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Katsuya by Starck - New Japanese Restaurant takes Houston by Storm - Welcome Hollywood

There are certain parts of the LA scene that just don’t suit you – earthquakes, paparazzi, reality stars whose 15 minutes are nearly up.

Houston welcomes the one part of Los Angeles you’ve been longing to take a bite of, Katsuya. The restaurant that’s taken Hollywood by storm officially opened its doors last night in West Ave. Created by sushi chef to the celebs Chef Katsuya Uechi and architectural genius Philippe Starck, the hip joint (shaped like a bento box) features a signature crispy rice spicy tuna, yellow tail sashimi with jalapeno and melt in your mouth miso cod. Each guest gets a cheery welcome chant—taste your way through the robata menu under the gaze of a real-life geisha (pictured) photographed by Starck.

Cali can keep all the ex-Bachelor contestants. We’ll take the real raw talent.

Katsuya by Starck
2800 Kirby Drive (West Ave)
Houston, TX 77098
713.590.2800
www.sbe.com/katsuya

http://houston.gotidbits.com/library/eat_and_sip?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Subscribers%20Houston%20Tidbits&utm_campaign=Houston%20Tidbits%20-%20Where%20Celebs%20Choose%20to%20Chopstick

Tsunami survivors: Struggling to live on, alone

via photoblog.msnbc.msn.com

It brings the story home

Japan moves closer to joining child custody pact

The Japanese government on Friday approved a bill to join a pact on settling cross- border child custody rows, opening the way for its adoption after years of foreign pressure. The cabinet approved the bill that would mean Japan signing the 1980 Hague Convention. It would extend custody rights to non-Japanese parents whose children are moved to Japan by their former spouse. The bill is now set to be debated in the Diet. Japan is the only major industrial nation that has not signed the treaty and has been pressured in recent years by the United States and other countries to do so. Japanese courts almost never grant custody to foreign parents, particularly fathers, when international marriages break up.

21 Awesome HDR Pictures Of Japan

http://www.businessinsider.com/21-awesome-hdr-pictures-of-japan-2012-3

U.S. tags Vatican, Japan as money laundering concerns

The United States is for the first time citing Vatican City as a potential hub for money laundering. The State Department’s annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report released Wednesday identifies the Holy See as one of 68 countries or jurisdictions “of concern” for money laundering or other financial crimes. Officials said the Vatican is on the list because it isn’t clear whether a year-old anti-money laundering regime is effective. The report, which places Belgium, Ireland, Portugal and South Korea on the same list, identifies countries that may be vulnerable to money laundering. It looks at national laws to fight financial crime, their enforcement and the size of the banking sector. Major economies, including the U.S., Britain and Japan, are identified as countries of primary concern for money laundering. Regarding Japan, the report says Japan continues to face substantial risk of money laundering by organized crime (including yakuza and Iranian drug trafficking organizations), extremist religious groups, and other domestic and international criminal elements. The major sources of money laundering proceeds include drug trafficking, fraud, loan-sharking (illegal money lending), remittance frauds, the black market economy, prostitution, and illicit gambling. In the past year, there has been an increase in financial crimes by citizens of West African countries, such as Nigeria and Ghana, who are resident in Japan. There is not a significant black market for smuggled goods, and the existence of alternative remittance systems is believed to be very limited in Japan.

Japan: One year after the quake and tsunami

http://money.cnn.com/2012/03/08/news/economy/thebuzz/index.htm