Posts

Odd English Usage in Japan: Free

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This is real story... I saw a FREE calendar at a stationery store... almost took it home:  http://store.ito-ya.co.jp/item/49963854969571.html  (It's more expensive than a calendar with designs)

Reflections on 2015

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2015 has been a busy year for me, fulfilling some commission work (bulk orders like 8-15 comic strips) and giving talks from "Lessons Learnt from Self-Publishing" to "Visiting Tokyo". I was also kept busy trying to sell as many books and cushions as possible. Significant achievement in 2015 is my signing with MPH (how it came to this will be explained in another post), becoming their author and no longer self-published. I also went to Jakarta for the first time and saw my first foreign published book "Eva The Explorer", which is actually the same book as "Eva, Kopi and Matcha" but different language. My work was stolen by a Vietnamese magazine but it was eventually resolved favourably, leading to the release of of a Vietnamese version next year. I learnt a lot about freelancing practice in 2015. It is better NOT to do a one-year project for more than 8 comic strips because it is very difficult to plan time when Clients suddenly wants the co

Sitting Down in Trains

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Seats in Singapore are very competitive...

Japanese celebrates Christmas by eating KFC

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While foreigners were bewildered why Japanese celebrates Christmas by eating buckets of KFC chicken, Japanese were also surprised that the rest of the world doesn't do the same. This is the result of clever marketing from KFC Japan in the past that became an annual tradition. Please support me on Patreon ( https://www.patreon.com/evacomics ), where you get first look at my comic strips! Even $1/month is ok and you can stop subscription anytime! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

Rewarding Holiday

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Yes... the main culprit was Sukiya's Beef Nabe (hot pot): The beef was so good and I always add spring onions to top it to 740yen, which is very reasonable for such a delicious meal. I ate once every 3-4 days for dinner so you can imagine how much Japanese rice and beef was added to my waistline... or is there a waistline now...hmm...

Where to buy COPIC markers in Tokyo

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Because my photo of the markers received so many shares, I realised that many artists are interested about the markers and perhaps want to know where to buy them from. Hence I wrote this guide for artists to shop in COPIC heaven aka Tokyo. ★ UPDATE NOV 2017: Please refer to my new article for latest updates on COPIC marker shopping! >>> Ultimate Guide to Copic marker shopping in Tokyo, Japan

Tattoos in Japan

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If the tattoo is small, you can cover it with plaster before going into the public bath houses.

Hitsuki Club, the best resort hotel to see Mt Fuji everyday

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This year's November was exceptionally warmer and rained more than usual. I thought I would not be able to see Mt. Fuji again until I was invited to Hitsuki Club . This is a beautiful resort hotel with rooms housed in cottages with each having a stunning view of Mt. Fuji. The resort is located in Shizuoka prefecture, inside the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park's Asagiri Highland, which is 700m above sea level so Mt. Fuji appears very close to you. The owner of this hotel is a doctor so the focus is on the wellness of the mind and body together with mother nature. Breakfast and dinner is included and you can expect fresh local ingredients cooked with spring water everyday!

Odd Japanese English: Freeter

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It seems that the concept of getting a job in Japan is getting a full-time job from 9-5pm. Freelancers and unemployed are two different things and throwing a "Freeter" word to cover both is rather inappropriate IMO.

Koma at Hidaka City, Saitama, with deep ancient Korean roots

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Hidaka City 日高市 is around an hour's train ride from Tokyo's Ikebukuro station. There you can find a small village called Koma, that has deep roots with Korea dated as far back as 1,300 years ago. I was lucky that the annual Korean traditional mounted archery contest was held when I visited on 23 Nov (Mon) public holiday.