Find Your Local Fireworks Displays

We're in the midst of summer now, and any long-term visitor of Japan knows what summer here means: Weekend after weekend of crepuscular booming in your neighborhood!

Event news and entertainment site WalkerPlus has put together it's annual Fireworks Display Calendar, with a cute (and highly distorted) little map of Japan you can click on to find dates and locations for fireworks and summer festivals going on wherever you live or are visiting in Japan.

Take care to arrange your method of travel and accommodations beforehand. Large displays in Japan are well-known for their massive crowds, blocking off whole segments of cities from vehicular traffic and tying up mass transit lines for hours following the grade finale.

Japanese Moths

Moths are wicked cool! Right?

Well, Japan has a large number of pretty exotic looking baby moths (caterpillars to you and me), some of which are even poisonous. They turn into a wide variety of pretty swanky looking adult moths (i.e. moths), too.

Luckily for the moth enthusiast, there is a website devoted to detailing each and every Japanese species. It's in Japanese, but not hard to work out.



Here it is: みんなで作る日本産蛾類図鑑
The site lists 80 species groups of moth, a few of the coolest varieties of which are included here for your pleasure. It also has reams of data for you moth buffs out there.

Epicopeia hainesii hainesii

Cyanea Syntypistis Izuensis

Neomicropteryx Kazusan

More

• You may think some of these look like butterflies. Well, yes, they do. The differences between moths and butterflies are very minor, the most significant being that when at rest moths spread their wings, while butterflies hold them upright and together.
• The picture at the top of this entry is the awesomely named Nemophora Metalica.

Free Origami Cut-out Kewpies!

Not got an origami Kewpie? No? Never fear, you can have one for free!



There are tons to choose from on the Kewpie website.

The coloured bars above the different Kewpies are categories, each containing a large selection of the weird baby in different outfits.

Click みる (see) to view the one you want, and then ダウンロードする (download) to download the .pdf.

Print out, fold, awesome!

The options at the top of the page offer various other free things, like calendars, screensavers, etc. Woo!

Local Event Guides

When it gets to the weekend, hanging out at home or revisiting the same pub for the umpteenth time can be a drag. Why not use the Internet to find something new to do? Any Google search can pull up a number of websites with local event guides, of course, but why spend your time wading through all those garbage sites to find the few that regularly update and have events you might actually want to attend when we'll introduce two to you right here today!

One of my personal favorite event guides is the JR West and JR East sister-site combination "Odekake-Net" and "Eki-Net." Their starting pages aren't much to gloat about. Although Odekake-Net gives you a large friendly map of western Japan on its home page, this isn't what you actually want to be clicking on. And Eki-Net's layout is just another Yahoo! Japan style mess of thumbnails and text. For the real gold of these sites, follow the directions below:

Odekake-Net
That large map on the front page will give you some good info about famous locations to visit in Japan, but the far more impressive, constantly-updated list of events is more easily accessed from the pull-down menus at the bottom of the site. Under the button labeled イベント検索, pick the prefecture or region you're staying in or visiting, and you'll find a friendly and useful list of seasonal events going on around you. The list includes items like festivals, flower shows, and museum exhibits, along with their running times, entrance fees, and addresses of their locations. It's provided me with some nice day trip ideas, and you might find it useful for date ideas or planning family outings as well.

Eki-Net
For you Eastern-Japaners, the event list is located along the right side of Eki-Net's starting page. It has a similar pull-down menu, labeled 祭り・イベントはこちら♪ and with a similar location selection set-up. Click on your prefecture and then hit "検索" to get the same type of event list as Odekake-Net offers: You'll be able to find out how long each event is running, how much it costs, and exactly where it is.

If you have any favorite event guides that you use in Japan, please let us know. We're always interested in expanding our horizons, too!

Virtual Travel in Japan

Earlier this year, NHK unveiled their "Michishiru" interactive map site, a virtual tour guide of places and events all over Japan, introduced through streaming video segments of NHK on-location footage. The site targets a Japanese audience, as a way to find out about different destinations to visit within Japan.

However, it also makes for good intermediate-to-advanced Japanese listening practice, and even travelers who don't read or speak Japanese well will find that the intuitive interface and videos speak quite well for themselves.

