DirtyRobot's Japan

St.Valentine Apple

2012-01-28T07:23:00.000-08:00

I saw these apples in a local store. The have had a sticker put on them while green and then left to ripen under artificial light to turn them red everywhere but the sticker.
Behold the Valentine's Apple...

Brother HL-2140 Toner Refill

2012-01-24T20:50:00.000-08:00

My Brother HL-2140 ran out of toner last week, after looking around at the price of a replacement toner cassette I decided to try the frugal way. In Japan the replacement toner cassette costs ¥5600, but I can but a bottle of toner for ¥900!

I bought a bottle of toner and had a good old messy time refilling the cassette that shipped with the printer. I cleaned up, put the toner cassette into the drum unit and put it back into the printer...
Yellow toner light :( No printing for me :(

There are a few methods on the internet to reset the printer or the drum life. Open the cover, turn the printer on while holding the go button, release and press again.
Tried these and no luck!

Finally I found a video describing the need to reset the flag gear. I looked at my cassette and it had no flag gear! People are selling flag gear kits, so do I get one?
No way!

The flag gear presses a plastic contact inside the printer, it's a white lever in the left hand side, quite close to the front. If you look at the toner cassette you can see where the flag gear should be and work out the location of this switch.

When you buy a new cassette and insert it, the flag gear presses the lever and resets the toner marker. The printer then spins the gears and the flag gears releases the lever.

How to simulate this with the cassette loaded and the cover closed?

Fishing hook and line to the rescue...
Using some long nose pliers I placed the hook onto the spring of the leaver and trailed the line outside the case. I inserted the cassette and closed the cover.
I pulled on the line to simulate the flag gear and turned on the printer...
When the printer had settled I released the line and done this operation a few times with different results.
Finally I turned the printer off for about 30 seconds, then back on (with the line slack) and got a no error messages.
The printer was now ready to go and with a full toner cassette. ¥900 and 30 minutes saved me nearly ¥5000

Okinawa Manhole covers

2011-12-28T18:57:00.001-08:00

I have just finished uploading all of the manhole covers I shot in Okinawa.
You can find them here... Japans Manhole Covers

In Tokyo, Even Old Men Can Dress Up!

2011-12-02T23:07:00.000-08:00

Chichibu Manga Style Emas

2011-11-14T08:05:00.000-08:00

If you find yourself in Chichibu then head to the splendid central temple. Apart from the awesome temple type fair, there are some nice carvings on the main building and some sweet manga style ema boards on the left side of the temple. (the monkey's side).

Public Information Posters in Japan

2011-11-14T07:40:00.001-08:00

Always interested in Japanese design I have built up a nice collection of public information posters.
Here are a few for you to enjoy.

Thank You Google Street View...

2011-03-08T02:25:00.000-08:00

After some careless woman t-boned the front wheel of my trusted mama-chari the buckle in the wheel got worse and worse.
I was riding to work about two weeks later and the rim of the wheel detached, jammed against the brakes and caused me to do some quick repairs in the dark and the rain. I had to remove the brakes just so the wheel could turn. I knew it would not last much longer. I made it to work on time although I was a touch oily from repairs.

So now the task of finding a new front wheel in a country where a new bike is ¥7000!
My first stop was the local DIY stores with no luck. I could order one for ¥3000 and it would take a week. Next stop was a bike dealer/repair shop. They had the wheel I needed for ¥4900, no way I was paying that!

After some thought I remembered a sort of scrap yard I passed but could not remember the exact location. Thats when I hit google maps and street view. I moved up and down the road I remembered before finding the place, and as luck would have it they had the phone number on the front of the building.
After a quick phone call, the owner said I could come and take a wheel for free!!!
When I visited the place it turns out that he exports all of the bikes to 3rd world countries. He even said I could take a whole bike if I wanted.
Anyway, I got my front wheel and am back on the road, thanks to a little help from Google maps and Street veiw.

Cafepress

2011-02-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

Just put some designs up on cafepress and put a link on the side bar.

http://www.cafepress.co.uk/dirtyroboto

Look at those eyes

2011-02-06T20:30:00.000-08:00

Some pretty outlandish eyelash naming going on here.

