Michelle Gunn! Michelle Gunn! Michelle Gunn!

In the witching hour

I picked up the first volume of xxxHOLiC by the manga collective Clamp. The series begins with a high-school student, Watanuki Kimihiro, who is plagued by spirits, and the witch who offers to help him for a price.

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歩くの大好き

Of all Miyazaki Hayao’s films, this is the one for me. Neither flash nor overly complex, it explores the emotions and imaginative world of childhood. And the Totoros are just ace.

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Water world

I finally picked up a copy of Pink Box, Joan Sinclair’s photojournal of the Japanese sex industry. It is an exceptional achievement. It offers a glimpse into a side of the mizu shōbai (水商売, lit. water trade, the entertainment business) rarely seen by outsiders.

Sinclair shows us a world where all manner of fantasies are fulfilled: shaking train carriages with schoolgirls to grope, foot fetish bars, real doll clubs and yes, used panty sales. It is, in her words, full of ‘colour, kitsch, variety, and absurdity’. But first and foremost it is a staggering money spinner. Sex services in Japan are worth ¥2.37 trillion (Takashi Kadokura, 2001).

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Riced cooly beatnik.

I love ramen. I spent many mealtimes at the counter of my local ramen joints while I was living in Tokyo, enjoying their various specialities.

One place down the road from my apartment did a mean plate of fried rice. When I first arrived, I was able to shovel it down with a bowl of tonkotsu (pork broth) ramen and a plate of gyōza (dumplings). After my appetite had adjusted to Japanese portions, just the fried rice was enough.

This is a recipe I derived from watching the chef at work. It is quick and easy. After all, ramen shops are in the fast food business. It is also an excellent way to make use of leftover rice.

Details:

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A pitch black heaven

But the coloured lights fooled you. The lights were wonderful. There ought to be a monument to the man who invented neon lights. Fifteen stories high, solid marble. There’s a boy who really made something out of nothing.

- Philip Marlowe, The Little Sister (1949) by Raymond Chandler.

Summer 2007. Aomori, Japan. I stand on the plains of northern Honshū. The lights are out, the houses and farms all asleep.

Underfoot, the slow crunch of stones on the sun-baked path, tingles my ears and slippered feet. We wander into a small orchard. The leaves on the apple trees rustle against our skin. I hold her closer. City boy, city boy, where have you gone?

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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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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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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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