Posts Tagged ‘Japan’
Saturday, March 15th, 2014
Japan’s number one online shopping mall Rakuten celebrates Singapore launch with three-day public extravaganza at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza – from 28-30 March 2014, 11am – 10pm. Admission Free.
Members of the public can experience the best of Rakuten’s products – in food, fashion, beauty and more.
The e-commerce giant is bringing together the best of its Japanese and local merchants’ products in an experiential showcase at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza during those three days.
Kuriya Fish Market’s chef will be guiding local celebrities through a different Japanese-themed culinary demonstration each day.
- Mar 28, 6.30pm: Keagan Kang and Paul Foster
- Mar 29, 5.30pm: Michelle Chia
- Mar 30, 2.30pm: Wong Lilin
(more…)
Tags:events, Japan, Ngee Ann City, Rakuten, shopping, Singapore
Posted in Event forecast, events, Food, Lifestyle, Press Release, Shopping | No Comments »
Friday, February 14th, 2014
It’s Valentine’s Day today. This year, it coincides with Chap Goh Meh – the fifteenth and final day of the Chinese New Year – which many consider the Chinese Valentine’s Day. Here’s wishing all lovers a most romantic day/night!
Lots of lovey-dovey couples here, in the form of hugging salt and pepper bottles. I took this photo at the Hakaniemi Market Hall in Helsinki, Finland in summer. There were plenty of such charming craft stores for tourists and local Finns alike. Taken with a Nikon D600 with AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
In many places in the world that celebrate Valentine’s Day, boys buy flowers, chocolates and gifts for their girlfriends, wives, mistresses or lovers.
Actually, marketing practitioners should examine this so-called unique Japanese culture more closely.
Apparently, the practice has its roots in 1936 as part of the advertising campaign of chocolate makers in Kobe, but has captured the imagination of the Japanese populace such that it is widely practiced today.
Those chocolate makers must have been laughing to the bank, having created nation wide, recurring demand out of thin air.
Brilliant!
Sometimes the girl reciprocates.
In Japan, it is the girl who buys for the guys.
I know – because I received plenty on Valentine’s Day when I was in Japan.
The tradition in Japan is for girls to buy white chocolates (called giri-chocos – 義理チョコ) and give them to the guys.
This does not happen just between couples that are in a relationship.
(more…)
Tags:Finland, Finland 2013, Hakaniemi, Helsinki, holidays, Japan, NIKKOR, Nikon, photography, photos, potd, travel, vacation, Valentine's Day
Posted in Finland 2013, Holiday, NIKKOR, Nikon, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, travel | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013
The new Canon EOS M2 compact mirrorless interchangeable lens camera incorporates Hybrid CMOS AF II for significantly enhanced autofocus (AF) performance. Available in black or white, the EOS M2 goes on sale in Japan in mid-December. Price TBA.
*The images in this article are from Canon.
The white EOS M2 (left) with EF-M22mm f/2 STM lens, and the black EOS M2 (right) with EF-M18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens.
The EOS M was first released in September 2012.
Its successor – the EOS M2 promises image quality on par with EOS series of digital SLR cameras but in a compact and lightweight design.
EOS M2 versus EOS M – according to Canon Japan.
Compared with its predecessor, Canon claims that the new EOS M2 realises dramatically improved autofocusing performance and now incorporates built-in Wi-Fi in a body that is approximately 8 percent smaller in volume.
(more…)
Tags:cameras, Canon, DSLRs, EOS, Japan, lenses, MIL, photography
Posted in Announce, Cameras, cameras, Canon, DSLR, EOS, Gadgets, gadgets, Lens, MIL, newArrivals, Photography, Wi-Fi | No Comments »
Thursday, May 16th, 2013
The PhotoNote app digitses analog material into an online photo notebook – for more efficient management and more effective communications.
New freemium app from Fuji Xerox: PhotoNote – an online photo notebook.
SkyDesk PhotoNote captures and stores analog content into digital form for more efficient storage and access and enables these content to be easily shared with co-workers, partners or customers for more effective communications.
Hand-written-character recognition
PhotoNote’s digitisation uses Fuji Xerox’s proprietary character-recognition technology for Optical Character Recognition (OCR) that includes recognition of hand-written characters.
The technology mimics a human’s visual information processing and this is the first time such technology is used on commercialised software.
Currently, only English and Japanese are supported.
Most of the features are free, with additional storage and Excel conversion feature available as paid options (prices within).
The app works with iOS and Android and is available in Singapore, Australia and Japan.
