School and work

Headed to school for accounting class and then after had work. It was good to see friends and do something different than work.

Sunday, Sunday

Just spent the day relaxing, cleaning, and working on that video for my friend's company. Good times.

Work and sleep

Met up with Takehito this morning. He had just gotten back from vacation in Bali and seemed like he really enjoyed it. Then I went to Ootoya for lunch and it was good as usual. At work I only had two lessons so I was able to leave a little earlier and when I got home I just went to bed around 8 cause I was still pretty tired from Friday.

Dentist, Ramen, and walking around the city for my birthday

This morning I got up and headed to the dentist for a cleaning. It was kind of weird cause they had a towel with a whole in it that they used to cover my face but still allow access to my mouth. Anyhow after that I headed to Mita where I met up with John and Ryu for Ramen. The Mita headquarters had recently reopened with a new awning and cleaner interior. Since we hadn't been there in a while we got the double meet, double ramen.

In the evening I met up with Witter, Beck, and Brandon We walked around town. We passed a temple and they always look cool at night so I took a picture. Then we passed a giant palm tree thing which was pretty cool so I took a picture of that too! We stopped at the convenience store and got some drinks and then hung out in the park. Ha, sounds so lame. Anyhow all the convenience stores are basically the same but with variations in the prepared foods they sell and some have their own products. All the convenience stores have a large section for energy drinks such as Red Bull and various Japanese equivalents. There is also a drink which you are supposed to drink before drinking alcohol to prevent hang overs. I'm not sure if it really works or not but it's been sold in Japan for a long time so maybe, or it might be all psychological.

One Freedom in Japan that you don't have in the US is being able to drink in public on the street, train, pretty much wherever you want. While this can be nice, the abuse becomes very clear at night when you see Salary Men passed out near the station any night of the week. The lady sleeping on the train might just be sleeping like that, or it may be sleep mixed with some alcohol. Anyhow, nights in Tokyo are always interesting.

School thing and work

Today I did the English camp thing for the high school kids again and the class today was a little more talkative and seemed more involved with the games but put less effort into speaking English and used mostly Japanese defeating the purpose of the camp. In the evening I had work like usual and went out with some work friends after for food. At the Mitsubishi showroom nearby they have a big Hello Kitty outside.

School thing and work

This morning I headed to school at 9 to help with an English camp for high school students. It was pretty fun. Basically we just play games with high school kids and talk with them in English. The class we had today was pretty quiet and it was difficult to get them talking but they still seemed to have fun. After that I headed to work like usual and had Ootoya for dinner.

Work

Work like usual and then home. It's starting to cool down a little bit so I'm not totally worn out at the end of the day from the heat which is good.

Meguro Jiro and hanging out in Ueno and Akihabara

This morning woke up to a call from Witter telling me to meet him in Meguro for Ramen Jiro. My friend Kevin also came out and met up with us. Witter had to leave a little early so Kevin and I ate and then headed to Ueno. Checked out some of the places around there and then stopped over at Akihabara to see what was happening there before heading home.

Work and out with friends

Headed to work today in Omotesando. It's alright, but Sundays the area is always crowded. After work I headed to Tamachi where I met up with Beck at Ootoya for dinner and then we met up with Witter and Helene and went to Fridays in Roppongi. We hung out there for a bit and I caught the last train home.

Work

Headed to work like usual and after work I stopped at Ootoya for dinner and then walked over to Azabu where the festival was going on. It was super crowded and still pretty humid and hot so I just headed home.

Meeting up with the host family in Shibuya and out with friends

Today I headed out to Shibuya where I met up with the host family and some other people. We all went to a Turkish restaurant there that was recommended to us. After that I headed to Tamachi and met with some friends from school. A couple months ago the bar staff were talking about a name for a new drink for the summer, and being that I'm not that familiar with drink names, I suggested "Summer Fling". They decided to use it and gave me a free one when we were there. After that we headed to a darts bar near by and spent the rest of the night there.

At the auto auction, and Meguro Jiro

Got up early today and met up with some one of my friends who exports cars and we drove out to Chiba to the auto auctions. I came along cause I'm making a promotional video for his company and it was a nice change from the everyday grind. It was way out in the country side and Japan looks very different from Tokyo out there, no tall buildings but the high heels are still popular.
When we got there we signed in and headed out to start getting footage. The auction is the biggest in Japan and some of the cars are designated for export and others are sold and remain in Japan. The lot is so huge that there is a shuttle bus that moves people around the lot from section to section. Inside there are two bidding rooms with massive screens at the front showing cars that are being bid on and seats with bidding stations lined up like the inside of a lecture hall. It was pretty crazy. I checked out the Ferrari that I was thinking of bidding on and then after I got the footage I needed we headed to his lot in Kawasaki.

