Pool Hall and Hub - Nov 10th

Not much to see here, just had some photos taken at a pool hall near 'baba, and finally got a couple shots of the interior of the Hub. There was a photographer there asking people for permission to take promotional photos, so I snapped off a few of my own. Most of the Hubs typically look the same, but this one is probably the largest one I've been to. I finally got a member's card, so now I get 5% off my drinks (the same as paying no tax) and that translates into points, which I can then cash in later for (you guessed it), more drinks! I figure I'll just have everyone make their purchases on my card (for who wants their alcoholism taxed?), and at the end of the year, I'll cash in all the points and throw a mini party. 20,000 points buys me a $150 bar tab; that's a lot of Tarantulas. My liver is going to thank me when I leave this country (ok, so I don't really drink all that much, it's just that I mention it frequently on this blog. Don't worry, mom!)

Wasedasai - Nov 5th

This weekend is Wasedasai; an annual cultural festival with all kinds of events and performances planned. Derek had managed to get into one of the breakdancing troupes, and will be performing with them on Saturday. I was kind of tardy to the party, arriving just before his group went on. I sat with Jill, Tracey and Katy and watched the fairly impressive performance. Unfortunately, I was sitting behind a speaker, and wasn't in a very good position to take any photos. Not much was planned afterwards, so I just headed back home for dinner.

The next day, I came a bit earlier to see more performances. I met up with with Hans and we burrowed our way through the crowds to meet up with Kaoru and Maho, who were helping the Niji no Kai stand sell food. We ran into Hilary and Hiro, and then Claire came bounding through the crowd in a yukata; the only person I'd see wearing one all day. She was apparently also working on dragging people to the Niji no Kai stand. We wandered around for a while with Claire at our heels, making loud nonsensical comments. It's like being chased by a lonely mastiff.

We watched a part of the Shockers' performance on the Seimon stage. As I've probably explained before, the Shockers are the main male cheerleading team at Waseda (by cheerleading, I don't mean the traditional Ouen-dan guys who get everyone to sing at the baseball games, I mean like "Bring it On" type tossing-people-in the air, "we got spirit, how 'bout you" cheerleaders). We backpeddled a few yards and parked ourselves in front an area roped off for other performances, where groups from the WIP club performed a slew of dances. I was surprised to see a few people I knew doing an amateur sorambushi dance, followed by a swing dancing group and some folk dancing.

Hilary and Hiro were hungry, so we were going to head towards the stage in bungaku-bu for the Waseda Breakers' performance and eat somewhere on the way. For some odd reason, Claire took "we're going to get food" as an invitation, and followed us to the restaurant. On the way, there was a small replica of the famous clock-tower, which is currently undergoing renovation, and is shrouded in a veil of white until next Summer. I wasn't feeling too hungry, so I just split a beer with someone. We finished up and went to the stage, where a huge line had formed to get in. Apparently, today was going to be a much larger performance than the day before. The stands on the left were filled with performers' family members, and the ones on the right were mysteriously empty. The floor was all standing room with a huge crowd squeezed as far forward as they could. While I could see just fine from our vantage point about halfway between the stage and the opposite wall, pretty much everyone else had to stand about 15 feet behind to see over the sea of heads bobbing to the music. The performances were well choreographed, but I probably enjoyed the "battle" of the previous day, where there was much more acrobatic floorwork and attitude included in the performance. Although the dancing was good, it felt automated and empty. Might've just been my vantage point, though.

We went back to the west campus, where a lot of the groups had sold out of goods and were breaking down shop. Claire went to change out of the yutaka or something, and we all took the opportunity to migrate back towards the main stage. Suddenly, the Ouen-dan and the Shockers appeared on the stage, and announced that we would be singing one of the songs from the baseball games. There was an enormous push forward, and Aiko (The Australian girl from my Japanese class who had been helping out with the Niji no Kai booth) and I ended up about 20 feet closer to the stage than we previously were. Everyone linked arms and started singing one of the cheers I recognized from Soukeisen. It was an amazing view, a couple thousand people arm in arm, simultaneously swaying and singing with school pride, as the cheerleaders (of all varieties) directed the mayhem on stage. I thought such an auspicious event would make for a good photo opportunity, but as I reached into my sweatshirt pocket, there was only loose change and lint. In those 20 feet we had been propelled forward, my camera had freed itself from its cotton-poly prison, and was making its escape. Panicking, I grabbed my small LED flashlight off my bag and started to frantically crawl between people's legs as they started up the second round of the school anthem, getting some curious glances from standers-by. To no avail, I scoured the entire area I had been in the past 15 minutes. Some of the people around me started to take a more active interest in my manic search, and I told them what had happened. Pretty soon, I had a search party of about 6 people looking around and asking people if they'd seen my camera. At this point, I was pretty sure that the camera would be quite destroyed, as it had apparently been dropped, and almost certainly had been ground to pieces by the weight of a thousand energetic college students. As the song had ended and the crowd began to disperse, I got up off my hands and knees to find myself face to face with my camera. A student by the sidelines was holding it up, eyeing it curiously, obviously surprised to find such a thing in the dirt. I asked him if he found it on the ground, and he gladly returned it to me. My bodily functions ceased for a few seconds while I hit the power button, and I soiled myself when the camera not only turned itself on, but worked as if nothing had happened. I practically hugged the guy, and thanked everyone profusely for their concerted efforts in locating my lost baby. I have newfound respect for Canon, as the only visible mark of damage on the body was a small scratch on one corner. Having witnessed a bonifide miracle, I needed a stiff drink, which the Hub was more than happy to provide.

