Somewhere Else

Commute from Hell

2009-09-09T15:29:00.001+09:00

Commute from Hell
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

An after-hours collison forced the closure of the train I take to work (the Tozai line). This is one station along the detour. I got to work over an hour late.

Ah, well.

"Welcome Back"

2009-09-02T09:41:00.001+09:00

Back at work after vacation. First thing, fire up Thunderbird and take
a look at my email.

This might take a while.

A Disc Golf Shop in Tokyo!

2009-08-17T14:13:00.004+09:00

Went to have dinner with friend and his girlfriend this weekend. We got off the train and were on our way to meet him at a grocery store, when right around the corner from the grocery I saw a small (about 2/3 size) portable golf basket on the sidewalk outside a small shop. Stepped over, looked inside, and saw more than twice as many discs as you'd find at Real Cheap on a good day, packed into a shop no larger than a medium size walk-in closet.

I talked with the owner for only a little bit (we were on our way to meet people, after all), but got his card and a few "introduction to disc golf" booklets (in Japanese, naturally). I'm pretty sure all his discs meet the Japanese regulations (<152g). He had a few nice-looking golf bags, too. For Japan, the discs were reasonably priced ($15-$20). I didn't look too closely, but the bags seemed reasonable, too.

The owner said there are two courses in Tokyo; one near Tatsumi (which I already knew about, and is rather close to the house), and a course in Saitama. He said the course in Saitama is pretty good; I guess I'll have to steal a weekend before it gets too cold and get in a round or two of golf.

The shop: http://ddjam.jp/

Will pick up a few discs after vacation.

Bobby McFerrin, Pentatonic Scale, and Neuroscience

2009-08-02T12:19:00.002+09:00

Found this over on Boing Boing. To borrow from and agree with someone in the comments, the genius of Bobby McFerrin continues to amaze. "Don't Worry, Be Happy", as fun as it was at the time, is probably one of the least impressive points in his career.

Here he is at the World Science Festival 2009, using the pentatonic scale to illustrate expectations and neural programming. Something like that. This video? Me likey.

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

Trivial? Yes.

2009-07-29T14:55:00.005+09:00

Looked into Wikipedia for something, and came across this interesting tidbit:

"Kasai Station (葛西駅, Kasai-eki?) is a train station in Edogawa, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan. Its station number is T-17. The station opened on 29 March 1969, and consists of two elevated side platforms.

"The station has World's largest fully automated parking lot for bicycles where about 9,400 cycles are automatically parked in its 15 metre deep basement. Each of the automatic lift at the parking lot can handle upto 180-190 cycles and it takes just 23 seconds to retrieve back the cycle."

Also learned that "[the] Tōzai Line is the second most-ridden subway line in Japan, and according to a 2007 study, is the country's most crowded during rush hours." That's one of the lines I ride to work, which explains a whole lot about that part of the commute.

(Edit: Okay, after a little more poking, I found an informative, bilingual post on someone else's site. Looks like I have a French Canadian neighbor with a nice blog. Très cool!)

Thought for the Night

2009-06-27T01:48:00.003+09:00

Somewhat inebriated thought for the night, that is.

Is there any music that compares to Leonard Cohen? Anything as deep, meaningful, soulful, or moving? The dude's been at it for well over 40 years, and he still carries a certain gravity that is just... impressive.

Okay, me sleep now.

P.S.: The touchpad on my laptop is starting to go. Might just be time for a replacement machine.

Kit Kat: Muscat

2009-06-25T22:26:00.001+09:00

Kit Kat: Muscat
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

For this week, Muscat Kit Kat. To be honest, I don't really remember what this one tasted like. I think that means it was somewhat unimpressive. I think it was a chocolate (not white) base.

Debut

2009-06-20T22:55:00.001+09:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo140o7GpzY

They had three or four people read the line, and the director would make the decision in post-production. Maybe next time, eh?

Unscheduled Vacations and Karmic Retribution

2009-06-15T16:22:00.002+09:00

Apologies for the two week absence. I managed to get busy and distracted all at once.

For a long time, I've resisted the pull of the iPod. I've had, used, and enjoyed my iRiver H10 MP3 player. It has served me well over the last 4 years or so, carrying tunes and podcasts and audiobooks for me with little fuss. I appreciated the fact that it supports more file formats than the iPod, and that when you connect it to a computer, it shows up as a simple external hard drive. If you want to share something with friends, it's as easy as drag-and-drop.

Even today, I know there are much better portable players out there than any iPod. There are much better programs to manage your media collection than iTunes.

But I received an iPod Nano as a present a little while back, and decided to finally give it a go. Now, I've been on the PC side of the Mac vs. PC ideological divide for many years. I understand that they each have their strong points, and in the end it really is just a personal preference. I resisted the iPod for it's perceived limitations, and avoided iTunes for other reasons. But in order to use the iPod, I needed to install iTunes (apparently you don't have to use iTunes -- but you do have to have it installed). Since I was installing it, I decided to try it out.

How is iTunes? It's not bad. It is far from a superior product. I don't think it's as good as Microsoft's Media Player, which is sad. The iTunes Store is ever-present, and ever-annoying. iTunes informed me that, in order to fully utilize the features in iTunes, I needed to create an iTunes Store account. No problem. I went through the required steps, giving it my name and contact information, selecting a username and password. It then brought me to a credit card information screen.

For every item or button you can click on for information in iTunes, there are two other buttons to purchase the track/album/book/item you are looking at or looking for. With all these purchase options everywhere, I did not want to give them my credit card information. I looked all over the screen, but there was no option to skip the credit card information. Grumbling, I decided I would go ahead and enter a credit card, and just be careful of what I (or anyone else) clicked on in iTunes. I pulled out a card -- one that I have used for over a year in Japan. I've rented cars, paid for hotel rooms, bought groceries, even paid my phone bill with this card.

But the iTunes Store declared that my credit card is "not valid in Japan", and I need to use a different card. Well, Mr. iTunes Store, screw you. If they didn't want my card, I decided to just quit the process, and clicked on the only other button available to me -- Cancel. Cancel... which simply closed the credit card window. I think it allowed me to finish the account creation process, but I didn't check.

Anyway, I threw a bunch of music on the iPod and subscribed to about 30 public radio podcasts. Got everything ready for Monday morning, and went to bed. I woke up this morning, got ready for work, and headed out. On my way to the station, I put in my ear buds and hit play... and discovered my headphones had broke. There's a short in the cord, killing one side and making the other play at a real low volume.

Then I got to work and discovered the Windows registry on my computer corrupted. Windows wouldn't boot.

I should mention what happened last week -- the oven broke. The new oven. A repair person came to the house on Saturday to take a look at it, and declared he would have to take it in to the shop. I'm hoping to get it back tonight or tomorrow. I made enchiladas last week that I'd really like to reheat (in the oven) and have for dinner.

I'm surrounded by electronic failures. What's going on?
( . .)>

(Additional apologies for the rambling post. This is so sub-standard it hurts to hit "publish".)

Kit Kat: 塩＆キャラメル (Salted Caramel)

2009-06-03T23:59:00.003+09:00

Kit Kat: Salted Caramel
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

Your Kit Kat for today? Salted caramel (well, the bag says "salt & caramel"). These were really good. Chocolate base, with some caramel sweetness and just a touch of salt.

Not much else to add. Going to catch a quick workout and get to bed. It's been a long day and shaping up to be a long week.

Ranking Ramen

2009-06-02T00:30:00.001+09:00

Hayto Ramen
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

Pulling more pics from the Flickr archives, but this time just for illustration purposes. (Originally taken back in 2005, in Hayato Town, Kagoshima.)

On some other site I stumbled across a link to a "Ramen Database" at a website called "Supleks". (Interesting -- they also seem to have a Curry Database. Seems to be a mix of Japanese and Indian curry. I'll have to look and see what they have.) While it seems a bit Tokyo-heavy -- it's a fair assumption that population and internet density would favor Tokyo -- this could be a good tool to use to find new culinary adventures of the ramen (or curry) kind.

Two of the (currently) top ranked ramen places are actually not that far -- I think I pass one on the way to work, actually. I'll definitely have to check this out. Will report if I do.

Mt. Fuji Sunset

2009-05-30T11:46:00.001+09:00

Mt. Fuji Sunset
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

In the interest of keeping with my intended M-W-F schedule, I present a picture I took late December last year.

