Being in Tokyo alone for the past 2 days has been a wake-up call. Gone are the phone calls made on my behalf, free futons, and the exuberant welcoming entourages. I've traded that support for the luxury of living in the most fantastic place in the world. Is it worth it? I don't know yet. I've spent all my savings for the privilege of moving into an apartment (1 month rent + 2 months deposit = a ridiculous amount of money), 3 nights in a hotel (they might reimburse me), baggage shipping, plane tickets, not to mention the dozens of train tickets back and forth (oh yeah, AND, I have to buy a place to sleep on by tomorrow!). For the first time in a while, I'm feeling a money pinch and it is not very reassuring.
I'm trying not to freak out...but I don't have anyone to talk to.
Nevertheless, Tokyo is fascinating. I've been wandering the streets with a smile tattooed on my face. I think I made the right decision, but it's going to be tough until I get a paycheck. (And it will be fat - I'm getting paid almost my entire monthly JET salary to teach 15 kids on an island near Tokyo for 2 weeks...not to mention the pharma classes in Osaka.)
The moral of this story is:
Just say YES to Ramen Noodles!!!
This is an old blog about my 2 years on the JET program in Kazusa-machi, Minamishimabara-shi, Nagasaki.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
From Bangkok
Hello everyone! I'm in Bangkok on a really sketchy Internet connection with no access to Gmail...just wanna let everyone know what's going on.
I think I'm going to take the job in Tokyo...it's a great opportunity to use my pharma skills and teaching experience and live in the greatest city in the world. I think I'll probably do it for a year...the stress will probably burn me out as there are only 6 paid vacation days and 14 fixed holidays.
Ok, back to planning our Thailand trip! We got here with virtually no plans...what a random holiday!
I think I'm going to take the job in Tokyo...it's a great opportunity to use my pharma skills and teaching experience and live in the greatest city in the world. I think I'll probably do it for a year...the stress will probably burn me out as there are only 6 paid vacation days and 14 fixed holidays.
Ok, back to planning our Thailand trip! We got here with virtually no plans...what a random holiday!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Too much to write...Japanese keyboard so this will be short!
I got a job in Tokyo!!! But I haven't accepted yet...basically I will think it over in Thailand, then come back here and sign the contract if I accept. It will be traveling around to various pharmaceutical companies and helping top executives become more comfortable with their English through roleplays about the pharma industry. Interesting! But very demanding, and I'll have to live in a shoebox.
I got a job in Tokyo!!! But I haven't accepted yet...basically I will think it over in Thailand, then come back here and sign the contract if I accept. It will be traveling around to various pharmaceutical companies and helping top executives become more comfortable with their English through roleplays about the pharma industry. Interesting! But very demanding, and I'll have to live in a shoebox.
Friday, July 20, 2007
I have an interview for a job as a Pharmaceutical Instructor in Tokyo!
Send me some good vibes on the 30th!
Would write more, but I'm completely shattered. Goodbye speeches, packing, and enkais take such a huge emotional toll. I'm going to Fuji Rock next week, then Thailand for 12 days. I'm coming back to NC on August 15th. If I get that job, I might return to Japan after spending a few weeks at home.
Send me some good vibes on the 30th!
Would write more, but I'm completely shattered. Goodbye speeches, packing, and enkais take such a huge emotional toll. I'm going to Fuji Rock next week, then Thailand for 12 days. I'm coming back to NC on August 15th. If I get that job, I might return to Japan after spending a few weeks at home.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Japan Rocks!
To commemorate my one-month of no blogging, may I present to you:
Erica's guide to the J-rock scene, Part 1
There's a lot of crap music out there, especially in Japan. Like in the US, Japanese "artists" are created by the record label, manufactured, and slapped with a barcode.
So my task was simple: find music in Japan that doesn't suck. Lucky enough, Suzie's cool DJ friends and Maakun (our guitarist) have helped me with this conundrum. Here is part one of a list that I hope will grow:
Number Girl
My favorite - they have been compared to Sonic Youth and the Pixies. Just watch this video to see how cool they are. Unfortunately, they disbanded a few years ago so I'll never get to see them!
Polysics
A few of my friends went to see this group perform in Nagasaki last month. They were raving about it...it's because of the orange jumpsuits. And robot girl!
γγγ (Quruli)
This band has a funky, groovy sound and is very popular.
8otto
How often do you see the drummer of a band who is also the singer? We discovered 8otto last year at Summersonic, when Suzie bought a T-shirt from these guys. We found out later that they are amazing! I loved this video so much that I ordered the CD on the Internet the same day.
Love Psychedelico
Some JET friends discovered them - we listened to them the whole ride up to Hiroshima last year. The lyrics contain a blend of Japanese with some interesting tidbits of English - "Martin Luther King flies." Her voice reminds me of Sheryl Crow.
Cornelius
I loved him instantly when I heard he named himself after the character from Planet of the Apes. He's an experimental electronic artist kind of like Beck.
