tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22350970102409251882024-03-05T18:15:40.772-08:00The Fairytalercjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-73082635272241822292016-04-10T06:48:00.002-07:002016-04-10T06:48:35.459-07:00Hanami!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now is the time of the Sakura here in Japan. The weather is getting warmer, and on Shikoku the Cherry Blossoms have bloomed. They won't last long from what I'm told, and already they seem to be growing thinner. Last weekend I went with Masamichi and his friends early Saturday to do as Japanese people do during this time; drink and eat outdoors under the pink blossoms. We headed to Marugame Castle to do so. It was perfect weather for it. Warm enough that it was no pain to be outside, yet not so hot that I was sweating under the various layers of clothes I need to cover my tattoos.<br />
Marugame Castle was pretty crowded but not obnoxiously so. In fact it was nice to see so many people out in the open air interacting with each other. Nice to remember that Winter comes to an end, and see people just enjoying one another's company and the fine weather. Kids were cooing and running free through the grass. Food stalls lined the street cutting up from the entrance and down into the nearby public park. The air smelled sweet with the mix of flowers and salted, grilled meats. Everywhere there were tarps of people and picnics, and talk that I could only understand a spare word or two of.<br />
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While we were there they taught me a few Japanese drinking games, and I taught them a scaled back version of Kings.After we had had our fill of drinking and food, we headed up to the summit of the mountain. From there the view was outrageously gorgeous. Below us was the thickest batch of Sakura trees, the tips of their branches just reaching the floor of the highest fewing spot, so that it looked like you were looking down into clouds made of cotton candy from above.<br />
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After we headed to Majong, which I managed to win a handful of times thanks to the advice of Masamichi. I almost think I understand the game. Almost. I learned the Kanji for "naka" lately, and as they were laying tiles down I pointed to a tile that looked to be marked "naka" and said it was so. Apparently it is not, because this seemed to amuse them all to the point where they kept saying naka whenever it came up. Though they were pretty impressed during a section of Kings where the rule was no one could speak their mother tongue, at how far my Japanese has come along.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pictured above; my crew of O.G.sans</span></div>
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As always, I hope things at home are going well. And also ha, I heard it snowed. Suck it losers. I haven't seen snow in a year. </div>
<br />cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-43073189796027691922016-03-26T05:11:00.001-07:002016-04-07T05:21:36.831-07:00ヨーロッパにいきましたWow I meant to write this a long, long time ago but I've been keeping myself pretty busy, and something was always popping up on the weekends.<br />
Last month (wow, exactly, really) I went to Europe. London and Edinburgh specifically. It was a pretty radical time. The day after I arrived I traveled to downtown and arrived at the massively well known King's Cross station, which looked a little less wizardy than I expected.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Behind these doors; the key to wonder or an okayish mall? You be the judge.</span></div>
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That is until I went round the corner and saw what was the proper entrance/exit. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Although there were more homeless people than Rowling had mentioned.</span></div>
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I spent the bulk of that day roaming around the city and looking at things, getting lost a bit, and chilling at the British Library. Which was amazing. They were running an exhibit on Alice in Wonderland at the time, and had a (what I assume is) an ongoing exhibit of their treasures. These included hand written original manuscripts by such big bads as Jane Austen, (ah gasp) T.S. Eliot, Oscar Wilde--and so on and so forth. It was pretty radical seeing them, especially since some were written in a sloppy of hand writing as I have, and had huge swatches of exes drawn all over the page, and revision notes. Not Austen's though. Her shit was neat as fuck. </div>
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The next day was the day of the reading. I headed back to downtown and found my way to Charles Dicken's house which is now a museum. I wandered the halls and looked at all his old stuff like his writing desk, bed and wine cellar. Old portraits (he waskinda hot) and love letters written to his wife before she got old and he decided to leave her in the most dickish way possible.</div>
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I wandered a bit more in that area--came across a spot for George Orwell, saw some nice, tidy parks, and so on, and then headed to the reading for the feminist YA Anthology I was pub'd in. It was at this little literary bar that I eventually had to cave and hail a taxi to get to, as my phone died and I was GPSless. It went really well. The people were nice, the selections interesting, and the moderator fantastic. She was introduced as an erotic poet jazz singer, and she didn't fail to live up to that title. She had a stunning stage presence. I got to talk to her and a few other folks from For Books' Sake after the reading, and I really dig what they're doing. They're dedicated to promoting the voices of women authors, and they seem really passionate, and really friendly. I def. suggest checking them out and watching what they do. </div>
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The anthology (which you can buy here: http://forbookssake.net/store/products/resisters-stories-of-rebel-girls-revolution-empowerment-and-escape/ ) is marketed as stories of empowerment and escape and it is exactly that. The genres within it and the styles of writing are diverse and engaging--there's straight up realism to (of course) fantasy, dystopias, and steam punk, and at the heart of every story, a girl handling her girlness in her own unique way. It isn't full of the same cookie-cutter strong female leads who are strong mostly because they act and are like men--there's a range of femininity and gender expression, and they're all discovering themselves. I think its really great that fiction like this is being produced for teenaged girls. Its also really, spectacularly queer friendly, and not in a shy way. </div>
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The next day I hoofed it down to the British Museum, which was fantastic. Probably the biggest museum I've ever seen in my life. I must have spent three hours wandering around in there just looking at things. There were ancient Egyptian statues--the god damned Rosetta Stone--greek statues, parts of the Parthenon--you name it they pretty much have a part of it. 10/10, would recommend. </div>
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My favorite of the above is probs the decapitated horse head which out of context looks like an exhibit on the history of internet memes. After having spent what felt like enough time marveling at things I stepped back outside to reup my depleted nicotine stores and head down to some of the hottest tourist spots. I stopped off in the garden near the palace and shared bits of my sandwich with the birds there, learning that Charles Dickens was 100% right, crows are fucking awesome. Then I wandered over to the Palace itself and looked at it for a bit before heading towards Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. </div>
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This was a pretty hellacious day of walking so I turned in not long after, read a bit of the anthology, and went to bed. The next day I had to catch a train after all. To God's Country. Scotland. EDINBURGH. Which was--if you can't tell by the enthusiastic caps lock--the most beautiful city this kid has ever seen. Did you know that they filmed Diagon Alley in Edinburgh? I didn't. But I do now. And woah can I see it. </div>
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The people in Edinburgh were super nice and welcoming. The first pub I stepped in at 5ish pm was full of the kindest folk I ever did meet, so I stayed there for quite awhile getting drunk with them and talking about Scotland and America. There was another American woman there as well, in Scotland for a wedding, and we shot the shit about politics and Trump, and had a blast in general. It was just so rad. I think I understand where a lot of my personality comes from, having seen Scottish people party. </div>
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The next day (despite a hangover) I took to the streets and explored Edinburgh a bit before I had to catch my train back. I visited the Scottish National Museum, and took a look at the super scary haunted Grayfrair's Churchyard, where apparently a vengeful ghost lives that will from time to time scratch the fuck out of people.Its also home to this dude who had the sweetest most loyal pup that would chill by his grave all the time, and was eventually buried next to him. </div>
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Then, I sat down for some Haggis. In Scotland. Land of my ancestors. Just as I always dreamed I would. On my 27th birthday. Fuck. Yes. </div>
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After, I took a train back to London, passed out, and got up at 6am to find out trains weren't running that early. I had to find myself a cab--which is an interesting story in and of itself, but I prefer to tell that one on one. </div>
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Having been back in Japan now there's some small stuff I did, and also a doll festival I attended-but I think I'll handle that next post cause now I gotta finish off my taxes. Yay bureaucracy. </div>
cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-44730652902778185652016-02-14T04:49:00.000-08:002016-02-14T04:49:09.089-08:00Let's Make Mochi and Have a PromThursday was a national holiday celebrating the founding of Japan, so I had off work. Masamichi invited me to his neighborhood association's get together, where a bunch of people showed up to make mochi.<br />
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Mochi is made from a special rice that they soak in water for a night before steaming for about half an hour. Afterward they put it in a mortar and beat it with hammers. Then they roll it into a cake with sweet bean paste inside (I also saw them make a few with chocolate for kids.) It was super cool to watch, and they even let me try my hand at the hammer and the rolling. You can watch the process here:<br />
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Everyone was super friendly, and there was even a youngster there who spoke a little English. We talked about Pokemon, which is the usual bridge between me and the young, be they Japanese or not.<br />
After we made all the mochi and ate most of it we got to see an ancient Buddhist statue. The neighborhood association's club house used to be a shrine, so they had a lot of old Buddhist paraphernalia.<br />
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Saturday the Mitoyo International Exchange Society threw a Valentines Day Prom. Japan doesn't do the prom thing so much, so it was cool to give them an idea of what its like. To make things even sweeter than the sweaty awkward dances of our youths, there was actually a fellow there who was super sweet at ballroom dance, and he showed us how to do the Jitterbug. After we mixed a bit and I got to know some pretty cool folk.<br />
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Here's a couple of us towards the end posing it up. I like to think I dress better now, but I have about as much poise as I did at 18. More tattoos though, so there's that.</div>
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On our way back to the train station while we were coming around the mountain corner, a tanuki scurried out into the middle of the road and back again. He was absolutely beautiful. It was the first time I got to see one. I'm hoping next time I get an even better eye full. </div>
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I hope you all are having your own wonderful Valentines Day back home. Catch ya'll soon.</div>
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(Just wanna point out I totally held myself to my word and followed my blogging schedule this week. And almost did all the studying and other things I had on my plate. BOOM! High five, me. You are the best. Let's see if we can do it again this week.)</div>
<br />cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-38501652482901623922016-02-07T03:52:00.000-08:002016-02-07T03:52:19.116-08:00わたしのにほんじんおとうさん<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today was the Marugame International Half Marathon. There were a ton of runners from all over who ran from my city Marugame to Sakaide and back. I went to see it with my Japanese Dad, Masamichi, and his friends. We put meant in the parking garage of a nearby mall and put together a bunch of flags. We were rooting for runners from Masamichi's friend's old college, Senshuu University. That's up in Tokyo. Senshuu also means last week, and I was a little confused by this. When I brought it up everyone thought I was making a joke, so I rolled with it. </div>
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There were tons of runners both professional and non. My friend Laura ran it, but I think we left before she made it to our point. We were right next to the half way point where folks turned around.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPn-liR6q6fdoayrLBhyphenhyphenS1uvabkH9aU3HzChGryBHpS5ME0gA7xgHr7aSLC-UBzIZ7d7rgpm8XuMGHuImTMyRWan3WlUCn71UtsG10HplzXg7tuDXFWdrsUe-ukt1auRF82qKKkTM4EOk/s1600/20160207_105520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPn-liR6q6fdoayrLBhyphenhyphenS1uvabkH9aU3HzChGryBHpS5ME0gA7xgHr7aSLC-UBzIZ7d7rgpm8XuMGHuImTMyRWan3WlUCn71UtsG10HplzXg7tuDXFWdrsUe-ukt1auRF82qKKkTM4EOk/s320/20160207_105520.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Shrine behind the marathon route. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Masamichi decked out with Senshuu gear. </span></div>
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Afterward we went to an Okanmiyaki restaurant, which is where you cook your own food on a grill. Me and Masamichi got a dish that was basically like a pancake of a bunch of stuff--seafood, egg, lettuce and meat. He let me try to flip it, which was a disaster. You can see my failure at the end of this montage of me and Masamichi kicking it:</div>
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Then the group split up for a little bit and Masamichi showed me this super popular view from the top of a nearby mountain. Like that famous place in Europe I know pretty much nothing about other than it exists, lovers put locks on the wire fence in celebration of their bumping uglies. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0_9RkHW6zYt6kxnRpcM10QlmsmtoV8t7JpUOiWAtkdjDAAzjeJveF_oALyGkplsJG0mt4v_xe3h8HvaIcLzEL5TuMkUVA6_OLauAUj8GokGeKnUm9bX_s9K7rGxs8B_0HQv0Otiao64/s1600/20160207_142540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0_9RkHW6zYt6kxnRpcM10QlmsmtoV8t7JpUOiWAtkdjDAAzjeJveF_oALyGkplsJG0mt4v_xe3h8HvaIcLzEL5TuMkUVA6_OLauAUj8GokGeKnUm9bX_s9K7rGxs8B_0HQv0Otiao64/s320/20160207_142540.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Seto Ohashi Bridge</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-iuOVhEz9xC6YLXIoIJwB51pL3DiPB3LUEujFZB2vpLQrQ-SmKB-NfsELBFowLamCH06KrY0tFTf1TO2qpSXO_QcgcC9hQRefQSm4VSeluqyJd3WSbUp5fd9QjIg4HB1kq-oefwW9u0/s1600/20160207_142518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-iuOVhEz9xC6YLXIoIJwB51pL3DiPB3LUEujFZB2vpLQrQ-SmKB-NfsELBFowLamCH06KrY0tFTf1TO2qpSXO_QcgcC9hQRefQSm4VSeluqyJd3WSbUp5fd9QjIg4HB1kq-oefwW9u0/s320/20160207_142518.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> What is a Bridal Mother?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">You tried so hard to English. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(says the girl who misspells everything she writes in Japanese </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">and 1/3rd of the shit she types online)</span></div>
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Afterward we all gathered back together at a little cafe where I played Majong for the first time. We played two rounds of games, and with the help of Masamichi I came out on top the first time and SO CLOSE to number 1 the second time. Don't ask me how though. I understood maybe a 3rd of what I was doing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0UNNIjr1JTAefmN36Stn4FYv02n-YzUubGtMZk0McZ9bBgodVlm-Xeboo8PbjHyGYhu1srbhEVIo1-tlkiqEAHJbhTTGEaO1VK6p6PLcTmb6s79K3L8YyXpE7BH_8fAj8y3wpE6QO0o/s1600/20160207_152522%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0UNNIjr1JTAefmN36Stn4FYv02n-YzUubGtMZk0McZ9bBgodVlm-Xeboo8PbjHyGYhu1srbhEVIo1-tlkiqEAHJbhTTGEaO1VK6p6PLcTmb6s79K3L8YyXpE7BH_8fAj8y3wpE6QO0o/s320/20160207_152522%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This is an automated majong table. Somehow it spit out the same color tiles each time. No fucking clue how. </span></div>
