Stormy Weather

The weather here is slowly turning from pleasant to uncomfortable.

I've heard that it's bound to happen. First it's warm, then muggy, then rainy. That last part lasts for about a month. Today I got a preview:

It didn't pour so much as drizzle incessantly. It was that gross in-between where you can't decide whether to open your umbrella or not and you always wind up wet regardless. I did not remember my golashes so I spent most of the day sloshing around in waterlogged boat shoes.

I also got my first real animation assignment today: a para-para manga flipbook. Basically I just have to do a head turnaround in a flipbook. I'm trying something a bit more ambitious, though, so it's probably going to take me a good while.

Add that to the other assignments I've incurred in the past few weeks and my workload looks a little waterlogged too.

So it looks like I'm going to have to switch into acting a bit less like an explorer and more like a student. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I suppose it was innevitable.

Oh well. Read more!

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS UNITE

Partied today with OUA's biggest group of gaijin - the Korean international students.

Since we couldn't speak eachother's language we restricted ourselves to a universal language: the preparation and consumption of grilled meats. Once we were full of meats and alchohols we played a bizarre variation on dodgeball where the guys have to guard the girls. Also girls weren't allowed to interact with the ball.

Gender equality? Ha! Well it was fun anyway.

Tomorrow we're all going to the aquarium, which will hopefully result in pictures to be posted here.

Hurray! Read more!

Golden Week

It's Golden Week!

"Golden Week" is the name given to the vacation time granted by the three holidays that started yesterday. The name is kind of a misnomer since we only get three days off in a row. I mean seriously I had class Saturday - this barely qualifies as vacation.

If this was America we would probably have moved the Emperor's Birthday up a week and taken Friday off for good measure. Japan, however, takes both its culture and it's work ethic seriously and so this is what we get.

So, what am I doing for this greatest of holidays?

Well... uh...

Hm.

Alright, I have no idea. Frankly I've been doing so much since I got here that I feel like taking a vacation from having adventures. The things I really miss doing are normal things - hanging around eating snacks and watching TV, for example.

I feel like the language barrier has made it impossible for me to make real friends here. Most of the people I talk to are too taken aback by the gimmick of meeting a foreigner to really speak honestly with me.

That said, isn't 90% of communication nonverbal? Maybe I'm giving language too much blame, here.

Tomorrow I'm going to a party with Korean international students. Their Japanese is much better than mine, and perhaps they understand where I'm coming from as fellow foreigners.

We shall see! Read more!

Personal day.

Hey gang. I'd love to talk about wacky goings-on today, or even continue some of the posts I've already made, but I'm taking a personal night. That means beer, oreos, and some Steven Chow. I need to recharge my batteries. Read more!

Very, very small pond.

A week or so ago an enterprising group of students photographed me from the eyes up for a tumbler design contest poster. At the time I didn't think much of it. I just assumed that they wanted diversity - the bunch of us from MICA being the only non-asians around made us the go-to guys.

You can imagine my surprise, then, when I walked into the OUA main lobby to be greeted by a four foot high poster of my forehead.

I'm like a local celebrity here. Well, that or the town freak. For the sake of fairness let's say I'm somewhere in between. My skin color and my height are enough to make me the focal point of any crowd. Throw a me-centric ad campaign in there and, well, let's just say I don't blend in.

Sometimes it's a ridiculous ego boost. Oh, hello Japanese Art School! Check out my skin color! Listen to me speak my native language! Isn't it amazing? Just like TV!

There are, however, some days when you don't want everyone to stare at you. Days when you don't have time to shower, or wash your clothes, or put on deodorant. It's enough to make me seriously self-conscious.

So what do I do? Well, either I try and stay immaculate or go for broke and stop caring, I guess. Let's just say I'm moving from the former to the latter. Read more!

Aikido, Judo, Kendo, etc. (+do)

Today I went to check out OUA's aikido club. It turned out, however, that all of the school's martial arts clubs were having a joint practice - lucky! Frankly it was more exercise than I've had in years.

The light exercise I handled fine - biking was enough practice for that. I even made it through the judo throws admirably. When the Karate leader said we were going to strength train with sumo, however, things got dicey.

