Sumo in Fukuoka

I made it to the Kyushu Basho in Fukuoka last month, and the sumo was good fun and entertaining as always. I hope to make it an annual trip. If you have the opportunity to go, do it! Even if you think it might not might be your cup of tea, it will be a great cultural experience and you'll get to see your fellow Japanese spectators in a more relaxed and jovial atmosphere. But enough reading already, watch the video. お願いします.

More Information: wikipedia or the official Grand Sumo web page here.

JLPT! Put it in the Bank

On December 7th, I took the JLPT. No horror story here, I was prepared and nothing really surprised me. Put this one in the bank baby. It was actually nice to take a test again. I've been missing the pressure that requires you to focus all your attention on one object and come as close to perfection as possible. I took level 3 this year and will most likely take level 2 next year, though it will not be the primary focus of my Japanese studies. Check the above video for a full recap plus some other footage.

Tangy & Spicy Udon

Broth:

• Shitake Dashi (or make your own broth by throwing some shiitake mushrooms in hot water)
• Sesame oil (a good drizzle)
  
• Soy Sauce ( a glug)
  
• Crushed red pepper (a good sprinkle)
  
• Cayenne pepper (a good sprinkle)
  
• Vinegar (a glug slightly less than that of the soy sauce)
  

Main dish:

• Lettuce (spinach or your favorite variety)
• Chicken sausage thinly sliced
• Fresh shitake mushrooms
• Kitsune (fried bean curd)
• Kimchi
• Crab (imitation is fine)

Other:

• Udon noodles

Method:

• Combine broth ingredients and bring to a boil
• In another pan, combine main dish ingredients except for crab and lettuce
  
• Bring another pot of water to boil, add udon noodles and let boil for 3 minutes. Rinse with cold water and set aside.
• Add lettuce to main dish pan and allow it to wilt
• Put noodles in serving bowl
• Pour broth over noodles
• Add main ingredients on top of noodles
• Top with crab
  

A Sea of Lights

This month, I had the opportunity to attend two bamboo light festivals. One called Takeyoi Festival and the other Chikuraku Festival. This post collects a number of photos I took at Chikuraku Festival, my favorite of the two. The festivals consisted of over 10,000 bamboo stalks cut into various lenghts and bound together in numerous designs.

In areas of high concentration, one would feel a slight floating sensation as is depicted in the above and below photos.

On the various paths throughout the town that lea up to the castle and temples, bamboo candles were lined up along the steps making the stairs impassable, but the result was stunning.

Certain temples and shops added their own flair to the standard grouping of three stalks tied together. The flowers below were stunning.

Between the main groupings of candles and 'main' sights you could find groups of candles leading you to the next destination. They had their own charm too.

These two festivals were magical (幻想) and my favorite so far in Japan. I will definitely be returning each year as long as I am in the area.

Hiking in the Kuju Mountain Range

Well, it certainly is Fall here in Japan and that means I'm freezing and about to die? Yes, but that is not what I'm getting at. It means 紅葉 Fall foliage and pristine hiking. About 3 maybe 4 weeks back, when the leaves where just starting to change, I took a little road trip to the Kuju mountain range 久住山々, which is in Aso-Kuju National Park, to test my feet on its slopes.

I was not disappointed. In fact, I was floored to find out that there is hiking of this caliber in my relative area--Hiking trails of all levels are abundant, even a "marathon" park with different exercise courses (aka flat walks), quite a few summitable peaks and genuine splendid natural beauty not to mention a copious amount of onsen 温泉 to sooth those aching muscles and feet after a hard days hike. There is even a flower park くじゅう花公園. I am already planning to return and spend the night this time in one of the many ryokan 旅館 that spot the Kuju Plateau. This time I hope to climb Mt. Nakadake, which is the highest mountain in Kyusyu standing at 5870 feet/1,791m. I think this might become a regular hiking place for me. After searching around for some photos, the mountain range looks great in winter and spring too.

Here is an overhead view from Google Earth

For more info from another blogger, check out this post.

The Myth of Kagura

I had the opportunity to see kagura about three weekends back. The town which held the 5 hour performance is famous throughout Kyushu for its Kagura dances, and with good reason. It was truely amazing, and seemed like the whole town pulled together to make the event happen. I learned that a couple of my students are actually in training at the moment. But this isn't normal training, they start young at elementary school and don't preform as official dancers or music players until they are in their late teens. That is some dedication. I edited the video into the essence of the story that was told at the performance. Enjoy.

