Perfect Liberty Fireworks (Hanabi) - Osaka Japan

Fireworks displays are major summer events in Japan.

In Osaka, the Church of Perfect Liberty (PL) holds an annual fireworks festival every August in which 120,000 fireworks are put on display.  Some say that this is largest fireworks display in Japan.  Attendance each year is approximately 500,000 people.

A "must see" event in Osaka Japan

We got the chance to witness this grand fireworks festival 2 years ago (on August 1, 2010). We expected the big crowd so we went to the park early to spot a good location to view the fireworks display.

Here are some of our pictures while waiting for the grand event to start. We were all smiles :)).  We didn't care about the scorching summer heat as we were all very excited to witness this grand event.

The fireworks started at 7:50PM sharp and lasted for about an hour.

Here are some of the PL fireworks videos that I took.  I just remembered to upload these videos to YouTube, after 2 years :).

Some of my fireworks shots. Love love the fascinating colors.

We were all very tired and sweaty after the event.  It was so crowded and so hot, but the experience was worth the "penitence" that we went through. Truly, a once in a lifetime experience!

Rokko Island boys

Rokko Island beauties :)

There were too many people,  it took us almost 2 hrs. to reach the train station. (Photo by Jojo)

Morning Green Tea

Coffee is not my "cup of tea", that's why I drink green tea instead of coffee to start off my day.

I wasn't a tea drinker before I moved to Japan. In fact, I didn't like the taste of tea. Living in Japan has taught me a lot of things. It is here in Japan where I learned the habit of drinking tea (ocha), and green tea has become my favorite. 

In Japan, green tea is served everywhere, any time of the day.  It is served in cups without a handle. The most polite way of drinking green tea is to hold the cup with one hand and support it from below with the other hand.

photo source: prllog.com

11 Benefits of Green Tea That You Should Know (source: www.lifehack.org).

1. Weight Loss. Green tea increases the metabolism. The polyphenol found in green tea works to intensify levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories.


2. Diabetes. Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage.


3. Heart Disease. Scientists think, green tea works on the lining of blood vessels, helping keep them stay relaxed and better able to withstand changes in blood pressure. It may also protect against the formation of clots, which are the primary cause of heart attacks.


4. Esophageal Cancer. It can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, but it is also widely thought to kill cancer cells in general without damaging the healthy tissue around them.


5. Cholesterol. Green tea reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.


6. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It is said to delay the deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies carried out on mice showed that green tea protected brain cells from dying and restored damaged brain cells.


7. Tooth Decay. Studies suggests that the chemical antioxidant “catechin” in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions


8. Blood Pressure. Regular consumption of green tea is thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.


9. Depression. Theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves. It is this substance that is thought to provide a relaxing and tranquilizing effect and be a great benefit to tea drinkers.


10. Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial. Tea catechins are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective for treating everything from influenza to cancer. In some studies green tea has been shown to inhibit the spread of many diseases.


11. Skincare. Green tea can apparently also help with wrinkles and the signs of aging, This is because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Both animal and human studies have demonstrated that green tea applied topically can reduce sun damage.


Are you drinking green tea? If not, then you should.

I think I’ll sit with God a while …

…and have a cup of tea.

Why I love Purikura

In Japan, purikura (プリクラ) refers to a photo sticker booth or the product of such a photo booth. The name is a shortened form of the registered trademark Purinto Kurabu (print club in English), jointly developed by Atlus and Sega (Wikipedia).

Purikura booth (Photo source: google image)

Purikura machines can be found all over Japan, usually in entertainment or game areas. Purikura is a very popular activity, not only among Japanese girls and young adults, but also among foreigners (mainly girls) who are living in Japan.

How does Purikura work?

You and your friends enter the booth and decide what theme to use for your pictures. The instructions are in Japanese. So, if you are not familiar with purikura, you need the help of a Japanese friend to understand how it works. After that, you then need to insert four 100 yen coins into the machine to start the process. Within a few seconds, you can start the picture taking. After picture taking, you will then decorate the pictures on computer screen outside the photo booth. The decoration time is the most exciting part of this activity. You can add frames, stamps, text, and lovely designs to cutify your pictures. There are a lot of designs to choose from, and the possibilities are endless. You can get printed copies of the pictures within a few minutes. You also have the option to send the photos to your phone email address, so you can download the pictures from your phone.

Purikura is a machine that has some kind of a magic. It makes your skin smooth and your eyes big. It makes everyone looks "kawaii" (cute), though sometimes it makes a guy looks like a gay :).

I had my first purikura experience last year with the girls in one of our bonding moments, one Saturday afternoon in Shinsaibashi Osaka. I didn't know where to look, so I looked at the machine and not the camera. It was a lot of fun, lovely experience!

The next time we had our purikura, I already knew where to look.

Family Purikura

Family purikura

Mom and Daughter bonding

Group Purikura

If the group is big, just like our group below, it's a little bit difficult to take pictures because the booth is narrow. Everyone must stick together and must find a creative way to fit inside the frame.

MPD group purikura. Mori is missing in this pic :). Now, you know what I mean.

This is a scanned copy, so the picture quality is not that good.

My Kokeshi Dolls

Kokeshi are Japanese dolls, originally from northern Japan.  They are handmade from wood, have a simple trunk and an enlarged head with a few thin, painted lines to define the face. The body has a floral design painted in red, black, and sometimes yellow, and covered with a layer of wax. One characteristic of kokeshi dolls is their lack of arms or legs. The bottom is marked with the signature of the artist. (Wikipedia).

I've heard that kokeshi has a spiritual significance to some Japanese. The wood that is used for making the kokeshi doll's face (Mizuki), literally translates as "water tree" and is thought to have fire-resistant properties. They consider kokeshi a lucky charm in the belief that kokeshi will protect their homes against fire.

Kokeshi doll makes a great souvenir if you have been to Japan.  Price range of kokeshi that I have seen so far is ~ 1000 - 10,000 JPY depending on the size and design (medyo mahal din).

There are just some of the kokeshi dolls in my collection. I don't have much in my collection now, but I plan to start collecting more (before I move to Singapore next year).