Shot some more footage at the lot in Kawasaki and drove around in an Evo IV which was pretty sweet. It's a older car but it's still twin turbo, all wheel drive, and 280 horse so it's fun.

In the evening I stoped home dropped my stuff and headed out to Meguro where I met up with John and we went to the Ramen Jiro there. It was around 9:00 by the time we got there and there was a line of over 18 people and it was still growing. The Meguro Jiro is probably the best Jiro outside of Mita that I have been to so far. The noodles are thick like Mita and the broth is very good. The only thing is that when we ordered I think they gave us smaller portions cause we are foreigners. Next time I'll get that straightened out.

Busy day

This morning I headed to Tsukiji where I met up with two of my friends for lunch and discuss a possible NPO start up. We had planed to meet for an hour but wound up meeting for two. We got a lot of good ideas, we just need to organize them and put together a business plan. After that I headed back home, changed, and headed back out to Tameike-Sanno for an audition and then back home again to change and head to work. After work I headed home and tried to go to bed.

Insurance, Ramen, and a Movie

Today I was gonna try and get my license here in Japan but I realized that although I didn't have my driving records, they weren't the full records and only showed from the last time I renewed my license in the US which was right before I came to Japan. This is an issue because I need to prove that I had a drivers license for 6 months before coming to Japan in order to take the test. So, I'm gonna have to get a new record sent over from the US or find some other way to obtain it.

After that I headed to Oimachi where I went to the Shinagawa Ward office to update my National Health insurance card. They gave me a new card right away and I'll be getting the bill next month. After that I headed back home and hung out for a while till the evening when I headed out to Koiwa to meet up with Witter for Jiro. The Jiro in Koiwa was closed for a vacation so we went to Kanda and when we got there the guy had already closed the shop. At this point we really wanted Ramen so we made one last ditch effort for the Jiro in Shinbashi. It was open and so far out of Shinagawa, Shinjuku, and Shinbashi, the Shinbashi one is the best. The noodles weren't as thick as the Mita one and the meat was kinda weak in comparison but the broth was very good. Oh yeah, the place was actually pretty clean too. Didn't quite feel like Jiro and when we finished and looked at the sign outside it didn't actually say Jiro on it, so maybe it used to be but changed.

In Shinbashi we found a cafe called the Smokers Cafe which is exactly what it sounds like. Also while there we passed a cigarette vending machine, and while most of the machines now require a "Taspo" card (smokers ID card) this one had a camera that scanned your face to determine your age. I tried it but I don't think it works for foreign people cause it asked for a license to check the age.

After that I headed to Shibakoen where I did some extra work in the Prince Hotel there for a movie coming out next year called "Louder than Words". It will probably just be at some film festivals in the US and Europe so pretty low chance of seeing it, but it was still fun.

Updating my foreign registration card

Not much happened today, just updated my foreign registration card with my current visa and did some laundry

Work

Had work in Shibuya today. I think Shibuya is a lot more fun. The people there seem more relaxed and cool and the students are much more interesting. They have hobbies outside of sleeping and drinking and like to talk about things other than work. It's a nice change. Shibuya crossing always looks cool at night so I took a pic before heading home.

Work and Ramen

Met up with Takehito like usual and then to work. After work I headed home changed and then a little later met up with John in Shinjuku where we tried the Ramen Jiro there. It was the weakest so far. The amount of food was much smaller than the Mita branch and the noodles were totally different. It was pretty disappointing. After that we met with with a friend from school and went to an Izakaya for a bit before going home.

Extra in a movie and the Onsen

When I woke up today I had a mail from Josh about some extra work for a movie that he's got a small part in, so I got dressed and headed back to Lex where I was last night and where the shoot was. I called Ryu's friends from last night and they met up with me there to join in on the job. It was pretty fun and some of the girls there were really cute and surprisingly friendly. The whole scene was a girl entering the club and asking where the bathroom is. We all just acted like we were at the club and that was it. I left a little early cause I had to meet up with my host family to go to the Onsen. Since it is Obon (a Japanese holiday where most people visit their ancestor's graves) the Onsen was packed with people who were taking advantage of their time off. I wasn't really ready for the picture, so I look kind of confused, but I still had fun and was able to relax.

