J191 Tuesday October 30th
This week was to be a 4-day week. My company saw fit to give us Saturday off, a ludicrous luxury. I'm not quite sure what I'll do with my long weekend, but it will be wonderful, regardless. Today was somewhat busy with 4 classes, more than my normal Tuesday load, but not terminally hectic. I wrote a little, updating my blog, but there's lots more where that came from [EDITOR'S NOTE: Hahaha, yeah. Sorry about that. The G.R.E ate up all of my free time]
J192 Wednesday October 31st
Happy Halloween!
I had been planning on going for a run, but I woke up with an aching ankle. I did my best to stretch it out, but it wasn't wanting to cooperate.
A normal Wednesday load, which meant a 4-hour block at the end of the day. Killer. During my break in the afternoon, though, I paid my bills. I also put in an hour of G.R.E. study at the end of the day.
J193 Thursday November 1st
A lighter day than the previous two, thank goodness. I can't wait for the weekend; 3 days will feel like an eternity. I've been mulling going to Tokyo on Sunday for fun, but nothing solid has formed in my head. M-sensei and I are kicking around the idea of beach walking on Monday.
I ran out of rice the night before, but I didn't have the chance to pick any up before the end of work. I tend to get out of my job around 9:30, and Ito Yokado and Sakura City close at 9. Luckily, there is a great food shop called...uh...Food Shop...on my way home from work. I tend to duck in once or twice a week to pick up groceries, to supplement big food hauls from the weekends.
This evening I was lucky; a huge 5kg bag of rice for a surprisingly low price of 2500 yen. I lugged it to the checkout counter and then to my bike. Enjoying a home-made dinner of veggies and my new rice, I put in another half-hour of G.R.E. study.
J194 Friday November 2nd
I talked with lots of people this morning, including E.J. for the first time in a few weeks. He's got finals looming as the semester comes to a close.
Work was a one-two punch of two three-hour blocks of classes, but I survived well enough. I stayed a little late to help close up, chatting with a few students as well as the staff. On my walk back I ducked into Joycom again to put a few hundred yen more into D&D. I didn't have much chance to experiment with the game when K and I played it the week before. I wondered, given the length of the game as well as the ability to input one's name (more than the three-character initials most arcade cabinets allow) if the game had a character-save feature. Alas, my hopes were dashed by the harsh reality of the situation. Still, that did give me a good idea for a future arcade game.
Many Japanese arcade games have character save features. More accurately, they have profile saves. The newer games have slots where you can insert a magnetic-strip card that holds your unique information. Your game record, your nickname and initials, even stuff like high scores, is stored on the card. You can go to any arcade in Japan that has the machine you play and insert your card, and your profile pops up. It's terribly convenient.
Upon arriving home I found that an old high school friend of mine was planning to come to Tokyo. Josh Weeks was his name, a classmate of mine from many a year ago. He and a friend were coming to Japan during the next week. I offered to show him around and provided my cell number and email.
I also played lots of Halo 3. The day before, the free month of Gold-level XBox Live membership that came with my hardware had run out. I found, to my dismay, that Halo 3's multiplayer requires a Gold-level membership to play. I found solace in playing a few campaign levels, but felt a little stung. I don't regret my purchase; Halo 3 continues to be a shining beacon of gameplay and fun, but this development helped me decide to buy the Orange Box, rather than, say, another few months of XBL Gold.
J195 Saturday November 3rd
A wonderful, lazy day. I woke up late, a rarity, and talked with friends for a few hours. I ment to go to Uchihara, where dwells an actual mall, but I was waylaid by slack. I did a load of much-needed laundry whilst browsing the internets. I had the feeling of forgetting something all day, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I had lunch at Kumamoto.
That evening was Claire's going-away party. I took with me my only cigar, a Cuban roll of fine tobacco, to smoke in honor of Claire's farewell. I'd enjoyed my cigarillos, purchased alongside the cigar, earlier in the year, but I didn't make a habit of them. I had been saving it for a special occasion, and I figured the departure of one of my friends from Japan was certainly deserving of a little combustion.
Hiro, primary owner, operator, bartender, and impresario of G-Bros, assisted me in the proper preparation and smoking of my cigar. It was savory and dark, a flavor far removed from the thinner cigarillos. They were a more sharp, sour tasting breed. This was more mellow and rich, though not without its own heavy bite. I don't know how I managed to do it, but the cigar developed a distinct angle as I smoked it, one edge of the tobacco being burned more rapidly than the other.
Many, many drinks were had and stories told. I held an impromptu edition of Toast Club, scribing the relevant data (attendees, toasts, etc.) in my Moleskine. I will carry them back to America, when the time comes, to record them faithfully in the master book.
The party was long and bittersweet. Claire is a wonderful person, and I really enjoyed her company. In the end I said my own private goodbye outside the heat and noise of G-Bros, under the cool, clear night sky. I biked home, smelling of cigar smoke, a little sad and rather tipsy.
J196 Sunday November 4th
I almost decided to not go to Tokyo today. I got up a lot later than I'd planned, and I felt a little down from the whole 'Claire is leaving soon' thing. Still, I called Brain up, and he convinced me to come on down. I phoned up another friend, Tiffany, a teacher for my company who works in Yokohama, a big satellite town of Tokyo. She helped me find a place to stay the night; the Yokohama International Center Hotel.
I made a reservation, checked up on the train times, and dashed to the station to catch the next Super Hitachi. During the hour and a half train ride down to Tokyo, I spied two things of interest. One was a lone parachutist, falling slowly like a big polyurethane dandelion. She/he was drifting across a big expanse of nothing, a field that lay between the ocean and mountains into which two Hitachis could have fit. They weren't very high up, maybe half a kilometer at most, but their view must have been spectacular.
The other thing I saw was a parade. Or a procession. A portable shrine was being carried along a road that lay near the tracks. A dozen men and boys were giving it their best, hefting the intricate lattice of pine and oak lacquer. In my mind's eye I could see the kami enshrined within the man-sized box, easily weighing in at half a ton, bouncing along jovially, joining in the celebration in a manner that fitted its station. Boisterous laughter or serene amusement? It didn't matter; the people were having fun, and that warmed the heart, no matter what one's metaphysical disposition may be.
Brain and I met up at Ueno, where he accompanied me to Kawasaki (between Yokohama and Tokyo, where the International Center was) to help me check in. It was a bit of a detour, an hour one way, but catching up with Brain is a long-term activity, so we were entertained. The International Center itself was a rather impressive building, a modest complex of buildings surrounded by parks and green space, set a 10-minute walk away from the station. Brain and I walked through a bustling marketplace, a bazaar if I ever saw one, that was packed with people. Cyclists weaved their way through the throng of people, deftly avoiding injury to both personage and parcels.
The International Center had a hotel built in to its overall layout. The room was Western-style, with a bed rather than a futon. The room, and the 50 or so siblings it had, were able to be occupied much like an apartment; many gaijin or transient Japanese use rooms like these to have a nice place to stay for longish periods of time.
After checking in, Brain and I made our way to Akihabara. We walked up and down the strip, looking through shop after shop. I once again priced micro laptops, my interest in a miniaturized portable computing solution still present. Brain informed me of the EEE-PC, a staggeringly cheap (and small) micro that is built off of a custom Linux environment.
He also told me about the new Gundam series, Gundam 00. I'd heard that a new series had come out, but I hadn't seen anything about the plot or characters. His summary sold me, and I made a note to myself to download the translated episodes once I got back home.
After Akiba, and a stop by Star Kebab, the best Turkish kebab joint in Japan, as far as I'm concerned, Brain and I headed to Shibuya. We got there around 7PM, but most of the shops were starting to close. We were trying to get into a multi-store skyscraper, but the guards had it in their minds that it was closed, despite the signs in plain Japanese stating the stores inside were open until 9PM, every day. We found an entrance where the guards were not so strict, and ascended an elevator to an HMV media store. The rest of the evening was spent browsing movies and music.
Around 9 or so Brain and I decided to call it a night. We went our separate ways, he to his apartment and I to my hotel room. The train ride wasn't as long as I remembered, and I walked through the now-empty bazaar with purpose, eager to get to my rented bed. The day had been long, and I was tired. Alley cats and nocturnal motorists crossed my path a few times, along with some late-night pedestrians. Hitachi quiets down considerably at night, but Tokyo and its suburbs are almost never totally quiet.
I always wonder what they do, these night-dwellers. Why does the woman in front of me carry bags of groceries, despite every shop I pass being closed? To where does the young couple putt on their moped? The moon looks down on us all, she alone knowing our destinations.
