Live from Tokyostan.....................
Well, the reason I haven't really written anything is because right now I'm in Japanistan... I came here about 5 days ago, and it's been very nice.
A lot of people ask me "Why Japan?" Well, I'm sure people have their own theories, but I think that what it comes down to is that fact that most of the best memories I've ever had in my (short) adult life have been here. Japan was the first place I was really away from my parents during my year abroad here. Sure, I didn't live at home during college but my parents lived in the same town so I'd usually go home on the weekends and do laundry and whatnot. The time I spent here when I was in Okinawastan was also incredible - to be able to see that side of Japanese (if you wanna call it Japanese - I'm sure some people would take offense to that) culture after living on mainland was eye opening and, well, just awesome. And then when I got out of the Marines, living in Tokyo was wicked. So I think I've "existed" in this country on more levels than most people can say - I've studied here as an exchange student, I was stationed here in the Marines, I lived/worked here (however briefly) in the local economy, and now I'm just ch-ch-ch-chillin here for a short while.... Now if I can score a job as a Civilian contractor on a base here using Japanese, that would be the shiz-nit. Like a culmination of everything. :)
Another obvious reason is that it's so horribly safe here. I'm confident that I can walk pretty much anywhere at any time and not worry about getting rolled by a gang or something. I stayed the first few nights in Kabukicho, which is supposedly teaming with Chinese gangs and Yakuza. But they leave you alone if you're not doing anything (for the most part), so it isn't really a big deal. I used to go running when I lived here last year at like 1am and 2am usually, and I was surprised at how many women I'd see in the middle of nowhere walking by themselves. Not a care in the world. It's kind've funny because they're more paranoid in the really crowded areas like Shibuya and Shinjuku because they're always getting harrassed by guys asking them to work at massage parlors or snacks or sell them their underwear or whatever, but walking alone in rather desolate places at 2am is A-OK.
So what have I been up to? As you can probably guess, I hit the ground running... The first night I got here I met up with Ryan (aka NewyorkerinTokyo) and we went to Roppongi. It was kinda like an obligatory thing - I mean, if you haven't been out drinking to a party spot in like 7 months, you gotta make it Roppongi. By the end of the night I was so completely shitfaced that I didn't really know where I was. Ryan kept asking me if I was OK cuz I wasn't saying anything, but when I'm that drunk the little voice inside my head reminds me that, at that point, it's probably better not to say anything at all. In any language. Cuz it just doesn't work. I still managed to spank him and his girlfriend at darts. I think. I can't remember. I do remember the little voice in my head (I bring up the little voice - it's that voice that, for some reason, no matter how drunk you are, is still completely clear and competent, even if the rest of your brain totally ignores it. Does everyone have it? I dunno..) Anyway, I remember the voice in my head expressing surprise and glee at how well I was doing. Especially the first game, when we were playing cricket and I had yet to fill the bullseye and Ryan's girlfriend thought shed distract me by grabbing me when I threw the dart. Bullseye baby, right in the center. Nice try, your feminine wiles are useless!!!!!!!! I think it was the "lowest score wins" version of cricket, so maybe I lost.. I dunno. We all know who the true winner was, though. That's right, Ryan's girlfriend. The first girl to have the privledge of touching me since I've come back. hehe
Another thing I've been doing a lot of is walking around. Just strolling. That's something else I really associate with Japan, because I like to walk around and explore shit. I did it all the time when I was a student, partially because I hated going back to my host family's house and partially cuz I simply enjoy hoofin it from place to place. I guess I didn't stroll around too much when I was in Okinawa, as a certain friend of mine will certainly attest to. I don't know what the deal was - probably because he would get up too early to walk somewhere and I was too hung over.
So that's what I've been up to. Drinking in crowded bars (only the first 2 days really, but the weekend is coming up!) and walking around. Meeting friends, hanging out, and enjoying the things that we all so very much take for granted. Being around people in a crowded bar or area, especially in Japan, actually makes me happy. Here is a country where a majority of the people aren't really worried about anything too much except making sure they make their train or feed their dog. When there's a loud noise people don't crouch. They generally don't like President Bush because they're "anti-war" here, but the war is very very far off and few people are really touched by it. Most people probably couldn't find Iraq or Afghanistan on a map. A lot of people refer to the Japanese people as "heiwa-boke," which I may have mentioned before, means something like "peace dumb" or, uuh, maybe something like "dumbed by peace." A lot of people criticize this place for being so out of touch with the violence and chaos that lies just an 11 hour or so plane ride from here, but I don't think that's such a bad thing. I only wish that they were a little more aware of the amount of death, violence, and sacrifice that was made to create this society where having to wait for the next train seems like a really big deal...
