December 17, 2003

Comets

pic_0526[1].jpg

pic_0527[1].jpg

Posted by Adam at 6:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 15, 2003

Filter

It really sucks having a broken keitai camera. Just last Saturday, I found a baby doll named "Po Po", and also some super funky old school japanese B movie ninja/samurai/detective posters. It was frusterating not to be able to document them. I think that I will either change over to AU or try and cash in my Docomo account points for new camera phone. Anyhow, below are some strange self portraits. Enjoy.

pic_0521[1].jpg

pic_0522[1].jpg

pic_0524[1].jpg

Posted by Adam at 3:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Atomic Karate Chop!

pic_0523[1].jpg

Posted by Adam at 3:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Jeep Willys (of the 1944 vintage, I believe)

pic_0515[1].jpg

The good 'ol G.I. Joe standard.

Remember, knowing is half the battle!

Posted by Adam at 3:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Demon Child

pic_0511[1].jpg

Posted by Adam at 3:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Ubuyama's "Dream Bridge"

pic_0506[1].jpg

Posted by Adam at 3:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Herbal Coffee

pic_0508[1].jpg

Posted by Adam at 3:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sunset As Seen On The Caldera

pic_0509[1].jpg

Posted by Adam at 3:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 19, 2003

Kagura Oni

pic_0319[1].jpg

Posted by Adam at 1:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Sexual Harassment Pandy

pic_0458[1].jpg

Posted by Adam at 1:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 1, 2003

Halloween Pix

jackolantern[1].jpg
Japanese Pumpkins are much harder than American ones. I ended up slicing through my thumbnail making this Jack-O-Lantern, but its all good. All everyone was asking was "so, when do we eat it?" and when I told them that we don't eat jack o lanterns after we carve them, they replied "Hmmmm... I think that I will eat it tomorrow.".
jackolantern2[1].jpg

mummy[1].jpg

mummy2[1].jpg

mummy3[1].jpg

Gave out about 20 bucks worth of candy this year. Its funny how well my students remember their English lessons when candy is at stake.

Posted by Adam at 4:28 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

October 20, 2003

As Requested By Steve

We post, you decide: Does this look like the CP Dizzle? In the words of Mr. Steven Tsuda:

I pulled this one from monster.com. It's either Dempsey as a cross dresser, or Dempsey as a rock star for halloween.

292x271_dtotskay[1].jpg

By the way Dempsey, what ever happened to http://www.luckyirish.net?

Wow, its almost Halloween already! Brings back memories of "The Adventures of the walking Keg and Bong" in IV. They must have been invited to every single party that night!

Posted by Adam at 3:58 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

October 3, 2003

My Little Hanami

Huh???

pic_0437[1].jpg

The mountain cherry tree in front of the Hokubu nursery school is in bloom again! Though the blossoms are rather few, it brought back the heavenly atmosphere of the many many cherry blossom viewing parties that we had thoughout March and April. I will take this as a good omen for the quickly approaching winter.
Got to chill with the geezers yesterday, because it was "Old People Appreciation Day" in Japan (But... She's so old!). Shout outs to Mom, Dad, Kohei, all the uncles and aunts, and Justin! Its funny to see how the grandparents and grandchildren bear strong resemblances. Looking down at the faces of kindergarteners and up at the geriatric crew, you know what each one will look like 60 or 70 years later! I predict I will look like Susumu Yoshida.

Posted by Adam at 11:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 30, 2003

Loafisms

pic_0434[1].jpg

The word loaf has many usages and its meanings are dependent upon the context in which it is used in. "Loaf" is most commonly used hand in hand with "bread". and is sometimes used as a verb (my boss is good at loafing), adjective (a loaf of whole wheat, what a loafer) and noun (I'll take a loaf and a bottle of Lucky Charcoal Filtered Vodka please!).
"Loaf" often elicits a pavlovian effect on those who hear it, commonly making stomachs grumble. However, the expression "I'm going to pinch a loaf" makes normal people wrinkle their noses and verbally express their disgust. Equating the act of defecation with baking is so vile, that it never fails to be at least somewhat funny everytime I hear it.
Which leads me to a question: can certain types of feces be considered "loaves"? I think so. A loaf can be defined as "stuff compressed or formed into a solid column-like form, through the processes of baking or squishing that stuff together". After all, cold cuts are sliced from loaves of various nitrite injected proteins(think olive loaf). And, you gotta admit, the french baguette, fruit cake(vile in its own right), and other types of bread, tend to resemble our excrement. It is not uncommon for my brother to proudly describe what he flushes, and he can probably recollect his favorite noteworthy specimens. He might even have a photo album.
This picture though, put together two words that I just never expected to see together. Now, after being in Japan for a year, I have aquired a taste for many animal parts that are not commonly eaten in the States(chicken gristle, gizzard, hormone, stewed tendons and ligaments, etc...), among them tongue. But for some reason, when you add almost any bodily part with the word "loaf" it is transformed into something that is instantly disgusting. Here, why don't you try: Think of a random body part (say, for example, skin) and add the word "loaf". And presto! Mmmmmmm.... skin loaf! What a fun word! And who says learning English is no fun?!?