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Masamichi is a pretty rad dude. I'm really lucky that he's taken me under his wing. I learn and see a lot thanks to him. Like about Koukai, who brought zen Buddhism to Japan and built the 88 temples on Shikoku. So far Masamich and I have visited 74-78. He's also taken me to the Marugame Fan Museum. Marugame is famous for its paper fans, and you can watch people build them by hand there. It looks mega mega hard. Also we've gone to the Seto Ohashi museum, which was hella rad.</div>
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I'm working on re-stabilizing myself after the death of both Matt and Steve Watkins. Part of that involves sticking to a schedule for awhile. So hopefully if I stick to it, I'll be updating this more. </div>
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Hope you all are doing well. </div>
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-Couri </div>
cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-42104163202833172412015-12-25T20:36:00.003-08:002015-12-25T20:44:02.124-08:00As though you took the colors with you<div style="text-align: center;">
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This isn't supposed to be how death works, but it often is.<br />
You wake up and there's a message on your phone saying the unreadable.<br />
In a perfect world its something you see coming; a storm gathering that you can batten down against. And surely it isn't something that happens to the young.<br />
But it is. It seems right now that it always is.<br />
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Last night Matthew Lattanzi died back in Youngstown, Ohio. On Christmas. Today I woke up reading the unreadable.<br />
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This isn't how his story was supposed to go. And I don't want to think about it. I had my own plans and notions for how our own story would be: he would maybe join me here. We would keep on swapping stories. He would get published in a big way, and maybe we'd even both get a Ph.D at the same place and sweet tenured positions. But his story ended while I'm here, too far away to even say a proper goodbye.<br />
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This is how our story together starts:<br />
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I go to a lit reading at a local bar for the college literary art association in 2010. I'm freshly 21 and its really, honestly, the first time I've hung out at a bar. I'm also freshly an author. Or at least, for the first time trying to imagine considering it seriously. I sit through a few readings and a lanky boy steps up on the stage. I can't remember what he was wearing, but by this point when I think of Matt he's in a loud pastel button up with an equally loud tie and a pair of well loved jeans. Its an outfit that suits him. Outfits that announce themselves. That have presence. Because he had presence. He stepped up on stage and read an excerpt from a ridiculous story he'd written: one pairing Hitler with Justin Bieber. It's absurd and hilarious, and just so funny. His delivery is beautiful.<br />
I know, watching him up there, that I'll be joining the literary arts association.<br />
And even more so I know I want to be this dude's friend. And I was in luck. That night after the event wrapped up we sat together over a couple of beers talking and we very quickly decided to be "best friends!" in our loudest, most slurred voices. Of course, it actually took a year or two before we became more than bar and school pals. But it was the first of many readings I would see him do.<br />
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Over the next year we would see each other around, often go out with the same group of friends. We were a like in a lot of ways. Matt was fun. Matt wanted everyone to have fun. He was never afraid to clown around, or look redick. In fact, he often hoped people would dare him to push the envelope. And I fed off that in a big way.</div>
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He was the life of every party. That was Matt's public face--super wild, super crazy, super fun party machine. But he was a lot more than that too. </div>
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It was when I joined the MFA that I got to see another Matt. When we grew close. We started to really bond then--over the experience of being from similar situations in life, and how unrealistic we had thought it was that we'd be where we were, over our writing--I was a huge fan of his--and over a myriad of personal little things that made us dear to each other. We coped in a similar way. Loud on the outside--all sarcasm and wildness--but quiet on the inside. We started hanging out more alone. We became inseparable in class--joking and wrestling and being just overall hoodlums. But at night we would be much more subdued. We would hang out at my place and drink a little and talk about things that made us hurt, or what we wanted to do with our lives. Honestly, I was going through a rough patch personally that first year of the MFA, and Matt helped me through it in a big way. On one particularly not great night in May I was at his house, and I asked him to "play werewolf" with me. Not even caring what the details of such a venture really entailed, he followed me to a park nearby where we sat on the swings talking, and eventually he laid down in the wet grass with me where we slept until morning (which was maybe two hours away). I woke up and it was raining, but he had taken off his jacket and laid it over my head to keep me from getting wet. Cause that's the kind of dude he was--the kind that would risk pneumonia to keep his silly-sad friend from getting damp. He never thought about himself first.</div>
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He was too sweet. Always willing to be there for anyone, and do whatever they needed to make them feel better. </div>
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I could say a lot of things right now--I could turn it in to something political. Thats what I usually do, right, when I'm uncomfortable with something. When something is to real. I could talk about all sorts of things that would turn this death into a statistic rather than what it is: the loss of someone who was more than a friend to me. Someone who was like blood. And the world's loss of one of its brightest, kindest people. Who felt too much. And the literary world's loss of a promising author. </div>
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He was beautiful. In all shapes and ways. I loved Matt the goofball. I loved Matt the party animal. I loved Matt the Punk Rocker. I loved Matt the author. I loved Matt the academic. I loved Matt the sad kid who just wants to understand and be understood. I loved Matt the caring, Matt the gullible. Matt the ironic. Matt the genuine. Quim Fabray. Jose Jonze. Clint Blackwell. We didn't just lose one person--we lost a world. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWelu-F7WrhaUL3IQ39UrRZI1aSawxdmY0me_NlSa_FdynEe2o4iw7msdNOK2r7zlQNDAeToSYL5xrZrLRSOWaZhdUnO4g2JhQCYrBHVmr2bYd22sDr2YQvgbbCgqizggDJWLfxxpEio/s1600/matt+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWelu-F7WrhaUL3IQ39UrRZI1aSawxdmY0me_NlSa_FdynEe2o4iw7msdNOK2r7zlQNDAeToSYL5xrZrLRSOWaZhdUnO4g2JhQCYrBHVmr2bYd22sDr2YQvgbbCgqizggDJWLfxxpEio/s400/matt+and+me.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSO4reI2GUMTr1b1N53AkpsaiDVmyXZbwwXX5cH9yQo5xP9En0YHXKDUd-wGoDKGq9-N_ycGyUmsQN8boG-qohMkVql9tFzWnJ-0uITYRNoue_NNfkLNIpbNQna01Jt5gsxhdKfm-Y_Zs/s1600/matt5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSO4reI2GUMTr1b1N53AkpsaiDVmyXZbwwXX5cH9yQo5xP9En0YHXKDUd-wGoDKGq9-N_ycGyUmsQN8boG-qohMkVql9tFzWnJ-0uITYRNoue_NNfkLNIpbNQna01Jt5gsxhdKfm-Y_Zs/s400/matt5.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9z3xKObMMLgIccbHOjkEttckwHadj5xZ_i9dTmgxXnS-yinGUYhlcFuqjKMWaNWdsX_fBdhXlpGf2miOUjAtyVp97N7ZE6dZvAEMswgHsTnh4rj4vy6RL-jYZUEPeamDZ_FZpaeihC6Q/s1600/matt4.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9z3xKObMMLgIccbHOjkEttckwHadj5xZ_i9dTmgxXnS-yinGUYhlcFuqjKMWaNWdsX_fBdhXlpGf2miOUjAtyVp97N7ZE6dZvAEMswgHsTnh4rj4vy6RL-jYZUEPeamDZ_FZpaeihC6Q/s400/matt4.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0bGy6uwYch375Tf2SP4sojgUxqZMfysYkQc-tzfCp2_S204r07yHsxetbU4zG-w20esK3yOTqcYz9QADLib_tXKJe0-Lj0oK1x_TghfX6AQIbUlIa5q0gEPydgIx_7thJ7A004JXkVw/s1600/matt3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0bGy6uwYch375Tf2SP4sojgUxqZMfysYkQc-tzfCp2_S204r07yHsxetbU4zG-w20esK3yOTqcYz9QADLib_tXKJe0-Lj0oK1x_TghfX6AQIbUlIa5q0gEPydgIx_7thJ7A004JXkVw/s400/matt3.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCHKY0zdsuokNlOZpN0NzjLIB2q1gZhFg-ONbSY8Fgbqke7vHiHDvK1A75zk1R0oUEnJuCQ9n9BQgsK1Ls-EQA1Oo-UPxIdCs0PXAeFEqBGLqm9RBInELvpBemsyxUVT2QsJNnBP5-xI/s1600/matt2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCHKY0zdsuokNlOZpN0NzjLIB2q1gZhFg-ONbSY8Fgbqke7vHiHDvK1A75zk1R0oUEnJuCQ9n9BQgsK1Ls-EQA1Oo-UPxIdCs0PXAeFEqBGLqm9RBInELvpBemsyxUVT2QsJNnBP5-xI/s400/matt2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWelu-F7WrhaUL3IQ39UrRZI1aSawxdmY0me_NlSa_FdynEe2o4iw7msdNOK2r7zlQNDAeToSYL5xrZrLRSOWaZhdUnO4g2JhQCYrBHVmr2bYd22sDr2YQvgbbCgqizggDJWLfxxpEio/s1600/matt+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSO4reI2GUMTr1b1N53AkpsaiDVmyXZbwwXX5cH9yQo5xP9En0YHXKDUd-wGoDKGq9-N_ycGyUmsQN8boG-qohMkVql9tFzWnJ-0uITYRNoue_NNfkLNIpbNQna01Jt5gsxhdKfm-Y_Zs/s1600/matt5.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9z3xKObMMLgIccbHOjkEttckwHadj5xZ_i9dTmgxXnS-yinGUYhlcFuqjKMWaNWdsX_fBdhXlpGf2miOUjAtyVp97N7ZE6dZvAEMswgHsTnh4rj4vy6RL-jYZUEPeamDZ_FZpaeihC6Q/s1600/matt4.jpg" imageanchor="1"><br /></a></div>
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I don't know what to say. I don't. Except that I loved him a lot. I want to tell you all about him--about his fantastic taste in music, movie, books. About his kindness. About his sense of humor. But death is like a suckerpunch. I can't make the words work the way I want. It's been nearly six months since I last saw him. Two days before I left for Japan. And I always thought I'd see him again. And it feels unreal. And it feels like someone is playing a nasty joke. Like maybe when I come home he'll be hiding in the trunk, waiting to surprise me. And past that it feels unfair. And it feels heartbreaking. </div>
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Enough, though, of my lamenting. I want to share what I can of him. Here are his stories. You can download his thesis from the final link. Please do. Every line is a little bit of his life. I'm asking you to help me make him breath again. </div>
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<a href="http://www.jennymag.org/fall-10-issue/dreaming-in-flesh">Dreaming in Flesh</a></div>
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<a href="https://jennyzine.wordpress.com/2015/01/09/friday-feature-interview-with-matt-lattanzi/">Friday Feature Interview with Matt Lattanzi</a></div>
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<a href="http://interfictions.com/isaiahs-at-the-dinermatthew-lattanzi/">Isaiahs at the Diner</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.swampbiscuitsandtea.com/bone-planes-by-matthew-lattanzi/">Bone Planes</a></div>
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<a href="https://etd.ohiolink.edu/ap/10?0::NO:10:P10_ACCESSION_NUM:ysu1411475519#abstract-files">Elegies for Domestic Tranquility</a></div>
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I'm going to miss you, Matt.</div>
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<br />cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-61328961537817624762015-12-02T14:52:00.004-08:002015-12-02T15:01:06.101-08:00Brace Yourself; Winter is Pretty Much HereWoaaah. I haven't done anything here since like October and its already December. Dang. Time keeps on slipping, slipping. Makes a girl kinda sad.<br />
Halloween was great. My school had a big event where I worked in a maze passing out candy. It was at this park called Manno kinda not near anything. I ended up having to take a taxi which was a little expensive but I'm the dipshit who missed the train. During the event I was dressed as a knock off Pink Power Ranger (they called it a Party Ranger on the packaging which I feel is morr apt cause I went out and got hella wasted that night.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipp2tEWQ1QRd759jF9c5vRvs11tqSnRpCrgDh4fkvabrQ9cOwOTdEvY4McibWwb3VzafSN7wANHy1ZbxIDqoXF5hbttenH_VdCGNIdIEhwo8_SKwuQgTs1Tiaxistbo-F8RPpXcD3bUY/s1600/FB_IMG_1449012198767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipp2tEWQ1QRd759jF9c5vRvs11tqSnRpCrgDh4fkvabrQ9cOwOTdEvY4McibWwb3VzafSN7wANHy1ZbxIDqoXF5hbttenH_VdCGNIdIEhwo8_SKwuQgTs1Tiaxistbo-F8RPpXcD3bUY/s320/FB_IMG_1449012198767.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Coworkers and I pre-event</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Halloween Night I went to Takamatsu for a JET party with Laura, then back to Marugame for a party at Axis. Kept trying to teach a kid how to rave.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I've been up to a few things since. I got an acoustic and electric guitar so I've been relearning how to do those things, and I've been drawing a lot. In Takamatsu this month they are having a foreigner art show and I submitted a few pieces.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7aLRQ6g-Pp_VkTYCF1Y4DK6_MVCjcG9-JrAYBKQl9P0gHXQqG1RqnpMMnqtE20dd6_kbHanYIXz6m1qy6prXDDDrO9o0mXeBPgns3oP7irf2EKPt-w85ya8DGoPxeeIK1ikRA9F9HDOg/s1600/FB_IMG_1449093224988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7aLRQ6g-Pp_VkTYCF1Y4DK6_MVCjcG9-JrAYBKQl9P0gHXQqG1RqnpMMnqtE20dd6_kbHanYIXz6m1qy6prXDDDrO9o0mXeBPgns3oP7irf2EKPt-w85ya8DGoPxeeIK1ikRA9F9HDOg/s320/FB_IMG_1449093224988.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Luckily they said quality wasn't an issue.</span></div>
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Made a couple of new friends in the area like Julie. She's a woman from the Philippines who speaks perfect English and married a Japanese man about ten years ago. She runs a restaurant near my house. I went to eat there and she sat and talked to me while I did. There was this mega drunk Japanese dude saying what I could only guess was vulgar stuff thanks to a gesture or two and Julie's apology. I said it was coo cause t wasn't like I could understand or anything. Julie us pretty funny, and she keeps it very real. I think she might like having someone she can talk shit to with no one else around understanding it, cause shit got real real while we were talking. But she's also pretty lighthearted. One day when she was talking to me on the street two customers approached who knew a lil English and she introduced me as "My friend, Couri" then immediately launched into the intro of Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby. It was adorbs.</div>
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Its really cool that business owners here are like the ma and pa proprietors of old. Like you can just be pals with em. Like how my tobacconist and his wife are the sweetest people ever even if we legit can't understand each other or how Masamichi knows eeeeeeveryone. We kick it fairly often. He took me to the old salt fields in Utazu and explained how they used to basically farm for sea salt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PmCA48zDNaP5jI59lUwDJY4iuFHVkGKdcb5fURTE6XUIUgIANmgvtTHcUSZxFhLPYU1GCqs7v-EPGHhkCUGT8RZALH8lGgqsik0R0WzDqKJEvHBVMC1BFZSl3RFkaQyfrw2fKgoCReQ/s1600/20151113_131918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PmCA48zDNaP5jI59lUwDJY4iuFHVkGKdcb5fURTE6XUIUgIANmgvtTHcUSZxFhLPYU1GCqs7v-EPGHhkCUGT8RZALH8lGgqsik0R0WzDqKJEvHBVMC1BFZSl3RFkaQyfrw2fKgoCReQ/s320/20151113_131918.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And he also took me to an Isakaya and taught me the Japanese word for strong drinker.(Apparently my tolerance is impressive.)</div>
