Posted: March 23, 2012
The popular casual Italian restaurant Capricciosa is ready to color up the year with tomatoes! Among the many ingredients – from veggies to meat and seasonings – tomatoes have always been the key player for Capricciosa since its opening back in 1978. Their tomatoes come from a contracted farmer in Foggia, Puglia in southern Italy, where they are grown with great care for the perfect balance of moisture content, sweetness and sourness. Made from such selected tomatoes, Capricciosa’s tomato sauce has a tender and deep flavor and are used in many of their most popular dishes, represented by their top favorite Tomato & Garlic Spaghetti.
“Buono! Pomodoro!” is an annual promotion that offers those tomato lovers new & limited tomato menus that can be enjoyed with Tomato & Garlic Spaghetti and many other Capricciosa favorites. The new tomato dishes have been created reflecting opinions from their regular customers at a tasting event.
The first launch includes a Tomato Salad Topped with Collagen Gelee which one whole tomato is marinated with dried tomatoes-mixed-in-cream cheese and a collagen jelly topping, and a Pizza Filled with Colorful
Tomatoes and Swordfish topped with herb marinated swordfish and fresh tomatoes.
During this “tomato year”, Capricciosa offers you a chance to win gorgeous prizes such as a trip to Italy, an assortment of Italian food, or a dining ticket! To register for these, visit their website (it’s in Japanese only so have a friend help you if you’re not confident with your Japanese) or enjoy a meal at Capricciosa.
But before that… there is also a chance here at The Expat’s Guide to Japan for you to win a dining ticket that you can use at any of the Capricciosa branches in Japan! Check out the details below!!
Capricciosa Website: http://www.capricciosa.com/
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How to register: Apply through our Facebook Page or send us an e-mail to info[at]mais.co.jp (please mention in the e-mail that you are registering for Capricciosa Dining Ticket Giveaway).
Application period: March 23-April 22, 2012
Prize: A dining ticket for two people (worth 4,000 Yen… with the ticket, the pair can enjoy 1 drink each, 1 salad for two, 1 plate of pasta each OR 1 pizza each OR 1 plate of pasta and 1 pizza, and 1 coffee each).
Number of winners: 2 winners (2 pairs, 4 people)
*Winners will be sent an e-mail from Mais Co., Ltd. (e-mail domain @mais.co.jp) and will be asked for mailing address only via e-mail after the application closes. There will be no announcements made anywhere on this website or on Facebook.
*Winners will receive the ticket by April 27, 2012, unless otherwise informed.
*The ticket can be used at any of the Capricciosa branches in Japan.
*The ticket is for eating in only (cannot be used for take-aways).
*Ticket expiry date: July 31, 2012
*For Privacy Policy please see here.
Posted: December 16, 2011
December 17?19 this year is Hagoitaichi at Sens?ji Temple in Asakusa. Rows of vendors and stalls selling wooden paddles called “Hagoita” fill the area surrounding the temple as tourists and shoppers flock to see the colorful inlaid patterns and purchase their own as a symbol of luck. Hagoita is a paddle used to bat a small shuttlecock (“Hane”) in a game similar to modern day badminton. The game has a long history of having been played by girls, especially around the New Year’s season.
Hagoita is said to ward off bad luck and colds, as the Hane resembles a dragon fly, which eats harmful insects and bugs. In the Edo Era, vendors would gather around the area selling good luck charms for the New Year, an event which became known as Toshinoichi. As the custom of giving girls Hagoita gained popularity, vendors selling Hagoita increased. In the mid-Meiji (1868?1912), the festival itself was renamed to Hagoitaichi, with the paddles being made in the surrounding Shitamachi area until the end of the WWII.
The Hagoita is often inlaid with raised cloth pictures of maiko and, from the early 19th century, with popular kabuki actors as well. Today, the images also include popular singers or actors, as well as figures representing the year. Other good luck charms and crafts can also be seen at Hagoitaichi, including bundles of good luck coins, and images of Shichifukujin favorites, Daikokuten and Ebisu.
Date: December 17-19, 2011
Time: 9:00am-9:00pm
Place: Sensoji Temple, Asakusa, Tokyo
Access: Short walk from Asakusa Sta. on Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Toei Asakusa Line, or Tobu Isesaki Line
Hagoitaichi (Asakusa Kanko Remmei): http://www.e-asakusa.jp/event/1112_hagoita.html (Japanese)
Posted: November 30, 2011
If you are a skier or a snowboarder, living in Japan, and happen to be 19 years old, snow mountains could be even more exciting this winter. Japanese hotel booking website Jalan (by Recruit Co., Ltd.) hosts a promotion in which any 19-year-old this winter (born between April 2, 1992 – April 1, 1993) can enjoy skiing/snowboarding for free* at participating ski resorts, as many time as you like during the 2011-2012 season (detailed dates depend on each location). There are over 80 participating locations country-wide, offering four different options (see below for details). All you need to do is register with your mobile or smart phone at the YUKIMAJI! 19 ~SNOW MAGIC~ website and show your ID (with photo) at the snow resort.