Posted by Adam at 4:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 11, 2003

Little Girl Experiences Umeboshi For The First Time

pic_0233[1].jpg

Posted by Adam at 9:55 PM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2003

Over Hill, Over Dale

pic_0403[1].jpg
Yesterday was confused. First it was really hot without a sky. Then the clouds blitzed in and it poured heavily. Then the sun came out and it still poured heavily. Sporadic batallions of clouds made up of light and dark divisions scrambled across the blue expanse, all the while allowing the sunlight to filter through like the exhaustingly overseen replica paintings of Thomas Kinkade. I could've kicked myself in the nuts for not bringing my new digicam, so I had to capture this frame with my Docomo D251i instead.
This pic was taken at El Patio Ranch on the way to Ichinomiya. The five posts silouetted in the foreground act as masts to the ragged American flags that fly during rain or snow. This probably would be a dramatically patriotic picture had I remembered to bring along the QV-R4! Lesson learned.

Posted by Adam at 4:30 PM | Comments (0)

Scalpel...Sponge...Spork

pic_0402[1].jpg
My chugakko kids wear these scrubs every day while serving lunch. C'mon guys, its just food! I think that hairnets and gloves suffice for everyday food service. I guess that if I had to wear surgical scrubs while putting lunch trays on my friends desks every day, I might just become obsessive about sanitizing everything to the point of being paranoid in many unnecessary situations. No wonder my co-workers were so freaked out about SARS and would not yield to reason: they were conditioned since they were born to over-react in normal everyday situations. I must admit that it was fun coughing and sneezing when everyone asked "do you feel alright?" after I came back from Thai! Its good to give people a good scare once and a while- brushes the dust off of the ol' fight or flight reaction.

Posted by Adam at 4:16 PM | Comments (0)

Summertime and the livin's EZ

pic_0400[1].jpg
The one on the left is Ken, and on the right we have Natsuki.
Ken is blasting the camera with an Ultraman energy beam, and Natsuki is ready to put the smack down on anyone who wants beef. Natchan already has a small beer belly, placing him way ahead of his peers.

Posted by Adam at 4:03 PM | Comments (1)

September 5, 2003

Negative View

pic_0383[1].jpg
When browsing your keitai display, you usually look perpendicularly from a 90 degree angle, straight on. However, if you look from about a 15 degree angle, the screens colors will invert. Looking at an inverted picture this way will, of course, turn the colors back to normal.
This reminds me of a favorite tecnique of inverting pictures in high school photoshop class. After exposing a photo and washing it in the developing solution, if you once again expose it with plain light for a short period of time, it will create an image similar to the negative.

Posted by Adam at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)

Monkeys Invade Obscure Mountain Village

pic_0401[1].jpg
This is 4 year old Akari-chan of Hokubu Hoikuen. The children in this part of Ubuyama can climb trees like no other children I have encountered, but only when they are really young.

Posted by Adam at 11:31 AM | Comments (0)

September 3, 2003

What Is A Higothai?

flower[1].gif
This is a higothai.

Posted by Adam at 12:32 AM | Comments (0)

September 2, 2003

Taro's Meat Mobile

pic_0179[1].jpg
Heh heh... I said Meat

For my birthday, Justin flew me up to Osaka to go see ADF in concert!!! They rocked the house, but I missed the lyrical barrage of Deeter. Anyways, the concert kicked major ass and it was one of the best concerts I've been to in Japan!

This also happened to be prime time for cherry blossom viewing parties (hanami), so we bought a lot of frozen meat(that kicked major ass!) for really cheap, got the other provisions together, and had a hanami party in the rain overlooking the Tenri Dam. It was friggin? cold, and there were no cherry blossoms up here, but it was good times. Playing with hanabi, eating awesome food, hanging out with good people- Yes, and it ended with a large bag of assorted fireworks (helicopters, ladyfingers, bottle rockets, roses, etc...) being tossed in the bonfire, chasing the unwary from the warmth. It?s never officially a crazy time in Nara unless someone almost dies from the irresponsible usage of fireworks.

