Category Archives: Japan

Cesar Rojas’ guitar at Hard Rock Cafe, Fukuoka, Japan

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Cesar Rojas’ guitar at Hard Rock Cafe, Fukuoka, Japan

Originally uploaded by technicle


This was the view in front of me. On the bottom is one of David Cassidy’s guitars (did your heart start pounding when you read that?) On the top is one of Cesar Rojas’. Seeing that triggered some memories with the missus and me. The two of us have seen Los Lobos perform twice: once at the Paladium in LA for New Year’s (I believe that was 1990). That was a great show. The other time was at the outdoor amphitheater at Balboa Park. During that show, Cesar came up into the audience and played a solo for my wife. We were about two feet away from him. I think I can say that was the closest I’ve ever been to someone in concert. Needless to say, it was an awesome show!

Elvis at Hard Rock Cafe, Fukuoka, Japan

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Elvis at Hard Rock Cafe, Fukuoka, Japan

Originally uploaded by technicle


We were in Fukuoka last week for one of the Hawks-Buffalo games (the one before the typhoon came.) We hadn’t been to a Hard Rock in a long time, so that was my request for lunch. I had a great burger and nice conversation with a friend of the family. Behind me, on the wall was Elvis rocking out in front of Mt. Fuji. I couldn’t resist…

Tacos de Pollo de Jay de Japón

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Tacos de Pollo de Jay de Japón

These were dinner tonight. In Japan, it’s not exactly easy to make tacos the way I like them, but I do the best I can. These were made with corn tortillas which were produced in Germany. How weird is that? Tacos made by an American in Japan, using mostly Japanese ingredients, except the corn tortillas which came from Germany. Boy were they tasty. I think the key was the thigh meat I used. The meat I picked out is a local specialty here. It was very tender and juicy, especially after I grilled it on my iron-cast grill from Daiei. Mmmmm…

3rd-Year Students Cook a Healthy Dinner!

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3rd-Year Students Cook a Healthy Dinner!, originally uploaded by technicle.

For the second time since I arrived, the Food and Health students invited me to a meal. The first time, the second-year students invited me, and it was free. This time it was the third-year students, and they charged ¥300.

There was plate of cold, sliced pork with tomatoes, wakame, and cucumber; a small, but plentiful portion of rice; miso soup; a soy bean dish; and a jelly desert made of oranges. The menu said it was 667 calories. Nice job!

Johnny Depp and the four Japanese Girls

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Johnny Depp was in Japan recently to promote the third rendition of Pirates of the Caribbean. For some reason, when he visits, he goes to the show Gakko he Ikou hosted by the Japanese Regis Philbin—Mino Monta—and Johnny’s V6. I like a couple of Johnny’s groups: SMAP because there are some talented and clever people in the group, and TOKIO because they do some very interesting things to promote traditional Japanese culture and raising awareness of the environment. The V6 group has none of the qualities above.

Anyway, Johnny is wheeled into the studio, and the above video is the result. You be the judge: interesting, weird, over-the-top, or ???

A Cheap Weekend in Kumamoto

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There are a lot of places to escape to from just about anywhere in Kumamoto. One that is up the hill past the airport is called something like Milk Farmland. It costs ¥300 to get in, and there are various animals to watch and pet as your heart desires. There are a couple of small petting zoos and friendly people to answer your questions. There are at least three pigs, formerly known as mini-pigs and pot-bellied pigs (someone forgot to tell them that because they’re huge!), roaming around.

There is also a fully working dairy, and you can often see the machines in action, sucking the white stuff out of the cows patiently waiting their turn. Part of this dairy, obviously, is for raising the little ones. The video above shows one of them frolicking around a bit too much. She was in shock after her fall and didn’t move much at all after that.

The dairy goods are on sale in the form of tasty soft-serve and a whole bunch of products such as cream, milk, butter and cheese. Part of that complex also has a good all-you-can-eat restaurant serving locally grown food (when we were there, it was ¥1,500 for adults and ¥840 for kids). There were all kinds of food to choose from, including drinks and desserts.