Glico Man On Acid

Ebisu Bridge, Shinsaibashi, Osaka, Japan

If you have ever been to Osaka, you have undoubtedly seen the famous Glico man shining on the canal side of Dotumbori. He is probably one of the most photographed attractions in Osaka. I managed to catch him when he thought no one was looking and dropped a tab of acid. But seriously, the lights along Dotumbori and Ebisu Bridge are not to be missed. They just finished redoing the bridge that runs over Dotumburi and added a nice space to walk and sit along the canal just below the bridge. If your feet are tired or you just want to soak up some neon, make sure you check it out.

Don't Touch My Wiener

Street Poster in Osaka

Here is your funny picture of the day. The greatest thing about this poster is that I don't even know what it is advertising. I seriously think there is a genius foreigner who puts up inappropriate/hilarious English signs up just for our amusement. Have a good one.

Osaka After Two Years

I journey back to Osaka after 2 years hiatus--taste some Takoyaki, drink some grape vinegar, and visit Sitennoji Temple. Watch as I brave the streets fighting the tide of people to mount Ebisu Bridge on Dotumbori and enjoy a little street music in Namba.

My Name Obama

Congratulations Americans. As my Japanese Grandma and Grandpa said today the world will change. This is a sure fact--the world will change. I hope for the better. Time will tell. For those of you living overseas who might not have seen the President-elect Barack Obama's speech, you can find it here. This is certainly an exciting time to be alive even though uncertainty and crisis seem to be lurking at every corner. Let us lead the world to a better tomorrow through our actions today.

Courtesy of stuckincustoms

Anywho, enjoy this clip on Youtube. It is of a Japanese comedian who resembles Obama, well at least as much as a Japanese person can :) It chronicles his quest to meet and shake hands will the bona fide man himself. Skip to 3:40 to see him hilariously shake hands with Obama. The real Obama's reaction is priceless.

２００８年１０月２４日の日記

中学校で英語を教えながら、日本の英語の先生が言語の語彙をよく言うので、僕はよく「表現」とか｢発音｣など聞きます。初めて聞いた時は、それが全然分かりませんでした。大学で日本語を勉強したのに簡単と普通な日本語だけ覚えて述語をあまり覚えませんでした。それで、先生は生徒に英語の文法を日本語で教えてあげるときは、僕があまり分かりませんでした。だって毎日少しずつ分かるようになりました。今は、英語の文法を日本で説明するのが大体分かって嬉しいです。将来に僕は日本語で英語の文法を説明するようになるかな。。。

Octopus Balls

Takoyaki is a great thing.  Believe it our not, I never tried takoyaki during my study abroad in Osaka.  Previously, I had tried some supermarket bought fare only to be persuaded that it wasn't for me.  But on this trip, I decided to try the real thing from an actually takoyaki store and a famous one at that.  I tryied my luck in Shin Sekai Osaka, a part of town close the Tennoji Zoo and Dobutsuenmae subway stop, and boy was my world rocked.  The long line caught my interest at first, but then the pictures of TV personalites that I actually recognized hightened my interest.  Well "I'll give it a go" I thought.  The man in the pictures with the TV celebs was actually working on the from lines, so I thought it would be a good experience at the least.  But boy was I surprised, the takoyaki was actually good.  Piping hot and 8 balls for 300 yen was a good deal, and it was only 10 o'clock in the morning.  Yes, that's right, I had takoyaki for breakfast and it was so good that I went back the next day.  If you find yourself in the retro entertainment district of Shin Sekai I recommend you try the joint on the corner.  You'll walk away with a full stomach and a smile.

Osaka and Kyoto Photos

Osaka is always a great place to visit.  The people are lively, the city is broken up into distinct parts, there are numerous entertainment districts, and of course there is delicious takoyaki and okonomiyaki :)  Here are three pictures from the trip.  A proper write up will follow, but these should be enough to wet your whistle. 

Shrine in Ebisu-cho, Osaka

Buddha in Shitenoji, Tennoji, Osaka (四天王寺) 

Glico man in Dotombori, Osaka

Straight Ahead

Osaka, Japan

You might be worried about driving in Japan, but let me reassure you that as long as you can drive straight, like the picture above shows, you are all good.  Don't ask me what you should do if you have to turn though.

