携帯電話。アーサム

Hey hey,

Its time for a lesson on the greatest piece of technology ever invented. No, not the microwave or iron lung, I'm talking about Japanese cell phones. Japanese cell phones are not just the greatest piece of technology, they actually contain every piece of technology ever. I know what you may be thinking - "oh, the iphone can do just about anything. America has great cell phones too."...well, the iphone just came out, and the cell phones in Japan have been able to do internet, tv, email, etc. for years now. Just saying...

Well, last weekend, my friends and I were waiting for a club to open so we wanted to go to 7-11 to get some money. Hmmm..how do we find the closest 7-11 in the middle of Osaka? Oh, just use our Keitai (cell phone) to look up every 7-11 in the area. That easy.

Lets say you meet a fine young lady and you want to exchange information with her (hypothetically of course). Well, just use the infrared on your keitai to send your email, phone number, picture and any other profile information you want to send. Very Benri!

And of course Keitai have things like 5mega pixel cameras, television, radio, flash lights, and X-ray vision (only the X-ray vision is a lie). Its standard. I actually find the Japanese to English dictionary on my phone most useful. The fact that I can use my camera to scan Kanji and my phone tells me what it means is not too shabby either.

If you don't have a Japanese keitai, buy one. It won't work in America, but who cares. Just hang jewelry off of it!

Its Raining Awesome

Hey kids,
Well, it was raining today - but it only made me realize that Japan even handles rain like a pro. You know those rainy days when you don't want to go outside or rush to your car because it is raining - well have no fear!!! if you are in japan...

Lets just say that you are shopping on a rainy day - what will you do about the rain and the things you bought??? Well, when it rains, typically stores will wrap your shopping bags in plastic. You don't have to worry about carrying an umbrella either because you can leave it outside the store and nobody will take it. And if you do decide to carry your umbrella, then help yourself to complimentary plastic bags so that your umbrella does not drip everywhere when you carry it...

Oh, and sometimes (but not always) cafes and other places will provide the customer with an umbrella if it happens to start raining. Wow.

Awesome deshou??

HANAMI

You + Japan x fashion = Sexy .....its science

Let me just fill you in on a little thing called "sexiness." If you want it, come to Japan, and in no time at all, you can be sexy. Step 1, come to Japan. Step 2, buy Japanese clothing. Step 3, eat Japanese food. Step 4, look at how sexy you are.

Seriously though, coming to Japan is the best thing I have ever done. I am exercising everyday because of my bike and walking everywhere. The food is WAY better, so I'm eating healthier. Japanese people are smaller and more fit, so I can actually find clothing in my size. You also don't need an excuse to dress up, everyone dresses up every day. And lets not forget the women...

Japan is where you go when you want to look good. You want to look good, don't you?

Here- start booking your ticket: http://travelocity.com/

コンビ二 - Japan's Wal-Mart

Today it finally occurred to me how convenient the convenience stores actually are. I'm not talking about a Slurpee and a Taquito convenience, I'm talking about mobile cell phone charger and alcohol convenience. I'll trade a Chu-hai and a beer for a slurpee any day.

Let me just list some things that you can buy at the conbini (yeah, even conbini is more convenient to say)

• Battery powered cell phone chargers
• Alcohol in all its forms -pre-made canned cocktails, beer, sake, etc.
• Hair wax, hair Spray, cologne.
• Electric razors
  
• AV (Pornography) -DVD's too!
• Handmade desserts, sushi, and even french fries.
  
• Concert and sporting event tickets, and you can pay your cell phone bill too...yeah

Many Conbini's also have a place to sit down to eat. America needs to step up their effort so I can get more than just Gas and Big Gulps.

And just a side note, I have never wanted to ask a convenience store clerk out on a date until Japan.

Kudos Japan

I.Love.This.Country.

This post probably sounds familiar, but I was reminded today why I love this place so much (one of the reasons anyway). In my Struggle for Justice class, the professor gave a talk about his home town in America and the difference in safety in Japan.

The way he described it is that living in Japan is like having a huge weight lifted off your shoulders. This is such a good description. I honestly can't remember the last time I was stressed or worried about walking out at night. Walking around the second largest city in Japan at 3am is incredibly comfortable. Leaving your bags/or umbrella in your bike for 10 hours is okay, your stuff won't get touched. Walking through small alleys and not being able to communicate well is not a problem - nobody is out to take advantage of you. I can't possibly describe the degree of comfort because many of you are just unaware of the discomfort that you are used to living with.

Japan just feels free...I love this country

桜をみて！

Well as you may have already known, Cherry Blossom (桜-sakura) season is in bloom (no pun intended). Allow me to explain a little bit of the Japanese sakura tradition that many Japanese take part in.

For starters, during the few days the sakura are in bloom, everyone travels out to temples, shrines, castles, and other meaningful places. When night comes, the sakura are illuminated. While waiting for night to fall, people take pictures and set out tarps to sit on. Oh, I almost forgot the most important part, drinking! Sakura viewing is essentially an excuse to drink, but a gorgeous excuse.

I haven't done the drinking aspect of the Sakura viewing, but that will definitely take place in the not too distant future.

If you haven't seen the cherry blossoms yet, do it! No excuses!