Lavender Road Divider

In Hirosaki city (Aomori Prefecture), about 22,000 lavenders are planted in the road divider in Kita Odori. With the approach of summer, the lavenders blossom and add colours to the carriageway. The lavenders will be cut down on 3 July and freely given away from 4 to 6 July (9:00 am – 4:00 pm). 

Cemetery for single women

A burial ground especially for single women is set up in “Fureai Park” in Fuchu city, Tokyo. This arrangement is said to have met the social needs. Due to the weakening of family ties, more and more single women prepare for their own cemetery instead of joining the family altar, because they foresee that no relatives will offer memorial service to them after their death. They even look for friends who will join them in the cemetery.

The burial ground is run by the NGO body, there are 300 spaces, all of them have been fully booked due to low price. At present there are 20 occupants.

Exhibition of “Tengu Joshi” - Japanese Traditional Paper

The exhibition of “Tengu Joshi” was held on 3 June 2012 in Tosa Washi Village in Kochi prefecture. “Tengu Joshi” is a kind of traditional Japanese paper, it is said to be thinnest in the world (0.03mm) and not easy to be torn apart. The paper in different colors was mounted on the bamboo and shaped into a lamp. It was made by Hamada Hironao who has been engaging in the artwork for over 15 years following the footsteps of his grandfather. In the exhibition the décor of “Tengu Joshi” was a pleasing to the eye and fill the garden with grace.

Allergy Free Sweeties

The long established bakery "Kurata" in Akita prefecture take on a new page and release a new type of cookie which is free of the 5 most common allergens “wheat, egg, soy, peanut, milk product“. Other bakeries like the Cadeau, Kirara are also offering similar items to children with food allergies. With the special recipes, this special group of children can enjoy the sweeties like any normal child do.

A cup of coffee in the price of Yen 10,000

To commemorate their 60^th anniversary, Mikado Coffee in Karuizawa (Nagano prefecture) is selling a specially made coffee from the deluxe grade of coffee beans from the Blue Mountain. Each cup of coffee costs 10,000Yen (about USD126.50).The cup for holding coffee is from the renowned Japanese tableware manufacturer “Okuratouen”.  

Having drank the coffee, the guests can take the cup and saucer back home.

This specially made coffee is restricted to 60 cups only. It is said that from 1^st April to 15^th May 2012 Mikado have received 7 orders.

Cool Vest

For those workers who have to work outdoor for prolong periods of time, the intense summer heat may cause body exhaustion. Japanese manufacturer invented the “cool vest”, a mini air-conditioner is attached to a special gear, it is powered by battery and it is said could help to cool down body temperature. Besides the cool vest, outdoor workers are advised to take other precautions against heatstroke, such as avoiding the hottest hours of the day and drink more water.

Actress Mirror

This is one of the items popular among girls in Japan lately. The mirror is trimmed with LED lights edging, girls could apply make-up even in dark places. One side is normal mirror, the other side could magnify images. A useful item for personal grooming.