On a clear day, the view of Mt. Fuji from the upper floors of the Mori Tower in Roppongi can be -- stunning is a bit much, but it wasn't unusual for everyone to pause for a minute and look out the window at the view.

It seems like every time I took my good camera to work to get a picture of Fuji, the weather would work against me. As a result, I've really only got a few low-resolution snaps like this from my phone.

I'll have to work at gathering more things to write about.

Kit Kat: きなこ (Soybean flour)

2009-05-28T00:37:00.001+09:00

Kit Kat: きなこ (Soybean flour)
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

Welcome to the first of at least a few Kit Kat posts. I'll be doing these from time to time, especially if I'm busy and not able to put more thought or effort into posting something entertaining. Forgive me. (^_^)

According to Wikipedia, "It is also in Japan that Kit Kat has in recent years seen a variety of different flavors emerge, although each for a limited time. Some examples include, maple syrup, melon, vanilla bean, grape, apple, banana, caramel, kiwifruit, azuki (sweet red bean), green tea, yuzu (a fragrant lemon-like citrus fruit), and cherry blossom. [...] Japan has pushed Kit Kat flavours the most. Kit Kat Japan also has unique "Regional" variations such as a mango-flavoured Kit Kat available only in Kyushu and Okinawa."

So, yeah. There's lots of flavors of Kit Kat to be had, but almost always for limited times and/or limited to a certain locale. (One that I really want to get my hands on is a "soy sauce" Kit Kat I saw recently. How odd...)

So, for today, I bring you "Kinako", or roasted soybean flour, Kit Kats. They taste slightly of peanut butter, thanks to the roasted legume angle. Tasty. Would buy again, if I could find them -- and find them in a regular pack. I could only find these in a large bag of two-bar packs (pictured).

Anyway, there's my post for the day. Off to bed for me. Ciao!

Tabasco!

2009-05-24T23:54:00.001+09:00

Tabasco!
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

I was talking with a friend today and Tabasco came up. I mentioned I'd seen five different kinds here, and thought I'd share. Tabasco in Japan is synonymous with pizza and pasta; it's rare that you can find a restaurant with pizza or pasta that doesn't automatically bring Tabasco out with your dish. You might have to ask for Parmesan cheese, but the Tabasco is automatic. From a western perspective, it's a little odd.

Click through for details/comments on the Flickr page.

My New Kitchen

2009-05-24T23:40:00.001+09:00

My New Kitchen
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

Click on the picture to go to my Flickr page and read the details. The fridge arrived on Saturday, the oven came today. I just finished adding my own touches to the wire rack that holds the oven, toaster, and rice cooker. The touches involved about 60 zip ties, but I think I like the final product.

Here's hoping I can start posting with some degree of frequency. Shall we shoot for Monday/Wednesday/Friday?

Let us hope.

The Green Fairy

2008-11-08T15:39:00.001+09:00

The Green Fairy
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

More bottles from the Smart & Final-esque store. This time, absinthe. I think this was most of the bottles, but there might have been a second shelf. I think one or two of the bottles were up around 70%... I wonder what those would be like.

I almost forgot: Z -- read 'em and weep. (^_^)

Greetings from Hokkaido

2008-09-15T21:37:00.001+09:00

I am in the middle of a five day trip to Hokkaido, and find myself (yet again) on a highway bus at night, headed somewhere. (That's what you do on buses; go places.)

If you find yourself headed to Hokkaido, let me recommend Kamifurano. Kamifurano is a small, unassuming, and great place to spend two or three days. The inn I stayed at was more than sufficient, and the country scenery was all that I could have hoped for.

I only booked one night there, though, and now find myself headed to a city that sounds like a major tourist draw. Not my kind of place.

Next time, I think it'll be all about relaxing in the countryside.

Yeah.

Wildlife, After a Storm

2008-09-13T15:05:00.003+09:00

Wildlife, After a Storm
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

Rained really hard for a day or two a couple weeks back, and this little guy must've managed to get swept up into our little neighborhood stream. I keep looking for him, but I think he's gone now, back to the river.

(In case you're having a hard time spotting it, there's a turtle in the middle of the picure, hanging on to a the rock wall.)

Obey the Beer

2008-09-03T21:19:00.001+09:00

Obey the Beer
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

In case you can't make it out, the cap reads "If you can read this, you need to drink a beer."

What else could I do? I had to drink it.

I wish there were caps like this in the US, in various languages.

Genever

2008-09-02T23:16:00.004+09:00

Genever
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

Wandering around this evening, I found a 業務スパー (ぎょうむスパー, or gyoumusupaa) store not far from the station. It's basically close to a restaurant supply store -- think "Smart & Final" -- with plenty of things for cheap in bulk or near bulk sizes.

This place, however, also has a couple kickin' alcohol sections. The Japanese stuff (sake, shochu, awamori, and ume shuu) is on the first floor. The food goods and Western alcohol is on the second floor. There was a lot of good to be found in both alcohol sections; this is one of the shots I snuck from the Western section upstairs.

These are four bottles of genever. If my short-term memory still serves me, this could be something like the Dutch predecessor to our Gin of today. I'm going to have to get some of this. I wonder how it's different from gin.

Also, I wish I could have taken pictures of the whisky/ey section. It was beautiful. I have another pic I'll have to post soon, that's also from this store, but it's more about fairies.

Writing and Working

2008-09-02T23:05:00.002+09:00

Okay, I'm still trying to get some things in some sort of rhythm. Posting is one of those. I apologize for the lengthy gaps.

I just uploaded a dozen or so photos to my Flickr account, and have a couple more videos awaiting reformatting and uploading. I think I'm going to keep them private on Flickr for now, until I post them. Hopefully I can manage one every other day, and keep the pace going.

It's not about being a good writer. It's about being a reliable writer.

And beer.

Cicadas

2008-08-30T14:38:00.001+09:00

Cicadas
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

Here's my first attempt at blogging a video clip. I have a few more clips to put up, but I need to convert/edit them first (more on that below).

This is a view from the top of the stairwell leading to my apartment, panning from up the street, across the park (the big tree across the street is a cherry tree), and then down the street. The noise you hear is the cicadas, and a single raven about 3/4 of the way through. Yes, the cicadas get that loud.

(Note: I had to run the original video through a converter so I could rotate it 90 degrees. my phone shoots video in a horizontal format, but all the indicators on the screen are oriented as if you're shooting video in a vertical format. Long note short, I had to convert this, so it squished the video a little, making everything look just a little wider than it really is.)

My Other... Job?

2008-08-07T09:12:00.003+09:00

Well, maybe it's more of a pastime.

Uno Mas

Leave any comments here; I don't think The Green Magazine is looking for feedback on any freelancers.

Things on the Train

2008-07-29T06:54:00.002+09:00

Welcome to my morning commute.

I'm sure you're aware of the Japanese penchant for decorating things -- themselves included -- with random bits and phrases of random western languages, English being the language of choice. Being random, these fragments of language are mostly empty of any real meaning ("GET! For the most and always."). Like the Oracle at Delphi, however, occasionally a tidbit of wisdom appears.

This morning I caught a glance of a t-shirt calling out -- in the proper font -- Frutiger 66.

I think the Gods are trying to tell me to revisit my typeface selection.

Cock o' the Walk

2008-07-02T22:41:00.002+09:00

Cock o' the Walk
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

A coworker introduced me to Cock o' the Walk recently. It's a nice British Isles-style pub near in Roppongi, not far from work. They have a pretty good selection of beers on tap and in bottles (see below), and offer full pints for 600 yen during happy hour. Full pints can be a bit rare in Japan, and 600 yen (about $6) is not a bad price for that much beer.

There's live celtic music on the occasional evening (first Wednesdays, maybe) with an older British guy on what looked like a banjo and somewhere between 4 and 8 Japanese on a variety of instruments, including tin whistle and Irish bagpipes. It was good music and a good time.

Beers on tap:
Shepherd Neame 1698 Celebration Ale
Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger (Kentish Strong Ale)
Shepherd Neame Spitfire (Kentish Ale)
Westons Old Rosie Cloudy Scrumpy Premium Cider
Guiness
Heineken

Bottles:
Young's Special Ale
Fuller's London Pride Ale
Fuller's Golden Pride Superior Strength Ale
O'Hanlon's Port Stout
Fuller's Discover Blonde
Fuller's ESB
...plus a few that I couldn't quite make out from my barstool.

