It’s the time of year for the Japanese cherry blossoms — or Sakura — to begin their annual bloom around the country. I ran across this 2007 forecast to pinpoint exactly when the flowers will explode in a pinkish haze, along with the best times to view. Keep in mind that wind and rain have an effect on exactly when they bloom, so the dates should be used as an approximation.
Don’t you wish you were there?
[via flickr blog]
Oh, how Justin’s post on 7-ELEVENs to help promote the Simpson’s movie brought back memories. Taiwan is a 7-ELEVEN lover’s dream-come-true. They are on every other street corner it seems–with 44,498 of them, it’s no wonder. Taiwan is not that big. One of the 7-ELEVENs was the first place we went shopping right after we arrived in the country to live there. It was after midnight and we had just flown in. The person who picked us up at the airport took us to one in our new neighborhood to shop for groceries so we would have something to for the next few days. In my blurry-eyed jet lagged fatigue, I picked out the differences between the American version and Taiwan’s food offerings. Some were the same; several were different. For example, you can buy peanut butter if you want a fix, but products are much more Asian in scope.
First, there’s the smell of tea eggs cooking in a crock pot. Then there are the beverages and instant noodle variations. Taiwan has more boxed drink flavors than any place I know. Most are variations of flavored teas like durian and melon, with some soymilk brands thrown in. Of course there are Coke products for the western palate. British food items like McVities Digestives are also popular, plus Asian snack foods. Once I lived in Taiwan for awhile, I learned that 7-ELEVENs were the best place to buy wine. If you were heading to a party, this was the perfect stop for a last minute purchase. No super-size bag of chips though. For that, you have to be in the U.S.
The website also has a list of how many 7-ELEVENS are in each country worldwide. Japan has the most–8,478. Guam, with 9, has the least. These are the 2001 statistics. Notice the crockpot at the right edge of the photo? Those are tea eggs. This is the inside of a 7-ELEVEN.
Are you ready for another fantastic Gadling recap of a week that was, um quite fantastic? I reckon so, but before I dig in I must say there were several other highlights to this week not listed here like how to speed through security check points or some new outdoor places in China to use the potty (only for those who aren’t shy) which were recently blogged about, but let’s go back further in the week.
5. Japanese Penis Festival:
Penis, fertility and renewal are all the hype at the Hounen Matsuri festival, known also as the Japanese Penis Festival for those who aren’t as swift with Japanese pronunciation. Sadly, the festival has come and past this year, but go on, read further and beef up your knowledge for next year’s events.
4. New Matt: “Dancing Man” Harding Video:
Honestly, there are parts of me that really can’t take watching the well perfected horrible dance jig-like moves performed by Matt Harding across the world. While I fancy seeing various locations, his dancing is just awful. Yes, I said awful. No matter my thoughts, Matt is the lucky one here and Justin has done us the favor of posting his latest dance outtakes clip and providing fans of Matt with some very tasty news. Check it out!
3. Underground Railroad Bicycle Route:
Hungry for history and cycling around the country? If you have five weeks to do it you can join in on exploring the route of the Underground Railroad with the Adventure Cycling Association or purchase the maps and head out on your own. Either way this is very, very cool.
2. Vieques: A Trip Report:
Having recently toured Vieques, an island off of Puerto Rico, Erik brings us the 411 on what’s going on and why you should get there fast.
1. Round the World in 100 Days: Nassau, Bahamas:
Slowly, but surely Dia Draper is heading around the world in a big floating city of about 900 people. In this dispatch she touches on a place not too, too far from home for most of us (depending on where home is) in Nassau, Bahamas. Which is my saying even if you can’t take off 100 days to cruise the world you might want to look into her notes for planning a smaller trip to the Bahamas, though being ambitious and following in her footsteps might not be so bad either.
If it were possible to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day around the world, like if you started in Australia and worked your way west around the globe, where might you land?
Here are 6 possibilities. None of them in Ireland:
At The Mean Fiddler in Sydney, Australia, St. Patrick’s Day is a family event, and it lasts the whole weekend. Besides great music , there’s authentic Irish food fare.
The Tokyo Irish Music Festival 2007 in Japan is another two day event. This is a real blend of east meets west. Michael McGuire of River Dance is part of the performance line-up. So is Taka Hayashi who joined Riverdance a few years back.
For free T-shirt and hat give-a-ways, head to O’Malley’s Irish Pub in Shanghai, China. The doors won’t close on St. Patrick’s Day until the last person leaves (or something like that). The next day is a truly kid-oriented Irish festival. I think the idea is to give the kid’s something to do while the adults get over a hang over.
If you happen to be in Turkey, here’s a website to help you find a pub on your own. The addresses are given.
At Finnegan’s Irish Pub in Florence or Rome, Italy, you’ll find the real Irish deal and Irish sports broadcasts. The website has maps to help you get to that pint of ale before St. Patrick’s Day is over.
In Dublin, Ohio, (I had to pick this one, I live near there.) St. Patrick’s Day starts off with a run and finishes off with my husband’s favorite Irish Band, The Prodigals. They’re excellent and they tour everywhere.
For a comprehensive look for Irish pubs in other global locations, check out the website, Irish Abroad.
Happy St. Patty’s Day and “Top of the mornin’ to you,” or some such thing. The photo is from last year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City. It is a blast. I went year’s ago.
Okay, there is a more subtle name for this festival. How about, Hounen Matsuri? Celebrated every March 15 in Komaki, a town about 45 minutes north of Nagoya, Japan, this is the time of year where folks haul out a large wooden penis to give three cheers to fertility and renewal. The custom is an old one that is connected to bringing about a good harvest and having babies.
Each year in Komaki, a new two and a half meter penis is carved out of a cyprus tree, put on a float and carried from the Tajata Jinja Shrine (the male version) to the Tamahime-no-mikyo Shrine (female version) by 42 year-old men. Since forty-two is not a lucky number in Japan, the 42 year-old males have an interest in being up close to the big guy in order to turn their luck. Besides this very large phallus, other people carry phalluses in the parade too. Men, women, children, everybody gets in on the fun. This photo is from the festival two years ago, thanks to gwenddydd’s on Flickr.
This Shinto shrine has been around for years and the festival that honors it is steeped in folklore. Although, the big phallus may make it seem like this is all fun and frolic, there is a serious intention to the activities. Renewal and rebirth is the aim here. However, serious as this may be, since drinking sake and catching the rice balls that are thrown into the crowd are part of the entertainment, fun seems to be a big factor. Catching a rice ball is supposed to bring good luck.
Besides the sake, there are plenty of food stalls and souvenir chocolates to buy shaped like, well, you know.