The other great foreign and Japanese discount alcohol dealer not listed on p.287 of Tokyo? No Problem is Yamaya.  This outfit has become huge and has some great values on both imports and domestic products.

Are you scratching your head in the grocers? Do you need help with reading food labels and cooking instructions? Well, help is but a chapter away. Tokyo? No Problem, Chapter 10 thoroughly covers the food shopping challenge. It conveniently describes and categorizes supermarket products and presents them in Table format so that you can easily recognize food items and read/understand store signs and food labels. This chapter also has numerous phrases that enable you to communicate with store staff. Now grocery shopping will take on a new and pleasurable experience! Go discover what you are missing.

For quality clothing at great prices and from a company that is trying to change the world through clothes, maybe a visit to an UNIQLO store is warranted. UNIQLO is a contemporary Japanese clothing company that inspires casual dress. With over 900 locations globally, you may even want to check out their employment opportunities, with positions from designer to store management - with training in Japan. And when visiting a store, don't forget to bring along Tokyo? No Problem with its Size Conversion Chart and phrases to help you communicate directly with the staff. Let's go shopping!

Valentine's Day in Japan

Valentine’s Day in Japan is big (February 14). This is the reason why a week or so before Valentine’s Day, you will see stacks upon stacks of boxed chocolates prominently displayed for sale. Traditionally on this day, women present chocolates to the men in their lives. There are "obligation chocolates" (Giri-choko), which women present to male colleagues, bosses, platonic friends, etc. There are “prospective winner chocolates"   (Honmei-choko), reserved for a special love interest, which are often home-made treats. Recently, females have started giving “friend chocolates” (Tomo choco) to their girlfriends while males, bowing to advertising pressures, have started giving "reverse chocolates" (Gyaku-choco) to females – although the reciprocal action of gift giving from male to female should be reserved for White Day (March 14). Typical presents given on White Day are white chocolate, marshmallow-based treats and jewelry. The general rule here is “three times the return” (Sanbai gaeshi), which basically means  the male’s return gift should be roughly 3 times as expensive as the gift he received on Valentine’s Day.

Experience the Chinese New Year

According to the 2011 Chinese calendar, February 11^th marks the first day of the Chinese New Year (Year of the Rabbit). Celebrations begin from this day and usually continue 10 days thereafter. This is an absolutely fantastic time to visit  Yokohama City (located just outside Tokyo), where it’s normally bustling Chinatown becomes even crazier. There will be parades, festivals, fireworks and culinary delights to satisfy everyone’s palate. You truly won’t be disappointed.

To Smoke or Not to Smoke

The rules around smoking in public places are definitely in a transitional phase in Japan. Kanagawa Prefecture has a no-smoking ordinance. In some wards in Tokyo, smoking in the street is prohibited and smoking at many train stations is only permitted in designated smoking areas. McDonald’s plans on banning smoking at most of its new outlets nationwide over the next several years, except at places that draw large numbers of smokers, such as the ones near train stations and KFC has banned smoking at it’s new Shibuya restaurant in Tokyo. Although many restaurant chains retain smoking sections for fear of losing customers, some are leaning towards the healthier side. Starbucks is among the few that has banned smoking altogether and Royal Host family restaurants plan on making its newly renovated establishments smoke-free by the end of 2011. In February, the health ministry called for a smoking ban at facilities where people congregate, but for now, there are no provisions to penalize violators.

Introducing the E5 Series

While in Japan, be sure to ride the famous bullet train (Shinkansen). (Tokyo? No Problem, Ch.16 explains how to book Shinkansen tickets).Now is a better time than ever to ride the rails because in 2011, the Japan Railway Company (JR) will introduce the advanced E5 Series on the Tohoku Shinkansen lines in northern Honshū - Japan’s main and largest island. What makes this train spectacular? It will be faster (300 km/hr.), quieter, more comfortable and extremely safe. Plan a weekend away with a friend and while onboard, impress them with your knowledge of how the extraordinary quiet and comfortable ride of the E5 series is the result of five redesigned features:

1. The distinctive long nose - combats the “tunnel boom” phenomena whenever train enters a tunnel.
2. Only one pantograph per car instead of two - reduces the noise from contact with the overhead electrical lines. (A pantograph is the device on a train's roof that connects the train to the overhead electrical lines).
3. Completely covered bogies - reduces the noise from rail contact. (Bogies are the framework carrying the wheels.)
4. Sound-absorbing panels installed beneath all passenger seats - further lessens any noise.
5. A full-active suspension system in every car to detect and regulate tilt and lateral movement, thus reducing the centrifugal (leaning) force as the train heads into a curve.