I'm tall, yes, but I am not that strong. Perhaps the leader didn't see the limp noodles (arms?) hanging out of my shirt sleeves when he called the biggest freakin' Japanese man in the dojo to kick my ass.

I actually made it through the sumo with a tie - thank you bizarre leg stregnth. The chariot-style tug of war, however, didn't go quite as favorably.

Basically the man-bear training partner I had looped a belt around my waist. My job was to run as hard as possible. His job was to pull me as far back as possible. After two minutes we switch.

Now, maybe I should have had something more to drink today than an extra large boss coffee. And maybe slim-fit linnen jeans weren't the best training pants. Regardless he wiped the floor with me, metaphorically and in reality.

By the time practice ended I was basically sweating salt. I tried to remain as polite as possible talking to the aikido teacher, a halo of red closing in on my vision. Eventually I broke: "please... very tired... water!"

I sat on the floor next to the water fountain to collect myself. As my vision returned I tried to explain my philosophy on aikido and life to the aikido leader. Even when he couldn't understand my words, I think he understood my tone.

I'm still running on endorphins. OUA really goes out of its way to provide students with ways to exercise. Its a welcome change - one I'll embrace wholeheartedly. Read more!

OUA Festival part 1

Art festival diary, part one:

As I walked towards OUA I heard a petit voice wail in my direction: "SA-MU." Oh sweet god, is that a girl on a motor scooter asking me if I want to ride with her to school? Is that a matching helmet with a star on it? Perfect?

Well, almost. Unfortunately the adorable-ness of Hitomi's scooter/helmet combo was outgunned by the piercing wail of her voice as she crossed the line from giggly to insane. I've found that people here frequently use laughter to cover up their embarassment at not being able to speak enough english. With Hitomi it's something far beyond that. And uncontrollable compulsion, perhaps - maybe prelude to some kind of seizure.

Later I realized that I had never met Hitomi before. How she knew my name is beyond me. I'm keeping my windows shut and locked from now on.

I managed to explain to her that I had to meet my friends - I think she got the message. After walking a bit down the street I ran down a back path to avoid an awkward wave. See, all that exploring paid off in the end.

I met up with Joyce and Ariyana and the three of us went to the festival.

More to come in part II! Including some pictures! Read more!

Art Festival, Karaoke, Insanity

My day started at 9:45 AM with a friendly albeit wildly overenthusiastic scooter girl, and ended around midnight with screaming nerd karaoke. Also I think I'm in a Japanese longbow club.

Is it seriously 1 AM? Full story tomorrow. Read more!

Clubs

Today I visited CAS - the OUA Comic and Animation Society. Basically it's nerd club. Also it is awesome.

Clubs at OUA are something far removed from what I'm used to back in the states, where I run an Asian Film Club. At MICA, for example, I had to fill out a small packet full of paperwork just to get a classroom one night per week. In Japan every club gets its own room, no questions asked.

They can use this room for whatever they want, and it's theirs 24/7. Walk by the club rooms any day of the week and you'll see students hanging around - working, playing majong, or just chilling out.

The CAS room had bookshelves stuffed with nerd-reading material as well as a large TV hooked up to a mini PC. It was on this PC that they showed us some of their yearly animation reels, as well as several shorts they filmed just for kicks.

Also they publish a comics compilation book every year, which they sell. And they really get it printed from a printer - no xerox here.

I've never seen students (especially art students) come together like this. What would it take to raise this kind of team spirit at MICA? Is it possible?

This Sunday the club is hosting a party. We're supposed to be able to find it by the girl with green hair standing at the entrance. What have I gotten myself into... Read more!

International Party

A MICA class party is a sad affair. Scrawny art students gather around dimly-lit tables, drawn there by free pizza of questionable quality. They force down mouthfulls of mostly cooked dough (covered in something somehow worse than grocery store Ragu) stopping only to breathe or perhaps to complain about the lack of a vegan option.

Today the printmaking department threw a party for the international students - and, yet again, my brain exploded a bit.

They brought in not only snacks but food. Real food. Fresh takoyaki (the pan-fried octopus donuts that I've come to love) made on portable tabletop grills tided us over until rice was ready for sushi. Beer was passed out along with less alchoholic fare, and merriment ensued.

