As I was parking the car last night, the rain turned into sleet, which later that night turned to Snow.
Obviously, I went out early in the morning to take photos. Here they are:
In one of the photos you can see Mejiro (bird) on a tree
New Year Food
This was the second time I experienced the Japanese New Year, but this time it felt stronger.It may be related to the fact that now I actually live in Japan, while previously we were visitors.
Here are 3 photos of the traditional Japanese New Year Food:
All photos taken with Nikon D90, Nikkon 50mm f/1.8 Lense
Some Kindle Books Are Not Available in Japan
I love my Kindle.
I read more, especially on business trips. I do all I can to carry less when I travel, so carrying a book always seems to me like a burden. With Kindle, I could eliminate the problem. Fixed (rather small) size and weight and can carry many books.
Yesterday, I was surprised to find that not all Kindle Books are available to me, since my kindle is associated to my Japanese address. I am thinking very hard, but still can’t find a reason.
If I can purchase the book (Hardcover) from Amazon and ship it to Japan, how come I can’t buy the Kindle version and receive it over a Wireless connection?
Shibuya Crossing from Bing.com
Bing.com added new map services, which has great “3D” photos (not just the flat satellite map). Finding it very useful, as sometimes Google’s Street View is too restrictive as taken from the street level.
As an example, see below Shibuya Crossings in Tokyo:
UQ WiMAX Marketing(?)
Yet another awful commercial from UQ WiMAX has arrived. This time, they outdid themselves, by using a cat which has a very successful Youtube channel.
See below UQ WiMAX Commercial, asking if the cat will manage to go into the box, then asking if your Laptop has WiMAX. (Did I mention this commercial is BAD?)
And a sample cat video from mugumogu channel:
Ueno Photo Walk
Took a well deserved day off Yesterday (Friday, 27th).
As always, you can access my Flickr page for more photos, but here is a sample:
Playing for Change in Daiwa Securities Ad
I have been following Playing For Change on twitter and their website as I was quite taken by the music and the ideas.
I know Playing for Change also has a business/financial side, but I was quite shocked to see Daiwa Securities Ads using Playing For Change Video and music.
Hatoyama Cabinet Email Magazine – Yu-Ai
The first Hatoyama (Japan’s prime minister) cabinet email magazine was distributed yesterday. Titled Yu-Ai (友愛 －ゆうあい), which means fraternity, friendship, but also selected for the English word play of “You” and “I”. I found it quite amusing that someone felt the need to name the newsletter.
An interesting statement which all politicians give, but few actually fullfil:
We will fundamentally change the politics of Japan in order to restore it to the possession of the people. We will realize a government led by politicians who connect with the minds of the people and who will directly reflect the people’s voices in the administration of the national government. That is, we will create a government that is led by the people of this country.
And one last thing, within the first month of Hatoyama’s cabinet, he managed to travel abroad twice, once for the G20, the second for Olympic appeal. I certainly hope he finds the time to run the country.
Liar's Poker
I am reading Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis for maybe the 4th time, and it is as interesting and funny as it was in the 1st time.
What caught my eye this time is a review printed on the very first page:
“Makes the bond-trading business look like a cross between Animal House and Greed Incorporated… Lewis recounts incidents that should make customers stuff their money in mattresses.” – The Washington Post
That was the 80’s, which I guess is enough time for the masses to get their money out of the mattresses and give it to the wrong people (again).
As I am in Japan, I am having a problem which I have to figure out: What if you don’t have a mattress. As we sleep in the traditional Japanese way, futons over Tatami, it is impossible to hide the money there. I need to figure out what is the traditional Japanese way of stashing.
Google Japan Street View Explained
A wonderful animation from Google Japan explains street view and how to protect your privacy: