Asia Tube

Ok, here's the deal. Most of you know that I am a fairly "well known" You Tube video blogger. I now have more than 19,000 subscribers combined on my two channels. i spend a lot of time on You Tube (not so much these days with a busy work schedule) and I spend a lot of time interacting with and meeting other You Tube video bloggers.

My good friend Johnathan, aka "reynoldsair" on You Tube just stared a new series of videos called "Asia Tube." These are a hilarious "analysis" of videos by other You Tubers in Asia. His first two videos are awesome. The first was great. the second even better!

Here they are:

Kansai Eats

I have a new blog. Kansai Eats is %100 dedicated to food. It is about restaurants here in japan as well as cooking and shopping.



Check it out here!

Being a Musician in Japan: Kat McDowell

Last weekend I had the chance to sit down with Japan-based recording artist, Kat McDowell. She is a great person and it ws a lot of fun to chat with her. She performed a few hours later at the Minami Wheel music festival in Osaka, Japan. Her set at the festival was great, but I wasn't allowed to film it.

Check out my interview with Kat:



This was my first attempt at doing an interview style video. I think it went well. Kat was a great person to chat with. We have ben aware of each other for some time because of You Tube and she contacted me a few weeks ago about this show. I was really happy that she was enthusiastic about me asking her a few questions.

I was also happy to try something new on my You Tube channel. I have been growing consistently and of course am always planning new videos, but the chance to attempt an interview seems to have worked out well. This video is getting a lot of positive feedback and if it works the way intended, will give Kat a little more exposure. I know that several people have already told me they have subscribed to her You Tube channel. Hopefully, in the future, I will have the chance to do some more interviews. As for the near future, expect another food video and another comedy one. The food video is already filmed and only needs to be edited, the comedy one is scripted and will be filmed soon.


I almost forgot. Today was a national holiday in Japan. It was Culture Day. My wife and I hopped on a train and headed to Kyoto. We went to Arashiyama. I had never been there before. it is a popular sightseeing spot in the Autumn when the leaves are changing colours. Although the leaves have only started to change, we had a great time there this afternoon.


Japanese maple leaves changing colour in Arashiyama, a part of Kyoto.


Kyoto on a cold November afternoon.


Kyoto goodness in Autumn.

Kansai Time Out magazine finished

Sadly, after 32 years, Kansai Tine Out magazine is finished. The Kobe-based, English language magazine about life in Japan has folded.

Sad stuff.


I made a video about it:

Kansai Time Out Magazine has died...

Japanese Toilets and H1N1

Another weekend and another bit of H1N1 news in Japan "Sugoy"....lots of sarcasm there:

New flu enters epidemic stage in Japan as number of cases rises



Another unfortunate case of bad english in a Japanese retail business. I know of the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee, but haven't heard of his "urine soaked" colleague!

WEIRD TOILET THING

Last week I went to Kyoto to visit some fellow You Tube video bloggers. While there, we went to a bar and check out the bizarre contraption in the men's room. I have never seen something like this. It appears to be some sort of urinal, but one that possibly more than one person could use at a time. I suppose this sort of urinal could lead to some sword fighting and a possible mess everywhere. Two of my friends who were there, who are long time Japan residents also said that they had never seen anything like this before.

Bizarre Japanese urinal.

More strange men's room goodness in Kyoto, Japan!



TONIGHT IS THE OSAKA YOU TUBE GATHERING!
6pm in Osaka. Near Tennoji Station in a bar called Tin's Hall.

Kyoto Nights and stuff

Another weekend has come and gone and my very long and enjoyable Obon Holiday week has come to an end. Like millions of other folks across the fine country of Japan, I will be draggin my weary bones into the office tomorrow morning. My wife certainly feels no pity for me since she unfortunately had to work all last week (she does like her job though).

Last Friday I went to Kyoto and met with a newcomer to the country. Although he has visited a few times before, this is Dusty's (aka....DeeDoubleYou81 of You Tube Fame) first time living here. He came here a few weeks ago and is teaching English in Japanese high schools s part of the JET Program. Also meeting us was KanaiPJ and reyonaldsair. we had some drinks, ate some food and generally had a lot of laughs.



Oh yeah....everyone! I got a new hair cut this afternoon. It is really damn hot here in japan, but I have also officially (a few weeks ago) begun marathon training. I will run the Osaka Yodogawa Marathon again this year and maybe a few other runs this Fall.


Dusty taking a picture of himself infront of Kyoto Tower before he journeyed off into the deep recesses of Shiga!


Kyoto Tower at night. Looks cool at night once lit up, but during the day you realize it's basically a large antenna attached to a ghetto motel!



Kevin (BusanKevin) and Dusty (deeDoubleYou81) hangin and having a few drinks in Kyoto.


Johnathan (reynoldsair) and PJ (KansaiPJ) hangin and relaxin in the same joint!

I went to Kyoto

I woke u this morning, the last morning of my "quasi-vacation" and I decided to go to Kyoto. It's really not that far away so I went there for a few hours. A Starbucks, a few shrines, temples, gift shops and a lot of sweat later....I was back on the train home.