Shonen Knife
Very famous all girl band that's been around for a while. Nirvana raved about them and they influenced a score of female rock groups in the 90's. I like banana chips too!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In other news...
Sorry for the long time with no update! May has so far been a blur - I went to a hippie festival for part of Golden Week, then it was Sports Day at school, and now my band is getting ready for our Battle of the Bands competition next week. I've also been updating my resume to prepare for the inevitable...but I don't want to talk about that now. I want to enjoy every last minute of my time here, because it is precious!
Erica's guide to the J-rock scene, Part 1
There's a lot of crap music out there, especially in Japan. Like in the US, Japanese "artists" are created by the record label, manufactured, and slapped with a barcode.
So my task was simple: find music in Japan that doesn't suck. Lucky enough, Suzie's cool DJ friends and Maakun (our guitarist) have helped me with this conundrum. Here is part one of a list that I hope will grow:
Number Girl
My favorite - they have been compared to Sonic Youth and the Pixies. Just watch this video to see how cool they are. Unfortunately, they disbanded a few years ago so I'll never get to see them!
Polysics
A few of my friends went to see this group perform in Nagasaki last month. They were raving about it...it's because of the orange jumpsuits. And robot girl!
γγγ (Quruli)
This band has a funky, groovy sound and is very popular.
8otto
How often do you see the drummer of a band who is also the singer? We discovered 8otto last year at Summersonic, when Suzie bought a T-shirt from these guys. We found out later that they are amazing! I loved this video so much that I ordered the CD on the Internet the same day.
Love Psychedelico
Some JET friends discovered them - we listened to them the whole ride up to Hiroshima last year. The lyrics contain a blend of Japanese with some interesting tidbits of English - "Martin Luther King flies." Her voice reminds me of Sheryl Crow.
Cornelius
I loved him instantly when I heard he named himself after the character from Planet of the Apes. He's an experimental electronic artist kind of like Beck.
Shonen Knife
Very famous all girl band that's been around for a while. Nirvana raved about them and they influenced a score of female rock groups in the 90's. I like banana chips too!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
In other news...
Sorry for the long time with no update! May has so far been a blur - I went to a hippie festival for part of Golden Week, then it was Sports Day at school, and now my band is getting ready for our Battle of the Bands competition next week. I've also been updating my resume to prepare for the inevitable...but I don't want to talk about that now. I want to enjoy every last minute of my time here, because it is precious!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Adult Conversation Class
Every Tuesday, I go to the community center to talk with the five people in my town who like English. I really lucked out with this group because they love to talk, and they often help me. Today, Emiko told me how I can get rid of my old car, which kicked the bucket recently. Sometimes it would just stop working in the middle of an intersection, and I'd have to fiddle with the battery to start it up again. So Emiko asked a car shop in the area, and told me how to dispose of it. It's going to cost $100 to throw it away!
I can also discover interesting cultural tidbits from them. Today I learned that in Japan when a child loses a tooth, they either throw it on the roof or the ground. If it's an upper tooth, they throw it on the ground. If it's a lower tooth, they throw it on the roof. I told them about the Tooth Fairy.
The best thing is that I actually get paid to do this...it feels wrong somehow!
I can also discover interesting cultural tidbits from them. Today I learned that in Japan when a child loses a tooth, they either throw it on the roof or the ground. If it's an upper tooth, they throw it on the ground. If it's a lower tooth, they throw it on the roof. I told them about the Tooth Fairy.
The best thing is that I actually get paid to do this...it feels wrong somehow!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Our Third Gig
We played 8 songs Saturday night:
Fingerprints & Heartbeats (original, see video below - sorry for bad quality!)
I Turn My Camera On - Spoon
Song 2 - Blur
Gold Lion - Yeah Yeah Yeah's
7 Nation Army - White Stripes
Fugitives from Conventionality - original
Just What I Needed - The Cars (I totally screwed up on this one!)
Say It Ain't So - Weezer (by far, my favorite song to play)
It was our best gig by far! Also check out the pictures on my Flickr...just ignore my death-warmed-over look because we had no time to get ready!
We did a Revolution DJ night for the after-party,
Gasolina (remix) - Daddy Yankee Ft. Pitbull & N.O.R.E.
Do I Look Like a Slut? - Avenue D
North American Scum - LCD Soundsystem
Just Let Go - Fischerspooner
Romantic Rights (Jesper Dahlback Remix) - Death From Above 1979
Atlantis to Interzone - Klaxons
Second Set (the last one of the night...so a bit random)
Like a Lady - The Sounds
Suffragette City - David Bowie
Electricityscape - The Strokes
Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols
Just Like Heaven - The Cure
The Killing Moon - Echo & the Bunnymen
(...I think!)
My DJ name is now GiMp!!
Fingerprints & Heartbeats (original, see video below - sorry for bad quality!)