*free lift ticket
Types of available offers (depends on each snow resort):
(A) Free 1-day lift ticket… a ticket that can be used for a day, on any operating day during the season
(B) Free 1-day lift ticket excluding certain days… a ticket that cen be used for a day, excluding certain days such as the winter holidays (Dec 23-Jan 3), 3-day-weekends, weekends in February, etc.
(C) Free weekday ticket… a ticket that can be used for a day, on any weekday during the season (check the website to see which days are counted as weekdays)
(D) Free night ticket… a ticket that can be used during the night hours during the season
PLEASE NOTE: Terms and conditions may apply depending on the snow resort. Ticket names/types, operating days and hours, terms and conditions, etc. for each location differ. Please check with your destination in advance for details.
How to register
(1) Go to the website and access the campaign page by either reading the QR code with your phone, or entering the provided URL. The website as well as the registration form are written in Japanese only. Registration is free of charge.
(2) Save the “membership e-mail” (Kaiinsho Mail) which will be sent to your phone upon completing registration.
(3) Show the “membership e-mail” and your ID (one of the following: a student ID with your photo, a valid Japanese driver’s license, passport, a Jumin Kicho Daicho Card. IDs other than these four are not accepted) at the ticket counter at the snow resort.
((4) Some places collect your lift ticket when you leave.)
Days the offer is available depends on each snow resort. See their websites for details. Tickets that were already bought prior to your arrival at the snow resorts cannot be reimbursed. Tickets that are included in the price for travel packages/ski tours/group tours cannot be reimbursed.
For further details, participating snow resorts and their offers, see the official website.
YUKIMAJI! 19 ~SNOW MAGIC~ Website: http://www.jalan.net/yukimaji19/ (Japanese)
Posted: October 28, 2011
Looking for a unique, memorable way to ring in the end of the year? Then why not have this year’s Bonenkai or Christmas party at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.? From November 4 – December 25, Bubba Gump welcomes guests with limited time only menus and festive holiday season decorations.
A trip to Bubba Gump is truly an experience! The interior of the restaurant strives to capture the authentic feel of a shrimp farmer’s shack in American Deep South. Fans of the movie Forest Gump are in for a double treat as pictures and props from the movie line the walls, and movie references pop up throughout the restaurant.
Menu items offer a one of a kind chance to try real Cajun foods dished up in full Cajun portions. Along with shrimp dishes and gumbo, a variety of seafood, hamburger, salad, and desert options are available.
The Pear and Berry Salad with chicken, pecan nuts, and an eclectic mix of fresh fruits, and the Sirloin Steak and Shrimp Combo with a juicy, grilled 300g sirloin steak and shrimp skewers are just some of the special menu items on the limited time offer winter menu from November 4 through December 25.
Register now until November 30 at The Expat’s Guide for your chance to win a free ticket for the giant Sirloin Steak and Shrimp Combo (3,580 Yen)* and head on over to any of Bubba Gump’s three locations in Osaka, Tokyo, and LaLaport Toyosu for an authentic taste of the American south, right here in Japan!
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Website: http://www.bubbagump.jp/english/index.html (English)
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How to register: simply “Like” the post on “Bubba Gump Dinner Ticket Giveaway” on our Facebook Page or send us an e-mail to info[at]mais.co.jp (please mention in the e-mail that you are registering for Bubba Gump Dinner Ticket Giveaway).
*The ticket is valid only for the Sirloin Steak and Shrimp Combo (3,580 Yen)
*The ticket can be used at one of the following locations: Bubba Gump Shrimp Tokyo, Bubba Gump Shrimp Osaka, Bubba Gump Shrimp LaLaport Toyosu.
*Tickets are valid until February 28, 2012. (Sirloin Steak and Shrimp Combo will be available after Christmas.)
*Applicants must reside in Japan.
*Winners will be selected by a lottery. The results will not be announced on this website or on the Facebook Page, and will only be notified by e-mail or Facebook message.
*For Privacy Policy please see here.
Posted: October 21, 2011
Seen any cool Japanese products lately? Well then, why not take a picture of it and enter it in a contest to win prizes!
Cool Japan Discovery is looking for foreigners’ opinions about which Japanese products they think are cool.
Entry in the contest is simple! Just take a picture of a Japanese product, upload it onto the Cool Japan Discovery Facebook page with a 100-400 word explanation of why the product appeals to you, and that’s it, you’re entered!
