Is this new? Has anyone tried it? I was stunned to see this in the vending machine, and then read the katakana to understand that this Morinaga-brand drink is a “hotto caaki miruku seiki” (in other words, a hotcake milk shake). Please let me know if you’ve tried it! Can you taste the butter and faux maple syrup, or is it all pancake?!
Yikes! I watched episode 2 of “Second Virgin,” one of the most atrociously named J-dramas ever. It’s on Tuesday evenings at 10 pm. Here’s the plot summary:
Suzuki plays a divorced producer in publishing who meets a man 17 years younger than her (Hasegawa) and begins having an affair with him. Fukada plays Hasegawa’s wife.
NHK has announced the broadcast of a drama series titled “Second Virgin,” starring Suzuki Kyoka (42) and Fukada Kyoko (27). Actor Hasegawa Hiroki (33) will play the male lead.
The series will air on Tuesday nights at 10:00pm, beginning on October 12. It has also been announced that the theme song will be Kumi Koda’s
“Anata Dake ga,” which goes on sale as a double A-side single with “Suki de, Suki de, Suki de” on September 22.
I was hoping a new J-drama would be good Japanese practice, but this soap is really sad. Maybe I was disappointed that the “younger” man is not particularly attractive. Is that to make the female lead look foxier?
Has anyone else seen this drama? I also wonder, thinking ahead, what is the next generation of cougar, a GILF? Lastly, does anyone else agree with the hubb and I that singer Kudo Kumi looks like a tranny?!
Isn’t Tokyo the most convenient place on Earth?!
I love the many inexplicable sights in Tokyo. My neighborhood liquor store set up this strange lunch scene in front of their shop: teddy bear, a plate of spaghetti with fork suspended in the air, a potted flower, and an empty seat as if he’s expecting company. It’s lovely that this “mise-en-scene” has nothing to do with what’s being sold at the store. A pure folly!
Has anyone else been on the East Side of the JR Shinjuku station? Lumine has this incredibly obscene robot with a giant, bulging crotch. I love how there are always people snapping photos. I am unclear what the commercial goal of this display is, but it is certainly obscene.
Notice in the reflection, below, this new lamb-inspired fall fashion: matching white furry vest and leg warmers. Nice!
Thanks, Tokyo Matt, for showing me this commercial spectacle.
I shed a few tears over my beloved Asashoryu’s (forced) retirement from sumo. It’s not that I don’t like Hakuho, but Asashoryu’s bad boy personality is super sexy. The retirement ritual involves a hair cut. Thanks to the non-jealous hubb for sending me these images and story.
I am posting this only because I think Asano Tadanobu is one of Japan’s sexiest actors. I think the movie might be too violent for me to watch. Thanks #1 Japan Otaku Christophe for sending this along.
I love this.
This Seoul bus ad was spotted by a reporter based in Japan, who tweeted the photo with the message, “Just saw this at a bus stop in Seoul. Would these boys make you want to visit Japan?”
Was she joking?! Of course, these heavily groomed boys and their matching outfits will lure foreign tourists and their money.
It’s a two-way street now between Japan and Korea with boy bands being the enticing candy that drives commerce. “Endless Discovery” seems to be a win for the feminine publics!
I love this CNNgo story that asks if Shibuya is Japan’s Jersey Shore. BTW, in Japan MTV calls the show, “Macaroni Rascals: The Jersey Shore Life.” Who is more tanned, who has bigger hair, who is more bedazzled, and who is showing off more skin “real estate”? Both geographies hold a special fascination that pairs bad taste with exuberant display.
Update: Or maybe Suma Beach in Kobe is the Kansai Jersey Shore, as Julie in Japan suggests.
Tokyo Moe 