Dragon Sakura

As I type this I wait my friend Phil to arrive with some beers and stories. In the meantime I figured I'd post as I've been a bad blogger this week. Basically life, more specifically work, intervened to keep me busy. I have finally begun to make some progress into FFVII, but not enough to change my opinion so much, yet anyway. Also, I've realized that probably so far that July as had the least postings of my whole blog, but probably the largest and most substantial in terms of pictures and information. I plan to have a picture guess contest up tomorrow or the next day.

Today I heard about a Japanese dram currently airing here that I haven't watched, but sounds as whacky as most J-drama. It's called Dragon Sakura (it took a lot of Japanese to find this site, well hidden in kanji) and is based on a fairly famous Japanese comic here. It's important to note that Japanese comics, unlike the American style, are usually not based on Super-heroes or extraordinary people, but rather more real life and slightly fantastic situations. There are exceptions, but stories like that of Batman, Spiderman, Superman, etc. don't really exist in that form. There are plenty of stories about the odd high school student who is endowned with amazing powers or abilities and the trouble he gets in. There are also many about normal charcters, like teachers (Great Teacher Onizuka), sports captains (Slam Dunk) and of course young awkward couples (MARS), which is quite common here. There is plenty of outlandish stuff too, Sakura Taisen, Mobile Suit Gundam, Cowboy Bebop (great music!) and Magic Knight Rayearth to name a few.

Anyway, Dragon Sakura is the story of a high school which is about to go bankrupt but is saved when a random lawyer, played by the ultra-memorable Hiroshi Abe, decides to save the school by getting some of the students accepted into Tokyo University, which is the Harvard of Japan. This proves to be harder than he originally expected due to the lack of scholastic ability amongst the student body and the his dealings with the beautiful Kyoko Hasegawa. Okay, so I haven't watched it, even though I love HaseKyo, but I'm really not that interested; most of the dramas I've watched here, while interesting, always come off as rather formulaic. Still, the J-drama community seems to be eating it up, as is my private student and her husband (also my student) to a lesser degree.

Time for a few beers. Going to see the Island tomorrow, will give my personal review then.

Wisdom of the Day: Three year-old programs don't play nice with today's XP.

Home Stuff

As the humidity level increases in Osaka so does the stinkyness factor on the trains and in various companies which are using Cool Biz philosophy. Meanwhile, I've been spending a little more time at home enjoying some relaxation time and running up my electricity bill from the air conditioner.

At the moment I'm replaying Final Fantasy VII originally for the PSone, now on my PC thanks to ePSXe. The reason being that in September, Square-Enix will release an update to that game's story in the form of an animated movie (only for DVD and UMD) called Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. Since I don't remember the story so well, and actually thought it wasn't that good anyway, I decided to replay it seeing how everyone, and their mother, thinks it was the best Final Fantasy ever (that was part X). The emulator was a bitch to configure, I almost gave up and bought another copy (see legal people, I own the original, but it's in a box in grandma's house!).

I have also started watching the making of documentaries for the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition. Good Stuff, the story stuff about Middle Earth's background and Tolkien’s formation of the story was especially fascinating.

As for TV, I have, against the advice of many addicts, started watching 24 Season 4. Kiefer Sutherland kicks ass. He's my new favorite hero, only maybe topped by Snake. And the new season of Battlestar Galactica has begun. Great stuff, very dark. I highly recommend it. I never knew Edward James Olmos could act so well! The last role I saw him in was Blade Runner and he didn't say much.

On a final note, the web page is still being redesigned. If so many people who I know's computers weren't breaking down so much, I could actually get around to finishing it, especially since I now officially have my own domain name: Jedicraft.net, don't worry it's coming.

Wisdom of the Day: The things you put off until next month always need to be done around the same time as 50 other things.

Quick and Typhoony

As I type this the Kansai area is in the path of a Typhoon. For those of you who didn't study meteorology, a Typhoon is simply a hurricane in the Pacific Ocean. Of course, for all us Americans, any hurricanes that don't hit America aren't important, right?

Anyway, some people are worried about flooding, or damage, the suspending of train services, etc. I'm worried about two things:

1) will my office be close tomorrow due to numerous cancellations?

2) what will happen to the price of lettuce?

Basically I could have a whole day off, which means I could sit at home in my boxers and work on the website, which was supposed to be up already by needed a CSS redesign due to flaws because I'm still learning it. Also when Typhoon season starts the lettuce crops are destroyed and due to the fucked up laws and Supply&Demand, the price of a head of lettuce jumps from around 150yen/head to around 800yen.

