Raptors Win, Raptors Win, Raptors Win!

Raptors opener happened in Philadelphia yesterday night and sadly all I can do now to follow NBA games is check out box scores as they are updated. I am glad they won and judging by the scoresheet Bosh and O'Neal complemented each other pretty effectively. Still though, I'll miss watching the actual games a lot, especially since over the past few years I've gone to 20 or so games at the Air Canada Centre. All the best for the 08-09 season!

Rocking Out at Yoyogi

Everytime I have gone to Yoyogi there has always been random street performances, often of the music variety, jamming out for the pain/pleasure of the local ongoers. There's usually a greater ratio of untalented to talented but nevertheless there always proves to be some type of entertainment.


The band playing wasn't entirely awful. Given that I didn't understand a word of their music I could be terribly wrong, but their performance by far drew the largest crowd in the surrounding area. Although looking back on it now the majority of the spectators were adolescent females. I suppose that shouldn't be out of the blue since the band was composed of all flamboyantly colourful guys.


There was synchronized headbanging, jumping, arm flailing, and random Japanese yelling throughout the performances. Quite interesting to witness up close and in person; unfortunately a video feed would be more suitable to explain the moment.


Shooting with a 50mm makes everything much more fun. The range and focus gets a bit tricky to handle but the images often are worth the extra effort. Also I haven't really used my 50mm much since picking it up back in Toronto so maybe it's time to kick it up a notch.

CP3

Tonight was my NBA fantasy draft and I was given a gift and a curse by lucking out and landing the #1 overall pick. I went with the popular consensus and grabbed Chris Paul-- Kobe, Amare, and LeBron subsequently followed. CP3 was the number one fantasy player last year so hopefully he won't disappoint and repeat his statistics (if not improve on) from last year.

For what it's worth I also believe he got shafted on MVP voting last year. He did more with less.. but I guess as the old saying goes: "Who better than Kobe??"

October Christmas

Since Thanksgiving (both Canadian and American) are non-existent holidays in Japan the transition from Halloween to Christmas occurs somewhat instantly. Most large department stores have already started to decorate (it's still October!) and setup Christmas lights, ornaments, and trees. However, perhaps it's a good indication since I'll be having friends visiting and staying with me over Christmas vacation and New Year's!

When I worked at FutureShop back in Scarborough I couldn't stand listening to Christmas music starting in the first week of November. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas music but there's only so much you can take of it after listening to it for 8 hours a day for 6 weeks.

Earth/Hemp Festival

Yesterday afternoon there was an environmental friendly expo/gala supporting a cleaner planet Earth. For whatever reason this resulted in the promotion of hemp products in an open marketplace outside of Yoyogi Park.


Organic grown fruits and vegetables were on display and were obtainable for a hefty price (as usual). Japan unfortunately doesn't have enough real estate to create an excessive amount of farm land so many fruits and vegetables are grown and harvested with the use of chemicals.


I have no idea what this means. Your guess is as good as mine. Cleaning makes us smile? Smiles make us clean? Go Engrish go!


Hemp balls were created and attached to one another to create somewhat of a noisemaker effect. I'm sure there's a proper name for them but since I'm not a hemp specialist I'll just refer to them as hemp balls. I belive the top two rows of the hemp balls are advertising Jamaican colours. Probably just a coincidence... right?


Hemp panchos, shirts, pants, shoes, and hats were all on sale but for an outrageous price. Some of the hats I looked at cost up to ¥14,000 ($140). While I'm still in the market for a cool looking hat I think puff puff passing on the hemp ones was a good idea.


This dude was masterfully melting and molding glass into ornaments, accessories, and tiny key chains. I thought his open flame was dangerously close to his hemp sheets behind him but he appeared to be indifferent. Also, he was sporting a pair of Ray Ban's instead of protective goggles. Wicked cool.

Sea of Disney

Disneyworld here in Japan is divided into two separate components: Disneyland and Disney Sea. Yesterday's excursion was venturing into the grounds of Disney Sea to explore all the magic and excitement it had to offer.


Overlooking the Mediterranean Harbor, Mount Prometheus is seen off in the distance. The ride "Journey to the Center of the Earth" runs through the mountain and it was actually really fun. Roller coasters are toned down a bit since it's still a Disney brand theme park but I have to say it was rather exhilirating.


Enter Mysterious Island. It was intricately designed and felt like something else. Unfortunately the "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" attraction was under maintenance so I missed out on it. Similarly, when I went to Disneyland back in June, "Space Mountain" was inoperable. Dammit >__<.


Lost River Delta area contained Indiana Jones' "Temple of the Crystal Skull". I recently watched the movie and I was looking forward to experiencing a thematic ride with the near invinceable Dr. Jones. The ride itself was an off road journey through the temple on a jeep. Super fun but excessively noisy!


