"I was so touched, I was moved to kick the crutches, From my crippled friend "
-The State I Am In, Belle and Sebastian

This time I have legit news! I actually have a real job. Okay, so it's only once a week for 90 minutes, but that still counts right? I'm getting paid about $45 to teach adult women English in Fukushima, so that will basically support my two favourite weekly activities: grocery shopping and karaoke. 90 minutes isn't that long, but that's pretty much the same amount of time and effort I out into my 9 to 5 job in Toronto anyway.

Now I just need to figure out how to get days off...seriously, I need a Thursday off for when my mum and aunt come to visit at the end of June...

"Now I spend my day turning tables round In Marks & Spencer's, They don't seem to mind "

Since this is my last "official" week on "vacation" before I start teaching next week, I'll just have to take it extra easy: more trips to the grocery store, more Arrested Development reruns, and effectively, more cowbell. Speaking of cowbells, I saw a shirt with a cowbell on it (shamefully much too small for me) and the words: "Cow bells for good use. I like ice cream. Milk Dairy Farm." I should just start buying these too-small shirts and cut them up to make a hilarious quilt.

And more hilarity from Yahoo "news": "William Shatner says horses can help inured children"...which I read as "Shatner says horses help injure children." And "Lovesick swan falls in love with paddle boat." But I saved the best for last, "Syphillis Up, Smoking Down in Ottawa." Thank God we got out when we did.

"Now I'm feeling dangerous, riding on city buses for a hobby is sad "

“How hard can it be, To get a slap on the back from a room full of morons? So you hate my sunglasses?
-Martell, The Cribs (aka the song from that Telus commerial that drives you nuts)

I know I promised that I would stop writing meaningless blog updates, and I usually do keep my promises and my goals that I set for myself (good or bad, and whether I really should or not), but I just keep having fun adventures at the grocery store. So maybe read this blog every other day or so to tackle more than one rambling post at once. I never have been able to be concise and deliver clear-cut stories.

So grocery shopping is my new raison d’etre. Not just for the “I wonder what this actually is? Is this cheese or butter? Only one way to find out!” I’d go for the muzak alone, just to hang out and play guessing games as to which hilariously butchered song is actually playing. And then I sing along. Out loud. You see, if you’re going to be stared at for being white, you might as well carve a niche for yourself as the “Crazy Gaijin” (foreigner). That is a niche that I would like to fill to say the least. My last trip to the grocery store, a chain called Benimaru whose neon lit logo of a white dove can be seen illuminated over the rooftops of Japanese cities, featured a playlist with Beautiful Day, Union of the Snake (Duran Duran people!), I’ve Got My Mind Set on You, and again, the theme to Indiana Jones. And, as a warm up for karaoke, I sing along out loud to them and throw in a dance here and there in the vegetable department to amuse Eve. And tonight for dinner I will crack open the bag of mystery meat which may or may not be something akin to General Tao’s Chicken.

To amuse myself while everyone I know is either at work or asleep in other time zones, I create attracting visual displays of things found in the kitchen. Guess what belongs to me!

Actually, my being lazy and watching the entire season 2 of House all at once caused me to have an epiphany. So maybe I'm a little slow, but I just realized that my belovd Dr. Wilson is none other than Neil "carpe deim" Perry (aka the one who isn't Ethan Hawke and who I had a mad crush on circa 1990) from Dead Poet's Society, one of my favourite childhood films. So slow on the uptake, but at least that explains my affection for Dr. Wilson. I clearly already adore Dr. House because he is a jerk. If you don't watch, you're missing out (I've already made Eve watch).

“You should leave it to me We cover insignificant miles for a miniature bottle Do you know what I mean?”

In other news, Eve and I are planning a weeklong trip to Shanghai and Beijing, China in August. We’re just trying to firm up some details including how to get there free with our Air Canada Aeroplan miles and how to book a train between the 2 cities that doesn’t involve sharing a cabin with strangers (I’m thinking I don’t want to re-enact the train scenes from Eurotrip). This trip has gone through various incarnations over the past 4 days including at one time or another being a trip to: Bangkok, Phuket, Hong Kong, Australia, Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur, and Saipan in some combination or another. Eve, who changes her mind every 28 minutes, is finally set on this one. I think.

And someone just knocked on the door. Eve and I closed the curtains and hid. And one of the news headlines to the day from Yahoo.ca: “Pope asks God why He tolerated the Holocaust.” To me, that’s funny. What do you think God asked the Pope in return?

“Someones got their eye on you now, Don't you know? And I don't want to be the one to let you know”

Top 5 Songs to Listen to While Scrounging for Bizarre Foodstuffs in the Cupboard (aka The “Clean-up on Aisle 3!” Mix):

We All Lose One Another- Jason Collett
Only- Nine Inch Nails
That Boy Needs Therapy- Avalanches
Something Bigger, Something Brighter- Pretty Girls Make Graves
Rock n’ Roll Star- Oasis

(if I had the muzak versions of these songs, it would be like working at Benimaru)

“La la la la can you hear me, I don't think so”

“Girls will be boys, and boys will be girls, It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world, except for Lola.”
-Lola, The Kinks

Due to my sloth-like nature, I failed to get anything done this weekend as Eve and I draped ourselves on the couch to watch Arrested Development, Lost, House, Breakfast on Pluto, and Grey’s Anatomy instead of crossing legitimate things off of our “to do” list. Instead, I did get 2 important thins done: we bought our tickets to the Fuji Rock Festival (which was obviously the most important thing on the list anyway, because who really needs a bike, a bank account, or a cell phone) and I had my first Japanese cinema experience.

We saw the Da Vinci Code and I will proceed to tell you everything that is wrong with it and why it was so terrible in an easy to follow list format, but first, the theatre itself must be discussed.

After Eve read the movie time wrong, we ended up running across town to make it to the theatre in 25 minutes. Or more precisely, I yelled at Eve to move it and finish her phone conversation as she’s heading out the door because if I miss the trailers, I’m not going. Yes, I am that stubborn and anal. I still haven’t forgiven Nayeli for making me miss the Miami Vice trailer when she was late for King Kong…this mere trailer would have made up for the boredom that was the feature anyway. But I digress…

“Well, we drank champagne and danced all night,under electric candlelight”

We did make it and luckily found a friend Yoshi (like the Nintendo game!) in the front of the line who was able to purchase all of our tickets for us. Eve, Donna and I headed off to the theatre with our tickets, found 3 seats together and sat. it was then Donna exclaimed, “Wait? Don’t we have assigned seats in Japanese movie theatres?” Sure enough, a glance at our tickets revealed that we did, in fact, have assigned seats- in the front row. We ran down to the front, sat down, and Donna and I both proclaimed it to be bullshit and that we refused to sit there, so up we got again and stood at the back of the theatre with Eve in tow.