They also have a pretty nice looking menu, but I haven't had much off there yet. I've heard a few people rave about the bangers 'n mash, and the fish 'n chips at their sister pub, The Warrior Celt, are supposed to be worth the trip to Ueno.

The Dance of 10,000 Umbrellas

2008-06-22T23:55:00.001+09:00

The Dance of 10,000 Umbrellas
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

Met a few friends at Shibuya this afternoon. The rain was coming down a good bit, so I got to watch thousands of umbrellas swirl and bump their way across Shibuya crossing, one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in the world.

Tokyo Milk Bar

2008-06-17T14:14:00.001+09:00

Milk Bar
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

In Tokyo, ever on the cutting edge of things modern and even postmodern, you expect to find all sorts of stuff... but when I saw this on my walk to work yesterday morning, it made me blink. I found myself picturing the inside of the milk bar from A Clockwork Orange, and wondering if this would be anything like that.

I took a closer look today. Instead of a bunch of intense youth in bowler hats, I found a restaurant that serves ice cream and various dishes from and relating to Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost major island. Hokkaido is well known for dairy, beef, seafood, and various produce, so "milk" often carries connotations of Hokkaido.

That said, there's a Cold Stone Creamery just down the block. I think I'll hit there before I gooly down and govoreet me some nadsat.

Max Headroom

2008-06-14T13:33:00.002+09:00

Some of the subway stations are lacking in vertical clearance. This is in Ginza station. There is about six feet of clearance under that ductwork. I've seen lower ceilings, though.

Hazards of the Workplace

2008-06-14T11:45:00.001+09:00

Hazards of the Workplace
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei

I've started my new job this week. Things in the workplace are good and all, but this picture (taken from my desk) worries me. In the picture, only 30 feet from my desk, is a Starbucks... in the building, on this floor. A small, but full size, Starbucks. Mochas and muffins, any time of day.

I'm not sure this is a good thing.

This is Where I Work

2008-06-14T11:37:00.008+09:00

Roppongi Hills Mori Building. I'm up on the 48th floor. Awesome views, but the evacuation drill yesterday was 48 floors of about 25 steps per floor.

My legs still hurt.

Let's Try This One More Time...

2008-06-08T02:17:00.002+09:00

It's been forever and a few months since my last writing from Kagoshima, and time for me to get back on this writing pony.

I'm now in Tokyo, after a 16 month stint back in California. I came over in February to look for work -- with little more than a few contacts, a couple suits, and a vague idea of how to manage this "looking for work in a foreign country" gig. Finding work took about two months, and getting the working papers/visa took another month and change, but here I am. My first day at the new job starts in about 30 hours.

I looked at cell phones this afternoon. Now that I have a job and a working visa, it's time to settle in -- and a cell phone is pretty much the first step. For as long as I've been interested in Japan, and as long as there have been cell phones, Japan has been about two years ahead of the US as far as cell phone technology has been concerned... but something seems amiss. While I don't think I'd run out and buy one even if they were available, Japan doesn't yet have the iPhone. I also didn't see any Blackberries. They still have all sorts of kick-ass phones, but these are two pretty glaring omissions in the cell phone set. Apple recently reached an arrangement with a Japanese cell provider (hello, Soft Bank!) to bring the iPhone to Japan, and I'm sure that Blackberries are here somewhere.

I guess the point I'm working toward is that either A) the US is catching up to Japan on the cell phone technology front (maybe they're falling behind?), or B) I'm getting old and am losing touch with what's impressive on the technology end of cell phones. I don't know which of those two options I would prefer. I'm afraid the answer is 'B', which means I need to buckle down and get back into the swing of things.

I think I know which phone I want. Once I have a phone, I'll be able to easily upload pictures and comments from my Tokyo (and extra-Tokyo) travels.

Ah... it's good to be back. Sorry I was gone for so long.

Let's Not Make the News Tonight

2006-08-18T00:46:00.000+09:00

Here I am, on the night bus returning to Kagoshima. (Where did I go? Updates to follow.) I didn't think that the return trip could be worse than the trip out, but the weather had to come play in this equation. See, there's this typhoon (maybe "only" a tropical storm or depression) headed for Kyushu.

So am I.

In a big bus. A bus that likes to catch every wayward gust it can, and thus swerve all over the road.

Whee.

Thank the Gods I bought extra alcohol for the trip home.

Taking the Night Bus

2006-08-14T22:53:00.000+09:00

(Posting from my cell phone tonight.)

There are a few different ways to get around Japan.

First, you can walk or ride a bike. These work well for short distances with little to no luggage.

After that there are cars, trains, and buses. Each of these are about the same as in the western world (just cleaner and better).

For longer distances, you usually go with either the shinkansen, regular trains, buses, or planes. Planes are the fastest, but also the most expensive. The shinkansen can cost almost as much as a plane and isn't as fast, but it's nice in its own way.

Buses and trains, for the long haul, offer the night (夜行) option. Basically, you get on the train/bus in the evening, and wake up at your destination. It might not be as glamorous as the other options, but it is a little bit cheaper.

I took the night train from Kyoto to Akita back in 2001-2002. It was really neat, and the JR yukata (robe) that followed me home is still a prized possession.

The night bus, though, ain't all that. Just like everywhere else, the seats are too small. The rocking of the bus is less "gentle and soothing" and more "gee, I'm on a bus".

Not much I can do about it now, though, except have a drink and try to sleep.

Good night.

Yet Another New Toy

2006-08-13T17:58:00.002+09:00

Yet Another New Toy
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

After all the headaches I've had with my current camera (Canon Powershot A300) -- the recent memory corruption issues, slow shooting times, no zoom, and so on -- I decided to get a new camera.

Meet the Canon S3 iS. 6 megapixel, 12x optical zoom, SD memory card, and a host of nifty features. I hope I don't regret buying it here in Japan (since the warranty may not be honored overseas) and at the last minute. I've been wanting a camera for so long, it's nice to finally have one.

So this will probably be the last picture taken with the A300. Long live the S3iS!

No Liquids?

2006-08-11T12:14:00.000+09:00

U.S. posts code-red alert; bans liquids

Gee, thanks. Good thing I didn't go out and buy a few rare bottles of shochu to bring home and share with friends and family, so they can see what I've been talking about.

Oh, wait. I did. Screw it -- I'm shipping this stuff home. There's no way I'm tossing it out. Since I'll be shipping, I'll pick up a few extra bottles of other unusual shochu, so I can have more to look forward to.

Insured airmail, here I come.

What I don't get is how this is going to stop anyone from blowing anything up. If you really want to get liquids aboard a plane, fill a water baloon or other plastic bladder up, insert into rectum, and go.

Oops -- now we all get to enjoy body cavity searches. Hospital gowns for EVERYONE!

Except first class. You can wear bathrobes.

Ripe for the Picking

2006-08-08T14:23:00.000+09:00

Ripe for the Picking
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

There's a blueberry farm about a half hour away in Okuchi. A little less than five dollars gets you in, and you get to eat all you want from the bushes. Anything you choose to take home is charged at a reasonable rate (I think it was a few dollars a pound or something like that).

In other news, packing and cleaning are quite a bit done.

There's a writing project I'm working on that is driving me crazy. I've done the research. I have the notes. I even have some pictures... unfortunately I also have a miserable case of writer's block. I've written almost three times as much as is required, but nothing is coming together. It's all fragments and half-baked thoughts. I need to get through this and get through it soon.

Please forgive the little rant above. The last thing I want is to have anything like a LiveJournal or MySpace page filled "my life is blah" and "current mood:" angst-ridden posts all over the place. I'll try to keep it to a minimum. I promise.

Rain, Rain, Get the F--- Out

2006-07-23T14:19:00.000+09:00

Heavy rain sweeps southern Japan, 4 dead
4 die due to heavy rain in Kagoshima Pref., death toll rises to 24

It's been raining here since something like Tuesday, and it really started coming down heavy on Friday (or was it Thursday?), all the way through Saturday night. In total, the news says, we've had about 120 centimeters of rain... which is just a hair under four feet. Four feet of rain in less than a week. I think that's more than a year's worth of rain for most anywhere in Southern California... in about five days. The north half of my town got hit pretty hard. If my camera were working, I'd try to go get some pictures to post.

