All posts by Ted Tanaka

  • Why edamame is good for moms

    Edamame which literally means ‘beans on branches’ is a favorite summer snack in Japan from July – September. By this time of the year, you will find most supermarkets selling raw and ready-to-eat edamame packs. Not known...

    • Posted July 10, 2015
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  • This new device has just made watching TV from your smartphone or tablet possible

    The new DX antenna will go on sale in Japan from autumn this year. By installing the DX antenna to a TV antenna outlet through a coaxial cable, you will be able to watch TV from a...

    • Posted June 12, 2015
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  • TACO RICO, Frisco style Taqueria opens in Ark Hills

    When Bill Kitajima lived in San Francisco as a student, his first visit to a Mexican Taqueria had not been pleasant. He said Tacos wasn’t love at first bite for him. ” I was shocked by the...

    • Posted May 11, 2015
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  • App-solutely useful

    Australiam mum-of-two Hayley Reid has developed a unique, patented app that allows parents to capture their baby’s precious handprints and footprints with an iPhone or iPad. Hayley got the idea for GroPrint when she attempted to make...

    • Posted April 9, 2015
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  • World’s oldest person ever smoked cigarettes

    The world’s oldest person Misao Okawa has died on Wednesday at the age of 117. The Guiness World Record title holder who celebrated her 117th birthday on March 5, 2015 ‘had stopped eating in the last 10...

    • Posted April 3, 2015
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  • US First Lady: “Being a working mom made me a better mother.”

    In a working visit to Japan as part of the LET GIRLS LEARN initiative, the US First Lady Michelle Obama stressed the importance of education for women around the world. Raised in a conventional home with a...

    • Posted March 20, 2015
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  • Going Sakura viewing? You’ll love these family friendly spots

    PLEASURE FOREST Pleasure Forest photo by Sagamiko Resort   Weekdays 9:30 am – 4:30 pm Sat/Sun/Hol 9am – 5pm Fees: Adults 1,700 yen Kids/Senior 1,000 yen Attraction: Giant amusement Park 1M Sakura trees 5M led lights for...

    • Posted March 11, 2015
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  • Forty Niner opens in Roppongi

    Forty Niner, Oahu’s oldest diner and famous breakfast stop since 1967, has just opened its first shop in Roppongi . It earned its place in the culinary map for the house’s signature Hawaiian bread cake with coconut...

    • Posted February 21, 2015
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  • Statistics reveal growing poverty rate in Japan linked to divorce

    The number of Japan’s middle class is crumbling. The era of the once called strong Ichioku Sochuryu (One hundred Million middle class) is history. The result of the 2013 National Livelihood Survey in Japan is not looking...

    • Posted December 17, 2014
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  • Mornington Crescent: British Home Style Baking

    Although Japanese people are generally lovers of all things sweet, they avoid the cloying kind. Western pastries in particular are widely viewed as excessively sweet. Thanks to the active campaigning of culinary cognoscentis, the critics are beginning...

    • Posted December 15, 2014
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  • The rules of bowing in Japan

    The Japanese people are known to be polite in speech and action. Social etiquette is deeply ingrained into Japan’s culture. Did you know that bowing is considered very important that parents and teachers teach this gesture of...

    • Posted December 15, 2014
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  • Japanese gift-wrapping techniques

    When it comes to giving holiday gifts, presentation is everything. For the Japanese who place importance on aesthetics, a gift wrap is just as important as the gift. The wrapping tradition dates back to the Nara period...

    • Posted December 3, 2014
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  • Duty-free Seven Eleven stores for tourists begin

    According to a Nikkei article on Nov. 29, starting in December, tourists will be exempted from payment of 8% consumption tax at Seven Eleven shops near train stations at Tokyo Asakusa Kaminarimon and Kyoto, Saiin Minami ten. ...

    • Posted December 2, 2014
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  • The Little Pie Factory opens in Hiroo

    —————————-  THIS SHOP IS CLOSED———————————- As you walk through the street going to the Arisugawa park or National Azabu supermarket in Hiroo, you will come across an enticing aroma of freshly baked goodies wafting through the area....

