Big in Japan: Eating Mozzarella cheese can kill you

by Matthew Firestone on

Forgive the sensational title of today’s blog, but I am a serious foodie when it comes to all things Italian…

After all, few things in life hit the spot quite like an authentic Italian antipasto of parma ham, buffalo mozzarella and marinated red peppers.

So, you can imagine my shock and surprise when I discovered that my local supermarket here in Tokyo was no longer selling mozzarella cheese.

After making this horrific discovery, I quickly asked the store clerk where I could find this necessary ingredient for my antipasto in the making.

What was their response you ask?

Well, quite simply that Japan has decided to ban all imports of Italian buffalo mozzarella cheese following the discovery of high levels of dioxin in the cheese.

Yikes!

(Interestingly enough, the store clerk then recommended that I try using sharp cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella in my antipasto!)

Anyway, turns out that as of yesterday, the Japanese Ministry of Health has been impounding all shipments of this delicious cheese after South Korean officials discovered 29 toxic samples.

Dioxin, which is an extremely potent carcinogen, hit the headlines a few years back following the alleged poisoning of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.

Needless to say, this is not the kind of chemical you want on your dinner plate!

Last month, Chinese-made dumplings containing pesticides sickened 175 Japanese, which launched the issue of food safety and security into the public spotlight.

Culturally, the Japanese are incessant gourmands, so issues concerning food contamination are not taken lightly here in the Land of the Rising Sun.

So, following a rash of food poisonings in neighboring South Korea, the Japanese government was quick to act.

Each year, Italy produces 33,000 tons of mozzarella, and exports 16 percent of that (or approximately 329 tons) to Japan.

So, given that there are batches of killer cheese floating around South Korea, which imports a mere 10 tons of the gooey product, the Japanese public is applauding the government’s foresight.

Of course, the Italian government is less than happy as of recent.

Paolo Minster De Castro, Italy’s agriculture minister, is in talks with Japanese, South Korean and European Union officials on the issue.

At an emergency summit in Rome, the Italian health ministry admitted that traces of carcinogenic dioxins had been discovered at some farms in Campania.

Health officials previously stated that herds of water buffalo, whose milk is used to make the cheese, could be ingesting poisons from illegally dumped rubbish.

Dioxins are usually released when plastic is burnt, though they can also seep into groundwater from decomposing rubbish.

However, the Italian government is fiercely denying that the dioxin in the buffalo mozzarella comes from improperly disposed garbage.

In fact, the Italian health ministry even went as far as to reassure the public that the problems were “limited and contained.”

For those of you living in Japan, my suggestion is to pass on mozzarella for awhile, even though the problem has thus far been limited to the buffalo variety.

And, for anyone living over in America who is fond of Italian food, perhaps you might want to consider going out for Thai this week.

** All images courtesy of the WikiCommons Media Project **

Fiesta: Tokyo’s Hidden Karaoke Gem

by Tynan on

I’m not going to lie – I am a karaoke aficionado. Back in Austin, TX I hosted karaoke every week (mainly so that I could cut the line whenever I wanted) and I invented something called Tazeroke.

I knew that they loved karaoke in Japan, so I was pumped to sing when I arrived here. However, after a trying conversation with the girl behind the desk of a karaoke establishment, I had a shocking realization.

All of the karaoke here is in private rooms.

There are no karaoke bars with stages and random patrons to bask in your superstar glory. And for us Westerners, that’s what karaoke is all about – being a rock star for three and a half minutes.

Some research revealed one exception to this national rule. In Roppongi, on the third floor of a building tucked away on a little side street there is a place called “Fiesta.” You’d never find it if you didn’t know it was there.

Last night my friend Todd and I had the honor of being guests of Shintaro Mimura, the director of Fiesta. And let me tell you – this is karaoke at its finest.

Most karaoke bars in the US are regular bars with karaoke as an afterthought. Not Fiesta. Mr. Mimura is a die-hard karaoke lover and it shows.

The room has a three big seating areas, all with good views of the small stage in the corner. The stage has a full lighting rig, three microphones, and monitor speakers. The system itself is connected to the internet and automatically downloads new songs as they come out. The sound system is fantastic.

The best part of Fiesta may be the crowd. It’s largely regulars and they stand up and sing along with every song they know. Most of the singers are good enough that they’re actually fun to listen to – especially Mr. Mimura. If you go, make sure you ask him to sing some Beastie Boys. I’ve heard a lot of people try to sing the Beastie Boys, and he blew them all away.

To find your way to Fiesta, check out their website at www.fiesta-roppongi.com. I’ll be back there on Saturday, March 29, so if you’re in Tokyo come down and sing with me.

