Update

Hey I just got back from Tokyo from a crazy weekend. I played a show at Daikanyama in Shibuya and it was dope. New posts coming maybe tomorrow after work.

Now surfing enjoyday

Here is a T-shirt that I bought near the Sagamihara River awhile ago. Enjoy.

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

The Truth - Deodorant In Japan

As an foreigner, I was very surprised by a lot of things when I came to Japan. Additionally, I think there are a lot of misconceptions about Japan, and for whatever it's worth, I'm going to throw my two cents in.

With that said, lets talk about deodorant. Like most people, it's not something that I ever took into consideration before. You just buy it, put it on, whatever. It's deodorant. Who cares. But, from everything I've seen, they don't really have any deodorant in Japan.

After scrounging through two grocery stores and asking every employee, I was able to find one weird ass roll-on thing for about 650 yen...that's almost $7! Furthermore, even when doing the "Hey look! I'm putting deodorant on!" motion to show what I wanted since I didn't know how to say it in Japanese, they had no idea what I wanted.

For the time being, I'm doing okay since my Dad sent a care package to me loaded with the Old Spice red deodorants that I'd gotten so used to. Pure Sport...Aqua Reef...you know what I'm talkin' about. Also, I think I've got a good line on deodorant with someone who lives on the American base in Yokosuka so all should be well.

What tripped me out even more than the fact that deodorant is rare in Japan, is that I actually have an old roommate in America and after telling him this story I learned that he has never used deodorant and never stinks. After all my research before coming here, I had no idea. Comments...?

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Chu-Hi by Kirin - Drink Review

Chu-Hi, pronounced "Chew-Hai," is another drink I had never heard of before coming to Japan. The first time I had it was on Enoshima beach as the sun was setting and it was awesome. Here is a picture: L-R (Rory, Brad, and Andrew)

I have no idea what Chu-Hi is made from, but it's clear and almost always has a fruit flavor of some sort such as Lemon or Grapefruit. It goes down smooth and crisp, almost like a super-fizzy Sprite that also gets you drunk. I may have heard somewhere that it's a girl's drink in Japan, but if I'm at the beach this summer and the sun is beating down I'll definitely take Chu-Hi over a beer.

It costs around 200 yen to 250 yen at convenience stores which isn't too bad considering that most beers of the same "Duece-Duece" size are about 300 yen. The usual alchohol percentage is 6%, but Kirin also makes an 8% version as well, most likely for the same price.

I think you can also get this drink at bars and Izakaiyas, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're a guy. In that case, you probably would look like a girl drinking it. But, if you're lounging at the beach or just want to switch it up for a second between beers I think it would be okay.

After doing a little research online, I found out that this stuff is loaded with sugar. If you care about that sort of thing than take it into consideration. Whatever. I love it.

Final Decision: 4 out of 5

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Pizza-La - Food Review

When I saw Pizza-La from Doritos at Lawson I was so taken in by the bag that I just had to try it. Unfortunately, it was quite underwhelming.

One would think judging by the picture on the bag that perhaps there was some kind of awesome chip/fake pizza hybrid waiting for you to enjoy. I sure did so I handed over my 147 yen without hesitation. Even the English slogan says "All the taste and toppings you want on a pizza straight from our oven to your door." I was later surprised to find there were no toppings at all, let alone "all the toppings [I] want on a pizza."

What I did find however was just an overpriced small bag of regular-ass Doritos that just tasted a little funny. They looked exactly like every other kind of Doritos I've ever had, and nothing like the picture at all. They were Doritos after all so it wasn't a total failure. I soon got used to the "Seafood Italiana" flavor, if that even is a specific kind of flavor. I think I was just left feeling tricked, but it was worth it to try out some new food from Japan.

Final Decision: 1.5 out of 5

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Top Ten Websites To Prepare You For Japan

Before I came to Japan, I learned a decent amount about the Japanese language and the Japanese culture, all for free and from the Internet. Here are the top ten websites that helped me and maybe they'll help you too.

1. JapanesePod101.com: This is free daily podcast based out of Tokyo. Every day there is a new conversation about 10 minutes long with followup grammar and cultural explanations. You can find the podcast in the iTunes music store.

2. D-Addicts.com: This is a torrent site for sub-titled Japanese dramas. For me, it was essential for learning how Japanese was spoken. I highly recommend downloading My Boss, My Hero, Liar Game, and my all time favorite Stand Up! You'll first need a torrent client such as uTorrent or Azureus.