[Click on image for full size]

Rubbish

2011-01-24T23:36:00.000-08:00

Just a thank you to the person who went through all of my front page to check the rubbish option.
Haters gonna be haters!

Japanese Street Tiles

2010-12-01T22:52:00.000-08:00

Here is a collection of street tiles I captured in Haginaka, in the south of Tokyo.
It is a district of Kamata, near the border with Kawasaki.
The tiles show the Japanese take on the months, displaying the activities associated with them.

Click to Embiggen

Behold - Giant Rainbow Pocky

2010-12-01T21:44:00.000-08:00

Google maps to GPS

2010-11-27T20:47:00.000-08:00

I just put up a short tutorial on youtube showing how you can point and click on google maps and send this to your GPS

How many Cans can the Can Man carry?

2010-10-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

This Tokyo Can man is pushing the fronter of can logistics with a superb display of man powered ingenuity (or is that stupidity!) to demonstrate to us mortals, the power of the bicycle.

Very Active Thunderstorm, North Tokyo

2010-09-13T05:41:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to get this shot before the rain started bucketing down. We had a superb thunderstorm in the north of Tokyo, Saitama and Chiba.
At some points the lightning was hitting about 3-6 times per second, strobing the area. I had a few hits directly above me and decided it was better to come inside. I took some video and will post it up later.
*update* The segment of video I wanted only lasted for 12 seconds, opposed to the 3 minutes it should have been running. I am guessing I bumped the shutter when framing the shot.

Click to embiggen.

Beetle With a Heart

2010-09-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

This Japanese shield beetle, or stink bug, really caught my attention with it's cute heart shaped markings

From Insects

Fuji San Panorama

2010-08-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a panorama I stitched together from shots I took on Shichimenzan.

Angry Fish Sign

2010-08-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

Spotted next to a local river, this sign warns DANGER do not to play close to the river.
I liked the design of the fish so snapped a shot on the iphone.

Shinto Beer (Sinto)

2010-08-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

On a recent visit to a friend in Kyoto, after a long day playing tourist, my friend produced a few beers from the fridge. Never being one to pass up trying a new beer, I was even more enthusiastic when told this beer was from a micro brewery.
I must say that I really enjoyed the flavour of Sinto beer, and recommend that you try it, if you ever get the chance.
I have included a link to the brewery's website.

Iridescent Fly

2010-08-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

The wife noticed this fly and called me over to see. It was a very vivid blue colour so I decided to take a closer look.
I grabbed my camera and quickly mounted the 180mm macro lens and ring flash. I used (A) aperture of 32 and took a series of shots.
After reviewing them on the PC, I was suprised to see lots of water droplets covering the fly along with a fantastic display of colour.

From Macro Insects

Silk Screen Production

2010-08-13T20:58:00.000-07:00

Here is my how to video on making a silk screen using the craft robo to make a vinyl template.

Sunrise over Fuji san

2010-08-11T19:09:00.001-07:00

Just got back from climbing Shichimenzan mountian where we were rewarded with some wonderful views of Mt.Fuji. I took this shot just before sunrise.

From Shichimenzan Mountain

And this one about 1 minute after...

From Shichimenzan Mountain

Tony Tony Chopper Tee Shirts

2010-06-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

I visited one of my favorite clothing stores today and came across these Tony Tony Chopper Tee shirts. I thought I would share them with you.
At the moment Uniglo has a line of Onepiece Tees, but as with everything Uniglo, every other sucker will be sporting the same tee as you. This is why I like Method's line of Onepiece Tees.

The outlet is called Method. They have a website here... http://www.csmen.co.jp/brand/item.html
I really like the Japanese style clothing this company does and I have about 6 tops by them. The detailing is so good and the designs are very Japanese.

This first Tee is done with rhinestones.

This next Tee shows Chopper in a Yukata with candyfloss and a fan.