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The weather here is nice, if a bit cold. Things are super chill, and I am duper happy. There are sweet ass statues and lil mini farms everywhere I look. Right up alongside bustling roads and urban apartment buildings. Its so anachronistic, and that makes it so wonderful. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKkZWBY5okw6qlC8-3qqTjwq4WvtHmw-iGZYcLiPmUeAaXZgPxhCYPj91S3PXkRqAYei2zo14OIKFmdmtcSMURcJJEXjsyOxwHRObIzr-WgY20Bwqi7-l8AnIkc31sNuZvlJ09saUvPk/s1600/20151116_153736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKkZWBY5okw6qlC8-3qqTjwq4WvtHmw-iGZYcLiPmUeAaXZgPxhCYPj91S3PXkRqAYei2zo14OIKFmdmtcSMURcJJEXjsyOxwHRObIzr-WgY20Bwqi7-l8AnIkc31sNuZvlJ09saUvPk/s320/20151116_153736.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMh5GwTLLMJDP0DOP6IweFtuvHZxI5SIu0H_AbewyaLNRYHHRPyuaj1bMZNQL3vg_RJ0DRPiBFfKRjpNyWJgRZB5dFbdXAUYUaLR-MC-pN4fBQ97UKKHcy3SIGUxIYgmWlQemgj9tWLI/s1600/20151116_155024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMh5GwTLLMJDP0DOP6IweFtuvHZxI5SIu0H_AbewyaLNRYHHRPyuaj1bMZNQL3vg_RJ0DRPiBFfKRjpNyWJgRZB5dFbdXAUYUaLR-MC-pN4fBQ97UKKHcy3SIGUxIYgmWlQemgj9tWLI/s320/20151116_155024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtNlKDTO-TxT1S7pwyQP-APF7SnA-Cj0BlWelBjB3LCwvOy1SEzYjIoW3j5BKO4ZvYrkso20NSOXr506Gjt_OYEfwL-A8u1b-W3c_rDdTXgUHlOnQwfNGq2Jkp0n2tioRd7M1kUa4PKQ/s1600/IMG_20151202_145749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtNlKDTO-TxT1S7pwyQP-APF7SnA-Cj0BlWelBjB3LCwvOy1SEzYjIoW3j5BKO4ZvYrkso20NSOXr506Gjt_OYEfwL-A8u1b-W3c_rDdTXgUHlOnQwfNGq2Jkp0n2tioRd7M1kUa4PKQ/s320/IMG_20151202_145749.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Of course there are also super weird mascots and little Yankee kids running around thinking their hard for listening to Maroon 5, which us also wonderful. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwgU5qocCraKtaqdMBWzQkMmFTiBPDUiDi7OxBcC-1XntClLPnXvjLwZ7QdTVtoopO04pDyxt-sMa00Tq3VMqGdnQcWF1LKdzV5FqXIXohDwIPmSrX0rvlFtvKV2poMYP0mbmFxQR4iQ/s1600/20151128_142154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwgU5qocCraKtaqdMBWzQkMmFTiBPDUiDi7OxBcC-1XntClLPnXvjLwZ7QdTVtoopO04pDyxt-sMa00Tq3VMqGdnQcWF1LKdzV5FqXIXohDwIPmSrX0rvlFtvKV2poMYP0mbmFxQR4iQ/s320/20151128_142154.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This last weekend I went out with a few other teachers and got my haircut by a super nice dude who speaks super good English, and then we mozied on over to Round 1 to sing karaoke. It was a blast. I'm gonna try to update more often. Make smaller posts and such. We'll see. For now here's a picture a student drew of me slamming my hand on a table full of two if one sleeping student.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZPfPpy6ZAlVnVuQMWjSlOnH_5SPwUZm-qe83ruaXZ_SC7SKMcDE9GzX7ZyfZO8aIGLsrFtahV1Kr5Ln32Cq0Lmz07Cy6HVIfqs1VbNVvdvDmWezSWxFY3pvfqrEmTqHzd3kIjP-BEAk/s1600/20151126_172226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMZPfPpy6ZAlVnVuQMWjSlOnH_5SPwUZm-qe83ruaXZ_SC7SKMcDE9GzX7ZyfZO8aIGLsrFtahV1Kr5Ln32Cq0Lmz07Cy6HVIfqs1VbNVvdvDmWezSWxFY3pvfqrEmTqHzd3kIjP-BEAk/s320/20151126_172226.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">It was made out of love, I swear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">That little snow flake looking thing in the bottom right corner is my name in Kanji, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">which Ricky saw when he wandered in at the end of a Masamichi lesson.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">And he was all like "YOU'RE ICE!"</span></div>
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cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-15110376796401963932015-10-26T20:26:00.000-07:002015-10-26T20:28:56.369-07:00Touristing it Up. Hey gang!<br />
So October has been pretty radical so far.<br />
Towards the middle of the month Gem School opened a new location in Utazu and WOAH IT'S IN A MALL. So me and a few other teachers attended an opening ceremony where we planted a few trees in the plaza. It was an ingenious way to not have to pay gardeners. But it was actually a really good time to be honest. While planting one of my coworkers and I started singing "Shake it Off" and it got caught in my head, so I kept going. One of the even coordinators was across from me and started humming it too, and referred to me as Taylor Swift. Yes. Totally and obviously that is who I am. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYafiKSL-WPWPDHSAkxNNa8VMWrT-SAI5MQeaDmn27Shg8zL__R-078m6db9R2_LKGG_r9qbWJyhODCBIDV_gVnZQRDmB5XIdg2jFXL4nqDoeQlwWUrEAg9_bFGZB4bj32AT9qm8cVHw/s1600/tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYafiKSL-WPWPDHSAkxNNa8VMWrT-SAI5MQeaDmn27Shg8zL__R-078m6db9R2_LKGG_r9qbWJyhODCBIDV_gVnZQRDmB5XIdg2jFXL4nqDoeQlwWUrEAg9_bFGZB4bj32AT9qm8cVHw/s320/tree.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Aren't we just so precious? </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyfFhcDaABUlQzVx7YqGgL5n0YlULhIgg523xvIsDkaLjWWwar7ETcNVm37BrNQpo93infsWWLqGNcAjpzXTqZdQ43tdAs1iP2jvgYkBwCdH6wObeqkUNozdU52N0gRGYEOj-qwLqoN0/s1600/tree3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyfFhcDaABUlQzVx7YqGgL5n0YlULhIgg523xvIsDkaLjWWwar7ETcNVm37BrNQpo93infsWWLqGNcAjpzXTqZdQ43tdAs1iP2jvgYkBwCdH6wObeqkUNozdU52N0gRGYEOj-qwLqoN0/s320/tree3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I'm forever apart of the landscape now. I have changed it. My ghost will wander the shopping malls of Japan forever. </span></div>
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After we went to Round 1 in Takamatsu for Jillian's birthday party. Round 1 is this crazy fun place with several floors of straight up diversions. They have an arcade, bowling, skating archery (which I suck at), karaoke (which I suck at but love as you all know), baseball, really just everything in general. And really bad beer, but I didn't mind so much. It was a pretty rad time, overall. </div>
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More recently (this past weekend) I got to go to Mitoyo, where Laura and her workplace were throwing a radical Halloween Party. I volunteered to be a part of the haunted house. Everyone came in costume. Originally I was dressed as a power ranger, ( a costume I will also be wearing to the Gem School Halloween Party this weekend). It was a little weird walking to the station dressed like that in midday, but basically I'm already kind of a spectacle. So it was just an added weird bonus. (Some people seemed hella into it. Like maybe I'd have more success if I was a power ranger all the time.) </div>
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Half way through, I snuck away to change into my zombie gear. Laura had a dress ready. In the bathroom where I was changing there were dead little crabs everywhere (and as I later discovered a live furry spider.) But despite how kinda creepy I found that, I put on my game face and did what I had to. </div>
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After I was done I hid in another bathroom and watched for people to come in. I was the first scare. Sometimes the timing was a little hard cause they'd come into view before everyone was in, but I got some nice scares in. Started throwing myself on the ground and zombie crawling it up. I managed to get a middle aged Japanese woman to stare me in the face and most genuinely scream "KOWAI!" which is all I never knew I wanted. </div>
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After, during the costume contest result announcements a bunch of the attendants asked to take pictures with me, which was super cute. I would get a groaning and they adored it. One lady even asked if I was an actress, which was mecha kawaii. It was a total blast. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UrgTa_iNF02eSIzXVndDHV5ujJkfBnfYfag4vdSZAcUd4CQdagHjxI0LGpP02MSNcRnlrIqHh9U7Owwo95YqXE2Kyzh4-q6o3FQaw_T-bg96quIEQh0_u_yr6VkqFpu3IRL5Hb5q4tg/s1600/1609897_794275324017031_88588962725628474_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UrgTa_iNF02eSIzXVndDHV5ujJkfBnfYfag4vdSZAcUd4CQdagHjxI0LGpP02MSNcRnlrIqHh9U7Owwo95YqXE2Kyzh4-q6o3FQaw_T-bg96quIEQh0_u_yr6VkqFpu3IRL5Hb5q4tg/s320/1609897_794275324017031_88588962725628474_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb93NTQncu04Z3vNAyYHYBU4NNBFnvQQB9x2c_A3nwmaKcZzTZOFhhxmxg498esFf2cdm-MgZuRekjq03gTE4R_S6p7vWeGpgYI2RvcXi6_ZBnojkXg9YZmM4qVJc5HQNh8Eu5r22xYw/s1600/zombie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBb93NTQncu04Z3vNAyYHYBU4NNBFnvQQB9x2c_A3nwmaKcZzTZOFhhxmxg498esFf2cdm-MgZuRekjq03gTE4R_S6p7vWeGpgYI2RvcXi6_ZBnojkXg9YZmM4qVJc5HQNh8Eu5r22xYw/s320/zombie.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPx6h62kEBopiv-1LRZQ4jh0O49rFebBZYq1XMOKRP5K32vEDicfS-UudUYIn-xYK4ZW5EfrwZDDaEY1bGqeKFfzds0XeW8kGOLbHPgDPP-0OWFlTtdQqK5zlS10_pRbH3JYTl_pafpps/s1600/12038494_794275274017036_1517823615357486337_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPx6h62kEBopiv-1LRZQ4jh0O49rFebBZYq1XMOKRP5K32vEDicfS-UudUYIn-xYK4ZW5EfrwZDDaEY1bGqeKFfzds0XeW8kGOLbHPgDPP-0OWFlTtdQqK5zlS10_pRbH3JYTl_pafpps/s320/12038494_794275274017036_1517823615357486337_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Laura's costume was very punny: A combo of a fashion popular ten years ago that sounded like the Japanese word for Dad. </span></div>
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After I kicked it at Laura's and we talked mostly about Super Jail and Rick and Morty and other stuff. It was pretty hype. </div>
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Sunday morning I traveled back to Marugame in my power ranger suit, which felt more conspicuous and walk of shamey in the morning than in the early evening. After I cleaned up I met a friend (whose name, I hate to admit, I don't actually remember. We've exchanged them twice but can't seem to hold onto them for the life of us. Thankfully I'm pretty sure the problem goes both ways.) We made arrangements to get lunch. He doesn't speak a whole lot of English, but we manage through translators on our phone as per my usual convos go. I can tell you he is, like a lot of my pals, a ship builder. Guess its a big industry here or sommmmething. </div>
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We hopped in his car and drove to a nearby burb where we grabbed Udon and he tried to teach me the Japanese way of eating with chopsticks. Luckily it seems my child like mistakes are mostly endearing, and he just kinda kept chuckling. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakA2ulvyYWPWKcwvYsT733Bb7ClQ8BW2BXxx3Acno7amCtCcFD23MgpSngpWvQOLp50G863OObroUZZbR9brtMBNtf-wfWVOqUbMju3V7C8J8QpKcqDLYVbY46geWE2XIFJagam7lZ-8/s1600/S__12230665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakA2ulvyYWPWKcwvYsT733Bb7ClQ8BW2BXxx3Acno7amCtCcFD23MgpSngpWvQOLp50G863OObroUZZbR9brtMBNtf-wfWVOqUbMju3V7C8J8QpKcqDLYVbY46geWE2XIFJagam7lZ-8/s320/S__12230665.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">who doesn't love toddlers? Or twenty somethings</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">that are like toddlers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Couri's first bowl of Udon. </span></div>
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After we went to this temple, Kotohira-gu or Konpira. It's up a mountain in Kotohira and like it is WAY FUCKING HIGH UP! There's 785 steps to the main temple, and like 1300 to the inner shrine. We didn't go all the way up. We got to the entrance of the main temple where they a giant golden ship propeller and a stable of horses for the God of the Sea and we were like "Nah, bro, we're good." Konpira is super famous, especially among sailors, since it is dedicated to the deity of the Sea, and lots of people make the pilgrimage to pray there. It was full of folk the day we went. (Ipai no hito! Full of people!) We sat and smoked and talked for a little, and during that point my phone died cause I didn't get a chance to charge it much. I related this to him and he was like "shit." and I was like "mondai nai." and he said "mondai aro!" ("It's no problem." "Nah, it's a problem.") But we still managed as best as we could. We headed back down the mountain, and on the way I actually got like super vertigo for a minute, and felt just a tadbit panicish heading down the narrow crooked as stone steps like I was gonna crack my head open. I couldn't exactly explain this so I just kinda shook it off. I'm a valley kid. We don't climb up into hella high altitudes often. But I managed to hold it down. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJr1FQsUvUfwqrPpxEaxRRWuZ0TOOcAuQT3FmB8u6qH7Pt9Guid1_ABjexxxBqDtAZNW_oMk-4L3nAp1OcKrAGG94dHWUFva00AQN3t8K0uwgZQzyLtYWFmMC-EYC6wQW2BKjvSSHIKjU/s1600/S__12230664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJr1FQsUvUfwqrPpxEaxRRWuZ0TOOcAuQT3FmB8u6qH7Pt9Guid1_ABjexxxBqDtAZNW_oMk-4L3nAp1OcKrAGG94dHWUFva00AQN3t8K0uwgZQzyLtYWFmMC-EYC6wQW2BKjvSSHIKjU/s320/S__12230664.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQN98-qiOsvxWNSZQluGmpNXc7PKC2UWKwABlGD543iuBID5or2LVGGy3zpnpLZiLBx1068uMsqB7VFtQPexTKc1e4DkkITo7PKa9X9ZmlUzboOvpYxQI-xbIN7X1aeD_kZyRtBD2iFQ/s1600/S__12230666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKQN98-qiOsvxWNSZQluGmpNXc7PKC2UWKwABlGD543iuBID5or2LVGGy3zpnpLZiLBx1068uMsqB7VFtQPexTKc1e4DkkITo7PKa9X9ZmlUzboOvpYxQI-xbIN7X1aeD_kZyRtBD2iFQ/s320/S__12230666.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This shirt is totally on inside out and I didn't notice until like eight hours later. </span></div>
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When we got to the bottom we explored the shotengai there, and we managed to remark on how much I liked the Marugame one--out local "Ghost town" shotengai. The fact that I knew that name tickled him, and I managed to express that Youngstown--which I had told him a little about over lunch, was also a "ghost town". He tried to find an takoyaki stand that closed and he shook his head sadly saying "Ghost town shop." </div>
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We did have a hiccup when he was trying to ask something that sounded like "ashai" and he said "shower?" and I just kind of shook my head and said the name of a local beer that sounds similar, which garnered a laugh and we let the communication impasse drop. </div>
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After we went to Sakaide to check out the beach and this view of the Seto-Ohashi bridge. It was beautiful. There were wedding pictures being taken which we almost accidentally photobombed. We headed towards another part of the beach but the walk way was roped off saying "DANGER." I pointed and said "danger and he laughed and said "DANGER ZONE!" super enthusiastically before ducking under. So I followed. On the other side he indicated there were shellfish that could easily be caught and that it was a rad place for a barbecue. Also that the sun set was beautiful in that spot. But it was like 2, and we weren't sticking around for that. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFlUPL_UPphqcIVWSl_R5QqbqIjLWb7jeogQ0tJk4RymHWSAFd0b2vFVRQkBwcWii4zw03T6WopzEJMydRLW_iHv-mMfpeg8ZkqHb-PGAw-lQ-scbUfH_RCXCmBENHvuGnV-MHImQ3Jc/s1600/S__12230667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFlUPL_UPphqcIVWSl_R5QqbqIjLWb7jeogQ0tJk4RymHWSAFd0b2vFVRQkBwcWii4zw03T6WopzEJMydRLW_iHv-mMfpeg8ZkqHb-PGAw-lQ-scbUfH_RCXCmBENHvuGnV-MHImQ3Jc/s320/S__12230667.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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On the way back to the car he pointed to the wedding party and said that this season was full of weddings (in a mix of Japanese and English) cause we'd seen like 3 parties basically in one day. I said I understood and he asked me if I had a wedding. I was like "HELL NO! Anata wa?" and he was like "HELL NO!" so we high fived. </div>
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We drove around for a little bit and he indicated that the road near Seto Ohasi bridge is popular for street car races. He kept saying Saturday in Japanese but Sunday in English and I realized he had the days memorized one off (this seems like a common problem, and I think it has something to do with us counting the start of the week at different points. Like for us its Monday but I think it may be Sunday for Japan, because Sunday is Nichiyoobi and I'm pretty sure that translates basically to day or first day.) I tried to indicate this, but we both just ended up laughing mostly, and he was just like "SENSEI! ABCDEFG~". We also ended up talking about Yakuza, cause I heard that Marugame was full of em. I asked and he was like "chotto---" (A lil) and said mostly it was young kids trying to act like yakuza--or the ever infamous yankee kids. He did say my apartment was closeish to a yakuza house! KOWAI! We got on that subject when talking about cigarettes, cause he said malboros were expensive and I was like "Kinishi-ne--ah fuck--kinishimazen." He nodded and then I mumbled the rude/yankee kid version Nobu taught me last weekend when we'd been out drinking (Nobu is hella funny. He likes to say he's American, not Japanese, and fucking loves being rowdy.) "Kinishineeyo." (I don't care/ closest I can get to I don't give a fuck). He laughed and said it was okay. Then I said I smoked Camels in america, and some how after we got on the subject of weed. He indicated that the Yakuza made their money off it in a big way. </div>
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It was a pretty rad time, if I do say so myself, even with the language gap. Who needs to talk when you can mime, right?</div>
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Yesterday I met up with Masamichi. Thursday I had indicated that I hadn't eaten Udon yet, which Kagawa is famous for, and he said he wanted to take me out to grab some before work. Sadly I had impromptu Udon the day before, but I didn't wanna ruin the parade so I just kinda mummed it up about that. We went to this hella awesome Udon shop right down the street from my house. Masamichi knows the owner (he knows like everybody, dude is so popular.) We grabbed Udon and-WOAH! MASAMICHI SUCCEEDED IN ACTUALLY TEACHING ME HOW TO HOLD CHOPSTICKS. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0EQjxfOmWF9d1MYDzVz-9YDg8aM31_utXDl2qSGveGcx16b0BY9Vgf-GP_H0MGku-uEEKuUX4aI654pR9ef9ic9B8h4aM_3sD_gFGVfI_A561F2xKPLDEV6zcTBWELOdAo1V9kX54IY/s1600/20151026_112804+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0EQjxfOmWF9d1MYDzVz-9YDg8aM31_utXDl2qSGveGcx16b0BY9Vgf-GP_H0MGku-uEEKuUX4aI654pR9ef9ic9B8h4aM_3sD_gFGVfI_A561F2xKPLDEV6zcTBWELOdAo1V9kX54IY/s320/20151026_112804+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This is the face of a winner. A proud, proud winner. </span></div>