Japan is a leading producer of high tech gadgetry. The latest offerings aim to provide portable aesthetics and spa-like pampering via nanotechnology and ionic chemistry. Some items falling in this genre come with a hefty price tag, but many claim they are well worth it. So, the next time you are strolling the aisles for fun, keep an eye out for those cute colourful gadgets. You may just find something to satisfy your deepest desire. Here are a few gadgets on the market:

• Panasonic Lamdash Arc IV Wet/Dry Shaver gives a 5-blade shave without the nicks

• Panasonic line of mini massagers for tired limbs - popular with the office ladies

• Panasonic Pocket Doltz portable low-noise electric toothbrush

• Panasonic Nano-Care Ion Steamer for the face - with hot and cool ionic mist abilities

• Kalu Co. Kalu Kote Plus portable hair iron

• Toshiba’s Face and Body Care Series - 3 devices: Eyelashes curlers, nail care and hair shaver

• Hair dryers employing nanotechnology to reverse damage caused by ultraviolet rays, including frizz

• Microbubble generator that attaches to your tub and generates ultrafine bubbles to remove fine impurities and improve circulation

Japanese always remove their footwear when entering any house to avoid getting the floors dirty. Whenever  you enter someone’s home, you should always remove your shoes at the entryway (genkan) - located just inside the front door - place them neatly to the side and put on the slippers – if they are provided. Slippers help keep feet warm and socks clean. You should wear these slippers (suripa) throughout the home except in two rooms: the Japanese-style room with the tatami mat flooring (washitsu) - where you wear only socks - and in the bathroom (otearai) - where you must change into the designated "bathroom slippers". Do not forget to change back into the house slippers when leaving the bathroom - an easy thing to forget. Wearing bathroom slippers in any place except the bathroom is a etiquette blunder of the highest degree. (Note: House slippers are usually made of cloth fabric whereas bathroom slippers are composed of faux-leather with some type of character on the top).

One kanji you should become familiar with while in Japan is Teishouku, 定食, which means set meal. You may see this kanji in restaurant windows and on menus. One popular restaurant chain known for its delicious, economical teishoku and tasty side-dishes is Ootoya. They have 100+ establishments in Tokyo with more to come to Japan (and Asia). This place is easy on your wallet but you may have to queue. Keep an eye out for their blue sign.

The Foreign Buyers’ Club  (FBC) brings food and fun from the USA direct to your door in Japan. Their Deli & Learning Center delivers in 5–7 days while their General Store, with a much larger inventory of items, delivers in a little over a month. Cheerios, grape nuts, ranch dressing, microwave popcorn and almost 10,000 other products are available for delivery direct to you.

If you are looking for spooks and spirits to spice up your Halloween time (or any other time), consider taking a trip to a Japanese theme park. Below are some parks that offer haunting attractions - (and scary coasters). Namuko Namja Town, inside the Sunshine City shopping complex in Tokyo, has a walk through haunted inn (onnen ryokan). Tokyo Joypolis indoor arcade boasts three spooky houses and a House of the Dead interactive game - (but no scary coasters). Fuji-Q Highland, near the base of Mount Fuji in Yamanashi, has the world's longest haunted attraction - a Haunted Hospital that can take more than an hour to get through. Tokyo Disneyland is holding special Halloween celebrations until October 31. Huis Ten Bosch Resort in Nagasaki, has recently opened the Thriller Fantasy Museum - one of the world's largest in this genre. It offers two walk-though horror amusements, a horror-themed restaurant and light-and-sound show in the evening. Nagashima Spa Land in Nagashima has a walk-through haunted house. In addition to the theme parks, there will be a Halloween Parade on October 24 (1:00 pm – 2:15 pm) through Omotesando in Tokyo, where 1000+ costumed kids will stop traffic and march through the street.

If you are going to be living in Japan, you should know about the world-renown Japanese contemporary artist, Takashi Murakami, who is causing quite a stir with his highly controversial art exhibitions. He displays include surreal, colourful and manga-inspired sculptures and paintings, much to the dismay of many traditionalists in the art world.

