Fire Up the Shoesaw
I'm back to the old bullocks. School started again today, and I am in the process of finding out what books I will need to buy for outrageous prices. If knowledge costs so much, how come that crazy homeless guy always seems so knowledgable?
It was a little depressing to return from Japan. It hit me when we stopped over in Canada. Suddenly the people were fat, ugly and loud. The floors weren't as clean. The airport employees were no longer young, smiling and friendly. Everything was less colorful. Welcome back to the west. Of course, it is good to be back where everything is more affordable (and I can use paper money again), but leaving Japan is kind of like leaving Disneyland. You have to get used to the real world again.
But anyhoo, I am enjoying my new apartment. Everytime I walk in the door I think to myself "but...there's so much space!! How can I be living here?" I will have to find some way to fill the place. Also, the mythical rock band The Taste has come together, just like the scripture prophesized, and noise shall ensue from hence forth (?). And who knew I could play the drums worth a damn? I didn't!
My stomach is talking to me. It says "blurgurlcguglg urglgceeeugh", which I think means "go home and eat your leftover bento food." So that's what I will do now.
Monday, September 29, 2003
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Okaeri Goblins
Natsuki is dying her hair with her friend Masae, a little lightning bolt who loves English even though she doesn't speak it. We are back in Ehime today after our voyage to the ends of Japan. After Tokyo we spent 4 days in Hokkaido, the big island at the top of the country. The weather there is a lot like Oregon, and the scenery also. It's my understanding that Hokkaido was visited by many western explorers and settlers back in the 1800s, so many of the towns are a mixture of Japanese and European architecture.
I've run out of film. I have 2 1/2 tapes worth of Japan. Luckily I was able to stretch the last one out until our last night in Sapporo before coming back to Ehime (which I already have footage of), but I am contemplating buying another tape just for filming this and that. Of course, with the money to buy a tape I could buy a bowl of tasty ramen, or a plate of tasty curry or gyoza. Oh, the money! Here is a warning to any Americans who wish to visit Japan: Japanese people are all rich. The other day I was looking at a menu in a little sushi place we stopped into for lunch. For the equivalent of $10, one could order a little ball of rice wrapped in seaweed with a shrimp on top. I tried explaining to Natsuki that in America something like that would never sell, because we have words like 'budgeting' and 'minimum wage'. But she said it is not uncommon for Japanese people to spend 1000 yen on a single bite of sushi, because 'it tastes good'.
Then there are the young people, with their $60 T-shirts, $95 Converse, and $100 hair, but I won't go into that now (there's also the $11-$13 ramen, but I never eat that). Another thing about the money is the coins. If there are 2 things about Japan that I can say I never got used to, they are 1) the crazy driving, and 2) the damn coins. Just buying a can of Boss coffee can be a pain in the ass when you have to dig around in your wallet for a 50 yen coin, which is about the same size as a 5 yen coin, and then you don't have either so you have to break a 1000 yen bill and get another handfull of coins.
Aside from the coins, it's hard to complain about Japan. Everything is so clean, convenient and futuristic. Some places in Tokyo and Sapporo have doors with little buttons where the door knob would normally be; you press the botton and the door slides open, complete with a little Star Trek noise. It was things like that, and the completely motion activated bathrooms (you walk in the stall and the seat lifts up! Crazy!) that I just couldn't get enough of. Also, everything has its own song in Japan. The subways play a little song when the train is coming, the elevator plays a little song with you reach your floor, and the walk sign plays a song when it's time to cross the street (I had to videotape that one). Even when we were walking down the street in Otaru, Hokkaido, there was music coming from the street lamps. I asked my friend what song it was, and she said "It is kind of Hokkaido theme song." Great!
I have been in a couple million puricuras, those little photos that you can write on and add graphics to. It's kind of interesting the first couple times, but I don't see how Japanese girls can do it every two days. I ran out of crazy poses, so I tried some other things like draping myself in the backdrops or making the same face for every picture.
Natsuki wants to use the computer now, so I'll go. I will see some of you in about 8 days, when I return to America. Until then you can go to Adi's site, who accompanied us to Hokkaido and took some great photos. See his pictures of Japan here, or see some quick pictures of our gang in Hokkaido here. Later, y'all.
Natsuki is dying her hair with her friend Masae, a little lightning bolt who loves English even though she doesn't speak it. We are back in Ehime today after our voyage to the ends of Japan. After Tokyo we spent 4 days in Hokkaido, the big island at the top of the country. The weather there is a lot like Oregon, and the scenery also. It's my understanding that Hokkaido was visited by many western explorers and settlers back in the 1800s, so many of the towns are a mixture of Japanese and European architecture.
I've run out of film. I have 2 1/2 tapes worth of Japan. Luckily I was able to stretch the last one out until our last night in Sapporo before coming back to Ehime (which I already have footage of), but I am contemplating buying another tape just for filming this and that. Of course, with the money to buy a tape I could buy a bowl of tasty ramen, or a plate of tasty curry or gyoza. Oh, the money! Here is a warning to any Americans who wish to visit Japan: Japanese people are all rich. The other day I was looking at a menu in a little sushi place we stopped into for lunch. For the equivalent of $10, one could order a little ball of rice wrapped in seaweed with a shrimp on top. I tried explaining to Natsuki that in America something like that would never sell, because we have words like 'budgeting' and 'minimum wage'. But she said it is not uncommon for Japanese people to spend 1000 yen on a single bite of sushi, because 'it tastes good'.
Then there are the young people, with their $60 T-shirts, $95 Converse, and $100 hair, but I won't go into that now (there's also the $11-$13 ramen, but I never eat that). Another thing about the money is the coins. If there are 2 things about Japan that I can say I never got used to, they are 1) the crazy driving, and 2) the damn coins. Just buying a can of Boss coffee can be a pain in the ass when you have to dig around in your wallet for a 50 yen coin, which is about the same size as a 5 yen coin, and then you don't have either so you have to break a 1000 yen bill and get another handfull of coins.
Aside from the coins, it's hard to complain about Japan. Everything is so clean, convenient and futuristic. Some places in Tokyo and Sapporo have doors with little buttons where the door knob would normally be; you press the botton and the door slides open, complete with a little Star Trek noise. It was things like that, and the completely motion activated bathrooms (you walk in the stall and the seat lifts up! Crazy!) that I just couldn't get enough of. Also, everything has its own song in Japan. The subways play a little song when the train is coming, the elevator plays a little song with you reach your floor, and the walk sign plays a song when it's time to cross the street (I had to videotape that one). Even when we were walking down the street in Otaru, Hokkaido, there was music coming from the street lamps. I asked my friend what song it was, and she said "It is kind of Hokkaido theme song." Great!
I have been in a couple million puricuras, those little photos that you can write on and add graphics to. It's kind of interesting the first couple times, but I don't see how Japanese girls can do it every two days. I ran out of crazy poses, so I tried some other things like draping myself in the backdrops or making the same face for every picture.
Natsuki wants to use the computer now, so I'll go. I will see some of you in about 8 days, when I return to America. Until then you can go to Adi's site, who accompanied us to Hokkaido and took some great photos. See his pictures of Japan here, or see some quick pictures of our gang in Hokkaido here. Later, y'all.
Monday, September 08, 2003
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