Takao-san, in pictures..

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Test your Japanese level online..

Now you can test your Japanese language ability online using the website of Tokyo University International Center.

The test is aimed towards students who wish to enroll and take courses at the International Center of Tokyo University. Yet, as the test measures general Japanese knowledge, you can use it to know your level too. The test is professionally prepared and covers the most essential parts for each level, while the last three questions of each level measures your listening ability and how much you can understand conversational Japanese.

Give it a try, and tell us your result, either to congratulate you or cheer you up and help you continue.

Keep your legs warm for 7 hours, in bed!

All you have to do is put this into your Microwave, then under yours legs while you are in bed.

Neat, eh?

The black side of living in Japan..

Is Japan an all perfect country?

No it is not. For me, it is the best country in the world, relatively. And I will tell you now about one black side of living in Japan.

Every day, at 13:35 I reach that station. Not 13:34, not 13:36, it is 13:35. Every day I exit the train from that right door of the same train carriage I am in, and with me there the man in the tux exits and heads directly to the same vending machine. With us an older woman exits and heads left. Today she is wearing all black maybe she has some kind of a special occasion.

McDonald's in Japan..

As I wake up in the early morning getting ready for a very long day of continuous heavy work, I made a new discovery. McDonald's sells the very best coffee I have ever tasted. Not only that, it contains an amount of caffeine enough to keep me awake throughout the whole day.

In addition to that discovery, there is another one. McDonald's in Japan is not a fast food restaurant, but a restaurant where you sit and spend a long time eating and doing your own activities, including sleeping!

For example, inside McDonald's there is a free WiFi connection for those who wish to play Nintendo DS. So you can find lots of people who finish their meals then sit there playing DS for a long time. Also, if you visit McDonald's in the very early morning you will notice people sleeping inside. Those people are the ones who most probably had a long night partying then missed the last train, so they go to McDonald's instead of staying in the street and sleep there! They spend the whole night sleeping and then take the first train early in the morning back home (or back to work!).

The picture is from boingboing.net

Note: As far as my knowledge goes, McDonalds in Japan is not considered halal so basically I do not eat any meat there. I buy only coffee or ice cream.