Okonomiyaki: Life In Japan

RIP Scott Snow

2012-02-08T04:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a video I made in memory of a lost friend. I think the pictures in the video speak for themselves. Please follow me on this emotional journey.

Evolution of the peace sign. (AKA how crazy it has gotten.)

2012-02-01T03:46:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine posted this video on my FB page and I couldn't help but to be amazed at how awesome and accurate it is.

Here is a mockumentary about the progression of the peace sign. It may be a mockumentary but there is a whole lot of truth to it and that's what makes it so funny. People living in Asia or deeply interested in the culture will probably find this especially funny.

P.S. The black people are so me.

Photos of the month (January 2012)

2012-01-31T04:16:00.000-08:00

I have a new edition to the blog for all of you. At the end of every month I will post the best random photos of that month along with a description. As I just thought of this idea during the last week of January, this months pictures will be few.

The sign says Nagara river. I cross the nearby bridge to get to work. This river runs through the city of Gifu.

The Rainbow brand of BOSS Coffee a very popular can coffee in Japan.

Junior High School boys bathroom. The worst place to be during the winter. It's horribly cold.

The display for a giant size burger that can be purchased at a bowling alley in Nagoya.

Saw a field of crows near my work place as I was going home.

Gifu castle in the far distance on to of Mt.Kinka.

Home sweet home sweet home (Visiting the US)

2012-01-26T05:26:00.000-08:00

After 2 years of being away I finally went back home to the States to visit. There are a few reasons I hadn't returned sooner. The cost of a ticket and the flight time were pretty high on the list but also I've enjoyed traveling to other countries and cities during my vacation. Other places in Asia which are closer, cheaper and were first time experiences for me. Finally I began missing home enough to take the trip back. I chose Christmas vacation because it was a good time to see a lot of my family at one time as well as I really miss the feel of Christmas in the US. It's just not the same here in Asia. It was a good 3 weeks. I've missed all the sarcasm and humor that comes with my family, a lot of it that I had to tone down greatly in myself in order to fit in better here. Also got to see a lot of old friends and remembered just how much I miss hanging out with them. I've not found that kind of closeness with people in Japan as I had with my childhood and college friends despite the majority of the college friends being from Asia.

Sister,Mom, and me

Our real Christmas Tree at home. Looks nice but the poor thing was super dried out.

Besides people, one of the best things about being back was food. I'm a fan of Japanese food, but I miss a lot of restaurants in America like Steak N Shake, Penn Station, Qdoba, and almost any pizza place. My city St.Louis also has some great not so Chinese Chinese food that you can't even find in other cities in America.

My Mom's home made cooking. Fried chicken, macaroni & cheese and string beans. So good!

Took my sister to have her first Thai meal.

Garden Salad from the restaurant called Red Lobster


Coconut fried jumbo shrimp. Big shrimp with coconut in the fried coating. A very interesting taste and the white sauce along with it had a sweet tropical taste.

Lucky for me the Japanese Yen is quite strong in comparison with the US dollar and so I got a nice extra bit of cash when exchanging my money over to dollars. I did a lot of shopping with this money. Clothes, candy, video games and especially a pair of shoes which is vital because finding my size in Japan is near impossible. Besides shopping, trips to the zoo and ice skating with friends was pretty fun.

With friends at the St.Louis Zoo

Spent the last night ice skating

I didn't realize how much I missed my 1st home until I visited and then left. It's been a little tougher being back in Japan just remembering how lonely I'm not when I'm back in the US. Honestly I'm afraid I won't be able to find the kind of friendships and relationships here in Japan but its my home now and I'm praying for a more active fulfilling life in the year 2012.

Happy New Years (2012)

2011-12-31T20:26:00.000-08:00

Another year gone. Farewell 2011.

After 2 years of being away I am currently back in the USA visiting for the holiday season. It was nice to have Christmas with the family again and to see old friends and now its New Years Eve. Unfortunately I don't have any plans and at 10:15pm I'm typing this up instead of celebrating but many of my friends took off on trips of their own a week after I arrived. Kind of wish I would have spent Christmas in the US and New Years in Japan or another nearby country with friends but those two holidays are too close for that kind of travel. It has been a busy and blessed year. I traveled to 3 different countries, lived in 2 different cities and had a special someone for a short time.

My main resolution in 2012 is to grow in my relationship with God and through that I pray he would bless me with a girlfriend who later will become my wife. I'm about ready for that next phase in my life. Living abroad has been an adventure so I'm excited to see what is in store for 2012. I may actually be living in another new city by April. Also planning on some more travel abroad including Hong Kong, China, Korea and more. Also gotta get to Hokkaido sometime in 2012.

I hope all of you start the New Year off blessed. May God with you and please keep checking in with me on this blog. 2011 was good but 2012 will be great.

Happy New Years everyone!!

P.S. To all you Mayan followers, I'll see you in 2013.

Twitter: Christian4Mayor

I've done it again! (2nd year anniversary!)

2011-12-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

Today is my 2 year anniversary of living in Japan. Time does indeed fly. It's been quite a busy second year and a very blessed one. Within the 2nd year alone I've been to so many places. Within Japan I've been to Osaka, Kyoto, and twice to Kobe. Outside of Japan I've have had some amazing chances to travel. I've been to Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, and Korea twice. All of this in one year. While my new home this 2nd year hasn't been as nice as my previous I can't deny Gods blessings in my life. New friends and new experiences. So once again lets take a look back at my second year abroad.

Let's get started on this 3rd year.

Follow me on Twitter!

2011-12-08T04:07:00.000-08:00

If you run from something long enough you will eventually give in to it. Which reminds me, you can now start following me on Twitter. A lot of things run through my head or happen in my day to day life that aren't really big enough for me to make an entire blog post about but now with the power of Twitter I can post random pictures or talk about the random small things that happen to me as I live in Japan. So come follow me on Twitter. I promise it will be at least 1/4th as good as this blog.

@Christian4Mayor

Snack Attack (Prt 6)

2011-12-01T04:50:00.000-08:00

Oreo White Chocolate Cookies

It's the awesomeness of an Oreo cookie with a white chocolate glaze. To me it taste like cookies and cream ice cream just slightly less cold. It's cookies and cream ice cream in cookie form. I think that's about all the convincing I need to do.

**** out of *****

Country Maa'm Hotcake Cookies

You read that right. These are cookies with the flavor of Hotcakes or "Pancakes" for a lot of us Americans. The cookies is a filled with white chocolate, chocolate chips and maple jelly which I presume is what makes it eligible to be called Hotcake flavored. It's a pretty decent taste and reminds me of something that would be eaten annually in Fall which happens to be the time in which I first noticed it in stores. I can imagine the taste wearing itself out quickly though. How many pancakes can one eat at a time?

Mentos (Ume Flavored)
I've talked about Mentos before in Japan and how they have a dozen or so flavors that can't be found in America. This time I tried Ume. (Japanese plum) When people ask me what Japanese food don't I like I usually name Ume as one of the top 2. It's extremely bitter and very difficult for me to eat. On the other hand I've had an Ume drink before which may have been mixed with some other sugars or something but actually tasted good. These Mentos are in between. It's not so bad that I couldn't quickly finish a pack but with all the other flavors to choose from I don't see any reason to buy these again.

**1/2 out of *****

Viewing Momiji in Mino City

2011-11-26T05:35:00.000-08:00

"Momiji" means Maple Leaves and the viewing of Momiji is the annual Fall event in which thousands of people all over Japan to go various locations to look at the pretty colors of Fall. There are a dozen or so of really famous places throughout Japan. One of the biggest ones is Kyoto a famous city for retaining the traditional look of Japan. It's also only about 2 1/2 hours away from me by bus so I wanted to go but I didn't want to go alone and couldn't find anyone to join so I gave up on it. While doing some Momiji research on the Internet I found a little location an hour away located in the same prefecture I live in now (Gifu) but in a different city called Mino. The location was at Oyada Shrine in Mino which is known as Maple Valley due to all the Maple trees that have been planted there. There is also a puppet show held on November 23rd (Labor Day) which is a holiday in Japan. There are two showings of the puppet show which last for 30 minutes each and tell the story of a group of villagers who are terrorized by a demon snake and then rescued by a God who saves their harvest thus creating a reason for thanks.

The puppet show viewed from the bottom of a hill. Here the demon snake is attacking the villagers.

The puppet with the blue had is one of the God's the villagers worship.

After the show the puppets can be viewed up close.


The villagers and their God along with the puppeteers.

Maple Valley

A small shrine.

The viewing of Momiji is also accompanied by a festival and all festivals in Japan have these various stands selling food.

By the way if you are looking to go there from Gifu city you can head to bus stop #4 near Meitetsu Gifu station and get on the N71 bus to Odaya Jinja. From Odaya Jinja you'll walk for about 20-25 minutes to the puppet show location and then a little further to Maple Valley. The trip will cost you 950yen 1-way. While the Maple Leaves can be viewed from mid November to the 1st of December the puppet show as far as I know is only held on November 23rd.

Puppet show times as of Nov 23rd 2011
1st show: 11:30am-12:00
2nd show: 2:00pm-2:30

Snack Attack (Prt 5)

2011-10-27T05:41:00.000-07:00

These Snack Attack posts really need to come more often.

Caramel Cookies
It's a fact that I enjoy pretty much anything that includes caramel so these cookies were destined for my approval. A breaded cookie outside with a dry caramel center. In truth it taste a little like artificial caramel if that makes any sense but still pretty tasty.

*** out of *****

Plum Nectar Juice
Spotted this in a 7-11 and was attracted to its classy bottle. Turns out it taste pretty good. Kind of a sweet plum and honey taste. I'll definitely be trying it again. And it really is a nice bottle.

**** out of *****

Chocolate Cinnamon Sticks

Ugh. Dreadful things. The cinnamon taste more like natural cinnamon which pretty much sucks though if you are fan of cinnamon directly from the tree maybe you'll find it better than I did. Also the chocolate has a rubbery texture. Never again will I waste money on this again. The box says it includes six sticks. A half of a stick is all I needed.

* out of *****

My new movie ゆりと蛍　(Yuri And The Fireflies)

2011-09-28T05:01:00.000-07:00

If you've been keeping up with my blog you may know that I enjoy making films and even studied it in college. If not here are some of my films here,here and here. In total there were four films that I shot while in Art school but one of them while was completely filmed has not been finished yet. Due to the need for a lot of post production including special effects and life takingme on some interesting roads this last film was never completed. We'll I have decided to finally get it done.

The film is a Japanese movie titled "ゆりと蛍" (Yuri to Hotaru) which translates to "Yuri And The Fireflies" The cast is all Japanese and the movie is spoken in Japanese with English subtitles. Yuri And The Fireflies is the story of a young woman who escapes from a miserable life and abusive relationship using a mysterious book given to her as a child by her mother.

I'm happy to be working on the movie again as just from the footage shot alone I think it will turn out being my best yet. I'm not certain exactly when it will be finished but should be the first half of 2012 if everything stays on schedule. Below are two posters for the film.

Nomikai

2011-09-21T05:55:00.000-07:00

I went to my first Nomikai (drinking party) last Friday with co-workers after the Sports Day at school. It's a Japanese tradition for co-workers including the boss to get together and go to an eating/drinking establishment and basically drink away until they finally open up to each other and start talking about all of work's problems or other things that the Japanese normally don't open up about. At first I was a bit apprehensive about going as I don't really talk to the co-workers at work and I felt it would be like having dinner with a bunch of strangers. I also don't drink which is the key element to a drinking party, but I wanted to be a team player so I decided to join. I've heard the teachers can get a little wild at these things. For me this wasn't the case.

