Summer tastes and autumn views

Since I've skipped all August, I decided I'll do one more post related to summer. More specifically about summer tastes. I might have said before that in Japan many specific flavours of certain products get sold only in specific seasons. Mint chocolate is a summer flavor, while pumpkin and chestnut flavoured sweets are sold in autumn only. Fruit flavoured KitKat is also for the summer, while in spring you can get sakura-cherry (blossom) flavoured ones. That's the system here- I like it and hate it at the same time. It's fun because you get to try new flavours all the time. It sucks, because you can't eat your favourite stuff throughout the year. Plus, if that flavour doesn1t sell well, you won't see it next year. I think seasonality is a food issue everywhere, but in case of sweets the variety is more or less constant, with a new flavours being added from time to time. No flavours disappear  temporarily. Once they disappear it is most likely forever, unfortunately.

So, this summer the two most unusual things we have tried were tomato chocolate and salty watermelon pepsi. The pepsi was forgettable. You can't really taste the salt, which is frequently added to summer drinks here to prevent hyperthermia. Last year we tried the "azuki" bean flavoured pepsi, that was horrible. Compared to that, this one just tasted  like carbonated watermelon juice.

Btw, it has nothing to do with coke. Absolutely nothing.

The other outrageous food we tried was tomato chocolate. It doesn't even sound right. I'm sorry to say this, but in terms of western clothing and food, Japanese people tend to have no sense at all when it comes to mixing flavours or materials/colours/styles. Older generation women who grew up adoring Audrey Hepburn, and were longing for Chanel do have a very good sense of style, these days might be a bit too formal, but very elegant and feminin nevertheless. Most young Japanese adults, however, are following Lady Gaga like futuristic and surreal fashion trends that make them look like homeless beggars, or recently escaped patients of the psychiatric ward, rather than fashionable people. 

Anyway, let's get back to the tomato chocolate, this odd creation of some aspiring employee of a chocolate factory. It's supposed to be healthy...hmmm...if I want to eat healthy, I would rather eat fresh tomatoes I guess... So I don't really get the concept, and let's not even talk about the taste. It's like eating tomato, except the texture is the same as chocolate. The taste doesn't even remind me of chocolate-it's basically hard tomato cream that melts in your mouth...and I don't even like tomatoes. 

No wonder, that after one bite, it all ended up in the trashcan. neither of us could eat it, so we had no other choice but to acknowledge the defeat, loss of about a 100 yen, and get rid of it forever. I mean, Jesus, who would even think of mixing chocolate with tomato?? What's next? Spinach chocolate? Brokkoli pudding with whipped cream? I wonder if the people who created this chocolate have actually tasted it before releasing the product for mass consumption.

My mouth started to taste bad just by bringing up this memory, so let's change the subject. Autumn. Autumn has came, and it brought about some nice changes in the weather. Humidity is no longer making us sweat all day, and the temprature fall a few degrees, so you can feel the coolness of dawn and night. It feels fresh, and it brought a little bit of melancholy that sets in every year, gets worse in winter, just to make spring feel even fresher and happier for us. But I like this melancholy, although I'm officially a summer girl.

The autumn equinox was not long ago. The Japanese celebrate both Autumn and Sring Equinox due to Buddhism. It is called 彼岸 (higan) in Japanese, and the flower that blooms around this time is called 彼岸花　(higanbana). I've never seen this flower before, so I had to look it up on the internet for an English name. It's called hurricane lilies or cluster amaryllis, also known as Lycoris. It's beautiful. For about a week or two, I've seen them blooming on the way to my school. 

This fella frequently walks/flies me from the station to the school and back :) In spring and autumn :)

Mind blowing....

News title on Japan Today, September 19th 2012:

"Man who cooked, served his own genitals sent to prosecutors"

I just don't know what to say. There are a lot of sick, very sick people out there. I remember this news from spring, but still, even now, it's shocking to read the title and comprehend the words.  We can still consider it a good outcome, that he didn't hur anyone else.

Typhoon season

August to October is the thyphoon season. This is nothing new to us, although I haven't really experienced a real typhoon so far, as they usually avoided Osaka. Wakayama prefecture is the one who get's hit the most in the Kansai area. So, far we only had strong winds, and quite heavy rains, but that's all.

