kweto comments

asiantourist, always get a kick out of your oddly memorable, English-like comments/ad-blurbs. Glad to see you chiming in even on this risque topic! Thanks.

Who is Erina?

Erina, played by Inoue, is the abducted child, who in this movie is now grown-up and has also become a mistress herself. Moriguchi plays Erina's birth-mother/cheated-on wife. Nagasaku plays the abductress/mistress. And Koike plays a reporter who becomes close to Erina.

Not particularly interested in this film (well, other than Koike-san). Just distracting my mind off a programming problem I'm working on... lateral thinking?

To learn even more, the movie's Japanese website is at youkame.com.

Speaking of German cakes...

Does nyone know of a place in Tokyo or elsewhere in Japan that makes or sells well-made applestrudel? German-style, Austrian-style, Hungarian-style -- any type at all!

Apart from the problem of making proper dough, I imagine the apples would have to be imported?

Thanks!

The fury thing around their shoulders

Seems to be called a "shawl" ショール or "fur" ファー -- as in "fox-shawl" フォックスショール　of "fox-fur" フォックスファー.

what is the name of these short overcoats

I don't see any overcoats. Just the furisode (the topmost and colorful layer, with the long sleeves), some layers under that, a faux-fur stole over the shoulders, tabi socks, zouri sandals, and the obi belt (not to mention, unnecessary hair-dye).

I'll have a BIKURI Don...

And it's free to anyone who can wolf it down in under 15 mins! Gross!!

... very forgiving of mistakes

Can't argue with this. Soon as there's a version with built-in camera, it'll be a gift to my folks back home so we can video-call -- which happens now, but tech problems (too!) often come up at their end.

Geenie, those two poses, especially the little guy -- primitive! Nice quick eye!

Not ice, right?

I don't think so either. Perhaps that EZ Glide synthetic surface JT had a pic of last year too?

what amazes me is that any woman actually wants to even date this ****

This struck me too. So, not being up to score on Scandal Japan, I asked the wife. She pointed out that the bride-to-be's father had himself been notoriously involved in an affair scandal, and thus this might be a bit of daughter's revenge on dad.

the annual Honda “Eco-Run” competition in Motegi, north of Tokyo

More specifically, it's at the Twin Ring Motegi race circuit.

Nobu has been a friend of mine for 20 years and I love his tempura

Nobu who? The article's missing a reference, isn't it?

(Sorry. That should read "having recently been obliged to take in....")

ebisen, if you've also seen Cirque du Soleil in Tokyo, how would you compare the two groups? Blue Man has had me curious for a while but now, having recently been recently to take in Cirque's Tokyo show (it was ok but...), I'm hesitant. Spectacles just aren't my thing. TIA.

Not much into cars (a Hijet kei-truck is my ideal!) but this one caught my interest after a client let me try his out (2nd-car, for his wife). It's definitely petite, but the car-body felt strong and secure, with plenty of interior space both front and back. At 190 cm tall, climbing inside felt like entering the Tardis! Perhaps for after the kids are all grown up and the wife and I have retired...

"... its ENGLISH name"? Heck! why not instead your country's (official?) name, Mr. Grigol Vashadze -- Sakartvelo?

And if we're talking word-association confusion for Japanese, well, rather than Ray Charles's favorite state, wouldn't it be Norika Fujiwara, Stevie Wonder and now The Blue Suit Man's favorite brand of canned coffee that first pops into people's minds here?

Is it me or does anyone else here not know this "popular" comedian?

I think it's yourself. Cause I weekly watch just about an hour and a half of commercial tv programming (always watch Sazaesan) and, still, his face from the pic above was almost immediately recognizable. He's that guy who, as a comical-closer, either makes his face very angry or very teary.

Now the wife-to-be, her I don't seem to have seen or heard of before.

An interesting viewpoint is at

http://ampontan.wordpress.com/2008/10/08/the-collapse-of-journalism-in-japan/

Note: The writer is generally dissatisfied with mass-media regardless of its nation of origin.