The Pain, So Much of It

So my “friends” Dave and Alex just snuck into my room and shot me with airsoft guns. One in the foot, the other in the nipple. My nipple is now angry and red. Bastards.

So, on to one of my favorite kanji – 蟹「かに」(ka ni), which means “crab”. It’s a rather complex kanji (kanji is written 漢字, btw), so most people tend to write it in hiragana, which changes the word from one 19-stroke character to two syllabic characters totaling five strokes. Much easier.

Now, 漢字 are always comprised of “radicals”, which are the basic strokes and shapes from which 漢字 are constructed. This brings me to why I enjoy 蟹 so much. Before going any further, blow this character up in a word processor, otherwise you’ll have trouble seeing what I’m referring to.

Radicals are ordered from left-to-right, top-to-bottom. The radicals in 蟹 are all kanji themselves. The first, in the upper left, is 角 (tsuno), which means here “horns”. Second, upper right, is 刀 (katana), or “sword”. Immediately below 刀 is 牛 (ushi), or “cow”. Lastly, bottom center, is 虫 (mushi), “insect” or “bug”.

Take all these together, and you get something along the lines of “horned, blade-wielding, cow-like (presumably slow), bug”. Which makes a weird sort of sense. After all, early American settlers thought lobsters were underwater bugs. And that is why I like 蟹. I enjoy eating it, too.

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Fake MC’s / I hang ‘em higher / the mic is mine / time to pay the piper

Homestay weekend

This weekend, from (officially) Friday to Sunday, I’ve got a homestay with the Maruno (丸野) family. It should be fun. However, I’m not sure of their Internet connectivity, I might not be able to update until Monday. Just FYI.

I hope it goes well. They don’t speak any English, and my Japanese blows. So, banzai I guess.

I’ll discuss kani (蟹) [crab] next time.

OK FINE GAWD

So Saturday was pretty fun. I went with some people to Den-den Town in Osaka. It’s basically the closest thing to Akihabara outside Tokyo. Less cosplayers, but basically the same amount of electronics and entertainment related things.

We went to an arcade called Namba Hills first. Fighting games are only Y50 there. I was psyched, becuase of my undying love of Guilty Gear. The latest arcade version just came out, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core. It’s fucking tight. Only problem is, I kind of suck, and I got my ass handed to me something fierce. The thing is, fighting game players come to Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo arcades to show off/find other excellent opponents. Weak sauce like me had no chance. It was still fun, so I win I guess.

After that, we went shopping. I got a couple CD’s, like Bleach: The Best, a DiGi Charat CD, a Lupin III CD, and a box set that might be the greatest thing I’ve even bought. The Guilty Gear Complete Sound Box. Totally expensive, but TOTALLY worth it. Besides the store I bought that in, we went to a place called Lashinbang. That’s where I got the Bleach CD, but that was on the first floor. The second floor was where the awesome was. By “awesome”, I mean hentai doujinshi. I saw some of my favorite characters violated in ways I did not think possible. It was pretty funny, but I’d spent enough at that point that I felt even better about not buying anything (read: I purchased 27 filthy, smutty comic books) there. I’m pretty sure I felt myself die a little when I was there.

The day after, a couple of us went to an arcade in Futsuka, a couple stops down the line from Hikone-eki. There was Guilty Gear XX Slash there, so I spent about an hour and a half (and 20 bucks) playing that while everybody else played DDR Supernova. That’s Carl playing, btw. I managed to do the ass-kicking this time, so hey that’s something.

Also, I finally bought a battery charger for my digital camera’s batteries. Thus, I have been taking photos, and plan on uploading them soon. Also, I will resume updating on a thrice-weekly basis. I’ve just been lazy, but fear not, those dark days are over. Next time, I will cover a kanji I find quite interesting – 蟹「かに」, or crab. In addition to other things.

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Don’t fret, precious, I’m here / step away from the window / go back to sleep / lay your head down, child / I’m not the Boogeyman

You want it, you got it

Hot photos for your pleasure.

Hot Love in Kyoto-eki.

Go to sleep Garfield.

So What’s The Scenario

Today was not a fun day. It was a good day to die.

Last night, I kept waking up because my throat hurt so badly. After I woke up from what can’t really be called sleep, I zombied my way through a test (still aced it though – I’m that good), spent four hours staring at BYOB, then survived my three-hour “Minorities in Japan” class.

How did I survive? Only with help from this friend of Justice, this savior of the weak and sickly – ほっとレモん [Hot Lemon]. If you have a sore throat, this piss-colored fluid proves just as soothing as real… uh, it works wonders.