I just watched a train go by and it looked like there were mud splashes on the sides of the first few cars.

Oh, yeah -- my camera has earned a boatload of wrath. I had pictures on there from a visit to a shochu distillery, as well as pictures from my farewell party and pictures of the river ready to flood its banks... and when I hooked the camera up to my computer, they both inform me that the memory card is EMPTY. What the hell?

Any good camera recommendations out there?

Considering History

2006-07-23T12:34:00.000+09:00

Worshipping Yasukuni-Jinja
originally uploaded by BenTokyo.

I really wasn't sure what to title this entry. I toyed with "Let's Get Political (For a Minute)", but maybe "The Biggest News That Will Go Nowhere" would be more accurate. I'm not saying that I want the news I read about over at Pure Land Mountain to go nowhere; I just have little faith in the Japanese news machine to persue this matter or ask any hard questions about it. (I have the same lack of faith in the U.S. media. They've let the world down as much or more than the Japanese media.) They'll probably just look the other way and hope it goes away. If this were the U.S., I'd be sure that was the intention.

Meh. Who am I kidding. The visits will probably continue, so as to appease the Japanese political right and antagonize the rest of Asia. Nothing like following tradition for nothing other than the sake of following tradition.

Thanks to BenTokyo for having this picture of Yasukuni in his Flickr set.

My Neighborhood

2006-07-12T10:40:00.000+09:00

My Neighborhood, originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

Google Maps updated the satellite imagery for my area. (Feel free to click the link and explore around town.) You can now make out individual buildings and even cars. The imagery is still at least a year old -- the Taiyo (a supermarket chain) isn't in the picture, but it does look like they might have started grading the lot where it was finally built (inside the curve in the river just to the left of center, in the upper part of the picture) late last year. I stuck labels on things, for everyone's edification. To give an idea of distance, it's a five minute walk from home to work.

Breath: Taken

2006-07-11T13:26:00.000+09:00

They Went on Forever
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

My buddy Kensoux (of The Fan fame) came out to visit last month, and we had a good time of squeezing a lot of good Kyushu times into three days. This was on our way to Beppu, in Oita. The road we chose to take looked like any other road on the map, except for this one part where it looked like it got a little thinner... and boy, did it get thinner. We drove for a few miles through tiny, winding, tree-enclosed roads. I'm surprised there was pavement (for the most part). I'm also surprised we didn't have Indiana Jones leap across the road, persued by fierce tribesmen and bloodthirsty Nazis. It was crazy.

So we thread our way through miles of tree-tube-road, and finally come upon something more like a normal road. We could tell there was some sort of valley up ahead, but you couldn't tell because of this house on the outside of a curve, blocking our view. "Wow," I mused, "that house must have one hell of a view."

And then we rounded the curve, and we could see past the house... and we came to a dead stop in the middle of the road. The real thing is, of course, much more impressive than the little picture. Let's just say that I won't be forgetting that view for a long, long time.

Mea Culpa

2006-07-06T19:21:00.000+09:00

Shanghai 042
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

Okay, so it's been a while. A long, long while. More than two months. So much for resolutions, eh?

If you follow this link, you should hit my set of pictures from Shanghai over on my Flickr page. Most, but not all of them, are commented -- that should make for some amusing reading for ten minutes or so. I need to go figure out what I'm doing for class tonight. I'll try to write more this week and next.

Really.

I promise.

Uh... don't quote me on that.

Looking Back...

2006-04-20T15:10:00.000+09:00

Jerry Birthday 2005
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

Birthday bash, San Francisco, 2005. At the peak we had more than 30 people, and the party ran for just over 12 hours. Every time I try to count the faces here, the numbers seems to come up different -- but I think the answer is "30". A good time was had by everyone, which considering the size of the group, was a good thing.

Anyway, I thought it'd be nice to look back just briefly before today runs out.

Motion Sick Right Before Lunch

2006-03-27T14:52:00.000+09:00

Just in case it slipped past your radar, there was a minor geological event at 11:50, right before lunch. I toyed with titling this update using the word "Earthquake", but I didn't want to alarm anyone.

The epicenter was off the east coast of Kyushu and measured about a 5.3; Oita seems to have had the biggest shaking, but no damage or injuries have been reported (that I've been able to see). Down here in the somewhat north end of Kagoshima, I would wager it was near an even two. Didn't hear anything or really notice any shaking. At ten minutes to noon, as I was contemplating my lunch options, I suddenly felt a little queasy. The supervisor in the department next to mine looked in my direction and asked if we were having an earthquake. We looked around and saw a few small signs of shaking - phone cords swaying a little bit, department signs swinging a little from their chains, but nothing to worry about.

So, there you have it. My first workplace earthquake. Woah.

On Stage... Now With Real Music

2006-03-27T11:02:00.000+09:00

Charity Concert 1
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

Played at a charity concert on Saturday with Nathan and Andy (not Andrew). I guess things went pretty well, from what we heard. Plenty of nerves up on stage, for all three of us.

While I'm more comfortable with the guitar slung up high for now, it really makes me look like I have a guitar for a torso. Lousy posture, too. Time to hit the gym.

I also figured out what part of the whole band "front man" bit is about. After our (one song) performance, people that knew us congratulated all three of us, while people that didn't know us gave praise to Andy. Singer as front man - I guess the vocalist really is the visible one. No biggie. I'm in this for the babes more than the spotlight.

Warm, Cold, Warm, Cold...

2006-03-08T11:07:00.000+09:00

It seems the weather can't make up its mind about what season it is these days. Two days ago it was almost downright chilly. Yesterday was pretty warm. Today is slightly chilly. It's been like this for a couple weeks now, so I guess we're on our way to "spring".

I don't have much else to toss about today; I got an email or two mentioning my lack of updates and realized that it had been about three weeks since I posted anything. Sorry 'bout that.

I did manage to get out last Sunday and buy a guitar. A brand-new "Sepia Crue" W-130TS. Essentially it's a good guitar for a beginner, which I am. It's a lot easier to play than the guitar I got from my predecessor, which is close to retirement. Between the guitar, the bag (included), a new strap, and a capo, I put down about $85. I never really realized that guitars could be had for so little.

The performance for Nathan and I is on the 25th, in about two weeks. I'm making progress, but the rythymic strumming that I'd like to have is still evading me, just a little bit. It would be nice to sound good this time. The audience will be larger than our performance last year, and we're playing it a bit more seriously.

I really feel like I'm struggling to come up with things to say, so I'll just let it go at that and get back to work.

Wireless Internet... With Cheese?

2006-02-15T08:50:00.000+09:00

Wireless Internet... With Cheese?
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

Jenny sent me a pic she got from a coworker at a trade show down in Texas. It offers proof that in the South they either need some sort of help, or that they're covered in cheese. No matter how you look at it, today we get to have a chuckle at the expense of Texas.

Thank you, Texas. With cheese.

Valentine's Day: A Girlfriend Related Item

2006-02-14T08:34:00.000+09:00

Cat Frisbee, hosted by ImageShack.
Original image by Colin Thomas Photography.

As many New Year's resolutions do, my resolution to post more frequently started to falter one month into the year. I just hope that this ~~two~~ three week lapse is more forgivable than the fact that I missed much of November and all of December. January was a pretty typical month, other than returning from vacation. I got back into the swing of things, and all was good.

...and then February came along.

The Japanese school year ends somewhere in March. I'm not entirely sure, but I think that elementary schools have some sort of "international studies" requirement. If not that, then like many American schools when the end of the school year comes around, it's time to take a little bit of a break and let the kids have a little fun. Either way, within the first few days of February the requests started rolling in. Before I knew it, I had nearly 20 hours of school visits booked for the month. I'm sure there's more coming.

So... last week I was at an elementary school down in Kokubu city. We (me, Gon, Raka, and Nathan) had a total of four hours for around 130 fifth graders. The presentations went well; Gon asked that I do the frisbee thing again. I redid my old presentation and livened it up. Adding in the picture of frisbee cat (above) got quite a few laughs.

We also spent lunch and lunch recess with the kids. While we were outside, I got peppered with lots of questions. "How tall are you?" "How old are you?" and so on. Many of these questions you answer and don't give a second thought to. Other questions can get personal, and most of us choose to dodge them, or just not answer them.