Here are a couple of PDF links to the designs...
http://www.csmen.co.jp/brand/pdf/100527/onepiece2_1.pdf
http://www.csmen.co.jp/brand/pdf/100527/onepiece2_2.pdf

The R2-D2 Water Bottle

2010-06-04T18:50:00.001-07:00

After seeing the R2-D2 themed pepper mill and soy sauce bottle I thought It couldn't get any better. So I was thrilled to see the new R2-D2 water bottle. Perfect rehydration from our favorite little droid.

Hotel Liver Side

2010-06-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

A place to rest for heavy drinkers?

Vending Machine for Kids

2010-05-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

In Japan, the vending machine capital of the world, they even have vending machines designed especially for kids.
Have a look at the picture to see these small sized machines, with their low height controls and dispensing tray.

Doraemon Car

2010-05-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

On another bike journey I passed this car showroom with a cool Doraemon theme car, complete with Doraemon face seat cover.
Found near Misato, Saitama.

Tokyo Sky Tree

2010-05-16T17:37:00.001-07:00

On a recent bike journey into Tokyo I happened to pass the Tokyo Sky Tree. I only had my Samsung S730 with me, so trying to fit the whole building in the frame was hard. I eneded up having to get close to the base and shoot almost vertical.
Also the sun was very bright so I had to position the tower between the sun and the camera.

The Prime Hammer

2010-05-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

The prime hammer is really overkill for such an ancient tool. Found in Akihabara, this latest development in hammers opens them up to be used by anyone, for anything. read the banner "Regardless of sex or age, Everyone can strike a nail into concrete easily and safdly".
It has 10 (yes 10) different uses including "wiry clamp" and authentic hammer.

Meet the Toyjector

2010-05-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

It's a rather expensive toy if you ask me, at ¥9180. This little Toyjector found in a store in Akihabara boasts of being able to impress your friends, entertain your kids and get your girlfriend to come to your place.

It doesn't mention power requirements, resolution or effective distance. It really must be an expensive toy. You have to love the little manga strip on the packaging, cool.

Coming Soon...

2010-05-11T01:10:00.000-07:00

Silk Screen printing with the Craft Robo.

I am in the process of detailing how to make a silk screen using the Craft Robo. This process is very cheap and easy. Many of the materials can be bought from the Dollar, Pound, 100 Yen shops and it is very easy to make your screen in a few hours (allowing for the paint to dry).
I will also post a video on Youtube along with Instructions here.

Here is one I made earlier.

Goldfish with Heart Markings

2010-05-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry the image is not so good, but I only had the iPhone and the lighting was not good. Also the colour of my Tee shirt kept scaring them to the back of the tank.

I had to ask my wife to translate the sign a few times and was still asking "are you sure" for about the next five minutes.

These two fish had (what I suspected was paint) heart designs on them. On both sides of the fish the marking was mirrored. One fish had a bright pink design and the other had a pale blue.

design.

My wife said, the sign said these were real markings and not painted on.

I am guessing some heavy selective breeding or some genetic engineering is at play here.

The store I saw these at was "Olympic" in Kamagaya

Suica Hack

2010-05-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

Here is my FeliCa Suica hack that provides a hole for a laynard.
I used a high power camera flash unit to see the circuit inside the card. I then located a place where it seemed there was no circuit and punched a hole.
I then tested the card in the ticket machine and all was well. I stuck 1000円 on it then tried it through the ticket gate. It worked as normal.
If you want to try this then make your hole as shown, use the top right corner about 3mm in.
Please make sure you only have a small credit charge on your card, as in the worst case you don't want to damage a card with 10,000円 credit.

Digital Spoon Scale

2010-04-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

Spotted in Don Quixote. The Digital Spoon ?!?!?!?!
Yes, Now you can weigh your sugar before adding it to your coffee. It can also measure volume and give you the mass for that ingredient per volume.
It also sports cool kanji on the transparent spoon bowl so you can measure in Japanese if you need to.
But really. This might be a good thing for a chemist or drug dealer but I don't think it is much use in the kitchen.

R2-D2 Pepper Mill

2010-04-26T22:27:00.001-07:00

Just browsing around Don quixote yesterday and saw these wonderful condiment containers. R2-D2 Pepper Mill and R2-R9 Soy sauce bottle. Priced at 999円 each.

