Obon Vacation.

Well, the summer does not seem like summer here in Kanazawa. Both June and July were cool and rainy months, and now we're into typhoon season which means more rain. Coming into mid-August, we start hitting the festival season in Japan, and a short Obon vacation. I'll be heading up the peninsula to visit the town I used to live in many years ago to visit the graves of my in-laws. I Hope everyone has a great week whereever you are.

Green Cola?

June 23rd saw the release of Pepsi Japan's new summer flavor, Shiso. While I'm quite late to the game, I decided to try it out a little while ago. It took some searching to find it, but eventually I was able to buy it at the local FamilyMart.

Opening the bottle, it definitely smelled like shiso leaves, somewhat like fresh mint as others mention. I love to eat shiso leaves on salads, sashimi or somen noodles, so it tasted quite good at first. However, I would definitely not reach for another bottle, and actually found it hard to finish the first one. After a bit, the shiso flavor disappears and is replaced by something that reminded me of bubblegum ice cream.

Good or bad, it's nice to see companies willing to experiment and bring new ideas to market. It's all about trying to find the new thing. I do have one question, though... Is a cola still a cola, even though it's green?

Get traditional with beNippon.

Here at beNippon, not only do we service otaku worldwide, but we also carry an assortment of household items. Being the Japan-o-freak that I am, during high-school I made it a point to make my room as Japanese as possible. No posters of bikini babes on my walls, it was Japanese art. My old desk was replaced by a homemade low desk, and I sat with a cushion on the floor. And, the focal point was my samurai sword set.

I would have loved to have some real tatami mats in my room, but it wasn't possible back then. Now, with the beNippon at your side, you can deck your room out Japanese-style with our new selection of noren and tatami mats. We also carry goza mats, which are great for just laying around or taking to the beach.

Kocchi-Kame Live Action

On August 1st, the longest running manga ever made it's way onto TBS's Saturday evening line-up. Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen-mae Hashutsujo, or Kocchi-Kame for short, stars Katori Shingo, Hayami Mokomichi, and the lovely Karina. As a huge fan of Japanese comedies, I'm really looking forward to watching this one, and with Shingo in the lead role of Ryo-san, it's sure to be a hit. Judging from the first episode, he really brings Ryo-san to life.

Learn more about the Manga, or the Drama (English). The official TBS page is here (Japanese). If you're interested in the show, you can check out the manga as well, start your historical collection today, volume 165 comes out this month!