J197 Monday November 5th
Oh, one thing I forgot to mention. The 40th Annual Bi-Yearly Tokyo Motor Show has been going on, and today was one of the last few weeks it was going to be open. It had been opened to the public a few weeks prior, and a steady stream of people, car-otaku and families alike, had been coming to see the next year's auto-mechanical wonders.
I met Matt and Dan at Ueno station early in the morning, and we all proceeded to the site of the TMS. Along with my tickets, each a reasonable 2000 yen or so, I purchased an eco-friendly canvas bag, a sturdy contraption that is emblazoned with the show's logo. Into it went every promotional book I received that day.
And what a great number I received! Every major, minor, and sub-minor automobile manufacturer had a booth there. Motorcycles, cars, trucks, and bizarre mixes between the three were everywhere. Concept cars ranged from the marginally advanced to the downright futuristic. There was one series, by Nissan perhaps, that was a modular series of vehicles. A person-sized vehicle that could couple with a larger shell, turning two of the devices into a 2-person car, as well as a boat platform.
Extreme flexibility and space conservation was another order of the day. Several vehicles crammed a full (American) sized car's worth of stuff into things barely larger than a Mini-Coop. One concept, a van, was right up my alley. A 2-seater whilst driving, the back section pulls out a good two meters, expanding the car's interior while exposing the now-extended "pod"'s guts. The pod can be ordered to fit a large amount of gear, ranging from refrigeration units for produce storage to diving gear. The mockup's interior featured a rather neat looking computer terminal, too.
There was so much more. I could write a book on just this one day alone, but for the sake of brevity, let me tell you the basics. Japan is a technofetishist's wet dream. This was a convention about new cars. The new cars were jaw-dropping.
Alas, I have no pictures what so ever! My camera, faithful companion all these months in the land of the rising sun, decided to die on me in the second motorcycle booth. A scant dozen images, and the poor guy just gave out. I swapped batteries, swapped memory cards, I shook and prayed and cursed, but nothing would coax my camera back to life. It refuses to turn on or extend its lens assembly; whenever I try to do so, I hear a small servo-mechanical whine and then nothing. I think a gear or something similar has gotten discombobulated, resulting in mechanical trouble.
Luckily, Matt is an amateur photographer. His camera blazed throughout the conference, and between he and Dan, a ton of digital pictures were taken.
The evening wore on, and despite a delicious lunch bought from a Pakistani vendor, we were tired, hungry, and desirous of home. And, yet, there was one last item on the agenda; our farewell to Claire. The young Scotswoman was leaving for her homeland the next day, and though we'd all said our good-byes, we had planned on having dinner with her that night.
Alas, the demons of time and space were to rob us of our final rendezvous. We had miscalculated travel times and the final train home, and simply put we could not both see Claire off and get back home that night. Over much hemming and hawing, Dan and I decided to head back home, while Matt stayed behind to visit Claire and see her off in the morning. Dan and I both had work the next day, while Matt was still unemployed.
We said our good-byes, Dan and I, to Claire via cell phone. Perhaps it was better that way.
The Fresh Hitachi, the last train from Ueno to our homes, ferried us northward through the dark fields of the Kanto plain. Under the clear skies, so full of stars, our train sped, taking us back to the quiet of sleepy Ibaraki prefecture. We both disembarked at Hitachi, but Dan, having parked his van at the station, had a few minutes more to go; he lives in Ogitsu, a train stop north.
I biked back home past darkened shops and cozy, light-oozing homes. My apartment was waiting for me, as I'd left it two days prior. Remembering now the sleep I enjoyed that night makes me tired, and so I close this entry to sleep, again. Perchance to dream :)
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
wow, I really am behind on all this...
J163 Tuesday October 2nd
I was up at 11. The perpetual nap in the van the day before had done wonders for my overall energy level, and even my plentiful rounds of Halo 3 Multiplayer didn't drain my reserves.
I printed out the first study guide issued by E.T.S., makers of the G.R.E. exam. They provide a staggering amount of help materials for those who would take their test, materials I plan to use to study my heart out before December. I still need to register for the test...
The study guide is a lithe 20 pages or so, but it's the initial one. I printed it single-sided and took the pages, and a big roll of twine my Dad and brother sent me, in to work. It was a slow Tuesday, the best kind, one where I only had 2 classes, both in the evening.
Most of the day was spent in the break room. I worked some magic with a two-hole punch and a ruler, I made a series of holes in the stack of paper I'd brought with me. One deceptively long piece of twine, an hour, and a ton of geometrical thinking later, I held aloft my freshly-bound study guide. Zelda style. 'Cause that's how I roll.
For my break I decided to buy some paper at Ito Yokado. I'd been on the lookout for a new bag, something more satchel-like than my single-strap backpack. It was nice, and had served me well on Fuji and beyond, but it lacked in my one true vice - pockets. The poor thing only had two pockets, woefully inadequate given my mildly O.C.D. impulse to categorize everything I own. (For a real brain-twister, consider the fact that my apartment is still a mess)
There is a sizable bag shop on the first floor of I.Y., one that I will browse through every month or so. Today, I hit the jackpot. The only one of its kind, it hung from a display tree like a ripe pear. Light green, made of what felt to be agitated canvas, studded with brass rivets and snaps, and above all composed almost entirely of pockets. This was my bag. It was a bit pricey, about $40, but I considered it worth it. Not too big, not too small. Just right. I donned my new purchase at the counter, eliciting a smile from the shop keep, but they were quite all right with it.
I crossed the plaza and went up to the Daiso/Stationary level. The Daiso is a chain of 100 yen shops. Across the escalator-dominated core of the building from The Daiso is a stationary store. This floor is what I imagine the afterlife to be.
I picked up a ream of white printer paper, A4 sized, for my printer. E.T.S. had a bigger, math-focused study guide on their site that I intended to print as soon as I could, but my supply of papyrus was dangerously low at home. On the way back I met a student of mine who was out with a friend of hers. Meeting students in public is always a comedic situation. It's as if they believe I don't exist outside of the class room. That I have some sort of chamber in the school within which I recharge every night. Perhaps I sleep in one of the underused rooms? I could easily live off of the convenience food in the Lawson's next door.
Anyway, this has gone on far too long for a simple Tuesday. Sufficed to say, it was a good day. Little else of consequence happened beyond the acquisition of a Totally Sweet Bag.
J164 Wednesday October 3rd.
GAH.
Long day. 5 classes, the last 4 in the 4-hour block o' doom at the end of the day. Wednesdays kind of suck. Not in a horrible way, but a muuuuuuuuughrlgh way. One fantastically awesome ray of sunshine broke through the day, though, and that was the package that I got in the mail.
My Mom and sister had joined forces to send me a birthday package of extraordinary magnitude. I used my break time to dash to the post office and retrieve it. It appeared to be the victim of a (non-Psi U!) fraternity hazing, but it had survived. It could strut down the street, bearing its crumpled corners with pride, a young FedEx package on its arm, the envy of every DHL letter-sized envelope that saw it.
I crammed it into my bike's basket and made my way back to work. I wanted to wait 'till I got home to open it, dreading the bike ride home with a box the size of my (manly, hairy) chest open to the elements. But, then again, it was a package from home. I settled into my chair in the break room and quietly sliced the packing tape securing the crumpled corner. I pried the box apart as far as the cardboard would allow and took a peek inside.
Shirts! Yay! What could be ties, double yay! Something glittering gold in the artificial twilight...a word? The title of a hardback book? The word...."Red"? My mind went through a curious game of 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon. My sister loves books. I bought her a copy of The Lies of Locke Lamora last year as a gift. She loved it, and vowed to buy them all. The next book in the series was titled Red Seas Under Red Skies.
I needed to get that book in my dirty little hands now.
My pocket knife made quick work of the tape the package could afford to lose. A quick struggle with the laws of physics, and the tome was mine to behold. A ship, aflame, beneath firestorm-black clouds. A city, golden (but due to flames of rebellion or the gild of fortune?) shone in the background. The title glittered in faux-gold, stamped in historical strokes. It was, indeed, the book I thought it was to be.
The rest of my break saw me absorbed in the book. It was delicious. It satisfied a thirst I had thought long-forgotten.
As an indication as to how this whole thing works, the last day's material, Wednesdays, was only two lines in my paper journal.
J165 Thursday October 4th
Understand, readers, that I cannot tell you everything that happens in my life while I live it here. I am bound by many contracts, legal and social, to keep certain events and information under wraps. I do not betray any oath I have sworn by telling you I have, and keep, them, but it is something you should consider.