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After, since I had some hella free time, we decided to go on a little tour. On Shikoku there's this special pilgrimage called the 88 temples. Kukai, or Kobodashi, was this famous Buddhist priest years and years ago who studied in China and came back to influence the spread of esoteric Buddhism. He was born in Zentsu-ji in 774 near the 75th tempe, which is hella close and where we stopped first. Apparently its the main one. It was huge. Masamich took me around and taught me how to wash my hands before prayer, and light incense. (I got one hella rad Japanese Dad.) Then he bought me a fortune which Coco later translated. Basically there's these options: Best luck, Good luck, Average Good luck, Average Luck, Late Good luck, and No Luck. I got late good luck. It advised I start things in Autumn, not Spring, and that I shouldn't cheat on people if I'm dating them. Also that if I'm sick, eventually I'll get better, and I might find something I lost. (I wonder what it is.) </div>
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He also had me ring this giant bell but I was hella timid about it so he was like "Do it harder!" </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Five roof tower at Zentsu-shi temple. </span></div>
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Next we went to 76, which is also in Zentsu-ji and 77 in Sakaide. Masamichi keeps encouraging me to just ride my bike to Sakaide. He says its close enough. I'm not so sure about that. It takes like 15 minutes by train. I may try it, but I may wait till I buy my own bike. The one I got on loan is a little beat up and not the quickest. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Giant Prayer Beads at 76</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">One of the temple buildings of 77</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kitsune statue at 77. </span></div>
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From what I can tell each one is devoted to something special. 75 was dedicated to ease of child birth and rearing children, 76 seemed devoted to study, and 77 to health. I could be off base on this and a quick google would clear things up, but right now this has devolved into quite the long thing, so I think I'll save it for next time. Each one sells lucky charms though for everything in general and I bought Masamichi and me little matching bell charms. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhI0KLrr1S0e-dvuFVAsRG35kjBqR2-6AGQhjp1LzK0tsyVD4xN_G6Yvr_Qv7IUNKRSd8yzpG_Oe8NY8dUCz7ClQLJkAvD5okZO8kkX52NkE_GaWdHNvt7cNFbrnYq6uf1BFjMpYujwA/s1600/20151026_140132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhI0KLrr1S0e-dvuFVAsRG35kjBqR2-6AGQhjp1LzK0tsyVD4xN_G6Yvr_Qv7IUNKRSd8yzpG_Oe8NY8dUCz7ClQLJkAvD5okZO8kkX52NkE_GaWdHNvt7cNFbrnYq6uf1BFjMpYujwA/s320/20151026_140132.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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At 77 Masamichi and I were crowded by some pigeons (hato) and he asked what pigeons say in English so I said "CooCooCoo" and he pointed at me and went "Just like you! Coolcoolcool!" Apparently pigeons are the symbol for peace. The emergency number is 119 for fire and ambulance,(kukushi I think is the word for ambulance). And apartment buildings are called mansions which confused the heck out of me when one of my students was talking about where he lived and I thought he must be hella rich. </div>
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After the shrines we went up Blue Mountain, which is close to my house. There's a park up there not many people go to that is absolutely beautiful, and apparently full of sakura blossoms in the spring. It'll probs take me an hour to climb it but god dammit, I'ma do that (as soon as I'm over a small cold I happen to have at this moment) and write some hella inspired something or others. At the top there were two women playing ukuleles at the look out point. (I can't think of a better word for this. It's like I'm losing my English the more I have to think about it.) The view was breath taking. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Gold Tower</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Seto Ohashi bridge. </span></div>
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There was also a small playground, but sadly no swingsets. I have yet to find any swingsets capable of being used by some one of my height. There was also an ancient tomb which adds a nice bit of creep to the park that will surely chase me off way before night fall. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Whats gonna crawl outta that thing? Nobody knows. </span></div>
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All in all, been having a blast. Should have another update coming up next week after Halloween wraps up. This week I have to dress up in costume for all my classes. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Coco and me. She's pretty much da besssssss. </span></div>
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Soon Print Oriented Bastards will be running my story "Wolf's Wake" so be ready for that. Got a few other publications coming out, but no set date yet. Been working on *gasp* FLASH FICTION! Which has been a lot of fun, and still pushing through slow line by line when it comes to the two YA novels and the short story I've been penning. Starting to think I have too many irons in the fire. But at least it gives me the chance to procrastinate on my writing by writing. </div>
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Talk to you soon bros. Enjoy the info dump.</div>
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cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-59467097173970777722015-10-04T18:54:00.000-07:002015-10-04T19:01:23.709-07:00わたしのとまだち!Wow! It's been like <i>forever.</i>Sorry, I've been busy hustling here in Japan. Teaching, learning Japanese, and trying out that Japanese on the locals here in Marugame with the help of a translator on my phone. That's right. Couri's getting a social life. (Don't worry, I'm still writing. Just a lil' less than I had been when I had no life in Japan.) With the help of a handy app called Talking Japanese, I've been working my way towards communication and (gasp!) pals! On top of that I've recently dropped some cash on a text book so I am slowly working my way towards speaking it in my own right. (The translations are a little nutty, after all, and best not to be trusted.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPAbuIHoh1Hgmd2r7cMx27a44jnYK16hBEHKIrRAB8t6j97wszPD4TDNqsF9mS4_z94LRvVCR6cf2Xce1hxJaVWehm9PrgxOpk5k_GFsW-P8fg8-66AvhHXdoSKJbPcr2I40nF4B8QDfs/s1600/20151001_230704+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a> So now I know a little bit more about how to get around, which is great. (Okay, so I know like 7 blocks instead of 3.) And I know what my city is like at night. And, woah, some of it is super beautiful in the dark. (Not that it's not during the day, of course.)<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Marugame lighthouse </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">View of Marugame from the bridge near the dock. </span></div>
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Couri's not 100% but kinda-okay method for making pals in Japan:<br />
*go out and walk around.<br />
*pick a friendly looking person<br />
*say Konbanwa!<br />
*try to make it work.<br />
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So as you all may recall from facebook, recently my apartment has been haunted by a coachroach. A big fucking gross ass one too. The first night I saw it I decided the best thing to do was just walk away cause shit is scary. So that's what I did.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">alas, even outside they are unavoidable. </span></div>
While doing this I saw Marugame at night. Not for the first time exactly, but for the first time over a prolonged just killing time type of way. I got to know Marugame a bit better. It's actually a lot like Youngstown in a few ways. It's a shrinking city, complete with rough n' tumble kids called yankees, graffiti and bars full of people getting wastey-faced.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I don't know who Garry is but he's a busy dude. This shit is everywhere.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoq00Lx5UFA7tDwm7KvRoxHtoRqPyDH0IzSwXvn_vVjHLSOPrARNrEQjnA0E2Al9o8i5vFZkcJAMn1xeZBob5u4VIDeOCefbVAR2dzF-aVVnHUhNIvPvY1bxiElSZXKheutYbZaKltiic/s1600/20150916_023802+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoq00Lx5UFA7tDwm7KvRoxHtoRqPyDH0IzSwXvn_vVjHLSOPrARNrEQjnA0E2Al9o8i5vFZkcJAMn1xeZBob5u4VIDeOCefbVAR2dzF-aVVnHUhNIvPvY1bxiElSZXKheutYbZaKltiic/s320/20150916_023802+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Marugame lso has stray dogs! Like everywhere!</span></div>
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While on these walks every now and then I'd exchange a greeting or two, and maybe some brave soul would try to hash out a conversation with me. Eventually I took my lack of social life and my lonely nights by the reigns, and gathered up all my pluck and courage, and decided to try my hand at talking back. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8VlqQ1GJS9ADCVcWoCrR_FbZ4mQOe-S16MGwco9ws_2SLf243wK2Xl4-IWPhdwklxzyxnUUs87ht7zChZcXMefBrUXBCZ721kQ64L-WXFQzB1HXjxHRDR5qBwHkS1CxDUTtmOPTs8tE/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8VlqQ1GJS9ADCVcWoCrR_FbZ4mQOe-S16MGwco9ws_2SLf243wK2Xl4-IWPhdwklxzyxnUUs87ht7zChZcXMefBrUXBCZ721kQ64L-WXFQzB1HXjxHRDR5qBwHkS1CxDUTtmOPTs8tE/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">my favorite Japanese wine cooler.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">i.e.: pluck and courage. </span></div>
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I've gotten to know a couple people now, and even have some actual friends (more or less.) On top of that I've had some pretty fantastic exchanges. Here are some notable ones. Any part marked with an * means it was spoken in the speakers non-native language. Most likely, if it's me, in a very broken way. # means I've resorted to a translator. </div>
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<u>Hip-Hoppers:Yu and Miguel </u></div>
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<u><br /></u></div>
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Miguel and Yu: (staring and waving intently as I approach.)</div>
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Me: Konbanwa. </div>
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Miguel: Hello!*</div>
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Me: How are you?*</div>
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Both exchange looks. Miguel: Good.</div>
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Me: How old are you?* </div>
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Both: 18. (point at me)</div>
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Me: 26*</div>
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Both nod.</div>
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I nod appreciatively and get ready to leave.</div>
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Yu: We are Hip-hoppers!</div>
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Me: Ah! Rappers? Sugoi!</div>
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Miguel: Yeah. Club. (points towards club down the way.) Hip hop. </div>
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Me: Club Axis? I go.*</div>
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(Both exchange looks.)</div>
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Miguel: You know?*</div>
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Me: Yes.*</div>
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Yu: (shows me a sticker in his hand then runs over and slaps it on a telephone pole.) Graffiti!</div>
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Me: (laughs. *aw so cute they think stickers = graffiti)</div>
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Yu: Yeah!*</div>
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Me: (sobering. *what if that is illegal in Japan? What if it is considered graffiti. Aw shit. Is it illegal in America? Man, I have no fucking clue.) (blinks). Good night* </div>
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Both: Bye!* </div>
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I've run in to Yu and Miguel a few times. Once Yu on his on. I came armed to that conversation with the necessary vocabulary. </div>
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Yu: Hey!</div>
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Me: Good evening. What's up?*</div>
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Yu: (shows me sticker in his palm) Graffiti. </div>
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Me: Oh.</div>
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Yu: Every day. All over.*</div>
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Me: *nods.* Illegal?*</div>
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Yu: ??</div>
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Me: Is it illegal? #</div>
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Yu nods and looks smug. </div>
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Me: OOOH. No illegal I can do! No illegal. Good luck!* (gets ready to book it.)</div>
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Yu: wait! Picture?*</div>
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Me: .......okay. hai. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sh-Am3xiougYI8n7bpa3qXUjbmJVzfW92Y7-bWBP-_lCJhO5RlZY_xxrzosu07MrCB772RFTqw1YSkjTBx1L2SNoG_thftQISnTGpLDwxdVL3G6FPnvE3POOEakc2rWHqHVqXRLoiXg/s1600/hiphop.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sh-Am3xiougYI8n7bpa3qXUjbmJVzfW92Y7-bWBP-_lCJhO5RlZY_xxrzosu07MrCB772RFTqw1YSkjTBx1L2SNoG_thftQISnTGpLDwxdVL3G6FPnvE3POOEakc2rWHqHVqXRLoiXg/s320/hiphop.png" width="282" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I can't resist showing off how cute I am. Ever. </span></div>
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It seems mostly that teenage boys around 18 with some kind of western hobby are the most likely to wanna talk at me. They also tend to be trouble makers, I think. Maybe not like the WORST trouble makers, but a little rowdy. Case in point, one of my favorites and the most eager to talk is:</div>
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<u>Skater-san/Jinjiro:</u></div>
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I actually first ran into this kid early in my second month here. I was heading to Club Axis, which is the hip hop club in the area that is pretty Western. My Japanese at that point was even more sorry than it is now, and so it was a short conversation. As I was walking down the arcade to my destination I heard the all too familiar, but unexpected rumble of skateboards. I stepped to the side and watched over my shoulder as two kids rolled by. The first breezed past, but the second stopped and bobbed his head at me. </div>
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Him: Yo.</div>
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Me: Hey. I mean uhh Konbanwa.</div>
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Him: (pointing at the winecooler in my hand) biiru.</div>
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Me: Hai. I drink beer. I like it. Do you like beer?*</div>
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Him: Club.* (points to Axis as we draw closer)</div>
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Me: Hai. I go. *</div>
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Him: No event.*</div>
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Me: (looking at it) is it open? (it looks open)</div>
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Him: No event tonight.*</div>
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Me: Where's cool around here? *Swtiches* Where do you go?</div>
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Him: We go.*</div>
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Me: Where?*</div>
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We pause and his friend comes over. We all blink collectively. The conversation has reached an impass. I sip my beer. </div>
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Him: Marijuana.</div>
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Me: (blinks) What?</div>
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Him: Marajuana. (motions at his mouth.)</div>
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Me: AH! No no. (cross my hands over my chest) (*switches*) I don't like. (switches) I'd be deported.(*)You like?*</div>
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Him: nods a bit.</div>
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Me: (laughing) Ahhh sugoi. Just like the skaters in America.</div>
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We pause again.</div>
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Me: Whats your name?*</div>
