A Nice Day in Ebina

Today at the Vina Walk mall:

That's the Marui.

If you'd like to watch an amusing tour of the mall, I found this YouTube video entitled, Japanese Food TakoYaki Octopus Balls Shopping Mall Ebina Japan.

Included in the short video is a visit to the Rock Inn music store, but they seemed to have "overlooked" the most distinctive guitar. Good thing I snapped a picture!

Japan Marketing News

Japan Marketing News is a new and exciting addition to my "Favorite Blogs." The site offers

Information and insights into marketing, advertising and products in Japan.

Indeed it does. With categories such as beverages, fashion, home electronics, music, packaging, restaurants, and signage, Japan Marketing News is a great place to learn about new products as well as gain insight into the fascinating world around us.

I must agree with the author's assessment of Calpis Ginger Zero.

Hmmm, I wonder if I will still be able to locate a Hello Kitty Barbie.

Create a Cheerful Lunch!

Spotted this week at the Yokohama Tokyu Hands:



Plastic displays are not appetizing enough? Do not fret. Freshly baked Hello Kitty pastries are available across the street, at the bakery inside the Daiei supermarket:



Yummy Kitty! ;)

Machida Shrine Sale

The feature article in the current (March 6th) edition of Stripes Kanto* describes the Machida Shrine sale, which is held on the first of every month across from the 5-story 100-Yen shop. Oh my, I was unaware of this flea market! It certainly looks like a "must see", so hopefully I will be able to check out the next one on April 1st.

* The Stripes Kanto link will automatically update to the latest edition. Expect this to occur on the Wednesday prior to the Friday publication date. If you'd like to read the article and missed the online version or the paper copy, let me know - I am now saving the online files.

What to do with Wikimapia

Wikimapia, listed under the "Getting Around" links, is not just another map. Note all of its interactive boxes. Hold your mouse over a boxed location, and you will discover the identity of that building or complex or park. Click on a box, and more information is often forthcoming.

Need to find another Daiso store? Type "daiso" in the search box, and you'll get a list of stores, locations, and how far they are from your current map setting. Click on one, and the map will take you there. And how about IKEA? Seek and you shall find. :)

Wikimapia is also useful for finding the answers to many "What is that?" questions. For example, navigate around Tokyo or the Yokohama port area with the view set to "satellite". It's quite handy for identifying the malls in Machida, too.

The link is preset to our local area.

Yokohama Visitors' Guide

I found another great site to add to my "Japan" links.

Yokohama Visitors' Guide is overflowing with useful information, especially for us day travellers who want to know where the malls are - er, I mean places of cultural significance.

On the subject of malls... if you click on the Attractions tab on the home page, you'll see that Yokohama is further categorized into specific regions. This is the where it gets fun. Click on an individual area, and the page will display an interactive map marked with important locations. Click on a shopping mall, for example, and you will be transported down the page to information about the mall, including a description of what is sold therein.

If that isn't enough, the site also has a fantastic web camera link on the home page. These are live images! You can select different viewing areas with the scroll bar, or choose from presets. After dark, set it for minatomirai (click "Start Control" to see the drop-down menu), and watch the ferris wheel light up, along with all the blinking lights on Landmark Tower and other large buildings. Oooh, I'm now watching one of those cruise boats with all the white lights. With the scroll bar I am following it. Neat! I sure wish I had found this website sooner. When the July fireworks (port anniversary festivities) take place, I think I'll enjoy them... from the camera, ha.

Care Instructions

Shopping for clothes, but confounded by the weird pictures on the care labels? Behold the translations:

Japanese Washing Symbols

Japan National Tourism Organization

What a great site!

I added it to my Japan links, along with a companion site, the Visit Japan Channel.

JTNO has a wealth of information about Japan: history, culture, travel information, attractions, shopping, and more. The site is neatly organized and a joy to navigate. Whoever designed it should organize the entire internet.

Where to start? The links on the History and Culture menu (located on the left side of their home page) lead to brief articles about unusual yet intriguing topics. For example, Japanese Colors and Shapes introduces the visitor to everything from cherry blossoms and moss, to high-rise buildings to vending machines.

Traditional Annual Events are listed by month, and an interactive map groups festivals together by regions.

There is so much more. The companion video channel (You Tube) contains beautiful, high-quality productions narrated in English, as well as fast-paced video collages of the sights and sounds of Tokyo. Have fun!