The events of today were...something upon which I shall meditate for quite some time.
J166 Friday October 5th
A busy day. Another 4-hour deathblock of classes. That's two in a week, for those of you playing the home version of our game. Red Seas did a good job of soothing my hurts, though. It is a cool balm, a raging storm, a lagoon of clarity, a karst of inescapable darkness. It is, in a word, awesome.
After work I joined Josh at B.B.A. I was originally only there to drop off the first episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 3, but hunger and need of the relaxing properties of alcohol won me over. I dined on salmon pasta and enjoyed a cool Asahi Super Dry. On the B.B.A.'s PS3, the only one I've seen outside of Akihabara in Japan, was a Gundam fighting game. I played a few rounds after consuming my dinner, but I knew I had to move along. Tomorrow was a Saturday, and that's never easy.
J167 Saturday October 6th
A busy day. 3 in a row, then 4. I made a bit of a mix up toward the end of the day; teaching with the wrong materials for one class. Luckily I did some student swapping fu and managed to fix the situation, but it was a bit of a shaky day for me. I tried to rest after work as best I could, but found little succor in the Internet.
I headed out to G-Bros for a drink and company, but little was going on there. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the week-reviews of my compatriots. The teachers for the biggest English school in Japan, Nova, are reporting some odd goings on. Claire and Genie's rent hasn't been paid for the month yet. I have a bad feeling about this. I distributed CDs full of photos, taken by the Crescent staff and given to myself and M-sensei at work, to those who had gone diving a week before.
New in the bar was a rather tall woman. Blonde. She was a new teacher to the area, working with what she said (if I remember correctly, I'm not really sure) was a branch of the government. She wasn't a JET, though, that was for sure. Her name was Brooke, and she was from New Zealand. We welcomed her to the gang, though the energy level for the bar in general was pretty low. The gang left, and I stayed a while to chat with the newcomer. She'd been a teacher in Japan before, but left for home for reasons. She was back again, hardly a week in the Land of the Rising Sun this time 'round.
After a short while I doffed my non-existent cap and powered my way back home. I enjoyed Halo 3, the first time in days, until 3:30 AM. Good times.
J168 Sunday October 7th
This was a terribly lazy day. Chatted online with friends, poked around the Internet. Played more Halo 3. I did some cleaning and straightening and made a nice dinner. D&D was the next day, and I did some prepwork for it. I sketched a dungeon, figuring the second adventure was good enough time as any to introduce the party to the eponymous subterranean architectural design philosophy. Man, I love my vocabulary. Eponymous!
J169 Monday October 8th
Today was to be an epic D&D game, despite a few setbacks. K was unable to make it, denying us our normal play space of GEOS. Over fresh bowls of ramen, the group determined Big Echo, one of the nicer karaoke places in town (and literally next door to the ramen shop we were eating at) would suit our needs nicely.
We had a new player, Daniel, a newcomer from Canada. Amazingly, he had actually played 3rd Edition D&D before! He threw dice with friends in college, and though they never got beyond 3rd level, he knows the basics. Oh, the joys of not having to explain the basic concept of "roleplaying" to a player!
We booked a room for 3 hours at a reasonable price. Karaoke, for those of you who don't know, includes a rainbow of free drinks and somewhat affordable room service. We discovered the power switches to the T.V. and stereo system, and after closing the door we found the room to be quite sound-proof. The occasional thump of bass or vocal twang would sneak through, but we were the only ones on the floor. Our complimentary glasses never emptied of the free-flowing slushies the drink bar sported, and soon after we started gaming a steady stream of consumables were ferried to our room by a cute waitress.
The game itself went very well. I'm finding my DM's legs again, and find a group of, essentially, newbies to be quite fun to game with. Some of them are really settling into their party roles, while others are still taking their time. Still, no inter-party conflicts have arisen, which I find to be nothing short of miraculous.
Masaki brought a large dry-erase battle mat, printed with a massive grid of inch-a-side squares and protected from food and drink by flexible plastic. It is an invaluable gaming tool, and made communicating battle information super easy.
Toward the end of the adventure things got a bit combat-heavy, but no one complained. Nick decided to stay past Last Train, opting to spend the night at the local branch of Toyoko Inn, a national hotel chain of good reputation. We played until 11PM. The cost was a bit pricey, but when you factor in the utter privacy, the climate control, the food, and the free drinks, it was a hell of a deal.
After getting home I painted a little. An idea had been brewing in my head, a clever (to me, at least) application of tape to blank canvas, so as to crease a mask atop which one would paint. Removing the tape produces a preternaturally straight, clean, line of unpainted canvas. I was happy with the results, though I'm sure the idea can be further evolved.
Once again, I put in a few hours of Halo 3. I've noticed some rather awful graphical glitches, coming from my system hardware, rather than the game itself. Power cycling (turning it off and then on) will fix the problem...usually...but this evening it took me 4 tries to do it. Worrisome.
I was up at 11. The perpetual nap in the van the day before had done wonders for my overall energy level, and even my plentiful rounds of Halo 3 Multiplayer didn't drain my reserves.
I printed out the first study guide issued by E.T.S., makers of the G.R.E. exam. They provide a staggering amount of help materials for those who would take their test, materials I plan to use to study my heart out before December. I still need to register for the test...
The study guide is a lithe 20 pages or so, but it's the initial one. I printed it single-sided and took the pages, and a big roll of twine my Dad and brother sent me, in to work. It was a slow Tuesday, the best kind, one where I only had 2 classes, both in the evening.
Most of the day was spent in the break room. I worked some magic with a two-hole punch and a ruler, I made a series of holes in the stack of paper I'd brought with me. One deceptively long piece of twine, an hour, and a ton of geometrical thinking later, I held aloft my freshly-bound study guide. Zelda style. 'Cause that's how I roll.
For my break I decided to buy some paper at Ito Yokado. I'd been on the lookout for a new bag, something more satchel-like than my single-strap backpack. It was nice, and had served me well on Fuji and beyond, but it lacked in my one true vice - pockets. The poor thing only had two pockets, woefully inadequate given my mildly O.C.D. impulse to categorize everything I own. (For a real brain-twister, consider the fact that my apartment is still a mess)
There is a sizable bag shop on the first floor of I.Y., one that I will browse through every month or so. Today, I hit the jackpot. The only one of its kind, it hung from a display tree like a ripe pear. Light green, made of what felt to be agitated canvas, studded with brass rivets and snaps, and above all composed almost entirely of pockets. This was my bag. It was a bit pricey, about $40, but I considered it worth it. Not too big, not too small. Just right. I donned my new purchase at the counter, eliciting a smile from the shop keep, but they were quite all right with it.
I crossed the plaza and went up to the Daiso/Stationary level. The Daiso is a chain of 100 yen shops. Across the escalator-dominated core of the building from The Daiso is a stationary store. This floor is what I imagine the afterlife to be.
I picked up a ream of white printer paper, A4 sized, for my printer. E.T.S. had a bigger, math-focused study guide on their site that I intended to print as soon as I could, but my supply of papyrus was dangerously low at home. On the way back I met a student of mine who was out with a friend of hers. Meeting students in public is always a comedic situation. It's as if they believe I don't exist outside of the class room. That I have some sort of chamber in the school within which I recharge every night. Perhaps I sleep in one of the underused rooms? I could easily live off of the convenience food in the Lawson's next door.
Anyway, this has gone on far too long for a simple Tuesday. Sufficed to say, it was a good day. Little else of consequence happened beyond the acquisition of a Totally Sweet Bag.
J164 Wednesday October 3rd.
GAH.
Long day. 5 classes, the last 4 in the 4-hour block o' doom at the end of the day. Wednesdays kind of suck. Not in a horrible way, but a muuuuuuuuughrlgh way. One fantastically awesome ray of sunshine broke through the day, though, and that was the package that I got in the mail.
My Mom and sister had joined forces to send me a birthday package of extraordinary magnitude. I used my break time to dash to the post office and retrieve it. It appeared to be the victim of a (non-Psi U!) fraternity hazing, but it had survived. It could strut down the street, bearing its crumpled corners with pride, a young FedEx package on its arm, the envy of every DHL letter-sized envelope that saw it.
I crammed it into my bike's basket and made my way back to work. I wanted to wait 'till I got home to open it, dreading the bike ride home with a box the size of my (manly, hairy) chest open to the elements. But, then again, it was a package from home. I settled into my chair in the break room and quietly sliced the packing tape securing the crumpled corner. I pried the box apart as far as the cardboard would allow and took a peek inside.