So after some “You can’t be serious, I’m not sitting for 165 minutes up front,” we started scoping out empty seats in the almost packed theatre. Eve got panicked and went down to her assigned seat in the front, leaving Donna and I at the back. Like all great missions, you’re bound to lose one along the way. Eve was our casualty of the cinema. Donna spied 2 seats together near the back and we sat in them like we owned hem, each time cringing when the theatre door opened to reveal some late Japanese ooking for their seat. We didn’t relax for the first 30 minutes of the film because we thought we were going to get kicked out of our seats. Luckil, Donna picked the only 2 un-assigned seats int eh theatre so we were safe…but alas, we were not saved from Tom Hanks’ and Ron Howard’s mediocrity. And now, I present to you a list of what was wrong with the Da Vinci Code without ruining it for you (sorry Dan, I HATED it):

1. Tom Hanks. I’m sure if I saw this with an English-speaking audience, people would have laughed at the lines coming out of Tom Hanks’ mouth. Donna and I did. One word: Cheesy. And this man has 2 Oscars! It was like he was in a high school play reading cue cards.

2. Ron Howard. Ron Howard does what Ron Howard does: makes Ron Howard movies. If you don’t understand what that means, then shame on you. Also, Clint Howard was no where to be seen.

3. Flashbacks. Let’s see a re-enactment of Ancient Rome! How about the Crusades! Now one of witch hunts! Now do merry olde England! How about another one about the Knights Templar? Now let’s do the personal flashbacks of the two main, poorly acted characters! And don’t forget, we will do it all in washed-out sepia tones! Yay!

4. The illustrations and explanations. Instead of a character using his/her words to explain their throught process in the unscrambling of codes and/or explanation of the works of Da Vinci the special effects department decided to actually highlight random letters and manipulate images so people could physically see what the character is explaining in perfect English.

5. Blue/Green screens (See: Over use of, poorly).

Okay, so it wasn’t all bad. The good was Sir Ian McKellen, who as a flamboyantly gay man can never be over the top, the art (in Art History the Italian Renaissance was my specialty, so I was happy to drool over the Louvre and Da Vinci’s works since they just remined me of the times I have been to the Louvre to drool over them in person), the cinematography and art direction, and lastly, it is a good story. It is a good story because the book is excellent. It would still be a good story if the entire film was re-enacted by cats and wolf puppets (my childhood fear, for those in the know). The film just doesn’t do it justice.

So now I am off of my film high-horse, so I shall end with another list:

Top 5 Bands I Am Excited to See at Fuji Rock (in order of preference):

Franz Ferdinand
Scissor Sisters
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Strokes
The Raconteurs

And because 5 is never enough:

KT Tunstall
JET
Martha Wainwright
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
The Hives

“I fell to the floor. I got down on my knees.I looked at her, and she at me.Well that's the way that I want it to stay.”

“Is it any wonder I'm tired, Is it any wonder that I feel uptight”
-Is It Any Wonder, Keane (currently obsessing over this song)

Yeah I know I said I would stop posting until I had some interesting adventures to share, but old habits die hard. Besides, Eve and I are attempting “Ninja Training” tomorrow morning, and due to my lack of mad physical skillz, I might not make it back here to post again. I might collapse in the mountain where the obstacle course is or fall of my soon-to-be-acquired bike out of exhaustion…speaking of exhaustion, Eve is asleep in my bed, due to the closer proximity of my bed to the living room.

“It's hard to know where I stand, It's hard to know where I am"

One of the great things about being unemployed is that I can meet Eve for lunch when she has her 2 hour plus gaps between classes. We ambled over ot my new favourite place- the rotating sushi bar- for lunch, then off ot a secluded and hidden British-pub style dessert place (which is partially the reason we’ve decided to take up Ninja Training since desserts are so delicious here). And in other great news I have finally convinced Eve to spend $600 and 3 days camping at the Fuji Rock Festival. It also took me about 25 seconds to get Leslie to join us since her "boyfriend" is in The Strokes (she hearts Julian Casablancas). She's also been to the other big Japanese festival, Summer Sonic, and has access to a tent. Sweet, indeed.

“Well maybe it's a puzzle I don't understand”

Last night we had an impromptu party at our apartment. Namely, one person coming over for a bit of pre-drinking (which is never as intense as in the old Ottawa days, or even in the pre-Dance Cave way) led to “I told so-and-so to come over too…” By the end, there were 8 of us here before we left to head off the other 3 people who were on our way and make it over to karaoke for more drinks and 2 hours of singing our hearts out. I was pleased to discover the random selection of songs available I hadn’t expected and/or thought could be sung at karaoke: "Helicopter" by Bloc Party and "Informer" by Snow. Sadly, they do not have any Vanilla Ice. Shane, if you ever grace us with your presence, we can duet on “White Lines.” And one of these days, I’m going to sing Dirk’s favourite “Oasis” song, “Tubthumping.”

“But sometimes I get the feeling that I'm, Stranded in the wrong time”

Top 5 Karaoke Songs Performed by Yours Truly Last Night to Great Applause (aka The I’m Feeling Pretty Good About Myself list):

Vertigo- U2
Club Foot- Kasabian
This Charming Man- The Smiths
Livin’ on a Prayer- Bon Jovi
Under Pressure- Queen & Bowie

And as a bonus track:
Total Eclipse of the Heart- Bonnie Tyler (I merely provided the “Turnaround Bright Eyes” parts)

“Is it any wonder I don't know what's right”

“Well that was easy waiting, Everything's easy now”
-Well that Was Easy, Franz Ferdinand

How do you get a job in Japan? You just show up and in your best ye olde English proclaim that you can speak good English (yes…the poor grammar is a form of irony).

