The word on Iphone

I am thinking of buying a new phone, so I asked my friend, Mr. A, a new owner of the iphone, what he thought about it...Here is what he said (verbatim):


The iphone is cool if you are interested in using it for internet, games and all of kinds of applications but if you just need something to call and send emails, any phone is fine.

2 cool things I like is you can use internet for free if you are in a mcdonalds, starbucks and anywhere with wireless. The guy in the office next to mine has wireless so i can view it free via my iphone. I can also use skype on the iphone in a wireless area so I can call home for free or very very cheap. You know skype?
The gps is cool too if you get lost. It can find you very quickly and show you how to get where you wanna you.

Drawbacks.
big screen so battery has short life. better have that charger handy cause the battery runs out by the end of the day so if you workin all day and then wanna go out at night, its gonna die before the night is over.
size is big, so doesnt fit into pocket.
you have to sign up for a data plan regardless so i think minimum monthly is gonna run you around 3000yen.
no flash on camera and currently no video.

me not too crazy about it.

Chiharu's trip to Sunflower Paradise

I went to Sayouccho in Hyogo last Monday.

It is famous for the sunflower field.

When I went to there I could see 360,000 sunflowers.

The field was larger than I thought.

So I felt overwhelmed.

It is very very beautiful !!

I wanted to take pictures blue sky and bright yellow sunflower but the weather was cloudy.

So I was a little disappointed and could only take cloudy sky and sunflowers.

The last picture is strange drinks.

When I dropped in a souvenir shop I found them.

I was interested in them but I couldn’t buy.

Because it is very difficult to chose.

I think they are all bad taste.

If I have to chose one of them I think I chose the Tomato with carbonic.

Have you ever drunk something of them?

Thanks for the great blog Chiharu!!!

p.s.

If anyone else wants to write on the blog, please send me some photos and email, and I will be happy to put it up for you!!

Japan, Philly-style!!-------Anyone for a vodka coke?

An acquaintance of mine sent me these photos from Philadelphia. She went to a Japanese restaurant in Philly, ate sushi, and after that went to Karaoke with her friends. The sushi looks pretty good, but the karaoke tv screen definitely looks a little out-of-date and cheesy. The other weekend, I went to Karaoke for the first time in about 2 or 3 years. Even though I have a bad voice and can not sing worth a dime, it was a ball and I had a blast! When was the last time you went to Karaoke?

And the below link is of a new product. Because I majored in business management and marketing when I was at Cornell, I always keep my eyes out for new products, promotions, etc...I think it is interesting. Today I found one vending machine which sells ALL drinks for only 50 yen!! That same machine which I can see everywhere usually sells drinks for 100 yen a piece. And usually vending machines sell various beverages for 120yen or 150 yen a pop. So why 50 yen at ONLY that one?! I have no idea! Do you?



Check it out: A Vodka Coke
http://www.japantoday.com/category/new-products/view/cola-shock#comments

p.s. I tried Kirin's new #3 type beer product. It was only 99yen. It wasn't that bad...actually, what I want to say is...It was OK. I forget the name of it ...maybe "Mugi-Sugori" or something like that...but it has a gold can...maybe you can find it easily if you look.

Music, and instruments

I don't have much time right now, so I will just write a little. Thsi time about music, and musical instruments. Yesterday when I was speakign to Mr. S, I found out that he plays the alto saxophone. I was pretty surprised, and jealous. Surprised because he also plays soccer, plus he also works, and studies English. "Where does he get the time to do it all?!" I thought. Anyway, I was impressed. And jealous because one of my dreams is to be able to play an instrument. When I was a child, I studied many instruments(the piano, violin, drums, trumphet, I think that's about it) but I always quit after a week, or month, or year. I wasn't into it. But now, I would like to learn something...I am now thinking...maybe the sax, or guitar, or piano...or the shamisen! That would be cool too.
Anyway, have a good weekend!

I just can't get enough of this guy...An article about Prize-winning pianist Tsujii
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20090613a4.html

Below: pics from Ms. N from a while ago..