Super Robot Vending Machine at Shibamata

2010-04-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

I bumped into this wonderful customised vending machine at Shibamata in Tokyo. Complete with a plywood head and arms and some dials and wires for added effect.

There are also some metal robot sculptures on the building that are interesting.

It is quite close to the station as you make your way to the temple.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&hq=&hnear=Matsudo+City,+Chiba+Prefecture,+Japan&ll=35.757337,139.875974&spn=0,0.002108&z=19&layer=c&cbll=35.757283,139.875917&panoid=NqabOu3DtE7Qb6_SsmPwMg&cbp=12,346.3,,0,3.4

Rice Pasta Update

2010-04-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

Just cooked up a batch of the rice pasta, and I have to say that it tastes fine. Not to different from standard pasta in both taste and texture. The rice flavour was not strong and it will definitely go with pasta sauce while also going with curry.
I will have to give those a try before I can say for certain.

Pasta made from Rice

2010-04-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

While looking around a new store, I came across this never seen before (by me), Rice pasta Fusilli.
I had to buy some just to see what it tastes like. I plan to cook some up tonight and try with a few different sauces.

Gotta Catch 'em All

2010-03-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally managed to collect all of the pavement tiles in Akihabara. 29 in total.

Here is a link to the photo stream....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47066841@N07/sets/72157623625218894/

Cheap and Sukky

2010-03-15T06:28:00.001-07:00

Roomba should be in the corner shaking when it sees the new contender!
For only 1,299円 you can be the owner of ROBO SWEEPER. About $15

A-Bike in Akihabara

2010-03-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

A note of caution when buying things in tourist areas. (Akihabara).

I went to Akihabara today to look for a switch for a broken toy i'm fixing. I did find a switch that might do the job, but I had a good look around at the wierd and wonderful things there.

I came across the A-Bike as created by Clive Sinclair and I have seen this retail for a fair old price.
In the top part of the picture you can see the bike is going for 29,800円 at a shop on the main drag. But about 100 meters away down a side road you can see (bottom two pictures) the same bike for 9,800円 Exactly 20,000円 cheaper.
In dollars thats about $200.00 !!!

First sakura of 2010

2010-03-13T23:26:00.001-08:00

We went to Shimizu koen today and were really surprised to find a Sakura in bloom. It is so very early in the season to see one this far north.

Cheap Food in Japan

2010-03-06T23:19:00.001-08:00

I have been shopping at Kobebussan for a while now, but I have just realised they have a website and after checking it out I discovered they had a handy store locator (Japanese page version only).
Kobebussan is a cool place to shop as they provide good ingredients at low cost, you can always find a great selection of food there.

Store Locator.
http://www.kobebussan.co.jp/shop/index.html
Web site.
http://www.kobebussan.co.jp/index.html
http://www.kobebussan.co.jp/english/index.html

Bandai Peller Model

2010-03-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

I was having a look around a local Donkey (Don Quixote) and saw this item that made me chuckle.
Its a plastic articulated model that comes with some adhesive printer paper. You basically take a photograph of yourself or a victim, print them out onto the paper and stick them onto the PellerModel.
Click the title to goto the website where you will see that they also cater for pets.

http://pellermo.com/top.html

Craft Robo Fretwork Heart

2010-03-03T07:38:00.001-08:00

Just finished this fretwork heart on the craft robo. The design was taken from a 1970's childrens book by photo and imported into CDraw to be turned into vetor.
It was cut into thick paper stock and the CR was set to double cut.
It snagged in a few places but no big issues.

DIC HELMET

2010-03-02T00:19:00.000-08:00

Passing by a workman's hut this box caught my attention. Behold the Dic Helmet. This get's about 1/10 for product naming but 10/10 for making me laugh!

Japanese Roulette Vending machine

2010-02-27T19:07:00.000-08:00

I came across this vending machine at the corner of an old local street. It's about 15 years old and looks out of commission.
Apparently these used to be very popular as you would put in your ¥100 to buy a drink, you also got a chance to play the roulette game and if you won you got another drink for free.