Shirts! Yay! What could be ties, double yay! Something glittering gold in the artificial twilight...a word? The title of a hardback book? The word...."Red"? My mind went through a curious game of 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon. My sister loves books. I bought her a copy of The Lies of Locke Lamora last year as a gift. She loved it, and vowed to buy them all. The next book in the series was titled Red Seas Under Red Skies.
I needed to get that book in my dirty little hands now.
My pocket knife made quick work of the tape the package could afford to lose. A quick struggle with the laws of physics, and the tome was mine to behold. A ship, aflame, beneath firestorm-black clouds. A city, golden (but due to flames of rebellion or the gild of fortune?) shone in the background. The title glittered in faux-gold, stamped in historical strokes. It was, indeed, the book I thought it was to be.
The rest of my break saw me absorbed in the book. It was delicious. It satisfied a thirst I had thought long-forgotten.
As an indication as to how this whole thing works, the last day's material, Wednesdays, was only two lines in my paper journal.
J165 Thursday October 4th
Understand, readers, that I cannot tell you everything that happens in my life while I live it here. I am bound by many contracts, legal and social, to keep certain events and information under wraps. I do not betray any oath I have sworn by telling you I have, and keep, them, but it is something you should consider.
The events of today were...something upon which I shall meditate for quite some time.
J166 Friday October 5th
A busy day. Another 4-hour deathblock of classes. That's two in a week, for those of you playing the home version of our game. Red Seas did a good job of soothing my hurts, though. It is a cool balm, a raging storm, a lagoon of clarity, a karst of inescapable darkness. It is, in a word, awesome.
After work I joined Josh at B.B.A. I was originally only there to drop off the first episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 3, but hunger and need of the relaxing properties of alcohol won me over. I dined on salmon pasta and enjoyed a cool Asahi Super Dry. On the B.B.A.'s PS3, the only one I've seen outside of Akihabara in Japan, was a Gundam fighting game. I played a few rounds after consuming my dinner, but I knew I had to move along. Tomorrow was a Saturday, and that's never easy.
J167 Saturday October 6th
A busy day. 3 in a row, then 4. I made a bit of a mix up toward the end of the day; teaching with the wrong materials for one class. Luckily I did some student swapping fu and managed to fix the situation, but it was a bit of a shaky day for me. I tried to rest after work as best I could, but found little succor in the Internet.
I headed out to G-Bros for a drink and company, but little was going on there. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the week-reviews of my compatriots. The teachers for the biggest English school in Japan, Nova, are reporting some odd goings on. Claire and Genie's rent hasn't been paid for the month yet. I have a bad feeling about this. I distributed CDs full of photos, taken by the Crescent staff and given to myself and M-sensei at work, to those who had gone diving a week before.
New in the bar was a rather tall woman. Blonde. She was a new teacher to the area, working with what she said (if I remember correctly, I'm not really sure) was a branch of the government. She wasn't a JET, though, that was for sure. Her name was Brooke, and she was from New Zealand. We welcomed her to the gang, though the energy level for the bar in general was pretty low. The gang left, and I stayed a while to chat with the newcomer. She'd been a teacher in Japan before, but left for home for reasons. She was back again, hardly a week in the Land of the Rising Sun this time 'round.
After a short while I doffed my non-existent cap and powered my way back home. I enjoyed Halo 3, the first time in days, until 3:30 AM. Good times.
J168 Sunday October 7th
This was a terribly lazy day. Chatted online with friends, poked around the Internet. Played more Halo 3. I did some cleaning and straightening and made a nice dinner. D&D was the next day, and I did some prepwork for it. I sketched a dungeon, figuring the second adventure was good enough time as any to introduce the party to the eponymous subterranean architectural design philosophy. Man, I love my vocabulary. Eponymous!
J169 Monday October 8th
Today was to be an epic D&D game, despite a few setbacks. K was unable to make it, denying us our normal play space of GEOS. Over fresh bowls of ramen, the group determined Big Echo, one of the nicer karaoke places in town (and literally next door to the ramen shop we were eating at) would suit our needs nicely.
We had a new player, Daniel, a newcomer from Canada. Amazingly, he had actually played 3rd Edition D&D before! He threw dice with friends in college, and though they never got beyond 3rd level, he knows the basics. Oh, the joys of not having to explain the basic concept of "roleplaying" to a player!
We booked a room for 3 hours at a reasonable price. Karaoke, for those of you who don't know, includes a rainbow of free drinks and somewhat affordable room service. We discovered the power switches to the T.V. and stereo system, and after closing the door we found the room to be quite sound-proof. The occasional thump of bass or vocal twang would sneak through, but we were the only ones on the floor. Our complimentary glasses never emptied of the free-flowing slushies the drink bar sported, and soon after we started gaming a steady stream of consumables were ferried to our room by a cute waitress.
The game itself went very well. I'm finding my DM's legs again, and find a group of, essentially, newbies to be quite fun to game with. Some of them are really settling into their party roles, while others are still taking their time. Still, no inter-party conflicts have arisen, which I find to be nothing short of miraculous.
Masaki brought a large dry-erase battle mat, printed with a massive grid of inch-a-side squares and protected from food and drink by flexible plastic. It is an invaluable gaming tool, and made communicating battle information super easy.
Toward the end of the adventure things got a bit combat-heavy, but no one complained. Nick decided to stay past Last Train, opting to spend the night at the local branch of Toyoko Inn, a national hotel chain of good reputation. We played until 11PM. The cost was a bit pricey, but when you factor in the utter privacy, the climate control, the food, and the free drinks, it was a hell of a deal.
After getting home I painted a little. An idea had been brewing in my head, a clever (to me, at least) application of tape to blank canvas, so as to crease a mask atop which one would paint. Removing the tape produces a preternaturally straight, clean, line of unpainted canvas. I was happy with the results, though I'm sure the idea can be further evolved.
Once again, I put in a few hours of Halo 3. I've noticed some rather awful graphical glitches, coming from my system hardware, rather than the game itself. Power cycling (turning it off and then on) will fix the problem...usually...but this evening it took me 4 tries to do it. Worrisome.
Monday, September 24, 2007
It's a beautiful daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
J139 Saturday September 8th
Forgot to mention: I chose the earlier option of my two renewal dates. My contract will finish on May 28th, 2008. I'm not sure of my immediate plans after my contract is complete, but more than likely they will involve a plane and America.
Saturday was a bit of an inverse to Friday. I had 5 classes scheduled, but I wound up teaching 6. No biggie, really; I'm used to Saturdays being packed and exhausting. After work I stopped by Ito Yokado and picked up a tremendous volume of food. Milk, juice, tea, cereal, lots of veggies, tofu, and a few healthy snacks (yogurt, raisin bread rolls, cheese). I cooked a delicious, filling dinner and got caught up on the acclaimed machinima series Red Vs. Blue. I'd watched the first three seasons, but after they started season 4 I lost track. I'd found a torrent with almost every episode, excluding the last 5 or 6 episodes, and had been watching them at night.
After my dinner had digested, and I'd watched nearly all of the RvB on my machine, I pedaled my way down to G-Bros. Bostian, a visiting professor at Ibaraki University and a Slovenian by birth, was having his farewell party that night, and had invited the gang out for revelry and song. I was feeling pretty drained, from the combined stresses of both Friday and Saturday, so I didn't join the karaoke group that was forming. Still, I had a few drinks and bid Bostian a fond farewell. He was a pleasant fellow, always smiling and cheerful, and I miss him now that he's gone.
J140 Sunday September 9th
Y'know, soon, I'm going to be out of catch-up material :)
Today was a day of much slack. I woke up for Gurren Lagann again, which was wonderful and action-packed. The morning half of my day was quite lazy, but towards noon I got in touch with Josh. He had missed the character creation session earlier, and we plotted to meet for lunch and discussion. I met him at Hitachi Station, so very convenient.
We walked 'round downtown Hitachi a while, just talking and geeking out. We sat a while at the plaza and discussed his character, but soon our conversation turned to other things. K showed up briefly on his bike, but was soon off to study and talk with Sylvia. Josh and I investigated the possibility of lunching at Namaste, an Indian restaurant that is perpetually closed. We sauntered across the big loop parking lot out front of the station, and were unsurprised to find Namaste locked up tight. No matter when someone tries to go, it is always closed. It doesn't look boarded up, but we've never seen it open.
We settled for Baskin Robins instead. It was the first ice cream I'd had in a while...months if I recall correctly. It was quite good. I had...something chocolaty, I think. I had a bit of a sugar buzz.
