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Ashes to Ashes: season 1- 5/5
Ashes to Ashes is a sequel series to the fantastic Life on Mars, the show depicting a Manchester policeman sent back in time after being nearly killed in a hit and run accident. That show ended on a massive high after 2 seasons, and I thought there was no way they could replicate its quality or success. But, having just finished all of Ashes to Ashes season 1, I can say they’ve out-done themselves. There’s a brilliant arch-plot spanning the season, reminiscent of the way they did Season 1 of Dexter, if not better as I didn’t guess the mystery … Read More
Blue Pepsi, Brazilian Pocky
After my review of Bean and Beer Pretz last week I decided the snack-cocktail combo-review should continue, so this week I bring you: Pepsi Blue Hawaii and Brazilian Pudding Pocky! This snack-cocktail should be aided by the fact that Blue Hawaii actually IS a cocktail, or takes the name of a cocktail. Pepsi, I salute you. There’s been kids beer, dogs beer, now let’s soft-drink-ize the cocktails.
Relics of WW2- the Negishi Grandstand replaced by Yokosuka Navy Base
The Negishi Racecourse Grandstand in Yokohama looms like an ancient 3-headed Titan over the Negishi Plateau. It once drew crowds of thousands to cheer the racing horses from its elaborate bleachers, to wander its long hallways and admire its extravagant architecture, but that was over 80 years ago, before it was surrendered to the US military after World War Two. Now its racecourse is a floodlit naval base, its bleachers are fenced off and overgrown with ivy, its innards rest silent and dark but for the steady drip of rain-water leaking through its rotting concrete skin.
$50 from TQR!
The magazine that published Celibate Jayne the Hammerhand, TQR, have sent me my $50 stipend: Along with a note: Thank-you TQR! Now, how will I spend the money? Probably not on beer. It should be something significant. Any suggestions?
Climacool Adiprene gym shoes
My old gym shoes were pretty much rotten, so I decided to buy some new ones. I wandered the streets of Ikebukuro for some time trying to find a decent priced decent looking shoe. I was on the cusp of giving up when I saw the Climacool Adiprene: It only cost about 8,000 yen, and though that was higher than I wanted to pay, the cool white and silver of the shoe won me over. Plus it has great aeration abilities and is really light. For style as well as substance it’s the perfect gym shoe. Watch out though, these … Read More
Beer and Bean Pretz
Beer and beans go hand in hand in Japan. In bean season (spring) you can’t go to an izakaya (bar/restaurant) without having eidamame (spring beans) thrust upon you along with your nama beeru (fresh beer). It’s no burden however, because chilled half-boiled lightly salted beans go very well with beer, the one complementing the other. So why not make snacks that equally complement each other, available not only in the spring, but year round? Or at least for as long as the product life-cycle in Japan’s fast-paced novelty foods market. With that in mind, Glico brings us Beer Pretz (els)-
The haunting ruins of Sports World
The Sports World haikyo occupies an idyllic position at the crown of the Izu peninsula, overlooking a wide swathe of richly forested mountains and valleys. In its heyday it was a sports and relaxation haven, featuring tennis courts, miniature golf, a dive pool, restaurants, a hotel, a huge wave pool, a spa, and a gym. It was abandoned in 1993 as the economic bubble burst, and has lain untended for 15 years. Now its many tennis courts are visited only by skateboarders and grafitti artists, up-turned cars line its once broad thoroughfares, its wave pool is coated with red rust … Read More
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