(Let me apologize now for the lengthy explanation.)

One of the kids asked me "Jerry sensei... kanojo iru?" (ジェリー先生、彼女居る？) Translated, "Mr. Jerry, do you have a girlfriend?"

I've been down this road before. If I answer "yes", they will either start screaming until I show them a picture, or they'll cut to the chase and start asking questions like "What's her bra size?" "Do you guys do it?" and so on. Personally, I'd rather not spend recess being bombarded by questions better addressed to Penthouse Forum.

I went for the dodge. The plain form of the verb "to be" (iru, いる) has the same spelling as the plain form of the verb "to need". I looked down at the kid and replied "Un. Irimasu." (うん。要ります。) "Yes. I need one." This sort of word play is generally the same as cracking a pun in the U.S. Most people just don't see it as funny.

I don't know if the kid caught what I was trying to do, or if he just gave up on me after my strange answer, but he blinked, sorta shook his head, and ran off onto the playground. That's good enough for me. (See, I told you it was girlfriend related.)

A Little Something for the Japanese Speakers...

2006-01-25T10:01:00.000+09:00

For those that don't speak or read Japanese, I apologize for the following. I'll try to not do this too often. The following was sent to me by a friend...

un-fucking-sociable: 人と付き合うのを非常に嫌う〔unsociable に fucking という下品な言葉を差し込んだ無意味な表現〕

I don't know what sort of translation they're working on to warrant researching that sort of lexicon, but I'm jealous.

Survey Says!

2006-01-25T09:44:00.000+09:00

I get in to the office this morning and my supervisor hands me a letter that asks me to participate in an online survey for JETs. It's regarding tourism and such; they'd like to look at things from the point of view of a couple thousand foreigners living in Japan. Fair enough. Once I get into the survey, though, things got funny.

First thing I notice is that the survey is in translated English. It's pretty well done, but there are a few gems in there that are adorable. For example, they want to know about your experiences abroad: "Your experience of tripping abroad." Uh, tripping? Sorry, I only drink when I'm abroad. I try to save tripping for when I'm at home.

As with any survey, they need to know two things - who you are, and what your opinon is. Knowing who you are helps them qualify and categorize your comments. In this case, they ask questions about what countries you've been to, your purpose of going there, and what the results of your travel were.

Hmm. So how exactly should I comment on Iraq?

Should I mark it "Business", "Research/observation", or "Participation in international conference"? Does "invade a foreign country and topple their government" fall under the category of "Other"?

And then we get to the "Results" column. Were the results of my trip to Iraq...
"As expected"
"Nearly as expected"
"Results did not meet expectations"
"Absolutely no result"

I really have no clue how to answer that.

I'm going to spend five more chuckling minutes on this survey, then get back to doing real work. It's a busy week; I'll have to wait until later to talk about this awesome coffee shop I went to yesterday. No, strike that - It'll have to wait until I visit there with my camera. Words won't do it nearly enough justice. I'll just throw a teaser out by way of saying that the house it's in is nearly 200 years old, there's handcrafted pottery all over, and you have an incredible view of the bay and Sakurajima while sipping your coffee. I'll be going back, that much is certain.

More Snow Pictures!

2006-01-19T10:11:00.000+09:00

Makuragi Steps in Winter
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

I made a mistake in the number of steps, but that's been fixed. Sorry!

More snow! Well, snow pictures, that is. I don't think we've had snow in a couple weeks. This picture is from the Yusui town website: "冬の枕木階段"

Mt. Kurino stands over the town of Yusui. Up on the mountain, depending on the weather and time of day, you can see the Mt. Kurino Baths, a nearby geothermal power station, the Kurino Recreation Area, or the "Makuragi Kaidan". 'Kaidan' is 'stairs' or 'stairway'. 'Makuragi' is 'railroad tie'. That's right; a staircase of railroad ties.

But that's not all. This happens to be the longest railroad tie staircase in all of Japan! Insane! ~~Six-hundred and eighty-something~~ Five hundred and sixty-one steps going up the hillside. If the skies are clear, the view from up there is incredible. (Thought: Is this anything like having the "World's Largest Ball of Twine" in your town in the middle of Nowhere, Kansas?)

I conducted another cooking class yesterday; hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, and deviled eggs. I forgot to get the pictures off my phone yesterday, so those will have to go up tomorrow. I can say this, though - it all came off much better than I thought, or even hoped for.

Say Hello to the New Toy

2006-01-17T09:55:00.000+09:00

New Toy: iRiver H10
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

I got a new toy this Sunday: An MP3 player! (Please note: This is not an iPod.)

I found an iRiver H10 5GB MP3 player for a nice price at a nearby Yamada Denki. Of the two color choices I had, I went with "Trance Red". (Well, since I bought it in Japan, I guess it's not "Trance Red" but "Deep Red".) For once I'm one of the last kids on the block to get with the latest technology. Five gigabytes works out to something like 80 hours of music, or 1,300 songs. That's enough to keep me entertained for a couple weeks... I hope.

The color screen is an interesting touch. It can display pictures, provided there are pictures on the device to display. Since I was able to fill the five gigs with music in one short sitting, there are no photos for now. I guess I should dump a song or two so I can carry some pretty pictures with me. It can display text, as well, so I should start carrying around an e-book or two. Maybe shopping lists or something.

"What's that on your MP3 player?"

"Uh... some Creedence, some Vivaldi, pictures from vacation, a little Shakespeare... and my checklist for world domination."

Magic Switch of +15 Happiness

2006-01-16T13:35:00.000+09:00

Sometimes it's the simple things.

The main circuit breaker in my house was, until today, only rated for 15 amps. How much is 15 amps? Not a lot. If I tried to run two appliances at the same time - like my microwave and my air conditioner, or my vacuum and my washing machine, or even my toaster oven and TV (!) - the circuit breaker would trip and I'd have to run around and turn everything off before resetting the breaker and then resetting all my clocks.

Having Kyushu Electric come out and replace my 15 amp circuit breaker with a more solid 30 amp breaker didn't cost anything. The base rate I pay for electricty goes from $3.50 to maybe $6.50 a month, but the price per kilowatt hour stays the same. A small price to pay to be able to cook dinner without the lights going out. Now if I can just figure out why my gas meter keeps resetting itself, I'll be set.

A Week for Food and Cooking

2006-01-12T09:27:00.000+09:00

Maybe it's something in the air, but this week seems to be all about food and cooking. Of course the fact that I'm hungry right now might have something to do with that.

The baker said he can make the buns for me. They're probably going to be closer to dinner rolls, with a slightly chewier texture, but I don't have time to shoot for more than that. When I have time later in the month I'll try to make some from scratch. Why does baking bread have to seem so complicated? Maybe it's just me.

I decided yesterday morning that I was going to make refried beans last night, and then found that I was looking forward to those beans all day. All day. Is that a sign of domestication, when you start looking forward to cooking? The house sure smelled good, though - the beans simmering with various spices, then frying up a little bacon with garlic and onion as a base for the mashing of the legumes.

I just realized something. Talking about food when you're hungry and can't eat is what I think we should call "a bad idea." I better get back to work and not think about food until 12:00.

One last thought - beginning with a little writing seems like a good way to start the day. I'll try to keep this up. (Hah!)

Big Black Apron, or "I Need Something to Say"

2006-01-11T09:40:00.000+09:00

Big Black Apron
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

I felt like writing for a minute this morning, and decided for some reason that I'd tell you about my apron. I got a nifty black denim Williams-Sonoma apron for when I'm cooking. I'm guessing it's black denim so I can maintain some degree of masculinity while cooking with an apron... or something like that. It'll be nice to keep my clothes covered, and the pockets on the front will be handy for all those little things you wish you had when mixing it up in the land of forks and spoons.

I have another cooking class next week. The plan is to go with hamburgers, deviled eggs, and baked macaroni and cheese. Once I started looking up recipes, I came to a somewhat surprising realization:

There's more than one way to cook mashed cow.

I expected there to be several different ways to cook macaroni and cheese ("over 100" according to allrecipes.com), and maybe a few ways to cook deviled eggs (20-30 as far as I can see), but I never really gave hamburgers much thought. Take cow. Take apart cow. Mash cow parts. Make like Play-Doh with cow mash. Apply fire liberally... right?