We decided to head to Wonder Goo, that place of media whimsy. A quick southerly train ride found us in Hitachi-Taga, and after a quick jaunt, we found ourselves entering the store of our dreams. One thing I will note about this particular Wonder Goo; it has an odd odor. Imagine warm humus, perhaps atop a warm slice of pita bread, left to sit in a warm place for an hour or so. It's not unpleasant, but it's very distinct and noticeable.
We browsed the racks of used media. Josh found a few items, though nothing jumped out at me. I saw my first in-store advertisement for Halo 3, renewing my on-again-off-again inner monologue on purchasing the game (and the system to run it).
After the Goo, Josh and I were feeling a bit hungry. Our lunch was several hours behind us, and we both were in the mood for good eats. Josh knew the way, on foot, to a Mos Burger, sort of like a McDonalds, but if the food was slightly better tasting and not as greasy. Also, it's a sit-down restaurant, rather than a fast-food joint. You just...order burgers and fries. Japan is weird. We both dined on chili-dogs, surprisingly delicious given the Japanese inability to properly emulate Western food. Over our spicy dinners we discussed character back ground and history.
After finishing dinner we headed to Josh's place. I hadn't been in a while, and further character creation required a computer. A long-ish train ride found us in Ogitsu, Josh's town of residence, and an invigorating walk found us at his place. I was happy to see it was about as junky as my own apartment; it was reassuring to find another person okay with living in dusty, cluttered bliss.
I introduced Josh to Red Blade, a D&D character generator program of impressive power and grace. We worked on his character throughout the evening, pausing to consume hilarious media. I had introduced Josh to the Berserk Abridged video series on YouTube. He had discovered the abridged series of Avatar, Yu Gi Oh (the original abridged series, and arguably the best), and Naruto. We watched these and more as the evening went on. We finished his character and started the walk back to the station; the last train was scheduled to depart Ogistu station around 10:40. We got there by 10:20 and learned that the train was delayed, and wouldn't be in the station for another hour. We walked to a near(ish)by conbini and purchased a late night snack. We continued our geek-fueled conversation until it was time to leave, and we bid one another farewell.
I do so love riding the trains at night. Japan isn't on the Daylight Savings Time system, so one becomes very aware of the changing day and night cycle of the Earth. Night has begun to fall earlier and earlier, and by 7 it was pitch-black. The trains cut through the darkness, speeding along their tracks very quietly, deceptively so given their bulk. They wind like snakes through grass, casting warm light wherever they go. You can see the shadowy outlines of mountains through the darkness, backlit by stars or by the moon. Clouds are awash in contrasting night-darkness and moon light, making a dramatic sky show of muted color.
My ride is too short. I wish I could ride a night-train for longer, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. I rode my bike back home and fell into bed, tired by happy. The day had been a good one.
Forgot to mention: I chose the earlier option of my two renewal dates. My contract will finish on May 28th, 2008. I'm not sure of my immediate plans after my contract is complete, but more than likely they will involve a plane and America.
Saturday was a bit of an inverse to Friday. I had 5 classes scheduled, but I wound up teaching 6. No biggie, really; I'm used to Saturdays being packed and exhausting. After work I stopped by Ito Yokado and picked up a tremendous volume of food. Milk, juice, tea, cereal, lots of veggies, tofu, and a few healthy snacks (yogurt, raisin bread rolls, cheese). I cooked a delicious, filling dinner and got caught up on the acclaimed machinima series Red Vs. Blue. I'd watched the first three seasons, but after they started season 4 I lost track. I'd found a torrent with almost every episode, excluding the last 5 or 6 episodes, and had been watching them at night.
After my dinner had digested, and I'd watched nearly all of the RvB on my machine, I pedaled my way down to G-Bros. Bostian, a visiting professor at Ibaraki University and a Slovenian by birth, was having his farewell party that night, and had invited the gang out for revelry and song. I was feeling pretty drained, from the combined stresses of both Friday and Saturday, so I didn't join the karaoke group that was forming. Still, I had a few drinks and bid Bostian a fond farewell. He was a pleasant fellow, always smiling and cheerful, and I miss him now that he's gone.
J140 Sunday September 9th
Y'know, soon, I'm going to be out of catch-up material :)
Today was a day of much slack. I woke up for Gurren Lagann again, which was wonderful and action-packed. The morning half of my day was quite lazy, but towards noon I got in touch with Josh. He had missed the character creation session earlier, and we plotted to meet for lunch and discussion. I met him at Hitachi Station, so very convenient.
We walked 'round downtown Hitachi a while, just talking and geeking out. We sat a while at the plaza and discussed his character, but soon our conversation turned to other things. K showed up briefly on his bike, but was soon off to study and talk with Sylvia. Josh and I investigated the possibility of lunching at Namaste, an Indian restaurant that is perpetually closed. We sauntered across the big loop parking lot out front of the station, and were unsurprised to find Namaste locked up tight. No matter when someone tries to go, it is always closed. It doesn't look boarded up, but we've never seen it open.
We settled for Baskin Robins instead. It was the first ice cream I'd had in a while...months if I recall correctly. It was quite good. I had...something chocolaty, I think. I had a bit of a sugar buzz.
We decided to head to Wonder Goo, that place of media whimsy. A quick southerly train ride found us in Hitachi-Taga, and after a quick jaunt, we found ourselves entering the store of our dreams. One thing I will note about this particular Wonder Goo; it has an odd odor. Imagine warm humus, perhaps atop a warm slice of pita bread, left to sit in a warm place for an hour or so. It's not unpleasant, but it's very distinct and noticeable.
We browsed the racks of used media. Josh found a few items, though nothing jumped out at me. I saw my first in-store advertisement for Halo 3, renewing my on-again-off-again inner monologue on purchasing the game (and the system to run it).
After the Goo, Josh and I were feeling a bit hungry. Our lunch was several hours behind us, and we both were in the mood for good eats. Josh knew the way, on foot, to a Mos Burger, sort of like a McDonalds, but if the food was slightly better tasting and not as greasy. Also, it's a sit-down restaurant, rather than a fast-food joint. You just...order burgers and fries. Japan is weird. We both dined on chili-dogs, surprisingly delicious given the Japanese inability to properly emulate Western food. Over our spicy dinners we discussed character back ground and history.
After finishing dinner we headed to Josh's place. I hadn't been in a while, and further character creation required a computer. A long-ish train ride found us in Ogitsu, Josh's town of residence, and an invigorating walk found us at his place. I was happy to see it was about as junky as my own apartment; it was reassuring to find another person okay with living in dusty, cluttered bliss.
I introduced Josh to Red Blade, a D&D character generator program of impressive power and grace. We worked on his character throughout the evening, pausing to consume hilarious media. I had introduced Josh to the Berserk Abridged video series on YouTube. He had discovered the abridged series of Avatar, Yu Gi Oh (the original abridged series, and arguably the best), and Naruto. We watched these and more as the evening went on. We finished his character and started the walk back to the station; the last train was scheduled to depart Ogistu station around 10:40. We got there by 10:20 and learned that the train was delayed, and wouldn't be in the station for another hour. We walked to a near(ish)by conbini and purchased a late night snack. We continued our geek-fueled conversation until it was time to leave, and we bid one another farewell.
I do so love riding the trains at night. Japan isn't on the Daylight Savings Time system, so one becomes very aware of the changing day and night cycle of the Earth. Night has begun to fall earlier and earlier, and by 7 it was pitch-black. The trains cut through the darkness, speeding along their tracks very quietly, deceptively so given their bulk. They wind like snakes through grass, casting warm light wherever they go. You can see the shadowy outlines of mountains through the darkness, backlit by stars or by the moon. Clouds are awash in contrasting night-darkness and moon light, making a dramatic sky show of muted color.
My ride is too short. I wish I could ride a night-train for longer, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. I rode my bike back home and fell into bed, tired by happy. The day had been a good one.
*yawn*
J134 Monday September 3rd
I was up early, as I had much to do and little time to do it. Today was to be the first meeting of my D&D group, and I had to prepare. First, I cleaned just about all of my apartment. There was the chance that one of the players would need crash space, and I had offered my couch. I wanted to be sure he wouldn't be horrified of the...state of things.
I am not a filthy person, but being a single male does make me adopt a...shall we say lackadaisical attitude when it comes to housekeeping. I scrapped off the big chunks, though, and made my abode presentable.
I grabbed a quick shower and headed off to the station, there to meet up with everyone. I met K and Masaki, the D&D enthusiast I'd met nearly two months prior in front of Sakura City. After a little while, the third member of the group, Nick, arrived. He lives in Tokyo, so his commute is a bit of a killer. K was very kind and offered us his class room at his work place to game at. There were no regular classes that day, and the space would be perfect for our needs. The group trekked to Ito Yokado and procured lunch, myself getting a okonomiyaki (think a pizza...made from an omelette).
