Emergency Preparation
January 28, 2010
The Haiti earthquake and the 15th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake both happened a couple of weeks ago. On top of that, there were several guests on Coast to Coast AM predicting quakes and other large scale “events” in the near future. These things combined has really put emergency preparation at the forefront of my thoughts this week.
Watching the footage on CNN from Haiti is really heartbreaking. Haiti was already a very impoverished country and having to deal with the aftermath of a huge quake must be terribly stressful. Living in the comforts of a developed country like Japan, I feel it is each person’s responsibility to prepare for these kinds of situations since we have the economic means to do so. Something tells me that international relief efforts would not be as strong for a country like Japan because there’s a sense that “Japan can handle it on its own”. I’m wondering though… can Japan really handle a big disaster?
Living in Japan, I would be a fool to not expect a big quake to hit at anytime. I’ve already experienced a few smaller quakes and I’ll have to admit swaying in a building was one of the scariest things I’ve ever experienced. The quakes weren’t particularly strong. It’s just that I’m up on the 11th floor and when the building sways, I really feel it. It takes a few minutes before the swaying stops too and by that time, my equilibrium is shot and I feel like I’ve just stepped off of a yacht in choppy waters.
Hearing my students speak about the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 is always interesting. Everyone has a different story to tell: where were they, what were they doing, how did they react, etc. The commonality is that most peoples’ homes suffered some damage. Most people just had furniture shift around and dishes and cups come crashing down.
I read somewhere that it took 9 days for power and water to be restored in Kobe after the big earthquake. I’m using that as a target. Can I survive for 9 days if power, water, and gas went out and it was impossible to get food at stores? Can I defend myself if people go apeshit and random acts of violence occur?
(If there’s any country where people would be more civil during times of dire stress, I would imagine it would be Japan. People are a lot more passive here and guns are almost non-existent. Phew. My Wing Chun will suffice.)
Assuming I would be able to return to my apartment, I currently have enough food for about a week and I’m looking into storing some dehydrated food. I’m looking at about 3-4 weeks’ worth of food. It wouldn’t just be for the wifey and I. I imagine I’d have to help her family and others. It wouldn’t be much food but it would hopefully last us 9 days. I also have a whole cupboard worth of tea and coffee, some dried pasta, and some canned goods that I cycle through and try to keep stocked.
For heat, we have a small butane stove and I am really trying to find places to store more gas canisters. Having a small apartment really sucks for storage.
I have flashlights and a couple of lighters strategically placed around the house. I’m used to the big Toyoko Inn sign that is literally across the street now. My apartment is never pitch black at night because of this stupid sign. But if the power goes out, I’ll have my darkness once again.
My only worry is water. I have about 18 liters stored in a big tempered glass jar but I don’t imagine it would last long even if we only used it for drinking water. Even though it’s a fairly tough glass jar, it could shatter if someone big fell on it. There’s always the water at the back of the toilet but there isn’t much in there and it always feels gross. I’ll need to look at another source of water.
A nice tip in the event of foreseen disasters (e.g. hurricanes, typhoons, quarantines): fill your bathtub with water as soon as possible. In case water pipes get damaged, you’ll at least have all that water ready.
I think this whole emergency preparation will be stuck in my mind, at least, until the next big news stories grips CNN and the internet news sources.
Half your food bill
November 09, 2009
Well not exactly your whole food bill but…
Japan is notorious for being expensive and for travelers it certainly is but after living here for so long I’ve found ways to save some money. Many places in Japan that sell prepared dishes are usually fairly reasonably priced to begin with. A serving of tonkatsu might go for a few bucks, some tempura for a few bucks, etc. When you buy several dishes though it can add up and sometimes I feel like it’s probably worth going to restaurant instead.
Most places, however, offer big discounts towards closing time. Around my neighborhood, a places that only sells prepared dishes called O-zen starts putting “hankaku”, or “half price” stickers on dishes at 8:30pm. There’s another place that also starts discounting at 8:30. The supermarket chain Life also discounts and I imagine they start at a similar time. This fabulous idea is appropriately named “Time Sale” in Japanese.
Be prepared to fight off crowds though – people start stalking the store around the magical time and dive in when the store worker starts yelling about the lowered prices.
Tonight I bought teriyaki chicken, a tonkatsu bento, deep-fried lotus root, and a bacon, asparagus, cheese deep fried thing for a grand total of 676 yen. You cannot beat that!
I hate banks in Japan
October 17, 2009
I’m going to have to gripe about this. Friday afternoon, a few weeks ago. I finished my recording gig and have several chores to do before an evening lesson. One of these things is exchange some yen for dollars for my upcoming trip to Vancouver.
I go to the Resona in the Yodobashi Camera building. It’s in a huge hub of the city and… nope, they no longer do foreign exchange. OK, I thought, maybe this bank just sucks.
I go do some other chores and on the way home I head to the nearest UFJ near my house. I’ve exchanged currency there many times. Guess what, they no longer do foreign exchange. The woman said that I’d have to go to the Hankyu UFJ branch in Umeda. I just came from that area.
Congratulations, banks in Japan. You’ve become even more useless to me now. And, it’s further proof that Japan is a little less tourist-friendly. It was already low on the scale to begin with.
I’d rather pay a little bit more at the airport than go to a bank now.
Getting an international driving permit in Osaka
September 25, 2009
I couldn’t find anything on Google about getting an international drivers license in Japan. All the websites I saw were about getting one before coming to Japan. So, I’ll give some general information about what to do. First, I’m in Osaka so I’ll be referring to the Kadoma Driver’s License Test Center near Furukawabashi Station on the Keihan line.
What you need to bring
- Your passport
- Your Japanese drivers license
- A photograph of yourself taken within the last 6 months. It must show the top third of your body, you must be facing straight forward, and you can’t be wearing a hat. Also, they were pretty strict on dimensions: it has to be at least 5×4cm. I couldn’t use the pictures I brought because they were 3mm too short. Just use the machine in the Kadoma Driver’s License Test Center – you don’t even have to cut the photos out. 700 yen for two photos.
- a blue or black pen (to save time)
- 2,650 yen
Note: if you have another international driving permit that’s still valid, bring it along or else they can’t give you a new one. This will save you a trip.
What to do
Once you arrive at the Test Center, head towards counter #6. You want to pick up the application form for the “Kokusai Unten Menkyou Shou”. Ask around. The form is in Japanese and I didn’t think to bring one home so study up on your kanji or bring a j-friend. Fill in the form at the counter.
Before submitting the form, go back to the front of the center to pay. The 2,650 yen gives you stamps that you place on the form to prove that you paid.
Now, go back to counter #6 and give them the form, your passport, your drivers license, and your photo. They’ll give you a slip of paper with the current time and ask you to write your name in the box at the bottom. Thank the poor, overworked staff and come back in 30 minutes. When you come back, give that slip of paper back and they’ll have your international driving permit ready along with a useful piece of paper about which countries it’s valid in and a helpful reminder that you must bring your Japanese drivers licence with you.
Map
More Louvre
September 22, 2009
Taking advantage of Silver Week, a five-day long weekend that hasn’t happened in a long time, we hit yet another art museum today. This is my third artsy place this month. Today we went to the National Museum of Art, Osaka, located next to the science museum in Nakanoshima.
The line was a breezy 20 minutes, compared to the 55 minute wait at the Kyoto exhibit. We did encounter an Osaka baba, an old lady hailing from Osaka known for her impatience and line-budging-in skills. Her skills were impeccable. Unfortunately I have not been blessed with the ability to punch old ladies in the face. Yet.
The theme of this Louvre exhibit was, “Children from the Louvre collections” and there were pieces from Egypt, Rome, Greece, and a few Middle Eastern countries as well. There were paintings as well as statues and other gadgets and gizmos. I think the piece with the most impact was the child mummy in the sarcophagus.
Alongside the Louvre exhibit was a very interesting and strange Po-po Nyang-nyang exhibit by Miwa Yanagi. She took a couple dozen models and took pictures of them “in which female models dress up as the person they would ideally like to become in 50 years”. The pictures were quite surreal but I thought they were an interesting take on modern society and what we think of beauty and tradition.
The strangest of all were these four giant pictures of a women with her breasts baring and legs showing. In each picture, she had different body parts: old woman breasts, fat woman legs, and the combinations you can create with it. I’m not really sure what the message was but it sure was strange to be standing in front of a picture more than two times my height of a women with giantic breasts flopping about. You can see this picture at the Miwa Yanagi Po-po Nyangnyang exhibit website. It’s too creepy to download and paste here.
Louvre, Kyoto, and Dinner on the Porch
September 21, 2009
The Woman and I had a very rare weekday off together last week and we decided to spend the day out. It’s been awhile since our last date.
Louvre Exhibit
I mentioned in a previous entry that there was a Louvre Museum exhibit at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art. While neither of us are big art buffs, it was something to do.
Although it was a Tuesday afternoon, the place was packed. We had to wait in a huge line outside of the museum for about an hour. To pass the time I decided to just make fun of random people. Seeing people with purple hair in Japan is not the rarest of things but seeing two of them at the same location is! Typically, only old women with no fashion sense dye their hair blue or purple and so it was that one old woman had purple hair and then a tall, older salaryman-type dude had purple hair. He also had a much younger girlfriend. I’m sure she loves him because he’s a family guy or he’s filled with love and passion.
Also, I was a blind old man lining up for the museum. This struck me as weird. I didn’t quite understand how one who is visually impaired might enjoy the museum. As it turns out, they didn’t even spring for the audio guide. I saw a younger women dictate the signs beside each painting to him. Weeyod.
The exhibit was quite interesting. There were a lot of Vermeer paintings. He’s one of the more interesting artists I know (and I know very few).
Around Kyoto
It was still quite early and we spent some time walking around Heian Jingu, Kamogawa around Sanjo and Shijo, and a quick stroll through Gion.
Dinner on the Porch
It was getting late by the time we finished walking and enjoying the sights and the weather. We both had never had dinner on the terraces beside Kamogawa, so, what the hell.
We walked through looking at the different menus at each restaurant and decided on a place that serves traditional Kyoto cuisine. The food was great even though the portions were quite tiny. The view was nice and the weather cooperated.
On the terrace, you have to sit on floor cushions and eat off a low table. My legs fell asleep almost immediately and I had to shift around quite often. The coincidence of the night – I saw my kung fu si hings Patrick, Pascal, and si je Mari walking along Kamogawa from the terrace. Pascal’s shining head gave him away.
In the end we paid about 10,000 yen for dinner – rather pricey. There was a 1,500 yen terrace charge per person. Not cheap!
Real sushi
September 18, 2009
We recently celebrated our nine-year anniversary. It’s hard to believe that I’ve known The Woman for a third of my life! To celebrate, we went to a very nice sushi restaurant in our neighborhood because I have never been to a traditional sushi joint before. I’ve been to plenty of revolving sushi places and a couple of “normal” sushi restaurants but I’ve always wanted to try a really traditional place.
For one thing, prices were not listed in the restaurant. This was a great sign! This meant the prices changed depending on season and fish stocks. I take this as a sign that the chef needs to carefully choose his stock.
Another thing, the restaurant was tiny. It had two small tatami rooms with kotatsu-like tables and a counter that could seat 6. We were the only ones there so we got counter seats, front row and center, right in front of the chef.
We decided to go for “o-makase” style ordering. Basically, you let the chef decide what to serve you. Literally, “o-makase” means “I entrust you”. Of course, there is some conflict of interest – I figured the chef would go for the most expensive items to maximize his income. Surprisingly he did not. He chose a lot of items that were in season, some expensive, some not so much. My favorites of the night included the matsutake mushroom sushi, the super-flaky unagi, the hamo which tasted so fluffly, and of course the tuna.
The maguro, the darker red cut of the blue-eyed tuna, tasted as soft and delicious as the fine cuts of tuna at lesser restaurants. It was fantastic. I was very curious – if the cheaper cut here was better than the expensive cuts at other restaurants, what about the expensive cut here? I had to try it.
We ordered the jou toro, the “top” cut of fatty tuna. It is much lighter in color and kind of resembles the soft fat around a nice steak. I was not disappointed. Placing the piece of toro in my mouth and chewing softly, I felt the oils just spread and the flavors were overwhelmed my tastebuds. It practically melted on my tongue. I immediately thought about wa-gyuu, or Japanese beef (like the famed Kobe beef, the Saga beef, and Matsuzaka beef) – it was a very similar texture; both tuna and Japanese beef melted on my tongue.
In the end we paid about 13,000 yen. It was totally worth it. I loved the experience and can’t wait to go back there, but probably not for a little while. $130 for fish is a luxury I can’t afford too regularly. I highly recommend this for any prospective tourists though!
Hyogo Art Museum
September 11, 2009
I had a rare Friday off so I made my way to see the Visual Deception exhibit. I had never been to the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art before and it turned out to be a bit of a trip from my place. I’m glad I went because the museum is really cool and reminds me of the Dream Stage on Awaji Island.
The Visual Deception exhibit was fairly interesting. Most of the pieces were paintings made to resemble things in real life. I think what impressed me the most were the paintings made to look like something fastened to wood. The wood was painted very realistically. The Arcimboldo painting of the man made from vegetables was the center piece and probably the most deceptive of all. There were several pieces of art that can be viewed from different angles and you see different images at each angle.
There was a new permanent exhibit called Shadows. It was rather strange. First, it was the only exhibit where you can touch the art pieces. Some very friendly staff greeted you at the entrance and explained that you need to take off rings and watches, check your bags, and even wipe your hands clean before entering. Basically the room had several statues painted black with an LED light hanging above. This created some very interesting visual effects. I didn’t really touch anything.
One nice feature at the museum is the E-mail corner. The “E” in E-mail stood for the Japanese kanji for paintings. I’d write the kanji but Wordpress has a tendency to screw it up later anyway. But anyway, you can email someone from some laptops set up with MS Outlook and attach different jpegs of paintings found in the museum. You may have guessed that these pictures I’ve slapped on this entry are the ones I emailed myself.
I spent about two hours in the musem going through each exhibit carefully. The area around the museum was worth walking around too. It’s close to a disaster research center that looked interesting. There are a couple of big giant shopping areas: a Sports Authority, Yamada Denki, a movie theater, and similar fare.
The Visual Deception exhibit runs until November 3rd. To get there, take the Special Rapid express train from Osaka station to Ashiya. Get off and take the local train to Nada (five stops away). Admission to the Visual Deception exhibit was 1300 yen, there’s a discount at the museum right now for the regular collections. I paid 1450 for everything to get in.
Exhibitions
September 09, 2009
Some interesting art exhibitions are in town and I’m looking forward to absorbing some creative goodness. Anyone interested?
The Louvre Museum Exhibition: Master Paintings of 17th Century Europe
“In European painting history, the 17th century was known as the ’Golden Age.’ To introduce the various aspects of the ’Golden Age’, the exhibition is divided into three chapters, 1. ’The Golden Age’ and its Dark Territories, 2. Travel and ’The Scientific Revolution,’ and 3. ’The Century of Saints; the Successors to the Ancients?’ 71 treasures from the Louvre including Vermeer’s ’The Lacemaker,’ Rembrandt’s ’Self-portrait,’ Poussin’s ’The Finding of Moses,’ and La Tour’s ’Joseph the Carpenter’ among others, will be exhibited.”
“Visual Deception” Damashi-E
Not really sure what this exhibit’s about but the painting used in the ad is one of those vegetable arrangements that looks very much like a person. This one seems interesting.
Annual asphalt-breaking vegetable story
September 01, 2009
Gutsy cucumber grows through asphalt road
FUNABASHI, Chiba — A Japanese cucumber shoot growing on the side of an asphalt road here is gaining popularity as “Dokonjo Kyuri” (cucumber with guts). [full article]
I swear there’s a story in Japan every year about a vegetable that goes against all odds and grows in a street by breaking through asphalt. Last year was a daikon radish I believe.
You’d think that this story would be located in a local or “Oddly Enough” section of a newspaper or website but this was found at the top of the Mainichi Daily News website in the “National News” section. This just proves my point that the Japanese media is retarded.
Where’s your mask now?
August 29, 2009
150,000 patients estimated to have contracted flu this week
TOKYO — About 150,000 people are estimated to have become infected with influenza in the week ended Sunday, considered mostly the new strain of flu, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases said in a preliminary report Friday. [full article]
According to this Japan Today article, there are an estimated 150,000 cases of swine flu in Japan now. On the train, on the streets, basically everywhere I go, not a single face mask is to be seen.
Back a few months ago, when the number of flu cases hit around 800, face masks were sold out, I was made to wear a mask while teaching, and The Woman was even yelled at by some old man on the subway for not wearing a mask. Had I been there he would have had to yell at me, for decking him for yelling at my wife.
I blame the retarded media in Japan. They have shown time and time again that they blow everything out of proportion. While the 150,000 cases of flu is going on, the retarded media is covering the stupid antics of some washed-up celebrity who did some drugs and following every single move about this story. I’m not even going to name this no-talent druggie to not add to the problem.
I wish the general population would wake up and think for themselves instead of taking the news on TV at full face value. I’m guessing that this is not localized to Japan neither.
I have to go. The news says that complaining too much causes rashes.
Harvest Hill
August 26, 2009
We had a pleasant day out with good friends last Sunday at a quaint little place called Harvest Hill, located in Sakai City, Osaka. I think it’s what’s called a “farm park”, or a farm-themed theme park. It’s quite a big park with a lot of greenery, a lot more than what I can usually see in the city so it was quite a welcome change.
There are a lot of things to do in the park like experience different farm activities like milking cows, making your own sausages, leatherworking, and even glassblowing. There were many county fair-style booths with games too but unfortunately they were so old and crappy that it really wasn’t any fun. We had a nice little yakiniku bbq and then walked around the park. There were a few farm animals but they were in pretty sad shape.
Compared to any real farm, or to a real theme park, this place would be pretty sad but it was definitely nice to leave the city and walk around trees and grass for a change.
Another quake
August 11, 2009
Following the pretty strong quake that hit the Tokyo area, there was another shaker this morning in Shizuoka. At 5:07am, a 6.6 on the Richter, or a 6-Weak on the Japanese system, struck off the coast of Shizuoka. In Osaka, it registered a 3 on the Japanese system. We were sleeping of course but I’m a very light sleeper and I woke up almost immediately. The building swayed for I guess 20 seconds or so.
Turning on the TV, information began flooding in. Japan has in place a very fast network of earthquake information. Almost simultaneously, the quake’s point of origin and magnitude are popped up on screen, followed by breaking news reports, and then in a couple of minutes, followed by tsunami warnings. Finally, video clips from the various news stations come in showing how the quake looked in their offices – usually they just show some lights or signs swaying.
Anyway, there might be reports of injuries coming in later.
Now that I’m awake, I doubt I will be able to sleep again. I hate quakes.
Nomikai
July 25, 2009
Nomikai, or drinking party in Japanese, is one social event that I have never really taken a liking too. I usually hate drinking and the nuisances associated with it, like really messed up communication, the disgusting feeling afterwards, and the worry of getting home in one piece.
Tonight I went to my first nomikai in a very long time. It was with some students from an industrial textile company whose contract is coming to an end. It was fantastically fun and the section manager and a couple of other “non-student” members came out too. It was also the first time in a long time where I had to use more Japanese than usual. Although they are my English students, my Japanese is, at the moment, better than their English.
I’m usually quite reserved for some reason in social situations but I was able to put on my “teaching face” and became the super social person that I am a few hours a day. I actually quite enjoyed listening to them speak in Japanese because it gave me a chance to see what they really are like and also see the social interactions that are often a mystery to me. Only one person made a fool of himself by drinking too much and saying things he probably shouldn’t have said. Luckily I was there to interrupt him and guide the course of conversation on a more appropriate line. Thus is the life of an English teacher.
What also comes natural to an English teacher is having a repertoire of conversational questions and topics ready to keep conversation going. I found out my natural abilities also work in Japanese too!
In the end I drank way too much but managed to get a taxi home with a couple of the students. An all-paid for night courtesy of the company! Otsukaresama deshita!
Umbrella parade
March 26, 2009
I heard some chanting and shouting coming from outside about a week ago. It was led by someone on a loudspeaker and it sounded like quite a big group. I looked down from my balcony and saw a parade of umbrella carriers walking down the street in front of my apartment building. There were over a hundred people in this procession.
I count 97 umbrellas in the line.
While I couldn’t make out the mumbly Japanese, I did see a similar group a little later on my bike. They represented various labour unions and companies and were demonstrating against their treatment at work. I can only assume they have been laid off or have had their hours cut. Japanese people are a lot less active in demonstrations than Canadians and seeing so many people come out for this came as quite a shock for me. Everyone’s getting screwed.
Sweet tooth
March 21, 2009
So here we have a bakery around Nakanojima. Not a big deal right? It’s kind of strange to have a guard in front of a bakery and it is rare to see a line that runs outside of the bakery right? Still, it’s not that interesting.
So why did I take the picture?
Because the line runs around the block reaching the bridge. There is a gap in the line in front of the koban (police box) probably because the people anxiously awaiting their baked goods probably bothered the policemen while they slept in the koban.
I’ve got to find out just how good this bakery is. More to come.
Graduated
March 18, 2009
I mentioned in my last post about the graduation ceremony. Well, it took place last Friday and it was as fun and sad as expected. Since I was no longer a student, and also, I was just enrolled as a foreigner already in Japan (and not one of the more official programs with a student visa), I didn’t get a spiffy certificate but it was good to take pictures with my classmates and friends.
It was also the last time the all of us would gather. From here on, everyone will be going onto different things. Most of them will be studying in universities and other schools and a few have left Japan already. I think my teacher and I are the only ones that can really say SSDD. It will be good to catch up with a few who are studying around Osaka but it just won’t be the same anymore.
The ceremony was as predictable as any of the recent Shyamalan films. The highlight was when Shou found out that he got into a university. He is the most serious person in class and is well liked by all the teachers. On top of that, he’s one of the nicest guys as well. He hadn’t had much luck getting into universities and he was down to his last application. In the middle of the ceremony, he found out about the good news and everyone was ecstatic. Our teacher was in tears when she heard about it.
That night we created several complaints by the staff at an all-you-can-eat yakiniku place. We were making quite a ruckus. It’s amazing to see young Chinese people get drunk and rowdy. Since I don’t drink I got to witness some rather bizarre things, like people passing sausages with their mouths only – mostly just some students, but when Shou did it to the very conservative Kanagawa Sensei, it was just bizarre.
It was a good end to a great year! Good luck folks!
Graduation
March 06, 2009
Vincent, Kim, and I
I think I’ll plug my Japanese school: Shin-Osaka Foreign Language Institute. They have a new website up now and it’s much better than when I first visited. I’m translating the site into English so I’ll be able to leave another mark at the school, alongside with this photo of me and a couple of friends on the website.
I studied Japanese a full year there and started in the Intermediate Class #2 and finished in the Advanced Class #3. Through the school I met some great people and became friends with a few of them. My main teacher is one of the best educators I have ever met. Considering I trained hundreds of people to teach for so long, I really do mean it when I say she is wonderful.
Through the school I was able to pass the JLPT 2-kyuu easily. I think I may have had a chance to pass 1-kyuu but I was just not confident enough. Instead, I decided to just get 2-kyuu out of the way to have something to show for. I’ll be taking 1-kyuu this year and I hope I’ll be as confident as last year.
All my classmates are graduating and going onto other pursuits next week. I’ll be attending the graduation ceremony and I consider it my graduation in spirit. I would love to study there again in the future but everyone will have been gone by then so it will probably not be as fun as the first time.
I might be late
January 13, 2009
I wrote about the train delay last summer due to a fairly crazy storm that I guess was zapping trains left and right. After commuting from JR Osaka to Shin-Osaka for a year, I can tell you that the well-thought idea that Japanese trains are always on schedule is a big fat lie. I would guess that the train I took to school were late at least once a week.
Of course, when I say late, I usually mean by a couple of minutes, nothing to get worked up about. I have my Ipod, I have my sudoku on my phone, I have enough patience. Once every so often though, the train comes really late. I have learned that when a train comes as late as 55 minutes, and when another train that heads in the same direction is diverted to another platform, it usually means someone killed themselves by jumping in front of a train. It’s actually a fairly common problem in Japan. People, if you must kill yourself, do it in your own home and don’t make a mess – it just inconveniences other people.
When a train does come late, the train stations offer little slips of paper that have the date and how many minutes the train came late. It’s like a note from your parents that you gave to your teacher when you were late or sick for school.
You give this slip to your boss and hope that he doesn’t make you stay until 3am to make up for the lost time. The strange thing though, at Shin-Osaka station, they have baskets of different times: 10, 20, 30, 40, etc. minutes. You can choose how late you want to be. I was about 20 minutes late but for kicks I asked for the 60 minute slip. No problem – the geeky looking dude gave it to me without any strange looks. The strange look came when I tried to take his picture by the baskets though.
A feast
January 05, 2009
A couple of my classmates cooked up a feast last night for us to celebrate our teacher’s birthday. Both of them work in restaurants to support themselves while they study in Japan. Both of them cook like pros. Most excellent dishes.
Lantern Road
January 02, 2009
A couple weeks ago, I visited Arashiyama again with You-san after the last day of Japanese school. I wanted to visit the hanatouro, or flower lantern road. It’s an annual event where thousands of lanterns are placed in a different location everywhere and lit up at night.
The city of Kyoto started this event in 2003 to promote tourism in March when Kyoto had much less visitors than the city expected. “Hanatouro” or “Hanatoro” literally means “Flower and light road”. They place thousands of lanterns along selected paths in Higashiyama from Sanjo to Gojo. They also exhibit flower arrangements in Maruyama-koen park. Temples and a shrine in this area illuminates their buildings and trees. The period of the event may vary each year, but it was from 12th to 21st, March in 2004.
[My Kind of Kyoto]
I didn’t know that this event changes venue every year – on the official hanatouro website, the next venue for 2009 is up: Higashiyama, from March 13 to 22.
Thankfully there weren’t too many people when we went. It was nice to take a stroll through the crisp winter air of Kyoto but the lanterns weren’t all that spectacular. For one thing, they’re all electric lights – while safer, they really don’t have the appeal of real lanterns. The lantern lit path was a much shorter than I had thought. Walking through the bamboo grove by lantern light was great but walking past coffee shops and souvenir stores wasn’t.
Still, it was something to do. After living here for several years – one must find things to do!
Fushimi-Inari Taisha
October 06, 2008
I’ve written about Fushimi-Inari before so I won’t repeat myself. This year’s annual visit to the coolest place in Japan has reaffirmed its position as my favorite place in Japan as well. I absolutely love the place and each visit has always left me feeling very refreshed and grounded with the world.
I’ve taken dozens of pictures here over the years but enjoy these new ones anyway.
I went alone as I almost usually do and it was as I remembered it from last year. I had some refreshments at one of the shops and spoke with the shopkeep a lot more fluently than I remember. Also I noticed a lot more cats roaming around and I have a feeling Thomas’ ghost was no more than a cat than ran across the path while he was trying to take a picture. I also remember having a lot more difficulty walking up the gentle slops before but the constant exercise and the tobacco abstinence seems to have paid off – I was almost hopping up the steps with ease.
Thanks again Fushimi-Inari, see you next year!
The taxi driver
September 29, 2008
Slightly less than a year ago, I was walking with Steve to the classroom in Namba for our kung fu class. This was when I was still the only student. We were crossing the street and I kept my eye on the taxi driver who was turning. The taxi driver also kept his eyes on us and slowly crept forward, hoping to get past the pedestrians as quickly as possible. Because he kept his eyes on his, he turned his head to keep watching us. His head turned left, he released the brake and the taxi started moving forward. Unfortunately a woman had not finished crossing and was hit by the taxi driver.
He had completely taken his eyes off the road and drove forward, hitting the woman.
The woman was not terribly hurt as the car was moving slowly. Still, this basically summarizes my opinion of Japanese taxi drivers. They all seem to be a hair away from an accident and badly injuring other drivers or pedestrians. They often drive excessively fast and cut corners (literally and figuratively) whenever possible. I’ve seen so many red lights being run by taxis and narrow misses.
A few weeks ago, I was at home reading something on the internet or playing a game or something when I heard a loud bang from outside. I got up, looked out the window and saw a taxi driver pulled over with its blinkers on, a crowd of pedestrians gathering near the street, a kid’s bicycle on the road, and finally, a kid, being carried from the road to the sidewalk. The taxi driver had hit the kid on the bike.
The kind people on the street got the kid to sit down and just consoled him and waited for the ambulance. The kid was not terribly hurt as far as I could tell from the 11th floor because he was conscious and not crying.
The ass of a taxi driver spent the whole time on the phone and checking things in his taxi. He did not even approach the kid, to check if he was ok, to say sorry, to do anything a human being with compassion might do when he or she accidentally hits another person with a car. I present the ass:
The ambulance came very quickly and put a neck brace on the kid and hauled him off in a stretcher. As he was facing upwards I could see his face and he did seem fine. I’m sure he probably got kicked out of the hospital the next day and made to do his homework.
The police came rather late and questionned the pedestrians and finally the taxi driver. They checked the taxi and the bicycle and from the way they put the bicycle against the taxi to confirm stratches, it seemed like he hit the bicycle head on, on the right headlight.
Since the driver sits on the right side of the car, the kid was basically right in front of the driver when he was hit. This leads me to believe that this taxi driver did not have his eyes on the road as well, otherwise he may have seen the kid on a bike and avoided him. I can even believe that the kid probably came racing across the street when he wasn’t supposed to but as a driver, the taxi driver should’ve been prepared for things like this and stopped in time.
I sincerely hope for better driving habits in this country from all people before more stupid kids are needlessly hurt.
TIP: highlight a phone entry in your cell phone
September 22, 2008
Today I got a call from Steve asking for my help in translating Japanese and English.
One of Steve’s students, someone I haven’t met, had gone into a hospital because of an ulcer. They wanted to operate on him immediately but needed consent from him. He does not speak Japanese it seems, or maybe he was unconscious at the time but the doctor called Steve because his name happened to be in the student’s cell phone. Luckily for him, Steve went to great lengths to help him and that’s how I got involved.
After I spoke with the doctor and the student, I realized how important the cell phone is in emergency situations when you’re unconscious – someone will use it to contact someone you know. However, who would they contact? If someone looked at your cell phone address book – who do you think would be chosen first? Your boss? Neighbor? Someone you haven’t spoken with in years?
Anyway, my tip today is, in your cell phone address book, find a way to highlight the person that you would like called in emergencies. On my phone, I’ve surrounded my wife’s name with heart icons (stop laughing). It also happens to be immediately visible when you access the address book. This way, hopefully, she will be contacted first should someone ever happen to me. I suggest you do something similar with your phone. Perhaps use icons like I have, capitalize a name, or use hyphens like, —-Billy—-. Do something to help yourself out.
Wall-climbing Monkey
September 21, 2008
I found a rather large primate hanging out at a store in Nipponbashi. It was scary.
King Kong
I’ve unknowingly let my blog grow stagnant for over a month! I have a lot of stuff to say but no time to write it. My proud moment of the week was getting 97% on my kanji exam, the top score of my class! I am happy!
Curse is over?
August 16, 2008
Maybe it’s a bit early to announce this but I think my curse is over.
I mentioned a few days ago that my camera is being fixed. That’s one good piece of news as of late.
On Monday, wifey and I hauled the dead laptop, dead camera, and a bunch of Haagen Dazs gift certificates out to Yodobashi Camera. I recently noticed a repair center in the basement and thought I’d give it a try. What would I have to lose with a dead camera and computer already?
For one thing, I would lose my life savings. To fix the camera, the dude gave an estimate of 18,000 yen. No way guy! Again, reading some forums online, Fuji is repairing this problem for free. Hence we made our way to the Service Center.
Next, we went to the computer repair center – it’s in the same place but they have an individual counter for computers. The guy did a quick looksee. He plugged in the AC, tried turning it on, and then turned it off. What the heck? Just from that he said it was probably a motherboard problem. Oh yeah, he estimated that it would cost about 60 to 70,000 yen. I can buy a new laptop for that.
Actually he didn’t say “motherboard” exactly, he said, and I translate, “It’s a foundation problem”. OK. A computer’s foundation can mean anything. For me, the fundamental component is the motherboard but to my lovely, hardware-illiterate wife, it just might well be the nice shiny plastic box or case. Unfortunately I also thought the same but I made my guess by opening up the laptop and testing stuff out piece by piece.
The vast quantities of ice cream consumed after helped sooth my frayed nerves. I was hauling my very heavy laptop in the hottest time of the year, oh and with a big sunburn on my back. Ice cream saves all. Whenever I feel my temper flaring, I will think, “What would Ice Cream do?”