Well, I'm seeing at least 100 ways to cook hamburgers here, and at one point I thought I saw over 150. The recipes range from what now seems mundane - mix a few spices in - to the realm of "Huh?" Try "Chinese-Style Cheeseburgers" with cheddar, chinese mustard, soy sauce, and water chestnuts all mixed in. Maybe you can go with Cola Burgers, or Garlic Curry Burgers, or Jalapeno-Blue Cheese Burgers.

I think my two favorite names have got to be "Good Burger" and "Mad Cow Hamburger".

Okay; back to work. I need to figure out which of these I'm going to teach next week.

That reminds me of the one problem I think I'm going to have with this cooking class: Where can I get hamburger buns? I need to take a trip to a local baker today and see if he can make them for me. If not, I'm not sure what my other options are. I guess I could always go the homemade route...

Something I Missed on the Way to America

2006-01-10T17:12:00.000+09:00

Ooyuki
Originally uploaded by Andrewdeluxe.

(Catching up on things from December...)

I left Kagoshima on 15 December. Less than a week later a snow system came through and dropped about a foot (30 centimeters) of snow in and around my area. While that doesn't sound like much, it was the most snowfall here in almost 90 years. It took about two days for it to melt... and I missed it all.

Ah, well. I'm sure we'll get more before the winter is through.

Happy Belated New Year

2006-01-10T16:24:00.000+09:00

Wow. Close my eyes for a moment and December just waltzes on by. Damn you, December. Think you're all sneaky and stuff. Ah, well.

It was a busy month, December. A handful of school visits, two trips to a nursery school, three weeks back in California... (insert cliche "now I need a vacation from vacation") but it was all fun.

While in California I did a lot of shopping and visiting and eating and drinking. The trip I took down to Monterey was nice; I got to visit the Japanese department at DLI and give a talk. It was half show and tell, discussing my Japan- and Japanese-related experiences post-DLI, and half Q&A on everything from life in Japan to study tips. They had some good questions about translation and interpretation which I was happy to pass along. Most of them will wind up dealing with interpretation or translation issues in short order. The introduction to translation and interpretation they get is a good and solid one, but it's good to hear actual anecdotes. It makes it more real. (Well, it makes it more entertaining, at least.)

I wrote up a stack of (mental) notes with New Year resolutions. I need to go through, prioritize, and get to work on them. I'd talk about them in detail, but that would only lead to embarassment and dissapointment. I'd rather tell about them after something has actually happened. It's more fun (for me) that way.

Anyway, it's still during the work day. I just wanted to make a dent in this silence. More later.

Haven't We Met Before?

2005-11-25T08:14:00.000+09:00

I'm at the airport. It's early, the coffee I had this morning seems to be on strike (it sure isn't working), and I'm irritated that the 4,800 yen ($42) taxi to the airport was about twice what I was told to expect. I'm afraid long-term parking might have been cheaper.

Oh... and I have this case of deja vu chasing me through the airport. I didn't catch her name, but the same agent from ANA has proceeded me. She was at check in, then at baggage check, and security. Now she's at the gate, waiting. Why? It appears that she's the English speaker on duty, so she preceeds me to take care of any issues. Sure, it's nice to have my own agent, but it's kinda creepy, too.

Happy Thanksgiving Day

2005-11-24T08:59:00.000+09:00

I'd like to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving in the most non-denominational way possible. While you're busy being thankful today, remember to be happy, too.

I guess that's all I have for now. I'll be in Tokyo and Kyoto for the next ten days, so I may not be able to write much. Cheers!

Cooking Class 2 of 2

2005-11-16T13:55:00.001+09:00

Cooking Class 2 of 2
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

Taught a cooking class today to the local cooking club. Since it's November and turkey day, I went with whole roast chickens, mashed potatoes, gravy, and "Norwegian Christmas Cabbage". The chickens had to be special ordered from the market. Nobody knew what to do with a whole chicken. I understand that the butcher hadn't had a strange request like this in some time. The checkout clerk didn't know what to make of them. Even the ladies in the class seemed a bit skeptical.

Oh, and the cabbage -- that was a fun dish. Cabbage, bacon, salt, pepper, and a dash of flour. Simmer/boil for about 45 minutes or until tender, then add 1/2 cup vinegar, and about 1/2 cup sugar. The goal is to have a balance between the sweet of the sugar and the sour of the vinegar. We wound up with a little much sugar, but it was close enough. Again, cooking something like this was a strange and new experience for the women in the class.

Cooking Class 1 of 2

2005-11-16T13:55:00.000+09:00

Cooking Class 1 of 2
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

Two chickens, almost straight from the oven. I already have the catchpan simmering so I can make some gravy. Believe it or not, I actually was able to make a pretty good (non-dairy) gravy.

Death Comes on a Tuesday

2005-11-08T21:47:00.000+09:00

As I've whined before, things have gotten pretty busy for me as of late. Two adult conversation classes, four elementary school classes (well, clubs), and then a bunch of events came rolling along to settle on top of that. Halloween. Town festival. Evening party. Cooking class. Xmas party. Mid-year conference. I was overwhelmed for a bit, but hey -- things could be worse, right? And as I finally adjusted to manage the load, things changed.

My friend and sidekick, Raka, got a call last night. Her father had gone into the hospital and was in critical condition. From what I heard, she was pretty shaken up. I guess his health wasn't the best, but this came as a surprise. I went to work this morning and it looked like she's spent a good amount of the night and morning crying. After a quiet conference with our supervisor and the section chief, she arranged to head home. Our supervisor took care of the tickets and leave paperwork, I took over all the things Raka was working on, and she went home to pack for her noon flight.

At some point in the next couple hours, before she left for the airport, she called the office. Her father had passed away this morning, probably while she was getting the ticket and other things together so she could get home to see him.

We had talked a week or two about plans for winter vacation. She said that she wanted to go home because she wanted to see her family, and her father especially, because she didn't know how much longer he might be around. She even mentioned last night that she wanted to hurry home so she could see him one last time... and now he's gone.

It's actually been easier to assume the extra duties and responsibilities in light of the situation. Little things become trivial, and big things are just small things that need to be done. Family and friends are, in so many ways, more important that any stress you might expend at work. Focus on the important things, and everything else will (hopefully) fall into place.

Have a good, safe flight, Raka. Bid your family well.

Flashback to Miyazaki

2005-10-25T13:45:00.000+09:00

TS290010
Originally uploaded by Andrewdeluxe.

A quick flashback to the Chicanos; this pic is from Deluxe's Flickr Page. It's a much better view of how some of the guys at the event were dressed. I'll post up a few more of his pics some other time.

Pretty Little Thistle

2005-10-25T13:37:00.000+09:00

Pretty Little Thistle
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

I wanted to give a certain somebody a flower, but from the other side of the globe this is the best I can do for now.

Hope you like it.

Busy Schedules and Little Monkeys

2005-10-18T10:05:00.000+09:00

My first two Kid's English "Club" classes were yesterday. I know I have to stick it out, but this is going to wear on me a little bit. It will be a challenge working with the little monkeys. The first through third graders weren't that bad, but the 4th-6th grade set was a bit harder. The girls were so quiet I couldn't hear half of them even if I was right next to them, and the boys were loud and rambunctious and spoke almost anything but English. I thought I'd work with them on the numbers and the ABCs... but they already knew them. Lesson plan: Out the window.

It also didn't help that my prep time yesterday was taken over by things I suddenly had to do before class - things like make and cut out name tags. Making about 80 name tags and cutting them by hand with a razor and ruler takes just a little time, y'know? I wish I knew why they didn't tell me about this earlier, when I had a little more time.

I then get to my evening English conversation class on time, and find the community center dark and locked up. Despite the fact that we submitted the reservation form last month, it got lost somewhere, somehow. I called the office, and they made a few calls, and the caretaker showed up. I guess most of the students arrived before I did, saw everything closed up, and went home. I wound up having two students - a middle schooler and a high schooler. I had an activity planned, but wanted to save it for when I had a full class... and so I had to tap dance for an hour or so. Tap dancing is pretty hard when your brain has already been shot up by rowdy little monkeys.

I really hope every Monday isn't like this, but I fear that it will be. At least, the tired feeling I have by the end of the day. I worked from 8:30 until 9:00 at night, and didn't get home until almost 9:30. One break from noon to one, and a dinner break from 6:15 to 7:15. My coworker and fellow JET told me that I should have talked to her before agreeing to four kid's classes per week; that alternating weeks would have been better. Yeah, I suppose so.

