I'd be stupid not to try it!

With that famous Bart Simpson line running through my mind, I knew I had to buy this toothpaste as soon as I noticed that it uses "Nano-Technology." Light mint flavor, low-foaming formula, very mild really. It must be the thousands of tiny robots in my mouth, brushing away at tarter that makes the real difference!

All information will be displayed in engrish!

A couple observations about Japan, trains and paying to ride. Last year I had a Suica card with about $3 left on it and I took the card home with me as a souvenir. This year I brought the card back, completely expecting to be told the card was invalid or at least knowing that the balance had expired. But.... noooo! In typical japanese fashion, the card still worked-the value still safely tucked away and ready to use. This year one of the other group members hipped me to the "My Suica" button that you see when you recharge the balance. He had a japanese friend help him personalize the card with his name in kanji. The next time I was near a Suica machine with a few minutes to kill I tried the "My Suica" option in ENGLISH, and yes I was able to personalize my card, even in english. You can also print out a receipt that documents ALL the fairs paid and the trips taken. I've noticed that you see a lot more Suica logos and locations this year, and that the other train card "PASMO" seems to be fading. Another big advantage, you can now use the Suica card on all trains, not just JR lines! Bye, bye Pasmo.

Video & Photo Galleries

ASIMO - Yes! So the one great reason to visit Miraikan is to actually get to see this famous robot from honda! Of course everyone takes tons of photos and video and I am struggling to figure out the best way to get tons of imagery and videos back to you guys. So I am going to try using my iWeb account as a place to upload photos and video. Click on the thumbnail to see a bigger image or to play the video. You will need a high-speed connection to view the video. Enjoy.

Photos: http://web.me.com/dougbarrett/Site/Photos.html

Video: http://web.me.com/dougbarrett/Site/Video.html

5 Types of Creativity

Day 14  -  Visited the Miraikan in Odaiba today, the national museum of emerging sciences. They had a great new display about the 5 types of creativity that are used to spark innovation and look at things in a different way. Associative, Integrative, Serendipity, Mimicing and Alternative are the five different types they discuss. They use world changing inventions to talk about how we use creativity to make giant changes in our world. Very interesting. On the way back from the museum we transfer at the Ueno station (see pic) and Ed commented on how really beautiful the city is at night and how we never really just get out and look at it after dark. You really do see these different types of creativity all around you here in Tokyo. Everything is though out, very little is not planned or just happens on its own.

Your new best friend...

It seems to me that the Japanese are always looking for more, a deeper meaning, another use. Just in time comes PRETZ! Everything here is in flux, changing and transforming so why shouldn't that box of pretzels you just bought also become a new friend, pet, stowaway? Yes, the picture tells the whole story, once you buy Pretz, he becomes your new companion, just hook him on and go! At least until you eat all the pretzels and throw him away. In reality, it doesn't work as well as it should and you end up getting annoyed and just throwing the box away. Im sure in the US there would be some kind of group trying to get people to adopt homeless PRETZs. UPDATE: Here is a link to a Pretz commercial on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liCKLkLUfUk

Puricura,

means "print club" in Japanese, a photo booth on steroids. Three people enter the booth and follow the elaborate directions with on screen poses by japanese pop stars. You get 15 poses, and of those you get to choose 5 to edit, decorate and print out onto small stickers. Each page has 3 sets of prints. You can then use the scissors in the booth to cut them apart to share with fellow posers. I am still amazed that there are just scissors laying around in public to use, that was the weird part! Me, Ed White and Kelly McCafferty are pictured.

Swine Flu #2

Day 13 - Swine Flu comes to Tokyo and people are really freaked out about it. A college in Osaka was closed because they had one case. So... one of our students is sick this morning and needs medical attention. We tell the concierge, which sets off calls to the local health offices and we are given an appointment to see a doctor about 3 blocks from here. The concierge tells me that we should wear masks when going to the doctors office and that if the doctor determines that the student may have influenza that "we" may be quarantined at the local hospital. Luckly, the doctor thinks it is something else... I don't think anyone realizes how close we come to all being quarantined and the program coming to an end 3 weeks early.