Merii Kurisumasu

Holy nativity scenes! Tis almost Christmas!

Hey everyone, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I’ve had a lot of folks back home asking me if Japan celebrates Christmas so I thought I’d do some internationalization and lay out the exciting details about how Santa, Baby Jesus, and Rudolph are recognized here.

First, YES, Christmas is celebrated in Japan. BUT like all western things importer here, Christmas doesn’t look/feel like it does back home. Right now all over Japan there are Christmas decorations like illumination, Santa and Frosty posters, and precariously placed reindeer on rooftops. Many stores and businesses have Christmas trees, but as far as I can tell they’re all artificial (which makes sense since trees are precious in Japan and used only for making chopsticks).

Second, some people so exchange gifts…but this is mostly with parents giving a few things to children or couples exchanging gifts. I don’t think there is any concept of Santa being the one to deliver the gifts since Japanese homes don’t have chimneys (so how on earth would the fat man get inside?!).

Third, the food…omg, this is the best part. Back home, the food at Christmas time is some of the best all year. The turkey, pies, casseroles…all so wonderful. But here in Japan, people eat KFC and cake.

Yes, some how KFC pulled off a “Christmas Chicken Bucket Ruse” and the cake companies added to this by creating the “Christmas Cake Myth”…so many people order up a special holiday KFC bucket (must order in advance) and finish the finger-licking meal off with a lovely cake. When I tell Japanese people that Americans don’t eat these things at Christmas, they always give me they shocked “really?!” face.

So Christmas is a bit different here in Japan…but as we all know, the Christmas spirit isn’t something around us, but rather it’s something inside us (cue cheesy “awwwe”).

I’ll be here in Beppu for the big day, and then taking a trip up to Kansai for New Year’s…which is the big holiday in Japan. I’ll let you guys know how it all goes.

November Update!

Here you go!

Beppu vs. Ajimu

WHOSH! That’s the sound of time/life flying by! That’s what I’ve been hearing everyday for the past 3ish weeks as I’ve been settling into my new life in Beppu. I knew I’d have to hit the ground running as soon as I got back to Japan, so all the moving and driving and meeting and unpacking and cleaning and shopping and freaking out has gone rather well.

Here’s a quick rundown of Ajimu (my old home) versus Beppu (my new home) to give you an idea of where I’m living now.

AJIMU
- Population: about 8,000
- Number of…
Grocery stores: 2 (both small)
Restaurants: 1.5 (Joyfull was my standby and then there was another place open only for lunch during the week)
Bars: never really found one
People between 20 and 30 years old: well, there was me and…
- Famous for: turtle soup and wine
- Notable features: countryside beauty, Kyushu’s tallest waterfall, lots of rice fields.

BEPPU
- Population: A lot more than Ajimu
- Number of…
Grocery stores: Tons! Including a large one right down the street!
Restaurants: Innumerable! All my favorites, many within walking distance.
Bars: Still counting! Downtown is about 10 minutes walk from my apartment!
People between 20 and 30 years old: A whole lot! With APU (international university) in town, Beppu has the largest foreign population after Tokyo!
- Famous for: Onsen! It’s the hot spring capital of Japan.
- Notable features: beautiful green mountains that border a blue sea, a ferry to Osaka, lots of hills for good running workout.

Okay, so it looks like Beppu might sort of beat out Ajimu…but I still have a lot of love for my old inaka town. I’ve been by a few times to pick up some of my stuff and I always stop just to look and remember all the good times there. Sure it was really dark at night and sometimes spiders the size of face-huggers from ALIENS would run around my house and it took half an hour to get anywhere and that was only by car because there were no trains in my town…BUT still, it’s a very nice place (and all the isolating inspired great things like Shark Friend).

So yeah, Beppu is rocking and I’m happy to be here. I’ll have more soon…got to go and make some dinner before heading off to work.

Justin's Europe Trip

Here's where I was in September!

Thank you everyone!

It’s almost 5pm on Sunday afternoon and I should be packing my bags for Japan. But as I’m rolling t-shirts and trying to fit muffin mix amongst dress shoes, I keep dropping little tears and saying, “I can’t go, I can’t leave home again.”

I’m about to start my third year and Japan and this is the hardest goodbye to my family that I’ve ever had. The past two months have been split between my home(s) in the south and a trip in Europe and all along the way I’ve been loved and supported by my parents, my sister and brother-in-law, my grandparents and uncles and aunts and cousins, my Mexican buddy, long time friends, newly met friends, and complete strangers. I’ve been blessed and cared for so much—thank you!!