Well, I'll just have to buckle down and get used to herding cats, or entertaining monkeys, or whatever euphamism you want to use. I'm sure once I get used to the kids (and they get used to me) and I have a better idea of what's going on, it'll get easier.

On other fronts, it's really cooled down this week. When I wake up in the morning, there's condensation on the inside of my windows. I'm sitting here at work with goosebumps since they have a few windows open. By afternoon it'll be hot, and it'll be nice to have the breeze, but for now both the extra-bitter coffee we have in the office and the cold wind blowing papers off my desk are keeping me wide awake.

Shiver. Burr.

News Quiz

2005-10-12T15:31:00.000+09:00

Read the following quotation, then choose one answer below.

"What this man who grew up in wealth and privilege considers good for [the poor] is that they become killers and [bombers]. He assures them that this is the road to paradise - though he never offers to go along for the ride."

This is...
A) George Bush talking about Osama Bin Laden
B) Osama Bin Laden talking about George Bush

Maybe it's me, but it really could be read either way.

(Taken from The Guardian, 7 October 2005.)

I spent some time this afternoon reading a little news, and revisited some memories from my time in Iraq. I suppose it could be the current media portrayl, but it really seems like things are getting a little better over there, day by day. Hopefully it won't be too many more years before Iraq will be able to stand on their own, regardless of the internal strife or nearly 2000 years of religious conflict.

Not that I want to be political here -- this is supposed to be about my time in Japan -- but man, what a mess.

A Short Equation

2005-10-07T16:28:00.000+09:00

In Japan, there are urban areas, suburban areas, rural towns, and tiny villages. This is just a guess, but I may have found a simple equation you can use to determine the classification of your environs.

If there are no tanbo (rice paddies), you're in an urban area.

If there are more buildings than tanbo, you're in a suburban area.

More tanbo than buildings? You're rural.

More tanbo than people? Tiny village.

I welcome comments, input, or amendments to this equation -- just use the "post a comment" link below.

Oh; I'm headed for Tokunoshima (Tokuno Island) this weekend, so I hope to have a few good posts out of that. I'll even try SCUBA diving while I'm there. Wish me luck!

This is Not Los Angeles. This is Japan.

2005-09-26T15:55:00.000+09:00

Preface: I apologize for the lack of posts over the last week. Things got busy, and I'm having to work out a new approach to my duties and obligations. I'll do my best to stay on top of things.

I went to Miyazaki City for the weekend, and while there we ran across what looked like a Chicano car show. I didn't have my real camera with me, so all I could manage was a handful of snaps with the phone. I'm pretty sure there aren't this many Mexicans in all of Miyazaki, if not Kyushu. These are Japanese emulating Mexican-American hip-hop/gangster culture. Most of the guys have the dress down pretty well, while most of the girls look like a misguided interpretation of something from a Christina Aguilera video.

Not only did they have the look, they had the jumping cars to boot.

The strangest part had to be how so many of them sported the icons of their adopted culture down to the last detail. Long sleeved flannel shirts with only the top button fastened, worn over an extra long plain white t-shirt, which is over a pair of oversized black shorts, and then a pair of long athletic socks.

In Japan, where tattoos are still somewhat taboo (maybe not as taboo as they once were, but they're nowhere as common as we see in the states, with every bandwagon-jumping airheaded sheep getting tribal barbwire tattoos around their narcissistic biceps, or tribal floral patterns hovering over their low-hanging derriere...) (breathe...) so, yeah -- In Japan, tattoos, etc -- there was a girl with a full shoulder tattoo of the Virgin Mary that ran down to her elbow. You can bet she's not Catholic. I might even be willing to bet she might not know the meaning of the icon she has impressed unto her flesh.

My favorite part had to be the way they carried the Mexican national flag with them. There were more Mexican flags than you'd see American flags in an hour of Faux News -- there were that many. Affixed to cars, carried aloft (some of those flags were pretty huge)... it was surreal.

To wrap this up, I spoke with a couple friends who actually attended a couple parties thrown by this crowd. The guys got up on stage and rapped (in Japanese) about how nobody understands life in the 'hood, and that there are people dying in the street... 'Hood? People dying in the street? Where? Certainly not Japan.

Oh, and with all these trappings, one of my friends walked up to a group at one of these parties and asked "Como estas? Que paso?" They had no idea what he was talking about.

Oh, Japan. You're so silly.

Update: We're in the Newspaper!

2005-09-16T10:22:00.000+09:00

(EDIT: Took a few pictures with my camera, so you can ignore the first couple paragraphs. Click on the above image to see the full article and accompanying Japanese text.)

Well, we hit the newspaper today. I don't have time today to run about looking for a scanner since I actually have WORK to do today, so I'll have to just give you a quick description and synopsis of the article.

It's a small piece on about page 7, three short paragraphs with the three of us done up Japanese manga-style.

I'll give a real quick and rough translation for now, and try to clean it up later.

THIS is American
Nathan, a Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) from Kirishima town, and two other Americans in Aira county, put together a band for an international exchange event in Makizono town. In front of the audience, vocalist Andrew from Yokogawa town proceeded to chant "aaa... ooo..." repeatedly in a low voice, keeping with the guitar.
Over the top of this, Nathan played lead flute, while the chanting paid him no heed; "aaa... ooo..." Was this rock? Country? The audience knew nothing -- not the title, not even the genre. The innovative rhythm made the audience wonder 'Is this sort of mysterious song the latest thing in America?', while the beat carried on.
When asked about the song after the performance, the three men gave a wry smile. "It doesn't really have a name." In actuality, Jerry (from Yusui town) played only two chords while Nathan and Andrew just shouted along with the guitar. Despite the strange song with the strange construction, they managed to captivate the audience, and shrewdly succeeded in expanding their circle of "international exchange".

"... and that's the news. Back to you, John."

What Have We Done?

2005-09-14T14:48:00.000+09:00

Here's a little follow-up to our music performance. Nate, Raka, Gon, and I use an instant messenger program during the day to discuss work (and other stuff). Nathan comes on and asks me to confirm the spelling of my last name. I do so, and ask why. Here's a cut from our chat:

Nathan: the newspaper guy is here
Nathan: from makizono
Jerry: about our music performance?
Nathan: yeah
Jerry: I have GOT to get a few copies of that when it comes out, even if we're just a mention.
Nathan: yeah
Nathan: he said he'd come back to give me a picture
Nathan: it'll probably come out in makizono's paper
Nathan: we could ask gon to procure us copies
Jerry: ahahaha
Jerry: yes
Nathan: he said that people were pretty interested in the music we were playing
Nathan: 'cuz they had never heard anything like it
Jerry: ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Nathan: and that some people apparently thought that it was some kind of new American trend
Jerry: I'm sitting here at my desk, starting to tear up from keeping the laughter inside.
Jerry: This is awesome.
Nathan: yeah

I guess we'll be performing more of our particular brand of music in the future. Time to learn more chords...

Wait. Guitar?

2005-09-12T13:51:00.000+09:00

So... how was your weekend?

Putting on events to "promote internationalization and intercultural exchange" is just one part of the CIR ("Coordinator for International Relations") job description. In case you forgot, I'm a CIR on the JET Program. There are five CIRs in my general area, pictured below.

From left to right, that's Gon, Nathan, myself, Raka, and Toki. Gon and Raka are both from China, Toki is from Korea, and Nathan and I both hail from the great nation that is California.

Gon's predecessor founded a flea market-style event called the "Makizono Fureai Market". Loosely translated, that's "The Makizono town Communal Market". When Gon started his position in April, he ran into about the same thing I have: When your predecessor created an event that was well received, there is a certain expectation that you will continue their good work. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes you find yourself trying to fulfill an expectation while at the same time you don't know what that expectation is.

All five CIRs in my area are pretty close. We help each other out all the time. It makes things easier and more enjoyable all at the same time. When Gon asked for help, I didn't fully understand what he was looking for. I thought it would be the same thing as usual: Speech or Powerpoint presentation. Something like that. Of course I said "yes". I found out later he was looking for... music? Aw, hell. I don't play any musical instruments!

