Movies in Japan and Oh Shit school of cooking

Saw "One Piece Strong World" with Nabe way the hell out in Kiba. Had some adventures trying to find a theater Saturday, and Nabe finally found one about 40 minutes away. We met up in Nakano and puttered around Mandarake looking for xmas gifts while munching on some amazing dango. The movie was good, the theater was something I would have expected out of America... only it was bigger. I never though I would see the day, but there you go.

Today I got to do what I fondly call the "Oh Shit! School of Experimental Cooking." For those who aren't familiar with it, it consists of one coming back from work, deciding that I can NOT stand anymore McDs, fast food, or other type of take out, and making do with what is on sale at the store and in the fridge. I am throughly convinced that is how casserole started in the states (why else would you combine soup, peas, and tuna in one bowl and then BAKE it I ask you.) So hit the local OK Mart (yes it is really called that), picked up minced chicken, enoki mushrooms, and tofu, and was disappointed that they were fresh out of broccoli.... and headed home wondering what the hell I was going to make. Now a SANE person would have made something innocuous and guaranteed not to fail, like Stew... but no. I managed to create the monstrosity of Enoki and Chicken Mabo Tofu (spicy sauce tofu). Of course, not only is it dinner, it is now lunch for the next two days. The mushrooms really don't have much of a flavor, and neither does the tofu... so it tasted pretty much like mabo. For flavor, I will give it a 5/10 for not poisoning me, and we'll see how it reheats. Pity I didn't pick up rice. Ah well.

Faretheewell Ramen

So I am pretty thoroughly convinced that Fred is not a normal cactus. Far more likely is that Fred is possibly plastic. I can't really tell. Between extreme temperatures and being in my not so tender mercies for more than a month, beyond all odds the cactus is still alive and well. Still prickly as ever, but hey, he is a cactus.

Aaron heads back to the States day after tomorrow, and we got together at Asagaya to have some of the thickest ramen I've ever seen. I mean, I stopped eating and the oil and grease started to congeal into not so much a skin... rather more like rhinoceros hide.... Great for guys, but definitely clued me into why I was the only female in the place. Had some great music ensembles such as "It's Raining Men" and "Nine to Five". That second is especially ironic as my boss called from Singapore to ask me to call London to try to get this contract that I'm negotiating done. I is hard for me to bite my tongue and ask my help, but it is really at a point where I'm chasing the company all I can without annoying the absolute hell out of the guy I am dealing with. Makes me look somewhat incompetent, but I can only do so much at this point.

I admit, it was a bittersweet goodbye. I'm a little jealous that he gets to go back, but at the same time, I'm starting new here, so there are more adventures to be had. That is, if little Californian me doesn't freeze in the winter first. Next on the list of stuff to get is winter running gear. Summer just won't cut it.

Speak Easy

Was planning on holing up and moping since I was still homesick. Things started looking about that way until my friend Leon gave me a call and pulled me out of my hole to go to "an event" out in Ootsuki.

Turns out it was an event where foreigners can meet each other and Japanese at a bar called "Speak Easy". The group, Talk in Tokyo, has been around for a few years now, and Leon was friends with the French lady, Belle, who organized this particular one. By the end of the night, we were playing batsugame Jenga with tequila shots for whomever made the tower fall. Thankfully, I did not. Much hilarity ensued though. We ended up with a Chinese-american, a few french, a french canadian (with a beautiful shade of strawberry blonde hair), a gent from england, a german guy, and a handful of Japanese people. Needless to say, all languages were spoken, though English seemed to be the main common denominator. It was very fun, and Leons plan to help me combat my homesickness worked to a point.

The Okonomiyaki restaurant we went to afterwards at the north exit was totally worth the trip. Completely crammed in, we ended up chatting with the couple sitting next to us, who gave us some of their takoyaki and gave us tips for cooking the okonomiyaki, yakisoba, and monjayaki that we had ordered and had to cook on the hotplate style table. You can imagine, much havok ensued between the 2 french, 1 english, 1 chinese raised in japan, and me the american... cooking Japanese food. I plan to go back there as it is the closest thing I have found to what I could get in Kyoto for a better price. Huzzah!

Das Boots!

Random encounter at the bus stop. Was asked in perfect english where I was from by a Japanese gentleman who had spent a lot of time in boston. Ended up chatting with him the entire way to Shinjuku! So surreal.

Had a full day with Dai-chan as we met up in Shinjuku and went hunting for boots! I did manage to find a pair... with heels, fur, buckley things, and a price tag that will probably make me wince months later. But they are warm, fun, and by all reports, damn sexy. Considering that my pumas probably are not going to hold up to 0 deg weather, I needed something to run... or hobble in my case, knowing me and heels, around in. Diana also found an incredible pair of knee highs... on sale.

We ended up doing Karaoke and then heading out to Ikebukuro (one of my fave areas) to get tickets for the new Christmas Carol that is out. The only one in 3D was the Japanese dub, so we ended up watching the 2D. Jim Carrey makes it worth it. I liked this rendition. It is much darker and truer to the book than most of the versions that have been made in the last 20 years or so. If it had Patrick Stuart, this woud have been the perfect movie. Be that as it may, it still will have a place saved on my shelf.

Ended up killing time waiting for the movie by chilling in a way over christmas'd Tokyu Hands and escaping to Sunshine 60 for cake and breathing room, as well as a chance to sniff around for xmas presents and the new line of socks for the season.

After much searching and a few pointed comments that were true but hurt, we finally found a kaiten (conveyor belt) sushi place, something she'd been hankering for, and had a sketchy dinner.

Was really depressed and homesick when I got home, so went to bed a little early. It did show me that I've been holing up and depressed too much recently. So I am going to try and start eating out less and making meals more. We'll see if that actually works.

Adventures in Voice Acting

So had a particulary interesting adventure today. The script I was translating for work is being used as a flash animation, and they pulled me to be one of the voice actors.

Keep in mind, this is the script where I was translating words I don't usually use everyday and wanted to wash my mind out with soap afterwards.

So between me, the two really chill american guys who have live here for longer than I have been alive, and the French gent from my work... we recorded a monstrosity that I don't think I can actually show anyone for fear of making their ears smoke.

I mean literally... my one line part turned into a 10 minute rant of some of the most profane hick vocabulary I could think of...in fact I was drained after a minute and had to get help from the guys. Needless to say, I was using language I would prefer my mother not know I knew... so the joke is we were making a film that we can't show our parents or children. Maybe I can use a pen name?

The not so Kawaguchiko

So while we had planned to be up early to head out to Kawaguchiko to see mount Fujii.... we ended up getting a 10am start. This heralded an absolute Quest to get the kawaguchiko before dark. In between poor timing and sparse trains, we finally rolled into town about 2:30... an hour and a half before dark... next time I'm picking up bullet train tickets.

Being totally clueless, we finally hopped a bus and, with some help from a random, quirky Japanese couple sitting behind us, decided to hit the Fall Leaves Light Up festival being held on the lake. Mt. Fuji was gorgeous if a bit cloud covered by the time sunset hit, but we did get such delicacies as "wild boar" soup. Also found these crazy mini mt Fuji's to take back to work for "souvenirs". Wish we'd had a full day to spend there, but now I know. Was not NEARLY as cold as I expected.

