A Story of Yonosuke 「横道世之介」

  

A Story of Yonosuke was one of my favourite films of 2013. The film screened here in Melbourne late last year as part of the 17th annual Japanese Film Festival.

Set in the late 1980s, Kengo Kora (Norwegian Wood, Box!) stars as Yonosuke, a University student who has just moved to Tokyo from the port city of Nagasaki. As he settles into his new life in a big city, the quirky yet very agreeable Yonosuke proceeds to charm everyone he meets. The film periodically jumps forward 20 years and we are then given a glimpse of what has become of Yonosuke's friends. Based on the novel 'Yokomichi Yonosuke' by Shuichi Yoshida, it is a nostalgic film about old school friends taking a trip down memory lane.

Have you seen it? What did you think?

 

More images and potential spoilers after the jump!

Ayumi Burger Kidz

If you are fond of Japan and/or burgers I am sure you will enjoy watching Ayumi Seto's burger reviewing segment 'Ayumi Burger Kidz' on popular YouTube channel HARAJUKU KAWAii !! TV. 

Check out the episodes below:

The Great Burger

6-12-7 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo // (03) 3406 1215 // 11:30AM - 10:30PM
Check out Fashimi's burger review here!

San Francisco Peaks

3-28-7 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo // (03) 5775 5707 // Open daily 11:30 AM -11:00 PM

Burger Goods
Burger related collectables // Ayumi Kidz book // Village Vanguard Diner Cherry Bomb Burger collaboration


Fellows
3-8-11 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo // (03) 6419 7988


Whoopi Gold Burger
1F Shibuya 1-9-4 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo // (03) 3407 0232 
For more information check out another of Fashimi's burger reviews here!
And 8Tokyo's burger review here!

 For more on the adorable Ayumi Seto you can visit Ayumi's blog here and Ayumi's twitter here. 

Have a break, have a Kitto Katto! 「キットカット」

Nestle Japan have released an Adult Sweetness 「オトナの甘さ」line of KitKats which includes a Matcha Green Tea flavour. I happened upon these very KitKats while browsing the shelves of my local Asian Grocer here in Melbourne and being the Matcha enthusiast that I am, I couldn't resist sampling them.

This particular KitKat owes its flavour to Matcha from the Uji region of Kyoto, famous for their green tea. 「〜こだわりの 宇治抹茶〜」As the name suggests, the level of sweetness has been moderated to suit an adult palette and is marketed to us grown ups. 

The Kitkats I bought came in a pack containing 12 individually wrapped KitKats. They are perfect as omiyage (souvenirs) or just for sharing with friends. 

I really liked the level of sweetness but I found the Matcha green tea flavour a little too subtle. The green tea flavour is more of an aftertaste and the outer chocolate is really creamy.

お試しください !!

[Adult Sweetness Kit Kat TVCM staring Manami Higa who you may recognise from Tokyo Zenryoku Shoujo]

Itazura na Kiss ~ Love in TOKYO「イタズラなKiss～Love in TOKYO」Episode 8 Recap

Another Spring13 Japanese drama I have really been enjoying (along with Last Cinderella which I mentioned here)  is Itazura na Kiss ~ Love in Tokyo. Based on the highly successful Japanese manga written and illustrated by Kaoru Tada, the popular  series has been previously adapted into various live action dramas. The remake stars Miki Honoka as our charming lead, Aihara Kotoko and Furukawa Yuki as her brainy boo, Irie Naoki. Itazura na Kiss ~ Love in Tokyo is currently airing on Fuji TV.

Not having seen the previous Itazura na Kiss or its various adaptations (South Korea’s It Started With a Kiss or Taiwain's It Started With a Kiss and They Kissed Again) I am completely in the dark about what unfolds in the series. Aside from the obvious (Kotoko and Naoki get together) happy ending.

Lets recap on Episode 8. Screen shot spam and possible spoilers after the jump. 

Last Cinderella「ラスト シンデレラ」Episode 5 Recap

Japanese Drama makes a comeback with Last Cinderella

I have always enjoyed the work of Hauma Miura so I was particularly curious when I stumbled across the new Japanese drama Last Cinderella. Last Cinderella is currently airing Thursday evenings on Fuji TV. 

Before I begin, I must mention I have been a little disappointed with Japanese dramas of late. Just how many crime dramas can one nation produce? Countless... apparently.

Now, I'm afraid of my own shadow so the horror, crime and thriller genres are definitely out from me and I really don't really care for tear jerkers either (With the odd exception) so I had turned to the talents of South Korea to fill my drama void.

However, I am pleased to see Japan is finally making a comeback and one drama I am currently enjoying is Last Cinderella.

The series centers around Sakura Toyama (Ryoko Shinohara) and her clumsy attempt to find true love.  Sakura works as a hair stylist and thus far there are two possible love interests - Hiroto Saeki (Haruma Miura) the younger BMX bandit come playboy and Rintaro Tachibana (Naohito Fujiki) a co-worker she shares an amusing love/hate banter with.

So lets recap on episode 5. Images and potential spoilers after the jump! 

Hoops in HD!

Hi everyone! おひさしぶりですね。

So as I'm sure you have already noticed from the links above - I have started a YouTube channel! Please feel free to view my videos at your leisure if you feel so inclined.  Obviously I am just getting started so they are not the best but hopefully with a little practise I will improve. Fighting!!

At this stage, I think my videos will be predominately beauty related but I hope to include some Japan related content in the future. Perhaps even a video in Japanese? Hmm, maybe...? lol!