Art Attack!

I like video games, and old Japanese art.

Combined they are even better!

Can you guess the game in the Ukiyo-e below?

Guess correctly and I'll post another.

7 Gadgets to Look Forward to this Fall

There are 7 gadgets to look forward to this coming fall!  Yup 7!  Oh man!  Where am I gonna get the money to buy all of them???

1.  Many people are really looking forward to this one.  Can you guess what it is?   Yup, it's the iPhone 5!  It is expected to come out on September 21.  But knowing Apple, it will probably be delayed to next year.

2.  Can you guess the next one?  Maybe some of you already have heard about the iPad mini.  For those of you who have one, it can be a bit heavy at times, but the mini version will be smaller, lighter and easier to carry around.

3.  This next gadget is called "Surface."  It's Microsoft's tablet and it will have a camera, stand, and a cover that can also function as a keyboard.

4.  Another highly anticipated "gadget", well not quite a gadget is Windows 8.  The new operating system will be touch-enabled so it may pave the way for operating systems in the future.  It will be available on October 26.

5.  Now for the gamers, here is the Wii U.  It combines hand-held gaming with console gaming.  The gamepad controller will have 6.2 inch touchscreen.  I wonder how it will all work out.  You can expect to see it in October or November.

 6.  And here is another tablet.  Kindle and Kindle Fire.  I heard that the Kindle Fire is already sold out.  Wow!  You can expect to see this in October or November as well.

7.  And lastly comes Apple again with another product, Apple TV.  A new and better version is expected once the Cub's win the World Series.  (Which means it may not be for a VERY long time).

Scary ice creams!!

If you are a horror movie fan...! Really well made, aren`t they?!

Movie Knight!

This Saturday evening (September 1st), 

we will be going to Alex Cinemas in Takatsuki (Al Plaza) 

to see the latest Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises". 

If you would like to come along please meet us in front 

of the cinema at 6:30 so we can all get out seats together. 

The movie starts at 6:40

Real Life Lesson

Check out the new Real Life Lesson!

Just look of the "Real Life Lesson" button on our main website!

http://www.rle.co.jp/index.html

total recall

Last night I watched Total Recall after seeing the trailer which I thought looked pretty cool! How disappointed I was!!!! The story was pretty dull and the acting...Ooooh Lord!! Well, if you like watching a guy acting poorly, running everywhere and shooting for 2 hours you`ll have a blast! I don`t know I just wish the way the story was developed was a bit more exciting and not that predictable. Neeext!

A fish is not a plant.

If you wish to be a truly international type fellow, 

then one thing that's important to remember is that 

many people have strict dietary requirements. 

I will be writing more posts about this topic in the future, 

but first up let's start with the most common type 

of special diet "VEGETARIAN". 

Although I've noticed that it's not incredibly popular in Japan, 

many people around the world are vegetarian for a variety 

of reasons, some of which include but are not limited to: 

Health, allergies, religion & environmentalism. 

There are a lot of different kinds of vegetarian,

 but we are going to take a look at a baseline example first. 

A vegetarian eats no meat (flesh of a living creature) 

most of the time this includes seafood 

(believe it or not a fish is still a living creature, not a plant). 

If you are going to be cooking for a group of foreign friends 

or taking some tourists to a restaurant 

(so you don't take them to yaki-niku) 

it's a good idea to ask if anyone is vegetarian. 

Or as a general rule, always prepare at least one 

dish that contains no meat, as there are some 

people that may not be vegetarians, 

but don't eat particular kinds of meat.

INTERESTING!

DON'T FORGET TO CLICK 

THE INTERESTING BUTTON!

Recently we haven't been getting many 'interesting' clicks. 

Please click if you read a post and think 

it is even just a little bit interesting. 

When you don't click it make us 

think that you don't like the post.

Are we really so boring?

everlasting bananas???

They just came up with a product that prevents bananas from rotting. If you spray that product on the banana it should stay all yellow and pretty for 12 days. The components of that product supposedly reduce the banana`s breathing and kill the bacterias (which are the reasons why it gets brown)... That would sure help reduce the amount of bananas that go to waste in supermarkets everyday but at the same time I do not really want to have more chemicals added on my fruits! What do you think???

Not alone?

