Soon I will be heading to Japan for a much needed vacation. This will be the seventh time I’ve been to Japan and I’m looking forward to as if it were the first time! I love Canada but Japan is different in so many ways and I guess that’s the attraction of it all.  It’s always an adventure when I go because I just never know what’s going to happen when I get there!

I’ll be staying in Shimoda, Shizuoka which is about a 3 hour train ride from Tokyo for most of my stay. Shimoda is located right on the coast and has a population of about 25,000 people. The thing is that Shimoda is only 97 kilometers from the Tokyo Metropolitan Area which just happens to have  about 35,000,000 people. During summer vacation, the area tends to get pretty busy as it’s a well known vacation spot in Japan.

The above photo is a little shop just off of the beach. It’s a cool little place that mostly just sells little trinkets and souvenirs. The dude working there was so laid back and stepping in that place felt like I was stepping out of Japan and in to somewhere much more relaxed like Jamaica! Of course maybe that was due to the fact that the place smelled like Ganja!

Ever since that terrible tsunami in Thailand and Indonesia, more signs warning of the dangers of tsunami’s have gone up.

As I said earlier, Shimoda is a pretty small place and the night life is somewhat lacking. Although like most places in Japan, you can always find a “snack bar.” What’s a “snack bar?” Well it’s basically a bar where female hostesses will light your cigarettes, pour your drinks, and make nice conversation with you. Of course this entertainment comes at a price, anywhere from $50 – $500 depending on how long you stay and how much you drink. Which is why you will never catch me in a place like that!

One added bonus to Snack Bars in Shimoda is that if you look closely, you’ll notice that they are called “Snuck bars.” This is obviously a mistake and unfortunately one that is repeated cause if you go further down the road you’ll find another “snuck bar.” Sorry, I don’t have a photo. I guess this is what makes Shimoda special! Well that, and the fact that the local English sign maker can’t spell.

Last but not least, Shimoda is famous for being a summer vacation spot. Shimoda has a number of hotels and “pensions.”  “Pensions” are basically what we might call here in North America, bed and breakfasts. Although they don’t always serve breakfast. Anyway Shimoda is a happy place and this is evidenced by the fact that you might want to do as this pretty crazy lady does and Smile Again! Yes, the pension is called “Smile Again” and every time I read this sign I ummm… well… uhh.. Smile Again!

]]> http://www.michaelmckinlay.com/2009/07/16/my-japanese-home-shimoda-shizuoka/feed/ 4 http://www.michaelmckinlay.com/2008/07/17/japan-the-weird-and-wonderful-part-3/ http://www.michaelmckinlay.com/2008/07/17/japan-the-weird-and-wonderful-part-3/#comments Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:13:20 +0000 Michael http://www.michaelmckinlay.com/?p=315 The people have spoken and I, Michael McKinlay have heard them loud and clear! They demand more of Japan – The Weird and Wonderful, and I, Michael McKinlay can not ignore their request any longer. It is with great pleasure that I give you more of what you want! Prepare to have your minds blown people… for the third time!!!

If you would like to check out part 1, click here: and for part 2 click here!

One blog that I quite enjoy is An Englishman In Osaka. Recently, this Englishman (in Osaka) decided to hold a door contest on his blog. Yes, that’s right, a door of the year contest. Now while he had a number of stunning doors fighting it out for best door in Japan, I believe that one was overlooked and should be given a chance enter the contest.

Ladies and Gentleman, along side this wall, standing at 4 feet 1 inch tall, weighing in at 43.5 lbs, hailing from Tokyo Station between the number 16 and 17 platforms, with a professional record of 45-0 is the Hobbit Doooooooooooooooooooooorrr!!!

Now sure that door might be short, but with it’s stainless steel body, and clearly secure looking lock, it looks to be like nobody’s fool. The gate to an impenetrable fortress as it were. Well, right until this guy came along…

Just a few steps away from this loser of a door was this poster of a boy and a girl in their own little bubbles. I’ve always known that science and technology is number 1 in Japan but putting small children in to bubbles has just gone way too far! For shame Hitachi chemical!

I have no idea why but apparently a lot of middle-aged Japanese women love Bae Yong-joon. Bae Yong-joon is a Korean soap actor who somehow made it big in Japan. Like I said, I have no idea what these women see in “him” as “he” seems more girly than most girls. Just take a look at “his” hair, face, and those glasses…. I’d almost have to say that this “guy” gives the woman beside him a run for her money in the attractiveness department! Here “he” is, featured on a poster advertising pachinko.

(For those of you who don’t know Pachinko is a Japanese game of chance. Very similiar to a slot machine except there is some actual skill involved as you manipulate certain parts of it.)

Well it’s been fun but this brings me to the last picture of Part 3. Stay tuned as the final Part 4 will be coming very soon. So until then, “havf a nicf day!”

Notice how the Club is named Club Underground, yet is actually above ground? According to the sign in the window they are hiring too! The only problem is that I don’t think that I would meet their employee requirements… but they do pay around $35/hour!

This photo was taken at a hardware store of all places. I wonder whose bright idea it was to take pictures of women and post them above apron. I’ll bet it wasn’t a woman’s!

Remember people, Suntory is the boss of them all! Since 1992 of course!

Here’s a picture demonstrating how low counter-tops are in Japan. Believe me this man is not a giant, well at least not in terms of height anyway!