Our Nomikai was held at a traditional hotel in near Nagara river in Gifu which apparently was built back when Samurai's were still roaming around being awesome. There is also a very popular Onsen (hot spring) inside the hotel and if you arrived to the Nomikai a hour before it started all the employers were able to get in the Onsen for free. I didn't have enough time but it's the thought that counts. During the event in which almost every teacher showed up everyone is sitting at their own small table. Throughout the night food and drinks were being served by women in Kimono's.

My table setup. Let's get eating! Itadakimasu!

Honestly no idea what it was but the presentation was nice.

"Shabu Shabu". Meat and vegetables cooked in some kind of oil based liquid? Ours were cooked by candlelight.

There was also a number of drinks to choose from like beer, cola, sprite, tea and non alcoholic beer ( alcoholic beer is both pointless and disgusting.) One tradition during a Nomikai is for the lower level workers to go to the people in higher positions than them and pour them drinks although even the Principal of my school was serving others drinks. He even tried to serve me. (Nice guy) I also took part slightly in this tradition by serving the Principal and Vice Principal. While eating and drinking there are a lot of conversations to be had. I talked to a few people myself most of which are the only ones that talk to me while at work but I was able to learn a little more about them which was nice. We also played variety show type games splitting the teachers into two teams. All in all it was an interesting night and while I didn't get to bond with some drunk as I expected, it did give me something to do that evening.

Welcome to Singapore!

2011-09-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

The first stop on my awesome summer vacation is the country/city of Singapore. I had a friend who was traveling there for a trip as well as a friend who currently works there and I had never been so I decided why the heck not. Besides I wanted to see these legendary "clean streets".

There is a lot of color in Singapore.

From Japan it took a little over 6 hours to get to Singapore which is the longest flight I've been on in quite awhile and Ive taken a plane 3 times since moving to Japan. It all just reminds me how much in agony I will be when I decide to take a visit back to the US. After arriving in Singapore I headed to the guest house and waited a few hours for my friend to arrive as he was coming from Bangkok. The adventures began after he arrived. The first thing that caught my attention about Singapore is how multicultural it is. There were so many people from different countries and it reminded me of a big city in US like New York which I haven't experienced in awhile. It was also the first English speaking country I had been to in a long while. Despite there being so many different people I did however feel that most of them stayed in their own groups which was a little disappointing. The second thing I notice was how colorful it was. Like from buildings to cars to plants everything was so colorful and pretty. Singapore also gives me a South American vibe.

Me and my college buddy Peter.

Singapore is a small place. I feel like you can travel the entire country in less than 2 days, but within this compact area there are a lot of neat things.

Singapore Locations
Sentosa Island
Sentosa Island is a popular Island resort within Singapore. Located on the island is a Universal Studios, a beach, golf courses a mall and various other attractions. Sentosa is like the get away place for Singapore residents during the weekend and despite being a huge attraction it has a relaxing atmosphere and besides any place with beaches is a plus.

Setntosa Island with a view of the famous Merlion in the background. There are many Merlion`s in Singapore but this one is the biggest. You can even go inside.

We didn`t go in but you can never skip a chance to take this picture.

Riding the cable car up to Mt.Faber.

As advertised.

Wake boarding. Expensive but fun to watch people wipe out.

Pizza on the beach. That`s a vacation.

Sunset on the way to Mt.Faber.

There are also a few free shows that looked like they would be pretty good unfortunately our schedules were pretty packed so we never got a chance to see them. Theres a light show as well as a show involving two gigantic metal birds.

Singapore Zoo
According to a ton of websites the Zoo in Singapore is the best zoo in the world. I've only been to a couple zoo's in the US as well as in Korea but I am incline to agree with the Internet. The Singapore Zoo is pretty cool. They call it an open air zoo and it's hard to explain but there aren't a lot of cages. The animal areas are designed in a way that makes them feel very open like they are in the wild. There are some animal encasement's that completely confused me on why the animals don't just leap over the 2 ft wall they are behind. It allows for a more intimate feel with the animals.

Feeding time for the White Tigers. You can watch a lot of various animals being fed at this zoo.

These things are just running around all over the place at one encampment. You can even get close enough to touch them though I think that is frowned upon by the zoo.

The magic of the Singapore Zoo. You never know when a tiger is gonna jump out and attack you.

Along with the normal zoo they also have a night zoo. You can go and watch the nocturnal animals during night time. It brings a bit of a new perspective on the zoo experience.

It wasn`t night yet but if you wanna avoid the huge lines you need to be waiting at the Night Zoo a bit early.

Clarke Quay
A nice area near the water Clarke Quay is the perfect place to hang out with friends for a night out of dining, dancing and enjoying the atmosphere. The night time atmosphere is especially vibrant. It's a good place to spend your weekend nights.

Another Merlion. This one spits water.

Sunset on the Clarke Quay

A lot of fine dining can be found.

Little India

I've never been to India before but I felt like I was there when walking through Little India. Lots of Indian restaurants and shops and strangely enough a ton of Indian people hanging out at night sitting in groups on the road. I don't know if this is Indian culture but I found it interesting the amount of the people randomly sitting on the sidewalk or lying in nearby grass. Little India also houses the Mustafa Centre which is a huge 24 hour shopping center.

A temple that despite it being late was pretty lively.

24 hour shopping center

China Town
Every big city has one. It's China Town. I've been to a dozen China towns my favorite being either the one in San Francisco or Yokohama but they all feel a tad different and Singapore already has a huge Chinese population. If you aren't speaking English in Singapore you are probably speaking Chinese. Like most China Towns Singapore's is filled with cheap shopping and delicious Chinese food. If you are looking for souvenirs this is the place you should be visiting.

Expensive but good.

Every night looks like a festival night.

Something that really came as a surprise to me was the price of things in Singapore. I had heard it was expensive for a South East Asian country but I was shocked by how expensive and I live in Japan. Unless its Singaporean food pretty much everything in Singapore is imported and the high prices reflect it. A plus side to Singapore is the easy and efficient train system. It's the first city I've been to to have a touch screen for buying train tickets. Singapore is also popular for having a lot of laws and they do indeed have money fines for a large variety of thing's you shouldn't do. One of the most famous is the ban on chewing gum. Littering is highly frowned down on and there are huge fines for those who are caught doing it. Even chewing gum has been banned. I couldn't even find it on sale in the convenience stores. Gum feels like a some kind of drug which by the way if you are caught with drugs you will face the death penalty. Singapore does not play!

It was a good trip and while I don't have a huge urge to return except to visit my friend it was definitely worth the first visit. I think it's more of a place to live then to travel to.

Here are some other interesting pics of Singapore!

Hanging out with my Korean friend (The girl behind me.)who works in Singapore and her roomies.

View of a mosque from the guest house window.

This is a long slide from top floor to the bottom. Oh and it`s in the friggin airport!

The floating boat looking structure in the distance has a huge pool on top. (Marina Bay Sands)

Us chocolate brother`s gotta stick together.

Hopping on the train to get to the airport.

Popular shopping street.

(A view of Sentosa Island)

(Singapore Zoo White Tigers at play.)

(Walking through Little India)

Yohan Osaka Children's English Camp

2011-08-29T23:57:00.000-07:00

Every year the Yohan Church in Osaka hold a 1 1/2 day English camp for kids. It's an event were children can come and have fun doing various activities while learning English and about Jesus and it was as blessed for me as it was for the kids. I was told about this event from the Yohan Gifu church I attend here in Gifu city and wanting to serve God more as well as my love for kids I decided to join so I took bus from Gifu city on a 3 hour trip to the big city Osaka. Upon arriving I was surprised to discover that there were people there who have been setting up the entire event for a week though the actual event itself was not even 2 days. Also there were volunteers who traveled from the U.S. as well as members of the Yohan Church in Seoul Korea.

On the first day each kid was given a card with blank spaces for stickers. Every time a student accomplished an activity correctly or did something well such as trying to use English they were rewarded with a blue sticker. If they were misbehaving or using too much of their native language they would receive a red sticker. The blue stickers could later be traded in for fake cash that they could use during lunch to purchase food and snacks also using English and during they last day they could even by items from the flea market we created which included items like cartoon videos, shoes, toys and other things.

Mini Olympics

Lunch time. Using English the kids can order a variety of things to eat.

The activities ranged from Mini Olympics, to role playing and even a summer festival with performances from some adorable little kids and a rendition of a scene from Alice In Wonderland all in English. There were also a lot singing. Only about 4 or 5 songs but we sang them throughout the day quite often with dances that accompanied them and the children seem to enjoy them no matter how many times we did them. By the end of the event every song was stuck in my head, but they were all giving praise to Jesus so so be it!

Violin performance by two talented boys.


Cast of the Alice In Wonderland stage play. I was so surprised by the English the memorized.

The students all wrote in English a small resume including things like favorite food and dream job and then drew a picture of their future dream job.

I love babies so much and this little cutie was adorable.

Early morning exercises in the park.

It was a lot of work with the first day starting at 7am and ending at 10pm but it was such a blessed time and I will definitely do it again next year if possible. God bless the children.

Below is a video that was put together (not by me) of the event.

I Want To Be A Korean Pop Singer: The End Of An Experience

2011-08-19T06:16:00.000-07:00

So last Saturday my partner and I went to Nagoya to sing in round 2 of the KPOP competition. There were 27 entries in total. We all arrived around 12pm for rehearsals where we were told how the real competition would play out and also each got to do a short sound check. With 27 performances it took almost 3 hours to get through this. The other contestants consisted of all Japanese people and mostly girls. out of more than 40 people there were about 8 guys only and I was definitely the only black guy there. There were three categories:

1. Dance
2. Ballad
3. Traditional song

After rehearsals we had about 25 minutes of free time in which like us most people used to rehearse some more. The actual contest began at 3pm. To try and fit everything into the small 3 hour time frame they had given it they were not allowing some contestants to complete their entire songs. I thought this was pretty stupid because it was the semi finals competition and everyone should have the chance to sing and perform their songs in its entirety just as they have been practicing so hard to do before the contest. Instead they would sound a bell that would mean the contestant needed to stop singing and then the host would come out and waste 2 or more minutes talking to the contestants. While I like the fact that the contestants are able to explain a little about themselves or their songs via the questions I think they should also be able to finish their songs. For me personally finishing the song was more important to me than answering some simple questions. Thankfully are group was one of the few that did get to finish the song but I still felt a little bad for those who didn't.

My partner Sayaka and I.

Everyone at this years semi-finals did a good job. There were a lot of good singing voices and some good performances.

These guys got a special "Most popular award". They had a really energetic song and dance and even had special costumes.

All girls dance group. They had a cute color scheme with individual matching shoes and shirts.

I believe this group won the award for "Best Dance" but to be honest I don`t really remember and I think they changed outfits during award ceremony.