Despite the fact that the bacteria in my body currently outnumber healthy cells by a (conservative estimate) 10.9:1 ratio, I’ve decided that tomorrow I will once again venture to Kyoto. It snowed here today, and I’m hoping that it did/will in Kyoto. Why? Because lazy photographers like me know that snow will make your crappy temples photos at least 28% prettier. That would make my photos 26% pretty, which leaves only 74% crappy. Thus, I am going.

Even if there’s no snow, Kyoto’s a blast on it’s own. There’s an electronics store that has a bunch of bargain games called SofMap. That’s where I bought my DS Internet browser (to surf all my favorite hentai sites, from toonpoon.com to Chtulusannouchinoreippu.com). It’s seven floors of battery-powered fun, so I’ll take HOT PICS and post them.

In other news:

Oh snap!!!! I do not hear such a truth…!? Phoenix Wrong goodness.

Boycott Family Mart. The sons of bitches are on to me and my criminal ways. Seriously though, do it. We don’t have enough foreigners here to do anything. We can’t let magazines that say “Oi Nigger” be sold anywhere, and there is no excuse in this supposedly progressive, 1st world nation.

Oh, Boston. So full of beans and fucking incompetent police. This man has a message for the media that should be heeded.

West Virginia’s kids are fat. DDR to the rescue!

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They say they never really miss you / ’till you dead or you gone / so on that note / I’m leavin’ after this song

oh no

Seven days since my last post. Oh well.

On Saturday, the TV people came an did their thing. I’m still not sure what happened, but I do feel sorry for any Japanese people that happened to be watching – they got an eyeful of my beautiful self, something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Since we practiced puppetry that day after they all left, we get a break from puppetry on Monday. I plan on doing nothing. Constructive, at least. There’s that Gundam model to be built, and I do need to get some pictography going. Look forward to it.

Listen Twice

They were out of Emerald Mountain.

Bunraku, as always, is fun. Abe-sensei is a certifiable badass. Apparently, a TV crew is going to come to the puppetry hall where we practice and interview us. The special that we puppeteers will be in will air on the 27th, and I’ll see about getting it on YouTube. This happened during my summer program as well – I guess foreigners + traditional Japanese performing arts = newsworthy. I’m not complaining. Don’t tell anybody, but the only reason I’m in Japan is to gain the celebrity I would be too lazy to attain back home. There, I’m one of many ugly, Caucasian putzes. Here, I’m a rare breed. I’ll take what I can get.

In other news, I’m laying through Phoenix Wright: Justice For All, the second in the series. Once again, it’s proving to be one of the best games I’ve had the fortune of playing. The fierce courtroom battles, the challenges of collecting evidence and connecting the dots, the abundant (and very clever) humor have been keeping me glued to my DS. According to Capcom, the chances of Phoenix Wright 3 being brought over to the states is (in part) dependent on sales of PW2: Justice For All. So please, for the love or great gaming, buy this game. Also, the first one (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney) is pretty much requisite, given the intertwining storylines amongst the games in the series.

Mata ne!

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I had a brother at Keh Sahn / Fightin’ off them Viet Cong, now / They’re still there / he’s all gone / he had a woman he loved in Saigon / got a picture of him in her arms

Lean Back

First off, this is cool. [via BoingBoing]

Second, I can’t stop listening to this album.

Classes have been proceeding quite nicely. In my summer class, I got up to chapter 6 of Genki I, the textbook my class is using. So, what we’ve been doing so far is review. It’s nice not to have to study. At least, I think it would be. I’m still working hard, making sure my foundation is as rock-steady as I can make it.

Part of the problem is the so-called “eigo trap”. 英語 [ei-go] is the Japanese [日本語 - ni-hon-go] word for English, and the trap part refers to the appeal of hanging out with your fellow gaijin friends. That, combined with the fact that you can survive in Japan for a lifetime knowing a set of about twenty phrases (thank you, I’m sorry, and basic money terms of varying politeness levels), means that you have to actively avoid speaking English. You can surround yourself with it, and avoid the tough work of learning a new language.

To prevent that, I’ve been hanging out outside the dorms for most of my free time. I found an absolutely fantastic cafe right across from the train station, run by an equally fantastic married couple. It’s decorated in a “Old West” style that manages not to be tacky. They get away with it by putting BBQ sauce on things that don’t normally have that, for example tonkatsu. Tastes better than you’d think.

There’s a hobby shop down on Bell Road where I bought a Gundam model – Heavy Arms Custom, my favorite mech from Wing. The guys behind the counter are always super-cool, once you start talking to them (as opposed to exchanging the typical shopkeep-customer dialog).