I Turn My Camera On - Spoon
Song 2 - Blur
Gold Lion - Yeah Yeah Yeah's
7 Nation Army - White Stripes
Fugitives from Conventionality - original
Just What I Needed - The Cars (I totally screwed up on this one!)
Say It Ain't So - Weezer (by far, my favorite song to play)
It was our best gig by far! Also check out the pictures on my Flickr...just ignore my death-warmed-over look because we had no time to get ready!
We did a Revolution DJ night for the after-party,
Gasolina (remix) - Daddy Yankee Ft. Pitbull & N.O.R.E.
Do I Look Like a Slut? - Avenue D
North American Scum - LCD Soundsystem
Just Let Go - Fischerspooner
Romantic Rights (Jesper Dahlback Remix) - Death From Above 1979
Atlantis to Interzone - Klaxons
Second Set (the last one of the night...so a bit random)
Like a Lady - The Sounds
Suffragette City - David Bowie
Electricityscape - The Strokes
Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols
Just Like Heaven - The Cure
The Killing Moon - Echo & the Bunnymen
(...I think!)
My DJ name is now GiMp!!
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Space cadets can do tea ceremony, too
I've always had this foggy awareness that my short-term memory is not what it should be. When I was 4th grade, I got a very bad grade in Social Studies. I just couldn't remember to bring in a newspaper article every week, so my teacher gave me an "F." At the time, I didn't realize the importance of good grades. All I remember is being yelled at, and how awful it felt. These memory lapses have continued to haunt me in my adulthood, but thankfully never with serious consequences.
When I came to Japan, I had a list of things I wanted to try: calligraphy, ikebana, karate, taiko, origami. Tea ceremony appeared nowhere on that list, so when the local teacher approached me and asked me to learn, I was reluctant: it's my worst nightmare, having to remember a detailed series of actions. I often went begrudgingly, performed the tasks that I perceived to be mechanical without thinking and always messing up, and was relieved when it was over.
A year and a half later, it finally clicked.
Tea ceremony is not mechanical at all. It is about comfort, beauty and simplicity. The way the tea bowl is held, carefully wiped, and heated is all meant to make your guests feel comfortable and special. Where I once performed the tasks to get them over with, I now go out of my way to make my movements fluid and beautiful. I think my tea teacher noticed...she doesn't speak a word of English but we somehow understand each other.
Japan, you are modifying my brain...for the better.
When I came to Japan, I had a list of things I wanted to try: calligraphy, ikebana, karate, taiko, origami. Tea ceremony appeared nowhere on that list, so when the local teacher approached me and asked me to learn, I was reluctant: it's my worst nightmare, having to remember a detailed series of actions. I often went begrudgingly, performed the tasks that I perceived to be mechanical without thinking and always messing up, and was relieved when it was over.
A year and a half later, it finally clicked.
Tea ceremony is not mechanical at all. It is about comfort, beauty and simplicity. The way the tea bowl is held, carefully wiped, and heated is all meant to make your guests feel comfortable and special. Where I once performed the tasks to get them over with, I now go out of my way to make my movements fluid and beautiful. I think my tea teacher noticed...she doesn't speak a word of English but we somehow understand each other.
Japan, you are modifying my brain...for the better.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
South Korea and the DMZ
The most beautiful thing in the world is looking at my phone and seeing that little envelope indicating an email.
Yeah, it's sad, but when you live in the middle of nowhere, you tend to rely on gadgets to communicate with people. Especially when your friends are spread out over miles of green dotted islands and peninsulas and glass paddy fields. Before moving to Japan, I hardly ever used a cell phone, but here it is a necessity.
Not only can I communicate with people on my cell phone, but I have access to all kinds of information. Japanese people are amazed by how much information I can gather for them on the Internet...I was an information designer before coming here; it's my tool and trade. I crave to know about the world and the people in it.
That is why I find North Korea so intriguing. A government that keeps its citizens from having cell phones, traveling outside the country, talking to foreigners, and basically suppressing any information from the outside. I want to see it for myself, but being an American, I'm not allowed in the country. (FYI - only Americans and South Koreans cannot enter North Korea...I know a British guy who went)
So I went as close to North Korea as I could get: the DMZ (Demilitarization Zone - the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas).
Korea is a fascinating country, and at the core of its philosophy is the ying-yang. Basically, everything has an opposite: man and woman. Good and evil. Life and death. The two opposites complete the whole and cannot exist without each other. The two Koreas emphasize this concept, for many Koreans told me they are "one people." Their division is one of the most tragic things to occur in the 20th century, and you can feel their pain to this day.
During the tour, many patterns emerged, the most distinct being the South Korean dream of reunification. The freedom bridge was built by the founder of Hyundai in 2000. He was born in North Korea, and wanted to reach out somehow so this bridge was built:

