Jan 27th, 2009 at 5:00PM: Last night in Tsuruoka, Japan, seven diners ate the wrong part of the blowfish: its balls. You probably know that fugu (blowfish), like many seafoods, is poisonous if not prepared correctly. According to Japan for the Uninvited, one blowfish has enough tetradotoxin (1200 times deadlier than cyanide) to kill 30 people. In Japan, chefs must obtain a special license to serve fugu, and the offending ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
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7 hospitalized after eating blowfish testicles
Jan 27th, 2009 at 5:00PM: Last night in Tsuruoka, Japan, seven diners ate the wrong part of the blowfish: its balls. You probably know that fugu (blowfish), like many seafoods, is poisonous if not prepared correctly. According to Japan for the Uninvited, one blowfish has enough tetradotoxin (1200 times deadlier than cyanide) to kill 30 people. In Japan, chefs must obtain a special license to serve fugu, and the offending ...Expect to wait, but not in Japan or Korea
Jan 19th, 2009 at 3:00PM: The worst airport delays in the world, of course, are those that affect you. If I'm stranded at LaGuardia's Marine Air terminal for a short hop to Boston, I really don't care what's going on over at JFK, O'Hare or anywhere else. However, some airports are more likely to inspire your anger than others, so it's a pretty good idea to know which are the worst. If you are headed to India or Europe, it ...UPDATE: Tokyo's tuna auctions open to public again
Jan 13th, 2009 at 10:00AM: Back in December, I wrote about how the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo had closed its famous tuna auctions to the public over concerns that tourists were creating hygiene issues and distracting the workers. Well, after reconsidering the month-long ban, the powers that be at the fish market have decided that tourism is important enough that visitors will be allowed to enter all areas of the fish ...Spend a lot to taste a little: the $100,000 tuna
Jan 11th, 2009 at 4:00PM: This past week, two Tokyo restaurants shared the $104,800 tab on a 128 kg (282 lb.) bluefin tuna. If that sounds like a lot, the restaurant actually paid 9.63 million yen-same amount of money, just sounds like more. Okay, if you're impressed by the sheer cost of this fish, it set the buyer back more than $372 per pound. Of course, it's probably worth it. Wall Street Journal reporter Yumiko Ono ...How the Japanese drive around town without spilling their soup
Jan 6th, 2009 at 3:30PM: OK, this is absolutely brilliant. Imagine having to speed through Tokyo on your Honda Super Cub scooter. That is hard enough without having to worry about carrying a tray filled with bowls of soup! Of course, it takes Japanese ingenuity to design a simple and crude way to keep things from spilling. I'm not really sure what to call it, so I'll just name it the "scooter self stabilizing soup ...Japanese resident of Mexico City Airport relocates to new home
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Jan 5th, 2009 at 1:30PM: We've been following the story of Hiroshi Nohara for a couple of months now, the Japanese man who showed up at Mexico City's Benito Juarez airport last fall, put his bags down and effectively set up residence in the terminal. He wouldn't explain why he was there or where he was going, but since his tourist visa was still valid, authorities had to let him stay. Nohara, who had been living on food ...Big in Japan: We're on vacation...
Dec 23rd, 2008 at 2:00PM: If you're stopping by to check on the latest installment of Big in Japan, we're sorry to say that we're on vacation... What do travel writers do when they're on vacation? Simple. They travel - just travel - and take a break from writing. In January, we'll be heading to India for a little R&R, and we hope to take a much-needed break from all forms electronic communication. Call it technological ...Big in Japan: Why your next ski holiday should be at Niseko
Dec 22nd, 2008 at 11:00AM: All this month, Big in Japan is on the road in Hokkaid?, Japan's northernmost island. Join us as we take a look at the rugged wilderness, world-class skiing and remote hot springs that make this winter wonderland so justifiably famous... The island of Hokkaid? (???, literally North Sea Circuit) gets some serious snow in the winters, though the reigning prince of powder is a small village by the ...Big in Japan: Advanced dishes for true sushi aficionados
Dec 19th, 2008 at 11:00AM: All this month, Big in Japan is on the road in Hokkaid?, Japan's northernmost island. Join us as we take a look at the rugged wilderness, world-class skiing and remote hot springs that make this winter wonderland so justifiably famous... The island of Hokkaid? (???, literally North Sea Circuit) arguably produces the finest quality sushi in all of Japan. Before the economic bubble burst, back in ...Big in Japan: Hokkaido's best national parks
Dec 15th, 2008 at 10:00AM: All this month, Big in Japan is on the road in Hokkaid?, Japan's northernmost island. Join us as we take a look at the rugged wilderness, world-class skiing and remote hot springs that make this winter wonderland so justifiably famous... The island of Hokkaid? (???, literally North Sea Circuit) may have wonderful cities, gourmet foods and a rich sense of history. However, the real charms of the ...Big in Japan: Sapporo isn't just about beer!
