Halloween Explosion part 3 - The Delicious and the Disgusting

The Delicious - A jack-o-lantern themed desert at Baskin Robins (yes, Basking Robins are all over the place here in Japan)

The Disgusting - From another claw machine. Its a plastic model of that alien thing that busts out of people's chests fro the Alien movie.

Halloween Explosion

To make up or the lack of updates in the past week, i shall bring to you an explosion of Halloween Pictures!

A cute halloween themed bakery in Morioka, Iwate. While no one really celebrates Halloween in Japan, businesses (espeically confectioners and bakerys) love to put up Halloween decorations.

This was in a halloween themeed claw machine. If you were lucky, you might be able to win one of several bloody plush bear claws.

Cute Stationary - Little Red Riding Food

"Girl who is wearing red food."

Awesome Pachinko Poster - Cobra

The Boss - Tommy Lee Jones

Japan's number one boss of coffee.

Okinawa week - Spam Sushi

Okinawa - a blend of Japanese and American Influences

Okinawa week - pig ear with a peanut sauce

I also ate the orchid. A good friend of mine told me that it wouldn't kill me to do so.

Okinawa week - Confused Vol. II

I think this is a famous species of bird in Okinawa. I mean, not this particular example, since i believe most of the real (and sane) ones don't wear gloves or yellow boots.

Okinawa week - Mo' Money, Mo' Mangos

Delicious mangos selling at the low, low cost of $135 a box.

Okinawa week - Ouch!

Be careful of the doors when riding the okinawa monorail.

Okinawa week - Shisa

A shisa is a lion statue, which origins can be traced back to the chinese "fu dog" statue. While traditionally they look more fearsome, this one happened to be a mor modern, goofy looking version.

Okinawa week begins! - Eye Ball Soup

One of the Izakaya's we visited served us your typical Japanese miso soup. This one happend to also be made with various parts of fish meat, and in my case, a fish eye ball.

Hey Tom. Don't be defeated.

"Tom is playing Golf with his Father. Rabbits, Squirrels, and Birds cheer him. Hey Tom. Don't be defeated."

mobile post

japanese peruvian folk band

Dryad's Hand

.

Found within the forests of Aomori Prefecture

Yes we can!

For 100 yen, you have a chance to get your very own Obama-esque phone charm (or one of the other plain colored phone charms).

Gnome Table

Actually, i don't think this table is Japanese in origin, but since i do love gnomes and i did see it in a Japanese furniture store, its getting posted.

emoticons explained

Reach out and Touch Gyoza man

I saw this character at a food festival in my town. He is a gyoza ("pot sticker" in English). Pretty darn adorable if you ask me (and perhaps pretty darn delicious as well.)

Confused - volume 1

Clearly, not a professionally made sign. I found it while biking through a pediestrian tunnel. The character scares me though...

tortuga del melon pan

Personally, i don't find most of the bread in Japan tasty. However, i do think it is fun to look at. This is a melon pan. It is called melon pan because the bread's texture looks like a melon (contrary to popular belief, 99% of melon pan does not taste like melon). This particular variety happens to take on the shape of a couple of turtles. I approved entirely.

Hello Kitty Popcorn Machine

The character Hello Kitty is everywhere in Japan. This for example is a Hello Kitty popcorn machine. I have actually seen a few of these machines around Japan. However, while popcorn is not as common as in America, i have never had the desire to buy any. I just can't trust popcorn from a cat.

Memories of my hometown: Strawberry Town

"We were raised here in strawberry town, just like two sisters, together."

Cat Slap Wrist Bands

Remember snap braclets in the early 90's? Well they are back... in cat form.

Cheeky Bunny is popular with the ladies.

"Hey Cheeky. I just want to say 'Let's eat carrot together.' Come on, Cheeky."

Old Timey Sexy Milk

For the gentleman with a more refined, classic taste in female advertisements.

Sexy Milk

This Perfect Day by Ira Levin

"Everybody need a mood lifter. A tired mind become a shape shifter."

Pig esophagus: Oishi Desu!

The Japanese man i was with didn't now the exact English name, but i am pretty sure this is esophagus. (He pointed to his chest a he said "pig".

Deadly games of Puffer Fish

I am sorry that this is a little blurry, but this is a picture of a claw machine in which you can win little puffer fish (they are in those yellow and pink fish bowls).

While i am not a parent, i would be a little ticked if my child came home with a puffer fish (especially since there is no claw machine to win fish aquariums, food, and cleaning supplies). Side note: if you win, it doesn't drop it into a hole like with normal crane machines. Instead an employee of the business opens the machine up and takes the tiny fish bowl you hooked off the claw and gives it to you. Just dropping it 4 feet into a hole would be curel. Then again, winning fish in a claw game is indeed questionable.

restaurants of Awesome

The Crazy Fisherman

While there are three things that i am obsessed with in Japan at the moment, my original obsession (and still current obssession) is with a manga (comic book) character called Sanpei. It's the story of a boy who fishes. That's it. The whole entire plot is him going around and catching fish. Sanpei sounds like an Earnest Hemmingway novel, except a million more time interesting. 

T-Shirts of Japan

mobile post - kappa from a sushi restaurant

The Face that Launched a Thousand Ships

Or rather, the bean dog that launched a blog: Japan Seared Walleye...