Seasonal food in Japan

2010-02-25T19:36:00.000-08:00

Japan prides itself on the celebration of the seasons, and much of the produce you can buy is seasonal.

This can lead to some very silly vegetable prices out of season, like the two examples above.

I should point out that the tomato's are high quality and usually go for ¥380 in season.

Also when these veggies are in season the price can be lower then in the west.

But here are the current price conversions for you.

Tomato ¥580 = $6.49 £4.25 €4.77

Lettuce ¥248 = $2.77 £1.81 €2.04

Yummie Whale Steak

2010-02-19T23:45:00.001-08:00

Whale meat, while always controversial these days used to be a staple food and also the fat produced light for our houses, soap and lipstick among other things.

Here in Japan we are lucky enough to still have the option of eating this wonderful meat and as a nod to my UK ancestors I decided to give it a try.

I was expecting some nasty, chewy, fatty and stinky meat going by what I had heard from many people, but I was very surprised.

First I tried some sushi style, and after the initial shock of the pungent and fishy flavour I was treated to a soft and almost melting texture. The bite was almost like cooked tuna, so soft.

The flavour was very strong and oily but very tasty at the same time.

Next I lightly fried the whale meat, and this time was rewarded with a much softer flavour and a really suculent steak.

I now know why they don't want people to eat this, as if many people know how yummie it is, then the rest of the whales would be very worried.

Who is more Greedy?

2010-02-19T22:46:00.000-08:00

Well, here in Japan it's not really the season for insects or carnivorous plants; but yesterday after hearing a buzzing sound I followed it to my Sarracenia outside.
On closer inspection I found a huge fly wedged into a tiny pitcher, so I grabbed my camera and took this shot.

I don't know who is more greedy here! Is it the fat fly stuffing itself into a place far too small, or the plant munching on a morsel far too big?

Honda's new robot short

2010-01-26T05:26:00.000-08:00

Tony Tony Chopper Vinyl

2010-01-23T01:21:00.000-08:00

Just finished weeding my Tony Tony Chopper vinyl sticker and apart from the mistake on his right antler it came out quite well.
I can see a few places that still need a bit of work, but not bad for the first try.
The Craft Robo missed a few joins so next time I will do 2 passes on a lighter cutting depth.

Color my Chopper

2010-01-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

I was just doing some more work on my Tony Tony Chopper decal and thought I would put up a Black and White version of the vector for kids and adults to color. This .jpg should fit onto an A4 sheet although you can resize it in any of the normal ways.
Enjoy coloring...

Tree Doctor at the Temple

2010-01-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

I was just walking around the local area when I spotted some tree doctors in action at a nearby temple. As I had the wide angle lens on I took a few snaps of the action.

Sapporo Chocolat Bitter

2010-01-18T00:42:00.000-08:00

Chocolat Brewery Bitter.
Chocolat Brewery is made from roasted cacao, having the characteristic of aromatic chocolate flavor and bitter taste.

Silly Road Sign

2010-01-16T08:02:00.000-08:00

A real and wonderfully over complicated road sign found in Japan.

Mt.Fuji at Sunrise

2010-01-11T19:03:00.000-08:00

Was down in Odawara on Sunday and managed to get there before sunrise. While enjoying a nice hot coffee in a 7-11 carpark and checking out the great view of Fuji san we were blessed with an awesome sunrise and were able to see the sun slowly shine on Fuji san from top to bottom, turning it from pink to orange.
I wish I had bought my DSLR as I only had my point and shoot.

iPhone Tone Selection .m4r

2010-01-11T06:06:00.000-08:00

Just uploaded some tones for the iPnone in m4r format. Most of them are alarm tones for the timers and alarm functions but you can use them for ringtones. Just bear in mind that these are quite loud and have been normalised as much as possible.

http://www.tokyodrop.com/iphone-tones/
And a link to the Sogeking ringtone...
http://www.tokyodrop.com/iphone-tones/DRobot-Sogeking.m4r

Engraving with the Craft Robo

2010-01-03T02:57:00.000-08:00

I thought I would use an old blunt blade to try engraving onto an aluminium sheet. I trimmed the cap down a bit and used max pressure (33) with a cutting speed of 5.
It came out really well!
Now I am looking for designs worthy of going onto the aluminium sheet.

