Work

Work like usual and then work in Tamachi. Non stop!

Work

Headed to work in Yoga. For those of you that don't know Yoga is the name of the station not a class for streaching. In the evening I headed to Tamachi and had dinner at TotoDon. I'm gonna miss that place after the Tamachi office closes.

Work

Headed to work in Shinjuku and then home.

Birthday

Today was my birthday. I turn 28 on the 28th on the 8th month of the year and was born in 1982. Guess I should buy a lotto ticket today. Anyhow I kinda forgot about my birthday till a couple days ago so I worked in the afternoon like usual. In the evening some work friends and I headed out to Shinjuku and had chinese food at a restaurant there. After I met up with John and some other friends at a house party a few stops away. It was pretty cool cause the room had access to the roof with a pool and a view of the city. I managed to make the last train home and went to bed.

Work about out

Headed to work like usual and then after meeting up with my client in Suidobashi I met up with Momoko in Tokyo. We went to Kua'aina in the Marubiru and then walked around the Tokyo area before heading home. Tokyo on the Marunouchi side is probably my favorite part of Tokyo. It's just so cool.

Work'

Headed to work like usual and back to Tamachi for work at night. Some people complain that my blog isn't very interesting cause I work. If you are one of those people and you'd like to pay me for walking around the city and taking pictures of things and talking about it. I'm sure we can come to an agreement.

Workin'

Headed to work like usual and then worked in Shinagawa at night again.

Work

Work like usual during the day and worked in Shinagawa at night.

Work and work

Headed to work like usual and then work in Mita after.

Workin'

Headed to work in Shinjuku today. It was really hot today. I can't wait for summer to end!

Work

Work like usual and then home.

Work, work, and out with friends

Headed to work in Yoga. Today I did some more paper work and took some documents to Jimbocho and then after they we stamped and the manager gave me a bottle of sake for being such a great customer I headed to Toranomon to get approval on the papers before returning to the office.

In the evening I headed to Suidobashi where I met up with a client for an hour. It's a cool area cause it is where Tokyo Dome is and some other fun places.

From there I went to Tameike-sanno where I met up with five friends at Dubliners. I wound up missing the last train and crashing at a friend's house.

Check out

Headed back to my old apartment and met up with the apartment guy who checked the room and helped me get the last of my things out. I had a couple shelves that I didn't want anymore and offered them to him as a joke and he enthusiastically accepted which was great for me cause I didn't want to have to move them or find a way to throw them out.

Movin'

Today I took almost all my stuff packed it into a car and moved to a new house. It was a lot of work and it was hot outside making the moving experience less fun.

Work and Work

Worked part time in the morning again. Today I did some paper work and that was about it. In the afternoon I worked in Tamachi like usual and then headed home.

Work and work

Headed to Yoga to start part time at my new job. I'm working part time at a company that exports used Japanese cars around the world. So far I'm just learning the basics, but it's pretty cool and the office has a good vibe to it. Around 4 I headed to work in Tamachi like usual and then home. Also the Mitsubishi show room across the street had a big Hello Kitty in front of it for whatever reason.

Work and Pancake Drink?

Headed to work like usual and then home. Today in the vending machine I found an interesting drink which is flavored like pancakes. Being a big pancake fan I tried it and it was good, but real pancakes are better.

Work and Tokyo Bay Fireworks

Headed to work like usual. Stopped home and then headed out to Daiba where I met up with my old host family for the Tokyo Bay Fireworks. On the way there I passed many people in the Tamachi area as everyone was looking for a good spot to watch the fireworks from. The beach was crowded like usual but there was a giant Hello Kitty Balloon thing floating in the water. Other days of the week they have a light/fountain show around it. After the show we headed back to the Host Family's place and had Yakitori, Karaage, and Onigiri. It was pretty good.

Cleaning and work

Cleaned the apartment and then in the evening I met up with a client in Suidobashi for an hour and then headed home.

Work

Headed to work like usual and then home.

Work

Headed to work like usual and then home.

Work and Lost Parakeet

Headed to work like usual and then home. Also, someone lost their Parakeet.

Work and Manners

Work like usual and home. As some of you know I love the train manners posters that can be found around Japan now, but I think the ones used in the 70's and 80's seem much more inspired. Check them out.

Work

Worked in Shinjuku today. It was busy as usual. and then I headed home.

Work and out with friends and Japanese Beer

Headed to work like usual. After work some friends from work and I went to a new restaurant nearby and then headed to 82 where we met up with a bunch of other friends. From 82 we went to another place in Shirokane and then headed home.
In Japan drinking is an important part of business in Japan. It's used to strengthen social and business ties. While it does have it's negative impact on society such as the common sight of office workers passed out in the train station on weekends and having to avoid occasional vomit as a result of too much drinking. The messes are usually cleaned up the next day and everyone gets home safely thanks to the trains.
When considering Japanese beer, there are 3 types. There is true beer which is the most expensive and the most popular due to the higher quality and better taste. All the top breweries produce true beer, I recommend Kirin Lager.
Another variation of beer in Japan is Happoshu or sparkling alcohol. This was made by the Japanese brewing companies as a way to avoid the tax which is placed on regular beer and be able to sell the drink for a lower price. It has a similar flavor and usually the same amount of alcohol as beer but with less malt.
The last and cheapest, sometimes referred to at Third Beer is another attempt to avoid the tax laws and produce a cheaper alternative to beer. With the changes in the tax laws raising the prices of Happoshu Third Beer contains no malt and uses peas, soya, or wheat spirits instead.

Busy Day

This morning I headed to Shinagawa and took the smelly bus carrying all the foreigners to the immigration office. People say "Mark, you are a foreigner" but I'm a good foreigner and I don't smell. Anyhow after waiting around, submitting the necessary paperwork and waiting around some more I got my visa extension and stopped over at work to submit the info for the updated visa. I grabbed TotoDon for lunch and then headed to my real estate agency to finalize the papers and the move out date for my place. From there I headed to Takeike Sanno where I met up with Jon for a sec before heading to Suidobashi to meet with a new client. In the evening I just watched a movie at home and prepared for work tomorrow.

Work

Work like usual and then home.

Work

Headed to work like usual and met up with a friend near Midtown after. They have a cool light thing set up near the park behind the building.

Work and Train Manners

Headed to work and then home like usual. New train manners add about helping people.

Work

Headed to work like usual and headed home.

Work, Out, and New Commercial

Headed to work and then home like usual. In the evening I headed to out to Shinagawa where I met up with a bunch of friends and then headed home.
The Fujifilm Commercial that I did on the second is on air now. You can see it on the Fuji site too. Watch for me after the girl rolls to take the picture.