Also, recently I'm trying to stay home and save some money, and I was kinda broke this weekend as payday is Friday, so now I have plenty of time to blog and nothing exciting to write about. Yet, when I'm busy I have plenty to say and no time. That’s a Catch-22 if I ever heard of one.

Oh, and Congrats to Lance Armstrong! What a way to acknowledge your cancer, go out and win 7 Tour de Frances consecutively! When I get it I hope I can too.

Wisdom of the Day: Fresh air will do you good.

Ryoko, Kikumoto and Uchusensou

First off, those two pictures are of my former boss Ryoko. She's a riot! Basically she told my friend that I wouldn't dare to post her on my blog; therefore there she is. The girl on her right is her former assistant, Mayu, whose wedding I attended and had to dance in a golden kimono the popular dance: Matsuken Samba.

Second, these pictures are of Mr. Kikumoto. He's a student at Berlitz in Honmachi and a very funny guy. One day last fall, he had a class scheduled with me in the afternoon. Of course, Mr. Kikumoto is rather bad at punctuality and therefore can always be counted on for being a few (to many) minutes late (is that grammar okay? I'm the English teacher, I should know, no?). This particular day he got caught in a rain storm and dropped his textbook, which he carries in pages outside of the binder as he feels (as do many other students) that it's too heavy. Anyway, these pictures show him drying his textbook during the lesson. These are kinda old, but I was waiting for an excuse to show them.

Finally, Uchusensou, which translates from Japanese as Galactic War, or the Japanese name for War of the Worlds, which I watched again tonight. Still liked it, but Tom Cruise is a douche bag. And it's okay to say that since I heard plenty of girls use it too.

Wisdom of the Day: Don't piss off your current boss.

War?

I’m not about to open any cans of worms on this site and talk about my views on any current wars or political situation or whatever. But recently I’ve made a very general observation that I’d like to share. It seems in today’s world that as Americans, we seem much more accepting of war when other countries, the current international outcry over Iraq who seem to lend some credence to this theory.

Take America, Japan, England, France, Germany, China and Korea. Which country is different from the others? Okay, yes America is possibly the most developed (maybe) nation with the strongest military power, but look at it another way. Of all these countries, with the exception of September 11^th, America is the only country to not have a major war on its soil in nearly 150 years. Could it be that war is such a TV, movie idea, that it’s so far removed from the American experience (except for the soldiers) that the average American has really no problem if we invade Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Cuba or Iceland?

As some of you read, I recently returned from South Korea, a country that was almost completely conquered and destroyed during the Korean War. They fought bravely for the freedom of their country and in the end succeeded in securing their country. Every man in South Korea has to serve two years in the military at 18; this is a country expecting the next war to start around lunchtime. Yet, instead attempting to get back by force what was taken from them by the Communists of China and Russia, they are attempting peaceful negotiations with, what everyone clearly deems to be, a madman. They want Korea to be reunified peacefully for all Koreans. If you look further back into their history, it’s a history of thwarted invasions and wars they didn’t start. They are fiercely patriotic, even more so then some Americans, yet they are not trigger happy.

England; my good friend made a great quote about London: he considers it to be the toughest city in the world. 30 years of fighting the IRA, not to mention keeping the entire Germany Air Force at bay in WWII will do that to a city and people. Yet after the bombings there is no public outcry to invade another land. There has been no shift in support for the war. Blair’s popularity hasn’t return to pre-war levels. Japan has nuclear trigger happy North Korea next door. Taiwan has been warned repeatedly not to declare independence or else China will pound them. China touts its military might, but hasn’t engaged in any major warfare in quite some time. Iran is on the edge of war from a possible many fronts.

My point is that the last major war on American soil, where normal people felt the long icy cold finger of war disrupt their everyday lives was in the 1850s. Yet, we seem to more readily accept a war. War seems so far replaced from us that the must it does is affect our viewing of baseball games when they’re interrupted for a special report.

The observation has its flaws, but I think Americans need to take a closer look at war and how it affects people like them. I just finished
Kazuo Ishiguro’s A Pale View of Hills, which does an excellent job of describing post-war Nagasaki, wartime Tokyo, as well as conveying the feelings of the people who inhabit these times. At the Korean War Museum in Seoul I got a excellent idea of normal people’s lives in the Southern part of the Korean peninsula during the war.