Wifey tried to console me on the loss of my laptop. I, however, would not give up so easily. Coming home, I opened up the laptop and examined each component down to the dust particles. I noticed a couple of things: a screw holder thingy had become very loose – it was hanging on by millimeters of metal. It came off completely as well. Since the issue was power, I guessed that maybe this little metal thingy was somehow shorting out the board. Out it went. Then I noticed some melted paint near some transistors near the video card. The video card gets really hot and probably melted it a long time ago. I wasn’t sure how the melted paint might affect things but I scraped it off.
Slapping everything back together and plugging in the AC… hmm… no amber light! Power on… Yup. It booted up. Whatever it was, it wasn’t the motherboard. I had won. I wanted to go back and spit on the guy who didn’t even bother looking at my computer.
I just hope it stays alive this time. I’m writing this update on the laptop watching some George Carlin as I speak. I hope that only George rests in piece and my laptop continues to work, albeit very slowly, for another few years.
A bright flash
August 12, 2008
When all’s said and done, nothing beats watching the Yodogawa fireworks (August 9 annually) from my very own apartment. I open the window and get a very good view. The view can’t come close to my mother in-law’s place but I’m most relaxed in my own domain.
Since my camera is down I played around with the webcamera to capture a few shots. They all turned out terribly but this shot looked interesting. It looked like a nuclear blast or the Ultima spell in Final Fantasy. This was the closing salvo of fireworks and was supposed to many many bright white sparkles in the sky.
On a side note, the awesome Fuji Service Center in Hommachi is currently repairing my camera! Looking around online, Fuji apparently installed a faulty CCD and will replace it for free. Also I’ve asked for a replacement internal battery so I don’t have to keep changing the damn date each time I take out and replace the regular batteries. The old gentleman working at this very quiet office was one of the nicest working people I’ve met in a long time. What a champ.
The Performing Arts
August 04, 2008
I love visiting Tempozan every now and then. It’s always bustling with activity and seeing the harbor always reminds me of home. The big mall is filled with strange and interesting stores. This time You-san and I visited a ninja store and I was half tempted to try out the ninja house, where you try to sneak about undetected. It’s for kids so we decided not to embarrass ourselves too much. He did however, embarrass himself by freaking out at a samurai dummy that sits up and down every few seconds. Never have I seen a grown man jump and scream like that.
There’s always some sort of performance going on in the area. Today we caught some strange spectacles. A man dressed in aluminum sucks on a lemon and lipsynchs to Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You. Then as we were cooling off at the juicebar in the center of the mall we see a trio of Japanese performers with hair that makes Marge Simpson cringe.
The Storm
July 31, 2008
I was in class on Monday when I noticed the clouds just come billowing in. The very clear sky almost suddenly became a dark blue, light gray, then finally, a very ominous dark gray. It was remarkable how fast the sky changed.
Feeling the window, the temperature must have dropped by a whole lot too because the window was cool to the touch instead of being hot as it usually is in the summertime in Japan. Looking onto the street I could see not only the trees waving around from the wind, but even the lamp posts were swaying slightly.
This was to be some storm.
At around 2pm, hail suddenly started falling. People were running into the convenience store while others jumped into their cars for cover. The hail lasted barely a couple of minutes and it actually cleared up a little. “So much for that storm,” I thought. It turned out I was a bit too early to call the end of the storm.
In a few minutes time it began to rain. Nay, it began to pour. No, water began to drench the streets. It was one of the heaviest rainfalls I’ve ever experienced in Japan. In Kyoto, one of the river banks actually rose up by a meter in 10 minutes, that’s 10cm of rain per minute! Unfortunately, four people died from being swept by this sudden rise in water level.
I was a lot safer in class. However, of all days to leave my umbrella behind, I chose this day to do so. Earlier that day at home I looked out the window and had decided that there was no way it would rain today. I decided to leave my windows open to try to keep the place as cool as possible in this 30+ humid weather. My bad.
As class ended, everyone just stood near the window. I couldn’t help but keep my face pressed against the window the whole time. I love lightning too much to miss this. I was told by Steve that this brought one of the most impressive lightning storms. I couldn’t see much other than bright flashes reflected off buildings but our building had the power knocked out for a few minutes. The thunder was most superb though. Several students screamed.
I decided that I couldn’t waste any more time waiting for this rainstorm to end. I had to go home. Some of the students downstairs watched with puzzled looks as I walked out without any sort of cover. I had to stop by the convenience store and pick up an umbrella though – the rain was really heavy. I jumped into the JR train from Shin-Osaka station and after a few minutes noticed we weren’t leaving.
Unfortunately, the lightning had knocked something out and all trains had stopped. They did not mention how long we would be stuck here so I just decided to stay and listen to my Coast To Coast on my Ipod. In the end I waited a whole hour in the train. It still didn’t move. I decided to leave the exit and take the subway home. It was a bit of a detour but getting home late was better than sitting next to grumpy people in an overheated train. There were a lot of people waiting outside the ticket gates waiting for the trains to restart too.
Finally I get home and as expected my place was soaked. Water had soaked into the tatami as far as meters from the window. My kotatsu had a nice coating of water. My laptop was unfortunately placed on the kotatsu. It is with much sadness that I have to announce that both my laptop and my phone have drowned to death due to my carelessness with the window.
I don’t feel too bad. The laptop was super old and now it gives us a reason to get a new one. The tatami mats dried quickly and everything else has been cleaned. In the end, it was one fantastic day experiencing the strongest storm I’ve seen in a long long time.
Push
July 22, 2008
Another sign of summer in Japan.
I Hate Banks in Japan
July 19, 2008
Back in March, for whatever it was I did, I got a money order from the ELI when Maki came to Japan for an Alumni gathering. I was reluctant to take it because I really didn’t do anything that I felt needed compensation. Regardless, a few weeks later, I received a mail order for 8,832 yen. It’s not a huge amount of money but it’s enough for 4-5 days on my spending habits.
Well this year has kept me rather busy and I put off cashing in this money order until last week. This one little trip to the bank has reaffirmed my hatred of Japanese banks.
First, after a bit of a wait, I get to the regular teller window and the bank girl has no idea what it is I’m holding in my hand. She actually starts turning it around in her hand, ie. turning the paper upside down so that the print is upside down, and turning it back over in a perfect 360. It was like watching a toddler handle a book or a caveman handling a PDA. She starts asking the girls around her and then finally calling what must be the resident answer girl.
The resident answer girl seemed to recognize this financial instrument and told me to go over to the foreign currency area. There, the older seemingly less-intelligent woman now handles the money order. Just as before, she inspects this piece of paper with a very puzzled look – her eyebrows were furrowed, her lips puckered, and her eyes were squinting through those very coke bottle glasses she was wearing. She then goes and asks some boring guy in a suit about it and to see whether or not this bank can continue this transaction.
A bit of a side note.
This money order is from HSBC, the 4th largest bank in the world, (Wiki) not exactly some shitty credit union run by radish farmers. Next, the money order is endorsed by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, the 5th largest bank in the world, and incidentally, the VERY BANK I’M IN! I’m no financial expert but this piece of paper had all the legal requirements to make it a legal financial instrument. In all practical purposes, this is just like a check.
Back to the story.
Well, finally, the older seemingly less-intelligent woman must have gotten clearance to continue this and starts collecting application papers. Yes, to cash a money order you have to fill out an application form. While I’m doing this, the woman calls another branch, presumably head office and asks questions. The one question that stuck in my mind was, “Can we receive these?” You fucking idiot. You work in a bank, remember? I finish the application form and she goes over it and makes another call and asks a few more questions.
Just as I feel a bit better for finishing and hopefully leaving the bank 8,832 yen richer, she starts explaining administrative costs. Shit.
Anyway I’ll cut to the finale:
- I couldn’t receive the money that day because it would take 2-3 days, possibly a week before this would be done. It actually took two days.
- I end up being at the bank for just over an hour.
- The administrative fees would run between 1,500-4,000 yen. The END RESULT: 4,000 yen fee. 1,500 transaction fee, 2,500 currency exchange fee.
What a fucking joke. Of my 8,832 yen I receive 4,432. That’s almost 50% gone because of this fucking bank. Can you imagine paying 40 bucks to get a money order done in your country? What really drives me mad is that when the ELI purchased this money order, they paid administrative fees. Furthermore, the money order was made out in YEN – WHY is there a currency exchange fee? Are they exchanging the yen to Indian Rupees to bushels of wheat and then back to yen?
I can understand that Japan does not use money orders regularly but to have the biggest bank in Japan not know how to deal with them, and then take up 40 bucks to get it done, is just a joke.
I hate banks in Japan.
Sanjusangen-do Temple
May 31, 2008
Water
May 27, 2008
Kamogawa River in Kyoto, near Shichijo Station
Freaky paintings
May 10, 2008
As suggested by Thomas, the Kyosai exhibit at the Kyoto National Museum was fantastic.
The most fantastic mural ever
After having visited so many museums and exhibits in Japan, I am rather tired of your run of the mill nature paintings and bamboo prints. This exhibit was very refreshing. Kyosai spent a big part of his life drawing things like demons, ghosts, tengu, and satirical drawings. Sadly he was punished by the government for this.
Let me be even lazier than Thomas and paraphrase his paraphrasing:
The paintings were in a kind of ukiyo-e style but with lots of little ghosts, demons, blood and other funny stuff including a great painting that went by the name of “Fart Battle”. Let me be lazy and just plagiarise from the museums website… “The Japanese catch phrase for the exhibition might be translated, “His works are so bizarre, they’ll make you want to cry.” Be shocked and surprised to discover both the bizarre and the beautiful in this artist’s stunning repertoire.” – Thomas
A must-see!
Yamanobe no michi
May 06, 2008
I haven’t been on a good hike in a long while and this, my very first Golden Week holiday, seemed like the perfect occasion. I was eyeing the very scenic 山之辺ã?®é?“ Yamanobe no michi, or “The road alongside mountains” and was planning out the 16km hike when the woman said she wanted to go too. This changes everything. Frankly I wasn’t sure if I could pull through with the 16km and she being the weakling that she is, would not stand a chance. So, we decided to make it a cycling tour!
We got up early and took a few trains out to Tenri, in Nara. From Tenri station, we rented a couple of bicycles from a very nice old man. He gave us maps, umbrellas, and tips because we were first timers here. The map he gave us was fairly good but like all the maps we saw of the area, it was lacking in details. And much to my surprise, renting bicycles in Japan is unlike back home – you don’t get a mountain bike, nor street bike, but a regular shopping bike with a basket and bell.
I am now going to look for a mountain bike because climbing uphill in a shopping bike is nasty. Gears! Gears! People, gears are a good thing! Gears are your friend when climbing uphill, or going downhill for that matter.
Anyway, since we were on bikes we couldn’t follow the foot path but detoured around some major sites. We stopped at many temples and historical sites. My favorite sites were the kofun, ancient Japanese burial mounds shaped like keyholes, or other shapes. From a distance, they appear like a hill but most of the bigger ones were surrounded by a moat.
The temples were nothing special -typical fare. The one temple I was really looking forward to was the “ruined temple at Nakayama”. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so much “ruined” as it was “dilapidated”. There were a couple of small wooden buildings in a rather dark wooded area.
The road itself is not a road per se. It’s more of a marked trail through a few cities and lots of farmland. It’s not well-marked and we did a few u-turns to find the way. We ended the tour at Sakurai city and stayed the night at a very quaint guest house run by a guy who writes books about the area and of Japanese history.
I thoroughly enjoyed biking through fields and farms and getting much needed fresh air. People were very friendly and greeted you as you biked by. Although it sporadically showered, the rain helped cool us off and it was a much better alternative to sunlight beating down on us.
We went through the entire course in about 6 hours with many stops for pictures and rest. I will most definitely be coming back here and going on foot – there were many sites that we missed including some waterfalls near the mountains.
Modest Beginnings
April 08, 2008
There’s only three of us and Sifu Steve but soon enough I’ll miss these days of small classes. The website is beginning to generate some hits. Ian, on the left there, found us through this page. I’m hoping that the Golden Harvest Wing Chun page will begin to pay off as well.
Sumo
March 24, 2008
One would think watching extremely overweight guys clad in nothing but diapers and shoving each other around would not be a very entertaining thing. Still, it was something I had to decide for myself. I’m glad to say, it was a lot more interesting than it sounds.
I have put off going to a sumo tournament for the last five years. I really didn’t think I would enjoy it. But last week at the behest of some classmates and not having done many Japanesey things in awhile, it was the perfect opportunity.
The place was packed but not in the beginning. I realized that most people didn’t bother watching the first half of the tournament. It seems that the lesser known sumo wrestlers are just not as crowd-pleasing as the well known wrestlers and the top-tiered wrestlers. We got there fairly early but had the chance to walk around the different stands and take pictures. There were some a few wrestlers who even let us pose for pictures with them.
The event really started picking up towards the latter half of the event. The stadium was finally packed and wrestlers who have appeared on television commercials started competing. It was interesting to see some of the idiosyncrasies that really got people roaring.
The highlights were certainly when the top ranked ozeki and yokozuna wrestlers did their thing. People were yelling and screaming!
Compared to other sporting events, sumo was “easy” to watch. In most other sports, you need to sit through the entire thing hoping to catch something amazing like a breakaway, a slam dunk, or a goal. With sumo, each match realistically lasts no more than 10 seconds and it’s preceded by a lot of traditional rituals. Although it was my first sumo tournament, I quickly learned to block out and ignore those boring rituals, instead enjoying my snacks and drinks and talking to my friends. Only when the action was about to begin when my attention refocussed on the fatties in the center of the room.
I don’t know if I will go again but I certainly enjoyed my first sumo tournament.
Celebrations
March 16, 2008
Being unemployed is certainly not an indication of being free. I think I’ve been busier in this last little while than I have been in a very long time. Thankfully a couple of things keeping me busy were extremely fun and memorable things.
æ–°å¤§é˜ªäºˆå‚™æ ¡ Graduation Day
The school term ended on Friday with a Graduation Day for all the students who were moving on to new pursuits.
I look so lonely over there
Although I am continuing my studies and although I have only finished one term so far, a part of me felt like this was the Graduation Day that I would not be attending next year because I don’t intend to study for the whole school year.
My homeroom teacher – possibly the best teacher ever
It was one of the few chances I’ve had recently to put on a suit! And since I didn’t have to wear it, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The unanimously-decided most serious Shou-san
More pictures here.
2008 ELI Alumni Party – Osaka
Maki was in town! On official ELI business, she set up a most excellent party with many ELI alumni. I think at the peak, close to 30 people showed up. It has been years since I have been on an ELI event but last night reminded of all the fun I had when I was a Cultural Assistant.
Although I only knew a handful of the people, by the end of the night, we were all drinking and laughing as if we knew each other for a long while. Catching up with Maki about how everyone is doing made me really miss the ELI family as well. I think my time at the ELI gave me some of the best memories in my life.
More pictures here.
Classmates
March 10, 2008
Shin-Osaka Preparatory School
Intermediate Class (2)
2008-01-09 – 2008-03-14
EDIT(2009-03-22): the database didn’t save any of the Japanese. I’ve changed this post to English. Also, the Shin-Osaka Preparatory School is now known as the Shin-Osaka Foreign Language Institute and their website was moved as well.
Overheard
March 08, 2008
I went to a bar last night with Laura. It was my first bar visit in months. As much as I enjoyed catching up with Laura, I had the unfortunate luck of overhearing this rather inane conversation by some fellow gaijins. They were not young – they were at least in their mid twenties.
Gaijin A: I could kick his ass. (referring to Gaijin C)
Gaijin B: I don’t know about that.
Gaijin A: What? Really?
Gaijin B: Yeah, C has the training factor.
Gaijin C: Yeah I train a lot. … not that you don’t train at all.
Gaijin A: Oh come on…
Gaijin B: Yeah, C has the martial arts factor.
Gaijin C: Yeah I do.
Gaijin A: Well I have the marital arts factor.
Gaijin B and C: That’s true that’s true.
Gaijin A: I can handle crazy bitches.
I now remember why I don’t frequent bars anymore.
Wing Chun Kung Fu in Osaka
February 28, 2008
I’ve been googling everything Wing Chun lately and found the lack of information quite appalling. Anyway, I just wanted to let the world know that there is at least our Wing Chun class going on in Osaka and Kyoto that is English-friendly. (日本語ã?§ã‚‚ã?„ã?„ã?‘ã?©)
The class currently takes place once a week on Saturday from 3pm very close to Kitakagaya Station. The class has only been running for a few months so space is still available. You can contact me directly and I’ll refer you to Sifu Steve. I’m handling the web requests. I’m more than happy to answer any questions that you might have.
To answer some of the possible questions that might come up:
- the class is very relaxed
- monthly fees are very reasonable
- Sifu Steve is very welcoming of anyone and will wholeheartedly teach everything he knows
- Sifu Steve allows you to refer to him as “Steve”
- dress code is very relaxed: no strict uniform requirements
- the venue where we practice is not the biggest place but it’s enough (it’s a dance studio). It does not have any equipment (like a wooden dummy) but Sifu Steve brings a lot of gear to class each week
- In my humble opinion, WC is a very effective martial art. With the right training and application, anyone, regardless of size, age, or experience, can become effective in combat.
We’re waiting for you!
Kyushu weekend
February 04, 2008
I can finally cross Kyushu island off my list of places to go! A simple invitation from Kyle was all it took for us to spend a short and sweet 2 and a half day weekend in western Japan. I’ve always wanted to visit Kyushu and wished we only had more time to explore more places. We only had enough time to see Kumamoto City, Fukuoka City (Hakata), and Mojiko in Kitakyushu.
The lady took this opportunity to visit some work-related places and thus I had a couple hours on my own on Saturday and Monday.
Kumamoto
I found Kumamoto to be a snug and small little city with its own pace of life. Compared to Osaka, everything seemed much more relaxed. We had our first bowl of Kyushu ramen in a place called Kokutei é»’äº. We waited about 20 minutes before the noodles came – something unheard of in Osaka. In 20 minutes, you would have finished eating, paid, and be a few meters away from the restaurant already.
The lady left me after lunch and I had a nice trek from Kumamoto Station to Kumamoto Castle. It’s not as far as it seems on the map. Along the way I stopped by at a couple of tiny temples. I strolled by a park that look really nice but unfortunately it was being renovated so I couldn’t enter to explore.
The main attraction of the city is definitely Kumamoto Castle. It sits in a beautiful park that is packed with gardens and historic buildings. I also remember the Traditional Arts Museum in very close proximity to the castle. Unfortunately for us, it was a very rainy day and trudging through wet grass and rocks is not fun. Also, the castle is being renovated and access to the highest levels was denied. Admission was lowered from 500 to 300 yen though. The castle is not as enthralling as Himeji-jo but I think it’s worth a visit. The interior, unfortunately, has been gutted and converted into a museum, much like Osaka Castle. The turrets have remained as they are – very cold and worth the trouble of taking off your shoes and walking up the structure.
The only other area we to was the Shimotori Arcade Street, a huge covered shopping area. We had bubble tea there and that was about it.
The ELI people including Kyle and Nate! Raw horse meat was had by all!
Hakata
Hakata, in Fukuoka City, was a much bigger and more metropolitan city than Kumamoto. We didn’t do much here neither except visit the Fukuoka City Museum, Hawks Town, and the Tenjin Underground Arcade.
The museum is quite interesting but my feet were too tired for my brain to effectively absorb the information. The lady seemed quite immersed in it and really took the time to read every little thing. I, on the other hand, just sat back and caught up with a couple of Coast to Coast shows downloaded from the night before. Hawks Town is more for kids, the Dessert Forest is interesting but there were too many kids running around and not enough tables (and too much sugar being dispensed as well). The Tenjin Underground Arcade is quite huge! Lots of people, 99.99% of the stores are women’s clothing.
I did have one gripe with the ramen place called Ichiran 一è˜. First off the line outside the restaurant was split into two lines, one against the wall of the restaurant, and the other, on the opposite wall. So, it looked like one line for the ramen store and another line for some other restaurant or shop. They had to have one staff come out every few minutes and make sure that people weren’t accidentally budging. What a waste of labor.
Next, instead of normal tables and counter seats, they had a really restarted booth system where everyone had their own very tiny cubicle to eat the noodles. In each cubicle was your own personal water faucet to pour your own water, a “curtain” so that you wouldn’t have to see the server, and a small metallic plate on which you can place additional orders. The cubicles were too small for me to really enjoy lunch. I couldn’t seen see my wife who sat next to me because of the divider.
Honestly, in the end, this was JUST a ramen restaurant! They went to all this trouble to make their store unique that they’ve placed this retarded hindrance on their customers. For me, it was one confusing new fad to the next. I couldn’t rely on conventional restaurant practices and had to rely on the staff that was placed in guiding customers from line to cubicle. I don’t think this system even saves on labor as I heard or saw at least 6 people working this tiny place anyway.
So in the end, I didn’t have such a great time in Hakata. I didn’t do enough planning to find interesting places to visit. Plus my feet were really killing me!
Mojiko
This morning we got up early to visit the small port of Mojiko. The lady met another work-related person and went on her way leaving me about an hour in this very beautiful place. I most unexpectedly fell in love and had a great time here. This tiny port town used to be a trade center for many European traders. As such many buildings here are European in style and many of them still stand today. It almost felt like being in a different country and I just wished I had more time here.
Mojiko Station is one of the oldest stations in Japan and probably one of the more interesting ones.
I walked past the Kyushu Railway History Museum and decided not to pay the 300 yen to enter. As far as I could tell, there were a couple of old steam engines and that was about it. I’m not a big train person anyway.
The harbor is beautiful and offers a few shops, restaurants, and cafes. There was a boat restaurant that I really wanted to visit but couldn’t due to the lack of time. You get a great view of a bridge that connects Kyushu to Honshu island as well.
We rode the elevator up to the Mojiko Observation Deck and had a nice time until two dozen grandmothers in a tour came up and made it grandma day. They were quite chatty and ruined the picturesque view, for me anyway.
And that was our nice weekend. We hopped on the bullet train and back into the Osaka grind!
One week
January 12, 2008
This week was one for the books, literally. I finished my first week of Japanese school and it has exhausted me.
I had a lot of fun actually but even on the first day I wrote a test and subsequently three more. I had thought that since I was jumping into the course in the middle of the school year I would be excused from the tests. Nope! Considering this, I thought I did well on the tests. For one, I had only 20 minutes to prepare and still managed to get an “A”, as if that matters anymore.
There are only 11 or 12 students in my class – one girl who I saw on the first day doesn’t seem to come anymore. I think the average age in the class is maybe 20-22, a few seemed to have just turned 20! A few more seemed to be studying Japanese to enter a Japanese university. Aside from me and a Korean girl, everyone else is Chinese or Taiwanese (I think).
I’ve spoken with a few people about boring things and they seemed nice. There are a few who seem to act like children though and I am certain I will not be speaking with them often. There are a couple of kids who are playing video games in class, one who acts like a demented 5 year old, and one who speaks to me through another person. I am even more sure now that I am not there to make friends.
There are 4 different teachers I think and each is very different in personality and style. The teacher in charge of our class is absolutely amazing. She has a bubbling personality that reminds me very much of good manzai comedians! She was able to make a lot of rather boring language concepts interesting. Even though it’s only been a week, I can say that she is one of the best teachers I’ve ever met.
I have a lot of catching up to do to keep on pace with the class but I’ve put in a good 2 hours a day on top of 5 hours of class each in studying. If I can keep this up for a few weeks, I’ll have made a big start in preparing for Level 2 (the test which I “forgot” to go there last year).
I don’t think I’ve ever been this motivated in a structured educational environment. I think the main thing is that I’ve completely chosen to be there and I have good reason to be there. It saddens me that there are some in the class that are completely goofing off and wasting mommy’s money and the teacher’s time.
Kids, study hard!
Ebisu Matsuri
January 11, 2008
Yesterday the Noda Ebisu festival took place as it does every year in my neighborhood. I’m not exactly sure what the festival is about and I’m too lazy to google it. I know that it’s more oriented towards business owners although people of all ages were there last night.
For some reason that yet again I have failed to find, the Ebisu Shrine was selling various things that I assume are good for businesses. They were expensive: up to 5000 yen. The wife (or The Boss) wanted to get one and I stated my objection to sparing 5000 yen for something that someone says is lucky. In the end, she got a 3000 plant that is now decorating our entrance.
Personally, I think it would be better business to keep the 3000 yen, but again, who am I but a lowly subordinate.
The shrine itself is fairly similar to most shrines I’ve been to. I found this about Ebisu Shrine:
Popularly know as “Noda no Ebessan”, it is not known exactly when Ebisu Shrine was built. However, within the grounds there are granite stones with “Ebisu no Miya” carved into the front, and the date March 1115 on the side. The stones themselves were erected afterwards, but it is thought that the shrine itself was built around this time. From ancient times, the god Ebisu has been revered at the god of fishing and the area around the shrine was called Naniwa Yasojima, and was a centre of the fishing industry. On the 10th of January every year many worshippers come to Ebisu, and he has also gathered many followers as the local god due to big parades during the summer festival with “Danjiri”, taiko drums, and “Taihoko” etc. [source]
Spinning Around
December 30, 2007
Yesterday I went to my very first ever figure skating event. You can imagine that it was not my idea and the option of going or not was not quite an option. I don’t care what people think about it but I’ve never once enjoyed watching figure skating on TV.
2007 All Japan Medalists On Ice
All I ever notice is that aside from the costume and uniform changes, everyone does the same spins, kicks, twists, hand gestures, and even facial expressions. I don’t see the self-expression involved and thus I don’t enjoy it. Furthermore, the scoring systems always seem so arbitrary. I’m going to avoid commenting on the skimpiness of the costumes completely.
I wish I could say that watching figure skating live changed my opinion about it. Certainly, watching things live are much more exciting but it was still the same stuff. Luckily, skate routines are short, maybe 3 or 4 minutes in length, so boredom is limited to short spurts. Listening to many children shout out their favorite skater’s name was quite interesting; it’s something that you can hardly ever hear on TV.
Now the thing that I will give credit to is that although I personally don’t enjoy watching figure skating, I can easily see the training needed to perfect it. The fitness, flexibility, and strength needed to just hold your leg up almost vertically against your body is tremendous. I totally respect all the hard work that these very young people are putting into something that they love. It certainly is a beautiful art.
NOW WHY CAN’T I ENJOY IT?
Fun At Tennoji
December 24, 2007
Last Friday I get a call from Thomas with an invite to the monthly flea market at Shitennoji. Being one for randomness, how could I refuse?
As one can expect from a flea market, you only had old people rummaging through bins for discounted items that only the feebleminded could get excited about. Grandmas at the least in their 70s forgot their back problems and bent down to find cheap shoes. We even saw an old lady get out of her electric wheelchair to go search through a bin of clothes. Flea markets can perform miracles.
What was different from flea markets was the kind of items you can buy. Of course there were old cultural items that essentially can only be found in Japan but also there were many collectibles, more than what I’ve seen back in Canada. Prices were fairly good as well. A lot of stuff was actually worth buying if you didn’t mind crud-covered goods. There were many food-stands that sold really delicious-looking food for very cheap.
Polly Scary Doll
I almost felt bad for not buying anything at all. Unfortunately I didn’t find anything that I absolutely must have – the closest thing was a bowling pin with a clock in it. What household can go without a bowling pin clock?
Why not buy a tombstone?
After that Thomas and I parted ways and having the rest of the day, I decided to stroll through Tennoji and the weird Shinseki area (reputably very dangerous but it’s no more dangerous than a Chuck E. Cheese on a Saturday afternoon). I like going through the area as it has more rabble and color than most brand-loving pachinko-parlored urban areas that I normally frequent.
Another day well spent.
Pet phlebotomy
December 20, 2007
For all your bloodletting needs, visit:
I hope they mean breeder…
Hello!! Mr. Butch!
December 16, 2007
Who doesn’t want to look like Mr. Butch?
A hairsalon fairly close to my place.
How octopi get you jobs and help pass exams
December 13, 2007
In Japanese, wordplay and homonyms are quite common. As a lazy Japanese student, this humor often escapes me and I need them explained slowly, with graphs, drawings, and finger puppets. Here’s an example:
Octopus / ã?Šã??ã?¨ãƒ‘ス
This little delicious character has å?ˆæ ¼, or “pass” written on it. The English word “octopus” can be broken into the syllables “o-ku-to-pa-su”. Taking this, “oku” is the verb for “to place (down)” “okuto” would mean, “When placed down” and finally “pa-su” = “pass”. So “Octopus” becomes “When this is placed down on a table, you pass”.
This is a small little good luck charm that my lovely mother in law gave me to bolster my job search adventure. With this I should be able to become president of a small budding nation. Octopus!
Babies!
December 09, 2007
Yuko-sensei and her very cute and tiny 9 month old Rio! I’ve met him a few times this year and it’s amazing to see the pace of development. I think he understands Japanese better than I do and it will be a matter of months before he speaks better too.
Excuse me, no really, me
December 06, 2007
Today while I was at Shin Osaka station, I decided to make a pitstop at the washroom.
Before I further this story, let me digress for a moment and explain something about washrooms in Japan. You will undoubtedly at some point visit a washroom while someone is in there cleaning. More likely than not, it will be an elderly woman cleaning. It took quite awhile to get used to peeing in front of someone who’s possibly my grandmother’s age. Sometimes I deliberately take the stalls just for that hint of privacy. It’s something that I’m sure most male foreigners here will attest to.
Back to the story.
At this washroom at the station, the cleaning lady was not an old woman, but a very young girl, perhaps early twenties, possibly even younger (it’s impossible to tell age in this country). I literally stopped dead in my tracks there and doubted whether or not I could pee, not in front of an old woman, but a rather young lass. I was about to forego this pitstop and maybe try to make it all the way home. Then I noticed other guys by the urinals already and collective agreement that I’ve picked up here kicked in and all inhibitions fell away. If other guys are peeing in front of her, it’s ok if I do it, right?
To top it off, when girl finished her cleaning in the washroom, she walked towards the entrance, stopped, turned back around and faced us and said, “失礼致ã?—ã?¾ã?™” – a very polite way of saying “Excuse me (I’m about to leave)”. No Miss, I am the one who is peeing timidly in your presence, please excuse me.
Horsies
October 30, 2007
On Sunday, Thomas introduced me to the world of horse petting zoos.
We made our way to the Kyoto Horserace Track and he taught me how to pet the horses nicely and admire the sheen of their coats and their muscular tones.
It was my first time at a track and I had a lot of fun. I’m not exactly a gambler so I followed Thomas’ picks and bet the minimum 100 yen on a few races. Total winnings: 0. It was quite impressive to see the Tokyo Emperor’s Cup on the big ass TV in the middle of the track. One race netted 1,400,000 yen on a 100 yen bet for the triple something bet. (I don’t remember the jargon).
All in all, I spent a good afternoon with a good friend with some pretty ponies. I would go again but would try to take more pictures of silly old Japanese men who took their whole family here.
Thomas studying the stock indices
Closure
October 27, 2007
It just so happened that an informal MM center party was held at the big HUB on the same day Nova had its big d-day. Thoughts aside about the whole bankrupcy protection, it was a great party.
A lot more people came out than expected and I got a chance to thank and say goodbye to many people. It was a great rowdy night and I didn’t even drink a drop of beer! I made a realization that after tonight there would be a lot of people I would never see anymore and some people I might accidentally run into on the streets. I didn’t speak with my friends too much knowing full well I would see them, just as often as before.
For me it was closure to a fairly big part of my life in the past five years. I left quickly, abruptly, and definitely not publicly. Some people didn’t know I had quit since so many people were on “holidays” or were “sick”. Today, I was able to have my say with many good people that I will miss.
Thank you everyone. �疲れ様���.
D-Day
October 26, 2007
This is a huge day. Nova has filed for bankrupcy protection, ousted the president, and suspended operations. This is it.
Just on the news – the Hello Work office in Umeda has set up a counseling service for Nova employees. Enjoy!
Housewife
October 24, 2007
It has just been a week since I quit my job and it has just been a week of fun and games! It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do whatever I want everyday for any extended amount of time.
So far I’ve been to one interview that I felt wasn’t as spectacular as I had hoped for but I’m hoping I’ll get a second interview. I’ve played a couple of Llorwyn sealeds – it’s a very nicely themed set with beautiful art. Some of the mechanics I don’t care for so much though. I’ve been hanging out and had a few drinks with various people.