I was pretty nervous before getting on stage but after the music began my anxieties all disappeared and I just enjoyed the performance. After all the performances were done there was two special performances, one by two girls who were in last years competition and another by a Korean actor/singer from a popular drama back in 2009. Sadly we did not make it to the finals but it was a fun and interesting experience. I would never imagine trying to sing in a competition. It's something I am not particularly good at but I just enjoy doing for fun. To be honest I don't think we really fitted into any of the categories. We were entered into the Dance but we weren't a dance act and there were other dance groups that really did a lot of dancing. The Ballad group wasn't for us either and the singers in that category really were all about having really good voices and next to no performance and the Traditional Song group was definitely not for us. Can't say I'm not a little disappointed as I would have loved to been able to say I went to Tokyo for a KPOP finals competition in Japan but it was fun while it lasted. I'm more disappointed that I couldn't help win it for my partner.

Answering some questions in Japanese from the MC after the performance.

There was someone there recording all of the performances which will later be on YouTube. When they are posted I will post a link here on my blog. Until then I present you me and my partner`s performance. Here is Sayaka featuring Christian performing the song "Chansori" by IU ft Seulong.

Vacation is exhausting.

2011-08-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

I've been away since July 18th (in Korea now) but I will try to get some new posts up during my 3 day break starting August 12th before being busy again.

Blogs to come
1. My time at Osaka Yohan Church Childrens English Camp
2. Vacation in Singapore and Thailand
3. Vacation in Seoul
4. The results of the 2nd stage of the KPOP competition taking place this Saturday August 13th.

I want to be a Korean Pop singer! 2nd stage!

2011-07-29T23:46:00.000-07:00

As you may have read before HERE a friend and I have entered a KPOP contest in Japan. The first stage was to make an audition CD and send it by mail to the competition. We'll we did that and we have recently received word that we have been accepted and can move on to the 2nd stage which means we must perform live in Nagoya. If we can pass this stage then its off to Tokyo for the finals.

Here is a little poster we made to advertise our performance to the judges.

Now I just need to finish learning the entire song by memory and we need to create a performance to go along with the song.

I want to be a Korean Pop Singer!

2011-07-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

Actually not really but I do enjoy K-POP (Korean pop) songs and recently my Japanese friend came up to me and asked me if I would like to sing as a duet with her in a huge K-POP contest here in Japan. The contest has been held every year since 2008. It is open to all non native Korean speakers who either wanna do a dance performance, a ballad, or a traditional style of Korean song. Now while I do enjoy singing in the privacy of my own home or at Karaoke I would usually never even think to try and participate in a singing contest, but when she asked me the first thing that came to my mind was "How awesome would it be to tell people I was in a Korean singing contest in Japan?!" Especially awesome if we make it to the finals which take place in Tokyo. Luckily I've studied Korean before this so I have some knowledge of pronunciation and my previous studies makes remembering the lyrics more easy. My partner Sayaka speaks good Korean and also has a good singing voice so perhaps we will have a chance. If nothing else I'm almost positive an African American has never entered this contest. So we got that going for us.

Here is the Japanese website.

Here is a decent translated version of the website.

So the song we chose is called "잔소리" which translates roughly to "Nagging" by Korean pop singer IU featuring Seulong from 2AM. It's a really cute and catchy song and I had never heard about it until deciding to join this contest but I'm in love with it now.

So our first step is to send in our audition recording by July 17th. If we pass that stage we will go on to the 2nd stage which is a performance in Nagoya and if we are blessed enough to pass that stage we will make it to the final stage in Tokyo. Wish us luck!

You can see previous competition performances HERE.

Takayama in a day

2011-07-01T05:35:00.000-07:00

Last week I was blessed with a 5 day vacation due to the students at my school taking final exams. On one of those days I managed to get out and do a little traveling. I went to the small yet scenic city of Takayama about 2 hours and 45 minutes away from Gifu city by bus for 4,500yen round-trip. It had been awhile since I took a trip within Japan and I've been needing to go out and rekindle my awe and excitement with Japan. This trip was helpful.

Some good old fashion rickshaw action going on the bridge.

Shiroyama park


I've always been a fan of these orange gate like structures called "torii".

I like bridges in Japan.

A large torii above the river.

A closeup of the torri along with a dog trying to get his 10 seconds of fame on the web.

Hida Kokubunji Temple.

700yen will get you into the "Hida Folk Village". A lot of cool thatched houses, some imported from other places in Japan.

An old fashion home.

The bamboo shoot fills up with water until it becomes too heavy and slams down making a loud noise that was meant to scare away wild boards that would eat the crops.

Eco friendly home.

There were many students visiting on this day.

Here is a little video of me feeding some really hungry fish in Takayama Hida Folk Village.

I've heard the winter is even better for visiting Takayama. Perhaps I will see for myself.

Skygate: Up up and away

2011-06-29T06:01:00.000-07:00

Last March I ran into a problem while trying to buy a ticket to South Korea. You see, I don't have any credit cards back in the US and here in Japan my bank account is with the Japanese Post Office system which is common here. Unfortunately they don't do debit cards here and it is difficult for a foreigner to get a credit card not to mention I wouldn't want one. (I'm done with credit cards forever.) Usually not having a credit card is no big deal in my life but the problem comes when I would like to search online for plane tickets to the various places I travel to. You gotta have some kind of card with a credit card logo on it to pull this off. Because of this I've had to go to a travel agency where I can pay in cash for my previous trip to Taiwan, but sometimes the travel agency doesn't have the available flight I need and more than likely a plane ticket bought online will be cheaper. Luckily I found an awesome site for people living in Japan with my problem. Ladies and gentlemen, Skygate!
The best thing about this site are the payment options. You can still use a credit card if you have one but if not you can do what I do and take advantage of the convenience store payment option. With this option you can choose from a variety of convenience stores in Japan such as Lawson and Family mart and use the ticket machines there to pay for and receive an e-ticket. The option for your payment will at the end of the booking process and the convenience store option is the last option. You can find it easily by spotting the various convenience store logos.

Now the first thing you will notice and possibly be overwhelmed by is the fact that the site is in Japanese but fret not. As you can see the search engine for searching for flights looks like most airline ticket sites. Luckily my Japanese and deductive reasoning is good enough to figure out the most important part about the front page.

You will need to know the Kanji of the city you live in and also be able to read Katakana so you can choose where you want to go. Also you can only choose flights that start in Japan so if you are planning on a multi country trip this won't help you. After finding your flight you will be asked to input a bunch of information and most of it is in Japanese but using Google Translator you should slowly yet effectively be able to figure it all out. My Kanji is horrible and I was able to do it all alone.

After finishing your order you will receiver some info once again in Japanese with some numbers and instructions on how to get the ticket at the store.Write these numbers down. (They will also be sent to your email that you entered earlier.) Either translate the instruction with the translator or most likely someone working at the store will know how to do it and you can just ask them once you get to the store just remember you need the numbers. Mission accomplished.

This site has been quite useful for me and ticket prices are usually pretty good as well. Happy travels!

http://www.skygate.co.jp/
http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en

The Great Summer Adventure

2011-06-29T04:51:00.000-07:00

I'm two weeks away from a 7 week summer vacation and heck yeah I'm excited about that. I have a few trips planned as well as a possible visit from one of my friends from America. Let me take some time out to write down a couple of my plans and at the end of the summer I can see how much of it I actually accomplished. Money doesn't grow on trees but I think I'll be able to get a lot out of this summer.

Definite Trips
1. Singapore (July)
2. Phuket,Thailand (July)
3. Nagano, Japan (August)

Most Likely Trips
1. Seoul,South Korea (August)

Maybe Trips
1. Hokkaido, Japan (August)

One word, EPIC!

Here comes the heat. 0_o

2011-06-13T05:37:00.000-07:00

It's summer in Japan which means one thing. It's about to get disgustingly hot/humid.Now St.Louis back in the U.S. can get pretty hot in the summer, but the heat in Japan is a different kind of heat. Back home it's dry and the sun beats down on you like an abusive sibling but in Japan it's ”むしあつい”"Mushi atsui" also know as "humid" in English. The humidity is insane here. You walk outside and immediately become wet and suddenly feel the need to go back in and take your 2nd or 3rd bath of the day. The worst part about it is that public schools do not have air condition, so I'm hot about %65 of the day. From this day forward after work it's nothing but t-shirts,shorts, and sandals for me.

Here's Korean girl group "Wonder Girls" with their song "So Hot" to ring in the summer. Stay chilly everyone.

Blah blah blah, booring

2011-05-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

Talk about a dull month. Sorry about the lack of updates. I'm a bit of a lull right now.

So looks like the rainy season has started here in Japan. Japan is serious about its rainy season. It's really been raining nearly everyday which you can imagine makes a 25 minute bike ride to work annoying. I think the season is over at the end of June...and then it will just get insanely hot with a humidity level of "Oh my gosh this sucks!"

I've had a horrible tooth ache for the last month or so. Sometimes I can go a whole day without any pain and then there are nights like 2 nights ago in which I seriously wanted to die it was so painful. I'm taking aspirin like its crack. I really don't like putting so much medicine in my body but it's the only thing that helps sometimes. I'm gonna overdose on these things. You heard it here first folks. I need to find a good English speaking dentist soon.

So yeah, sorry. I got nothing fun to talk about. The good news is I'm alive. Then there are those moments when you aren't sure if that's the good or the bad news. ANYWAYS, I should get to bed. Tomorrow is Tuesday which means non stop 2nd year classes at Jr.High which also happen to be the most boring and irritating of the grades. Cheers!

I leave you with freaky Japanese made robot.

Golden Week 2011

2011-05-10T03:35:00.000-07:00

For my second Golden Week in Japan I went with a large church group trip by bus to Kobe and Kyoto. During this time the small Gifu Yohan Church group combined with our neighbors the larger Nagoya Yohan Church took a bus to two popular Japanese cities. As I am new to attending the church I met a lot of new people. It's not a terribly long trip to make from Nagoya and the company was entertaining. While it was a fun way to blow an otherwise unplanned day, I wouldn't really recommend visiting both Kobe and Kyoto in only one day. While we did go to a few good places there wasn't really much time to enjoy those places. There is just too much to see and those cities too far apart. In my case I have been to both of the cities before and was mainly going this time to hang out with new people and have something to do. Also I 'm a big fan of Kobe. It would be nice to live there someday.

A view of the Kobe from the harbor.

Add caption

Kobe Harbor Land Amusement Park

Kobe China Town ornaments

The main entrance into Kobe China Town

Kyoto

Heian Jingu Shrine

Arashiyama bridge

Dozens of people out in canoes in Arashiyama

A few folks from the group posing in Kyoto

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T05:06:00.000-07:00

1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

It was a good day spent at church worshiping and eating Korean food with friends.

P.S. BEWARE THE BUNNY!

BEFORE

AFTER

1st day of Junior High School 2011

2011-04-24T04:57:00.000-07:00


Welcome letters and cards waiting on my desk when I came in for my first day of work.

I just finished my first week of school in the new year. It was coming off a rather eventful six week vacation and moving to a new city so the reintroduction to waking up at 6 a.m. was a bit annoying but the week went by well. In the past I've taught at up to five different schools in a single semester. I've also taught both Elementary and Junior High with my favorite between the two discussed here. My last job was in Okayama City at Elementary and Junior High School. Working at more than one school can be a pain in regards to commuting and carrying lesson materials, but if you only work at one school and its a troublesome place then it's nice to not have to be in that one school everyday and having a chance of atmosphere can be nice because maybe of of your other schools is a better place to be. Luckily my one school appears to be good thus far.