At the end of the bridge is a wall where the relatives of North Koreans can put messages:

South Korea has spent billions to assist the North Korean people. One of the things they did was open a factory employing North Korean workers on the North Korean side. This is the highway that goes to the factory:

But the North Korean government doesn't want their people to know that they are being aided by the South, so any vehicles going to the North have to have their license plates hidden. Here is where they do it:

Here is Dorasan station, it connects Seoul to Pyeongyang and will eventually run someday:

So what has North Korea done?

North Korea dug many tunnels, but only 4 have been discovered. The tunnels are a violation of the cease-fire agreement of 1953. Technically, North and South Korea are still at war, because no peace treaty was ever signed. I visited the 3rd tunnel, which was discovered in 1978. The workers could dig about 1 meter a day, which was done by exploding dynamite and then removing the pieces. It is over 1600 meters long, and dug by workers who were starving. They smeared black on the inside of the tunnel to look like a coal mine, but since the material they were drilling was granite, that argument doesn't really fly.
Obviously, I only have a Southern perspective. Since they won't let me into the North, that's all I get. Here is the closest I will ever get to North Korea (Dorasan Observatory):

You have to stand behind a yellow photo line, so it is hard to get an actual photo of North Korea. From the overlook, you can see the factory, as well as the two flags of North and South Korea. The North Korean flagpole is the tallest in the world...it is so tall that when it rains, they have to take the flag down or it will collapse under the weight.
Like its flagpole, North Korea is about to collapse under its own weight: the South wants to reunite, but the North won't do it unless the South takes the anti-communism clause out of their constitution. After talking with many South Koreans, that will never happen because they hate communism. I left the DMZ feeling fortunate and even more fascinated by the North. Who are the people on the other side of that 4 km military line and what do they know about the world?
----- ---- --- -- - -- --- ---- -----
On the flip side, the yang of the ying-yang, back on the southern side, we went to a cell phone art exhibition.