5 packs of Llorywn and the pile that goes with it
Any level of stress I had has completely disappeared. I’m not sleeping very well though – I’m trying to stay up late but I can’t sleep in anymore. The early shift has broken my ability to sleep.
As most of you already know, I’ve been addicted to facebook.com. Seeing those little messages and that friend number go up little by little is quite satisfying. Now though, the friend count has lost steam and should I want to see the same kind of growth, I’d have to dig into the seamy past. Eww.
I’ve been taking my camera out wherever I go and trying to bike more around Osaka. I can’t believe that I didn’t bike so much before. I’ve missed out on strange shops and neighborhoods. Pictures will follow I’m sure.
Those in Japan: Da Ole HUB this Friday after 7pm for an informal MM center get-together!
It’s finally done
October 16, 2007
Today was my final day at Nova.
The bunny that fucked us all over
I decided yesterday that it was finally time to end this chapter of my life. Today I submitted my notice, had my holidays arranged, and said my goodbyes.
As expected, the amount of sick calls skyrocketed this week and today I essentially had a full schedule of lessons. It has truly been a long time since my last full-lesson day. I enjoyed each lesson and had good chats with some of them. During the whole time I couldn’t help but run through all five years and think about all the people I had met and interacted with.
I am very fortunate to be able to walk away from MM with only positive memories. Although I’ve seen my share of crap there, I have let it go and will truly remember my experience as one of learning and cooperation between people from so many walks of life.
I said goodbyes and thank yous to many today but my favorite was LS superstar Yumi. She was so shocked by the sudden news that she started crying a little! I didn’t know how to respond. I was touched that someone would have such an emotional response to my leaving.
I have no idea what the next few months will hold but I am very happy about starting a new chapter. My time at Nova has been wonderful and I sincerely hope that all instructors and staff will be able to come out of this with an experience as positive as mine.
The only original core group instructor from when I first started AND my meat shield
HFK! And/or Mr. Squigg Voice
Who could ever forget Billy Bastard?
My boss, the one who lets me run rampant
A few more pictures.
The End
October 13, 2007
I’ve always refrained from writing about Nova for a lot of reasons but the crazy roller coaster ride that has been happening over the last couple of months has helped change my mind.
I am a Center Trainer (CT) at Nova. That’s equivalent to a Branch Trainer (BT), the next step above an Assistant Trainer (AT). At work I wear a dark green tag to differentiate us from the light green ATs, and the purple instructors. Just to let you know now, the colors mean nothing and really, the positions don’t exactly mean much neither. It is and always has just been a job. I hope I can say without a lot of people flaming me that I’ve always tried to keep it real. I never carried the “company line” and always called it as I saw it. I almost never gave bullshit to anyone and the times I did, well, those fuckers must have been really out of line.
I feel the end is nigh and I’m just about ready to close this chapter of my life.
So just a quick overview of the past couple of months:
- Japanese and Foreign staff (ie. permanent, salaried employees) had their salaries delayed each month since July.
- Titled Instructors (ATs, BTs, CTs) and many regular instructors outside of major cities had their August pay delayed for two weeks in September.
- Instructors living in apartments subleased by Nova have been evicted because Nova did not pay rents (the rent was deducted from instructor salaries).
- Branches have been closing all over the country – hundreds of schools are done.
- Rumors of a lot of people quitting in gaiji, payroll, everywhere “higher up”.
Just yesterday the useless president sent a fax to all branches saying that our salary on the 15th will be delayed until the 19th. This refers to ALL instructors now, across Japan. This will be the final straw.
This morning I woke up early and contacted LS (the administrative area at the MM) and confirmed the contents of the fax. Already then, I was told of 20 sick calls and this was at 6:40AM. I can only imagine the chaos happening right now as hundreds of branches across Japan will be unmanned and hundreds of lessons being cancelled. This will only continue all week until there’s nothing left.
Surprisingly, I am not at all angry right now. This has been expected and in fact, I’m looking forward to the end so that I can finally move on and start something else. When my salary was delayed last month, that really caught me by surprise. I didn’t think it would ever come to that because the instructors are the company’s final line. I was completely shocked that they crossed it. Now, the end is all but inevitable – it will be drawn out and ugly but I am glad.
I do want to say that I have really loved working with the people at MM over the last 5 years and 4 days (not that I’m counting). Many have become excellent friends and I have learned a lot from them and my position. The experience I gained working with people will last and I’ve made a fair bit of coin as well.
To friends and family back home, you need not worry about me. The lady and I have funds saved up, she’s still working, and hopefully I can get unemployment insurance in a timely manner. I have held out on job applications because there are literally hundreds of people applying for the same jobs right now. I am applying for the couple of jobs here and there that really appeal to me and skipping out on the crap. Worst comes to worst, I can bunker down and enjoy a bit of a holiday.
I’m on my weekend but I will be going in on Monday because that’s our scheduled pay day and technically they can still pay us on that day. I am planning to go in on Tuesday so that my pay will “officially” be late and also I will help out LS staff as much as I can. Wednesday… let’s leave Wednesday optional for now.
If anyone at Nova has questions feel free to contact me and I’ll try to answer them if I can.
Sports Day again!
October 07, 2007
Kiyomizu-dera
October 05, 2007
I went with my new buddy Gerard to see Kiyomizu-dera; one of the more beautiful and famous places in Kyoto. That temple sits on the side of a mountain and some of the structures are over 1200 years old!
The lack of updates is intentional. I have been going through a tough time at work. I’ll keep it brief but last month my salary came two weeks late and the company always seems to be on the brink of bankrupcy with staff salaries having been late for months now, teachers being evicted from their apartments because the company has not paid the rent, advertisers not having been paid, and branches being closed.
This has led to a mass exodus of teachers all over the country and floods of rumors coming in every day. The company has not exactly been forthcoming with any news. This is the worst part – being kept in the dark when motivation and confidence is at an all time low.
I am not having a fun time at work. It’s like climbing a mountain everyday just to get there and climbing it again to stay. I have some plans but basically I’m going to ride it out and try to get on the dole.
Nova handed suspension order over tuition fee practices
June 14, 2007
From Mainichi yesterday. Thanks fearless leaders. Rest assured that my confidence in you is not as low as the stock price. Thanks.
Nova handed suspension order over tuition fee practices
Nova handed suspension order over tuition fee practices
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on Wednesday ordered major English-language school operator Nova Corp. to suspend part of its business operations for holding back money from students who cancelled their contracts, ministry officials said.The ministry issued an order prohibiting Nova from soliciting customers or accepting applications for contracts exceeding one year or new contracts exceeding 70 hours. The suspension will be in place for six months.
It is the first time for the ministry to issue a business suspension order to an English language school under Japan’s special transaction law. People who are currently taking lessons at the language school will not be affected by the order.
Ministry officials explained Nova operates a system in which students buy points enabling them to take lessons. When they buy a large number of points in advance, they can take lessons at a cheaper price.
However, when people cancelled their contracts before finishing their courses, the company lowered the amount of lesson fees it returned to them. In addition the company didn’t inform people about the procedures for canceling contracts.
In April this year, the Supreme Court ruled that Nova’s policy of demanding penalties when students cancelled their contracts violated a law regulating commercial practices. It said the policy restricted students’ right to initiate the cancellation of their contracts, and ruled the practice invalid.
It has also emerged that the company prevented students from canceling their contracts under Japan’s “cooling off” law which states that people can cancel contracts without any obligation if they do so within eight days of forming the contract, by listing students’ contract day as the day they took tours of classes or received explanations about lessons.
Furthermore, when inviting students to take lessons, the company advertised that they could book lessons any time they wanted, but because of the difficulty in securing teachers, it remained difficult to make bookings. Because of this, the ministry reportedly decided to issue a business improvement order to the firm.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government conducted an inspection of Nova in February in connection with the law regulating commercial practices. It found that several practices that violated the law had been ordered by the company’s general headquarters. The ministry said it judged the company’s practices to be “organized and malicious.”
Nova operates over 900 schools across Japan, and has about 480,000 students. Since 1996, the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan has received over 7,000 complaints and inquiries about the company. (Mainichi)
(A) would make me very happy
June 07, 2007
Me: “I am now asking you to stop playing Sudoku in lessons.”
Dumbass: “How am I supposed to stop from falling asleep?”
Me: [choose your answer].
Possible answers that I wanted to say.
A. “Take your right hand, make a fist, and repeatedly hit your orcish-looking face with it until you reach skull, or through skull.”
B. “Sign your name on this sheet of paper called Resignation Form.”
C. “Step onto a highway blindfolded. Wear black clothes and do this at night if necessary.”
D. “Choose another guy to give lip to.”
Congratulations dumbass, you’ve made my list.
Exploding Gyoza
May 31, 2007
A term coined by Guillaume, Exploding Gyoza becomes the very first episode of Dumbass Chronicles, a new category I’ve decided to add to my blog.
Yesterday at work, our first ever dumbass decided to heat some food in a plastic container in our new microwaves at work. They were literally installed that morning.
She decides to heat up this tiny plastic container for 10 minutes.
The plastic melts, the food is set aflame.
As I walk up the stairs to the standby room, I see the room filled with white smoke and several staff members opening doors and turning on air conditioners trying to help clear the air a bit. I work for the next hour or so in the office, eyes becoming sore, throat becoming irritated, anger and disbelief enveloping my common sense.
Because of this dumbass’ ability to realize that exciting water molecules in a small plastic container will melt it, super heat the food so that it bursts aflame, the microwaves have now been temporarily suspended from action, resulting in 700 people not having access to the microwaves. Thank you, dumbass.
A Japanese garage
May 10, 2007
Melting Clocks and Plastic Cup Beer
April 19, 2007
Joined by cohorts Thomas and Jonathan, we did something cultured today and went to see the Dali exhibit at Suntory Museum. You see, us societal elitists must keep up with the what’s new in town and Salvatore Dali seemed like just the thing for a very sunny Thursday afternoon.
I profess that aside from the melty clock painting, anything I know of Dali comes from the Simpsons. I had no expectations in mind aside from a good beer after the show. Thomas, on the other hand, has decided to quit drinking. He is a party pooper.
The reflective can building
It was my first time in Suntory Museum, home to the Imax theater. As respected as Dali must be I was quite bored. The whole time I was looking at fucked up paintings and photographs, the words “beer beer beer” kept repeating itself. I bought a framed melty clock picture (to grace my home collection of master pieces) and we headed off to that crazy market place.
This is going next to my wedding pictures!
Sadly the beer we got came in cheap plastic cups. You get what you pay for I guess. Regardless, a very fun afternoon being entertained by my favorite Australian.
I’m a big boy now!
Use Your Common Sense
April 16, 2007
The death of fellow Nova teacher Lindsay Walker sparked a big media response in England. It got the attention of media in Japan as well and the company had to release public statements and also internal memos relating to the case. The suspect is still at large.
A new article on Mainichi has a few anecdotes of private teachers and students having terrible experiences with creepy assholes. I don’t doubt that these stories are real and/or there are other similar stories like them.
To all foreigners thinking of coming to Japan I only have these words: use your common sense. To all students learning English from foreigners: use your common sense.
It is true that Japan’s crime rate is very low compared to most western countries. I feel very safe when walking at night in dark alleys. I think people are more scared of me than I of them since I always walk like I’m about to mow someone over. Regardless of this, use your common sense.
Don’t walk around at night alone. Don’t visit the homes of people you hardly know. Don’t leave your valuables unattended. Don’t go out with your students/teachers (whatever happened to professional distance). Don’t let someone touch you or if they do, raise hell and make sure they pay for it. Don’t sleep with someone unless you have the same idea of what kind of relationship the other person wants. (Trust me… there are some scary scary stalking / angry girlfriend stories).
Do let someone know where you will be. Do meet students/teachers in public places. Do get references or ask to speak with other students/teachers that this person is teaching/was taught by. Do be on guard.
Foreigners have a bad name in this country because of the actions of a few dumbasses. Having met my fair share of them I can only hope that the image of our countries isn’t tarnished too badly. Trust no one. The truth is out there. United we stand. Divided we fall.
The Beach
April 09, 2007
Totally forgot about this place until I started playing with my camera. The woman and I went to Suma near Kobe last year to get the last rays of sun in September. The aquarium there was lame but the dolphins were… lame.
Beethoven-approved
March 31, 2007
That’s right B-dog. That’s right.
Important notice for Canadians living or traveling in the Kansai and the Kyushu areas
March 29, 2007
From Mainichi News
Important notice for Canadians living or traveling in the Kansai and the Kyushu areas
As publicly announced in January, all consular services currently performed by Canadian consulates in Osaka and Fukuoka will be transferred to the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo as of April 2.
Canadian citizens living or travelling in the Kansai and the Kyushu areas can reach the Consular Section by using the following coordinates:
You can reach the Consular section by:
Telephone at (03) 5412-6200;
Fax at (03) 5412-6289;
E-mail at tokyo-consul@international.gc.ca;
Mail at Attn. Consular Section, Canadian Embassy, 7-3-38 Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-8503
Canadian Embassy Announcement
LinkMarch 29, 2007
Quake!
March 25, 2007
This morning at 9:42am there was a pretty strong earthquake off the coast of Ishikawa prefecture, north side of central Japan. It measured a 6+ on the Japanese rating system and a 7.1 on the Richter.
Here in Osaka, I had just woken up and was in bed when I felt my building sway a bit, then increase in frequency, and then subside gently. It lasted 10 seconds or so here. My biggest fear here was my new computer getting destroyed by falling things or my bookshelf toppling and crushing my wife (in that particular order).
Ishikawa and Osaka prefecture highlighted. The green X is the epicenter.
I got up and turned on the TV to see where it was. Sure enough, a tsunami warning had already been issued and they expected a 50cm wave at 9:50am. It’s amazing how fast they were able to send out a warning so fast compared to the big wave in Thailand a couple years ago.
I concede
March 20, 2007
I’ve met my match.
Up to this point I thought there was no one I couldn’t train. No one who wouldn’t demonstrate a semblance of teaching after spending a few days with me. I would never officially admit it but the majority of those I get from the beginning do alright for themselves.
Wrong!
I have met one who goes beyond words. I had never been so helpless at work. I literally sat down and just stared into nothingness because I had no game plan. No corrective feedback, no training module to run through to fix something or to improve something. I had never been so stressed at work because I thought it was me! It was my training. I was doing something, or NOT doing something that was causing this.
I sent for reinforcements.
I had a few experienced trainers who spent time with said person going through stuff we did. This is personal time that is generally not given at this point in teaching. Mostly, it’s group work with me and the other trainees. Even after individualized, personal time, it wasn’t enough. At that point I realized it wasn’t me. It was, said person.
I’ve met my share of terrible people at work. Mostly it comes down to attitude, holier-than-thou personas, always blaming something else, or just plain angry people. Unfortunately our test subject did not fit any of these templates. This was something brand new.
The best word that comes to mind is “thick”. What we do is not brain surgery. What we do is a simple skill that can be acquired. What I expect from those I train at this point is the bare minimal. Our test subject was unable to meet most goals at the end of training, something I had not personally seen in my trainees until now.
Our test subject had no attitude problems. However I cannot say our test subject was personable neither. Quite the opposite – a blank sheet of A4 paper comes to mind.
I’m sorry for being so vague on everything. It would just be plain mean to name names and go into details. I’m not stressed anymore because as of 3pm five days ago, my obligations to our test subject were done. It will just remain a blemish on my otherwise unspotted record.
You win.
Haircuts
February 12, 2007
Strangely enough one of my least favorite things to do in Japan is to get a haircut. It is one of my more uncomfortable events that I have to put up with once every one or two months depending on my level of laziness.
The salon I go to is just around the corner from where I live and they have this hip and trendy feel to it. I am the antithesis of hip and cool. More obvious is my non-native use of the language. I’m still having trouble understanding the kinds of questions people ask in hair salons simply because they’re so low frequency. Also, the guy that usually cuts my hair tends to speak rather quietly – just adding to my list of worries.
When he whispers and asks me how I want my hair I usually just tell him “the same as before” but sometimes he doesn’t understand and then proceeds to show me the hairstyle catalogs and questions me on length of each hair that I’d like. Usually I can tell him what I want but end up feeling so embarrassed in the process. I then start sweating like I’m about to get an enema and the vinyl sheets they use to cover people up isn’t exactly the best conductors of embarrassment heat.
Just as my body runs out of water to sweat out, the ordeal ends and the best part comes next. I pay my expensive dues and give my thanks and at that point is the longest possible amount of time before my next visit to the hair salon.
Agh it’s all gone!
February 08, 2007
All my Japanese entries were lost in translation! Or the encoding messed up. Whichever.
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My test results
February 07, 2007
I slightly beat my goal of 80% by a whopping 5.25%! Not only that, surprisingly my worst section was Listening while my best was Reading/Grammar. I was expecting the exact opposite. With level 3 out of the way I now look at level 2 without the same level of confidence. Ten months to go. Will I be ready?
1 Year Anniversary
January 25, 2007
The Lady and I survived our first year as wife and manslave together! It has truly been a fast year and both of us have been rather busy. We didn’t do anything too special because we both had to work but she was able to book us into a fairly nice restaurant near our apartment.
This was in many ways your typical Japanese restaurant, with the staff wearing kimonos, and the customers were mostly old stinky Japanese men drunk out of their minds. (Guys, it’s Monday only! Save some for the rest of the week!) Most of the food was served in very tiny portions and were unidentifiable – as most kaiseki places tend to be.
Towards the end of dinner though we were served a rather interesting dish. It was definitely fishy – I’m sure one part of it was fish liver. It was not the most appealing in taste but I’ve had livers of various animals before so I was able to eat most of it. The other thing though was more of a mystery.
It was rather pale and looked like small intestine so I assumed it was fish intestine. I sampled it, didn’t like it very much and asked The Lady what it was. She had no idea and she didn’t eat it neither. We carefully hid it around other things and let the kimono-clad waitress take it away.
The next day in my Japanese lesson, I asked my teacher about that particular dish. She pulled out her dictionary and showed me: “testis”
I thought, “testis”? I didn’t think fish had balls! So anyway I go home and wiki it and even worse… I ate me some fish jizz. Yup. I took it in the mouth. Does that mean I’m gay now?
japanese-lost-7
December 12, 2006
EDIT(2009-03-22): Sigh, all the Japanese was lost and converted to weird squiggles. I deleted them since they looked like a mess.
japanese-lost-1
December 04, 2006
EDIT(2009-03-22): Sigh, all the Japanese was lost and converted to weird squiggles. I deleted them since they looked like a mess.
JLPT 2006
Yesterday was my first experience at writing the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. I had been preparing for this test pretty much for a few months. It paid off. Although I know of a few questions where I had to guess and a few where I know I put the wrong answer, the test was actually fairly easy.
I went for the easy road and took level 3 – a lower intermediate level. My initial goal of level 2 was stomped when I looked at the test earlier this year and realized I would’ve had my ass kicked, 6 months or no 6 months of study. I’ll be preparing for level 2 next year. Considering the rate of studying I’ve been doing it might be possible. I’ll get the results from yesterday’s test in March. (Yes, 4 month wait).
My test took place in Konan University in Hyogo. Although it’s a smaller campus out in the middle of nowhere, a lot of people did the test there. Most of the examinees were south east asian – I heard a lot of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai being spoken. Most examinees seemed young as well. I’m guessing they’re studying in Japan. I felt old and out of place but then again that goes for many situations.
The actual test writing time is not that much – about 190 minutes in total. What made it a whole day affair were the rules being broadcast before each test section. I’ve never been to a more militant exam before. Your standard, “Don’t look at other peoples’ answers. Don’t take test materials with you.” applied. The test proctors all carried yellow and red cards to give to people if you break rules. Unfortunately I forgot my Manchester United jersey so I couldn’t play up to that. All the rules were broadcast via CD. The actual proctors did not say anything more than, “Pencils down please” and “Do not open your question book”.
And that was my first JLPT experience. I hope in a year’s time I will be just as pleased with my results from the level 2 test.
My day wasn’t over yet. I attended Yamamoto sensei’s 忘年会 (bounenkai) party. I can honestly say it was one of the better parties I’ve been to this year. I met Lothar whom I haven’t seen in probably two years or so, along with other students from Yamamoto sensei’s school. In addition, I met her family, her nieces and nephews (absolutely adorable kids), and the teachers in training who will be helping out. I will confirm that imbibing beer helps people speak foreign languages. I think I had half a dozen beers but I felt absolutely fine. Now that I think about it, the restaurant must have watered stuff down. Regardless, I was able to speak Japanese most of the night with some spazzes of English in between.
Business Trip Excursion Activity
November 28, 2006
Today I tasted full privilege from being in lower middle management, or middle lower management depending on your perspective. I, along with a few others, got to visit a hotel in Osaka and administer level check tests to different hotel staff the entire day. Compared to my usual day at the office, this was like a trip to Disneyland.
I adorned my company pin for the first time ever, put up my best face, and slicked my hair up for this. I was rather surprised that several of the people I met had been in Vancouver. Two of them even studied four years of college. One of them became visibly excited when I told her I was from Vancouver. It was like she had met a celebrity while I just sat there and stared at her rather strong reaction.
This has been one of the most interesting days of work ever. Back there tomorrow too!
Not my fault
November 22, 2006
OK let’s give this whole updating biz another shot. One thing that’s always bugged me about people is that there’s this percentage who can’t own up to their own faults. When approached about any sort of negative feedback they blame external factors. It seems like in their mind they themselves could never be wrong, could never do wrong, and ergo, it’s someone else’s issue.
Jeez it feels like deja vu writing this. I’m sure I’ve written about this before but I’m too lazy to make a quick search through the archives.
The biggest problem with this percentage of people is that it’s not their job or the people around them or their surroundings. It’s them. They generally are their own enemy. Because of this inability to acknowledge self weakness, they isolate themselves from the world. The characters I have in mind now are notorious for being difficult and no one wants to deal with them.
The second biggest problem and this I can only assume is that if I think I’m never wrong, then I assume that I have no need to do anything different and ergo I will never improve. I will continue going along my path because, well, it’s working right? The ones I have in mind will suck, forever, until they realize they need to wake up and smell their ineptitude.
I, not being a hypocrite, will acknowledge that perhaps I am wrong in this view. There’s always the remote possibility that everything I need to pass on to them is not their fault. Even so, if it were me I would at least fathom the notion that I may have done wrong and acknowledge future care to prevent the matter, even if I’m sure nothing was done wrong. But that’s just me being crazy.
Suma with the tsuma
September 11, 2006
It has been a year already and what a fast year it has been. In this one year span, I proposed, planned it, got hitched, moved, got promoted, and did more studying in Japanese than my last two years combined. I am tenacious at remembering milestones and dates in our relationship but the most important one is our ‘we began dating’ anniversary – it’s our Thanksgiving Holiday in our relationship calendar.
This year we had a short getaway in Suma, a very minor place in Hyogo next to a beach. The wife found a cheap ryokan in front of the beach and off we went. Unfortunately on Sunday, it began raining on the way there so we fast forwarded our plans and went to the Suma Aquarium.
In a nutshell, don’t bother going. Visit the more expensive, but infinitely better Osaka Aquarium instead. At 1,300 yen, the main attraction at Suma Aquarium was probably the dolphin show. It’s always nice to see a dolphin show but this one was rather plain. The fish exhibits were plain. It was just something to do.
We stayed at the Sea Pal Suma hotel. This place must have been so five-star at one point. Now, it just reeks of the 70s in a bad, musty way. The carpets, lighting, and ceiling designs were straight out of Scarface. The staff were super friendly though and the dinner was great. It’s your standard Japanese food dinner (small portions of a few different dishes). Our traditional Japanese room was massive with a very nice view of the beach. That night we bought some drinks and snacks and snuggled. What better way to celebrate six years of knowing and loving each other than by “utilizing the rotating heart-shaped bed to fullest extent“?
This morning we woke up and had a crappy breakfast consisting of a confusing mix of traditional Japanese breakfast food and instant continental style breakfast. I wasn’t sure whether to mix the powder scrambled eggs with my steamed rice or my boiled sausages with the tsukemono. The weather finally cooperated and we spent the morning just sitting on sand and relaxing. Even the morning sun was enough to slightly singe my skin but it was worth it.
There must be a way
September 05, 2006
Today I did not go to work. Officially my throat was dry and cracked and not in shape for a day of preaching. Having a mental holiday also helped too. I was considering spending the day sleeping in and playing Neverwinter Nights all day but as tempting as that was, today became a day of getting shit fixed.
I discovered this morning that my external hard drive was not being recognized by my computer. That’s 120g of crap I’ve collected over four years, and not all of it is porn. Amongst the entire library of movies, tv shows, and music, the thing I fear losing the most is my entire collection of pictures. Yup. I put all my eggs in one basket – literally thousands upon thousands of pictures. Right now I’m using some random software to try to restore the drive but I fear bringing the thing into a shop and have the pro tell me it can’t be recovered. I will cry.
Next I finally got around to cashing in a money order from a medical claim several months back (I’m that backlogged in chores). At least I thought I was going to be cashing it in. I bring it to Resona, where the woman has an account that has become the household expense account. My name is not on there but I had the bank book, the bank card, and the PIN. Plus I’m putting money INTO the account. Who cares right? Well, first, the money order was addressed from HSBC New Zealand to HSBC Tokyo. So this branch needed to forward it to their Tokyo branch who would do their magic bank thing and ask HSBC for money. In turn they’ll forward the money back to this branch. Only, to put it into our account, the woman would need to be there. Bah. The guy said I could open an account and they’ll just put the money in there but I don’t need another bank account and I didn’t have my stupid stamp. So I gave up.
Side note: major business transactions are conducted via a dollar stamp with your name on it in Japan. It’s ridiculous as anyone who has this stamp has fiduciary power. Signatures are not always used even though it’s much harder to forge a signature. I completely feel this practice is old fashioned and troublesome as most people do not carry the stamp on a day to day basis.
I ran across the street to UFJ, or rather, MUFG now, where I have an account. Same shit. Only, more shit. We moved a few months ago so I needed to update their stupid database. I needed to fill out this change of address form which, yup, I needed my stupid stamp to validate it. So, I go home (a mere 5 min walk) to retrieve the stupid stamp. Coming back, I fill in more forms. Here’s yet another long bureaucratic process. From this branch, they would forward it to my home branch in Shinsaibashi (the branch where this account was opened), in turn, they’ll forward it to Tokyo. Time I need to wait: about 2 weeks. Eep. That’s $700 just sitting in bank limbo for two weeks.
The whole process took two hours. I hate Japanese banks. I’m thinking of getting a post office account instead – they’ll the biggest financial institution in Japan and offer slightly faster service.
So goes my day of rest and relaxation.
Cynic aside
August 29, 2006
Sometimes I forget how cynical I’ve become over the years and reading some of the posts and pictures I put on my webpage, I can easily see how some people might misinterpret my intentions. In no way am I bashing Japanese culture. Sometimes it’s just funny to see such cultural differences that I feel it is my duty to point them out to the world. Incidentally, no one has accused me of Japan bashing but I just feel it, when I’m reading my own writing.
So cynicism aside I’ve decided to write more about things in Japan which I utterly love and have grown so accustomed to in my four years in Japan. The first thing that comes to mind is the food.
Never have I had such wonderful food so available in my life. If we just look at Japanese food, it will take volumes to describe the numerous dishes, tastes, textures, and aesthetic appeal of the Japanese culinary art. I now expect weekly kaitenzushi trips, monthly okonomiyaki and kushikatsu runs, and now it seems, weekly yakiniku runs too (although this particular cuisine is Korean in nature, it has certainly developed into its own thing in Japan).
One concerned about money has no worries either. I’ve found places to eat ranging from super bargain to ‘better get another mortgage’. Quality, it goes without saying, has a direct relationship with price but I’ve yet visit a cheap place that I stormed out angrily. If visiting restaurants is not your cup of tea, making your favorite cuisines at home is definitely not beyond imagination. So far, I’ve had/made nabe, tempura, tonkatsu, takoyaki, and yakiniku all in the comfort of my apartment. For the cuisines that require special equipment, a visit to your local department store or Doguyasuji is all it takes. (Our butane yakinuku grill cost a measly 4000 yen and it makes superb grilled meats).
A word of caution is needed. The myth that Japanese food is very healthy must be taken with a grain of salt, pun intended. I’ve seen my weight flux all over the place depending on the kind of food and of course, the quantity consumed.
Itadakimasu!
OH NO! Not here!
August 27, 2006
Ono Dental Clinic
Sorry for the tiny picture.
Summer hibernation
August 14, 2006
A certain type of mammal, the North American me goes into hibernation during the summer season in Japan. During the pleasant seasons of Fall, Winter, and Spring, the elusive me builds up energy reserves by eating gargantuous amounts and storing layers upon layers of precious fat. During these three seasons the me is most active, often seen climbing up hills and mountains, rampaging across the different regions of Japan (from Hokkaido to Shikoku). This is when a lot of the mating rituals happen, day or night, rain or sun, wife or alone.
However in the summer the me burrows its way into its den and enters a trance-like state of existence. Summer is a harsh month filled with devilish cicadas, weekly festivals, soaring temperatures, and worst of all humidity that you can swim through. During the summer hibernation, the me literally burns off those fat reserves not because of metabolism, but purely because the weather melts it off. It must replenish water reserves by taking hourly showers and never step away from a water spring.
The North American me is not equipped to deal with the harsh realities of Japanese summers. In its evolutionary stages, it grew accustomed to moderate summers and enjoyed mild breezes while sucking down an icey icey frappumocha doublelatte cream milk coconutty drink of sorts.
Because of the extreme weather patterns found in this region, the me also grows more hostile because it’s threatened by the real possibility of dying in this heat. As such, it grows timid and shy, never leaving its den except to feed and acquire food to bring back to its den. It cannot traverse the wild nor engage in social interactions. It chooses to revel in air conditioning and strip itself of all winter fur and T-shirts and shorts. Only with intense air conditioning can higher level physical activities take place.
Luckily for the me, summers do not last too long. The species hope that by mid-September, the climate will have cooled enough to once again begin its travels and fun-seeking opportunities.
Yodogawa Fireworks
August 07, 2006
This year we had a takoyaki party with a couple of friends and enjoyed really excellent fireworks from the Yodogawa festival. Last year in my old apartment we had a pretty good view from the apartment hall along with the other curious neighbors. This year, in our new apartment, we had a very nice private view from the balcony and living room. We couldn’t ask for a better view. I was just glad that the Hanshin building did not block the way.
I once again reminded myself that taking pictures of fireworks is too damn tough for my camera, especially without a tripod.
Not the best picture. [bigger shot]
So here’s a video instead to show you what you missed by not coming to my party.
You can hear our neighbors and The Lady say “Woo” – [3.9mb download]
What crosswalk?
August 04, 2006
Driving in general in Osaka is a bitch. The city is not very big but it houses 5 million people and at last count 500 billion vehicles. As police have bigger things to deal with, like stopping people from jumping into the Dotombori and evicting homeless people from parks, traffic violations seem to be at the bottom of the list. Here is a fairly typical sight I see in the morning when I go to work. This truck makes regular stops in my neighborhood. And yes, it is parked, with its left wheels on the sidewalk.
Toilet signs
July 31, 2006
You know those “We aim to please so you aim too, please” signs that amusingly decorate restaurants sometimes? I saw my favorite ever toilet sign at Bee Darts in Namba (yet another of my darts hangouts).
It reads,
Please stand closer. Your Tomahawk is not as long as you wish. Manager
I want one in my toilet!
japanese-lost-2
July 26, 2006
EDIT(2009-03-22): Sigh, all the Japanese was lost and converted to weird squiggles. I deleted them since they looked like a mess.
japanese-lost-3
July 25, 2006
EDIT(2009-03-22): Sigh, all the Japanese was lost and converted to weird squiggles. I deleted them since they looked like a mess.
Welcome back cicadas
July 23, 2006
Today I was woken by the sound of cicadas. It has been a year and they’ve returned. Luckily my new apartment is situated farther from the park and any considerable number of trees. For me they are but an annual event that brings about loud screeching and panic attacks walking under and beside trees. It’s been raining much more than last year but I welcome every drop. Better the cooling drench of rain than the shower-inducing humidity. Short update today.
Maam, it’s about your baby…
July 21, 2006
An advertisement for diapers found in front of a nursing room in Haneda airport.
Takoyaki
July 17, 2006
I celebrated my 26th making a kansai classic: takoyaki.
These grilled octopus ball-shaped edible is renown in Osaka. You can’t go 10 minutes in Osaka without running into a takoyaki shop. It’s also a fun party idea as they’re fairly easy to make and are bite-sized morsels perfect for beer guzzling. We bought our own takoyaki gas oven and a few useful utensils (the toothpick like metal bit is needed to flip the damn things). We bought a few ingredients and some octopus. We were on our way to takoyaki mastery.