The first thing I notice is how friendly so many of the students are. In the past I've worked at Junior Highs that while there were friendly students the majority seem to be distant or plain out miss behaved. Junior High has a reputation in many countries as being the least easy/enjoyable grade to teach. So far so good. I was actually surprised at how friendly and comfortable many of the student have already become. These students even seek out to say hello to me when I at first don't notice them which isn't normal in Japan in my experience. My students in my new Junior High remind me a lot of my past Elementary students in that they seem to still have retained that joy that strict society tries and sucks away from them later as they move up from Elementary to High School. My first years particularly still look and act like they are in Elementary School which is actually a good thing. They still have energy in class and excitement for me the ALT. (Assistant Language Teacher) The rest of the school staff all seem to be rather friendly as well which is a refresher from my previous position. The first week consisted mostly of my introduction followed by question time from the students. One of the most popular questions was a request from the students to hear me rap. I told them during the introduction before that one of my hobbies was rapping and showed them a picture of me on stage performing in San Francisco. In almost every class someone asked me to rap so I had them all make a beat using their desks in unison and I rapped for them. They loved it,haha. Anyway, God willing the year will continue on positive.

Sakura Viewing In Gifu (2011)

2011-04-16T04:10:00.000-07:00

I've only been in Gifu for about 2 1/2 weeks and arrived just at the Sakura viewing season or "Hanami" was beginning but luckily I quickly met a few people who invite me to join them this year. The last time I participated in Hanami I was living in Tokushima. Unfortunately I didn't have a lot of friends at that time either as I always seem to just be settling in somewhere as this event is beginning. I'm still dreaming of that time that I get to take part in the big Hanami events like you see elsewhere on the Internet with lots of people and many good friends. Regardless I was blessed to be able to take part this year with anyone. We went to Gifu park but as it was on a a weekday and near the evening so there weren't many other people there at all. It was still beautiful though. Here's hoping next year will be my dream one.

I also heard due to the recent earthquake on March 11th 2011 that lesser people this year were taking part in this event as it usually involves a lot of loud noise and drinking and they feel given what has been going on in other parts of Japan lately it would be disrespectful to act in this matter. If you ask me, being loud and drunk is always annoying but to each his own. We'll the Sakura does signal Spring and new life so I like to view them with the idea of new life as everyone in Japan works to get through these dark times and find the light at the end of the tunnel. Yeah, deep I know.

Entering the park.

My Sakura viewing company.

As you can see the Sakura tree is quite pretty.

Many Sakura petals swirling in the pond.

Hazkui-chan and I

Stand By

2011-04-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit busy lately moving to a new city and going through four days of training for my new job, but I've pretty much settled in now and should be back to regularly updating the blog. Work doesn't start until the 18th so I'll try to do some interesting things between now and then. I don't really know anyone so hopefully I can get some friends soon as well as my new apartment organized. I'm living in Gifu city which is a small city itself and I am also only 20-25 minutes away from Nagoya city which is Japan's 4th biggest city so looks like I may have the best of both worlds. I'll probably frequent Nagoya as well. Oh and I haven't forgotten about my recent trip to South Korea. Stay tuned.

Snack Attack (Prt 4)

2011-04-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

This addition of Snack Attack features a few Korean snacks I tried while on vacation in South Korea.

스윙칩(Su Uing Chip)
These pepper sauce flavored chips are not spicy at all and actually taste a bit sweet but I enjoy the flavor despite being initially disappointed at the lack of spice.

*** out of *****

새콤달콤 (Sae Kom Dal Kom)

My absolute favorite Korean candy. It's similar to Korean Mae Chew or Japanese Hi-Chew except that it has a tinge of a sour taste to it. It's a tad harder than the previously mentioned candies but still chewy. Flavors include Grape,Strawberry,Pineapple,Cola, and Peach.

***** out of *****

Thankful

2011-03-24T02:23:00.000-07:00

So I've returned from my trip to South Korea (It was awesome) and I'm back in Japan. Here in Okayama life continues on as normal despite the country being hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami a couple of weeks ago and despite the lingering fear of radiation. As far as worrying about the air I am quite far from ground zero and don't think it will be a problem though it is a bit worrisome thinking about the possibilities of radiation being in the food that is shipped all around Japan including my city. Regardless I have a lot of other things to be focusing on these days besides fear, such as my moving to a new city this weekend and the start of training for my new job.

I was checking out the news online on the state of Japan and I saw some articles about some American English Teachers who's bodies have been found and it really made me think how bless I am. As an English Teacher I could end up teaching virtually anywhere in Japan, it's just the nature of the job and so I could have just as easily been teaching in one of the hard hit places in Japan and not be here today but instead I was safe and even able to leave for a short time after the disaster to spend some time in Korea. So let me just say I am thankful to the Lord for giving me more time on this earth and may I use it well and to his glory. I'm also thankful for the new job.

My heart goes out to the families and friends all over the world who have lost loved ones to the disaster in Japan. God Bless you all. Keep the hope.

Smile For Japan

2011-03-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a video made in Beijing showcasing people from all different countries showing their support for Japan during this difficult time.

Keep smiling Japan!

South Korean Vacation

2011-03-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Currently on vacation in South Korea for 11 days right now. With everything going on in Japan right now it feels a little strange being here, but I'll be enjoying myself as much as possible for now. Check out my journeys in Seoul and Busan at a later date here on this blog.

안녕히 가세요!

A Night In A Capsule

2011-03-14T07:54:00.000-07:00

When you are planning on places to sleep in most big cities in Japan you have a few choices. There's hotels, hostels, guest houses, and the wonder accommodation known as the Capsule Hotel. The magic of these places lie in the name being pretty much exactly what they are. You sleep in a capsule which are very small but at least long enough to hold my 192cm body in stacked on top of each other like bunk beds of the future.


A hall full of sleeping rooms.

Now with some Capsule hotels you will even get breakfast or be able to use a sauna room amongst other things but it wont be like a night in a hotel and you've probably only decided to stay in one based on 1 of 3 reasons.
1. Its cheap. (And by cheap I'm talking by Japan standards.)
2. You're a middle aged salary man who went out drinking after work and missed your last train. (Probably the most common customer here.)
3. You just wanna experience it. (This is reason I first slept in one a year ago with some friends on vacation. #1 is the reason I just recently slept in one.)

Some Capsule Hotels are only for men and some like the one you see here also have 2 or 3 floors dedicated to women though it seems men frequent this kind of place much more often. The prices vary depending on the options you want but this one here at it's basic price is 2500yen which is pretty much about $25. This will get you the capsule which includes a TV and radio and also use of the bathroom including shower.

The Capsule

As you can see it is indeed small but while you wont be able to sleep your whole family in a single capsule it has plenty of space for it's primary function which is sleeping. There is a pull down curtain that helps you maintain some privacy. As you can see there is a pillow and blankets provided as well.


Looking in from the outside.


Looking out from the inside.

In this particular one you will also find a TV, a light, and a radio.


They even manage to get a TV in there.

Radio/TV/Light controls

The downside to a Capsule Hotel besides the size is the chance that you may not have hot water to shower with when you really want it. Also you aren't gonna muffle out a lot of sounds while in your capsule so if the sound of old men snoring or the chatter of TV bother you, you may wanna bring some ear plugs.

If you happen to be traveling in Osaka I'd like to recommend this Capsule Hotel. It is quite near to the exit at Namba station which is a good area for visiting a lot of popular spots in Osaka including Den Den Town and Doutonbori and more. The staff are kind and the price is good. You won't find a lot of plugs to charge your electronic gear though.

Big Earthquake In Japan

2011-03-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've heard the news about the huge earthquake that hit Japan recently and the following tsunamis. While my city is quite far from all the destruction I ask you to pray for the areas of Japan that are affected as well as the other countries who are getting tsunami warnings as a result. It's been quite sad watching the news reports.

Breaking News!!

2011-03-03T16:38:00.000-08:00

My job interview that I failed to mention here that I had last Sunday apparently went as well as it felt. I got a new job and will be moving to the City of Gifu by the end of March. More posts concerning the move, my thoughts on the end of another life chapter and my vacation in between jobs in which I will probably be going to Korea will be coming over the next few weeks.

God is very good!

Snack Attack (Prt 3)

2011-02-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

Ritz Crackers w/custard filling

When I first saw these I thought it could turn out to be really bad, but after trying them I can't imagine how it could not be awesome. Its the good ole fashion taste of Ritz crackers with a custard like substance in the middle instead of a cheese or peanut butter like substance. I don't know if they sell this in the States, but I've never seen it before and I fell all the more pity because of that.

*****/*****

Short Cake Strawberry Cookies

They look like these but have strawberry filling and are not nearly as good. Despite having a strawberry filling the taste is rather bland.

**1/2/*****

New York Cheese Cake Ice Cream Bar

I love Cheese cake. Lets get that out of the way. This ice cream bar does a pretty good job at faking that cheesecake flavor and it does it at about 85 on the strong flavor scale. It's REALLY cheese cakey flavored, so much that I can imagine getting sick of it quickly if eaten too often but so far I'm still a big fan. The outside has a cheese cake/vanilla flavored candy coat. The inside? Flavor explosion.

*****/*****

End of a school year

2011-02-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

Today was my last day of school. Rather uneventful but I am looking forward to the time off. I'll miss the students. They kept me company in an otherwise rather lonely job. Cheers to the future.

Monkichi!

2011-02-21T01:18:00.000-08:00

This past week my Jr.High School 2nd year students practiced body parts as well as listening skills with a drawing activity. After getting into groups each student was given the same template which was in the basic shape of a body. The students mission was to listen as I described the monkey character called "Monkichi" and to draw the monkey according to my description.

The descriptions were as followed.

1. He has two eyes. His right eye is bigger than his left eye.
2. He has a very small nose.
3. He has a big mouth.
4. He has cool eyebrows. They are thick like ajitsuke-nori (Seaweed)
5. He has a big pocket on his stomach.
6. He has very short legs.
7. His right ear is smaller than his left ear.
8. His right hand is higher than his left hand.
9. He has a very long tail. His tail is longer than a jump rope.

As you can see many students took some liberties with Monkichi's overall design. I also think its funny that for description #9 some students could only comprehend the word jump rope and thus gave him one.

It's about to get real naked up in here.

2011-02-20T22:06:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday I attended the Okayama originated "Hadaka Matsuri" or "Naked Festival". Specifically naked men and about %95 naked. The festival is held in Saidaiji in the Okayama prefecture not far from Saidaiji station. During this festival hundreds of men dressed in nothing but some cloth, covering their manly regions all come together to compete in a competition that involves trying to get hold of a wooden rod. In the olden days the rod was paper talismans that were believed to grant good luck. The men must chase and struggle with each other to obtain these special rods which these days also brings money to the people in possession of it.

I was asked by some co-workers to join in but even never seen it before I imagined it's not something I would really enjoy taking part in and after watching I'm happy I made that decision. On the other hand it is something that is quite enjoyable to watch. Being held in late February at 10pm at night also makes it quite a cold event for the participants though occasionally hot water is thrown upon the contestants. Before the actual competition there is also a small firework show and a lot of manly chanting. All in good partially naked fun.

Some young ladies preparing for a pre event performance

Let the nakedness begin!

During the start all the men run around chanting with arms linked

You guys must be cold

There is also a children's competition for young boys earlier.

Here with my festival companion Wei

Testing time

2011-02-14T20:45:00.000-08:00

As a Christian I've become no stranger to times in which my faith is tested. Now is one of those times. In almost an exact month from now my contract with my currently job will be over. Not only does this mean I will be without a job but since the company is tied to my apartment, it also means I will be out of a home. You can see where I might have concern yet this all feels like deja-vu for me. If you look back in my archives you can read about a time when I was first planning to come to Japan and looking for a job and my worries then and how it all worked out.

