Okinawa Trip posts are UP!

Hey!

Call me slowpoke, but I finally added the journal entries from the Okinawa trip back in March. If you look at the right side of this window, there is a little section marked "Archive". Click on 2010, then March, and you will see them.

Remember, they are posted in reverse order! So go all the way back to the first post, marked "On my way" and read from there.

Cheers!

Summer Eats

Summer continues.
I'd forgotten how hot it was. I've dropped 10 pounds since summer started, the incessant heat killing my appetite.

When I do cook, I try to do so at night, when the heat in the aparement is not as intense. I've been cooking a ton of diakon lately. I went to the cheap farmers market near me and, in the corner, found a bag of four diakon on sale for 100yen. What a deal! I've discovered how great diakon is: they are big, cheap, made mostly of water, and take on the flavor of whatever you cook them with. The only trouble is grading them. I liked graded diakon the best, but it takes FOREVER. What I would do for a food processor. So far I've made diakon and onion chicken, diakon and onion "tacos" (the "taco shell" was actually tofu skin, but the taco seasoning was from home), and diakon and onion pancakes.

They sound the same, but they taste very different.

My other farmer's market favorite at the moment is corn. It's about only 80yen per head if I buy it fresh. However, since I'm cheap and don't notice much of a difference in taste, I always wait for them to put out bags of the less-fresh stuff, usually about 3 heads for 100yen. Sure, it's carbs, but it just feels so healthy to knaw away at the cob. Sometimes it's all I will eat for dinner, so I think the carbs are probably a good thing.

I also finally got around to looking up the kanji for "firm tofu". There are a million different kinds at the store, so I usually just buy what is cheap, but man, after trying the firm tofu... I ate the whole block, plain, with just some wasabi flakes, and it was just about the best thing I've had in months (talk about a cheap meal! It's only about 50 yen a block). I felt super guilty for eating the whole thing afterwards, but it was so good... I will have to hide half of it away next time so I am not tempted.

The two other recent food staples in my life are Calipse and azuki ice cream bars. Calipse is this watery milk-based drink that is quite unlike anything I've found outside Japan. It's refreshing and I only buy the zero calorie stuff, so it feels pretty guilt free. Of course I always have Pepsi NEX on hand, but a little variety is nice. The Asuki bars, also very Japanese, are my daily indulgence. Made from red beans, it is cool and sweet, but low fat and low calorie. Having cold food around is absolutely essential in this heat, so I don't feel much guilt about it.

I always have celery on hand too, of course. Yuki thinks it's funny. I get the feeling that celery is not a popular food for Japanese. I love it because it is sweet, but I think that is the kiss of death around here.

Normally, all this talk of food would doubtless make me hungry. However, the air conditioning is broken in the office (and they don't seem inclined to get it fixed) so it is sweltering in here. Actually, that is why this was the perfect time to write this entry; as they say, never go to the grocery store hungry.

Cheers,

sweaty Baer

X Japan Yokohama

For four years I've been anticipating the chance to see an X Japan concert. Until two years ago, I never thought it would happen; the band has been retired for more than ten years. When they finally reunited, Yoshiki's (the band leader) health problems forced further postponement and disappointment, and I didn't feel anymore hopeful of ever seeing them in person.

Maybe then you can imagine the level of excitement I felt when I heard they were having a concert in Yokohama, a mere three hours away. I usually try to temper my excitement over most things, to lessen the blow of potential disappointment, but there are a few occasions when that is simply not possible: getting into the JET program was one; Miyavi's fanclub trip was another; and X Japan concert more than qualifies.

So, today the day has finally arrived. There were no postponements or cancellations this time, and I think it is safe to give my excitement free rein. Still, there is only so early I think is even human to get up, so I was only able to arrive at the venue now, at 10 AM, about six hours before the doors are supposed to open. This is fine with me, as 5 1/2 hours

seems like enough time to get through any 'Goods' line, even at an X Japan concert.Nonetheless, standing here on an overlooking ramp-way, staring down at the line that is already 1/2 mile long, I laugh helplessly, "Lindsay, meet the next three hours."

As I had made my way to the back of the line, I peaked at the other concert goers that were waiting. Although admittedly I hadn't been able to look to closely, I didn't see a single other foreigner. Fortunate for me the line went faster than expected; It only took 2 hours. As usual, I bought more goods than I planned on, but my bag was fat, and I was happy in the end. I was sorely tempted to buy (shown here worn by an unwitting model) a Yoshiki t-shirt ("Yoshiki、あいしてる！！"), but my wallet, now lighter by about $200, gave me the strength to resist.

I don't think I've ever been so excited for a concert. Then again, I think I always feel this way moments before the start. The difference is, it's still 2 hours 'till the beginning. Maybe it's because I'm already at the venue... but I've been half a day early to concerts before and not felt like this. Maybe it is witnessing the fellow passion of the concert goers, of which there may be 30,000 today. That just might be it. Seeing Japanese fans out in full force is like nothing I've ever seen before. Cosplayers (people who dress in costume as the band members) are so numerous, I've seen Hide, the dead X Japan member, over a couple dozen times. I was sad to see there were not as many Yishikis about, but he is not as fun to cosplay. I even worked up the courage to ask a couple of them for a photo (and clandestinely took the rest).