PhotoNote digitises physical memos or meeting notes jotted down during business discussions and stores them in the cloud – enabling easy access by the user and quick sharing of the information with others.
To digitise printed material, forms, handwritten memos and whiteboards, simply snap a photo using a smartphone or digital camera and upload the photo onto SkyDesk on the cloud.
The PhotoNote app automatically conducts image processing and OCR conversion, storing the image together with tags and additional text annotations, as well as text data from the conversion.
Easy search can be done on the database of PhotoNote records based on recorded time/date, tags, and the converted text.
Tags:Apps, Australia, cloud, Fuji Xerox, Japan, OCR, PhotoNote, photos, PIM, Singapore, SkyDesk, software
Posted in Android, Announce, App, Availability, Browser, Enterprise IT, Events, Fuji Xerox, iOS, Office, Phones, Photos, Prices, Software, Specifications, Tickers, Utility | No Comments »
Sunday, May 12th, 2013
To all mothers out there … Happy Mother’s Day!
Flowers for all mothers on Mother’s Day. These beautiful flowers adorn a florist’s shop in Kumamoto, Japan. Taken with Nikon D800.
And to all mothers-to-be or newly-minted mothers, here’s a book to find out what not to expect when you are expecting.
Muddlehood (S$25.90). Available online, at Popular, Books Actually, Thomson Medical.
“Muddlehood” is a collection of essays by parents on life in the first year of parenting.
It was written by my wife and a few of her friends to share the trials and tribulations of motherhood, or how they “muddled” through it all.
The authors noted that when they were going through their first pregnancies and looking for advice and things to pay attention to, it was difficult to come by a book that was truly honest about the difficulties and psychological rigours the expecting mother was to encounter.
So having gone through it, they decided to pen down their own experiences as honestly as possible – to share what “expecting mothers never expected”.
“On hindsight, we felt that the accounts were so brutally honest that the book might actually discourage women who had not conceived yet to put off having children,” mused Koh Keat Kian, co-author and co-editor of Muddlehood.
However, despite the rigours of motherhood, the consensus among all the authors was that – at the end of the day – motherhood is the most rewarding thing a woman could experience, and it was worth every bit of angst or trouble they had to go through to have the baby.
This is an excellent book for the expecting mom to find what they never tell you to expect.
It’ll make a handy book to buy yourself if you’re contemplating having a baby, and an excellent present to give an expecting or newly-minted mum.
“Translucent” flowers at a greenhouse in Beppu, Japan. Taken with a Nikon D800.
Tags:2013, Beppu, D800, flowers, Japan, Kumamoto, Kyushu, Mother's Day, pink
Posted in Events, Holiday, Japan 2012, Lifestyle, Nikon, Photography, Photos, Shopping, Travel | No Comments »
Thursday, February 14th, 2013
It’s Valentine’s Day today. Here’s wishing all lovers a most romantic day/night.
Just in case you haven’t bought that Valentine’s Day card yet, here’s one you can use as a gift tag. Just print it out 🙂
I took this photo in a pottery workshop in this little Japanese shire called Takamori （高森）, nestled in the caldera of Mount Aso （阿蘇山） in Kyushu （九州）.
Loved the pottery pieces in the workshop. Knew at once it would go into the February 14th post for 2013.
* Taken with a Nikon D800 DSLR with an AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens.
Tags:Japan, Japan 2012, Kyushu, NIKKOR, Nikon, photographs, photos, Valentine's Day
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Events, Gadgets, Holiday, Lens, NIKKOR, Nikon, Photos | No Comments »
Sunday, December 9th, 2012
Takamori is a small town located at the Southeastern corner of the Aso caldera. We chose to stay there because it was between Takachiho and the Nakadake peak of Mount Aso, and so served as a good base from which to visit both.
I don’t know how the kids stay so pristine white all the time.
We chose this “country-house” style hotel in Takamori, partly because of the beautiful goat that it showed in a photo on its website.
The other kid peering out from its goat shed.
When we arrived, we found that, in addition to that teenage goat, there were another nanny complete with horns and a beard – and two really cute kids.
This was what we saw when we looked out the window on the third morning of our stay. It had snowed lightly overnight and everything was coated with a thin layer of newly fallen snow. You can see the goat shed to the left.
They were really lovable and the kids (mine) were over the moon over them.
Two cold kids huddled up inside the goat shed.
The hotel probably sees the most guests during summer as a sort of summer camp location, where you can enjoy outdoor games and attend pottery lessons at the hotel’s workshop.