And finally, it would be nice to have a drink of water, flavored with just a touch of water…

Today’s report was made possible by the the good people of Japan’s Family Mart. You can find Family Mart nearly everywhere in Japan, and believe you me, they have some interesting items to sell you! For starters, perhaps you are a “fashionally” challenged man and want to know what all the “cool kids” are wearing… Everything from hair dye to eyeliner… Yes Men’s Digger is for you!

Mmmmm… doesn’t tickle your fancy??? Need something to make you look a little bit unhealthier, little more pale shall we??? OK then try the hilarious Men’s Joker magazine! I think the man on the cover looks like the kind of guy that would be a barrel of laughs!

Well by now you might be feeling a bit thirsty… so why don’t you have some sweat? Pocari Sweat that is… This stuff is like the Gatorade of Japan! Seriously, it really is a sports drink and it actually tastes pretty good too! If you are curious and can’t catch a flight to Japan, you might be able to find it at your local Asian grocery store. However you should be prepared to pay something ridiculous like around $5 for it. In Japan, it costs about $1.50, just like Coke!

I can’t tell you how many times I have wondered around Japan in the heat and thought to myself, “Geeze, If only I had something to replenish my ion supply… oh wait a minute!”

Of course no drink is complete without something to snack on. Some chocolate you say? OK well have a Crunky!!! This must have been what Lil’ John and all those other rap artists from Atlanta must eat before they creating their masterpieces.

Don’t like Chocolate? OK well how about some Cheese crackers? Although it might be hard to make a decision because you can either have 51% Cheeza, or 52% Cheeza… Oh Heavens to Betsy… How will I ever decide?

Of course theres always an Egg Dog! Doesn’t than name make you want to just dig in? MMMM mmmm mmm delicious!

Ha! Contrary to what my shirts says I was just pretending and I actually bought some Panky! I would have bought Hanky but sadly it was no where to be found.

This is a pretty obvious tip but it’s a tip nonetheless! Just like in our home countries, renovations can cost an arm and a leg. There is also the fact that because you live in Japan you must communicate with tradespeople in Japanese. This obviously makes things even more difficult. So what do you do? You save yourself the aggravation and do it yourself!

These home centers are very much like their Western counterparts (i.e. Home Depot.) They offer a wide variety of tools, building supplies, and supposedly know-how on how to do anything in your home. All at competitive prices. You can even purchase furniture in these places! They’ve got it all! What? You want a shower head? They’ve got it! You want curtains? Yeah they got that too… You want some “Daily Necessaries?” Duh… where else would you go?

Go and have a look inside but be careful cause big brother is always watching, even if he can’t spell!

In my previous post I wrote about Kids English Shirts in Japan. I’d now like to make the natural progression and write about Adults English Shirts in Japan. Much like Kids Shirts, Adults Shirts also tend to not make any sense. If they do it’s usually to the detriment of the owner. For example, check out the shirt above. My friend bought this shirt for me within 12 hours of arriving in Japan. So yeah it sure didn’t take too long to find it. Oh and of the the first 12 hours in Japan, 8 of them were spent sleeping.

I’ve always wondered who designs these shirts and if they know what they are doing. Perhaps they do and are just killing themselves giggling since they know that these shirts will most likely be purchased as soon as they arrive at the store.

I’ve saved the best for last and man, I kind of wished I would have bought this. If I had, I could have purposely come to work late and as I strolled in could put it on. I wonder what kind of reaction I would get from my boss. What do you think?

English in Japan is considered quite fashionable. Take a look around and you’ll see many people wearing English t-shirts. It’s kind of funny reading these shirts because they often make no sense or are just plain odd. I guess the Japanese just like the way English looks and are less concerned about what it actually says. If you must draw a comparison then I suppose it’s much like how Westerners like to tattoo themselves with Chinese characters.

I was visiting one of my friend’s in Japan and her sister had two young children. Both kids had English shirts on. One made absolutely no sense and the other one actually had something very interesting to say! Trust me, this is far from the norm as I’d say 99% of English t-shirts in Japan are much like the first shirt featured. Well anyway, it’s amazing what you can learn from a 2 month old!

This next post has inspired me to create a new category on MichaelMcKinlay.com entitled, “English Japan?” I’ve been to Japan many times and while I love the country I always get a kick out of the English signs there. Don’t know what I mean? Read on bra…. and continue to visit my “English Japan?” section in the future. Trust me, I have many more stories to write on this subject.

I don’t know about you but when I think of a Saloon I think of an old western movie where cowboys go to drink and fight. However in Japan, I it seems that it’s popular for manufacturers to use the word “Saloon” in the naming of cars. Finding strange English in Japan is not hard to do and often I can understand why things may be translated the way they are. Although using the word “Saloon” in naming an automobile has always confused me. So much so that I looked up the definition for “Saloon” on the net and this is what I came up with:

Saloon may refer to:

* Saloon (Chiefly British) – (car) or sedan, an enclosed four-to-six seat car body style with four doors and a separate boot
* An American Wild West bar

I don’t know if the Brits still use this term, I kind of doubt that they do… but the definition doesn’t explain what I found one on the train below…

Mmmm with so many Saloons to choose from how does anyone decide? I mean there are Super Saloons, Royal Saloons, and even Hyper Saloons. If you were a Saloon, which one would you be? I’d be a Royal Saloon!