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#OccupyJapan!

January 13th, 2012

Made in Occupied Japan ceramic figurine. #OccupyWallStreet

Made in Occupied Japan hand painted ceramic figurine base.

So all this business didn’t start with #WallStreet.  Been there, done that…

“Made In Occupied Japan”: Thus Launcheth the Juggernaut.  Getting a running start in 1945, one of the initiatives to get the factories of Japan producing once again. Especially items which with it would be difficult to invade, kill or make war.

Made In Occupied Japan ceramic toothpick holder, European man.

Cute, trite, pseudo-European knick-knacks that got the Marshall Plan rolling.  Part of the grand plan to allow Japan to get back on its feet, feed itself, prosper; lessons learned from Weimar Germany after WWI.

Made in Occupied Japan ceramic figurine red base.

As my mom had a small antiques & collectibles boutique back in the old ‘hood I got saddled with a number of these tchothckes.

Made in Occupied Japan sugar bowl with sakura cherry blossoms handpainted.

These are quite collectible now, witness this website on all things OCCUPIED.  http://www.occupiedjapan.net/
Made in Occupied Japan base stamp, ceramic figurine. #OccupyWallStreet

‘Bye!  Come along my love….

Back of Made in Occupied Japan couple ceramic figurine.


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Congratulations! to all the kids Coming of Age today…

January 9th, 2012

Kyoto cute Japanese girls dressed in kimono with fluffy collars for Coming of Age Day.

The party is now officially over.  (and sayonara to otoshi-dama New Year’s money from parents and relatives.)

Hope you all had wonderful childhoods, cuz it can be fun while it lasted.


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I-I-I-I-I’m not your stepping stone!

January 7th, 2012

Japanese old traditional buckwheat (soba) mill stones.

Ahmmm, actually, yes you are.

Foot stepping onto Japanese granite buckwheat millstone steps.

Been getting a hold of some sets of traditional Japanese hand-carved mill stones, for milling buckwheat (soba そば） into flour.  Can find them here and there, some used and cheap, some not so much.  Range in size from about 24cm diameter up to 50cm or more.  Those pictured above are about 34 or 35cm across and 12-14cm tall.

Make great, solid steps and also get placed vertically into stone walls. (Pictures to follow of some about 1 meter across holding down a stone wall in Shigaraki!).

3 Japanese millstones as front steps to a house, near Kyoto.

OK…enough is enough with the stones already!!!


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‘Tis the Season!!!

December 21st, 2011

a little bit naughty, a little bit nice.


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Let’s Merry!!!!

December 20th, 2011

Starbuck’s doing its best to further ingrain crazy Japanglish.  On the festive streets of downtown Kyoto.


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Train! Train!…take me on out of this place.

December 15th, 2011

The silent stalwart of public transport–the JR conductor.  Awaiting his chariot on the suburban line into Kyoto from points North/East.


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a CATastrophe in the making???

November 28th, 2011

cat woman (actually kitty woman) had this little critter “shima” on  a leash and was walking her along kiyamachi near sanjo.

I expressed concern that maybe she couldn’t breathe so well in that vinyl bag, and the woman remarked that there were sure a lot of foreigners around Toji Temple recently (sic).  This could be a culturally veiled insult that I am unfamiliar with…or too much catnip.  Not sure.

But, she seemed fond of her new (3-week-old) kitty pal, and intends her no harm.

Gambatte!  Shima-chan!

Oh, and then this lurker horned in on my action…
Boy…can she really turn it on for the camera, or what!?!


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Big Ups! to all the jackasses who went so mental on BlackFriday!…

November 27th, 2011

…making it really unpleasant to explain / defend contemporary American culture over here.

pre-BrackFliday; Japanese schoolkids in final meditations as they prepare to kick, mace, stab and mutilate each other to get that fcking bling that they DESERVE!


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get that schoolgirl the fck out of there!

November 24th, 2011

go home and study girl.

hanging out in the sad smoker’s alley off Sanjo. a tight festering lane lit all garish by the bank of cigarette vending machines. chain-huffers linger here to embrace their vice.


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Kyoto geiko guides stumbling drunk CEO along Kiyamachi…heart of the former Floating World.

November 21st, 2011

I followed this for a while.  It never really got any prettier.

And then she dumped him off into a taxi…and probably went back to her tea house and took a nice hot shower.


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