Lighting up some luxury Japanese sparklers bought from a supermarket checkout

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better sparkler than these.

As the temperature steadily rises in Japan, it’s once again summer and as always, people’s thoughts turn to lighting explosives on fire for pretty displays of pyrotechnics. And once again, our fireworks correspondent Masanuki Sunakoma is always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to have flammable fun.

Sometimes, however, the fireworks come to Masanuki when he least expects it. Such a thing happened the other day while shopping at the supermarket. Near the checkout was a display for sparklers, which is not uncommon for this time of year, but these were no ordinary sparklers.

The product is called The Finest Artisanal Senko Sparks, and its package also boasts that they’re made in Japan. The set comes with three different types of sparklers, and if there was any doubt about its artisanal quality, the pack of nine sticks cost 1,298 yen (US$8) which is substantially more than most other sparklers on the market.

The price was enough to make Masanuki seriously think twice about buying it, but his duty as possibly the nation’s leading fireworks writer compelled him to see what the deal was. He bought the artisanal sparklers and took them home for testing.

After purchasing, our reporter checked the package more closely and learned that they were made by Inoue Toy Fireworks in Shizuoka Prefecture. In Japan, there is a slightly different variation of sparklers, known as senko hanabi, which translates literally as “incense fireworks.” These have pretty much the same incense-stick-like look of sparklers but aren’t quite as explosive as ones found in other countries. In fact, some might even say they have a somber quality as the sparks mainly fall to the ground, rather than burst in every direction, before quickly fizzling out into oblivion.

That being said, these aren’t even senko hanabi (線香花火). If you look closely at the package, it says “senko hibana” (線香火花) which translates to “incense sparks”.  Perhaps the reversed kanji characters are a subtle way of shaking that understated, to some, bittersweetly ephemeral image and suggesting a more spectacularly long-lasting sparkler experience.

Masanuki decided to start with the Golden Sparkle Crown Chrysanthemum sparkler. “Crown Chrysanthemum” or “Kamurogiku” is a Japanese fireworks term that refers to an explosion that spreads more slowly.

After lighting up the sparkler, a thick flurry of yellow sparks poured from the tip. And much like crown chrysanthemum fireworks, some of them appeared to bloom in a delayed way as they flew out from the stick. Senko hanabi are meant to be held pointing downward and even though these aren’t technically senko hanabi, Masanuki did it anyway just to be safe.

One thing Masanuki noticed was that these sparklers lasted much longer than most and took a good 45 seconds or so to burn completely. He really appreciated the soothing quality of sparklers that linger for a while instead of fizzling out right away.

The next type was the Fully Bloomed Weeping Dragon Cherry Blossom. There is no actual weeping dragon cherry blossom tree, but the name is certainly evocative of what to expect with downward branching sparks that possess the delicacy of sakura with the fiery passion of a dragon’s blaze.

Unfortunately, it was unusually windy when Masanuki tried these sparklers. This disturbed the cascading effect the Fully Bloomed Weeping Dragon Cherry Blossom one was meant to produce. Despite that, it still had a long-lasting appeal that put it above any ordinary sparkler.

Last but not least was the Golden Bells Twinkling Dance of a Thousand Rings. It was a name that suggested a lively show, so Masanuki excitedly lit it up…

It did not disappoint and our writer enjoyed this one the most. In addition to the rapidly bursting sparks, it had a uniquely paler color than the others.

In addition to the length of time these sparklers lasted, their quality could be felt in other ways too. They didn’t crackle like ordinary sparklers tend to, rather they burnt with a soft and smooth fizzing sound. Also, the smoke was strangely pleasant and seemed to resemble cotton candy as it puffed from the flames.

In conclusion, Masanuki can’t recall any sparklers better than these, although the one that burns underwater is a close second. However, he recommends using these in an intimate setting, alone or with a small group of people, where they can be properly appreciated.

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Low price and low privacy as we share a room with a single stranger at Tokyo hotel

Is it more awkward to spend a night in a room with one stranger than a whole group of them?

