Interesting ideas come out of Japan. The latest trends over the years is the Cat Cafe. I wonder if such a cafe business would work in the U.S., but probably not as successful as in Japan.

I have heard of dogs for rent, where people can rent dogs for the hour and just take them out for the day.

At Cafe Nekorobi all the cats have their own photograph albums for visitors to look through.  Image source.

Norimasa Hanada, owner of Neko no mise (Shop of Cats) was among the first to open up a cat cafe.  Handa explained, cat cafe are popular with young urbanites who live in rental apartments that prohibit pets.  While most family condominium allow pets, it’s really the young single people who could use some comfort and companionship of a pet.

Here is Megumi, 33, an office worker.  She noticed that each cat cafe has it’s own vibe.  This one at Neko no mise, has more friendly cats that are less stressed out.  Image source.

The fees are charged by the hour, from $7 - $10.  In order to survive in the cat cafe business, they need a high turnover rate of visitors.  Despite the recession, the folks here don’t mind spending the money to hang out with these furry creatures.  Maybe it is due to work or other stressful events, that cat cafes are so popular.  Consider it “pet therapy”.

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Updated 12/15/09: I finally got my Uniqlo package on 12/10/09. The package took 3 weeks to get here as it was shipped from Japan.

So I tested out my new leggings and undershirt this weekend. The material is really thin and light. It reminded me of leotards, but much more comfortable and softer.

The leggings really kept me warm. They are so thin I could wear them under any type of pants.

The top is very form fitting and best worn as an undershirt. I’ve worn them under sweaters and even worn them to sleep. It’s absolutely comfortable. The scoop neck wasn’t too low cut at all.

I found all the clothes to be true to size. I ordered medium and everything fit perfectly. I highly recommend Uniqlo Heattech clothing. I hope these last as long as they say. If they have free shipping next winter, I may order more.

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Uniqlo is one of Japan’s leading clothing retail chain. Uniqlo is also known for having a nice range of high-quality goods at affordable price.

They have even adopted the Gap’s retail strategy call “SPA” - which is short for “Specialty-store, retailer of Private-label Apparel.” Which means that they would produce their own clothing under their store brand and sell it exclusively.

Their philosophy also states you don’t need to wear huge logos to define yourself (which is what I find annoying from The Gap).

There is no Uniqlo retailer in the west coast and only 1 flagship store in SoHo fashion district of Manhattan, NYC. But you can still make orders at their online shop.

Uniqlo introduced Heat Tech clothing in 2006.  I have heard such great review of it that I can’t wait to try them out.

Even though I don’t live in the colder parts of the U.S., I do get cold very easily.  I have bought regular thermals before, but not something remarkable.  I even bought thermals made of bamboo and cotton fibers.  It was very comfortable, but not as warm.  And the fabric did not hold up 1 year later.

Heattech’s fabric technology (listed below and described by Uniqlo).

• HEAT GENERATING - The highly absorbent rayon mix fabric absorbs the moisture generated by the body and converts it into heat.

• HEAT RETAINING – Tiny pockets of air are trapped between each fibre, making it hard for the generated heat to escape.

• STRETCHABLE - The soft stretchy fabric moves with the body and creates a snug fit, making it the perfect outerwear or inner wear layering item.

• MOISTURE RETAINING (women’s only) - Milk protein containing natural amino acids has been mixed with the fibres ensuring the fabric is smooth and soft to touch.

• ANTIBACTERIAL (men’s only) – Antibacterial agents have been woven into the fibres to help keep the fabric fresh.

• NON-DEFORMING - made of highly resilient and durable material. Heattech maintains it’s shape even after repeated washing.

I like the list here.  Except for the “special antibacterial agent” used to keep the fabric fresh.  This just sound a bit too toxic for me!  But luckily, only the menswear shirts have the antibacterial agent.

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Children Full of Life is the 2003 documentary directed by Noboru Kaetsu and produced by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK). First broadcast in Canada, CBC’s Passionate Eye.

“Kind, tough, funny.” That is what the students describe their teacher Mr. Toshiro Kanamori. If only we had more teachers like him these days.

The cheerful group of 4th graders in Kanazawa, northwest of Tokyo.  Image source.

