Creative Outdoor Ad (2)

Another station poster at Shinjuku is the announcement of 10th anniversary of Raffine (reflexology salon chains).

Raffine collaborated with Hello Kitty and made cute stickers that could be used as coupon.

The coupon offers a 525 yen discount.

Offer will end on August 31!

Creative Outdoor Ad

The station poster for COTTON USA is fun.

The poster is covered with the peel-off supplements. And it will be unveiled one by one after supplements are took off.

This type of ad was introduced some years ago, but still eye catchy method.

Close shot of the supplements. There are magnet stickers.

Beautiful Toilet

One of the most like about Japan is probably toilet.

It is clean, innovative, art and relaxing!

TOTO and INAX are two major toilet makers in Japan. Especially, TOTO has the biggest market share; 50 percent.

Melon-Pan (3)

CircleK Sunkus' melon-pan is a bit sweet.

Softness and crunchy texture are similar to LAWSON's.

CircleK Sunkus' original bakery brand had been introduced two years ago.

Price is 105 yen. (349 kcal)

[Melon-pan list]

• Seven-Eleven
• LAWSON

1 Night 1 Million Yen!!!

Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo finally unveiled the most gorgeous and expensive suite room.

The presidential suite is about 270 square meters, and five times bigger than a regular guestroom.

Very nice room!

But, the room rate is 1,000,000 yen per night.

Hydrangea

Ajisai (hydrangea) is the rainy season's flower.

The blooming season is from May to July.

It is said that flower (actually calyx) turns blue if acid soil. And it turns red if alkaline soil.

Meigetsuin temple, known as Ajisai temple, is famous Ajisai spot in Kamakura.

[Meigetuin temple]

189 Yamanouchi, Kamakura

Kanagawa

10 minutes from JR Kita-kamakura station.

Hours: 9:00 - 16:00 (8:30 - 17:00 in June)

Entrance fee: 500 yen in June (other months: 300 yen)

Melon-Pan (2)

LAWSON's new melon-pan is better than Seven-Eleven's.

This LAWSON's melon-pan is renewed in June 23. The dough is softer and cookie dough is crispier.

Price is 105 yen. (402 kcal)

[Melon-pan list]

• Seven-Eleven
• CircleK Sunks

Coffee Jelly In A Can

Coffee jelly is very popular sweets in Japan. It is sold in convenience stores and grocery stores.

According to market research, the sales of coffee jelly is increasing five to ten percent every year. Compare to year 2004, it grew 26.4% in 2008.

The popular canned coffee brand, Coca Cola's Georgia introduced "GEORGIA JELLY COFFEE" in June 22.

It is mainly designed for business men as a refreshment during work.

The small can (180g) is 130 yen. The 190g bottle can is 150 yen.

SASHIMI

One of the most simple Japanese food is SASHIMI.

Since it is so simple, the freshness of fish and chef's skill (especially knife skill) are key to have good sashimi dish.

Also, soy source brings flavor of raw fish. Don't forget to put WASABI (Japanese horseradish). It adds spicy flavor and also keeps raw fish fresh.

Rainy Season In Tokyo

The rainy season usually starts around June 8 in Tokyo.

This year, the Japanese Meteorological Agency announced the beginning of rainy season in June 10. (In regular season, the rainy season ends July 20.)

During this season, it rains on and off all day. So, it is common to carry a folding umbrella.

Midsummer Gift-giving

Midsummer gift-giving (Ochugen) season is coming!

It's Japanese tradition of giving a gift for relatives, business partners, boss, friends, and so on.

It's common to buy gifts from a department store's Ochugen catalog. And the gifts will be deliver to their customers by middle of July. (In Kansai, the gifts are usually deliver between first and 15th of August.)

SEIBU: Special Promotion

Three days only special promotion starts from today.

To celebrate merger SEIBU and SOGO department stores, the special promotion gives 10% cash back!

A 500 yen gift voucher for every 5,000 yen you spend in selected shopping areas is given at special desk. In order to clam this promotion, you need receipts. (You can combine some receipts, too.)

The special promotion is three days only; June 19, 20, 21.

So, hurry!!!

Banana Diet Is Easy!

Japanese people love diet! If someone introduces a new diet method, everybody go for it. (Sometime it goes crazy like banana diet.)

The recent big boom, banana diet was no exception. The banana diet is simple and easy, so that it draw the shortage of banana at stores.

[How it works?]

• Eat banana for breakfast. (Eat them with room temperature water. You can eat banana as many as you want.)
• Drink water.
• Eat lunch and dinner as usual.
• You can eat snacks, too. (No ice cream or milk products please!)
• Eat dinner as early as possible. (18:00 is better.)
• Go to bed early, before midnight.
• Keep diet record.