Posted by Adam at 12:34 AM | Comments (0)

Fireball, Tiger Uppercut!

pic_0129[1].jpg

This is a picture from the famous Fire Festival (hifuri shinji) at Aso Shrine which took place in late March, on a rainy evening. The modest grounds of the temple were crowded past the limits of safety, and the monks handed out bales of hay to anyone wishing to set these on fire and to join in on the melee. No instructions were given, it was more of a "do as you please" atmosphere. The festival transformed the temple grounds into hell with spent straw bails skewed over the premises, burning bright and emitting as much smoke as heat. More and more people spun fireballs, adding to the intensity. Some whirled theirs too close to each other, and cinders shot out as overlapping ellipses came into phase, exploding like the Death Star.

There was one very enthusiastic Japanese girl who loved swinging the fireballs. She swung them in wild trajectories with great enthusiasm, to the horror of people standing 5 feet from her. Usually when others were swinging a bale and the rope burned through, the fireball would quickly fall to the ground and roll maybe a few feet. With this girl, though, the burning bales would arc through the air, as if lobbed by an Olimpiad hammer thrower. Luckily, the first nine times ended without incident, they just scared the bejesus out of anyone close to her. The tenth time, the rope snapped, and the fireball pounded into a guy not 5 feet away from her. Upon impact, the burning hay bursted from the bundle, fully enveloping the cringing man in fire, smoke, and cinders. Luckily for him, the fireball dissipated quickly and he walked away (albeit, with a slight twitch). If I go next year, I know who NOT to stand next to! Thank goodness for the shrine that Japan is not as litigious a society as the good ol? U.S. of A., or else there would be no festivals that I would really want to go to.

Posted by Adam at 12:33 AM | Comments (0)

September 1, 2003

Nippon's Very Own Davy Crockett

pic_0054[1].jpg
I went to visit my friend Kei last February up in Kita-Kyushu, and got to meet his family. They're great people, nice and hospitable to an extreme (even in Japanese standards). Kei's grandfather is the dude in the picture. He speaks english because he piloted in the U.S. during the 50's and now enjoys shooting stuff in his retirement years. On his head a Davy Crockett style cap made of Japanese Racoon-Dog (Tanuki). Other varmints he has plugged with his 20 gauge include kiji (pheasant), inoshishi (wild boar), and kitsune (fox). Miyahara Ojichan may look like a nice old man, but he knows how to handle the steel.

Posted by Adam at 5:21 PM | Comments (0)

Incriminating Evidence

pic_0014[1].jpg
Mom, Dad, Mika, concerned friends... Merin is an alcoholic. Please support her in this desperate hour! Merin, we are behind you 100 percent.

Seriously, I didn't want to say anything but someone had to. Sometimes love hurts.

Posted by Adam at 4:44 PM | Comments (0)

J-Fro (Atomu Version 0.1)

pic_0363[1].jpg
Is it me or does Justin bear an uncanny resemblance to Astro Boy?

Which is funny because I think Atomu was Justin's hero circa age 5.

Posted by Adam at 4:25 PM | Comments (1)

Upside-Down Winter Fro (post hibiki)

pic_0031[1].jpg

After Going to the Kuju Skiing "Resort" (which is like calling my fish tank an aquarium), my fro was encrusted by a blizzard that came out of nowhere! This kicked major ass because:

1. The entrenched youth forming a wall with 7 layers of strata to block all who dared to board, while looking good sitting down on the slopes, in their brand new way-too-expensive gear, sending emails via the newest keitais, were all scared away by this blessed tempest. It blew hard and deposited a nice layer of powder to cover the icy slush and my hair.
2. The ride kicked major ass after the storm dumped powder on the slope (I would say slopes, but that would be an utter lie). The run was only about 50 meters for the "advanced" half (that?s right, there are only two lifts that make up one run) and I could do it with my eyes closed, making it down in ten seconds. The blizzard was SO thick that it was like riding with my eyes closed.
3. It is nice to be only one of the few quasi-real boarders on the mountain (and I use this word lightly) being blasted by snowflakes. The feelings of a numb face, and the shock of chewing an Altoid and then inhaling the air in sub-artic conditions...

If you want to go boarding in Kyushu, I have a word of advice: save your money. Go mountain boarding instead, or head up to Northern Japan.

Posted by Adam at 4:14 PM | Comments (0)

Righteous Fro

pic_0394[1].jpg

Why get a hair cut? I have been in Japan for over a year now, and it seems that all the hair stylists know is how to give me a bad one. There was one exception, but they didn't cut the sides short enough, and my hair went wild shortly after. Screw it. Its time for my fro to go back to its natural state.

What is it with bad haircuts in this country anyways?

Posted by Adam at 4:01 PM | Comments (0)