The session of the day was to be character creation. For those of you who have never played a tabletop role-playing game, there's one thing you have to have, and that is a character. It's usually beneficial to group harmony if everyone makes their characters at the same time, so as to have a good spread of powers and abilities, and so that two characters don't step on anyone's toes. This session was just that, brainstorming and helping one another with crafting complimentary, well-rounded characters.
I'd brought my laptop, equipped as it was with numerous gaming resources, which greatly helped the creation process for the gathered players. We planned and schemed for a few hours, myself giving a short lecture on the world. The big white board in the room proved to be the perfect gaming accessory, and was quickly filled with a rough map of the game world.
Toward the end of the meeting, Masaki received word that his father had taken ill and was going to the hospital. Apparently he had been under the effects of some malady for some time, but Masaki wanted to be with him when he got to the hospital, so he had to bid the group farewell for the day. As a parting gift, he left us with his hand-bound copies of the D&D Player's Handbook. A most generous loan.
The time was nearing for the weekly Japanese lesson, so the group took a hiatus. Josh was planning on meeting us after the lesson concluded, for another round of creation and brainstorming. Nick was content to wander town for a while, shopping at Yokado whilst K and I taught the lesson. The new teachers, Jo Ann and Candice, joined us, and I was put in charge of helping them with the basics. I surprise myself with how much Japanese I remember. I know I would be much better at the language if I practiced more. K is a study-holic, and it shows. Me, not so much.
We worked on the basics for a few hours, and before we knew it the lesson was over. K and I met up with Nick, and we lead the whole group around Ito Yokado. Up and down the escalators we traipsed, browsing (mostly) everything the department store had to offer. When we tired of window shopping we headed over to Sakura City. It was around this time that I received a message from Josh; he had had a difficult and exhausting day at work, and needed to sleep. I replied with sympathy and told him we'd do a creation session at a later date.
The group walked to Sakura City through the quickly fading sunlight. The sun had set while we were in Yokado, and the last rays of sunshine were painting the clouds a dramatic hemorrhage of purples and reds. We paced and window shopped all throughout Sakura City, marveling at the myriad of styles and accessories to choose from. Japanese fashion can be very dramatic and cosmopolitan, even as far out in the sticks as Hitachi is. Emphasis is placed on abstract or stylistic clothing, rather than functional stuff. As a stickler for utility, I don't look very stylish, though the same could have been said when I lived in the States.
The evening was drawing to a close, and Nick was nearing the deadline for his last train home. We bid him farewell as he headed down the escalators and out the building. The rest of us stayed in S.C. a while longer, but left once we realized the place was closing.
K and I took the girls to G-Bros. Some of the gang were there when we got there, and we had a jolly time. I treated the new teachers to Apple Pie Gyoza, a delicious desert that is a testament to Hiro's (bartender and head chef of G-Bros.) ingenuity and culinary genius. The girls were skeptical at first, but their fears were allayed thanks to the fried goodness that is Hiro's Apple Pie, Japan-style. Just like Mom used to make...in an alternate dimension.
Those of the gang present got it in them to go bowling. I myself was quite tired after the events of the day, and called it a night. Home was a quick bike-ride away, and soon I was closing the evening with my customary internet time.
J135 Tuesday September 4th
Only two classes today! I occupied my time by assembling materials for our weekly news discussion class and folding a tremendous volume of fliers. Today was my deadline for deciding about my contract. I settled on a 3-month extension, ending in the first week of June. At the last minute, before I could go home, I had to write a short essay on why I had decided to renew for only 3 months, rather than a year.
J136 Wednesday September 5th
Only 3 classes today. Folded even more stuff today. My manager informed me that the date I had selected was incompatible with my company's hiring schedule. I had to select a date that was either earlier or later. I was given the choice of June 16th or May 28th. I have until Friday the 7th to decide.
J137 Thursday September 6th
Another 3-class day. I feel rather bad, having gotten only interrupted sleep the night before. Special classes are in two weeks, and I must needs prepare for them. My schedule has no fewer than 6 classes for tomorrow, the 7th. Karma for the light beginning of my week.
The latest typhoon blew in today, late in the evening. I managed to sleep through most of it, but I was woken up several times through the night due to sudden gusts of wind. These gales (and I do not use the term lightly) were strong enough to set my entire apartment building rocking back and forth. Not enough to endanger its occupants, you must understand, but enough so as to register on one's unconscious threat-detector.
J138 Friday September 7th
A near-Saturday day of class density, with a whopping 6 classes scheduled for today. I worked through them all, though I was saved by a total student cancellation in the evening, giving me an hour's rest before the final push. I felt bad all day due to the oft-interrupted sleep I had gotten the night before.
One of my students offered to take me to a town a few hours away. She said the town is known for its pottery. She wants to take me and another student next-next Monday, the 17th.
Another of my students, a new girl who started today, is very much an anime/manga fan. Not every student I have is a fan of comic culture, but enough of them are to make life interesting. My student and I compared our favorite moments in several of our favorite series. We both were big Naruto fans, which is always a hoot to discover.
The week was almost over. The next day, Saturday, would be...draining...but that's a story for another night. I'm a little spent from the day's activities, but I'll endeavor to complete this week's entries tomrorow.
I was up early, as I had much to do and little time to do it. Today was to be the first meeting of my D&D group, and I had to prepare. First, I cleaned just about all of my apartment. There was the chance that one of the players would need crash space, and I had offered my couch. I wanted to be sure he wouldn't be horrified of the...state of things.
I am not a filthy person, but being a single male does make me adopt a...shall we say lackadaisical attitude when it comes to housekeeping. I scrapped off the big chunks, though, and made my abode presentable.
I grabbed a quick shower and headed off to the station, there to meet up with everyone. I met K and Masaki, the D&D enthusiast I'd met nearly two months prior in front of Sakura City. After a little while, the third member of the group, Nick, arrived. He lives in Tokyo, so his commute is a bit of a killer. K was very kind and offered us his class room at his work place to game at. There were no regular classes that day, and the space would be perfect for our needs. The group trekked to Ito Yokado and procured lunch, myself getting a okonomiyaki (think a pizza...made from an omelette).
The session of the day was to be character creation. For those of you who have never played a tabletop role-playing game, there's one thing you have to have, and that is a character. It's usually beneficial to group harmony if everyone makes their characters at the same time, so as to have a good spread of powers and abilities, and so that two characters don't step on anyone's toes. This session was just that, brainstorming and helping one another with crafting complimentary, well-rounded characters.
I'd brought my laptop, equipped as it was with numerous gaming resources, which greatly helped the creation process for the gathered players. We planned and schemed for a few hours, myself giving a short lecture on the world. The big white board in the room proved to be the perfect gaming accessory, and was quickly filled with a rough map of the game world.
Toward the end of the meeting, Masaki received word that his father had taken ill and was going to the hospital. Apparently he had been under the effects of some malady for some time, but Masaki wanted to be with him when he got to the hospital, so he had to bid the group farewell for the day. As a parting gift, he left us with his hand-bound copies of the D&D Player's Handbook. A most generous loan.
The time was nearing for the weekly Japanese lesson, so the group took a hiatus. Josh was planning on meeting us after the lesson concluded, for another round of creation and brainstorming. Nick was content to wander town for a while, shopping at Yokado whilst K and I taught the lesson. The new teachers, Jo Ann and Candice, joined us, and I was put in charge of helping them with the basics. I surprise myself with how much Japanese I remember. I know I would be much better at the language if I practiced more. K is a study-holic, and it shows. Me, not so much.
We worked on the basics for a few hours, and before we knew it the lesson was over. K and I met up with Nick, and we lead the whole group around Ito Yokado. Up and down the escalators we traipsed, browsing (mostly) everything the department store had to offer. When we tired of window shopping we headed over to Sakura City. It was around this time that I received a message from Josh; he had had a difficult and exhausting day at work, and needed to sleep. I replied with sympathy and told him we'd do a creation session at a later date.
The group walked to Sakura City through the quickly fading sunlight. The sun had set while we were in Yokado, and the last rays of sunshine were painting the clouds a dramatic hemorrhage of purples and reds. We paced and window shopped all throughout Sakura City, marveling at the myriad of styles and accessories to choose from. Japanese fashion can be very dramatic and cosmopolitan, even as far out in the sticks as Hitachi is. Emphasis is placed on abstract or stylistic clothing, rather than functional stuff. As a stickler for utility, I don't look very stylish, though the same could have been said when I lived in the States.