3. 1, 000 Kanji Page: If you want to learn kanji, this is a great place to start. You'll first need to learn the Hiragana alphabet and then mentally convert the website's romajii into Hiragana. There is no other way to learn kanji than to just grab a notebook and put some serious time in. Good luck.

4. JR Train Site: Once you get to you Japan, you'll need to figure out how to get around and this site is great for it. You type in where you're coming from and you're destination and it tells you where to change lines. I usually start out most long trips by visiting this site.

5. Japan Talk: This is a great podcast for keeping up with the news from Japan in an entertaining format. New episodes are posted every week and aside from the website, you can find Japan Talk in the iTunes music store.

6. Skype and Xlingo: One of the problems I encountered in learning Japanese in America is that there was no one to speak Japanese to. With Skype and the language exchange site Xlingo, you can find people in Japan to talk to. Although it's difficult to meet people at first, I had a great experience with this and one person in Kobe even sent me a care package when I got to Japan.

7. Rikai-Chan: This is a Firefox add-on that translates individual words in Japanese as you surf the web. You may also need the accompanying dictionary as well.

8. Forums: To get a first hand account as to what other foreigners think about Japan, you might want to drop by some forums such as GaijinPot.com and FuckedGaijin.com. Also sometimes crude and off-topic, they could be a good source for gaining some inside knowledge.

9. Stars21 Translator: In case the Rikai-Chan kanji translator doesn't cut it for you, I found this site to be the most accurate Japanese to English translator. I actually prefer it to BabelFish. For some reason, the site shrinks my browser but whatever.

10. The Japanese Page: Honestly, I haven't spent too much time on this page, but Rivers Cuomo is a sponsor so it must be half-way decent. There seems to be a lot of grammar stuff on there. It might be worth a look.

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Onigiri - Food Review

Onigiri is one food that I had never had before coming to Japan. I can't recall the first time I tried it but I'm glad as hell that I did.

Pretty much all Onigiri is is a triangle of rice with something packed inside, all wrapped inside of seaweed, or nori. There are many different kinds of fillings you can get, but my favorite by far is the tuna. Without really being able to read very much Japanese, I learned what tastes good by trial and error pretty much.

You can get Onigiri from pretty much any convenience store for about 105 yen for the tuna and up to about 130 yen for the "good stuff" that tastes horrible. It makes a great snack in between meals and an even better meal when your wandering from bar to bar. I used to get three for a meal, but have lately cut down to only one since I've been making my own recently.

To make Onigiri, do the following:

1. First clean and cook your rice. To clean the rice, add water to your rice cooker, wait a few minutes and then strain it. I was told by Japanese people to do this about five times and it seems to work. If you don't do this, your rice will be hard.
   
2. Let the rice cool down for about 10 minutes. Rice is hotter than you might think and you will burn the shit out of your hands if you don't wait. Trust me.
   
3. Add rice seasoning to it or more salt if you like.
   
4. Either buy small cut nori or tear up the larger cuts of nori.
   
5. Wet your hands and then put salt on them.
6. Make small balls of rice. If you want to add a filling, press your thumb in the ball and then put your filling in.
7. Place the ball of rice onto the nori and then fold it.
8. Bam! Just that easy.

Final Decision: 5 out of 5

I'm actually making some Onigiri as I'm making this post...and it's time to eat! Laterz.

Brad

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Saturday Night Sushi

It was a boring weekend for the most part, with the exception of Saturday night. I had to work all day Saturday for parent's day but after work I decided to go to a sushi restaurant near my train station.

I read somewhere online that being a foreigner in Japan is like being a C-List celebrity and that's probably true. Before I even took a seat at the bar to order, people are already trying to talk to me. When I first arrived, there was a middle-aged couple to my left and an older woman at the far end of the bar who I had talked to last time I ate there about 2 months ago.

For some decent sushi I paid about $6, one beer was $6, and a decent size bottle of sake (Nihon-Shu) was $7. After about an hour and half or so I was ready to leave until the older woman wanted to buy me drinks so, since I don't have much money these days, of course I obliged.

People came and went as the old woman and I put down a bottle of Shou-Chu. It was the first time I had ever had it. It was hard liquor, but instead of shooting it you mix it with water and ice and perhaps a lemon. It was pretty good but I don't really plan on drinking it again anytime soon.