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Him: Jinjiro. (I forgot this, actually, thinking this was a one time run in and just saying words to say words, really.) </div>
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I shake his hand and he looks confused. </div>
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Him: You go? *points at bar*</div>
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I nod. </div>
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Him: Good night. </div>
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The next time I met him I was walking through the arcade. Still this was pre-translator so it was a pretty stilted conversation. As I walked down the street there were a ton of people hanging out at the end. I walked my way past, politely bobbing my head as necessary when one detached from the group and stepped out in front of me, arm raised as if he were hailing a taxi.</div>
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Me: Oh. Skater kid. It's you.</div>
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Him: Yo. What's up?*</div>
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Me: Going for a walk. (mimes walking in the air.)</div>
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Him: Club?</div>
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Me: I don't go.* () Work tomorrow. </div>
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Him: blinks. </div>
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Me: Walk. </div>
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Him: (nods) You go.*</div>
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Me: Yeah. Bye.</div>
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Him: Bye.</div>
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I turn and wave at the group of kids clustered at the end of the street who are bug eyeing me and they wave back. On my way home I see them again, pushing Jinjiro who is sitting on a skateboard. </div>
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Me: Cute.*</div>
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They all wave and smile. </div>
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One towards the back: USA?</div>
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Me: Hai.</div>
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O.T.T.B: EEEH? Sugoi!</div>
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Our next meeting occurred when I was out drinking with a bro of mine who I will get to named Kosaku. It was pretty short and I was pretty faded. Shorthand he said he was high as fuck and I said WAH? Then tried to teach him a drunk handshake. I asked how old he was (successfully in Japanese!) And understood he was 18. Then I exclaimed that he was hella young more or less (in Japanese.) And asked if he wanted to be pals and teach me Japanese. Kosaku was trying to help make sense of this as best he could. Then we parted ways and Ko was like "Couri be careful, that kid is a little nutty*" (More or less how I figured what he was trying to say.)</div>
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The next time I ran into him I was much more sober and much more adept with translating through my phone. (Thanks to practice the above mentioned pal.) As I was exploring a little further I came to the shipyard, and I saw a kid sitting on the stairs with a skateboard. Beyond I see more kids with skateboards. I pop my earphones out, already knowing what is about to occur. And sure enough as I approach one distances himself from the herd and the arm goes up. </div>
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Me: Oh. It's you. </div>
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Him: Yo. What's up. </div>
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Me: Not much. (*) What're you up to?</div>
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Him: Skate.</div>
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Me: (nod). How are you?*</div>
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Him: Good!</div>
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Me: (nods and prepares to move on.)</div>
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Him: Did you go to high school today? (He must've thought I'd understand this. Which I did, kind of. I know the word high school.)</div>
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Me: You're a high school student?*</div>
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Him: (looks confused, sets board down to cross his arms) No! (points at me) Did you go to high school today?</div>
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Me: (blinks and decides the correction of my place of occupation is needlessly complicated due to the language gap.) Yeah. Hai. </div>
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Him: Oh. (nods). (Whispers of sugoi from the spectators.)</div>
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Me: Whats your job?*</div>
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Him: Eh?</div>
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Me: Job? What?*</div>
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Him: ehhhhh (I hand him my phone and switch it to japanese 2 english and show him how to talk into it) Ah! Shipbuilder*</div>
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Me: (nods, not really understanding what that entails and throws out a sugoi just for the sake of that's what I think I'm supposed to say.)</div>
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Him: (nods, pleased. Points at me.) English teacher.* </div>
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Me: Hai. I'm an English Teacher.*</div>
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Him: (pointing at himself) Japanese teacher.*</div>
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Me: You'll teach me Japanese?</div>
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Him: Ya.*</div>
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Me: Thanks.*</div>
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(at this point we exchanged a way to talk through a messaging system and I relearn his name.)</div>
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Me: Can I take a picture of you skating? (mimes)</div>
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Him: (nods.)</div>
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Me: (Takes out phone and gestures for him to stand somewhere) </div>
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Him: (blinks and shakes his head) Money.</div>
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Me: What? Wait a minute.* You want me to pay you for a picture?#</div>
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Him: Yeah. (*)Unemployed.</div>
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Me: You just told me you were a shipbuilder </div>
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Him: (blinks)</div>
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Me: You mean you're broke. (#*) broke.(*#) </div>
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Him: (blinks) Film?</div>
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Me: (laughing) Hai. </div>
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Him: Money.</div>
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Me: I don't have*</div>
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Him: (laughs too). </div>
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Me: Okay, well, I'ma walk now. (mimes)</div>
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Him: Go for walk.* </div>
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Me: Hai.</div>
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Him: (motions for phone translator) Touch (asking for keyboard instead of speech) (types out Yung Wild and Free in english while saying it)</div>
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Me: What?!* () THAT WAS ENGLISH! YOU COULD HAVE JUST SAID IT! What the fuck are you doing?</div>
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Him: (laughing) I'm young wild and free*</div>
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Me: Okay. Nice seeing you.#</div>
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Him: (gestures for phone) # Do you go to highschool what where I go?</div>
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Me: I don't understand*</div>
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Him: (looks at phone and frowns, shakes head. Gives up.) Nice to meet you too. </div>
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I scurry off quietly cackling and shaking my head. </div>
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At first he was my fave just cause other than the young cute girl on the train he was the only person to randomly approach me, but he's transcended that now just by being a source of constant amusement. Mother fucker is trying to be so America, trying to charge me for a picture. I will not be scammed tho. Ain't giving that lil' punk shit. But I do find him sooooo fucking funny, so I'll probs keep saying hi. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWrY2BtDccjbMobuDznOLi2EPaOt4DP0bLnSrLe88zN3eJWsYsfC1LB_k5_az_riEmI7yxu5EN2FDV3YQx07mfj-sX1oD6jmQrlFU-o5JcSMY3Asv2y7doeGuzO4pwY5QfsjgpAGGyZs/s1600/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWrY2BtDccjbMobuDznOLi2EPaOt4DP0bLnSrLe88zN3eJWsYsfC1LB_k5_az_riEmI7yxu5EN2FDV3YQx07mfj-sX1oD6jmQrlFU-o5JcSMY3Asv2y7doeGuzO4pwY5QfsjgpAGGyZs/s320/unnamed+%25281%2529.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">since I wouldn't cough up the dough, here is an poorly drawn reenactment of the encounter. </span></div>
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<u>Drunk Businessmen "Kevin 1 &2"</u></div>
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These dudes were walking the arcade one night when I was sitting outside just doodling and writing<u style="font-style: italic;">. </u>They were pretty wasted but nice dudes. They sat down and started trying to talk to me. One knew a bit of english, so there wasn't much translation going on, especially since my phone was dying. </div>
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Mostly they kept saying I looked 17 and grabbing my chu-hi away from me. Then they tried to read my fiction. One would pretend to read it and always just say: "KEVIN! OH KEVIN! I LOVE YOU KEVIN! I NEED YOU!" and I'd cry: "I don't know Kevin!* much to their delight. Then he'd say "next page" and start all over. The one who spoke less English would say something and the other would shout "Shut up Kevin! I'm reading!" Then they'd laugh more. It was pretty redick, and they tried to give me their numbers and ask me to lunch. I let them write them down and excused myself, never to call again. </div>
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<u>Ruuuude 26 year olds.</u></div>
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These two passed by right before the business men. They stopped to say hi and we spoke through translator. One was much more talkative than the other. Basically this conversation boiled down to them asking me how old I was, what I was doing, and if I had a boyfriend, all of which I navigated okayish. One was a delivery boy. I told them I used to deliver pizzas. They laughed. The other was a kindergarten teacher (who flashed me a tattoo on his shoulder and then asked for a high five.) He was the less talkative of the two, and seemed the nicer one as well. His name is Tetsuya. The other I can't remember, I ignored him after he asked what my cup size was. I said that's rude, he laughed, and I got super frosty, kinda ending the conversation there. </div>
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As far as actual friends go, my coworkers from Gem School are super cool. I went to this girl Rose's birthday party. We sang karaoke in a private room. It was a lot of fun, and I was super extra drunk cause before that I really hadn't drank since I was in the States.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rose and her boyfriend Alex. Both very cool. </span><br />
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And then there's Kosaku, who speaks a little English. Mostly we translate shit to each other through our phones. He's like my new weekend drinking buddy. He likes to watch horror movies so we'll usually grab a chu-hi or two and watch one either Friday or Saturday night. He's a good kid. College student, 20 (which is the legal age for both smoking and drinking here.) I also suspect he's increasingly worried about my ability to survive. One time I crossed the street (late at night when no one was around) on red, and he was like "No! Couri! Be Careful!"and we managed to discuss the legality of it, but I don't know if it translated well. I said "I know its kinda illegal but there are no cops so it's ok" to the best of my phone's ability, and he said something along the same lines, so I thought we had an understanding, but then he kept trying to teach me how to cross at every intersection. Then I said "Hi" to this girl outside of Donkey who was looking at me and he was like "NO! COURI! SHE'S A YANKEE!" (Coincidentally he said be careful when he met Skater-san too, but apparently he isn't a yankee, just into partying too hard.) So far I've shown him this really horrible clown movie on netflix, and Orphan. Thinking of trying to get through the Babadook with him, but I'm not sure how well it will translate. Even with my shitty ass no Japanese, I could see the Japanese subtitles were sometimes saying something completely different than what was being said. I hope to achieve fluency one day just so I can call bullshit on that. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">My first rum and coke in Japan.</span></div>
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Kosaku tagged along with me to a party at Marugame castle that was mostly foreigners and some Japanese people who spoke English. It was a pretty radical time and I even ran into Nobu. Nobu is this fellow who stopped to try and help me my first day here. I was on my street like 10ft away from my apartment, but I'd basically forgotten what it looked like. He approached me with perfect English, asking if I was lost. I said kinda, but I knew I was close and we had a small conversation while I looked around trying to spot my living space. Eventually it clicked that I was right outside and he said if I needed any help to let him know, but we didn't exchange any info. </div>
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At the party he stepped up to me and was like "Hey! Do you remember me?" And was shocked I even still knew his name. He lives close by and just this last Friday I took a walk with him and his pal Tomoko. He's 28, but when I asked Tomoko her age she just said it was a secret and laughed. She's super cute. Nobu is much wilder and goofier than I thought when I first met him too. Tomoko doesn't speak a whole lot of English but Nobu translated between us. </div>
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Part of this is going to need some clarification. When I first arrived in Japan I spent a large amount of time laying around cramming in all of Community, and soon after took to saying "coolcoolcool" like Abed. It wasn't a conscious choice, more something I picked up and under the stress of living somewhere foreign, kinda latched on to. It's a habit now, and I say it a lot. And since I'm usually talking to non native speakers I usually say it with both my thumbs up, kinda posed like the Fonsi. Nobu and Tomoko noticed this pretty quick into our walk and started saying it to. (A lot of my students also repeat it and its so adorable.) The difference is Nobu was hella aware that this is not a standard thing so he started teasing me and passed the joke on to Tomoko. He actually does this redick impression of me where he pretends to smoke fervently then sticks his thumbs up and says "coolcoolcool" and Tomoko would follow suit. They referred to it through out the night as Couri-style. (He's also reenacted our meeting like twice and always plays it as if I was terrified. He made me play act it with him for Tomoko and at the end he was like "Shit, you have a good memory.") </div>
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I taught them the phrase "to a T" cause after his impression I was like "That's it. Perfect. You got me down to a T," and it was one thing in English he didn't understand. When asked why we said that I had to really think hard about its origins. The best guess I could hazard was linked to the whole "cross you i's and dot your t's" biz, but it was hard to explain. They taught me the cuss word for "Go die" but I can't exactly remember it. Apparently its the most offensive word in Japan atm. "Shinai"? Maybe? Ahhhh. Not sure. Then when I tried to say "no problem" in response to how my life in Japan was going they laughed super hard. "No problem" (as in I have none *doesn't work in response to thanks, btws*) is "Mondai nai." But I was saying "Monde nai". Which apparently means "I didn't grope/grab it." When they explained this I said "Opi monde nai." (I didn't grope the boob.) Much to their delight. (So boom. I successfully joked in Japanese. Cross that shit off the list of things to do.)</div>