Rock Climbing in Saitama - Nov 3rd

Today I finally decided to go rock climbing. I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but I met a cool guy named Sousha (originally from California) that belongs to the Waseda Expedition Club. Over the past 50 years, this club has literally travelled the world, doing all sorts of neat outdoorsy stuff. Last year, they went to Bolivia and Madagascar for 沢登 (riverbed/waterfall hiking/climbing). This year's trip is ice-climbing in Greenland. While I can't really afford to participate in any more globe-trotting, several members of the group are into rock climbing, and even go off and on to the Pump in Saitama. I've been to the one in Kokubunji, west of Tokyo last year, and I hear that the one in Kawaguchi is much larger and even has a top-rope and lead-climbing wall. I went to the club meeting to introduce myself and see if anyone was interested in going. Everyone was seemingly impressed with me, and although they weren't able to make it out this week due to weekend hiking and camping plans in Gunma, they took a raincheck.

Determined to at least check out the climbing gym, I looked at the website and their convoluted maps, trying to figure out the best way to get there. Yukiko helped me figure out a train route, and even walked me to a nearby station and showed me a good spot to park my bike for a few hours. I got to Ikebukuro, and from there, took the Saikyo line to Akabane, then switched over to the Keihin-Touhoku line to Kawaguchi. I arrived at the station and checked the snapshot of the online map I had taken with my camera. Unable to really make sense of things, partially due to the fact that I was standing on a huge above-ground walkway. In a way, I was reminded of Osaka's overhead crosswalks, where performing artists would compete to see who could draw a larger crowd.

Finally picking a direction, I shot off towards the NTT broadcasting tower; a landmark on the map. Confident that I was headed the right way, I followed the map to the small river, where things stopped making sense. I crossed the river and found myself in a quiet, abandoned suburban neighborhood. After about 10 minutes, I realized that I was in the wrong place, and doubled back. With the help of a friendly local, I realized that the poor depiction of the landscape on the map was in fact telling me to FOLLOW alongside the river. After a few minutes of compliance, the gym came into view.

It wasn't much on the outside, but neither is Pipeworks. I went inside and was greeted by the familiar sights and smells of climbing gyms; musk and shoes that don't fit, white chalky handprints everywhere, and walls crammed with holds of every shape and size, the bottom half of which blackened by a thick layer of shoe sole residue, rubbed off by months of climbers. I removed my shoes at the genkan and went to the office, where I learned that the registration fee I paid last year in Kokubunji was only good for that gym; I'd have to re-register here. Figuring I'd be back, and I'd come too far to turn back now, I grudgingly paid the 1500 yen on top of the daily fee, which surprisingly includes free shoe and harness rental. I went up to the second floor, which is bouldering only, and jumped on the wall.

It's certainly different from the stuff back home. Unfortunately, the walls are painted wood, and not textured like the holds. This makes smearing much more difficult (in an annoying way). The holds are familiar, but the arrangements are sometimes odd. I did alright for the day, considering I hadn't climbed in about 2 months, but I didn't pump myself out quite like I did back home. I headed back around 4pm, since I had plans to meet up with Megan, Sheryl and their Yokohama Posse for drinks at the Hub.

I made my way home and headed out for baba. I met up with Megan and Sheryl a few other students from Yokohama; Davina (London), Josh (San Diego), and David (Georgia). We headed over to the Hub, and met up with Hans. There was a group trip to El Torito planned by Bob, and I went to the rotary to see who was coming. Only Francesca had shown up, as Bob had apparently fallen suddenly ill. I took her back to the Hub to see if there was anything we could do to salvage the evening, but she was aloof and finally left, saying "I don't know any of these people, bye." Wow.

Megan had stepped outside to talk on the phone with someone or another; I was keeping in touch with Jill, who was organizing a group to go to a club or two in Shibuya. We all headed over and met up with her at Hachiko, and went to the first club, a little hip-hop hole in the ground that's apparently popular with foreigners. Hans and Georgia David and a couple others didn't like the atmosphere, so they went back up to get some air and something to eat. The club was more like my bedroom if it were underground and had its own bar. The place was so cramped that the path from the entrance to the bar took you right past the dart board, at which a fat creepy looking white guy was chucking real (pointy metal) darts. We lined up to the bar, but Jill and Heather were still in harms way of the dart players. The fat guy walked up to them and just stared without saying a word, apparently confident that his creepiness would drive them away, which it did.

