My non-Japanese friend told me if he ever goes to Japan, there are certain places he wants to go, which are sushi restaurant, a food department in a department store basement, Akihabara and 100 yen (1 dollar) shop.
If he could see those places, he’ll be satisfied enough LOL.
100 yen shop has been evolving everyday, even I, Japanese, am surprised by that.
I mean the items don’t look like 100 yen keep appearing at the stores.
So today, I want to show you a unique note pad that this blogger found at 100 yen shop.
—–Start!—–
The stationery section of a 100 yen shop.
Various note pads are displayed.
This time I picked the polo-shirt shaped note pad.
It says “The Clothe Notebook” but doesn’t look like a notebook.
It tastefully got a button around the neck.
Carefully opened it…
Wow. It is surely a notepad! It is well made.
Under the shirt is naturally a chest, so let’s draw a chest!
Finished drawing. Seven stars on the chest!
It is unmistakably Kenshiro’s chest from “First of the North Star.”
Kenshiro wouldn’t wear such boy-shirt but it’s funny LOL.
—–End—–
Did you like it? Isn’t it cool?
I can’t still believe it’s only 100 yen (1 dollar).
In fact, there are other unique note pads besides the polo shirt one.
I will share those some day, so please look forward to it!
Reference：Daily Portal Z
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When you are in a resident area in Japan, sometimes you repeatedly find the same weird thing.
For example, plastic bottles filled with water.
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They are put out side of a house to repel cats.
It’s said that cats don’t like light reflects on the bottle because it’s too bright; although, the bottles with water can start fire by concentrate the sun’s rays to a single point, so it’s not the best idea but some households still do it.
The next weird thing is vegetable with sticks on.
精霊馬 posted by (C)独酌
They are eggplant and cucumber stuck with chopsticks.
During summer, they are found in front of some houses.
The eggplant supposed to be a cow and cucumber is a horse, and they are the vehicles of ancestors’ spirits, which are believed to visit their families during bon period.
There might be more strange things, but japanstyle will solve the mysteries!
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March 9th,2010
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This is a Japanese style face towel and wash towel set.
Made in JAPAN!!!
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March 9th,2010
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Recently, I read a business strategy book, “FREE” written by Chris Anderson, which made an impact on me.
This thick book tells how to make money for free by showing examples.
Right after I finished reading the book, I found a blog article relating to what I read!
Unbelievably, a second hand clothing store in Tokyo started selling their clothes for free.
The store displays a big sign saying “Zero yen!”
The writer of the article interviewed with the owner.
Following is the interview.
—–Interview Starts Here—
- What made you start to sell them for free?
- “I never really like business. My friends buy stuff at my second hand store for just being polite, but I don’t like that. I want to make good friendship without stakes, you know? But doing business can’t make that happen.”
There are lots of clothes in good condition. Some are brand-new.
The most of the shoes are in good condition too.
If you find your size shoes, you are lucky.
- What can you make money by selling for zero yen?
- “Doesn’t it sound fun?”
- It does, but you have to eat.
- “I get free food. I got this bread from a neighbor lady too. But I realized that I have to pay for rent, so I started to accept tips.”
It seems he is accepting tips.
- Looks like everyone leaves tip. They may feel more comfortable to pay some rather than taking for free.
- “I really want to set at zero yen. If I had enough money for my living and the rent for this store, I could do that. Anyway, the fulfillment is so different. Customers ask me ‘why are you doing such thing?’ and that starts conversation with them more often.”
- It’s usual to wonder what you are doing.
- “I ask them ‘isn’t it more fun?’ and they say ‘sure’ and some times like ‘I will bring some clothes next time.’”
- It’s kind of like music industry.
- “If we could watch the videos of new songs online, we lose the motivations to buy the CDs.”
- But young musicians usually have steady job besides music and play music as hobby. They don’t try to live by music itself.
The store’s star cat, Ran-chan.
- By the way, how long are you going to continue this zero yen business?
- “I was going to finish at the end of February but I will do it till mid March because it’s fun. I wish I could do it longer but my rent…”
- What about charging for only what you think worth and others are free?
- “In the future, I am going to do like I charge only for the stuff on this rack. Like online shops where they provide 95% of stuff free and charge for 5% of stuff. That’s how they manage the businesses.”
“And it’ll be interesting if someone else follows my style. …Since I came here so far, I want to open a zero yen restaurant. I am sure no one will speak ill of me. I think when people get free food from someone, they will say ‘he’s a nice guy!’ , though it doesn’t work like that with clothes. ”
- I see.
- “As well as clothes, I think there are extra food that I can get free, like some people might have extra food from their farmer parents’ house or something. I wonder whether it works if I could collect those food.”
- Supplying food here at this store?
- “Yes. Everyone has good time while eating, doesn’t speak ill of someone, and I think people get along. I am so fed up with the people who do business or work, they are gloomy. ‘No money because of the depression.’ That’s all they say.”