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Another great pal I have here is Masamichi. He's a student of mine that I mentioned before. My Japanese dad. Soon though I may be losing him cause there is a possible schedule shift that will have me teaching in Kanonji on Thursdays rather than Marugame. Which sucks cause Thursday was my favorite day. All my favorite students are on that day, like Ricky, Tony and Keith who I've been teaching "Quit Lying" too. Tony is real bright and latched on to it right away. He even knows how to say "It's not a lie!/I'm not lying." And Ricky is just this doe eyed sweet heart who I adore. When I told them I may not teach them anymore Tony was like "That's cool. OK." and I was like "Damn Tony, I thought we were close."(on the inside of course.) But Ricky was like "WA!!!?" Oh gosh, he's just so cute I want to carry him around in a backpack. And of course Masamichi is the bomb. Last lesson he helped me translate my name into Kanji: <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">香城村. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">香 </span>is for Ka(ori) and means good smell. <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">城 </span>is for Jo and means castle. <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">村 </span>is for son and means village. So I'm a good smelling castle village. There's also ice of course which is: <span style="font-family: 'Linux Libertine', Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3;">氷 </span>but I'm reserving that for my rap career/close pals. This weekend he took me for sushi and karaoke with his pals. (He's also taken me out to the Marugame Fan museum and gave me this super old really cool fan.) </div>
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The Sushi bar was super coolcoolcool. Very traditional. I ate a lot. They had me try pretty much every thing there, and even though I was full like halfway through I kept going cause they were so nice and I really wanted to be as polite as possible. (But I don't exactly know how to do that. Shit, I don't even know how to do that in the States.) I know this much, octopus is hella hard to swallow. They also served the shrimp full body but kept reminding me not to eat the head. It stared at me beseechingly and I thought for a moment how shrimp had been the last meat I ate before I became a vegetarian in the states. Then I shoved that shit in my mouth in the name of being a good guest. (Oh yea, guys, I am for sure eating meat in Japan just so you know. After all I lack the basic skills of telling what has meat and what doesn't.) Masamichi taught me that Shamisen player (accompanied by a little air guitar motion) means someone is a liar, and through out the night he and his friends would tell redick lies about being rich or this or that and Masamichi would indicate it was a lie. Eventually I picked it up as well. And I even got my own lie in when sumo wrestling came up and one actually mentioned the WWE and the Rock. "Dwayne Johnson," he said. And I said. "Watashi no onisan." And boom! Second joke in Japanese. Also much fun was had regarding my name and the bucket of ice cubes.</div>
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After we went to a karaoke bar called Kaori where the hostesses name was Kaori which, as Masamichi delightedly pointed out, is basically my name to. We drank a little brandy and Masamichi and I sang the Carpenters, the Beetles, and Whitney Huston together. I also was asked to sing Let it Go from Frozen and the theme from Sailor Moon (they only had it in Japanese but I sang the English of what I could remember. Trouble is? There are parts with lyrics in the Japanese version that aren't in the English version. But they cheered anyway. They're so supportive despite my horrible voice.) </div>
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It was a lot of fun. If I do lose Masamichi as a student, I hope to keep him as a pal. Oh yeah! They also have this wonderful service here where you can call a prof. driver to drive your car for you when you've been drinking. Real smart. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">me, Masamichi, and his friends. </span></div>
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After I got a text through Line from Jinjiro that there was an event at Axis. I stopped in for a beer, figuring I may as well check it out. Alllll of my little ruffians were trying to be hard and just being adorbs. Starting to feel like I'm the Wendy of my own little Lost Boys. At first they all stopped to say hi, but as there was no signal I was without a translator, so it was a little rough talking to them. Then this burly Egyptian who speaks English swooped in and started chatting me up. No lie, dude was coming on strong, and it caused my kids to drop back a little and just kinda eye us from the sidelines. There were maybe 20 people there, and we were the only two foreigners. A lot of people were def. eyeing us up. He's okay but kinda aggressive, so I would slip away or allow him to slip away as much as possible. Once when I was alone I noticed this cute little hip hop girl kinda looking at me and taking steps forward and back. I smiled and waved at her and she ran right over and was like "HI WHERE ARE YOU FROM!?" We talked a little bit,and then she ran off, and she pulled forward an even tinier girl. The initial girl was 20, the smaller girl 18. They asked if I came to Axis a lot and I said sometimes. It was the 18 year olds first time. They liked to dance. Then Yu and Miguel came over, Miguel apparently knowing the 20 year old girl. We established that we were all pals. Then the Egyptian dude came back and started talking to the 20 year old (who kinda slipped off) then the 18 year old, and I felt myself brace a little. Like "SHES AN INNOCENT FLOWER YOU KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF!" But it seemed okay and she too slipped off eventually. </div>
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The even was a live rap show, which I didn't understand other than the occasional "homie" and "so slow" and "west side" (which their hand signal for is completely different than ours.) In the crowd I saw Jinjiro -gasp-smoking a cigarette, and I approached him and said, "Otooto!(lilbrother) Wakaidesu!" Gesturing at his cigarette. He said 19 back and I blinked cause dude keeps fluctuating between 18 and 19. I shook my finger and said "wakai!" one more time and indicated the cigarette. Then I indicated I'd be watching him and he laughed. </div>
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At some point a bottle of wine was opened for the performers and passed around and I was like "WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE ARE 18 YEAR OLD KIDS HERE." So apparently either my age or Japan is turning me in to a total mom. At the end of the show the little 20 year old girl ran up to me and took my hands and said "Couri! It's stage time!" And ran up to dance along with Miguel and her friend. I smiled but did not partake, choosing to elbow Jinjiro lightly and ask him why he wasn't dancing. </div>
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"Not hip hop." he said. "Love song." It was def kinda American hiphop-pop. Can't remember the exact song. But I nodded and said: "Aah, you don't like pop." </div>
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"WuTang Clan," he said back, I laughed and nodded. Said I understood. He disappeared for a moment, and as I was finishing my smoke, decided I would leave soon, but he popped back up with the remains of the bottle of wine and passed it to me. Then stood a little ways away. I assumed this was a show of friendship/affection and appreciated the gesture. But instead of staying and getting drunk(er), I scurried on home after feigning a sip (I ain't that trusting), and saying good bye. </div>
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The next day I worked Kid's fest in Takamatsu, and while I didn't have a lot of sleep is was a lot of fun. We read and talked to kids to raise their interest in Gem school, and I met the brightest 10 year old who speaks fantastic english and plays minecraft towards the end. I watched him build the tent we were housed in, and we played tag. At the end of the day he came to us and asked us where and when we taught and we wrote down the info for him. He's from Takamatsu, so I probs won't get him as a student, but it'd be cool to know he's around. </div>
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So that's what I've been up to. I'm still writing and studying too. I'm working on a shortstory actually inspired by the arcade and the rough n' tumble kids of Marugame called Yoosei Yankees (Yoosei being the word for fairy.) Should be fun. </div>
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Hope everything is cool back in the States! Love ya bros!</div>
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cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-4756366073593948392015-09-07T20:34:00.001-07:002015-09-07T20:41:11.520-07:00These are a Few of My Favorite ThingsBeen kinda busy and hella fatigued this last week. Caught and got over my first cold in Japan and then also my first hangover in Japan. Fun times. Haven't done much when it comes to sight seeing but I did go to a coworkers birthday party which was a good time and the root of the aforementioned hangover.<br />
So as for this post, I figured I would just give you all a general sense of the things I dig about Japan thus far with a comprehensive list titled:<br />
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The Things I Dig About Japan Thus Far:</div>
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Ballsy Ass Pigeons</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This bird does not give one fuck.</span></div>
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There's a lot of wildlife here, and it seems more or less unperturbed by people doing whatever the hell it is people do. I'll come up on a flock of pigeons just chilling in the middle of a path and they'll hardly spare me a glance or move out of the way. The only time I've seen them scatter is when little kids straight up run at them at full speed screaming like they're about to cross into Mordor. On top of that the ravens here are fucking huge. Its easy to see how Japan could come up with a game where birds might one be the dominate species, and also may be the size of people (that was always unclear to me.) </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I could also see why they might be interested in dating these hardcore motherfuckers. </span></div>
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Rivers and the Things That Live in Them. </div>
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There is a river or some body of water pretty much everywhere you look. And there's a shit ton of stuff in them. Oh, yeah, and like the water is clear enough that you can see those things. Having lived next to a park with its own fair share of lakes and rivers, its nice to have something like that around here to kinda make it feel homey. Although they're kind of a different breed. For Youngstown folk, I guess the easiest way to explain it would be the Lilly Pond x 10. I mean, you may spot like four or five turtles as the Lily Pond chilling on a rock or some shit, but check that out. That picture right there is like at least twenty turtles. That's at least five times as many turtles. That's what I call getting a bang for your buck. And people just fish like everywhere. I was riding near a pretty buisnessy section of town over a bridge and there was just this dude standing there fishing. Pole in the water, bucket of fishy ice at his feet. At night I'll see people along Old China River just throwing their poles in. Fishing, from what I can tell, is a major hobby here. And who can blame them? They're everywhere. </div>
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(The whole fishing where you find water and catching something in Pokemon makes much more sense now. So does riding your bike from town to town. That is literally something you can do. Which brings me to my next thing.)</div>
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Travel</div>
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Is so easy. Like, it just makes me kinda mad that America hasn't worked out a better transportation system. And also that there's no ferries cuz we don't need em, we don't got that much water--but still. I haven't taken a ferry yet, but the fact that I can is pretty radical. America, why don't you flood a little so I can come home and travel by ferry? I expect to find you Venice'd up upon my return. Get to work. Plus there are the </div>
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Trains! (specifically.)</div>
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I love taking the trains. Like dig it so much. So far I haven't had any grievous mishaps. They seem simple enough to work out. (I'll probably kick myself for saying that when I end up on the other side of the island.) A lot of them look crazy awesome too. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJbNDp5FX7LQsfX5jxuNk3TsrCwW6vaqN_ZdCIrJ_EXzFAdQwdXUoi3CHzq4enAAImwjjIE9Z-c4hyJ0rFlnoUJ1uU7R5lRYq0DBkeZWwquh01E-DsSNp-a2oK3sAYbGpJUOcBRW6Thc/s1600/20150905_182300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJbNDp5FX7LQsfX5jxuNk3TsrCwW6vaqN_ZdCIrJ_EXzFAdQwdXUoi3CHzq4enAAImwjjIE9Z-c4hyJ0rFlnoUJ1uU7R5lRYq0DBkeZWwquh01E-DsSNp-a2oK3sAYbGpJUOcBRW6Thc/s320/20150905_182300.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Wut is this? A bunch of dinos, dolls, flowers and fish? Nah, its more than that. That's what we call art, son. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Also it'll take my ass home. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Let's see you do that, American art. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHc0nNpyk56FVpFWLpHBm-mpYjaUgiFDj2QX49qUpbMxNU2JCNGhntqPI-opb1fb6uwb4zU7JAcKdqnlp4dclokFEd4EikUnIlrqC8m_YxB5JXRSS-hRasnF2-6ANBdJs1VXquSC7w0Bw/s1600/20150905_181820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHc0nNpyk56FVpFWLpHBm-mpYjaUgiFDj2QX49qUpbMxNU2JCNGhntqPI-opb1fb6uwb4zU7JAcKdqnlp4dclokFEd4EikUnIlrqC8m_YxB5JXRSS-hRasnF2-6ANBdJs1VXquSC7w0Bw/s320/20150905_181820.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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That one right above is an Ampanman train. One of the first things I kinda learned about when I got here. Kids love him. He feeds people his head which is made out of bread, apparently. So an easy way to make students laugh is to pretend to eat them. (Or they could just find the idea of cannibalism delightful all on its own. Hard to say.) </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vGXx03e59mM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vGXx03e59mM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Anpanman pilot. </span></div>
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The view from the train is usually pretty spectacular. There's one stretch in particular where its so close to the sea, it looks almost like you're coasting over water, and there's this small shrine out on an island with a bridge leading to it which is pretty much the most beautiful thing ever. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQaw9SxbIrILbvLqH7AjHP95vZ89aWAQtdraYPJn7Ul9T1lk5lEw6NbM68_nvnu8X3Ny4rCgIEka28Jq19qpV9NIcAudVlOLzT5g31R6JVlEWYT6a7iAXtIFClPUwnZuWxVpryea6ewQ/s1600/20150904_092803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQaw9SxbIrILbvLqH7AjHP95vZ89aWAQtdraYPJn7Ul9T1lk5lEw6NbM68_nvnu8X3Ny4rCgIEka28Jq19qpV9NIcAudVlOLzT5g31R6JVlEWYT6a7iAXtIFClPUwnZuWxVpryea6ewQ/s320/20150904_092803.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">No photo available so please accept this picture of me in a wolf hat which</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">is also pretty much the most beautiful thing ever. </span></div>
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Trains also are like the perfect place to scribble a poem or two. Actually Japan in general gives me a shit ton of </div>
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Time to Write! <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(That's what we call a motherfucking SMOOTH TRANSITION!)</span></div>
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I've gotten like 20 poems done since getting here, two and 1/4 short stories, and put in some great organizational work and writing on the YA novel I'm trying to bust out. Plus I've got about 30 submissions (a lot of them simultaneous) sitting on the market as I type this. (It feels like it's taking forever to hear back cause of this, and everything that I am getting published is like so far in the future its making me impatient to the point of skin itchery.) I found time to write in America, yeah, and was cranking stuff out even when I was working as a telemarketer and my time was mostly ate up by the hours spent haranguing old folk for their money, but here I have time to write, work, study and also do other things. It's crazy what can be done when cold blooded capitalism doesn't stand in the way, and you don't have to work crazy hours to make a livable wage! To bad America can't be like that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMcV1hKUO48iUyTmG3iNzZRl9QP9z8eIsymC1LLkT_PmIWi18Hxm3oGPSYu7gmakLWhddLWwpBpq3hZICkX0qP6JkD9SqNFqwmsv43DVnGkAnrenaBk-VaMrEAvrH4XU8xeIPiafHZvw/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMcV1hKUO48iUyTmG3iNzZRl9QP9z8eIsymC1LLkT_PmIWi18Hxm3oGPSYu7gmakLWhddLWwpBpq3hZICkX0qP6JkD9SqNFqwmsv43DVnGkAnrenaBk-VaMrEAvrH4XU8xeIPiafHZvw/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Right, Bernie? </span></div>