The vibe wasn't all that great, so we had a drink or two and left. Megan had been sulking in a corner, as she said, and I quote, "I don't like being around this many foreigners." If that's not the pot calling the kettle black... She wanted to take purikura, so we split from the Waseda crew, who were headed to another bar/club. We took a couple sets of purikura before they all said they needed to head back to Yokohama before the last train. We found Georgia David in a coffee shop with Hans and his friends, but he had decided that he was going to stick around and go to Disney Land the next day with them. The Yokohama folks said their goodbyes and took off, and I met back up with Jill, Heather and Tracey, at a place I later learned was the "bigger" Gas Panic in Shibuya. We had fun talking and dancing a bit, but I'm a white guy, so we all know how badly that turns out. We hustled back to the station to catch the trains back; some of us were a bit luckier than the others.

Nikko - Nov 2nd

You might have noticed that I've fast forward a few days, all the way into November. Well, not too much happened; just the usual school stuff, and that's not much to write about. Rina is heading back to the states for a few days, so I gave her my busted hard drive and some postcards for everyone back home. I'll have to think of a wish list of stuff for her to bring back for me...

So, if school is so uninteresting, what's this entry about, you ask? Our second group trip for CSU, to Nikko, is today. We gathered at the rotary at 7:45, since the bus could only stay parked for a very short amount of time. Almost expectedly, Claire was the last person to show, after all of us were on the bus and suggesting we consider her MIA for this trip and enjoy a quiet day in the mountains. We settled in for the long bus ride ahead of us, already irked at Claire's inconsideration and her insistence on using her outside voice on the bus. I think I fell asleep, 'cause the next thing I realized, we were climbing the iroha, the road with 48 turns that leads up the mountain. It's a good thing I don't get carsick.

We stopped at one of the many turns with a small parking lot, and walked towards a shop selling grilled dango and ayu (sweetfish on a stick, cooked over an open flame). Just beyond the shop was the first waterfall of the day. The platform extended out beyond the river, and was almost directly opposite the base of the waterfall. After marvelling just outside the reach of the mist, we climbed a winding staircase up the side of the waterfall, and got to see it from the very top. Feeding the waterfall was a small lake, and we took a few group photos by it. I was tired of relinquishing custody of my camera for the sake of group photos (since about 15 other students would do just that, and by the time the last photo gets taken, everyone is making a very dour face).

We tumbled back down the staircase. Tracey was afraid of falling, and had her hands out and was walking like a penguin, of which I had to take a photo. We returned to the small restaurant at the base of the waterfall, where a few people enjoyed the ayu and dango. We piled back on the bus and continued our way up the mountain. We stopped at two more impressive waterfalls, with an omiyage shop selling all kinds of commemorative trinkets. Outside the shop was a cluster of small cafe tables, and there was an ancient-looking Shitzu leashed to a stone sculpture. It looked like it had been waiting there for a few years.

Finally, we got to a small collection of shops near the tallest waterfall I've ever seen. We were still at least a half mile from the fall, but it was still amazing. We took turns shooting portraits of each other with the waterfall, then went back to the shops to eat. Just as the Matsumoto trip, I didn't bring a bento with me, but this time, there wasn't much to buy in the area, and so I ended up bumming food from Willy, who had brought more than enough with him. Back on the bus, we still haven't reached our real destination yet; Toshogu, the most lavish shrine complex in Japan, and the final resting place of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Above us was a giant splotch of white-out. The overcast sky was a blinding background for the complex, seemingly secluded in the surrounding forest. Our group moved through the buildings, the decorations getting increasingly elaborate. We finally approached the main gate; without an inch lacking for detail, it was just a taste of what was to come. Every building within the complex was guilded and carved; there was a very definite Chinese influence in the way things were decorated. Just inside the gate there was the famous carving; the famous three monkeys covering their ears, mouth, and eyes. Hear no evil, Speak no evil, See no evil. Opposite the monkeys was a large carving of an elephant, which was done by an artist who had never actually seen an elephant before. It looked like a hippopatomus or water buffalo with a long snout.

We proceeded through another gate, and the decoration was even more impressive than before. In the courtyard, we passed by the group of Oregon students who were also visiting Nikko that day. Walking up to the reknowned Nemuri Neko, the sleeping cat, I was a bit surprised at how small it was. The cat is said to be so life-like that it's the reason there are no rats or mice at the shrine. See for yourself.

