Update June 10, 2008

As you may know there was a crazy dude that drove his truck through a crowded shopping street in Akihabara on Sunday.

He then got out of his car and stabbed a bunch of people and 7 people died.

Nuts.

He said “I just wanted to kill someone”.

I am saddened by this, as Japan is very safe and I am never in fear (unlike in the USA or some cities in Canada) of anything bad happening.

Japan is still awesome - Akiba will live on and the media will play this out and try to find some reason to blame.
In my opinion, if this dude had some way to release his anger on the world, then this could have been prevented - maybe not..
Sometimes in Japanese culture it is better to keep your real thoughts inside (tatemae 建前) versus saying what you really are thinking (honne 本音).

Thats the end of the terrible news.  Condolences out the families and friends of the victims.

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Now for the fun!.

iPhone will come to Japan!
It will be provided by Softbank.
I use AU cell phone service, so if I want one, I have to switch to Softbank (hmmm, thinking about it..)
It will come out July 11, 2008.

More good news!
My birthday is coming soon!
I am turning 27.   I love it!

I went swimming last night for 40 mins.  Awesome.  Breaststroke, front crawl, and a little backstroke.  50 m olympic pool!  in Sendagaya.  it was 600 yen entrance fee.
Then I biked to work this morning. Its hot and sunny here.

Rainy Season in Japan June 5, Tokyo

Hey,

Drizzle rain….hmmm I dont know how to say that in Japanese.

Im gonna search on Space ALC. ..

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Hold up.

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cool.

its 霧雨　kirisame. literally fog/mist rain.

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I left my house in time this morning to take a nice leisurely bike ride, but then 5 mins from my house it started to kirisame (drizzle) rain.

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Shit.
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Im stuck in the very light rain. (I mean like god was spitting a little)

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It was bearable.

But I had to manage to get to work on time in the slippery conditions.
I arrived with more than enough time. It was all good.

Rainy season is called　梅雨　tsuyu. Interesting the kanji is Plum and rain. Well tsuyu last until the end of june.

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Not a good month to be biking.

So last night it was not rainy - good thing.

Last night after a lesson in Shinjuku I biked to Shibuya to meet up with Jun - a friend I met through Avery (friend from vancouver whom I met through Jon my current roommate - confused yet.?)

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Jun was at a bar called Underbar (interesting its on the B1 level of the building) and there was some good house music there. Good times.

So on the way to Shibuya from shinjuku I stopped in yoyogi park and ran into some Fixed-gear bike riders.
I met a dude that is a hair dresser in Aoyama at a place called peek-a-boo. Nice dude, his name is Naito. I’m going to get my haircut at his place this sat for 3800 as opposed to the 5500 yen it usually costs.

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He let me ride his fixed gear bike for a bit.

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Wow,

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great feel, but it is a challenge to stop.

he said there is technique.

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Something new to learn.

Finally a new thought.

The #1 blogger in the world, he won a guiness record for most hits on his blog in one hour with 230,000 or something. It was on the news today. His name is 上地雄輔　　shouji yusuke. He is a talent and actor and singer. age 29.

well on his blog.

I noticed that…

He spaces out his sentences

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to make

you

scroll down more and more.

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I guess maybe it makes it interactive of sorts.

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Or maybe its just annoying.

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I think its neat and a new way.
Thank
you
for
reading.

Tokyo Smoking Law- June 4, 2008

Hey,

Warm Breeze and party cloudy day today.

No rain this morning - so I rocked my bike to work this morning. I took a different route and was 5 mins late. Should just take the trusty ol’ route to work.

Tokyo smoking law is pretty laid back. You can smoke indoors and there are smoking sections in most places.
There are anti-smoking patrols that I have seen in and around tokyo urging people not to walk and smoke. I dont think there are any fines, but the patrols (usually older folk that are put to work perhaps due to the pension problems in Japan) are weak and dont fine people but I have seen them ask people to put out their cigarette.
I heard they are banning smoking in Kanagawa. Canada rocks the boat 仕掛け人 for starting the anti-smoking stuff. I Heart Canada.

I don’t smoke btw.

There are many ways the Japanese are trying to increase smoking manners.  They pass out little portable ashtrays. like these
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I got these two portable ash trays while on my way to work last week. I like the design and I bet there are hundreds of awesome designs out there. For all you smokers - start collecting. This would be a great write up for TAB (Tokyo Art Beat) if you have the time to freelance write for them. I don’t.
The mascot on the left is some smoke dude. Neat.

I ate Kimchi (korean cabbage) flavoured harusame 春雨　(spring rain, or noodles made from beans) for lunch.
Then I biked to the 99 yen shop in, bought a yellow kiwi (eat it with the skin on!), a loaf of bread (6 slices), a head of broccoli and 4 slices of ham meat.

