Funny Like A Ninja: April 2006

Nova

So here comes the super cliche part of the blog when the blogger apologizes for being to busy to keep updating....well i just said it so there you go!.....anyway, work's been good....steady...steady enough to keep me busy enough to not be on vacation anymore....so its real life in Japan now...the job's not bad...talk to japanese people all day and the co instructors are pretty cool...here are some of em....

The beauty of the random

So first day of teaching at Nova...and not bad...the branch is cool, job is cool, and most of all the people so far are cool...got a text in the day from a Mr. Mark Horvath...for thos who dont know, he's one of Steve's nearest and dearest...hes been here a few years...and its the first time to see him...and it was his birthday!

so we meet in roppongi(the richmond/adelaide area of tokyo...but scummier..thats right, no pretty boy ginos here just down and dirty folk from across the globe)...CLASSY...not my scene but as Ron Burgundy says, When in Rome...did find a very cool bar, Muse...big for tokyo standards...but big in general...dancefloor, pool tables, dart boards, and....ping pong...what happened from midnight on was just a blur...a fun blur that is...

only in Japan can i meet Horvath, his crew, then a japanese guy who knows Markham, a folk dance troupe from the Philippines (who by the way loves my movie star uncle from back there...and said I look a lot like him before i mentioned we were related...who knew), a fucking crazy spaniard, a bunch of inebriated Brits, Aussies, Kiwis, and Americans and on the train, a Japanese guy eager to visit the T Dot and finally a russian model who was drunk beyond belief and was being hit on by above nerdy eager guy (who was beginn us for a pic...weird)...then end the morning with a 3 dollar bowl of teriyaki beef and a short visit to a mini shinto temple next to my house...just to see it as the sun came up at 7 AM

HARAJUKU PART 2....The most beautifullest thing in my world!

So after the craziness that was Harajuku...ventured off into my new favorite place in Tokyo....
Yoyogi Park....Its an ancient forest full of gigantic trees!!!...right in the middle of the city too!!!...further in, found the Meiji Shrine, which is the holiest shrine in Tokyo...and ooooold!!...Samurai used to hang here...craziness...sorry about the lack of witty sayings and such...training is tiring me out...one more day tho!! ....plus these pics speak for themselves...oh i did write a prayer/wish tablet wish i hung under the sacred tree...a monk blesses them after....

Harajuku 2...will come later, but.......

went to a bar on the invite of a bud from NYC., Eugene,..fellow pilipino....so as u know, good people...open mic night for bands...saw 4 or 5 and they were all good...Nirvana to the Beasties...good shit...made friends with a drummer...fellow Canuck...requested Sublime and they obliged with Santeria....but... as i jumped around the front of the stage, they threw me the mic and rocked theo fuckin place!!!! AWWW yeah!...so, it was a bit of a good night....

nothing to do with japan

but go to http://www.thelonelyisland.com and download all the songs....trust me, do yourselves a favour...you'll thank me after

Harajuku....Gwen Stefani sucks

So it looks like that Jerad is my traveling pal here in the Land of the Rising Fun. Today we went to Harajuku...the place for crazy, weird ass Japanese teens...but it's also the place for fashion and trendiness...this is where the Shibuya people I mentioned before shop...and wow, if I could afford it so would I...the styles are just amazing!!! Especially the tshirt designs!...no shitty faux vintage American Eagle style tops here...NO! NO!...The Japanese designs are sooo cool...and simple at the same time!...Sooooo many people here on a Sunday...

Harajuku also holds some super high end shops...it makes Yorkville look like its run by hoboes for hoboes...you will feel very poor and shabby as you walk by Lauren, Burberry, D and G, Bruno Magli...if you care about that shit...I don't so lets move on.

Pete and Steve...Harajuku is the place for you...remember how I mentioned the part of Shibuya full of record stores...well, one alley is nothing but stores for the shoe collector...you guys will go blind!...(from doing something too much that is)...also got to check out the Billionaire Boys Club and The Ice Cream shop.

Guess which artist was playing in the stores system....take a guess...heres a hint...Pharrell

There were so many cool things to see...one of the best was this giant 5 floor cel phone store...the circular ramp was lined with amazing art prints! ...but it was also showcasing new tech in general...I made a music video which was instantly downloaded to cel phones and Jerad made a robot do karate just by pressing cel phone keys sent via bluetooth...no shit.

KARATE TRON

Oh and let's not forget the weirdos...yup, the weirdos, yup yup the weirdos.

What is really cool about harajuku is seeing a band play on the corner...saw a couple and they were both really good...Good for them...live music rocks

See all that lush greenery on the right?...that's what's next and it's my favorite spot so far!

SHI-BOOYA!!!! Part Deux

So when we left our intrepid explorers, their bellies were full of ramen and were ready for more adventure... night had fallen and the neon was out in full force...we were sitting and chilling when a fellow gaijin came up to us asking for a lapdance....i mean a cyber cafe...we couldnt help him and he couldnt help Jerad find a camera store so we decided to part ways but meet later and party it up...his name is Tyler, he's from Ny, last night in Tokyo and he's an artist with comic book tendencies...small world his stuff is ENCROYABLE!!!

click

Jerad and I contined to roam and found the coolest thing, once again....on the roof of a deot. store, was a mini soccer field...so people can go and kick it around in the heart of the heart of Tokyo!

had to sneak the camera under the table....guerrila photo style

So now it was party time...heres a funny story...when i was looking for a bike shop at home, i asked some random white girl if she knew where one was...no help, whatever...earlier today, i asked another random white girl if she had the time...soon enough, her friend came by and it was random white girl number 1!! Her name is Dayna and she's from Windsor, Ontario and has been here for 9 months, nannying, and she hacks!!!...her friend RWG#2, is Penni and she's a Kiwi...also very cool...how do I know this?...well after the first dingy dance club we ran out of trying to escape the testosterone soup created by the American servicemen, we hit a 2 buck a beer bar, did our business, and went to a 3 buck a beer bar, and once again, there were the Randoms...so after 3 meetings, we had to make friends...