Looking at this now I realized I could have taken a much better picture. But anyway. Parking in Japan can be nuts sometimes. The skill of the drivers is incredible if you see how close they can get to something with their car.
For example- Oh, most side view mirrors like the one above fold in at the touch of a button so you can park EXTRA close to something. They also come in handy for narrow roads where two cars will eek past each other within centimeters of each other, a concrete electricity pole and a foot deep drainage ditch.
Last installment is at my friend Guillaume's apartment to celebrate his big bday.
The birthday boy himself. Looks happy huh? Our friend Alex and Guillaume's son- Ayumi is very photogenic- And so is her boyfriend, Richard- And the birthday...er....pie?-
A funky van! I knew about the existence of these way before I came but thought they would have been long gone by the time I arrived. Fortunately for me, there are still some around. You may remember the one I posted that I found in the mountains when I first came here. Here is another- They are usually elaborately body-kitted with crazy lights and murals painted on the sides or back.
Japan loves latte art. There is a huge competition that may be world wide and I am pretty sure a Japanese person has one many times. My friends Barney and Masa after a night of fireworks in Yokohama- The proprietor of a local Yaki-niku (korean diy bbq) restaurant -
Once a month there is a local party at one of the bars in town. All locals, mostly foreign. Good music most of the time but some of it is too old for my young ears.
My friend Adam djing- Emily and Angie looking cute- Mia and Angie's brother- Annnndd that's about all the good picks from that night.
Now it's time for a short night in Tokyo. I say short because usually if I make the trek out there which is only an hr, I stay for the whole night. This is because the last train for me is midnight and that is just too early for me! So, a early night (in Tokyo at least) it was for me and the rest of the crew.
We started in Shibuya; the epicenter of night time fun in Tokyo.
We were greated by this nice man reenacting Uma Thurman from Kill Bill- We went to a small standing bar known for their cheap drinks. All the pictures from here are horrible. We then went to a small bar/club. Carl and Erick having fun- I miss Erick.
Will and Nana- We then headed to Club Camelot. This is a rare type of club that is all you can drink. I had some coupons that got us in for super cheap since otherwise we would not have gone for such a short time. The problem is, I don't really like clubs. I like the music but I don't like fighting for space just to stand, being told I can't talk to my friends at the girl's tables, not being able to hear my friends in a conversation, and people expecting you to dance and look cool. Despite all that, I still find them fun sometimes.
Here is Carl trying to strike up a conversation with some Japanese people. It didn't go well AT ALL. Soon it was time to leave and catch the last train home. Ohhh last train. What I love and hate relationship I have with you.
At one point we had to transfer trains and this is what it looks like-
Yup, this is the date of things I have yet to post about from. I'm gonna try to knock them out on here by folder date. Since some of the folders contain a ton of photos, some of the posts may be broken up. Also, I am gonna schedule the posts to appear automatically. So, if I do my job and get ahead of schedule, you can look forward to a new one every day or two or three. Weee!
This folder contains going out to a standing bar with my local Japanese friends, a night in Tokyo with foreign friends, and a birthday party for my French friend.
Me! A bad picture of me and my wannabe wife Rie. Too bad she is taken...- It's been too long and I forget this guy's name! HE is the one who took Rie. Arg- Ma-chan! I love this guy. Biker hair doo. Ride a vintage Harley. Has a vintage Japanese muscle car. Drives a truck for a living. Knows how to party- Forget this guy's name also. Super fun and nice though- The after "party" was held here-
I just posted lots of pics on my flickr under the folder "School Days." Be sure to check them out to see me in action in the Japanese public school system.
...is to start my Summer 2009 Scooter trip! I had planned on not having any summer vaca at all this year but unexpectedly got this whole week off until I start my new job next week. I wish I had planned something bigger but due to time constraints and lack of money, I whipped up a 3 (maybe 4) day scooter trip West to Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures last minute. Unlike last time, I am going without a tent and made reservations at two hostels. One is in the city of Kofu, and the other is a place deep in the mountains. I have a feeling that I may want to spend one more night someplace so I am more than prepared with my map with hand written marks to guide me to a suitable place.
This time, no one is calling me crazy for attempting this. Just brave. Weeee!
Earlier this week a larger than normal earthquake shook Japan. I didn't feel it.
However, I DID feel the one earlier this morning that woke me up. It's been quite a long time since I felt one and boy it's weird. You wonder if it will stop soon or just get worse. Not the nicest feeling in the world.
Thought I would post some past photos of working at the Junior High schools. Oh, be prepared for lots of peace signs.
The kyoto sensei (vice principal), kocho sensei (principal) and me- Some of the louder, badder students- Some of my favorite girls - Carrying around a camera made everyone go absolutely crazy. More girls - One of my favorite students- Mochizuki-sensei, my main man-
There is a GREAT conveyor belt sushi chain restaurant near my old apartment that I went to every now and then. Every plate of sushi is $1! Occasionally they have special sushi that is $2. Plus, they have desserts that come around and drinks such as juice and beer.
While I have seen other conveyor belt sushi places I never thought about how technologically advanced this one is until I saw the following video.
Used plates are put into a slot, tallying the price of what you ate and sending the dish back for cleaning. For every 5 plates eaten, a little slot machine game is played. Kids love winning prizes.
Each plate has an IC chip. When a plate has been going around the conveyor belt for too long, it is automatically classified as old sushi and dumped.
When there are only a few customers at the restaurant, the length of the conveyor belt can be adjusted.
A computer system keeps track of how many customers enter the restaurant, and it calculates the amount of sushi that chefs must make at any given time.
After watching this video and realizing I hadn't been there in many many months, I went. It was delicious. And cheap. I especially like the grilled scallops and cheese.
Please check out the companies website here - Kura
My restaurant job boss, Uki, decided to treat all the staff to a day in Tokyo for a few special things.
First up, okonomiyaki cruise. Okonomiyaki is a traditional food from Osaka. It's commonly referred to as a pancake. Normally, the customers prepare it themselves which makes it a great social glue. You mix a bowl of cabbage, water, mix, egg, and anything else you want in it (pork, mochi, octopus, cheese, etc.) and then grill it on the hot burner in the center of the table. Super fun and delicious!
My boss, Uki - Unfortunately, it was a cold wet day but that's okay! The boat was to go around Tokyo Bay where would see Odaiba island among other things.
Our boat looked like this one. Fuji TV in the background - The meal was tabehodia and nomihodai. All you can eat and drink respectively. I am sure this all cost a pretty penny so many thanks for Uki!
Chowing down - Okonomiyaki (not flipped over yet) - Next up is monjayaki, or monja for short. Monja is like okonomiyaki but much runnier. And much more gross looking. Thank goodness it's tasty.
First you take the heavy "dry" ingredients and make a ring. Then you poor a little of the left over liquid into them middle. Wait a few minutes and poor the rest. Wait a few more minutes and mix into a mess.
Here is Rio making monja- Which then turns into this. Looks great right?! Then came speech time where I was given an official Ofuna Chample restaurant shirt. Very very limited edition! They thought it would be best to get me XXL. Great. I have yet to wear it because it's just too gigantic. Oh well, it's the thought that counts!
Before we knew it, the two hour boat ride was over and we were back on land. For some reason we decided to go into the city where we ate MORE food! Again, Uki paid for everything.
Ramen- After this was the club! I forget his name but he was a madman on the dance floor. As you can see though, Uki wasn't really in the mood for going crazy- The music -
After a loooong, fun day it was time to get the train and head back to Shonan (the coastal area I live).