We passed under the Nemuri Neko, and returned to the moss-covered simplicity of the past. A huge staircase lay ahead of us, winding further up the mountain and leading to Tokugawa's grave. A small shrine stood in front of the grave, so important visitors could proceed directly to the final resting place of the shogun. The rest of us have to circumnavigate the shrine and walk counter-clockwise around the grave, which is a large, but relatively simple affair. We paid our respects before returning back down the stairs. There was one more small shrine to visit, but photographs weren't allowed inside. It was pretty much more of the same thing, but it was still stunning nonetheless.

We returned to the entrance, and took a photo of a few of us imitating the monkeys before heading back to the bus. I was going to try to use the bathroom, but the smell was so repulsive, several of us turned back at the door. Back on the bus, there was karaoke (with a scoring system), and very little sleep. As the final song, Dr. Shek sang 上を向いて歩こう, and kicked all of our asses with a 92. Teru and I tied for second place with 87, and everyone else scored painfully low. I mean painfully because we had to listen to it.

Finally getting back to baba, through some social maneuvering we managed to ditch Claire. We were going to head to an izakaya, but there was no concensus on what to order. Eventually, we ended up splitting into groups and and eating at various places; myself and a few others decided to have Indian food. Afterwards, we all met up at the Hub to say goodnight, and I walked back home from there, exhausted once again.

Soukeisen - Oct 29th

I have a confession to make... I Don't really care for baseball.

Yes, I did little league as a kid, and no, I didn't suck. But I never got along very well with my teammates, or the coach for that matter. Moreover, the entire game is like a Pennzoil ad; all stop and go. I've been to a Giants game before, and I think I slept through at least half of it. I was just never able to get into the game, or understand the mindset of those who could. Then I came to Japan, and found out what it's like to have fun at a baseball game.

Waseda has a rivalry with Keio University that is about as old as the schools themselves. This rivalry manifests itself in baseball and rugby games, and is called the 早慶戦 (Soukeisen, derived from the kanji in the school's names). Invariably, Waseda is the victor. Twice a year, there is a baseball tournament between the two schools (best of 3 games), and today is the second round of the fall championship. Surprisingly, Keio took the first game, so even if Waseda wins today, the victory parade would have to be postponed until the final game on Monday.

Having gone to bed way too late, I woke up around 9 or 10 o'clock, already missing the meeting time at Setagaya station. Hans had gone home to shower and change, and returned about the time I woke up. We were still really tired, but had already bought the tickets and didn't want to waste them. We rode the Chuo line back to Nakano, where I got off and rode the bus back to my place. I had conveniently forgotten my ticket at home, so I had an opportunity for a quick shower before returning to the station. Hans had stayed behind so he could nap on the platform, and my host mom was kind enough to drive me back to Nakano station.

We got to Sendagaya around 11 or 12, with only an hour or so to go before the beginning of the game. Already the stands behind first and third base had been filled to capacity, and we were herded into the bleachers behind right field (after identifying ourselfs as Waseda students). We could see the WIC students in their bright pink windbreakers, along with many fellow CSU students, but we were barred from going to meet with them. To make doubly sure, we tried asking some cheerleaders and stadium employees if we could join our friends, and were met with a wall of indirect "no"s, even though we could clearly see empty seats in the adjacent bleachers. We slumped back into our chairs, exiled to the wastelands. I can't say that I regretted not arriving 4 hours earlier, but I did want to watch the game with our friends.

Each school has its own 応援団 (Ouendan - cheer club) that wear old-style school uniforms and nazi-esque armbands to signify their school affiliation. These guys are incredible; the entire game they are on their feet, either singing, shouting, dancing, playing an instrument, or otherwise directing the crowd to cheer for our team. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and sitting right across the aisle from the band (full of Ouendan members), it was impossible to refuse their orders to stand, link arms, sing, and chant for Waseda. Everyone would stand the entire inning Waseda was up to bat; The cheering is so intense and involved, we practically ignored what was going on in the game, save for the batter's name so we could properly incorporate it into our chants.

Perhaps it was because we were constantly on the move, the game went by extremely fast. Before we knew it it was the bottom of the 9th inning, and we were still behind by one point. With a man on first and two outs, the last batter's name rang out through the stands. Three balls and two strikes, and everyone was singing wildly the same song we'd been yelling for the entire inning. The next thing I know, I look up to see a fly ball fast approaching the stands. It came to rest about ten feet directly in front of where we were sitting, taking both runners home, and winning the game for Waseda. The bleachers erupted in jubilation, cries of joy and hugging random people, followed by more singing. Finally, as the winners, we got to sing our school song first, with everyone raising and lowering their arms in unison. I could only imagine what it must feel like to be on the other side of the stadium, watching a huge crowd of your rivals giving the victory nazi salute dance to the tune of their school song. Afterwards, we smugly watched the Keio crowd sing their own boring song, and when the ceremonies had ended, began to flood from the stands. I ran into Shun and Peta, who we didn't realize had been sitting only a few yards behind us. Peta had enjoyed a luncheon of alcohol along with the game, and was stumbling comically towards the bathroom.

