Stop that.

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I had TV Japan running in the background, and heard mention of Ōwakudani, the steam vents above the hot-springs resort town of Hakone. The accompanying videos looked considerably steamier than when I was there.

Sure enough, Mt. Hakone just erupted a little (ash only, no reported injuries), after an increase in steam and small earthquakes since mid-April. It’s about 20 miles southeast of Mt. Fuji, and I have no idea what it means for regional activity.

(by Marc Riboud; not all pictures safe for work)

Real or “wacky Japan”? A town known for its annual dolphin hunt is building a theme park where you can swim with dolphins, then eat whale and dolphin meat. Take that, PETA.

Sensible Japan: free wifi for tourists. In the Kanto region, anyway.

The Pork Princess of Taiwan. Nothing to do with Japan, but I’m sure there are a few Sushi Queens willing to take her on.

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[It’s been one of those Mondays. Never mind the now-deleted package drama; that was just the warmup for the work day. First came the co-worker who still doesn’t understand the urgent request he made, then my Mac’s video card went out (saved, at least for now, by an SMC reset), and then… forget it, here’s Fuji, from The Kimono Gallery on Tumblr.]

The new interns are fitting right in, I see.

Found on Amazon Japan. I can’t imagine why they recommend these things to me…