On a more serious note, driving really isn't all that hard.  Major stuff is usually signed in English and if you don't read any Japanese you can still functionally get around.  Of course, if you can read Japanese you get all the bonuses like short cuts and mushroom power-ups.  Mario Kart 64 Wooh!

Back to the picture, why in hell do you need that many signs block after block repeating the same information?  Yes, this is a street you can  go straight (that is the default isn't it?).  You don't have to constantly remind me :)  Well, the Japanese do love rules.

Oh, in side news I am back from Osaka and Kyoto.  Should have a video and more pictures up soon.

Travel Plans

Hypocenter Park, Nagasaki

I head off to Osaka this Saturday to visit some friends from Kansai Gaidai, where I did my study abroad for a semester just under 2 years ago.  To think that two years have passed since I was study in Japan is a little mind numbing.  I feels like so many things have happened--my views of and goals for life have changed, I changed the country where I reside, I have made new friends and lost others, dated different girls, worked a summer in Richmond, the list goes on.  So many things have happened, but the time doesn't feel all the long.  I guess I have collected enough years to have the perspective that 2 years really isn't all that long.  I have projects and plans in the works that will span a greater length of time.

Enough reminiscing and introspective.  I should be packing right now.  I will be going by shinkansen (bullet train).  The whole trip should take about 4 hours.  I am staying 4 nights, so I have a sizable amount of time to explore Osaka and Kyoto again.  I can't promise a lot of video or pictures for this trip is about people and reestablishing old connections that in hindsight really aren't that old.  Take care and if you have a blog or vlog leave a link in the comments.  You've been reading about my life. I think its time you let me read about yours.

Gaijn Guide

Current book: On the Road by Jack Kerouac

             song: "Don't leave the light on baby" Belle and Sebastian

           video: Scenes from 'The War Tapes' 

             drink: A glass of Cabernet Sauvignon - Santa Helena Siglo de Oro 2006 of Chile

Sexual Harassment

Poked, prodded, and yes even hooked.  That is an accurate description of my cock (sorry, I can't think of a more appropriate word; johnson, sausage, and genitalia just don't seem right) after a day at elementary school.  These kids are relentless and as single-minded as a dog with a hand waving food tauntingly in front of its nose.  They attacked in waves.  Yes, these kids had a battle plan that two slapping hands and waist gymnastics couldn't stop.  I am sad to say that today I lost the battle of young awkward school boy gayness by a sizable margin.  But luckily all parts of me survived, and I live to fight another day.  I am seriously thinking of investing in battle armor aka a cup. Assuming they have my size.  Oh snap! and Zing! on all the Asian men out there.  

Maybe I will spread the rumor that touching other boys' cocks makes yours smaller.  

.

.

.

.

I might be on to something here.  

The world shakes

The finacial markets are havin' earthquakes.
The credits dried up
But the average man don't give a fuck

The Fed is taking the bankers to bed.
Free markets they screamed.
But when they mess up they work up a sheen.
Like Charlie, but their rehab is 700 bill

Where's the competition?
Oh, you messed up and got some toxic assets?
You borrowed 33 dollars to 1 when you were havin' fun
You could file for chapter 11,
but there's no time.
Your costing the country a nickel and a dime.
What's the plan.
Who's the man

Authority figure?
Lay down the law.
The bankers are in a bawl.

「We took too many risks and lost our head」
The finacial business is stricken to bed
This shit is mixed up like Britney and K-fed.

If we get this bailout of our head
And into our bed
Nothing could stop us
Not Osama, not Obama, not even yo momma.
Because we have vertical integration
We can stop a whole nation
Don't bemoan us,
This could be our finest opus.