Then we played games. The silly kind of games that require little language and thought. Even the elder teachers participated - I guess they value lighthearted fun more than their MICA counterparts.

Bonus: We left the classroom to the sound of... battle!? And pumping techno music? It was the OUA Gedai Ga(!) club - a club of super nerds that puts on absurdly well coreographed fights in the style of old school Japanese kids' shows.

When they're in costume it's impossible for them to talk into a mic - so they have voice actors providing the voices for them. When we saw them they were not in costume... but still had voice actors doing the talking. This was particularly bizarre in regard to the female ranger, who was being played by a boy.

Say what you will, that kid could high kick like nobody's business. Easily one of the most surreal/bizarre/hilarious/amazing things I've ever seen.

It was too dark to get a decent photo... but they're performing this sunday. Oh yes, I'm there.
Read more!

Galoshes

Galoshes are rubber slips that go over your shoes. They have their roots back in the middle ages, but have fallen out of fashion recently because they look retarded. They are, however, practical and cheap.

As I dragged myself through the pouring rain back to my apartment at the end of a difficult day today I found sanctity in two things - my half gallon of boss coffee and my galoshes.

See, I don't speak any Japanese. In a Japanese school in Japan this can be an issue. Especially when your Japanese teacher calls on your to introduce yourself in Japanese and your brain (metaphorically) explodes.

Fortunately (for me) none of the other MICA students spoke any Japanese either - so at least we all looked like idiots together. I think they're putting us in our own section. It's going to focus on basic conversational Japanese since trying to teach us how to write is apparently far too advanced. Maybe they'll give us special helmets to wear, too.

I mean, these galoshes do already make me look like I'm waring safety shoes.

Overcoming the language barrier is going to be as big a challenge as I've faced. I know that there will be more frustrating days ahead - conquering them is what's ultimately going to bring me the most satisfaction.

Classes continue tomorrow. Bring it on!

Read more!

Alien Registration + Some OUA

I took these pictures at a drug store photo booth. There are little photo booths scattered all over Minamikawachi - Mr. Hisano said people generally have them taken for resumes. I imagine in America something like this would raise all kinds of discrimination flags(!) but here apparently not. Regardless the booths have the uncanny ability to make your skin look like freshly molded plastic.

I needed them to fill out my alien registration paperwork, which (thank god for Mr. Hisano) was a relatively painless process. Soon I will be an official Osaka resident!

Also today I had a chance to explore campus a bit!

OUA has a much larger campus than MICA. Its industrial architecture is a pretty far cry from MICAs century old marble staircases. While both have their charms I am a big fan of OUAs escher-esque staircases:



The view seals the deal, though:


Though really what endears me to OUA is the food. OUA has three cafeterias, two small restaurants, and a bakery. So far the food has all been somewhat healthy and (more importantly) exponentially more delicious than MICA's southern fried garbage:


Katsu-don: 440 Yen (roughly $4.50). Contains an egg, onion, fried pork, and rice. Delicious and filling - and it doesn't leave you feeling like you rubbed it all over your face*.

Tomorrow I have my first class - Japanese! I don't really know what to expect, but the way things have been working out it's hard not to be positive.

*Meyerhoff cheeseburgers, I'm talking to you. Read more!

Bike Photo Tour - Minamikawachi

There are a bunch of small bike-only paths around Minamikawachi. Today I explored two of them, hoping to shave some time off my commute.

I left the house around nine. Outside my apartment is a scenic construction yard, complete with grinding machinery and steam vents:

Good morning, steam vent!

There are several Leo Palace buildings, all of which seem to be around some dubious industrial landmark. I guess that's why it's so cheap? Regardless I'm still fond of it, even if it obviously isn't a palace:

After leaving the palace I headed north. This street is pretty typical for the area - a narrow road with no sidewalk or shoulder, farms on either side:

A ways down the road is a graveyard. You can find your way there by the smell of incense.



I really want to poke around - but I don't want to be disrespectful to the people paying their respects. It's so beautiful, though.



Down a bit further is the first trail I wanted to check out. I didn't think anyone used these until a few days ago when I saw a tiny, uniformed middle schooler rattling down the trail.