Recently read that Hatori Hanzo’s (legend ninja dude partly played out in the movie Kill Bill) grave/tomb is near where I work. I decided to check it out.
I took grace, and parked my bike outside the temple/graveyard grounds, went over and saw the grave. Pretty average size lot maybe 2mX2m and had a 3 metre high stone pillar. I was in the presence of greatness - for a short while.

Then I sandwiched the ham in the bread, and ate while riding my bike, such a cool day today.
I learned (rather wrote down in hopes that I would maybe use and remember) some Kanji.
Check this lot:
違和感 - iwa kan - feeling of discomfort
傘下 - sanka - affiliated with, under jurisdiction of
懸案 -　ken an - pending question, pending problem
経緯 - kei i - details, wholestory, sequence of events, how it started, how things go this way.

UPDATE* Tokyo Bicycle Law - June 3, 2008 - Tokyo, Japan

Hey,

Today I woke up to rain outside. Not good, means that I can’t bike to work again.
I heard from my gf that as of June 1, the Bicycle by-laws in Tokyo have changed.
I guess in in effort to increase bicycle (i now hate typing the word bicycle, as it doesnt work my fingers right) manners in Tokyo, they have introduced some new by-laws with fines attached.
not set in stone - but this is what i know:

2人乗り　-futari-nori or riding with 2 people - the fine is now 50,000 yen! (500$)

Next up,
Riding with your umbrella
OR
Riding with your Ipod
OR
Riding while using your keitai (cell phone)

all have fines of 20,000 yen (200$) !
I will for sure break 3 out of the 4 by-laws. Riding with keitai is almost as habitual for Japanese (and me too!) as eating or riding the train. Ipod is the only thing getting me going to bike the 4km to work - so I will be breaking those laws. Thank you Steve Jobs. If you are reading please give me an iphone when they come to Japan, and I will promote.

Again like most by-laws in Tokyo, i doubt these will be strongly enforced - we will see.

***UPDATE***
I got pulled over by a bicycle policemen on the night of June 4th or my way home, he asked me if the bike I was riding was in fact mine. I was listening to my iPod but he didnt say anything about that. So I took the oppotunity to ask him about the laws and whether they will actually enforce them.  He said that most people will get off with warnings, but for repeat offenders, then they will get a fine.  “maybe”
*UPDATE END*

Today was a day I couldnt bike to work, but I still decided to bike the 600 metres to the station - and because of the rain, I need to use my umbrella (that means `danger` according to the new by-law - but I can ride well with one-hand)
but what happened on my way to the station?
no, I didnt fall down, but as I was approaching the station I saw a policeman on his bike riding my way, so I quickly took my umbrella down, exposing me to the rain, getting my suit wet, but smiling as he passed by.
It was all good, but temporary wetness.
Today for some reason I saw everyone walking and nearly no bikes on my way to the station.
I hope the weather clears up (not likely as rainy season is upon us) so I can bike to work.

I ate harami ハラミ　for lunch which is the stomach steak of a cow. My meal was 880 Yen (8.80$ about) for rice, miso soup, salad, green tea (awesome on a rainy day). Delicious. I ate at a restaurant on Shinjuku Dori named Hotaru. Hotaru also means firefly, so I wonder if that is what this place means.

1F, 2F, 3F means 1st floor, 2nd floor, 3rd floor respectively. What about B1, B2 etc? do you know what they mean?

In Japan it is very uncommon to have basements (maybe spiritual reasons, or earthquake reasons), but when they do, expecially restaurants, they label them Basement1, Basement 2, etc. The restaurant Hotaru was B1.

June 2, 2008 - Tokyo, Japan

Hey,

Cloudy day today.

Been biking to work lately.  Well, today is my 4th day. Last week, mon, tues, and wed were good.
Thursday and Friday last week was pouring rain, (entering rainy season soon in Japan) so I trained to work.

Biking is just incredible. Ignoring red lights, is only allowed if you smile while riding through.
It is about a 4km (or 3 miles for my american fans) ride to work.  I take the big roads, so not too sure how good the air is.

My friend gave me a 30GB video ipod (2005 October) model, and I have been watching movies on it at lunch or on the train. ( i watched Ghost in the Shell, Blood Diamond and Michael Clayton recently).  I also have the Brighton Beach Boutique video by Fat Boy Slim from 2002.  250,000 people at a beach party. Music is house, and I rock it while biking to work.

