Hamish Downie’s News Sushi #145: Morsels of News From Japan and Beyond

Hamish keeps serving the best News Sushi!
Hooray! More News Sushi for you to enjoy!
Editor Note:It is Friday, and that means it is time for the World Famous, soon-to-be Intergalactic Famous News Sushi from our very own Hamish Downie. Hamish brings us a decidedly different slant on Pop Culture as viewed through the lens of a non-native living in Japan.

Thank you (ありがとうございました) Hamish, for your insights.

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こんにちは！Which means “Hello”!

Summer is upon us a bit early this year. I went to the Rose Gardens in Nakanoshima this week, and there are roses named after golden age stars such as Marlene Dietrich, and Grace Kelly to see –

 

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and I’m in search of a place to see the fireflies in Osaka. I think I may have found a place in Osaka Castle Park, but the issue is that I haven’t gone at the right time.

Here’s a flashback to me going to see the fireflies in Wakayama:

I actually did a bit of socialising this week. I know, there goes my brand of being the world’s most unsocial society columnist going down the toilet. Thanks to a mutual friend, I got to meet a couple of documentary makers from Canada, who were visiting Japan to shoot their upcoming project. Naturally, they wanted to try the big dishes from Osaka, so along with Paul Leeming, we took them to an Osaka Soul Food restaurant on Dotonbori, with its 3D signs and neon lights (these days mostly LED). And got to know these incredible guys, Adam Besse and Joel Primus, who have made this documentary, “Raising Global Citizens”, which looks like a great watch:

Before meeting the guys, Paul and I went to Yodobashi in Umeda, and he showed me the underground bike track they gave for customers who want to test the electric bikes ability to go up and down hills –

 

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via GIPHY

Bob is back on the streets tasting food, drinking beers, and talking to travelers. He checks out the famous, and touristy, Ameyoko. A place I can say I’d never heard of when I lived in Tokyo. It looks like a fun place, and spending time with Bob is always a treat.

HOT LINKS OF THE WEEK

Romantic cats of Japan. That’s all – that’s the caption. You know cats rule the internet. I don’t make the rules.

おはよう仲良しさん❣️
Good morning friends.#朝 #おはよう #なかよし #猫 #cat pic.twitter.com/hjNyqkRvfZ

— simabossneko 2/22写真集「島にゃんこ」発売🐾 (@simabossneko) May 16, 2023

Could there be anything more “News Sushi” than this next link – Japanese artist makes the Sydney Opera House with masks, and it’s glorious.

シドニー・オペラマスク pic.twitter.com/ZCVj6uBbVR

— Tatsuya Tanaka 田中達也 (@tanaka_tatsuya) May 10, 2023

I can finally announce that the Gilbert Baker Film Festival is coming in June! I can’t wait to share my film with you! So many great films at the festival.

Gilbert Baker Film Festival is coming in June 2023!
Virtual & Worldwide#LGBTQIA #FilmFestival #GBFF2022 pic.twitter.com/Cpu7E2ytPE

— Gilbert Baker Film Festival-Int’l LGBTQIA+ Tribute (@GilbertBakerFF) May 16, 2023

Mark Hovane gives us some insight into our current micro-season in Japan

 

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Finally, here’s this little guy I found at the Hokkaido Fair in Hankyu recently –

 

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Thanks again for stopping by this week. And thank you for supporting human-generated articles.

「またきんようびね！」

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