BOSS Coffee (Alien Jones)

You’re probably already aware, canned coffee in Japan is huge. And, BOSS Coffee is one of the biggest players.

Tommy Lee Jones has been the face of Suntory’s Boss Coffee since 2006.

BOSS has created a wildly successful, and entertaining series of commercials featuring Tommy Lee Jones as an alien. Alien Jones has come to Earth, Japan specifically, to observe human behavior. He has a different profession in each advertisement; teacher, salaryman, cormorant fisherman, taxi driver, host at a host club (my favorite).

These high-concept commercials feature the perfect combination of Tommy Lee Jones’ stoic demeanor, and deadpan delivery mixed with the humor of the situation, and his not always accurate understanding of human customs, and end with him drinking a BOSS Coffee.

There are so many of these Alien Jones commercials that Tommy Lee Jones has become a pop-icon in Japan. He’s more famous for his BOSS commercials than the movies he’s done. If you ever need something to talk about in an izakaya, just mention him and see how people react.

In the meantime, check out this video

Fugu

Fugu is the name of the deadly pufferfish and popular delicacy you can try in Japan.

Fugu has poison organs that require removal by a highly-trained, certified, expert chef so you don’t become paralyzed, and die of asphyxiation. The removed poison parts are even stored in a metal box with a lock and key to avoid falling into the wrong hands.

There’s an urban myth that if the chef is really good, they will leave a little of the poisonous toxin on the fish so that you feel a tingling sensation on your tongue and mouth. The more likely reality is that the chef made a small error in preparation. Either way, the danger of this meal is part of the thrill and what gets some people so excited about fugu. 

I’ve yet to try fugu, so I have no opinion on its flavor, but if you want an idea of what it’s like, you can watch Anthony Bourdain’s episode about it.

Fugu places are generally expensive and this is definitely not a meal you are trying to get at a bargain when being cheap could cost you your life.

Interesting fugu trivia: There is no known antidote for this type of poisoning. The Emperor of Japan is forbidden from eating fugu because of its inherent danger.

Birds

Somehow, it happened. I got into birding. I don’t know whether to be horrified or thrilled. While staying in a residential area of Komae, Tokyo, every morning on my daily walk to get coffee I kept hearing a sound I’d never heard before. It was oddly mechanical. I initially thought one of the houses I’d pass had a sensor that triggered this unusual sound.

Then I started hearing the same sound in other parts of the city.

The way cicadas make a loud electrical buzzing noise, this had an unusual, seemingly unnatural mechanical aspect to it. Eventually, It struck me that it was a bird.

I downloaded the Merlin app. It’s very good. I recommend it (no affiliation).

I soon learned the bird I was hearing was an Oriental Turtle Dove. Their call is the soundtrack of my Komae adventure, and fills me with happiness and nostalgia. I didn’t know you could have a favorite bird based primarily on its song. I started craving this sound and keeping my eyes open for the locations I would consistently find these doves on my daily walks to and from the station. You can hear what it sounds like here:

The most clicked link from the previous issue was for this article on the meanings of various Japanese gestures (Top 2 link for 2 issues in a row!).

The 2nd most clicked link from the previous issue was for this fun book: 101 Unuseless Japanese Inventions: The Art of Chindogu.

The one thing I think everyone should buy before they go to Japan.

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