Last weekend, I biked to Tokyo Tower. It is 13 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower, and orange, other than that its the SAME. There were lots of tour groups there last sunday.  I have video too, which will upload later.
I have been thinking and researching about fixed-gear bikes. The subculture is hot and kickin’ (imo) in Tokyo. The bike messenger styles and fashion comes from manhattan and nyc suburbs.  A fixed gear bike does not have free spinning of the axis.  Think unicycyle.  If you pedal backwards, the bike goes backwards too.
Price tag for a good bike is like 120,000 Yen (1200$).  I did go to some stores that are im possible to find in Shibuya, and you got all these cool dudes hanging out in front of their shops doing tricks and living for bikes.  If I do go the Fixed-gear bike route, then I would by all used parts and build the bike myself.

Planning on going swimming at the olypic pool in Sendagaya tonight. Tokyo hosted the 1964 olympics and some events were at this place.   I gotta wear a swim cap though.  Need to pick up some goggles too.
I want to sweat more, it feels good and not this drabby salaryman lifestyle, sitting at a desk is good too, but I want to get more exercise and get fit, not just skinny.
So biking, to work, gonna go to basketball at the shibuya sports centre on thursday this week too. fun times.

On Saturday night I went to a house party with 40 people, lots of french there too, so I was practicing my french. Served wine and by my lead we all in chorus sung happy birthday to Brett by whispering.  that was neat.  40 people whisper singing (is that a word?) happy birthday - good.
We had to whisper because the cops were coming because 40 people together means loudness and neighbour complaints.

Thanks for reading.

NEW TOKYO update

ケータイからブログをアップするのは初めて(^-^)/ this is AN UPDATE FROM MY MOBILE. TOKYO IS IN MOTION

A Month in Tokyo - video

I completed editing on the videos of movies I made during April and compiled them into 6 exhilirating minutes for you.  This is life in Tokyo!

The video features in order:

Riding the Chuo Line
NTT Docomo Tower in Shinjuku
Arakawa Old Train Line in North Tokyo
Shinjuku Rush Hour Platform
Akihabara Station and surrounding area
Maid Tour Guide
Akihabara Cosplayer
Pachinko Parlor
Japanese parking garage
(all of the above are played with Perfume - Plastic Smile as the bgm - background music)
Final views of Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)
Shinjuku Station South Exit night
PechaKucha Night ft. PiKAPiKA
Akasaka
Yakisoba
Double Dutch in Yoyogi Park
Comedy in yoyogi Park
DJ Tiesto at Ageha night club in Shinkiba, Tokyo
Running through a ticket gate at Shinkiba Station
Some weird street promotion in Higashi Nakako
The Lock Up Theme restaurant in Shibuya
Crazy Street performer in Kawasaki

Final song is Chocolate Disco by Perfume.

Please enjoy the video and look for more!

Happy Mother’s Day to my Mom!  May 11!
Love you!

Golden Week in Japan ゴールデンウィーク

This guy is already tired from work, its 1pm.
He is managing to sleep right on his motorbike.
お疲れ様です！

I hope he can get some rest.

I am working busy on a video showing my April 2008 in Japan.
I am well, I am healthy!

Loving Tokyo!

Don’t stop Till you get Enough…Sakura

I found this Japanese folk song translated into English:

Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
On Meadow-hills and dale,
As far as you can see.
Is it a mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the morning sun.
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Flowers in full bloom.

Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Across the Spring sky,
As far as you can see.
Is it a mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the air.
Come now, come,
Let’s look, at last!

Today I went to eat a bento under the trees again. Leaves falling and watching the pedals dance!

Here is a hit from 2003 (a remake of another Japanese song)
by:  Naotarou Moriyama 森山　直太郎
Song: Sakura
Turn your speakers up!

This song touches the heart of every Japanese person.

I love Sakura!! Cherry Blossoms 桜 さくら サクラ

I love Sakura!
At lunch today, I bought a 500Yen bento - awesome deal and it was homemade too!  Listening to Snoop Dogg’s new album Ego Trippin’ on my 2 GB iPod.
Strolling towards Yotsuya Station and a little beyond to sit under the sakura.
I was walking in this direction and you can see where I ate lunch under the cherry trees (thanks google maps):

It was raining sakura pedals!  Very beautiful and I can say that this time is the best season (well, its really only 10 days) to be in Japan. Second would be autumn.
Here is another pic of the Yotsuya park entrance. You can see all the trees lined up.  Gorgeous.

I read on John Jay’s honeyee blog that it snowed in Portland, Ore. today?!  Wow!
It was about 17 degrees at lunch here in Tokyo.
For my lunch, I enjoyed eating a roll cabbage, chicken, rice, umeboshi, daikon, konnyaku.
Tonight I have 2 students, and plan to upload more videos  this week to my youtube channel gabuchan123.
Also last night I enjoyed some sake with members of Recruit company as I got invited by them as I was sitting on a bench after work enjoying the falling sakura pedals - poor sentence there.   Ah, no time.  しょうがない。

Thats it for today.