I personally don’t know where this topic came from… it just sort of popped out at me.

Fermentation. It’s quite common in Asia, and various Japanese foods are fermented. One is something a lot of people in the U.S. don’t like: natto. However healthy this food is considered, many people stay away from it because of it’s smell. Not to mention the fact that it’s really sticky, too - and can have a strong taste that you might not like. But, before you classify fermented foods as bad, here are some things that some of you have probably eaten before, and enjoyed.

Miso. I’m pretty sure everyone who’s reading this has had miso soup (misoshiru) before, right? Well, did you know that the main ingredient in that traditional dish is fermented? Yes, miso is made by fermenting rice, barley, and soybeans (edamame) with salt and the mold kojikin (really a type of fungi used to ferment soy beans)

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The dolled up town is already a fantasy
Even if it’s all year round, it’s not bad
The preset you were wanting is hidden
My pulsing heart

Ah hurry, ah hurry, isn’t it Christmas Eve yet?

It’s only the middle of November, a little over a month until Christmas, and already L’Arc~en~Ciel has released a PV called ‘Hurry Xmas.’ Well, makes sense to me, who doesn’t want Christmas to come sooner?

Hurry Xmas (First Press Limited Edition Single, and Single + DVD - Japan Version) and it’s PV were both released on the 14th, this past Wednesday… just like everything else in Japan’s music industry. This single will have a Korean Version, to be released on the 19th. The CD contains five tracks: Hurry Xmas, I Wish 2007, Hurry Xmas -Silent Night Version-, Hurry Xmas (hydeless version), and I Wish 2007 (TETSU P’UNKless version). The DVD has the PVs for both Hurry Xmas and I Wish 2007.

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It’s been almost eight months since Bou played his final performance with An Cafe, and about seven and a half since the band entered it’s ’second generation’ - filling Bou’s old spot with guitarist Takuya, and adding a keyboardist to the mix: Yuuki. Now, the group has released their second single since Bou left: Ryuusei Rocket. The first being Kakusei Heroism ~The Hero Without a Name~, which had the priviledge of being the second season opening theme for the anime, ‘Darker than Black.’ Ryuusei Rocket was released this past Wednesday (November 7th), featuring four tracks: Ryuusei Rocket, Koi no Dependence, Ryuusei Rocket (Instrumental), and Koi no Dependence (Instrumental). On the special edition DVD there is the Ryuusei Rocket PV. This single seems to be faring well, and Oshare Kei fans have nothing but compliments to give.
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