Work and Party

Work like usual and after stoped home to change and then back out with Ryu and his friends. We hit up Lex and the next day was Friday so I was able to sleep in for a bit.

Ramen and Work

Today I woke up to a call from my friend John telling me to meet him in Shinagawa for lunch at Ramen Jiro. I've mentioned Jiro in the past since it is near school and would eat there when I didn't have anything important to do that day. The headquarters is in Mita and so far is the best Ramen I've had in Japan. Jiro's ramen is different from any other ramen. While most ramen shops broth is either soy or pork based, Jiro combines both soy and pork to offer a unique flavor that isn't found at other ramen shops. Their noodles are also thicker than most shops and the portions are usually twice what you get at other stores. You can always tell when a Jiro is open because there is always a line outside.

The Jiro in Mita is always busy and I would often see business men in suits in line for Jiro. I asked one of my students how these guys have time to wait in line and eat there since the wait is often longer than an hour. Some companies have "Ramen Clubs" and will schedule fake meetings just before or after lunch so that they have a two hour lunch break allowing them to wait in line and eat there.

So today we went to the Jiro in Shinagawa and it was good, but the guy working there just didn't have the same spirit when he made the food. The portions were a little smaller and it had less meat. It was still good, but just was different.

After that I had work like usual and then went home.

Earthquakes and work

Woke up today around 5am to the sound of my windows rattling and my room shaking. This time it was only a 6.5 compared with the 6.9 on Sunday but it was enough to wake me up. After it stopped I went back to bed and then woke up later to go to work. Just a usual day at work with some more earthquake focused conversation. I talked to one student who was living in Kobe when the big quake hit there in '95 and he told me how he didn't have access to a bath tub for about a month. I only considered the food aspect.
As an American living in Tokyo I have registered with the U.S. embassy so in the event of a disaster they will fly me back to the U.S. I guess that's a pretty good deal considering that Japan has had a history or being slow to act in these situations and rejecting foreign aid.

Monday Monday

Woke up this morning to the sound of Rain pouring down outside. When I got to work it had died down a bit. There is a typhoon in western Japan now that has done some damage there but in Tokyo it just rains a lot. I guess the buildings absorb a lot of the wind so it's just like a big rain storm.

Work and Earthquake

Work like usual. Today around 7:00 while I was at work a 6.9 earthquake hit south of Japan in the ocean. At first it was like a boat moving around and then it got a little violent and things rattled a bit before it finally stopped. Coming from Ohio where I've experiences one earthquake that was super small in my whole like there, the bigger quakes here in Japan still take a little getting used to.

Fireworks

Work like usual but after I changed and headed to Daiba for the annual Fire Works in Tokyo Bay. I took the Yamanote to Shinbashi and when I got to Shinbashi Station the Yurikamome part of the station was packed. They were really controlling the amount of people in and out of the station and there was a huge line to get on the train. After about 10 minutes I didn't want to waste anymore time so I walked about 2 minutes to Shiodome station and was able to get on the train right away. Guess knowing the lines helps. Anyhow when I got there the cops had roped off a lot of the area around the beach to prevent people from crowding in areas but this made it really difficult to get around. I was supposed to meet up with my host family and I wasn't able to get a hold of them cause everyone was calling and mailing pictures of the fireworks so it took a while before I was able to meet up with them but then I was finally able to sit down and enjoy the fireworks.

Fuji Q Hyland

Today I met up with Ryu and Ayane in Shibuya early in the morning and we headed to Aoyama-icchome where we picked up Ryu's friends and then headed to Fuji Q Hyland. Fuji Q is an amusement park out near Mt. Fuji and has three coasters. It's pretty good, but after growing up with Cedar Point, it's kinda weak in comparison. Anyhow it was about a 2 hour drive from Tokyo and outside of the city Japan is so different. So many mountains and green land. As much as I love Tokyo, it's good to get out of the city sometimes.

Anyhow we got there and rode a lot of the rides. In Japan at least at Fuji Q people applaud at the end of the ride, which felt a little strange to me, but whatever. We weren't able to ride all the rides because there was a thunder storm that never came to the park and they closed down many of the rides. The whole park closed around 6 or 7 which seemed kinda early to me. The location of the place is pretty cool cause you have a view of Mt. Fuji in the background and the rest of the place is surrounded by mountains.