Natto is not available in Israel.
We could find one guy who prepares them at home on demand, and charges a hefty price.
So, Mika decided she can ferment Natto by herself, which she did.
Photo: Delicious Organic home made Natto.
Twiggy Twiggy
Pizzicato Five released “This Year’s Girl” album in 1991. I remember listening to the “Twiggy Twiggy” single and loving it.
Matador records distributed their albums in the US, and also included “Twiggy” in “What’s up Matador CD”.
Last night, just before going to sleep I have listened to the CD, and realized… I understand what she sings. Very silly revelation, but I really enjoyed it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5FGm6wGYxYM
and live:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7ESBXgn7_I
Kobukuro – Tsubomi
Kobukuro are a very successful male duo in Japan.
This song is a bit kitschy, but quite good.
Tsubumi means – flower bud.
IT in Japan
Gen Kanai discusses the IT industry in Japan – Link , following a series of articles in Japan Inc. and Newsweek.
Joi Ito's Shibuyua Photowalk
Joi Ito and some of his friends posted to flickr a “photowalk” in Shibuya.
Check it out – Link
Are Japanese Actually Jewish?
Japan probe features the following story :
Are Japanese actually descendants of one of the Jewish Lost tribes. This story re-surfaces once in a while, and there was even a book describing the similarities between the Shinto and Jewish religion.
I have a firm belief that it is not true. Although we don’t really know what ever happened to the 10 tribes, Jews appear here and there (India, Ethiopia, Myanmar), I don’t really think no book, or Hebrew writing exists in Japan.
It is a nice story, anyway.
Ikebana
My wife studied Ikebana for more than 10 years and has a teachers diploma. She sometimes just picks flowers, branches from the garden and assembles another work of art.
This time my child (3 years old) joined and created his own creation.
KDDI Mobile WiMAX
These news are already old, but I was just too busy posting this entry.
KDDI has formed an alliance to bid for the lucrative 2.5GHz Mobile WiMAX license.
Named “Wireless Broadband Planning K.K” (WBPK), the company will receive an investment of 850 million YEN (~7 million dollars). I assume this is the only initial investment as it is obviously a small sum that is not even getting close to actual deployment (See sprint investment).
The group is comprised of KDDI, Intel, JR East, Kyocera, Daiwa, and Tokyo-Mitsubishi bank.
If you remember, the Japanese Ministry of communications (MIC) wanted to increase competition in the Japanese wireless industry. Therefore they do not allow the “big players” to own more than 33% of the companies that enter the 2.5GHz bid.
This link has the press conference slides. I may translate them at a later date.
If I have to bet, I guess DoCoMO (with ACCA) and KDDI (with this new consortium) will win the bid
disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer. (I am working for a WiMAX equipment vendor).
Ear cleaning
An ear cleaning shop .Forgot where I took this photo, I think in Yokohama.
The sign says:
Quick course – 10 minutes, 1000 YEN
Relax Course – 20 minutes, 2000 YEN
Ear Clean course – 30 minutes, 3000 YEN
WiMAX heating up in Japan
A few months ago, the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication announced that the 2.5GHz bid will not be granted to one of the top 3G operators (KDDI, DoCoMo, Softbank).
In a recent press release which was covered in all news sites: Forbes, Japan Times, Asahi and many other, DoCoMo has formed an alliance with Acca to bid for the License. Acca is a DSL provider that for some time now examines going into the WiMAX business as an evolution from the fixed to wireless. Acca’s WiMAX page is here. Acca’s WiMAX blog was here. (Closed recently).
The other big competitors are not lagging behind and already formed similar alliances:
1) KDDI with Kyocera (Willcom)
2) Softbank with eAccess
Applications for the bid start Sept. 10th, and ends Oct. 12th. It will be interesting to see who wins the license, and what the other companies will do as a response. Looks like everyone is interested in deploying WiMAX.
disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer. (I am working for a WiMAX equipment vendor).