I feel good about the future that awaits me in Japan with a new job in a new city. There’s A LOT to do when I return, but I know Beppu is the best place for me right now. The hardest part is leaving all that I have here in America. Honestly, I’m so amazed at how my family has taken care of me while I’ve been here.

Julie and Paul, I love staying with you two. You house is so lovely and there’s always good food there. Thank you for the Wii party and giving so much while I was there. I’ll be waiting for you in Japan! Come and visit!!

Mom and Dad, thank you so much for all you’ve done for me. The love of a parent for their child must be the greatest form of love capable by human beings. I’ve been so comfortable here and leaving is breaking my heart. I love you both so much.

As I’ve said before, living in Japan is a dream of mine…and often times in order to accomplish our dreams, we have to sacrifice something. The end result is of course more amazing than the initial tears, but still those tears do hurt.

Good bye America, I’ll see you again another day.

Good bye

On Friday afternoon I found myself in a place I haven’t been since I first arrived in Japan. I was standing on the stage in the school gym, sweating in the heat while wearing a tie, and reading a speech I wrote in Japanese. The first time I was there I was introducing myself to the students and teachers of Ajimu High School…and this time I was saying good bye.

It’s amazing thing to stand in front of all my students and tell them how much they’ve meant to me these past two years. I was deeply touched by their applause and cheering as I walked off stage and given a bouquet of flowers. I will miss them all so much…even the ones who always slapped my butt and grabbed my crotch.

This is ESS, English Speakers Society, English club. These kids were some of the best. Man we've had some crazy times.

On Sunday I leave Ajimu and the inaka life I’ve known since arriving in Japan. Along with this farewell are the many good byes to friends who are returning to their home countries. Saying so many sayonaras is draining, but I like to think that no farewell is permanent and that somewhere alone the way, in the future, in another life, I will see these dear friends again.

This chapter in my life is coming to a close…but the story is far from over.

See you later everyone!

Shark Friend, Series Finale

One more video to cap off a year of extreme personal growth.

Final Decision

Finally, we know where I'm going...

Bling and Irises

Well July has suddenly come upon us and the countdown to the end of the 2006-2007 JET Contract year is on. What better way to spend one of the last remaining weekends than donning oneself in flashy bling for a fancy dinner and then viewing lovely irises the following day? Still with me, mom? Let’s just go to the pictures…

BEHOLD, Justin all blinged out. No, I am not Michael Jackson.

Here’s Diego reverting back to his thug image days. I told him the bandana suited him, but he refused to wear it into the restaurant.

Our lovely female friends at dinner (Rhoda was the inspiration for the evening).

After out night out (and sleeping in Rhoda’s house where temperatures approach that of the sun) we teamed up with Sheena and took a stroll into the countryside to view some irises. While I wasn’t bursting with anticipation at first, the flower viewing turned out to be a very nice afternoon. Except for when spiders starting attacking us in the gazebo over the dried up lake.

The field of purple and white stretched endlessly into the green hills (flower pictures! it's like your blog, Julie!).

RABBIT! No wait, INDIAN!

Me and Diego.

I feel like I’ve neglected my blog recently…this is because I’ve been so unsettled about my future that I’ve been waiting to post until I had something BIG and IMPORTANT to announce. Just to give you all an update, I will soon be deciding whether or not I’ll be staying in Japan another year. After months of discussion with my bosses in Oita-ken, it turns out that I cannot remain a third year on JET. However, I’ve been looking for other jobs and have been offered a position with a private English company. I’m at an important crossroads and this week will involve a lot of thinking and praying about the future.

My love to you all.

Extreme Diagnosis

This blog entry is coming to you under fever-induced delirium so I hope the humor carries over.

Right now I’m suffering from terrible flu-like symptoms and after a day without any improvement, I decided to try to look online to see if I could figure out what might be wrong with me (I rarely get sick and even when I am I don’t let it slow me down…but this episode of illness is taking a toll).

I found an easy to use flow chart to diagnosis my symptoms and while the chart wasn’t much help, the end result was hilarious (**warning, dark humor ahead).

Observe:

1. Is the person an infant of child? NO.
2. Does your fever come and go and does your temperature stay between 97° and 102°? YES.
3. Have you had a fever for weeks along with tiredness and a sore throat? NO
4. Do you have a sore throat, a dry cough, tiredness, mild headaches or muscle aches? YES.
5. Do you have aches, chills, nausea, vomiting, cramps or watery diarrhea? YES.
6. Are you short of breath and do you have a cough that produces yellow, green or tan mucus? Not really...