Or do I? I managed to learn a couple chords in about a week (with lots of tutelage from Nathan - he rocks on the music front), and then used that to provide a base and rythm for Nathan to improvise over. Andrew, in the middle, is a nearby ALT and friend who is chanting something we came up with. It sounded as if a twisted parody of a tribal chant was rear-ended by a runaway language track from a Chinese tutorial CD. ALl three of us wound up chanting with wild abandon; we were there just to do our five minutes and get through it. We sounded very strange; I think Yoko Ono would have been proud of our... uh... music.

Here's the strangest part -- the people at the market loved it. Afterward they asked several times about the title of the song, or about the style of music. Nathan and I did a pretty good job of explaining what we did, but I just don't think anyone really got it.

At least everyone had a good time.

Mountains, Steam, Spas, and Chicken

2005-09-12T13:18:00.000+09:00

Mountains, Steam, Spas, and Chicken
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

A view of Kurino-dake, or Mt. Kurino, which towers over the southeast end of the valley. The lighter spot in the middle of the picture is steam from one of the many volcanic vents up there. This one in particular is usually visible on clear days when the temperature and humidity are right.

There is a pretty well-known onsen (spa/hot spring) up there, and I think it's not far from that vent Kurino-dake Onsen offers an amusingly-named chicken dish: Niwatori no Jigoku-mushi, or "Hell-steamed chicken". Yes, that's chicken steamed with authentic steam straight from hell... or so they say. It's supposed to be pretty good; the novelty alone is enough to make me want to try it. I understand reservations are required if you want the chicken. I guess hellsteam steams chickens slowly.

In other news, we managed to weather the typhoon pretty well. My end of town, the south end, didn't have any real damage, but the north end of town had some flooding. I haven't had a chance to get up there, but the day of the typhoon, my coworkers were running in and out, responding to one thing or another, usually on that end of town. I was amused by the fact that it wasn't too dangerous to come to work, but nobody wanted you to go outside for lunch because of the hazard. Now, to be fair, the storm really started to peak about 10:00 in the morning, and went full-bore until about 3:00 in the afternoon. By quitting time, the weather was just like any other moderate rainfall. Hurricanes and the like are weird.

It's Going to Get Wet

2005-09-05T11:13:00.000+09:00

Typhoon #14 (also known as "Typhoon Nabi") is coming almost straight for us here in Kagoshima. It's expected to hit land sometime tonight or Tuesday, and will roll right over us before moving on past Hiroshima, continuing to the Sea of Japan and that side of things. According to this nifty Navy graphic (clicky go biggy) and other websites I've checked out, it should be a category two typhoon once it hits land, carrying winds around 96-110 miles per hour (83-95 knots; 154-177 km/hr). If it does hit tonight, it's going to be a long, long night. Typhoon winds make a lot of noise and make it hard to sleep.

Edit/Update
Just found out that tomorrow will be a normal work day. My first hurricane and I can't stay home and drink cocoa, play with legos, and listen to the wind?

It's true. God is dead, and there is no justice in the world. Well, at least all my appointments for tomorrow have been postponed so I can try to get some work done in preparation for the weeks to come.

Welcome to Bat Country

2005-09-03T22:26:00.000+09:00

Welcome to Bat Country
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

A Saturday trip yielded a nice, if somewhat hazy view of Sakurajima. Note the touch of smoke at the peak. It's Japan's most active volcano... and I'm standing on it. Time to go!

Bowling in Kokubu, Kagoshima

2005-08-30T23:23:00.000+09:00

Bowling in Kokubu, Kagoshima
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

Went bowling the first weekend with much of the "local" crew -- many of us are spread out over a pretty good-sized area. First game I bowled a 142. I don't bowl. Ever. I don't know where the score came from. I haven't scored that high since then.

Now This is a Bath

2005-08-26T22:50:00.000+09:00

Now THIS is a Bath
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

A friend and associate in a near town has a pretty cool apartment. The crown jewel? His bath. Note the two taps; the one on the left is regular water. The one on the right is onsen water. That's right -- piping hot natural spring water, right into the tub. Lucky devil.

Brush Your Teeth

2005-08-24T23:30:00.000+09:00

Brush Your Teeth
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

"Brush your teeth." That seems to be all he wants... and frankly, that creeps me the fuck out.

Went to a prefectural orientation Tuesday and Wednesday. It was pretty good; not so much for the information, but more for the chance to meet the other CIRs from Kagoshima. There were... let's see: One guy from Malasyia, one girl from Singapore, one girl from Canada, one guy from Ireland, a girl from England, two guys from California (Northern and Southern), about four Chinese, and about five Koreans. Needless to say, Japanese is our common language, and so that's how we communicated. Believe it or not, I was standing on the bottom rung as far as proficiency goes.

Oh, on a proficiency-related topic... I've met a couple ALTs who graduated from UC Berkeley's Japanese department. They're really cool, but it has to be said -- I think our sensei might not have exaggerated too much when she said that we have a kick-ass program at state.

Yeah, sometimes the wrong side of the tracks does rock.

Kirishima Taiko Festival... Now With Senegalese!

2005-08-22T14:38:00.000+09:00

I went to the Kirishima Taiko Festival on Sunday with a few friends, and we ran into a bunch of other friends/associates there. It was a good show; four hours of various taiko groups and one drum performance group from Senegal.
There were a good number of people there for the show, since the weather turned out to be so nice. The Senegalese group, jamming on stage with a Japanese jazz saxophone player and a large sample of the various taiko groups from throughout the evening, managed to get a good sized group dancing in front of and then actually on the stage. I even did a little groovin' of my own while snapping a few picures.

The Day I Officially Got Lost

2005-08-22T10:37:00.000+09:00

I arrived in Kagoshima on 3 August 2005. I was greeted by (from right to left) James, my predecessor; Chika, my supervisor; and Raka, my coworker. I think I was about the only incoming JET in this group with a large, full-color picture waiting for me. It seemed like half the group of new Kagoshima JETs came over to tell me about it while I was waiting for my luggage.

I'm sure there will be other pictures with Chika and Raka in them, especially once events and the like start happening. James has already moved on to other things, so there won't be many pictures of him. Regardless, I wish him well. He left quite the large, jovial impression on the community that won't be easy to fill.

For Refreshing Times...

2005-08-21T22:00:00.000+09:00

For Refreshing Times...
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

...make it SUNTORY TIME.

("Kore ha takain desu yo. HIBIKI da yo!")

Post-post...

Okay, I should have explained that a little more. In the movie Lost in Translation, this is the whiskey that Bill Murray's character has been hired to promote. The little bit in quotes is my best recollection of one of the things the director says to Bill's character -- basically "Hey, this is expensive. It's Hibiki!" A bottle of Hibiki runs about $60 a bottle.

Is that better?

"Penguins are so sensitive to my needs..."

2005-08-20T10:46:00.000+09:00

"Penguins are so sensitive to my needs..."
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

There are penguins on my house phone that engage in bubble-filled dialogue when I'm on the line. Ah, Japan.

On a related note, I now have internet access at home. My Vonage connection works BEAUTIFULLY. If anyone wants to call me on what used to be my cell phone number, it will ring here in Japan. Just... watch what time you're calling. I'm 16 hours ahead of California, so your days are very often my nights. A good site for figuring out what time it is here and there: www.timeanddate.com

(The quotation in the title is by Lyle Lovett. No, I don't have it bad for penguins.)

Rain at Work

2005-08-19T11:24:00.000+09:00

Rain at Work
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

It might be hard to see, but its raining buckets out there. I knew I should have driven today. Wish I could capture the thunder in a picture. Talk about a peal of thunder!

Home Sweet Home

2005-08-18T14:21:00.000+09:00

Home Sweet Home
Originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

Miyamae Jyuutaku. Yusui-cho, Kagoshima. I live on the second floor, all the way to the right.

Festival Fireworks

2005-08-18T13:48:00.000+09:00

Festival Fireworks,
originally uploaded by gogakuhei.

Fireworks at the Kirishima Summer Festival, Kagoshima, Japan. Taken Saturday, 13 August 2005.

Nevermind me...

2005-08-18T12:15:00.000+09:00

Just testing the mobile posting functions.

Better Late Than Never...

2005-08-18T11:20:00.000+09:00

So, it begins. Yet another generic first post on yet another generic online journal. I hope that this will serve to entertain those that read it... and maybe even educate a few.