Well, on this front nothing really interesting (except that i finally installed Gutsy) so i’ll continue with my tales of the far east.

I’ll talk about food. Japanese know their food. People sometimes have the misconception that great cooking means strong flavour (think curry), and they find Japanese food a bit bland.

Not so ! One of the women who taught me to cook, told me that a dish is a delicate balance of tastes – all the ingredients mix but not a single one dominates. Very fresh ingredients are key.

Well, you’ll find all of that and more in Japan. With Rice. Good food is not cheap, but god, is it fantastic.

Warning: stay away from desert, which is not a traditional part of the meal anyway. There’s a few oddball sweets, like (urg) umeboshi, sweet black bean paste dumplings or vegetable cookies.

A few weeks back, you might have read about young homeless japanese sleeping in internet cafes.

Real estate is expensive in Japan, and McJobs won’t get you a home. Japan’s education is a terribly strict and ruthless system. This means a lot of young people are actually on the street, or to be correct, at the computer.

Here in Belgium, internet cafes are often a side business for phone shops: small, bare and ugly places you’ll spent as little time as possible in, let alone the night.

I’m told that in Japan, you often have a cubicle to yourself (leave shoes at the entrance), a comfortable seat, a manga library and free soft drinks (photo ©folks Huard). This explains that.