ちゃりに乗る時

I came across this article today and it paints a pretty clear picture of what commuting is like in any Japanese city - not just Tokyo.

I found the 'mamas on bikes' section particularly spot on. Why are you still reading this, read the other article! (’-’*)

One thing they left out of the article is the sweet little bike bell. Unlike in America where the car horn is typically a sign of someone's frustration, the bike bell is a courteous tool that most people (about 99% from my experience) move out of the way for. The only people who don't are the 60+ year old salary men who are stubborn as hell. Here is an awesome video to illustrate my point.

I think now is a good time to bring up an interesting fact about Japan - Japan is more than just Tokyo. Say what?!?! Yeah, its true. Tokyo is a pretty cool city, but its not the only city (though it is the largest city in the world), and a lot of gaijin tend to forget that. But since most movies that deal with Japan take place in Tokyo, and most companies have their headquarters there, you are pretty much forced to see or work in Tokyo at some point in time....so all is forgiven.

I actually found Tokyo to be the least 'Japanese' city in Japan - it has a huge foreign population and a Chipotle - how Japanese could Tokyo actually be??

Engrish

I stumbled across an interesting TV show in Japan the other day (yes, an interesting Japanese TV show. I was just as surprised as you) and it really opened my eyes about the English language. This show, Eigo de shabera naito, is an educational and entertaining show that tests the English ability of non native speakers. It is co-hosted by a goofy looking goober Patrick Harlan who actually seems like a decent guy. He's a gaijin talent from the US.

Native English speakers, particularly Americans, are very quick to laugh or poke fun at incorrect English but if you do the math, the ratio of native English speakers to non-native is about 1:4 ( have seen the numbers vary from about 1:3 to 1:5). This is a pretty humbling statistic. Not only does it make my own 'version' of English seem insignificant, but just knowing that such a large group of people are at least bilingual makes me feel a bit stupid and want to study Japanese harder.

So what is English really? English to me is just communication. If the listener/reader understands, isn't that enough? Isn't that the point?

Here is a youtube clip of the TV show:

Mary Kate and Ashley in Japan

hafu

Believe it or not, Japan has an ugly side, and I mean ugly in the literal sense. Hafu (half Japanese, half something else, usually white) receive a lot of undeserved attention and stardom in Japan. Look at these links to judge for yourself, but the majority of hafu are gross (the ones that are famous anyways, I personally know some hafu that are real lookers) in my opinion. Go ahead, click some of the links.
Anna Ohura
Kimura Kaela
Becky

...Gross, right?? I think that horse faced Becky tart is probably the worst of them. Becky, if you are reading this I think you're a 6 at best and how you became famous is beyond me... （　´∀｀）

Most of them enjoy celebrity status because they are too untalented or unattractive to be a celebrity anywhere else or they are parents of other Japanese celebrities. This started as an informative post and ended up pretty hateful...my bad.

Not ALL celebrity hafu are gross, but it would be safe to say the majority are. And I hear the word 'hafu' kind of has a negative connotation to it, so use it sparingly.

More on Japanese snacks

Words cannot express how much of a sucker I am for Japanese snacks. In America I eat an average of 5 chips a year, and about 10 cheez-its. But as soon as I landed in Japan I was double fisting pocky and jyagariko.

What I like the most are the unique flavors. Melon and apple kit kats, ume and salad jyagariko, milk tea and green tea chocolate.
These are all AMAZING. Here are some pictures of what you should be buying/eating every chance you get.
The drinks are equally creative in flavor. I recommend the ume calpis.

Hotel Fine goes down in the second round...

I may or may not have gone to the Water Hotel recently (www.waterhotel-cc.com) . And it may or may not be just a 5 minute walk west from nanpabashi-right next to hotel dress...

The Water Hotel was classy, but very different from my past favorite - Hotel Fine. For one, what the Water Hotel lacks in the nomihoudai department it makes up for in a fantastic shower and mood lighting with a million+ options. The bathroom is pretty big with a bath tub that has a nice mat next to it for massages and the like. There is no 100 inch projection TV, but the 50 inch flat screen is sufficient enough.

Ordering food was a little different than Hotel Fine as well. Like Fine, you get a free breakfast and a free drink, but it is not dropped off in a little mailbox dealie, you actually have to answer your door and receive it from someone. This is a little strange for a love hotel, but it didn't bother me any. Like Hotel Fine, in this hotel, being a member takes about 1000 yen off the price for the night, however membership costs 500 yen - well worth it.
Even the Karaoke selection was better. And playing 'Taiko no Tatsujin' free was a definite bonus!
My two issues with the hotel were that it was about 9000 degrees in the room when I walked in, but that may be due to it being winter and they wanted the room to be comfortable. The ash trays also didn't say the name of the hotel on them so they weren't worth stealing...

So if you are looking for a classy love hotel in the Nanba/Shinsaibashi area, look no further than the Water Hotel.

1,2,3's

After running out of letters in the alphabet, I guess I will move on to numbers. Here are the 1,2,3's of living in Japan.

1： 一石二鳥 (issekinichou),literally 1 stone, 2 birds. I found it interesting that Japan has the same phrase,two birds one stone. Especially a phrase as dumb as this one.
2: 二人乗り (futarinori),2 people riding, usually a bicycle. you see this often in Japan, though I'm pretty sure its illegal (for scooters anyway). But without a car in Japan, this is the next best way to pick up chicks. Just make sure you buy a bike with the metal seat dealie in the back.
3-3P (sanpi-), threesome. Some things are universal.
4-四川 (shisen),Japanese word for Szechwan, the region in china known for spicy food. I know I mention Shisen Ra-men a lot, but seriously, that place is magic.
5-甘味 (Umami), the fifth taste. Also known as savoriness, this taste classification was first developed by Kikunae Ikeda.
6- 週六日 (shuumuika), 6 days a week. If you are lucky enough to live in Japan but unfortunate enough to work for a Japanese company, this is about how often you will work.
7-七味 (shichimi), blend of 7 spices. The spices include Cayenne and Japanese pepper. Its a popular seasoning and goes great with Yoshinoya.
8-ヤクザ　(Yakuza), the badass organized crime group with a heart of gold. Their name is an abbreviation of the numbers 8-9-3. With the exception of all the gross porn they produce, I think these guys are awesome.
9- 99 (kyukyu). The 99 yen shop, or kyu kyu, is like an American dollar store but with more food. Its a convenient place to stock up on CalorieMate and Onigiri Senbei. There is also a 100 yen shop which is pretty popular.
10-is for 一万円 (ichimanen),10,000 yen. Get used to carrying these bills around...but not for very long.