Caption competition: The meaning of life

I took this shot the other day, thinking there must be some good cracks about the name of this supermarket I could use for an oh-so-witty caption, but when I sat down at the computer, my mind went blank. The best I could do was: The meaning of life? Eight items or less. Pretty rubbish, I think you'll agree. Any improvements? For more fun shopping, click here, or here for more brain teasers.

Picture poser

I was cleaning out the photos clogging up my hard drive last night, and came across this picture I snapped in the dog days of August. Where do you think the Sherriff posse were? How about this picture to help... 

Give up? We are actually on the roof of Abisuta, our local library/community centre, overlooking the lake, Teganuma, which I will be running around on the 26th of October. I'm still deciding what charity to support, so stay tuned folks...

At the double

So how did you do in yesterday's pairs competition? If you went for:

• Taro Aso and Kim Jong Il as a natural pair because both are related to previous rulers of their countries
  
• The ibis and Aya Sugimoto because both are doing their bit to save wildlife...

...you would be wrong! The pairs I was thinking of were:

• The ibis and Kim Jong Il - both have been kept alive by the Chinese (doctors for the North Korean dictator and mating partners for the ibis).
• Aya Sugimoto and Taro Aso - one writes rubbish and the other reads rubbish.

Thank you very much. Now enjoy another gratuitous picture of the naked bird in yesterday's post:

 

Double or nothing news quiz

Hey there Saturday browsers, fancy a news quiz Japanese style? These are some of the biggest (or at least most easily illustrated) stories doing the rounds over here. Can you arrange the four into two natural pairs? There is no correct answer, but 10 points if you can guess what was in my head...

New Japanese Prime Minister, Taro Aso, an avid reader of manga comics and grandson-in-law of a former prime minister, reveals his new cabinet, as reported by the Mainichi Daily News.

North Korea's beloved father of the nation, Kim Jong Il, may or may not be a bit poorly.

Aya Sugimoto, actress and "respected erotic novelist" according to the The Japan Times, bares all in opposition to the fur business.

One of 10 rare Crested Ibises is released into the wild, as reported by The Japan Times.

Any suggestions? Answers posted tomorrow at 9am Japan time. For more fun with quizzes while you wait for the answer, click here.

Odd one out for dummies

If you thought the last odd one out competition was too easy, try this one on for size. No inanimate objects were harmed in the writing of this post and all participants were asked to pose for the camera, none objected.

Hello, what school do you go to?

Hey, your sister is not very talkative. Do you like tartan?

 

Well, do you like tartan? You're talking with your hands, but not with your mouth...  wait a minute, something's not quite right here...

Ahh, now I understand - you are mimes performing a silent salute to the Beijing Olympics. By the way, Happy Birthday, Kevin.

Odd one out: 2

Here's a brain-teaser for all you Saturday browsers. Can you spot the odd one out here of these typically Japanese buildings that I snapped on my travels? (Usual odd one out rules apply.)

Traditional...

...inspirational...

...er, convenient for the airport?

Caption competition

I quite like this picture I took of my shadow. But what kicker (opening words) to use for a caption? Here are a few suggestions:

Shady character
Sherriff's back in town
A long shot

Can you do better?

Odd one out

The Japanese love IQ tests (well, let's face it, who doesn't?) so I thought I would join in the fun with some pictures from Teganuma. Can you spot the odd one out? Answers on a postcard please. First 20 correct answers out of the hat get a free subscription to Tower Tales.

Not so easy is it?