I was under the impression that a job “interview” would include pertinent questions about m past work experience, my university degree since it was a requirement for teaching, and my feelings towards children. No, no, and no. The minute I walked in the door (somehow whenever I saw those semi-familiar lines I think of Bill Macy) it was, “Hey. You live in Fukushima. Want to teach a weekly adult class?” Nothing as to me having to prove I’m a nice person (I don’t think I am…I’ve broken several of the 10 Commandments, and I stood up a weird Sri Lankan guy on Monday). I do like to think that, like Dirk, I possess mad skillz, but they didn’t even enquire as to exactly how mad any skillz I had were. I even dressed up for the interview, with semi-heeled shoes which made me tower even more over the diminutive Japanese. I’m not that tall, but in Japan it’s like Attack of the 50 ft Woman. Or, more appropriately:

“I used to lock myself in your bathroom, Swallowing the Codeine kept for your back” (actaully my Mom's favourite line of this song)

Seriously. I could have said that I went to Columbia Film School or have a Ph. D. in astrophysics. It was all just, “When can you start earning $30 an hour + transportation, overnight hotel, and meal allowances?” So yes, basically I am now a freelance English teacher, working on the weekends I choose with the possibility of a weekly adult English class. Come to Japan for a job- they’re desperate…after all, they’re letting ME teach children. I would just like to throw that back in the face of the film subtitling company I applied to work for, whose only requirements was that I spoke English. They sent me back a letter saying that I was not qualified enough. True story.

And I promise that I will start updating this blog only when I have something exciting to share instead of off-beat ramblings. Although, I am on the hunt for a bike, a rental cell phone, and am attempting ninja training this weekend so you know, like "Cause = Time", my life = adventures and mishaps. And in frther interesting news, I found and purchased something I never thought I would be able to in Japan: shoes that fit my (by Japanese standards) giant feet. Then again, since Converse like shoes are everywhere, I would cram my foot into something smaller, especially if it was a Converse-type polka dot high top with a zipper up the back. Sweet indeed.

“Numb, so numb, I'd let your words, Come and come”

I’m also glad to see that interest in the top 5 lists have been spreading through the immediate circle of bloggers (okay so 4 of us maybe).

Top 5 Random Movie Quotes to Integrate into Normal Conversation Today (Taken Out of Context from Some of My Favourite Films):

“This newspaper contains facts. Look at this. "Pregnant man gives birth." That's a fact!- So I Married an Axe-Murderer

“I already made like infinity of those at scout camp.”- Napoleon Dynamite

“What am I gonna say? "I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork. How've you been?"”- Grosse Pointe Bank

“Life is not a movie. Good guys lose, everybody lies, and love... does not conquer all.”- Swimming with Sharks

And because no movie quote list could ever be complete without it:

“Soylent Green is people!!!”- Soylent Green

That oughta mix up the usual music-induced list anyway…


“That was easy, but I still miss you”

"The glove compartment is inaccurately named, and everybody knows it"
-Title and Registration, Death Cab for Cutie

It's hard to believe that I've only been in Japan for 2 weeks...it feels like I've been here so much longer. Rusty will actually be here in 2 weeks and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet since there's still things that I haven't worked out and am not prepared to give someone else a tour of Japan like I'm some kind of expert. I still can't figure out how to use the phone here and I refuse to buy a cell phone (pretty much the only person in Japan without one).

"...and now that it's gone just like it wasn't there at all"

I may have also overcome a huge hurdle in convincing Eve to come with me to the 3 day Fuji Rock Festival now that The Strokes and The Raconteurs have been added to the line-up. I'm playin gthe "You Owe Me After that Night in Roppongi" card. Then again, I'd go by myself anyway, but who really wants to be the weird girl who shows up to a 3 day festival alone?

Job interview this afternoon. it sound slike I already have the job which is swell. It basically works out to be a freelancing english teaching thing with me choosing which weekends I want to work at kids' parties as both PR for the company and as a real live foreigner to help them practice their english skillz through games, etc. Basically 7 hours of work gets me $200, food, and they pay for my hotel if I need it and my travel expenses. Sound sweet. Hopefully I can pull off the fake "I heart kids (not V.D.)" act long enough. Maybe I'll come out of this really loving children and wanting some of my own.........yeah insert laughter here as we all know I haven't a mothering bone in my body and would sooner have a pet troll who clubs people with bones than a child.

I have to find a bike this weekend. Hopefully from one of the many bike depositories around the city under overpasses, etc. I don't feel like paying $10 for a bike and registration. But I'm also nervous because the other foreigners have been getting stopped by the police and being asked about their bike registration and do they know Yoshi, or Sumie, or Miho and why are they riding their bikes, etc. We'll see. New Friend Leslie spun off on some story in broken Japanese about what songs she likes to sing at karaoke and they let her go, so I may try that trick if I get stopped.

Top 5 Songs to Prep for a Job Interview:

Blood on Our Hands- Death from Above 1979
Helicopter- Bloc Party
Number 1- Goldfrapp
Me and My 4 24- John Vanderslice (in honour of the recent May 2-4)
Start Wearing Purple- Gogol Bordello

PS> I have told Eve that she needs to update her blog, but she laughed at me, so don't hold your breath.

"all night, when I'm lying awake at night "

“You were always late but you always had a story, But that's not over wait!”
-New Fellas, The Cribs

I should really break this entry up into 2 posts, but I like multi-tasking and killing two birds with one stone. I’ll break it up with pictures…

Friday night brought yet another karaoke outing (my new favourite pastime). Eve and I bluntly turned down initiations to a “Princess Party” for manicures where the dress code was “girly…don’t forget your tiara!” As could be expected, we did end up having to don tinsel crowns provided by Leslie from Sarnia, but we did so ironically and mockingly (at least I did). Here’s a picture of me and new friend Kume…I just like the fact that I am wearing a crown, and you can read the lyrics for Sitting on the Dock of the Bay on the TV. Other good musical choices included: Whoomp There it Is, Step By Step, Banquet, Wannabe, a Madonna medley, and the theme from the Karate Kid part 2.

After 2 hours of karaoke and unlimited drinks we went for ramen noodles, the Japanese equivalent of hangover food like poutine or shwarmas (or in my case, Eggs Benedict).

