FOODUCATE iPhone app is actually kind of really useful. Only available on the iPhone and in the USA (for now), this app defies the usual app’s basic premise of being kind of pointless by, well, actually being helpful. Scan barcodes of food products and you can see nutritional pros and cons of said product, as well as offering healthier – but similar – alternatives.

And if sustainability – not health – is your primary concern when buying food, Whole Foods has a rating system for you. Not quite as trendy as an app, but Whole Foods wants to alert shoppers of seafood sustainability levels in-store with a colour-coded rating system to easily notify shoppers of unsustainable seafood. Now, the question remains: if it’s to promote sustainable seafood, why even carry the unsustainable ones? Ah, the mysteries of a capitalist society.

A billboard that advertises nothing but clean air set up at the Washington-British Columbia border crossing. I actually saw this art installation by Lead Pencil Studio last week without actually knowing it was an art installation, so it just left me kind of confused yet fascinated. Interesting that it was set up at the border crossing, surrounded by literally nothing of interest — just a whole lot of emptiness. But I guess that’s kind of the point?

I’ve been watching a lot of Japanese films lately, but here’s a good list of the best 50 contemporary Japanese films. I think I’ve only seen half of these movies and I definitely agree with the inclusion of many of these. But, still, no Miike Takashi film in the whole list? Really?

ReRoom photo sharing site for the interior decoration-challenged. This is a great Japanese “social networking” site – and I am hesitant to call it that because, these days, it’s nothing more than the hype phrase du jour – that lets users upload photos of their home and share interior decorating ideas. It’s a great source of inspiration, and really quite interesting to see what these people in Japan do with their homes which are considerably smaller than the average Western apartment.

Just one more day to go before heading out for my annual Tokyo pilgrimage. I’m excited to go back to 日本, of course, but I think I’m more excited about the thought of getting away. This is my long awaited Great Escape. Except, it’s not so much a great escape as it is a two week sabbatical from real life. Still, I take what I can get.

Still a few things left for me to do before getting on the plane on Thursday morning:

• Exchange CAD into Japanese yen;
• Start packing;
• Update my iPod playlist for the long ass flight to and from Japan;
• Buy omiyage for old friends I’ll be seeing;
• Hand off apartment keys to friend who will be house-sitting;
• Write a list of “house rules” and to-do list for said friend who will be house-sitting;
• Set the PVR to record my weekly TV shows while I’m away;
• Start researching the usual shopping haunts for potential Japanese jawnz to buy;
• Charge camera, Nintendo DS, Japanese cellphone, and iPod batteries.

Not too bad, but keep in mind this is all just for personal/home life. I don’t even want to think about everything left to do at the office tomorrow. Ah, work. Ironic how we punish ourselves at work more so than usual during the build-up to and the immediate days after a short vacation.

Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Tokyo, Chiba, and Shizuoka: I have missed you all very much, and I will see you very soon.

Creators Inn in Sweden lets creatives stay for free. This is a clever and generous idea: The Creators Inn was founded by Swedish clothing brand Elvine and offers travellers (with a creative purpose) the opportunity to stay for free. There needs to be more these all over the world.

Umbrella-lending service starts up in Shibuya to help combat the consumption and waste resulting from the over-abundance of cheap, disposable umbrellas. I know I’ve been guilty of purchasing and carelessly forgetting cheap umbrellas in trains, restaurants, movie theatres. I love this idea and I love the fact that people earn Earth Day Money coupons for trading in found umbrellas.

And to go from the inspiring to the ridiculous in Shibuya, MTV is planning on bringing The Hills-like reality TV show Shibuhara Girls to Japan. Because that’s what the world really needed.

Mount Fuji Architects Studio’s Near House is an architectural marvel. Tokyo is known for its small, cramped living spaces, but this ultra-compact 2-story home is unbelievable. The exterior looks small but interior looks surprisingly spacious.

Airbag collar provides an alternative to helmets. One of the things I hate most in life is helmet hair. Yes, helmet hair. But university students in Sweden have the solution to that with their Hövding (“chieftain” in Swedish) air helmet. The air helmet wraps around your neck like a scarf and acts like an air bag upon impact. Not sure if I’d be an early adopter of this particular technology, but the demo video looks like it works pretty good…