We made 3 batches of 15. The first batch sad to say was a complete learning experience. The octopus wasn’t fully enclosed and they weren’t even ball shaped. Still with a bit of okonomiyaki sauce and some cold oolong tea to wash it down, the taste was great. The second batch was much better – we tried adding extra batter to make it rounder. The third batch was slightly worse than the second as we tried another technique.
The second batch
I will walk through the covered shopping areas and watch the takoyaki shop owners with much more intensely now. I will steal their secret techniques and make perfectly spherical takoyaki.
Extras:
Wiki entry for takoyaki
Cooking Instructions (Japanese)
Videos on making takoyaki
Internet Cafes
July 16, 2006
It wasn’t until coming to Japan that I made use of Internet cafes. In fact I’m writing this at Apprecio internet cafe right now. We’re going to watch Pirates of the Caribbean 2 tonight and had a few hours to kill. Hence, here we are.
I’m not really sure how internet cafes are anymore around the world but I’ll assume for now they’re really different in Japan. Firstly, you don’t go for just the internet anymore. Most places offer manga and magazines, DVDs, Playstation 2 games, free drinks, a snack menu, and even showers. For many people, staying overnight at an internet cafe is more entertaining AND cost effective than staying at a hotel.
Right now we’re in a couple’s booth labelled, “Celeb Booth”. I’m enjoying some cappucino after watching Seed Of Chucky. A little later I might have some more softserve icecream. All this luxury for something like 600 yen an hour. It’s worth is just to escape the really hot weather right now.
As for accessing the internet, the equipment ain’t too shabby. The computer I’m using is an Asus Celeron 2.4Ghz and a 17 inch flatscreen. This kicks my laptop’s ass. Unfortunately it’s a Japanese OS which means the keyboard is messed up. (The apostrophe is SHIFT-7!?!).
The hardest part about coming to an internet cafe is usually the sign-up process. Much like most businesses in Japan, you need to go through rigorous registration with ID being tossed back and forth, address forms that read like tax forms, and staff who incessantly ask questions about what choices you want to make today. While we were signing up I saw too fellow gaijin who were having trouble understanding what the dude was trying to say.
For the traveller who is in need of a place to stay and is low on funds, I would seriously consider spending the night in one of these places. Sleeping on a leather couch with free drinks seems like a much better alternative than spending two to three hundred bucks in a shitty hotel.
japanese-lost-8
July 12, 2006
EDIT(2009-03-22): Sigh, all the Japanese was lost and converted to weird squiggles. I deleted them since they looked like a mess.
Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea
July 02, 2006
The lady and I, along with another couple, embarked on a three day Disney weekend. The magic I felt as a kid when I went to Anaheim is definitely gone but I still enjoyed the busy sites and amazing planning at Disneyland and the beautifully constructed sets at Disneysea. I favor Disneysea over Land because a lot of care was made in the design of the sets. It really felt like I was walking through a European city or into an Arabian complex at times. Disneyland had parades every 5 minutes and characters and bubble text all over the place. All told, a very tiring but satisfying weekend away from work and the bustle of real life.
Possibly the most exciting ride at Land
Somehow I seemed to remember the rides in Anaheim were exciting and scary. Not anymore. Every ride we went on ended too quickly and offered more yawning opportunities than thrills. Even the coasters were a bit weak. At the coolest-looking ride, Journey To The Center Of The Earth in Disneysea, you can see the car drop from outside. During the ride we went down a quick fall and the lady turned and asked, “Was that the big drop (that was seen from outside)?” I replied, “No, that was just a warm-up drop. The big one is coming soon.” Right after that, the car pulls in and we have to get off. From outside the ride seemed a lot more exciting.
They built a volcano!
The weather was as agreeable as it could be given it was late June. We had a nice cloudy day, a sunny day, and then a cloudy/sunny/rainy day to finish. On Friday, I think the average wait for every ride was about 30mins, on Sunday, that shot up to about 100mins. I can’t believe Japan’s population is going to shrink. The number of kids at Disneyland on Sunday was just mind boggling.
Surprisingly concession prices were not bad. I didn’t feel any more ripped off than I normally do. Be prepared to buy extra drinks – standing in a line for an hour in the humidity really takes it out of you. I would also suggest a smoked turkey leg (400yen) at Disneyland. They were good eating.
Journey To The Center Of The Earth – [download]
japanese-lost-5
June 11, 2006
EDIT(2009-03-22): Sigh, all the Japanese was lost and converted to weird squiggles. I deleted them since they looked like a mess.
japanese-lost-6
June 10, 2006
EDIT(2009-03-22): Sigh, all the Japanese was lost and converted to weird squiggles. I deleted them since they looked like a mess.
japanese-lost-9
June 08, 2006
EDIT(2009-03-22): Sigh, all the Japanese was lost and converted to weird squiggles. I deleted them since they looked like a mess.
Kobe Harbor Dinner Cruise
June 05, 2006
My Japanese teacher, Yamamoto sensei gave the lady and me a pair of tickets for the “Music-Gourmet Ship Concerto“. It came just in the nick of time as I was looking for relaxing things to do with the lady outside of the house, and outside of Osaka. The ship departs from the harbour in Kobe and sails around the harbor. There was live jazz and dinner (your choice of a few meals but you have to pay for them). The sailing itself isn’t the most beautiful as looking out the window you see blemishes such as industrial areas, Kobe’s new airport, and some drydocks. Still being in a boat around dusk is one of the best ways to relax, in any country.
It was a most unexpected gift but thoroughly enjoyed! Thank you sensei!!! It made for a very nice evening in one of my favorite Japanese cities. Kobe has the urban flair of a city but the sanity of being clean, well-spaced, and comfortable. Cruise or not, hanging around the harbor is great.
Osaka slips to third
June 01, 2006
Oh man, there are going to be riots tonight. Followed by procreation to the extreme. Nippon Ganbare!
Population of Kanagawa passes Osaka to become 2nd highest in Japan [Mainichi Daily News]
I am a fireman
May 21, 2006
I am a fireman. For the past two years I have been putting out fires big and small, quickly and efficiently, using minimal resources. I’ve taught other people to become firemen and damn good ones too. I’ve written manuals on being a fireman, given presentations on firefighting, and if I were to toot my own horn further, I would say I drive the damn firetruck pretty well too.
As a good fireman, as long as the supply of water kept coming, I had no fear of ever being a less effective fireman. Sometimes I had surplus water that I could give to less fortunate firemen. Sometimes I would use surplus water to prevent future fires. It was a damn fine time for fire prevention.
Sometime last year the taps were sucked dry. I didn’t have enough amounts of water to fight all the fires I usually do. I had to ask for water supplies and ration everything. Here and there we were able to take small amounts of water too. As such, I spent more of the water on putting out deadly fires, emergency fires, and very little on preventing fires. Times were tough for all of the city’s bravest. Most, including myself, thought it was just a drought; a seasonal dip in water supplies, but after such a long drought I think even the most naive are beginning to doubt the water level and our ability to fight fires.
Well as if things weren’t bad enough, soon, water rations will be even more scarce than before. There will be no point in looking for water because even the ponds and puddles are drying up. Forget about official water rations because they’re giving out those tetra pack juices to fight fires. Now, we have to hold buckets outside and hope and pray for rain which certainly does not come everyday.
Obviously our fire fighting ability will be severely hindered. I’m hoping the fire chief is not expecting the same amount of fire prevention. No one, not even a firefighter as good as me, is able to exponentially increase efficiency with such a reduction in resources. The good old days of fighting blazes is over. At best we can put out birthday candles and sparklers.
If the city bitches that there are too many fires then I think my days of being a firefighter will be over.
Put that book away
May 17, 2006
Over at one of the better blogs on Japan, PureLandMountain, Robert writes about being a foreigner taking trains in Japan. In a nutshell, many Japanese people avoid sitting next to the foreigner unless it’s the last possible seat.
For me I have a completely different experience. Provided that I keep my mouth shut I blend right in with the crowd. No one avoids sitting next to me on trains. It’s not until I start speaking in either English or broken Japanese will people start looking at me funny and wonder why one of their own (visually anyway) is speaking funny.
On my commute to and from work I like sneaking in a bit of reading. I rarely ever read fiction so often my books are not paperback-sized. One note about reading in public: most people have their books wrapped in paper. I’m not really sure if it’s to protect the cover or perhaps to hide any shame of your reading choices. I always rip this paper cover off.
Thus, my reading choice is visible to those sitting next to me. Maybe it’s because I’m perceived to be Japanese and most Japanese people don’t persue literary adventures in English, but I’ve heard some snickering by people about my books. It’s usually from the older folks but things like, “You’re Japanese, you should read Japanese books.” or “You think you’re smart” etc. I don’t really care but I find it odd and disappointing.
The other facet of this is when I’m sitting next to a student, college or highschool, who is reading grammar books or busy finishing their English assignments. When I take out my English book and start reading, I sometimes see them peering at my book. The more timid of them sometimes then put their assignments away and sit quietly. I’ve always thought they did this because they feel embarassed to show that they’re just learning something. Who knows.
This is a toilet
May 09, 2006
Have I ever shown you a Japanese toilet? It’s a hole in the ground!
Yup, it’s a squatting toilet. Sometime during your development as a foreign national surviving in Japan, you’ll need to work on your skills of the balanced crouch push. Some people refuse to use the squatting toilets and hold it until they find a seated one. Sometimes, you don’t have the luxury of holding it in…
So I just want to say that it’s early May and it’s already becoming hot. Yesterday was a barely bearable 28 degrees with a hint of humidity. A sign of things to come I’m afraid.
We’ve been in our new place for about two weeks now, after a heavy weekend of shuttling furniture back and forth from my old place. Luckily it’s only a five minute walk (we really love the neighborhood). Now armed with cable and internet, a much bigger place, and a TV in the bath, I’m ready to take on the married life with a grin on my face and a bead of sweat running down the side of my head.
Oh yes, we have now been legally married for three days. Before that we were only married under the eyes of God. So, congratulations to us again!
Nothing subtle
May 05, 2006
Remember that sign with the little cute guy that told you to “Stay out of here”? I found a new one today at JR Osaka station.
Nothing subtle about this picture.
There was a friendly caution as well.
By the way I wrote a longer update about my new apartment but decided it was too meaningless to post. I’m in my newer, bigger, smarter, faster apartment. It’s delicious and great.
Open-air Museum of Old Japanese Houses
May 01, 2006
In keeping with my wish of trying to go somewhere new at least once every two weekends, the lady and I went to the Open-air Museum of Old Japanese Houses. As boring as that sounds it was something to do. When you spend three years in Osaka, every little thing that even remotely sounds interesting becomes interesting.
Fortunately, it turned out to be quite interesting and it offered a stroll through Ryukuchi-koen, a gem of a park in the middle of Osaka. The park was big enough to hold a lot of people enjoying 花見 parties. The museum is really a park in itself with old farm houses brought over from all over the country. These houses were often over a hundred years old. A lot of the houses were built to house a big family – up to and over 20 people living in the same complex.
Most of the bigger structures had huge thatched roofs. Sometimes the thatching was quite thick and waterproof. It didn’t stop a lot of wasps from making homes inside though.
Details
The museum was a nice quiet get-away from the bustle of downtown Osaka and at 500 yen admission, it beats a McDonalds lunch. Ryokuchi-koen Station on the Midosuji Line – follow the signs inside the park.
Hobbies
April 22, 2006
One of the many hobby stores in Den Den Town. Look closely. Those are row after row of little figurines. I love walking through this area of Nipponbashi and admiring the patience required to pursue past times such as collecting figurines, Gundam models, miniature trains, and other random anime paraphernalia.
Airlame
April 12, 2006
For your convenience, aerosol canned lame.
Bars
February 25, 2006
The naming of bars in Japan can be a whole webpage in itself. Most small shot bars follow a simple pattern:
(random word) Bar (random word)
The few strange ones I can name right off the bat are Bar None, Bar Isn’t It?, and Sense Pleasure Bar (this one’s near my apartment and it’s not at all sexually themed). One bar that’s always made me question what they serve is Bar Blow.
In all actuality, it’s a reggae themed bar with shitty wooden stumps for stools. I went back there recently and they’ve moved shop. They moved right across the street actually and it’s not quite reggae themed anymore – they have a much bigger space and slower service.
Himeji Castle: The White Heron
January 03, 2006
One of the few remaining historical structures that wasn’t firebombed in WW2, Himeji Castle was built in 1346 and was consequently upgraded by the Toyotomi and Tokugawa Shogunate as a defensive fort against local Daimyo uprising. Today it is regarded as Japan’s most spectacular and well-preserved castle. The castle is also known as the White Heron due to the white plaster used on the walls and because it’s supposed to look like a heron in flight. Those guys were smoking something good when they thought of that. It is also another UNESCO world heritage site.
Uji… bless you
December 28, 2005
Uji is a sleepy town in Kyoto that is rather boring. The main attraction for us 1-day excursion warriors is Byodoin (Phoenix Hall), a UNESCO World Heritage site, built by the once powerful Fujiwara clan in the early 11th century. Byodoin was a Fujiwara residential hall was converted into a place of worship after Fujiwara no Minamoto passed away.
Today the Phoenix Hall sits in a small quiet park as an example of architecture withstanding the sands of time. For a structure that is supposedly over a 1000 years old, it looks remarkably well preserved. Admission into the park is 600yen and includes admission into the museum which holds examples of the 52 bodhisatvas worshipping the Amida buddha. To get into the Phoenix Hall itself will cost an additional 300 yen and you must join guided tours. Tours start every 15 minutes.
Byodoin
This was a nice place to visit but aside from Byodoin and a couple of other shrines (Ujigami Shrine is another UNESCO site but was not at all spectacular to behold), Uji is a rather boring city. If you can’t see yourself making the 40 minute trek from Osaka to Uji, just flip over a 10yen coin and you’ll see Byodoin. As suggested by Mike, you can definitely fit in Fushimi Inari Taisha and make it a more interesting trip.
Ujigami Shrine
Directions
From Kyobashi station, take the K-Limited Express Train on the Keihan line to Chushojima station (390 yen / 27 mins). From Chushojima, take the Keihan-Uji line to Uji station (14 mins). You can also reach Uji using the JR Nara line as well.
一ヶ月一万円生活
November 20, 2005
Another cool show that’s on TV often is the 一ヶ月一万円生活. It means living a month under 10,000 yen. This show pits two almost popular ‘celebrities’ against each other in a mega frugal competition.
They’re put into apartments beside each other and are given 10,000 yen in cash and nothing else. That’s roughly about $100. They must try to survive with this amount by cooking ultra cheap meals and thinking of ways to economize. They have to pay for electricity and gas as well!
This show gets a bit repetitive but it shows a lot of good ideas to save money if you’re an ultra cheapo. There’s some easy stuff like taking the lightbulb out of the fridge or cleaning the heating elements on the stove to make it more efficient. Some of the better cheapos find strange ways to save on utilities. One fellow took a ‘bath’ in the sink… for some reason.
The best part of the show is when people are cooking dinner. They can prepare a decent looking meal for under 100 yen. It’s amazing what some people can do when starting with ingredients like bread crust, some vegetables, and an egg, and a few slices of meat. I haven’t recreated any of their meals because I’m not a cheapass but it shows me that it’s highly possible to survive even in an expensive country like Japan on a super tight budget. Here are some of the recipes from the shows (in Japanese).
The show was last on on Thursdays at 7pm on channel 6 but I think it has moved to Sunday afternoons now.
Crossing Streets In Osaka
November 11, 2005
When crossing busy streets in Osaka (and possibly in other cities around Japan) you are sometimes greeted by a musical tune that’s supposed to help the blind guide their way. This tune is way more interesting than the chirpy noises found in other places. I noticed some people were searching for it on Google and stumbled onto my page so… here it is:
I hope helping strangers like this counts as public service.
—
I guess I should’ve had the smarts to know that the player won’t work in non-IE browsers. Here’s the WAV file for download.
Children at work
November 06, 2005
Take a look at my picture. Do I look like your fucking mother?
When I go in to work in the morning I find empty bottles, half-drunk coffees, newspapers, magazines, scrap paper, and all variety of junk in the booths. This pisses me off to no end. I find myself thowing more of other people’s junk away in a day than I throw away from my apartment in a week.
What kind of asshole leaves their garbage in a booth? What kind of asshole can’t be bothered to bring their garbage they brought in to the garbage can that’s no more than a 10 second walk away? I know the answer: these assholes are children.
Children don’t clean their rooms. Children need their screaming mothers to harass and threaten them to do their chores and put away their toys. Children don’t have the discipline, nay the common sense and courtesy to put their shit in a fucking garbage can. Therefore the assholes who do this at work are children.
I’m not the only one to be pissed off by this. A fellow in my group came to me and said, “You know I think trainers should try to enforce the rules more and get people who leave garbage in the booths”. I completely disagree with him. I am not their fucking mother. It’s not my job to make children do their chores. It’s my job to ensure development and training and evaluations and enforcement of policy. There is no policy that says, “Don’t be a fucking child”. If I have to make sure these children throw away garbage, then I should be able to discipline them like mothers. I should be able to ground them or take away their TV privileges or abuse them with chinese feather dusters (ahhh… memories). “Don’t be a fucking child” is an implicit policy that should be written into the constitution or the ten commandments or be permanently etched on these idiots’ foreheads.
Here’s what I’m going to do. I am going to find out who these assholes are. I am going to collect a bundle of garbage and I’m going to stuff it into their lockers. If their lockers are already filled with garbage which I suspect is the case, I will find a time and stuff the garbage into their backpacks and then take a piss in it.
You can litter in your apartment all you want. When you enter a place you share with countless others, don’t be a child; put garbage in its place… asshole.
Hankyu Concourse
November 02, 2005
The story’s been posted before and written better than how I would’ve. So posted with permission from blogger Robert Brady:
FAMED OSAKA CONCOURSE TO BE DESTROYED BY HANKYU
We all know how insensitive big business can be, especially when it comes to beauty in public. That seems to be particularly true in Japan, where the taste of bureaucrats and executives who can’t even choose their own neckties determines how whole cities look. Take for example what they’re doing to once elegant Kyoto, whose new train station has acquired the nickname “Stalin’s Headquarters.”? Beautiful.
Speaking of beauty, Osaka had a lot less going for it in the looks department than Kyoto, having been almost completely destroyed in the war, and postwar cram-rebuilt by businessmen and bureaucrats into the ugly duckling of Japan’s large cities, so you’d think they’d be sensitive about that at every turn, and do something in keeping with all their PR-brochure-chatter about “advancing into the future” and “making the city more attractive to tourists and residents.”
Now word comes that one of the few last bits of architectural splendor to survive the war, the Hankyu Concourse, a long high-ceilinged (in Japan!) arcade built in 1929, with chandeliers, mosaics, stained glass windows (all rarities in Japan, especially from nearly a century ago), the only oasis of genuine ambient beauty amid all the warrens of Osaka’s Umeda station (the hub station of the city), is to be destroyed by Hankyu Department Store and Densha businessmen, and replaced with an inexpensive imitation of what profiteers think is beauty, perhaps a la Disney, maybe a double-layered mall of minishops selling Hello Kitty and lesser items behind plasterboard facades with a little recycling fountain that plays relentless songs about the magic of new possessions…
As to the public who in that high, cool, elegant concourse can yet find some aesthetic relief from the general tawdry scrunch, who cares what you want?
(Website dedicated to saving the Hankyu Umeda concourse)(Japanese)
http://blog.livedoor.jp/hankyu13/
More photos, info & news (in Japanese)
http://www2.ocn.ne.jp/~norimi/hankyu1.html
http://www.alpha-net.ne.jp/users2/curoka/hqumed.htm
http://www.asahi.com/kansai/news/OSK200508100055.html
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/nak_suzume/11243936.html
With thanks to Ron Andrews
Before they tear down this very interesting place which gives Osaka a bit of architectural deviance and spirit… with stained glass, I took a picture for my own keepsake. The Japanese people I’ve asked seem rather indifferent to all this. They look at me as if there was nothing ordinary about tearing down something that both has architectural appeal and pre-war historical significance.
Maybe Robert’s vision of shops selling Hello Kitty stuff won’t be too bad. It’s either this or more pachinko parlours. We don’t need any more stinking pachinko parlours.
PS. I don’t know Robert other than from a quick email but his blog is way more insightful and covers more important stuff about Japan than the drivel I write about.
Minoh
October 30, 2005
Minoh Park proved to be a nice afternoon getaway from the city. Located about 30 minutes away from Umeda, the park has a nice waterfall and a few other points of interest. Admission is completely free.
Take a hint
October 27, 2005
There’s a lot of construction going on at the JR Osaka station. There are a lot of posters with cute characters like this fellow put up on the dry walls.
But on closer inspection, this cute character tells you this in English:
Might as well tell you to fuck off.
A Sign At Work
October 21, 2005
Mike’s evil finger warning me. Too bad. The furniture and the tatami mats are really delicious.
Overheard…
October 16, 2005
[Nick] We were The Lawson Ninjas, but then realized that Family Mart’s selection of Man is far superior.
[Jerry] hhaah
[Nick] But you know that.
[Jerry] hey, i don’t judge
[Jerry] you can have man all you want
[Nick] Oh, I do.
[Jerry] pizza man, or pork man, or chinese man
[Nick] I have my fill of man.
[Nick] I often put man in my mouth as my first order of the day.
[Jerry] nice
[Nick] And sometimes, late at night, I crave a man, so I go out and get me one.
[Jerry] a big nice bite of man
[Nick] It starts the day off right.
[Jerry] i don’t like it when the man is cold
[Nick] Of course not.
[Nick] Everyone wants that hot meaty man.
[Jerry] yeah
[Nick] And the bigger the man, the better.
[Jerry] hahaha
[Jerry] yes
[Jerry] i find a firm, but soft man is best
[Nick] Sometimes, if a man just isn’t big enough, I’ll have two or three in the same sitting.
[Jerry] i don’t like a soggy man
[Nick] I don’t mind a soggy man as long as the man sauce is delicious.
[Jerry] sometimes a man has a pointy nip at the top
[Jerry] sometimes they don’t
[Jerry] every man is unique
[Nick] That’s true. Every man is indeed different.
[Jerry] it’s cheaper to get 6 of them at once
[Jerry] that’s one man after another
[Nick] I like to think, however, that I am extremely experienced. I have enjoy a lot of different kinds of man.
A link to man ?? or more properly, buta-man ??? or niku-man ???.
The Crazies
October 12, 2005
Population: Osaka City – 2.7 million.
Population of crazies: 2.6 million.
In my 3 years in Osaka, I’ve seen my fair share of crazies. In my normal day-to-day routine I’ve run into a few regulars (and I use the term loosely) and a few I wish I had never seen. Maybe it’s because the crazies stick out of the general homogeneous population so much but I find very little trouble in remembering them. Here are a few of the more memorable crazies I run into:
1. There was the slashy gesture guy I wrote about a few days ago. I hope he hasn’t been beaten up yet.
2. On a subway ride, Daniel and I ran into the strangest fellow. He was sitting on the subway bench all by himself. In Japan, even at non-peak times, subways are generally busy. To see a whole bench occupied by one person while so many people were standing was odd. On closer inspection, we noticed he had two plastic bags. He was systematically taking out a small, torn piece of paper from one bag, thoroughly licking it, and then putting it in the other bag. Looking into the bag i could see a big pile of small pieces of paper. His tongue must have been drier than sandpaper and just as course. I understood why no one else was sitting on the bench.
3. On the subway I take to work, there’s a fellow who looks normal in all respects. The first time I met him, he sat down next to me and asked me for the time. I replied. He thanked me and then got up, walked to another person, and asked for the time. Watching him, he asked about 4-5 people per train carriage and moves onto the next carriage. He has a time obsession. I’ve seem him on three or four occasions and it never ceases to entertain to watch people’s expressions as they give him the time. Once I said I don’t have a watch and he was smart enough to ask if I had a cell phone to check. I again told him no and he seemed a bit distraught but he got up and moved on. A mere dent in his methodology.
4. At the OCAT building near work are many floor to ceiling windows. There is a homeless man who appears during non-winter seasons and often sleeps near the pillars by day, doing his homeless activities by night. On many occasions, I see him facing a window to see his own reflection and arguing with himself. He was not merely mumbling to himself, he was having a full blown argument, with strong body gestures, and a serious look in his eyes. I hope he got his point across.
5. There was the homeless guy from a long time ago but I don’t really think he was crazy. Maybe he just lacked adequate social interaction and therefore was unable to interact in a normal way.
Sod off
October 06, 2005
While us North Americans don’t use the word sod often, I do hear it at work amongst the Brits once in awhile. Here’s your chance to get some Sod Water to damn yourself. By the way, it does not say “soda” water – there is no ‘A’ at the end.
Asking for permission
October 02, 2005
One of the cultural differences between Japan and western countries when it comes to marriages is that the guy needs to ask the girl’s parents for permission before he can propose to the girl. So, when in Rome…
We invited the lady’s mother for dinner on a Monday in August to set up this occasion. It was for her birthday and since it was a month before the proposal date, it was the perfect time to ask her. We met at Kushi-ya, an all-you-can-eat place where you make your own kushi-katsu skewers (deep fried breaded everything), for dinner. I prodded my girlfriend and asked, “Can I do it now? I wanna ask now instead of worrying all through dinner.” She said ok so in my broken Japanese i made a little speech (completely unrehearsed).
Basically I don’t need to write what was said but it ended with, “Eri to kekkon sasete kudasai”, or, “Please allow (me) to marry your daughter”. Now during this whole time when I’m pouring my heart out in Japanese, her mother had this big grin on her face. I was thinking maybe she knew was what was going on. She said yes and we all had a moment of “Yay”.
I asked my girlfriend if she had told her mother about this beforehand but she said nope. When we asked her mother she said she had no idea it was coming. Keep in mind though, her mother had already been planning which hotel she was going to stay in when my girlfriend talked to her about having the wedding in Hawaii. I guess I knew what her answer would’ve been but it’s still always a bit gut wrenching.
A couple weeks later we visited the father’s grave and in a silent prayer I said the same thing and made some promises to him and to myself too.
There you go.
Old man
September 28, 2005
While returning home from the Thai Food Festival at Tennoji park we stumbled onto an example of a human being who can only be described as garbage. This pathetic man not only was taking up at least 4 seats by lying down on it, he was smoking in the train. Smoking on a train platform is bad enough but this parasite on society had the gall to even smoke in the train. Smoking is prohibited in all train stations but often there are still assholes who disregard this.
Sadly no one mentioned anything to him. Unfortunately for everyone else people in this culture rarely speak up against public nuisances such as this man. I would’ve done something but he got off at the next station. I have to admit I’ve been more hesitant in speaking up against these leeches. As he was leaving I could tell by the look on his face that he was drunk. Who is visibly drunk at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon? As angry as I am with this loser I’m sure he will get his just deserves. What goes around comes around.
The incredibly selfish man
Aichi 2005: Expo
September 25, 2005
The theme of this year’s expo was the environment and was located in Nagoya, Japan’s third largest city. Our trip started with a night in Nagoya as we enjoyed some local Nagoya delights.
The start
Early in the morning, we got there about two hours before the gate opened and there were about two hundred people already lining up at the North Gate. The reason people wanted (and needed) to push every minute was because they used a really stupid system to get into the more popular exhibits. You line up for a ticket that gives you the right to line up for the exhibit at a certain time. Those pre-tickets were given at certain times and always ran out really early. This only encouraged people to run and trample over everyone. There were online bookings but these closed way in advance.
Once the gates opened people slowly filtered through the gates. Each person had their bags searched but I’m pretty sure I could’ve snuck in a barrel of plutonium as the gate attendant didn’t quite seem awake. We were stuck for a few minutes because this 80+ year old man decided it was a good idea to bring a suitcase. From here we had a full day of exploration ahead and here are some of the highlights of our day.
The expo mascots
You’re a dick, Ishihara
July 13, 2005
Tokyo’s governor, who also happens to be the biggest bigot ever, has come out with another lovely remark:
Tokyo governor sued for saying French ‘fails as international language’
Twenty-one people including the head of a French Language school in Tokyo have filed a damages lawsuit against Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara over his comment that “French fails as an international language.”
The group of plaintiffs, which also includes French language researchers, is demanding that Ishihara publish newspaper advertisements apologizing for the remark and pay compensation of 10 million yen.
Ishihara made the controversial remark while speaking at a meeting in support of the establishment of the Tokyo Metropolitan University in October last year.
“I have a feeling it is aptly said that French fails as an international language because it is a language that can’t count numbers,” he said.
The governor apparently made the comment on the basis that French counts “80″ as “four twenties.” The lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday, objects to his remark.
“French can count numbers and it is used as an official language in international organizations and many countries,” the lawsuit says. “(The governor’s) false comments stain the reputation of people who are researching French and speaking it as their native language, and they obstruct the business of language schools by diminishing the desire of learners of the language.
A secretarial representative for Ishihara declined to comment, saying the legal complaint had not yet arrived. (Mainichi)
From Mainichi Daily News.
Incidentally in Japanese, 80 is, “8 tens”. That guy is just a dick.
Canadian pavilion webcam
June 26, 2005
It’s us on webcam from the Canadian pavilion at the Expo. Look for us on the 5-6pm link, second picture. A full write up of the Expo to come.
EDIT – 2005/09/21
Because they’re going to the photos off when the expo ends, here’s a copy I saved.
Shedding Clothes: Road To Change
June 20, 2005
June 20th. With the end of June comes a few new habits. I no longer go to work with a coat and on the way home, I undo the top button and tie my tie a little looser than normal. Unfortunately I work for a company and live in a country which upholds fairly conservative dress codes. While I heave and nearly undress in the elevator ride back to my apartment (sorry for that mental image), I’m reminded of the Cool Biz campaign.
This campaign is a move by the government, namely Prime Minister Koizumi and members of the cabinet, to have government officials shed ties and jackets during the summer in an effort to reduce the use of air conditioning. It’s a small move towards compliance with the Kyoto Protocol I guess. Read more about this campaign at the Japan Times Online site. So far only one official has broken rank on this campaign.
The way I see it, it’s more of a small step towards losing the conservatism that has gripped this country since post-WW2. Department stores are offering summer gear for the salary man with short sleeve shirts, ties with this rubber cord holding it together, and a more stylish selection of clothes for office use. I’m hoping this will be a catalyst for change – change that should be embraced – by this growing population that reminds me of oh so many 50’s movies.
First, lose the ties and jackets, then instead of fearing the growing number of non-Japanese people in Japan, adapt and work together with them. Instead of holding on to so many customs and traditions to choke the frail minds of those learning the culture, simplify. One day, one day, our young Japanese work force will know the meaning of Casual Fridays. Until that day, take it off, salary men!
Published
June 03, 2005
About 2 months ago, a writer from the Kansai Scene magazine mailed me and asked why I blogged. Lo and behold, in the June edition, I have a small blurb and a picture of my webpage on page 7! You can see my lovely about picture quite clearly. This magazine is a free pickup around town. I found out my response was actually used when a couple people mentioned they saw me in the magazine. My lifelong dream of being published has finally come true.
Here’s a scan. My pic was in the gutter of the spread so there’s a big line running through. My written response is on the top right. A clearer picture is here.
The entire response that was printed was,
(Why do you blog?)
“Officially, it’s a way for my friends and family to keep up with what I’m doing in Japan. I can post anecdotes and adventures about Japan and then have responses and queries through comments. I like putting up pictures taken from my keitai to show how fascinating and weird Japan can be.”
I’m adding a couple seconds to my fifteen minutes of fame!
Respect & The Unbelievable Body Display
May 23, 2005
Yesterday we went to a more peculiar attraction than usual. At the Kyoto Cultural Museum was a great exhibition of 人体�?���?��?è°å±• or loosely translated, “The Unbelievable Human Body Display”. It’s basically a small exhibition of preserved human bodies arranged in a way to show different organ systems.
Something like a more morbid wax museum, people could see the nerve systems, muscle groups, cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive systems up close in gory detail like never before. This exhibition has been touring Japan and we luckily caught the very last day of it. I found it interesting and fascinating. Because I used to read books on the human body as a kid (I was a weird kid) and because I watched The Learning Channel enough, I had a good clue on what was going on and why certain things looked in certain ways.
Maybe it was the last day of the exhibition or maybe the weird factor was high but the place was packed! We had to line up around the block in the rain to get in but it wasn’t too long a wait. What was annoying was actually in the museum, people were crowding around displays and pushing and shoving. I without fail become angry in these situations so I tried to see things from afar. My temper held.
