Category Archives: fun links

Fun Link Friday: Rare photo of Hachikō found

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Paula

People the world around know the story of Hachikō, the faithful Akita dog taken in by Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo, in 1925. Hachikō greeted his owner at the end of each day at Shibuya … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fun Link Friday: Halloween Oden

Posted on October 30, 2015 by LM

ハッピーハロウィン！ In the past, we’ve hosted Halloween FLFs on Halloween bento, so today I’m pleased to present the Halloween oden! Here are instructions on how to make all the normal oden ingredients (plus carrots and tomatoes) into adorable pumpkins, mummies, and ghosts. … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Autumn Leaves Forecast

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Paula

I took some time out of my research schedule to go hiking not far from Tokyo proper last week, and was not disappointed by the beautiful scenery on the trails out Mt. Mitake. What I didn’t realize, however, was that … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Bringing the Murakami-style to life in video games

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Paula

Fans of Haruki Murakami know his surreal writing style well, and now there is a Kickstarter out there that seeks to bring these elements to life in the form of a point-and-click adventure game. The studio of artists, game developers, programmers, … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Resource: ee-Tokyo.com

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Travis

A professor recently introduced me to the website http://ee-tokyo.com/, which is just loaded with all sorts of information about Tokyo history. This could be a great resource for anyone studying Edo-Tokyo history, but also for those visiting (or living in) … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links, living abroad, useful links | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Weird Hotel

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Paula

No, that’s not just my judgment. Apparently a new hotel has opened in Nagasaki, the “変なホテル,” or “Weird Hotel,” which boasts being staffed almost entirely by robots! Ever wondered what it would be like to be checked into your hotel … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Photos of Meiji Japan

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Paula

Recently grape posted an article featuring thirty photos from the Meiji period taken by photographer Kozaburo Tamamura (1856-1923) that were auctioned off in Britian in 2013. Ranging from wooden bridges and young women in their daily lives to shopping streets and wintery … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Cherry-Blossom Stones (Sakura Ishi)

Posted on September 18, 2015 by LM

For the science enthusiasts among us, I present sakura ishi, the “cherry-blossom stone.” Dr. John Rakovan of Miami University (Ohio) has published work on these stones which occur in Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture. Science Alert describes them as So-called because when you crack … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Giant Straw Dinosaurs

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Paula

Last year in October we had the chance to show you some of Ehime’s giant straw boars made by local residents and professors. This year, September has brought us the Wara Art Festival in Niigata. There, the locals took the straw from their year’s … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fun Link Friday: Japanese Ice Cream

Posted on September 4, 2015 by LM

As much as I like eating local marionberry or coffee ice cream in the PNW, sometimes I just want a big cone of tulip, black-sesame, or sakura アイス！I hope you’re feeling hungry, because today’s fun link is about Japanese ice cream … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, fun links | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment