Cute Stuff from Japan: My Re-Ment Part 2

It has been awhile since I wrote of my beloved Re-ment. Please don’t think my lack of posts on it suggests a lack of love!

I still adore it!
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Singleness on the Rise in Japan

Photo by colodio on Flickr

I’ve been hearing a lot lately about the increase in people deciding on staying single in Japan. With Japan’s single occupant households exceeding 30% recently and the average family unit of 2.46 members is the smallest it’s ever been, it looks like this trend is becoming more and more popular.
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Things to do in Osaka – The Instant Ramen Museum

Photo by JanneM on Flickr

Stacey loves her ramen. I on the other hand, do not. During week long hiking trips of my youth I feasted on little more than instant porridge in the morning and instant ramen for lunch and dinner. By the seventh day I had instant ramen coming out my ears and I had developed a strong loathing for the stuff.

Can you imagine my excitement when Stacey suggested we visit the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum in Osaka?
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Japan chooses ‘kizuna’ as kanji of 2011

Every year the Japanese public chooses a kanji to represent the year that was. This year’s kanji was ‘kizuna’ meaning bond. Here’s what a BBC article had to say about the selection.

For Japan, 2011 was dominated by the earthquake and tsunami in March. The disasters led to unprecedented numbers of Japanese helping one another. After the tsunami smashed into Japan’s north-east coast on 11 March, killing thousands and engulfing entire communities, people’s stoicism and their determination to pull together won international praise. In April the then prime minister Naoto Kan thanked the world for its help in a letter entitled “Kizuna – the Bonds of Friendship”.

Japanese Idiom: As small as a cat’s forehead

Photo by Tomi Tapio on Flickr

As part of our new updating schedule we’re going to try to do major posts on Tuesdays and a minor post on Fridays. Fridays will be dedicated to news and interesting facts about Japan and the Japanese language. Today we’re going to look a fun Japanese idiom to describe a very small area.
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The Complete Japanese Treats and Snacks Roundup – Part 2

Photo by Sifu Renka on Flickr

Our first round is over and we’re ready to dive into the second edition of our Japanese treats and snacks roundup. Last time we had a few winners and some definite losers. Let’s see how we do in Round 2!
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The Complete Japanese Treats and Snacks Roundup – Part 1

While we were in Japan we were exposed to a ton of new and strange foods. Since we both enjoy the occasional treat, we found ourselves on a mission to discover all the wonderful, and sometimes bizarre treats that Japan had to offer.

Here’s is the first part of our Japanese treat exploration.
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Nara – the Forgotten Capital of Japan

Photo by tochis on Flickr

When planning their trip to Japan, most people include Tokyo and Kyoto on their itinerary under the assumption that they will be covering the ever-fascinating contrast between new and old in Japan. They often overlooked, however, is the charms of the forgotten Capital of Japan – Nara.
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Bizarre Japan – Underwear that Helps you Lose Weight

I came across a video link on Twitter about a new underwear in Japan that claims to help you lose weight. Apparently it’s made of some sort of material that constricts so that it’s harder to move in. So does it really work?
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Honda Unveils Upgrades to their Asimo Robot

Recently, Honda showed off some of the upgrades to their Asimo robot. It’s very cool…and somehow a little bit freaky, too.
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