Michelle Gunn! Michelle Gunn! Michelle Gunn!

Ramen & oral sex. Unfortunately not the latest fad diet.

So what’s the connection?

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Miso horny. Sorry. So very, very sorry.

Here’s an easy recipe for tonjiru (豚汁, miso soup with pork) I learnt from the fabulous Princess Fugu.

Tonjiru is perfect with boiled Japanese rice and fresh, simply flavoured, grilled fish. The deep, salty flavours of this hearty soup make a wonderful contrast with the simple pleasures of rice and fish. The soup is also great as a healthy snack on its own.

Details:

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Give me Moore.

I have been re-reading Alan Moore’s superlative comic book From Hell. Taking the unsolved case of Jack the Ripper as their starting point, Moore and illustrator Eddie Campbell delve into the underbelly of Victorian society and beyond.

It is a gripping story, full of inventive twists and brutally depicted in black ink. The comic is wonderfully dense, yet at the same time eminently readable. Moore has an exceptional gift for processing a large volume of source material into a taut narrative.

One thing I noticed this time was the attention to detail placed on the typeface. This in itself is not uncommon. Comic books often employ multiple fonts, making the text part of the graphic narrative. It closes the distance between picture and word.

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Ooh, it’s a bit chilly today, Johnny. Better put another sweater on.

From the earliest age, English men are tricked into the idea that layers are but for warmth. Often the indoctrination comes in youth, at a time when they are prepared to piss in the face of the wind and damn the consequences.

They grow to scorn layers. How many are you wearing today? If you’re around London and the south of England, probably not many. The weather is glorious, as it has been for the past week. In such climes - indeed most climes - the modern young English gent sports a tried and tested T-shirt and jeans combo.

Nothing strange about that. It’s internationally approved male casual attire and there are many superb T-shirt designers out there.

Still, while the designs may be pretty, the fundamental outfit often looks extremely staid. Answers on a postcard…

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Fish tales.

• Nearest station: Tsukiji-shijō (Ōedo Line, click here for a route planner)
• Open: Before dawn to ~1 p.m.
• Closed: National holidays, Sundays, some Wednesdays. Click here for 2008 opening days [red dot = closed; blue triangle = temporary opening day].

Background:

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The first guide is up!

The guides are intended to assist and hopefully enlighten, though not tyrannise. If you’re after a quick reference, contact details or map, then head over to The Directory.

Guides are generally be broken down into the following sections:

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Little doll I can’t forget. Bring happiness and everything.

Imagine life without the Spice Girls. You’re enjoying it, aren’t you?

Welcome to the world of the Japanese idol, for the large part still blissfully untouched by the ersatz feminism and sublime marketing strategy that was Girl Power.

Whatever you think of the 90’s girl group phenomenon, it produced alumni with strong enough personalities and the independence to graduate to a wide variety of roles, away from their teen sensation roots and rapacious managers. For example: rich, famous footballer’s wife; rich, has-been rocker’s wife; rich, former-cutting-edge-comedian-turned-children’s-entertainer’s paternity suit.

Wait. Let’s start again.

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The sweet scent of madness.

Cho-co-rei-ito diss-co. Cho-co-rei-ito diss-co.  Cho-co-rei-ito diss-su-co.

Insidious.

The group responsible goes by the name of Perfume. Irrepressibly perky, this trio of girls is riding high in the Japanese charts.

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Hallelujahgobble! Hallelujahgobble! Hallelujahgobble!

Two years without a meat pie can do funny things to a man.

He begins to have dreams and visions. He fantasises. He forgets when he thinks he remembers. And then, as the juices flow in his mouth once more… then, the pie is legend.

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It’s around that time of the year again. Birds are singing. Flowers are blooming. And the fat men are booming.

The 2008 Summer Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo is gearing up for its opening day later this month (11th May - 25th May). Go if you have the chance.

Here’s a look back at the 2006 event:

More on my first time (at the sumo) after the jump.

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