Just drag and zoom the map around to any part of Japan you're interested in and click on one of the "Play" icons for a virtual tour of it!

Check out the site here: NHK映像マップみちしる

Brewing Your Own Beer in Japan

Japanese beer is very expensive in bars. Sure, you can buy cans for 200yen, but if you want to save some money (or are infuriated over the difference from the prices of your home country) then why not brew it yourself?

Got the space? And the patience? Check out below.



Brewing beer in Japan is legal if the alcohol content is 1% or below, but the government has as-good-as admitted they don't really care and couldn't police it if they did - indeed, even huge chain department store Tokyo Hands sells brewing equipment*. And the good news is, if you brew over 60,000litres a year you can apply for a brewer's licence!

Beer in Japan is a great website which we have linked to before. In researching this article I came across their guide to home brewing, which is far better than anything I could have written.

So, for more information on where to buy supplies, go straight to BeerinJapan.com's guide.

One of the major distributors of homebrew equipment in Japan is Black Rock, and they have a guide on exactly how to work your beer making machine here. Black Rock recommend leaving your beer for as long as possible, but checking the taste for satisfaction at 3 weeks, 3 months and 6 months (the latter presumably being a good guideline for how long it should take).

Most online shops are listed on BeerinJapan, but here's a couple I found anyway: A shop on Rakuten, and this site.


*This doesn't mean we back your brewing enterprise.

Live International TV in Japan

Missing your favorite rugby matches, Wimbledon or wheelchair athletics? Need your fix of Neighbours on BBC1? Desperately need to watch your social and mental inferiors kick a ball and fall over deliberately?

Here's how you can keep up to date.


VIPBox is a website residing in the grey area of streamed audiovisual content. The site itself is legal because, in it's own words:

VIPBox is an Internet Service Provider offering a platform which merely displays links to audiovisual content located on servers of third parties and provided and/or transmitted by third parties. VIPBox does not host nor transmit any audiovisual content itself and does not control nor influence such content.

Put another way, watching the streamed content on there may not be considered legal, depending on your region and other factors. If you think that some sports giant is going to come crashing down on you, you may want to skip this one.

Anyway, there you can watch all your favourite sports, and also TV from the US/UK.

Buying Scuba Diving Equipment in Japan

As with several other things and previous posts (vitamins, clothes etc), the cheapest way to buy scuba gear in Japan is to not actually buy it here at all. Rather, import it.

I have just bought loads of equipment, and hunted out the cheapest international deal to do so. Here are my findings.

The cheapest site on the internet appears to be www.leisurepro.com

Postage is incredibly expensive to Japan, mainly because they use FedEx Express which only takes 48 hours. I ordered 2 full sets of gear and paid 177USD postage. If you contact them privately, you may be able to negotiate a cheaper shipping option. You will also be charged an import tax if the value of the items is marked on the box and the content is not (water sports equipment should technically not be taxed). Again, you might be able to get around that if you email privately, but I was only charged 3,200yen on a 140,000yen order.

Regardless, even with postage and customs the prices can't be beaten in Japan.

One tip, though - if you are ordering several items, then your best bet could be to use their "Create Your Own Package" feature. The set packages can be very cheap, but prices fluctuate almost daily. One day the Mares #2 package will be 671USD, the next day 911USD. The jumps are that big. So, either make your own or keep an eye on your favourite package over time.


More

• Although you can take air tanks on aircraft, they need to be prepped for inspection (not sure how that would work in this scenario, but it's probably not an issue if they're new), and you may find it easier just to rent or buy in Japan.
• It's also worth checking LeisurePro's "used" section, which seems to mostly consist of ex-display models with big discounts.

Turn Your Books into eBooks for 100yen!

If you have a physical book you would prefer to have as a digital book, then we have the perfect service for you.

Read on for more details and the link!


ScaNow.jp will scan your 350 page or less book for 100 yen. Not only that, but their website is in English (sort of).

You will have to pay (a little) extra if you would like the .pdf on a disc instead of downloaded, want the cover scanned too, etc. but most people will be happy with the 100yen option.