    • Posted November 15, 2014
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  • A new lifestyle store

    La Kagu, a lifestyle store resembling a warehouse has just opened in Kagurazaka offering well-curated home stuff from furnitures and beddings to home decor and anything in between. www.lakagu.com

    • Posted November 10, 2014
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  • Takao Trick Art Museum

      Pop by this museum of illusory art objects before leaving Takao. It may not be a big museum but it houses everything to tickle the funny bone from an encounter with a Ninja popping out of...

    • Posted November 10, 2014
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  • Why is Japanese beef more expensive than US beef?

    I thought I would cook a good steak for dinner so I went to a local supermarket to buy a cut. As I looked at the stacks of meat on the supermarket racks, I found out that...

    • Posted November 4, 2014
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  • House Renovation company launches an eyebrow-raising apartment style

    A “Kon katsu” apartment (translates to an apartment style built to make a woman desirable for marriage) was recently launched by Homes, a Japanese renovation company, having what is viewed by a male blogger as ‘kowai‘ (scary) ...

    • Posted November 1, 2014
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  • What 15-year olds know and what they can do with what they know

    he title is the subject of OECD’s study measuring the knowledge and skills of high school students belonging to the 15-year-and-3-month up to 16-year-and-2-month age range from participating countries and how the results will impact their present...

    • Posted November 1, 2014
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  • Art has no limits

    When Takayuki Fukuzawa launched a series of eyebrow raising T-shirt designs called “Moso Mapping Akai Bra T-shirt” or 3D red bra T-shirts via mail order, it was sold out in three days. Takayuki Fukuzawa who works at...

    • Posted November 1, 2014
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  • Things are looking good for moms who want to work

    According to Kyodo news’ October 31 report, Japan has finalized a bill to accept foreign nannies and/or domestic helpers in ‘special zones’ along with other deregulatory measures. This means mommies will not have to trade career ambition...

    • Posted October 31, 2014
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  • We rented an airbnb-listed apartment in Paris

    This summer, we had the most wonderful travel experience to Europe and did something different for a change. We stayed at an Airbnb. Tired and bored of hotels and serviced apartments, we ditched the hotel for an...

    • Posted September 10, 2014
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  • How to iron a shirt like a Japanese pro

    Impeccably ironed shirt is a mark of professionalism.  But according to Japanese magazine, My Navi Woman, ironing is one of the hated housework by housewives next to cleaning rooms. Japanese salary men pay 200 – 400 yen...

    • Posted September 1, 2014
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  • GET WELL SOON, Japan Style

    When we hear that a relative, friend or work colleague dear to us is sick, cheering him or her up with get-well-soon presents is generally considered to be a universal gesture.  Afterall, to some people, it’s the...

    • Posted August 16, 2014
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  • What could happen if everyone crossing Shibuya station was looking on their smartphone?

    As the number of smartphone users rise, so does related accidents. Giant cell phone provider NTT Docomo, concerned about these accidents, initiated a simulation of what could happen if everyone’s attention crossing the lanes was on their...

    • Posted April 3, 2014
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  • The new smartphones: iPhone 6 and Samsung S5

    Apple’s worldwide launch of the new iPhone 6 in September  was reported by Nikkei Asian Review.  The report mentions that iPhone 6 will come in 4.7 and 5.5 inch models, and a higher resolution, one of iPhone...

    • Posted March 29, 2014
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  • Which housework do Japanese housewives hate the most?

    Spring cleaning has been a traditional practice in countries with cold climates especially in North America. As people stay indoors in the winter, there’s more foot traffic at home and thus, more dirt and dust accumulate. In...

    • Posted March 7, 2014
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  • Congratulations to the World’s Oldest Birthday Girl!

    The world’s oldest birthday girl is 116 years old.  Misao Okawa turned 116 on March 5 and is Guinness World Record breaker for 2014.   Born on March 5, 1898 in Osaka, she says, “I owe my long...

    • Posted March 6, 2014
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  • 2013 Top 10 baby names in Japan

    Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance has released the top baby names in 2013.  Yuuma for boy and Yuna for girls remain to be the top favorites in Japan according to the survey.    Here are the top 10 names...

    • Posted January 8, 2014
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  • Future job skills

    Over the coming decade, we will be seeing a major transformation in the workplace.  Virtually every domain of our lives will be dominated by smart machines.  Repetitive tasks that were once the domain of humans are gradually...

    • Posted December 15, 2013
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