We’re not exactly rookies when it comes to staying in budget-priced travel accommodations, and we’re well aware that one of the surest ways to lower your hotel expenses is by giving up some privacy. So as we explore the lowest-priced places to stay in and around Tokyo, we’ve spent a lot of nights in capsule hotels and hostels, where you’re sharing the room you’re sleeping in with a group of strangers.

We’ve gotten pretty used to that, but our recent stay in And Hostel still threw us for a bit of a loop.

Let’s start with the good things, though. First, we paid just 2,493 yen (US$16) for the night, thanks to a deal we found on Rakuten Travel for what was listed as a “shared dormitory room.” The hotel’s location is convenient, just a five-minute walk from the Tokyo Metro’s Minami Senju Station, from where it’s just a short ride on the Hibiya Line to the city center and the sightseeing attractions of Ueno, Akihabara, Tsukiji, and Ginza. The lobby has a minimalist but modern vibe to it, like a cool hair salon, with multiple couches to relax on.

A wall of Polaroids left by former guests accompanied by the question “Where are you from?” shows the hotel’s welcoming atmosphere towards international travelers.

There’s a drink station with free coffee, black tea, and water…

…and a kitchenette area too with a fridge, microwave, and even an IH cooking range.

As with a lot of ultra low-price hotels, there are extra charges for certain amenities and toiletries, but none of the them are budget-busting. 300 yen for a towel felt a little steep, but you can get around that by grabbing a towel at Daiso or another 100 yen shop for a third of the price somewhere out in town.

Guest rooms are located on the 2nd through 10th floors, so after we checked in we hopped on the elevator and rode it up to the 3rd floor, where we’d be spending the night.

Getting off the elevator, everything still looked more or less like what we’ve cone to expect from hotels like this. When we got to our “dormitory room,” Room 307, we imagined there’d be rows of sleeping capsules inside.

But when we opened the door and stepped inside, we were shocked at just how little empty floor space there was…

…and were startled again to find that instead of being a room for a whole group of people, this is a room for exactly two.

Yep, almost the entirety of the room is taken up by a single bunk bed, with one mattress on the bottom and one on the top. When we’d booked our “dormitory room,” we’d imagined that we’d be sleeping in a room with a whole bunch of other travelers. Instead, we had a very cozy room and a complete-stranger roommate.

Depending on your personality, you might find sharing a room with one stranger to feel more awkward than sharing one with an entire group of them. If you’ve got a half-dozen people in a room, you can kind of blend anonymously into the atmosphere. With just you and a roommate, though, you’re going to know that any sleep/relaxation-obstructing noise, light, or other annoyances are coming from the other person, and even if they’re not bothering you, you might feel extra pressure to stay as quiet as possible so as not to bother them.

There was already a jacket hanging in the room when we entered, so we knew for sure that we were going to have someone sleeping in the bunk above us that night, who’d apparently stepped out for a bit. We decided to hear across the hallway to the shower in order to get cleaned up and into bed before our roommate returned…

…but we actually ended up bumping into them at the entrance to our room on our way back, exchanging somewhat stilted nods of hello and good night.

As for our bunk itself, it got full marks. The sleeping space was impeccably clean, with a nice, soft mattress and fluffy pillow. There are also four power plugs (two standard and two USB) to help keep all your devices’ batteries topped up, and while the hotel will charge you extra for a towel or toothbrush, they provide earplugs free of charge.

It was definitely an unusual experience for us to spend the night sleeping so close to one person we’d never met but still separated off from anyone else. Still, if that’s not something that’s going to prevent you from relaxing and snoozing comfortably, And Hostel’s price is hard to beat.

Hotel information
And Hostel Minami Senju
Address: Tokyo-to, Arakawa-ku, Minami Senju 3-2-9
東京都荒川区南千住3-2-9
Website

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Studio Ghibli hair accessories keep your style tidy with help from Kiki, Moro, Calcifer, and more

Five Studio Ghibli anime classics inspire cute and creative fashion items.

Studio Ghibli’s anime tend to have an active heroine at their center, someone who’s ready to spring into action when she’s needed. When you’re springing into action, though, you don’t want to have your hair in your face, do you?