Process

• Fill out the online form and pay (they accept PayPal, amongst other methods).
• Send the company your book, or get an online shop to deliver directly to ScaNow.
• They scan it and send you the file within 1-3 working days.

More

• If you want your book back again, you'll need to pay postage and may find that it just isn't worth it.
• Files are watermarked, presumably to prevent piracy. So watch your back if you share with friends.
• Most of the other pay-option are things you can do yourself for free, such as changing the file name, or scanning the front and back covers.

The New Kindle and Japanese eBooks and Manga

Well, the new Kindle has come out! In fact, three have. The original version with the keyboard has been replaced by one without a keyboard (still eInk), the same device with a touchscreen, and a new, full colour Kindle rival to the iPad.

How will this affect your manga and Japanese reading??? Let's find out.

Well, the good news is that nothing has really changed on the keyboard-less version (or the touchscreen version of that) except the price, which now starts at 79USD, so head to our guides for

Studying Japanese on the Kindle
Reading manga on the Kindle
and Japanese eBooks on the Kindle

for that info.

More good news is that they all ship to Japan, except the Fire, which would require a friend in the US to be a middleman.

The Kindle Fire, however, is totally different. It's basically an iPad for much less money (199USD). You can read manga in full colour as regular images, so no need to convert with our guide (although you still can, which will save a lot of the somewhat limited disc space). You can also now watch movies and TV shows. No need for a guide for that, as the Kindle Fire comes with one.

Although I don't have a Kindle Fire, I am sorely tempted to pre-order one. It seems pretty flashy for the very low price tag. check it out on Amazon.

Readers in the UK aren't lucky enough to have an announced date the Kindle Fire yet, but you can still get hold of the new keyboard-less device: Check out the Kindle on Amazon.co.uk. I bought one last year, and it genuinely changed the way I read both books and manga. Can't praise it enough.

In fact, check back on Monday for our guide on how to change your physical books into eBooks for only 100yen!

Japanese Language Online Radio Stations

Exposure to spoken Japanese is an important part of learning, of course. So, if you aren't actually in Japan, how about the radio? More portable than TV and film (that is, if you record it).

And so, here is a list of Japanese online radio stations:

The list comes from site tunein.com, which is, unsurprisingly, a radio streaming site.

For the freshest content, go straight to their site here.

You can filter by genre, so if you want talk radio, or just to listen to enka or J-pop, adjust search settings as appropriate.

Get Cheap ZMA Suppliments in Japan

If you're health-conscious or a fitness enthusiast, then you probably know what ZMA is. If not, here's a blurb from elsewhere:

ZMA is a scientifically designed anabolic vitamin and mineral formula. It specifically contains Zinc Monomethionine Aspartate, Magnesium Aspartate, and vitamin B-6. It is an all-natural product that has been theorized to significantly increase anabolic hormone levels and muscular strength in trained athletes. 

In fact, ZMA is thought to be one of the only natural and completely safe methods of supplementation to significantly increase testosterone and growth hormones. ZMA has also been known to increase muscle mass, strength, power, and even enhance sleep quality.

The following is an article about how to very cheaply (and completely safely) make your own ZMA in Japan.

For my purposes, ZMA promotes deep, restful sleep, and recharges and strengthens my muscles after difficult workouts. It genuinely makes a difference, especially noticeable with quality of sleep. Not only will your sleep be incredibly deep (without any drowsy side-effects), but it will also be littered with bizarre dreams throughout. Don't ask me why, but it's kind of cool (see lucid dreams).

Anyway, in Japan, as in most countries, ZMA is very expensive. You can still buy it, of course.

However, if you know the composition of ZMA tablets, which is very simple, you can buy the component parts much, much more cheaply.

ZMA is composed of Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B6 in the following approximate amounts:

• 30mg zinc


• 450mg magnesium


• 12mg B6

The cheapest way to buy these elements from Japan is actually to import them. I've found UK nutrition store Health Span UK to be the cheapest so far. Postage to Japan is only 4GBP/520円 per order (any size).

