Boeing Co. apparently forgot to tuck an owner's manual into the glove box of one of its jets more ›

The list of places running events to support Japan relief keeps on growing and growing - a testament to the Chicago food community's committment to charity and helping others. This Saturday, you can participate in one of these events without having to drop $100 on a dinner ticket - and you can come away with some pretty awesome baked goods. truffle truffle, a friend of the site, in partnership with A Perfect Event, are hosting the only Illinois event in the National Bake Sale for Japan Series. Guests will be able to sample treats from truffle truffle and sip afternoon tea, and make whatever donations to relief efforts that they want. 100% of the proceeds will go to Peace Winds Japan. more ›

On Saturday, Prescott mentioned that SushiSambaRio was raising money for Japan, with all of the proceeds from a special sushi roll going to help relief efforts. More restaurants have jumped into the effort, including Japonais, More Cupcakes, Takashi, Lockwood and Hunt Club. Japonais is also hosting a benefit on March 29th. The complete list, with details, is at The Feast. We expect it to get longer in the coming days, so keep checking back and keep your eyes open. Has anyone seen any other dining-based relief efforts? more ›

This is part of Chicagoist's continuing coverage of the 45th Chicago International Film Festival. more ›

As Tokyo and Chicago duke it out for the right to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, one of Japan's best-known comedians is coming to Illinois in an around-the-world trip for a Japanese television show. Kampei Hazama will be broadcasting a segment of his "Earth Marathon" show from an elementary school in Wataga, Illinois. If some sort of exchange program is possible, can we send Mayor Daley to be on one of those insane Japanese game shows? [AP via WBBM] more ›

Chicagoland Speedskater and Olympic Gold Medalist Shani Davis just took the Gold Medal in the 1,000-meter World Single Distance Championships, in Nagano, Japan. He also wiped out the track record with a time of 1:08.99, finishing just .04 seconds ahead of Russian Yevgeny Lalenkov. more ›

It wasn't so terribly long ago that in order to watch any sort of semi-obscure Japanese cinema you'd have to be prepared to invest in a region-free DVD player and sit through discs with dubious subtitles (when they were subtitled at all). Even a filmmaker like Kurosawa wasn't immune. Luckily for cinephiles the situation has really changed, and access to Asian cinema in general is better than ever. more ›

Fred Thompson officially drops out of the presidential race. [Trib] more ›

Apparently, The Bottom Biting Bug is all the rage in Japan, which means 6 months later it's all the rage in the US. more ›

Well, that was fast! Barely 24 hours ago, Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome announced that he would leave Japan to play in the major leagues. Fukudome and the Cubs have already reached an agreement on a four-year deal, supposedly for between $48 and $50 million. By signing the outfielder, the Cubs beat out the Padres, White Sox and a couple other clubs rumored to be interested. more ›

Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome finally declared his intentions to play in the major leagues next season. Considered to be one of the best outfielders in Japan's top professional league, he's expected to draw interest from a number of team. Among the teams most interested are both the Cubs and White Sox, as well as the San Diego Padres. Will the latest Japanese sensation land in Chicago? “It’s no secret we’d like him to come to... more ›

Two weeks ago, in what was considered a rare act of humility, Japanese Emperor Akihito apologized to his countrymen, taking responsibility for a bluegill infestation that's wreaked havoc on Japan's ecosystem by bringing home a pair of the fish from a trip to the States nearly fifty years ago. "Bluegills are the ones I brought back from the U.S. some 50 years ago and donated to a Fisheries Agency research institute", Akihito said. "In those... more ›

World Sport Chicago, an organization that has helped spearhead Chicago's 2016 OIympic Bid, is working hard to bring international sporting events to Chicago to strengthen that bid. This weekend is an example of that effort; the U.S. Men's National Volleyball Team will take on Italy here in Chicago as part of the FIVB World League. The World League is composed of the top 16 men's volleyball teams in the world divided into four pools. The... more ›

Considering what it's like outside, we were tempted to name this week's column Awesome Day and Decent Nights, but then we looked over the listings and realized Awesome Days and Awesome Nights would be more appropriate. more ›

There are a lot of rules at Viet Hoa Plaza, which really isn’t a plaza but an Oriental market on Argyle. The signs posted throughout the store inform shoppers that since there are no refunds, returns or exchanges — exceptions are made for defective rice cookers, and thermo and hot pots — they should inspect all items before leaving. Just in case you didn’t get that, rule No. 4 states that “All sales final.” Are we clear on that? And don’t even think about writing a check — rule No. 5 — but these days we don’t know anyone who does. more ›

