I think the video pretty much speaks for itself, but just in case, it’s about how to peel garlic in less than 10 seconds. 
How to peel garlic in less than 10 seconds! O.O
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New Season of Mythbusters Coming in October
What can I say? You either love the Mythbusters or you haven’t seen the Mythbusters. The clip above is for getting your appetite going for the next season starting in October. You’re welcome. 
Disney/Pixar’s Up is great!
I went to see UP, the latest movie from the folks at Disney/Pixar at one of the first shows last Saturday (the opening day) here in Japan. I have to say that it is one of their best movies yet. It is just beautiful to watch, especially the 3-D version that I saw. I don’t like like read reviews of movies before I go because even if there are no “spoilers,” there are always things in the reviews that spoil it for me. I’ll leave it at that. Just go watch the movie; I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion
The circus is in town! The circus is in town! After seeing Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam (in Fukuoka), Alegria 2 (also in Fukuoka), and La Nouba (at DisneyWorld in Florida), I couldn’t miss the latest manifestation, Dralion now showing in Fukuoka. Dralion combines Asian, African, and European themes (the ‘Dra’ is for dragon, and ‘lion’ is, well, lion ). There are the usual suspects: clowns, trapeze, individual and choreographed acts of athleticism, rope (actually cloth) work, dance, and trampoline. Dralion uses some of the trampoline work that I saw in La Nouba, where they bounce to incredible heights all with precision timing–very cool stuff. There were three official clowns, and one ringer; the interplay between them all is quite fun to watch. The routine with the hair, etc. between two of them needs work; it was too predictable and tedious. The singers were great, as was the band. The woman representing the African portion of the show was incredibly talented; make sure to keep track of her when she’s on stage. This is a show to watch if you have a chance.
Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
If you’re walking around Hong Kong, you can take a stroll through Hong Kong Park on the way to the tram that will take you up the hill to Victoria Peak. The tram ride itself is quite steep. If you need help walking or have young children, I recommend waiting until you can get near a tram door when it comes down (or up, as the case may be). That way, you can be sure of getting a seat and not having to worry about falling or getting crushed under the forces of tourists and gravity.
It’s
all
worth
it
at
the
top!
Hong Kong Disneyland: Other impressions
I have to say that English was a really useful language during the trip to Hong Kong. All the signs at HK Disneyland had English and all the workers spoke enough for their jobs.
The menus were easy to understand, and the workers often brought out a menu with pictures of the food. All the restaurants had some kind of barbeque, some kind of stir-fry, and some kind of noodles. There was dim sum (yam cha) to be had, and you could get burgers (served with plastic gloves for your use; a first for me to see!), pasta, sandwiches, and other familiar food. I got the impression that they were going out of their way to make sure there was something for just about everyone.
The pin trading at Walt Disney World is the best, but, surprisingly, HK Disneyland’s pin trading was much better than at Disneyland Resort in California! Most of the workers had pins for trading, and were quick to let you have a look. The workers in California, for the most part, didn’t seem to want to be bothered with it, and that included the pin trading stations!
The landscaping at the Autopia in Tomorrowland was cool and included
a peeled banana.
This boy was cute in that despite not being tall enough to drive his own car, he went back to the “You must be this tall to drive” sign at least 10 times. Even his parents got in on it trying to convince the worker that he should have his own…
The castle is much smaller than those of the other parks I know, obviously the result of Eisner’s cost-cutting during construction. Perhaps a makeover is in store…
The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel was great, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. The design is from the Grand Floridian at WDW, which is based on the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego.
The final shot comes from the exit sign as you leave. All-in-all, it was a great place to visit.
Nazca Exhibition in Kumamoto
Last month we got a chance to go to the Nazca display at the Kumamoto Prefecture Museum of Art (one of my students reminded me about it; thanks Yoko!) I have to say that it was very interesting. The first section moved through a bit of the history and geography of the area, and there’s an illustrative timeline to give some perspective. This site has a good rundown on the details.
The artifacts on display were simply amazing. I guess because of the climate (the area looks awfully dry), many of the items were well preserved. Several items were more than 2,000 years old and were in excellent condition. There is a well-kept mummy that you have to see to believe.
The end of the display is dedicated to the huge line drawings in the desert floor. This area of Peru is a World Heritage site, so it’s on my list of places to visit. Unfortunately, people are doing great harm to the area with cars and motorcyles. I hope that kind of activity is stopped ASAP.
The Nazca display continues until January 27th. Get your tickets and go now!
Fukuoka Subway Guardrails
I went to Fukuoka last month to do a little business. I really like taking the train from Kumamoto to Hakata station, but that method is not nearly as convenient as taking the bus (and it’s cheaper, too!)
Anyway, I’ll have to write about all that another time. I hadn’t been to Fukuoka on foot in a while, so I hadn’t been on the subways for at least a couple of years. To my surprise, the two stations I used had guardrails set up the entire length of the platform. I cannot recall if Fukuoka has had any troubles with people falling or being pushed into oncoming trains, but it has happened in other parts of the country. This seems to be a great pro-active move on the part of the transit folks. Nice job!
Just to show the contrast between lines with and without the guardrails, the above shot is from one of the stations on the Tokyo Metro line.
Sushi Ota
World, meet Mr. Ota. His San Diego restaurant, Sushi Ota, is just about the best sushi shop I’ve been to (I’ll save my other favorite, Daiki, in Ise, for another post). Besides being a great guy, Mr. Ota runs a smooth-running ship with fantastic food. We were trying to figure out when we first started going; it must have been not too long after he opened in the late 1980′s. That was back when there were exactly two people behind the counter: Mr. Ota and a nice guy nicknamed Joe. Now there are seven or eight people perfectly choreographed. It’s a big coincidence that Mr. Ota’s hometown is a couple of hours south of Kumamoto (in Hondo). He’s in my hometown, and I’m near his. Mr. Ota knows what my family likes, and he takes great pride watching our expressions after putting his original California- and Kyushu-fused creations in front of us. He has never missed with us. This meal took place about four months ago, so I’m working from the photos and my feeble memory. If the details are lacking, just enjoy the photos, and use your imagination…
Our meal started off with the above creation, although I broke it up before I remembered to take a picture of it. It was crab meat and tomato in a savory gelatin, and it just melted in my mouth.
I need to take some notes when I go back next time because I cannot remember what was in this original masterpiece. I do remember that the avocado matched perfectly with the grated daikon, tare (sauce?), and the fish inside.
This was one of those one-bite experiences that last only as long as you can chew it. There was crab involved and squid and a white fish, and that sauce!
Yes, your honor, guilty as charged. I forgot what kind of fish this was, but it was grilled to perfection and it was tender and extremely tasty.
I understand the giant bluefin tuna is dwindling rapidly. A few orders of various parts of maguro is usual for me. This time we had one order of toro and left it at that. I hope the tuna population returns to normal soon. We should all think carefully before catching/ordering/eating any more giant bluefin tuna.
Uni (sea urchin) is a delicacy in Japan. It just so happens that the waters of the east side of the North Pacific Ocean are filled with sea urchins. Sushi Ota serves them up from both California and Japan.
My wife likes the awabi (abalone); I can do without it. It’s a bit too chewy for me. She said it was wonderful!
Memory lapse again. As you already know, the one on the right is sake (salmon), but the one on the left eludes me right now. Perhaps another trip is in store, so I can ask…
Our final order was tamago. I think it was the first time to order it at Sushi Ota. Check out the cool brand.
Thanks for (another) excellent meal, Mr. Ota. I can’t wait to go back! 
A Cheap Weekend in Kumamoto
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.