As seen on CNN!  Check out this weeks Offbeat iReport images to see one of my shots from the Tokyo Cow Parade 2008.

What worries the Japanese?  Earthquakes and global warming top the list of worries.

Your favorite English language magazine in Tokyo may be hard to find due to the bankruptcy of a major distributor.

Baseball legend Sadaharu Oh has announced that her will retire at the end of the season.  Did you take advantage of the opportunity to see him manage a baseball game in Tokyo this summer?

Maison de la Bourgogne offers French food and fine wine in Kagurazaka.

A kamikaze pilot volunteer turns to the tea ceremony in New York.

In other cultures there are jug-bands but in Japan they have a man who plays a spade that sounds remarkably like the shamisen, an ancient Japanese stringed instrument.  A spade is not always a spade!

Image Credit:  Wikimedia Commons, Shamisen

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler

10 things about Tokyo that will blow your mind by MatadorTrips.  Mind-blowing, maybe not, but still an interesting read.

Busses in Japan are a cost effective alternative to taking the famous bullet train, better know as the shinkansen, in Japan.

The Rough Guide to the Music of Japan offers 73 minutes of traditional music from the land of the rising sun.  Paul Fisher compiled the CD and was interviewed by The Japan Times.

Ageing gracefully in Japan? The myths surrounding the perfectly cute 50 year old.

Critics dispute Michelin regard for Tokyo but there are some restaurants that everyone agrees on.

With an ageing population, Japan’s temples struggle to remain financially self sufficient.

Image Credit: Flickr, Nothing to Hide

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler

Andrea Kirkby from The London Traveler said:
I remember a great song by the Pogues called ‘Pachinko Dream’ which had the most compulsive little mandolin riff I’ve ever heard together with sampled real pachinko sounds. Now, I want to know where to find a real pachinko parlor – and how you play it….

Pachinko parlors are everywhere in Japan and they closely resemble what most people think of as casinos but they are much more common. Playing the game is a popular pastime for the Japanese and you can find a Pachinko parlor in almost every neighborhood in Japan. Just listen for the lively sounds of a casino or video game arcade and there is probably a Pachinko Parlor close by.

Playing pachinko is a rather passive activity and it is a cross between a pinball machine and a slot machine. The game itself is very straightforward – head for your local Pachinko Parlor and purchase a supply of the tiny steel balls that are the ‘currency’ of the game. These balls are propelled into the pachinko machine by turning a dial on the front of the machine. The balls then fall down through a vertical maze that resembles a pinball machine standing upright. If a ball lands in one of the designated winning slots the players is then paid off in more balls….and the cycle continues….

When you have had your fill of play take any remaining balls to the back of the Pachinko Parlor where you can exchange them for prizes. Read more about the prizes, underworld connections to the game and listen to the song that Andrea referred to after the jump.

The prizes given by the parlors themselves are legal and consist mostly of items like crackers, pickled plums, cigarettes or candy, although some parlors offer a much wider range of household products and even home electronics. Virtually all pachinko parlors also award “special” prizes that can be exchanged for cash. These cash payoffs are not legal, and almost always involve underworld sources, but arrests or legal action are practically unheard of.

The article Pachinko – Japan’s National Pastime explains how the prizes can then be exchanged for money and talks more about the games history and its ties to the Japanese underworld.

For those of you that are not familiar with the song that Andrea mentioned, it is simply titled Pachinko and Andrea was right, it is an addicting little ditty. I have to thank her for introducing me to this great band! Here’s the song:

Thanks for the question Andrea! I hope that you enjoyed the snippet of The Pogues song that you recalled.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia, PachinkoPlayers

Post from: The Tokyo Traveler