Shirihoudai

Call me a glutton for punishment but it was FREE COFFEE DAY at Charbucks, so I had to visit and try out their newest blend (to combat McDonald’s coffee which kicks their ass), Pikes Peak.  I get there at 4:00 pm. . .

“sorry, the free coffee was only at 9am!”

damn them!

“but we give out samples all the time for any coffee”

ok, they are forgiven.  I get my little paper cup, the kind that you pee in at the doctor’s office filled with coffee.

“this coffee is ground and brewed every 30 minutes. . . blah blah blah. . .” 

I ask if it is a lighter roast. . .

“it’s in between a light and a dark roast.  people who like dark roasts will enjoy it and people who want a smoother taste will also love it. . . blah blah blah”

I take my coffee, while my fingers are burning, put in a little half and half and sip it. . .

and the verdict is. . .

ASS!

Yes, Charbucks coffee roasted every 30 minutes still tastes like Charbucks coffee.  If you love that freshly burnt taste to your brew, then go out and get yourself a free sample!  Which brings me to my newest idea. . . since they give out sample cups, and there is a Starbucks on every corner:

1.  Buy yourself a thermos

2.  Go to nearest Starbucks and get a sample of coffee

3.  Pour sample into thermos

4.  Drive to next Starbucks

5.  Repeat steps 2 through 4 until thermos is full

6. (optional) give coffee to your worst enemy.

Do this at various times of the day until they start to recognize you.

This story from Reuters is like the movie iRobot come true. Sure we all want to have sex with robots and let them raise our kids but did we ever realize this fantasy world would come true?  But i’ll give them credit for this ingenuous way of saving pension money in the long run.

Robots seen doing work of 3.5 million in Japan

TOKYO (Reuters) - Robots could fill the jobs of 3.5 million people in graying Japan by 2025, a thinktank says, helping to avert worker shortages as the country’s population shrinks.

Japan faces a 16 percent slide in the size of its workforce by 2030 while the number of elderly will mushroom, the government estimates, raising worries about who will do the work in a country unused to, and unwilling to contemplate, large-scale immigration.

The thinktank, the Machine Industry Memorial Foundation, says robots could help fill the gaps, ranging from microsized capsules that detect lesions to high-tech vacuum cleaners.

Rather than each robot replacing one person, the foundation said in a report that robots could make time for people to focus on more important things.

Japan could save 2.1 trillion yen ($21 billion) of elderly insurance payments in 2025 by using robots that monitor the health of older people, so they don’t have to rely on human nursing care, the foundation said in its report.

Caregivers would save more than an hour a day if robots helped look after children, older people and did some housework, it added. Robotic duties could include reading books out loud or helping bathe the elderly.

“Seniors are pushing back their retirement until they are 65 years old, day care centers are being built so that more women can work during the day, and there is a move to increase the quota of foreign laborers. But none of these can beat the shrinking workforce,” said Takao Kobayashi, who worked on the study.

“Robots are important because they could help in some ways to alleviate such shortage of the labor force.”

The current fertility rate is 1.3 babies per woman, far below the level needed to maintain the population, while the government estimates that 40 percent of the population will be over 65 by 2055, raising concerns about who will look after the graying population.

Kobayashi said changes was still needed for robots to make a big impact on the workforce.

“There’s the expensive price tag, the functions of the robots still need to improve, and then there are the mindsets of people,” he said.

“People need to have the will to use the robots.”

(Reporting by Yoko Kubota; Editing by Rodney Joyce)

 If they look like this, then sign me up!

(image via www.whatheck.com)

Was in my old stomping grounds of Gardena this past weekend and had a craving for inari and maki sushi. I haven’t gone to Sakae Sushi since I was a kid so the need had to be filled. As you open the door to the little shop, your nose immediately notices the nice vinegar rice smell. Delicate and not overpowering. The menu hasn’t changed ever! Inari, Maki, saba, egg, shrimp, and california rolls.
Ordered a 7 pc mixed set and 7pc california roll so I can taste everything. At around 70 cents a piece, that has to be the best sushi bargain ever! So fresh and comes nicely wrapped in white paper with a green string. The Inari and Saba are my new favorites. Yes, it’ll make you smile.

storefront:

sushi box:

menu:

their sushi (top: egg, california roll, maki; bottom: inari, shrimp, saba) 

Notice how much rice they use? Its done that way for a reason. Eating their expertly prepared rice is a definite experience. Sticky with a hint of vinegar. I’ve gone to sushi shops that sell sushi for 10x this price and their rice can’t match what they do here at Sakae.

