I'd love to show the episode where they actually do go to Japan, but here is the next best thing. When I first got here, I saw huge billboards in the Tokyo Subway for CC Lemon, starring the Simpsons. So of course I jumped on the bandwagon and bought whatever crap they sold along with the drink. I have coasters and stickers and I managed to win one Marge-headed drink holder.
Hello Kitty's image has been associated with every imaginable product and now you can order the special Hello Kitty Beaujolais Nouveau Wine come November.
But there must have been a typo for a centimeter is about 4/10 of an inch. So these must have been really tiny syringes fit only for Ken & Barbie. It's awfully stressful being Barbie...that's how she remains so skinny.
Here's a picture of Barbie before she got hooked.
Domo-kun (どーもくん) is the mascot of Japan's NHK television station, appearing in several short stop-motion sketches. Domo-kun, a strange monster-like creature born from an egg, is short, fuzzy and brown with beady black eyes and an open mouth revealing pointy teeth. Domo's favorite food is seasoned beef with potatoes and he has a strong dislike for apples (an unexplained mystery in his DNA). Domo is known to pass gas repeatedly when nervous or in a bad mood.
He ヘ, no の, he ヘ, no の, mo も, he ヘ, ji じ: With these seven hiragana characters, you can draw a face. The first two "he" are the eyebrows, the "no" are the eyes, the "mo" is a nose, and the last "he" is the mouth. The outline of the face is made by the "ji". 
It is often used to draw the face of kakashi (かかし or scarecrow). The Japanese use kakashi (scarecrows) in rice fields to frighten the sparrows and crows away.
Here's the most famous haircut in history...
I haven't shaved in over a month, nor had my haircut since May 31st (see that blog), so to avoid becoming mistaken for a humanzee, I decided to get a trim. Well 80 minutes later, I was done! My last cut was 10 minutes for 1,000 yen. This one cost me under 4,000 yen for 8 times as long.
I got my hair cut, my beard shaven, my eyebrows, ears, nose and forehead shaved, a head & shoulders massage, shampoo, etc. for 3,885! I didn't take them up on their offer of the Dr. Evil look, so I don't have a shorn scrotum.
I almost got hooked on these as a kid, but I noticed that he smoked a pipe, not fags. But come to think of it, he rarely lit his pipe, he usually used it to suck up spinach.
A Humanzee named Oliver appeared on Japanese TV with fraudulent promotions picturing him as a miniature and hairy human being. Oliver's trip coincided with a concert promotion of the rock 'n roll group The Monkees and he was presented on Japanese television shows with Mickey Dolenz spouting inaccurate scientific observations.
It was claimed he was given genetic testing by the Japanese promoters. Some Japanese results, later proved false, held that Oliver had 47 chromosomes. Some anthropologists observing Oliver's head, nose, ears, and preference for bipedal walking asserted the possibility that the chimp was a hybrid.
Usually there is a lot of dyed hair over the summer, but that is fairly easily detectable. Yesterday though, all the teachers swarmed amongst the students and began picking through their hair! I thought there might have been an outbreak of head-lice (虱 or shirami) and the teachers were nit-picking. But it turns out they were searching for hair-extensions. A few of the naughtier girls were sent away to remove the heathen artifices and the students were released.
If he isn't taught to share, he may pick on Batman's son.
If he doesn't use his powers for good, his dad may wipe out his powers.
Dad better keep an eye on his onanistic desires or he may grow hair in odd places.
He'd better get diving lessons or he'll be a flop.
He may turn Satanic.
How bad can he misbehave? Better let Lois punish him.
But hopefully he'll be an eloquent tot who'll play catch with papa.
My main complaint is that Lois is too hot. Her predecessor, Margot Kidder, was 30 when she played the role. Kate is now 23 and she has a 5-year old son (who got an A in Science...since when do they teach Science in kindergarten-sorry, I said I wouldn't nitpick.) I guess when Uberman circled around the Earth to reverse time and save her life, it acts as a Fountain of Youth too.
Oh and by the way, another Lois, Noel Neill, makes a cameo somewhere in the movie. (She's now 86 years young.) Noel remarked that a frequent question from her audience was, "How come you never recognized that Clark Kent was Superman, even when he had his glasses off?" She said her stock answer was, "Because I wanted to keep my job!"
Though English has many terms for the foolish: stupid, twit, moron, goofball, putz, Homer Simpson, etc., the Japanese use primarily one term...バカ!
The 13th through 16th of August is called obon お盆 in Japan. Obon is a Buddhist event and one of the most important traditions for Japanese people. It is the period of praying for the rest of the souls of one's ancestors. People believe that their ancestors' spirits come back to their homes to be reunited with their family during this time.
Well, maybe just the outskirts. Not speaking the language, I had a hard time following the movie but as a visual experience, I was duly impressed. ゲド戦記 (Gedo Senki OR Ged's War Chronicles) or Tales from the Earthsea includes: clouds that float, water that ripples, grass that rustles, smoke that billows. And the lushness and variety of colours was immense, as though he chewed up a box of Crayolas and spat them on the screen.To make a long story short (actually I plan to ramble incessantly), I loved it. The first-time director is Goro Miyazaki (son of Hiyao of Ghibli fame) and I can't wait to see what he does in the future. With several villains and villagers as composites of characters from earlier films plus 4 truly brilliant lead protagonists and a VERY spooky witch, I can honestly say that this is on a par with his papa's work.
SPOILER ALERT: There is not a single "Talking CG Animal" to be found anywhere in the movie. This is a very good thing. I understand that Disney has picked up the rights to distribute this and if they don't sanitize it and give it big Hollywood star vocalizations (although Christopher Lee would be great as Ged the Wizard), it may stand a chance of taking the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. (Look at the competition, a whole lot of CG creature features.)