Back in our Chinese New Year post, we recommended that readers check out the recently opened KS Seafood, in the Chinatown Square Plaza. It's located in a small storefront, filled tightly with large banquet tables and seating in every available open space. KS Seafood is one of only two restaurants in the city that specializes in Taiwanese cuisine. Some of you are probably reading this and thinking, "It's all Chinese food. How does Taiwanese cooking differ from Mandarin, Cantonese, and Szechwan?" Indeed, it is a valid and interesting query, grasshopper. more ›

Doesn't it seem like last year we were getting used to writing "4704" in the dateline of our checks? Chinese New Year is Sunday. 4705 is the year of William Beavers the boar. This means that thousands of people will flock down to Wentworth to watch the pomp and circumstance of dragon processions, fireworks, marching bands, and — since every year is an election year in Chicago — politicians kissing babies, shaking hands, and buying... more ›

Chicago has been recently been celebrated for its achievements in haute cuisine. And while we love discussing the merits of molecular gastronomy vs. locally and organically grown, we know that eating out night after night isn't realistic for most Chicagoans. It certainly isn't realistic for us. more ›

How Do I Get Lucky in the New Year? more ›

Quick, check your music collection. Is there any Toto in it? No? Don't be so sure about that. According to the band's website, late drummer Jeff Porcaro alone has played on hundreds of famous albums throughout the decades. Got any Madonna or Celine Dion? How about Chicagoist favorites, Richard Marx and Michael McDonald? Phew, right? You've escaped ... except the hand of Toto has also touched the likes of Pink Floyd's The Wall and even... more ›

Chicagoist has a huge sciencey streak in us. One of our favorite experiments in high school chemistry occurred when our teacher put flammable liquids with progressively higher numbers of carbons (propane, pentane, even nonane!) into an empty water cooler bottle, which he proceeded to light on fire. Man, was that cool, seeing those licks of flame kick around the bottle like a pyro's wet dream. We all knew it was a potentially dangerous situation, making it all the more savory. Studies in fire are precious indeed. more ›

While they say you can get "IT" on eBay, unfortunately for the Cubs, that doesn't include starting pitching. However, that doesn't mean they aren't bidding for some arms this off-season. The Cubs are believed to be one of the teams who have submitted a bid on Japanese right-handed pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, a 26-year-old star for the Seibu Lions. Many believe that his talent can translate into a front-line starter in the Majors. In his eight... more ›

Sometimes, in the world of blogging, mistakes are made. In the rush to publish, we obscure the occasional fact and allow our less-than-reliable memories to run away with the truth. more ›

Iva Toguri, a Chicago native once convicted of treason for allegedly being one of the voices of the infamous Japanese radio siren "Tokyo Rose" during World War II, died at the age of 90 on Tuesday. She had run her family's store, J. Toguri Mercantile near Belmont and Clark for 50 years since the war. Toguri had been visiting a relative in Japan when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Stuck in the country, she took a... more ›

We must have walked past Darwin's on Damen, just south of Armitage, a hundred times, but it wasn't until Friday night that we went inside. What we found was a great menu of upscale bar food, created by the Orange chef, and a pretty good selection of beers. For example, instead of having fried mozzarella sticks, Darwin's has "crispy brie"... and a generous serving, too! more ›

What do you get when one of the world’s most celebrated cellists and one of the world’s most entertaining city governments join forces? Answer: a year-long celebration driven by a truly remarkable cultural exchange. Named for a network of routes from Rome to Japan traversed by explorers for over a millennium, Silk Road Chicago is our hometown showcase of art, music, theater, dance, and delectable dishes from half a world away. As anxiety persists over... more ›

You may have already heard about the new McDonald's ad campaign, but in case you're like us and somehow let that little gem through your radar, we thought we'd give an update. more ›

Tomorrow is April Fool’s Day. We’re a bit sad that it falls on a weekend this year as we’ll be unable to play childish pranks on the people in the Chicagoist offices. Guess the doodie-shaped-brownies-in-the-elevator trick will have to wait until 2008. Still, most pranksters give no quarter to the whims of the Gregorian calendar. So be on your guard tomorrow. In fact, you’d better start paying attention now because some people are already sowing... more ›

Say what you will about our lack of curiosity and our general bad attitude, but stick a metal potato on a chain in front of us and we'd be skeptical too. A researcher at the Lincoln Park Zoo did just that to some chimpanzees, and they didn't exactly pick it up start bashing away to the strains of "Also Sprach Zarathustra." more ›

Throughout Florida and Arizona, players begin reporting to Spring Training to begin preparation for the 2006 season. However, it's looking like one play who won't be reporting to any camp is former Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa, who turned down an offer from the Washington Nationals. The only Major League offer Sosa received, the Nats deal only offered a non-guaranteed 1-year, $500,000 deal. Having already turned down offers from teams in Japan and overtures from the Dominican team to play in the upcoming World Baseball Championships, Sosa's agent said, "... I can say, with reasonable certainty, that we've seen Sammy in a baseball uniform for the last time." more ›