“If I just concern my own business and do the second hand store soberly, I can get my living but it’s no fun at all.”
“The only idea that small businesses on a shopping arcade can beat a major supermarket is zero yen. It’s not even dirt cheap but free, you know?”
-(writer)- What He is saying is right and the idea is great… but it seems tough to take action. I guess. Hmmm.
The owner Mr. Yamashita.
His fashion isn’t easy for the other Japanese to follow.
The pink glasses are cute (^_^)
—–Interview Ends—–
Wow. What an awesome store!
He hasn’t succeeded to systemizing it yet but I think his zero yen shop is really epoch-making.
Because I was really impressed, I will go see the owner some time.
If that happened, I will report the meeting on this blog so please look forward to it!
Reference: Daily Portal Z
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— ABOUT Wasabi Stories… —
“Egyptian ‘Pupil’ “
Today’s story teller is a novelist, Yoshinori Shimizu.
The topic is “pupil”, and he started with the story that he heard from a Japanese woman who had lived in Egypt.
She told him that one day when she admired an Egyptian woman’s blouse, the woman gave the blouse to her.
It was not kindness but the reason was because the Egyptian people believe “evil eye”.
Shimizu explained “what they believe is that when people envy you, their eyes have power to bring bad luck.”
So, this Egyptian woman thought “my blouse was admired. It’s enviable and it will bring bad luck.”
In Egypt, it’s taboo to praise others’ children.
If a child was praised by someone, the parents worried about that their child might get hurt or something.
So, the parents tell each other “your child is not lovable”, and they even name their child such name as “beggar” or “dust-cloth”.
This custom is not limited in Egypt but seen in overall in Islam world.
For example, many of their houses are gorgeous inside and simple outside to not be envied by others.
Now, what is the origin of “evil eye”?
The commonly believed opinion is reflection in eyes.
If you look into someone’s eyes, your own small image will appear in the pupil.
Strangely, “pupil” originally meant “small girl” or “small doll”.
“Pupil” in Kanji also consists of “eye” and “child” (see the figure).
Shimizu’s word
“Early people saw their images in others eyes and must have felt strange and feared thinking they were taken into eyes. That’s how the belief that eyes have power to bring misfortune was born.”
In ancient Egypt, they put make up around their eyes to remove the power of eyes, so did King Tut whose mask was wearing black mascara.
In the middle age, not only those people who have unpleasant look in their eyes but also those who have big eyes were assumed to have evil eyes and condemned to the stake.
Shimizu concluded the article saying you can ‘t praise other children if you ever go to Egypt, but it’s one of human cultures.
The NIKKEI Jun/29/2009 by Yoshinori Shimizu (novelist)
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This is a Japanese iwachu tea pot (1P).
Made in JAPAN!!!
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In the last decade, Japan made Economic Partnership Agreement with Singapore, Mexico, Malaysia, Chile, Thai, Brunei, Indonesia, Philippine, Switzerland, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.
Since the agreements, hundreds of people from those countries came to Japan to become nurses here; however, the wall of the Japanese language is too high.
To set to work in Japan officially, candidate nurses have to pass the national exam in three years since them coming to Japan, and candid care workers have to pass the exam in the fourth year.
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— ABOUT Wasabi Stories… —
“Japanese Don’t Cheek Kiss for Greeting”
Today’s story teller is a writer of the Nikkei, Hidemitsu Kishibe, and the topic is cheek kissing.
In Europe, they kiss each others’ cheeks to perform a greeting, but there are different styles in different region of Europe.
According to Kishibe, the etiquette of cheek kissing is confusing in a cosmopolitan city, Vienna.
“For example, the people from Paris kiss one set twice, so they kiss four times total for one greeting, while the people in Southern France kiss one set three times, which makes six times total.”
Therefore, when they get together at a large scale party, it gets a tempest of kissing.
Kishibe says that kissing six times per person takes time and consumes energy, but cutting kiss is awkward.
In addition, the number of kiss is not always even; in Holland, they kiss right left right, three times.
If you expect the fourth kiss and stick out your cheek, you’ll get embarrassed (^_^)
We Japanese don’t have the custom of cheek kissing for greeting.
In this sense, Kishibe says it may be more comfortable for us to be with British or German.
They do have the custom of kissing, but only a few kisses with close family or friends, and because when they meet a foreigner, they don’t try to kiss but just hug or shake hands, so we won’t feel uncomfortable.
If there is “universal kissing rule”, we won’t get confused but there isn’t.
Even the European people who are used to cheek kissing, make mistakes.
“Usually they kiss from right cheek but Hungarians start with left cheek, so be careful of speed and which cheek to start, because it’s going to be ‘collusion’.”
The NIKKEI Jun/29/2009 by Hidemitsu Kishibe (Writer of the NIKKEI)
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I think there are some fashion leaders in your countries, especially for women.
Of course, there are fashion leaders among Japanese women too.
Here is the “top 10 female fashion leaders” surveyed by TSUTAYA online.
#1: Namie Amuro (singer)
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