1601 W Redondo Beach Blvd Ste 112
Gardena, CA 90247
(310) 532-4550

(images via Yelp review)

 AKA Kanamara Weiner Festival - the celebration of ugly trannies and horny tourists.  This is still on my list of things to see in Japan as I love a good freakshow.  Women straddling the 6 foot rocket penis. . .

and 70 year old tranvestites. . .

what more could you ask for at a spring festival?  Phallic shaped candies? You got it!

As quoted from the Mainichi

Kanamara Matsuri, literally the Festival of the Iron Penis, had its beginnings in the Edo Period (1603-1868) with the prayers of women called meshimori onna, according to Wakamiya Hachimangu, the Shinto shrine in Kawasaki where the event was held.

Meshimori onna were women employed by the Shogun rulers of Japan during the feudal era to serve travelers along major roads such as the Tokaido that ran from Edo (modern Tokyo) to the ancient capital of Kyoto, with Kawasaki serving as a lodging spot.

Although the meshimori onna were supposed to serve only food, they also served themselves for a price, and it was their custom of praying to the gods that led to the festival as it is today.

Kanamara Matsuri is said to have positive effectives on business and fertility, increases the chance of an easy birth, heightens the possibility of finding a partner, boosts marital harmony and wards off sexually transmitted diseases.

So you see, there is a reason for all the madness.  In addition to helping solve  Japan’s declining population, the festival serves many purposes - increasing the population, helping the local economy, AIDS awareness, transvestite tolerance, uncensorship of genatalia in public places. . . the list goes on and on.

(photos via Mainichi)

They even posted a video of the phallic fun here

A Zoo in Japan? Not just any zoo. . . the INNER CITY ZOO! I was blown away when i first went here. It’s kind of small, but they more than make up for it in the kinds of animals they put on display (and are for sale). From monkeys to mountain lions. . . pirannas to penguins. . . you won’t believe what you’re seeing.  One of my must-go-to places in the Yokohama area.

For a small cover charge, you’ll walk inside one of the coolest pet stores ever! Where else can you buy a fennic? Ah, those long ears are so cute. . .
(image via random google search)
It is located in Yokohama and there are some nice shopping outlets nearby.  But anyway, here is the site 

So it is well known that the JR system is so precise that you can set your watch to it.  Aside from the occassional suicide that delays passengers from their destinations, the trains in Japan all run on time. 

Here is a great site that will plan out the route you need to take, including the line changes and time tables.  For all of you who need to be on a tight schedule, this just might help out.

HYPERDIA-timetable
Just enter your start point and destination point. Heck, even throw in some stations you want to stop at in between. It’ll show you which trains to catch. Coolio.

Stumbled upon this movie trailer while reading my usual Japanese sites and I must say, this looks like a winner! Combines my favorite movie elements: girls in bikinis + westerns + samurai swordplay + zombies? Genius!

Put your right foot in
Take your right foot out
Put your right foot in
And let the train run it over. . .

Dude! This is one messed up story on the Mainichi website:

Train jumper loses right foot after botched suicide bid

MATSUDO, Chiba — A man lost his right foot after jumping in front of an oncoming train at a railway station here late Tuesday night in an apparent attempted suicide, police said.

At around 11:30 p.m., the man jumped onto the tracks of the JR Joban Line at Kitakogane Station in Matsudo, and was hit by a train pulling into the station, local police said. His right foot was severed at the ankle and he remains in serious condition.

Following the accident, 18 trains on the line were delayed by up to 42 minutes, inconveniencing approximately 15,000 passengers, the railway operator said.

Not only does he not kill himself, he causes 15000 innocent people to be late for their jobs, school, etc. What a jerk!

Right fielder Kosuke Fukudome went 3 for 3 in the Cubs loss to the Brewers.  He had a home run and a double.  I’d say that was a pretty productive night.

Yankees star Hideki Matsui got married and won some money from teammates Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu in the process.  The only details he has given is that she is 25 and even drew a picture of her:

 photo via AP.

I don’t know, with all his money, I think he could have done better. . .

Lastly, my hero Hideo Nomo is making a comeback only to be slowed down by a groin injury.  damn! Nomomania will run wild once again!