If there's one adjective to describe Seoul, it's "spicy." Not only the food is spicy, but the people are too. If you get in their way, they push you. They will tell you exactly what they think. For a country so close to Japan, it's amazing how different the culture is.
Suzie and I were sitting in a restaurant having a few drinks, when a young guy asked us if we wouldn't mind speaking English with him and his mates. We were bored and obliged, and ended up having a great time. All of them had lived abroad, so their English was really good and they were really easy to talk with. Turns out that they are university students, but some of them already did their mandatory 2-year military service so they were a little older. We ended up drinking soju (Korean spirits) with them until the wee hours of the morning, eating ice cream on the street, and the next day Sammy (they all had Western names they were using) showed us around his university, then took us to dinner and paid for it.
Is another trip to Seoul in my future? I really hope so!
Yeah, it's sad, but when you live in the middle of nowhere, you tend to rely on gadgets to communicate with people. Especially when your friends are spread out over miles of green dotted islands and peninsulas and glass paddy fields. Before moving to Japan, I hardly ever used a cell phone, but here it is a necessity.
Not only can I communicate with people on my cell phone, but I have access to all kinds of information. Japanese people are amazed by how much information I can gather for them on the Internet...I was an information designer before coming here; it's my tool and trade. I crave to know about the world and the people in it.
That is why I find North Korea so intriguing. A government that keeps its citizens from having cell phones, traveling outside the country, talking to foreigners, and basically suppressing any information from the outside. I want to see it for myself, but being an American, I'm not allowed in the country. (FYI - only Americans and South Koreans cannot enter North Korea...I know a British guy who went)
So I went as close to North Korea as I could get: the DMZ (Demilitarization Zone - the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas).
Korea is a fascinating country, and at the core of its philosophy is the ying-yang. Basically, everything has an opposite: man and woman. Good and evil. Life and death. The two opposites complete the whole and cannot exist without each other. The two Koreas emphasize this concept, for many Koreans told me they are "one people." Their division is one of the most tragic things to occur in the 20th century, and you can feel their pain to this day.
During the tour, many patterns emerged, the most distinct being the South Korean dream of reunification. The freedom bridge was built by the founder of Hyundai in 2000. He was born in North Korea, and wanted to reach out somehow so this bridge was built:

At the end of the bridge is a wall where the relatives of North Koreans can put messages:

South Korea has spent billions to assist the North Korean people. One of the things they did was open a factory employing North Korean workers on the North Korean side. This is the highway that goes to the factory:

But the North Korean government doesn't want their people to know that they are being aided by the South, so any vehicles going to the North have to have their license plates hidden. Here is where they do it:

Here is Dorasan station, it connects Seoul to Pyeongyang and will eventually run someday:

So what has North Korea done?

North Korea dug many tunnels, but only 4 have been discovered. The tunnels are a violation of the cease-fire agreement of 1953. Technically, North and South Korea are still at war, because no peace treaty was ever signed. I visited the 3rd tunnel, which was discovered in 1978. The workers could dig about 1 meter a day, which was done by exploding dynamite and then removing the pieces. It is over 1600 meters long, and dug by workers who were starving. They smeared black on the inside of the tunnel to look like a coal mine, but since the material they were drilling was granite, that argument doesn't really fly.
Obviously, I only have a Southern perspective. Since they won't let me into the North, that's all I get. Here is the closest I will ever get to North Korea (Dorasan Observatory):

You have to stand behind a yellow photo line, so it is hard to get an actual photo of North Korea. From the overlook, you can see the factory, as well as the two flags of North and South Korea. The North Korean flagpole is the tallest in the world...it is so tall that when it rains, they have to take the flag down or it will collapse under the weight.
Like its flagpole, North Korea is about to collapse under its own weight: the South wants to reunite, but the North won't do it unless the South takes the anti-communism clause out of their constitution. After talking with many South Koreans, that will never happen because they hate communism. I left the DMZ feeling fortunate and even more fascinated by the North. Who are the people on the other side of that 4 km military line and what do they know about the world?
----- ---- --- -- - -- --- ---- -----
On the flip side, the yang of the ying-yang, back on the southern side, we went to a cell phone art exhibition.

