Cat Tower

Who knew they made such things as cat towers.....



of course you have to build them but Max seems to think its worth the effort.

It did take him a while to get the courage to go all the way to the top... after all he is still rather small...
Once there though he could see the benefits of being able to look down on everything and everyone....
Unfortunately most of them seem to be really awful colors - yellow, pink etc.. which while might look good in a nursery school does little to "blend in" Luckily there are some which are a little more subtle...

N905iu

My simply awful Softbank phone broke.. well has been broken for the last few weeks and besides that I have been fed up with Softbank's poor service so decided to switch back to Docomo. The network is so much more stable and the services far better...

Picked up the N905iu which is one of the new 905 series but at the same time is a little different to the others being ultra slim and stylish but not having every function but the kitchen sink...


That said it still has everything you would ever need, mail, sms, calling of course, video phone, a 2M camera and full GPS navigation. In fact the only thing it doesnt have is 1 SEG TV which, to be honest I rarely used on the T911 Softbank phone...
It is beautiful..........


I also have to say that the menu system and display is great, the best I have ever seen on a phone... and I have had a lot of phones. The display shows 3D graphics in wonderful resolution and the mail for example gives you previews (which on the 3 inch display is essentially the same as opening it without having to do so!), and many shortcut functions which make life easy. It of course also has T9 input for English and Japanese which is a good point (again compared to the T911). The GPS is a really good system also almost identical to the ones found in the cars in Japan. You can get directions to a location, fix your current position, find out useful places around your current location such as restaurants convenience stores etc... or even have a wonderful female voice "speak" out directions to your location.

More info here

Tesco テスコジャパン

So yes its true there is a Tesco in Japan, I just discovered in by accident but interesting it was!

Check out the website here - in English
in Japanese

They dont have a huge range of UK products but a few essentials are welcome! Picked up some Indian cooking sauces as well as a few old favorites........


Probably the beans are the most important product they carry but also Tesco biscuits and wine is not bad.

Premium canned coffee

Canned coffee in Japan is common-place, in winter you have a choice of hot or cold, in summer just cold. There are endless varieties of coffee and new ones are released all the time promising "enjoyment", "joy", and with this particular example "radiance". I am sure you never thought you could get so much from a can of coffee...


Between you and me I think they all taste the same..... still this one has the nicest design for the can itself although it reminds me of a beer can.

Nothing compared to Nespresso though

Convenience Stores ｺﾝﾋﾞﾆ

Convenience stores are everywhere in Japan, living in Tokyo makes it even more likely that there is one lurking around every corner..

So are they good or bad?








Well they certainly are convenient as the name suggests they offer a wide range of different products although not a wide range (in general) within a specific product type.....unless its alcohol ;-)

They are open 24 hours, and also often offer other facilities such as an ATM, fax, Copying (in color with digital photo printing) and a delivery service. ...
The bad thing about being never closed is that if you are feeling temptation for a late night snack or drink then you can always get one...which probably means you are more likely to get one..hmmmm

One very good thing about them though is that periodically you can win things as they run promotions... Just last week I won an instant noodle and a box of mints totaling 700yen in value...not bad.





Whats the best thing you have won in a convenience store?....