I did spring for the rapid train on the way back, and we made much better time coming home.

Thanksgiving Chaos

Got a call from Nabe in the morning nailing down details... which was probably a good thing considering that he had assumed we were having T-day at my place and I had thought we were having it at his. SO after a mad scramble and some negotiation with my roommate, whom I had some akwardness the night before over laundry, we somehow opened up the possibility to have it at either place. In the end, I went and picked up Dai at the station since she was coming in from Kobe, and in the end we decided to have it at Nabe's place.

So we finally got everything together after running around Seiyu and started cooking around 4... keep in mind we had to be at Nabes by 7. So Dai looks at the Stuffing, Corn Bread, and Pumpkin Bread she wants to make, each avg 45 minute cook time, and becomes a whirlwind. Meanwhile I'm sitting on the floor peeling potatoes because that Japanese do not seem to believe in usable counterspace... I mean seriously here.

Which is where we ran into brick wall 1... I had no can opener to open the pumpkin...... so we flee to the local convenience store only to find that the Japanese don't believe in canopeners either.... right. So we hop a bus back to Seiyu to have me realize half way there that we hadn't killed the gas to the stove. (Cue me silently panicking). So the hour long trip that Seiyu usually takes took a round trip of about 20 minutes.... this includes such gems as two white girls pelting through the multi-story Japanese Walmart equivalent (with supermarket) at full tilt. How we beelined for the can opener... I would be happier not thinking too much about...though I suspect some diety or another out there now owns about a year of my life.

My coworker, Nami, showed up about halfway through and met us at my place. We then walked the three of us, the half hour to Nabe's where his two coworkers, Ushi and Mura, showed up shortly afterwards.

So, in tradition with the holiday, we had good food, good friends, and about three days of sheer chaos crammed into a 9 hour period... feels like the holidays to me.

Corrupting the youth of Japan

I have officially accomplished my entire reason for being. I have corrupted the youth of Japan. Ended up with a fuller day than I was expecting when I had the Yomikikase (reading books in english to little kids) almost back to back with seeing 2012 with some coworkers.

The kids seemed to enjoy it... maybe? Goodnight moon is not the most riveting of books, but they seemed to like Brown Bear Brown Bear and Very Hungry Caterpillar. We had better success with the kids participation when we asked the parents to join in. I was surprised when Kuri came to watch, and doing random horse neighing noises at a room of 10 adults and about as many kids is an experience I'm not sure I can repeat again. Still, it was fun, albeit nerveracking. Though it is hard to deal with know-it-all kids too. I just happened to get two of them.

2012 was disturbing in the fact that the places they happened to pick getting destroyed on big screen were places I had been to and or lived in. The movie is NOT worth paying $20 for... but $13? Sure. Luckily, working in an entertainment company meant that Manami, Fang, and I got ours for free. Oh and Krispy Kreme taste the same in Japan, for those who are curious.

...Oh god.

I’m bowing to the phone to the person I’m talking to on the other side.... It is officially the end of sanity as I know it.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

The Good: The leaves are starting to change color and got a package from Derek containing Pumpkin stuff, instagravy, and ... of all things... lime jello. Reading to little Japanese Kids is this Saturday (yay! corrupt them when they are young! Bwahahaha!), Thanksgiving sunday, and Kawaguchiko/Mt. Fuji monday. Am I really going to have a weekend? O_o?

The Bad: Inevitably living in a foreign country, you are going to get homesick. I just wish my co-workers would stop asking me if I am, in fact, Homesick. I mean seriously people. Just because I love Japan doesn't necessarily follow that I'm going to love my own any less (ok, the government I'll give you, but you have to love the mixing pot factor!). It isn't like being homesick is unbearable, and since I've only been here for 3 months, it isn't incredibly noticable... or constant like it'll probably be in ... oh, about 9 months. Are the Japanese fascinated by the concept of homesickness or something? I mean jesus!

The Ugly: 10 deg weather with rain. Relaxing if you are inside with the heater on. Seriously nasty if you are actually out in it. And a windy rain so it gets into f'king everything. For you Californians, rain is that water that falls out of the sky one day a year... usually when you wash your car. Here all you have to do is even think about doing laundry and... gooosh! Going out when you are starting to catch a cold doesn't help.

George Carlin’s Views on Aging

Something I got from a co-worker (seriously) and decided to share it with you.

George Carlin’s Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m four and a half!’ You’re never thirty-six and a half. You’re four and a half, going on five! That’s the key.

You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. ‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m gonna be 16!’ You could be 13, but hey, you’re gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life... you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There’s no fun now, you’re Just a sour dumpling. What’s wrong? What changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you’re PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it’s all slipping away....

Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

BUT WAIT!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn’t think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50, and MAKE IT to 60.

You’ve built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that, it’s a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You GET INTO your 80’s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn’t end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; ‘I Was JUST 92.’

Then a strang thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. ‘I’m 100 and a half!’

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1) Throw out the nonessential numbers: This includes age, weight, and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That’s why you pay ‘them.’

2) Keep only cheerful friends: The grouches pull you down

3) Keep learning: Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’ And the devil’s name is ALZHEIMER’S

4) Enjoy the simple things.

5) LAUGH often, long, and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6) The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7) Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. YOUR HOME IS YOUR REFUGE

8) Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9) ...Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next country/ to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10) Tell people that you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breaths away.

Random work chaos

So I ran for the first time in a week or so, and something tells me that, despite the sinus infection, I really need to buckle down to training... or I won't survive this marathon.

In other news, last friday I found out that my workplace has a myriad assortment of cosplay costumes, including a multitude of fake girls "seifuku" school uniforms (no don't ask. I don't want to know either). I found this out because one of the girls at work resembles a character in an anime series we are bringing out... so they dressed her up and had a photo shoot... at work. And I thought making okonomiyaki and takoyaki on the clock were strange enough!

3 month swing

So yesterday was another, "it's 6C and I'm not moving from this bed" type of day. The only out of the ordinary thing was that I was contacted on FB by a friend of mine from JR High days...who if I remember was a couple years younger? Was a kid my mom didn't particularly like me hanging out with...which when you are 14-15 has a certain amount of appeal to it as it is. Anywho, one of those surreal FBey things. Regardless, I got a lot done today, though given that I ate almost nothing yesterday, the 15K (9mi) run didn't happen *bad me! bad!*. Given that, when you run marathons, you either pay the piper now (during training) or later (during the marathon)... I suspect that come February I'm going to be in for a whole new world of hurt. I DID walk about 4-6 between walking to Seiyu to pick up about 20 lbs of Futon (which is painful carrying the mile back) and then taking a second trip to the same place to get 20 lbs of groceries for the week... (again, the longer you carry something. The heavier it feels. Ask anyone who has had kids).

To tell you how absolutely sporatic Japanese weather is... it was 20 deg through Wednes... not bad but rainy W-Th. FREEZING Friday and yesterday...... and a gorgeous, sunny, fall day today. On the plus side, got to do laundry (I swear they don't have driers in this country... at least, not in private homes). How I'm going to do Laundry this winter...... is an adventure I would prefer not to ponder at this moment. Thank god my room has a heater.

