Toy-vey

Last week was Chanukah and, naturally, with Chanukah comes presents. These of course included some rather interesting Japanese inventions. One of these items was a hamster. But, this hamster was not just any hamster. If you give this one I little push in the stomach, it moves like a real pet.

Another was an Eco-hime. Now, in Japan, some toilets have buttons that produce a flushing sound so that no one can hear anything else from outside of the stall. Some toilets do not have this luxury. So, naturally you can purchase your very own portable one. They can reach a surprisingly loud volume.

Talons

People-watching in trains is like looking at people under a microscope. No one looks normal on the subway. However, this needed no magnifying whatsoever.

I was sitting on the train on my way home from a soccer game when a woman entered the car and, as there were no available seats to be seen, took up a position standing directly in front of my seat.

I noticed someone standing in front of me and glanced up. She clutched a cell phone in one hand and held on tightly to the ceiling handle with the other one. I looked back down at my book. Wait, I thought to myself, there was something funny on her nails. I looked up once more, and was absolutely wowed. She had the most elaborate manicure I had ever seen and, let me tell you, I've seen some very impressive manicures.

This woman had nails that were absolutely over the top. First of all, on top of her natural nails, huge red talons were secured in place. Then, on each of these nails, there was a different Christmas-related object. These objects, little 3D miniature, included a bell that I'm pretty sure actually made noise and a santa face.

It was flabbergasting that someone would chose that method of expressing holiday spirit.

Out of My Way, I'm Gonna Puke!

Strange English, or as I often call it Engrish, is all over Japan, even in a city like Tokyo. A little while back, while browsing around in a ski shop, I ran into this hat. Unlike many incidents of Engrish, this sentence on the hat is relatively grammatical. However, that certainly doesn't make it any less strange or hilarious. I really got a kick out of this hat!

Biking in Chiba

A couple weekends ago, part of my ninth grade class at school went on a bike trip along the Chiba coast.

On Saturday morning, after a filling breakfast of pancakes, we got on our mountain bikes and headed out. After pedaling inland for a couple hours, going up and then down again, through tunnels and over hills, we finally reached the southern-most point of Chiba prefecture, and the massive expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Following lunch at a little local restaurant, we returned to the lodge along the coast. By the end we had pedaled 43 km!

The biking was fun and all, but I have to say that the real highlight was bodysurfing in the Pacific. It may have been November, but the water was still incredibly warm. The waves crashed one after another on to the shore, rising larger and larger. My eyes stung, my ears ached, my skin and hair were sticky with salt, and I was having a great time.

The World's Best Cranberry Cake

Succulent cranberries atop an utterly delicious yellow cake. The result: a mouthwateringly exquisite combination, Cranberry Upside-down Cake. At least once every fall, sometimes twice, if I'm lucky, we make Cranberry Upside-down Cake. Sometimes we eat it at our Yom Kippur break-fast dinner, but this year we had it as a Thanksgiving treat. Among the other desserts present at our dinner this year, the cranberry cake's popularity was somewhat diminished among our guests. It was not as immaculate-looking as the pumpkin pie. Nor did it look as tender and juicy as the apple pie. No matter, that just meant that there were more leftovers for me!