今晩


I guess it’s been a while since the last update. Haven’t done anything too crazy lately so there aren’t as many pictures.


Since last time, I’ve moved up in class to the final beginner level class and will be here till the end of my stay in Okazaki. The level of fun to be had has been going up and down depending on who I am paired with in conversation exercises. The most fun is when I push inappropriate baby-making dialogue manifested out of a innocent conversation outline. Seeing people’s reactions is always fun. Teachers seem to at least get a kick out of it. The cool teachers even know how to throw in random humor to. I forget if I mentioned the time my favorite teacher gave us full beer cans to use in a fake dinner guest practice.


Zaiten zushi(sushi on conveyor belts) is awesome. It’s cheap and generally good. America really needs it among other things. Recently I ate the spiciest wasabi sushi ever. 　After asking how spicy I wanted it, the chef eventually prepared it 普通(futsuu = normal) for me. When that stuff hit me, for a second, the world was completely white and everything was burning…closest thing to a drug-like experience I’ve ever had.


Also on Saturday, I am attended my first Japanese concert. It’s at a local joint and I myspace researched all the bands and found that I liked them all. Japanese concerts tend to start early and this one starts at 5pm so I’m guessing I won’t be out too late though it is a 30 minute bike ride one way. I learned that I had to buy the ticket at a circle K or other convenience store. You simply use a kiosk in store and then it prints a receipt out which you take to the cashier and you pay them. Then they print out a ticket for you. Very convenient and no service fees! Though at the concert, upon entry, they make you pay 500 yen for a mandatory drink.


Every band I saw had great musicianship and I enjoyed all 6 bands that night. The first band, Story is No End, was just one guy on acoustic guitar and he gave me vibes of Coheed and Cambria mixed with something else. Chocolate Chip Cookies is my favorite band of the bunch. The other bands were, TOA, Sky Raddish, Cosmic Echoe, and The Canadian Club. The venue was small which I expected though the stage size was decent compared to other small venues.


I checked out Sega World finally which was disappointing. Wasn’t any better than the mall’s arcade and was in a bad location.


Golden week is coming up in a few days which is basically a bunch of days nationwide that Japanese people get off to go on holiday. I won’t be doing anything too crazy as my traveling is mostly at the end of May but I will be spending some time at a theme park.


I went to Nagashima Spa Land, known for having Steel Dragon 2000, the world’s longest rollercoaster and the 5th tallest coaster in the world. Because Golden Week is a national set of holidays, there was some ungodly waiting time to ride the coaster. We waited somewhere around 3.5-4hours to ride it. Madness, during the wait me and a friend left some other friends to hold place in line while we rode a smaller ride with a lesser line. Pretty much every ride had long lines. Never the less, it was fun and I can say I’ve ridden some of the most famous coasters on the planet(Dragster included).


The day previous, I went to Nagoya and saw Nagoya castle and some golden week festivities. There was a humorous samurai show that included even a dance number. Besides the aforementioned things, I didn’t do much else during my golden week holidays. My ultra compact travel is a little over two weeks from now. Officially got my Japan Rail pass exchanged set for 5/20-5/26.


I have been busy and scatter minded lately so I haven’t been able to blog. If I had to pick my most used Japanese word, it would most definitely be 大丈夫（だいじょうぶ – daijoubu – diejoeboo phonetically) meaning OK or I am OK.
I really am, don’t know why I have to say it all the time…


Oh and also my friends ate Turtle and Horse a few days ago, check the pics.


I have plenty more fun stuff in store you’ll hear back about soon. I only have a little over two weeks left in Okazaki and three left in Japan!
I only use the freshest horse byproduct shampoo. The real deal Concert ticket from Circle K. It’s only saving grace is ending with the word “coffee”.
Some random organs… The whole table shares a pot where you can grab tofu,mushrooms, onion, or big recognizable chunks of turtle… My host mom got me that yellow tiger.
gush out…




This pool like thing atop a interesting hollow tall structure in Nagoya.
Nagoya TV Tower Loads of people queued for Steel Dragon 2000
Some of the awesome/better than restaraunt food my host mom makes. Tenpura and soba. Cappuchino my host mom randomly gave me.




じゃね