Eventually, the kids ventured out into the snow. After all, they’re donning Pure New Wool. Can you spot the kid against the white snow?
There was another large Japanese family staying on our second night and their children and ours had a whale of a snow fight after it snowed overnight.
“Who – me?” A figurine in the hotel’s pottery workshop.
It was a wonderful stayover indeed.
* All photos in this post were taken with a Nikon D800 DSLR with an AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED and an AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens.
Tags:goat, holiday, Japan, Japan 2012, kid, Kumamoto, Kyushu, Takachiho, travel, vacation
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Holiday, Japan 2012, Lens, NIKKOR, Nikon, Travel | No Comments »
Friday, December 7th, 2012
After the hustle and bustle of the city, we drove into the mountains to spend a night at a ryokan in a quaint onsen village nestled in the valley of the Kurokawa river.
The streets wind through old houses along both sides of the river.
The last time we holidayed in Kyushu we had followed a package tour booked from Tokyo.
Colourful maize hung out to dry under the eaves of some of the houses.
The coach had stopped by this quaint village in the evening and we had strolled through the peaceful streets of the dimly-lit hamlet – charmed by the local craft shops and serene ryokans lining the cobbled streets.
Stroll leisurely through the peaceful streets of Kurokawa. The face on the lantern is stylised from the Japanese hiragana character for “Fuji”.
The short stroll was really inadequate to soak in the atmosphere and we resolved then to come back one day to stay in one of those ryokans.
Hotels and ryokans are built along both sides of the river.
15 years later, we’re back – to the sleepy town with a river that runs through it.
A study of different textures, from the crackled paint to the stone and wood textures. This is the “banner” for a pottery shop.
It’s actually a popular destination for the Japanese themselves, either as a day trip or stopover.
“Used” bath tags hung outside a local temple for blessing.
For those intent on bath-hopping, you can purchase a bath tag that lets you visit the onsen baths of participating ryokans freely.
Lemonade, cider and local beer chilled naturally in water frozen from the cold temperature.
The temperature when we were there was slightly above zero, so it would have been gratifying checking out the differently landscaped onsen baths offered by the ryokans.
Shed for firewood outside one of many hot spring baths along the river.
The outdoor spa at our ryokan overlooked the river so you could sip wine at a chair after you’ve been suitably warmed up by the hot spring water.
Peaceful steps leading up to one of the houses along the street.
After that, you can partake a full Japanese kaiseki dinner served in the comfort of your room.
Two local cats watching the world go by.
* All photos in this post were taken with a Nikon D800 DSLR and AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens.
Tags:baths, Food, holiday, hot spring, Japan, Japan 2012, Kumamoto, Kurokawa, Kyushu, mountains, onsen, river, spa, travel, vacation, valley
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Events, Gadgets, Holiday, Japan 2012, Lens, NIKKOR, Nikon, Photography, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
Thursday, December 6th, 2012
The last place you’d expect to go on an African Safari would be on a mountain on the outskirts of Beppu in Japan – as chilly winds and light snow ushered in the winter.
Different types of food was provided for feeding different types of animals.
In every family holiday, you’ve got to dedicate part of the itinerary to the kids.
Handfeeding a black bear with tongs.
So we decided to check out this African Safari theme park half-an-hour’s drive from Beppu in Japan.
It’s actually the Kyushu Natural Zoological Park, with more than 1,300 animals of 70 different species, spread over some 115 ha of rolling mountain plains.
You can self-drive your car or take the bus. We took the latter because that came with the opportunity to hand-feed (or tong-feed) the animals up close from within the bus.
There’s no question this lion prefers the bigger morsel holding the tongs with the tiny morsel.
You can still drive your own car along the same route as the bus after the bus tour, but we didn’t have time to linger, and had to give the rest of the theme park – which included a petting area for tamer animals – a miss too.
I did harbour fantasies of patting this lion on the head until he convinced me that although he may bear a slight resemblance to my golden retriever at home, he is anything but.
This was meant to be a treat for the kids, who love animals.
Back to more docile animals.
But it turned out great for the parents too, as we’ve never had the chance to feed wild animals this up close before.
Here’s a smiley camel.
Perhaps it’s time for a real safari?
Not sure if these Cheetahs appreciate the impending cold season – all huddled up like. Photo taken through the grills of the safari bus.
* The photos in this article were taken with a Nikon D800 and Olympus E450 SLR.
The elephant’s trunk is actually rather dexterous.
Always thought that the proper attire for an African Safari were khaki shorts, not wrapped up in winter wear like this.