Solar Eclipse

We got a chance to see it today! According to the reports, at around 11am this morning it will happen. When I woke up this morning it was sunny, partly cloudy. Now it is hazy...As long as it doesn't rain, or become really really cloudy, we should be aboe to see it in Osaka. I heard from two different people two totally different theories about how often an eclipse happens. One person said: "It happens once every 45 years." The other person said: "The next eclipse will happen in 125 years." Which one is true? do you know?

Also, did you get those special sunglasses to look at the eclipse?

Anyway, I wish I could go to Kita Iwojima(I think it is in Okinawa), the best place on earth to see the eclipse, but I will have to settle for Osaka.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/top-in-category/view/head-to-kita-iwojima-for-total-solar-eclipse

On a different subject, what do you like best about Japan?

Check out this for some foreigners' opinions:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fl20090616vf.html


One of my favorite things about Japane are Japanese Ryokans, hot springs.

Manga, Gillette, and Koshien

Good morning.
First, how was your 3-day weekend? Did you do anything out of the ordinary? Anything interesting?

How about you Glenn? Well, thanks for asking.
Yesterday was my day off and basically, after I went for a little run in the monring, I had a great breakfast and then just took it easy read the newspaper, watched some tv, read a book, and took a tiny nap...And then from the late afternoon, I did my favorite thing...had a BBQ. As usual, it was great!

So, last week I saw this article about a new Manga, Japanese comic book, course at Kyoto University. Did ya hear about this? Did you see the article? There will be an official University course in which students can study all about Manga. There is definitely a cultural gap between Americans and Japanese on this Manga issue. I have been here a while, and I still don't get grown adults, both men and women, reading comic books. Because, in America, comic books are for children. But many of my Japanese friends, who I respect and admire, seem to really enjoy reading Mangas, so I want to try to read one...Do you recommend and good ones?

And below are some pics from Koshien...boy do I miss that place. My place is right around the corner from there, but I haven't been there in over two years...pathetic. Hopefully, I will make time to go soon!!! Even better, maybe I will catch a game of the High School Tourney there!

And last but not least, to all the guys out there: Recently I got my hands on and tried a new razor. Gillette's Fusion! There is a commercial on tv, with Matsuzaka and Toger Woods, and one other famous sports player, but I forget who it is...Anyway, this is THE BEST RAZOR I HAVE EVER USED IN MY LIFE!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!! IF YOU DON'T TRY IT ONCE, YOU ARE MISSING OUT!!!

Hope everyone has a good week!

Hi little girl...

What do you do to stay cool in the summer? You are young, so maybe you don't have so much experience with hot and humid Japanese summers, so I wanted to give you some advice. (Even if you don't want my advice, please just say "Thank you" and listen.)

In the below article, many people have commented on how they stay cool. You should read it!

http://www.japantoday.com/category/have-your-say/view/what-do-you-do-to-stay-cool-in-summer

Have a good weekend and be careful in this brutal heat!!

Bring on the Heat!!!

How do you beat the heat?
What are the ways you beat the heat?

Summer, the hot and humid sunner of Japan, has officially arrived. Sweat, sweat, and more sweat. I am like a walking, sleeping, talking sweat machine...And I don't like the air conditioner either, so it is tough. I use a fan at my house, and actaullu just bought a fan and new fridge for the classroom too. The fan is helpful, but sometimes not enough. Maybe in August, I am gonna try to put my head in fridge and see if that works. What do you so to stay cool in this heat?
For example:
I suck on ice cubes.
I take cold showers.
I blast the air con.
I use a hand-fan.
I sleep on a "cold mat."
I eat cold food, for example, cold udon or soba noodles.
I pray for help... ;)

Let me know what you do and if you have any tips for me on how to beat this heat!!
This is an article abotu "shaved ice." In America wed on't have the exact same thing. But we have something similar to it. It is called "water ice." And it also has many different flavors. For more about "shaved ice" read this:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/fq20090619a1.html

Cornell University

The other day I was surfing the net and I came across some great photos of my school, Cornell University. It was nostalgic and brought back good memories. Cornell's campus is really big, and very hilly. I remember that when I was a freshman I had to walk up a big hill every day in order to go to class. At least a 15 minute haul up the hill...with a big back pack filled with books. And in the winter, it was freezing!!! Maybe people in Osaka can't imagine how cold it was...FRIGID!!! Ithaca, the name of the town where Cornell is located, is a nice small town.

