Got a uke? Jam along.
snowboard
Picked up a new (used) board. I originally wanted a Burton Custom, and looked around for one, but everything snowboarding is crazy priced over here. New Burton boards are in the 700-800 range, and year end models are half of that. I was thinking of just getting one when I go home for a week in december, but then again buying boarding stuff in Hawaii is pretty expensive, and I'd have to carry it home. Decided to get on Yahoo Auctions (japanese ebay), and look around. Some of my students suggested getting a japanese made board for some reason. They said that Japanese boards are better or something, so finally found a board that won't be the same as everyone else on the mountain. It's a November R-edition 156. Directional and stiff. Must be in the same class as a Custom, so I can't wait to try it out. Hope it dumps this year. Last year was pretty sad.
don't worry be happy!!
The train system in Tokyo is pretty nuts. I mean there are so many trains running above and below ground that you can go almost anywhere at anytime. Except after 1:00AM that is. The trains stop running late at night, so should you be out at the club getting your groove on, you'll have to stay out all night until the first trains start at about 5:00 or so. It's not so bad cause the clubs are open till past that even, and there are tons of other stuff to do (comic cafes/coffee shops/restaurants/sleep in the street/ahem ahem/donki). The trains are fairly regular, too. When I lived in Tochigi, the trains would come about once every thirty minutes or so. If you miss your train, you gotta sit on the platform for like half an hour till the next one comes. In tokyo, they come like every five/ten minutes. I've definitely gotten jaded to this because I get bummed when I gotta wait four minutes until the next train. Luckily there are things to do in those four minutes. . .such as reading magazines. This is what all Japanese people do when they have four minutes to spare. Head on down to the magazine rack in your Perfect Suit Factory suit, and peruse the all the things that you can blow your next bonus on. It's an awesome way to spend four minutes.
GTAIV was released in Japan a couple weeks back, so they have some advertising up around shibuya and harajuku. It's pretty nuts seeing the billboard for some reason. I feel like I'm actually in the game when I see the billboard. I dunno why.
Fall in Japan. Omotesando Dori(street)
GTAIV was released in Japan a couple weeks back, so they have some advertising up around shibuya and harajuku. It's pretty nuts seeing the billboard for some reason. I feel like I'm actually in the game when I see the billboard. I dunno why.
Fall in Japan. Omotesando Dori(street)
So get this
the other day in class, I'm asking the students who is the most famous person they know. Of course, I tell them all about "the bachelor" and they're all like "kakkoiiiii!!" <--that means cool. Then I ask each of them to tell about the most famous person that they know. One girls says that her grandfather is drinking friends with one of the past prime ministers. Another says that she went to elementary and junior high school with ハニカミ王子 （honey coming king)?? I dunno. He's a 16/17 year old pro golfer in Japan. And then, this one guy says that his great uncle had a movie based off of his story. Oh, interesting, what story? Well turns out the guy was in the army during WW2, and would write letters to his wife. Letter from Iwo Jima haha. his great uncle was the guy writing the letters. Thought that was pretty nuts.
Mt. Mitake
Yesterday was Saitama prefecture day, so had the day off from school. Got out the of the city for a day and headed to Mt. Mitake in Tokyo.
Great place for a relaxing day.
gatting nippy
Dang it's getting cold. At this exact moment I have my heater blasting full on hot air into my tiny room. Winter is just around the corner. Time to bust out the Kotatsu, which is a table that has a BBQ grill stuck to it. Only thing is the grill is on the underside of the table. You put a blanket over the table, and turn on the bbq grill then sit under the blanket. It's the best for those cold winter nights. Snow started falling in some parts of Japan. It probably won't snow in the mountains near where I live for another month and a half or so. Time to go snowboard hunting. I have this serious problem with impulse buying. I see something I want and buy it. Anyone know a cure for this? Recently saw this fur hat, and as soon as it's released in japan, I'm getting it. Will post pictures later. Problems. Oh, here's what I'm snackin on tonight while watching Ueto Aya's new drama.
H&M
There's this store in Japan called H&M. It's from somewhere in Europe, and supposedly has fashionable/cheap clothes. They got um in the states somewhere, but only recently have they opened a flagship store in Ginza. They opened the Ginza store a couple months back, and people still line up for two hours to get in and "LOOK" at the clothes.
anyway, they opened another store in Harajuku this past weekend, and there were people lining up from the day before to get in. Whhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat you sayyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!??? ahem, peoples, you can go to ginza and go the other same, exact store and ONLY wait for two hours to look at the exact, same clothes. I don't get it. I dunno. Maybe there was some kind of special release at the harajuku only store.
school lunch
I don't know if it's the economy going to poop or what, but the school lunch as of late leaves little to be desired. In other words, it sucks. Japanese school lunch has nothing on the hawaii public school system's lunch. Actually, I don't know what it's like now, but in my days it was awesome: Nachos, pizza, oven-baked chicken, chicken patty with gravy. The list just goes on and on. Japan has like four or five different school lunches that they put into rotation. They have spaghetti, a form of spinach soup, fish, and curry. You ask any kid what their favorite school lunch is, and they will tell you age-pan, which is a lightly fried hot dog bun covered in chocolate powder or kinako powder. That is seriously the lunch. They give you a plate with a fried hot dog bun on it. What? Must be a cultural thing. Boy do I miss those nacho days. and the tater tots. Oh man the tater tots. Anyway, this is what I've been eating at school.