So chatting with Di, I realize that I've hit what I've mentally started to call, "the three month swing". Apparently, the first three months in Japan (for a westerner) is essentially the taking everything in style period. Life moves on like normal and odds are you stand out like a sore thumb. The following 6-9 months is the integration/assimilation period where, depending on the person, you get depressed, dazed, or in my case you get angry and resentful about little knitpicky things (Quit saying "your japanese is good" while treating me like I have the vocab of a kindergartener SOB!)... yeah. I've hit that stage. From then on it's an indeterminate period of feeling defensive, and after the 2-3 years of being in this country (godforsaken though it is) you either learn to hate it (and leave) or love it (and stay). So we'll see which group I end up in.

12K OW!

So lately it's been unseasonably "warm" at 19-20C. I suppose this counts as indian summer, and given that I was able to run in a T-shirt, I'm not one to complain. But jeez!

Did nothing but wash my sheets and read manga yesterday. The day was gorgeous and I mildly regret not being out in it. On the plus side, the comforter mom sent finally came, and so now I can actually SLEEP in temperatures under 15 degrees. Yay!

Ran with Leon today along the river route, and we went the full 10K (according to his phone navi). Much of it was walking since the sporatic weather gave me what the locals call "kazegimi" or cold-precursor. My nose probably ran faster than I did, but the weather was nice and the scenery gorgeous. We also found a little park set up to teach preschoolers the foundation of driving... using trikes. This thing had everything from a train crossing to working stop lights! Will post pictures soon.

Apparently there is a free showing of "The revival of Buddah" showing in Shibuya tonight, but I forewent it in favor of cleaning my room *><* and getting food for the rest of the week. Can't wait to try the all-you-can-eat shabu shabu out there. Hey Kuri! If you are free around 8 do you and the BOI want to join?

TGIF

Looong work day and I'm not even really sure what I did. The new girl from Thailand, whom I'm still somewhat jealous but (as the Japanese say it) maa, ii ya. Nantokanaru (It'll work out), was telling me that she was having a horrendous day. Given that, I offered to go to dinner with her to cheer her up. This meant that I was at work from 9-8 because, unlike me, she isn't salaried. >_<'

I really need to watch it went I make offers like that. I did manage to cheer her up, but I think next time, I may bite my tongue when I'm that tired. Still, it was worth it.

Nun and Games

So I had another of those wacky encounters of the Japanese kind that happen with resonable frequency in this country... mainly due to the fact that everyone takes public transport and/or walks. So whether the Japanese like it or not, they have to see they myriad assortment of foreign heathen intruders that live here too. *deadpan* They live among us.

ANYWHO, so I was running a tad late and took the bus as is becoming somewhat of a habit for me in the cold mornings where getting out of bed is... not a palatable option. So I'm standing at the bus stop, completely plugged into my ipod, and a Japanese... honest to God... nun comes up and stands next to me. Keep in mind, in a country the size of California, only 4% are NOT Shinto/Buddha/Undecided. A smaller percentage of that is Christian/Catholic. So on the corner of my street (or to be precise, about 7 houses down from me) is the "Saint Mary Female Society of Holy Knights" or ... in English, a convent. So Nunlady just randomly starts talking to me in Japanese, already assuming I speak the language with no preliminary akwardness or "Nihongo ga jouzu" bullshit lipservice (SCORE!). We chat clear from Ogikubo bus stop to Shinjuku station (that's a bus ride, down the stairs to the station, up the stairs to the platform, and then cramming on to an already overly packed train). Her name is Sister Hoshi apparently, so I plan to go visit sometime soon. But I mean, come on, a nun in Japan? Next door? What are the odds?

Nomikai last night, a mandatory attendance thing as it was a "welcome party" for me and 3 other newbies, went late. Today was the Japanese "Culture Day" (day off!), and I had planned to go running with Leon and his group...but the late night meant I had to forgo the early morning run in Yamanashi (a gorgeous 18K run in the mountains) which really bummed me out. I went to the trouble to get a windbreaker, running gloves, and backpack for the run yesterday. But looking at the 5 deg C temperatures in Ogikubo (that's about 41deg F give or take), realizing it was colder in the mountains, and taking into consideration 1) I would have had 5 hours of sleep, 2) that my longest run so far has been a 10K not in high altitude or freezing weather, and 3) that shorter people have a higher risk of altitude sickness... I decided not to kill myself and sit this particular run out. What that meant is I was able to go get winter clothing out in Ogikubo today and run little minor errands that I've been meaning to do (like get a winter coat, scarf, and change my phone plan so that it hits my Japanese bank as opposed to my American CC >_<;). So while I didn't actually get up the guts to leave the house to the 10 degC (50 deg) weather until around 3, it was a surprisingly eventful day. They already have the xmas lights up in Kichijoji and it's really gorgoeous. Also walked into a Seiyu and was struck by the impression that it really is a Japanese Walmart.... Only cleaner and with less random mexican ladies.

Halloween Gakuensai at ICU

So it dawned a warm and BEAUTIFUL day today. It really smelled like fall, complete with the smell of woodsmoke even with no fires anywhere in sight.

Lazed around in the morning and cleaned a little. Met up with Aaron in the afternoon and we headed to ICU *International Christian University* out in Musashisakai. Aaron is an exchange student there until... well technically next week. But they had a school festival there and he brought me along. The campus is beautiful. It reminded me a lot of UCI's Alderich Park, only much much bigger (are we still in Japan??). Found Japanese style S'Mores there at a random booth and have resolved to replicate them next summer come firecracker season.
We got accosted by a myriad of booth vendors, Japanese and foreign alike. It is actually the first college where I have seen the foreigners and Japanese interacting so closely. Feelings about being back on a college campus after 4.5 years as an office grunt...were strangely mixed. On the plus side, it renewed my conviction to go to grad school only after I make a decision on what I want to do after (and in what).
We went to a lame haunted room where we got blindfolded and found our way around via a rope, and then watched some pretty crazy "modern dancers" and some kind of incredible south east asian dance troupe (LAMBS they are called in ICU. I have no idea the country the dance and instruments are based in).

We headed out to Akihabara after getting churros at the gakuensai, and walked around randomly. Dinner was a nice way to get out of the cold too. Also hit bookoff down there... which is a 6 story monstrosity of love. Not an incredibly traditional halloween, but hey, it's japan.

Dinner with the new gal

So I finally got out to have a meal with Ray, one of my co-workers, who lived in Torrance for a while and is a generally nice guy. The sashimi place by work was excellent. I need to go back there sometime soon! He seemed rather impressed when I didn't flinch at the raw egg too.

Was approached today by the new Thai-girl who got here last week, Fang, wanted to grab dinner. Admittedly the overly competative side of me is jealous of her Japanese ability, but I shrugged and said why not. Ended up running a quick errand for the producer Y down in Shibuya with her in tow and we had a nice conversation. Treated her to Pepper Lunch and she paid for cake... (my chocolate cake has a dense layer of... corn flakes. Corn freaking flakes. What is with this country? It tasted awesome). So in general, she shared her language insecurities with me which left me blinking confusedly at her and then trying to figure out if she was being sarcastic. Still, she's a pretty nice person as far as I can tell... not that the competative side of me is happy about it, but that is a slice of life I suppose.