Sandpaper Packaging

2010-01-02T19:10:00.001-08:00

I just bought a sandpaper tool from Daiso and was amused by the very Engrish packaging.
I just love the bit about a woman with a handle :)

Hotel Slit

2009-12-23T22:51:00.001-08:00

Ever wanted to stay in Hotel Slit?
Well now is your chance...

2009-12-23T22:43:00.000-08:00

I found this wonderful toy in a chinese gadget vendor's in Akihabara. I didn't buy one as I can do this function myself in various ways.

Smokers corner at Akiba axed

2009-12-23T21:11:00.000-08:00

While I won't take resonsability for smokers corner being axed, my picture earlier in the year (seen above) probably helped to clean up the area.
As it was tagged with akiba/tokyo ect. I guess a few people saw it and started asking questions.

2009-12-23T21:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas inflatable at Matsudo 2009, super santa koala

Macro with the iPhone

2009-12-21T18:32:00.000-08:00

Thought I would try some macro with the iPhone so I dug out my jewelers loupe (x5) and put infront of the iphones lens. At first I just had a dark screen with a bright hole in the center where the lens looked through the loupe. I then used and app called HD camera to zoom into the loupes center.

After a bit of playing around I managed to take some macro shots. I will post more when I find an interesting subject.

Coi Tile Meguro

2009-12-13T19:18:00.000-08:00

Saw a nice floor tile in Meguro so I took a picture and put it in Corel Draw when I got home. A fair bit of work to fix and trace it, but it came out well.

PUB SNACK! are they telling the truth?

2009-12-13T19:06:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I will get a truthful snack in this joint!

Don't fall on the train

2009-12-13T17:23:00.001-08:00

JR Poster. Hitting the emergency button if someone dives on the tracks.
Or that they are introducing a fleet of mini trains you can sit on top of.

The leaves will fall and change how things look.

2009-12-13T17:20:00.000-08:00

Had to get a shot of this manhole cover as it had a some fallen leaf contrasting background.

Disk Flyers Unite!!

2009-11-30T07:03:00.000-08:00

Found in Akihabara for 100 Yen. Meet the super folding flyer. It can fit in your pocket and zoom out at a moments notice.

28 Piece plastic magic.

2009-11-30T06:42:00.000-08:00

Akihabara Is the place to be not only for scum like me but also for the Japanese royal family.

I had to stop and shoot this video while dodging the few hundered armed police in the area.

2009-11-30T06:38:00.000-08:00

Having a little browse around Akihabara today I found the Doulex Lamp.

It's a credit card sized illumination device that works off of a single button cell battery and gives off a subtle but effective glow.

Suntory 8 Clear Strong

2009-11-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

Meet the latest beer from Suntory, with a whopping 8% alcohol content. "8 Clear Strong".
This beer features the J shaped ring pull that gains you entry to the strongest commercial beer in Japan. I have been a great fan of Kirin's "Strong Seven" so I was pleased to see Suntory counter the strong beer market with its latest offering.
I must admit to liking the flavour of Kirin's 7 above Suntory's 8 due to the robust and flavoursome body in the Strong 7 line.
The suntory offering is very weak in flavour and is more like a Chu-Hi type of drink rather then a hardcore beer. The flavour is mild, deceiving the alcohol content as opposed to many other Hi alcohol brews.
With many strong lagers and beers you get a sweetness that is missing in this brew. It is almost as though they added the extra alcohol as an afterthought to counter Kirin's success with the 7 line.

As I drink this and type, I can only liken this to Suntory's 5% line of beers in flavour with the added alcohol to help to sell against Kirin's line of strong beers. It is not outstanding nor does it compete with the likes of Tennants or Special Brew, But it sure is a strong and unimpressive drink.

Edogawa

2009-11-06T23:49:00.001-08:00

Just sitting waiting for the wife by Edogawa after a beautiful day

What a lame name for mirror

2009-11-02T22:22:00.001-08:00

Two balls eh!

