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Transgressions from the Weekend

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So over the weekend, I witnesseed two transgressions. The first was at a dance showcase at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Of course, the venue was darkened during the dance performances. Then this happened.

This older gentleman would bust out his iPad to take pictures. In the dimmed lighting, that screen was super bright, blinding those behind him. With a good view of his screen, the taken photos looked blurry, so I’m not sure what the point was. But it gets better. After some time, his iPad wouldn’t take pictures. For some reason, rotating the iPad fixed the issue (not sure why). But in the now rotated position, his attached keyboard had no where to go but up. So not only did the bright screen blind the audience, his upright keyboard doubled the height of his raised iPad thereby blocking the view of those further behind him.

The second trangression I have no photo evidence for because I was simply too slow and dumbfounded. On Saturday, at Nisshodo Candy Store, we were picking up some mochi for Mother’s Day. That little storefront was packed as others were picking up orders and making purchases. Behind us enters an older woman who tries to scurry past me, seemingly to try to get in the front of the line. But with the amount of patrons there, there really was nowhere to go.

When the cashier asks who’s next, she tries to go forward, but I already had my hand up. End of story right? Well, when it’s finally her turn, she asks the employee to check the back for other mochi, not wanting the ones in the display case. Not having any inventory in the back, the woman begins to point to specific individual mochi pieces. She’s telling the worker to move pieces so she can see the ones underneath. Keep in mind that the room is still packed as more customers are trying to file in. I missed the photo op and the expressions of all those behind her as she individually called out which piece of mochi she wanted. But I guess if she was getting these for her mother then her fastidiousness may have been justified.

My Japan Education: Samurai Gourmet

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To get a sense of the Japanese cuisine, its preparation, its underlying meaning, and its flavor, you must watch the Netflix series, Samurai Gourmet. While some of the storylines are hokey, you can’t deny the attention to detail and focus placed on the featured food dishes. The closeups and the sounds of cooking fill the screen but sadly do not fill your appetite.

At little over 20 minutes per episode, watching Kasumi lead his retired life while having interludes with a feudal samurai is delicious entertainment.

My Japan Education: Forest Bathing

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So there’s scientific backing that being in the presence of trees, known as forest bathing, has tangible health benefits? So says a Japanese national public health program that started back in 1982.

Just remember that when you enter a forest, pick up a rock, put a problem in, and drop it. You can pick up your troubles again when you leave but unlike other bathing in Japan, be sure to keep your clothes on while forest bathing,

My Yelp Review Banned

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There’s a first for everything, and today I got my first banned review on Yelp. The email I received said that my review “fell outside our Content Guidelines as it did not appear to describe a customer experience.” Yelp’s Content Guidelines are available here.

So I do admit that I was hangry when writing the mobile review, but after reviewing the guidelines, I don’t see specifically where my review crossed the line. Here’s my verbatim review:

Can’t accommodate people even with open tables and counters. We were there ready to go. There were at least 3 tables open and prepped along with 5 counter spots, but the wait list was 90 minutes. Take out at a 20-min wait was suggested. It’s a reasonable alternative, but the open seating was still baffling. It was 11:38 so possibly 11:45 reservations were coming? No explanation given so I don’t know, and overall I don’t get it. Went elsewhere. Sad start.

***Update: Wait, reservations not taken?!?! I really don’t get it.

Like I said, hangry but no inappropriate content, no conflict of interest, no promotional content, no publicizing private information, no stealing intellectual property, no payment demanded, and all relevant describing my consumer experience.

Yes, my review was my personal experience with a local business. Granted that business was cut very short since the establishment could not accommodate my family. And really, that’s the crux of my review – the handling of the situation and lack of communication. There was no reason given for the 90-minute wait time, especially when there were open seats and tables available. After the fact, I had learned that reservations were not taken so even more so, why couldn’t we dine at the open available seats? No reason was given.

That’s really disappointing. It signaled that the business didn’t want our business and doesn’t respect their customers. Why not give any explanation of any sort? Too busy, not enough wait staff? For me, some reason would be better than leaving customers to come to their own conclusions (and poor Yelp review). From other reviews, I learned that the restaurant has a pager/notification system available, but that too was not communicated as being available.

I did appeal to Yelp asking for clarification on my review and where the transgression was. But the page does openly admit that “Although we rarely end up reversing our original decision, it doesn’t hurt to have someone else take a second look,” so while I don’t expect my review to be reinstated, I do respect the openness Yelp is demonstrating.

Two Pics from the Iolani Fair

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Two pictures I wanted to share from the 2017 Iolani Fair. While walking by the swing ride at night, I spontaneously  took a picture of it illuminating the area. After looking at the picture more carefully, I noticed the dude standing cross armed aligned with the center of the ride. He almost looks purposefully posed for the pic.

Here’s a shot at the wiffle ball booth where one tossed ball in a colored ringed hole wins a prize. While not running the school, Mr. Cottrell is just another wiffle ball player who succumbed to the deceptive difficulty of this game of luck.

My Japan Education: Tokyo vs Osaka Banana

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Apparently, banana snacks are a thing in Japan. I was introduced to the Tokyo Banana but then was told that the Osaka Banana was better. After wrapping my head around the concept of these banana-based concoctions, I was fortunate enough to sample both. They weren’t the freshest samples but well within the alloted expiration date.

Tokyo Banana

Many flavors are available, each with its own visual design. The Tokyo Banana feels more playful with its designs and multitude of variations.

The inside is more like a banana cream filling with a Twinkie outside.

Osaka Banana

The Osaka counterpart, on the other hand, comes from a refined point of view. It’s packaging is more sophisticated, void of the playful Tokyo patterns.

The confection itself is partitioned in indivdual containers that keep the Osaka Banana in its sliced form. The banana is sandwiched in between soft sponge cake.

My Preference

Personally, I gotta give the nod to the Tokyo Banana. I like the overall execution of this treat. I’m not a fan of bananas to begin with, and both Osaka and Tokyo Bananas didn’t really get the banana flavor quite right. The Osaka Banana flavor was more realistic but not real enough. Because the authenticity of a banana was lost at this point, the cream filling of the Tokyo Banana appealed to me more since it was like eating a banana cream pie. And for me, I didn’t mind that the design pattern was actually emblazoned on the cake.

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