So perhaps it’s no coincidence that a number of Studio Ghibli’s leads wear some sort of hair accessory, and those are the inspiration behind a number of fashion items from Ghibli specialty store Donguri Kyowakoku.

Starting things off is the Kiki’s Delivery Service Ribbon Hair Band, modeled after the ribbon sported by the young witch in her anime adventures.

The size is toned down to make it more practical for use here in the real world, and it’s also made of a more durable terrycloth-like fabric with an elastic band, so you can just slip it on and off without the hassle of retying it each time.

Black cat Jiji makes an appearance on the fabric, and Kiki herself shows up with an encouraging message on the inner side of the band.

Moving on to another classic anime and heroine, we come to the Castle in the Sky/Laputa’s Sheeta.

As with Kiki’s ribbon, Sheeta’s hairband gets a few extra aesthetic touches, with the Laputa royal crest and her full birth name, Lusheeta Toel Ul Laputa, written on it.

Switching gears, the Princess Mononoke hair clip isn’t based on a piece of any of the characters’ costumes, but on a character.

The clip takes the form of the mountain dogs/wolves that raised monster princess San, such as Moro, her adoptive mother, with the shimmery way the material catches the light evocative of the creatures’ thick coats.

Rounding out the collection are a pair of scrunchies, the first for Arrietty and shaped to evoke memories of the clothespin the micro-sized character wears as a hair clip.

▼ You can spot Arrietty embroidered on the material.

And last, the Howl’s Moving Castle scrunchie comes courtesy of flame spirit Calcifer.

This one is the most abstract design, but aside from the cute Calcifer-shaped charm…

…the pink pattern on the fabric makes it look like you’ve got a bunch of flames holding your hair in place.

The Calcifer scrunchie is the lowest-priced, at 1,650 yen (US$10.65), with the Arrietty scrunchie 1,870, Sheeta hairband 2,200, mountain dog clip 2,530, and Kiki hairband 2,640. All five hair accessories have recently been restocked and are available through the Donguri Kyowakoku online store (Kiki here, Sheeta here, Princess Mononoke here, Arrietty here, and Calcifer here), and should work perfectly for keeping your hair out of the way while you’re eating one of McDonald’s Japan’s new Kiki’s Delivery Service burgers.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Dongur Kyowakoku (1, 2)
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), Studio Ghibli (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
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Sumo training hall chef shares a secret cream stew ingredient his wrestlers love【Taste test】

Adding one surprise ingredient is said to make this classic Western-style Japanese dish pair extra well with white rice.

Our Japanese-language reporter Seiji Nakazawa almost never watches TV except when he’s in a sauna room. The other day, when he was relaxing there while absentmindedly watching the screen, a cooking segment managed to capture his full attention. The variety show Ariyoshi Seminar was covering Tokyo’s Kokonoe Sumo Stable, which is said to cook up some of the best gourmet food of any sumo training hall, including, of course, chankonabe hot pot, the traditional staple of the sumo wrestler diet. What really piqued Seiji’s interest, though, was an inside glimpse at another dish that Kokonoe prepares for its sumo wrestlers, which is also one that a lot of ordinary people also cook for themselves at home in Japan: cream stew.

▼ Japanese-style cream stew served with rice

Now, almost everyone Seiji knows has a preference for eating cream stew alongside either Japanese-style white rice or bread. Seiji thought rice must be more becoming of a sumo stable, but he could also understand why some may think that a dish of Western origin made using large amounts of milk and cream might not pair the best with rice. However, according to the head cook at Kokonoe Sumo Stable, they’ve developed a special version of cream stew with a special ingredient that pairs very well with rice. After learning about this easy addition on TV, Seiji decided to try out the cooking tip for himself at home. Before long, a pot of cream stew with chicken and vegetables was simmering on his stove.

Now, let’s get on to the big reveal of that one special ingredient. It’s a familiar sight in Japanese households throughout the year. In fact, it’s something that most families probably already have lying around. The product is mentsuyu, which is a noodle broth base made from soy sauce, mirin, sake, and dashi (bonito stock) that can be used to make a hot noodle broth or as a cold noodle dipping sauce in the summer.

