Posted in Ramblings on Feb 5th, 2008
A day or so after i hoped we’d seen the worst of winter, i woke up Sunday morning to a good covering of snow outside. It snowed pretty much all day which to many would be an inconvenience but to someone growing up in Australia it was more a novelty.
Pretty much the whole of Tokyo got snow from what i hear. I managed to take a few pictures on my way to the shop to get some breakfast before retreating back home to the warmth of the couch.
This weekend we have a public holiday to celebrate National Foundation Day (建国記念の)日and i’m heading up with a group of Friends to Gunma Prefecture, a 4 hour bus ride from Tokyo, to spend some time at Kusatsu Onsen where i’ll no doubt eat and drink too much.
Kusatsu Onsen is one of Japan’s most famous hot spring resorts, blessed with large volumes of high quality hot spring water, said to cure every illness but lovesickness.
Well known as hot spring resort for many centuries, Kusatsu’s fame was further boasted by German doctor Erwin von Baelz, who served at the imperial court in the late 1800s and recommended Kusatsu for its water’s health benefits.
Situated at an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture, Kusatsu also offers skiing in winter and hiking during the rest of the year to be enjoyed in combination with hot spring bathing.
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Posted in Japan, Technology on Feb 2nd, 2008
After the success of the last competition and to launch Japan Singles, It’s that time again, where for as little as subscribing to my site, you’re in with the chance to win a new Canon IXY Digital L4 Camera.
That’s right, the prize is a brand spanking new 7.1 meg Canon IXY Digital L4 Camera and here`s how you can enter, it doesn’t get any easier than this.
1 Entry - Subscribe to Neil Duckett by the email
2 Entries - Add Neil Duckett to your blogroll using this link
3 Entries - Add Japan Singles to your blogroll using this link
5 Entries - Write a post, or even just add a few lines in another post, about this competition linking back to this post and also linking directly to Japan Singles here
And just like last contest i`ll give those prepared to spend a few dollars an added incentive;
10 Entries - Buy a spot under my “Recommended Reading” through here - If you’re not an existing member of TLA i suggest you use the “$100 Free” promo button on the right hand side to sign-up and get $100 free credit, use $15 of it to by an ad here and have $85 to spend on advertising elsewhere! - January i had 30,000+ unique visitors.
It’s up to you, do whatever you`re prepared to do to enter but you MUST leave a comment on this post so i know what you`ve done and can record your entries accurately.
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Posted in Japan on Feb 2nd, 2008
This weeks theme in The Photo Hunt is Narrow or Semai (せまい) in Japanese
Starved for space in Japan using the word narrow for descriptive purposes is appropriate on many occasions.
The housing, streets, footpaths when existant, shops, restaurants and most other day to day activities, involve navigating your way through an all round narrow society ….. there’s certainly a fair share of narrow-minded people here too.
As for the photo, this was taken at Tokyo Dome City, where an amusement park wraps around the shopping complex from top to bottom and in many instances, narrow openings.
There was no chance of getting me on this, not just be cause i’m not a big fan of heights bit we’d literally just walked out of a restaurant for lunch with a few beers, not a good combination for me.
Tokyo Dome City (formerly known as Big Egg City prior to January 1, 2000) is an entertainment complex in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. It includes the world’s largest roofed baseball stadium known as Tokyo Dome (nicknamed “Big Egg”), an amusement park known as Tokyo Dome City Attractions (formerly Kōrakuen Yūenchi), and Korakuen Hall.
In May 2003, a spa resort known as LaQua opened for business near Tokyo Dome City Attractions. The Tokyo Dome City contains the Tokyo Dome Hotel, a 43-story hotel that is easily visible from the street and from the Tokyo Subway Suidobashi Station, which is only two blocks away.
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