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But nah, seriously. Getting some good scribbles and studying done. Now insert clever transition to:</div>
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Shrines</div>
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Which are everywhere. On my way to 7/11, there's a shrine. Going to work? Probs going to see a shrine. There's very little coding to where stuff is placed here, which means the historical and spiritual is bumping shoulders with the modern and commercial, and that makes for a really interesting blend of sights when your just walking around. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlfGnTo3QciGdKKc4jz0SOy_pQ8xyZv3rmwNbkUIvFtpwCMB8lD034OTln3DKieQStFlc4APDb7vE5GnU3b2VWpgzRr9zS-DT6UvJl6Vi6i8vo3yf_7v2pyOGYrfSRLymwmbhWK9hHTE/s1600/20150828_094557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPlfGnTo3QciGdKKc4jz0SOy_pQ8xyZv3rmwNbkUIvFtpwCMB8lD034OTln3DKieQStFlc4APDb7vE5GnU3b2VWpgzRr9zS-DT6UvJl6Vi6i8vo3yf_7v2pyOGYrfSRLymwmbhWK9hHTE/s320/20150828_094557.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I like to think those are pugs. I know I'm wrong but </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I don't wanna be right. </span></div>
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Shikoku is actually a pretty rad place to be in if you wanna go temple hopping and such. It's home of the 88 Temple Pilgrimage associated with the Buddhist monk Kukai. A lot of people come here to complete (traditionally) the 750 mile walk along Shikoku to visit each Temple. (Now people also use bikes, trains, cabs, ect, cause we're lazy and they're there.) On top of that there's a good 200 temples on the island not related to the walk, and also a ton of smaller shrines. </div>
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I think I'm done transitioning now so lets just move onto </div>
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THESE WEIRD LITTLE COCA COLA CARS!?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkfOl1dFe97NJwCfN9IiegzvI5GUWxORar2tJGZWP-vcZQJtphm7YcbQvNRSWvWYfdg8MA-ogE8IIUmwdcLJKnVibBM6qamUJXa3PfBMOQyWMZhJBlmtqBLG4QhEkPpxwp70GzY_TTm4/s1600/20150905_181219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkfOl1dFe97NJwCfN9IiegzvI5GUWxORar2tJGZWP-vcZQJtphm7YcbQvNRSWvWYfdg8MA-ogE8IIUmwdcLJKnVibBM6qamUJXa3PfBMOQyWMZhJBlmtqBLG4QhEkPpxwp70GzY_TTm4/s320/20150905_181219.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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What is this? Look at it. It's so cute. It's like, not big enough to be a truck transporting good right? But here it is. Doing what? What is your purpose? Why are you here? I haven't seen any other brands driving cars like this around. Why do you make me so thirsty? You're an enigma. A beautiful corporate enigma. An that's pretty much all I have to say about that. </div>
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And</div>
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last but not least</div>
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In fact, pretty much all of these have been at random, but</div>
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this next one is probably my favorite among favorites--</div>
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My local tobacco stand dude. Or more specifically him and his wife. </div>
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They are just too cute. Like today he was watching TV and I was too shy to knock on the window. His wife was nearby drinking tea and noticed me and her reaction was adorable. She rushed over and tapped him on the shoulder and waved at me really hard. Then she picked out a lighter that she thrust into his palm to give me, as she always does when she is in the area of the window. She is like the sweetest lady ever. And they also feed my addiction so there's that. </div>
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<br />cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-25471527957685515852015-08-30T05:11:00.001-07:002015-08-30T05:11:52.150-07:00Routines and TakumaSo I've gotten more or less comfortable where I'm at. It wasn't too hard. Marugame seems pretty easy to navigate, and there's a lot about it that reminds me of home. They're simillarish in size, and sometimes I see something that is just so Youngstown, I could forget for a moment that I'm in Japan.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLup-tLE8W96_omWaF0sx53cCOg1HnjHEJQiYUJTN11gkqf6cd4NXa1VoB-tzCZvSq5meX71FEaUdCN-LlV5y1IFzVDfPCjUfjgWqRGx8jbBRXn9FfKPmTUzQ6FXquK9z9xOCDYkadpI/s1600/20150829_215824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOLup-tLE8W96_omWaF0sx53cCOg1HnjHEJQiYUJTN11gkqf6cd4NXa1VoB-tzCZvSq5meX71FEaUdCN-LlV5y1IFzVDfPCjUfjgWqRGx8jbBRXn9FfKPmTUzQ6FXquK9z9xOCDYkadpI/s320/20150829_215824.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">such as sloppy English graffiti near the train station.</span></div>
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<img src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HIQdoh2MT6s/hqdefault.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">kinda suicide club esque. </span></div>
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Every day I wake up, read some news, write a little of this or that, study either Japanese or for the GRE and then take a walk around the castle. Here, it seems easy to focus and manage all of that. Working in the evenings opens me up for my personal, most productive hours. Plus, the amount of hours are low and the work itself is kinda easy and fun. I like my students a lot. Right now we're actually switching semesters, so I'm not going to have many of them in the upcoming months. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4pAv4vj2PZDk6AJnTKpoJMzjMKJ87dTCGuCjsreQ8tjJFOIRp1z06BtncPLwYH4_DpZsiqjSd6qULl1_9_yimw8R_ckv0WVtjcYLhH5_OAK49y8pYSjt-Ag9FNJZTMHjEV6HqmMCRiU/s1600/20150829_193027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4pAv4vj2PZDk6AJnTKpoJMzjMKJ87dTCGuCjsreQ8tjJFOIRp1z06BtncPLwYH4_DpZsiqjSd6qULl1_9_yimw8R_ckv0WVtjcYLhH5_OAK49y8pYSjt-Ag9FNJZTMHjEV6HqmMCRiU/s320/20150829_193027.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">doodle by one of my faves that /I don't have next semester</span></div>
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As I get comfortable I notice more. Like the fact that the cigarette guy is selling smokes out of his house and he just has a window installed in the front. He seems way friendlier that I initially thought to, and chuckled when my yen almost floated away in the wind. I noticed because there was a woman sitting in the parlor talking, and it drew my eye a little deeper in. She smiled at me, said something to him, and he threw in a free lighter. (Score.)</div>
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I've been feeling a bit under the weather this weekend so no big big crazy adventures, except Sunday (today!) a few of my pals and I got together and headed to the Tokuma Mall.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnlwsXczpWxuvH2Vv7RKbkTlsyLIhS0KTaubMlCNEbvZPuVYB8doimeAEyRZyiXFb_58zrUBSKjWjem4tZRMzUxzXvxJWLINm_OzHgNQbgKR_HdB88kNKH93MTAeCWrQ4Y9WvrejcbUI/s1600/20150830_133338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnlwsXczpWxuvH2Vv7RKbkTlsyLIhS0KTaubMlCNEbvZPuVYB8doimeAEyRZyiXFb_58zrUBSKjWjem4tZRMzUxzXvxJWLINm_OzHgNQbgKR_HdB88kNKH93MTAeCWrQ4Y9WvrejcbUI/s320/20150830_133338.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Our train was attacked by a Gundam while we were en route. Only us and a few others managed to survive.</span></div>
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We spent the day going in and out of stores. There was a shop selling kimono for like 10 bucks, but the obis were like 50 so I passed. We also ate at a little cafe where we split a parfait that is legit the size of your head.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSU3CwCg_MTuj63pkV3bzERLRJCvmWlJ0eKDyLw-QuBbyVPaf0hX-TPl5F5Pzfof2rlpjzNERsF9qTjVpmcF4UXiCkgVHP5FAKC5Kz-yi2fFc3Jjt7s0PS77eJJchKu_KDDT87ntP9fM/s1600/20150830_152622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSU3CwCg_MTuj63pkV3bzERLRJCvmWlJ0eKDyLw-QuBbyVPaf0hX-TPl5F5Pzfof2rlpjzNERsF9qTjVpmcF4UXiCkgVHP5FAKC5Kz-yi2fFc3Jjt7s0PS77eJJchKu_KDDT87ntP9fM/s320/20150830_152622.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">the most delicious head.</span></div>
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There were stores with bad english, halloween stuff, strange stationary and incomprehensible notebooks. Everything you could really want in a Japanese mall. There were also tons and tons of machines where you could pop in 200-400 yen and get a little figurine, like a lady who will sit on your cup, or a cat on a cake, or maybe a bathrobe for your cellphone. They also had their Halloween stuff out. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX22bwb2oqKZiFQsUW4pQ-QYCZDyUz_4vUHcBIqL01d0kLXMQgV_tOuZDK-fdo4nc2EbkiGq3cFS6aovZ__sgVhVpXTrDQiVPW6lh4yyrz3yQk2GQyioPQ2lrnvGfIdvUHEoxhrDK4_nE/s1600/20150830_175537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX22bwb2oqKZiFQsUW4pQ-QYCZDyUz_4vUHcBIqL01d0kLXMQgV_tOuZDK-fdo4nc2EbkiGq3cFS6aovZ__sgVhVpXTrDQiVPW6lh4yyrz3yQk2GQyioPQ2lrnvGfIdvUHEoxhrDK4_nE/s320/20150830_175537.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hell Pole. Where Satan lives with his elves, right?</span></div>
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We even had this adorable photobooth competition where we split in to teams and tried to beat each other in a cute, scary, sexy and ugly photo. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Keiti and Jillian </span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dh0Pp8mB4ahZxGP2WVP_sVk3_Y0u8Nt9yVEFGZfCsSEPv4H3vsVyv1OH664Qf8e-4Pkhh_zFJw0lqXQTjSQAELObF7h-apLPRckSadsrZ77VszMC12IhCn1m6GFOsYp_30s3aX3N_5g/s1600/11898655_10153584004277943_2148589722337385485_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dh0Pp8mB4ahZxGP2WVP_sVk3_Y0u8Nt9yVEFGZfCsSEPv4H3vsVyv1OH664Qf8e-4Pkhh_zFJw0lqXQTjSQAELObF7h-apLPRckSadsrZ77VszMC12IhCn1m6GFOsYp_30s3aX3N_5g/s320/11898655_10153584004277943_2148589722337385485_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Laura and me</span></div>
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. On the way back to the train station Laura stopped near her house and we got to watch these weird fish that just jump out of the water all willy nilly for no determined reason. It was hypnotizing. It was a pretty fantastic day. Lots of fun. And things seem to be moving about as smoothly as they could be</div>
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Hope the states are treating you well, America-pals. And the semester for those at YSU.</div>
cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-2644231472493780502015-08-23T18:58:00.002-07:002015-08-23T18:58:51.181-07:00Let's Go To the Mall!Saturday Marugame festival kicked in to gear but I was feeling pretty lazy. I dropped in for a little bit. There were two areas, one near the station and one near the castle, where food tents were set up and dances were going on. There were several different tropes dancing one after the other. Some were traditional, while some were done to JPop and some were done to American hip hop. It was rather surreal seeing a traditional Japanese Dance followed up by (sometimes kids) dancing to gangster rap.<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mZQsiLug4l8/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mZQsiLug4l8?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">just like one of my Japanese animes</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">not so much like one of my japanese animes.</span></div>
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It was a two day affair, the first night featuring fireworks that I watched from the porch of my apartment. The second night I climbed up the castle's mountain and watched it churn on below me.<br />
I stayed up there watching the sunset Sunday night, and it was really beautiful. Marugame is kind of squished in together with Sakiade and Utazu, so its hard from that height to tell where one city ends and the other begins, but the three of them together seem huge. Things seem to be placed much closer together here than at home, so its easy to ride my bike through one city into the next without realizing it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">marugame seen at dusk from the castle</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">marugame as the sun finally sets</span></div>
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During the day Sunday I found my way to the local mall, which is about 20-25 minutes away from my apartment by bike. It's a pretty easy ride. The mall is called "Youme" (which I believe is a chain?) and about three stories in height. I bought some more sleeves to cover up my tattoos, and some weird english shirts. The food court was on the top floor, featuring a McDonalds complete with a Ronald Mc Donald Statue. It's also right next to an arcade, so I'll probs be back to explore that soon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90BH1JmtC1E5jNbzBvStkX8TaE6InkL4dEH4ZAtjjRcTCO4AgnAEoRPAXDvhTeYKRNBUW40fl3W82ttM8-jONaOr46qq11m_9DkWk5rmmhmcU5EIxVazgD2T10jWecbJALg-Knr1IhuI/s1600/20150823_160643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90BH1JmtC1E5jNbzBvStkX8TaE6InkL4dEH4ZAtjjRcTCO4AgnAEoRPAXDvhTeYKRNBUW40fl3W82ttM8-jONaOr46qq11m_9DkWk5rmmhmcU5EIxVazgD2T10jWecbJALg-Knr1IhuI/s320/20150823_160643.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">i do not regret this purchase at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">property value low, crime rate through the roof. schools? so so.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRE1OLA0_DA0z1EgvtX6CUezn7o9WMnjC7kox2DrsxX8LYiZqukWw_wufpY3T9X00o37-K8YL2bfJO4ufKQHheQqjjIMCqzmYlwLnhLeUsHY-tklB9W7I5TdogIxm0P5haStnFArGw2A4/s1600/20150823_152901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRE1OLA0_DA0z1EgvtX6CUezn7o9WMnjC7kox2DrsxX8LYiZqukWw_wufpY3T9X00o37-K8YL2bfJO4ufKQHheQqjjIMCqzmYlwLnhLeUsHY-tklB9W7I5TdogIxm0P5haStnFArGw2A4/s320/20150823_152901.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">can't decide if he's less or more creepy than his American brother.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">scooooooooore.</span></div>
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So far things haven't been too bad. I even talked to a salesperson at a snow cone stand at the festival and they more or less understood me, and I more or less understood them. (Ichigo is Japanese for Strawberry. Hella important when it comes to snow cone buyage. In fact, I've been eating a lot of strawberry flavored things in general. Their pretty much my jams here. )</div>
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Today, though, I had a fumbling exchange with the cutest clerk at 7/11. I was trying to buy smokes, and we kept going back and forth trying to get to the right pack of Malboros. (Camels aren't native to these parts I guess.) I'd point and say "Sore desu!" and she would move to the wrong one and I would shake my head--ect. We were both laughing, at least, and she was absolutely so sweetly amused. Eventually I managed to tell her one over by saying "ich" and gesturing right. </div>
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Learning is fun. So, sometimes, can miscommunication be. </div>