If there's one adjective to describe Seoul, it's "spicy." Not only the food is spicy, but the people are too. If you get in their way, they push you. They will tell you exactly what they think. For a country so close to Japan, it's amazing how different the culture is.
Suzie and I were sitting in a restaurant having a few drinks, when a young guy asked us if we wouldn't mind speaking English with him and his mates. We were bored and obliged, and ended up having a great time. All of them had lived abroad, so their English was really good and they were really easy to talk with. Turns out that they are university students, but some of them already did their mandatory 2-year military service so they were a little older. We ended up drinking soju (Korean spirits) with them until the wee hours of the morning, eating ice cream on the street, and the next day Sammy (they all had Western names they were using) showed us around his university, then took us to dinner and paid for it.
Is another trip to Seoul in my future? I really hope so!
Monday, March 19, 2007
Meeting Muse in the Forbidden Zone
Life is so random sometimes. Like the golden poo for sale in Hamanomachi. Like the "Don't Mess with Texas" sign on the road to Nagasaki. Like finding a video with the words "Forbidden Zone" handwritten on it.
.
. just some hidden random text to see who's paying attention
.
Like walking into a bar after an amazing concert experience, to see that the ENTIRE BAND is there!!!
But, let me backtrack a little bit...
Suzie, Kara, Katie and I were running late. After a car, ferry, bus, train, subway, and finally a taxi ride (I would give anything to have flying superpowers!) we staggered into the gig just as the first song was starting. Somehow, we managed to get very close to the front (still not sure how we pulled that off...Katie and Kara were right up against the stage!). For an hour and a half, we became one with the collective mass of bodies swaying with the music. I busted my lip on someone's head, had beer spilled on me and my feet stomped on, yet it was still the most polite mosh pit I've ever experienced.
Knights of Cydonia
Hysteria
Supermassive Black Hole
Map of the Problematique
Sing for Absolution
City of Delusion
Sunburn
Feeling Good
Soldier's Poem
Invincible
Plug In Baby
Time is Running Out
New Born
=========
Starlight
Stockholm Syndrome
Take a Bow
Stinky, sweaty, and disgusting, we emerged from the show on a high. I was feeling crazy and challenged everyone to a hitchhiking race: Me & Kara vs Suzie and Katie. After running up and down the main road with our thumbs out for half an hour, Kara and I got a ride with an adorable couple who were also at the show. We beat Suzie and Katie to Tenjin, but they got a ride with some interesting folks with orange hair in a blinging car. It's interesting how different our experiences were!
We dined at a nice restaurant that kept the drinks flowing and the food coming. There were a lot of nice conversations fueled by the excitement of the night: Lana and I were talking about how fantasy coexists with our daily lives. Sometime that evening, we fantasized about how cool it would be to run into the band at the bar.
Well, it happened: when we got to the Dark Room, they were there!
So there we were, hanging out with Muse at the bar! I didn't talk to them because I couldn't think of anything to say, except I said to Dom that I enjoyed the show (and smiled at him like an idiot!). Katie kept trying to get them to dance, Kara had a long conversation with Dom (I will envy her for life!), and everyone seemed to agree that Matt (the lead singer) is a normal guy without a big ego. Eventually, they ended up behind the bar, where Suzie took this amazing picture:

After a while the shock wore off and I stopped beating myself up for not talking to them, but feeling their presence in the bar made it so much better! At least 6 glasses were broken, there was lots of snogging, vomiting, and a few other things I can't mention...all in all, a typical night out in Fukuoka, except WITH MUSE!!
How do you follow a night like that?
At the subway station!

At the park!


Shopping!

And later...
Mexican food!

Did I forget to say that it was St. Patrick's Day? At the hundred yen store earlier, we bought props to wear out. I bought a green dog collar, Suzie a magnifying glass, and Katie a glittery shamrock wreath. We wandered into a random bar where we met these crazy guys: one had a guitar and serenaded us with David Bowie and U2, the other was this weird but funny Australian guy who kept telling us how pretty we were and tried to get us to go to another bar with him. We caved and ended up at the Dark Room again. They bought us whiskey shots and green beer, and Kara had a dance with the Aussie guy.