There were tons of characters that came in throughout the night like a guitar player, a really old lady who tried to correct my kanji, a young couple who wanted to take me to Costco, and another guy who was worried that his daughter was going to marry a foreigner or something. Many cell phones numbers were exchanged and many a story told. The sushi chefs were all about 20-30 something years old and would join in the conversation for awhile too if it was interesting.

I spent yesterday and today just watching movies and David Letterman that I downloaded. Friday I'm going to Shinjuku after another teacher's meeting and then I'm playing a show in Shibuya on Sunday night.

I got some weird notice in the mail from the electric company, all in Japanese of course, and I have to figure out what the hell it says. I hope my electricity isn't going to get cut off.

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Zaru Soba - Food Review

One of my favorite foods from Japan even before I got here was Zaru Soba. Here's a quick breakdown of what it is.

As far as the name goes, Zaru is the name for the wooden mat that it's is served on and Soba is the name of the noodle which is made out of buckwheat. When I make it at home, I usually just put the noodles in a bowl since theres no reason to really get all fancy with it. The noodles are about the size of spagetti and are pretty much inedible by themselves. As such, you dip them into Tsu Yu which looks like soy sauce but it tastes much sweeter. The first time I made this in Nashville I was instantly hooked.

In stores the prices are usually about $1-$3 for a pack of three to four sets of Soba and around $4 for a bottle of Tsu Yu. The bottles of Tsu Yu typically last for a long time. For a full meal I usually make 2 sets of Soba. However, the first time I bought it a couple Japanese people told me that it's usual to only eat one set as a meal though.

Another thing that makes this such a great dish is that it's so easy to make. All you do is boil the noodles for about five minutes and then strain them over cold water until their nice and cold. That's pretty much it. I've had Zaru Soba a couple times in restraunts but still perfer the taste of the store bought Tsu Yu.

Final Decision: 5 out of 5

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Pepsi Blue Hawaii - Drink Review

On my way home from work today I found a new drink released by Pepsi only in Japan called Pepsi Blue Hawaii. Apparently it's a special drink only for Summer 2008 and after seeing Uhh Yeah Dude drink last year's watermelon Pepsi I of course had to buy it.

With it's blinding bright blue color, it looks as though it was forged in a nuclear reaction or something. Apparently it's supposed to taste like pineapple and lemon but I don't really taste it. It has a very light taste to it and is only slightly thicker than water it seems. In fact, it's difficult to even think of what it tastes like. I can tell you though that it is very fizzy.

I haven't seen it in stores before so I can only assume that it just came out within the past few days. I picked it up from 7-11 for about $1.50. Although it's not bad, I can't really say that I'll be buying it again anytime soon. The more I drink as I'm writing this, the more I think that it's really not too bad. However, there isn't really anything special about the taste.

Final Decision: 3.5 out of 5

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Cafe Au Lait by UCC - Drink Review

There isn't anything particularly special about Cafe Au Lait made by a company called UCC, however I think that the whole small coffee thing in Japan is pretty cool.

This specific coffee is the brand I drink every morning before leaving for work. Essentially what it is is coffee with creamer already added to it. I get about 10 of these at a time from the 100 yen store for 50 yen (about $0.50) a piece and keep them cold in the fridge. They go down pretty quick and smooth when kept cold and usually I don't even taste it but just chug it.

These small pre-mixed coffees are also abundant on the street through vending machines at the much higher cost of about 100 yen to 150 yen for 1 can. They are usually pretty hot when you buy them from the vending machines. There are countless brands, but according to the slogan, "Boss Coffee is the boss of them all since 1992."

Before I found them in stores, I spent way too much money on these things from vending machines. I suppose the only bad part about buying them in stores is that you really can't heat them up at all, but they still taste great when served cold.

Final Decision: 3.7 out of 5

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Last Weekend

Friday night after work I went out to an Izakaiya near Yokohama station with a couple teachers from one of my schools. I was looking for the dimly lit Izakaiya that I went to before near Yokohama station but I couldn't find it so we went to one that was a little too bright for my taste but it was a good time nonetheless. Only one of the two teachers spoke English so we decided to speak Japanese the whole time which was fun. After a couple drinks, I tend to drop the formality of my Japanese significantly which might be rude but it's a hell of a lot of fun.

Later that evening, I met up with Rory and we walked around the busy side of Yokohama station and drank convenience store beers. We met a couple random dudes who wanted to arm wrestle and I lost terribly. We caught a late train back home and all was well.

