Posts under ‘Asia’

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are just over a year away with the opening ceremony being held on the 8th of August next year. We have found this amazing animated display of the funny little characters they have for mascots. The characters somehow represent a fish, a panda, a Tibetan antelope and a swallow- and the one on fire is meant to be an Olympic flame. We are going to see a lot more of these special little guys over the next few months and my guess is every child will want all five. Read the rest of this entry »

When travelling up Shinsaibashi-suji shopping mall in Osaka which is an undercover shopping strip which runs over 1.8 km we came across this great little pub. It served crispy cold Carlsberg beer on tap and nothing else, they only had 8 glasses. The pub was no more than 2 metres long by about 1.5 metres deep had a bar and 2 bar stools. You rubbed shoulders with the other person if there was more than 2 people in the bar. Anyway the service was friendly and the beer sure was refreshing. Read the rest of this entry »

Some countries are well known for their crazy drivers, and India is no exception. Our youtube pick of the week is of an intersection in India where cars an motorbikes seem to play chicken with each other. If you intend to rent a car in India make sure you option up the insurance and familiarize your self with where the cars horn is located. Read the rest of this entry »

In Tokyo’s electronic town Akihabara you can pick up just about every conceivable gadget and gizmo including these novel USB sushi. Unfortunately they are made of plastic so don’t taste too good but are great to store your favourite data on. There are quite a few different varieties including tempura, hand rolls, sashimi and even dim sim and they also come in a range of sizes. They are quiet pricey expect to pay about 60,000 – 90,000 yen for them- expensive but fun. Read the rest of this entry »

Tokyo has one of the worlds coolest theme parks, Disney Sea. This one of a kind park is just like Disney land but its all themed around the sea. There are some amazing rides including some old favorites from Disneyland like 2000 Leagues under the sea, The tower of terror and an amazing take on the Indian Jones ride found in the Anaheim park. There’s plenty of attractions found only at Disney Sea including a ride through a volcano in a mining buggy called, a whimsical Aladdin ride and some very fun little mermaid inspired rides. The highlight of your visit will be the amazing closing show which is a fire, light and fireworks show which is held on the large lake- it spectacular and an amazing technological feat. Read the rest of this entry »

The fugu of blow fish is a poisonous fish a bit like a toady or a puffer fish. These fish are deadly if prepared the wrong way, chefs need to have a licence to serve the fish and tasters need to sign a disclaimer in most restaurants. The gizzards (which are usually the best stuff in Japan) have deadly poison and if contaminated with the meat will kill the eater very fast – the poison paralyses the muscles causing asphyxiation. Due to the nature of the dish it is very expensive and many people die every year after eating contaminated Fugu. It was illegal to serve the fish up until 1958. For anyone interested there is a Fugu museum in Osaka. Fugi restaurant can be found by looking for the giant fugi decoration at the front of the premises. Read the rest of this entry »

Asahi beer is probably the best known Japanese beer outside Japan, and in Japan they drink it like fish. Its fresh crisp taste is a favourite and it’s not hard to see why. Its available in many forms, there are serial different can sizes including a mini can which holds about 150ml of beer right up to litre cans. Bottles too come in several sizes and of course their is the draft form which is very tasty if you can wait long enough for it to be pored. The Japanese like a big frothy head on the beer and it takes forever. They fill the glass 3/4 full with beer then flick the beer tap backwards to make a perfectly formed high frothy head. While they are spending minutes making this head all you want to do is drink the thing. The suspense make the beer taste really good… believe me! Read the rest of this entry »