The Japanese word for Jellyfish is 海月- くらげ - kurage (interesting note : means "sea moon") not to be confused with からあげ-karage which means fried foods (especially chicken)

So next time your in Japanese company, dining out, and you say "This jellyfish is lovely! I wish I could eat it every day!" make sure you know what you're talking about and don't look like a massive fanny like I did...

*>_<*

Similarly avoid entering sea waters with poisonous "fried chicken"...

That aside, Jellyfish are fascinating blobs aren't they? The same could be said for us humans!

Photos of "Kasai Water Park Fried Chicken Exhibition....(Good name for a band...)

Often I pass through Ueno station and sometimes have had the experience of using what I like to call "Silent Hill Toilet" just have a look at the picture...I don't know if its the strong ammonia urine smell, the cockroaches, the years of grime encrusted in the walls or the slightly surgical looking bin...If Masashi Tsuboyama is looking for inspiration for graphics textures for Silent Hill 5 , he should visit this toilet : It gives me the heebies every time I use it.

It was with sadness and expectation I wrote this entry - I finally leave Chiba prefecture, and Matsudo, my home of my 2 years in Japan.

I've long seen this magazine in Tower, HMV and other foreign selling bookstores in Japan, so I went the whole hog and picked up a few of their back issues.

It's billed as Japans International Arts & Culture magazine, while it does have some very culturally interesting articles, some of the arts features are definitely aimed at more feminine audiences - I just can't whip enthusiasm up for new ranges of Jewellery with traditional Japanese designs. Saying that it does feature some nice articles on general design, food and architecture.

I'm not sure I'm its target audience, seems aimed at the Rich Roppongi expatriate crowd, though it does have interest for common old Joes like myself.

Definitely one to subscribe to if I ever return back to blighty

For almost the entire duration of my time living in Japan, 今年の6月に3年になります、光陰矢のごとしだね - 3 years this year in June, time flies ! I had to commute to and from work on the "Joban" train line. Running from Ueno in central Tokyo to small country towns in the North such as Mito and Torride. It's one of the busiest commuter lines leaving Tokyo region into Chiba; the less sophisticated suburban country sprawl adjoining Tokyo.

えどじだいぽいそば屋さん

Nice reflection on the lake

Soba and Tempura

At weekends to get away from all the gray concrete of Shibuya, I've been visiting a local park in nearby Yabashira in Chiba Prefecture. What I thought would be the usual excuse of a park (a small stretch of grass) turned out to be a very large park with lake, forest paths and a beautifully situated wooden built soba restaurant. Despite it being September the weather was clement enough to sit at the small wooden tables outside the soba shop. Without a sniff of the 21st Century around us we could have swore we were back in the Edo period （江戸時代 - えどじだい) with the old styled traditional wooden houses 木造 (もくぞう） next to the park. People often talk of "disappearing Japan" (消えて行く日本文化 - きえていくにほんぶんか) but it still very much exists in small pockets here and there. I definitely plan to return to this park again.