Flea Market - Japanese car boot sale.

A flea market is a fun place to go to see what people have had stashed in the back of their cupboards for many years. It's a great way to recycle junk that is no longer needed. Some flea markets are very big, like the one I visited in a baseball stadium last year. A flea market is a basically a Japanese style garage sale. People only want $1.00 or $2.00 per item, so it's a great place to go if you want some cheap shopping. I'm not sure how the name flea market came about, but maybe you can guess. 

A rather large Flea Market.

Fukuoka Dome.

A keen shopper eyes-up a bargin.

This fan was connected to a car battery.

$300.00 for this doggy.

Smile for the camera.

Yutoku Shrine Visit

Going to a temple or shrine in Japan is a very exciting thing to do. You can see amazing buildings that have been standing for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. People come here to pray and they sometimes have ceremonies for special events. You can ask the priest to do a special ritual for you to bring good luck and happiness to your family. During the new year celebration many people come to pray and also to buy lucky charms for the coming year. You can even get a fortune paper to help predict how positive the coming year will be for you. 

In these photos you can see the girls are wearing a summer kimono  (Yukata). They are very colourful and are worn in the summer especially to (Hanabi) or fireworks festivals. The bright colours make everyone one feel great as they enjoy food and fireworks under the summer night sky.

The entrance to Yutoku Shrine.

Guardians protect the front of the shrine.

The bright colours of the "summer kimono" or Yukata.

One of 3 very famous shrines in Japan. Yutoku Shrine in Kyushu.

This face should be able to ward-off evil spirits.

Ready, Aim, Fire!

I have never seen a target on a toilet until I starting seeing these in the "boys" in Japan. Our aim is to keep this toilet clean and you aim will help. This is a great idea to keep boys on target and stop them messing the floor. Maybe this could improve things at your house.

"I can see the target captain."

"I'm closing in!"

Young Children Learn Fly Tying.

Young students of Itoushiro school learn how to tie flies during their hobby time. A keen group of fly fishing anglers help the students learn about fly fishing and the beauty of having a great fishing river on their back-door step. The small country school of about 12 students are enjoying learning about fly fishing. Mr. Saito who developed the catch and release river (one of few in japan) is proud to be passing down the skills to the next "owners" of the river. 

A great first fly.

Students listening carefully. 

Mr. Saito introduces everyone.

The old principals look on.

The instructors.

Giant Centipedes Bite Hard.

One of the painful things you want to avoid in Japan is being bitten by a giant centipede. These insects are very active at night and love the hot summer weather. They show up uninvited inside your house from time to time, especially if you live in the country side. The best way to deal with them is to flick them off you if you feel one crawling on you. I found this one in my rubbish bin! I haven't been bitten, but people who have tell me it's quite a painful bite.

Yaki-niku Korean BBQ

One favourite way to eat meat in Japan is to barbecue it. This korean BBQ is called Yaki - Niku and believe me there is nothing yucky about this. Beef was never eaten in Japan as it was considered that farm cows were peoples friends, that helped to do the farm work. The idea of eating cows was outrageous. The japanese once had a saying "Never eat anything you would not kill yourself." This way of thinking may have allowed some people to kill fish and chickens, but most would not have attempted to kill a cow. 

By 1860, due to American influence butchers shops selling meat could be seen in Japan. However even now beef is considered a real treat that can only be afforded every now and then. The cows in Japan that are grown for eating are kept warm in winter with padded quilts and cold in summer with fans. They are fed an amazing array of food which includes bean cakes and rice bran. They are massaged for 15 minutes, 3 times a day with an alcohol rub. 
Overseas breeds were introduced to Japan and crossed with native cattle. Japanese beef is considered some of the tastiest in the world. 

Sizzle,sizzle.

Kimchi or Korean chillied cabbage is great with Yaki-niku.

Yaki-niku pro and rugby fan Takanori shows me how to enjoy a korean BBQ in Japan.

Magnificent Models

Modeling is a popular hobby for many in Japan. For many years Japan has been producing amazing plastic glue-together models. Now many of the models produced are snap-together with little gluing needed. Tamiya still produces amazing models especially second world war fighter planes. Now some of the new models coming out combine metal and wood. 

Himeji Castle Model

World War 2 - Zero Fighter.

A tricky model.

Honda and General Motors Ltd - Eco-Friendly

Honda Japan and General Motors Ltd of American are teaming up to produce eco-friendly cars. The fuel-cell technology has zero carbon dioxide omissions. Honda plans to release the first fuel-cell vehicle for general consumers as early as 2015. The price will be under 10 million Yen, which is under $100 000 dollars. Toyota and BMW are teaming up too, so the race is on to produce the worlds ultimate eco-friendly car.

How Yummy is it?

If you travel to another country, you can always find interesting food that is very different to what you're use to. Here are just a few items that I have found lately. "Unagi" (oo na gee) or eel as it is known in English is quite a delicacy in Japan. It is usually grilled with a sweet sauce and served on hot rice. So it only seems reasonable that there should be eel flavoured chips. The best I've found so far in the chip flavour race was salami flavour and pizza flavour. 

The snails and wieners in a can look tasty and the canned puffer fish "Fugu" (Foo-goo) must be a winner too. 

Wieners and snails. What a combination!

Canned Fugu.

Eel Chips.

Big Buildings in Nagoya City

These buildings tower over you like giant, metallic spaceships. These are all around Nagoya station. The Toyota building is the biggest. Maybe you can find out how tall it is?

Who's that guy?

 An amazing spiral building with helicopter pad to the right.

Nagoya twin towers.

The Toyota building.

Go shopping with the Flintstones.

Have you ever thought of buying a dinosaur's head or wooly mammoth tooth? How about a prehistoric shark tooth? Well save your pocket money and anything is possible.

 Must have been a regular tooth brusher.

Try and convert the price online to work out the cost in NZ dollars.

Some unusual fish.

 Mammoth tooth anyone? 

 Wow only 158,000 yen.

Frog in epoxy.

Anybody got the dental floss?

Lost In Space.

Should you find yourself planning a trip into outer space then you should try shopping at Toukyuu Hands.  This store has a variety of space foods to keep your stomach happy on your next trip to far away galaxies. At about $10.00 a meal you can afford to eat like a king in space. I guess you will need a few other items before heading off. The best place for them is probably N.A.S.A.

 Yummy space food.

 Gravity free ice-cream.

After eating this you can safely operate space equipment.