Big in Japan: Praying pooch attracts droves of temple goers

by Matthew Firestone on

The Japanese have an intense love for all things cute or kawaii (?????????)…

So, when a story like this one gets picked up by the international press, it’s kinda hard not to comment on something as cute as this!

According to the Associated Press (AP) in Japan, attendance at a Buddhist temple in Okinawa has increased since the temple’s two-year old Chihuahua started joining in daily prayers.

Aptly named Conan, the feisty little critter sits on his hind legs, raises his paws and puts them together at the tip of his nose.

According to Joei Yoshikuni, a priest at Jigenin temple, “He may be showing his thanks for treats and walks.”

He continues: “Basically, I am just trying to get him to sit still while I meditate – it’s not like we can make him cross his legs!”

Of course, there still might be hope for Conan to participate in the daily meditation rituals as it only took him a few days to imitate the motions of praying.

“I think he saw me doing it all the time and got the idea to do it too,” says Priest Yoshikuni.

Buddhism has an extremely strong foundation in Japan as the religion first arrived in the archipelago 1,200 years ago from mainland Asia. In fact, almost three-quarters of Japanese people are registered Buddhists, though the only time they enter a temple is on their death bed.

As a result, the vast majority of Japan’s 75,000 temples are in serious financial trouble. Although funerals are a huge source of income, especially given Japan’s aging population, the temples will have to attract new followers if they wish to thrive beyond the immediate future.

Fortunately, since word started to spread about Conan, Jigenin temple now gets 30% more visitors than it did before. Truth be told, it may be a rather unorthodox way to attract new followers, but Japan’s temples have been anything but conservative as of recent.

According to Priest Kosuke Kikkawa, who recently organized a fashion show for Buddhist monks in Tokyo: “Many of us priests share the sense of crisis, and a need to do something to reach out to people. We won’t change Buddha’s teachings, but perhaps we need a different presentation that can touch the feelings of the people today.”

Fellow priest Hogen Natori, who has been performing his traditional mantras at jazz clubs throughout Tokyo, whole-heartedly agrees.

“Many Japanese don’t want to come to temple. They think Buddhism is very difficult, and deep and serious, but Buddhism is much more than that – exciting, funny even. I want to spread this kind of teaching.”

Fortunately for the monks at Jigenin temple, their rather photogenic praying pooch might just be the ticket to reviving interest in their faith.

In fact, following news of Paris Hilton’s exploits here in Japan, primed and pampered pet Chihuahuas have become all the rage amongst the young and fashionable.

Only in Japan!

** Photo of Conan was taken by the Associated Press (AP). The Buddhist images were courtesy of the WikiCommons Media Project. **

Big in Japan: Giant anime cat is Japan’s new foreign ambassador

by Matthew Firestone on

If you thought that the political world of international diplomacy was dry and boring, then guess again!

Last week in Japan, government leaders shocked the world by announcing that their latest ambassador to the world is a giant anime cat.

Of course, we’re not just talking about any old cat, but none other than Doraemon (??????????????), Japan’s beloved anime robo-cat, that traveled back in time from the 22nd century to aid a schoolboy, Nobita Nobi.

On Tuesday, March 19, Japan’s foreign minister, namely Masahiko Komura, appointed a giant stuffed Doraemon as Japan’s first “anime ambassador” tasked with “making friends by travelling around the world.”

Doraemon responded by saying the following : “Through my work, I will do my best to tell people in foreign countries about what Japanese think, how Japanese live and what kind of future the Japanese hope to make.”

The ceremony concluded with television crews filming Doraemon shaking hands with real flesh-and-blood foreign dignitaries from around the world.

Isn’t Japan an amazing place?

In case you’re a bit confused as to who Doraemon is, and why he may be standing near you at an airport security line in the near future, keep on reading!

For starters, Doraemon is the main character in one of Japan’s most popular anime series, which has also become widely known in much of Asia.

Created by a cartoonist under the pen name Fujiko F. Fujio in 1969, Doraemon is a robotic blue and white cat (sans ears of course) who travels back in time to help a struggling school boy.

The manga was highlighted by Doraemon’s seemingly bottomless pocket on his belly, from which he would pull out all sorts of crazy futuristic gadgets known as dōgu (道具, literally tools).

Over the past several decades, Doraemon is believed to have pulled out roughly 4,500 different kinds of dōgu from his ‘fourth-dimensional’ pocket including everything from time machines and helicopters to bamboo horses and sniffer octopuses.

However fanciful the universe of Doraemon might be, his most recent appointment as Japan’s cultural ambassador is serious business.

In fact, Japan’s international popularity has waned significantly in recent years following a number of controversies including various World War II denial scandals and increased whaling efforts.

