Security Sticker on CD Case

When I first purchased an imported music CD, a security sticker affixed to the CD case annoyed me a lot. It was firmly stuck to the case with such ridiculously strong adhesive that a part of it didn't come off. I had never seen the bullshit until then. 

In Japan, record stores didn't adopt such a security measure. Instead, only some gigantic ones, such as Tower Records and HMV, put in each CD in a hard plastic case with a sort of microchip built in to it. No stickers.

But, even with the unremovable substance, imported discs were fascinating. Because they were about 1,000 yen cheaper than their domestic counterparts. 

Whenever a music CD of a foreign artist was released in Japan, it would usually come with at least one bonus track, translated lyrics, and a biography written in Japanese. To me, however, they didn't make up the 1,000 yen. That was because what I would expect from western songs was not their lyrics, but mostly, their melodies and styles. Also, most bonus tracks were shitty. They were ones which their creators had decided not to record on albums. The biography was not worth 1,000 yen either. 

Royal Milk Tea

Do you know royal milk tea? It's a type of milk tea popular in Japan. You first infuse 3 teaspoonful of tea leaves with a cup of hot water in a milk pan, second add a cup of milk to the infusion, and finally heat them together until they nearly boil. I always use Earl Grey for milk tea but the choice of tea leaves depends on your taste. Because the ratio for milk is relatively higher than typical milk tea, it has a rich creamy taste, and that's why I love the tea. 

I always thought the cooking method had been invented by somebody working in the kitchen of Buckingham Palace. Because why else would the name include the word "royal"? And I knew British people loved tea.

But I was totally wrong. I found out yesterday that the name was coined by Lipton, a Japanese tea company when they released a product called Royal Milk Tea under their brand of "Royal" in 1960s. Later the term became a synonym of milk tea made with the method mentioned above. I have no clue why they used the adjective for their brand name, but at least, now I've learned royal milk tea is a Japanese-English term and it has nothing to do with the British royal family.