Banana helps relief of constipation.

COCOICHI Curry

Curry House Coco Ichibanya (CoCoIchi) is the biggest curry chains in Japan.

Chicken and summer vegetables curry (800 yen)

*Seasonal menu (till the end of August)

CoCoIchi offers wide variety of curries. Also you can choose size, toppings and spiciness. It's fun to create your own best combination.

CoCoIchi has franchise stores in Hawaii, Thailand, Taiwan, China and South Korea.

(http://www.ichibanya.co.jp/worldwide/index.html)

Gotta Try Patio Dining

Two Rooms Grill Bar which is located in AO offers stylish dining experience.

The spacious rooftop terrace provides a nice view at night.

[Lunch menu]

Today's Market Lunch 1,850 yen

The Fish 2,400 yen

The Beef 2,950 yen

Lunch pre fix comes with salad, bread&butter, main, and drink.

(Dessert is additional.)

*Lunch time 11:30 - 14:30

[TWO ROOMS GRILL/BAR]

5th floor AO Building

3-11-7 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku

Tokyo 107-0061

http://www.tworooms.jp/

Other dinning places in AO:

[cafe table TERRACE]

Kit Kat: Music Promotion

Kit Kat through the break promotion helps new musicians to be big.

In this promotion, it offers free music download of your choice from the artist's album. Being a part of their debut promotion, it draws attention. Also, it makes consumers to feel they are helping new faces.

The flavor of this special package is cherry. (Wishing they will make flowers bloom.)

Kyoto's Signature Sweet

Yatsuhashi is the most famous Kyoto sweets.

The crackers made of rice powder, sugar and cinnamon.

There are two types of Yatsuhashi; soft (steamed) and hard (backed) crackers.

The original store that invented Yatsuhashi is Honke Nshio Yatsuhashi. (Honke means "original.") Though, the exact date wasn't given. From the wooden plaque that dedicated to Kumano shrine, Nishio had already sold Yatsuhashi in 1824.

The teashop was opened in 1689. Teashop was like cafe in today's sense that offers green tea and sweets.

Classic Sweet Bun: Melon-Pan

Melon Pan (Cantaloupe melon patterned bun) has been remained a long selling sweet bun!

It is called melon-pan, but there is no added melon flavor.

The bread is covered with biscuit dough and made it look alike cantaloupe melon. The combination of soft bread dough and crunchy biscuit dough is so nice.

This is the key reason why so many people are still buying the melon-pan.

Seven Eleven's melon-pan.

(Renewed in June 2009)

Price is 105 yen. (405 kcal)

[Melon-pan list]

• LAWSON
• CircleK Sunks

Coke Plus Catechin

For healthy and stylish everyday life, a new concept drink brand "Coca-Cola Plus" offers something extra benefits.

Green tea flavor, Coca-Cola Plus Catechin is zero calorie and preservation free!

It is just introduced on market in this month. The price is 147 yen.

Coca-Cola Plus is targeted to the beauty and health conscious women age 20s to 30s.

Krispy Kreme in Japan

It was only three years ago when the  first Krispy Kreme store was opened in Shinjuku.

Since it was the only store in Japan at that time, it made a huge line around the store.  And, customers had to wait hours to buy doughnuts.  (It's OK now because there are eight stores.)

Krispy Kreme Japan offers seasonal specials.

This time, the father's day special doughnut, "Daddy's Coffee Chocolate".  (Picture: lower left corner)

The price is 180 yen.

Original Glazed is sold at 160 yen.

If you visit a Krispy Kreme store in Japan, they give a free doughnut (Original Glazed) while waiting.

[Krispy Kreme/ Shinjuku]

Shinjuku Southern Terrace

2-2-2 Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku

Tokyo

Hours:  7:00 - 23:00

[Yurakucho ITOCIA]

Yurakucho ITOCiA B1F

2-7-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku

Tpkyo

Hours:  7:30 - 23:00

[Shibuya Cine Tower]

Shibuya Cine Tower 1F

2-6-17 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku

Tokyo

Hours:  7:00 - 23:00

Kit Kat: Apple Vinegar

Latest Nestle Kit Kat flavor is Apple Vinegar.

There so many limited edition of Kit Kat are introduced every year (or season?) in Japan.

This Apple vinegar flavor was appeared on May 11, 2009.  The price is 126 yen.

It's nice to have this kind of sour flavor for early summer. 

Lemon vinegar flavor is also on market.

Nostalgic Ultra Cider

Famous TV series "Ultra Man" is coming back as a soda.

DyDo Drinco introduced a retro concept soda which features classic TV hero; Ultra Man.  First series of Ultra Man were aired from 1966 to 1967.  