We met the WIC folks and the other students in front of the gates, and moved towards an art museum, where we took a group photo. Hilary had sat next to Claire the whole game, and had taken her frustration out by beating her cheering clappers together so hard her hands turned red. Although the championship still hadn't been clinched, there was a victory nomikai planned nonetheless, and we all headed back towards baba. Hans, who was exhausted all day, went straight home in order to pass out. We arrived at baba and ran into John (another CSU student) who watched the game at home and saw Hans and I on the TV during the seventh inning stretch. I was writing an e-mail to Sacchan, sending her a photo of the game I had taken with my phone, and so John saw me looking down at my phone, whilst absentmindedly raising my arm and singing the school song with the rest of the crowd. I wish I could get ahold of that video.

Everyone moved towards the izakaya where the nomikai was planned. I got as far as the top of the stairs and chickened out. Winning the game gave me a second wind, but I was fading fast, and desperately needed to pass out again. Back home once again, I finally found my bed and got some long overdue rest.

Yamanote Train Party - Oct 28th

Back in the late 80's, there began a tradition among the foreigners of Tokyo. Each year, on the saturday preceding Halloween, they would start to gather at platform 13 in Shinjuku station around 8:00 at night, dressed in their best costumes, and then everyone boards the 9:07 train. Once they've crowded onto the 9th or 10th car, they would proceed to drink, party, and break pretty much all of the rules for train etiquette. This tradition continued for some years, until in 1995, there was an incident in Louisiana where a Japanese student on his way to a Halloween party got shot by a redneck who thought he was trespassing. This was a tragic event, and it received a lot of news coverage here in Japan.

At that year's Yamanote party, some retards got the bright idea to dress up like rednecks and run around with fake guns, pointing them at the regular Japanese commuters and yelling "freeze!" This was the last thing that poor Japanese kid heard before he was shot. These idiots had obviously pushed the envelope too far, and a few of the commuters had taken it upon themselves to beat the shit out of them. Their well-deserved ass-whooping led to a cancellation of the following year's ride. The party was disbanded indefinitely.

A couple years ago, the Yamanote party saw a revival, on a much more subdued level. One of my classmates told Hans and I about this event, and that anyone was welcome. Giving up on the idea of going to Ageha (as there was another group planning on going on Saturday night as well), I called up Hans and we met at baba around 8:30 and rode the Yamanote to Shinjuku. My host-mom had lent me a cheap red felt cape and bonnet, so I guess my costume was little red riding hood. Without leaving the station, we walked to the appointed platform, and started to see outlandish costumes through the crowd of Japanese commuters, including a guy who looked like powdered-toast man (he had a giant plush toast head). We met up with a few of Hans' friends who also knew about the party, and came dressed in middle-school uniforms. Already seeing the looks of confusion on the Japanese commuters and the platform attendants, I could tell this was going to be interesting...

When the 9:07 train rolled into sight, an enormous roar sprang from the crowd. As the normal passengers gratefully disembarked and waded through the crowd of costumed foreigners, we all jostled and shoved our way into the one and a half cars the crowd stood before. We would've tried to fit everyone into a single car, but I'm afraid that would have violated some laws of physics.

I can now say that I've been cured of any clausterphobia aroused by being in a manin densha; the train was so packed, it was practically impossible to move. Fully expecting to be asked to leave by the train officials by the third stop, I postponed opening my can of chuhai. Peppered throughout the crowd were ordinary Japanese commuters who had picked the wrong car to board, and got swept up in the crowd. To my surprise, they were delighted by the raucous group of gaijin. They wore an expression of "I don't know what's going on, but everyone sure looks happy!"

At each stop, the groups near the doors would dash out and move to another door, thoroughly mixing the crowd, and inadvertantly spilling the costumed partygoers into the surrounding train cars. While exhilarating, this also meant that some of the people who weren't quick enough on their feet would get left behind; it was like leaving a wounded man on the battlefield, so each time I looked out the window after the doors closed and saw a gaijin in a cape looking dejected, I gave them a military salute. Looking for a bit of respite, our group of friends recollected ourselves just outside the perimeter of the insanity, before diving back into the sea of freaks. Some of the commuters on the following train smiled curiously in the direction of the ruckus, while others were clearly disgusted by the ongoings in car #10. Finding a group of what looked like extras from the Hebrew Hammer, I finally opened my can and was able to partake in the accent-laden cries of "Kanpai!! Happy Halloween!" Hans had gotten ahold of Jessica, the girl who originally told us about the event, and she had apparently missed the train! We coaxed her into jumping on the Chuo line and intercepting us at Tokyo station. She should at least be able to enjoy half of the wild ride.

