Toilet seat Volume switch

This one is another picture to add to my collection of "Amazing toilets". After seing the "Volume" button I started to wonder what is that used for? some music perhaps?... then I've noticed that on the top it says "Flushing Sound"....

Well...guess what... I went ahead and pushed it... Amazing! The toilet seat started to make a .... Flushing Sound. Like when you pull the lever to flush it...but digital and with volume control.

I wondered for a while and finally I came up with the thought that it could be used to cover up your own "sound"...well, ...you know... if you don't want everyone to hear about your business....

Freezing!

This is a picture of one of my classmates miss "Kojo-san". The picture tells you everything. The class started again this tuesday and it's really cold these days. The problem is not outside, but inside the buildings.

Japanese houses do not have an heating system as I wrote some time ago and houses get really cold. In class usually we keep our jackets on. At home it takes few hours to get a warm temperature from the Air Conditioner (that is a heater during winter). Visiting some japanese friends, at home they even keep the scarf on and they use a heater under the table (as you know, people sit on the floor in japan) and on the table there is a blanket to keep the warm beneath.

As it was crazy cold yesterday, i went for something to warm me up...

..and for the occasion I've asked to make it one level extra hot to keep me warm. I'll try to survive this winter with hot food and warm clothes ;)...

Trying some Finnish Food...

On my flight to Japan thru Helsinki, I had a little time to do some Finnish Food Shopping. I bought some Salmon, Caviar and... Bear meat.

Yes, you read right...

... 100% Bear Meat. I'm not a big fan of Canned Meat, but I wanted to try it. Is kind of salty and sweet and even though I've just tried it the natural way, I think it would taste best if added to a salad. Since the flavor is quite strong, I could just eat a little bit of it...

To give you an idea, the consistence and taste are similar to the american canned "spam"...

Coming of Age Day!

When girls and boys become 20 years old, they have the "Coming of Age" Day ceremony. On that day girls wear kimono and guys wear either Kimono or Suit.

For the occasion, there was a big meeting at the Kobe Home Stadium where my friends of the Brass Porteno held a small Performance.

Inside the stadium was really cold...They have been playing with blankets, gloves and warm patches...

Luckily the above patch has an adesive strip, so that you can stick it on your shirt or jacket. I had two of them on me ;)...

This is a picture showing the Brass Band position (at the bottom of the picture). Boys and Girls were sitting on the opposite side...

The Coming of Age Monday is a National holiday in Japan and it usually happens on the second monday each January.

Time to fly back...

Time flies fast and is already time to go back to Japan. I've really enjoyed my trip to switzerland! I think the most thing i missed from Japan is the food. I couldn't wait to have a nice Maguro-Don (Raw Tuna on rice) and I actually went straight to the sushi shop ;)

The following is a shot of the Helsinki Airport... quite cold there ;)

Visiting Relatives in Italy

My Dad and me, took a 1 day trip to north Italy near Bormio to visit relatives. Here with temperature around -10°C during the night, the snow stays for a long time. You cannot see it from the picture, but the whole parking lot is a big chunk of ice.

Of course, time for some good italian food. This Pizza was amazing and really delicious!

This is fried cheese, called "Sciàtt" in the north italian dialect...

and Some Grilled Deer with Polenta and Porcini (mushrooms)

A picture with my Dad (on the right) and my uncle (on the left) and my uncle's Yellow Fiat 500. This car is over 30 years old but still working. Most of the repair and maintenance is done by my uncle himself who really loves his car ;)

Joël and Tea!

Finally home and I could meet Joël and Tea (my nephew and niece). They have grown a lot! Joël is now almost 3 and Tea (in the picture) just a little over a year.

I spent with them few days... Poor Tea she got the cold and had to go to the hospital for a check. It was serious but with the right medicine she could get well again in about a week.

This is the first time with skies for Joël. It will take a while before he will be able to go on his own, but it looks like he enjoyed this new game ;)