If you go back about a year you can read about how I was trying to find a better job and how I was blessed with my current city and job. Those examples are just two of many times in which God has wanted me to trust in him. As I've experienced his blessings each time I've begin to worry a lot less about my future circumstances, and at this point I feel quite confident that a new job will show itself if I just wait a little. God is always on time despite how rushed I may think I am to complete something. I'm gonna miss this current chapter in my life but I trust God has something even better in store for me in the next one, and when that blessing comes I will be sure to post it for all to see. So instead of worrying about what will happen to me in a month I will instead look back at God's goodness and simply say "Here we go again."

V-DAY

2011-02-13T06:17:00.000-08:00

It is officially that time again. Here in Japan Valentines Day is as commercial as it is in the U.S. It's still all about stuff animals, chocolate, and hearts. It's about expressing your feelings to the person you like/love. It's about taking everything cute and making it about %50 more cuter. The big difference here in Japan is that Valentines Day is a time for the female to show her affection to the male by presenting him with gifts. One of the most popular gifts to give is chocolates and this comes in three categories.

1. Giri Chocolate (obligatory chocolate) These chocolates are given by females to male superiors at work as well as her other male co-workers. Its obligatory so there isn't any hidden meaning behind it besides the fact that she is a female and the receiver is a male.

2.Honmei Chocolate (serious chocolate) This is the chocolate a female gives to a male that she is interested in. Usually his acceptance of it means he also has feelings for her. From there the rest is history. This is probably considered the most important of chocolates as there is a deep meaning behind the distributing of it. It is the most expensive.

3.Tomo Chocolate (friend chocolate) This chocolate is given to the females other female friends. The price range for this type of chocolate is usually medium.

If the female is really in the mood she may even make the chocolate herself. I have a few Jr.High students who told me they are making chocolates and other sweets to offer to the boy they like. I know you may be thinking "What about the girls? What do they get?" We'll in 1980 the holiday known as "White Day" was created. On White Day the males are given a chance to reciprocate their feelings by giving back to the women who gave to them. White Day is exactly one month after Valentines Day on March 14th. If you are feeling like one group has still been left out I'd suggest going to Korea where they actually have a Black Day. On this day singles get together and eat a special noodle. Now that's a holiday I can get behind.

I personally haven't had a lot of experience celebrating Valentines Day unfortunately. I can only remember one time in which I gave something to someone I had real feelings for and also received something from someone who had feelings for me. Not long after that she became my girlfriend and not long after that she became my ex-girlfriend. Such is life. Anyway I''m not expecting much to happen this Valentines Day but I wish everyone who has a special someone a great day with each other. Cherish your love one. In closing I leave you with a picture I made a few years back that pretty much describes my Valentines Day experience and lack of.

OKONOMIYAKI

2011-02-09T20:31:00.000-08:00

Gather around boys and girls it's time I explain the meaning of my blogs name Okonomiyaki: Life in Japan.
If you've read the short explanation at the top of the page you can see that I mentioned Okonomiyaki as possibly being my favorite of Japanese foods. I then told you to Google it which I am almost certain you didn't so now I will explain the awesomeness that is Okonomiyaki.

Okonomiyaki also occasionally called "Japanese pizza" is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba). (stolen directly from Wikipedia)
It is usually associated and most famous in the Hiroshima and Kansai areas of Japan but you can find it throughout the country and other areas may even have their own take on it. In general after entering an Okonomiyaki restaurant you're gonna wanna decide if you want Hiroshima style or Kansai style. The big difference between these two is that Hiroshima style has Yakisoba (fried noodles) inside of it. Personally I prefer the Hiroshima style. That being said the Hiroshima style is also harder to cook if you are thinking about doing it yourself which is common. You can buy Okonomiyaki kits in the stores that include most of the ingredients needed. On top of Okonomiyaki is usually a sweet sauce often used for both Okonomiyaki and its close of kin Takoyaki, mayonnaise, and fish flakes.


Here's a Kansai style loaded with toppings.


This Hiroshima style is known for its fried noodles inside.

A big part of Okonomiyaki is egg and thus the taste of egg is one of the most prevalent. The sauce is also quite important and tasty. As well as making it at home or having it cooked for you in a restaurant you can also go to a restaurant and have the ingredients prepared for you and then you cook and eat it on a large table with a built in stove. While there is a little bit of an art to cooking it including flipping it I find doing it yourself is the most enjoyable way especially if you are with friends.

Enjoying with friends in Yokohama.

Watching Hiroshima style being prepared in Hiroshima.


Hiroshima style cooking.

So there you have it. If you are interesting in making it yourselves you can find many videos on YouTube showing you easy methods for doing so. Whether you do it yourself or go to a shop I highly suggest giving it a chance while in Japan. I tried it for the first time in summer of 2009 and never looked back.

Okonomiyaki inspires nations to rise above oppression or at least inspired a title for my blog.

P.S. ~

2011-02-08T17:03:00.000-08:00

About 3 months ago I was inspired to write a post (Dear~) describing the major complaints I had with four different countries as if they were letters to each respective country. My complaints were both harsh and in my opinion true but they aren't the only things I think about those countries. There are many good things about each country that I enjoy or admire and now I present my P.S. to America,South Korea,China,Japan, and I'll try my best with North Korea. Just as the previous post all of my comments are only my opinions and come from my experiences.

P.S. America
Regardless of any internal conflicts I have with you, you helped raise me. You offer a myriad of opportunities for those willing to fight hard enough to obtain them. You have a lot of kind and tolerant people. You have people from so many different backgrounds and cultures making you unique and you've built some great cities.

P.S. South Korea
Your people have been pretty friendly to me and are the reason I began to take great interest in you. You are a strong nation that survived a huge split in your country years ago. Although many other countries have tried to cause harm to you, you have tended to not be as brutal in your past. Your families feel very loving of each other.

P.S. China
Your people are some of the friendliest and most enjoyable to be around. Though I live in Japan, your people have been my closest friends. You produce so many things that I use day to day. Your history is some of the most interesting. Though difficult your language is one of the most interesting to me.

P.S. Japan
Your country can be quite comfortable to live in and is quite safe. Your people are warm once you get to know them. Your culture is fascinating and your country is responsible for some of the best things. You have a level of respect and service that is unmatched.

P.S. North Korea
I know nothing about you outside of what your destructive leader lets the world see, but I am sure you have many people who are friendly, generous and just looking for a way out.

God bless you all!

Changes in the wind

2011-02-04T00:50:00.000-08:00

I have about a month left of school and then my current contract is over. Hopefully I will be blessed and able to sign for another year, but even if that happens I will have to move from my current city of Okayama to somewhere new. It will be bittersweet saying goodbye and I hate saying it but I've done it so many times in my life now it's become expected. I'll update when I find out if I'll still be working and where. If it all pans out I should be moving by end of March. Its coming too soon. I'll save my goodbyes for another post when I have more solid information. Until then I'll try to enjoy my current situation as much as possible.

Snack Attack (Prt 2)

2011-01-30T18:41:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago when I was living in Tokyo looking for a job I started article on this blog called Snack Attack. I'm not sure why I stopped at one but I've decided to bring it back on going. There are a lot of interesting treats to be tried in Japan so I hope I can help you decide which to buy in bulk and which to rid of your consciousness.

Milk Shake
As the name implies this is essentially an attempt at putting the taste of a vanilla milk shake (or banana, I'm not even sure) into a bottle thus turning it into a drink. While it is decent and taste pretty much like you'd expect a strictly liquid version of a milk shake to taste it doesn't beat having the real thing and not something I necessarily have to drink again.

**1/2 out of *****

Fujiya Milky Cookies
Let me get it out the way quickly but saying these things are awesome. Its a soft cookie with a kind of milky white chocolate center and they remind me of my family's cream cheese cookies which are to die for. As of now these Fujiya cookies are the best cookies I've had in Japan and you can find them cheap in the supermarket. I usually find them in the supermarket Marunaka. Eating these cookies along with a cup of Swiss Miss hot cocoa is truly heaven on earth.

***** our of *****

Japanese girl explains Titanic

2011-01-27T05:32:00.000-08:00

A Youtuber by the name of Japanarchist asks his friend to explain the movie Titanic.

I being one of the 15 people in the world who haven't seen the movie Titanic can appreciate this condensed version. Cute and 10 times better than any explanation I could give in Japanese.

I like to make music

2011-01-24T19:59:00.000-08:00

No confusion with a title like that.

Along with making films (Here,Here,Here) I also like to dabble in making songs from time to time. I've been rapping for a long time for fun and occasionally one of my songs actually gets recorded. Here are a few of them. At the time I went by the stage name of "Critically Acclaim".

I did this one on my brothers Mix tape he made for Germany. I'm the one rapping the verses but you can hear him on the chorus.

This was my first attempt at writing a rap in Japanese. I hope it makes some sense.

While I do a little rapping in this song most of it is actually me attempting to sing. Unlike the other ones which were done in studios, I did this one completely by myself in my room with "Garage band" for the MAC.

This final one is also with my brother and you can hear him on both the 1st and 3rd verses while I am in the 2nd.

If you wanna hear some more good music check out my brothers stuff. While I dabble in it he's really doing it. His name is Rockey.
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/rockeystl
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/rockeystlMy

Chocolate bar madness!

2011-01-17T06:01:00.000-08:00

Here is the original commercial for a chocolate bar in Japan called "Ipon Manzone"

The original itself already has that quirky Japanese style we've all come to know and love but apparently people have taken it upon themselves to make remix versions of this commercial and taken it to a whole different level of quirky and weird and it is absolutely glorious! Here are the ones I like the best.

This one introduced a steady cheerful tempo and overall makes the commercial look like a fun time. Its like something out of the opening of an Anime.

This one reminds me of something from the soundtrack of a video game. Something made by SquareEnix possibly. A calm yet gradually upbeat melody. The creator also uses a lot of effects to change and distort the commercial any different ways.

This last one is one of my favorites. The melody is very upbeat and the song playing in the back sounds like something from the video game Dance Dance Revolution. It may actually be but I am too lazy to research it. Anyway, this version definitely feels like a dance version and the part where he is quickly taking a bite out of the chocolate bar makes me laugh every time. It captures the wackiness of Japanese commercials perfectly.

The Cannabis Craze

2011-01-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

So I was sitting at my desk in the teachers room my first day back after vacation when I heard some fellow female teachers raving about another female teacher's blanket. (Many teachers use a small blanket for their legs in the winter.)I look over my shoulder to see what the fuss is about and one of the teachers is holding up a blanket with a huge cannabis leaf on it.

(Cannabis leaf)

And this isn't the first time I've witnessed something like this. Often you can see products in stores with this symbol and even Jr.High school kids walking around with clothing that has this symbol and my only question is, do the Japanese know what this leaf is? Ask anyone in America and as soon as they see that picture they will tell you its a Cannabis leaf also known as Marijuana which is technically a drug.

What is even stranger is that Marijuana is considered even more as a bad thing in Japan than say somewhere like America. In Japan Marijuana is classified the same as cocaine and punishment for using Marijuana is severe and yet so many people are walking around with huge Marijuana leaves on their clothes or accessories. I've heard some people say that the Japanese think that the leaf looks similar to the Japanese momoji leaf and that is why they like it or that they relate it to Reggae culture and that is why so many young people adorn it. I just wonder if anyone knows the actual meaning? Maybe in Japanese culture it doesn't have the same connotation but for me its strange.

