Tops Tuesdays: My Top 5 Most Pin-able Posts

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This week I thought I'd take a look back at some of my most useful posts for daily life in Japan. Things that you should be pinning right now for later reference. Continue reading to find out what I'm talking about...

T.G.I.F.: Tokyo Gay Pride Rally

This weekend, Tokyo has gay pride! Last year, I wrote about the event and how this even needs your support. To check out that post, click here. For more details about the celebrations, click the image below...

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Tops Tuesdays: Hadoken

Move over twerking and planking, the "Hadoken" craze is sweeping Japanese high schools. Believed to have started in celebration of the Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods movie released March 30, this new photographic trick of the eye is named after a special attack move from Street Fighter. This is trend is "tops" this week!

Continue reading after the jump for more images!

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The Izu Life: Happy Birthday to me!

Today I turn 27! Happy Birthday to me!

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Tops Tuesdays: Make Japanese Fast Food at Home!

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Yoshinoya is a Japan-based, more than 100-year-old, fast food company which is famous for its low-cost "beef bowl." Now, you can make your own beef bowl at home (via RocketNews24). This recipe makes the Tops Tuesdays post this week. 

Travel Log: Fuji Five Lakes

Fuji Five Lakes is one of the few places left in Central Japan where you can still see cherry blossoms. The cherry blossom season is over in the greater Tokyo area for this year but  in other, more cooler parts of Japan (such as Fuji Five Lakes), the season is now hitting its peak. Continue reading to see some pictures of the blossoms along Kawaguchi Lake's photogenic northern shore. 

The Izu Life: Start of Term and New Beginnings

This week, I began my final semester teaching English in a Japanese High School. It has filled me with a sense of nostalgia. In a little over 3 months I will return to Australia. It's mind boggling to think how quickly the end of my contract is approaching. At this point, I have been living in Japan for a little over 2 years. It honestly feels more like 6 months have passed since I have arrived. Everything feels like it is happening so fast, just as I was told it would. 

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T.G.I.F.: Last Minute Sakura Festivals

Missed out on this year's early cherry blossom season in Japan? Don't worry; there's still a few opportunities to take in the cherry blossoms in colder regions of Japan such as Fujigoko and Nagano. Of particular note, this weekend in Kaga, Ishikawa the Taishoji Sakura Festival  is being held. In addition to hanami in the park, lion dances will be performed and you can take boat trips down the river to take in the beautiful sakura blossoms. At night, a sakura illumination event will begin, lighting up the beautiful trees and setting the scene for a romantic evening stroll. Click the image below for more details...

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Tops Tuesdays: Happy Kitchen

YouTube sensation, RRcherrypie's videos of mini culinary masterpieces have gone viral in Japan and internationally. Working in silence, Kracie recreates various foods in miniature using only water and powder. Her "happy kitchen" series are fascinating...

Happy Tuesday!

The Izu Life: Japan's Obsession with Blood-Types

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One of my co-workers approached me yesterday and asked for some help making an English dialogue for a first year English class. The topic of the lesson was blood-types. She gave me the textbook to read. It detailed the way Japanese people like to judge a person's personality based on their blood type (A, B, AB, or O). The idea is that certain personality traits occur commonly in different blood types. She asked me what my blood type was and was surprised when I didn't know. The textbook explained Japan's interest in blood types as an innocuous pastime that Japanese people used as a conversation starter. But part of me couldn't help feeling a sense of suspicion of the origins of this obsession.

T.G.I.F.: Kanamara Matsuri, Kawasaki

The Kanamara Matsuri (かなまら祭り or "Festival of the Steel Phallus") is being held in Kawasaki, Japan this Sunday 7th April. If you are looking for something unique to do this weekend, this could be an interesting little excursion. The festival, colloquially known as "Penis Festival," has become popular among locals and tourists. It's exactly what it sounds like. Without going into too much detail, click the image below for more details and history behind the event. Apologies for the crude imagery.

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Tops Tuesdays Throwback: Top 5 Posts for Spring

Continue reading to find out what you need to know this spring to survive staff parties (enkais), hay fever and cherry blossom season!