2008.10.03
Owen
Oita, Japan

１０月１日の日本語の日記

先週の日曜日は、犬飼中学校の先生達は犬飼リーバーパークでの第６３回国民体育大会カヌー競技会のスタッフになりましたので、今週の月曜日は休みでした。その日にたくさんしたい事がありましたけれども、台風は来ていましたので、どこも出かけずアパートにいました。少しさびしかったです。誰とも話さなかったし、空は暗かったし、ずっと雨が降っていましたから。こんな場合は元気になる事がちょっと難しいと思います。普通は、音楽を聞いたり、コメデーを見たりします。しかし、月曜日はその代わりに、インターネットで「New York Times」とか「The Times」のサイトを読みました。それは面白くなかったです。そのサイトはアメリカーの経済だけ書いてありました。「ダウ平均が安定していない」とか「株価が急激に下がっています」そんな記事ばっかりでした。それを読んだ後でちょっと落ち込んでしました。今週の月曜日は楽しい日ではありませんでした。次回休みの日はもっと明るいことを望みます。

Photo used under the Creative Commons License.  Orginally appearing on stuckincustoms, which is an utterly amazing and exquiste travel photoblog.

Warmth and Fireflies

It has been raining for the past three days, and it looks like the steady pitter patter of raindrops will continue for at least one more day.  Tropical storm Jangmi is making its presence felt even as it skirts the Chinese coast with Taiwan and its class 3 status behind it.  The above picture brings back the warmth and waning summer breeze of the Stone Buddha Fire Festival I attended in Usuki a month back.  This picture always makes be think of s'mores and camping.  Enjoy and if you have pleasant weather, I hope you are making the best of it.

Sleeping In

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Weary

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Exhausted

日本、東京、新宿

Morning Crossword

Shinjuku, Tokyo

Any Bed Will Do

I decided to start posting some of the pictures I have taken since arriving in Japan.  Perhaps one every day or two.  Everyweek will consist of a different set with a theme tieing the pictures together.  The first set will consist of homeless and passed out salarymen pictures I took in Tokyo at the end of July.  If you have any specific interests, please let me know and I will see if I can oblige you.

Dreaming of a Ham, Egg, & Cheese Sandwich

When living abroad there are always certain foods and things that you just can't find except in your native country.  For the most part this is fine because there are so many new foods and tastes to experience, but every once in a while that urge creeps up.  The other day I was craving a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich on an everything bagel (from New Jersey), so I decided to put together this little tribute video to my favorite food.

Of Lanterns and Fire

I have been attending quite a few end of summer festivals lately, and the majority of them have involved fire and/or laterns of some kind.  Here are three different photos from three different festivals.

Laterns at the Tanabata Matsuri in Oita City, Oita

Takoyaki Latern at Inukai's local matsuri

Fire basket at Usuki's Stone Budha Fire Festival

Taiko and Tubetops

Raiden is a festival for the man and women in all of us, respectively. Every year, the people of Mie-Machi in Oita-Ken reenact the spirit of man and spirit of woman coming down from their two mountains to yell at each other. Its a celebration of the two sexes and is a splendid festival that involves a lot of taiko, dancing, and glowing floats. It occured at the tail end of summer in the month of August.

Mou Sugu!

I have been busy since my arrival in Japan, setting up utilities, getting a car, remodeling my aparment, going to work everyday, and I didn`t even have internet until last week so updates have been nonexistant. But I have gone to 3 festivals, 3 cities (haha I called them cities) in my prefecture of Oita, and had my share of drinks. Luckily I have been able to bring my camera to pretty many of the events and will be editing the footage and collecting the photos soon. As a teaser , let me tell you about one of the festivals called Raiden. It involves the people/spirits of the town coming down from Man mountain and Women mountain to face-off against each other, which amounts to a bunch of women in tube tops and men without shirts chanting and getting all hot and bothered to the beat of taiko drums. Yeah, It was fun (+-~)

State of the Podcast

In anticipation of my imminent departure for Japan in less than 3 weeks, I discuss the future of the podcast, videocast, and blog, and some of the material on the horizon. I'm excited to be on the island of Kyushu which gives me somewhat of a unique position in the blog and podiosphere given that most bloggers are located in Tokyo or Osaka. Hopefully I can offer a somewhat different outlook and take on Japan from a region that most people haven't seen or heard about. Think of this site as an alternative version of Japan that isn't focused on the bright and neon lights of Tokyo. Though I will no don't find myself drawn to the capital city eventually. You can download the podcast here.