I recommend you order a year's supply:

• 360 15mg zinc tablets (7.95GBP) x2


• 90 375mg magnesium tablets (6.45GBP) x4


• 360 50mg B6 tablets (7.95GBP) x1

If you would prefer to have the exact dosages (not necessarily that important), then you can order from Nature's Best, who will charge an extra 25% of your order for postage:

• 360 15mg zinc tablets (8.50GBP) x2


• 150 150mg magnesium tablets (11.50GBP) x8


• 180 50mg B6 tablets (8.60GBP) x2

1GBP = about 130-140円

I'm sure there are American/Canadian/Rest of World sites that also offer cheap vitamins. If you track down any good deals, let us know in the comments.

AccessJ is not affiliated with any companies in this article.

Japan and Marijuana

Among the weird characters, objects, and symbols that Japanese adopt as cultural icons (including, but not limited to, Stitch from Lilo & Stitch, human feces, faux-Russian rabbit-centric series Usavich, the V sign, popularizing NG as a handy opposite to OK in everyday life, the abomination that is Sento-kun, and Sento-kun's girlfriend) is one that still catches me off guard every time I see it:

The seven-pointed cannabis leaf.


Any upright, punk-themed fashion store is bound to have a bunch of bracelets and baseball caps bearing the leaf, and a day on the town is enough to find several 20-something Japanese guys thuggin' around with a cannabis-themed Zippo lighter and at least a dozen schoolkids (boys and girls alike) sporting leaved backpacks, sneakers, flair, and pencil cases.

You can surprise any number of kids by telling them what plant that leaf comes from, but it's not like Japan as a nation has never been in touch with psychotropics: Less than a decade ago magic mushrooms were still being openly sold in nightclubs here.

And other drugs have had a place in traditional Japan. A small town in northern Shikoku today maintains an ancient tradition of piling hemp on a mountaintop and burning it bonfire-style in an annual festival.

These traditions persist in a doublethink paradox alongside Japan's zero-tolerance controlled substances policy which criminalize all varieties of drugs, including cannabis. Even modest drug busts tend to make national NHK news, each time shocking the Japanese public, and criminal suspects face penalties far beyond those of Japan's Western allies. For example:

Any person who commits an offense [of growing marijuana] for the purpose of gain shall be liable to penal servitude not exceeding 7 years or to both penal servitude not exceeding 7 years and a fine not exceeding 2,000,000 yen according to the circumstances.

Any person who unlawfully possesses, receives, or transfers cannabis shall be liable to penal servitude not exceeding 5 years. (source)

Photo courtesy of engrish.com

JapanHemp offers some interesting reads on the subject, including accounts of several people who were detained at Narita airport and imprisoned for possession. Stories tell of the absolute servitude demanded in Japanese prisons, followed by deportations and 20-year bans on readmission to the country. Even Sir Paul McCartney spent a brief stint in a Japanese jail when he brought marijuana into the country for a Wings concert tour.

Those harsh penalties appear to keep usage low among nationals. In one survey, only 1.5% of Japanese people admitted to trying marijuana, compared with 42% of US residents. And this low demand keeps street prices for all illegal substances sky high.

In sum, the cannabis leaf gets plenty of exposure as an object of fashion and youth in Japan, but that doesn't mean that the general public understands what it is or wants to smoke it with you. If you're the kind of person who needs the green to get by, you may find it best to stay home.

Japanese Pen Spinning Tricks

If you work in a school in Japan, you've probably seen your students flipping their pens around their thumbs or some other such trick. When I was at school, we just punched each other for fun... ah, well.

Anyway, I was curious and looked it up. I like sharing, so here you are.

Read on to not only watch some funky videos, but also find out how to do some tricks yourself.

First thing I found out: there are tons of these tricks.
Second thing: it's kind of dorky. A bit like those mini finger-skateboards that used to be popular.

Here's a popular video of people spinning their pens:



There are tons of instructional videos out there, so just follow this link for a selection on YouTube.

Here's a summary of some of the basic moves to get you started, from some pen nerd going by the name KTrihn93 on YouTube:

Thumbaround

Finger Pass

Sonic

Charge

Get Your Japan Grocery Fix in the UK

So you lived in Japan, or you went on holiday to Japan, and you fell in love with some of the delicious foods and drinks.

But now you're home (in the UK)... and you just can't quench your craving for dried octopus suckers, or have a burning thirst for the sickly sweet Royal Milk Tea.