With the mars rover cruising around at the moment, 

its got a lot of people thinking about extraterrestrial life. 

Well statistics wise, we are definitely not alone. 

Take a look at this interesting BBC interactive chart, 

just click on the alien for the link.

WHAT! No my shirt says 'Samurai'

Yesterday I was talking to a student about the recent blog post 'Some weird clothing', and how it is not only Japanese people who wear clothes with strange English writing on them, but also sometimes foreigners who wear clothes with strange Japanese writing on them. 

But it does not stop there, Oh No! 

Recently it has become a trend in western countries like Australia and America for people to get TATTOOS written in Kanji or another Asian language alphabet. The fact that both the tattoo artist and the customer do not speak the language they are using, and are often just using 'Google Translate' means that idiots are often left with odd or nonsensical words permanently carved into their flesh!

The website HANZISMATTER is dedicated to chronicling the misuse of Chinese characters in western culture. Check it out!

The "Invisible" Helmet???

Here's a new invention for all you bike riders.  Introducing the "invisible" helmet!

Huh?  Where's the helmet?  Well, the helmet is inside the collar.  Yup, now you can look stylish and still be protected.  When you do get into an accident, the helmet inflates and looks like this.

Now when it inflates, it doesn't look that stylish, but it sure will protect your head.  For more information, check out this site.

Mr. Cricher

Advanced kids class today had to 

think up a monster and tell the class about it. 

One kid came up with the horrifying "Mr. Cricher". 

A truly frightening abomination, 

Mr Cricher likes to lick old people, 

eat their ears and the punch them in the teeth! 

I think I'm going to have nightmares....

Some weird clothing

How many of you have seen people wear shirts that have absolutely no meaning or the wrong meaning?  I have walked through the streets of Japan and have seen people of all ages wearing some weird worded clothing.  And, I always wonder do you know what that means?  I hope none of you fall into this category.  Well here are some weird clothes from engrish.com:

 I hope that is not a man wearing this shirt....  It kind of looks like one.  Again, do you know the meaning of this shirt???

So you want a strong smelling boyfriend???  Really?  

OK.....  lots of "the" and yes exercise is a necessity but huh???

umm no.  I don't want to pass chewed meat back and forth with anyone. 

Women's Soccer Gold Medal Match

It is finally here!  Part 2 of the infamous final match since the Women's World Cup.   

                                                                * VS*

Good luck to both teams and may the best team win!  I'm sure most of you will be sleeping when this match begins, but I hope to be awake for it.  

Confusing ɥsıןƃuǝ

Can you read these sentences 100% correctly on your first try?

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.

Don't you just hate English?  :p 

Parasol in my eye

In recent years it has become very common 

for women to use a parasol in summer. 

(Although an umbrella & a parasol are technically the same thing 

an umbrella is usually thought of as something 

to protect one from the rain, whereas a parasol is usually 

thought of as something to protect one from the sun.)

The thing is, the height at which most people 

carry them is around the same level as my eyes, 

(this is not so much of a problem when it is raining, 

as I am also carrying an umbrella which 

in turn, protects my face.)

So if you use a parasol on sunny days, please 

remember to think about taller people when you pass them, 

and if you are on a very crowded street, 

maybe think about not using your parasol 

until you reach a place with not so many people.

Which cuisine do travelers love the most?

There was a recent survey on what cuisine travelers love the most.  Which cuisine do you think is number 1?   Which cuisine is number 1 for you?  Here are the results:






1.  Italian 32%
2.  French 24%
3.  Japanese 18%
4.  Chinese 13%
5.  Spanish 11%
6.  United States 10%
7.  Mexican 8%
7.  Thai 8%
9.  Indian 5%
9.  Taiwanese 5%





Now, what do you think are the top 5 Japanese foods picked by Japanese locals?



1.  Sushi
2.  Tempura
3.  Ramen
4.  Japanese Soba
5.  Okonomiyaki

Maybe you don't agree with this, but this is probably why when you ask an American, "what is Japanese food?," most reply:  "sushi, tempura, teriyaki"



Now here are the top 5 American foods picked by Americans:

1.  Barbecue
2.  Burgers and fries
3.  Fried chicken
4.  Apple pie
5.  Buffalo wings