Making my way down the trail would have been a lot faster if it were better maintained (maintained at all?) - regardless, at the end, I was surprised to find...



A mini peninsula of sorts! There were benches there next to a proper cement path that looped back towards the river.



On the way was a baseball field. All around the river Minamikawach...i...ans(?) were biking, having picnics, and generally enjoying life. It was fun to see.



Further along the path connected with the river bike trail proper. Look closely and you'll see a tiny man walking towards the bridge. He was very, very drunk.



Came out here. Ah! I'd seen this entrance a bunch of times before and had always wondered where it went. I continued towards Meji Mart. Chow time.



I wish I'd had a video camera - that man by the tree was practicing some sort of karate. It looked like he was fighting invisible ninjas! I got so caught up watching him I almost got hit by a car. Worth it.



I passed more farms, mountains in the distance. I wonder if any of those are good for hiking? I stopped at Hana Hana, a local patisserie.




People around here seem to have a fashion sense so honed it makes them impervious to heat. They'll walk around in the seventy five degree sun with leather jackets and sweatshirts on. I wore a light jacket in a vain attempt to fit in - though honestly it's not like I'm going to fool anyone.

I was getting crazy overheated, so I bought this "ICE KUCHEN" from a Hana Hana. I'm still not sure what it was, but it tasted kind of like green tea? I also bought an amazingly adorable little piece of strawberry cake which seemed to be the store specialty. I then scooted the bike over to Meji mart across the street...



Every store here has bike parking since most people either bike or ride scooters. I don't even bother locking my bike anymore - partially because it's a piece of crap but mostly because there's so little theft here.



Meji mart is a compact, fully featured supermarket. It has a surprisingly large produce selection as well as an awesome ready-to-eat section. For the moment I'm living off of the latter - got a bento full of fried things and some chopsticks for lunch and scooted my bad self on home.


Yes.


YES.



Headed back out after lunch to explore another small path. Those of you with common sense might note that eating a meal full of cake and fried things after three hours of biking then biking immediately after is a terrible idea. Didn't occur to me at the time.



This path took me through some awesome farms that all seemed to be teetering on the edge of decay. Accross the water you can see families picnicking. I eventually found my way to another, larger baseball field!



Mr. Hisano tells us that baseball is huge in Osaka - the Hanshin Tigers have some of the most spirited fans in the world. I hope I've got to get to a game. I dig that they still use parasoals here.

This path eventually curved back towards OUA. Before heading home I stopped at Family Mart:



Family Mart is a convenience store very similar to 7-11. This one is always filled with cool looking college dudes and dude-ettes.



Ah, that's what I wanted - sweet Pocari Sweat. "With the appropriate density and electrolytes, close to that of human body fluid, it can be easily absorbed into the body."

It tastes kind of like melon and can be quite refreshing if you can get past the consistency which is... well... "close to that of human body fluid."

Gross. Delicious.

Refueled I made my way back to Leo Palace. I'm glad I took some more time to explore, even if none of the paths turned out to be secret shortcuts. Once classes start I probably won't have much time for leisurely bike rides.

Tomorrow we're going to finish up some logistical things, then Tuesday we register for classes. Exciting!
Read more!

Kyoto

Today we went to Kyoto – the capital of Kyoto prefecture and the former capital of Japan!

Kyoto is packed with temples, statues, restaurants, and historical architecture.

Not only does it maintain many ancient shrines and historical buildings – it also houses many of the historically accurate sets used in dramas and Samurai movies. You've probably seen it even if you think you haven't.

Considering this I shouldn’t have been surprised that Kyoto Castle felt so much like a movie set. We spent most of our time in Kyoto being shepherded through the castle grounds. I mean, it was beautiful – the woodcarvings and reflecting pools alone were worth the trip – it just felt so… well… tourist-y.
It felt like something that could be faithfully reconstructed in an amusement park. The gorgeous scenery was tempered by the castle's bland foreigner-friendly atmosphere. I have to say I expected a bit more from Kyoto.