If you have any questions about Cornell or my University life, please feel free to ask!!
For example;
What did you major in?
What was your favorite class?
What was your favorite restaurant/bar?
Did you every skip class?
etc...
Make a list and ask me! Come on, don't be shy!!

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend!

Below is The Clock Tower (This might be the library...I forget)

Below is THE HILL

Billy and beefing up

First, congratulations to Billy on getting married! I saw the wedding photo of him and his new wife and they looked really happy.
Here it is if you wanna see it:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/view/billy-blanks-wedding#comments

And, in July I read that he is opening a "Billy's Boot Camp" gym in Shinsaibashi!! That is right around the corner! Because I am in a fitness phase now, I am really into working out now, I wanna stop by that new gym and check it out, maybe do a workout or two.
Just like the lumberjacks below, Recently I wanna beef up(get bigger, more muscular)!

"Japan's oldest man says 'Thank you very much' in English!!!"

When does the rainy season end??? Can someone tell me please! This rain, almost every day, and the humidity, is really getting to me. How about you? How are you dealing with this weather and humidity?

When I was surfing the net the other day, I found this article. It is really great I think.
This guy, Japan's oldest Japanese man, actually said "Thank you very much" in English when he was being interviewed. If he can speak English, then you can do it too!!

In the interview, he said that , concerning food, he doesn't have any likes or dislikes. That means he is not picky about food, and basically eats everything, all types of food.
Basically, I am the same. But I don't like Japanese curry and "zeri" type foods.
Do you have any likes or dislikes concerning food?

Also he commented on Sumo, and said that he wants to see more Japanese wrestlers advance(=get promoted)!! I agree with him totally!! Enough is enough already, with all the Mongolian wrestlers!!! I wanna see a Japanese champion holding up that winner's trophy!!!

Here's the article:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20090622a3.html

Remembering Michael Jackson: videos

I am not really so interested in the news about Michael Jackson, but for your English practice, you should watch and listen to some of these videos.
http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=282680



Speaking of English study, do you ever watch the news on tv or tv shows in English? If your answer is: "Ah~, I want to but I don't have cable tv/Sky Perfect!" then Welcome to 2009! You don't need cable tv or Sky Pa anymore to watch/listen to English, you only neeed a computer!!! Or a new softbank I-phone. Then you can watch clips and/or videos in English whenever you want. Give it a try, you have nothing to lose!!

July 4th-Independence Day

In America, Independence Day is a big deal. There are many traditions and customs which are connected to this day. In my town, Phialdelphia, there is a lot of history, so there are a lot of Independence Day events. When I was a child, we watched BIG fireworks, saw a parade, and had a BIG BBQ!!! Independence Day in America is a lot of fun and I really recommend you try to experience it one day if you can.

For more details and info and history of July 4th in America, check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)

Mardi Gras in Australia and Elderly Photographs

One of my friends Mr. H is in Autralia now on a working holiday visa. He has been there for almost a year now I think...Wow, time really flies!!! We keep in touch and sometimes he sends me some photos and stories from his travels. The other day he sent me some pics from one of the biggest international festivals in the world, Mardi Gras (in Sydney). He said it was an unbelievable event to see, and he saw many things which he has never seen or even imagined before... ;)

Once in a while I look at the "Picture-of-the-day" from The Japan Today web site.
Some of them are interesting, some of them are funny, some of them are strange...
What do you think about this one?
http://www.japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/view/photo-ops#comments

Cup (of) Noodle and an amazing cycling tour

Welcome to July!!!

I haven't eaten a Cup Noodle in years. When I was a child, some of my friends at cup noodle or stuff similar to cup noodle, but I wasn't a big fan of it. But many of my friends in Japan like it, or ate it a lot when they were a child, or eat it a lot still now. How about you? Do you like cup noodle or instant-type food like that?

On to a more healthy topic, I read a very cool article yesterday. Some 39 years old Japanese guy is just about to finish an around the world cycling tour. As os the time of the article, he had visited 125 countries...ALL on bicycle!! Wow, that is amazing!! One of my dreams used to be to travel all around Japan on bicycle, but...around the world...That is truly impressive.
If you want to be inspired, if you want inspiration, you should definitely read this:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20090515f1.html