(Momoji leaf)

This also awesome reminds me of all the Jr.High school girls who have the playboy bunny on their socks and bags. Do they know?

(Awkward)

Taiwan: My first journey away from home away from home

2011-01-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

I've recently returned from a 5 day vacation in Taiwan including Christmas. When deciding where to go for a fraction of my vacation I took a few things in account.

1.Somewhere that isn't too cold (which eliminated front runner S.Korea)
2.Somewhere where I have friends to visit (which eliminated a possible Bejing)

Taiwan was the perfect choice. Fair weather and a few friends who I haven't seen in awhile. It was also my first time going there. A lot of things stuck out at me about Taiwan in which now I will discuss.

Where do I begin? Coming from Japan Taiwan is a relatively quick flight. It was about 3 hours going there and only 2 coming back. During my visit I stayed in a hostel by the name of JV's Hostel. Good prices and fine accommodations I would recommend it to anyone taking a trip to Taipei. It's also in a really great location next to a night market and a walk from Taipei 1o1. Check them out

It being my first time in Taipei and me being famous for getting lost I decided to play it safe by taking a taxi from the airport to the hostel. Still to this day I don't quite have a grasp on the money and what is a lot so I thought 1300NTW (new Taiwan dollars) was a good deal but apparently it isn't and I learned when leaving that the bus is a much better option costing only 140$. If anything take a bus to the city (its about an hour away from the airport) and then catch a taxi from downtown to your hostel, and if you are staying in the mentioned above JV's then the taxi will run you less than 1$. (You live and you learn.)

Taipei
One think I noticed quickly about Taipei is that it is a city packed. Packed with buildings, packed with cars, packed with people. Just like most big cities but here it feels all a bit more chaotic. (Which is both good and bad.)

(It also seems to rain a lot in December)

Although Taiwan has its own government now it was once just another area of China and thus its roots are deep in Chinese culture and its appearance reflects that. In Taipei you have this big city that also feels a lot like a small Chinese village with all the local shops crammed together. This makes it feel a bit more cultural than say Tokyo which some even go as far to classify its image as separate from the rest of Japan. Even in a modern place like Taipei the culture can always be felt.

(Taipei 101, the 2nd tallest building in the world. Was once the first. Here it is on a bad day)

(And here again on a much better day)

(And to finish off the trilogy here is a night shot)

My second day there was on Christmas and boy does Taipei sure know how to dress up for Christmas.

(Its raining blue. Xinyi shopping district)

(Santa taking the Merilyn Monroe thing to a level of creepy)

(A winter wonderland without the snow)

(Human snow globe)

(Enjoying a faux sleigh ride with my friend Yuka. Brought to you by CitiBank)

Taiwan also has some interesting food to partake in. Amongst all the good ones there were two that I tried that invoke a want to vomit.Even still I am glad to have tried them. It makes me feel a tad bit more cultured.

The Bad

Zhu-Xie-Gao (Pig blood cake)

This consist of actual pigs blood steamed with rice and covered with peanut powder. The best part about this food is the peanut powder, the worst part is everything else. I almost threw up eating this.

Stinky Tofu

(The food on the bottom is stinky tofu. The top was an oyster sauce omelet)

There are some fermented foods I found good for example Kimchi, and then there are some that I am not a fan of such as Natto. Stinky Tofu falls into the category of foods I will spend the rest of my life trying to purge from my memory. It smells and taste stinky. Horribly stinky. Its also quite famous in Taiwan and many people enjoy it so I guess I'm just strange..

The Good

Dumplings

There is a restaurant called Din Tai Fung which is famous amongst travelers for its dumplings and they were indeed delicious. Inside each dumpling is a hot soup so just popping them in your mouth will get you burned. You should first poke a small whole and release the broth into your spoon and then drink it and eat the dumpling.

Fried Chicken

The first thing you will notice is that it is the size of my friggin head. Its also quite good and comes in regular and spicy flavors. There is a famous shop in the Shilin Night Market in which I picked up this baby.

Gua Bao(Steamed sandwich)

This traditional delight is made with a soft, fluffy white steamed bun stuffed with a succulent flavorful simmered pork and garnished with pickled vegetable, peanut powder, cilantro and savory sauce.

Tofu Pudding

Tofu, sweet potato balls and taro balls make for kind of dessert soup.

Chua Bin(Chipped Ice)

My absolute favorite. Super fine chipped ice with milk syrup and various toppings. As you can see I chose strawberries and bananas. Its quite a sweet treat. Japan has a similar dessert known as Kakigori but I must say the one I had in Taiwan was the best.

Besides food another thing Taiwan is known for is its Night Markets. Dozens upon dozens of small shops all concentrated in a small area. Within a Night Market you can find all sorts of interesting foods and snacks as well as good deals on clothing and other merchandise and if you are in the mood you can even try bargaining with the shop owner the even cheaper prices. Just looking unsure about an item can get them to lower the price. Generally a Night Market is open daily from 5pm-Midnight. You don't go to Taiwan without visiting a Night Market. It is Taiwanese culture.

(The most famous and largest of these markets is the Shilin Night Market.)

Famous spots of Taipei
Like any big city there are a plethora of places you should go to as a tourist. Ranging from temples and museums to shopping districts and memorials the city of Taipei has a lot to see.

(C.Y.K Memorial. ChiangKai-Shek. A monument to the first president of Taiwan)

(Outside of the CYK memorial)

(Inside of Longshan temple)

(Outside of Longshan temple)

Along with Taipei I was also able to visit a small famous village known as Jifuen and the seaside like area of Danshui and Bali.

Jifuen
Apparently Hayao Miyazaki of famed animated movies such as My Neighbor Totoro and Nausicca was inspired by this village and its easy to see why after one visit. Once a thriving mining town Jifuen is now a magical tourist spot which also includes Keelung Mt. Getting to Jifuen is rather easy. Take a Keelung company bus from Zhongxiao Fuxing station located on the blue line in Taipei. The bus stop is located at exit 1. The trip itself is just a little over an hour and well worth it.

(One of my favorite shots from Mt.Keelung)

(Mt.Keelung from afar. I would soon climb it)

(Jifuen from above)

(View from the top of Mt.Keelung)

(Magical isn't it?)

(Everyone wanted this shot)

Danshui/Bali
From Taipei main station you can hop on the red line and ride it all the to the end which is Danshui station. It takes about 45 minutes. Bali is a small island which can easily be accessed by ferry from Danshui. An inexpensive trip as well.
Danshi/Bali are pleasant places to go when the weather is nice. The water is wide and there are little beach areas as well. In Danshui you can also visit Fisherman's Wharf along with some temples and the Red Castle which has European history.

(Hanging out in Bali)

(Temple of the Master of the Chinswee Caves)

(Red Castle)

(The ferry ride to Bali)

(Bali docks)

(A strange sight to behold. 11 dogs in total relaxing out on the beach.)

( Danshui is known for its sunsets)

There are a number of things I learned and found interesting during my time in Taiwan.
1. There seems to be a lot of dogs. It felt like every shop keeper owned a dog a long with what appeared to be a lot of stray dogs. I've seen similar situations with cats but never with dogs. Fortuantely they all seem to be rather friendly.
2. There is a grittiness to many of the shops and restaraunts. Honestly many people in America would see this as dirty but I liked it and thought it gave the place personality and culture.
3. People assume you speak Chinese will talk to you extensively in Chinese. While I don't know Chinese I appreciated that they didnt attribute me being foreign with not having the ability to learn their language as happens often in Japan.
4. People will also effortlessly try and speak English to you to help you. Many seem to have some level of English and even if its not so good at least they try.
5. There are some aspects of Taiwainese behavoir that felt a bit too rude for example they didn't really seem to care too much that I was standing somewhere and I was always forced to move out of the rain even though I may had been standing somewhere first. They can also be quite blunt with their emotions. I think its a apart of the Chinese culture and so I try not to get to offended by it but for an outsider its something to be prepared for.
6. The metro is super clean and a lot of this is in part to a rule that you are not allowed to eat or

All in all it was a great trip. I got to see some good friends and visit some great places. The weather was much better than Okayama in December and things were cheaper. A blessed trip and I wouldn't be surprise if I make my way back to Taiwan again someday.
I leave you with a few more pics of interests and videos.

(There are a huge number of people riding scooters and motorbikes in Taipei and its not unormal to see a family on one of these things)

(10 minute massage, also known as the most painful 10 minutes of my life. These are apparently suppose to make you feel great but one time was enough for me to swear them off. It felt like the man had a grudge against me.)

(Rocking out with my friends in the Miramar Entertainment district)

(This was pretty cool. The green traffic light is an animated man walking. When the timer hits 10 secs the man begins to run and the red light is a little red man standing still upright)

(2011: Year Of The Rabbit)

Happy New Year! 2011

2010-12-31T20:22:00.000-08:00

And so another year comes to an end. A lot of good things happened to me in 2010 including a new better job, a new city and many new friends and for that I will be forever grateful to God and his use of 2010. Last new years I said that 2010 would be the year of no regrets and it was indeed that. I look back at nothing and wish it didn't happen. 2010 was also my first full year in Japan. But alas it is now 2011 and new blessings will be had. New trials lurk in the distance, and new adventures await. 2011 will be the year of action and one thing I look forward to is the chance to grow closer to the Lord from the beginning of the year. May I be a much more refined person by 2012.
So cheers to 2011, the year that 2010 could never be. Also the last New Years Eve before the idiots come out next year causing mayhem in fear of the end of the world =)

This New Years I went with some friends to Saijo Inari temple in Okayama. Although the countdown and immediate celebration following after left more to be desired the temple area was quite nice and there was a huge festival after which was nice to just stroll through with friends.

Enjoy these pics until I can stop being lazy long enough to post one of my biggest adventures in 2010, my trip to Taiwan.

Happy New Year everyone!

Tis the season to be crispy

2010-12-23T06:12:00.000-08:00

The holidays are upon us and Christmas is near which in Japan means it's time to go to town on some fried chicken. I'm not sure why this is (their image of an western Christmas meal?) but fried chicken is a pretty big deal during the Christmas season with food chains such as McDonalds and KFC releasing special set meals to commemorate the birth of Jesus.

Here Mcdonalds is offering up a variety of chicken including the always festive Mcnugget.

KFC being the go to spot for fried chicken does it even bigger.

And of course the already uncanny resemblance Colonel Sanders has to Santa Clause makes for an obvious role play. It sure is finger licking good.

While I realize in Japan Christmas and fried chicken go together like Sushi and chopsticks, coming from my background there isn't anything more sad than eating one of these meals on Christmas day...except maybe eating cup noodle.

Christmas Cards

2010-12-22T00:50:00.000-08:00

My 6th grade elementary students made Christmas cards while listening to such Christmas classics as "Someday at Christmas" by the Jackson 5. Here are a few of their creations.

Top Six (12-16-2010--12-13-2010)

2010-12-14T17:19:00.000-08:00

(Now that's a hotel decoration.)

(Christmas tree near Okayama st)

(Japan likes their Christmas lights.) )

(Welcome to Momotaro Fantasy Land.)

(A change in color.)

(Doing it up Christmas style at church.)

Winter Vacation 2010: I've chosen a country. Ni hao ma!

