Cucumber soda? Pepsi Cucumber hits Japanese stores

What? Every day Japan does something that makes me say that word. Here is the new wacky Japanese thing. (side note, i have yet to see this first hand)

"Japanese are staying cool as a cucumber this summer with 'Pepsi Ice Cucumber' - a new soda based on the crisp green gourd.

The soft drink, which hit stores here on Tuesday, doesn't actually have any cucumber in it - but has been artificially flavored to resemble 'the refreshing taste of a fresh cucumber,' said Aya Takemoto, spokeswoman of Japan's Pepsi distributor, Suntory Ltd.

'We wanted a flavor that makes people think of keeping cool in the summer heat," Takemoto said. "We thought the cucumber was just perfect.'"

All i can say is, What!?

Click on the title of this entry to see the full "news" story.

Great Concert!

I just got back from the "Red Hot Chili Peppers" concert at Osaka Dome. It was amazing! It was my first major concert. I have been to a handful of small concerts, but this thing was crazy! They had massive displays with lights, tvs, etc. It was a great show. The funny thing is that Japanese people dont really move around much. They just kinda stand there. Also, i tried to use my phone as "lighter" and wave it in the air, you know, like you see a group of people do that with lighters....well the Japanese security man (who was smaller than me) told me not to do that. They dont want anything shiny to effect the singers. yah, cause the smoke, fireworks and huge spotlights on them doesnt effect them either huh! Crazy. But an awesome show!

Who Sleeps in a Fridge?!

Last week I took the bullet train up to Tokyo to meet with officials at Camp Zama US Army Base. I have signed a contract with them to do comedy shows there for the troops. I spent two nights there, so i needed a place to sleep. But Tokyo is quite pricey. So, I will do what everyone else does. What i did, doesnt even surprise people in Japan. It is the norm. They are cheap places to crash if you missed the last train or too drunk to drive home. Rooms range from $20 to $40 a night. I slept in a "Capsule Hotel". These are little cubes, about the size of a fridge tipped on it's side. Inside you have a nice bed, a tv, radio, clock, mirror, AC and little shelf. There are rows of these capsules, stacked 2 high in rows of maybe 100 or so. It was amazing but i actually slept well! I actaully decided that sure there are Ritz hotels, and Hyatt's, but when the lights go out, all the bedrooms are the same!