ROUND1

Last weekend we went to Round1 to cool off. It's basically a massive sports/games centre. You can do absolutely everything there! Everything from bowling, to soccer, to mini-golf, to go-karts, to arcade games, to gambling...Oh, did I mention rodeo and fishing?! yes, you can catch REAL fish! Crazy!!!

I took pictures mainly of the game centre because I was too busy kicking ass at Badminton to get my camera out! (^_^)v

Here's a pic of Kazuyo and Akiko posing with guns. Sexy!!!

Erin and me rocking out on guitar hero. I didn't know any of the songs, but look at me go!

We need a band...


Akiko and Kazuyo doing the tambourine game! Actually looks like fun.


Here are some random Japanese girls playing a horsey game. They were going crazy, screaming and yelling. Maybe they were betting on it? Either way, I thought it was hilarious and couldn't help secretly getting them on video camera.



Kazuyo made us take some pelicula, which she claimed everyone must do before they leave Japan. It was good fun, though! I only have one question: Why in a girl's pants?

interesting photo exhibit

This is a link to a Japanese photographer, Kohei Yoshiyuki from the 1970's who took night time shots with a Kodak infrared bulb. His photos are pretty funny. And they seem somehow like a nature documentary of animals.

Check it out! I think you'll like it.
NY Times slideshow

...and you thought the Pope mobile was cool!

I`m not sure why, but it was a holiday recently. Erin believes that it was because of the autumnal equinox...and it`s hard to admit, but she may be right. Anyways, last night I heard this strange chanting coming from outside. It sounded like a monk, but a little grainy, or electronic, like a cyber-monk! So an I looked and lo! a monk-mobile!!! The pope would be jealous.

PS. Happy Equinox! From here on it only get`s colder!

Shamisen on gold

These are pictures of Remi and Akiko`s shamisen concert. It was pretty cool!
Akiko, Yoda, and Remi.


Remi rocking it out!

They served a cup of tea with the rising sun in it.

c'est quoi ça?!

J'suis oú? Certainment, c'est pas Japon, lá! Tellement BIZARRE!

This is very different from the bikes Japanese mail men use to deliver the post. That's for sure!

dreams

Since I`ve started studying for the test, I`ve been having these dreams filled with kanji. The strange thing is that I can`t read Roman characters in my dreams at all. It`s said to be impossible to read in your dreams because your left brain, which controls language and logic, is asleep and your right brain is in control.

However, somehow I can read chinese characters! My theory is that because they are pictographic, they read like symbols rather than letters. Seeing a kanji in your dream is like seeing a stop sign. It doesn`t represent a sound, it represents an idea. Anyway, it`s pretty weird to be able to read them in a dream.

Maybe it means my left brain isn`t taking them in as language at all!

coolest thing on TV

Technophile = nerd love

This is a snapshot I took after I cleared off my whiteboard. The explanation is too accurate, I think. It struck me as something you could put on a T-shirt.

the next few months...

Well, I've decided to write the Japanese Language Proficiency test in December.

There are 4 levels to the test. The 4th level is the easiest and the 1st nearly impossible. I am going to take the 2nd level — it's equivalent to a 4 year university program. When I looked at the past tests, the 3rd level seemed way to easy. I would be able to pass that test without any studying, so, unfortunately for my social life, I'm going to try the 2nd level.

This means I have to study about 2 hours every day. I need to learn 700 new kanji in the remaining 2 months. That's about 5-8 kanji every day.

To be honest, at this point, I'm pretty sure that I'll fail it in the end. However, it gives me a goal to study for and I'll learn a lot in the process...But if I do pass this test, it's a proper certification.

Wish me luck!

temple concert

This weekend I went to a concert inside a temple. It was my first glance of what regular life is like inside a temple. In fact, it's rather like a community centre. There were kids playing, a dog and cat walking around, as well as priests praying.

The real reason I was there was to watch my friend, Miyuki's sanshin circle play.

They started by doing a 盆踊り、a dance for the dead. Kind of in honour of the ancestors. So there were two people playing shamisen and one was playing an instrument I've never seen, which played like a violin.

The shamisen with some people dancing in the background.

This is the violin like instrument. It sounded very nice, actually — and very eastern!

Nice kimonos, eh?





Here`s the dance! The Bon Odori.

Part 2!

There were also some other performances, like this jangara, a traditional folk song.

Ok ok ok! Now for my favourite part: The sanshin! This is an okinawan instrument and it definitely sounds different from the traditional Japanese ones. The sound itself was rural, pastoral...something from a peaceful, quiet life...catching fish maybe?


Sorry for the low quality, I took all of this on my mobile phone.

two views of the city

This was taken from Utatsuyama, the mountain inside Kanazawa city. It was a hot day, but clear enough to see the sea from the summit. In this picture you can make out the shoreline, but in reality the sun reflecting of the water was blinding. This was taken the same place I took some night views before.

The second view is from my balcony. I few nights ago there was the most intensely red moon. It was haunting. I knew Japan was famous for it`s red sun sets, but this was absolutely out of this world!

Japanese name generator

ever wondered what your name would be in Japanese?

By the way, apparantly...

My japanese name is 藤原 Fujiwara (wisteria fields) 大輝 Taiki (large radiance).
Take your real japanese name generator! today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

culture tip #13

Japanese condom vending machine. This one even sells the rare brand of MfG, otherwise know ans 'Mother fucking Gonads'. And remember kids 'Safety is for you!' Some other prime choices are Freshcoat and Honeycap.


Speaking of debauchery...Here's a little sake cup you can buy and give to people who suck at life.