Saturday I met Rory at Enoshima beach and we went swimming for awhile. Surprisingly, we were about the only people in the ocean in the middle of June who weren't wearing wetsuits. Perhaps because of the communal mindset of Japan, nobody really steps out of line and does their own thing. I later met another white dude from New York though Rory and hung out at a surf shop for awhile which later turned into a cookout.

The cookouts here in Japan aren't exactly what you might think if you're reading this in America. The Japanese idea of a cookout is various types of delicious yet tiny food. Hamburgers and hot dogs are nowhere to be found. Later, somebody brought a small guitar and we passed it around and played songs.

I tried to take a late train home but fell asleep and ended up in Ueno, Tokyo which is about an hour away. I was pretty pissed but decided to make the best of it. I met a tourist from another Asian country, I forget where exactly, who had missed her flight home. She spoke pretty good English and helped me find a capsule hotel a couple streets up from the train station.

For about $36 US, I got a tube with a TV to sleep in until 10am the next day. Surprisingly it was pretty comfortable and kinda fun. It's not really the kinda thing that you end up doing intentionally, you have to screw up the night a little bit to end up sleeping in a capsule hotel. Here is a picture of the capsule hotel next to where I stayed called Phuket, which is exactly what I was thinking when I decided to stay for the night.

The next day I met up with Eriko after not seeing her for quite sometime. I don't feel like giving the whole story on the blog, but she's a handful to say the least. Overall though, we had a good time in Shinjuku walking around on a great Sunday afternoon. We went to the top of some really tall building with a great view and had lunch at a nice outdoor eatery thing. I made it back to Yokohama far too late Sunday night completely exhausted and thus began another work week.

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Trash

So it seems I have some free time today so I'm going make as many posts as I can stand. There are a few things that I've been meaning to write about but haven't found the time yet. Surprisingly, trash is a very big deal in Japan so here's the run down.

The above picture is the end result when you take out the trash from your house. It makes zero sense to me. Every day, the biggest black crowes I've ever seen in my life tear through the covering without fail and have a smogesborg. The crowes here have enormous beaks and I can only assume that they evolved that way from having to get into the trash over the years. Sometimes the bottom of the covering will be lined with chain links but it never really seems to do any good. I would've thought that perhaps somebody had seen a trash can at some point in their life but that's just how they do it here.

There are also different days that each different kind of trash gets picked up. The categories are pretty difficult considering that plastics are lumped into the "Combustible" category, while plastic bottles are not. As a result, the hallway in my apartment was lined with trash for the first month I was in Japan.

Another issue is the trash cans in the street. Often they are nowhere to be found, or you can only find the trash can for aluminum cans or plastic bottles when you all you need is a regular trash can to throw something away. It's pretty frustrating.

One thing that is actually kinda cool once you get used to it is that nobody throws their cigarette butts in the streets like in America. Although it was pretty difficult to get used to at first, it's pretty nice to not see a bunch of cigs on the street everywhere you go. For 100yen you can buy pocket sized plastic pouches lined with aluminum to put your butts into. Some people take it another step further and buy a separate device where you actually ash into as you smoke which seems pretty pointless to me since it just blows away instantly anyway.

As far as trash goes, I think I covered just about everything. Word.

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Shiroi Natchan - Drink Review

Before I had Shiroi Natchan, I had another similar drink that I loved called Calpis which I bought simply based off the name. Even in the Calpis TV commericals, it sounds exactly like their saying "Cow Piss." How could you not buy something with a name like that right? Well Shiroi Natchan pretty much tastes and looks exactly like Calpis.

First off, the bottle looks awesome. To break down the name, "Shiroi" means white in Japanese and chan is a suffix often given to people's names. For example, I'm Brad, so my name might be "Bu-Ra-Chan" if you wanted to give me a cute name in Japanese. So, the whole thing is "Shiroi Na-chan" and it tastes great.

I got it from the dollar store, or 100yen shop. You should also be able to find it on the many vending machines along the streets in Japan. The taste is similar to maybe a Sprite mixed with a little bit of Cream Soda. It's made by Suntory, which you may know as the whiskey company I think from Lost In Translation. It's a little strange, but most beer companies also make a number of other soft drinks in Japan. Imagine if you will if Coors made an iced tea or something. Pretty odd.