Well look no further. The Japan Centre, based in central London, has an online shopping service as well as a Physical Store (in Real Life).


While we all know about sites like J-List, where you can order all manner of snacks and tat, the Japan Centre seems more focused on practical goods (though you can still get your treats) like tofu and alcohol.

Their online store features foods such as Japanese curry roux, senbei, and even those little koala biscuits they sell in 7/11 as well as chilled items (Kimuchi and natto included). You can also buy in bulk if you are really craving Asahi Superdry or desperate for 20kg of white miso...

There's also a wide range of non-food produce: kitchenware, rice cookers, magazines and books in both Japanese and English and a variety of gifts and omiyage. Don't forget their Japanese learning resources.

Happily the site also has a wide range of recipes - from takoyaki to meals and snacks using natto.

Japan Centre links in this article do not generate any revenue for AccessJ, so click away knowing we're not using you!

The Japanese Straight Perm

You may think that your hair is straight after using a straightening iron, but you don't know straight until you have had a Japanese straight perm! And gone is the frizz of humid Japanese summer!

A Japanese straight perm, or "thermal reconditioning" as it is also known, is a technique developed in Japan in which the internal hair bonds are first broken, and then reconditioned into a straight style; giving glossy, soft and easy to manage hair.


Treated hair will stay permanently straight with only the re-growth needing touching up. Generally you will only need a touch-up every six to ten months, depending on how quickly your hair grows and how curly your hair was originally. It works equally well on all hair types.

I have had my straight perm for a 3 months now and have absolutely no sign of re-growth and in that time I have not had a single bad hair day!


Be prepared, a Japanese straight perm can take from 4 - 6 hours. Make sure you book in advance and take something to read.


The procedure

• Your hairdresser should assess your hair. 
• You can choose between 'natural straight' or 'hard straight'. Hard straight is almost inhumanly so, which is why I recommend the natural version.
• Thorough shampoo and condition of your hair. 
• Deep conditioning treatment can be used on your hair should it require it, to prevent breakage during the treatment. 
• Creme based relaxer will be applied to your hair, which will then be wrapped in cling-film. 
• This may be left on for around an hour. 
• A second shampoo and condition. 
• At this point your hair will look terrible. The bonds inside have been broken and it will be a frizzy horrible mess. Don't cry at this point. 
• Hair will be dried and straightened within an inch of its life. I had 2 hairdressers straightening mine for over 30 minutes. 
• At this point the style should be decided. If you want a parting etc now is the time to say so. The hair will be set into this style, and there's no going back. 
• A neutralizer will be put on the hair. Finally setting the hair into position. 
• Be prepared to be wrapped in cling film again.
• A last shampoo and condition. 
• The hair will be allowed to air dry for a short time (if you are in Japan this is most likely the time you will get your complementary head and shoulder massage).  
• Depending on the salon your hair will be left to dry naturally or blasted with a hairdryer.
  
  Done!

Well, not quite done. The bonds of the hair are still not set in their final position. You should follow your hair stylists advice on how to care for your hair in the few days after the treatment.


General after care advice

• Do not wash your hair for 2 days. 
• Do not put clips or hair ties in your hair for 2 days. The hair may set in this strange position, leaving kinks. 
• The first few times you wash your hair after treatment use a hair dryer to dry it completely straight. 
• Use a shampoo and conditioner recommended for use with a straight perm.  

The price
Price is another thing which can vary salon to salon. I personally paid 12,000 yen, (about 95GBP/160USD). Not cheap, but not unreasonable for something so significant.

I hear that it can be even more expensive outside of Japan. If anyone has any experience of this, we'd be glad to hear from you in the comments.

How to Take a Poop in Japan (Kids' version)

...here are some videos teaching you all about the wonders of taking a poo in a grown-up toilet.

For adults having trouble, don't forget to check out our "How to Take a Crap in Japan" post.

Wiping troubles, too? AccessJ's got you covered...

How to use a toilet for wees and poos

How to get all that pesky poo off your bum

Alternative to the first video, featuring a kangaroo...

