Asia Blog: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam

Making spherical balls of ice is critical to a good whiskey or scotch on the rocks, because the minimized surface-area to volume ratio means it cools your drink without diluting it as quickly as regular ice cubes. For example, a 15mL sphere takes up 4.6 in², while a cube of the same volume takes 5.7 in². So you get 25% slower melting ice, which might not seem like a lot, but I’ve heard makes all the difference.

I’ve found two sources for buying spherical ice cube trays / makers. One is expensive, from Japan. For $177, you can buy Ice Ball Mold for Perfect Ice Spheres, a set of heavy molds which squeeze melting ice into a spherical shape, letting the excess runoff as water.

The other option is local to NYC thanks to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa), who sells the Spherical Ice Tray Set out of their giftshop for $16, with free shipping:

I just put in an order for two trays, and I’ll update with the results when I have them!!

Trick is the title of the unreleased seventh album from our favorite J-Pop star Koda Kumi. The release date is January 28, 2009 in Japan–we’re looking forward to it! Until then, here’s a high resolution album art:

This greatest hits album features the following tracks:

1. Wishing On The Same Star
2. shine more
3. Put’ Em Up
4. So Crazy
5. ALARM
6. ALL FOR YOU
7. GIRL TALK
8. WANT ME, WANT ME
9. White Light
10. Can’t Sleep, Can’t Eat, I’m Sick
11. Body Don’t Cry
12. FUNKY TOWN
13. NEW LOOK
14. ROCK STEADY
15. WHAT A FEELING
16. Do Me More (New Song)
17. Sexy Girl (New Song)

I think the airbrushers went a little crazy!

The Telegraph, in Geisha numbers grow as internet and TV coverage explodes, points out that number of registered Geisha in Japan is increasing for the first time since the 1950s. Geisha now number over 100 members:

The numbers of young maiko, or trainee Geisha, rose above 100 in March this year for the first time since time since the 1950s. The boom in recruiting follows the establishment of a website by the Kyoto Traditional Musical Art Foundation, which made the music, dance and practices of the Geisha available to those outside the formerly closed world of the courtesans and their clients.

Geisha recruitment hit a nadir of 28 in 1978. In the post-Second World War changes roiling Japanese society, which weakened the monarchy and aristocracy, theirs appeared to be a vanishing world. In the following decades the annual numbers stabilised between 50 and 80.

In the modern world, the Geisha trade is complicated by the easy availability of entertainment in the form of bars, clubs, the internet, access to pornography, and mobile networking. Furthermore, Geisha are expected to be single; if they marry, they retire.

This is cute, it made me wonder if joining the Japanese Air Force was in my future. Then, I found out its from the flying sim Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (エースコンバット6 解放への戦火, Ēsu Konbatto Shikkusu Kaihō e no Senka). Still, putting cute anime on fighter jets is adorable…

The game looks half decent, it’s rated 80% on metacritic!