It's not really something you can drink fast. Even if I try, I have to stop myself because the taste is quite strong. Usually a large sip is the best I can do. I highly recommend Shiroi Na-Chan. Even though it's made by Suntory which is a major drink company, perhaps Calpis might be the better of the two.

Final decision: 4 out of 5.

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Asahi Fire - Drink Review

Here is the first post in a series of drink reviews. I got out of work a little early today and on the walk home I got the idea to write about the crazy drinks that Japan has to offer. So lets kick it off with one of my old and rare favorites, Asahi Fire.

The first time I bought this drink was at a Lawson which is a convience store somewhat like a 7-11. I had no idea what this drink was at all. I pretty much just bought it based upon looks alone. After I was halfway through with it, I realized that it was a very potent energy drink.

With most other energy drinks I've had, like Red Bull for example, the burst of energy pretty much slaps you across the face as soon as you drink it. I don't know how they managed to do it, but after drinking this, you slowly feel a renewed sense of vigor creep up on you ever so slowly. The result is a perfect jump start to keep you going for the rest of the night, without making you feel too jittery.

After the first couple that I had, it quickly became my go-to drink for late nights. However, I was very surprised to find that the Lawson near my train station no longer carried them, nor did the clerk know what I was talking about when I asked them about it. I chalked it up to the drink just being in a limited run and figured that I'd never have this awesome drink again until about a week ago I found it in a grocery store near my house.

The taste is something like cherry soda with a little bit of Red Bull perhaps. I love it but if I remember correctly, Rory said that it tasted like medicine. I still haven't drank the one I bought last week since I usually have coffee in the morning and I could only assume that mixing this drink with beer on the weekends would be very bad news.

I don't know the actual name of this drink, so I just assume that it's called Fire. In case the picture is unclear, the English at the bottom reads "The blazing flame is a symbol of your energy and enthusiasm." Strong words and a strong drink. Try it if you ever get the chance.

Final Verdict: 5 out 5

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Still busy...

This weekend was pretty busy and crazy. I have some stories to tell but not today. I'm way too tired so here's a picture of a kick-ass cat I saw in Shinjuku, Tokyo on Sunday at the worst flea market ever.

I got so happy when I saw this cat. I mean how could feel bad about anything after seeing that thing!? He had his paw out like the whole time on the front of the bike as he was driven around.

Lately I've been thinking about making some posts about the bad parts of Japan. There are quite a few things that make zero sense to me that I want to write about. I may have time tomorrow to make a proper post so we'll see what happens.

またね！

ブラッド

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

New Posts

I should be writing some more within the next few days. Either tomorrow or Monday at the latest. It was a busy and boring week and now I'm enjoying the weekend.

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

New Music

This is in no way really related to Japan, but I posted it to The National Pool's Myspace page and I figured I'd post it here too.

I started writing some new songs and hope to put out a new record later this year. At the latest, it'll happen in November since thats been how it's went down for the past two years. I get about a month and a half off of work in July and August so I hope to do the bulk of recording during that time when my mind is clear and I can take the time needed to record.

At the moment, it's looking like it's going to be quite different from the past two. I don't really feel like making a big fuss out of it nor do I really have the equipment now to do another Electronica-style record. I'd say that it might end up like a cross between David Grey's "White Ladder," Neil Young's "Silver and Gold," and some of the messyness of the Bradley Nowell acoustic record. Change is good so we'll see what happens.

Tomorrow is my birthday and I'll be spending it teaching little kids how to speak English. Haha. Later. Brad

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Volleyball and Fujisawa

This past week I spent quite a bit of time in Fujisawa at Enoshima beach and the usual bars around Fujisawa. Wednesday I had the day off so when Rory got off work early we went to the beach to wander around. We found a small skate park where I tried to remember how to skate. It's been far too long though and I don't really have any skill anymore.

Later as the sun set, we joined up with some people who were playing volleyball and played for about an hour or so. My team dropped the ball quite a bit because, perhaps out of politeness, we could never figure out who was going to go for the ball. It was a good time though, here's a picture:

Last Friday Eric and I hit up the beach early and decided to try walk the same roads I did last time, but this time without Rory's navigational skills. I got us a little lost but it was a nice walk. By the time we made it to the beach, there wasn't really anybody playing volleyball. After hanging at the beach for awhile, we headed back into Fujisawa proper to meet up with Rory for drinks. We ended up staying out for awhile but apparently Friday nights aren't very lively in Japan for some reason. Nonetheless it was a good time.