Make Your Own (Legal) Japanese Postal Stamps

I don't know about your home country, but in mine (England) postal stamps are the realm of the government. Usually you just stick the queen's face on your post. Sometimes you can use limited edition Christmas trees or Wallace and Gromit stamps, but that's it.

Here in Japan, you can make your own online! Whatever picture you like can become a stamp. Here's how.


Japan Post has a website, all in Japanese, where you can upload photos and make stamps of them.

The price is 1,200yen for a sheet of 10 domestic stamps (stamps have an 80yen value).

How to do it
If you need a translation or explanation, here it is:

• Look at the page linked to above. The images of stamps are examples of border templates.
• The white button (商品詳細を見る) is a preview of the sheet of stamps you will receive (the black lines over the 80円 are just to void the images
• The pink button (申し込む) takes you to the order page:

• The grey button will take you to the next page, where you can adjust the layout of your picture. It's self explanatory, but リセット means reset. 
• Of the two grey buttons, the one on the left will take you back, the one on the right will take you to the next step.
• The following page is a preview of your stamp sheet. 
• Again, button on the left to go back, right to continue. 
• After you click the continue button, the site will do some data legwork which can take a little while depending on the size of your image.
• Smash the button on the next page to agree to terms.
• Then you'll see your bill. Here you can change the number of sheets you want to order. Postage is as follows:
• 5 sheet or less: 500yen
• More than 5 sheets: free
• Progress as follows:

This one

Then this one

And this one

You don't have to pay by credit card. You can also furikomi or pay at any Japan Post. Select the tick box below the card details for that.

• Finally, click the する button at the end (as a general rule, buttons marked 戻る are go back, and those ending in する are to continue).

Anxiously await your stamps.

More Cool Symbol Typing

Last week we showed you a bunch of words you can type and turn into cute symbols using the default Japanese IME dictionaries. Although a lot of symbols are programmed in to Windows and other operating systems' IMEs by default, there are still thousands upon thousands more symbols waiting to be used in the Unicode character set.

Today we'll take a look at how you can browse through all the available symbols.



Character Map

The usual way to access all symbols in a font is the character map (also called the character palette) for your operating system. In Japanese, it's called the 文字コード表.

The character map in Windows can be accessed from the Start menu. It's under "Accessories" then "System Tools."

You can also get to it quickly by pushing the Windows Key + R, then typing charmap into the box that appears.

Once the character map appears, select the font you use, then scroll to find the symbol you want to use. By pushing the "select" (選択) button then the "copy" (コピー) buttons in the bottom-right, you can copy any symbol to your clipboard and use the paste command to insert it anywhere else.

This method is more cumbersome than the default dictionary definitions we talked about last time, of course, but it allows access to every available symbol in a given font (including, coincidentally, every kanji).

The character palette in Mac, by the way, is apparently activated with command + option + T.

IME Symbol Catalog

As comprehensive as the character map, but slightly more organized, is the catalog of symbols contained within Windows' Japanese IME. To access this catalog, start typing something in Japanese, then without hitting enter, push the F5 key. The symbol catalog will pop-up and you can browse through the various categories of symbols and kanji conversions. The icons discussed above can generally be found under the folder called "その他の記号."

The same catalog can also be accessed from the IME toolbar, usually displayed at the bottom-right of the desktop on Japanese-enabled machines. With a text-input field selected, click on the icon that looks like a paint bucket to open up the IME Pad. The symbol catalog is the second icon on the left-hand side of the pad.

The drawback of these methods is the amount of effort required each time you want to find and insert a symbol. If there are certain symbols you want to be able to insert quickly at any time, but they aren't defined in the default IME dictionaries, you can use your IME's User Dictionary! A User Dictionary is used to register names, words, and symbols that you use often when typing Japanese but which aren't contained in a default conversion dictionary. We'll discuss editing the User Dictionary in a future post!

High Quality Kettlebells Now Available

For those of you who practice the macho art of kettlebell lifting, I have some wonderful news.

A friend of mine over at Japan Kettlebell Club has just received a shipment of custom-made, pro-grade kettlebells in the Tokyo area. He can ship all across Japan for a couple of thousand yen.

He has weights ranging from 8kg up to 32kg. Stocks are limited, so get in on it now.

Go to his Gaijin Kettlebell blog here.