▼ A typical bottle of mentsuyu

The TV segment didn’t quantify how much mentsuyu should be added to the stew, but it showed a video of the head chef pouring a generous amount of it straight from the bottle into the pot. According to him, it would lend a distinctly Japanese sweetness to the dish, which in turn should make it pair nicely with white rice.

Seiji thought it must be important to take into account the size of the pot. Since he was cooking a relatively small portion, he just let a splash of mentsuyu fall into the stew. By rough estimates, for his stew the size of half of the box of Hokkaido Cream Stew Roux (a popular stew base product), he had added about 30 milliliters (1 ounce) of mentsuyu.

He thought for sure that the stew was going to turn darker as a result, but after stirring it well, it was almost impossible to tell that mentsuyu had also been mixed inside. He prepared a plate of stew with rice for himself and took a bite.

Seiji’s first reaction was that it definitely went well with the rice. Regular cream stew has a milky sweetness, but in this version, he could taste the subtle flavor lent by the mentsuyu as well. He could only marvel at its effectiveness.

He also couldn’t resist trying the stew with some bread, and that paired just as nicely. It also unexpectedly enhanced the sweetness of the bread.

To sum it up, Seiji thinks that cream stew with mentsuyu added has endless potential. He has to thank the Kokonoe Sumo Stable for sharing this great tip over TV. Maybe he’ll even pay it back by going to watch some sumo in person sometime soon.

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Tokyo Skytree to light up in Pokémon colors for summer-long art event!

Photo spots, special merch, and a visit from Captain Pikachu himself!

Tokyo’s Skytree is one of the biggest tourism attractions in the city, and definitely the tallest. The 634-meter (2,080-foot) spire offers amazing views from its observation floors, and now there’s another reason to check it out, as the Skytree is starting a collaboration with the Pokémon franchise that runs all summer long.

Specifically the tie-up is with Pokémon Horizons, the newest arc of the Pokémon anime series and the animated work’s first entry set in the Paldea region of the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet video games, in which aspiring Pokémon Masters Liko and Roy step into the spotlight as the new human protagonists.

During the event, which kicks off on June 25, the Skytree Round Theater will be playing a special video program nightly, but it’s far from the only visual salute to the series. The elevators that carry visitors up to the top observation floors will be decked out in Pokémon artwork, and the deck will be filled with photo spots and retrospective displays of the Rising Volt Tacklers’ adventures and the Poké-pals they’ve met along the way.

The top floor of the highest observation deck is a spiraling upwards slope, and at the very end is what’s sure to be one of the most popular photo spots, when you can snap a photo with Captain Pikachu.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper anime collaboration without some themed drinks and sweets, would it? The Floor 340 Skytree Cafe will be serving up Liko and Floragato Melon Sodas and Captain Pikachu Fizzy Ginger Mango drinks for fruity refreshment, plus parfaits and cupcakes with Pokémon artistic accouterments.

But the grandest-scale part of the event is that the entire Skytree itself will be illuminated in special Pokémon-themed colors every Saturday night, plus select other dates, throughout the summer! Each night the illumination will cycle through six color patterns: Floragato green, Fuecoco red, Quaxly blue, Captain Pikachu yellow, Terapagos purple, and Charizard red.

The Pokémon illumination will take place at the following times:
● 7:45 p.m.-midnight
June 25, 28, 29, and 30
July 6, 13, 20, and 27
● 8:30 p.m.-10 p.m.
July 27
● 7:30 p.m.-10 p.m.
August 3, 10, 11, and 12
● 7:15 p.m.-midnight
August 17, 24, and 31
● 7 p.m.-midnight
September 7, 14
● 6:30 p.m.-midnight
September 21

Finally, the Skytree Shop, located on the first floor of the entertainment complex at the base of the Skytree (and which requires no admission ticket), will be selling exclusive Skytree-themed Pokémon merch (cookies, hand towels, tote bags, and key holders)…

…and Captain Pikachu himself will be stopping by to greet fans daily from June 25-28 and August 19-22, though you’ll need to entire an online lottery (here) to snap pictures standing right next to him.

