blue, red, black, or gold. Note that the color of the toy is not displayed on the box so while the toys aren't blind boxed there is still an element of chance and collectibility with them.

Each box contains a sticker sheet, the toy (in kanji form), and a small piece of gum. I've found the flavor of the gum lasts about as long as it takes to apply the stickers.

The transformation and sticker application instructions are printed in black and white on the interior of the box. This is common practice with candy toys. One corner of the packaging is perforated to make unfolding it easier.

I don't want to go into detail regarding every step of the transformations, but I thought I'd illustrate how the process generally breaks down. After disassembling the kanji into smaller sections, you often have to pull pieces apart to reveal the hidden connector pieces inside. These in turn snap into holes or socket joints on other parts of the figure. This allows for quite a few points of articulation for each figure, which is pretty cool given their size. The heads of each figure are usually hidden within one section and are flipped out.

So first off, we have a lion (獅,しし, shishi). Based off the pictures from the packaging, I didn't think I'd like this one, but it's actually pretty nice. I still think the mane is a bit large, but it gives him a cool, almost anime inspired look.

Though I'm not a fan of stickers, I think these toys definitely benefit from having them. I still worry that the wrap around pieces will peel off, but so far they've held pretty nicely, even on my older figures.

The proportions on this one are particularly strange due to what they had to work with for the back legs.

I appreciate the inclusion of the tail here. It was a tiny detail that they probably could have left out without me noticing, but it's neat that it's there.

I really like the elephant (象, ぞう, zou). I enjoy how his face and ears are visible in the kanji and enjoy all the mobility present in the figure.

The ears are placed in a socket joint, allowing you to move them around in a wide range of poses. I think it gives it some character. The trunk also has a limited amount of mobility.

Here's a look behind the ears at the main body. I think the front legs are a bit awkward and there's no tail to speak of, but overall it comes off looking a bit better than the lion.

The bear (熊,くま, kuma) naturally holds a special place in my heart as I lived in Kumamoto (熊本) but the figure has a problem in that it is very skinny. I suppose after seeing Kumamon everywhere I just expect a bit more heft in my bears.

This figure is my favorite to pose though because of the range of the arms. I also really enjoy how the element for feet in the kanji become the actual feet of the figure.

Crab (蟹, かに, kani) is actually a fairly complex kanji and this figure in particular has some really cool mechanics with its transformation. The ball joints for the legs fold out in pairs on either side of the body and the claws open and close.

The legs are pretty close together and the claws are attached to the front pair, so it's a little tricky moving everything around at first. Still, the figure lends itself well to posing once you get used to it.

What has two claws and is awesome? This crab!

Next up is the snake (蛇, へび, hebi). He's probably got the simplest transformation of any in this series. As a result, I find him the most middling, though I do appreciate that he's balanced enough to stand on his own in the pose above.

The pieces that make the hood for the figure were really hard to get into the socket joints on the side. These things aren't made with the greatest plastic and I'm always worried I'm going to break something when met with too much resistance.

All the cool sticker apps for this one are on his back so I can't decide which way it would display better.

Last is the whale (鯨, くじら, kujira), which I got in gold. The golden whale is robotic for some reason, which is awesome!

There isn't too much to talk about this figure. He doesn't really move much, but he doesn't need to. He can open and close his mouth though, which is really fun to play with. I like the overall construction of the thing. It's probably my favorite of this series.

Here's a closeup of the tail, which is formed from unfolding the top section of the fish element in the kanji. I really like that part of the transformation.

As I said, this is the third series of kanji transformers. There's a fourth series that I'm still trying to track down as well as a "G" series that I'm currently collecting and will probably discuss soon. These toys are some of my favorites because they are fun, educational, and affordable on any budget. Keep an eye out for them the next time your in Japan. 

Photo Frenzy 1: Korean Yotsuba&!

While in Japan, I will continue to endeavor updating regularly. However, given my rather hectic schedule here, I thought I'd replace origami a day with a photo series of little things I've found interesting during my time here and leave the larger, in-depth stories for later.

My friend had heard that I was studying Korean. As she too is learning the language, she ordered a few Korean comics online. Among them was a gift for me.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Yotsuba&! is one of my favorite manga to read in Japanese. As it is a book about a young girl's experiences in a new town, it deals with everyday situations and uses a lot of common words and expressions.

My friend and I both bemoaned the same frustration I imagine many novice Korean learners have. While we could open up this book and read it cover to cover, we would understand very little of it. Hangul (the Korean alphabet) is much like Japanese hiragana in that it is made up of fixed sound characters. These characters are then arranged into syllable blocks, which I gather is rather unusual for an alphabet language. Reading Korean is therefore only a matter of learning 24 letters and familiarizing yourself with the arrangement of syllable blocks.

I've honestly been slacking a bit in my Korean studies. Maybe having this book will be the push I need to get going again. It was a really thoughtful gift and I'm excited about flipping through these stories again.