Dec 12th, 2008 at 11:00AM: All this month, Big in Japan is on the road in Hokkaid?, Japan's northernmost island. Join us as we take a look at the rugged wilderness, world-class skiing and remote hot springs that make this winter wonderland so justifiably famous... The island of Hokkaid? (???, literally North Sea Circuit) is firmly centered on the capital city of Sapporo (??). Famous for liquid lager, miso ramen, the 1972 ...Big in Japan: Hakodate, the gateway to Hokkaido
Dec 10th, 2008 at 10:00AM: All this month, Big in Japan is on the road in Hokkaid?, Japan's northernmost island. Join us as we take a look at the rugged wilderness, world-class skiing and remote hot springs that make this winter wonderland so justifiably famous... The island of Hokkaid? (???, literally North Sea Circuit) is connected to the Japanese mainland through the modern marvel of engineering that is the Seikan ...Big in Japan: A foodie's guide to the far north
Dec 8th, 2008 at 11:00AM: All this month, Big in Japan is on the road in Hokkaid?, Japan's northernmost island. Join us as we take a look at the rugged wilderness, world-class skiing and remote hot springs that make this winter wonderland so justifiably famous... The island of Hokkaid? (???, literally North Sea Circuit) is certainly a world apart from mainland Japan. Of course, if you happen to need a bit of convincing, ...Big in Japan: Gadling goes to Hokkaido
Dec 5th, 2008 at 11:00AM: All this month, we're on the road in Hokkaid?, Japan's northernmost island. Join us as we take a look at the rugged wilderness, world-class skiing and remote hot springs that make this winter wonderland so justifiably famous... Let's start off with a quick geography lesson, shall we? Hokkaid? (???, literally North Sea Circuit) is Japan's second largest and northernmost island. If you're not ...Stupid tourists ruin Tokyo fish market for the rest of us
Dec 4th, 2008 at 2:30PM: There are travelers and there are tourists. Travelers explore new places, immerse themselves in diverse cultures and respect their experiences. Tourists gawk, point, mock and generally embarrass themselves while poorly representing their native cities and countries. Tourists ruin things for travelers. And that's exactly what has happened at one of my favorite places in the world, Tokyo's Tsukiji ...Big in Japan: FIFA Club World Cup is coming to Japan
Dec 3rd, 2008 at 8:09AM: On Monday, Big in Japan brought you news about the first female baseball player to be drafted into the big leagues.... In keeping with the sports theme, today's post is aimed at spreading the word about the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup tournament in Tokyo and neighboring Yokohama. Somewhere along the way, America missed out on the soccer memo that seems to have been given priority status in just ...Big in Japan: The cutest pitcher you've ever seen!
Dec 1st, 2008 at 11:00AM: In a classic scene from the film A League of their Own, coach Jimmy Dugan (played by Tom Hanks) screams at his female players: 'There's no crying in baseball!' Of course, while there may have been a Hollywood ending for Madonna and Geena Davis, there is still very much a prominent glass ceiling in real-life baseball. However, there is a chance that the sport as we know it may one day change, ...Big in Japan: 5 tips for eating veggie in Japan
Nov 26th, 2008 at 11:00AM: From beef, chicken and fish to horse, jellyfish and whale, the Japanese are fierce carnivores that love their meat raw, red and occasionally bloody... Of course, this can present something of a problem for vegetarians in Japan, especially since fish stock is a classic cooking staple that can appear in the most seemingly meat-free dishes - we're looking at you, miso soup!! Fret not however as it is ...Big in Japan: Japan's best medieval castles
Nov 21st, 2008 at 10:30AM: Modern Japan may be an über peaceful place of happy shiny people, but it certainly wasn't always like this... On the contrary, medieval Japan was at times a conflict-stricken land of warring clans and spirit-breaking feudalism, which gave rise to some truly monolithic castles. Sadly, most of Japan's medieval structures were either burnt to the ground during the Meiji era of 'enlightenment,' ...Big in Japan: Want younger looking skin? Try bird poo!
Nov 19th, 2008 at 11:00AM: Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor. In fact, the closest I ever got to medical school was a failed campus visit that drove me to Japan in the first place. With that said, I am merely reporting here today on the purported merits of bird poo, rather than endorsing it as a safe and effective beauty product. Besides, I'm sure you're beautiful just the way you are, so why change a thing? (^_^) In the olden ...