Tokyo Disney Sea

Like all things, the best battle strategy rarely survives the first engagement. In my case, the 8:30 am meeting time to get going to Disney Sea... didn't work out. I was on time... but unfortunately everyone else slept in.

Thankfully the 10:30 backup plan worked better and meant I got to take a shower. So refreshed we headed out into the rain and freaking COLD to Maihama station and Tokyo Disney Sea. Disney Sea is kind of like California Adventure only with almost no kiddie attractions and more adult or family oriented things. Aaron and Nabe came with and the three of us had a good time. Bought a blanket too as with windchill it was like 50deg. Too freaking cold.

Caught Bravi-Sea-mo which is this amazing fire-water show they had out in the middle of the lake too. Absolutely amazing.

Marathon Training part deux

Went running at what was technically afternoon... and barely managed to beat the rain home. I don't actually know the distance, but I went further than I went last time. More walking though. It's not the best idea to go running with the dregs of what was probably a sinus infection...ugh! It's not easy being green. *musical cue*

Chatted with Bicbic and, of all people, Biru-kun from HS Japanese. It's been a while but by all reports he is doing fine. We hatched a plot to get him back in touch with the Japanese girls who kept asking me how he's doing.

Wandered out into the rain because I saw that Uniqlo had the trenchcoat I've been lusting after for years on sale. Headed to the one storefront I know that carries it and BAM, color and size I wanted for 2,000en (20bucks) cheaper. SCORE! Yes mother, I'm turning into a bargain hunter. It's something about Japan. I think it might be something in the water...or perhaps just something lacking in my paycheck? >_<

Conversations with bums

So I was waiting for my friend at Kichijoji to get dinner yesterday when this funky looking guy comes up to me and starts speaking... in perfect french. It took me a second to realize that he's japanese and not crazy. It took a full minute for me to recover enough to realize he was a bum.

So after a good ten minutes of enthusiastic conversation with him about everything from where I learned Japanese to Japanese Noh, Bunraku, and Rakugo, I was rescued by my friend in time for him to bust out singing a very WELL SUNG Sakura sakura. To the point where I asked him if he was a former singer.

Picture does nothing to portray his funkiness, so out of respect I will not post. I liked his random mini-oni mask he went around with on his head.

... What is this, Berkeley?!

Maid Cafe Adventures

Had a hard time getting there, but I finally met up with Rebecca (from the US), Kuri, and Yoko in Akihabara. Had a nice lunch and wandered around for a while introducing them to Game Centers and the overly addictive Taiko game. Even saw some random guy play the Taiko game on a level harder than hard. I didn't even know the "Oni" level existed in that game!

We went to go check out one of the closer maid cafes and I was introduced to Don Kihote (yes they spell it like that)... which I have no words for except... awesome. The maid cafe was too conveyor belt, come in and get out style for us so we headed to one of the ones Kuri had in mind, Mai-lish. Once again, had a little trouble relaxing with being pampered at the maid cafe, but it was fun and everyone else seemed to really enjoy themselves. I can't help it. Cosplay is fun, but I'm not sure how much I like being called "Ojosama" and being curtseyed at. Was still a nice experience... and they had this amazing brick toast! Not as good as Guppies Peanut Butter Brick Toast (Issei stop with the motions!) but still really damn good.

Headed to Kappabashi after that in search of the stores that sell the plastic food the shops here use in their displays. Some of the food is incredibly detailed and realistic! Walked to Kaminarimon in Asakusa along the marathon route (wince) and found this amazing yakitori stand on the way. Really amazing. I mean I typically am not wild about liver and this was incredibly good. Had a really good picture taken by some random old guy too.

Headed to Alcatraz ER in Shibuya for dinner after that. Rebecca seemed to enjoy it and hit it off really well with Hiro, a gent who joined us along with Kuri's boyfriend. Some of the things they served beer and food in were really... not kosher. I'll post pictures tomorrow. All in all, a good day.

A looooong Nomikai

One of my coworkers is leaving the company soon (boss' wife) and so a mob of us took her out to a local izakaya for a nomikai. We got there at 7. Inbetween that and 2.5 hours of a pickup karaoke session... well, we barely made the last train. I am a little worried about my friend from work. She got really drunk and was having some trouble walking. i was trying to force water down her throat, but we'll see. Hopefully she gets home ok.

On the flip side, the nomikai was really fun. It's a little strange being the only one sober in a mob of people drinking, but it was really nice to see some of my coworkers loosen up. See the face behind the mask so to speak. Oh and pretty much any Japanese can fucking sing. Seriously. Most surprising was the boss' wife and a really quiet girl who does all the programming and web design for our site (O).

Those Crazy Co-workers

So if I needed any proof that my coworkers are absolutely insane, today just about does it. So I got a message from one coworker at about 330A this morning claiming that she was out with two other coworkers drinking. Given what (Y) looked like when he came in around 10:30, I'm inclined to believe it. Ironically, the two women he was supposedly with seemed to be fine, though I now know why he claimed one of them to be "とんでもない". Y was so hung over, he actually went home after an hour or two to sleep it off. And he isn't a small guy. Needless to say, the two women are considerably smaller, so secretly I'm a little impressed.

SLOW work day which consisted of me finally finding something substantial to do inadvertently around 5. Apparently it was for the other 10 of us that happened to be at work today, and so someone hatched a plot to make takoyaki (octopus dumplings) at work. Yes, I said AT work, During work hours. It was like 230 so I don't even know if that qualifies as lunch break. But like 6 of us were happily making the damn things with the blessing of the Exec. Producer (who is in charge when the boss is out of office). So needless to say it was a somewhat surreal experience, though fun. And as it was explained to me, the office is small and has, as the Japanese put it, a "my home" atmosphere, so something like that is more common than I may guess. Maybe I'll bring in Taco makings next time....

Met up with Rebecca who is out visiting from the states. We met across from Pioneer in Meguro with FuruKa and Steve, also old pioneer co-workers. Wajin, the sushi place we went to was really good, though my budget won't be able to handle that again for a bit.

Tokyo Marathon Notification

Holy God. I got into Tokyo Marathon for a second year in a row. Which means I need to start seriously training tomorrow. But I GOT INTO THE MARATHON. OH MY FREAKING GOD!

Keep in mind, Tokyo Marathon accepts 35,000 entries via a lottery system. So your odds go down the more people that apply. Keep in mind, last year 230,000 people applied and only 30,000 got in... albeit that was in mid-march. This year it takes place on February 28th... so I get to die exactly one month prior to my birthday. How... convenient.

Sorry. Totally over the moon. OMFG!

The New Employee from Thailand

Explored Inokashira Park in Kichijoji yesterday, and I think I found my new weekend running spot. It's absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, the running path is brick, so I may need to run along side it rather than on it. NO clue how long the loop is, but I intend to look it up.

So the new employee from Thailand got here this morning. I have no doubt she's at a higher level of Japanese than me, but I tried to help her figure out the Ward office crap and suggest a site or two for looking for housing. Not sure yet what I think of her, but I need to stop getting tongue tied every time I meet a foreigner that can outdo me. Regardless of what my competitive nature commands, I won't likely be the best, so I might as well just be.