There is also the fact that we can hear the rehearsal going on in the stadium. The acoustics are so intense, every sound makes the whole building vibrate- an that's just from outside! From inside, I imagine the experience is like being inside an X Japan roller coaster.

I have a feeling I'm about to find out what a REAL concert is like.

---

As it turned out, my roller coaster got trapped behind a large immovable object, mainly, a giant light pole/flame thrower.

I often have that problem: flame throwers getting in my way.

In addition, my seat was on the "2nd Floor," which, in Nissan Stadium, actually translates to the -7th- floor. On the opposite end from the stage. Behind a flamethrower.

...

[...I don't have a roller coaster analogy for that; I'm pretty sure all the seats on those are good.]

I ended up watching the screen the entire concert. When I was able to see actual people, it was mostly as a vague blotch of color or the glinting of a guitar. Really... it was very disappointing. I was at last glad for the screens, which were huge and provided a clear, though annoyingly rotating, video of the band members as they played. They had also rigged up a very clever camera suspended on a cable crossing diagonally over the stadium. This swiveled back and forth, taking video of the fans and flashing it up on screen occasionally. I got super annoyed because they kept showing this large group of foreigners that was RIGHT IN FRONT of the stage. They looked so happy; it pissed me off. They must have been foreigners that bought tickets from overseas (a very thoughtful options they provided for this concert), and thus were given special seating privileges. Bastards.

I did my best to enjoy the concert anyway, despite my seat in Siberia, which wasn't all too difficult given that was an X Japan ("duh"). Seeing an X concert is like having a religious experience. It was why I got into the band in the first place; just watching a video of their Last Live from over 10 year ago had me nearly in tears. Many of my favorite moments from those videos was watching the fans, tens of thousands of them, singing as one. More than anything I wanted to experience that for myself. In this, I was not disappointed. For nearly then minutes, they payed and replayed the song "X", where, in the second half of the song, every line of lyrics is followed by a shout of "X!" and everyone jumps and makes an X with their arms. It's a fast-paced, powerful, guitar driven song, and 30 thousand people jumping at once is alone a sight to see, but to be part of it was really amazing.

The moment I most enjoyed, most anticipated, was the last song of the night, "Endless Rain." The polar opposite of "X", this sweet, sad, slow ballad is gradually taken over by the fans at the end of the song. Long after the song should have ended and Toshi, the band's vocalist, had stop singing, we continued to sing the chorus over and over, completely unaccompanied. You could see the band members standing on stage, just watching us. Toshi's voice, choked with emotion, would occasionally drift out to join ours before drifting away again. Yoshiki alone continued to play with us, bent over his piano as though in anguish, his expression one of pain or ecstasy, but even that sweet, sad melody would drift away as well until there was only us. In those moments, there is such a feeling of connection between the fans, the band, all of us together, it is almost like, as long as we held onto those lyrics, there was no distance between us; We would have gone on signing forever if they'd let us.

Because I know how hard it is for anyone to imagine this experience with merely words, I recorded a portion of us singing. Most of it is in English, so you should be able to understand, if the feedback isn't too terrible. Enjoy.

...forget, all of the hate, all of the sadness

Endless rain, fall on my heart, kokoro no kizu ni

Let me forget, all of the hate, all of the sadness...

Cheers,

living-the-dream Baer

Oban

Yesterday I went to work and there were only 4 people in the office. Even the Vice-Principal was absent, which is really rare.
Today I came to work and there was only 1 person in the office. When I opened the door, he looked up and was so surprised to see me (or anyone) there, he forwent the usually automatic "ohayo gozaimasu" for something more along the lines of "eeehhhhh??!"
...
It would have been funny, had I been able to turn right around and go home.
No such luck.

I had forgotten until last night that right now it is Oban in Japan.
Oban is a Budhhist holiday where it is believed that the spirits of the family ancestors will return to the family home. To welcome their arrival, everyone (among the living) will return to the family gravesite to pray and offer encouragement to the spirits on their journey. Then everyone goes home and, as it was explained to me by Yuki, stands outside on their doorstep calling to the ghosts so they do not get confused and lose their way.

I haven't seen any crazy looking people calling names into the street, so I have to take her word on that one.

Sometimes, I am told, the spirits may get lost and end up at the neighbor house.
How exactly you know that Uncle Koki from next door is floating around your living room, I have no idea, but apparently it's a bit of a problem.


On the plus side, at least I can borrow a computer with internet while everyone is gone.

Cheers,

Oban-less Baer

There is a rule. [THE END]

I watched "The Terminal" tonight.

Right after the part with the Russian guy and the goat, the airport authority man gets reamed by his boss for steamrolling over people in his attempt to follow the rules:

"Somtimes you have to ignore the rules. Ignore the numbers and concentrate on the people...Compassion, Frank."

...

I wonder how they translated THAT into the Japanese version.

They probably just cut that part out entirely.

Wouldn't want to confuse anyone with foreign concepts... or worse yet, get ideas.

...Yeah, I'm a little bitter. I admit.

I am really tired of being told something is just impossible because "there is a rule". Even if it means wasting someone's time or health, even if it is wasteful and unnecessary, even if following that rule may cause massive stress and inconvenience for no reason other than for the sake of "the rule". There is apparently zero ability to make a judgement call.

Unbelievable.

angry Baer