What made me angry were the comments from some people. They were saying things like, “Ewww” “It stinks” “That’s ugly” etc. out loud. While I do agree that preserved corpses aren’t the most beautiful of items to see, I felt they should’ve respected the dead better. They donated their bodies for scientific pursuit and gave these onlookers a chance to see something they’ll almost never see. For this, they should not get disrespectful comments.
That’s my two cents.
If you’re in Kanazawa or Niigata, this display is coming! I’d try to catch it… and if it’s anything like Kyoto, go on a weekday morning to avoid the crowd. Go check out some of the stuff on display at the picture page.
Fushimi Inari Taisha
May 10, 2005
It’s been awhile since my last day trip alone and seeing how on my lovely 4 day weekend I had no plans, well, yeah.
Yesterday I went to Fushimi Inari taisha in Kyoto for a nice stroll through countless torii gates and the chances to see countless statues of foxes. Inari is the god of harvests (or something like that) and is worshipped in hopes of bringing bountiful rice harvests and what not. Foxes, as crafty and cunning as they are believed to be, are the messengers of Inari and are thus honored with the statues. I always thought the torii gates symbolized the entrance into a sacred ground (ie. a temple) but I’m not too sure what a walkway with so many torii is supposed to mean.
Play the game
April 28, 2005
I give people the benefit of the doubt. I think people will do good if left to their own devices. Sadly, I’m always let down by some.
Unfortunately for all, my company has set arbritary rules that punish the group for the misbehaviour of the few. I’m certain this is not isolated – I’m sure companies do it all the time. As part of my duties, I am to reinforce and uphold these rules. I personally think most of them are ridiculous but it is my job and I will do it.
It’s very easy dealing with me. All I need from you is to hear the words: “You’re right Jerry, I won’t do it again. I’m sorry.” I’ll even take, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know about this rule but it won’t happen again.” Say the words. Let me hear them from your lips. Maybe there was a good reason for the situation – explain it to me: “Sorry Jerry but this happened because (reason).” Whatever it is, I don’t care if you’re bullshitting me or if you’re sincere. Say the words and I’ll be out of your hair. Just don’t do it again. When I’ve walked away, feel free to laugh and joke about what a crock of shit you just said. Doesn’t matter, it’s all about the delivery of those words.
It helps to be respectful. I show everyone a certain level of common courtesy – all I ask for is for you to show me the same level of courtesy. Again, I will give people the benefit of the doubt but when people respond to my courtesy with rudeness, sarcastic remarks, or just stupid responses, it ups the level on my part.
It’s a game. It’s just a fucking game. Like every game, there are rules. Play the fucking game, follow the fucking rules. Simple as that. It’s not worth standing up to make a minor point. It’s not gonna pay off to make smart-alecky remarks when I’m still within earshot. No matter how stupid a rule is, it’s still part of your fucking job – you agreed to abide by company rules.
Some others will be vindicative and find twisted ways to extract “revenge”. I won’t. I don’t have the time for it because I’m swamped with work. You’re not worth my effort. I will however remember you on my ‘list’. When I choose between two people for something good – one of whom I don’t know and one of whom is on ‘the list’, I will choose the one not on ‘the list’. When I need to give something bad to the same people… who do you think I will give it to? I’m not being vindicative – I’m being normal. I will treat those whom I like better than those I don’t. Being a sarcastic prat isn’t going make me like you better.
Sigh. Sometimes I think it’d just be easier if I were to treat everyone like shit. Fucking principles get in the way.
Starstruck
April 26, 2005
Today I had the pleasure of teaching a rather famous person in Japan. I don’t speak Japanese so well but having the toob on most of the time to break the silence really gets me into the entertainment world. I know this famous person is on TV pretty much everyday in a commercial or variety show. It will be my claim to fame (after being the voice in some of the lessons). In all honesty, I was rather starstruck for this lesson. I haven’t been nervous like this in a long time. For someone so well respected in the entertainment industry, she was really down to earth and a lot of fun to speak with. She did great!
For my nihongo-capable friends, here’s her official site – you may recognize her.
Train accident
April 25, 2005
There was a pretty bad train accident this morning in Amagasaki, Hyogo prefecture, not too far away from Osaka. As of right now, there are 49 deaths, 350+ injured, and 10 still stuck in carriages. Apparently the express train ran a curve too quickly, derailed, and slammed into an apartment building.
Mainichi News has a clip and a pretty scary picture. Note one of the trains wrapped like paper around the apartment. On tv right now, the apartment building looks intact except for some balconies which look pretty damaged.
No word as to the exact cause of the accident.
Anyway, just in case the non-Japan people who might hear about this accident in “Osaka”, I’m OK. I was nowhere near the accident this morning.
Teaching in Japan
March 09, 2005
I’ve been getting some more emails from readers off the internet asking about Japan, teaching in Japan, or traveling in Japan. I’d be more than happy to answer questions if you’ll kindly ask specific questions. Please, no more “I’m going to Japan. Any advice?” messages. Here are some things on my website that may answer some questions too:
- My email exchange with another person who was coming to teach in Japan.
- My writings in the Japan category – it’s a big mix of stuff. Sorry, at this time there are no subcategories yet.
Alright. Nihon de mimashou!
More Engrish
February 17, 2005
Near Dan’s house:
Yeah.
Zenigata
February 13, 2005
éŠé‡‘ Zenigata Kintarou is probably my all-time favourite show in Japan. It’s the quirkiest and funniest thing I’ve seen plus it demeans its guests.
The premise: three “supporter” guys each go film and interview a poor person. These poor people voluntarily submit their apartment, fridge, and pretty much anything the supporter finds out about them to jokes and prodding. It’s amazing how stupidity and poverty go hand in hand sometimes. Each time I watch this show, I laugh at how some people subject themselves to suffering just because they’re too lazy or too stupid to think otherwise. The supporters generally try to make fun of them as well which adds to the hilarity.
At the end of the show, three judges choose a winner to receive a 200,000 yen “prize”.
There are several kinds of poor people that keep recurring:
- the dumbass who works at a convenience store barely making a living and dreams of becoming a famous actor
- the quirky dumbass who has an idea and has already put it into action but just don’t seem to see the stupidity of their idea and why it’s not working
- the funny foreigner who’s studying in Japan and is living on a tight budget
- the unfortunate person who has fallen under certain circumstances and is really working and trying hard to make ends meet
While the last variant is least funny, they always win the well-deserved cash prize.
8pm Wednesdays, channel 6.
Only in Japan
January 30, 2005
Only in Japan is it faster to take the stairs rather than escalators or elevators.
People rush to the escalators but once they’re on, they stop and let it take them all the way to the top. When a couple steps onto an escalator, they block up the whole thing and don’t let anyone else get past them. Elevators are too slow. While waiting for an elevator to come down, you could’ve walked up several floors already.
I’ll have to confess that being here so long, I’ve been doing this once in awhile too. Shit.
Happiness of delivery
January 26, 2005
The woman and I have been getting delivery more often lately. We’re sick of Domino’s pizza so lately we’ve been trying other cuisines. Our latest gourmet meal on wheels is a place called Fanders. The food was alright but a little pricey. Two katsu bentos cost 2300 yen damnit. It wasn’t bad but the restaurant in the covered shopping area downstairs sells the same shit for a lot less.
Here’s a scan of the box. Can someone translate this into English for me?
Bruce? Is that you?
January 20, 2005
I mentioned it briefly in a comment here. Our Christmas Day run to Kobe was met with a billion people all pushing and shoving to see the Luminarie. One of these years we’ll go at a quiet time and be able to actually enjoy it instead of ending up crammed into some old man’s back.
Our detour through Chinatown found us some expensive, but well-cooked food and some shopping at one of those shitty Chinese souvenir stores. Outside said store was the worst Bruce Lee statue I’ve ever seen. Care and effort was put into making it I’m sure but the artist really got his face all wrong. It was just awful. Here’s the full shot.
Awaji-shima & Tokushima: Bridges
January 17, 2005
On the last two days of the year, the woman and I went on a little road trip. It was our first getaway in a few months and the first time we took the car out for more than a run to a restaurant or her house. Due to time limitations and end of year closures, my earlier idea to drive to Hiroshima was scrapped and we had to settle on a much closer, Awaji island.
New Year Tradition
January 06, 2005
Note: hover over the bolded kanji characters for English pronunciations
In Japan, ã?Šæ£æœˆ, the new year celebration is probably the most important time of the year. It dawned on me this year that I’ve spent 4 new year’s days in Japan already and have had a part in the food, holiday, and general light mood in everyone. In addition to this, I’ve went to the same temple with the woman’s family in true åˆ?è©£ fashion. åˆ?è©£ is the first visit to a temple in the new year to wish for luck for the rest of the year. The temple we’ve been to lies on the border of Osaka and Hyogo and it’s called, 妙見山. It’s about I would say a 1.5 hour drive from Osaka and it rests on top of a mountain. It has an excellent view but it’s usually too cloudy to see anything.
Japan Email
January 03, 2005
It’s been awhile since I’ve put anything new up in the other “gallery“. I’ve just lost artistic creativity or some other excuse. Anyway, I finally got off my ass and put something up that’s been sitting around for a long time. It’s a long read about Japan.
Happy New Year everyone!
KFC again
December 27, 2004
I took this picture on the 24th on the way home from work. It was about 3:30 in the afternoon and the KFC near my place was packed. They had staff outside the store (in the cold) greeting people and instructing them what to do to pick up their reserved orders. On a normal day at the same time, there’s usually no people. I know this because once in awhile I buy something at this time to bring home. It was amazing to behold that a fast food joint could become so ingrained with a holiday! I’m so glad I have a camera on my phone to capture such moments but wish the camera was of better quality. Quite an interesting phenomenon.
Piccolo Curry House
December 21, 2004
In Namba Walk, one of the longer underground shopping areas in Osaka, there’s a curry restaurant that’s quite peculiar. For one thing, there are weird stained glass windows. The most striking thing is how narrow the damn place is. Once you squeeze through the two “entrances” and sit on a stool, you’ll be backed up against the wall. The counter is about 40-50 cm in width. Behind the counter is the girl who’ll take your order and serve you. The other side of the restaurant is probably about a meter away. You can literally reach and touch the other side of the restaurant.
This place, Piccolo Curry, offers fairly cheap meals. I had a karaage chicken with curry and rice for 580 yen while a katsu curry will fetch 680. They serve hot food quite quickly at reasonable prices. Don’t expect good curry – they serve Japanese curry which is devoid of anything remotely spicy.
If you’re not too tubby, you’ll have no trouble fitting inside. This is another quirky Japanesey establishment.
Note the shopper behind me, in the shopping area. That windowy looking thing IS the front of the restaurant. Picture taken by Mikey.
Dotombori Bridge
December 19, 2004
The Dotombori bridge in Shinsaibashi has always been a familiar site for locals and travellers in Osaka. It’s a weird place with many restaurants and shopping areas, many shoppers, many beautiful gals, and shady people coveting them. The area has been under renovation for the past few months. Today while crossing the temporary bridge, we noticed a new walkway open up alongside the river. The previous times I’ve walked by, the walkway had been obscured by barricades and blocks. Today, it was quite impressive how some thought and construction could turn the place into a decent looking area. I’m stoped.
This may become a nice place to come to after dinner to just relax. However the river is notorious for being disgusting. I hope they’ll put in as much effort with the river clean up as the construction.
While walking down there, you can’t help but notice just how many restaurants line the sides. Unfortunately these buildings were quite ugly. To match this new area, they’ll definitely need a bit of a facelift too.
You can’t buy that!
December 18, 2004
Going for a quick shopping stop with a friend, we stumbled onto a store where everything was labelled ’sold’. It was quite confusing. Dan bought some stuff here while I just scratched my head at the unselection of goods for sale and how weird everything was here. That’s Dan’s arm there handling the goods.
Weirded out.
A Japanesey Tale
December 15, 2004
I’m trying to integrate categories into my updates with Japan being one. This story fits perfectly. There’s a fellow at work, Marc, who lost his wallet a few days ago. Just when he was about to go and cancel everything, someone called him into the office. Apparently, some Japanese guy found his wallet and turned it into the police station. The police station informed the employer (I’m guessing because some work information was in his wallet?). In this country, your employer is very much responsible for you even outside the office. The police like contacting your company to get to you. Anyway, the deal now is that Marc has to arrange for a time to meet this Japanese dude. Traditionally, because he did you a favour by turning in your wallet, you’re supposed to buy a gift for him and thank him. He will then give you a receipt which you then take to the police station to claim your wallet.
Because Marc’s Japanese ability is limited, he’s going to have to ask someone to help him call this dude in Japanese. By doing this favour, Marc’s gonna have to buy another present. When he told me about his predicament, I was about to burst out laughing. It’s so typical of this country to make something as simple as claiming your lost wallet as confusing and difficult as this. Here’s to you, Marc!
Arashiyama
November 13, 2004
I triumphed! I survived a whole excursion by myself – train ride and all. Here it goes. Again, I’m going to be quite descriptive for other travelers or myself (in case I want to go back). Here goes:
Start
So I started fairly early this morning to beat the crowds. After a nice train ride, I was at Arashiyama with a cool crisp morning at my beckoning. I really hadn’t planned what to do here. There are so many temples and interesting looking things in the area.
The first landmark you’ll see is the Togetsu-kyo bridge. Supposedly this is a nice looking bridge but I found it to be ugly. The Hozu-gawa river on one side is beautiful while the other is blocked and fairly dry – lots of ugly weeds and crap growing there. Before the bridge, there was an interesting looking thing: the Iwatayama Monkey park. I was going to come back here on my way back but I was too tired. I’ll save that for next time.
Heading straight after the bridge, I saw a street filled on both sides with restaurants and stores selling souvenirs and sweets. I think the specialty in the area is matcha – green tea. Green tea tastes like green tea to me but some of the sweets looked really tempting. It was fine in the morning but be careful at around noon till 4pm – it gets really crowded. I’d probably go through the small streets the next time around.
There are literally more than a dozen temples around the area. I’d pick up a map of the area before starting. I grabbed a drawn map from the Hankyu station and it suited me fine but it’s not the best.
I basically did the Tokai Shizen walk (Eastern Ocean Natural walk). It’s the same walking tour described in the Lonely Planet. Before that though, I made a trip straight north and a detour to the east. Here’s what I saw:
Tenryuu-ji
I didn’t pay to get in here but it’s listed as a UN heritage site. 500 yen admission by the way. Tenryuu-ji (Sky Dragon or Heavenly Dragon temple) is apparently some important zen temple or some spiritual stuff.
Seiryou-ji
The big giant gate drew me in. At 400 yen, the main temple building is boring – old paintings, a buddha statue, old people. In the back though, there’s a beautiful garden with a wooden, covered walkway that was quite relaxing.
Daikaku-ji
About a 10 minute walk from Seiryou-ji (head east and follow the turn) resides a former palace turned temple. I don’t know what’s inside because the admission is a whopping 800 yen. Instead, I went to a little lake right beside it called Osawa-no-ike. I had to pay 200 yen for some reason. I’m wondering if those old ladies just set up tables there to collect for their own wicked purposes. Anyway, this lake was supposed to have been used by some emperor for boating. It was a nice stroll. There was also a big bamboo grove that was very beautiful.
After this, I made it back to the bridge and found a place for lunch. Be careful about prices – expect to pay 200-300 yen extra for lunch sets. This is a touristy place. The place I went to had shit service too; a first for me in Japan.
Kameyama-koen
“Turtle Mountain Park” was definitely worth it. It’s tucked away in the corner of the map right beside the river. Along the river, you’ll see people eating bento box lunches, rowing rented boats, and some trying to skip stones. In the park, be sure to get to the lookout towards the western end – it offered a nice view of the river from a high vantage point. Apparently you should be careful of monkeys here, says some signs, but I didn’t see a single one. Too bad! There were some old people painting though. That was quite exciting.
Skipped Temples
After the park, I headed north along some nice streets. A stroll through Ookouchi Sansou offered another bamboo grove. This place was packed with tourists and stupid drivers who wanted to squeeze through the already crowded road. Come here when it’s quiet! After that, the streets offered stores selling more souvenirs, crafts, and food.
I stopped at but did not pay to get into the following places: Joujakkou-ji, Nison-in, Takiguchi-dera, and Giou-ji. My guidebook had little to say about these places except they offered some nice scenery. Each place costed about 400 yen each. Nison-in had this long stone stairway that looked interesting.
One thing that did looked fun was the Sagano-Ningyou-no-Ie (Sagano Dollhouse). It was closed today but from what I can tell, it’s either a place that makes dolls or a museum for dolls. Either way, I’d love to go back to see it.
Adashino-Nembutsu-ji
My last stop of the day. This place is really interesting. From my understanding, my guidebook, and the English sign, a long time ago, a bunch of people without families died. Their bodies were collected and dumped here probably. To commemorate this, they made small stone figures here and each yeah, they light a thousand candles. Well, no candles today but the stone figures were quite interesting. It’s 500 yen to get in and you’re not allowed to take pictures here. (Didn’t stop me).
After seeing this place, some sights I saw today suddenly made sense. I saw these creepy altars with stones wrapped in cloth placed on them. Some even had faces painted on them and names written on the front. It was so creepy. I’m guessing now that people around here use these stones to honor the dead.
After seeing this place, I headed up north slightly and saw a bit torii gate. The signs showed Atago-Torii and Kiyotaki at 2km and 1.3km respectively. At this point, my legs were feeling numb so I turned back.
That’s it! I got on the train, picked up some KFC, and enjoying the evening, triumphant over never traveling alone. See my pictures!
Suggestions:
Don’t make my mistake: don’t visit on weekends. The morning was fine but by afternoon, there were lots of people. Avoid the main street that runs from the Hankyu station to Seiryou-ji temple – it was packed and I couldn’t find a restaurant without a line at noon. The pristine views just weren’t the same with so many tour groups and old people bumping around.
I’d pick and choose which temples you want to pay to get in. If you plan to visit many, you’ll be surprised how fast the cost will mount up. Expect to pay between 300-800 yen for admission for adults.
Renting a bike might make a lot of the traveling easier. I saw prices ranging between 800-1200 yen for the day. Be warned that some of the streets are fairly sloped – those basketed street bikes won’t make it without quads of mega steel.
Directions:
From Umeda, take a limited express train on the Hankyu-Kyoto line (platform 1 / 390 yen) to Katsura. It’ll take about 30 minutes. At Katsura, take a local train on the Hankyu-Arashiyama line, don’t worry about fare adjustment; the 390 covers your way to Arashiyama. This last part will take about 5 minutes.
Buna Ga Take Goten-san Hike
November 07, 2004
We met at a crispy 6:30am on Saturday at Yodoyabashi and took the 6:40 limited express train on the Keihan line heading towards Demachi-yanagi (450). Laura literally made it in the nick of time. She’s always late for everything everytime, always. We got off at Sanjo in Kyoto about an hour later and took the #10 Kyoto at 7:45am bus to Bonmura (990yen), which was about another hour later. Be forewarned that this busride is rather bumpy and does sway a fair bit – take your car sickness pills beforehand if you’re easily nauseated.
Our purpose? We were going to hike up Buna Ga Take mountain (1200m) and take another path down in a big loop. It would’ve taken 6-7 hours.
From the title and from the many dead giveaways already, you’ll have realized that the hike didn’t go exactly as planned. First, it was listed as a “medium” in Mike’s Lonely Planet Hiking book and I guess this book was written for people who are more athletically conditioned than I am in my present state.
Basically we got up the peak of the first mountain (Goten-san) in about 3 hours. I gotta say, Mike’s endurance impressed me. He barely broke a sweat and was waiting for us many many times. I did alright I guess but I had to stop fairly frequently to let my poor quads rest. When we got up to the top, we were treated to a fairly nice view. It was great to get out of the city and breathe clean air and not see concrete for miles and miles.
At the top, Mike decided to go reach the peak of the second mountain (Buna Ga Take). I think I would’ve gone with him but I don’t think Poora (stands for Poor Laura), was up for it. I decided to stay with her and go back down. As chivalrous as this sounds, I also didn’t go because I know the extra mountain would’ve limited the power left in me to go back down.
It’s been roughly 2.5 years since my last hike but I still remembered that although going down is a lot faster, it’s just as dangerous (if not more) as going up. We got back down in 2 hours after a nice lunch at the peak. The saddest part? Mike reached the second peak and came back down and caught up with us right as we got to the foot of the mountain.
I’m glad we didn’t get stuck up there as the skies really darkened quickly. I didn’t want to have news crews and company staff waiting for me at the bottom… I think the saddest thing though was the dozen or so other hikers who warped by me. Actually the saddest thing is that the average age of those hikers who warped by me was probably 50. Mike made a good point that it’s retired folks who have the time to frequently go hiking and therefore be in better shape than lazy lards like me.
I’m slightly ashamed at my fitness level after seeing my performance today. Still, it was a good wake up call and I had a great time and worked my legs harder than any time before in Japan. The ride back was rather long but I got home and enjoyed a good long sleep. I’m hoping to go again.
See my pictures.
Work
November 01, 2004
Let me set the tone of this update first so that you can have a reference point.
I’m writing because I’m forcing myself to write. I really don’t want to write again because, quite honestly, I haven’t much to say. My writing this update is akin to my washing the dishes. It’s not fun but it has to be done.
I think I’ll write about work tonight. In my 7 months in this position, I am looking at work through two eyes: the eyes of the instructor, and the eyes of the company. Unfortunately, these two sets of eyes do not always (pardon the pun), see eye to eye with one another. However, this dual vision helps me everyday in making choices about correctional choices to take with instructors or how far to defend an instructor.
One matter that’s been peeving me of late is the amount of work people do. Last month I had the busiest single month ever at work. On top of a rather unheard of number of observations, I also had my foot in a few other projects, and assignments. No matter. I am one to take on challenges. I did all the work with nary of peep of complaint. (I only mentioned my workload to my buddies as a rather personal lament but never to those in positions to evaluate). What do I see at our little round table sometimes? People with zero workload. Yes. They have literally nothing to do. To their credit, they offered their help but sadly, I had work that only I could do. Oh well. Hopefully what comes around goes around or whatever that shitty saying is.
Next matter. The instructors. They lack the company eyes. That only have instructor eyes. These eyes are very near sighted. They see what they have to do. They see what their peers have to do. They get used to not having to put in full effort each day and they bitch. They bitch like highschool children. “Why did I get 6 lessons when John had 5?” They get paid to do 8. Sometimes their complaints are genuine but most of the time, I try to ignore all the ridiculous complaints that come out. Quite frankly, many of them haven’t put in a hard day’s work in their life. I’m rather sick of seeing people my age and sometimes older act like children. When I was in their position, I did what was asked and swallowed it. I lost nothing by doing my job. I gained nothing by complaining.
Eep. OK before I go off on a crusade and wipe out the whiney babies at work, I’ll end here. Maybe it was good to get that off my chest.
Some people deserve to be beat up
October 25, 2004
From Mainichi Daily News:
American sues optician who refused him entry to shop
OSAKA — An American filed a suit against an optician on Monday for refusing him entry to his shop.
The 40-year-old African American, who is a designer from Seika, Kyoto Prefecture, visited the optician in Osaka Prefecture on Sept. 5.
The owner refused him entry, saying he disliked black people.
Several days later, the American, accompanied by his Japanese wife, visited the shop and asked why he was refused entry.
The owner told the American that he had received a complaint from a potential customer that he could not enter the store because the American and his friend were in front of the shop, according to the indictment.
“Let me run things my way, this is my shop,” the owner was quoted as saying.
The American said that this was the first case of direct discrimination he has experienced in his nine years in Japan. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Oct. 25, 2004)
————————-
Sigh. Yet another story of the very old fashioned, politically incorrect, backwards thinking, asshole mentality of some people in this country. I hope that optician gets a swift punch in the face with a swift kick to the groin area.
As a Canadian of minority descent, maybe I’m just too sensitive to racial issues. Or maybe it’s that ever since highschool, I’ve noticed my visual minority more? Who knows. Color should never be an issue.
Costco run… in JAPAN!
October 15, 2004
Yes! It’s true! There are Costcos in Japan. They’ve been here a few years as far as I can tell. I finally got to go to one thanks to Laura who has a card. Props to Kyle for his Costco adventure too.
From Osaka Station, hop on any Kobe-heading JR train from platform 5 (210 yen). Stop at Amagasaki and then go to the bus area. Again from platform 5, hop onto the #24 bus (200 yen). About 10 minutes later, you’ll see “Carrefour”. Costco is right beside it. Don’t fret about the directions, they’re written more for me just in case I want to go back again on my own.
Let’s see. I bought about $200 worth of stuff! That’s the biggest grocery run I’ve ever done, ever! It’s hard to control when you see all the things you’ve not had. I bought red grapes! (they’re really expensive) Zest soap! Granola! Mac and cheese! Detergents! It was quite an experience actually and it really made me feel a bit of home. Best part is, they deliver for 600 per box in the Kansai area.
Because of this little part of home and maybe because they offer real sizes and actual economic savings on bigger/more purchases, there were sure a lot of gaijin there.
Sadly, I was highly limited in my purchases because I still have a Japanese refrigerator and a Japanese apartment to consider. I was quite hesitant to buy the 10-box tissue pack because I usually only store 6 maximum in my closet. I’ll have to throw out some of the woman’s clothes to make room for the extra 4.
Exciting day! I’m tempted to get my own card so I can make the trip there.
Southern Honshu
September 27, 2004
It’s been a glorious 4 years with the woman and this year we decided to take a short three day getaway to the southern tip of Wakayama prefecture to relax. The area is reknown for its rugged coastal areas, nice beaches, and hot springs. Hopefully this will be more of a mini travel guide for the things we saw with some details of the trip sprinkled in for my own memories.
It was very pleasant to escape the busy atmosphere of a giant city like Osaka and escape into the quiet, serene surroundings of Wakayama. While the temperature seemed a bit hotter, there was always a nice ocean breeze that went far in cooling us off. It may have been the relaxation but I noticed people there seemed more polite and laid back than the big city folk.
Additional Resources:
- Pictures from my trip
- JNTO information about the region
- A list of sites to see
- A nice page to help you plan your travel route
Day 1 [Osaka - Shirahama - Kushimoto]
We started early Friday morning with a quick breakfast and then boarded the “Ocean Arrow” express train from Tennoji station and about 2.5 hours later, we arrived at Shirahama station. Shirahama (literally, “white beach” – we’ll get back to this) is a cozy little town of 20,000 on the south western tip of Wakayama. At the station, it’s quite apparent this is a tourist town. There were immediately omiyage (souvenir) stores lined up with older women who “irrashaimase” you to death. There were people greeting us and suggesting we get on the bus. We eventually bought day passes for this bus – we paid 1250 yen for a 2 day unlimited pass (highly recommended if you’re going to stick around in Shirahama). You can also rent Nissan compacts for 5000 yen a day, bikes at the station, or just plain walk around. We had lunch in one of the few random restaurants.
Shirahama was going to be our transit station although we were going to come back tomorrow. But for now, we boarded the Kisei train to get to Kushimoto. This time, the train took about an hour and offered a lot of scenic views of the forests, hills, and seaside. The ride is rather bumpy so caution to those who get sick easily.
The reason we went to Kushimoto was because the woman booked us a small cottage at a hot springy place. We were picked up at the station by a man who walks like a chimpanzee. He was really friendly and seemed funny (as far as my Japanese can tell). He took us and another couple to his establishment. His place was really just about 10 wooden cottages probably built by him out of old wooden containers and a lot of blue and pink paint. In each of these cottages was an open-air bath tub. The place also faced the Pacific and was so out of the way that you couldn’t even spend money if you wanted to.
We immediately stripped naked and had a nice hot bath. The monkey dude did a pretty good job with the cottages which included a nice bed with a mosquito net, a sofa bed, coffee table, washroom, and a nice TV. The woman and I quite enjoyed the place. After a quick nap and a walk on the beach, we had a BBQ dinner in front of the sea. The dinner would’ve been perfect had only the stray cats not sat around begging for food. I gave some scrap meats to a black cat I named “Kuro” only because he seemed to have sustained some sort of injury. (Kuro means “black” – how imaginative huh?) Pitiful Kuro got a few mouthfuls of beef while the other cats got burnt vegetables.
This was about when four vans pulled in with sweaty, tired, TV crewmen from a neighboring establishment. They were filming at a better hotspring location but that location couldn’t accommodate so many sweaty, tired men. The monkey dude’s place could. Anyway, they were loud and parked RIGHT in front of us, blocking the ocean view. I hope their show flops.
After dinner, the monkey dude let us soak ourselves in the public pool privately. I got to go in the woman’s bath! A rare privilege I’m sure. After an hour long soak, we headed back and fell asleep watching Babe 2.
Day 2 [Kushimoto - Shirahama]
Getting up bright and early, we had breakfast in front of the ocean. Monkey dude (and family) made sandwiches and served us iced drinks. It wasn’t extravagant but he’s really nice. I saw monkey dude run here and he even runs like a monkey with his arms swaying by his side.
After breakfast, monkey dude drove us somewhere and dropped us off. Here we were at the most southern point on Honshu island. There was a tower with a 360 degree view on the top of the surrounding area. Admission 300 yen. Not worth it because the rest of the tower was filled with really weird carnival stuff like funny mirrors, OLD arcade games, weird paintings and yet another souvenir store. The cool thing though was that with admission, you get a certificate saying you’ve visited the most southern point on Honshu island. However, looking at a map of Japan, this point doesn’t mean shit. It’s like driving 50 clicks and saying, “I’ve driven the fastest speed possible… without breaking the law”. Anyway, scratch this place off from my list of things to do before I die.
From there, we took a bus back to the station and a train back to Shirahama. We got there around noon and this is where we started visiting interesting sights.
1. Sandanbeki
I’m not exactly sure what the name means but this rock cliff was pretty cool. There’s a cave system underneath where supposed pirates stashed their loot.
2. Senjojiki
More rock formations but this time in the shape of a “thousand tatami mats”. This place reminded me of the Grand Canyon for some reason. Too bad so many dipshits wrote their stupid name into the rocks, thus destroying the natural beauty of the place.
3. Shirarahama Beach
Here’s where the city name of Shirahama comes into play. The beach is filled with white sand and is quite nice to relax in. According to the Lonely Planet, this white sand was imported from Australia because the original stuff washed away. Regardless, it would’ve been nice to come here for swimming or jetskiing.
4. Engetsudo
This is a small rock “island” probably about a 100 meters away from shore. It has a strange shape – it somewhat looks like the Chinese character for yen – hence the name I suppose. In the winter, you’re able to see the sun set right in that little hole thing on the bottom. That would’ve made for a fantastic picture. We actually just drove by on the bus while I snapped half a dozen pictures here.
By late afternoon, we got to our hotel. It was aptly named “Seaside Hotel”. While it has regular hotel rooms (ie. Western rooms), we stayed in the Japanese rooms. This place was a hybrid normal hotel and ryokan (traditional Japanese inn). Our room was a big 8-tatami mat sized room with a big table and two low chairs. There was no bed.
Here’s the procedure. From the front desk, a lady comes and takes you into your room. While you sit down and take a breather, she prepares green tea for you. You have the tea, she rambles on a bit and then leaves you alone. Around dinner time, you’re supposed to put on the robe in the closet and go to the dining area. While you’re eating, someone will go back into your room and prepare the futon so that when you return, you can go right to sleep.
Well dinner was quite nice. We were served a tiny portion of many kinds of food including sashimi, nabe, pickled stuff, rice, soup, tempura, and a slice of pineapple for dessert. While eating, some idiot drank too much or wasn’t used to drinking and I guess passed out. The woman beside him went into a frantic calling of his name and an ambulance was called. Idiot. Curtains for Day 2.
Day 3 [Shirahama - Osaka]
Sleeping in a good futon can be a very comfortable experience. Note to self: buy a good futon. It took the combined mystic strength of me, the sun, the moon, and all magical creatures on the western plane of existence to wake the woman up and make her get ready. We had a very traditional breakfast at the ryokan – you know the stuff; rice, miso soup, fried fish, eggs, bits of meat, pickled stuff, and tea.
Day 3 was to be a big difference from yesterday’s sight hopping. We explored the wonderful placed called Adventure World! Admission 3500 yen. Rides and some attractions cost extra.
The place is quite huge but once you’re walking around through the exhibits, you realize that it’s just made up of a few big areas filled with little actual stuff. In the first two hours, we managed to watch the dolphin show, the whale show, gawk at the very cute pandas and have lunch and walk around a bit.
