Jpop: Suiyoubi no Campanella - Medusa (メデューサ)

I like the quirky but melodic Suiyoubi no Campanella. They have released several videos since I wrote last time, finishing up the Triathlon EP with "Utah", and then, in preparation for the upcoming album Zipang, releasing the Sapporo-inspired "Shakushain" (a track counting up foods but with a name after a Ainu revolt leader...), but I like the most the latest "Medusa" for its' musical qualities - not just being odd but instead also having a accessability beyond the others.

• Suiyoubi no Campanella - Medusa (メデューサ)
• Suiyoubi no Campanella - Shakushain (シャクシャイン)
• Suiyoubi no Campanella - Utah (ユタ)
• Suiyoubi no Campanella - Nishi Tamao (西玉夫)

Jpop: Sakanaction - New Treasure Island (新宝島)

Long time favorite from Japanese Hokkaido, Sakanaction, is re-releasing and remixing lots of stuff right now it seems, which is nice for old and new fans, but "New Treasure Island" is a completely new song made for the upcoming live-adaption of the manga Bakuman. A nicely tuned creation with a both sober and lively video. Love the guitars and the song and the whole composition.

• Sakanaction - New Treasure Island (新宝島)

Jpop: Sakanaction - Years, Holy dance and Slow motion

If I was to pick a Japanese act that as a whole means the most to me, it must be the Hokkaido-origin group Sakanaction. Their soft electronic melodies with a kind of hopeful mellowness that is very attractive. In August they will release their next album, a compilation consisting of B-sides and remixes. The first videos from this is Years, Holy dance and Slow motion, released almost at the same time. Without doubt for me, as it has been before, slow motion is still my favorite being much more easily accesible and rhythmic. The others has their charms too, but Slow motion really show-cases what makes me love Sakanaction. Read the excellent reviews of Years here and a shorter one with more album pics here.

• Sakanaction - Slow motion (スローモーション)
• Sakanaction - Years
• Sakanaction - Holy dance (ホーリーダンス)

Jpop: Sakanaction - Goodbye (グッドバイ)

The second release from Sakanaction's new album, "Goodbye" is a more low key song in both the visuals and the sound. Therefore I think that while "Eureka" was a kind of "Sakanaction for all" ie a crowd pleaser, this is one for the avid fans. Not that the group from Hokkaido shouldn't reach a larger audience with it. I would guess this song could become popular at somber occations as it is a sad song.

• Sakanaction - Goodbye (グッドバイ)

Trip to Sapporo: Day 18 - Going home, what was the Top 5 of Sapporo?

(Click here for first day, yesterday or for all trips)

Sitting on my bus home from Arlanda Airport in Sweden (thx Swebus for the free wifi), I thought I would sum up the things I appreciated the most in an informal list. There are lots of other things but these ones I would like to give extra thanks for.

5. The Ishiya Chocolate Factory. It proved to be so much more than just a peek at the production line. Really quite the perfect goal for a family trip or anyone who is interested in chocolate, history, toys, english Tudor buildings, and/or gramophones.

4. The Tower of Sauron. Well, not really. But what do you call a 100 meter high monument made of iron that looks like an 1:1 replica taken straight of of Lord of the Rings? This is for sure one of the hidden tourist gems of Sapporo city.

3. The Snow. I mean - really? It was just fantastic how much snow Sapporo got, it almost snowed every day. To increase the effect, in Japan the snow isn't so much taken away as piled up in high walls so it is not unusual with 3 meter high snow walls even in the city. I got to rekindle my love for snow from when I grew up in the north of Sweden. I love snow(the video…)!

2. The Unexpected Friendship with Minami and Mikael. Just from a spontaneous contact made by Minami at the Mandrake store, I got to experience a genuine New Years celebration with them, but more important, we had some great times and I really appreciate these random encounters in life, they can mean so much. I wish you both the best of luck and I hope we meet again.

1. BUIE Gakuen, or rather it's residents and the openness of its welcome. I have already talked so much positive about the shared living of BUIE Gakuen in Sapporo, but again I must press how great an idea it is. People in the ages between 20 - 50 sharing facilities and lives instead of just living alone. This may not be the main point, but as a recently divorced man I want to point out that I know for a fact that several relationships and even marriages have started here. Everyone there, I don't know when I will come back, and many of you will have moved on by then, but I wish Kenji and all of you the best of luck with finding happiness.

Trip to Sapporo: Food Frenzy 2

This time I thought we would go to a normal superstore and see what interesting things we could find there. Though this isn't in any way a representative or statistically correct overview of what people buy on average.

The Japanese love their vegetables. While some of us back in Sweden may sometimes struggle to get enough vegetables in our food but almost never go without meat/fish, here people treats vegetables as the thing you never go without. Of course there is almost always fish or meat, but it is not central in the same way.

Natto, fermented soybeans, is a stable diet of the japanese that much foreigners prefer to try only once.  Same for me.

Look at those prices on tofu! 27 yen for 300g, that is 90 yen/kilo (6 SEK/1 USD per kilo)!

Strawberries are still not cheap.

Mushrooms in all forms are popular.

And as mentioned in my blog yesterday, carrots and daikon seems popular, at least here in Hokkaido.

Fish is loved by the Japanese in general, but Hokkaido is also especially known for its fish in Japan.

This is octopus, if you didn't notice.

Birds eggs of different sizes.

Meat *is* also popular, don't be mistaken about that.

Often the meat is neatly arranged.

Onigiri, something I seem to never get used to, it is like the odd candy beans in Harry Potter, I always get flavors that are really not to my taste.

In general, I find that the popular cold green tea on a bottle tastes very much like liquid popcorn, i.e. not good. Give me some good quality and warm green tea any day instead.

Energy drinks are so popular and lots of ads is about them. May it be because of the long japanese working hours?

These kind of noodle packs are quite popular as cheap food and costs between 87 - 120 yen (6-9 SEK / 1 USD) and consists of noodles and some added vegetables or stuff that explains why it costs more than the simple noodle packs at home. I found them to be a very good option for a simple lunch that filled your stomach.

Some gift bags from New Year still left.

Dried fish snacks. Very good.

Icecreams

Wasabi-covered nuts are tasty, as some of you may already know.

Unlike Sweden, but like most other countries in the world, in Japan you can buy your alcohol at the local store. WIth lower taxes this means you can buy a simpler wine for maybe 500 yen (32 SEK/5 USD), i.e. about half the price of Sweden.

They don't have "lådvin" but these 2 litre containers comes close.

Recognize the red little guy from Japanese culture?

When I was young there was this meme that asians perceived westerners as stinky because of all the diary products they ate, but that seems to at least nowadays not be possible because milk products is very much consumed here.

At the counter.