2009-10-26T22:39:00.001-07:00

Giant spider invades Tokyo

2009-10-23T23:52:00.001-07:00

Earthquake Friday 23rd Oct 2009

2009-10-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

Nice little ground shaker this morning. It lasted about 10 seconds and was very gentle.

Japan is sooo expensive

2009-10-21T02:52:00.001-07:00

But I bought all of this for ¥440
That's £2.90 or $4.84
You must also understand that this is fresh local produce from local
farmers and not the hydroponic stuff you get in the west.
this is organic without the label.

Mutton curry

2009-10-20T23:26:00.001-07:00

Mutton and lamb are not so easy to find in middle japan. I was
suprised to find this yummie dish in my local town

Me taking the wheel of the Wanpaku express

2009-10-20T05:00:00.001-07:00

Inside the JR Wanpaku train

2009-10-20T04:59:00.001-07:00

Super size Mario

2009-10-20T04:57:00.000-07:00

New Vinyl template

2009-10-19T20:56:00.001-07:00

I have just started work on a new template for my craft robo. I am using corel draw to make a new One Piece template for Tony Tony Chopper.

Tskuba Trip

2009-10-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

Well, last Friday I went on a trip to Tskuba with my local volunteer group (toy doctors).

We set out at 8:30 am and made Tskuba by 10:15
The first stop on the list was Tskuba Expo center where we saw an excellent exhibition of space goodies.

This little chap was at the entrance to greet us, sadly it was out of order.

One of the really cool manhole covers at the Expo center.

We spent about an hour there before heading off to lunch at Hanamasa, which I will post about next as my connection is a bit slow at the moment.

Fuji san after the storm

2009-10-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot of Fuji san taken at sunset. This is the day after typhoon Melor and the picture was taken from Matsudo

Typhoon in Tokyo

2009-10-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

Well I guess we missed the worst of it in Tokyo, but the wind and rain were really strong.
It is still blowing a storm now, although the rain has stopped and the sun is out.
It is perfect weather to dry clothes in if you don't mind chasing them down the street!

One Piece Tee Shirt. Update

2009-10-07T06:14:00.001-07:00

I just added the One Piece logo to my Sanji shirt. It was a hell of a job working on the rope detail.
Each segment had to first be weeded from vinyl and then again from the shirt.
I love the effect though.

2009-10-06T22:13:00.001-07:00

Getting ready for typhoon 18. Looks like it might be strong one!

One Piece Tee Shirt.

2009-10-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

Here is my just completed One Piece Tee shirt. It features Sanji on the front and the Pirate Flag on the left sleeve.

This was done using vinyl templates and "puffy ink" for a textured effect.

I designed the templates on Corel Draw.

Lucky Cider

2009-09-27T19:58:00.001-07:00

This is lucky cider with the Kira Kira sparkle. This is also the first time I have seen it sold in 1.5 liter bottles.

Netsuke

2009-09-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

Click on img to enlarge

I Bought this sweet netsuke while in Kyoto. It is a chinese zodiac ball with all twelve signs weaved into the design. It is signed by the maker who I was told is now retired and has stopped making netsuke's.

I can't wait for next years hanami and hanabi seasons to kick off so I can wear this with my Yukata and Obi.

Lucky Star Tee Shirt - Kagami

2009-09-27T02:20:00.000-07:00

This is my latest creation. A Lucky Star Tee of Kagami.
I used a vinyl template and puffy ink to get a raised effect.
Most of the time was spent weeding the vinyl template and then weeding the Tee after applying the ink.
This style of print is a one off made by hand, the only thing not made by hand was the tee.

If you want to commission a tee then give me a mail and I will see what I can do for you.

Space suit costume kitchen sponge !

2009-09-26T20:53:00.001-07:00

The super spacesuit kitchen sponge is just what you need to make those boring chores a treat!

Horse Fat Foot scrub

2009-09-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Well I never would have thought that you would put horse fat cream on your feet, but here is the evidence.
In my local shop you can get your feet covered in this horse fat for a handsome price.
I might just try some.

Oh! and can you cook with it?

2009-09-26T19:17:00.001-07:00

Just got the iPhone linked up, now on with the blogging