Wild Turkey Prize

I always look at these and think there’s no chance of winning, (as usually there’s only 1, 2 or 5 of these to be given away), but then it struck me, that everyone probably thinks this, so no-one probably enters.

Aha – I see a great opportunity here.

So since November I’ve been entering, nearly every week (I skip the free tickets to plays in Tokyo – as the cost of getting there would kind of defeat the object), I’ve applied for, amongst other things, a CNN Japan thermos mask, a calender of animals and some McDonalds vouchers.

Never heard anything…until yesterday!
This appeared in the post…

This was from way back in November! To be honest out of all the competition this is the one I wanted to win the most. Yatta!

So my theory was correct…gonna keep sending those postcards in.
Maybe I still have a chance with that animal calender too….

Related posts:

1. Free Stuff
2. Buying a Shirt in Ashiya and Getting More Than I Bargained For

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Post tags: Daily Yomiuri, Free Stuff, Japan

My orientation didn`t start till the Monday after I arrived so I had a few days to get settled in.

This consisted of buying a cool dvd/hdd/video combi thing, which is great (although only know how to record on hdd at the moment, due to the thick manual being in Japanese!), ordered this laptop (went to a computer shop for foreigners in Osaka, so managed to get Japanese and English windows installed), and bought a lot of stuff in the 100Yen shop.

These are kinda like the pound shops back home (but are actually 50p, and not just full of crap). You can buy stuff like mugs, glasses, stationary, kitchen utensils, dvds, pc games and even underwear and ties. Some stuff do go up in price to about ￥300 (1 squid 50!), so obviously you have to be careful

Ate some ramen, some fantastic sushi – the difference from London “sushi” is staggering, yaki-tori and lots more.

Spent a lot of time wandering round supermarkets, going “cool! Gotta try that!” or “ooh, is that the insides of a squid?”.
I wasn`t going to go on about how expensive Japan is, because to be honest, having lived in London, Japan is cheap! (If you know where to look).
But my girlfriend did take me to a posh supermarket in her town, where we saw a 50 pound (as in price! 10,000Y) melon!! And a tray of about 10 strawberries for 25quid! I`m gonna try and get a picture of it. It`s just a melon! Not even made out of gold, or anything. Guess someone must buy them though…

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Post tags: 100Yen Shop, Japan, Japanese Food and Drink

Went to the cinema the other day, to check out the new film by Alexander Sokurov, “The Sun” about the last few days of World War II in Tokyo and Emperor Hirohito meeting McArthur and surrendering. To say this film was slow, would be putting a brave face on it, (first 20 minutes is Hirohito getting up and dressed), however stick with it and a fascinating and interesting human study of Hirohito comes into play.

Unfortunately 2 people sitting just behind us didn’t stick with it, walking out after about 20 minutes (possibly during the long breakfast eating scene), with the not so favourable review “That was f*cking shit”, just heard as the cinema doors closed.

At around 2 hours long, for some (my girlfriend included, and perhaps the lady sleeping next to her), this is 2 hours too long, 2 hours that probably felt like 4. I on the other hand loved it. Having often wondered how people actually surrender during wars, and what did these 2 powerful people actually say to each other (not a great deal if this movie is to be believed, Sokurov loves his long silences).

Most of the film is set in Emperor Hirohito’s bunker, occasionaly interspersed with dreamlike war scenes of the Tokyo bombing (in fact I think it was a dream, the planes being insect like flying creatures – due to Hirohito’s obsession with natural sciences), which gave an interesting break from the slow, static bunker rooms.

To be honest I was actually disappointed when the film ended, and would have liked more time to follow this
interesting character.

Recommended but be warned, not for everyone.

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Post tags: Japan, Movie review