Triton's Kingdom was one of the more extravagant themed attractions with its flashy colours and aqua-marine like decoration throughout the area. Within the kingdom the "Mermaid Lagoon Theater" offered a musical performance from Ariel & friends in what was a almost a Cirque de Soleil style venue. It seemed pretty high budget but if anyone can pull something fancy off on a daily basis it's the one and only Disney.

I Are Speak Good Engrish

It's been about six months now since arriving to Japan and I'm realizing that the time spent around Japanese-English speakers takes a toll on you. Kyle and I always joke around saying that when we go back to Toronto we're not going to be able to effectively communicate with regular native English speakers.

cont'd...

Laketown

AEON Laketown opened up a couple of weeks ago over at Koshigaya Laketown and its the largest mall in Japan. The even cooler thing is that it's only about ~20 minutes away from my station. This is one the main entrances and the picture does not do nearly enough justice as to how large this place actually is.


Who wouldn't want some Bad Ass Coffee? It was actually a Hawaiian themed cafe with a lot of tropical type products and drinks. Interesting enough they served beer and other alcoholic beverages as well. Totally Bad Ass.


In the display window is an enormous shirt maybe designed for the Incredible Hulk or something. No idea why it was so large. The store is called Tokyo Shirts or something, but sadly after browsing through their clothes and accessories I discovered that the majority of the items were made in China.


A Toyota car dealership was locating on the bottom floor. Yes, a full-sized car dealership complete with a repair and cleaning zone.

Tokyo Game Show 2008!

Today was the largest annual gaming expo in Asia, better known as the phenomenal Tokyo Game Show. All the major game production companies and designers are usually in attendance showcasing their latest and finest of what they have to offer on demo and display.


Of course in attendance were also some of the most serious cosplayers that I have ever seen. I've been to Harajuku on several Sundays but the people at TGS simply went above and beyond the rest. Coincidently, I have a soft spot for street fighters.


Street Fighter IV was probably the most appealing and entertaining game on display. It hit arcades this past summer here in Japan and looks to be heading towards consoles (PS3 & 360) late next year. Since I don't like using arcade sticks much I can't wait until I'll be able to kick back on my couch and play on a wireless controller. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...


The scene of the expo was Makuhari Messe, known as a huge international convention centre near Chiba. The station is also home to the stadium of the Chiba Lotte Marines; one of the local Japanese professional baseball teams. There were eight large expo halls to wander around in, complete with a foodstand and drink area as well.


Without a doubt the girls and models proved to be sufficient enough eye candy. I actually thought the Capcom and Bandai girls were the cutest but they had rounds of bodyguards forbidding any type of direct photography.

Night of Broken English & Japanese

Left to Right: Akimitsu, Rina, Akio, Keiichi, Ayana, and myself. Photo courtesy of Kyle's cellphone.. thanks!

Went out to Shibuya and met a group of Japanese university students who speak a bit of English. Dinner and bowling were both quite entertaining and it was really interesting to break down the barriers of communication when trying to express ourselves. It was a great night, hopefully we'll meet up again soon!

Matsudo (Martial Arts) Matsuri!

The annual Matsudo Matsuri takes place every year over the first weekend of October just outside of Matsudo station. It was more or less like previous matsuri's I've been attending with a little more variety. There was a karate/martial arts street performance which I found highly entertaining.


I was expecting ninjas to start randomly jumping out of the crowd and join in but sadly it didn't happen. A battle royale would have totally been awesome.


Most of the younger kids were punching and kicking their way through pieces of wood.


Observe the guy bending over; he successfully managed to annihilate cinder blocks with one swift headbutt. When he came up from the motion there were still tiny pieces of the crushed cement attached to his forehead. Yikes.


This dude was stomping out cinder blocks. At the moment I didn't find it to be too impressive but after showing Kyle the picture he pointed out that he was doing this while in bare feet. I suppose that increases the degree of difficulty by a few points.

So Much for Sleeping in...

Every weekend I look forward to getting some extra sleep I forget that I'm in Japan and everyone here gets up at like 5:00 in the morning. Outside of my appartment there's a small park where a few floats were being set up for what appeared to be a festival or parade.





For the most part it seemed to be elementary school kids and their parents so it wouldn't be fair to be mad at the cute little kids. Parents on the other hand are fair game! Haha.

Halloween's a Comin'

Bum bum bum... October is here! Spooky stuff. Although Halloween isn't officially celebrated here in Japan, a handful of children know a little bit about the holiday. Last week I constructed a mediocre at best poster advertising some Halloween lessons for students and a few seem really interested. Some of the local stores and shops have started carrying random Halloween products and candy too. Here I am thinking Canada starts bringing in decorations early.. but I guess countries that don't even celebrate the occasion do it too!

Now if I can just figure out a costume...