This bully of an adult giraffe kept butting the other giraffes away to hog the food.
Tags:animals, Beppu, Food, holiday, Japan, Japan 2012, kids, Kyushu, Safari, travel, vacation
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Events, Gadgets, Holiday, Japan 2012, Nikon, Olympus, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 5th, 2012
Today we started our sightseeing in earnest – checking out the onsen “hells” of Beppu.
Umi Jigoku (海地獄） – or Sea Hell – is my favourite hell.
Beppu claims to be the world’s second largest hot spring water producer in terms of volume – behind the Yellowstone National Park in the USA.
The Umi Jigoku has nicely landscaped gardens aroud the hotspring ponds.
The seaside town is a popular onsen destination in Japan – both for the regular version spas where people immerse their bodies in the healing attributes of natural hot spring water – as well as eight hot springs that can only be viewed for their striking colours and characteristics but which are not suitable for bathing in.
Each of these eight hot springs are called “hells” （地獄）because of the high temperatures and vivid colours – much like the boiling waters used to punish evil-doers for their sins – traditional Japanese and Chinese beliefs about what hell is like.
Six of the eight hells are located close to each other so you can visit them one after another before heading to the other location where the remaining two are located next to each other.
There’s also a red mud hot spring pond in the Umi Jigoku.
The most striking onsen among those we visited must be the Umi Jigoku （海地獄) – or Sea Hell – because of the vivid turquoise colour of the hot spring water here.
It had emerged after a volcano explosion 1,200 years ago.
The Yama Jigoku （山地獄） – Mountain Hell – comprises steam spewing out of a pile of rocks.
The second Jigoku we visited was the Yama Jigoku （山地獄）- or Mountain Hell – comprising hot steam emitting from a pile of rocks.
Ever stared into the mouth of a hungry hippo before? For 100 yen, you get some fresh carrots to throw inside this begging hippo at the Yama Jigoku.
Though the hot spring itself is simple, it’s a favourite with the children because there were some enclosed animals on display, including a hungry hippo, some flamingoes and a bored elephant.
And here’s a one-eared Llama at Yama Jigoku. Wonder who chewed up his ear.
Next was Kamado Jigoku （かまど地獄） – or Boiling Hell – because of its association with boiling water for cooking.
Bubbling boiling water at the Kamado Jigoku （かまど地獄） – or Boiling Hell.
It actually comprises six pots of murky, bubbling boiling water.
An orange mud hot spring pond at the Kamado Jigoku.
After that was Oniyama Jigoku （鬼山地獄） – or Demon King Hell – which claims that the force of the steam produced here is strong enough to pull one-and-a-half train carriages.
The Oniyama Jigoku （鬼山地獄） – Demon Mountain Hell – produces steam that’s strong enough to pull train carriages.
This hell also had a collection of crocodiles relishing the warm spring water.
The Oniyama Jigoku has a collection of crocodiles frolicking in warm spring water despite the cold winter.
Next was the Shiraike Jigoku （白池地獄） – or White Pond Hell – which got its name from its creamy-white hot-spring water.
The Shiraike Jigoku （白池地獄） – or White Pond Hell – also has a nice Japanese landscaped garden around it.
It had a collection of tropical fishes, including a tank of deceptively-harmless-looking piranhas which were eyeing us as intently as we were eyeing them.
Piranhas at Shiraike Jigoku lining up to watch us. This was the first time that the kids had seen live piranhas.
Finally, we visited the Oniishibozu Jigoku （鬼石坊主地獄） – or Shaven Monk’s Head Hell – because the bubbles of gray mud boiling up the ponds resemble the shaven heads of monks.
The Oniishibozu Jigoku （鬼石坊主地獄） – or Shaven Monk’s Head Hell – has white bubbling mud springs.
We had to give the final two Jigokus a miss because of time constraints – although they looked beautiful and sounded interesting in the brochures.
The Chinoike Jigoku (血の池地獄 – Blood Pond Hell) has red water while the Tatsumaki Jigoku (龍巻地獄 – Geyser Hell) has a geyser that spouts every half hour.
Along the way, we had plenty of Jigoku Mushi – food cooked using the steam and hot spring water – such as eggs and sweet potato.
As per the night before, we rounded off the day with a visit to the onsen.
* All photos in this post were taken with a Nikon D800 DSLR and AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens.
Tags:Beppu, D800, Food, hell, holiday, Japan, Japan 2012, jigoku, Kyushu, Nikon, onsen, travel, vacation
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Events, Gadgets, Holiday, Japan 2012, NIKKOR, Nikon, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