Went looking for an application for the JLPT (Japanese Lang. Proficiency Test) lev 1 (last minute decision) and found out the deadline was Sept 25th (after running around to two separate stores). So I won't be taking Lev1 in December this year. That leaves me praying I can pass N2 or N1 next year when they bring out the new tests. This is probably a good thing in retrospect, because it gives me more time to be immersed and study.

Still haven't been told a decision as to whether or not they will send me to Cali in November for AFM. I emailed the director in the UK office (the one I don't really care for) and she asked me if I wanted to go. My answer? "While it would be nice to have the opportunity to see family, I want to do what is of the most help to the company." (Feels very Japanese.) That's actually my feeling on it at the moment. A week long convention with no guarantee that my family and friends will make it up to see me (or that I'll have time to see them mind) can only have so much appeal, especially if it is with said woman from the UK....

Gorogorogorogoro

Yes... the Japanese even have a sound effect for lazing around at home...

It was an absolutely gorgeous day!

Watched some anime online and then met up with Nabe at the station to go get lunch in Asagaya. Ran around there for a while and actually won a little stuffed cat from a UFO Catcher. Also managed to print out some photos to send to my niece. We also ended up at this random Victorian style cafe decorated in a style I think my mom and aunt would love. They had nice tea and EXCELLENT cakes and tarts, though it was very odd ambiance for being a hole-in-the-wall cake shop in the middle of the Asagaya shotengai.

Yoshi had to go visit his grandfather out in Kanagawa and so we headed into town and parted ways in Shibuya.

So once again, (wedding reception was also in Shibuya) I ran around looking for my trenchcoat at the local uniqlo (they didn't have them) and grabbed dinner at Pepper Lunch where they proceeded to shove me into a corner. Really Japan. Just because I'm a foreigner doesn't mean I need to be hidden away in the back, in the corner, or under the blasted table! Deal with it! Just because I don't look like you doesn't mean you need to hide me away! Playstation is doing it's play face campaign, so I threw caution to the wind and participated. If anything comes of it, I'll throw it in the blog.


Photo for G-nat who didn't believe me on the varieties of havok Japanese can do to candy.

Halloween Wedding

I finally broke down and started buying winter clothing at Uniqlo. Kuri and I met up in Kichijoji and hit both Uniqlos there looking for my trench coat (found it in the wrong size in color... the search continues)... and made the discovery that Uniqlo will tailor for free! So now I have Corduroys that fit AND don't mop the ground as I walk... otherwise known as free street sweeping and should be considered a public service.... yeah. Also got my hands on a nice warm sweater that, while it may be too warm now, won't be in about two weeks.

My friend Azu got married and had what is best termed as a Halloween Costume party wedding reception... yeah I don't know how to describe where the bride is dressed as a princess, the groom as a pimp... and sailor moon, pikachuu, and Obama all attend and stay for cake and tarts.
Most of the gang from Pioneer Japan was there; Johnny, Atsuko, Louis, and some new faces. I hung out with them for some of the night and also managed to meet Azu's mother and brother.
What was my costume you ask? Well it would have been better if I could have found the obligatory "Nihon Ichiban" hachimaki and a bakafan, but I went as the "Gaijin Otaku Cosplay"...yeah. Didn't work out well, but meh.
Despite the fact that it was 11, I went with the Pioneer crew to an Izakaya afterwards to chat and celebrate a little... and ended up taking one of the last trains home. Got home around 1:30 X_x and ended up Skype'ing Steph who is now ENGAGED! Congrats Steph and Issei!!!

Loooooong Morning

We got hit by the Typhoon last night, and the wind was blowing beneath my metal shutters and through cracks where my window doesn't necessarily seal that tight. Considering the strength of the winds this morning, especially when heading out to the station (bad enough that, even though it looked like a beautifully sunny morning) I hopped a bus to work. In retrospect, I wish I walked, because the JR lines in its entirety suspended operations due to "High Winds" from the Typhoon. Apparently this one is the strongest one in something stupid like 40 years, so I am glad it hit Tokyo late at night. So I waited in the more or less packed station for the Chuo-line to start moving for about 1hr and a half while making phonecalls to work letting them know that I was in limbo for an indeterminate amount of time and then texting friends to let THEM know the lines were stopped (most knew)... asking one of the station workers if the subway line was still running... (he said it wasn't). When I noticed the platform was becoming mostly empty, I asked another station guy and he said the Marunouchi line was, in fact, running. DAH! So I grabbed a ticket voucher from a station guy and hi-tailed it the long way around *IE a complete f'ing circle underneath Tokyo* to get to work... and got there two hours late. Luckily, most people took the day off or came in in the afternoon. In fact, the president apparently walked from Gotanda to Ebisu (I have no clue where the guy lives) and arrived there after I did. Made for a looooong day at work, but managed to get some stuff done. It was hard to be inside. The day was absolutely GORGEOUS. Even sat outside with my co-worker Rin chatting for a while and she told me that Shinjuku this morning was an absolute nightmare. Imagine for a second... the hell of a station that connects over 14 different platforms, with a train every 30 seconds. Serving the bulk of Tokyo... at a complete dead standstill.......

Met up with Kuri in Shibuya after puttering around in Shibuya for a bit and went to Ootoya (added yet another point card to the stack. I do believe this country breeds them) for dinner. Also managed to find the Uni-qlo much to my surprise (they were closed). Need to get Jacket and warmer clothing for upcoming season... but must get TV too! DAH

Japanese Hours

So thank goodness after a final stint this morning, I seem to be better for the most part (knock on wood). Probably a good thing since I worked what I've come to not-so-fondly know as the Japanese Workday. To give you an idea as to what that means, I left the house at 8 this morning... and got home now. So I now know why people aren't lining up to work in Japan. Anyone know if there is a policy on max amount of 残業(OT)/month you are supposed to work if you are salaried? I may not be near it but sometimes I wonder.

On the plus side, it was an ok day except for the woman in the London office consistantly pissing me off. Still, she had a valid point or two and so I need to be careful not to give her something to gripe at me about next time. Especially when she does it somewhat... dramatically. On the plus side, I've quickly learned to stop stressing about it. It just makes me mad. Probably just multi-culture clash.

Typhoon tomorrow and it's supposed to be a strong one hitting around the same time as the morning commute. So I'm seriously debating trying to go in earlier or later. Pity they won't cancel work like they do the schools. C'est la vie. Memories of other Typhoons: "Why is it raining horizontally?!" "I don't know! Why does the rain hurt?!?! Dammit there goes ANOTHER umbrella!"

For your amusement, this is a couple of stores in Harajuku... and they probably have the best combination of Engrish names to date... especially being right next to each other. I am sure the chortling didn't help the Japanese impression of foreigners, but this was too good to resist.

Sick Day Adventures

Woke up fine this morning except that it was freezing (and by freezing I mean 17C compared to the 21-24C we've been having for a few weeks). Figured I'd have a normal day... until LBM hit me just before work... don't ask. You really don't want details. So ended up figuring it was just something I ate last night and headed out into the freezing rain and managed to catch the local bus to the station. It wasn't until my change over at Shinjuku when the nausea hit me. And I just managed to get off at Shibuya as I felt myself go pale and clammy. Dry wretched for a minute, got my stomach back (I think I left it somewhere in Nakano) and waited a good 10 minutes for the next train.