Now that we know how to get there (no small feat – two trains, two busses, and a whole lot of asking for help) I think it’s time to plan this out. I know there's more to Kyoto than this. It’s just hard to get lost in a place when everyone around is busy either trying to sell you souvenirs or taking photos. Then again… did I mention it was beautiful?
Now that I’ve seen the city’s vibrant center I think I’m ready to find some of the quiet corners. I read about some shrines and temples that look amazing - perhaps more pensive and less roped off than the castle. Train times make an extended stay difficult - maybe a hotel room is in order. I look forward to returning!
Unrelated!

Read more!

Minamikawachi

I’m in Japan!

It was hard for me to forecast how I was going to react to this trip. I anticipated the worst – "Will I be anxious? Nervous? Terrified?" No.

I haven’t spent the last few days in terror - I’ve spent them in awe. This place is amazing.

Minamakawachi is a working town. Just outside my building there is a construction yard. Walk down the street and you’ll see working farms the size of back yards, tiny family owned bars, and a police station the size of a clubhouse.

Keep going and you’ll reach a beautiful park next to a river with a bike trail – used by spandexed bikers and rickety old ladies alike. Look by the bank and you’ll see a small outdoor kitchen - set up by the homeless man who lives there. Don’t be alarmed if you see clothes lying on the rocks, he’s probably just doing his laundry.


Minamikawachi feels more real to me than any of Long Island’s urban developments. This isn’t some perfectly planned out college town or grid-mapped city; it’s a bizarre little working town that has survived with its idiosyncrasies intact. Streets stop suddenly, sidewalks disappear, and roads branch off into cement pathways only usable by bike.

I’ve gotten lost three times now while trying to find my apartment. Each time I lose my way I discover something else amazing. I’m so fascinated by the character of these ramshackle little streets that I feel fortunate just to walk them. Now that I know my way I've begun getting lost on purpose.
I feel like most everything here is gorgeous, and the things that aren't are fascinating. I'll do my best to document both.

Oh, and I've updated the map with some more locations and my commute to school. Check it out.
Read more!

Lost in Osaka

Sometimes in order to find the right way to do something you must first figure out all the wrong ways. Today I found all the streets in Osaka that don't lead to my apartment. Good thing Osaka is gorgeous:
I finally made it back to my apartment after half an hour of what seemed like hopeless wandering - writing at this point would be about as fun to write as it would be to read, so I'm going to get some rest.

Full impressions of the flight, Osaka thusfar, and everything else come tomorrow.

'night! Read more!

Seven.

Seven days until I leave for Japan.

So today what do you get? Another map!

This one is a little more intense - it's a map of all the places I know about in Osaka. As of now, it's not much - but I'll be mapping out my travels on it.

By the time I leave it should be pretty well packed - with pictures, anecdotes, and silly stories.

Trips and Traps - the map! Read more!

Eight.

Eight days until I leave for Japan

But it won't be easy getting there - I'm looking at a full twenty four hours of travel here.

EDIT (for clarity) - it is actually when you factor in car rides, arriving to the airport early, and layovers that my travel time approaches 24 hours. Map will be edited to reflect this.

That's seventeen hours in the air - my longest flight is thirteen hours.

How will I handle a flight of that legnth? Snacks? Tetris? Airplane wine?

We shall see. In the meantime I've made a little map detailing the ridiculousness of my flight. Enjoy!


Link to Full Map

ps. Click for detail - I know tiny embedded maps can be infuriating.
Read more!

Master List for Japan

Click for detail. Read more!

13 Days

13 days until I leave

Calculating the exact number of days was probably a bad idea. Every day until I leave I'll now be counting down: 12 days... 8 days... 3 days until I ship off to a country so foreign that trying to anticipate what awaits me there is pointless.

But I'm going to do it anyway...

Snap Judgments About Japan
because I don't know any better

People: pretty, materialistic, emotionally guarded, very polite, very put together, comically emotive in social situations and stoic in professional situations

Scenery: meticulous separation of spaces, mundane architecture is fascinating to foreign eyes, fascinating architecture is fascinating

Public Transportation: clean, well thought out, baffling

Food: delicious, cheap food is cheap - everything else is expensive, consisting of ocean things I don't think of as 'food' per se

TV: mesmerizing, hyperkinetic, baffling

It will be fun to go back and amend these when I, well, do know better.
Read more!