Japan Self-Defense 2014 Calendar

 

Images of the 2014 Japan Self-Defense Forces calendar depicting beautiful women in uniform have been popping up on portal sites around Japan. The calendars were created to raise awareness of the JSDF and to “lift morale.”  Interestingly enough(?) no actual members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces appeared in the calendar but bikini models and others, such as idol Rina Nagai took their place.

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Godzilla {2014}

 

So the new full-length movie trailer came out today. 

It looks AWESOME!

Nattō - なっとう

Nattō is a popular breakfast food in Japan, which has a strong smell and taste and if you stir it, it will make it stringy with a sticky texture. It's also rich in vitamin K, which helps in preventing osteoporosis. Long ago, straw bags were used to ferment the nattō soybeans, until scientists found a way to ferment them using a nattō starter culture containing Bacillus subtilis natto (a bacterium). 

Cat Day!

Japan is celebrating its 27th annual Cat Day today, also known as Nyan Nyan Nyan day!

Why Nyan? 

In English, we describe the noise cats make as "meow," but in Japanese it's "nyan." (If you've ever seen the "Nyan cat" video, that's how it gots its name.) The word in Japanese for the number two is pronounced "ni," which apparently sounds close enough to nyan that Feb. 22 (written 22/2 in Japan) could be called nyan nyan nyan. In other words, today's day sounds kind of like "meow meow meow" in Japanese.

Other than posting pictures and videos of your feline friend, there's not "much" going on with this day. Surprisingly, now that Valentine is long gone, I heard Goncharoff had made a special kind of chocolate candy box for that day only. 

Is it a mere coincidence they would involve two holidays in one? I think not!