Felt ok getting to work, though I ended up passing up the meat bun I had bought for breakfast in favor of water and juice. Day was uneventful except for LBM and kidney/back pain near the end of the day, with a possible light fever. Anyone care to hazard a guess what I caught? I'm thinking food poisoning or the flu, but we'll see. I messaged a friend to cancel dinner, headed home, and I seem to be relatively ok thus far. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. Need to pick up the "sick" mask people are wearing around here. If nothing else, it'll help in the packed train when I'm commuting to and from work.

Oh! And somehow Fred is still alive! I'll post pictures of him this weekend for you all.

Lazy Sunday

So much for a schedule. Stayed up til two am since I finally got in touch with my siblings and niece (ah the nieceties of life) which meant I slept in til ten and didn't get a chance to go running...damn. I suspect that I won't start taking running seriously and committing to it until I know I've gotten into Tokyo or not. Still looking to see if Kyoto has one this year or not, but it's damn hard to get motivated with no goal to shoot for.

Spent a lazy sunday cleaning the house, finishing up laundry, and walking to the store for groceries. Also had a semi-failed cooking experiment. Chicken with moyashi (bean sprouts) with garlic and soy sauce seems to be missing an ingredient. Maybe I should use mirin and dashi next time? Broccoli turned out ok, though throwing everything into a single bowl and then tossing sharp cheddar on top of it all was NOT the best of moves. Watched and was once again impressed by TIN MAN, which was SciFi's spin on WoZ. I recommend it for those who like SF genre or wiz of oz.

So apparently they completely demolished the house and trees between me and the street, so I'm keeping the curtains closed for a bit. Need to invest in a second set once it starts getting colder too. I am going to miss the trees, but not the insects. Also found out my neighborhood has more little miniparks than I can shake a stick at. I've found three in the past week within two streets of me.

Intl. Festival

So I am pretty thoroughly convinced that the urban rain dance here is to throw your laundry in the washing machine and press start. Without fail, it's rained almost every day I've done laundry, even if it is not in the forecast for that day. That and wearing a white shirt and walking to the station without carrying an umbrella....

Met up with Leon and my coworker, Nami, at Yoga station to get to the Seisen Gakuen (Intl school) Festival around noon. Leon is a really nice guy and I'm glad I finally got to meet him in person, though I'm convinced the man knows a good quarter of the population of Tokyo at this point. The Festival was... eye opening. It is really weird to see such a wide variety of foreigners and Japanese mixing in one place and it really felt a lot like the states. I got a taste of how weird it is for other people when I speak Japanese I guess. Still it was a lot of fun. We found a booth representing Australia selling... Kangaroo burgers. They were sold out unfortunately so we had to make do with Lamb burgers. Still pretty good, though lamb isn't my all time favorite meat. Also found that the American booth was selling little bags of cool ranch Doritos <3 and Cheetohs, so we picked up a bag of each to sate the chip craving.

Headed out to Shibuya (getting some help finding the station from a random stranger who is in Young Americans of all things. Les, were you the one who used to be part of that? Or was that Young Dems?). Picked up Metropolis out at Tower and spent a little slice of heaven in the English section of the bookstore before heading to the cafe on the 6th floor of Tsutaya to kill time before I had to head out the the premiere.

After asking a complete stranger and a really somewhat hot policeman, we somehow managed to find the Producer (Y-san). I complained privately about not wanting to go, but I am actually glad I went, though having Nami volunteer was a big help. I hope it is one more thing to tip the balance towards her being made perm if she wants it. Y was flustered and had us cooling our heels for about an hour before we escorted the guest from the waiting room across the street to Theater N for the premiere and pre-show...twice. Keep in mind, we were standing in the street to stop cars so the guests could pass. It was a relief when Kuda-san, another coworker, showed up to help. I don't know how effective we actually were, but I did get to see one of the actresses from the spinoff I had to work my second day at TOE (Kudou-san) who was the only one in 5 actresses who was polite enough to shoot an email the day after the shoot. I really hope she goes far. I kind of shocked her by asking for her contact info, but I figure that if we keep running into each other in this profession, it could come in handy to have. I did reply to a message from her later apologizing if it was rude. Still, I am very glad I went.

Headed back to Ogikubo and swung by Kichijoji on the way to pick up First Kitchen and see if the Okashiya had any more kinds of Kitkats for Di... lo and behold, Banana. Grabbed them and headed back to the station through the crowds of Minshuto doing a demonstration (kind of scary at that) to get to Ogikubo...until I realized I was headed towards Mitaka... switched trains and headed home (finally) but it meant I am too tired to risk a night run. So I am going to get up tomorrow and run in the morning. I want to try the river run by me. Did manage to run into Sae-san and her welsh corgi, Sarah who were out on a walk again. It's interesting that she remembered my name, it isn't like it is common in Japanese or in English. I hope I run into them more often.

Plan for tomorrow. Running. Laundry Part 2. Misudo. Cleaning. Uniqlo for warmer clothing (again). Grocery shopping to avoid starvation. Anyone want to meet up for a meal?

I think I'm turning Japanese

After working 9-7 straight while eating lunch at my desk, I found out that attending the premier of the movie we are releasing tomorrow, robogeisha, is not optional. Or, I should put it that it is optional but "highly recommended" that I show up if not actually watch the movie. So had to scratch my plans to meet up with my friend in Oji.

So I shot myself in the foot. I suggested going to Karaoke to some coworkers earlier this week. 2 hopped on the bandwagon and a third at the last second. We were all starving so went to a local izakaya to eat relatively unidentifiable pieces of meat, veges, and really good dashi soup stock. I didn't reckon on the amount of time and it was 9:30 by the time we finished. Off to Shinjuku for karaoke with Nami and Okappi as people call him and both blew me away by singing enka in turn. I really need to learn it. Di I wrote down the names of the songs and the artists for ya.

Catching the last train home just before midnight was surreal, and if anything more packed than the morning train. I walked home only because other females were doing the same most of the way, and I had an umbrella in my hand that offers a nice rape deterrent. I don't think I've been more glad that Japan has a relatively low crime rate.

I DID manage to get my train pass (6 mo) this morning. Had trouble at Ogikubo, gave up, realized my mistake enroute, and bought it once I got to Ebisu. So freaking convenient since you can scan them now rather than having to shove them through the ticket slot each time.

The down side with working in Japan...

...would have to be the hours. I went in at 9 this morning and left at 7:30... which in all things isn't bad except I wanted to leave at 6:30 and meant that I got back to Ogikubo over 12 hours after I left. *sigh* The producer caught me around 6 asking me to contact the London office for information... that we already had in our mailbox. Of course, they were able to update it at the last minute... but it was a good hour and a half I didn't have to wait. I almost left at 7, but the workaholic in me wouldn't let me leave until it was finished.

So I got to chat with one of my coworkers, Nami, since we take the same train back on our respective first leg (most people transfer 2-3 times) and found out she speaks really good English. I had a good time trying to get her to quit using Keigo (formal speech) with me outside of work, which she said felt weird since I'm a few years older than her. We had a good time for the whole three stations, and I hope she stays with the company once she graduates (she's a temp essentially). Heading to Karaoke with her and some other coworkers on Friday after work (supposedly).

