As it's International Playground Month for the third time in five years, let's take a quiet moment to pay tribute to some of the world's finest grounds of play enjoyed by the little people of this big...

Walk the streets of Japan for more than a few minutes and you'll quickly realise that people here absolutely love coffee, although NEVER just by itself....Here's a splendid one for starters....Sounds ...

Both were plucked from obscurity before going on to become superstars.Both found fame and fortune through the art of singing.Both are human beings.But that's pretty much where the similarities end. On...

Kyodo News has been reporting that the Japanese government has this evening issued an urgent recall regarding the dress shirt worn by Prime Minister Hatoyama at a stage-managed photo opportunity meeti...

The Man Under The PlatformWhile walking along the platform of your local train station, have you ever wondered what's going on beneath your feet?No, neither have I.However, I recently discovered that ...

Many will consider these heads to be imaginative works of art.They may well have been inspired by a disturbing dream.........or by some mind-bending stimulants.They could possibly be the work of someo...

Soon after being serviced by Miki, I happened upon what could well be the cheapest vending machine in Japan, dispensing drinks for a mere 50 yen.....I mean, just 50 yen!Maybe there is a....although Go...

On a cold winter evening, there's nothing quite like tucking into some nice bread........and washing it down with a warmed-up glass of Vinegar and Milk.........before finally vomiting into the toilet....

A plane coming in to land at Osaka's main airport.Osaka is known widely as the kitchen of Japan. Not because the city's inhabitants enjoy washing dishes (though they might), but because Osaka contains...

Kairo are popular in winter time, for keeping warm.>>ORIGINAL...

...the Pink Panther in a Santa outfit....>>ORIGINAL...

I think I've been hallucinating; maybe something got in the water supply....So I was swanning about by the Yodogawa the other day when suddenly, across the way, I think I see a massive great rubber du...

>>ORIGINAL...

Design flaw?I don't know.Perhaps the road used to be higher.Or maybe the house was once lower.Or did the builders simply get their calculations wrong?Then again, I suppose it's possible the architect ...

As fart songs go, this is one of the better ones, and has a well choreographed dance video accompanying it.The song encourages womanly ladies of the female variety not to hold in any build up of gas t...

In the Umeda district of Osaka, in the shadow of the Hep Five shopping centre, you'll find Gyoza Stadium. It is, as the name suggests, full of gyoza. However, unlike most stadiums, this one has no one...

As you can imagine, I often receive emails asking me about Japanese toiletry concerns - from people who are into that kind of thing.In response, I spent some time researching nearby public toilets wit...

In Japan's larger cities, the rush hour might well involve a bloke in white gloves shoving you onto a carriage till you're so far in that your face squashes up against the window while someone's brief...

The recession continues to bite in Japan - take a little stroll around any 'hood and you'll likely see a fair few empty premises.However, it's good to see that Liza is planning to stick around for a w...

Apparently, like Eminem, Christianity is not big in Japan.This is not altogether surprising as they already have their hands full with two other religions, Shintoism and Buddhism.Having said that, the...