MY VERY OWN RAMUNE BOTTLE!
Now if only I can get the marble out...:/

Unusual Japanese Ice Creams!

I love eating ice cream but I was surfing the web when I stumbled upon some unusual Japanese ice cream flavours.

Wasabi ice cream? Now that is just basically eating a whole cup of spiciness. I can only hope that if I ever try this, it doesn't taste as spicy as it sounds.

Fish-flavoured ice cream? Might taste good but it depends on the type of fish, and if any, bones inside.

Ox-tongue ice cream? Gross! Wonder how the Japanese would feel if someone mashed their tongue into paste.

Squid ice cream? Does it spray ink or is it all mashed up or something?

Crab-ice cream? Now this, I'm assuming, might actually taste good but you never know cause the Japanese are just so wild. :P

Japan has the highest number of vending machines per capita with about one machine for every twenty-three people. The majority of machines in Japan are stocked with drinks, snacks, and cigarettes but sometimes a person finds vending machines selling items such as bottles of liquor, cans of beer, fried food, underwear, iPods, live lobsters, fresh meat, eggs and potted plants. In Japan, vending machines are known as 自動販売機 (jidō-hanbaiki) from jidō, or "automatic"; hanbai, or "vending"; and ki, or "machine", 自販機 (jihanki) for short.
Vending machine services such as Osaifu-Keitai allow cell phones to be used to pay for stuff bought from these vending machines more easily.

Info from wikipedia.

Japanese Traditional Dolls.

I saw some very unique Japanese dolls during my connecting flight in Narita airport. I wanted to buy them but they were so expensive. :( At least i go to see them. Here are some Japanese dolls that caught my attention.

I'm gonna talk about one in particular:

DARUMA DOLLS

I took this picture of a pile of Daruma dolls at Narita airport. Daruma dolls are usually red and represent a bearded man. Though people think it's a toy at first, the Japanese consider it more as a good luck charm. Definitely a good gift for encouragement.

bottom picture from wikipedia.

Darumas are usually made of papier-mache and are round.

Eyes of Daruma dolls are usually sold blank when sold. The owner of the doll is supposed to paint one eye when making a wish and to paint the other if the wish comes true.

Traditionally, Darumas were bought by a family and that only the head of the household would paint in the eyes.

A special ceremony called the Daruma Kuyo(だるま供養), is held once every year after New Years Day. At the event, people bring all the Darumas they used last year and turn them into a temple, buying new ones for the next year. All of the dolls are then burned together in the temple.

KOKESHI DOLLS

photos above from wikipedia

JAPANESE GEISHA DOLLS.