“What's the point in compromise? Get your dignity and leave Don't be too abstract though”

Eve and I braved the 4 hour us ride to Tokyo (for $50 round-trip, I’m not complaining) for some shopping in Harajuku. Of course, it had started pouring rain by the time we emerged from the subway as dozens of soaking wet Japanese and tourists crammed into the entrance of every store. Braving the rain with our umbrellas we set out shopping.

We didn’t manage to buy anything although I did run across some awesome buttons of U2 and one of Charlie Chaplin (to go with our sweet Modern Times drinking glasses picked up from the dollar store). We went to Shibuya crossing, which is the most crossed intersection in the world. It’s unbelievable until you’re in there- it’s like a concert at the ACC just let out, but every red light. I don’t know where all these people are coming from or where they’re all going but it’s insane. We went to Shibuya because I demanded that we go to HMV (disappointing) and Tower Records (awesome).

We then had to meet Eve’s Japanese “boyfriend” Yuchio for dinner. Then he took us on a walking tour of Shinjuku which is run by the mafia and therefore un-welcoming before heading to club central in Roppongi. I also took a picture of a sign that said "No corpses in lockers" which didn't turn out.

Roppongi is AWFUL. I’m not a club-kid to begin with, and obviously I’m not expecting a Dance Cave or Zaphod’s equivalent, but when you hear 4 different Black Eyed Peas songs in 90 minutes at the same club, there’s a problem. Within 15 minutes I knew it was going to be a long night. The good news is that the only club that charged a cover was only $10 and it included 2 free drinks (Tom Collins!). We ended up at 6 bars between 10:30pm and 5am. I only mildly enjoyed one of them called Motown, but the highlight of the night was Summer of ’69, so you can see exactly what kind of night I had. This Motown place also had Marvin Gaye records on the wall and wallpaper of motown album covers. I’m not sure whether this made me happy since there were Marvin Gaye records on the wall which means that at least they know who he is here, or if it angered me because there were Marvin Gaye records on the wall for people to scribble all over- Which they did as the entire place was covered with “Lenny from Chicago” or “Sven from Sweden” on all the walls, the lampshades, the bar, the table, etc.

On the plus side of the night, Donna somehow managed to convince 2 different bar owners at 2 separate clubs to give the group of 9 of us free shots…and not just a plain shot of tequila or rum, but fancy shooters. I also did something that I have never done before- I fell asleep at a bar. Somehow between all the bass of some awful hip hop song, I managed to fall asleep. I wasn’t even drunk (3 drinks and 2 shots over 6 hours barely affects me as someone who occasionally down entire bottles of Alize straight for Forsey parties and the like). So after sleeping between 4:45 and 5am, (Eve also fell asleep for a good 30 minutes or more) we wandered out into full-blown daylight. It seems the sun rises here sometime round 4:30 am.

After a delicious McDonald’s pancake meal ($3) we wandered across town to the train station parking lot to wait for our bus where we all fell asleep in the parking lot.

Coming back to Fukushima after a night in Tokyo is somewhat refreshing because they are total opposites. Of course since Fukushima was small town, we did manage to stumble into 3 people we knew on the 15 minute walk home from the station, tired, and gross. We also had to turn down an invitation to jump on a trampoline because we were so exhausted and decided to stay home and watch The Beach.

The most exciting part of the weekend was the vending machine I found that sells hot french fries.

And I have discovered more things I love about Japan: butter filled raisin rolls and the local grocery store often plays muzak versions of both the theme from Indiana Jones and Beverley Hills Cop. Nothing beats shopping for milk to the muzak version of “Let’s Hear it For the Boy” from Footloose either. So if anyone actually makes it out to Japan, I will bring you grocery shopping instead of going to Roppongi (unless you want to be tortured).

“I missed what we're discussing”

Top 5 Songs to Listen to after a Night of Torture in Roppongi (aka the “Make it All Go Away” Mix):

I Want to Hear What You Got to Say- The Subways
Seven Nation Army- The White Stripes
You’re a Runner and I am My Father’s Son- Wolf Parade
This Fire- Franz Ferdinand
Lover I Don’t Have to Love- Bright Eyes (fave song of the moment)

“To me it means nothing”

"Can you take me back to that place where stars glow?"
-Lola, Stars and Stripes, The Stills

Picture post! (except Blogger isn't co-operating, so I'll post the pretty scenery ones on my other blog).

Shopping here is quite amusing. First you have the signs:

Then you have the misspelled and non-sensical t-shirt slogans:


I don’t know what this shirt is supposed to say, but to me it looks like t says “I heart V.D.” Eve suggested that it’s meant to say “Loved” since they get I and L mixed up. Still, I prefer my explanation. I would have bought it if it fit. You be be judge.

There was another awesome shirt that said “Vacation Time! With a Donkey” and had a picture of a donkey. But like most things in this country, it was far too small.


This afternoon brought yet another new experience for me: the rotating sushi bar.

And the ice cream display so ignorant foreigners like myself can just point at what they want (or in our case, a woman will randomly come by and offer English translations). I had the mango.

Eve directed me to the local river. On the way a man a bike stopped me. He told me he was from Sri Lanka and his name was Hussein. He wanted me to go meet him for drinks but I told him I was busy. Eve and I are going to meet up with him on Monday, since the last time Eve met him she said she would be busy for 3 weeks.

I also now have a “Duomo” Man. Duomo mean’s “Thanks” as in 'Duomo arigato, Mr. Roboto.' I took a picture of his cat and he came over the thank me, say hi, and then wave at me. (as a side note, the Styx classic is apparently not popular here).

"Comets swarm like fireflies outside your window"

And pictures of our apartment didn't want to upload, so I present one photo and a video tour.

Video link here. (Sorry, imbedded video player screwed everything up).

"And the sun comes one more day"

“I'm so glad I've found this, I'm so glad I did”
-Munich, Editors

So I’m almost a week into my new Japanese experience, and everyday, I’m finding another reason why I like Japan.

Last night was my first attempt at bowling in a long time. I couldn’t get over how popular bowling is here- there are at least 2 major bowling alleys that I’m aware of in Fukushima, and on a Tuesday night at 9:30pm, it’s packed. And it’s not league night where everyone shows up in matching shirts. It’s filled with everyone from kids to business me who am still in their suits (one of whom bowled with our group last night). A group of about 15 or so English teachers and Japanese friends divided into 4 teams for a night of bowling. Although I am apparently lacking in the mad bowling skillz department, I evenly delivered both strikes and gutter balls. There were many opportunities for high-fiving all around. A good way to spend about 2.5 hours and $10.