Yes I do believe America is a great nation and we’ve come a long way, and we’re the most powerful in the world. But I also believe it doesn’t mean we can stop listening. We need to realize that to remain great we need to change with the times and look toward the future, not only in our dealings with the world, but how we look at energy, the environment, our own culture and our people. There’s too much pointless bickering in our government over useless issues: flag burning, vegetative women, sexy cheerleaders, leaked CIA agents, etc. Why don’t we look at Saudi Arabia’s involvement with terrorism (which is considerable), the fact that soon North Korean nukes will be able to strike mainland USA and that the government there isn’t falling apart anytime soon, the monetary powerhouses that are India, China and Korea and how they have and will continue to affect us, who is actually lying about Guantanamo Bay, why are oil prices continuing to sky-rocket and when will they fall, will we ever leave Iraq a free and democratic nation, etc.

What has happened to the great country that stood up to the tyranny of the Iron Curtain and survived to tell the tale? The nation that won WWII and rebuilt the world in the imagine of freedom? We are still here, let’s tell them how to do it right.

Wisdom of the Day: Never agree with me. Rebuttals anyone?

The Search for Unos

Yesterday’s blog was posted from Icheon International Airport, just west of Seoul in South Korea, and seeing how I didn’t have access to my system I was unable to post some pictures from this trip, so now I’ve added a few, just click the links shown here.

As many of you know I used to work for a branch of a Chicago-based theme restaurant (yes, I know the headquarters are in Massachusetts, but it started in Chicago) called Pizzeria Uno, which has 200 restaurants in the US. I worked there for nearly five years and some of you who are reading this site worked there with me. Anyway, I was excited to remember that Unos has a branch in Seoul. Therefore, I made it one of my trip goals to find this Unos and have at least one dinner there in between all the donuts and yakiniku I was eating. Unfortunately finding the place was harder than I thought. The day I left for Korea, the site crashed and I was unable to find the location information for the Seoul branches. So I tried asking people I met, but none seemed to help.

Tour Guide- Myung-Ja Park: I don’t know it. There are many pizza places in Seoul, and besides I don’t like pizza so stop bothering me about it. Instead let’s go shopping again.

Trilingual CD Store Owner- Park Chull: Never heard of it. I have the new Coldplay album, 1000 yen cheaper than Japan.

Hotel Front Staff- Dae Chung: It’s too difficult for me to find it from the information service. Go to Pizza Hut instead. Have you been shopping today?

Bennigans’ Host: There are many restaurants like that. I don’t know it. Please try the Monte-Cristo sandwich, its delicious! (It was!)

Palace Tour Guide- Bo-bae Yun: That’s probably the only question I don’t know. You should call the Information line. By the way, why didn’t you laugh at any of my tour jokes?

Dunkin' Donuts Staff: ::points at the price::

Beautiful Girl Bar Staff 1: Sorry I can’t speak English.

Beautiful Girl Bar Staff 2: Don’t know it. Stop starring at my chest.

Bar Owner- Kim-ku Jeong: Nice to met you. Ready for another drink?

Starbucks Staff: eat here?

English Information: I have never heard of it. I can recommend some other pizza restaurants or do you like shopping?

Taxi Driver: ::unintelligible::

Anyway, at the airport yesterday the site was back up and I was able to find the location. Did I mention that finding internet access proved most difficult, and the few people I called to look it up for me in the states and Japan were unable to access the site? No, well I just did.

With the location in hand, I returned to Osaka, without any Chicago style pizza in my stomach. Perhaps that’s a good thing.

Wisdom of the Day: Brooklyn Pizza is better.

Live from Seoul

With two hours to kill in the airport before my flight leaves, I thought I might comment on this trip to Korea for all my lovely readers. First off don't get a package with a Japanese travel agency. They assume you love shopping, take you as often as possible, and of course only to the expensive Japanese tourist rip-off spots, and baby the shit out of you, I mean it's nice to have someone tell you a little about Korea, but she didn't have to check us into the flight...

Korea, overall, is a very cool place. Aesthetically, it resembles Osaka in a number of ways, although from a cultural viewpoint, the people are very different. They have more in common with New Yorkers than with Osakajin. This is demonstrated excellently by the three old woman and two dudes who shoved past me to get onto the subway when I get was getting off.

Korea food is great, but never in all my years have I seen so many Dunkin' Donuts in such a small radius. We counted a total of 5 within a ten minute walk from our hotel.