As we approached each major station, a chorus would ring out, chanting the station's name. As we curved back towards Shinjuku, the crowd got wilder; on top of smoking, drinking, and yelling, there were people now riding on the luggage racks above the seats, and 3/4 of the trip in, all of the flourescent lights on the train were spun so they would turn off. We were now riding in a caucophany of darkness. I had gotten separated from my group, and ended up at the far end of the party. I found Waldo (or as he's called here, "Wally"), at the end of the car, talking to a girl in a way better little red riding hood outfit. At the next stop (Yoyogi, maybe), I ran out of the car to see if I couldn't find a door near my friends. As I neared a random entrance to jump in, I saw a guy in a fairy costume, stripping and streaking down the platform. Thankfully, he was running away from me; I was just hoping that he wasn't going to try to get back on the train like that. With no time to lose, I slipped in through the sliding doors into the nearest car, and found that I had actually met back up with Hans and everyone, just in time for the final chant for Shinjuku.

As the train neared our final destination, the crowd got really wild, jumping and yelling. Compared to the craziness on the train, disembarking was relatively subdued. I took a few last photos for posterity, and we moved off the platform, our thirst for a good time not yet satiated. I removed the hood and cape, and returned it to my handy handbag. Before I knew it, we were walking through the streets of Shinjuku 2-chome, which is essentially Tokyo's Gay District. Oh boy.

So Hans and his two friends Mark and Jeff are apparently bi-sexual, and had been to 2-chome before. Anika, the girl they were with, couldn't fight the compulsion to ask if I am gay. She was delighted when I assured her that I wasn't, apparently because she constantly finds herself surrounded by men who are a bit too light on their feet. We walked to a place called Arty Farty's, which is one of the more accepting clubs in the area (ie; it is frequented by a wide demographic, straight guys and girls included). The only cover charge is a one-drink minimum. On our way to the bar, an asian guy approached Anika and I, as we were walking behind the three guys, joking about the way they walk, and frankly asked if we were together. Immediately sensing danger, my natural reaction was to protect the woman. I said "yes" in a robotic voice. The man was visibly disappointed, but without skipping a beat, asked me "so, you aren't gay?" Suddenly, I realized just where I was, and understood that it wasn't the girl he was after... I apologized and told him that I'm incurably straight. He sauntered back to his group and we ducked into the bar. Once inside, we grabbed some empty stools and watched the pulsating crowd boogie on the dance floor. Jeff had asserted earlier that he didn't intend to dance, but I could see that he was bubbling with regret. I told him he didn't need our permission to dance, and he skipped into the crowd. Eventually we all moved out onto the floor, and danced in a little group. I still had my messenger bag, which was acting as an ass-shield as I grooved to embarrassingly familiar beats.

Having long since lost Jeff, who had disappeared from the club completely, we stuffed our crap in a locker so as to not get in our way, and struck out to find our missing friend. It seems that this is a common occurance when hanging out with Jeff, so no one was surprised when we spotted him chatting up a group of people outside another club. Back together, we found a convenience store and shared a carton of umeshu. Sensing that the last train was fast approaching, we returned to Arty Farty's and retrieved our belongings. We all rode the subway out to Mitaka, where Jeff and Anika go to school (at International Christian University). We went to their "guest house," which is essentially a dormitory (which isn't that bad, actually, except for the overwhelming smell of public restroom wafting through the halls), and watched "The Devil Wears Prada," before passing out at around 2:30 am. I'm not entirely sure how we were going to make it to the 9:30 meeting time for the baseball game tomorrow.

Festivals, Hub, and Hanna's Birthday - Oct 26th

Today there is an assload of things going on, and I'm invited to them all. My host parents are going to the nanmon festival, to visit their relatives that run the famous Takada-bokusha (高田牧舎) restaurant just outside the main gate of campus, there's the festival itself, which includes performances by a wide array of clubs, Happy Hour at the hub, at which time I have already arranged to meet with Billy, Hanna's birthday party, which is to consist of nomihoudai and okonomiyaki tabehoudai (Japanese pancake filled with all kinds of different materials; look it up, it's tasty), and finally, a trip to a supposedly amazing club called Ageha that Bob has been harping about for weeks now, at the end of some rail line in the middle of nowhere, where the only thing nearby the station is the club and a bunch of convenience stores so people can drink before going to the club. I'm going to have to prioritize.

After class I went with Hans to Nakano to see if I couldn't find some clothes that fit. We went to a shop that Hans had gotten some shirts at, and I actually found a nice set of three shirts for 2,000 yen; a bargain by Japanese standards. We returned to campus and ran into Juha (Finnish guy in my Japanese class who wears black almost exclusively) and a British guy named Craig. We went to Hoshien so I could ask about the upcoming trip to Fukushima. They, who hadn't yet even finished making the posters advertising for the trip, asked how on Earth I knew about the event. I just have an amazing gift for realizing when a good deal is around the corner, ok?