So I forgot my umbrella at work and it was raining yesterday morning. I was standing at the bus stop and some random Japanese guy was nice enough to share his umbrella with me unasked, reminding me that chivalry isn't entirely dead in this country. Take that swine flu! Given the times I have been getting home the last three nights, I think I'm going to have to start premaking meals on the weekends. McD's isn't good to eat 3 days in a row (better than starving but not by much) and other than conbini fare, there isn't a whole lot of take out on the way home. If getting home at 7 or 8 is going to be a standard (as it is looking to be) I need to start making lunches and dinner and bringing them with me or something.

So, for the benefit of my parents and friends who do not have facebook, here is where I live.

Working Lunch

Had a working Lunch with S, the nice french guy who is a coworker. We ended up talking about Tiffcom and I found out he used to work at the Eiffel Tower about 12 years ago. I have to remember to treat him next time since I lost the toss on this one.

SO, finally got my photos on my computer. This would be the cutest thing I've seen since getting here. The kittenpile next to the Softbank mascot dog.

The close up.

So that I know I'm not just talking to the space in my head (since I've lost my mind) anyone reading, please feel free to drop questions or comments sometime. I've changed the settings so you should be able now.

Sleep Deprivation feels like being drunk

Seriously. Inbetween sleeping at 5, my roommate leaving in the morning for work, and a call from my mom at 9:30 (not a bad thing in any light) I got about 4.5 hours of sleep. And try though I might, I couldn't get back to REM land. That first star to the right and straight on til morning thing only works...well... when it isn't late morning. Chatted with my mom, my friend's mom out in Cali, and my friend in HB for what added up to about 2 hours. Played a little WOW because I'm a complete nerd and then showered and headed out to meet Nabe at the station at 2:30 feeling like I was moving through cement. He apparently didn't fare much better than me in the sleep department, and by the time we both made it to the station, we wouldn't have made it to Tokyo Game Show in time to get in before they close the doors. So we did Plan B and went to go play in Akihabara instead. (Akihabara is the electronics district). Ended up exploring some of the back roads (no panty machine, alas. I swear I have seen one before out there), the main strip that most people don't stray from, and generally hung out for a few hours. We did visit the extremely scary looking Mandarake *hobby shop* which is an 8 story building completely covered in black netting. Also hit up two game centers where I got reacquainted with DDR and Nabe got to show off his UFO Catcher (ie. crane game) skills. Also found a place that sells English games (<3) so I suspect I'll be visiting there later.

Headed back to Asagaya, got Takoyaki for dinner, and then hit up Bookoff for manga and games. And now, I will go pass out and hopefully wake up in time for work tomorrow. Didn't get my 5K run in this weekend for training, so I will have to do that sometime in the next few days X_x.
Still, all in all a nice weekend. I can feel that tonight is cooler than the last few have been. Really need to get a move on and get fall/winter clothing ASAP.

Night Life

Stuck near the house for the bulk of today. They finally enabled our phone line for internet, but neglected to bring the modem this morning, and I spent the morning waiting for my roomies package that never came, and the guy who switched our old key style lock for one with electronic key cards. Very snazzy though apparently needs to be kept away from cell phones. Will post a picture once I get one. Also found out that my camera is not compatible with my Mac, so I'll have to go out later today (Sunday) to get an SD-USB reader. Hit the local grocery store for food for a few days and then went home to watch Azumanga Daioh for a while since the lack of internet shot my plans to Skype people.

Met up with Nabe and his crew of co-workers from Mad House (aptly named) and we went over to Fushimi to the second best Yakiniku place in Japan. It was me, another woman, and like 5 guys crowded around this tiny little table. The meat was excellent, though I wouldn't advise asking what the "hormone" meats or "throw away" meats we ate during the meal consisted of. I will say that it was better than the eel innards I ate in March when I was here... not saying much, but the meat for the most part was heaven. As was the grilled veggies.

This lasted until about... oh, 12:30 or so. We piled back into the car and headed to ogikubo with two guys tailing us on bicycles. One managed to spectacularly crash into a pole enroute (the wonders hard liquor does to bicyclists) but he seemed to be ok. We saw him next with bandages but he seemed to be fine. So... Karaoke by the station until about 4am. It was a lot of fun, but I started fading around 3... still a record for me. Apparently this is normal night life in this country. My friend offered to walk me home, but one of his co-workers, Guru-neesan lives just down the street, so we walked back together. A nice night, though I'll probably pay for it later when Nabe and I head to Tokyo Game show.

The waiting factor

I hate waiting, and apparently I have to wait until October 13 to find out whether or not I get to go to Santa Monica or not. Part of me really, really wants to go. Part of me doesn’t. Homesickness is a weird beast.

So by some minor miracle Fred is still alive. For some reason, I’ve started talking to him and having conversations. He hasn’t started talking back yet... not like my car... but I’ll give him time to develop a personality. Right now it’s somewhat dry and prickly. But hey, he’s a cactus. Got to cut the guy some slack.

ENG/JAP Lit

Regular work day. Lots of translations, though found out another coworker speaks pretty good English and is an English Lit. major from Sophia University. I can’t figure what would be worse... the Japanese Lit. or the English Lit. major. Oh wait... would English Lit include Dostoyavski’s Crime and Punishment? If so, I greatly pity the man. Luckily I believe that counts as Russian so the poor man may have dodged the bullet. Then again... I got Naomi senior year of college...in two languages... ick. If you haven’t read Naomi, do yourself a favor... DON’T.

So Tokyo has this interesting quirk in comparison to Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Kobe). People tend to ignore people who don’t have direct relation to them business or otherwise. Unlike Kansai, I don’t get random conversations on the train or when I’m walking on the street. On the flip side, I have found that asking to pet peoples dogs is a really good way to get around it, and get fur therapy to boot. Pity I can’t find a friendly neighborhood cat. The one by my work hasn’t been around the last week, preferring to sun in the garden behind the shop it lives at, or so I’m told.

It’s odd. I got a reminder about 9/11 today, and even 8 years later, thinking about it feels like a punch in the gut. I keep wondering if something will happen while I’m out of the country, or how badly I would have been clawing up walls if something like that happened while I was out here. We have a phone chain in place along the family, but still. Ironically, since Tokyo is supposed to have a major catastrophic earthquake sometime in the next 30 years perhaps I’m the one more likely to have an adventure. Not to mention the missile North Korea tried to fire over Japan in March... which just happened to have a flight path over not one but two major nuclear power plants in Northern Japan... Once again, on the plus side, it is great incentive to get a disaster kit together. Think I’ll get right on that Saturday since work is making up in hours for the 5 day weekend of silver week.