Winners will be determined by the amount of “likes” that they get from other viewers, along with the decision of CJD judges.
The contest is simple, free of charge and, well, just plain fun! There is no limit to the amount of photos you can upload, so grab your camera and start snapping! After all, “cool” is simply a matter of perspective.
Dates: finishes early November 2011
Website: Cool Japan Discovery
Posted: September 9, 2011
To welcome of all those recently arrived in Japan, Dominos is giving away a free, thin crust, Brooklyn Pizza for every one purchased at regular price! For both pizzas, you can choose from three different varieties: the regular Brooklyn Pizza, topped with pepperoni, sausage, and fresh mozzarella, the vegetarian Brooklyn Garlic and Tomato, or the Brooklyn Anchovy and Olive. The campaign runs from August 18th through September 30th, so grab a friend and take advantage of this fantastic offer while you can!
Dates: August 18 – September 30, 2011
Website: Domino’s Pizza (English Website)
Posted: August 24, 2011
The Edo Satokagura Student Committee and the Maeda Kagura Preservation Performers are hosting the Fifth Edo Satokagura Performance on August 31st at the Saitama Kaikan. Don’t miss this chance to see a fantastic display of one of Japan’s traditional stage arts.
Kagura is an ancient type of theatrical Shinto dance that is performed both to worship the gods and to reenact ancient Japanese tales from the Kojiki or the Nihonshoki. Satokagura is often translated into English as “folk kagura” and derives from the kagura dances that were performed in Imperial courtrooms.
The play is divided into four acts, the mikomai, the sumiyoshi, the sanjin inaba no shiro usagi, and the sanjin. In the first act, a shrine maiden (miko) performs a silent dance (mai), which serves to call the attention of the gods. This is followed by the sumiyoshi sanjin, which portrays Sumiyoshi, a representative of the three gods of water and granter of safe passage to ships. The third act is the inaba no shiro usagi. This story is based on a famous legend in Japan in which an alligator (shark in the play) gets their revenge for being tricked by the rabbit. In the final act, the god of mountains, sanjin, dances to purify the stage. While dancing, he also tosses out mochi (rice cakes) to the audience which the audience then brings home as signs of good fortune.
Place: Saitama Kaikan, Small Hall [Map] …5 minute walk from Urawa Station on the JR Tohoku Line
Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Time: Matinee 2:00pm-4:30pm (doors open at 1:00pm)…sold out
Evening performance 5:30pm-8:00pm (doors open at 4:45pm)
Price: 1,000 Yen
Website: Edo Satokagura Student Committee (Japanese only)
Posted: August 22, 2011
September through November, Sanrio Puroland, theme park and home of Hello Kitty, is holding a number of Halloween, Shichi-Go-San, and Hello Kitty’s Birthday celebrations. Beginning in September, visitors are encouraged to come in costume, with especially creative costumes being rewarded during costume contests. On October 29th and 30th, everyone in costume can enter the park free of charge after 3pm.
Kids dressed up in Halloween attire, or wearing kimono or hakama for the Japanese holiday Shichi-Go-San, will have plenty of opportunities to have their pictures taken with some of Puroland’s most well known characters like Kitty, My Melody, and Kuromi. Free Hello Kitty face paint is also being offered.
November is Hello Kitty’s birthday and the party kicks off with a gift exchange, followed by performances and quiz contests on select Saturdays and Sundays.
Register by September 25th at The Expat’s Guide* for the chance to win one of five pairs of tickets** for free entry into the park!
*(1. Choose “Send an inquiry/comment/listing request” >> 2. Fill in your name, address, and phone number and/or e-mail >> 3. Enter “Puroland pair ticket” in the Inquiry box)
**Tickets are valid until January 31, 2012.
Place: Sanrio Puroland [Map]
Dates: September 9 – November 28, 2011 (Please see website for event details)
Website: Sanrio Puroland (English Website)
Posted: August 9, 2011
A free consultation service for foreign residents will be provided on September 10th at Itabashi Green Hall. Lawyers, administrative procedure specialists, school educators, public health nurses and other specialists will be available for consultation concerning visas, resident status, international marriage and divorce, work issues (salaries, discharge), health insurance and pensions, child care, education and advancing in school, and other problems you may have experienced in everyday life, or things you just want to ask about.
Free of charge, no appointments necessary. Strictly confidential, privacy assured. Nursery care available during consultation. English, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Mongolian and Spanish interpreters will be available. Call in advance for assistance in other languages.
Date: Saturday, September 10th, 2011
Time: 1:00pm-4:00pm (please go to the reception by 3:30pm)
Place: Itabashi Green Hall [Map]
Inquiries: 03-3579-2015 (Itabashi Culture and International Exchange Foundation: Japanese)
Website: Tokyo International Communication Committee