*FYI my podcast files are hosted on mediafire as of right now. Just click the "here" link and it will take you to the download page.
** I have fixed the link. Enjoy

Japan Photos

Here are some of my favorite photos I have snapped in Japan. Enjoy (+-~)

Sumo

We take a trip to Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. Watch as I document sumo matches from the lower ranks all the way up to the makuuchi level. We catch a glimpse of Asashoryu doing his yokozuna dance, and see a couple of vicious and too close to call bouts. Sit back and enjoy this sacred and entertaining competition called sumo.

For more videos check out my Youtube channel

del.icio.us Tags: sumo,asashoryu,fight,tokyo,gaijin guide

Akihabara - An Otaku's Paradise

We jet to the land of bright lights, loud music, maid cafes, and questionable manga shops. Akihabara or as I like to call it Akiba is a surreal experience that might leave you deaf and blind after only a few hours. Come enjoy the land of otaku where cosplay is ok any day.

Safe Sex, a Shrine, and Love Hotel Hill

I take a look at Meiji Jingu, Shibuya's famous cross walk, love hotel hill, and finish in Ginza at a haircut shop. I crammed a lot into this videocast and edited it pretty tightly. I hope you enjoy it.

JET News

Hello everyone, I have some information for you about my progress with the JET program. Take a listen to the podcast and hear all the exciting news. You also might be interested in hearing my first podcast on JET, which I recorded right after interviewing at the consulate in New York. If you have applied to JET or are trying to get to Japan some other way, send me your stories and we can compare notes. Hope to hear from you guys soon.

Tokyo Punch, The Story of a Bristish Slug in Japan

Here is a short trailer of an animated series about a foreigner in Japan. The characters are insects instead of humans, which is an interesting design choice. The main character is a British slug and in a land full of Japanese ants. The premise is: a British gaijin comes to Japan and everything that can go wrong does. Expect cultural misunderstandings, awkward dialog, and jokes (well maybe. There actually isn't any dialog in the trailer, but that's what they told me.) Enjoy and check out the main site. BTW Tokyocooney is working on the project, and he made a short video about it so be sure to check that out.

JET Interview

So I just finished up my JET Interview and recorded a quick 8 minute podcast sharing my excitement and a little bit about the interview. Download it here and make sure you let me know what you think. Did you just interview? Are you already in Japan? I hope you enjoy it.

Japanese Film Festival in Burma

I was disappointed to hear that a Japan Film Festival sponsored by the Japanese Embassy in collaboration with the Japan Foundation opened today in Burma with the goal of

boosting cultural exchange and strengthening mutual friendship between Myanmar and Japan.

Any government's support of Burma's current regime is questionable and dubious at best.

If you are new to the issue please click through to the US Campaign for Burma's website or watch these videos:




I had a chance to hear the plight of an escaped Burmese national exiled in Japan while at Kansai Gaidai. The horrors of the Military government's murders and atrocities are disquieting at best.

Samurai Cutting Random People Down

Hey, Zenhill one of my favorite youtube bloggers posted a funny video on random people getting cut by a guy with an imaginary samurai sword check it out here.

Dressed in 60 Seconds

Japanese TV gets a little risky with this segment. Girls are put behind a pane of frosted gas and given 60 seconds to change into a bikini from their street clothes. The catch being: they remove the pane when time expires regardless of the contestant being clothed or not. You know you want to watch.
Clip courtesy of preyue on Youtube and the TVinJapan blog.

Hilarious Japanese TV

A Great Clip from a Japanese hidden camera show. They show no mercy to their unsuspecting victims :p Enjoy!

Hilarious Japanese TV Show
Uploaded by thexcity

Sake Tasting

Its time to start rounding out the Japanese experience here on Gaijin Guide. Today I bring you into the world of sake via Gary Vaynerchuk's famous show Wine Library TV. Gary uses phrases like "an orange dreamsicle dipped in Ben Gay" to describe sakes, and than urges you to drink them. The show is entertaining and Gary is like a little kid who substituted crack for his daily Ritalin and then snorted some strawberry lick 'n dip. If you are into wines make sure to check out his show posted daily at viddler.com or subscribe through RSS by clicking here.

Learn Japanese with Tako and Yuki

"Tako and Yuki" is a new series aimed at Beginning Japanese Students. It hopes to compete with JapanesePod101.com for students embarking on the road to fluency. Its innovative videocast form hopes to add an important visual aspect to the Japanese learning process. The road to fluent Japanese is only one play button away. Good Luck and がんばって下さい!