Fred the Cactus

Final day of Silver week 5 day weekend. Part of me felt I should go in to work, but I defeated the little workaholic that lives on my shoulder and opted to go check out the Uniqlo above the station. Got some corduroy pants in prep for the Fall cold snap (its been 60 here all month and really damn eerie, since I remember starting to freeze in Kyoto around this time), a few long sleeve shirts, and this snazzy undershirt that is supposed to act as a temperature regulator, warming when you are cold.
I have managed to keep the cactus alive for a day so far and named “Fred” for his funky hairdo and personality. He keeps me company in lieu of Francois (my car)... who by all reports is now being sold. Regardless, I haven’t managed to kill the little bugger yet, but we will see.
Rest of the day isn’t much to talk about though. Finally getting paid Friday so I can start figuring out what my monthly budget is actually going to be. Time to break out the spreadsheet Mike helped me make.

Local Exploration

Explored the Seiyu department store above the station and got things for the house as well as taco makings. Had Kuri, her man, and her roomie over for a taco/quesadilla feast. Her roommate brought me samuel adams and sake not realizing that I don’t drink... and a cute little cactus. Not sure what I’m going to do with the Boozahol though. If my roommate doesn’t want it, I’ll probably save it for someone who does. Anyone?

Minor inconveniences

Went in to work for an hour getting lost on the trains along the way and then hung out in Ikebukuro for a bit to go pick up the really good cheese I like. Came back and went to Kichijoji to pick up my Hanko. Now I just need to find some place to pick up ink and a case I suppose. Met up with Yoshi for dinner and we went to a steak place by Ogikubo station. SOOOOO good. I really want to go back there again sometime soon. Also discovered that I’m too good at that Taiko game, so now it is on the list of things to get after such inconveniences as food, furniture, winter clothing, and a TV.

Taco Night

Made Tacos for lunch with Di after hitting the local market for meat and veggies and exploring the beauty of her neighborhood. A definite shift from downtown Tokyo, though not all together different from the area I currently live in. Headed to this great Karaoke place after that. Went to Shin-Kobe to pick up souvenirs for friends and coworkers (Its a japanese thing) and change my ticket to an earlier time so I wouldn’t miss the last train heading out to Ogikubo. Walked around Kitano for a bit and ended up at this incredible Starbucks that is apparently in some old mansion. Wooden staircase and everything. Also found a nice Katsu place above the station and Di got to add more foods to her project. They had the sauce in a teakettle even. Got back to Tokyo late, but had a nice conversation on the bullet train enroute with a woman whose son was sleeping across three of the train seats.

Old Friends, New Friends

Found Mister Donuts <3 finally and ran around Sannomiya to pick up taco makings for sunday while trying to arrange meeting up with Miwako in Kyoto. Somehow managed it and we made it to Kyoto station right on time.
Met up with Miwako and her sister Hideko after some minor being turned around and then went to Porta to some random Italian place. It felt really strange and nostalgic to be back. We also hit up the Karaoke studio on 8jo that I used to go to as a student. It was really surreal. Di and I made it back to her station before the last train, but well after the last bus, so we got a chuckle at the Taxi driver who drove us back to her place. The guy had told us he wouldn’t have known what to do if we hadn’t been able to speak Japanese.
Rant: Dear Japanese people. If I am wearing Japanese style clothing, carrying a more recent cell phone, and am generally navigating like I know what I’m doing... AT LEAST give me the courtesy of figuring that I know at least basic Japanese greetings like “sumimasen” and “arigatou”. The amount of times I have to just laugh when shopkeeps say “thank you” or random people on the street say “sorry” or “excuse me” even when I’m speaking in Japanese gets really somewhat frustrating.

The Smoking Gun

Managed to get a bullet train ticket down to Kobe from Shinagawa for more than I generally like to pay for transportation. Ended up chatting with an army officer based in the Hiroshima countryside and her Brazilian mother, which meant I didn’t notice when we got on the only “smoking” car of the three jiyuuseki or free seat cars...which means we got to stand for a couple hours from Shinagawa to Nagoya with people chain smoking on all sides. And the train was packed so we couldn’t move up a car to get away. So despite getting a seat from Nagoya to Shin-Osaka, I finally gave up when the third guy in the row across the aisle from me started to light up. Unlike the other two foreigners who had stood the entire trip from Shinagawa to Nagoya complaining about things loudly in English (I think I can see where the stereotype comes from), I gave him a disgusted look and pushed my way through people embarking on the train to the area inbetween cars... also packed with people. This is what I get for traveling on a 5 day weekend. So I look back and some IDIOT is standing in the doorway of the smoking car, ensuring the door won’t close. The haze in the smoking car is disgustingly visible making me get a case of black lung just looking at it (the years in LA have served me in good stead... but not that good). So I spent the final 20 minutes glaring at the doorway guy with him squirming and trying to ignore me. Hey in a country where most people have dark eyes, green eyes can be rather disturbing...or so I’m told. Made it to Kobe to visit Di smelling like someones ashtray, though the 20 something types of Kitkats we tried late that night more than made up for it. For those of you in Japan, NEVER eat Ume (pickled plum) soda, sports drink, or azuki. Save yourself the trouble and cut off your tongue now.

Plans

Found out that my company is not, in fact, going to send me out to AFM in Santa Monica in November. It’s a bummer in a way, but probably for the best. Need to get a ticket to and from Kobe for the five day weekend next week, but it’s an absolute bitch to get out of the office for long enough at lunch to get one... and I get out too late for the JR window to be open. Needless to say, I need to get my butt to one of them or the tickets will be sold out.

Laundry

Finally got to do laundry, and for a race that is supposedly short, this is a really fucking high laundry bar. On the plus side, I won’t have to go to work nude on Thursday. Japanese hang their laundry out on the balcony instead of using driers. So doing laundry in the dead of winter in the snow is going to be an adventure in itself. They do have coin op driers in some areas, I just haven’t found it yet.
And dammit, not 30 minutes after I hang my laundry out to dry it starts raining... which is even more ironic when you consider I didn’t do laundry last night to avoid the typhoon rolling in. Damn you Murphy. Damn you.
Managed to survive a Skype session with the London lady and found out that the woman who does the contracts is out ill... and then will be on medical leave for months. Keep in mind, I haven’t been trained. So now I get to go head first into the river known as contracts with no formal training. Anyone got any floaties??

Catch the Wave

The weird thing about being in Japan is that you either feel nothing, or everything. And it’s a crap shoot which it is going to be at any given time. A deal I was negotiating with help from my co-workers was chosen as the one we are taking. So part of me is doing a major dance of happiness. Especially when I managed to negotiate the deal to double their original offer and a better payment schedule. Unfortunately he was kind of a condescending bastard in the end which ticked me off, but I learned something from the Executive Producer when I told him about it. His pieces of advice consisted of, “they really want our stuff, to the point of wanting to deal with us, though not necessarily as equals. The condescension comes with the territory. The important thing is to remain polite and not get angry. Still, both he, the president, and the producer seemed gratified and a little amused by my reaction. Learned a new term from the president too. 鴨がネギを背負ってくる (lit. A duck that shoulders a leek), which means along comes a sucker who is begging to be parted with his money.
Met up with Kumiko and her friend, and they are going to give me a shot to read in english to little kids once or twice around Tokyo. It’s supposed to happen sometime in October or November, so we’ll see how it goes. Dinner at this crazy restaurant called Tsunami in Ebisu, a crazy little ‘Hawaiian Style’ joint with 1.5 stories in a 1 story room. It’s a really good thing I’m short considering we were on the loft part.