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<channel>
	<title>The Japan Times &#187; SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news_column/so-what-the-heck-is-that/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp</link>
	<description>News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2013 20:00:30 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
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		<item>
		<title>Oversized trash</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/09/16/reference/oversized-trash/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=oversized-trash</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/09/16/reference/oversized-trash/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Sep 2013 14:05:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[sodaigomi]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=news&#038;p=455783</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, The other day, on the street outside the building next to mine, I saw a nice looking table with a sodai gomi (oversized garbage) sticker it. When I returned with a tape measure to see if the table would fit in my living room, an elderly woman came out. &#8220;You can&#8217;t take that,&#8221; [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/09/16/reference/oversized-trash/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Mosquito coils</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/07/15/reference/mosquito-coils/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=mosquito-coils</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/07/15/reference/mosquito-coils/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jul 2013 14:00:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fukuzawa Yukichi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kincho]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mosquito coils]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ueyama Eiichiro]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=news&#038;p=410322</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I have lived in Japan for almost 30 years, and nothing says "summer in Japan" to me like the sight and smell of those once-ubiquitous green mosquito coils. ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/07/15/reference/mosquito-coils/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Okigusuri</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/18/reference/okigusuri/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=okigusuri</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/18/reference/okigusuri/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:02:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[medicine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[okigusuri]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tokyo-to Iyakuhin Haichi Kyokai]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=news&#038;p=385582</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I was on a two-week home stay in the countryside of Japan when a visitor came to the house. I don&#8217;t think he was expected, but my home-stay mother greeted him like an old friend and fetched a plastic drawer-box from the kitchen, which seemed to contain packaged medicines. While they chatted over [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/18/reference/okigusuri/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Postal symbol</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/21/reference/postal-symbol/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=postal-symbol</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/21/reference/postal-symbol/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2013 15:10:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[post office]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=news&#038;p=367376</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, This may seem like a stupid question, or too trivial a subject for you, but what the heck is the symbol that precedes the post code on every piece of domestic mail I receive here in Japan? I&#8217;m sure you know what I mean — it looks like the letter T but has [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/21/reference/postal-symbol/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The 5 p.m. bell</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/16/reference/bosai-musen/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=bosai-musen</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/16/reference/bosai-musen/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:00:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[5 p.m. chime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disaster warning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=news&#038;p=348218</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I live in a medium-size city in Saitama Prefecture and am puzzled by a speaker system mounted on a huge pole right outside my apartment. Every evening at 5 p.m., music plays from the speakers for 20 or 30 seconds and then stops. It&#8217;s the same song every day, which I don&#8217;t recognize, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/16/reference/bosai-musen/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>White gloves</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/03/19/reference/white-gloves/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=white-gloves</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/03/19/reference/white-gloves/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:05:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[white gloves]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=news&#038;p=323740</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I&#8217;m curious about the prevalence of white gloves in Japan. As I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ve noticed, all sorts of people wear white gloves on the job here, including taxi drivers, police officers and elevator girls. I have no idea if this is true, but I once heard that this dates back to 1966, when [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/03/19/reference/white-gloves/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nori</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/02/19/reference/nori/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=nori</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/02/19/reference/nori/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Feb 2013 15:00:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ajitsukenori]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nori]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seaweed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yakinori]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=news&#038;p=159522</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I was out for a walk with my camera the other day and came across a puzzling scene. I saw people putting what I thought were squares of dark paper onto easels in the sun, as if to dry. But when I went closer, the squares actually seemed to be nori seaweed sheets, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/02/19/reference/nori/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Warōsoku</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/01/15/reference/warsoku/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=warsoku</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/01/15/reference/warsoku/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=news&#038;p=32882</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, My Japanese mother-in-law is very traditional and spends at lot of time maintaining the family butsudan, the cabinet-like Buddhist altar in the main room of her home. It is part of her daily routine to light candles, pray and make small offerings of food to the deceased relatives memorialized there. So when my [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/01/15/reference/warsoku/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Senkyo post&#257; keijiba</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/12/18/reference/senkyo-post-keijiba/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=senkyo-post-keijiba</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/12/18/reference/senkyo-post-keijiba/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/12/18/%news_category%/senkyo-post-keijiba/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, Thank you as always for your interesting column. I have a question about those temporary bulletin boards that crop up from time to time, the ones with the blank squares with numbers in the center. One appeared recently near my home, soon followed by the noise pollution of another election, by which I [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/12/18/reference/senkyo-post-keijiba/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Emergency