A also discovered that the bowling alley has what I believe to be my favourite arcade game, (although I have never actually played it, it just look amusing)- You have two drum sticks and have to beat the drum in time with the screen as it yells things at you in Japanese and magical creatures dance about on the screen. I’ve already made Eve swear that she will play it so we can make asses of ourselves before I leave Japan.

Another awesome discovery about Japan is that (obviously) sushi is very cheap. Of course a jar of Skippy peanut butter will cost you $5, rows ad rows of rolled sushi is $3. And I cannot describe the deliciousness. Of course, I also discovered another wonderful thing – pre-sliced Kraft cheese. Those Japanese are so efficient!

“You'll speak when you're spoken to”

More good news abounds since I have a job interview scheduled for next week. Not bad after having been here 7 days. It’s for a company that wants part-time English teachers to attend student parties that they hold on weekends and national holidays for the home and private schooled students. So for $30 an hour, plus travel time, I’m game to chat it up with some 3-15 year olds at parties on weekends for a few hours.

I’m thinking of heading over to Sendai for some shopping today. It’s about an hour away by train and a $15 round trip. Apparently it’s where the best shopping is. I went there with Eve’s mom on the weekend, but feel like there is more shopping to be done other than HMV. But for now, I’m lazy and I’m waiting for the iPod to charge, so we’ll see. There is a store called “Happy Days.” And you guessed it, there is a picture of The Fonz on the sign. So if anything, I clearly need to return to take a picture of the sign.

“It breaks if you don't force it, It breaks if you don't try”

There is an elementary school a few blocks away that has a marching and. They’re outside practicing daily, and I guess today is the big student parade through the streets. But that’s nothing compared to the random “concert” I saw downtown on Saturday: A Japanese band performing ABBA and other ‘70’s gems.

So this weekend brings Eve and New Australian friend Donna for a night partying in the Roppongi section of Tokyo and some massive shopping in Harajuku. We’ve decided to go hard-core and arrive in Tokyo in the afternoon for shopping, and then spend all night partying, just to get on a bus to come back to Fukushima at 9:20am. We’ll see how utterly exhausted we all are and if I managed not to fall down some stairs and/or offend large quantities of Japanese people.

“With one hand you calm me, With one hand I'm still”

"Oh my god I can't believe it, I've never been this far away from home"
-Oh My God, Kaiser Chiefs

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD COME TO JAPAN!!!! And I don’t mean it in the “What kind of mistake have I made in coming here and must recruit other unfortunate souls to make the move with me.” No, I mean it in the “This is incredible and I can’ believe it” sort of way.

So why should you come visit us in Japan? I offer you a selection:

Karaoke- It’s all in private rooms (nice ones, not like seedy ones in Toronto). For a mere 780 yen per hour (about $7 Cdn), you get an hour of karaoke…but wait! There’s more: UNLIMTED DRINKS. Of the alcoholic variety. Who cares if you even sing? You can just drink and sing louder. I made my Japanese karaoke debut with U2’s “Desire.” We’ve been twice in the 4 days I’ve been here, one nigh of which there was many a drink spilled, along with some ketchup and mayonnaise. Note to Shane: Although I would have agreed that "Bohemian Rhapsody" may not be the best choice, there are the rare occasions when too much free drinks make it sound a whole lot better...especially if you're jumping on a couch. I would say that it's "hey Jude" that no one really wants to hear because it's all fun and games until you realize that the song never ends and no one wants to sing the "Na na na na...Hey jude" 2 dozen times.

Food- not only delicious but so much cheaper than in Canada. Sure, there’s still the famed $30 perfectly round watermelon, but $23 of groceries here would have cost about $55 in Toronto. I have had so many delicious things to eat including grilled cheese sandwiches (very Japanese). Also of delicious note is Mos Burger, the burger chain here which is fantastic. As well, for about $9.50 you can get 3 course meals: salad, bread, pasta, and 2 desserts for that price. Or a little gyoza (dumpling) dinner with beer, soup, salad, and dessert for $7 a person. Since I love food, I’m in heaven.

The scenery- it is fantastic everywhere. Fukushima is surrounded by mountains. In act, on one of these mountains we are going to take up “ninja training” where we can run obstacle courses and become ninjas. I haven’t decided on a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles persona yet…possibly Donatello or Michelangelo. Whichever one was the bigger jerk.

HMV- Yes, I know, you all have HMV’s too and the reason I was able to afford this trip was by NOT shopping at HMV. Pleased to say that my fist purchase in Japan was at HMV…I bought a Q magazine, one of my favourite beloved British imports which in Toronto can cost $13…but here: $8 and that includes the CD (this month was 14 cover songs by cool artists like Franz Ferdinand, Editors, Nick Cave, etc.) HMV has awesome vinyl records that are all in Japanese except for “Kaiser Chiefs” or something like that- I don’t know what they say but they are special. I also discovered an awesome Japanese band called Asian Kung-Fu Generation which sounds brit-popy.

People- okay Fukushima is a small town, but in Tokyo I saw the best thing ever: A woman. In a suit. With high heels. Walking a pot bellied pig on a harness. Also, gentlemen, 20-something Japanese women are the most gorgeous creatures I have ever seen…the men, not so much. But seriously male population, they love foreign men here…
The dollar store- 100 yen shops are amazing. Puts Dollarama to shame. Clearly these are the greatest shops on earth where you can get everything from towels and tea sets to pirate hats.


Tokyo- there is so much going on that it’s incredible. Planning to hit it up again next weekend for some dancing (I was told its techno-y pop music, so insert collective sigh here as I will enjoy it ironically).

Signs and t-shirts- The Japanese want to use English. It doesn’t matter if it is being used in the correct order or if it even makes sense, but the results are all awesome. Example: A shirt that said “Twin Sister Cherries. When am I to be happy? Any time the weather is nice on good Sunday.” Or this sign, which made me laugh:

And apologies to everyone who sent me emails that I didn’t have time to get back to before I left. Our internet connection is also very temperamental here- it comes in and out if we even get a signal at all. I’ve seen some incredible things so far so I will update my legitimate travel blog with details and pictures of all things travel-related and will try not to repeat everything. As well, fellow ex-3rd Lanarkerers, our old res fellow Natalie Bay sent me the liink to her photography portfolio site, including many a picture from when she spent time in Japan teaching English (after graduating wiht her film degree...like me!)