The evening was drawing to a close, and Nick was nearing the deadline for his last train home. We bid him farewell as he headed down the escalators and out the building. The rest of us stayed in S.C. a while longer, but left once we realized the place was closing.
K and I took the girls to G-Bros. Some of the gang were there when we got there, and we had a jolly time. I treated the new teachers to Apple Pie Gyoza, a delicious desert that is a testament to Hiro's (bartender and head chef of G-Bros.) ingenuity and culinary genius. The girls were skeptical at first, but their fears were allayed thanks to the fried goodness that is Hiro's Apple Pie, Japan-style. Just like Mom used to make...in an alternate dimension.
Those of the gang present got it in them to go bowling. I myself was quite tired after the events of the day, and called it a night. Home was a quick bike-ride away, and soon I was closing the evening with my customary internet time.
J135 Tuesday September 4th
Only two classes today! I occupied my time by assembling materials for our weekly news discussion class and folding a tremendous volume of fliers. Today was my deadline for deciding about my contract. I settled on a 3-month extension, ending in the first week of June. At the last minute, before I could go home, I had to write a short essay on why I had decided to renew for only 3 months, rather than a year.
J136 Wednesday September 5th
Only 3 classes today. Folded even more stuff today. My manager informed me that the date I had selected was incompatible with my company's hiring schedule. I had to select a date that was either earlier or later. I was given the choice of June 16th or May 28th. I have until Friday the 7th to decide.
J137 Thursday September 6th
Another 3-class day. I feel rather bad, having gotten only interrupted sleep the night before. Special classes are in two weeks, and I must needs prepare for them. My schedule has no fewer than 6 classes for tomorrow, the 7th. Karma for the light beginning of my week.
The latest typhoon blew in today, late in the evening. I managed to sleep through most of it, but I was woken up several times through the night due to sudden gusts of wind. These gales (and I do not use the term lightly) were strong enough to set my entire apartment building rocking back and forth. Not enough to endanger its occupants, you must understand, but enough so as to register on one's unconscious threat-detector.
J138 Friday September 7th
A near-Saturday day of class density, with a whopping 6 classes scheduled for today. I worked through them all, though I was saved by a total student cancellation in the evening, giving me an hour's rest before the final push. I felt bad all day due to the oft-interrupted sleep I had gotten the night before.
One of my students offered to take me to a town a few hours away. She said the town is known for its pottery. She wants to take me and another student next-next Monday, the 17th.
Another of my students, a new girl who started today, is very much an anime/manga fan. Not every student I have is a fan of comic culture, but enough of them are to make life interesting. My student and I compared our favorite moments in several of our favorite series. We both were big Naruto fans, which is always a hoot to discover.
The week was almost over. The next day, Saturday, would be...draining...but that's a story for another night. I'm a little spent from the day's activities, but I'll endeavor to complete this week's entries tomrorow.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
okay, now for today
J109 Thursday August 9th
Ahhhhhh, vacation. That wonderful feeling of waking up and not having to go into work for the next 7 days.
7 days.
I did a lot today, in preparation for my vacation. I stopped at the ATM first, to get some monies. I grabbed lunch and ate it at the steps of the shrine again (I love eating there. So peaceful). I dropped off my dry cleaning, and then went to pick up a bus ticket. My first stop on my vacation is Tokyo, which I'll go to tomorrow morning. I couldn't quite figure out where to purchase a bus ticket, though. I couldn't quite understand the train station employees, and the Lawson's workers were trying to use a multipurpose console to see if I could buy tickets there. Luckily, fate smiled upon me. An American woman and her Japanese coworker stopped in to buy a snack, and I asked for their help. They work in Hitachi, as secretaries for some sort of nuclear research company.
The Japanese woman of the pair led me to the bus travel office, just a little ways down Heiwa street. I thanked her and her American counterpart profusely. They were catching the next bus to Kyoto themselves, so as soon as they showed me where the office was they departed.
I purchased an early morning ticket (the bus leaves at 7:30) and debated my next move. I decided to head into Ito Yokado and see what I could see there.
I wound up purchasing a new shoulder strap for my NERV duffel bag. The strap broke on my flight to Japan, and it's been a pain to lug with just handles. I also purchased a swimsuit, having no such garment here in Japan. It's a nice Airwalk brand, a little expensive, but well put together and festooned with pockets. Festooned! I ran into Greg, K, and Sylvia as I shopped, and we all exchanged pleasantries.
My final stop was the grocery store in Yokado. I've run out of a lot of food, and I haven't restocked much, given that I'll be out of the house for almost a week. Still, a boy needs to eat, so I bought some tofu, a few drinks and some breakfast food.
I biked home, enjoying the summer sun and lovely breeze. Thunder clouds were booming off in the distance, but they showed no signs of coming toward Hitachi.
I spent the next few hours playing Neverwinter Nights. I haven't played a video game, my DS notwithstanding, in weeks. It was wonderful to play something new and exciting. I've never finished the single-player campaign, and I must say it's rather fun. A little dated, but that's never a bad thing. I've also got Deus Ex installed, which I play once in a blue moon.
And that leaves us with now. I need to pack up my bag and get to sleep really soon. My bus leaves in less than 8 hours. My gizmos are charged, which is good, and my laundry's drying.
I want to let ya'll know that I won't be able to post for a few days. I'm not going to have regular access to a computer, which will mean I won't be online. Just remember; I am always in your heart, 'cause you all are always in mine.
That's right. I just said that. Because I'm awesome.
Ahhhhhh, vacation. That wonderful feeling of waking up and not having to go into work for the next 7 days.
7 days.
I did a lot today, in preparation for my vacation. I stopped at the ATM first, to get some monies. I grabbed lunch and ate it at the steps of the shrine again (I love eating there. So peaceful). I dropped off my dry cleaning, and then went to pick up a bus ticket. My first stop on my vacation is Tokyo, which I'll go to tomorrow morning. I couldn't quite figure out where to purchase a bus ticket, though. I couldn't quite understand the train station employees, and the Lawson's workers were trying to use a multipurpose console to see if I could buy tickets there. Luckily, fate smiled upon me. An American woman and her Japanese coworker stopped in to buy a snack, and I asked for their help. They work in Hitachi, as secretaries for some sort of nuclear research company.
The Japanese woman of the pair led me to the bus travel office, just a little ways down Heiwa street. I thanked her and her American counterpart profusely. They were catching the next bus to Kyoto themselves, so as soon as they showed me where the office was they departed.
I purchased an early morning ticket (the bus leaves at 7:30) and debated my next move. I decided to head into Ito Yokado and see what I could see there.
I wound up purchasing a new shoulder strap for my NERV duffel bag. The strap broke on my flight to Japan, and it's been a pain to lug with just handles. I also purchased a swimsuit, having no such garment here in Japan. It's a nice Airwalk brand, a little expensive, but well put together and festooned with pockets. Festooned! I ran into Greg, K, and Sylvia as I shopped, and we all exchanged pleasantries.
My final stop was the grocery store in Yokado. I've run out of a lot of food, and I haven't restocked much, given that I'll be out of the house for almost a week. Still, a boy needs to eat, so I bought some tofu, a few drinks and some breakfast food.
I biked home, enjoying the summer sun and lovely breeze. Thunder clouds were booming off in the distance, but they showed no signs of coming toward Hitachi.
I spent the next few hours playing Neverwinter Nights. I haven't played a video game, my DS notwithstanding, in weeks. It was wonderful to play something new and exciting. I've never finished the single-player campaign, and I must say it's rather fun. A little dated, but that's never a bad thing. I've also got Deus Ex installed, which I play once in a blue moon.
And that leaves us with now. I need to pack up my bag and get to sleep really soon. My bus leaves in less than 8 hours. My gizmos are charged, which is good, and my laundry's drying.
I want to let ya'll know that I won't be able to post for a few days. I'm not going to have regular access to a computer, which will mean I won't be online. Just remember; I am always in your heart, 'cause you all are always in mine.
That's right. I just said that. Because I'm awesome.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Catch Up! part 2!
J105 Sunday August 6th
I woke up at a leisurely 9AM. I set out an hour later to do things. Important things. I was determined; I wasn't going to just sit in my apartment all day and surf the internet. No, today was going to be different.
First thing I had to do was get my bike fixed. Luckily, about a kilometer (give or take a few hundred meters) away is a bike shop, run by a nice old Japanese guy. I walked my crippled vehicle to his shop, delighted to see it was both open and staffed by its lone employee.