2010-12-11T06:36:00.000-08:00

(Taipei 101, Taipei Taiwan)

I've bought tickets to spend 5 days including Christmas in Taiwan. This will be my first time in Taiwan and I am pretty excited to go there and see what it has to offer as well as visit some old friends there who I haven't seen in a bit. I am also happy that Taiwan is a tropical country and will therefore not be freezing cold near the end of December. I will definatley post my experience and pictures later. If anyone has any recommendations in Taiwan and Taipei in specific please feel free to share them with me.

It will be a little sad being away from the US on Christmas this year but hopefully seeing some familiar faces in Taiwan should help ease that. As for the rest of my winter vacation, it has yet to be decided. Excuse me while I brush up on my almost nonexistant Chinese speaking abilities.

12-11-10.....987654321 (One Year Anniversary!)

2010-12-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

Here are a few big events in history that happened on December 11th.

Germany
1941 World War II War Declared ON America

December 11th, 1941 : Hitler and Mussolini announce they are at war with America who retaliates with its own declaration of war .

1950 Korea US Troops

December 11th, 1950 : Exhausted and frozen U.S. troops with shot up vehicles landed on the Hamhung shore in North Korea. The 20,000 American soldiers were engaged in a fifty mile long battle with Chinese communists.

Rhodesia / Zimbabwe
1979 Rhodesia Britain Gets Back Control

December 11th, 1979 : The Rhodesian Parliament hands power back to Britain until democratic elections can take place. The country will be renamed Zimbabwe after the elections.

And of course

Canada
1913 Canada To Much Cheese

December 11th, 1913 : In Moose Jaw W.S. Fiddler, who was moving some theatre equipment, died as a result of his excessive overindulgence in cheese. He fell down dead in from of the Majestic Theatre at the age of 50. Doctors claimed that acute indigestion from eating excessive amounts of cheese led to heart failure.

Well now you may add one more to your list of importance to forgettable.

Japan
2010 1 Year Anniversary

Christian Washington celebrates his 1 year anniversary of being in Japan. The rest of the world calls it Saturday.

That's right it has now officially been 1 year since I arrived sleepy and optimistic in Japan. 1 year later I'm still sleepy and still optimistic. Within this year I've met many new friends, worked with two different companies and hopefully improved my Japanese. It hasn't always been easy or fun, but it has always been blessed. I've gotten to travel around many places in Japan and experience a culture deeper than anytime before. I even got a chance to visit friends in Korea. I look forward to the next year and pray that God will keep me in his graces while guiding my steps. Cheers to another year!!

Lets take a look back shall we. Lets look at a year worth of pictures as I attempt to condense it into about a decent weeks worth. I present you my memories and what I will remember the most, the people.
Its best if you listen to "Through The Years" By: Kenny Rogers while viewing these photos.
Here you go <-----

Top Six (11-22-2010--11-28-2010)

2010-11-29T16:15:00.000-08:00

While I did enjoy the weekend, I just didn't have any reason to take many photos last week so this weeks Top Six will be extremely random.

(Its Super Mario Bros as it was always meant to be played...BIG!)

(A study session at a restaurant. If you can't tell, I'm a fan of the cocoa)

(She's visiting from Korea going to churches and performing mini concerts. Great voice. Wow, I am tall.)

(This Hello Kitty at my school looks a heck of a lot warmer than me at school.)

(Some of my beautiful art drawn on my friend during a study session. I defaced both of her arms.)

(As the native English teacher of this Jr.High I should probably mention something about this English right?)

Dear~

2010-11-28T19:52:00.000-08:00

"Dear China, could you please friggin attempt to calm the trigger happy North Korean allies of yours. With great power comes great responsibility so stop sitting around and help as much as possible with peace efforts."
Sincerely,
Everyone's Ally Christian

This comment posted as my facebook status seems to have started a bit of a debate not surprisingly from Chinese. In all truth it wasn't meant to be an angry attack. I was just letting out some frustration with the recent situation regarding N.Korea and S.Korea, and its a statement I stand by. Regardless, people tend to get defensive about their countries. I personally am not a fan of a "country" meaning the people in charge and how its ran. What I do love is people, and it doesn't matter what country they may come from. With that said I'd like to clear the air for anyone who may think that I am against their country, cause the truth is I'm against them all perhaps my own more than others.

Here are four short letters I would write to four different countries discussing my problems with them. (Not that my opinion matters.) You will notice that almost all the countries are in Asia. This isn't because I have something against Asia. In fact its the exact opposite. Most of my interest lies in Asia and given that I live in Japan, study Korean, and my closest friends here are Chinese, I just happen to know more about these countries. With the exception of the last one I have a lot of love for the people of these countries which is why their flaws frusterate me more. I'm sure there are plenty European,African ect countries that I'd have some hangups with as well.

*WARNING* You may be offended but most likely only because the truth is hard to swallow.

Dear America
Your past is filled with stories of stealing what belonged to other people. You stole land, you stole my identity and you stole lives. You call yourselves United but a thick cloud of racism says otherwise. Also, you need to stop trying to be the superhero of the world and work on fixing things in your corrupted country as well as quit starting wars for resources. If you wanted oil you should have robbed the Middle East of its land instead of the Native Americans.

Dear South Korea
Stop being so close minded and racist. You are ignorant of other cultures so you just continue to reject everything about them except the entertainment. Your parents are so biased and unfair against their kids being in interracial relationships that you would actually rather disowned your own kid. Is that real love? Also, you are stressing your kids out with too much school. Your plastic surgery is out of control.

Dear China
Learn how to take responsibility for things and stop being so extreme. You accidentally smash into a Japanese ship and then deny it and on top of that stage all sorts of violent protest against the Japanese when it turns out it was your fault. Admit your wrongs and give your people a little more leeway.You willingly allied up with a country that I am sure even you agree is crazy. Also, stop making crappy products that poison people. Its just bad business.

Dear Japan
You spent your past lives taking over other people's lands and causing so much animosity between yourselves and them. You've been quieted by an atomic bomb but it feels like you would still destroy another country if you had the power to. You put too much focus on work and not on family and thus your suicide rate is insane. Also you are outrageously perverted and now its turned your guys into sex freaks who sexual harass women daily on trains and women who think a huge breasted Jr.High school student cartoon character being stared down by older guys is cute.

Dear North Korea
Truth is I only added you because you are the reason this post even exist. I don't think much needs to be said.I only noticed because you made a lot of commotion recently. The only reason anyone ever notices you. You are horrible to your people and bullies. I've never been one to agree with an assasination but for you I'd make an exception. My heart goes out to your people.

P.S. May God Bless you all!

Top Six (11-15-2010--11-22-2010)

2010-11-23T22:56:00.000-08:00

I've decided to attempt posting 6 of my favorite photos a week taken within that week every week. With each photo I will supply a small caption in which I will describe the photo or just try shamefully to be witty. Lets get this new tradition started shall we?! Now these are my favorite of the week so you may or may not have already seen some of them in another post. Just pretend as if they are all brand new to you and after reading I'd appreciate a round of applause. Also an applause now would be nice too....louder please.

(A small bridge in Sankoku,Yamaguchi prefecture. The entire place was pretty awesome but this bridge caught my interest cause it looks absolutely Ghibli.)

(My first time eating "Tsukemen" which is apparently famous in Hiroshima. We drove 2 hours to Hiroshima just to eat this.)

(I always say "Two Pikachu's are better than one"..no really,I always say that.)

(Awesome outdoor dining area. I've decided to conceal it with my friends and I faces.)

(I've coined this "The Great Golden Street". It is really quite pretty in the fall.)

(I am almost certain that my friend DuanWei here just bowled a gutter but she looks so cool returning back to her seat.)

If for some reason I don't naturally take 6 photos within a week I won't hesitate to take a photo of my toilette.

2010 Top Japanese words/phrases

2010-11-16T20:59:00.000-08:00

Searching the web I found someones blog (Pink Tentacle) in which they posted a blog titled"60 popular Japanese words/phrases of 2010"

It's a good read and quite informative though I'd be afraid of not knowing which words I can use after this year is finished. I'm not sure how quickly Japanese slang fads come and go. Regardless you are sure to find more than a dozen that would seem logically like they will be used long after 2010. There's also a fair amount of words that aren't even Japanese phrases or words...Ipad anyone?

Follow the link
http://pinktentacle.com/2010/11/top-60-popular-japanese-wordsphrases-of-2010/

I think the real question is how can I join one of those all women groups pictured above?

Cause & Effect

2010-11-15T16:20:00.000-08:00

Here is the last of my completed short films from my time in film school. It was the final one shot and completed (There is a 4th one shot but not completed.More on that another time). It was for a 16mm black and white film class. My idea for the film was to show how one minor action could escalate into a life changing moment by a series of related events through four people who have never met. It came out pretty much as planned with the exception of one scene that didn't expose correctly and had to be cut. Because of that scene and the nature of the movie you need to play close attention and perhaps watch a few times before you can piece it completely together. It's my Inception, hahaha.

"Every action has a consequence."

The actions of four complete strangers unknowingly alter lives forever.

Written/Edited/Directed By: Christian Washington

Starring
Patrick Johnson
Dennis Willis
Marietta Johnson
Stephanie Palacios

Critically Acclaim Films

Genre: Drama
Running time 6:05

Lost and Found..then lost and found again, then lost one more time and found one more time, then lost for longer but still found.

2010-11-09T20:05:00.000-08:00

First, I couldn't think of an appropriate entertaining picture for this post so I just posted a random pic of something that made me laugh earlier today.

Now on to the topic at hand.

For whatever reason I seem to have a problem with keeping hold of two of my most important items, my wallet and cell phone which is the bad news. The good news is that I live in Japan which apparently means I'll get it back soon. Lets take a look at each situation shall we?

1. City: Tokushima
Item: Cell phone
This was the first time I lost my phone. It was right after buying more minutes for it (its prepaid) and I was preparing to meet a friend at a party. At some point while riding my bike to the party it fell out of my pocket. I ended up late to the party searching for it and never found it that night. In Japan there are a lot of randomly placed (random from my view) police boxes where you can go to talk to a police man for a variety of problems including lost objects. (Which in Japan is probably the most often problem they hear about given crime is pretty dang low.)
At the police box they give you some papers to fill out and ask you somethings about the item in questioned. After they take some contact information from you and if someone turns it into any of the other police boxes in the city they will know and contact you to come get it. We'll someone found my phone and turned it in and it all took about 3 days.

2. City:Okayama
Item: Wallet

While hanging in the park with my friend my wallet somehow got away from me. After realizing this an hour or so late I went back to the park to find it was not there. Losing my cell phone is a problem, but losing my wallet is a nightmare. I happen to have a lot of ID cards that I need to be in Japan as well as about $300 in yen. Once again I went to the police station and filed a report. The next day my wallet was turned in with EVERYTHING still inside.

3. City:Okayama
Item: Wallet

Yes it was the wallet again. It happen to fall out of my pocket while I was riding to work. (Its a little big and doesn't fit so snug in my pocket. I need to look into another one perhaps, but it has sentimental value.) I realized it was missing about an hour later and went to the police station to file yet another report. Turns out it had already been turned in and to that very police station so I was able to easily just pick it up.

4. City: Okayama
Item: Cell Phone

Obviously jealous of the wallet it was time for my cell phone to make another disaperance. This time I set it down while trying clothes on at a store and just left it there. After leaving the store I didn't realize it was gone until a good 3 hours later. I went back to the store but it wasn't there so I filed a report. This time it took a bit longer than usualy. It was about 4-5 days before I was contacted that it had been returned. Someone indeed found it in the clothing shop and turned it in.