We spent a lot of the time in Safari World – first a free train ride around the area that put many people to sleep. Then we rented a golf cart looking thingy and drove through the herbivore area and took pics of animals up close. We finished the day with a ride called Safari Jeep Rescue, 2000 yen / person. This was pretty cool. At 4pm, the animals are to be herded back into the shelters and this was a ride where you could go along and see the lions, tigers, bears, cheetahs, and such up close. I got some pretty good pictures of animals that could’ve torn me to shreds all in the safety of an SUV with magic glass windows.
A word to the wise – these extra jeep rides and what not at Safari World area really limited in seating numbers. Go to the counter right when you get there (opening time’s 10AM) and sign up. When we got there at 12′ish, everything else was booked already.
Phew. That’s it. After that we got on buses and trains and got ourselves back in Osaka. What a weekend.
Holy Shit Earthquake
September 05, 2004
Just now, at 19:11, an earthquake just roamed by Osaka. I was in the kitchen making ramen when it suddenly felt like my building was swaying a bit. I was right. It got a bit stronger, and then stronger, and I was pretty much bracing the cupboard near my kitchen while holding myself against the doorway. It was by far the biggest earthquake I’ve ever felt.
As many earthquake experiencers tend to exaggerate how long it was, I really don’t know how long it lasted but I was standing next to the clock on top of that cupboard and I think it was less than 1 minute for sure.
Cool stuff. On the news, it seems like is a pretty mild quake but I guess when you’re on the 10th floor, even minor quakes really send you swaying. My building is still swaying a bit right now (I have really sensitive equilibrium).
Picture time
August 14, 2004
Some pictures from yesterday.
Synchronicity or Sheer Coincidence?
August 10, 2004
The woman and I entered the movie theater a bit early. The credits were still rolling from the previous showing but we figured we’d might as well nab some good seats now. This theater’s REALLY quiet so we weren’t disturbing many people. The movie was Riddick. The day was last Saturday.
As the theater lights came back on after the credits had finished, a fellow sitting in front and a few seats to the left turned around. We made eye contact. We froze for what seemed like a long time. It was none other than Dan Kim! If you’re from the ELI and you were here during my first summer or before, you’ll remember Dan. Anyway, he had just finished three years with JET in Hokkaido and was basically touring the country with his sister before heading back home to Vancouver!
The last time I saw Dan was probably in the summer of 2001 right before he left. Him and I used to hang out and drink ourselves silly with some other students. After he left, we pretty much lost contact until now.
It’s so weird that in a giant country of 120+ million, or even in a giant city like Osaka, there are still some very synchronous meetings like this. Anyway, we exchanged numbers and on his return to Osaka after Kyushu, he’ll give me a call and hopefully schedules will work out so that we can catch up a bit.
This is the third such random accidental meeting in Japan. The first was when I literally sat beside an ELI student at Narita airport while we were waiting for the flight back to Vancouver. The second being the bumping into of two ELI students in the middle of Shinjuku.
Weird and cool!
PS. I’ve captured some pictures of the summer festival in my neighborhood from the weekend.
PPS. Riddick was exactly as I expected: muscles, fighting, guns, knives.
sinned
July 30, 2004
Well this truly was a great day. After a pretty busy day at work I met up with one of the few people (unused for sexual purposes) that I’d bring with me to a deserted island: Dennis.
As many of you know, he’s touring Japan with his band sinned and his band Abuse and another band. Even though I won’t be seeing him much during his short stay in Japan (Osaka and Tokyo), I saw him much of the afternoon and evening and it was truly awesome.
It all started with a big giant walk from Tower Records in Namba to Tower Records in Amemura because Dennis conned me into thinking he was there. Then we walked around Shinsaibashi and headed over to Den Den Town for a bit. We then went back to my place for a pit stop and had some cheap sushi at the place near my apartment. The night was still young so we went to Umeda but realized there’s nothing to see but people (… pretty pretty people some of them) so we went back to his hotel.
I got to meet a few of his bandmates and let me say they’re weird in a party dude way. Dennis put it best after the meeting – the whole 10 minutes was basically, “Nice to meet you Jerry, here’s a picture of drunk dude #1’s naked naked body.” I wish I was exaggerating. I appreciated the no frills, direct honesty with people but I’d hate to bunk with them for more than 15 minutes. (Enjoy your trip, Dennis).
We’d end our night in a local bar in the area. I’d had half a beer and Dennis finished his and mine. I hate beer. It was really good seeing a good friend again even though I’d only seen him a couple weeks ago.
The biggest treat of all: Dennis gave me a sinned T-shirt and a sinned CD! Actually no… the biggest treat was that I am thanked with my full, legal name in the CD booklet. Never in my little dreams had I imagined my name being printed on a CD booklet. Truly I was honored and will show this to every person in the world. Although I’m not a huge fan of Grind Metal (or is it Death Metal??), I believe people should do what they love and follow dreams. I’ll throw down my support for Dennis forever and with respect very few have earned.
Tomorrow I’ll be finally seeing him play live. I’m going to think in a little corner of my mind that in my very young days, had I stuck to the whole music thing and somehow ended up liking this genre of music more, it might have been me thanking someone else! Nah, I’ll leave the whole rockstarring to Dennis.
From my gallery:
Dawn of the Cicadas
July 11, 2004
July 11, 2004. Mark this one in the almanac. I woke up today with the full screeches of those wretched cicadas. Luckily, being on the tenth floor in a neighborhood with fewer trees than the last place really cuts down on the noise. Closing the window and turning on the air con completely cuts out the noise. I don’t remember if they were out yesterday morning but I had the window closed yesterday so they may have been out.
Me thinks a lot more sleep will be lost starting from today.
old people suck
June 28, 2004
After reading Why So Many Old People Are Stupid at Dyske.com, I’ve come up to some of my own conclusions.
Old people suck.
Here in Osaka, although Japanese people in general tend to be polite towards each other (but not necessarily towards foreigners), the older population behaves quite erratically. They seem to hold themselves to a different standard and demand the younger generations treat them with undeserved respect.
Personally, age means nothing to me. Age leads to experience but not necessarily effectiveness – intelligence and adaptation leads to effectiveness. Adaptation I find, is not one trait that is common amongst the old. In fact, I dare say a LACK of adaptation is one of the biggest problems facing old people when dealing with younger people. Many fear new technology and reminisce about the Good Ol’ Days. Some bore the youth with pointless stories of poverty and starvation (I mean, what lesson is it to sadden the youth? Do the youth not know of the value of money?). Perhaps they would like to remind the youth that they have things much better but guess what? Progress has been around for a long time: the old people had it better than the old old people, who had it better than the old old old people. In time, the youth of today will be thinking that conditions are much better than when they were young.
That is not to say that old people don’t know anything relevant to today’s society. Many of life’s hard lessons are learned from experience. Virtues such as patience, self-respect, and tenacity are sometimes are fine wines which develop over time. I enjoy talking to jubilant, positive senior citizens as I learn a great deal from them. I hope I can take the easy way out and learn what they learned without going through the burden and hardship.
The most disgusting things that some old people do in Japan (and probably Canada) are the behaviours in public that counter all social rules of etiquette. In Japan, a blanket non-smoking ban was legislated not too long ago (yes you could smoke on train platforms before). As a former smoker, I agree wholeheartedly that people should not smoke in an underground, poorly ventilated area. Since the ban, the majority of the people have stopped smoking. I still see some middle aged business men and uneducated-looking types smoke but on the whole, they’ve stopped. However, it’s the old, scrappy looking senior males who continue to persist. The most alarming thing is not that they sit next to no smoking signs and throw their butts on the floor. No. The most alarming thing is that the train attendants continue to let them smoke when it is their duty to stop them. This society fears confrontation.
Some other general disgusting things in public include the very explicit and obvious loogie hocking. Everyone’s hocked a loogie before – we do it when we’re parking alone or when it’s late at night. The old men, again, have no qualms about blasting full volume when they hock one up. It’s rather unappetizing after hearing them.
Let’s not let the old woman off the hook too. The old woman ride their bicycles expecting right of way. On narrow side walks, when they ride up behind you, they’ll start blasting their unforgiving bell until you move over to the side. I cannot remember the number of times I’d wished to just clothesline the old bitch as she crashes by. The advent of that bicycle bell downgraded social politeness. No more do people say, “Excuse me” or “Sumimasen” to strangers when they need them to move aside.
Also, the old birds seem to love to cut in line at fast food restaurants and stores. I’ve had to hold back barrages of punches because some bitch blatantly cuts right in front of me. They don’t even seem to be in such a big rush as when they reach the counter, they order very very slowly and delicately.
This report has reached the final word on old people: they suck.
Noise
May 08, 2004
One thing I’ve come to really hate about Japan is the noise. I’m on the 10th floor and when my windows are closed, nary a peep is heard from the outside. Since summer is creeping near like the sweat that slowly runs from your hair into your eyes, I’ve been sleeping with the window partially open. The noises have returned. There are first off, the recycling trucks that come around. They take old electronics and machines that you don’t want and they probably strip them for parts and sell them. They take things like televisions, computers, refrigerators and the such. The great thing is, the service is free. The shit thing is, they have this blasted speaker on top that blasts a stupid tune followed by a recorded message of what exactly they take and don’t take. It is really loud and annoying, especially when you’ve just awaken from a cool alien-fighting dream.
Next, in my old apartment, there were the food trucks. They’re these little pickup-like trucks that sell food like ramen, fish, bbq skewers, and etc. They have ridiculously annoying recorded messages as well. The sweet potato truck blasts this message that to me, sounds like, “YAAAAKIIIII…. MOOOOO KWAY MOOOOO”. It’s devastatingly annoying.
There’s the kerosene truck as well. There are many houses that lack central heating and as such, the tenants require little kerosene burners. These trucks provide a much needed service to all the old ladies and dudes that would have trouble lugging around a canister of 18L of kerosene. Great public service. Ridiculously annoying music. This song would fit in Sesame Street because it’s catchy and sung by children. It’s also the kind of song that leads 15 year olds to kill their classmates with automatic rifles.
Let’s not forget the ass kids with their little scooters. I swear that on Wednesdays at 12:30am, there’s one person who deliberately drives his scooter around, reving the little 10hp engine over and over again. Usually I’m in bed naked at that time so my motivation to go downstairs and peg him with my BB guns are quite low. One day though, I will get that turd ball.
Lastly, I’m going to close with drunken business men. It’s a well known fact that Japanese business men, or salary men, as they stupidly call themselves (they get a salary and they’re a man… salary men), work long hours and afterwards are coerced into a drinking binge that leaves them no time for sleep or for their family. They clumsily stagger home while laughing and talking really loudly. I’d like to peg their drunken asses with my BB guns as well.
Gene and Jimmy
April 05, 2004
There’s this little English show for Japanese people that’s on Monday nights and sometimes they have pretty cool guests on. Today, they had Gene Simmons and Jimmy Page. Both of them are a hundred and eighty years old but they were so cool. First Jimmy Page: “It’s only 6 strings. You’re either a master or a slave to it” or something really close to that. Only a fucking legend like Page can make that sound so fucking cool. Gene Simmons was then on with three other guys and the resident cute girl. Personally, I think Gene Simmons looks scarier without makeup. Anyway, he starts off the whole interview segment by hitting on the girl with witty lines like, “I’m Gene Simmons. I’m the one you’re girlfriend loves”, “We would make beautiful children” and some other pretty cool things that only rockstar legends can pull off without looking like a senile retard with a tongue problem. Gene Simmons rocks!
Responsibility
March 09, 2004
From the Mainichi News website that I visit daily: Poultry farm chairman hangs self over bird flu.
In case you’re too lazy to go there and read the article, I will give you a brief summary.
About 2 weeks ago in Kyoto, someone tipped off the police that a local farm tried to cover up the deaths of 10,000 chickens. The authorities raided the place and found the crazy bird influenza in some of the birds and even in some crow carcasses around the farm. The chairman and later his father the previous chairman held a press conference to apologize because, “(they) caused great trouble.”
The reporters jumped on this opportunity and grilled him with questions about the former chairman’s personal responsibility, what happened, who’s to blame, and all sorts of questions. I watched some of the footage and all the 67 year old said was, “Shirimasen. Shirimasen” (I don’t know / I don’t understand). In the article it even said that he leaned over and asked his lawyer for advice on what to say.
Personally, it seems like a crock of shit that he didn’t know anything. BSE, Bird Flu, and SARS have dominated the airwaves in this paranoid country for months now. When your poultry suddenly die off in massive numbers, you can’t just hide behind a veil of silence and possible criminal negligence (I believe hiding so many deaths is against some sort of Poultry Farm law here).
The kicker.
He hangs himself.
To mine eyes, this just cements his guilt in this whole case. It’s like an admittance of guilt in front of a supreme court judge. He couldn’t accept the outcomes of his actions and ran away in the only way he knew. He, and his wife, hung themselves. Apparently in this culture, to kill oneself is an honorable thing. You’ve seen The Last Samurai when the general guts himself before the enemy. I see CEOs, education workers, Politicians kill themselves in face of social and legal accusations.
Running away never solved any problems. There are still 10,000 dead chickens with an infectious disease and someone must be held accountable.
I feel sorry for the guy, I really do. He was doing what many people in his position would’ve done – he protected himself, his family, and his business in a way he thought most appropriate but unfortunately for him and fortunately for the general populace, someone saw that this was wrong and called the cops. Now, his son faces the press and the authorities alone.
Way to go, dad.
Learning To Shut Up
March 05, 2004
One of the benefits of living in a country that predominantly does not speak your language is that even when you talk aloud in your native tongue, most, if not all people will not understand you.
In the past few months I’ve taken full advantage of this. Alongside my chums and cronies, I will speak whatever I want whenever I want, uncaring about reactions or suitability of language. In short, I talk about the dirtiest, nastiest, most politically incorrect things anytime I want and none are wiser.
Last night after some secret shopping (tee hee) with some friends, we went and had some Mexican food. This restaurant is a little place located in an old building in the middle of Shinsaibashi. It’s on the eight floor. There are two sets of stairs in this building. Someone was thinking when they built this building – you’d think with two sets of stairs, the chances of fire fatalities would be very low. Sadly, being jackasses they are, the tenants in this entire building leave their shit in the stairs. I looked into both stairways and should a fire break out on the lower floors, I’m pretty sure I would be burnt to ashes faster than a cigarette.
I digress as usual.
This restaurant caters to the foreign crowd, specifically, the English-speaking crowd. This is something I had to keep in mind all night because me being me, I started conversations about tits, my lovely ass, embarrassing stories of old, and all sorts of stuff I wouldn’t be caught dead speaking about in an Earl’s or The Keg. Yet talking about inappropriate dinner table topics is so much fun especially when you’re munching on BBQ wings and downing a margarita (don’t ask why they have BBQ wings in a Mex dig). Luckily we were a bit late to start dinner so no one was really in the restaurant.
Towards the end, a couple of the caucasian persuasion came in and sat behind our table. Oblivious to the fact that I could hear them speaking English, we continued our rather interesting but perverted conversation. It was not until one of the girls, who will remain anonymous, asked the boys in a fairly loud voice,
Do you like big hard tits or small soft tits?
At this point common sense snapped back into me and I hushed this friend. We all had a few giggles and continued our conversation in a quieter volume. Neither me nor the other guy answered this question because it was weird… I mean… how “hard” did she mean? Like concrete slab hard or bicycle helmet styrofoam hard? It was too weird even by my fucked up standards.
Angry
February 20, 2004
Fate is one ironic bitch.
It’s been just about exactly one week since my last cigarette. Damn proud I am too. I went through work without even thinking about having one. I stood in front of my smoking friends and talked as they puffed away with no inkling of a craving. I sat and watched the woman go through five during dinner last night and wasn’t tempted once.
Tonight was a lil dinner party for Mihoko’s birthday. We went to a small place and I watched as she smoked. I didn’t flinch but I feel like smoking after watching her. I didn’t though – I’m stronger than that.
It was about halfway through dinner when this girl came in. She was wearing a blue jacket and a short shirt. She was made up. She was sort of cute too. Anyway, on her jacket and on her bag was stamped in big letters, “MILD SEVEN”. She was a Mild Seven promoter. Of all restaurants, of all nights, of all times, she came here giving away free cigarettes. FREE cigarettes. I watched as everyone else in the table pretended to be smokers so that Mihoko could get a few packs for free. I didn’t give in. I didn’t want any tobacco… not even if it’s free. I’m feeling great not smoking and “they” have to tempt me with free cigarettes given out by a cute girl. Life is a bitch.
Score one for my willpower today.
Long Awaited Update
February 07, 2004
It’s Friday night and I’m alone. My woman has a cold so she spent the day at her own place, probably drooling and letting the mucus flow as she sleeps. I’m in my new apartment now. It’s about 90% functional. I just have to buy some basic things and unpack some stuff and throw some boxes and bags away. I have to put up some pictures and stuff too but the general layout here done I guess. I’m wanting a couch/bed, a small counter, some cushions for sitting, and maybe a drawer or some sort to put dishes in.
It’s been very cold in Osaka this month. It actually snowed yesterday, heavily. Luckily, snow never lasts in this city. I think it’s all the heat generated from houses, cars, and factories. It was also only snowing for about thirty minutes. It was weird to stand on my balcony watching this heavy snowfall and seeing nothing on rooftops. The weather shoots blanks here.
I can’t really think of anything to say… I’m running out of ideas for updates and I’m tired of just writing, “Today I did this” type entries. Actually I’m sick of many kinds of entries. Maybe I will retire from webpages all together and only visit Dennis’ page from now on.
Moving Is A Double Edged Sword
January 21, 2004
I haven’t moved yet (Dennis). The woman and I are going to pick up the key tomorrow. We have to go visit the apartment to make some measurements. For you see, we have to buy a fridge, possibly a washing machine, and some other junk and we have to know the exact dimensions that can fit down to the micron.
I have to buy curtains.
Let that not slip by as a meaningless statement. Buying curtains has always been a privilege reserved for the mother or maybe even an older sister but I am at a point in my life where I have to buy my own fucking curtains. To top it off, I will be choosing curtains with the woman. Soon I’ll be choosing which rabbit wallpaper to plaster the baby room.
As much as I’m excited about leaving this shit hole I’m in and entering a great apartment, I feel slightly stressed. I’ve always been proud how I don’t stress out easily but I caught myself prancing around like an idiot pointing at stuff that needs to be boxed, stuff that needs to be dismantled, stuff that needs to be thrown out, and stuff that might be alive. I will be making my first of many trips to the apartment to move stuff on Friday. I’m going to try to haul as much stuff as I can via subway and if need be, we’ll have to rent a van or something to finish it off. Actually we’ll probably have to rent a van because there are two bicycles parked outside that belong to us.
I did a mental tally of things I need to buy and I’m going to be running a deficit greater than Quebec’s for the next few months probably. I was just getting to the point where money was being saved too. Crud.
Infinitely Better
January 05, 2004
Since it’s been confirmed, here I am announcing that I AM MOVING INTO A NEW APARTMENT!!!
You don’t know how kick ass this is. My apartment now, as used to it as I am, sucks major ass. It’s comfortable and all but here are the major problems: the washroom is horrible because it’s always cold because there are uncloseable vents. The tatami mats are old and have attracted dust and all sorts of allergenic shit that killed me in the summer. The neighbor to the right has a really fucked up schedule and makes hacking coughy noises at 2-4am AND now he washes his fucking clothes at 2am too (the machine is on the balcony which totally rattles up the floor that I sleep on). The asshole kids outside who sometimes live in the foyer and leave their ciggie buts and cans everywhere. The lack of elevator. The high rent I’m paying for this garbage.
You gotta love the heartless corporation that I work in – it’s a company apartment so I KNOW they take a cut of my monthly rent and it’s a piece of shit.
So anyway, about the new apartment. It’s in a much more convenient area for Eri. Analogy time: If my apartment now is in Richmond, Eri lives in North Vancouver and it takes her a long time to get home. We both work roughly downtown. My new apartment is now located maybe at Lonsdale Quay. Don’t get the analogy? Well then you’re stupid.
The place is super close to Noda Hanshin station – the closest exit is seriously, 2 minutes away. That means no more freezing morning bike rides through the old folks park. There are so many stores and restaurants around. There’s a 7-11 right downstairs, a KFC around the corner, a JUSCO department store not too far away, McDonalds, a Japanese version of Blockbuster called Tsutaya, scores of coffee shops (much needed), and some more shit I’m sure. The rent is a tad more expensive (6,000 yen more) but the building is 2 years old versus the 16th century whorehouse I live in now. The size is about the same but I will have a proper bathroom and toilet, a smaller kitchen, and 1 big room instead of 2 smaller rooms. There’s also a huge walk in closet that has a motion detector that triggers the light (now that’s classy). There are 2 elevators. There are no tatami mats – it’s all wood flooring. There main entrance is coded so no stupid kids can loiter around. The walls are better sound proofed and there’s a cushion layer under the floor to prevent foot step noises. There’s a clothes washer set up plug thingy so no more laundry runs downstairs.
We were touring it yesterday around 5-6pm and since the place faces west, I saw the sunset from the balcony. Great view. It’s too bad Osaka is filled with nothing but concrete buildings. Had the western side been mountainy instead, I’d have one helluva view.
I think I’ll be moving in a fortnight and from how it looks, I might have to cancel Korea to free up some funds. More news later.
Living Idea
October 27, 2003
On Saturday around 5:30pm as I was walking downstairs to put a load of clothes into the washing machine, I noticed it was a lot redder than it normally is in the foyer. At first I thought it was new lighting, in that maybe the landlord found some red lightbulbs on sale but that wasn’t it. The frosted glass doors were closed. They aren’t normally closed. Through these glass doors, I noticed it was very red outside. I thought something was wrong! I opened the door and went outside to see that the whole sky was red! It was very ominous and beautiful at the same time. Of course it was nothing mysterious about it. The setting sun light was being reflected all over the place by the many streaks of clouds that filled the sky. The result was truly one of the most startling and captivating sights I’ve ever seen.
I quickly ran upstairs and brought out my god awful digital camera and snapped 10 pictures. They came out pretty well aside from the mandatory blurring that my camera loves to do. I’d like to share two which I’ve put in The Dump. It’s exactly the way the camera captured it except I reduced it to 800×600 to make the file a little smaller. Check it out! Pic 1. Pic 2.
The most interesting thing for me though was that awhile back I wrote a very rough script to a story called, “The Red Town”. It was about a guy who believed the city was becoming red. Everything from the street lights, to sidewalks, to birds, to even people were all becoming more and more red. It all happened after his loved one died. I was going to illustrate it as well with pictures of this city and a character drawn right on top of the picture to show just how he didn’t fit into the red town. Basically, it would have left you thinking, was the town really becoming red or was he just becoming crazy after the loss of his true love. I stopped working on that story because I don’t have the artistic talent to finish it. The writing’s mostly there so perhaps one day it can be finished.
So anyway when I stepped out of the glass door to see this red sky the very first thing that popped into my mind was that I had become the character in the story. Maybe somehow, my loved one had died and that all this time this whole year in Osaka was nothing but an illusion. Another reason I ran up back to my apartment was just to make sure this little panic attack wasn’t real. Luckily, Eri was still sound asleep.
Lost
September 22, 2003
Well the memory card that fucked on me did not have any data on it. I bought a card reader and plugged it in and it only contained the pictures that I took after the fuck up. There was a “Misc” directory which I thought was weird but it turned out to be empty. Strange thing though was that it recognized the card as only having 3mb of space when it’s a 8mb card. It was like the lost data was simply not recognizable as data. Anyway, any hope of recovering the pictures are all gone as I formated the card after that. Bright side? Now I have a nifty little card reader that reads CF, SM, SD, and MemoryStick. We did get a picture taken at the place by a photographer and the pictures came in the mail. That night view truly is beautiful. If I had a scanner, I’d put it up but sorry.
So it’s only been slightly more than a week since our Hokkaido trip but we’re already planning a small trip for November. We’ll probably go to a Japanese style hotel with a private hot spring bath in the room. Well also be visiting a theme park called, “Adventure World”. All the theme parks here have silly names like Excite World, Fun World, Good World, and things like that. Also, Eri’s dad will lend us his digital camera so hopefully I’ll get some better pictures.
What else? The weather suddenly became not hot. Today it was probably about 20 degrees and it was marvelous. The mornings were cool and crisp. It finally feels like home again after months of horrid humidity and stupid annoying cicadas.
Hokkaido Trip Breakdown
September 14, 2003
Day 1
Well our flight was uneventful. I threatened Eri that I would make kissy faces to the flight attendant (and thus embarass Eri). We got the best cheap seats available – the ones near the emergency exit that have lots more leg room.
We arrived in Hakodate around 2:30 and after checking in at the hotel, we went and had some shio ramen. Not bad. After that we went to this place that had some red-bricked warehouses. They must be old or had some big significance because they were touted as a big deal. There were some cool shops in them and we had some great food. Scallops were mega-huge.
Around dusk, we headed up Hakodate Mountain. The lift wasn’t very exciting as Grouse Mountain’s lift was 4 times higher and longer. The view of the city though was beautiful. This city is surrounded by water on two sides and you can see all of it on the mountain. The night view was breath-taking. Also, we caught the sun setting among some clouds and I’ve never seen a redder sky. The clouds glowed and some of the water was evaporating so the mist was an eerie red sight too. This was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. You can bet I took many pictures.
After some more seafood for dinner we returned to the hotel. I spotted a monitor and automatically darted for it as I was only able to read the first part of Dennis’ update on my phone. It wasn’t an internet kiosk. Instead it was a very cool, very techy digital picture printing and formatting booth. Seeing this was the first time I’ve seen one of these and seeing I had just taken some very beautiful pictures on the mountain I decided to try it out. Fatal mistake.
We were able to see our pictures but about 10 seconds in, an error occurred. This error fucked my 21 pictures so that I couldn’t view them on my camera anymore. I know the data is still there because the number of shots remaining was the same (if they were deleted, I would’ve seen “27″ left instead of “6″). I was terribly disappointed.
My only hope lies at home – I hope my computer will allow me to keep these pictures. If not, I’ll try a photo recovery place.
The weather way up here is so much better than in Osaka. It was a cool 25 degrees.
Day 2
We got up relatively early and walked around the fish market area. The thing with Hokkaido is that there doesn’t seem to be much but seafood. EVERYONE was selling crab, cantaloupe, sea urchin, big clams, and squid. I say everyone because EVERYONE was selling the same thing. It was ridiculous – imagine going to the next booth and having the guy try to offer you a sample and then harass you into buying the same stuff that the last guy just tried. I shook my head at the poor business model offered here. If anything, I’d set up a booth and sell bricks of cheese just to offer some alternative.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the things being sold here were fucking expensive. The crab was about fifty bucks for I would guess a 15 pound crab. The cantaloupe was sold in boxes of 4 or 5 for up to one hundred dollars. Yes – that’s 20-30 dollars for a cantaloupe. I have to admit though, the cantaloupe I sampled was really sweet and good.
After lunch we didn’t do much because Hakodate is a pretty small place. We bought some books and had some coffee and got on a train to Sapporo. Three hours later, there we were.
Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido and it has all you expect in a big city. Having lived in a mega city for the past 11 months, I knew all there was to know in Sapporo so I think we were pretty bored here. We saw the same old shit everywhere. Only redeeming thing? The weather was bliss compared to Osaka. We were pretty tired after that long train ride so we walked briskly around downtown to see what there was to do.
We went to this Clock Tower house that was suggested in our guide book. Not only was it closed but it was just an old western style house that had some historical significance a long time ago. In English, this all meant, BORING.
After having some more coffee and this time, a donut, we went to a place called Otaru. It’s north of Sapporo and I suppose you can consider it to be like the New Westminster of Sapporo. It has this stupid river that was surrounded by lights. The place used to be some sort of warehouse area (again). Actually the buildings were pretty cool. Some were built like 1800 western style, some were asian style, and some even looked like medieval castles.
One shop was called, “Nani kore” which translates to, “What Is This?” It was a really cool antique shop that sold old American junk. There was a rack of really old comics where I quickly searched for keywords such as, “Issue 1″ and “Spiderman”. Sadly, this modest, old collection had a lot of junk. There was a really old X-Men comic where Archangel still had those white feathery wings.
For dinner we walked and walked and walked because each place we wanted to go to was either closed or all reserved up (put up a sign if you’re all reserved). We ended up going to a seafood restaurant that was very understaffed. We waited about thirty minutes and when we finally got our table, we noticed other empty tables were still not cleaned up. I think I saw 2 waitresses running around mad while the soccer team of chefs looked at them idly. Idiots.
The food proved to be very expensive and good. We had a seafood thing again but this time over a barbeque thing. They gave us pretty much 1 piece of all the fish and junk they had. I have to say, the clams in Hokkaido are deliciously awesome. They’re massive suckers too. We discovered one cool thing tonight though. If you heat salmon roe, they will explode! Ikura, as they’re called in Japanese, are those red, translucent eggs about the size of a pea. I’m not talking about the really small eggs you sprinkle on top of shit but the bigger ones that are squishy and liquidy. Well, on a whim, Eri threw one into the barbeque and about 5 seconds later, we heard a small Pop and up blew some ash. Cool! I excitedly exclaimed. I took another one and threw it in. Mine didn’t land on the coal, it landed on the wood that sat above it. Mine took longer to heat but mine went Boom. We were laughing our heads off as the other customers turned and looked at what we were doing. We blew up a few more but the best one was not in the coat nor on the wood but rather, on the metal grill. That sucker was loud! Now, an opportunist would see some sort of weapon to be had here. No one will ever question you if you bring a sack of salmon eggs onto an airplane and find some way to heat them up.
Day 3
Our last day in Sapporo, we wanted to do some touristy things but as we found our yesterday, this city kind of sucks. It’s like Osaka but smaller and less hot so whatever we want to do, it would be to a smaller scale here anyway.
We went and had really good ramen – Sapporo’s specialty is ramen. Then we went and bought some souvenirs for her family and coworkers. I bought a couple things but I’m weighing whether to give to friends or keep them all to myself. I bought some cantaloupe pocky (only available in Hokkaido), some chocolate covered strawberries, some sort of buttery cookie. All things had something Hokkaido about them, go figure.
We hit another book store and bought some more books. Looking at the pile now back home, we bought 2 English books for me, 5 manga for Eri, 2 English manga for me, and 1 English magazine. I also nabbed a couple free magazines from the hotel. I have never bought so much reading material in a span of 3 days before and that goes even for school.
Strangely enough, there was a typhoon heading up to Hokkaido today. It was the first typhoon that would hit Hokkaido in five years and it had to come on THIS day. I was a bit scared it would delay our flight and we would be forced to stay another day but at the airport our fears were alleviated. It only delayed a bunch of incoming flights.
So, we got home around 10pm on Saturday and the heat back here sucks. That’s all I have to say about that now.
Back Into The Foreign Country
September 13, 2003
Good evening all you crazy people. We got back around an hour ago and boy are we tired. The second we stepped out of the airport, we felt the 29 degrees that made me shudder in fear. You see, Hokkaido was a cool 18-24 degrees all three days and I loved it. Even the rain was cool and made me think of sweet Vancouver rain as it drenched my t-shirt with a lot of jibbery English on the back.
Our little trip was excellent. I am now sick of seafood and also sick of the pricey bills that were attached. There was a major heartbreak on the trip and I’ll tell you about it in the next update. Also today around 2pm, while strolling around in Sapporo, we saw a big crowd and naturally we ventured to see what was going on. Well as luck would have it, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was just about to make an appearance and a presentation. We saw the PM dressed in an ugly olive green suit while his compatriots were dressed in smart looking navy blue. He is definitely the most famous person I’ve seen live. I took a lot of pictures but I’ll only be able to see some (this is part of the heartbreak).
A couple of things –
A big DOMO ARIGATOU goes to Dennis for his most excellent updates here while I was out. He has definitely done the page proud and will have to drop in from time to time and write something (you have access now dude). While I was in Hokkaido, I could see my page on my phone but I was only able to read about two or three paragraphs before I get the ever happy, “The size of this page is not supported” warning. Screw Docomo. I had a strong feeling you’d be bringing back Dragon and I was dead on haha. One thing though, Wangmon was never a mascot – he was interviewed by Dragon in the Interviewing Pokemon section or something like that. And Dragon, we all know the mascot now on this page is the little Blogger icon that sits on the bottom left of this page. Anyway, thanks again Dennis!
One more thing –
“JVision to be a great haven for discussing some heavy issues which can affect the world”
I’ve been deviating a lot from this ever since coming to Japan and I feel part of this is because Japan, while a very developed first world country, is very detached and isolated from the rest of the world. I read English news daily but don’t feel the same sort of emotional attachment I did back in Vancouver. I should rant more I guess.