"It don't matter to me, 'Cos all I wanted to be, Was a million miles from here"

"You might think I'm crazy, but I don't even care Because I can tell what's going on It's hip to be square "
-Hip to Be Square, Huey Lewis and the News

I didn't plan on posting at all, but I felt that since it's a Monday, I had to share.

Me: "Mum, put on some music to pack to. My CDs are by the stereo. Put them on shuffle. I need to hear some good music before we leave and I'm subject to the radio during the drive to Toronto"
The first song plays, Gloria- U2, an old favourite. Followed by...
Me: "Is that Huey Lewis AND the News??"
Mum: "You love Huey Lewis and the News."
Me: "I do not. When have I ever loved Huey Lewis? I especially hate The News though. I will say that this is better than Meat Loaf- the Man and the Meat."
What followed was a semi-argument over music I supposedly liked. The Huey Lewis song ends ("Hip to Be Square") and on comes, "I Can't Dance" by Genesis. This is about the time that I gave up, removed the CDs from the player, and dug up the A Rush of Blood to the Head vinyl and my bizarre Japanese vinyl U2 import.

So I have my copy of NME, one trashy chick lit novel (Devil Wears Prada...so far funny), one embarassing book (Franz Ferdinand...it has pictures too!), and I'm going to scour the airport for the new Rolling Stone 1000th issue if it's out. Plus I have the U2 iPod (fully charged), and some Japanese language books to cram on the plane so when I land in Narita I can figure out what the hell I'm doing, where I'm going, and what the vending machines contain.

I'm off to Toronto in an hour to check into my airport hotel, then heading off to a Moroccan feast at The Sultan's Tent with my aunt and uncle and parents. Tomorrow at this time, I'll be somewhere over Alberta...

Top 5 songs for Last Minute Ironing and packing:

Can't Stand Me Now- The Libertines
I Threw a Brick Through a Window- U2
Born in the USA- Bruce Springsteen
You're the Reason I'm Leaving- Franz Ferdinand
Trial of the Century- The French Kicks

"I like my bands in business suits, I watch them on TV "

"It takes a second to say goodbye, Say goodbye..."
-Seconds, U2

I wound up my last night in Toronto and my final day at work in style. All that’s left now is one last Zanta sighting. I want to point him out to my mom today.

Last night we holed up at Red Room for dinner and drinks for about 4 hours. I am so grateful that everyone was able to make it to share in the festivities with drinks, dinner and dessert- Lauren, Dan, Alanna, and the roommates Sofia, Sharifa, Joyce and my new subletter Joanna (who looks a bit like Mischa Barton). Avocado sandwiches, Greek Salads and nachos all-around, plus I couldn’t pass up what is quite possibly my last bottle of 50 for a while.

The only downfall was that our waitress was an idiot wouldn’t split any parts of our bill. Somehow I ended up with my phone calculator trying to figure out the math. Me. The one who counts on her fingers and is ignorant of the multiplication tables.

Good conversation all around, which was great because I was thinking, “What do all of these people have in common, other than me?” The answer was not a lot but enough to have some stimulating conversations about episodes of Lost, the irony of Tim Horton being pronounced dead in St. Catharines which is the donut capital of the world, Ron Sexsmith, babies and their strollers, running 10k, how much I hate Pearl Jam and their new CD which was playing, whether Pearl Jam was better than the screeching instrumental track that followed it, Japan, and Joyce’s Innards and Other Variety meats book.

The party broke up after our final beer and G&T’s, and Lauren made the trek over to Walmer Rd with Dan and I to peruse apartments in the area since lots of buildings have openings for 1 bedrooms.

"Push the button and pull the plug"

This morning has been quite fun- my friend and co-worker and I played hooky to travel across town to Bathurst and College to meet up with some former co-workers who now work for Telefilm to a goodbye lunch for me. So it’s another 2.5 hour lunch for me with Dahlia, Caroline, Patricia and Laurie of our previous “Liquored Lunches” when we were all in the same office. The best part is that we got taxi xhits to cover the cab fare over there under the guise that we were "delivering a package."
I was also presented with a lovely card that all of the co-workers had signed and included such phrases as: “Don’t vote for Pedro, vote for Rachel,” “Good luck mastering Japanese trivia,” “Here, take this grilled cheese sandwich with you” with a drawing of a grilled cheese sandwich given my penchant for frozen microwaveable grilled cheeses, and “I’ll try hard to keep up on cool new music” from a friend who I inundate with lists of bands she should listen to (she also got huge bonus points for knowing how Goldfrapp was and actually owning her CD when I saw her at the Coldplay show in Paris). On top of that I got a surprise goodbye party from my department complete with exotic cookies and baked goods.

"And they're doing the atomic bomb, Do they know where the dance comes from"

So that’s all from me for a while, unless I randomly post something from home this weekend. Next time I’ll talk to you al will be from Japan. It hasn’t really sunk in yet that I’m about to hop continents for 5 months. Maybe it’s the lack of packing and the fact that the past two weeks have been crazy with saying goodbye to people, moving, and living on a couch for a week. Eve will have to get good and ready for me- I am a unique roommate (just ask Natalie or The Mexican) and prone to spontaneous dance offs and old fashioned freak outs, insanely random obsessions (Franz Ferdinand right now) that come and go on a regular basis, and my habit of making noises and/or sound effects instead of using my words (anyone who’s spent time with Nat or I knows what it can lead to). I’ll keep my off key, tone-deaf singing out of the shower and save it for the karaoke bar.

"A revolution everyday"

And I shall leave you with a bit of wisdom that I randomly tracked down online. It’s part of an online chat with Gavin Rossdale from Bush from 2000 where he answered three of my questions (and also 2 from my friend at the time):

Rachel West from Thorold, Ontario: Gavin: Do you feel that you get different reactions from the crowd in a small club compared to larger venues, as well as in different parts of the world? Any preferences?

GR: Yeah, you know every single venue creates an atmosphere. You can have the same people, same number, two different venues -- and you've got different shows. I like the places where there really is atmosphere, and it's a challenge when they're really big, and it's a challenge when they're really small. So I just go for it and hope it works.