This one was at elementary school. Apparently the sourced the flatware and cutlery from the local jail.
and this was today at JHS.
It's a azuki bean sandwich. What? Yup, that's what we had for lunch. And you only get to drink milk here. No juice, no chocolate milk, no choice. And you have to eat school lunch. No home lunch. Sucks if you don't like rice cause that what you eat everyday. Except for fried hot dog bun day.
And in other news it's freaking cold.
The leaves on the trees at school are starting to turn red. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 8°c which is like -234°F I might not survive. Help. At least that means snowboarding season. Great more things for me to waste my money on.
This one was at elementary school. Apparently the sourced the flatware and cutlery from the local jail.
and this was today at JHS.
It's a azuki bean sandwich. What? Yup, that's what we had for lunch. And you only get to drink milk here. No juice, no chocolate milk, no choice. And you have to eat school lunch. No home lunch. Sucks if you don't like rice cause that what you eat everyday. Except for fried hot dog bun day.
And in other news it's freaking cold.
The leaves on the trees at school are starting to turn red. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 8°c which is like -234°F I might not survive. Help. At least that means snowboarding season. Great more things for me to waste my money on.
Three Day Weekends and new sodas
Three day weekend in the motherland. Today was a national holiday here. Something like cultural day. Not sure exactly what one does on cultural day. Maybe drink some green tea and read some genji monogatari. But what better way to get immerse yourself in the culture of Japan than work, which is exactly what I did today, work. I'm sure others spent it watching tv or sleeping, but that's not how you celebrate cultural day in the country of no overtime pay and 12 hour work days. haha, you call yourself Japanese? ok enough of that.
On Saturday I headed out into the big city to just walk around and be among the people. I headed to wear the people head out to on every other saturday when they want to head out somewhere, but don't really know where to head out to, Harajuku. I love Harajuku. There's always a ton of people. A mixture of hardcore fashionistas, fat tourists, rich rich rich people, and keedz.
Saw this dude doing his thing out in front of Cat St.
I was just kidding about the heading out to where the people head out to bit, kind of. I actually like harajuku cause they have killer stores there. Seriously everytime I go there I wish I was a million dollars richer. These are three of the many stores that I religiously stop at whenever I'm in the neighborhood.
Supreme
Burton Love the Idiom 2.5L jacket this year. Too bad I bought an AK jacket last year.
Dept
There was this crazy hypercolor board thing. Easily amused.
Shibuya is right next to Harajuku, so I usually stop by there to check out records at Manhattan records
. Also, crossing the scramble kosaten is loads of fun :)
After Shibuya headed up to Shinjuku for some more shopping and people watching. Nothing like the big city. Had some bubble tea in Shinjuku. This stuff is starting to catch on slowly in japan. I always thought it would, but it seems that only high school girls drink the stuff.
things that I think would work here never do (mexican food, plate lunches, shaved ice with ice cream), and the strangest things make it big (crepes-kind of pancake thing, kebabs-pita pocket, and cream puffs) go figure.
Also a new Fanta came out last week. Green apple flavor. Fanta Japan puts out new flavors about once every two or three months. I found that interesting when I first moved here, and would always buy a bunch.
The green apple one is halfway decent. Much better than the Honey lemon flavor.
On Saturday I headed out into the big city to just walk around and be among the people. I headed to wear the people head out to on every other saturday when they want to head out somewhere, but don't really know where to head out to, Harajuku. I love Harajuku. There's always a ton of people. A mixture of hardcore fashionistas, fat tourists, rich rich rich people, and keedz.
Saw this dude doing his thing out in front of Cat St.
I was just kidding about the heading out to where the people head out to bit, kind of. I actually like harajuku cause they have killer stores there. Seriously everytime I go there I wish I was a million dollars richer. These are three of the many stores that I religiously stop at whenever I'm in the neighborhood.
Supreme
Burton Love the Idiom 2.5L jacket this year. Too bad I bought an AK jacket last year.
Dept
There was this crazy hypercolor board thing. Easily amused.
Shibuya is right next to Harajuku, so I usually stop by there to check out records at Manhattan records
. Also, crossing the scramble kosaten is loads of fun :)
After Shibuya headed up to Shinjuku for some more shopping and people watching. Nothing like the big city. Had some bubble tea in Shinjuku. This stuff is starting to catch on slowly in japan. I always thought it would, but it seems that only high school girls drink the stuff.
things that I think would work here never do (mexican food, plate lunches, shaved ice with ice cream), and the strangest things make it big (crepes-kind of pancake thing, kebabs-pita pocket, and cream puffs) go figure.
Also a new Fanta came out last week. Green apple flavor. Fanta Japan puts out new flavors about once every two or three months. I found that interesting when I first moved here, and would always buy a bunch.
The green apple one is halfway decent. Much better than the Honey lemon flavor.