The Pokémon/Skytree collaboration runs from June 25 to September 24.

Source, images: PR Times
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Japan’s new convenience store calorie-bomb sandwiches have even more calories outside Tokyo

Kanto gets lower-calorie version of The Calorie sandwich, while other parts of Japan get an even more filling, ultra-cheap meal.

In December, Japanese convenience store chain Lawson Store 100 launched a new line called The Calorie. It’s a bit of a misnomer, as The Calorie items do not, in fact, contain a single, definitive calorie. Instead, each sandwich, snack, or other foodstuff in the line must contain at least 1,000 calories in order to earn the The Calorie designation.

We ate the initial two The Calorie items as soon as they went on sale, and it’s only now, roughly half a year later, that we’re starting to feel hungry again. So luckily for us, and all of Japan’s big eaters, Lawson is getting ready to drop, with weighty thuds, two new The Calorie items, and one of them even has considerably more calories in some parts of Japan than others.

Starting off with the standardized-across-the-country The Calorie newcomer, we’ve got the Old-Fashioned Donut Sandwich, pictured above. This is a stack of two old-fashioned donuts with a layer of sweet soy milk cream between them, and the top donut covered in chocolate. It’s an elegant solution to the dilemma we’ve all had when we want to eat two donuts at the same time, but still need a way to get some cream in there too. The Old-Fashioned Donut Sandwich clears The Calorie’s 1,000-calorie bar with 1,055 calories.

The numerical specs get more complex, though, with the Croquette Egg Sandwich. This carnival of carbs consists of potato croquettes, Japanese-style egg salad, and some very thick cuts of sandwich bread, which, unlike most convenience store sandwiches, still have their crusts on.

▼ It would run counter to the spirit of The Calorie to discard any edible portion of the sandwich, wouldn’t it?

Remember, the sandwich needs at least 1,000 calories for The Calorie certification, and the Croquette Egg Sandwich does so by being at least 1,079 calories. Why “at least 1,079?” Because that’s the sandwich’s calorie count if you buy it at a Lawson Store 100 in Tokyo or elsewhere in Kanto (east Japan). On the other hand, if you buy the Croquette Egg Sandwich farther to the west in Japan’s Kansai or Chubu regions, which include the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya, it has 1,266 calories, nearly 15 percent more!

Lawson Store 100 attributes the discrepancy as being “due to different makers and specifications,” implying that different suppliers or production centers are involved in stocking stores in Kanto and Kansai/Chubu. That said, it’s hard to believe that there’s no way the Kanto supply line could beef up the size of its sandwiches, or that the Kansai/Chubu side is just incapable of making them any smaller, considering that the overwhelming majority of sandwiches in the country are far under 1,266 calories. It is worth noting, however, that the people of Osaka have long had a reputation as big eaters, with a lot of heavy dishes in the local cuisine. Nagoya’s food culture similarly holds a high appreciation for hearty fare, so maybe it’s not so much a case of Lawson Store 100 being unable to make adjustments to downsize the Kansai/Chubu version of the sandwich so much as the chain thinking it’s less hassle to keep them bigger, since the region’s customers are likely to be happy about the extra-extra-large portion size.

The new The Calorie items break with Lawson Store 100’s customary 100-yen pricing, with the Old Fashioned Donut Sandwich costing 281 yen (US$1.80) and the Croquette Egg Sandwich, regardless of size, 322 yen, though both still seem like impressive values, considering their size. They both go on sale June 26.

Source, images: PR Times
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10 great quirky museums to beat the Japan rainy season blues

From toilets to crabs to anime figures, these indoor activities will keep you entertained when the rain and humidity are too much to take.

The rainy season is underway in Japan, and it’s pretty much the least popular time of year to be out and about without a roof over your head. Aside from the possibility of getting drenched by rain itself, the high humidity means that your body will do a pretty good job of moisturizing you from within, keeping you constantly wet from a combination of precipitation and sweat whenever you’re outdoors.