Which is of course why the Japanese government is extremely keen to promote the country’s strong cultural attributes, such as the weird and wonderful world of manga.

Just ask foreign minister Komura, who instructed Doraemon to “travel around the world as an anime ambassador to deepen people’s understanding of Japan so they will become friends with Japan.”

Alongside Doraemon’s diplomatic tour, the Japanese foreign ministry also plans to arrange showings of a Doraemon film at a number of diplomatic missions around the world including Singapore, China, Spain and France.

So, with election fever on everyone’s mind in the States, I guess it brings up the question of whether or not a giant anime cat is as effective of a politician as some of our country’s leading candidates.

I’ll of course leave that question up to all of you out there!

How I became a modern day nomad, and how you can too

by Tynan on

I no longer have a simple answer to the question, “Where do you live?”, so I usually launch into an explanation of exactly what I’m doing. I almost always get the same response.

“Wow. I wish I could do that.”

But here’s the thing: almost anyone can do what I’m doing. Despite being a much more interesting lifestyle, it’s not particularly difficult or expensive.

This is the story of how I became a modern day nomad, and how you may become one too if the idea appeals to you.

I quit my job a year ago. It was a great job by any metric, but something about sitting inside on a computer on sunny spring days seemed wrong. What was I doing with my life?

A couple months later I was free. I wrote a book about my knowledge and experiences gained from living with the most famous pickup artists in the world, and I began selling it.

I still had to work, but my work was totally mobile. My book was sold online only. I could write from anywhere, take care of customers from anywhere, and make phone calls from anywhere.

This led to questions like, “Why am I living in Austin?”, which led to questions like, “Why am I living in the U.S.?”, which led to questions like, “Why pick just one place to live in?”

And so the idea was hatched. I’d pick six different countries to live in, and would move every two months.It wouldn’t be vacation, though. I’d work just like usual, except instead of taking a break to see a movie I’d take a break to walk on the Panama Canal.

And I didn’t want to backpack either. Staying in a dorm room in some dirty hostel didn’t hold much appeal. I wanted to live like a local and really experience the country and the culture.

My good friend Todd listened as I explained the plan.

“Count me in.”

We wrote a dream list of all the countries we’d like to visit in the first year. Narrowing the list down was difficult, but we cut it down to six main destinations as well as a few small side trips.

Panama, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Qatar, France, Australia, New Zealand.

Deciding to do the trip was the hardest part. Once you pick a date to leave and decide that you’ll do it no matter what, the rest falls in place.

We sold everything. I had an RV, a condo, a car, as well as tons of computers, clothes, and other junk like that. Even if we didn’t have existing online businesses, our fire sales would have bought us enough time to start our businesses on the road.

With just a few hours to go, we were both down to just one small 28L Backpack each. Over the prior few months we had researched the very best gear to buy, and our bags were full of our findings. In those tiny backpacks we stuffed everything we’d need to live and work comfortably for the rest of the year.

Leaving people behind is difficult too, of course. I left a girlfriend, and Todd and I both said goodbye to a lot of friends and family. Internet makes that a lot better, though. Making calls with our VOIP Enabled phones is the same as using them as cell phones, and AIM and e-mail keep us in touch too. Some of our friends even come out and visit us on the road.

We anticipated that life would be totally different once we left, and that it would be a lot harder. This hasn’t been true at all. Once you adjust to a new country after a day or two, it’s business as usual.

There are a lot of differences, but the basics are the same. People are friendly and helpful everywhere. Good food can be found everywhere. Supermarkets are all basically the same.

It isn’t very expensive either. We bought our plane tickets through Airtreks, which averaged less than $500 per month. In Panama we had a two bedroom apartment with a large balcony overlooking the harbor. In Tokyo we have a large room with two beds in a big house in Shibuya, one of the best areas downtown. Both accommodations cost us only $550 per month each.

Because anything purchased has to be lugged to the next destination, we don’t buy anything other than food, which might be another $500 a month each. For just over $1000 a month we have the luxury of living all over the world, learning and experiencing more every month than we used to in a year.

There are no significant hidden costs or hassles. Living as a nomad is just as manageable as living in a single location, but a lot more fun and exciting.

Even if you don’t want to start your own internet business, there is a lot of work that can be done by contract. To start, check out eLance, or rentacoder.com. Between those two sites you can get paid to write, edit, create web pages, research, or program. If you can’t do any of those things now, you could surely teach yourself within a few months using free resources online and a little practice.

Thanks to technology, becoming a nomad is in reach of most people. If you’re interested enough to read this far, it’s probably something you could do too.

What’s stopping you?