We finished the night at Keith Flack, where we danced to electro and funky house. Suzie has a flock of admirers:

Someone pinch me. Did this weekend really happen?
I hope my lip stays busted for a while so I can savor the memory...
.
. just some hidden random text to see who's paying attention
.
Like walking into a bar after an amazing concert experience, to see that the ENTIRE BAND is there!!!
But, let me backtrack a little bit...
Suzie, Kara, Katie and I were running late. After a car, ferry, bus, train, subway, and finally a taxi ride (I would give anything to have flying superpowers!) we staggered into the gig just as the first song was starting. Somehow, we managed to get very close to the front (still not sure how we pulled that off...Katie and Kara were right up against the stage!). For an hour and a half, we became one with the collective mass of bodies swaying with the music. I busted my lip on someone's head, had beer spilled on me and my feet stomped on, yet it was still the most polite mosh pit I've ever experienced.
Knights of Cydonia
Hysteria
Supermassive Black Hole
Map of the Problematique
Sing for Absolution
City of Delusion
Sunburn
Feeling Good
Soldier's Poem
Invincible
Plug In Baby
Time is Running Out
New Born
=========
Starlight
Stockholm Syndrome
Take a Bow
Stinky, sweaty, and disgusting, we emerged from the show on a high. I was feeling crazy and challenged everyone to a hitchhiking race: Me & Kara vs Suzie and Katie. After running up and down the main road with our thumbs out for half an hour, Kara and I got a ride with an adorable couple who were also at the show. We beat Suzie and Katie to Tenjin, but they got a ride with some interesting folks with orange hair in a blinging car. It's interesting how different our experiences were!
We dined at a nice restaurant that kept the drinks flowing and the food coming. There were a lot of nice conversations fueled by the excitement of the night: Lana and I were talking about how fantasy coexists with our daily lives. Sometime that evening, we fantasized about how cool it would be to run into the band at the bar.
Well, it happened: when we got to the Dark Room, they were there!
So there we were, hanging out with Muse at the bar! I didn't talk to them because I couldn't think of anything to say, except I said to Dom that I enjoyed the show (and smiled at him like an idiot!). Katie kept trying to get them to dance, Kara had a long conversation with Dom (I will envy her for life!), and everyone seemed to agree that Matt (the lead singer) is a normal guy without a big ego. Eventually, they ended up behind the bar, where Suzie took this amazing picture:

After a while the shock wore off and I stopped beating myself up for not talking to them, but feeling their presence in the bar made it so much better! At least 6 glasses were broken, there was lots of snogging, vomiting, and a few other things I can't mention...all in all, a typical night out in Fukuoka, except WITH MUSE!!
How do you follow a night like that?
At the subway station!

At the park!


Shopping!

And later...
Mexican food!

Did I forget to say that it was St. Patrick's Day? At the hundred yen store earlier, we bought props to wear out. I bought a green dog collar, Suzie a magnifying glass, and Katie a glittery shamrock wreath. We wandered into a random bar where we met these crazy guys: one had a guitar and serenaded us with David Bowie and U2, the other was this weird but funny Australian guy who kept telling us how pretty we were and tried to get us to go to another bar with him. We caved and ended up at the Dark Room again. They bought us whiskey shots and green beer, and Kara had a dance with the Aussie guy.



We finished the night at Keith Flack, where we danced to electro and funky house. Suzie has a flock of admirers:

