?????I have seen some odd things dumped on the sidewalks in Japan, especially when city authorities would pick up sodai gomi (large items of household waste) on specific days for free.This much-loved practice, which provided the furniture for many a short-term foreigner's apartment and offered up the odd priceless antique, has now come to a sad end and you must contact your local ward office and pay for them to collect any bulky refuse.As this type of free refuse collection has become a paid-for service, some people now drive out to a quiet, usually scenic area, and fly dump their stuff to save a shekel or two.Just near my house, adjacent to Nagoya Agricultural Center is a wooded hill kept as a conservation area by Nagoya city. It was here I saw a giant cuttlefish half stuffed into a plastic bag hanging over the storm drain at the side of the road. Bizarre! The decomposing cephalopod was covered in flies and already beginning to stink on this warm and sunny day. I'll return in a week or so to see what state (of decomposition) the thing is in by then.Phone the toll-free number 0120-758-530 Monday-Friday 9am-5pm if you have a large dead marine creature to offload in Nagoya. Human cremation is free and one of the perks of living (and dying) in Nagoya.Items such as bicycles, furniture and kerosene stoves cost 500 yen. Carpets, futons and small electrical items such as vacuum cleaners and CD players cost 250 yen.Nagoya city does not collect air conditioners, TVs, refrigerators, or washing machines which should be recycled under the Law for Recycling Specific Kinds of Home Appliances enacted in 1998).© JapanVisitor.comYahoo Japan Auction ServiceBook a Japanese Hotel with BookingsJapanese FriendsRough Guide To JapanTagsGomi Nagoya

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??????????Last weekend I went to the Nishi-Kasai district of Tokyo, in Edogawa ward in the far east end of the city. Nishi-Kasai has the largest Indian community in Tokyo - and probably Japan - and the occasion on Saturday was the 10th celebration of the Hindu Diwali festival.In spite of it being an Indian event, it was aimed at much at the local Japanese population as it was the Indian. The majority of the crowd was Japanese, and even the performances were largely Japanese-style and by Japanese people.However, the Indian element was predominant in the stalls that lined the venue selling mainly Indian food, as well as clothing, incense, and jewelry. Several religious groups were proselytizing there, too, like Hare Krishnas, Sai Baba-ites, and even the Japanese, and decidedly oddball, "Happy Science" group.But the festival was focused on performances: singing, dancing, and drama - the drama even including some manga-style futuristic gundam fighting.Perhaps the most memorable performance was Beyonce-style stage dancing by half a dozen girls on stage, with the space below and along the stage lined with shirtless, body-painted boys drumming in vigorous unison while the girls worked their moves. Check out the YouTube video above of shirtless boys drumming and girls shaking it.© JapanVisitor.comYahoo Japan Auction ServiceBook a Japanese Hotel with BookingsJapanese FriendsJapan Job SearchTagsJapan Tokyo Nishi Kasai Diwali festival

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???????????I had the fortune of getting tickets - per kind favor of the Brastel telecommunications company and New Zealand Telecom - for the Nissui Tokyo 2009 Bledisloe Cup rugby match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the Australian Wallabies at the National Sports Stadium in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward.The massive National Sports Stadium, or Kokuritsu Kyogijo, (built for the 1964 Olympics) was close to a full house, with a crowd of about 45,000. There was a large contingent of both New Zealanders and Australians, and the excitement was palpable from long before kick off.Of course, the main part of the audience was made up of local Japanese, reflecting the enthusiasm for rugby in Japan.The Wallabies scored first, but the All Blacks dominated, keeping the play largely on their side of the field, and going on to win 32-19.© JapanVisitor.comYahoo Japan Auction ServiceBook a Japanese Hotel with BookingsJapanese FriendsJapan Job SearchTagsJapan Tokyo Bledisloe Cup Nissuirugby Kokuritsu Kyogijo (National Sports Stadium)

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