More later. I'm gonna go eat some food.
A lot of people ask me "Why Japan?" Well, I'm sure people have their own theories, but I think that what it comes down to is that fact that most of the best memories I've ever had in my (short) adult life have been here. Japan was the first place I was really away from my parents during my year abroad here. Sure, I didn't live at home during college but my parents lived in the same town so I'd usually go home on the weekends and do laundry and whatnot. The time I spent here when I was in Okinawastan was also incredible - to be able to see that side of Japanese (if you wanna call it Japanese - I'm sure some people would take offense to that) culture after living on mainland was eye opening and, well, just awesome. And then when I got out of the Marines, living in Tokyo was wicked. So I think I've "existed" in this country on more levels than most people can say - I've studied here as an exchange student, I was stationed here in the Marines, I lived/worked here (however briefly) in the local economy, and now I'm just ch-ch-ch-chillin here for a short while.... Now if I can score a job as a Civilian contractor on a base here using Japanese, that would be the shiz-nit. Like a culmination of everything. :)
Another obvious reason is that it's so horribly safe here. I'm confident that I can walk pretty much anywhere at any time and not worry about getting rolled by a gang or something. I stayed the first few nights in Kabukicho, which is supposedly teaming with Chinese gangs and Yakuza. But they leave you alone if you're not doing anything (for the most part), so it isn't really a big deal. I used to go running when I lived here last year at like 1am and 2am usually, and I was surprised at how many women I'd see in the middle of nowhere walking by themselves. Not a care in the world. It's kind've funny because they're more paranoid in the really crowded areas like Shibuya and Shinjuku because they're always getting harrassed by guys asking them to work at massage parlors or snacks or sell them their underwear or whatever, but walking alone in rather desolate places at 2am is A-OK.
So what have I been up to? As you can probably guess, I hit the ground running... The first night I got here I met up with Ryan (aka NewyorkerinTokyo) and we went to Roppongi. It was kinda like an obligatory thing - I mean, if you haven't been out drinking to a party spot in like 7 months, you gotta make it Roppongi. By the end of the night I was so completely shitfaced that I didn't really know where I was. Ryan kept asking me if I was OK cuz I wasn't saying anything, but when I'm that drunk the little voice inside my head reminds me that, at that point, it's probably better not to say anything at all. In any language. Cuz it just doesn't work. I still managed to spank him and his girlfriend at darts. I think. I can't remember. I do remember the little voice in my head (I bring up the little voice - it's that voice that, for some reason, no matter how drunk you are, is still completely clear and competent, even if the rest of your brain totally ignores it. Does everyone have it? I dunno..) Anyway, I remember the voice in my head expressing surprise and glee at how well I was doing. Especially the first game, when we were playing cricket and I had yet to fill the bullseye and Ryan's girlfriend thought shed distract me by grabbing me when I threw the dart. Bullseye baby, right in the center. Nice try, your feminine wiles are useless!!!!!!!! I think it was the "lowest score wins" version of cricket, so maybe I lost.. I dunno. We all know who the true winner was, though. That's right, Ryan's girlfriend. The first girl to have the privledge of touching me since I've come back. hehe
Another thing I've been doing a lot of is walking around. Just strolling. That's something else I really associate with Japan, because I like to walk around and explore shit. I did it all the time when I was a student, partially because I hated going back to my host family's house and partially cuz I simply enjoy hoofin it from place to place. I guess I didn't stroll around too much when I was in Okinawa, as a certain friend of mine will certainly attest to. I don't know what the deal was - probably because he would get up too early to walk somewhere and I was too hung over.
So that's what I've been up to. Drinking in crowded bars (only the first 2 days really, but the weekend is coming up!) and walking around. Meeting friends, hanging out, and enjoying the things that we all so very much take for granted. Being around people in a crowded bar or area, especially in Japan, actually makes me happy. Here is a country where a majority of the people aren't really worried about anything too much except making sure they make their train or feed their dog. When there's a loud noise people don't crouch. They generally don't like President Bush because they're "anti-war" here, but the war is very very far off and few people are really touched by it. Most people probably couldn't find Iraq or Afghanistan on a map. A lot of people refer to the Japanese people as "heiwa-boke," which I may have mentioned before, means something like "peace dumb" or, uuh, maybe something like "dumbed by peace." A lot of people criticize this place for being so out of touch with the violence and chaos that lies just an 11 hour or so plane ride from here, but I don't think that's such a bad thing. I only wish that they were a little more aware of the amount of death, violence, and sacrifice that was made to create this society where having to wait for the next train seems like a really big deal...
More later. I'm gonna go eat some food.
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