"Pwah?" the old man asked, looking at my bike and making an explosive gesture with his hands. Did your bike's rear tire burst? he asked with gesture and onomatopoeia. I nodded an emphatic yes, and he quickly set about fixing my bike. He wedged the outer rubber skin of the tire off with a short chisel and a turn of his wrist. Then he unscrewed the actual inflatable tube, made of surprisingly thin rubber (or polymer, I wasn't quite sure which) and pulled it free of my bike.
He dragged a small bin of water, where he kept it I knew not, and tested the tire's cohesion. He inflated it and then pushed segments of the tube under the small water bin, looking for bubbles. He found the offending spot, one and only one puncture. He patched it with a healthy dollop of rubber cement and an ovoid patch. The glue set almost instantly, and he set about reinstalling the tube and the protective rubber shell. The entire process took maybe 12 minutes from start to finish. He charged me 1000 yen for the job, which I gladly paid.
My bike felt like it was brand-new. I rode with the serene grace only a pair of well-inflated tires can give. The bumps and cracks of the road were almost unfelt as I streaked down side streets and main roads. I took my time, luxuriating in the ride. I made my way to the barber shop that had been pointed out to me the night before. It was across the street from G-Bros, easily found thanks to its tell-tale barber's pole.
I went in and was told there would be a 20 minute wait. No worries, I said, and hopped back on the old bike-a-roo. I pedaled my way to the nearest conbini to have breakfast. I enjoyed my rice balls and tea on the steps of the big shrine just off of Route 6. Every once in a while a person would walk by. Those that did, the little old ladies at least, gave the shrine a polite bow, stopping to administer the respectful gesture before resuming their walk.
I returned to the barber shop, fortified by my morning meal, and decided to wait in its air conditioned interior, rather than the growing heat outside. The two staff went about their business, happily cutting the hair of two gentlemen who had been before me. One thing you must know about Japanese barbers is that they take their time. Most hair cuts cost at least 3000 yen, with the majority being around the 5000 yen mark. You get what you pay for, though.
When it was my turn, I was delighted to discover my barber, a young man, knew some English. We had a conversation mixed between English and Japanese while he snipped and trimmed. Japanese barbery is like...sculpting...hair. Lots of little cuts, very few big ones. For example; my sideburns had been growing out of control the last few weeks. He spent, no kidding, about 15 minutes on each one, trimming it down to a uniform, smart-looking length. Same with every other bit of my hair.
My barber had been learning his trade for nearly 7 years in another part of Japan, only recently returning to Hitachi. I got a hair cut, a scalp massage (which was heavenly) and shampoo/rinse. At this place, all that would have normally cost 3000 yen. Scandalous, I know, but realize that that is the *cheapest* hair cut I've ever seen in Japan. But, there's a kicker. I mentioned that I had been referred to this place by a friend, Mike, worker at my company's sister company. When the barbers realized this, they immediately knocked off 1000 yen from my bill. I paid only 2000 yen for the entire thing. Amazing.
After that, I was off to Joyful Yamashin, the local Home Center. A Home Center is a big store, kind of like a Home Depot of Lowes. The only difference is that you can find *anything* that you use in your home. This includes lumber and wall paint and light fixtures. It also includes things like car accessories, clothes, bath products, and toys. You can find just about whatever you want there. Myself, I was looking for a good hat. I have only one, a ball cap, which is precious to me. It's a gift from my Dad, and I'd rather not let it get eaten, or lost, or burned in my many adventures. Plus, it's a ball cap, and I've had a hankering for a wide-brimmed hat. Preferably straw.
And, Lo! I found one! It's a good fit, flexible and snug but not brain-killing. A nice dark blue cloth band about the head-perching bit. And only 700 yen. Yoink! I also picked up a bath towel, I'm in need of a new one, and another belt. This one has a bit more slack than my other new one, and it was nearly 1/3 of the price.
I paid for my new purchases and decided to head home. The day's heat was nearing its peak, and I had finished my to-do list. I came back home and rested, saving my energies for the next day. Golf was the order of the day, and I had to be fresh for it. I did some writing, but not on this blog, and went to sleep around midnight.
I woke up at a leisurely 9AM. I set out an hour later to do things. Important things. I was determined; I wasn't going to just sit in my apartment all day and surf the internet. No, today was going to be different.
First thing I had to do was get my bike fixed. Luckily, about a kilometer (give or take a few hundred meters) away is a bike shop, run by a nice old Japanese guy. I walked my crippled vehicle to his shop, delighted to see it was both open and staffed by its lone employee.
"Pwah?" the old man asked, looking at my bike and making an explosive gesture with his hands. Did your bike's rear tire burst? he asked with gesture and onomatopoeia. I nodded an emphatic yes, and he quickly set about fixing my bike. He wedged the outer rubber skin of the tire off with a short chisel and a turn of his wrist. Then he unscrewed the actual inflatable tube, made of surprisingly thin rubber (or polymer, I wasn't quite sure which) and pulled it free of my bike.
He dragged a small bin of water, where he kept it I knew not, and tested the tire's cohesion. He inflated it and then pushed segments of the tube under the small water bin, looking for bubbles. He found the offending spot, one and only one puncture. He patched it with a healthy dollop of rubber cement and an ovoid patch. The glue set almost instantly, and he set about reinstalling the tube and the protective rubber shell. The entire process took maybe 12 minutes from start to finish. He charged me 1000 yen for the job, which I gladly paid.
My bike felt like it was brand-new. I rode with the serene grace only a pair of well-inflated tires can give. The bumps and cracks of the road were almost unfelt as I streaked down side streets and main roads. I took my time, luxuriating in the ride. I made my way to the barber shop that had been pointed out to me the night before. It was across the street from G-Bros, easily found thanks to its tell-tale barber's pole.
I went in and was told there would be a 20 minute wait. No worries, I said, and hopped back on the old bike-a-roo. I pedaled my way to the nearest conbini to have breakfast. I enjoyed my rice balls and tea on the steps of the big shrine just off of Route 6. Every once in a while a person would walk by. Those that did, the little old ladies at least, gave the shrine a polite bow, stopping to administer the respectful gesture before resuming their walk.
I returned to the barber shop, fortified by my morning meal, and decided to wait in its air conditioned interior, rather than the growing heat outside. The two staff went about their business, happily cutting the hair of two gentlemen who had been before me. One thing you must know about Japanese barbers is that they take their time. Most hair cuts cost at least 3000 yen, with the majority being around the 5000 yen mark. You get what you pay for, though.
When it was my turn, I was delighted to discover my barber, a young man, knew some English. We had a conversation mixed between English and Japanese while he snipped and trimmed. Japanese barbery is like...sculpting...hair. Lots of little cuts, very few big ones. For example; my sideburns had been growing out of control the last few weeks. He spent, no kidding, about 15 minutes on each one, trimming it down to a uniform, smart-looking length. Same with every other bit of my hair.
My barber had been learning his trade for nearly 7 years in another part of Japan, only recently returning to Hitachi. I got a hair cut, a scalp massage (which was heavenly) and shampoo/rinse. At this place, all that would have normally cost 3000 yen. Scandalous, I know, but realize that that is the *cheapest* hair cut I've ever seen in Japan. But, there's a kicker. I mentioned that I had been referred to this place by a friend, Mike, worker at my company's sister company. When the barbers realized this, they immediately knocked off 1000 yen from my bill. I paid only 2000 yen for the entire thing. Amazing.
After that, I was off to Joyful Yamashin, the local Home Center. A Home Center is a big store, kind of like a Home Depot of Lowes. The only difference is that you can find *anything* that you use in your home. This includes lumber and wall paint and light fixtures. It also includes things like car accessories, clothes, bath products, and toys. You can find just about whatever you want there. Myself, I was looking for a good hat. I have only one, a ball cap, which is precious to me. It's a gift from my Dad, and I'd rather not let it get eaten, or lost, or burned in my many adventures. Plus, it's a ball cap, and I've had a hankering for a wide-brimmed hat. Preferably straw.
And, Lo! I found one! It's a good fit, flexible and snug but not brain-killing. A nice dark blue cloth band about the head-perching bit. And only 700 yen. Yoink! I also picked up a bath towel, I'm in need of a new one, and another belt. This one has a bit more slack than my other new one, and it was nearly 1/3 of the price.
I paid for my new purchases and decided to head home. The day's heat was nearing its peak, and I had finished my to-do list. I came back home and rested, saving my energies for the next day. Golf was the order of the day, and I had to be fresh for it. I did some writing, but not on this blog, and went to sleep around midnight.
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