Conclusion: You may have a serious infection, such as TUBERCULOSIS or AIDS.

Hmmm…perhaps a bit hasty on the emergency diagnosis…and speaks loudly of the dangers of uninformed self-diagnosis. But at least I got a big laugh out of the extreme ending.

Thieves Strike Again!

A while ago (like MONTHS ago) I posted an entry about two little girls breaking into my house and stealing a bunch of my cookies. These two culprits still come by every now and then and do things like yell at me in Japanese, kick my shins, and try their best to get into my house (I lock my door only because of them). Last week they came by to call me a liar and steal my broom.

Apparently there was some confusion about my country of origin due to an incident that occurred the other week when a visiting friend told some students he was from Mexico when we were driving by the play ground (the kids always shout “herro!” and things like “Are you from America?!” and my friend responded back, “NO, I’m Mexican!” and thus this sent the school was sent into chaos).

So the two little girls came by to call me a liar kick my shins (I wish I was joking, but this is all true). I tried to clear up the misunderstanding, but really all they were interested in was getting into my house. I repeatedly told them NO! and while trying to block their entry, one of them grabbed a broom that was near the door. She said, “thank you very much!” and started running down the street. I sighed, weighed my options, then quickly put on my shoes and ran after her.

Imagine this scene, two little girls running and screaming down a main road in town with a foreigner running after them growling. I caught up to the one holding the broom after running past her friend who screamed and jumped into a rice field. We briefly played tug-of-war while a minivan drove by with staring eyes and gasping mouths. I gain control of the broom, smacked the girl on the feet and dashed back home (I had a hot date and needed to get showered and into the city so there was no time for a lecture).

Hooray Ajimu!

Sarah's Japan Video

My friend from home who made it to visit me here, Sarah, made an awesome video. I'm honored to post it to my blog.

Sarah Wilda visits Japan!

Follow the link to view the video!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8292254095754614041

(still working on technical issues)

UPDATE?!

Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating recently. I actually have some super HOT videos just dying to be uploaded, but for some reason YouTube is playing a joke on me and everytime I try to share my vision with the masses, I get a big I DON'T THINK SO PUNY HUMAN reaction from the Robots in control of the internet.

Fear not, I'm working to overcome this problem and get the blog updated. Just hang in there!

Happy Times

Warm spring is here, the teenagers I hang out with 5 days a week are genki, and I have enough of a life that I don’t need to resort to making Shark Friend videos to fill my time. Life is good! This post is purely to help spread the positive karma to all who graciously view my blog.

The Rose…one of my favorite karaoke songs is Bette Midler’s “The Rose”. All joking aside, the song’s message of love is very powerful and one that I’ve taken to heart. And yes, this particular rose was a gift.

Japanese ema…these are small wooden plaques found at Shinto shrines that people write wishes on in hopes of the gods reading them and granting their desires. I wrote one of these back in April as part of my campaign of hope to stay in Japan (still waiting for the final answer…).

Scottish breakfast…thank you Rhoda and Rhoda’s parents! I was treated to a delicious and filling breakfast served up Scottish style this past Saturday consisting of eggs, bacon, these potato cakes things, and ketchup all inside a nice bread roll—a truly remarkable deviation from Japanese breakfast of soup, rice, and pickles.

Fun night out…just look at the ridiculously smile on my face! This is Rhoda, me and Diego at Hit Parade—the 50’s themed restaurant/night club in Beppu. Awesome night.

Hong Kong!

Check it out!

Pirates and Ninjas

Living out in the middle of no where in an empty apartment building is pretty spooky most nights, but there are also some really cool bonuses too. Like say you wanted to throw a wild party and invite 50 of your closest friends from all over Oita-ken…then you could be AS LOUD AS YOU WANT and have the honor of hosting a truly enjoyable fancy dress party. That’s what occurred out here in Ajimu this past Saturday night. The theme this time: “PIRATES AND NINJAS, what kind of bad a$$ are you?!”

Here are just a few pictures from the night…I got too involved in making punch and socializing to take a lot of pictures, but there may be more images coming later. The night was pretty sweet and I enjoyed the drunken chaos contrast since most nights are quaint and quiet around here. Memorable moments include: guessing how much rum to put in the 10 liter pirate punch bowl, catching a few couples making out in the darkness around my apartment building (you know who you are!), announcing my engagement to Sheena (this was laaate into the night…), waking up to have EVER bit of floor space covered with a sleeping person (you guys were great to come).