This weekend, I’ll be hitting Kyoto. I don’t have any set plan. What’ll likely happen is that I will wander the backstreets for hours, then get lost, and practice my Japanese by desperately asking for directions to the station. The trains here stop running at midnight, so here’s hoping I get back before then. If not, I’ll chill with my home(less)boys down in the alley. Salarymen, down on their luck, them and I will speak broken tongues until the eki starts bustling in the early morning. I might treat Takeshi to some hot canned coffee (Emerald Mountain… ftw!) from the vending machine, if he plays his cards right. A day well spent, in my book.

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Meet me over yonder / Ok, don’t play / I’ll bring the woop-woop / you bring your cook-book / an’ I’m gon’ fix that stuff up / everything is good-good

エクセル、ハイアット、と イルパラッゾー

It feels like I’ve finally gotten back into the swing of things. I remember the trash collection schedules, I’ve memorized where all the CC Lemon machines are, and I always put “ございます” [gozaimasu] on the end when I’m talking to my teachers and the oji/obasans I pass on the street (the ones kind enough to acknowledge me, that is). Crashing that funeral accidentally temporarily jarred my swagger, but then I’m used to recovering quickly. When you do as many dumb things as I do, you learn.

In my defense, there’s a good explanation. If you weren’t born here, and have the temerity to like the country enough to stay for awhiles, you have to get an Alien Registration card that you have to carry around at all times. To apply, you have to bring your passport down to city hall, along with a couple passport-style photos, give them (with the requisite paperwork) to a city hall functionary, and wait about three weeks. You then get a sparkly new card. Just like American Express, don’t leave home without it. Unlike AmEx, if you do, and you are stopped by a cop, you might get to spend the night in a Japanese pokey.

So, when I was looking for City Hall, I saw a building with “City Hall” emblazoned right across the top. I parked my bike, and headed towards the front door. Now, I should’ve been tipped off by the six or seven men in nice suits looking very somber in the foyer, and as I walked in, I saw a ballroom full of people weeping/putting on their best sad faces. I said “shitsureshimasu deshita”, spun around on my heels, and got outta there. Unfortunately, I’m guessing that my unforgettable (not for good reasons, either) mug is permanently etched into the minds of the people who managed to spot me in the 12 seconds I was there. I realized as I was biking away that I had walked into a city – hall, as in a place that citizens could utilize for town hall meetings, weddings, or, for example, funerals. Thus, the confusion.

I eventually went to the (official) City Hall, and applied for my 外人カード [gaijin card]. So, outside of that, I’ve really been doing well here.

Sigh.

At least I finally know which side the Principality of Zeon has chosen in the current console wars.

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Kimi wa kimi dake shika inai yo / Kawari nante hoka ni inaida / Karenai de ichirin no hana

I Smell Like Puppets

Well, my schedule looks pretty set as of today. Mon-Fri, from 8:50 to 11:40, I have my Japanese language class. It’s pretty fun; our main teacher, Aizawa-sensei, is a funny guy. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, I go straight from class to the train station and take a 40-minute hop to where the Tonda Traditional Bunraku Puppet Troupe. (another link) My friends Rob, Alice, Stephen, David, and I (Dave is new to Bunraku) then practice for about 4 hours on several classic plays. This semester, we’re doing Naruto and Two-man Sanbaso. I don’t have a lot of free time, suffice to say.

On the plus side, the weekends are completely open, and Kyoto and Osaka are only 45 minutes away by train. Of the two, I especially love Kyoto. It may sound odd, but I feel that Kyoto is “quieter”, and that’s why I like it. Not quiet in the sense of sound, more quiet in the energy the city gives off. It doesn’t have the manic energy of Tokyo, or the businesslike pace of Osaka. It feels (and looks) more traditional, like a place where one can appreciate certain elements of the Japanese aesthetic more easily. I know, it’s worded weakly and sounds somewhat cliche, but it works to the extent I can express it.

Again, sorry for the lack of photos, but I’ll get that in order. My digital camera, the quickest way for my to get them online, has been acting oddly lately. I have to determine what’s wrong with it before I can do anything there. As always, my film camera is at the ready, so I am at least recording things for posterity.

Speaking of photography, you should check this out – The Gaijin Eye. I’s a yearly photo contests for foreigners in Japan. There are some fantastic entries this year. As soon as I stop sucking at photography, I’ll try submitting something.

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When I saw you standing on the street / I wanted to meet / for a while / you gave me a smile / then you said hello