We talked in front of the dorm for a while, and at around 4pm, made our way to the Takada Bokusha to meet with my host parents, who had stopped there to say hi to their relatives running the place, and to observe the frenzy of the festival outside the retaurant. Already several small performances were under way as we walked through the crowd. We sat and chatted with them and enjoyed some small talk over beer and appetizers, before heading out into the crowd. We watched the Waseda Breakers' performance, and everyone split off to take care of their own minor business before heading to the Hub later. I walked back and forth up and down the street, enjoying the various performances being put on by the school's clubs. I ran into James, Willy and Ehtesham just as the 男の祭り started dancing around wildly in fundoshi (loincloths). They were on their way somewhere, but I invited them to the hub nonetheless.
I went to the hub and met up with Craig, Juha and Billy. We enjoyed happy hour and chatted it up, then Billy and I met up with Hanna's birthday party, and went to the Okonomiyaki restaurant. We ate our fill of the fluffy Japanese pancakes, and chased them with as much alcohol as the waiters could carry. Billy, who had already downed a lot at the Hub, was now very happily smashed. Hans was flushed bright red, as usual. As the nomihoudai ended, we started migrating back towards the Hub. On the way, we met up with Issa, one of the Japanese students, whose friend had gone over the edge and was lying unconscious on the sidewalk. An ambulance pulled up, and the paramedics rolled over a gurney and scooped up the remains. Issa worked out a rotating schedule with his friends so someone could be with Takashi (the fallen comrade) at any given time. In the meantime, he joined us at the Hub. We hung around a bit longer and acted social. I didn't order any more drinks, not because I had already drunk enough, but because happy hour was over.

When it came time to go, Issa and I walked the girls back to their dorm. It may be Japan, but just cause the streets are a bit safer at night doesn't mean we have to throw chivalry out the window. Some strange white guy passed us on the street, and we then saw him hanging out in front of the dorm entrance. None of us knew who he was, so we stopped for a moment. After a brief conversation, we turned to see that the mysterious creep had disappeared. We walked up to the door, then turned around to head back. It was about 3am, which was about the time Issa had to be at the hospital to look after his friend. I talked to him briefly, and he rode off on his motorbike. I walked home from there, and passed out as soon as I hit the pillow.

Touki Studio and Illumination Project - Oct 24th and 25th

On Wednesday I got to find out whether I got into the ceramics class, or if I'd have to pick another discipline to learn. The ceramics was the most full, with the teacher imploring students who weren't really interested to changing to another art. I sat tight, and when he called role for the different classes, mine was the very last name in the ceramics list. I breathed a sigh of relief and waited for the teacher to show up to escort us to the studio. She came, and we walked to the bus stop near campus. We disembarked near the Shinjuku kuyakusho, and walked towards Shinjuku-gyouen, a huge park adjacent to the studio. We got acquainted with the studio and its staff, and headed up to the roof to admire the awesome view. That was all for the day, so I had an adventure trying to find my way back to the train station.

The next day was average, but I had to stick around late to go to the meeting for my group in the Illumination Project (the club that decorates the trees in front of the international studies building). We met up in building 22, and discussed the possibilities for our design decisions. We took a look at the trees outside, and made a short list of the design ideas we came up with. We're supposed to vote on them by next monday, but I have a feeling that I'll forget. This could be fun though, I had a chance to flex my concept-creation muscles, I didn't realize how much I missed brainstorming. I really need something to work on here...

Mexican food? In Japan? - Oct 23rd

Today we had to meet up early for our Japanese class to go to the Bosaikan to learn about what to do in case of a Fire, Earthquake, or medical emergency. I was planning on biking to Ikebukuro, but due to a light rain, ended up going to baba to meet up with the rest of the class. We headed over on the Yamanote, and even though I had never been to the Bosaikan before, my teacher had me act as tour guide to herd the three classes towards the station. We got to the building, and went up to the fourth floor, where the classes got split up. The level 2 classes got their own tour, and my class went up to the fifth floor for a few fire drills. We watched an animated video showing us how to escape from a smokey building, and then got to practice it by finding our way through a dry ice smoke-filled maze.

After that, we went to a room with a bunch of fire extinguishers. They explained the various kinds of extinguishers, and even had a video screen with sensors around it for us to put out a digital fire. The extinguishers were filled with pressurized water instead of the usual yellow-chemical compound (hey, that stuff is messy and expensive!), and we had three scenarios for different groups and kinds of fire. When we spot the fire, we are to yell "火事だ！" and run with the extinguisher to try to contain the fire.

