Lady Lara Jones' Adventure Blog: Stories of a Geek Girl Living in Tokyo

Ah yeah...I wrote that poorly. I meant to say I've...

2010-03-10T22:31:11.673+09:00

Ah yeah...I wrote that poorly. I meant to say I've never seen the pillows...I have also seen the Magnets at Kinokunia and Don Quixote.
thanks Ian! I'll fix that.

I've definitely seen miniature sushi magnets in st...

2010-03-08T23:24:34.463+09:00

I've definitely seen miniature sushi magnets in stores here, and I also want to say I've seen full-size magnets or keychains in gift-shops someplace. Plastic food replicas of any sort can be hard to find for consumer purchase, but they're out there.

Thanks Dan! Good stuff. And I agree.

2010-02-23T16:20:37.093+09:00

Thanks Dan! Good stuff. And I agree.

And once at the center of the Atlantic Ocean... we...

2010-02-23T01:03:15.721+09:00

And once at the center of the Atlantic Ocean... we will begin building.

"I am Dan Julian, and I am here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?

'No,' says the man in Washington, 'it belongs to the poor.'
'No,' says the man in the Vatican, 'it belongs to God.'
'No,' says the man in Moscow, 'it belongs to everyone.'

I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose...

Rapture.

A city where the artist would not fear the censor,
where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality,
where the great would not be constrained by the small.

And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city, as well."

Yeah, i made that connection this morning, as i reread my previous comment.

spins a globe Yes! I will visit.... THE CENTER O...

2010-02-19T01:28:38.454+09:00

*spins a globe*
Yes! I will visit.... THE CENTER OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN!

Thanks Ian! I am now thinking about setting aside ...

2010-02-18T18:21:32.367+09:00

Thanks Ian! I am now thinking about setting aside a few minutes in the morning to post/edit and a few at night to write. Might be a good way to get a flow going! Good advice!

Personally, I feel there's nothing wrong with havi...

2010-02-18T00:41:28.359+09:00

Personally, I feel there's nothing wrong with having your blog be a schizophrenic mass of pieces (mine certainly is), unless of course you actually want it to be focused on one topic. Reading your past few months of work, I don't think your intent is for something narrow. So perhaps you should just write what you feel like writing, and let the whole of the blog form from the parts.

Also, if you're concerned about quality, you'd be amazed how useful drafting out an idea and then editing it the next day can be. :)

So what you're saying is that douchebags like that...

2010-01-30T13:58:05.121+09:00

So what you're saying is that douchebags like that should just be allowed to run around full boar as the dumb-asses they are? I personally think no matter where you are from you should keep that kind of crude conversation to a minimum in public or I'll damn well say something about it to your face. As for train groping, I can guarantee you right now that any salaryman brave enough to try to grope me is going to regret it when he's paying for testicular retrieval surgery from my foot going through his crotch.

Asides from that, are you really saying that gaijin aren't judged and blamed for things like crime in Japan? Last I checked they were a source of blame in several instances because well...we're the "outsider" and easier to blame since we are the "outsider." On top of that, it's pretty easy to see how difficult it is for Americans to get Visas in Japan compared to many other countries. We don't have working holiday visas and in order to even get a visa to be a student in Japan you have to prove you have access to like $30,000 and jump through all sorts of other hoops. There is DEFINITELY strict restriction on letting people into the country unless it is deemed they have met the qualifications to "become a part of society or better it" here when they're over here.

Of course, tourist visas are a different matter because they're just granted an automatic 90 days, but I would suggest we are judged for our actions in Japan just as we are in any other country we show up in. We're Americans, and people like to judge us. In some ways it's our punishment as the country that keeps fucking up our international relations, and in others it's because our standard of education is far too low and we're churning out more idiots than you could shake a stick at. Yeah, I'm an American, and I have a right to recognize the errors of my fellow citizens. That's my freedom.

"When you are in a country like Japan - a country ...

2010-01-29T10:34:23.716+09:00

"When you are in a country like Japan - a country which really judges the way foreigners act and creates restrictive legislation to keep us out and lower our rights because of stupid idiots like the ones I discussed above."

Rubbish! There are no "legislative restrictions" passed in Japan as a result of people talking loudly on a train!!
I am sure you have seen and heard the same loud Japanese kids on trains in Tokyo talking loudly to each other and about matters just as "risque", it is what young people do. Not to mention the drunk salary men on teh shyuden going home. I would rather hear some loud Americans talking a little obnoxiously than the quiet Japanese groper who molests women on the train!

They were no worse nor any better than what happens here all the time. Seems like a rather self righteous view to take, and I am afraid you can't have quaint pretty Japan all to yourself all the time.

lol. If someone told me to choose between Natto an...

2010-01-22T09:57:38.020+09:00

lol. If someone told me to choose between Natto and Brussels sprouts I would eat a million Brussels sprouts before I ever eat Natto again!

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I have tried pretty...

2010-01-22T09:56:17.308+09:00

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I have tried pretty hard to observe Japan's culture because I recognize that I am a guest in their country and therefore I need to be a considerate guest! Plus, I can't leave behind my identity as an anthropologist because I really feel it's important to observe ethical observation and immersion into other cultures.

I know how you feel. I experienced something simil...