I’m sure this does not represent the entire educational system of Japan, but it does shine a light on what it means to be an understanding teacher. Mr. Kanamori’s starts off the school year by reminding his students, “we come to school to be happy”. The classroom has become more then just a place to learn math, science, and grammar.. but also a place that teaches compassion and empathy.

You can watch the entire 5 part section on Youtube: Children Full of Life.

“In the award-winning documentary Children Full of Life, a fourth-grade class in a primary school in Kanazawa, northwest of Tokyo, learn lessons about compassion from their homeroom teacher, Toshiro Kanamori. He instructs each to write their true inner feelings in a letter, and read it aloud in front of the class. By sharing their lives, the children begin to realize the importance of caring for their classmates.”

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In Asia, the use of bamboo charcoal for health purposes is very popular. People in Japan, Korea, and China find the uses of bamboo charcoal to be very beneficial for many other uses too.

It was discovered that the porous structure of bamboo charcoal helps absorb bad stale air amongst many other benefits.

Bamboo charcoal is  made by placing cut and dried bamboo stalks into a kiln.  Cooked in high temperatures, the charcoal is then collected and cut into small pieces.  The pieces have found their use in the health and beauty market.

The following benefits of bamboo charcoal include:

Removes odor from kitchens, shoes, and other places.

Extracts humidity from the air and turns it into negative ions.

It’s also useful in help absorb formaldehyde.

Also helps fight electromagnetic waves from electronic items. So it’s best to place bamboo charcoal near your computer and other electronic items.

It’s also recommended to add bamboo charcoal and water to a vase of cut flowers. This helps extend the life of the flower.

So far I have added bamboo charcoal to my potted plants (which are near my computer), and also to my flower pots outside.  It’s only been 1 week since I’ve used it, so I can’t say if I’ve seen any improvements yet.

I have also put some bamboo charcoals in a basket and keep it in the bedroom.  This is to help clean the air. I’m hoping it’s making some difference.

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Since 2005, off the coast of Nomura, Japan, there has been an invasion of giant jellyfish.  These giant jellyfish grow 6.5 feet (2 meters) wide and weigh up to 450 pounds (220 kilograms). I am just amazed and how big they get, almost the same size as the diver pictured here.

Photo from National Geographic

These jellyfish are commonly found in Chinese and Korean waters, but having them show up in Japanese waters became a threat to the local fishing industry. Fishermen say the jellyfish are choking fishing nets and poisoning the catch with their toxic stingers.

As scientist try to come up with theories to why this is happening in their waters, the local communities are coming up with resourceful ways to turn their unwanted catch into candy, cookies, crab food, and fertilizer.

These jellyfish cookies were made my students at Obama Fisheries High School in Obama, Japan. Cookies are sold in boxes of 10. They are called “Ekura-chan saku-saku cookies”. Made with jellyfish powder. Photo from Pink Tentacle

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I’ve always loved to eat jell-O (gelatin), actually the Asia jelly made of agar agar is my favorite.  Another interesting jelly that is not commonly known in the U.S. is konnyaku.  It’s made from the tubers of konnyaku root. The konnyaku potato is native to Asia.  The Japanese pronounce it as “cone yuk”.  In Indonesia, they call it “iles- iles”.  In some countries it is known as voodoo lily or Devils’ Tongues.

They have huge blooms, but it’s the root that is eaten.  Photo from University of Connecticut

The Japanese have been eating this stuff for thousands of years. And there are many benefits of eating Konnyaku.  They mainly use Konnyaku to make jellies, tofu and noodles. The are low in calories, contains no fat, high in fiber, and rich in trace minerals. The Konnyaku fiber help clean the digestive tract of toxins.

When digested, konnyaku expands about 30-50 times in the digestive system - thus making you feel fuller longer. This would be good for those that want to lose weight.  But there is a caution to not just depend on konnyaku for weight loss.  As we all know, too much of anything is not good for you!

Konnyaku potatoes, photo from Bromo Agroindustry of Indonesia.  They don’t look so appetizing now, but they are suppose to be really healthy stuff.

Konnyaku contains glucomannan, which is a water-soluble dietary fiber. It is very low in carbohydrates. There are research being done that shows that konnyaku helps lower cholesterol, prevents high blood pressure and normalizes blood sugar as well as prevents diabetes.