Alright, the woman is waiting for me to feed her, so, seeya.
A Letter To My Neighbours
August 20, 2003
Dear neighbour 1,
I would just like to bring to your attention that your incessant loogie hocking at 5:30 in the morning is much louder than you probably think it is. It has rudely awakened me on plenty of occasions and perhaps even more lately because I leave the window open due to the hot temperatures. Also, the sound of your loogie hocking is more than necessary to curdle the blood that runs in my body. Everytime I hear you, I feel like it is my pure body that is trying to expel some vile, grotesque bulbous shaped phlegm ball. Please refrain from further hockings and if possible, swear on your right testicle that you will buy some cough syrup to clear up your problem.
Dear neighbour 2,
Let it be known that I acknowledge that you are not one entity but actually a group of young entities. I shall refer to all of you as neighbour 2 for simplicity. I would just like to bring to your attention that your selfish disregard for the level of noise you create between 1 and 3am is quite unacceptable in any fathomable social setting. I respect everyone’s personal life and their right to enjoy life but would you not agree that talking loudly and laughing much like evil hyenas on the street late at night is perhaps infringing on other people’s right to enjoy sleep? Although I do not fully understand your banter that creates such humourous ruckus, I am confident that it is indeed as witty as your laughter makes it seem. I would be the first in line to commend you on your well timed humour if I were able to understand you. However, I would only do so in daylight, when people are wide awake and not trying to fall asleep amid your noise.
Dear neighbour 3,
Much like neighbour 2, I acknowledge that you are not one entity but actually 2 or 3 young male entities. I shall refer to all of you as neighbour 3 for simplicity. I would just like to bring to your attention that your love of your motorized bicycles has caused some commotion and is creating uncomfortable environments for sleep. I deeply admire the love you show your motorbicycle. The fact that you rev the engine multiple times shows your loyalty to your machine. I know it is only necessary to rev your engine to perhaps express your intelligence and high regard for others. The lovely harmonic tones of the engine bring nothing but joy to my chilly spine. I encourage you to rev your dual wheeled motor vehicle as many times as you can but perhaps it would be wise to limit your reving to only daylight hours? At night, your love for your machine may be interpreted by others as rude, obtrusive noise that hinders their wanting to fall asleep. I don’t know, it’s just a thought.
Dear neighbour 1, 2, and 3,
It would bring me such pleasure to meet all of you in one airtight, escape-proof room. I would definitely celebrate our friendship by locking the doors and lighting carton after carton of cigarettes until the oxygen in the room has been used up as fuel for the small flickering flames of each cigarette. We could regale in 1’s medical mystery, 2’s comedic talent, and 3’s mechanical ingenuity. Perhaps when you are all lightheaded from the lack of oxygen and the over inhaling of second hand smoke will you appreciate the feelings of friendship and love that I have for each of you. I hope my tender feelings for you transform into the physical plane and inflict on your all the joyous wishes I wish on you.
Sincerely Yours,
Insomnia Man.
Mega Illustrated Update
August 17, 2003
Oh what a great weekend.
Firstly, Eri had Friday off so we got to start our weekend together one night earlier. On Friday, we woke up a bit late but had a good lunch at this place a couple blocks away. The owner there heard Eri talking in English and was rather curious. He started talking to her and almost completely ignoring me because, well, I’m a crazy foreigner and there was no way I could understand (I understood a bit). He has a son working in San Francisco and thought speaking in English is cool. LikeIgiveadamn. Well, at least if I go to the place on my own next time, he’ll not give me a blank surprised stare when I say in broken Japanese that I can’t speak Japanese. During lunch, I gave this crazy suggestion that we go somewhere far away for a day trip. We got all excited and crap but then realized it was 3pm and the place we wanted to go to would be closed in two hours. So, we went to this butterfly exhibit in a department store. I took a whole bunch of pictures and I’ll put those up later. It was cool. Then we went home and watched Ice Age – it was alright but it’s no Pixar flick.
On Saturday, we again slept in late but it was ok because by the time we ate lunch, it was only 1pm. We headed over to Kyoto and roamed around, are you ready for the romaji… “Toei Uzumasa Eiga Mura”. Toei is a Japanese film company, Uzumasa is the place, and Eiga Mura means “Movie Village”. An English equivalent would be Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park. It was awesome! There were lots of old style Japanese buildings and many have been used in old samurai movies. There was a haunted house featuring old samurai style victims and live actors that play dead until you walk past them. Eri was freaked but I found it as frightening as the last Scream movie. The best part for me was a live fight scene from some samurai drama series. The hero and the cute damsel in distress fought off about 5 evil warriors and 1 funny evil warlord (with funky green hair). I took tonnes of pictures. The hot and humid weather even subsided a lot today for us to enjoy walking around in the sun.
We left the place at about 5pm and spent the next hour and a half looking for good spot to see the Daimonji Festival. This translates as, “Big Word Festival”. Essentially, they cut out paths on the side of some small mountains in the shape of 4 chinese characters and 2 symbol thingies. Then, they light these paths on fire. The result is you get these beautiful characters glowing really brightly in the dark. It was really awesome. The place we went to consisted of two bridges, a river, and some grassy areas. We managed to squeeze ourselves onto the grass. There were so many people there so we were lucky to be even sitting down. From our spot, we only saw one of the characters – Dai (Big). Actually, there are two Dai’s but we saw the bigger of the two. I took pictures here too but the combination of my camera being shitty and it being night – they didn’t come out too well. Here is a pretty good writeup of what Daimonji is and the pictures here are much better than mine.
The trek home was not fun – on the train back, an old lady was rubbing up against my ass and then when she left, an old man stumbled and slapped his hand on my ass, and then after he apologized, he touched my ass again. It was rather funny. I now appreciate the sexiness and appeal of my ass much more.
It was a great weekend and although we’re both tired beyond sleep, I just had to put this up before I forget any details.
And here’s what you’ve been waiting for – the pics!
- A cicada flew onto my balcony and died. Since I’ve been bitching about them for awhile, here’s to show you guys what the hell I’m afraid of. Keep in mind this sucker has been dead awhile and has shrivelled up a bit. I placed a one-yen coin beside it so you guys can get an idea of how big it is. (A one-yen coin is about the size of a Canadian penny). Too bad I can’t show you guys how noisy these fuckers are.
- The Eiga Mura – the cool, old looking buildings.
- I challenged a samurai and because I, a Canadian, am not used to the hot weather, grudgingly gave in after a strenuous 524 rounds of intense steel clashing action.
- The sword fight scene – the hero (in white) fends off two goons. The damsel will soon be threatened by the goon behind the hero but the goon will be sliced apart. (By the way, she was sort of cute.)
- A ninja travels building to building via a thin rope. This guy’s awesome! Actually, it was a mechanical mockup similar to those teddy bears that ride unicycles across a string in some toy stores.
- Daimonji – BIG. Sorry these are bad pictures.
- Daimonji – BIG 2. Visit here for some more pictures.
Picture Time
August 12, 2003
On the last day of July, a hot and humid Thursday, I was probably playing Battlezone II for the millionth time when I heard a lot of drums and music from outside. I knew it was going to be something cool. On the way home from work, I saw some Chinese lion dancing going on and some people were wearing shirts that said something about a lion something festival. Because I have such a powerful sense of foresight, I placed my shitty digital camera beside me with the cap off. I was ready to snap at anything out of the ordinary. So, at the beat of the drums, I opened my window and saw the second of three trucks. On the back of the trucks were about a dozen traditionally dressed ladies. They even had the very Japanesque white faced makeup. I took aim and managed to get a blurry picture of the third truck as it passed my house. The ladies were waving at people and a few of them managed to spot me, on the balcony, with a camera aiming at them. They smiled a lovely smile. They might’ve also been smiling (smirking) because I was shirtless at the time and my upper body ain’t exactly pleasing to the ladies.
So without further delay, here is another picture that will be found in a miscellaneous dump in the Created page. I’ll put that up soon.
Sorry about this blurry picture. I really need a new camera. And sorry for waiting two weeks before putting it up – I was going to take some more pictures and fill up the card but eh… it was too hot. There’s this cool lantern hanging thing at the temple near my house so maybe I’ll get some more pics soon.
The Typhoon
August 08, 2003
My first typhoon! Number 10 will be the first typhoon this year to really hit Osaka. Actually, they’re projecting it to pass over all the Japanese islands. Right now the winds are not too strong and it’s not raining too much. I’ve been keeping an eye on the news and they’re saying the strong winds will be here at 18:40 (it’s 18:00 right now). I wanted to capture how strong the winds are with my webcam. I hauled everything over and positioned the camera. In the end, I decided not too because right now the winds aren’t too spectacular, the camera can’t really see clearly how much the trees are swaying, and if any of the neighborhood residents see a little camera pointing towards their house, they’ll call the old cops on me. I have to go pick up Eri at the station in 20. I hope we don’t get stranded in the middle of a windstorm. Wish me luck…
Humidity
August 05, 2003
I’d by a hypocrite if I’m telling people to update when I don’t do so myself so here it is. I’ve been saving some things over the past few days to say.
I’ll start by saying that summer is finally blooming here in Osaka. It’s probably about 30 or 31, I can’t really tell anymore, but the humidity is just fanning the fire. Humidity is to heat what windchill is to coldness. By the way, I was told that Osaka at one point meant, “Big Hill”. Supposedly at one time in its long history it was a very hilly and marshy area. Now, it’s as flat as many girls were in highschool and the marshlands have been “reclaimed”.
Next on the list, a big HELLO goes to Daniel who MSN’d me wondering what the deal was with my name. He thought it might’ve been something bad happening here. Well, not really dude. Put your heart at rest. Even though MANY things piss the fuck out of me in this country, I still enjoy it here as a whole. Many things in Canada piss me off too but I love the country to death (that’s why I left).
Today I had my ten month observation and feedback. The actual lesson itself was shit. For some reason, the students in feedback lessons happen to be on the deep end of the insanity pool. Basically the worst things you can imagine in a lesson happened. Still, my trainer was uber cool and he knows me enough that this lesson wasn’t representative of my whole, God-like existence. Remind me to turn my ego setting to Medium later. My trainer gave me fair feedback and also some very positive news. Also, I got another unofficial compliment from the customer service area of my office. Through their secret monitoring of lessons (which I suspect is illegal), they take unofficial notes and give positive and/or negative feedback. So far, I got two positive things and no negative stuff… that I know of. Phew.
After work, I met Masa, a good ol buddy from Tokyo and three of his friends. I was late because I thought he was in the Nankai South Tower Hotel but they were actually at the Nankai Hotel. Can’t anyone trademark a fucking name in this place? Anyhow, we ended walking in the sweltering heat and enjoying coffee, Amemura, and a few spiked drinks. Most of their English ability wasn’t very good so I had a good chance to practice my Japanese. I still suck ass compared to their English but hell, I could talk a bit and I understood a fair bit too. Not bad for less than 3 months of lessons I think.
Only 37 days till we go to Hokkaido and 36 days till our three year anni. Time flies but what a ride!
To Hell I Go
July 30, 2003
I’m probably the biggest jackass for finding this funny but:
Farmer’s radio-controlled chopper cuts off his leg
—
From my daily source of Japanese news with poorly written English journalism: Mainichi Interactive.
The first thing I did after I read this was burst out laughing. I don’t know why, the poor guy just lost his leg but it was a radio controlled helicopter! It’s a huge chopper I know, but all I imagine is a dude with a Radio Shack helicopter powered probably by Radio Shack batteries. He loses control a la Bugs Bunny and it comes boomeranging back at him!
There’s also a joke about this place Saga – lots of funny shit there.
Fear of Swarms
July 29, 2003
Like I was telling Dennis earlier, everytime I bike under a tree now, I shudder and pedal a little harder than normal. The trees are filled with those cicadas and today I had the misfortune of actually seeing one.
I had just left the subway exit and was strolling to the park. I park my bike in the park because to park near the exit, I’d have to pay something like 2,000 yen a month. It’s only about a hundred meters from the park entrance to the subway exit so I would never bother paying. About halfway to my bike, I notice something on the ground near the bus stop bench. The first thing I saw where translucent wings that resembled those of a dragonfly. Upon closer inspection, what should I see but a cicada, at least, that’s what I think was a cicada.
The sucker was huge.
Before this encounter, I had only seen their nymph forms, well, actually, I had only seen the discarded, shedded skins of their nymph forms. They were much smaller (about the size of a small walnut) and had no wings). Those I could deal with, but these winged behemoths? Nuh uh.
Like I was telling Dennis earlier, it was about the size of a D cell. I am not exaggerating like I usually do. It was fucking huge. The wings were about the length of my index finger, maybe a little shorter. The eyes! The eyes! They were bulbous and faceted. Luckily for me this particular cicada was deader than Napster (before Roxio bought the cadaver).
I wanted to take a picture with my phone but I was too disgusted to bear myself to get that close to it.
I got to my bike but just as I was unlocking it, the live cicadas in the trees started making their wretched screeching again. Now, having seen an adult-sized cicada, millions of goosebumps raised from my body at the thought of millions of cicadas swarming down upon my body. I biked out of the park a lot faster than usual. Even now in the safety of home (I have screen doors), I’m still crawling with the heebie jeebies as I’m typing this story up.
I miss Canada, where the crawly creatures don’t grow bigger than the Canadian dollar.
Sorry for the shitty hyperboles today.
Updatelogue
July 26, 2003
Well, as promised, here’s an update about the Tenjin Matsuri.
There were a lot of people. I mean, A LOT. I don’t have any numbers but there were packed streets for blocks and blocks and blocks. Just for comparison’s sake, I would have to say about 10 Vancouver blocks were packed with people.
We arrived at the station at about 7:30pm and therefore missed all the ceremonial stuff like the parade and crap like that. When we got there, they wouldn’t let us cross the street – so imagine about a 1000 people standing very close to a train station. Well, they were doing this because the fireworks were going so they didn’t want huge rushing crowds stampeding. The thing with the fireworks here, they play a short burst every five minutes or so – they’ll launch maybe 4 or 5 up, then stop. This had good and bad implications. Good: people would just stop in the middle of walking and gawk like stupid chickens at the short bursts, and then keep moving. They kept moving about the festival (tonnes of food vendors). Bad: PEOPLE WOULD JUST STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF WALKING. Eri and I were trying to reach the heart of the festival – basically the food vendors and also a procession of crazy boats with drums crossing the river. It was already packed enough but when people would suddenly stop to watch the fireworks – it really took a lot of effort to walk. I’m talking about the whole width of a block stalled because of people not walking. It was very very stressful.
We basically spent 3 hours trying to walk around but couldn’t. We managed to buy some food from the vendors – it was fairly good, before we gave up and went home.
All in all, I say it really sucked. I really hate going to places with big crowds. I feel bad for Eri because she really wanted me to enjoy this festival. I would’ve if about 60% of the people there suddenly disappeared.
I took a few pictures but it was too dark to capture good pics – I really wanted to show you guys how many people were there but the lighting was bad and my camera is retarded. But, I do have a few pictures to show:
- Here is one from the Hanshin Tigers game I went to – here are the balloons right before people were about to launch them.
- Here is a shot of a boat passing under the bridge we were walking on at the Tenjin Matsuri – can’t really see the boat but it was packed with drunk people who were dancing to some cool drum beats.
- This morning, I woke up to hear some drum beats in my own neighborhood. I opened the window and saw this.
Now – I’ve done my part – I’ve updated. You guys better follow suit.
Prologue
July 25, 2003
I’ll update tonight or maybe early tomorrow because I’ll be going to the Tenjin Matsuri, or Sky God Festival tonight with Eri. It’s reverred as one of the biggest festivals in Japan. I think there’s already stuff going on right now (12 noon) but I’ll be damned to be out in this humidity right now. I’ll hopefully get some nice pictures.
In the meantime, here is a link to some pretty nice pictures from this event – too bad I’ll be skipping all these formalities.
Aged
July 18, 2003
Are you enjoying the frequent updates this month? You’d better because everytime I update, a little part of me dies and soon there will be nothing left. Give another 40 or 50 years though.
So, July 17th rolled once again and once again my age counter has jumped one. The big two three. The Michael Jordan. The first prime number after 19. The big… age. Nothing much to write about. I went to work with four group lessons to start and four single (one student) lessons to finish. The day rolled by fairly quickly actually, I was in a good mood so the group lessons were fun and educating. After work, I got to hang out with Daniel, whom I haven’t really hung out with since Tokyo in May. We just went to McDonalds and had a bite, then to a pool hall where we just randomly shot at those balls, had a good chat about things and some other things, and then headed to his house. He recently acquired a Gamecube and he showed me Metroid Prime – it looks fucking awesome. I would love console FPSs if it weren’t for the fact you have to play them on crazy controllers with crazy axis controls and buttons and sticks all over the place. I hope they get smart and port all this stuff over to PCs – nothing beats the simplicity and superiority of the mouse.
After that, I met Eri and we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. The place was loud. The food was awesome – we just had a small plate of nachos and this appetizer combo set. I think both of us were avoiding burgers and the like. The food was awesome though. I think it may be partly because I haven’t eaten nachos and tater skins and chicken strips in bbq sauce in a LONG time. Of course, us being us, we didn’t finish the food so we got most of it wrapped up (I’m eating it right now for breakfast… kinda gross actually). The music they played here was a lot crappier than the HRC in Vancouver – there were a lot more 70s songs than I’d prefer (KC and the Sunshine Band??? Do they even qualify as rock? Much less Hard Rock?). The place was a bit expensive though. Oh yes, they are the first place in Japan that I’ve seen with refillable drinks. I had 3 cokes and they were free! Muhahaha.
Afterwards, Eri’s mom picked us up and dropped us home. She bought this lil cake for moi and also gave me some gift certificates (that work apparently in every store in Japan – they’re like Bank Certificates). I was able to speak a lot more Japanese to her than I did the last time I saw her. Actually, I was able to converse with a fair number of people this week. I wasn’t having mindblowing conversations but I was able to say a few things and understood some/most of what was said to me. I feel so damn proud.
We also stopped at a pharmacy because three asshole mosquitos bit my leg in very close proximity to each other. The itch was unbearable so I scratched quite a bit. I didn’t realize I roughed up the skin so badly so when I took a shower, I didn’t realize I left that area moist. Now? It’s infected and it looks just charming. We bought some cream and yellow stuff and some wrappings. I just hope it doesn’t get any bigger – it’s already consumed 45% of my body.
“Join us… we are we are… I’m sorry… for the many… The Many… kill the Machine Mother…”
Mini Everything
July 10, 2003
Most people know things in Japan are smaller than their North American counterparts but this is just silly. Coming home from work today, I went to the supermarket to buy some grub for tonight. I went to the drinks aisle to find my favorite oolong cha brand (Suntory rules!) but instead I notice a new crate. Inside were about 100 very petite cans of Coke, Sprite, Fanta, and two Japanese brands. These cans hold only 160mL – that’s about 2 gulps for me. Still, they were kinda cute for being so small and they were cheap too. They were 59 yen for one can and 10 cans for 499 yen. Well, the mL:yen ratio is probably crap compared to the big bottles but THEY’RE SO CUTE!!! I bought 6 cokes, 2 Goo Oranges, and 2 Goo Apples. Eri likes the orange while I like coke. The apples are for the cockroaches. See the webcam.
Edit – 2005/09/24
I was referring to this picture.
Feel Like It
July 05, 2003
Since everyone else has done so, I will create a reading masterpiece for your viewing, and sometimes sexual, pleasure.
I haven’t been updating about interesting things because almost nothing interesting happens in my little foreign life now. I’m actually glad for that because I’ve been through interesting times and I always just feel choked and angry and sad when I count all the jellybeans at the end of the night. I live my simple little English teacher life with my one and only and enjoy the simplicities that keep me grounded
I saw my first ever live baseball game in Japan. The Hanshin Tigers were playing the Chunichi Dragons and somehow Eri managed to buy tickets at the game when it was a sold out game. The baseball fields seem a little smaller than the North American counterpart but that’s the only thing that doesn’t measure up. The stadium was sold out as mentioned two sentences ago. That’s 50,000 people. About 5% of the stadium dressed in blue – the Chunichi colours. The rest were ALL Hanshin fans. Now the thing about them is, if you take 50,000 football (soccer) fans right out of the craziest, most rowdy countries (you know, England, Italy, France, etc etc), made them speak Japanese, take out the rioting, you’ll have Hanshin fans. They were making noise throughout the whole game. Every time a Tiger came up to bat, they sang a personalized song with their name in it (it was the same song all over but with different names). Everytime the Dragon’s pitcher was pulled, they sang some sort of “Sayonnara” song. It was one eye opening experience. The Tigers won 14-3 – the Tigers are kicking ass this season and they’re not taking names. One fella, Hiyama Something, hit a “cycle” – that is, 1 single, 1 double, 1 triple, and 1 homerun. I forgot what we North Americans call it – it might be “cycle” too
Tonight while coming home from watching the Matrix Reloaded, we heard a lot of noise and music coming from near my apartment. It turned out to be the local 29th Annual Suminoe festival, hosted right in the shitty soccer field about 1 minute away. It was essentially like those stupid Night Markets found in Chinatown but a lot more people. I swear the whole of Suminoe came out. There were a lot of stands that sold cheap food and drinks. I got a free fan and we bought small refreshments. Very fun – got to see a whole bunch of kids dressed in yukatas and kimonos.
Eri and I are planning a small vacation come September. We’re sort of thinking of going to Korea. It basically boils down to how much time we have and of course, how much moolah. I haven’t been saving money since coming here. Sucks. Come to think of it, I’ve never saved money in my life – I’ll always blow it on something stupid. I need to become less materialistic but it’s so damn hard when I live in the land of gadgets and aesthetics. The sad part is, I’m not even buying any gadgets – it’s just going out that’s draining. Blech
And that’s all I can think of right now.
Non-Work Work
June 16, 2003
Well, work is becoming busy. Actually, I think it’s fair to say that being busy is the norm now. 7 today and they all showed up. Those bastards. The nerve of them, to pay hard-earned money and then show up!?!?!
The interesting part came after work. Me and a couple others went to this place called Shakey’s Pizza. It’s this shitty little pizza parlour smack in the middle of Shinsaibashi (a busy hub of shoppers and all sorts of shit). They had pizza tabehodai for 600 yen. Tabehodai means all-you-can-eat. I mentioned about this yesterday. The pizza is not too bad for the price – it filled me up even though the crust is super thin and the toppings are carefully grafted on. They had interesting flavours to say the least. Still, I enjoyed it because I got to ask a friend some interesting questions that I wouldn’t normally ask other people.
After both of them left, I was stuck in Shinsaibashi alone so I decided to go to this English Cafe place I saw in some ads. The place wasn’t exactly a cafe. It was more like an apartment with chairs, tables, sofas, and a lot of drinks, freezers, ice, and that sort of stuff. Of course, at first the gaijin girl thought I was Japanese and started to tell me about the covers/fees. It wasn’t until I said, in perfect English, “I was under the impression that native English speakers get in for free.” Ahhh, everything clarifies at this point. I take my seat with these two older Japanese people and begin a nice chit chat. It was about 5:30 and there were only the 4 of us. At about 8, when I left, I think there were almost 20 people there. I met one dude also from Vancouver. The people were divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced tables and just chatted away. I noticed the native speakers speaking a lot which was interesting… I thought they’d want to let them speak more. So when I was at the table alone, I just asked them general get-ta-know-ya questions to get them talking. It was really fun. It was like work but not really – it was meaningful and personable. For the first time ever, I felt like a teacher.
I’m definitely gonna go back to that place – lotsa human interaction there. Also, I haven’t met many people in Osaka so it’s a great opportunity. Yeah.
Museum of Ridiculous Boring Things
June 08, 2003
Today was the first date like day for Eri and I in a long time. We woke up and had a quick lunch at this Japanese fast food restaurant. They serve mostly beef ricebowls but we ended up having some cold udon dish too. It was the first time I tried it and it was fuggin good. They serve it on a bamboo platter along with a dish with a soysauce/udon soup mixture along with generous amounts of green onion and some ginger. You dip the udon into this soup and then enjoy. It was fuggin hot today, probably hotter than you Vancouverians complaining about your dry, hot weather. Try it with humidity.
We then took a nice subway ride to Tanimachi and went to the Osaka History Museum. From the outside, the place is mindblowingly beautiful. It’s a fabulous work of architecture. Inside, the place was just as nice. It was definitely the newest museum I’ve been to in Japan. There was an impressive view of Osaka Castle on every floor. The content of the museum itself was ok but there wasn’t anything I didn’t see in the Tokyo National Museum a few weeks ago. It was just newer today. They had a sword collection too but katana and tachi are only interesting when you see professionals slice shit up with them. When they’re laying on white cloth behind layers of glass, it’s as interesting as broken glassware. Still, it gave us a reason to get out of the apartment instead of just waste it watching rented movies and variety shows
We got back around 7 and went to this 100 yen kaiten sushi shop. Kaiten means revolving – it’s nothing new to your Vancouverians. The place is quite near my house but I’ve never been there because it looked really small. Boy I wish I had gone earlier. The stuff was really fresh for cheap sushi and the rice was not made by robots and machines like at the other place we usually go. The staff seemed really friendly and wanting to fulfill our every needs. Eri said one dude was constantly asking customers if they were ok or if they wanted some special orders as they weren’t eating much. That’s cool. I took a couple pictures today but then found out the museum was not camera-friendly. Poo on them.
Seems Justin had a harrowing adventure with an arsonist or someone with a grudge. If you want to be careful dude, I’d go drench your yard and bushes with the garden hose for awhile. Get them soaked up with water so that it’d be harder to set on fire later. Or maybe coat it with really toxic chemicals that once burned will form poison clouds, killing everything in its vicinity. Oh yeah, airtight your house first.
I’m still working on stuff around this site. Right now I’m using the same layout for every page but the grand plan will be for each section to have its own unique look. I’m not into the whole uniformity thing.
… prev update cont…
May 30, 2003
Ok right after I posted the update below, the wind picked up and is rattling my balcony door. I opened it to see a lot of shit waving in the wind and the blue sky that was there earlier is now mostly covered with a big ugly cloud. It’s becoming… The Perfect Storm. If only George Clooney were here. He’d hold me in his manly, shit-acting arms.
My First Japanese Typhoon
It’s not even summer and a typhoon is heading in from the southwest. In Kyushu, they’re getting some rain and wind. In Osaka, where I am, the sky started out blue this morning but now it has grayed a bit. The wind isn’t strong but it makes its presence. It’s a welcome presence I must say because it’s quite hot today. It says on the news that the typhoon will be on top of Osaka tomorrow around noon. It’s kinda exciting but it’s only a level 4 typhoon. I think that makes it around “wuss wind” level. Cool now it says Kyushu is or will be getting 400-500mm or rain. That’s almost biblical! A lot of really small dogs and short ladies can drown with that level of water. Think about the small dogs!
I had my first Japanese lesson today too. Nothing too difficult today and I picked up a bit of vocabulary. And welcome back Dennis – dude you owe us a mega update about your rockstar days on your rockstar tour. I like that word, rockstar.
It seems the only people updating these days are Sunny and myself. Sunny, I’m glad that you’re updating but under the circumstances, I hope you’re doing ok and don’t let the Pacific Ocean get in the way of me talking to you. Damn the Pacific Ocean… damn it to hell I say. Oh yes, you need to put your webpage somewhere else. Angelfire has too many annoying popups!!!
Ok I’m off to vacuum and then commit xenocide in Master of Orion III. By the way, the game is FREE now on Amazon.com right now. And here I am stupidly buying it in stupid Akihabara in stupid Tokyo. It’s not the greatest game in the world but it has a lot of depth and flows much faster than previous conquer-the-galaxy games. I’m currently losing my power base to these asshole aliens called Cynoids – if you remember the Meklar, well, the Cynoids are like Meklar with a bit of flesh attached. I have about 7 heavily armed armadas heading their way right about now…
Business Ethics 101
May 28, 2003
While covering the Iraq war, a Japanese newspaper war correspondent picked up an object which he believed was ammunition that was no longer live. Unfortunately, it was still live and it exploded in an airport in Jordan, killing a Jordanian and injuring several others. While this incident has been judged accidental, the reporter is still being held in trial. The reporter’s employer, Mainichi Daily News, has come out publicly about this accident involving its employee. The president even made a visit to Jordan to express his regrets to the victim’s family and to the Jordanian King.
In my humble opinion, I think here is good business ethics wrapped up in a golden frame. The president of the newspaper made no attempts to distance the company and the poor reporter who now has to live with the taking of a man’s life. He even accepted responsibility and has punished many top executives when this accident was pretty much caused by that one reporter. He apparently has made no attempt to hide any sort of information. He went out of his way to accept the problem and has actively tried to find a solution. Many people would’ve made a scapegoat out of the reporter and pretend it never happened. If only more executives act more like this president. This story will go into my books.
Here’s the press release if you’re interested.
Strong SAD
May 19, 2003
I got back from Tokyo yesterday morning. The 4.5 day trip was absolutely fantastic. It might just be the best short trip I have ever taken. I saw a whole bunch of people I haven’t seen in ages and had barrels of blasts. That’s right! I didn’t just have a blast, I had a barrel of them. I won’t go into the details but here were some of the highlights:
I bumped into two students I met 3 years ago. They let me and my friend stay at their house and they totally took us around town. Thanks Tatsuya and Akiko!
I met almost all of the students from a program I worked on last summer. Some of them took us around and one of them organized this whole gianto drinking dinner deal with UNLIMITED alcohol (for a time limit). I honestly haven’t drank that much since Doug’s birthday last year. Thanks Masa!
I met a couple of old coworkers that I haven’t seen inawhile.
I bought Master of Orion 3 in English for relatively cheap.
I got to practice Japanese everyday and noticed that I knew more than the 11 words I previously thought was my vocabulary.
I unravelled the mystery of bullet trains. They’re not that impressive.
I stayed at a capsule hotel! If you don’t know what they are, well, they’re like a coffin with a blanket and a small tv (WITH FREE PORNO!!!!!!!!!!!!)
I was tempted by the highest beautiful women per capita in all the lands that I have roamed. Dude… seriously… dude.
Edit – 2005/09/22
Here are some pictures from that trip.
One Of The Best Things About This Place
May 08, 2003
Is that even sushi bought at a grocery store kicks the ass of many sushi restaurants back home! Mmm maguro…
The Smell of Sweat
May 06, 2003
You can tell by the title this update will be lovely.
Yes.
It is becoming quite hot.
It was 30 degrees two days ago.
That’s right. It was 30 degrees in early May. Vancouver barely hits 30 in the peak of summer and here I am in early May rolling around in sweat at night because I can’t sleep without a blanket over me. The people who have been here awhile tell me the worse is yet to come. Really? Oh that’s just great. My body is tuned and geared to battle cold weather. I wear shorts and t-shirts in winter. Well, I guess Vancouver winters were never lethal as they are in say, Siberia, but it does get chilly. Ok… the winters in Osaka are colder than Vancouver but that just proves my point – the weather is fucked
I am starting a new schedule with a late shift followed by four earlies. Earlies start at 7:30am so I wake up at 6:00am. That’s right. I’m waking up earlier than I did in highschool. What sort of drug persuaded me to do this you ask? Well, it was LOVE! This way, I get to see Eri more since she works a normal 9-5, Mon-Fri job. Furthermore, my old schedule motivated me to sleep at 4am and wake up at 12, sometimes 1pm – leaving me free time only from 11pm-4am. You can’t really do much at those hours. Now, I can see daylight after work, buy groceries on the way home, and take up things I wanted to do. I am planning to get a japanese teacher very soon. I’m juggling the idea of learning a martial art or teaching part time elsewhere to pick up some cash. I got lots more to do now and time to do it. It sure was hard trying to sleep early though. I slept about 2 hours and had a full schedule yesterday. Today was much easier. I think things are going to be good
Prior to this, I had my 2 weekends and got to hang out with Daniel from Vancouver for a couple of days. It was good to catch up on all the news from the ELI. I really miss that ol’ place. It really was an enjoyable place to be. I’ll be in Tokyo in about a week to hang out with some students from last summer too. It’ll be great. Oh yes, on May 15, a worldwide earthquake will kill us all! This is according to Panawave Laboratory, a cult as fucked as those dudes who thought there was a space ship hiding behind that Bopp comet. By the way, they think microwaves are evil and a Bearded Seal named Tama-chan is the cause of the cancer growing in the founders’ lunatic body.
SARS deathtoll: about 500. Annual worldwide death from the common cold: 250,000
I am in dire need of sleep.