Now if I had lost any of these items (especially a wallet with $300 in it) in America I wouldn't even consider that I could get it back. The moment I lost it I would get a good cry out and move on with my life, but here in Japan there is a good change someone kind person will actually pick it up and take the time to take it to the police so that it can be returned to you. For me it has happened four times. I can't guarantee this will always happen and perhaps a bigger city like Tokyo or Osaka wouldn't have the same results but from what I have experienced and heard from others if you are gonna lose something, Japan is the best place to do it. God Bless Japan, and thank God for his mercy.

Whether it gets returned or not I think I'll try to be a little more careful in the future. =)

Angela's Awakening

2010-11-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

The last film I posted was my second ever during my time in Film school. It was for a digital film class and thus purposely shot on digital. This film is my first ever during University life. It was actually suppose to be for a 8mm film class shot using film but the cameras were a bit tricky for me and I thought I would also film the movie at the same time using a digital camera in case the film version didn't come out well. Turns out this was a pretty good idea because the film version didn't expose correctly and if it was not for the digital version I would have no version.

Hope you enjoy and are able to discover its true meaning.

"When she lost hope, hope found her"

A young woman tries to escape her life through suicide but finds hope through two heavenly companions.
Written/Edited/Directed By: Christian Washington
Starring
Marietta Johnson
Yuko Nakatsu
Keri Tamanaha

Critically Acclaim Films

Genre: Drama
Running time 4:39

After The Scare: A Look At The Life Of A Retired Boogeyman

2010-11-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I was living in San Francisco studying film at an art University. It was a great time and though I have veered into a different path for the moment film will always be my first love.

There were four short movies that I wrote and directed my self while at school. Three of them were finished and the last and possibly the best is still in post-production limbo.

Here is the second one created.

"Scaring children was easy, living life is scary"

Mockumentary following the life of a Boogeyman after he is no longer allowed to haunt children for a living.

Written/Edited/Directed By: Christian Washington
Starring
Yuko Nakatsu
Keri Tamanaha
Kelly Seleska
Sarah Smith
Melissa Gallien
Emily Doran
Brandon Moten
Tahj Malone
Christian Washington

Critically Acclaim Films

Genre: Comedy
Running time 7:02

English Teachers=Jerks %65 of the time?

2010-10-26T22:52:00.000-07:00

There are some people who would say that I am a "hater" for what I am about to talk about. There are others who would pay little to no attention to this post.
Then there are those who would call me a hero. This post is for all three of them, with an emphasis on the last group.

Everything I am about to say is strictly from my experience and while that may make it an opinion, it doesn't change the fact that this is my honest true experiences. I've come to realize that most male English Teachers teaching in Japan (and I don't see why any other Asian country would be different) are basically jerks. The truth is a painful pill to swallow. It seems male foreigners biggest reason to live in another country is so that they can date as many girls as they want, and teaching English was their key to doing this. I imagine most English teachers make a check list of things they want to accomplish while abroad and it looks something like this.

Things to do while in Japan/China/Korea/Taiwan/ect
1. Get super drunk every weekend
2. Get with as many girls as possible

I have met many guys who have more than one girlfriend or while in a relationship still flirting and getting close with other girls. The worst of it is, there seems to be a fair amount of guys who are married to Japanese women and they still go out on the weekends trying to flirt with girls to get into some kind of sexual situation. What really sucks about this is that the women seem to have no clue. They are too hung up on the idea of love or too enthralled with the fact that they have a foreign boyfriend who says all the right things. We'll of course they say all the right things, and to be honest the women make it pretty easy to say all the right things. I also have too many female Japanese friends who have been cheated on by their foreign boyfriends, but while I am placing blame on the guys I must say that if you know the guy is a cheater and you still insist you love him, then I can't do anything for you but listen to your complaints.

Personally I am pretty good at looking at a westerner and knowing if they are good guys are not. I understand being an Asian women that it may be quite hard for you to know if he's a genuine guy or not. Its hard for me sometimes to know if an Asian woman is a sweet respectable person or for lack of a better word a whore, but these woman need to be more careful when choosing their mates.

For all you jerk guys out there (you know who you are) please stop ruining the image of all of us foreign guys/teachers. Some of us wouldn't mind finding a girl to actually start a meaningful relationship and possibly getting married while staying faithful to that one women. Why do you guys insist on being jerks? You wouldn't get away with half of that crap in your own country. Show these women some respect, they have a weakness for falling love and you are taking advantage of it. So call me a hater or accuse me of ruining everything you worked for, but its time people know the truth.

Many foreign male (particularly native English speakers)English teachers are jerks. Women do your research on a guy before you give your heart to him. Him being foreign doesn't make him awesome, and just because he knows how to make up some sweet things to say to you doesn't mean you should marry him.

God bless and good luck.

Creepy factor at %85. DANGER! DANGER!

2010-10-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

I usually don't attend Japanese class on Wednesday nights anymore because I started going to Korean class during that time but yesterday's Korean class was on a holiday and plans to meet and study with a friend fell through. Given I was already in the area due to inquiring on airplane prices to Seoul and Taipei for a trip I'd like to take this weekend at the nearby travel agency I decided to attend my old Japanese class. After class I saw a girl from China that I had met once before and her friend from China who I was meeting for the first time. While I was talking to one of them the other was talking to a guy from Dubai who she had just met.

He was new to Okayama (6 months which is actually longer than I've been here) and apparently didn't know where one of the cities biggest claims to fame was. Korakuen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Draku-en
The park was closed due to it being late but apparently he wanted someone to show him where it was located so he could go later. Apparently he asked one of the girls if she could show him where it was so she asked if we all could go. Frankly I didn't wanna stay out late and had to catch a train to go home, but I figured it would be a good time to get to know the girls better and possibly become friends since they seem like cool people. I also began to sense slightly that there was another reason why she wanted us all to go so I gave in and decided to join. The guy had a car so we all got in and began our short little trip.

The first thing I noticed about him is that he seemed to like to join in the conversations a lot while driving which for him meant frequently looking at the people sitting in the back and kind of driving a bit reckless. I've seen worse so it didn't really bother me but the girls seem to be really stressed out by his driving. They would constantly stop a conversation short and tell him "never mind" in hopes he would just focus on driving. The park isn't all that far or difficult to get to so we arrived soon. He pulled in along side the parking lot which was dimly lit due to the park being closed and stopped the car. One of the girls immediately asked if we were gonna return back now and he asked her to wait and wanted to smoke a cigarette and get a drink from the vending machine. At this point I wasn't so much scared as I was just a little creep ed out and I could see that both of the girls were scared. I wanted to comfort them with words but didn't want to seem like I thought he was creepy as well in front of him. He asked if we all wanted drinks and we declined and then to my surprise on of the girls just came out and said that she wanted to know why they weren't able to return now. In my opinion a Japanese girl and possibly a Korean would have kept a little more silent in showing how scared they were as to "appear" more polite. The Chinese on the other hand I have always felt are a bit more like Americans (which can be both good and bad) in that they usually will just straight up tell you what they think or feel. It can be refreshing at times. I was actually proud of her that she said what she said. So the guy was just telling them not to worry and not to think any weird things about the situation which I can understand his wanting to calm them but it really just made it more creepy. I personally wasn't really afraid as physically I was sure I could take him so he would need a gun or something which isn't the easiest to get a hold of in Japan, but nonetheless I was ready to go back too yet at the same time trying to spare his feelings.

So the girl's words got to him and he agreed to return us back to where we began. After getting back we said goodbye to him and the girls walked with me back to the station. Turns out they were indeed scared of him and the situation and had even called friends to let them know where they were at.There were a lot of talk in Chinese during the situation that I am sure were calls letting people know where they were in case they came up missing or something.So I gave them a little advice in handling those situations and we parted for the night. It was creepy indeed but I never personally felt like any real danger and I made two friends out of the situation that I will probably hang out with during my time here so thank you creepy guy, but if you wanna make friends here you might wanna turn down the creepy factor.

I don't know anything for sure but if I was to guess I would say he knew where the park was to begin with (6 months living here, I just feel you would at least know general area as its in the populated area downtown.) and was pretending to not know so he could get the girl to take him just the two of them and spend sometime with her. (She IS pretty) I'm not saying he wanted to do anything strange with her but probably was interested in her and wasn't expecting her to invite the rest of us.

Zombie Squad Go!

2010-10-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh! What a great way to start my morning and cheer me up!
This is a Japanese program. On the show they have set up an elaborate event to fool these 3 kids into thinking they are really being attacked by zombies. It feels incredibly cruel at first due to the fact the kids are terrified but after the initial scare and the kids. It's cruel yes but I can't get over how funny it becomes. The
Japanese are known for going all out/possibly too far with a prank. Enjoy!

Woes of a native English speaker

2010-10-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of benefits to being born an English speaker. First of all its a fact that English is a very widely used language all around the world. You can go pretty much to any country and find someone you can communicate with. This is quite conveniently when traveling to places in which I have no grasp of the language.

Secondly because its such a widely used language it has become an important one and thus people from all over the world want to learn it. The best thing about this is and especially in Asia a native English speaker can go to a large variety of countries and find work as an English teacher like I did in Japan. This is a great way to live in various countries while making money. I can even see my self in at least 2 other countries teaching in my life time.

So then you may wonder how could being a Native English speaker possible be hindering in any way? I'm glad I asked for you.

The only real problem comes to those of us who are really interested in learning another language ourselves. For a lot of people like myself a big reason for going to another country is because we want to be immersed in the culture and language so that we may be able to more efficiently learn that countries language. In my case I am currently studying both Japanese and Korean and living in Japan in hopes my speaking level becomes quite good. The problem I and others may run into is our ability to speak English well.

It seems everyone in Asia in particular wants to learn English. What this means is that while I want to immerse myself in Japanese and use it as often as possible, the Japanese want to learn English from me and use as much time with me as possible to get some practice in. This leads to way too much English speaking on my side. Obviously English is easier for me as well so it becomes too easy to go along with it when someone starts speaking English to me but the fact is in most circumstances I would like to be forced to use Japanese so that I can improve it. It's a big reason for me being here, and while its nice to have the option for English when I desperately need it, it honestly becomes annoying. When I was in the states I always tried to use English as much as possible for the International students at my school so that they could improve theirs even though there were Japanese students as well that I would have loved to practice Japanese with given the few chances to do so in my city. Now that I am in their country it would be nice for someone to think the same way towards me. This isn't to say that I haven't met any people who aren't considerate of my struggle. There are a few that despite being quite well at English still use a lot of Japanese when speaking with me and I really really appreciate that. I only hope to meet more.

I know some native English speakers have decided to only make friends with the natives of the country they are living in and not to associate with so many other English speaking people. I'm not to the type to turn down a possible friend despite what language they speak so that doesn't work so much for me but I can understand why others may decided to live this way. It can often be seen as an elitist idea, but perhaps it has legitimate reasons. I don't suggest rejecting people because they speak English, but I'm not intently seeking them out either. Perhaps I need to be a little more strict. I love to meet new people and make all kinds of friends but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I quite enjoy making friends with people who's English isn't very good. The fact is I want to learn Japanese and it's a big factor in why I'm here. Now somehow managing to learn Korean as well, that's gonna be a challenge.