So, in conclusion, Korea is a great place to visit and a delicious place to get fat. Now, if you'll excuse me all this blogging is interrupting my waiting time.
BTW: Pictures are forthcoming.

Wisdom of the Day: Don't drink the water.

Genki Yade!

Which is Osaka dialect for I’m great. Anyway, as some of you know here in Japan exists a wide variety of small vitamin, caffeine and nicotine based drinks designed to wake you up and give you the energy you would need if you happen to be a Japanese salaryman stuck in a dead end job which you hate with a wife whom you haven’t made love to in years.

I’m just speaking the truth. Anyway, being an English teacher in the exciting world of non-drowsy students means I never need to use such products as the energy level of most of my students is so phenomenal that they run the class. But in the interest of information proliferation, I have sampled a number of the most popular drinks and am here to provide you with my thoughts should you ever come to Japan and need to wake up, or if you already live here, are friends with me and finally decided to look at my blog… Note: All listed products are ranked on a scale of 1 to 5 happy Japanese people, 5 being great, 1 being shit:

ESCAP - My current favorite, and of K1 fighters everywhere. While the taste is nearly bearable, only slightly worse the cough medicine from 20 years ago, it does give me the pickup I need for at least 2-3 lesson, approximately one and a half to two hours. Repeated use tends to make the finishing crash more harsh. The website has a catchy theme song though.

3.5 - (not an average)

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ORONAMIN C – The King of flavor. Great for hangovers or any day where you stayed up all night doing something instead of sleeping for the 27 lessons you have to teach for the Pharaoh, who happens to have this particular day off, that runs your English school. Addictive taste and will power you up, repeated use will lead to less and less effect rather rapidly.

5 - (not an average)

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ARINAMIN 7 – A name rip-off of ORONAMIN C without the flavor. It’s not quite as addictive and even if used regularly it’s effects tend to remain at their one to two and a half hour normal stretch. Actually it tastes like ass, dirty at that.

3 - (not an average)

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ARINAMIN V – Got me through four lessons today with the same student who can’t seem to learn anything and makes the same mistakes over and over and over and over and over and over and over, etc. Actually tastes worse than ARINAMIN 7 but gives a good boost for nearly four to five hours.

3.5 - (not an average)

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ESCAP GOLD 3000 – Somewhere in between ORONAMIN C and ESCAP in flavor, ESCAP GOLD 3000 gives you the punch you need to last the day. It’s effects won’t work if you use it too regularly, so save it for that extra busy day of the week. Still like the theme song.

4 - (not an average)

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Regain 3000 – Heavily advertised with baseball players and comes in a sporty yellow plastic wrapper, Regain tastes plain and didn’t do much for me. I assume if I as running or swimming instead of teaching it would have helped more. I was able to jump out of my chair faster to write on the board or watch a cute girl walk down the hall.

2.5 - (not an average)

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REPO Vitamin D – I think the REPO stands for repossess, but can’t be for certain as it’s written in Japanese. Tasted a little too beefy for a liquid. Similar effects to ARINAMIN 7.

2 - (not an average)

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REPO Vitamin 11 – Different types of Vitamins from the D, but still tasted strange. To define this would be akin to defining what made Camus strange. Therefore I won’t try. Didn’t feel too much in the long run.

1.5 - (not an average)

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REPO Vitamin Super 2000 – Finally a Super Drink! And boy did I feel super, a bit of shakey sensation for all of 20 minutes. Then I crashed and wanted to take a nap in my teacher’s chair. That was really helpful. Thanks guys.

1 - (not an average)

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Weider in Energy – Part of the strange pseudo-jelly drink family, Weider makes a large number of these, it tastes kinda like milk with something unidentifiable in it. As for a boost, well I didn’t feel more energetic but I didn’t feel sleepy either. That works for me.

3.5 - (not an average)

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C1000 Vitamin Lemon – Tastes great, like a glass of lemonade in an 1/8^th of the size bottle. Does absolutely nothing for my energy level.

1.5 - (not an average)

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ESCAP Ever Long – Actually keeps you relatively awake for something like 8 hours and tastes almost identical to ESCAP. While it’s only 16 hours short of a whole day, like the front of the bottle advertises, it’s still pretty good stuff. I save it for those special occasions.

4 - (not an average)

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Wisdom of the Day: Get some sleep and have a good breakfast.