Me and Tori as a really sweet pirates.

Shawn and Tori, what a beautiful couple.

Rhoda, Ninja Princess Extreme (she lost her purse, but the Usa police found it later).

Karl…uh…he was some kind of onsen ninja somethingornother

(he put coffee grounds on his face).

Kate as Tinkerbelle! What a great take on the pirate theme.

Okay, I’m off to Hong Kong in the morning! See ya’ll in next, next week!

Just a regular day

Here are some interesting statistics about an average day in my life:

Number of times…
1. I hear someone say “herro” to me in a day = 75.
2. Someone looks away laughing when I respond = 72.
3. I ask someone “how are you?” = 50.
4. I’m answered with a blank stare = 25.
5. I bow in a day = 100.
6. I bow while driving my car = 20.
7. Someone helps fix my hair while I’m sitting at my desk = 5.
8. Someone calls me “cute” or “cool” in Japanese thinking I don’t understand = 7.
9. Someone asks me an inappropriate question about my personal life = 25.
10. I ignore these questions = 10.
11. I respond with “That’s private!” = 10.
12. I answer the question with the goal of increasing my “coolness level” = 5
(depends on who’s asking).
13. I get touched on the butt or crotch in a day = 10.
14. I catch someone openly staring at my crotch = 3 (more if I’m in the onsen).
15. I’m confused about what’s going on around me = 10.
16. I’m utterly lost about what’s going on around me = 5.
17. I’m struck by the beauty of the inaka = 3.
18. I’m struck by the energy of the young people around me = 10.
19. I feel at home in this place = almost always.

And here are the various names I go by in Ajimu. Different young people call me different things, but I’ve come to answer to all of them:

1. Justin
2. Jastin
3. Jasutein
4. Justini
5. George
6. Jackson
7. Steve

Campaign of Hope

I have a dream.

Ted and Yumiko Wedding!

A little wedding video...because videos are more fun than text updates.

Sakura Blooming

Here's a spring time update.

My young friends

Wednesday was a holiday here in Japan and I had the opportunity to spend the day with some really cool people. A friend of mine, who I shall call Tanabee, graciously offered to take myself and a group of graduated young people on a road trip in his big, sweet van. We awed at mountain views, ate delicious food, engaged in English-Japanese conversations, and all around enjoyed a day off work. Please allow me to share the photos with you.

Swings at the top of a mountain…the positioning of the swings on the hill makes you gasp every time you swing out cause you feel like you’re flying over the edge.
Eating DELICIOUS cheese cake flavored ice cream…what a happy crew!

These kids are amazing people and my day with them was so fun. You can see where I get inspiration for my hairstyles. Ah, I love Japan for many reasons, but maybe the biggest is because I can be friends with folks like these. Ajimu for life!

I’ll eat anything! (maybe)

Japanese cuisine can include all kinds of wonderfully scary/tasty things—many of them being some sort of sea creature with its eyes still intact and looking at you. Sushi has become one of my favorite meals and after a year and a half here, I really enjoy eating raw octopus and fish eggs (and don’t forget the raw horse meat!).

This being said, there are still times when I must say DAME (that means “don’t”) to a particular food item.

For example, the other day I had a wonderful meal with some friends and included in one of the dishes was a happy little shrimp smiling up at me (see photo above). He looked like he had just come from the sea with all his antenna (is that what you call them?) still pointing out and his little eyes glistening in a dreamy gaze. My first clue that maybe this wasn’t the best thing to try is the fact that we had to ask the waiter, “How do you eat this?”

“Just pop him in your mouth,” we were told. Okay, sounds easy…let’s try!

I would come to regret this.
This is me feeling not only pain in my palette, but also in my mouth…you see, the little shrimp’s pointy bits were stabbing the insides of my cheeks and gums. It was kind of like chewing on long tooth picks.

In the end I managed to get it all down…but was left with some mouth pain and a lingering taste of shrimpy saltiness. Not the best moment of my week, but I did feel stronger for the experience.

Now, please don’t let this discourage any of you from trying the many exciting dishes Japan has to offer. The food here really is amazing and I have rarely had a bad experience (this shrimp story was an anomaly—that’s why I’m writing about it…and I just wanted to throw up an update).

Two Wrongs Make a Right

First, just to explain the title, the above photo is of my dear friends, Jared and Steph Long…but in Japan where “l” and “r” is a mystery for some, their name sometimes becomes “Wrong”. Get it?