2010-01-22T05:11:56.224+09:00

I know how you feel. I experienced something similar on a bus from Nagoya airport to Nagoya station. But in my case, it wasn't college guys talking about crude things, it was simply American businessmen talking loudly about business. After living in Japan awhile you get used to people keeping to themselves and talking quietly (if at all) on the bus (imagine a library). I don't necessarily blame the businessmen for talking. The way they were speaking was perfectly acceptable in the USA. I do blame them for acting as if they were still in the USA. If you are travelling to another country at least take the time to learn about its customs in advance. And be extra polite and attentive when you get there. If you don't, you take the risk of looking like a fool. (And making the rest of us look bad!)

No gaijin like natto. Period. Even most people i...

2010-01-21T23:46:45.969+09:00

No gaijin like natto. Period. Even most people in the western half of Japan don't like it; it's an eastern thing. Poor bastards.

Those boys are inconsiderate and immature twerps! ...

2010-01-21T23:33:12.600+09:00

Those boys are inconsiderate and immature twerps! When I hold loud, obnoxious conversations in public places I'm sensible enough to confine the topics to Kevin Smith movies and criticisms of my employer!

you imply that they might srumble onto the recordi...

2010-01-21T22:02:19.073+09:00

you imply that they might srumble onto the recording... sweetie... that would require them to know how to get to websites that ARENT Collegehumor.com.

Seriously though, I dont think it's just them traveling to other countries... i hate those douchebags all the same right here in the US of A. They lower the tone, and create a stereotype of twentysomething males that we're all sports and beer obsessed date-rapists.
And well, while i do like beer, im not particularly a fan of sports or rape.

yep, and it's only a MILDLY sexually suggestive fo...

2010-01-18T21:03:07.642+09:00

yep, and it's only a MILDLY sexually suggestive food...

And the advertisement would have to be for SWANSON...

2010-01-18T18:52:09.971+09:00

And the advertisement would have to be for SWANSON(TM) Nattozimes.

Danicus: Orange Juice = Orangiii Joose. Now you ca...

2009-12-24T00:55:19.380+09:00

Danicus: Orange Juice = Orangiii Joose. Now you can say two words! lol

That reminds me of a Dexter's Laboratory episode f...

2009-12-23T21:17:17.546+09:00

That reminds me of a Dexter's Laboratory episode from back in the day (which I have been told is always a Wednesday)...

"omelette du fromage"

Yea...something like My Japanese Coach which repeatedly pounded the same words into my skull again and again is what works for me.

The Pikachu Dancing on the left is way more into i...

2009-12-23T21:13:25.529+09:00

The Pikachu Dancing on the left is way more into it than the other...

Persian was where it's at...

after a month of using subliminal tapes (listen to...

2009-12-23T14:47:21.067+09:00

after a month of using subliminal tapes (listen to them and learn while you sleep!)

I only learned how to say 'orange' in Japanese.

so... im gonna call those a failure.

So I'm guessing you are a big fan of the "Squirtle...

2009-12-23T10:11:26.049+09:00

So I'm guessing you are a big fan of the "Squirtle Squad" episode then? It was pretty cute.

pikachu sucked. Squirtle was where the action wa...

2009-12-22T09:18:47.934+09:00

pikachu sucked.

Squirtle was where the action was.

I think you make a good point in that yes, just li...

2009-12-09T11:06:10.985+09:00

I think you make a good point in that yes, just like film and television in general, not everything can be fantastic. That is an excellent point, however, Danicus, I happen to know you hate 99% of everything! lol.

I have known a lot of people who judge the entiret...

2009-12-09T03:14:24.789+09:00

I have known a lot of people who judge the entirety of the anime medium without ever seeing an episode of any show. I have even had people give me dirty looks just for mentioning anime when I know damn well that they have never seen it. Many times it's as stupidly simple as,

"Geeks watch anime and therefore it must be uncool so why give it a chance?"

Lady Lara Jones' Adventure Blog: Stories of a Geek Girl Living in Tokyo

Ah yeah...I wrote that poorly. I meant to say I've...

I've definitely seen miniature sushi magnets in st...

Thanks Dan! Good stuff. And I agree.

And once at the center of the Atlantic Ocean... we...

*spins a globe* Yes! I will visit.... THE CENTER O...

Thanks Ian! I am now thinking about setting aside ...

Personally, I feel there's nothing wrong with havi...

So what you're saying is that douchebags like that...

"When you are in a country like Japan - a country ...

lol. If someone told me to choose between Natto an...

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah, I have tried pretty...

I know how you feel. I experienced something simil...

No gaijin like natto. Period. Even most people i...

Those boys are inconsiderate and immature twerps! ...

you imply that they might srumble onto the recordi...

yep, and it's only a MILDLY sexually suggestive fo...

And the advertisement would have to be for SWANSON...

Danicus: Orange Juice = Orangiii Joose. Now you ca...

That reminds me of a Dexter's Laboratory episode f...

The Pikachu Dancing on the left is way more into i...

after a month of using subliminal tapes (listen to...

So I'm guessing you are a big fan of the "Squirtle...

pikachu sucked. Squirtle was where the action wa...

I think you make a good point in that yes, just li...

I have known a lot of people who judge the entiret...

spins a globe Yes! I will visit.... THE CENTER O...