Two weeks ago we booked a 3 days trip to Okinawa. Starting this Sunday. I decided beforehand that on Wednesday I'm going to stop worrying about a typhoon coming. If there will be  no typhoon in the area by Tuesday, it should be safe (it always takes about a week for a typhoon to reach Japan).  Well, I was wrong. And the Japanese people, who reassured me, too.

Wednesday, at my part time job, I mentioned my travel plans to one of my students, and she said: "Oh, but a typhoon is coming. I've just heard it on the news. And it's heading right to Okinawa." What other reaction could I have than a big "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!"-in my head, and an audible "Really? Are you sure?" -still hoping that she was listening to the news in English and had misunderstood something.

Unfortunately she was right. We are sitting in our room, packed, with a brand new camera, and playing russian roulette with the weather. If our flight is cancelled by the airline, we get back all the money. No problem. But what if our flight can still take off and land safely? The typhoon is going to reach Okinawa Sunday evening according to the current forecast. But what's the fun in staying at the hotel for 2-3 days? You can't really even go outside! No marine sports, no sunbathing on the sandy beaches. What kind of holiday is that? In that case I'd like to cancel it the day before, and go somewhere nearby instead. But if we cancel last day, 40% of the money we paid will be taken as a cancellation fee. My boyfriend thinks that would be a waste of money, so he still wants to go. But I don't want to sit in the hotel room for days. That sucks. Even if we can go out ( our plan includes rental car), it's dangerous to drive in the rain. Plus, it's no fun. Who likes sightseeing in the rain? Sorry guys, I ain't no Frank Sinatra...can't even sing, rain or not, so please pray for the typhoon to take a right turn and disappear somewhere over the ocean. Thanks. 

I'M BAAAAAACK!

My Dear Readers,

Sorry for the long silence. I took a month summer vacation to go back home and relax a bit.

I had an amazing time, but I won't go into details since this blog is supposed to be about Japan.

So, you can start looking forward to my next post.

1000 Views

JUST A BIG THANK YOU GUYS for more than 1000 VIEWS!!

Kalocsa fever in my high school

In the beginning of the school year the home economics teachers approached me, and asked me to teach a few home economics lessons later this year in English, and teach my students how to make Hungarian food.  I was very happy that they want to integrate me more into the curriculum, and give me an opportunity to teach something other than the usual English grammar lessons. The English teachers let me plan my own lessons, but they usually give me grammar points to focus on, and certain grammar points you just can't make into a fun lesson, although I try my best every time.

Then, later in spring I wore my embroidered self decorated denim jacket to school, and one of the home economics teachers saw it. Oh my God was she all over me about it. What is it? How did I make it? How long did it take? Was it difficult? etc...I like wearing unique clothes and accessories, but I never thought this one would get so much attention. Maybe you remember the jacket I posted pics about it last autumn. I post them again just in case.

Kalocsa (pronounce it as kalocha) style flowers.

Anyway, she asked me to teach the embroidery to the home economics club next month, so at the cultural festival they can sell bags from the 100 yen store with embroidery they put on them. I found it was a great idea, so I immediately agreed. My English club members heard about the idea, and when they saw the pictures of the Kalocsa and Matyó style embroideries I printed out, they decided to join the home economics club learning how to do it, and we are going to make coasters that we will sell with cookies and drinks at the cultural festival in September.

A table cloth I'm working at right now.

I'm just so happy it turned out this way. Finally, I feel I can contribute to the students education in a way that no other NET and no native English speaker ever could. Finally, I feel I'm irreplaceable, and I can be proud of who I am, where I'm from. That's very important to me after being treated as a second class gaijin for years. I'm even thinking about doing this kind of embroidery as a profession if I ever quit teaching...which won't happen in the near future, as I really enjoy teaching right now. 

The first year in this school was difficult, but now I know which teachers I can trust, which ones I should avoid, and the students have become more friendly. After being scolded by a few teachers in the year opening ceremony for not greeting the teachers, they finally do say "hello" or "good morning" when we meet.

I'm quite comfortable now. I only wish I wouldn't have to get up at 6:30 in the morning to go to work.

Sorry for the spalling and punctuation mistakes. It's quite late, and I'm feeling crappy all day with low blood pressure and headaches, ever since rainy season set in. 

