Jan 27, 20094
Hilarious Japanese Moving Commercial
Always good for a laugh, Japanese TV is. And this advertisement for a moving company is no exception. “Ah, so cute!” Those Japanese girls!
Jan 27, 20092
Goodbye Pork Pie Medley
A nice little collection of Goodbye Pork Pie videos courtesy of youtube. Released internationally in 1981, Goodbye Pork Pie is a classic New Zealand road movie, which is sometimes compared to Easy Rider. Here is the trailer:
It has always been one of my favourite New Zealand films. Classic Kiwiana.
Here is the Wellington car chase scene. Eat your heart out James Bond!
Now, I am wondering where I can find a mini in Tokyo. And a haircut like that (working on that one).
And here is a remake. Bet you never thought you would see a Goodbye Pork Pie Part 2.
And another homage video this time on the Kaiikanui Hill (Northland, NZ) (resplite with graphic possum carnage, but no fish’n'chips):
Classic. But I have to dash. Have a ferry to catch.
Jan 18, 20090
It’s a bird, It’s a plane, no it’s water bottle man
Found this amusing video posted on gizmodo: The Physics Behind the Insanely Dangerous Japanese Water Jetpack. Making pet bottle rockets is a rite of passage that every junior high school student in Japan goes through. And this video certainly takes the whole process to the next level!
Dec 6, 20080
Downtown Marshmallow Fun
I don’t watch that much Japanese TV, but one group I do enjoy are Downtown. Here is a video from one of their shows - Japanese Game Show Marshmallow Eating.
All good fun and games. Hope you enjoy!
Oct 9, 20083
Naked Man Attacks Helpless Japanese Imperial Palace Moat
Saw a longer “expose” on this yesterday morning on the news. Below is the story from the Yomiuri Newspaper - but as to why he really did it, who knows!
Nude foreign man caught swimming in Imperial moat
A foreign man was spotted swimming naked in the moat of the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Tuesday at about 11:30 a.m., sparking a police and fire service operation to apprehend him.
About 50 members of the Marunouchi Police Station and fire service were mobilized in pursuit of the man, some of them in boats, as he swam around the moat near Wadakuramon gate.
A crowd of about 300 bemused passersby gathered to take in the rare sight of a nude foreigner thrashing about in the moat and watched him as he clambered out of the water onto a path, from where he hurled stones at police and firemen before fleeing. It took police officers about 1-1/2 hours to finally capture and subdue the streaking man after he climbed up a stone wall.
According to a senior police officer, the nude swimmer described himself as a 40-year-old Spaniard. Along with four other foreigners, the man had apparently been to a police box at Wadakuramon at about 11:20 a.m. to say that a bag had fallen into the moat. The man apparently spoke in English.
However, after telling police about the bag, the man suddenly launched himself into the moat, stripping off his garments as he trod water in the moat.
(Oct. 8, 2008)
Aug 1, 20082
Wrapping the Japanese Way
Here is a nice video that shows you how to wrap things with a furoshiki (literally bath cloth). Wrapping things this way is an interesting and ecologically friendly alternative to plastic bags and the like. Furoshiki are very common in Japan, and often have beautiful designs.
How To Carry Groceries With A Square Of Cloth
Sorry we had some problems with this video (and others) displaying. I edited the post and wordpress for some reason converted the embedded code into escaped html characters (so & becomes & etc). One of those it is almost a bug, annoying, but not really that serious. I guess the wordpress developers need to look at when they escape out characters.
Work has been busy, so I haven’t been looking at this site much. And it is summer:)
Jun 12, 20082
The Office: Is this your office in Japan?
If you enjoyed the British original then you will love this…
Shouts to GJR for the link 
Update: The video seems to have disappeared from youtube. A pity as it was good fun!
Apr 21, 20081
Japan Food Price Increases Video
With food prices increasingly global, particularly as a result of increases in American ethanol production targets, Japan is seeing the first price rises for many years across a broad range of products, including bread, beer, noodles and other staples.
I doubt we are going to see a corresponding increase in pay for foreigners working here in Japan in the near future though.
Apr 17, 20080
Amazing Japanese Amusement Center
This is a nice little video shot around an amusement center here in Japan. I found it here at Metacafe.com. The place is really amazing, and as the poster said, only $15 for 3 hours. It has all the stuff you would expect from such a place like a (baseball) batting area and indoor bowling, as well as more esoteric pursuits such as curling and archery.
Fun Place!! - More bloopers are a click away
I remember seeing footage of a giant indoor ski field here in Tokyo, but from what I hear that is long gone…