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S.O.G. (save our gyoza)

Sunday, November 29, 2009


In the Umeda district of Osaka, in the shadow of the Hep Five shopping centre, you'll find Gyoza Stadium. It is, as the name suggests, full of gyoza. However, unlike most stadiums, this one has no one in it.

If you like gyoza and you find yourself in Osaka, consider dropping by - as it may not be there much longer....


The 'sutadiam' needs paying customers, and soon.

There's plenty of tasty gyoza knocking about....



....at reasonable prices....



....and lots of choice....







....but no punters.....



Even those who like to eat gyoza while playing table tennis were absent....


Gyoza-eating table tennis players are more than welcome.

Gyoza Stadium is a perfectly pleasant place with many small gyoza shops laid out on one floor in a manner that causes you to have to walk about a bit, but this is no real hardship (if you like gyoza)....








Here, a member of staff pretends to be busy....



Do you have a baby, or are you very small? If yes, they have chairs especially for you, so there's really no excuse not to go....


Small chairs.

Just as I went to vacate the stadium, I spotted something in the corner, something much needed....


...or just a member of staff?

toilet talk

Sunday, November 22, 2009
As you can imagine, I often receive emails asking me about Japanese toiletry concerns - from people who are into that kind of thing.

In response, I spent some time researching nearby public toilets with my camera - although I'm really not into that kind of thing.

Three photos and one police interrogation later, I managed to get a very small collection of pics together for the delectation of those who are into that kind of thing....

Signs for toilets, for example, can come in a number of designs. This one is standard, the kind you'd expect to see almost anywhere in the world...


Simple, clear, efficient.


This one is far from standard, but rather entertaining, possibly causing you to piss yourself laughing. Literally, if you're not careful.


Simple, clear, efficient, amusing.


I can't be sure what this one's all about though.....




Whereas the message on this sign, seen on a hut on a country road, is all too clear...


Do NOT splash it about around here.


Here's a gem, found in an old block of flats built at a time when sit-down toilets were still something of a novelty in the country. It's a notice on the toilet-roll holder explaining to newbies how to use a sit-down toilet.

The carefully drawn diagram on the left explains that men should lift the toilet lid when peeing, or there might be a right old mess, whereas the diagram on the right says that for ladies' number ones and everyone's number twos, it's really a good idea to sit down (on the seat and not the part underneath that the guys have urinated onto).

the unrush hour

Sunday, November 15, 2009


In Japan's larger cities, the rush hour might well involve a bloke in white gloves shoving you onto a carriage till you're so far in that your face squashes up against the window while someone's briefcase rides up your backside as you try to make sure your hands don't touch anyone lest you be accused of groping.

Outside the big cities though, the situation is somewhat different. The rush hour might involve a train pulling in to the station, the doors opening, you stepping on to the train in a style of your choosing, walking to a seat at a steady pace and sitting down.

Your main concern will be finding a position which you deem suitable.....



...so that you can kick back and relax....



...and once you're nice and comfortable, you can happily doze off....


....having taken your shoes off first, of course.

long-lasting liza

Sunday, November 08, 2009
The recession continues to bite in Japan - take a little stroll around any 'hood and you'll likely see a fair few empty premises.

However, it's good to see that Liza is planning to stick around for a while...


You can always count on Liza.

spreading the word

Sunday, November 01, 2009


Apparently, like Eminem, Christianity is not big in Japan.

This is not altogether surprising as they already have their hands full with two other religions, Shintoism and Buddhism.

Having said that, there are roughly a million Christians in total here - though in a country the size of Japan, it's not a lot. But if it was a country the size of Barbados, it would be. But it's not.

Walk around any neighbourhood and you'll find plenty of churches, but in many cases the pews will be empty.

It appears that it's all down to the advertising methods being employed by the Christian Association of Japan. Sticking a few TVs in a wall and running God-related ads around the clock just isn't cutting it.



Let's be honest, corrugated iron never looks good, no matter what colour you paint it.



It's something of a surprise that there aren't more Christians here, as according to the people of Shingo in northern Japan, Jesus is buried in their village.

Legend has it that instead of having his hands nailed into wood, Jesus fled to Japan and ended up living in Shingo, doing a spot of rice farming and dying at the ripe old age of 106.

On his way to Shingo, he visited the Gion district of Kyoto because he'd read in his guidebook that it was a really lovely place....


Jesus was said to have been impressed by the doors in Gion.


Moving on from Gion, he soon found himself feeling rather peckish and, for the first time in his life, tried takoyaki - little chunks of diced octopus inside a ball of light fluffy batter...


Despite burning his tongue on his first bite, takoyaki became part of Jesus's calorie controlled diet while living in Shingo.


Jesus forewent the bullet train in favour of leg-power, arriving in Shingo a few weeks later. Here he lived out the rest of days mingling with the locals and eating takoyaki.


"Tooooooouuuuuuchakuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!"