The rest of the chat with my other questions is here.

So, that's all she wrote. Peace out until I'm in Japan. Word to yo' momma.

"Say goodbye, say goodbye"

“It’s hard to argue when, you won’t stop making sense”
-Hands Open, Snow Patrol

I’m finally getting my comeuppance in terms of concerts. My co-workers assume that I go to concerts and like my girl, I like to “party all the time.” If only they knew the truth. I guess the matter is that I have a bunch of concert stubs tacked up on my office wall and whenever anyone asks me what my plans were, I would say something about going to see a concert, especially during the March triumvirate of Stars, Oasis/Arctic Monkeys, and Coldplay. Now that they know I’m leaving the country in- gasp- 4 days, people come up to me and tell me what concerts I will be missing. Like:

Pearl Jam- you’d have to pay ME to go and include a free set of earplugs

INXS- I’m a little disappointed since my parents are going

Radiohead- whom I pretty much started to a
ctually enjoy last week, having previously hated them and turned down tickets to past shows Snow Patrol- if they’re good enough to open for U2, they’re good enough for me…halfway through typing this I remembered that Toronto got stuck with Dashboard Confessional so I retract the previous statement.

Arctic Monkeys & We Are Scientists- I was more impressed that someone I work with knew these bands…plus I’ve seen the Monkeys.

At least I’ll be back for Ladysmith Black Mambazo…(whom I actually would see out of curiosity). And I had another Zanta sighting yesterday which prompted Dan to tell me the time that Zanta jumped on top of a newspaper box and opened his coat like a flasher and said "yes, yes, yes"to Dan in the pouring rain when Dan was locked out of the office.

“Why would I sabotage, the best thing that I have”

There also appears to be something called Summer Sonic in August in Tokyo, which is a music festival of sorts. So if I don’t make it to the Fuji Rock Festival, this is a distant second choice (Arctic Monkeys, Nelly Furtado, Daft Punk, Keane, The Rapture…)

I guess I should also point out that my co-worker Martha stopped me and said, “Every time I see you, I think of Phil Collins” due to my mock desire to marry him and/or have him at my wedding. I can walk down the aisle to a drum solo, right?

“Put Sufjan Stevens on, and we'll play your favorite song”

The Top 5 “If My iPod Had Free Will” Random Mix (AKA The Triumph of the Will Shuffle or The Dance of Leni Riefenstahl):

John Wayne Gacy Jr.- Sufjan Stevens
How Many Licks- ‘Lil Kim (it seems the iPod is up for a good time)
Pencil Skirt- Pulp
Cheating on You- Franz Ferdinand (between this song and Pencil Skirt, it can be assumed that my iPod loves adultery…)
White Lines- Grandmaster Flash (..and cocaine)

I’m actually listening to William Shatner’s cover of “Common People”…

“I wanna hear you laugh like you really mean it”

“You get confused, But you know it, Yeah, you hurt for it, work for it, love, You don't always show it”
-Discotheque, U2

First up, Happy Birthday to both Sofia (yesterday) and Shane (today) who are now both 24 and old like me. I gave Shane this for his birthday.

Last night Dan and I went for burgers at Rower’s Pub after we wandering down Bloor St. to Bathurst and back, unable to make up our minds as to what we felt like eating. We spent most of the time staring at the world’s largest bee as it buzzed around our beer and feta-topped burgers. After that it was back to the apartment to watch "Law & Order: SVU" (anything for an Ice-T fix!), Star TV, and Jimmy Kimmel. By the end of the night it was just me waiting for my new boyfriends Franz Ferdinand to show up on Kimmel until Carrie-Anne came home to listen to my comments. I never thought sleeping on an IKEA couch could be so fun and comfortable…

“It's not a trick, 'Cause you can't learn it”

Thursday seems to be the night out for the goodbye dinner which encompasses all the people I know in the city. Yup, all 6 of them. It’s to be followed by lunch across town with my former co-workers who have moved over the Telefilm office, rendering me alone and bored at Queen & Church St.

I can’t believe that next week at this time I will be in Japan, probably thinking about all the things I forgot to take with me. I can see it now, “Oh my god! I forgot ‘Achtung Baby!’”or “I didn’t bring any socks!” Guess which one is a bigger concern for me.

“You're looking for the one, But you know you're somewhere else instead”

I also discovered that Sunrise is selling Monty Python-themed toys. The huge nerd in me that grew up surrounded by British humour loves it. I think it’s time to add the Sharp-toothed Rabbit, the stuffed Holy Hand Grenade, and the Beast of Aaaarrrggghhh to my Christmas list.



“You want to be the song, Be the song that you hear in your head”

And now for something completely different:

If My iPod Plays in the Woods and No One is Around to Listen, Does it Make a Sound (5 Songs on Shuffle):

God Part II- U2
What Difference Does it Make- The Smiths
Addicted- Hawksley Workman
Forever- Goldfrapp
Nature Boy- David Bowie

“But you take what you can get, 'Cause it's all that you can find”

“They take my voice and they feed my eyes, All I read is a bed of lies”
-Get Up and Use Me, Fire Engines

As my days here are winding down, I have been surprised at how fast my work day has gone. I might be a little premature with that statement since it’s only 11:45am on Tuesday and I have gone back to listening to Yahoo radio for it’s hilarious suggestions of what it thinks I would enjoy- today’s choices included David Hasselhoff (again!), REO Speedwagon, and right now it’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner. This is what it thinks I would like when my preferences are set to U2, Stars, Bowie, The Clash, Blur, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Almost enough to drive me back to my iPod and/or radioblogclub.com.

I’ve been mixing up my days at work with a lot of ridiculous little tasks that take up too much time, interspersed with some Youtubing, and making origami birds to sit on my window ledge. My window is propped open with a VHS tape and some of my birds just blew out onto Richmond St. Oh well. They lived a good life.

Last night Dan and I decided that we were incredibly lazy so we went for ice cream, then pizza, then sat around watching "Deal or No Deal", one of my fave films Shallow Grave, and Leno because Franz Ferdinand were on. Exciting life, I know. I’m so tired today. I can’t handle these filling days and “late” nights…and I must pry my eyelids open Clockwork Orange-style and watch Jimmy Kimmel tonight since Franz are on again. I think the fact that my dream was set to music by Savage Garden is what made it a restless one.