Souvenir shopping trip in Kyoto

Every time I go home, I travel to Kyoto to buy souvenirs. For family, for friends, for unavoidable to meet relatives, neighbors etc. The best place to get good stuff is Kyoto, since people back home kinda expect to get Japanese style stuff. They never believe me when I say, that actually, buying European or American style things here is much easier, because that is what sells here. Traditional Japanese souvenirs sell only among tourists. Anyway, best place to go in Kinki area is Sanjo Teramachi, only five minutes walk from Keihan Sanjo station. A bunch of covered streets full of stores selling food, clothes, and lots of souvenirs, and handmade Japanese products. So, that's where I went. 

Kamogawa River near Sanjo station

A cormorant...maybe.

This building is a Starbucks. I just love the whole atmosphere of this place.

Oh, Dear Kamogawa...how many hours we spent on your banks with friends talking about LIFE after school ends, about love life troubles and family secrets, about hopes and dreams. Ashley I miss you sooooooo much dear!

Sorry for the emotional breakout (^_^;).   Too many fond memories from my one year as an exchange student here...Kyoto was THE Place to go at the time.

Let's get back to shopping. First I found this little candy store that sells traditional candies in all flavours, including green tea (that I refrain from buying), in lovely boxes and wraps. Look!

Candy store. They even gave me some candies as a present...already ate them...

Look how beautifully shaped these jelly things are (525 yen a box), and those round little packs are so cute, and they were only 250 yen each!

On the way to the covered shopping street you can find Meidi-ya. This is a really good imported food store, but it's a bit expensive. This is the only imported food store I found that sells Tokaji Aszú, a very famous brand of Hungarian wine. (^^).

Finally I reached the covered shopping street area. They have a lovely cake shop here too. Have eaten there a couple of times. Beside the small souvenir and food stores you can even find shops selling alternative clothing for visual kei fans. Used to love these kind of stores...I think I still have the skirt with coffins printed on, and chains attached to it, that I wore to an Antic Cafe live, and the checked pleated skirt I wore to Charlotte's live...R.I.P. Kazuno. 

Finally, arrived  ( ^ ^ )

Yummiiieeeee

That strawberry mousse cake and the walnut cake in the back looked really tempting....OMG!

VK clothing

This was a rather interesting shop window....I wonder what message they were trying to convey.

I got a few packs of cookies, some of them with a geisha's portrait on them, some with kimono sporting Hello Kitty, some with pictures of Kyoto's famous sightseeing spots on them, and some traditional crackers with cinnamon and banana flavour. And a few other gifts, like 3D picture covered nootebooks, a small hand towel, plum tea, and some pottery I won't show here, because the person who 'll get it is reading this blog from time to time  (^_^).

Cheap but stylish presents.

My favourite is the notebook with the 3D pic on it.

There are plenty of other presents I already bought, I just shared the more traditional Japanese style ones with you. Hope you enjoyed reading.

Prickly heat...aka.. 汗疹 (asemo)

Man, oh man....summer is on, which would be a really great thing for a sunlover like me....if, IF I wouldn't suffer from sweat itch, or what the American teacher calls prickly heat. What a cute name for this beast of dermatological diseases.

The funny thing is, that I never had such a problem, and I was fine even here in Japan until last summer. Then, for the first time I had it. When I went home to Hungary, I visited my dermatologist to save me. She was actually surprised, saying I have a children's disease, as in Hungary (probably due to the climate) it's quite unusual for an adult to have it. Great...

In Japan, however, it's not that unusual at all. I see people with sweat induced rashes all the time. Adults just as much as children. Now I know why they keep the air-conditioners on such  ridiculously low temperatures that your ears freeze off when you enter a room or a shopping mall. I would still opt for a milder 25C though. More than ten degrees difference in the outside and inside temperatures can be anything but healthy, not to mention you can't go anywhere without dragging a cardigan or a sweatshirt just in case.

I feel so depressed right now. Last summer I thought this itchy thing would be a one time experience, coz last summer was crazy hot. Turns out, I was wrong. I'm lucky coz I found an ointment my doc gave me last year, and applied it immediately. But if every summer I gonna get rashes, then my favorite season of the year will become my least favorite one. I can't believe it. Me?!?! Turning into a summer hater?!?!?!

I want to go back and live in Hungary...asap... (T_T)

FOOD!!!!...as promised aka Stinky shellfish and luxury restaurant

It's been a while since my last post, sorry. I got really busy with work and my hobbies, trying to keep stress under control. Not that my job is so stressful now, but being busy is tough at times. 