With the changing of the seasons comes the changing of the Japanese palate. September means waving good-bye to crispy vegetables and perfectly-ripened fruits and saying hello to the fall food line-up. Now is the time to step outside your food comfort zone and savour the delicious warm flavours of autumn. Make sure you try mushroom rice (matsutake gohan), deep-fried sweet potatoes (daigakuimo), chestnut rice (kuri gohan), mackerel in miso sause (saba misoni) - to name but a few. If you want to treat yourself - and why shouldn't you - visit the Hanasanshō Restaurant in the Park Hotel Tokyo (Shiodome Station). In honour of the season and until September 30, they are serving up a lunch course that features the famous matsutake soup served up in a teapot (dobin mushi) and other seasonal delights for a bargain at 6300 yen. A dinner menu is also available but for more than double the price.

If you are looking to get the adrenaline pumping, then visit Fuji-Q Highland, just outside Tokyo. This amusement park has earned the title as the world's greatest thrill- providing amusement park, with its stomach-churning coasters and rides. There are also less intimidating amusements for the less adventurous and the kiddies. You can get there from Narita Airport or Tokyo by train or subway and there is accomodation if you want to stay overnight: www.fuji-q.com.

August 6, 1945 was the day Hiroshima was annihilated by an atomic bomb. While in Japan, do not miss the opportunity to visit this historical place with its two world heritage sites: the symbolic Atomic Bomb Dome, which remarkedly remained standing after the bombing, and the breath-taking Itsukushima Shrine. The Peace Memorial Museum will enable you to feel the true devastation as well as influence your thinking about war and peace. On a lighter note, make sure you savour the region's specialties - fresh oysters (raw, grilled, fried or boiled in a stew) and okonomiyaki (Japanese pizza). And be sure to bring back the tasty souvenirs - momiji manju - (steamed buns shaped like maple leaves with bean jam or chocolate ) to share with coworkers and students.

Want to get a free guide in Tokyo to places or on topics that interest you? Or perhaps you would prefer the guide to decide what is most intriguing. Either way, you can contact Tokyo Free Guide - a volunteer organization that promotes cross-cultural friendships and encourages an understanding of the Japanese culture via free guide services.

Want to add some personal Japanese style to your home away from home? Then purchase some tenugui. Tenugui is an inexpensive traditional Japanese hand cloth with unhemmed edges and a printed design. They come in hundreds of patterns, designs and colours . You can see participants of festivals wearing them as a head dress and tied in various ways but they have many other functions. They are absorbent, wring out easily and dry quickly so hang some in your kitchen to wipe hands, dry dishes or wipe counters; Spread one across a table centre to accent it; Place one over your computer to keep dust out; Hang some in windows to block sunlight; Lay one over delicate clothing to protect clothes during ironing; Frame and hang one to bring a drab wall to life. And do not forget to load up on tenugui for gifts and souvenirs for those back home.

Omotesandō (表参道) in Tokyo is the city's fashion district with both upscale and designer-outlet shopping. The tree-lined avenue, sometime's referred to as Tokyo's Champs-Élysées, is considered one of the top architectural showcase streets in the world with a number of fashion flagship stores designed by world-famous architects. When there, stroll the back streets, which are replete with interesting cafes, small galleries and quirky shops. Make sure to drop into some of the galleries. The artists are usually there to offer tea/sweets and have a chat - in English. (This is how John Lennon met Yoko Ono - but in London.)

When in Japan, try to check out the amazing artwork of Kyoto-based American artist, Daniel Kelly. Mr. Kelly has achieved international recognition and attracted the attention of top art museums and collectors around the world with his innovative portrayals of Japan. If you drop by his studio, you may even be able to seethe artist at work.

Setagaya Ward in the heart of Tokyo is leading the way in green living with ~1400 bikes at Rent-a-Cycle ports at 5 major train stations in Setagaya, 2 Solar Parking Lots: one at Sakura-Josui Station (Keio Line) and one near Sakura-Shinmachi Station (Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line). There are Eneloop hybrid pedal-assist electric bike for hire at Sakura-Josui Station and Kyōdō Station (Odakyu Odawara Line). Similar green endeavors have been set up in other parts of Japan too. Check at the local/ward office in the area where you are (plan on) living to learn about that area's green planning.