Ultra Cider (100 yen)

Total of 12 design, and first six designed cans are on sale now.

Not only package design, but Ultra Cider is also reproduced a classic lemon soda flavor.

LOOK Chocolate x Baskin Robbins

The latest product of FUJIYA chocolate "Look" collaborates with Baskin Robbins.

　

(This is original package of LOOK chocolate.)

The package was designed by French industrial designer, Raymond Loewy.

The limited edition, so called "31 A La Mode" includes four flavors:

banana and strawberry

chocolate

orange sherbet

vanilla

1 box(46g)

253 kcal

Disney For Adult

Disney Tokyo's new promotion targets adult people over 45 years old.

Now Disney Tokyo offers special promotion called "Wednesday Passport for Adult" which offers a discounted price ticket for people over 45.

This offer started from May 13 2009 and will continue to March 31 2010.

Special one-day ticket costs 5,100 yen, which is 700 yen less than the regular priced ticket.  It comes with the original guidebook and a shopping ticket.  This promotion is only offered on Wednesday. 

Roots of Japanese Curry

The Japanese curry is a little bit different from the Indian curry.

In Meiji era, Imperial Japanese Navy brought a curry flavored stew which had eaten by HMS in their military food.  And rearranged it more thickened and poured over rice.

Soon, it became so popular among others after military people spread the recipe.

This is a origin of the Japanese curry that everyone loves!

Yokosuka's famous "Kaigun Curry."

(Price is 945 yen for two packs)

If you want to taste the original flavor, try Kaigun Curry.

You can buy it at Yokosuka Kaigun Curry Honpo!

[Yokosuka Kaigun Curry Honpo]

YY Port Yokosuka

1-11-8 Wakamatu, Yokosuka city

Hours:  9:00 - 19:30 (shops and cafeteria)

Close:  January 1 - 3

(Keihin Express, Yokosuka-chuo station)

Is lottery A Savior?

When it comes to recession, people have a dream to win the jackpot.

Today is the last day to buy two different kinds of lottery; Dream Jumbo and Million Dream.

Each lottery costs 300 yen.

According to the survey done by MIZUHO Bank, 65% of those who won more than 10,000,000 yen in 2008  has been buying lottery more than 10 years.  (The survey included 275 men and 136 women.)

Average 30 lottery tickets are bought each time.  

Capricorn is the most popular star sign among the lottery winners.  37.6% of the winners are over 60 years old.

Milk France

The milk france is a soft french bread filled with condensed milk cream.

The shape must be long.  Another variety is peanuts butter.

My best is ANDERSEN Aoyama's milk france.

(Price is 126 yen)

The dough is soft and chewy.  It is everybody's favorite sweet snack.

[ANDERSEN Aoyama]

5-1-26 Minami-Aoyama Minato-ku

Tokyo

TEL: 03-3407-4833

(near Omotesando subway station)

The Best Cream Puff

Ginza Cozy Corner's Jumbo Cream Puff is my best cream puff in Tokyo.

It's big and full of cream filling!  Yet, it's not too sweet.

(The price is 116 yen)

The combination of soft shell and custard cream with vanilla beans is so good!

[GINZA COZY CORNER]

The company opened its first store in Ginza in 1948.

There are about 300 stores in Japan.

Summer Sale:  From May 29 through June 7, 2009

                            Selected items are 10% off.

Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Yokohama Port

Today is the 150th anniversary of the opening of Yokohama Port!

(Event information)

http://event.yokohama150.org/en/index.html

The Port of Yokohama is located on the northwestern edge of Tokyo Bay.  It was opened in June 2, 1859.

There are ten piers in the Port of Yokohama.  

Honmoku Pier

Yamashita Pier

Osanbashi Pier

Shinko Pier

Yamanouchi Pier

Detamachi Pier

Daikoku Pier

Kanazawa Timber Pier

Minami Honmoku Pier

Mizuho Pier

Yokohama is one of the great dating spots.  It's worth visiting!

If you visit Yokohama, check coupons!

Slimming Coffee?

This is good news for coffee -drinkers!

AGF (Ajinomoto General Foods, Inc.) introduced new healthy coffee.

The coffee is once a healthy drink.

Yes, until people shifted from a simple home brewed coffee to fancy store-bought coffees.  Huge whipped cream, vanilla, caramel, white chocolate, truffle, or you name it.  

And, what happen?

New healthy trend is emerging!

The new product, Blendy Plus contains coffee oligosaccharide that reduces the absorption of fat.

The coffee oligosaccharide is the newest oligosaccharide which is founded from coffee grounds.  Compared with sugar, the calories are in half.  There are many functions in coffee oligosaccharide.  It regulates the functions of the intestines, metabolizes fat, and so on.  

Blendy Plus is also approved as a special health food.