Sooooo....here we go. I promised I would write about food, so let me tell you the story of the stinky scallop. For those who are not familiar with scallop (I didn't know its name before either) it is a quite big, palm size shellfish. The kind you can see in Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus". My boyfriend bought them, trying to make his own recipe of seafood pasta. Most of the time his creative ideas in the kithen result in really delicious food...this time, well...it turned out a bit different. Also, I'm not a big fan of seafood, I especially hate the smell, but I put up with it for the experience.

They look nice...for interior decoration....

YUCK....

After they were fried, they learned how to swim in pasta sauce...

The result looked and tasted good, but it reeeeeeked...

It smelled even worse after being cooked...so he had to stay in the kitchen to eat, while I was eating in the living room. He was also condemned to eat a whole bar of chocolate to neutralize the smell of his breath...coz I just couldn't make myself kiss him!! However, he said it tasted good, but he won't try it again because of the smell...LOL

A few weeks after this experiment, we had the chance to enjoy a dinner course at a very expensive top floor resaturant at Swiss Hotel Nankai. It was weird coz I'm not used to such luxury. We went all dressed up, and got a table with a gorgeous nightview of Osaka...

Osaka, Namba

It's a waste of water and detergent to use so many forks, knives and spoons for one meal....

Welcome drinks: cassis juice and the restaurant's original cocktail with curacao.

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of courses either. I rather have soup and one maind dish than have tiny portions of so many different fancy stuff. Also, I was sceptical, coz sometimes fancy food doesn't taste at all that good as it looks. Fortunately, it did taste delicious, although too many different stuff made me kinda tired after a while.

Appetizer: marinated chicken.

Páté de foie gras...goose liver pate (aka libamájpástétom...cool) but why the huge plate???!!

A kind of bean soup...again...what the heck is this plate?!?!

Pumpkin paste lasagna :) Yummmiee with mushrooms.

Cheese risotto...the plate! THE PLATE!!!!!

Steak Rossini style...with foie gras on top.

Raspberry jelly with vanilla ice and mascarpone-rhubarb mousse filled rolls

It's not Japanese food, but for people like me, who don't like seafood and raw stuff, there is a great veriety of food to choose from in Japan. And it doesn't have to be a luxury restaurant. I just shared these pics, so you know that Japanese chefs are damn good at cooking western food too!

I'll post sometime soon again about food...and  it's going to be about weird and unusual food! :)

Shopping spreeeeeee!!!!!!!!

Okay, so recently I had a bit more stress than I can normally handle, so last weekend, on payday I did a massive accessory haul, also bought a pair of shoes and a few tops...and two bottles of perfume. ALL were on SALE...for a shopaholic, that's like free drinks for an alcoholic. I couldn't help myself. 

And, as you know, Japan is all about KAWAII (cuteness), so I think you'll agree with me that these gems were all must buy items, especially for 315 yen each!!!

Aren't they beautiful? 

As you already know, I'm also addicted to blue and turquoise, but just for a little variation, orange, red and brown also were on the list. recently I really like bright orange. As for the red, that's more for autumn and winter. 

The two perfume sprays I got were like 80% off. Instead of  7000-8000 yen, both were 1500. How lucky is that? At first I wanted to go for Ferragamo's Incanto for myself, I wanted  the bottle, but neither of the two smelled actually that good, so instead I got Jlo's Still, and for my boyfriend Lanvin's L'Homme Sport. 

It was a really good buy. Now I keep thinking I should have gotten the Ferragamo ones for the bottles, after all they were so cheap...On the other hand I feel I already have spent way too much!!!

But retail therapy does work. It just makes you feel better.

Here they are.

Then I went to Shimamura. Shimamura is a really cheap clothes store that can only be found in fairly countryside residential areas. The sandals were love at first sight, the two shirts...well, I like shiny stuff...

Those rainbow coloured stones were just screaming for me to take them home...

So that was my little haul for summer. There are two other tops but I didn't have any pics of them. Anyway, I just wanted all of you to know, that I'm addicted to shopping. So I'm over the denial phase...

Next post will be about food! So stay tuned!

Sex and Japan

Hello Dear Readers! Long time no post!

The academic year starts in Japan in April, as I probably already have told you, and teachers like me, tend to get busy. I spent a lot of time on creating an English club for my high school. The former NET, who had been here for 6 years before I came, didn't do it. I wonder why...He was probably too busy, working on his own here. However, since I got help from the T-Net last year, and a new T-NET (temporary native English teacher) will come by mid May, I decided I will make one. And it was my best decision since I work here.

