Japanese Song of the Week Okie Dokie by SKE48

This week’s number one single on the Japanese J-Pop Oricon charts is Okie Dokie by SKE48.

You can read more about SKE48 here

Okie Dokie (オキドキ) is SKE48’s 7th single and 3rd straight number one on the J-Pop Oricon charts.

Nabana no Sato Mie, Japan

Nabana no Sato (なばなの里) located in Kuwana City in Mie Prefecture, Japan is a must see place if you are ever in the Mie area. Nabana no Sato is a theme park focused on flowers and is part of the Nagashima Onsen (長島温泉) resort area.

Japanese Song of the Week SPICE by Perfume

This week’s Japanese Song of the Week is SPICE by Perfume which has debuted at number 2 on the Japanese Jpop Oricon chart.

Perfume (パフューム) is a Japanese all girl pop/techno trio from Hiroshima, Japan. They debuted locally in 2001 and made their major label debut in 2005 as an electropop act. SPICE is Perfume's 11th single.

The group formed in 2000 and named themselves Perfume as all three members had the Japanese character for fragrance (香) in their names. In 2011 their song “Polyrhythm” was chosen for the Pixar movie, Cars 2 soundtrack.

Pocky Day 2011

November 11th (11-11) is Pocky Day. The event is held on November 11th as the date (11-11) resembles four sticks of Pocky. Some of you are asking what is Pocky. Pocky is a Japanese biscuit stick usually coated in chocolate. There are many different flavours of Pocky in Japan including almond, strawberry, milk, chocolate mousse, green tea, honey and banana. You can read more about Pocky here

What happens on Pocky Day?

Japanese Song of the Week Kaze wa Fuiteiru by AKB48

This week’s number one single on the Japanese Jpop Oricon charts is Kaze wa Fuiteiru by AKB48.

You can read more about AKB48 here

Kaze wa Fuiteiru (風は吹いている) which translates as “The Wind is Blowing” is AKB48’s 23rd single and was released on October 26, 2011.

Japan Australia Featured on The Japan Blog Directory

Japan Australia is the latest blog to feature on the wonderful The Japan Blog Directory. This is a wonderful new site that lists blogs related to Japan. Each new blog is categorized, reviewed and introduced to the directories readers with a small summary. Blogs are also featured with a more detailed review from time to time.

The Japan Blog Directory is a fantastic site to check out all the latest Japan Blogs related to Life in Japan, Japan News, Travel, Japanese Language Culture.

Winter in Takayama

Takayama (高山市) located in the mountainous Hida region of Gifu Prefecture in Japan is famous for its beautifully preserved old town. Takayama has managed to retain its traditional charm with its traditional inns, shops and sake breweries.

Takayama in Winter is a white wonderland with snow and ice dominating its landscape. It is my favourite time of year to visit the city. I love staying at a traditional Japanese ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) soaking in one of the many onsens (hot springs) in the mountains above Takayama and feasting on the world famous Hida beef from the region.