Sometimes water, fire extinguishers and axes just don't cut it when it comes to effective fire fighting. Sometimes you have to bring in the big guns. Sometimes... your only recourse is the 'Fire Fighting Flower'!
Always on the cutting edge of new technology, Japan has developed a totally new way to fight fires. Haven't bought yours yet? Believe me, this is going to be the next big 'thing' in fire fighting circles.
The package is extremely user friendly. On the side here they use real life pictures to show you in graphic detail exactly how to use the flowers. I've included an English guide on the left side free of charge.
If that wasn't clear enough, the back panel includes a little cartoon (this is Japan after all) with a more detailed description:
1. A young mother forgets about that pan of hot oil she was heating on the stove as she was busy watching daytime dramas. She walks into the kitchen an hour later (holding the flowers naturally) and notices that she's minutes away from burning down her building.
2. With a determined gesture, she sticks the flowers into the fire. Take that fire!!
3. The fire is out and the battle is won. Or is it? Better wait a minute to make sure those flames have settled, the pan is cooled and the flowers have done their business.
4. If getting the chance to use your flowers successfully in a real life fire isn't a reason to smile, I don't know what is! Don't worry about the fact that you've ruined dinner and a good pan, scorched the ceiling, filled your apartment with smoke and contributed to global warming.
So how effective are they? Well I could've bought some, started a fire in my apartment and given them a hands on test, but this picture convinced me of their competence. If firemen are already using them, then I think that's a pretty good recommendation.
Canned Bread... (Entered Aug. 28, 2008)
Ok so you've survived that massive earthquake, the raging fires, the falling rubble and glass, and you've managed to crawl out from beneath your building in one piece. Days pass and you get hungrier and hungier. You wander over to the local supermarket to forage but find that it too has been reduced to a burnt out shell. You're starving. The pigeons are the first to go, then the cats and dogs and even the crows. Finally you're down to the cockroaches but they soon learn to avoid you and suddenly there are no more animals around. You get hungry again. Then one day you're sitting around enjoying a meal of grass and roasted bark, dreaming of the days of electricity, and wishing you could have a piece of bread, even a small piece, when suddenly you can smell it! Where is it coming from!? You look around and see your neighbor opening up a can, and pulling out... a loaf of bread!
Yep, if only you had prepared for disaster more carefully, you too could have been enjoying fresh bread. Enjoy those beetles and leaves!
How's that for a sales pitch? Not convinced? Well let's take a closer look.
As you can see, I'm holding a can of Ever Fresh Bread aka 'Relief from Japan'. But how good can canned bread really be? They sell this stuff in Tokyu Hands, and people buy it thinking they're all prepared and stuff, but has anyone actually opened a can up and tried a piece? What if it's gross? Is the old maxim true that you'll 'eat anything when you're hungry'?
The canned breads came in various flavours, and the two that I bought were 'orange' and 'raisin'. There was no plain ol' white bread as far as I could tell. Maybe they need to use flavours to cover up the bad taste?
When I opened up this can here, it make a sonic boom-like 'pop' which scared the crap out of me. Might be good information to know if you're about to open up a can of bread in apocalyptic times and don't feel like sharing. Make sure you do it away from the hungry bread-craving hordes.
This can comes with two muffin-like bread things, heavily wrapped in waxy paper. The top of the bread might look kind of tasty, but its consistency and smell was a bit strange. My first thought was not one of 'canned bread with some preservatives' but more of 'canned preservatives with a little bread thrown in'.
The other can dispensed with making its bread even a little bit presentable. Ask yourself this question right now. Would you eat this thing? Did you answer 'yes'? You're a survivor.
I tried hard to imagine I was eating an orange flavoured muffin, but it was difficult. Ok sure, if I was starving I'd eat it of course, but it would be a heck of a lot easier with a cup of coffee to go along with it.
Now that I've eaten my survivor bread where does that leave me? If that earthquake hits tomorrow I'm going to feel pretty stupid.... Knock on wood!
Let's Nihongo! (Entered Aug. 23, 2008)
All of us expats have been there at one time or another. We wake up one day and realize that we've been living in our respective home away from homes for some time now, but still can't say much more than 'thanks' or 'beer' in the local language. So you sign up for some classes, or find a conversation partner, or heaven forbid, buy a book on the language and try to tackle it yourself. And what happens? The classes end up being too expensive, you never get around to meeting the conversation partner a second time, and the language books are boring. I know as I've tried all three, and all of them more than once. So where do you turn to next? Your computer of course!
My computer needed a bit of help though, and a company called Auralog - Tell Me More sent me a well timed email asking if I'd be willing to test their Japanese language software and blog about it. In return I'd get a free copy.
Sweet!
After a long journey over the Pacific, it finally arrived this Monday. It came with three different CD-ROMs (beginner, intermediate and advanced), a booklet on Japanese culture, plus a speaker/headphone set and retails for an impressive $250.00. I started with the beginner CD just for the sake of review, but it was way too easy for me. Intermediate was a bit more difficult, and by the 6th lesson it was finally starting to challenge me with grammar and kanji I didn't know or had long forgotten. The advanced CD was moderately difficult, but the pace didn't pick up to a much higher level like I had hoped. Still, it wasn't easy either, and there were a fair number of words and kanji that I didn't know.
Here's the user interface. To be honest I'm not sure what kind of connection a movie set has with learning Japanese. Maybe it's fun for kids, but I don't really need a gimmick. Just give me a simple user interface with a few small graphics.
