This isle is full of noises, sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not. The thousands of twangling instruments that resound somewhere off distance give this country a sort of musical quiet to the air that you walk through, a sort of appreciable demi-silence that’s binding to all it touches. The people quiet, so quiet, almost entirely mute compared to home. But if you relax your senses the right way, then all at once it comes to you, the fantastic multitude of sounds, like little jangling bells—almost as if it were on an entirely different wavelength. The wind blows [View Full Entry]

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On Friday I went back to my neighborhood bar to go meet Ojiichan, only to find that he hadn’t come. He might have died actually, that guy was at least 75. Nao wasn’t there either (which is a shame ‘cause he’s my favorite. He calls me “Gai-jin-chan”). In any case, some of my friends were there. The staff got all excited when I walked in and the first four or five rounds were on them and my friends…I don’t remember who paid for the rest. For at least half an hour I received lessons on how to be Japanese by [View Full Entry]

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I think I’ve finally decided on a name for this Journey. I think I’ll call it “Memoirs of a Gai-jin”. When I publish it, the cover will have a big picture of my white face and pretty blue eyes staring longingly off into the distance. After it becomes a moderately successful book, I’ll shamelessly sell the rights to a major Hollywood production team and say I always imagined it as becoming a movie. John Williams will write the score. We’ll have Tom Cruise play me, and all the Japanese people will be played by Chinese people, because no one in [View Full Entry]

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This Monday started my second week of eight (and possibly more) at this mighty Japanese conglomerate. I was the office joke that’s to be sure. Still drunk from Sunday’s antics, my limp body sat motionless in a chair, performing no task of any significance, reeking of booze despite mine every effort to wash away the stench of vice. While I would have expected them to be shocked at me, according to my helpful friend Hamaguchi-san this is a totally normal part of the Japanese salaryman experience. From what I gather, the average worker here slumbers maybe six hours on weeknigh [View Full Entry]

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I got home from work and got dressed Friday Night. My work clothes were through for the week, I rocked a pair of jeans and my set of shell toes for the first time since touchdown. I threw down a couple beers and then I hit the streets lookin’ for a breakdance fight. I walk around for about two hours and needless to say, I didn’t find one. Everyone here is a wide eyed suburbanite (pardon the possible misuse of the expression) not a b-boy in the lot of them. You can always tell burbdwellers because they don’t have that skeptical [View Full Entry]

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It's Friday and the work dismissal bells rings, signalling that it's finally the time that I get to go use the internet. This past week, I have been living in a dorm called Ohsaka Ue, which owned by the company I work at. Unexpectedly, the size of the dorm room is bigger than the one I had at college, and smells better too. I have my own bathroom, with a separate can and shower/bath but it’s so small I have to sh*t with the door open to avoid suffocating. Also the only mirror in the place is inside the shower, which [View Full Entry]

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I’m out the door and on my way. Calgary Airport. Plane. Vancouver. Total time since I left my doorway. 171 minutes. The Vancouver airport must have at least 8 Million Japanese people in it at any given time. With there average age of 1000 years old, the mass of them, collectively is older than the Rocky Mountains they came to see. I had a three hour layover in Vanvoucer, and noticing that a great group of J-geriatrics was on the same flight to Japan, I just went into autopilot and decided to follow the little lady with the flag. After she [View Full Entry]

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Now that I have a moment, it's about time I give all you sportsfans out there a 'season preview'. I've travelled to Japan and if there's one thing I want to do out there it's play a little of my favorite sport...baseball. Now I don't claim to a be any kind of a superstar, unlike my good friend Cory Bensen who always gets to second...I find it often difficult contact the ball, nevermind put myself or any runners on base. I spent a year in college, and had what many would consider to have a dismal first season the CIS...however seeing [View Full Entry]

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Flashlight, toiletries, business cards, books, 18 ties, three jackets of various categories, shirts, shoes, shorts, ginch, socks, medications--condoms...travel guide, phrasebook, pocket-tranzilator, headphones, camera, camcorder, laptop, my suit, two pair slacks, a couple movies, a whole bunch of sh*tty souveniers, a sh*tload of cash and my E ticket. Not in that order, but that's my life--that list is. I'm all packed and have nought but the waiting to do. So as per your request I've begun chronologging what will doubtless be another series of my crazy anecdotes. This jouney is all about [View Full Entry]

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