Anyway, today I plan to write about something totally not related to school, but I bet you will all find it very interesting. SEX. These days everything is about sex, half naked and naked male and female topmodels advertising stuff, singers wearing almost nothing on stage, actors and actresses showing off their nicely toned bodies hoping for an applauding audience and lots of cash. So what about sex in Japan?

I have to say that this country is very disturbing in this sense. There are the average people, who are shy, married couples often wouldn't even hold hands in public, kissing is out of the question. Many workplace forbids sleeveless clothing and too short skirts for women, men always wear suits. Sounds and looks very conservative, but there is the other side of the coin. The "hentai" porn manga, the stores which buy worn underwear (worn, as you must not wash it before selling) from high school and junior high school girls and sell them to men, hostess clubs, the endless numbers of "gravier idols"- these are young ladies willing to pose for pictures wearing only bikinis and almost nothing clothes, photo albums with their pictures would sell in large numbers among middle aged single men, and so on. There is a whole underground culture based on sexuality. Of course there are brothels in certain districts, run mostly by organized crime syndicates, even in Osaka. The area is called Tobita Shinchi, and I advise female travelers never to visit that area alone. Even if you go in a group refrain from taking pictures. I have never been there and as I plan to stay out of trouble I will avoid the place in the future as well.  From people who went there I heard there are these brothels where the girls stand in the shop window, you can pick them out, as if you were buying meat at the butchers. The "mamas" would be standing outside selling them to you.  Scary looking guys would stare at you, and complain if you want to take pictures.   Just like the Bronx in New York, as a visitor, maybe it's better to avoid it. Locals might know which places are safe to go, but if you don't, just don't go there.

The reason why I decided to write about this today was a flyer that landed in my mailbox the other day.  It was advertising a call-girl service. On the front, a pretty, slender, and very young Japanese woman trying to look innocent but sexy and seductive at the same time, and the price list. Varies by time. Longer time, bigger money.

Are these services legal in Japan? Well, yes and no. Of course, prostitution is illegal as in most countries. That's why the brothels are in areas where even the police are afraid to go to. However, and please sit down if you are not sitting already, oral and anal sex in Japan does not count as sexual intercourse in the legal system!!!  And that is what I find really odd! People in the sex business always find the backdoors...how disgusting. Of course, it's abillion dollar business in every country, but because of this screwed up legal definition, dealing with sexual crimes is also a mess here.  And how many stories have I heard on TV from girls, who fell victims to older boyfriends. Naive little girls, who were made to believe they are loved, then they were forced emotionally, or physically  by their boyfriends to became call-girls, just like the one on this very flyer, only to earn money the boyfriend can spend. It is just so sad. And most of them never even gets arrested for pimping. I would have loved to go to the police with this flyer and ask them to check the age of all the girls working there, and arrest whoever owns this business. But my guess is, they wouldn't have done anything.

Due to the redundancy of the system, you can call these girls, who would come to your home, take a bath with you, gave you a blow job, make you feel good and leave. Totally legally. Because they do not break the law. Hmmmmm...interesting. Thriving prostitution.

 The funny part comes now. the back side of the flyer was about recruitment! If you're a young, good looking woman, looking for a high income part-time job, don't hesitate to call... sure. :) Just in case the flyer lands in the mailbox of a female citizen. How smart, using both sides of the paper, recruiting and selling at the same time.  Their marketing manager must be pretty good. :P

One helluva day...

Geez...today I thought one's day couldn't get any worse than this (I mean a regular day without anybody dying). The weather forecast did say that a storm was coming, but what we actually got was beyond my imagination.

Around noon, heavy dark clouds started to flow in from the horizon. An hour later we had 50-70 km/h (sometimes probably even stronger) winds, horizontally falling rain, and a darkness that otherwise would indicate it's 7pm. I was hoping the rain would stop by the time I finish work, coz holding an umbrella seemed impossible.

I got lucky though. When I walked out of the school at 4 pm, we only had a light rain, and moderate winds. I walked to the station, only to realize that the trains were running a few minutes late. I took the train to my transit station where the trouble began. There were a couple of hundreds people waiting for the train, which was quite unusual, so I checked the digital timetable. The loop line had stopped, the trains were running again, but they were several minutes late. Pheeew...I thought I got lucky. I squeezed myself onto the next train. We were like sardines in a can. Just like rush hour...no big deal. 2 stations later it became hell. I was pushed so much I could hardly breath, it was just scary. At the next stop there were again hundreds of people trying to get on...so guess what? The train was stopped. Originally, because the train in front of us got too crowded and had to stop for safety reasons...well, our train had pretty much the same situation. When they announced that we are stopped and if we can we should go to the closest subway station, I immediately pushed my way out of the car, only to find myself surrounded by thousands of others occupying the whole platform. It took me about half an hour to get out of the station. I was lucky, coz I was just one stop away from my home station, but walking in the wind was quite a challenge. 

