Surely katakana isn't just used for foreign loan words. Why is piman (green pepper) written in katakana? I saw a TV game show where the contestants were challenged to order a telephone pizza without using any katakana words ("Can I have with with pig meat and some smelly fish please?) No-one co...

I have a Vodafone pre-paid job which I bought over two years ago when the company was still J-Phone. Originally, my keitai address was my telephone number@Jphone domain which is a pretty simple for spammers to find but I didn't actually get any spam for ages and, since I didn't use the mail function...

I've been to The Aegean (it's on Meiji dori, not far from Shibuya Station South Exit - just down from the Belgian beer bar "Belgo") which has good food although the owner clearly enjoys being "a character". That can get a bit wearing or a lot of fun depending on your mood. Best t...

Aegean -- Shibuya -- 03 3407-1783 (owned by a Greek)
Spyro's -- Harajuku -- 03 5786-4446 (new)
Saronikos -- Yokohama -- 045-251-8980
Decameron -- Kabukicho -- 03 3200-2470 (not sure if its still there)

...err that's all I could find.

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/801d4caab6e9c18363f56f3bd490a35e.jpg Greece win Euro 2004 Greece pulled off one of the biggest shocks in football history to beat Portugal in the Euro 2004 final. Trafalgar Square in London was a huge celebration after this result. I reckon Japan's...

The rugby honeymoon couldn't last Italy beat Japan in Tokyo Italy scored four tries to one in beating Japan 32-19 at the Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground in Tokyo on a hot and humid Sunday. Prop Martin Castrogiovanni scored a hat-trick of tries. Castrogiovanni, playing his 22nd Test at 22 years...

Yep, and just being an American makes me more of an authority on rock'n'roll than you.

From that premise here are some other superior authorities on rock 'n' roll - George W Bush, John Kerry, Jack Nicklaus, Mike Bloomberg, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Billie-Jean King, Dan Rather, Nancy Reagan...

Shellfish allergy is surprisingly common in Japan (unhelpfully, I've forgotten the translation) but the onus is firmly on you to avoid consumption. as, indeed, it still is in Europe where we are just getting up to speed on nut allergies. Miso soup is on the menu so often (breakfast lunch and dinner)...

From the Tennesean.com MANCHESTER, Tenn. — The three-day party in the cow pasture, officially known as Bonnaroo 2004, is over. As crews on Friday continued to haul away a mountain of trash created by 90,000 visitors, Coffee County residents had begun sorting through a mountain of concerns about the ...

Bonnaroo appears to carry its own risks Two Deaths Mar Third Bonnaroo More than 90,000 hardy fans braved sweltering heat and the occasional severe thunderstorm to watch 80 bands take the stage on a 700-acre farm about 60 miles south of Nashville. ...But while Bonnaroo 2004 was a huge success operati...

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/ad4968996f4d783d755264f382f06067.jpg The 1954 original "Godzilla" film has just been re-released in the US. Actually, it is fairer to say it has got its first cinema release since the US version had US actors intercut to "make sense&...

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/5f2dc0060267cd3ee3229f61e4c8dd64.jpg http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/7ddf1288a60c5a4aa29592e95c7e5cb4.jpg http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/c475dccc48a64b4d31bf63ff617404fb.jpg http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/a...

110 notes isn't actually that thick but I wouldn't want them in my wallet. What am I saying? Of course I'd want them in my wallet.
I thought most nihonjin used those paper envelopes you find by the side of the ATM machines for big sums. God forbid a note gets a crease in it.

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/330a842dd1755c152f1a074544e48078.jpg http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/1f05c6cc2cba76d1d9994f77ab830b25.jpg Saw Electric Eel Shock in London for the first time. Great band live. I can recommend catching them. Although I would skip ...

Main problem with Fuji in Naeba is accomodation - since only three day tickets are on sale, more people are staying the weekend so camping maybe the only option - not a bad option unless you get another mud-fest. I think JR are still selling some packages which include tickets/trains and minshuku bu...

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/6416f9c64d02adde2da9d2826ec98d20.jpg From August 2004 "Empire" magazine The cult Japanese comic book character is about to become a live-action film and Genndy Tartakovsky, the genius behind Dexter's Laboratory [and Samurai Jack] will wri...

He played an FG in the 1957 movie Sayonara

...and also an Okinawan, "Sakini", in The Teahouse of the August Moon

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/ed89b478572085a2ab1047a69a2ef74e.jpg With widespread illegal downloads and CD burning, one anticipated knock-on effect in the music business was to see a higher value placed on live performances. On the principle that people begin to "devalue&...

I wonder who can run this kind of organization? If any company is willing to try to find out then we know Sony has the appetite. Coca Cola and Matsushita both gave up on Hollywood while Sony has stuck in there. Check out Hit and Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood f...

Harumi Kurihara, Japan's answer to Martha Stewart and Delia Smith, is expanding her personal empire to Britain. Conran brought Harumi Kurihara to London the other day. I suspect language will stop her being a TV star here but she went down well with the press. http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/albu...

And pay more for the experience. A wonderful idea all round.

Oops...this was supposed to be added to Taro's thread here

BTW. Thanks for the links

The Drug Detector Dog http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/album_mod/upload/aa8690cb3fb6f8dc3ed0b10a02c0053a.gif To prevent the smuggling into Japan from all over the world, Tokyo Customs obtained 2 Drug Detector Dogs with the co-operation of the U.S Customs Service in June 1979. There are two types:&...

A corner of Japan beside the Mediterranean in Torremolinos ...The La Luna Blanca Hotel is the only one of its kind in all of Spain, and it offers its guests a genuine Japanese suite, which is requested by many Japanese people living in Europe who travel to the Costa del Sol on holiday ...The bathro...

From the Financial Times magazine (sorry, can't find a link). In a book review... " One section discusses the habit of saying "cheese" for a photograph, and notes the equivalent in other languages. Finns say "muikku" (a fish); Swedes "omelett" and Japanese "wh...