So the trick is to find indoor activities for those days when the weather gets unbearable, and thankfully Japanese online travel portal Jalan has released its list of Japan’s top 10 unique museums, based on user review scores and presented below in no particular order.

1. Echizen Crab Museum (Fukui Prefecture)
Website

Instead of getting crabby about the weather, why not get crabby in a more literal sense? The museum’s exhibits teach visitors about Fukui’s regional Echizen crab and other local marine life. An underwater walkway lets you observe fish swimming in their natural habitat, and the Bicrab Theater’s gigantic 10-meter (32.8-foot) video screen simulates a ride-along on a crab fishing expedition. There’s even an onsen hot spring bath attached to the building with ocean views.

2. Sake Museum/Hakushika Memorial Museum of Sake (Hyogo Prefecture)
Website

Housed in a sake brewery building originally constructed in 1869, the Hakushika Memorial Museum of Sake is a celebration of traditional methods for making sake, with areas where visitors can have hands-on experiences using classical brewing equipment and listen to the songs brewers used to sing while working.

3. Yokohama Daisekai Artrick Museum (Kanagawa Preefecture)

Located in Yokohama’s Chinatown, Daisekai is a multi-story shopping, dining, and entertainment complex. Within it is the five-floor Artick Museum, a trick art museum that lets you snap clever optical illusion photos, including a muster-themed one for puzzle-solving enthusiasts and an entire floor of horror trick art for those brave enough.

4. Kaiyodo Figure Museum (Shiga Prefeture)
Website

Kaiyodo has been one of Japan’s biggest figure manufacturers for several decades. Of course that means they have an extensive lineup of anime and game character figures, but they craft detailed animal figurines too. The museum houses a collection of over 5,000 figures, and also hosts a figure workshop where visitors can try painting a figure of their own.

5. Toto Museum (Fukuoka Prefecture)
Website

Recently the rest of the world has been awakening to the wonder of Japanese toilets, and there’s no more wondrous player in that field than Toto, Japan’s leading toilet maker. The Toto Museum traces the history of the company and its creative commode innovations, and also covers its often overlooked tableware creations.

6. Saga Balloon Museum (Saga Prefecture)
Website

Held every fall, the Saga International Balloon Fiesta is Asia’s largest hot air ballon gathering. This museum explores the history and science behind ballooning through theater simulations and other exhibits.

7. Iwashita New Ginger Museum (Tochigi Prefecture)
Website

Of course Japan’s quirkiest ginger-based snack maker has its own museum! The Iwashita New Ginger Museum is an eclectic mix of displays on the science of ginger cultivation, the roots of the company and its signature snack, and lots and lots of pink art installations and photo spots. Mascot character Iwashika-chan stops by to meet and greet guests on weekends, and there’s an attached cafe with a ginger-intensive menu, including pink ginger ice cream.

8. Sapporo Olympic Museum (Hokkaido Prefecture)

Sapporo, Hokkaido’s prefectural capital, was the host city for the 1972 Winter Olympics. The event is still a point of pride for the people of Japan, and this commemorative museum includes six simulation stations where visitors can feel the rush of ski jumping, bobsledding, and other Winter Olympic sports.

9. Duskin Museum (Osaka Prefecture)
Website

Just like Duskin itself, the company’s museum has two very different divisions. In the Cleaning Building, visitors can learn about the science and history of dirt removal, in keeping with Duskin’s manufacturing of mops, dusters, and other such equipment. The bigger draw here, though, is probably the Misdo Museum section, as Duskin is also the parent company of Mister Donut, Japan’s most popular donut shop, where you can try your hand at making the chain’s sweets yourself and see displays as to how Mister Donut won over the hearts of sweets fans in Japan.

1. Kankaku Museum (Miyagi Prefecture)

Kankaku is the Japanese word for “senses.” This conceptual art center features a rotating collection of art installations not just with visual appeal, but all five sensory perceptions. There’s also a meditation space for those who want to gaze inward.

So don’t sweat the rain, or the heat, if you’re in Japan during the rainy season, because there’s still plenty to see and do!

Source: Jalan, PR Times
Images: PR Times
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