From there, we went downstairs to the CPR room. All in Japanese, we learned how to peform the life-saving technique on freakishly western-looking dummies. We all got a chance to practice on the dummies. My dummy didn't make it; you can't save them all! I can't remember if I've ever done it before, but it was a lot more fun than a real emergency would be, I'll bet. There was a poster on the wall that showed what looks like a guy on fire running toward someone who has collapsed. Well, isn't that just making the situation worse, I asked to the amusement of those around me. The large caption reads, あなたでもできます, which would translate to "even YOU can do it"

We went back upstairs to the Earthquake room. There was a small room with a kitchen table and some chairs, a sink and fake stove. We sat outside of it and watched videos of the level 2 students reacting to the simulated earthquakes. Then we all got a turn to experience some of the famous earthquakes in Japan; as the room reproduced the seismic readings from the actual events. My group was the Kobe earthquake, I believe. As we huddled under the table, a screen behind the fake window was showing earthquake footage, I guess to make the experience that much more believable. I know the real thing is a truly frightening experience, but we all couldn't help but laugh under the table.

After earning our wings, so to speak, class ended and we were on our own to find sustenance for lunch. I led a small contingency towards Sunshine City, to check out the El Torito, one of the three "Mexican" restaurants I have seen in Japan (the first being a small deserted place in Akarenge in Yokohama, and the other being the infamously horrible and expensive "Que Rique" in Osaka. We took our seats, and amidst an endless parade to the chip bar, enjoyed some remotely familiar dishes. It wasn't Mexican food, but it was certainly El Torito. If anyone is coming this winter, please bring me some burritos from Guad. Thanks.

Coming back from Ikebukuro, Ehtesham asked Hans and I to go to Shinjuku to help him find a belt; apparently he had lost a lot of weight, and his old belt wasn't doing its job anymore. We walked around for a while, and went into O1's flagship store. Finding an appropriate belt, and getting wooed by vests and jackets, we dragged Ehtesham out of the store, about 15,000 yen lighter. I've felt badly about spending so much money here, but shopping with Ehtesham cured all that; he likes buying stuff more than my sister! Hans had to head back, but I had some time to kill, and went to another department store with Ehtesham. We explored every nook and cranny of that store, floor by floor, looking for a puffy maroon jacket that he was longing for. We finally found an appropriate one on the 6th floor, for only 30,000 yen. It had the right color, size, and fur collar that he was looking for. Just in case, let's check out the remaining two floors, I said; I tend to be the voice of reason when it comes to shopping, and although Ehtesham was ready to part with his money, I wanted him to be sure that there wasn't anything better out there.

Then we found something better. On the top floor of the building, there was vest that put the other jacket to shame; leather accents, and a material the shimmered from a deep maroon to black depending on the angle you viewed it at. Unfortunately, this ultimate in fashionable maroon winter wear came with a nearly 60,000 yen pricetag, and the jacket wouldn't even be available for another month. Additionally, only three would be coming to the store, so if Ehtesham wanted one, he would have to pre-order it. This isn't a jacket, it's a freaking Playstation 3!

Again playing the role of conscience, I persuaded Ehtesham to forgo the kings ransom jacket by first appealing to his vanity, "You haven't yet earned the right to wear that jacket, it's too pimp for a student to sport! Wait until you get a real job and start raking in the dough, then you'll be big balling enough to come back and get it." He was swayed, but I could still see the gleam of desire in his eye, so then I appealed to his philanthropy; he had mentioned that he really wanted to get something nice for his sister, who had helped him out a lot before he came here, including paying off one of his bills without saying anything. "If you go with the other jacket, which you were perfectly happy about getting before you came up here, the remaining money could go towards a gift to your sister, like you were saying earlier." Finally persuaded to put the wallet away, he relented and said that he would sleep on it. (ed. a few days later, he told me that he got the "cheaper" jacket).

During this time, I had been messenging Sacchan to let her know what was going on. She told me that her brother's workplace was nearby, and that I should check it out. Until earlier this year, she had been really worried about her brother, who spent most of his time in his room, on the computer (sounds familiar...). In Japan, hikikomori (shut-ins) are a pretty big problem, and when he started showing signs of improvement, she was very much relieved. He started going out more, and a few months ago, started a new job working for Square-Enix (it's a famous company, in case you didn't know). He now commutes to their headquarters in Shinjuku, mere blocks from where Ehtesham and I were. Getting just a bit lost, we found our way to the building, and I took a photo on my webcam, and e-mailed it to Sacchan. We didn't have time to go in and check things out, not that it was likely that there is anything in the building for us to see anyways.

Exhausted from all the shopping, I headed back home, to be greeted by my host-mom's best friend and her older sister from Osaka. We had nabe and some really nice dishes that okaasan had painstakingly put together. Later on, her friend's husband showed up and caught the tail end of dinner with us. He is apparently a well known jeweler, and actually is one of the judges for the 国家試験 (national exams) for metalwork. His younger brother is a theatrical actor, but had lately been seen on a drama about an autistic guy (played by one of the lesser-known members of SMAP). We watched the drama together, and he pointed out his brother, who played as a professional cyclist on the show. Finally beat, I retired to the inner sanctum and floated into space.