A did see a few cool things while there. i loved these 2 "cool down" snacks for sale outside of one temple.

In this first picture, there are cherry tomatoes on a stick (iced cherry tomatoes). It was damn hot so I assume these would be a nice little treat. They were going for ¥100...about $1.25 Canadian.


Here are some iced cucumbers on a stick. Apparently (I didn't try one) my wife says these are normally salted as well. I suppose that's doubly good on a hot and sweaty day!


So, did I see a real geisha this afternoon in Kyoto?



Also, I'm going away tomorrow for summer camp with my school. I'll be back on Friday, but then early Saturday afternoon will be off on a weekend trip (no laptop with me on this one). I promise to take a lot of really cool footage and have some odd and interesting videos for you sometime next week!

Canada Day in Kobe

Happy Canada Day everyone! Yep, it's July first and Canada may almost be over here, but it's just getting started back home. Hope Canadians all around the world are having a great one. I also hope all of my good friends in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and various parts of Ontario are having a great day! May the suds flow freely and may you have fun.

Here's my You Tube Happy Canada message!





I read this news story last night and not only was surprised, but found it damn cool. I'm into Mother Nature and all of her critters. As a child growing up in rural Nova Scotia, catching salamanders was a summer diversion. A big one would have been a yellow spotted one and measured about 10cm. We felt like conquering heros if we ever found a salamander that large! A true King of Amphibians. OR so I thought.....til I found out about the Giant Japanese Salamander last night!

Giant salamander found walking along road in Kyoto
KYOTO —

A 105-centimeter-long giant salamander was found walking along a riverside road in Kyoto by a motorist Tuesday and was temporarily taken into protective custody by police. According to police, a man driving his car along the Kamogawa River that flows through the city spotted the salamander at around 5:50 a.m. and dialed the 110 emergency phone number to summon police, who rushed to the scene. The huge aquatic salamander was then brought to a police station in Kita Ward and held there for several hours in a water tub before being released into a branch of the same river. Kyoto University professor Masafumi Matsui told Kyodo News he was concerned to learn that the giant salamander in question, which resembles a hybrid, was released without proper examination and into a different waterway from the main course of the river along which it was found. The Kamogawa River, the amphibian expert explained, has a serious problem with hybridization between Japanese and Chinese giant salamanders, and there is concern the problem could spread to other habitats in Japan. Read more at Japan Today


Then I checked out the giant Japanese salamander on You Tube. I found this clip from a National Geographic show with Dr. Brady Barr....wow!

Pepsi Shiso has Arrived!

It's rainy season here in Japan and if you're currently living in Kobe or the Kansai region, you're wishing you were a duck! Yep, it's wet. REALLY wt. Last year's rainy season brought us very little in way of the wet stuff, but it would seem that this year, Mother Nature is making up for last years' shortfall!


In REALLY BIG NEWS...Pepsi's new and bizarre flavor of the summer is here. Pepsi Shiso is on store shelves of today and is ready for the people of Japan to take on. Minty green goodness wrapped up with the flavor of Pepsi!

here I am this evening cautiously eyeing up the bottle of Pepsi Shiso my wife brought home for me. I have been eagerly anticipating it for weeks.



A closer look t this monstrosity. What is Shiso anyway? It's known as Perilla in North America and is a minty leafy herb.

How was it anyway? Not sure as of right now. I'm planning to crack the bottle open tomorrow evening and give it a taste test for You Tube!


Speaking of "The Tube", I posted two short videos last night.





And in some less serious news (because green Pepsi is REALLY serious):

Shoplifter tries to leave store, wearing women's shorts under his pants
HYOGO —

A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of shoplifting four pairs of women’s shorts from a Hyogo Prefecture supermarket by wearing them under his trousers, police said Wednesday. Office worker Katsutoshi Nishigaki was allegedly caught red-handed while attempting to leave the store in Asago, Hyogo Prefecture, at 4 p.m. Monday.

The shorts he is accused of stealing are worth a total of 5,670 yen. Nishigaki allegedly took the shorts with him into a fitting room to layer them under his trousers so no one would notice the theft, according to police. But his escapade was seen by a female plainclothes security guard who took notice of him when he entered the women’s underwear section, police said.Read original at Japan Today

Suntory whiskey and big boats

It's been a busy week. Valentine's Day and a trip he the Suntory Yamazaki Whiskey Distillery all on Saturday. Good stuff. The Yamazaki Distillery is a stones throw from Kyoto and was a great tour. Although in Japanese, I had an English translator device I could wear around my neck. I'm really not into whiskey too much, but it was cool to see how it's made and have a few drinks.



Earlier in the week we had a day off. Last Wednesday was National Foundation Day. Mai and I hung around in Sannomiya and then wandered to the waterfront in Kobe. There was a very cool tall ship called the Nippon Maru docked close to the Oriental Hotel. I love ships like this. Growing up in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, we would often have tall ships come to our harbour during the summer. I often daydreamed about being a crew member on a ship like this.

Unless they let me wear a pirate hat, I don't think I'd be wiling to do it though!