announcements</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/11/20/reference/emergency-announcements/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=emergency-announcements</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/11/20/reference/emergency-announcements/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/11/20/%news_category%/emergency-announcements/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I&#8217;ve lived in Japan for four years and although I speak a fair amount of Japanese, I can&#8217;t make out what the heck ambulance crews are saying on their loudspeakers when they&#8217;re trying to get through traffic. Are those set phrases or are they speaking to the specific situation on the road? It [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/11/20/reference/emergency-announcements/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Straw belts</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/10/16/reference/straw-belts/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=straw-belts</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/10/16/reference/straw-belts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/10/16/%news_category%/straw-belts/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, My question is about those straw belts that get wrapped around the trunks of pine trees a meter or so above the ground. I know they have something to do with fooling insects into laying their eggs in the straw instead of the bark, but could you give us more details? For example, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/10/16/reference/straw-belts/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Kaohame</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/09/18/reference/kaohame/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=kaohame</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/09/18/reference/kaohame/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/09/18/%news_category%/kaohame/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I travel a lot within Japan, and often come across a dated sort of tourist attraction that I don&#8217;t know quite how to describe. They are wooden façades, often hand-painted and rather amateurish, depicting a person or persons with a hole where the head should be. A passing tourist can stand behind the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/09/18/reference/kaohame/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Chindonya</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/07/17/reference/chindonya/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=chindonya</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/07/17/reference/chindonya/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/07/17/%news_category%/chindonya/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, Some years ago on a visit to Japan, in Osaka, we came across a wandering band dressed in full kimono and playing what sounded like Dixieland jazz on an odd assortment of Japanese and Western instruments. From what I could make out, they were promoting a business, but I never did learn what [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/07/17/reference/chindonya/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Seaweed Salt</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/06/19/reference/seaweed-salt/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=seaweed-salt</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/06/19/reference/seaweed-salt/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/06/19/%news_category%/seaweed-salt/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I recently received a gift of some special kind of Japanese salt. If I understood correctly, this particular salt is made from seaweed and by some ancient Japanese production method. It&#8217;s beige in color and has a nice, rich taste. But I have no idea what it&#8217;s called or where it&#8217;s made. Can [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/06/19/reference/seaweed-salt/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Kura</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/05/15/reference/kura/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=kura</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/05/15/reference/kura/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/05/15/%news_category%/kura/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I love to wander around Tokyo, particularly the older neighborhoods where small shops and little factories are mixed in among homes and schools. Every now and then I spot a strange sort of structure, obviously quite old, that is completely different from the other houses and buildings around it. These structures are tall [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/05/15/reference/kura/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Pampered pets</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/04/17/reference/pampered-pets/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=pampered-pets</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/04/17/reference/pampered-pets/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/04/17/%news_category%/pampered-pets/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice,Don&#8217;t you think it&#8217;s time you did a column on the crazy pet products and services available in Japan? I can&#8217;t believe the lengths some dog owners go to &#8212; dressing their pets in frilly clothes, pushing them around in baby carriages and taking them into cafes. My wife says I&#8217;m crazy but I [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/04/17/reference/pampered-pets/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Randoseru</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/03/20/reference/randoseru/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=randoseru</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/03/20/reference/randoseru/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/03/20/%news_category%/randoseru/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice,As a parent of two children who negotiated the Japanese educational system from day care to university, I&#8217;ve always been curious about &#8220;randoseru&#8221; &#8212; those box-like leather schoolbags used by every primary school student in Japan. First-graders nearly topple over from the weight of them; by the time the kids have grown into rangy [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/03/20/reference/randoseru/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Miso&#8217;s &#8216;moya moya&#8217;</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/02/21/reference/misos-moya-moya/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=misos-moya-moya</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/02/21/reference/misos-moya-moya/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/02/21/%news_category%/misos-moya-moya/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, My wife and I have been married long enough that our meals can be largely silent affairs, giving me plenty of time to contemplate the mysteries of my miso soup. I&#8217;d like to know what&#8217;s in the cloudy bits and how the heck they move around in the soup. And why, if you [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/02/21/reference/misos-moya-moya/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Platform doors</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/01/17/reference/platform-doors/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=platform-doors</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/01/17/reference/platform-doors/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/01/17/%news_category%/platform-doors/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice,As a longtime resident of Japan, I have watched with interest the recent installation of barriers on the platforms of many of our subway and train lines. These barriers run the full length of the platform and have sliding gates at just the places where there are train doors when a train is in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2012/01/17/reference/platform-doors/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Yomawari</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/12/20/reference/yomawari/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=yomawari</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/12/20/reference/yomawari/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:02:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/12/20/%news_category%/yomawari/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I&#8217;ve been living in Japan on and off for a few years now, and in the various places I&#8217;ve lived I&#8217;ve seen groups of senior citizens dutifully patrolling the streets. Just the other day, in my latest location, I encountered a similar patrol. One of the men was holding a pair of wooden [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/12/20/reference/yomawari/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nipple Fruit</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/11/15/reference/nipple-fruit/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=nipple-fruit</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/11/15/reference/nipple-fruit/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:01:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/11/15/%news_category%/nipple-fruit/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I have lived in Japan for almost a decade. Every fall I see in flower shops the most unusual and fantastic plant, and I would like to finally know what the heck it is. It is sold as cut branches that are laden with a totally implausible fruit in the brightest of yellows. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/11/15/reference/nipple-fruit/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Annoying TV pop-ups</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/10/18/reference/annoying-tv-pop-ups/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=annoying-tv-pop-ups</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/10/18/reference/annoying-tv-pop-ups/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:01:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/10/18/%news_category%/annoying-tv-pop-ups/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I want to ask about something that has bugged me the entire 17 years I have lived in Japan. It irritates me so much I am tempted to replace the &#8220;heck&#8221; in &#8220;what the heck&#8221; with something considerably stronger but I will be a lady and restrain myself. Anyway, what the heck are [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/10/18/reference/annoying-tv-pop-ups/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Anzan kigan</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/09/20/reference/anzan-kigan/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=anzan-kigan</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/09/20/reference/anzan-kigan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/09/20/%news_category%/anzan-kigan/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, My friend and I stumbled upon something mysterious on the Izu Peninsula. We were walking along the picturesque Matsukawa River, where it runs through the town of Ito, when we came upon a shrine with no one about. It looked like any other small-town shrine, except that over the doorway, stuck upright into [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/09/20/reference/anzan-kigan/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Japan&#8217;s incompatible power grids</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/07/19/reference/japans-incompatible-power-grids/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=japans-incompatible-power-grids</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/07/19/reference/japans-incompatible-power-grids/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/07/19/%news_category%/japans-incompatible-power-grids/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice,As Japan sweats through this summer of inadequate power, many more people now know that there are different electrical supply systems in eastern and western Japan, and that the two systems are incompatible. This is such a crazy situation that I&#8217;d really be interested to know the history behind it. Can you find out [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/07/19/reference/japans-incompatible-power-grids/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Kinp&#363;</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/06/21/reference/kinp/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=kinp</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/06/21/reference/kinp/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/06/21/%news_category%/kinp/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice,I am fascinated by the elaborately decorated envelopes offered for sale in Japan. I know they are used for giving money, because the first time I came to Japan to study martial arts a friend taught me to put my lesson fees into an envelope, rather than just hand bills to my teacher. I&#8217;d [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/06/21/reference/kinp/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bridges with names</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/05/17/reference/bridges-with-names/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=bridges-with-names</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/05/17/reference/bridges-with-names/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 May 2011 00:01:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/05/17/%news_category%/bridges-with-names/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I&#8217;ve noticed something that no one has ever been able to explain to me: It seems that absolutely every bridge in Japan has a name! Size, length and location don&#8217;t seem to have anything to do with it: I once saw two tiny bridges out in the middle of nowhere, one after the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/05/17/reference/bridges-with-names/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Setsuden</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/04/21/reference/setsuden/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=setsuden</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/04/21/reference/setsuden/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aws.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/04/21/%news_category%/setsuden/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, Everywhere I go now I see signs for setsuden (conserving electricity). There&#8217;s a notice at my local convenience store explaining that the lights are down for setsuden. My post office has shortened its hours for setsuden. And the subway is running with fewer trains &#8212; you guessed it &#8212; for setsuden. So, what [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/04/21/reference/setsuden/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Yokobue</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/03/17/reference/yokobue/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=yokobue</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/03/17/reference/yokobue/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:01:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aws.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/03/17/%news_category%/yokobue/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, Last November, I went to Kyushu to see the Karatsu Kunchi festival. It was a wonderful spectacle, with huge, flamboyant floats pulled through crowded streets to the rhythmic accompaniment of drums, music and shouts of &#8220;Enya! Enya!&#8221; I loved it all, but if I had to designate one aspect as my favorite, it [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/03/17/reference/yokobue/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bloomers</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/02/17/reference/bloomers/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=bloomers</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/02/17/reference/bloomers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:00:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aws.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/02/17/%news_category%/bloomers/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I&#8217;ve never been to Japan but I do watch the Japanese channel that comes in my cable television package. The programming is in English, so I understand what everyone is saying, but I have to ask one thing: What the heck do Japanese girls wear on their lower halves in gym class? Maybe [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/02/17/reference/bloomers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Wagashi</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/01/20/reference/wagashi/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=wagashi</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/01/20/reference/wagashi/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Alice Gordenker</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://aws.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/01/20/%news_category%/wagashi/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Alice, I love desserts of all kinds, but eating my way through the cake shops of Japan is wreaking havoc on my waistline. When I mentioned this to a Japanese friend, she said I need to wean myself off crepes and cream puffs and opt instead for wagashi &#8212; traditional Japanese confections. I say [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2011/01/20/reference/wagashi/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

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