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Daily Yomiuri: Companies count on blogs to cut cost of Web.

Some companies are taking a more creative approach to promoting their products, as shown by world-famous celebrity cat Hello Kitty.

Of course, the fictional kitty doesn’t write her own blog, which is run by character-goods maker Sanrio Co., inventor of the character. But the company uses the blog to bring the cat to life, making her a familiar character and bringing her closer to her fans.

Click here to access the list of Hello Kitty blogs (Japanese).

This shot really highlights how advanced this country is. We’re not in
the metropolis of Tokyo, but in the suburbs of Shizuoka Prefecture. In
fact, some Japanese would refer to this as a “country” area. But around
the corner from here, the Circle K convenience store can sell you blank
DVDs, ADSL splitters, line noise filters, USB mobile phone connector kits…

A trip to the convenience store in Japan yields exciting finds. Like Homo
Sausage. I was thinking about what kind of funny comment I would
write about this, but I don’t think it is necessary to say anything
else.

A shot of Fuji from the Izu peninsula.

This restaurant needs to reach you in fresh food to your comforable
life and smling. And they will stop at nothing until they do.

It’s not news that Japan’s shrinking population is a big problem, but it was a surprise to me how quickly it’s being felt. A Washington Post article A baby bust empties out Japan’s schools gives some startling facts:

Japan’s disappearing schools are emblematic of the problem. More than 2,000 elementary, junior high and high schools nationwide have been forced to close over the past decade. The number of elementary and junior high students fell from 13.42 million in 1994 to 10.86 million last year. An estimated 63,000 teachers have lost their jobs. Even as the percentage of people over 65 steadily climbs, an estimated 300 more schools a year are scheduled to shut their doors over the next several years…

Which would explain exactly why there were so few kids at Fuji Safari Park today…

… and the people are in cages. That was the slogan of Jungle Habitat,
a shortlived safari theme park created by
Warner Brothers in the early 70s. Today we visited Fuji Safari Park and did see
lions, tigers, and bears. And cheetahs, giraffes, and elephants.

We rode the Lion Bus.

The indash LCD of the Honda Odyssey lets us know many things as we are travelling the Tomei expressway. Here it is telling us what town and prefecture we are in, how many kilometers to the next rest area, when we can expect to arrive there, and that we can expect ¥850 in tolls when we get off the highway.

I’m sure by now you’ve seen the conveyor belt sushi shops which are
known as kaiten zushi. I had never actually been in one
before,  but there’s now a new twist, one which shouldn’t be entirely
unexpected if you know anything about Japan…

For those folks sitting at tables out of reach of the conveyor belt
area, touch screens allow you to view the menu and place your order
without the hassle of actually having to speak to your waiter or
waitress.

Yakiniku is one of my favorite meals in Japan. Thin slices of beef grilled over a flame, dipped in sauce, washed down with a cold one… Heavenly.