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In Japan, mothers like to pack their school kid’s lunches in bento boxes with nice presentation.

Bento boxes reflect the Japanese belief that each meal should have five colors. And some of the most colorful foods are fruits and vegetables. This way there is a balance of flavors and texture in your food.

There are even hand punches you can get to make those cute little eyes out of seaweed (Nori).  These meals may be perfect for those picky little eaters.

But bento boxes aren’t just for kids as the idea of bringing your own bento box or canisters to work has gain popularity in the U.S.  As more people find this helps with their portion control, eating healthy and also saves them money.

uckysundae from flickr has the cutest bento boxes.  This penguin looks like Pingu.  There are even honeybees too.  Some lucky kid will have some very cute lunches.

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Beauty:  Hylauronic Acid (Hyaluronan)- this video from Youtube deserve it’s own post. Connie Chung reports from Yuzuri Hara, Japan. It was first broadcast on November 2, 2000 on ABC.

There is a town in Japan where people live into their 90s and beyond. In this particular small town of Japan, they don’t farm rice due to the terrain.  Instead they grow potatoes, the sticky white potato (konyaku) and small taro roots (satoimo). The diet of local root vegetables are rich in Hyaluronic Acid The villagers also eat very little meat and eat mostly starchy food and green veggies. They also continue to do what they do, whether it’s farming or chores despite their old age. That I think is also the key to a long life and happiness.

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Over the years, hyaluaronic acid (also known as HA) has been used to prevent wrinkles in many beauty products. But the word “acid” can scare a few people - especially if many people are not aware of it’s benefits.  It’s also been known that hyaluronic acid remains a well kept secret among experts within the skin-care industry.

When I think of “acid” I usually think of chemicals and harshness. And who would want to put that on their face? When in reality, they are perfectly safe and there is little irritation.

HA is a key component of collagen that is normally produce in the skin and joints of the body. Collagen is what gives skin it’s volume and fullness. But as we age, collagen production decreases.

The good news is that it’s possible to replace and help the body’s own production of HA. The common ways are through applying regular topical creams or serum, injections, and diet.

But not all creams (beauty products) are made the same way. Some may contain just 1% of HA and claim they have HA. Kinerase makes a cream that is 25% HA, but it is very expensive at $75 per oz.   Maybe better for mature skin. I want to start out using the ones made by Source Naturals with 10% HA, they are about $11 to $20 per oz. If you do not have deep wrinkles, then a 10% HA application should be fine.

As for injections, HA has been very good in providing relief of joint pain, especially in the knee (knee osteoarthritis).

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Since “Ponyo - On the Cliff By the Sea” is out in theatres now, I thought it would be nice to include my own list of my favorite Miyazaki films.  As well as more info on the man behind them.

Kiki’s Delivery Service, image from Wiki.

Hayao Miyazaki was born in Japan on January 5, 1941.  He is Japan’s most successful film-maker.  He is said to be more of a pessimist when it comes to the future of our world, but at the same time he wants to give children hope by saying that life is worth living and the world is worth living in.

I have to agree, even watching the films as an adult, the scenes are all memorable and brings me back to my happy childhood too.  The innocence and the wonder of everything around me.  And it makes me want to preserve what I had for future generations to come.

As for his view on hand-drawn cell animation being replaced, his answer was “If it is a dying craft we can’t do anything about it. Civilization moves on. Where are all the fresco painters now? Where are the landscape artists? What are they doing now? The world is changing. I have been very fortunate to be able to do the same job for 40 years. That’s rare in any era.”  But he admits he likes Toy Story because it opened the doors to a new breed of animation.  And he does use CGI in his own movies (but never more than 10% of the finished print). Miyazaki continues by saying, “Actually I think CGI has the potential to equal or even surpass what the human hand can do,” he says. “But it is far too late for me to try it.”

Scenes from Howl’s Moving Castle and Hayao Miyazaki at the Venice film festival in 2005. Photograph: Claudio Onorati/EPA.  Photo from the Guardian.co.uk.

I may be sad at illustrations being replaced by graphics or CGI, but I guess it is the sign of the times. At least it will still keep the themes I’ve come to love such as having a strong female lead character. As well as themes focusing on conserving our natural environment. It’s an important issue, if not for us, then at least for sake of our planet.

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