When I got to the supermarket I usually go to to do some grocery shopping, I realized my backpack was wide open!!! For a second I was petrified. My wallet was in with all my cards, my passport too, Normally I don't have it on me, but last week I had to hand in my alien card to renew it, so I have to carry my passport around till I get the new card. I checked my backpack, and seemingly nothing is missing. I did feel that my bag was pushed and pulled a couple of times, but the crowd was so big I couldn't even get the bag to the front. I also assumed that people would be so kind as to tell me that my bag is open. I've had similar experiences: once a lady stopped me just to tell me that I should tie my shoelaces. No one said anything this time, all those people around me. I wonder if anyone has seen somebody pulling the zippers open. Bastards! 

Anyway, I guess I was still lucky I could get home. Though it took me an hour more than usual, and being in the crowd was really exhausting, not to mention scary. I hate crowds. I made the utmost efforts not to get into a panic, coz that would spread faster than the flu. I hate taking the train every morning, I especially hate crowded trains. And by crowd, I mean a real crowd, not the bunch of people you'd meet at the Sunday market on a nice, thriving economy day. Man, was I happy to get the hell outta there.

Evidence:

The storm is coming...

The crowd behind me...So, which one of you opened my bag?!?!?! I wonder if my taking the picture was the actual reason why nothing got missing from my bag...hmmm.....

In front of me....what the hell are those three high school kids laughing at?

Exodus from the station, most people opted for the subway.

When the Japanese laugh....

So, there is this thing that creeps me out and pisses me off. There is a special kind of laughter in Japan, that I call the "I pity you plus what are you talking about crazy person" kind of laughing.


People in Japan, well, they smile a lot. Which is very, very nice! Shop staff are always so polite, and it just makes your day so much better when they give you this big smile while saying thank you for the purchase. This is something I haven't experienced at home for a really really long time. Sometimes we have shop assistants in Hungary who are chewing gum, while talking to you. When you ask about the price of something, because you can't find a price tag, they would shrug, and say "I donno", as if they are trying to scare you away, instead of inviting you to buy their products. Very appalling. That's why I prefer shopping in Japan.
Japanese ladies often cover their mouth with their hands when smiling. It's kind of classy to do that. And I think we have all met those stereotypical Japanese tourists, who wear hats, have a big camera hanging around their neck, and they smile constantly.
It's a good thing. I really love the Japanese smile :) In fact, I think we, Europeans, should smile more.


However, laugh is a bit different. Especially this one I mentioned above. I've encountered this particular "I pity you foreigner" kind of laughter in two different situations, many times. One case is usually when they find out that I'm quite shy. They would give this annoying laugh, and ask "Really?" while expressing their surprise, claiming that they didn't know foreigners can be shy.
The other case is, when I get sick. My stomach has been sick for over 2 years now due to stress. Well, lifestyle is quite different here, rules of society don't make sense, and I'm not exactly a fan of Japanese cuisine. All this together took a toll on my body it seems.
Whenever I mention my stomachache, they would ask, "why?", and I would tell them, because of the stress. And that's when I get that laughter again. "Stress?" they would ask with disbelief... Yep! Stress! Foreigners can and do feel stress living in Japan.
So, this is what drives me crazy, that some Japanese think that being shy and feeling stressed out are some kind of privilege that only Japanese people can experience.


If any of you have questions about Japan, let me know. I'll do my best to answer it.

JON BON JOVI is 50 today!

Happy Birthday Jon!

Thanks for the AWESOME songs and the sort of emotional education through them. 

 　　　　　　　　☆～★～☆～♪　～★誕生日おめでとう★～♪　～☆～★～☆

I become a fan around middle school and can't stop loving The Band! They are just the GREATEST BAND in the world. It's a shame I haven't been able to get to any of their concerts, but next time, may it be in Japan, or Hungary, or even in Antarctica, I'll go, I swear!

Till then, I recommend you, my dear readers, this song. Lately it's been my favorite, though it's from their second album way back in '85: