Mar
13

Harbot

You may notice there is a watch on my blog top page. If you don't, just scroll down the page and you'll see.

This character is called "Harbot", which is a "home page parts" produced by Sony Communication Network Corporation years ago. It's not a "blog parts". In those days when the Harbot service was started, there were no blog services. So people who wanted to create a site used to build a home page.

The Harbot service was more complicated than recent blog parts. A Harbot lives in a small frame called Harbox which is the same size as the watch on my top page. Harbots are doing many things in the Harbox. Like playing games, growing flowers, eating their foods, cleaning the window of the Harbox which they're in and so on.

When you visit a site which Harbox is placed for the first time, he comes to you to ask your name. Visitors can tell him his/her name through a dialogue box. After that he recognize you whenever you come using your usual PC. He comes to you to greet and record the visitor's name for his owner. So the owner is able to know who came to the site.

Not only that but a Harbot has many games which the owner and the visitors can play. So a Harbox is, in a word, a multi-functional blog parts in a sense.

Many people loved Harbots, but the service was too complicated to maintain in this blog age. So the service was closed a few years ago. It was an enormous pity for us who love Harbots very much. A lot of people opposed and protested, even a signature-collecting campaign was held. But in the end, we had to say good-bye to Harbots.

Still I think the big opposition by Harbot lovers made the company rethink the situation at least. To create a character like this is always not an easy work. No doubt that a lot of money was poured into the project to notify the service and the character. So Harbot is a big asset for them even after the service was closed. Certainly one of the reason why the Harbot watch still functions is for the Harbot lovers like me but they may think to use the character for other services in the feature. So we, the Harbot lovers, believe Harbots will come back to us some day.

Anyway, the following pictures are my Harbot named Hinamaru. Isn't he cute? I've got many captured pictures like this, so I'll up them from time to time here. Just wait and see.

        sleeping and playing a game

        eating his food

©copyright 2001-2012 Sony Communication Network Corporation

Categories: favorites

Feb
01

Hand Puppets

These is another type of le sucre bunnies! See. They're hand puppets.

Their pose is called "banzai" in Japanese and we repeat the pose to celebrate something. For example, when we win a game or get through an examination.

I think it's a good pose for stuffed animals because they are very cute and funny, so they make me laugh whenever I take a look at them. I'm always very happy with those little ones.

The following pictures are the goods which features those bunnies. The picture books are written by Naomi Tozaki who designed the bunnies. Each of them contains very pretty illustrations.

The mug cups are calendar mugs. There are 12 illustrations which express seasonal themes one by one. Each of them has the number of the month on it. So 12 mugs make a series. The first series was almost sold out and the second series is on sale recently. As I am a great fan of the artist and her bunnies, I have all of the first series as well as a special wood shelf to display them. The shelf is branded a le sucre bunny mark at the top board. It's exclusive!

There are many more goods of them and many types of stuffed bunnies. They will be on this site soon.

  pictrue books

  calendar mug cups

Categories: favorites

Jan
19

My Miata

I took the photo when my Miata was 11 years old. He's been with me almost 19 years but exactly the same even now. Stylish and beautiful like a brand-new car. I love the little one so much that it's not a car but a little brother for me. So it's not "it" but "he". Moreover I named him SHARL and a Miata called SHARL is the only one in the world. At least only one for me.

Believe it or not, there exists a Miata that had already run more than 560,000km in Japan and still well and active. The durability of Miata is so high that I will be able to be with SHARL forever, because he had run only over 50,000km until now.

The photo was taken in front of Hotel Mt. Rokkou when I visit there years ago. The winding road in the mountain was hard for me but it was a good and happy experience. Still I think roads should be straight. (laugh)

As some of you know Miata is called Roadster in Japan and the first and foremost type of Miata like mine is specially called Eunous Roadster or simply Eunous. Eunous was a coined word by Matsuda and the word was made when Miata came out to the world. So Eunous was a branch of Matsuda but it was closed when the second type Roadster came out. After that Matsuda's roadster is "Matsuda Roadster", not Eunous. The branch Eunous released some good and beautiful cars but the number of them was so small that those are very rare now.

Anyway running under the blue sky with the top open, once you know the feeling, you won't be able to part with that. We (me and SHARL) are planning to drive to Kobe to see the sea when spring comes.

Categories: favorites

Jan
15

The Grand Cafe

The picture is JR Osaka station which had been under construction for renewal and was reopened last summer. Hilton Hotel Osaka stands in front of the station and there are many prestigious buildings like the Ritz Carlton, some department stores, or many big office buildings in this area, which is my favorite spot.

Recently I found a spacious tearoom called "Hilton Plaza Hall - The Grand Cafe". As the name suggests it's in the Hilton Plaza West and the concert hall like space is very luxurious. But not so formal that it's a good place to lunch. Through the high and wide windows, you can enjoy the view of the renewed station front which is very beautiful under the blue sky. And more, the prices on the menu are very reasonable.

Recent my favorite is a plate of pastrami beef sandwiches with salad and potato chips. And tea, of course. But there are many kinds of cakes, parfaits, sandwiches, salads and even a set of afternoon tea on the menu. Everything looks so delicious!

If you have a chance to visit Osaka and need a place to lunch or supper, try The Grand Cafe. I think you'll have a good time.

Categories: favorites , foods

Dec
24

welcome to my blog!

Merry Christmas! The photo is my favorite x’mas bunnies. Do you know them? These are the "le sucre" bunnies which designed by Naomi Tozaki, a Japanese artist. Cute, aren't they? This is a typical example of Japanese word "kawaii " means. I'll up more pictures of them in the mean time.

Well, Enjoy your Christmas holiday! 　

Categories: events , favorites