Saturday morning Eric and I went back to the beach for awhile to walk around. I'm really looking forward to spending a lot of this summer there. There are already a ton of bars being built right on the beach and there are several love hotels within sight. Should be fun.

I've got another busy week of work coming up that I'm not really looking forward to, but by mid-July I'll be on break for about a month and a half. I'm out!

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

----------------
Now playing: imaginary baseball league - i am right
via FoxyTunes

Sports Day and The Enkai

Last Sunday, I worked for my seventh day in a row for the school's Sports Day. The work wasn't too bad at all really. I pretty much just had to be there and walk around while the students ran laps ad nauseum. During one of many smoke breaks, I met one of the parents and chatted it up for while. Most of the time though, I was just looking forward to the work party that night, which in Japanese is "Enkai."

I knew we were going to an Izakaiya which I was looking forward to since I really dig the dimly lit atmosphere and awesome food. However, we went to a Chinese Izakaiya apparently that was lit quite brightly and the food was not so awesome. The nomihodai, or all-you-can-drink was quite fun though. The cost, 5,000 Yen, or about $50 was quite off putting at first since I wasn't paid for about 2 months after arriving. Because of that, I missed a lot of the other Enkais and this was my first one. Here's me eating jellyfish for the first time at the Enkai.

I also drank Sake for the first time that night too which was pretty good. It's quite different from the hard liquor I've had before in that you sip it instead of shooting it all at once. Apparently in Japan, it's also customary to pour beer for your co-workers. The glasses are also very small so that you have an opportunity to talk to people you normally don't talk to at work when you refill their glass. This custom was very cool at first, but later when you want another beer and nobody is really refilling anymore it's a little difficult.

Later I had to give a speech in Japanese which was a little difficult all things considered. I manged to get by with only couple sentences, pretty much saying "I really like this school. The teachers and students are very good people. Everyday is fun. I'm done." I think it went pretty well.

From there, myself along with about 6 other teachers who were still down to party went to do Karaoke for awhile in what must have been the coolest looking place ever. The atmosphere was pretty extravagant and tropical with dark wood and palm trees everywhere. I sang "I Did It My Way" with the Japanese language teacher and then "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer with another English teacher who had lived in America for awhile.

We sang for quite some time and then everybody ran to catch the last train. Although a little expensive, the whole night was a lot of fun and I'm really glad I went. Thats all for now.

Brad

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Kannai On A Friday Night

After the monthly meeting for the English teachers two Fridays ago, Eric and I went to the park for drinks with Andrew and another teacher. Since there are no open container laws regarding beer, it's very easy to have an impromptu party anywhere, anytime. I definitely have to give props to the Japanese for this. After hanging out for awhile, our group dwindled down to just me and Eric.

We were later approached by a homeless guy who wanted to sell us a digital camera and a Chanel coin case. At first I didn't quite understand what he wanted so I got out a dollar or so to give to him but he wouldn't take it. Apparently he was looking for the big payoff by selling a camera. I'm not too sure how the warranty would've worked out should the camera have broke. We didn't buy anything, but we ended up talking to this guy for quite awhile about the differences between Japan and America. The more that I think about it, most conversations tend to go in this direction and somehow it still remains interesting.

After bro-ing down for awhile, we were ready to talk to some women. However, for some reason Japan doesn't really have bars as we know them in America, and especially not in Kannai. Most places have odd arrangements of cover charges for no reason, confusing charges by the hour, hostess bars, maid bars, snack bars, and sometimes no-white-people-allowed bars. The result is a far cry from the large open spaces I'm used to in America where you can easily approach people and start a conversation.

Finally we found what must have been the only proper bar in Kannai and went in. There weren't really any women at all so we ended up trading stories with a Salary Man who rolled his own cigarettes and was sipping Jack Daniels. We talked about the dreary life of the Salary Man, China, and other usual topics. All in all it was a good time but I called it an early night since I had to wake up the next day to teach on a Saturday.

Later - Brad

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool

Too Busy To Post

I meant to make a post this week but have been way too busy lately. The good news is your in for some pretty good stories when I finally do get around to posting. I'm off to go play some volleyball at the beach with Eric in Fujisawa.

There are a new pictures from the Enkai (Work Party) and also from the volleyball with Rory this past week up on the Flickr page. Check em out.

Mata ne fool - Brad

Music: Myspace.com/TheNationalPool
Email: thenationalpool@gmail.com
Pictures: Flicker/TheNationalPool