Someone pinch me. Did this weekend really happen?
I hope my lip stays busted for a while so I can savor the memory...
Thursday, March 8, 2007
A little surprise
I've been taking a lot of baths recently...usually I go to a public bath, but the other day I was feeling daring and decided to brave my own tub. It's not exactly the nicest tub in the world (it's a small cube - I have to sit with my knees to my chest and it's kind of rusty), but nothing beats sitting in hot water, listening to Damien Rice, and drinking a glass of red.
Anyway, as the water was running, I suddenly remembered that I still had a bath bomb I was given a long time ago. I tore open that sucker and dropped it in the water, watching it fizz and gradually disappear. Just before it disappeared, a small blue object emerged from the froth...
A baby rubber ducky!!!
I love you, Japan. Quack quack!
Anyway, as the water was running, I suddenly remembered that I still had a bath bomb I was given a long time ago. I tore open that sucker and dropped it in the water, watching it fizz and gradually disappear. Just before it disappeared, a small blue object emerged from the froth...
A baby rubber ducky!!!
I love you, Japan. Quack quack!
Sunday, February 18, 2007
An atomic bomb survivor whom I heard speak today said that peace means understanding the suffering of others. An amazingly profound statement by an extremely brave woman, who identified the charred body of her dead mother, saw maggots growing on her sister's face, observed her sister throw herself in front of a train because she couldn't live with the pain, covered her eyes during bomb raids to keep them from popping out, yet she persevered. She is alive.
The world needs more people like this.
The world needs more people like this.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Incidental kanji discovery of the day
δΈ²
What do you suppose this means?
It makes sense, really! Suzie and I found this out by trial and error - we were in the local isakaya and this kanji appeared many times in the menu, so we decided to order the green pepper followed by this kanji. Guess what we got?
Green pepper on a stick!!!
What do you suppose this means?
It makes sense, really! Suzie and I found this out by trial and error - we were in the local isakaya and this kanji appeared many times in the menu, so we decided to order the green pepper followed by this kanji. Guess what we got?
Green pepper on a stick!!!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Pilots, techno, and Hello Kitty Twister
Suzie and I met up with some people randomly who are all pilots-in-training. That means that in a few months, they will responsible for the lives of thousands of people. Now that I think about it, I understand why they didn't want to talk about it!
It was a bit awkward at first, but then turned into a fantastic night: we played drinking games (many shots of tequila were had, but thankfully not by me!), we played the most competitive game of foosball ever, and then the bartender let us christen his Hello Kitty Twister mat. I forgot the rules and ended up cheating, but everyone was too drunk to care.
We then headed to Isahaya and found the strangest club in the world. The minute we arrived I knew it was going to be interesting because the bartender introduced himself and proclaimed, "I'm gay!" That night they were having a Euro Trance Techno night, but it wasn't like any music I've ever heard. Even though you can't really see anything, this video captures what the music sounded like:
It was like being embedded in Dance Dance Revolution: the people had moves for every song, and they were all doing them in unison. It was by far the strangest clubbing experience I've ever had. Our pilots weren't enjoying themselves very much because I think the crowd was a little too queer for them. For example:
So we called it a night. Suzie and I came to the conclusion that we need to do this kind of thing more often.
It was a bit awkward at first, but then turned into a fantastic night: we played drinking games (many shots of tequila were had, but thankfully not by me!), we played the most competitive game of foosball ever, and then the bartender let us christen his Hello Kitty Twister mat. I forgot the rules and ended up cheating, but everyone was too drunk to care.
We then headed to Isahaya and found the strangest club in the world. The minute we arrived I knew it was going to be interesting because the bartender introduced himself and proclaimed, "I'm gay!" That night they were having a Euro Trance Techno night, but it wasn't like any music I've ever heard. Even though you can't really see anything, this video captures what the music sounded like:
It was like being embedded in Dance Dance Revolution: the people had moves for every song, and they were all doing them in unison. It was by far the strangest clubbing experience I've ever had. Our pilots weren't enjoying themselves very much because I think the crowd was a little too queer for them. For example:

So we called it a night. Suzie and I came to the conclusion that we need to do this kind of thing more often.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Slacker.
Ever since I got back to Japan, I've been a complete slackass. But I had a great visit with everyone back home, even though I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to see. One week in Raleigh just wasn't gonna cut it...
So life is good here in Japan. Our band has started practicing every Friday night, I've started training for a marathon, snowboarding season has begun, and I'm starting to wonder what the hell I'm going to do after my contract runs out. But instead of thinking about that, I'll bore you with some pics!
Suzie and I on the slopes:

Winter gimp extraordinare:

At Elizabeth's book exchange party:

My friends know what to do when I bring a leek:

(Are they singing karaoke with it? I don't know!!)
What's that smell?
So life is good here in Japan. Our band has started practicing every Friday night, I've started training for a marathon, snowboarding season has begun, and I'm starting to wonder what the hell I'm going to do after my contract runs out. But instead of thinking about that, I'll bore you with some pics!
Suzie and I on the slopes:

Winter gimp extraordinare:

At Elizabeth's book exchange party:

My friends know what to do when I bring a leek:

(Are they singing karaoke with it? I don't know!!)
What's that smell?

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