Anyway, as you all know, I live a very glamorous life out here in Ajimu. My weekdays are filled with uniform-clad teenagers and countryside serenity…and my weekends are 48 hours of pure Bacchus-inspired merriment.

Well, sort of.

The last two weekends have been fun times as I’ve had the chance to hang out with Jared and Steph (and they are such nice people!). Last weekend was the 80’s dance in Oita City where Jared was DJ-ing and I was dressed up as Spike from TRANSFORMERS (maybe two of you will know who Spike is). The night started slow but gradually grew to a pretty groovy dance party (in part due to my really great idea of group tequila shots!). See below.

Lick it, shoot it, suck it!

This past weekend, the Longs came out to the inaka to visit me and enjoy some of the sites that the countryside has to offer. I rarely get visitors, but am always happy to serve as tour guide.

Steph and Jared at the Ajimu waterfall (Kyushu’s tallest).

Jared and I after we had just passed a group of Korean tourist who wanted to give us all high fives…it was pretty funny (Steph said Jared and I looked “special” in this photo).

Fun times, yo. KOREA!

Tokyo, Yokohama, and My Birthday!

The breakdown: I spent 5 days up in Tokyo (Japan’s mega capital) and Yokohama (city just beside Tokyo that has a futuristic utopian feel) to attend a conference and celebrate my birthday (February 28th, thanks everyone for the messages and wishes). Lisa was my primary travel companion and besides her weird urges for almonds and zero calorie jelly, we had a great time together.

The above picture is Landmark Tower in Yokohama that served as our, well, landmark as we navigated the spotless streets and long moving walkways of the city (seriously, Yokohama made me think of Earth in the Star Trek universe—all perfect and peaceful with white buildings and ferries wheels).

Even though I’ve been to Tokyo before, there are still many parts of the city I wanted to explore. To help with this, I opted for a FREE TOUR of these desired areas with a volunteer tour guide (check out tokyofreeguide.com). Below is a picture of our guide, his friend, and Lisa. They’re all Japanese…can you spot the Japanese-American? With our guide’s knowledge of the city, Lisa and I had a fun time and accomplished our sightseeing goals (even though Lisa kept wanting to go into weird stores that made our guide nervous).

After two days and about 11 billion yen in Tokyo, we headed over to Yokohama for our conference. Lisa continued to crave almonds and zero calorie jelly (at this point I started emailing her boyfriend asking if I should intervene or something) and we enjoyed a night out in the area’s renowned China Town to celebrate my quarter century mark (25, baby!). Below are pictures of the evening…and after spending several days up in the Kanto area, we were all saying things like, “I’m almost out of money!” or “Either I have another beer tonight or lunch tomorrow…can’t swing both” It was cool.

Lisa, Rhoda, and Andy in China Town

Crazy British Andy and me...we ordered the same thing!

And here's Lisa and Rhoda...also ordered the same food!

Lisa! (where are your almonds now!)

Boku wa nekojita desu!

Harajuku Girls

Thanks to the Asian-loving pop star, Gwen Stefani, the term “Harajuku Girls” has become familiar to many around the western world. For those of you out there (such as my mom, for example) who don’t know who Gwen is or what Harajuku means, allow me to explain.

Harajuku is one of the ultra-cool districts of Tokyo. It’s perhaps most famous for being the hangout spot for some of Tokyo’s wilder citizens...and since it’s Japan that means they aren’t really that wild…but, boy howdy, they sure can dress neat!

Teenagers from all around come to Harajuku dressed in varying degrees of wildness. Some only wear frilly costumes and big platform shoes…others dye their hair and style it in spikey works of art…and the most extreme Harajuku kids complete their look with vibrant make-up and punky attitudes.

Basically, on a nice Sunday afternoon, one can walk around Harajuku and see lots of young people dressed up in colorful costumes. They do this possibly as a reaction against the uniformity of Japanese society…or perhaps they just enjoy a good costume day (I can relate!). During my recent trip to Tokyo, I made sure to stop by the area and take a few pictures of the Harajuku Girls (the boys I saw didn’t look like they wanted me to take their photo).

More to come about my trip to Tokyo!

Shark Friend, Valentine's Day

Just for you...

Slice of Japanese Life

I had a little disposable camera leftover from my Christmas trip and used it to take a few pictures of life here. Enjoy the dichotomy of Japan.

Series One: Usa Shrine

Stone Lantern and Ancient Tree

Prayers for the New Year

Lake Tree

Series Two: Karaoke!!

Jared and Steph singing a duet

Justin don't mess around at karaoke

Backstreet Collaboration