Naming Your Neighbours
April 20, 2003
After reading Chang’s update, I’m reminded of a similar thing Eri and I do in the apartment. On our floor there are about 8 apartments. I never went down to the end of the hall before so I really haven’t a clue. I met all the Japanese neighbors once and that was in October. I was told it was proper etiquette to say hello to your neighbors and say something along the lines of, “Please welcome me to the building if it will not bring dishonor to your generation and 42 generations along your line. If you please.” So I gave them some packs of the smoked salmon I had horded from Vancouver. Ever since then, I haven’t even seen them, let alone try to talk to them.
In these past months, people (mostly the foreigners), have moved, have come and gone, and very few have stayed. For the ones that have stayed, we have special names for them.
- There’s See Sit – it’s because her name has the Chinese characters to see, and to sit and also I have no idea how to pronounce them in Japanese, so I dubbed her See Sit.
- There’s also Wine – same reason as above.
- There’s Nose – same reason as above.
- Then there’s The Guy Who’s Dying – he’s really interesting. I have never seen him and I’m not quite sure which particular apartment he is in. Sometimes I think he’s to the right of me, sometimes I think he’s on the floor above. Wherever he is, he seems like he’s dying because EVERYDAY he makes the most horrendous coughing/gagging/lugey hocking sounds I have ever heard in my life. Top that off with that he almost screams out these sounds. He usually goes through these dying fits very early in the morning. I think I heard some organs drop to the floor once.
- As for the foreigners, I don’t really know them. There was one guy who lived at the end of the hall. I forgot his name but I bought this computer desk from him. His apartment stunk so much. He doesn’t really have a name, but we just refer to him as stinky guy.
I bet they all have names for me like, “There’s the Japanese guy” or “There’s the Foreign guy”. The thing about being a Chinese-Canadian in Japan is that no one knows what the fuck to do with you. Most people just assume I’m Japanese and therefore be fluent in the language. I guess in Canada if you see a caucasian person running around, you’d assume he’s an English speaker too. Makes you think.
Two Updates
April 15, 2003
You guys are so lucky huh.
I discovered that the thing with instant noodles is that you can throw whatever is in your fridge and it will still taste damn good. I am hooked on a certain brand of instant noodles here and it kicks the ass of some normal noodle restaurants in Vancouver. I forgot what flavour it is but probably somewhere along the lines of Kyushi shio ramen or something. Ever since Eri moved back to her house and left me with the cooking, this ramen has become the main sustenance. Usually I just throw whatever is in the fridge and eat the sucker right out of the pot.
Today, as per my usual Chores Tuesday, I went grocery shopping. I decided I was going to splurge a bit because it was pay day and I had some nice change in the bank that I could spend. I bought some damn nice beef that is supposed to be for grilling, some bok choy because I haven’t been eating greens, some eggs, and a whole shitload of non-ramen items. And so, I had possibly the best instant noodle pot I’ve ever made. I essentially threw in whatever spice or condiment I could think of and marinated the beef in some sort of Japanese sauce and even cut the bok choy into pretty bite-sized pieces. I don’t think anyone in history went to the meticulous details I did to prepare some instant ramen. Looking back now I should’ve bought real noodles and just make my own soup base but that’ll be for next time, for sure.
Now, with a rather bloated tummy and a smile the size of Wisconsin, I think I will fall back onto a pillow, throw in The Usual Suspects, and leave Spin Doctors on at a just audible level.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is living.
Halfa Milestone
April 09, 2003
April 9th marks exactly six months to the day that I stepped foot onto Japan soil. Hot damn, where has the time gone? I was eyeing this graduate school that is run entirely in English here. It’s a one year program and looks pretty cool. Downside: 3,600,000 yen for the program plus living expenses, books, accomodation, etc. The tuition itself is almost $50,000 CDN. A little too much for my blue collar butt. I’ll wait till later I guess but I think I’ve decided to study in another country, be it Japan or Jamaica or something.
And today’s big bargain: 5 bananas for 38 yen (about 50 cents) – that’s dirt cheap!!! Bananas are sold by the bunch here instead of by pound or kilo. The price I paid before was usually 100 yen to the bunch. I’ve done and saved meeself a smart 62 yen… Cletus! You’re going to college!
Realization
April 08, 2003
This night was an eye opener for him. It was his girlfriend’s first official day at work and they were to meet afterwards. They went for a tantalizing meal of yakisoba and okonomiyaki. If you don’t know what these two items are, don’t bother asking – it’s one of those food deals. They barely finished these two items but they ordered a side dish of salted fried squid – a delicacy to Japanese people, himself, and perhaps some iodine deficient killer whales. It was a meal fit for Shogunate rulers with a bad attitude.
With a full stomach of delectable food washed down with coke and oolong tea, they decided to end the day with a bit of romance. They hopped the local train and went to admire the cherry blossoms in full bloom. The river bank where they went was lined with possibly hundreds of cherry blossom trees and just as many people under them. Many of the trees had blue tarmac underneath with a gang of young adults, enjoying some premade food and beer. Some where couples holding hands, walking on the sidewalk and enjoying each other’s company. He and his other were of this type.
They spotted the castle some ways ahead. It was a three kilometer walk along the river from where they were if they wanted to see the castle and unfortunately, she had to work early in the morning. They decided to sit on a bench overlooking the river, surrounded by cherry blossoms to their left, right, and back. It was a tranquil evening
It was at this moment when he realized he was no longer the same person he thought he had been. He had, in his amazement, grown up and had a lot to be proud of. No longer someone without a care, he now has many strange things to look forward to. And although this new path will be filled with as much treachery as there is reward, he realized he wouldn’t be alone in travelling.
Aquarium
March 26, 2003
Seeing how this will be one of the last, full weekends that I will see Eri for awhile, we went for one of our complete day adventures. She starts her job in April and she’ll have a normal Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 job while I am still stuck with my fucked up schedule. The best case scenario will be my request gets approved for May and I’ll be working Sunday to Thursday, finishing mostly at 3pm
We decided to go to the Osaka Aquarium today because I’ve never been there and some people told me it’s kinda fun. Well, it was fun. We took a scenic train line that went through a part of town I’ve never been in. The aquarium sits on the harbour and the air in that nook of the city is much fresher and has that nice sea salt smell. The aquarium itself knocks the pants off the Vancouver one. First you go up an escalator and the entire tour is over 500m long. You wind down these paths all the while fish are swimming beside you. The lighting is fabulous. Most of the tanks have that nice UV light that make the colors illuminate moreso than in nature.
There were fish there that I’ve only seen on the Discovery Channel. Their theme is the Ring of Fire and as you wind down through the place, you see signs of where these fish came from – all from places on the Ring of Fire. The coolest things I saw today was a 4m long whale shark (the sucker grows up to 12m long), an ocean sun fish (looks like a tire with fins on top and bottom), some dolphins, and GIANT SPIDER CRABS. Those crabs stood probably two feet high – the body was the size of a watermelon and the legs when stretched out probably were 3 feet long (possibly more). I took tonnes of pictures and filled up an 8mb memory card and had to resort to my phone for the spillover. I wish I could just post every picture I’ve ever taken online – maybe one of these days I will
But for now, enjoy some pictures from the aquarium’s webpage. Sorry Dennis for not replying when you messaged. I was being mesmerized by the ocean sun fish’s rhythmic waving of its top and bottom fins.
2 More To Go…
February 15, 2003
Here I am, in booth 479, waiting for an intermediate student to show up for a vocabulary lesson about The Media. It’s four minutes into the lesson and no trace of him has surfaced. Maybe though, I will hear the static-like crackling of background noise that always precedes the student’s entrance.
The event horizon is about seven or eight minutes. If they don’t show up within this time, chances are they won’t show up at all. Before this time though, no light can escape the fact that they might pop up and force you to teach.
It is eight minutes and 30 seconds… NOW!
I’m in the pseudo-safe zone but still I fear. I fear he will break the intensive statistical analysis done by me and other’s before me. This set of vocabulary lessons, for example, has a 10% no-show rate. This rule of thumb has held true for me. In fact, my numbers have even outperformed the norm.
11 minutes…
I breathe a heavy sigh. It’s too late to do a complete lesson for most students now. By rational logic, this student would not come because he doesn’t want an unfinished lesson. Yet I have learned that our world isn’t always rational and logical.
15 minutes…
“Don’t be an idiot,” my brain whispers, “Don’t let your guard down just yet.” Others before have gone mad when their student(s) show up at this point. Even normal curves provide room for outliers. Judging by his profile, he doesn’t quite fit in the area between 2, maybe even 3 standard deviations.
20 minutes…
I’m half through now. Luck or fate has helped me this far. Please don’t forsake me now. Many a teacher have been abandonned by Prima Donna Luck. In their valiant crusade to secure the coveted Three-Way-No-Show, it’s when all 3 students don’t show up, one student will almost inevitably show up. I myself only have had a 7 minute, Three-Way-No-Show. I almost tasted divinity. We have all heard the legends of the forefathers who have felt this glory. The new and therefore naive young ones look forward to one every new day. I personally have gone beyond despair for one. No. Not for me. Not today.
25 minutes…
I begin to see a small, white light at the end of this proverbial tunnel. I’m on the home stretch now but it has been known that shit can happen. They could show up. They have the ability to do so. They paid for this right, this right to torment us. Fire feels like the finest down and brimstone tastes like the sweetest fruit compared to this anxiety, nay, this agony of The Wait.
30 minutes…
The naive would’ve taken off their headsets: our lance and shield at this point. Not I. I have fought off enough foes to know that they attack when you are weakest. These naive fools would be surprise-attacked. They will scramble to equip their lance and shield as the cunning foe launches waves and waves of broken English.
35 minutes…
I’m taking a big risk. I checked off the no-show box. It’s equivalent to planting your flag in the enemy’s backyard. They could show up now and you’d have to unplant your flag and uncheck the box like the coward and fool you are. It takes balls to check it now. Only a few minutes remain. The light in the tunnel is filling most of the darkness.
40 minutes…
The familiar bell sounds. It trumpets a triumph that will ring for all evening. I had a No-Show. Score one for the white knights.
—
Thus is the life of an English teacher.
Phew
February 14, 2003
With 26 minutes left in this day, I make it in the nick of the time to update
So what is this business, this Valentines Day they speak of? What matter is it to the daily running of humanity? Nothing says I. In Japan, they have an interesting custom on this day – the women give chocolate to men. Only. Women are “supposed” to give giri-choco to men they work around, especially bosses. There’s no meaning to this – it’s just you do it. And then to the man of their dreams, they give honmei-choco. Men just sit back and watch the chocolates roll in. Before you men all immigrate over here for the gratuitous chocolate samples, a month later, on March 14, is White Day. This is when it’s the men’s turn to reciprocate and give gifts back to women. It’s like they invented another consumer spending day
So this year, I told Eri not to get me anything. I don’t want to let a candy replace true feelings of love which this day is supposed to stand for anyway
Eep. This update was quite short but I hope it proves to be educational.
Total Body Haircut
February 06, 2003
Today I had my first ever haircut in Japan. In fact, it’s the first hair cut outside of Vancouver. Eri found this place on the web that was very close to work, in the mall-like hallway between two train stations. From the outside, we saw that all the staff were fairly old. This wasn’t a promising sign because if any of you guys out there have ever been to the barbers in Chinatown – they’re so old their hands shake when they’re cutting your hair. They almost never do a good job. It is so not worth going to those places even though they’re dirt cheap. So anyway, when I saw the average of the staff exceeded my weight in kilograms, I was a bit scared. But, I had just finished working and I was tired and in desperate need of a cut so what the hell. Eri quickly explained that I was a foreigner who didn’t speak the language and briskly told this dude what I needed. He led me to a swivel chair only it looked really advanced and was made of plastic and other stuff. You could tell there were gizmos and electronics underneath because there were some buttons and displays. Cool I thought
I was scared that these dudes would make a debauchery of my hair and I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. Instead, the guy was super skilled in the scissor arts and really quickly cut my hair. He didn’t even use the shaver thingy that my usual places in Vancouver use. He only used a simple pair of scissors. It was amazing how fast he could pick up a lock of hair, make a precision cut, and then pick up another lock. I was slightly mesmerized by this. After the cut, he opened this contraption in front of me. I could only describe it as a sink with a few buttons and places to hold warmed up, mixed shampoo. He lathered up and made me bend my head over the now functional sink and proceeded to wash. After that, he applied I think 2 other things to my hair – I suppose one was conditioner but I have no idea what the other thing was. It smelled nice though, kinda like spring time fresh with coconut or something.
After that, he did some massaging on my head which felt really nice. Then he dried the hair a bit and applied some more stuff. I thought this was weird, he was putting in a lot more hair products than I was used to. Then he started massaging my neck and shoulder muscles. That’s a nice surprise, what good service. He then brings out some machine the size of an iron and plugs it in. He presses it to my legs. Oh! It’s a handheld massager but why is he massaging my legs? He essentially massages my whole body save my ass and privates. It felt very nice on my shoulders because I’ve always had a problem with tense shoulder muscles.
Oh yeah, he asked me if I wanted a shave by pointing to my 5 o clock shadow. I said no and also no to shaving my eyebrows but then he went and shaved my forehead. I never even realized I had folicles there in the first place. My forehead is now nice and reflective
I thought by now that he would charge me extra for all the other stuff but when we got to the pay counter, the price was still the same, about $30. Shit I thought, I came in for a haircut and pretty much got a total body relaxation package. Sweet deal. I am definitely going back there next time and I will get the shave because I now trust this dude. For the record, I’m guessing he was about 50ish years old. I am now such a hottie even I can’t believe it.
It feels like home
January 17, 2003
This morning, well, at 11am, someone rang my doorbell. I ran up, threw a shirt on, and opened the door. To my surprise, I see two old japanese ladies standing there. Now, I still don’t speak or understand japanese but I knew just from looking at them that they were the equivalent of our Jehovah’s Witness! They asked me in Japanese if I spoke Japanese. I said no. Then one of them started speaking in English!
“Excuse me, one month ago, I gave a magazine to a woman in the house. Is she out?” – She whips out a magazine from her handbag. “Yes… grumble grumble” “oh, can you give this to her?” – She hands me a new magazine, Watchtower. Oh wonderful. “Yes… grumble grumble” – I close the door now.
Much like home, a soliticing religious person has awoken me from slumber. If there were a god, surely, these are the people he would smite first.
Almost Christmas’d Myself
December 23, 2002
Christmas has come to a halt for me this year, partly because it’s not such a big thing here, and mostly because of something that happened this morning that I don’t care to speak about at the moment. Don’t worry, it’s nothing about Eri or myself but it will take her attention away from Christmas I think. I’ll fill you in maybe in a few days when things sort of return to normal. Even so, today I had an experience that almost brought the whole meaning of Christmas back.
The past four days have been very busy at work. The reasons are two-fold. Fold 1: many teachers have taken holidays early this year and being the oppressive slave drivers that they are, the company didn’t get anyone to take the slack – leaving us no-holidayers to fill up the gap. Fold 2: many students’ lesson points expire around this time so they are busy filling up every slot with lessons to get the best bang out of the buck, er yen. Result of these two folds is that most if not all have had 8 lessons. I’ve had 8 for four days and 7 before that. Although technically I’m still quite new and therefore get more lessons usually anyway, I felt quite frustrated. It wasn’t all bad looking back now, of the 39 lessons, only 1 went horribly wrong but it was because the student was an uncooperative bitch. Too bad punching someone through the internet is unfeasible… yet. I’m looking into it.
I digress.
During my break today, I finished the lunch that Eri meticulously packed for me and as delicious as it was, it was not nearly filling for my ravenous hunger. I went downstairs to the convenient store to buy my favorite snack – a danish like pastry the size of a small domino’s pizza that is covered with sugar icing. Total cost, 105 yen after tax, roughly $1.30. Total value after everything, roughly REALLY GOOD. After the transaction of which I answered iie (“no”) to some question the girl asked, I was hit with a decision; Should I go back upstairs to the break room where all the chairs have most likely been taken or should I bear the merciless winds that will no doubt rip the already dry skin off my beautiful, youthful demeanor? I chose the latter. I had my comfy coat anyway.
I sat down on a stage where we usually sit to eat. I started opening my good-value-pastry. Suddenly an old man dressed in shabby clothes started talking to me. I couldn’t make out much but from the few words I understood, he was just trying to talk to me, asking me something about Christmas and something about beer (he showed me a can of beer, that’s how I knew). I didn’t really know what to say because it was apparent this was the Japanese equivalent of one of the schizo’s in downtown Vancouver. I could’ve said wakarimasen “I don’t understand” and then just walk off but for some reason, I spoke to him in English.
“I’m sorry I don’t speak Japanese”.
I think I expected him to look at me blankly and then sort of scuttle away in fear of THE GAI-JIN (“foreign person ~ kind of a demeaning term”). Instead, he surprises me by first saying a Japanese sentence that probably meant, “Oh fuck! This guy’s not Japanese”. Then he SPEAKS ENGLISH TO ME!!! Well not really, he only said, “I am homeless”. He then extends his sullen, stained right hand to me. I really didn’t want to shake his hand. If this were Vancouver, I would’ve told him to get away from me and/or I would leave. I actually shook this poor man’s hand. Afterwards, I thought this would end the conversation as I turned away and started to open my pastry (avoiding contact with my now contaminated hand, mind you). The guy starts speaking some more to me, using his not-so-extensive English vocabulary. Something something Christmas. Something something eigo-sensei (“English teacher”). Something something I am homeless. I just smiled and nodded. Occasionally I understood something and I replied in the affirmative.
He saw my pastry and said something. He then offered me the same can of beer (again). My empathic abilities (I am a world-renown psychic) told me he wanted me to recipricate and offer my lovely pastry to him. Another decision: should I just act like I would and just walk off, possibly even telling him to go blip his bleep or should I offer this guy my pastry? Strangely, I chose the latter. I ripped it in half (I was still hungry you know) and offered him one of the pieces… the smaller half. He accepted it delightly and kept thanking me. I didn’t really care at the time. I did it not out of selflessness or charity, but I think I did it because he kind of expected me to do so. I know most if not all others would have ignored him. I took no joy from this nor did I feel spite. I was nothing.
As he was happily munching the thing, he started talking about being homeless again. I felt really sorry for this guy. He even showed me his cruddy wallet which contained exactly 1 yen… roughly NOTHING in any currency. I think at this point I felt he wanted me to give him money. Here was where I felt it. I was something.
I was thinking, should I give this guy maybe a thousand yen and hope he enjoys it or should I not do anything at all? Although I’m quite financially insecure right now, I could probably spare that 1000 and not starve to death while this guy would probably enjoy it more than me. I thought it was almost christmas and the spirit of christmas was about giving, and about love, and about caring for humanity. It wasn’t about presents and wrapping and turkey and fat flying men and sales and boxing day returns. It was about the essense of what connects you to me and me to the next person. I really wanted to give him the money. I almost did. But almost does not achive results. I stood up and walked away. I became more of something.
For the rest of my shift, I had this horrible regret-like feeling that I did the wrong thing. I usually don’t believe in hand outs as past experience has shown any charity money given to panhandlers will eventually end up in an intoxicating or banned substance. This man was different. Sure, he had a beer with him. Sure, he smelled like shit. Sure, he was annoying me and he ate half my pastry. Sure, he would result in nothing and will probably die a lonely, hungry man. He was nothing. He will be nothing. Nothing I could’ve done would probably have changed this fact. It’s just that if I’m not willing to help this one man, how would I be able to help others? How can I help myself? I thought if I had done that one good thing, or maybe even go farther and get him a real, hot meal, maybe I could’ve made a difference in this man’s life and. I started to feel nothing again.
Sadly, I discovered tonight that I am not the saint I made myself to be.
Merry Christmas.
And Now For A Proper Update
December 12, 2002
It has been a very busy three days. Maki and Yuki came to Osaka, from Vancouver and Shikoku respectively and I hung out with for two days. I also saw two other guys whom I haven’t seen in ages. One guy, Taka, left for Japan around the time I got together with Eri – that’s over 2 years ago. Another guy, Ryota, I can’t remember when but maybe around last summer maybe. The first day we didn’t really do much but eat and go to a karaoke place. That place has these wireless pad dealies where you can search songs very easily, even for a guy who can’t really read japanese that well. It was a great idea. They only gave us two of those things for the 6 of us so we had a few regular books too. Dinner was great but I was falling asleep by the end.
Like I said yesterday, yesterday we went to USJ. It was awesome! It was way more fun than anything I could ever expect. The place is absolutely huge. The rides had all the videos and sounds from the american one except all voices are dubbed into Japanese. All the rides were pretty old though – I remember Back to the Future came out a long time ago. Still, since it has been more than a decade since I’ve been to the American one, all these rides except Jaws are new to me. They weren’t exactly scary. The closest thing to scary was Jurassic Park – there was a big drop at the end. It was pretty good. We got wet in three of the attractions. It was around 6 degrees or so. You do the math. We went to Backdraft to warm up. What surprised me the most were the prices. Although the stuff was much more expensive than the outside, the markup on things weren’t as high as they would be in a North American themepark. I almost felt I was saving money by going there.
I took a slew of pictures but my digital camera is refusing to turn on now. That’s just fucking wonderful. It has finally bit the dust, taking with it pictures of the biggest tourist place I’ve been to since the Eiffel Tower. I think I’ll have to buy one of those compact flash connectors. Probably faster anyway. Bitch camera.
Nyahhh
November 07, 2002
Ok, I will not just put up links today (not that there’s anything wrong with link-only-updates). The links are right before this update.
So yesterday I saw my friends and we went to a funny little restaurant that served all kinds of food. In Japan, most restaurants specialize in one food so if you step into an udon shop, you can only literally order udon (several different kinds of udon though). It’s not like Vancouver where you can get spaghetti, steak, quesadilla, and (pshh) chinese stir-fry in the same place. The restaurant we went to was pretty good but most of the time was spent just having a couple of beers and playing janken for whatever food was left. I lost several times so I got stuck with the fourth round picks and a piece of lemon. Bah. I am craving a gianto plate of good ol fashion spaghetti. It’s the easiest thing to make but there’s no incentive for me to go buy the stuff and spend half an hour cooking. I’d rather go to the convenience store and pick up some sandwiches or o-nigiri for half the price and a tenth of the effort. Anyways, I digress. I haven’t seen one girl since June, one guy since July, and another girl since October. They were pretty high level English speakers and they also stayed in Vancouver for well over a year. When I was in Vancouver, they had no problems speaking English. Yesterday was probably one of the first few times they’ve had the chance to practice speaking so their levels were quite low. It was an hour into dinner and a couple beers downed before they were speaking more naturally. It’s not that I’m judging or anything, it’s just made me think you have to keep practicing something just to keep where you are. That sucks because I enjoy a whole variety of hobbies and therefore I will not have the time to practice and therefore I will never be good at something. Sucks to time constraints.
On a happy note, today I understood a woman when she was asking for directions. I even pointed her in the right direction (she was lucky I recognized the train line). I am such a divine gift.
I am running on 4.5 hours of sleep again. It will be like this every Thursday since I work at 7:30am. This shift sticks out like a sore thumb because I usually sleep at 1 or 2am every night because I usually work at 3pm. I do feel I accomplished a lot in the day though. I just can’t wait to get my hands on them monies that were promised.
Mega Update
October 30, 2002
In the three weeks I have been in Japan, I wrote a makeshift diary in the hopes that when I got internet, I could put it on my webpage. Here it is folks. There’s only about 4 updates but it’s about 4 pages in length. It’s for you if you really love hearing me whine and crap like that. Enjoy. Remember, I’m still waiting for your emails.
The last update ended on October 19. Since then, I’ve done nothing but work and relax with Eri. There.
October 11 – 16:00
I am guilty of not updating this webpage as of late but I’m sure you’ll forgive me of this. Right now at this exact moment, I am sitting on some tatami mats in my “living room” in my apartment in Osaka in Japan. I am alone because Eri had to go to school. About two hours ago, I walked her to the train station near my house and kissed her goodbye. I had eight hours to kill before I would meet her at the train station again. I walked through the station and saw some sort of market place. Actually, this was the first time I was alone in Japan so decided to bring out the adventure-seeking qualities in me and plowed into the marketplace. The marketplace itself looked like a really long alley with a cover. To each side are ragtag stores with ragtag store keeps. I couldn’t help but notice that the average age of the store keeps must have been near 60. There were many food stands with real Japanese food. My palate was beginning to grow accustomed to the food here so my saliva glands began working. I continued on. There were not many clothing stores and the rare ones there mainly sold women’s fashion. I saw many stores that sold a variety of goods ranging from home appliances, kitchen goods, stationary, and traditional looking items such as pots, kimono, strange statues, and the like. I ended up buying 4 forks, 4 of those Chinese spoons that we use at home, and 2 soy sauce dishes. Total cost: 1,000 yen or for those unaware of the exchange rate, about 14 dollars. I think I’m going to return to this 100 yen store (the equivalent to the dollar stores we love so much). That wasn’t it. I took a long way home (on purpose!) and found a grocery store where I poured about $30 in 4 bananas, 2 oranges, 4 cans of coke, 2 Nagasaki Champon packs, and a ready to eat meal of tonkatsu and rice. Did I mention things cost more here than they do in Vancouver? As I walked back, I heard a bunch of men speaking in a somewhat hostile manner. I recognize the tones and phonetics in the few yakuza movies I’ve seen. From what I can gather, some construction workers weren’t happy at some guy in the apartment that they were working at. That’s all I could tell you without learning the language. So here I am in my apartment now, recapping my adventurous day. I feel somewhat bored without Eri and a little homesick. I really like my apartment though. It’s a little old but the place is bigger than I imagined and after a huge cleanup day yesterday, the place is looking alright. We need to buy a lot more things before it becomes a fully functional unit.
I miss you all dearly and wish I were home for a day.
PS. The following is a recap of my first two days here. Enjoy!
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After a 10 hour flight that was delayed for an hour and a half due to “technical difficulties” (said the Captain), I was exhausted. I valiantly traded my seat with some Chinese gentleman because his two young daughters had seats together with me and I guess they didn’t want to be apart from daddy. I gave him my seat and took his. This sacrifice would end up costing me because I ended up sitting beside a fat lady who took up about 2 inches of my seat and a 90 year old man who wouldn’t stop talking to me. I had to answer in lies because if I told him the truth to his questions, they would lead to more questions. “How long will you stay in Japan?” he asks, “One month, I’m just going siteseeing”, I say. If I said I would stay for a year, he would follow up with what I’m doing, and would go on and on about some anecdote. He did speak and read Japanese very well which was surprising.
Anyway, some guy from the company picked me up and he was as cold as the Ross Shelf that broke off not long ago. He told the other suckers, I mean recruits which train to take and someone would meet them on the other side. I bet they ALL got lost. I got a break because I happened to live in the same building that he does. In fact, he’s living right under my place, wonder if he hears my key tapping. After a VERY long train ride and a very long walk to the building, I finally got into my apartment. There was a wood smell that was a little intrusive. I dropped my bags, de-virginized the toilet and ran to the nearest payphone to call Eri. She and her mom picked me up soon after and we spent the next few hours buying stuff for my apartment. I stayed at their house that night.
The next morning, we got up bright and early and went back to my place. Eri, being the angel she is, spent the whole day helping me clean out the place. The place looks so much better after the cleaning. It’s actually quite a comfortable flat. We then went out to do some more shopping and we came home exhausted after hauling several bags and walking several thousand kilometers.
The weather so far is nothing but outstanding. It was 25 degrees out yesterday while today is 27. I hope it stays this way until I get used to the whole shebang.
October 12 – 11:00
Good morning! While Eri is just finishing up a shower, here I am writing a morning update! Last night was possibly the best night of sleep I’ve had in over a week. I slept from 1:30 to 7:00, then 7:30 to 9:30. That’s the most continuous sleep at ‘normal’ sleeping hours I’ve had since about one week before leaving for Japan. I’m feeling really at home in this new apartment and already took a dozen pictures of the setup and whatnot. Some bad points of this place is that there’s really no sink for brushing teeth so we have to use the kitchen sink. There’s a shitty mirror hanging in front of it too. Also, there are quite a few cockroaches around too. I’ve seen 4 small cockroaches and 1 giant one so far (all dead now?). Today, Eri’s mom is taking us out to lunch and then we’ll do some more shopping for stuff we need. It’s so barebones here that it’s not funny. We were sharing one cup (my ELI Mug!!!) until I decided to put our chopsticks and cutlery inside it instead. Those bananas and oranges really hit the spot for me because after eating them yesterday, my body suddenly felt revitalized. The oranges tasted more like grapefruits so I’m wondering if they were some sort of orange/grapefruit hybrid. That’s it for now.
October 13 – 10:00
Phew. Yesterday we ended up going from 12:30 until 22:00. It was a very long and tiring day. We went to another house they owned that no one lived in and brought over a dish cabinet. The thing was fuggin heavy. I live on the third floor without elevators too. We bought a lot of stuff again and even doubled the size of our bed with some clever use of an extra blanket and some rearranging. We are going to buy a couch soon which means we’ll have extra snuggle space and also if sleeping area for a guest or two (hint hint). We still have much to buy but the place is slowly getting there. I never knew playing Sims for real is so much fun. We have these catalogs which I can only describe as their version of Ikea only you fill out a form and they deliver the furniture to you. It’s a lot cheaper than actual retail stores but I guess the catch is you don’t get to see it or feel it until it actually comes.
Today we have free time that will be used for grocery shopping, relaxing, and directional gathering (for me). I start work tomorrow (doh) so I’m going to enjoy this day good.
October 19 – 23:30
Forgive me dearly for I have not written in nearly a week. What a week it has been! I started work, survived training, and had my first real day of work today. It has been an ongoing struggle of ups and downs and will probably continue to be so for another week or two. The first day at work was mainly just an orientation. There were only two Asians in the room of probably about thirty. Quite frankly, it was kinda intimidating. The other asian dude looked like he was going to jump out of his suit if someone so as much said “boo” to him. I didn’t talk to him. I met a few of the people I would work with there and had a free lunch. They basically lectured to us about the thrills of working there and some things we should be aware of while in Japan. Informative but depressing. At that point, I had a pretty low opinion of my job. Then came three days of training. The first day was quite horrible as they made us teach an actual lesson to a Japanese member of staff. Although I worked in an English school for nearly three years, nothing prepared me for the panic and anxiety in that lesson. Luckily, her English level was quite high so it wasn’t too bad. The next day, they made us teach 2 real lessons with real students. They were horrible too. There are some steps that we should follow in a lesson and I ended up fucking some up. Oh well. The third day was alright. I had a really good lesson and two not so goods. We got feedback about the past three days of training and I was kinda disappointed at my results. I felt this job sucked ass. At last, I got a day off. Eri and I didn’t do anything except get lunch, clean up the place, and watch some tv (actually, I just played baldur’s gate? I don’t actually “watch the tv” anymore). Today was the first real day of work. On the schedule were 4 lessons and a tiny bit of training. I was pretty much on my own this day and for all its worth, it turned out pretty well. I think my lessons were quite fun and I don’t have that sinking feeling when I’m watching the seconds tick away to the lesson.
For those who don’t know, I work at Nova – the largest English school in Japan. I work at their multimedia centre which is essentially an online English course. Each student buys a camera/microphone deal that they plug into their tv and they just connect to our server at specified times and learn. It’s a little easier for me (compared to other newbies) because I’ve been using computers since 386’s were around and Eri and I teleconferenced practically daily. I just had to learn what button does what and it came as second nature to me. Phew. I only have to worry about time constraints and whether or not I look like a buffoon or professor.
I noticed I miss Vancouver quite much as of late. It’s the simple things like getting a coffee with good friends or making fun of my sister or making some joke with old mumsie. I miss the ELI a lot, a lot more than I expected. It goes to show how people can affect your life.
I have a phone now! Message me for the number and a thorough explanation on what codes and such to use. I ordered ADSL (12Mbps!!!) and it is scheduled to arrive in about 2 weeks. If you’re reading this, then I guess it came through. I’m probably sleeping while you’re online most of the time.
Tonight Eri went home to sleep because the next day she has some test and it’s just closer for her if she stayed at home. It will only be the second time I slept alone in my apartment. I gotta say, it’s getting quite comfortable here. It’s a lot of work cleaning and washing dishes and cooking and worrying about gianto-ass cockroaches, but it’s MY place and I’m glad I’m here (I still miss you guys though). So, I will go enjoy some fried rice (courtesy of Eri’s mom) and then play some Baldur’s Gate, and then hit the sack, err, hit the futon mattress. Cheers.