“Tell me I have everything to live for, It means nothing to me”

I’m also incredibly grateful to be blessed with the walk from Bloor & Spadina to/from my office because yesterday alone I witnessed the following on Yonge St:
a) Zanta- I was really worried that I wouldn’t see him before I left for Japan, but there he was!
b) A woman pushing her small dog wearing a bonnet in a baby stroller.
c) A man in a kilt.
d) A pigeon fight. Very exciting indeed.

It also reminded me of the story I told Mairin the other day: A scary old woman at the McDonald’s in Bloor West Village stopped me and said, “I’ve seen your picture. I know your face.” Old people terrify me, so I wasn’t prepared for the usual comeback as I am when the crazy men approach me on the street. I just smiled and left when she didn't offer any further information.

“The universe, white from a bed, And don't you know he's already dead”

So next week at this time, I’ll be firmly seated on a plane, heading to Vancouver. Sadly, I looked up the film schedule for Air Canada: Tristan & Isolde, Aeon Flux, and the saving grace that is Tootsie. My plane to Tokyo should have the personal video screens so the option of Match Point and Sling Blade are somewhat comforting. What is not comforting is that the Fuji Rock Festival line-up was announced with who’s playing on what day, and the people I love are split between two days. So now it begs the question of: Do I get a 3 days pass for $390, or a one day pass for $160? Do I suffer through the Red Hot Chili Peppers -whom I loathe- for the Scissor Sisters, The Hives, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or do I go for the Franz Ferdinand headlining day with JET, The Cribs, and The Zutons? All of this leaves Broken Social Scene by the wayside on the 3rd day. I think I need to get out of the habit of seeing bands multiple times like Franz, or for the second time with The Cribs and The Zutons. I love that this is my life-altering decision of the moment.

“And who's scared?Not me”

So 3 more days at work to go. Then I’ll have to split my time between this blog and my legitimate travel one for the family and other people who don’t need to hear about my antics. I’m so cool I have 2 blogs. What am I going to do without this daily blog entry? More importantly, what are you going to do?

“So get up and use me”

“The world’s gone mad, we’ve lost the love we had, take me away”
-The World’s Gone Mad Part 2, Handsome Boy Modeling School

One cross-town move down, one hemispheric move to go.

The weekend was simultaneously lazy and busy- I turned down passes to the Hot Docs (documentary film festival) over the weekend, and passes to the opening night reception mostly out of laziness on my part. Yes, I turned down free booze and appetizers to stay home and pack up my precious belongings to move over to Dan and Carrie-Anne’s couch for the week. Saturday involved me trekking through Chinatown and Kensington Market, then downtown to the bookstore to buy the latest copy of NME for the plane ride (it will also double as room decoration in Fukushima since it’s full of UK indie music ads for bands if you’ve never picked one up…and a giant Arctic Monkeys poster), then over to Dirk’s for some goodbye festivities.

“I’m wired, and I’m totally wide awake”

Dirk’s house was fun, even though we all sat on the floor of his room since he had given away his bed already (hence, nothing for me to keep up mine and Nat’s tradition of rolling around in Dirk’s bed, whether he was even home or not). But decent sangria and candy make any floor comfortable…not to mention the drink Sofia and I shared at the apartment before I left.

Sunday was moving day- or more specifically, get up while still kinda drunk, eat a bowl of jell-o and listen to the Kaiser Chiefs while I threw clothes in piles on the floor and made last-minute frantic music downloads. Then it was off to Dan’s where Carrie-Anne and I spent the rest of the night watching TV and gossiping about Dallas Green (who was weird when I knew him..."Oh my God Dallas is dating annoying neck-less VJ Leah from Much Music and they were holding hands at Subway at the Pen Centre" is what's happening as the people of Thorold freak out. Please, I hung out at Subway when I was in grade 10...okay, no I didn't because I had better things to do) and other Niagara people.

“Sometimes I just want to do, don’t know why but I just want to do it, I don’t know why, feel alive when I do it”

I’ve started my last week at work, which is actually kind of sad, even though half of my friends have already moved over to another office, leaving it quiet and desolate here, except of course for my music which I have cranked up loud enough but not too loud to be obnoxious. We had our traditional goodbye grilled cheese sandwiches on Friday where, if I had ever doubted I am either in the wrong line of work, the wrong office, or that weirdness wears off with age, my friends Martha and Tony and I decided that if and when I choose to get married:
A) I will walk down the aisle to Sussudio by Genesis.
B) I will marry Phil Collins, who may need a new wife in about 10 years.
C) Phil Collins, having turned down my marriage proposal is out of work so I will hire him to play at my reception. That’s right- all Phil Collins, all night. And he doesn’t do requests.

“And the fuck-up is this, I still forget if I still exist”

Coincidentally, Mairin called me from the ‘Gina and our conversation inevitably turned towards Phil Collins as she had a stellar story about a bride walking down the aisle to “In the Air Tonight” by accident. That’s right. “In the Air Tonight.” The song about Phil Collins seeing some guy drown and another guy not saving him, or something to that effect. I’ll miss work since it’s where I make all of my personal calls due to my lousy phone plan. That’s what my 1-800 number is for- toll free chatting about Phil Collins.

“Little is cheap, but little is all, all you have, at the end of a fall”

So in between listening to Virgin Radio’s Top 40 British Acts countdown (currently at #29 Franz Ferdinand, #28 [what???!!!] David Bowie, #27 KT Tunstall??? #23 McFly. I’ve lost my faith. ) I’m listening to:

Top 5 Songs to Hear While Working Hard/Hardly Working:

Get Up and Use Me- The Fire Engines
Pump it Up- Elvis Costello
What We All want- Gang of Four
Kicking the Heart Out- Rogue Wave
The World’s Gone Mad Part 2- Handsome Boy Modeling School (currently my song o’ the moment as it’s stuck in my head and features half of Gorillaz and half of Franz Ferdinand who are the obsession of the month)

Actually, there really isn’t a point in listening to Virgin Radio since I end up hearing songs that I already have on my iPod when the whole purpose of this experiment was to listen to new things. And it smells like ham outside which is distracting.

“Did I survive all that for this?”