So anyway, to start studying, click on one of the below objects which takes you to a different area. The notebook is for exercises, the guy holding that movie thingy is for conversation practice, the clothes are for choosing different lessons, the trophies are for your results, etc, etc.
The exercises were grouped into 10 different sections like 'choose the right word from the picture', 'crossword puzzles', 'connect the English words with the Japanese words' etc. Some were more useful than others, but the fact that nowhere in the program can you write anything down gave me the overall impression that something important was missing. I understand the reasoning though. Auralog is probably thinking that a) most people are more interested in speaking anyway, and (b) most of their customers don't have a Japanese keyboard, or software that allows you to write in Japanese, so they didn't include it.
The grammar section was well laid out and fairly concise, but it might've been better if it were more dynamic. As it is, it's just a book on your screen that explains various grammar rules. It does have clickable words that take you to lessons that incorporate those rules however.
The most interesting part was the dialogue section, where you have a 'conversation' with the program. Altogether, there are 18 different topics that you can choose from. The conversation starts, you listen, and respond to whatever the program says to you, following one of the three choices below. It's quite strict with you actually. If you hesitate or make a mistake, the program makes you repeat yourself until it's satisfied with your pronunciation. Another nice feature is that if you don't know the kanji or word, you can just click on it to hear either its pronunciation or how to read it. The only complaint I have with this section is that you are limited to the three responses built into the program, so basically you're just reading a prepared script. Though I suppose that until AI comes along it'll have to do.
Despite the limitations I mentioned above, Tell Me More - Japanese is a good overall program. It runs quickly, it's easy to follow and understand, it's fun to use, and is beneficial for people who want to improve their grammar, kanji, fluency and pronunciation.
Wanting to learn Japanese comes and goes in a wave. You know the urge, you start thinking about your life, and how everything will no doubt be 100 times better after you get that second language under your belt. This current wave recently started with Mike and Scott both saying they're taking the Japanese language proficiency test, otherwise known as the nihongo nouryoku shiken, this December, so I'm not about to let either of them overtake me! Maybe this program is just the thing I need to pass? It's definitely a good way to go if you like studying by yourself, but are bored of working with textbooks.
Getting the urge to study Japanese now? Order Tell Me More's Japanese language software here.
Pizza Nightmare... (Entered Aug. 19, 2008)
Pizza has gone bad in Japan. For too long now we pizza purists have been too lenient, and allowed this rampant use of obscene toppings such as corn, mayonaise and potatoes to go unchecked. I call on you now to get out of your sofas, to turn off your TVs, to stop your internet downloads and rise, yes rise my brothers and sisters! Look around you, look I say! It isn't too late, but the day is coming when the freedom of having cheese and tomato sauce on our pizzas will seem like a fond dream. It's time to raise the holy sword of pepperoni and smite the villians who would dare order a double corn pizza with white sauce. We must band together as one to battle these treacherous toppings and the evil reprobates who allow it. I call on you now to proudly order a large combination pizza from your nearest pizza parlour to show your dedication to the cause, and name this day 'pepperoni, green peppers, mushrooms and extra cheese day' in it's honour. Classic pizza must prevail!
Empty Subway and Train Stations... (Entered Aug. 15, 2008)
Just wanted to say 'thank you' to all you 20 million or so Tokyoites for following to the letter, the new law that was set out a few weeks ago that made it illegal to be in the subways, trains or stations while I myself am there. I'm really glad to live in such a law abiding country. As you can see from the following pictures, I've been commuting in comfort these last few weeks.
Do I feel lonely? Do I long for the happy noise of children shouting at the tops of their lungs? Do I miss the smell of sweaty old men coming back home from nights of drinking? Maybe you think I must be pining for the sound of school girls constantly chatting on their phones while checking their makeup? Get real.
Life is suddenly pretty good. Trains were once the bane of my existence here in Japan, but now anytime I deign to ride I do so in in peace and harmony. I've got those train drivers 'trained' pretty well now. When I ride, they don't bother making any stops in between. I'm like, 'take me to Ginza!' and it's done. Saves a lot of time.
The train and subway companies are probably rueing the day they ever put up that sign, but hey, the law is the law. Maybe I should think about installing a mini-kitchen and shower/toilet on some of the lines I use more often, put some of this space to work eh?
Well Tokyoites, you've been good law abiding citizens so I've got a little treat for you all. I'll be heading up to Fukushima for a few days of vacation, so you'll be able to use the trains anytime without having to worry about getting tossed in jail. Keep in mind though that things will be back to normal again on Monday. Have a nice weekend (but stay out of my mini-kitchen)!
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View this collection of antique and contemporary Japanese furniture. |
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Auralog TELL ME MORE Japanese (3 levels of learning) |
Mike's Blender Info:
Currently: Tokyo, Japan
Born: Ottawa, Canada
Email: mike[at]beddall[dot]net
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Stuff...
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Japangrish continues! Part 7 now up! |
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More artwork! Four new paintings up! |
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Page 44 and 45 of My Life are now up! |
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Discgolf with UK Mike and Alex! |
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Sometimes I get angry. 'Temper Tantrum' |
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Mr. Donut vs. Krispy Kreme! |
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The Ab Project... |
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The Return of the King! |
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Ninja! |
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Kit Kat! |
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Kyushu and Yakushima! |
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Genki Drinks! |
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