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<br />cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-80771882296646634682015-08-21T11:43:00.001-07:002015-08-21T12:07:36.218-07:00Watashi wa sensei desu<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This week was my first full week teaching alone (mostly). I had one private session I had to observe, and then the rest was all me. So far, I think it's going well. I like teaching kids, it turns out. They're pretty funny and they warm up quickly. Discipline is something I may have to work on but so far there hasn't been a huge need for it. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the next week or so I mostly teach in Marugame, and once in Utazu, a neighboring city. It's not hard to walk or bike to either locations, but soon semester will change and I'll be getting a new schedule. Wednesday I taught at Utazu. Since it was raining I decided to walk. Getting there was easy until the end when my phone started to die and google maps went a little wonky. Luckily I had padded the time a bit and arrived way early. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's kind of funny teaching adult students here because they'll compliment you in a way that they don't tend to do in the States. A few times now I've had adult students tell me I'm "a cute girl" or heard them tell the office staff I'm sugoi (cool). One lady at Utazu kept kind of chuckling whenever I got up to write on the white board and telling me I was cute. Japan may very well end up swelling my head. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the way home from Utazu I ran into some issues. With a dead phone I set off down the street, semi-confident that I knew the way. Not too long after that, I overshot the known way and ended up much further down than I intended to be. Luckily, I at least have the kanji down for my own city: 丸亀. (Or circle turtle, as it were.) </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After locating that on a street sign I kind of just followed them. I came out on the other side of the city, closer to Gold Tower in Utazu then Marugame station/castle where I live. Luckily I could spot Marugame Castle from the road and just changed course and headed that way. All ended well, and I got to spend a few extra minutes traversing Marugame back roads, singing showtunes to myself. We call that a kinda mostly win-win.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhOdgz4qA44oue4MojFITJjkTvQHsD3tjRLBS5POLRs5scrqCHavHZuW9dpJ5cP0t8yMUe3Ss22cYUtTgZdMp1TYHVuecHrJaZMDPr5SdLY7tQBSj84tR-y5v81a_wsyTEYugkPLJCJk/s1600/Gold_tower01s3872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhOdgz4qA44oue4MojFITJjkTvQHsD3tjRLBS5POLRs5scrqCHavHZuW9dpJ5cP0t8yMUe3Ss22cYUtTgZdMp1TYHVuecHrJaZMDPr5SdLY7tQBSj84tR-y5v81a_wsyTEYugkPLJCJk/s320/Gold_tower01s3872.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Gold Tower changes color depending on the weather. Green for a clear day.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Blue for rain. (Photo from hoosan.moo.jp)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thursday I spent most of the day writing, and studying both Japanese, and for the GRE (I won't be taking the test for awhile, but I'm trying to make a habit out of it.) I found a good site for basic grammar online, and I'm pretty comfortable at this point with Hiragana. Going to be starting Katakana soon. So far, to my immense pride, I can say things such as: Are wa Amerika no kumaru desu. (That is an American Car!) And the oh so important: Kore wa hoteru janai desu (This is not a hotel) which I will be sure to tell everyone who enters my home every single time because I can say it. And of course: Watashi wa sensei desu.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And back to the subject of being a teacher--Thursday is also the day I had my first lesson with Masamichi, who is apparently the pot of gold at the end of the Gem School rainbow. Having him as a student is something to be envied from what I've come to understand. He is a retired office worker who speaks English very well, and his lessons are basically just for his enjoyment and not a necessity. He likes to teach his foreign teachers all about Japanese life and culture, and seems like one of the nicest, coolest guys you'll ever meet. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our first lesson he asked me how much Japanese I knew, and after I told him, we spent the time talking about the difference between hiragana, katakana and kanji. He showed me his name in roumaji and in hiragana and kanji, and told me all about its meaning. (Pine tree on the seashore is his family name and right way is his given name. Matsuura Masamichi. Or: 松 浦 <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.547679901123px; text-decoration: none;">正道. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.547679901123px; text-decoration: none;">He also told me</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.547679901123px; text-decoration: none;"> t</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.547679901123px; text-decoration: none;">hat</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 21.547679901123px;"> my name sounds like "ice" in Japanese since my name in when pronounced by a Japanese speaker sounds like Kouli--and ice is Kooli.) I most definitely learned more than him that session, but he seems to like teaching me about Japan, so as long as he's enjoying his time, no arguments here. The only thing I may have taught him is the word "pun" because he told me a joke.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 21.547679901123px;">What is a type of green vegetable that sings?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 21.547679901123px;">Elvis Parsley. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 21.547679901123px;">He's a really funny guy. Told me he would be like my "Japanese father", and if you know me you know my favorite thing in the whole world is being mentored. So yes! Fantastic. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 21.547679901123px;">As far as doing things goes, I mostly stayed home this week. I did check out Ritsurin Gardens with a native Japanese person, and that was pretty interesting. Sadly my phone was mostly dead at the time, so I didn't get any pictures. Please accept this photo of a Japanese 7/11 and me drinking a Japanese energy drink as a substitute. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPTr4K_wHdKk_NOM7C-mHpZZi6pXhzQZ4K3qEUCw2Six1NrwLdDhoC6FQpkn2TZWTYB9KwhFBa52NrecdppPvyTVtqnYHud0fxyt77my7tubQV8QGBjvLIkYQih2BalqewOyilX5J77w/s1600/20150821_214153%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPTr4K_wHdKk_NOM7C-mHpZZi6pXhzQZ4K3qEUCw2Six1NrwLdDhoC6FQpkn2TZWTYB9KwhFBa52NrecdppPvyTVtqnYHud0fxyt77my7tubQV8QGBjvLIkYQih2BalqewOyilX5J77w/s320/20150821_214153%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">possibly just as majestic </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4rOCnqo5zYn8fGBfKEfMjnYlinT7_b10M0edEUNXUr4gNtTTCvVZ4XxUwe2KtL9aYnd9pcAi_tLyjfAKGWPdK27JQBUFvaCt1u2ldw7eG8Ya_yvkp6MQj8_bR8gDEsGA-h3sYLlB9HQ/s1600/20150821_144839%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4rOCnqo5zYn8fGBfKEfMjnYlinT7_b10M0edEUNXUr4gNtTTCvVZ4XxUwe2KtL9aYnd9pcAi_tLyjfAKGWPdK27JQBUFvaCt1u2ldw7eG8Ya_yvkp6MQj8_bR8gDEsGA-h3sYLlB9HQ/s320/20150821_144839%255B1%255D.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: xx-small;">to work with kids you gotta be genki</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.547679901123px;">I intend to visit the garden again soon. It was full of Japanese pine, and flowers big as my fist that hadn't bloomed yet. Really nice stuff. The local I was with told me a bit about everything, and then I got to tell him about tattoos. He noticed mine and asked me to show him, and he was kinda in the same awe I was in the garden, which was funny to me considering tattoos seem pretty commonplace to an American.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.547679901123px;">Sunday I went for sushi with my coworker at a local joint, and that was pretty radical. It was served on a conveyor belt, and you could grab whatever you wanted or order it special on a screen. When it comes close your screen will beep and show you a picture of your order. Its kinda adorable. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.547679901123px;">they had some bomb cheesecake.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.547679901123px;">Then after work tonight I went out with my friend Kenji to a bar or two. We checked out a jazz bar and a sports/dance bar. They were both kind of dead because tomorrow night Marugame is having a festival. The sports/dance bar was styled in a way that almost nearly reminded me of bars in Youngstown. Ed Shreen was playing, while the three other people in the bar we trying to make a hip-hop remix of something, and tennis was muted on the television. In the end we took advantage of the Japanese liberty to drink on the streets and bought a good old fashioned bottle of Carlo Russio, and headed to Marugme Castle. It was pretty strange walking around a park near a historical monument with wine at night. Especially dirt cheap wine like C.R. In America, that wouldn't really fly. But we sat outside and sipped wine, and even when the cops drove by there was no issue. Here, I guess, there's the assumption that you can trust people. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.547679901123px;">As far as lit goes, I've been slowly crawling through the last of Sherman Alexie's <i>The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven</i>, cause its the second to last unread book I have with me. The last being a manuscript from Gitta Albares. After that it's all rereads. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.547679901123px;">So far I have three publications coming up in various anthologies. <i>Weird City</i> will be publishing my modern urban retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," titled "Dancing Girls", <i>For Books' Sake</i> will be putting out a fairy tale themed YA anthology with my retelling of "The Man with No Heart" re-titled "Animal Heart", and <i>Zimbell Publishing House</i> will be producing a horror anthology called <i>Tales from the Grave</i>, featuring "Dream Girls" inspired by a fairy tale based in Native American folklore where a man carves a doll in likeness of his wife after she passes. I left the specific collection it was in at home, and if you know anything about fairy tales you know that googling "Dead wife" along with "Fairy Tale" pulls up pretty much every single story in existence. (I almost want to say it was actually called "The Dead Wife" or "The Doll Wife".)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; line-height: 21.547679901123px;">On top of that I received word today that Dancing Girl Press will be releasing a chapbook of my poetry tilted <i>Revisionist History </i>in the early Spring. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #444444; line-height: 21.547679901123px;">Overall, it's been a pretty good month both professionally and personally. Most def, top 10. Probs even 5. Maybe even 3. Okay, yeah, probably top 3. Can't think of many better. Kampai!</span></span></span></div>
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cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-24509392099512789752015-08-13T19:02:00.003-07:002015-08-13T19:20:11.363-07:00Obon<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This week started off with Summer Tour, a Gem School event where we spent Monday and Tuesday with the kids. It was Fairy Tale themed which was pretty much right up my alley, but since I just got here I didn't have to do so much. Apparently they've been planning this since at least February. But it was a good chance for me to get to know my coworkers and a good portion of students. </span><br />
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After that we were given the rest of the week off for Obon. Obon is a Japanese Buddhist-Confucian holiday dedicated to honoring ancestors. Obon is short for Ullambana, It originates from the story of <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Maudgalyāyana, a disciple of Buddah who was eventually stoned to death due to the karma he accumulated in a past life when he killed his own parents. During this lifetime, however, he used his supernatural powers to look into the land of the dead and saw that his mother had somehow ended up in the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. Buddah told him to make offerings to the monks who had returned from their summer retreat. After he did so he saw his mother's release from suffering, and understood all of her past selflessness and kindness. He was so overcome with joy and gratitude he danced the Bon Odori, or Bon Dance. Now each area has a different time in which they celebrate Obon, since none of them adjusted to the Gregorian Calendar in exactly the same way. In the story it occurs on the 15th day of the seventh month and lasts three days, the final day being celebrated with paper lanterns being floated down the river to symbolize the return of the spirits to the afterlife (where as the dance is meant to invite spirits). Each region as well has their own version of the dance and music to go along with it. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">On the first day of Obon, I was invited by another Marugame girl named Kristen to go to Tokushima, which is famous for its particular take on Bon Odori, the Awa Odori, Awa being the name the old feudal administration used for the area. It's the largest dance festival in all of Japan, attracting over 1 million tourists each year. There are theories on where and when this particular celebration of revelers dancing through the streets began--a popular one being that it was founded in 1586 in celebration of the opening of Tokushima castle, where people drank so much they began to dance through the streets and some picked up instruments, and the lyrics were made up on the spot, but this story lacks any actual proof. Hard evidence does suggest that it was established by the 17th century. The song associated with Awa Dori is a popular, local version of a song from the Edo period, Yoshikono Bushi, called </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><i>Awa Yoshikono. </i>The lyrics go something like this:</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="padding-right: 2em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">踊る阿呆に</span></td><td style="padding-right: 2em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Odoru ahou ni</span></td><td style="padding-right: 2em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The dancers are fools</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-right: 2em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">見る阿呆</span></td><td style="padding-right: 2em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Miru ahou</span></td><td style="padding-right: 2em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The watchers are fools</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-right: 2em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">同じ阿呆なら</span></td><td style="padding-right: 2em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Onaji ahou nara</span></td><td style="padding-right: 2em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Both are fools alike so</span></td></tr>
<tr><td style="padding-right: 2em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">踊らな損、損</span></td><td style="padding-right: 2em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Odorana son, son</span></td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">full disclosure I pulled this from Wikipedia. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"> Being at Awa Dori was pretty amazing. The streets were packed full of people, as well as vendors. When the dancing got started after they moved through their course, you could find several stationary troops on pretty much every street putting on a show. When one ended another would begin just a few feet away, and sometimes there would be two going on right next to each other. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">The Awa Dori</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">Some of the dance troops would even pulled us in and had us dance in the circle along with them. They were even dancing through the shotengai. There were also a lot of food and game stalls, and I tried yakitori--which is just meat on a stick from what I gather, and takoyaki, which is fried squid balls. Both were pretty okay. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">My coworker and I also played the game where you scoop turtles into a bowl with a paper net to see how many you can get until it breaks. Most commonly its done with goldfish. We both won a turtle. I have to admit, I do not know what kind of turtle it is, so if you do, please tell me. That'd be helpful. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Morla the mystery turtle chilling in my bath while I clean zir tank.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next day me and a few coworkers headed out to Takamatsu to see the fireworks. This festival was a little smaller, but the location was beautiful. They were shooting the fireworks off of a boat on the sea, and people were lined up along the dock and in the fields to watch. We got a spot with Kristen and a handful of other foreigners to watch it, and I got to meet some other American and Canadian folk who are in the area. The fireworks were really spectacular--they went on for an hour--even though it rained on and off through out, sometimes quite hard. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Fireworks at Takamatsu</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When we left the trainstation was packed full of people. We ended up squeezing in next to this old kinda drunk guy who was playing music on his phone. After I bobbed my head to it once he kept putting it up to our ears and grinning, and then pointing to a picture of the artist and saying "Kawaii." Playing music out loud on the train is apparently kinda rude, and it was probs one of my stranger interactions, but it was also kinda funny. Especially cause he didn't seem at all dangerous, just a little goofy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Obon technically isn't over yet, but for the rest of the festival I'll be taking it a little easier. I intend to grab sushi with a coworker today, and then maybe just veg out for the rest of the afternoon. I'm also currently working on a short story, so that's probably something I should get back to. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hope all is well in the States. </span></div>
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cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-76925561365609402452015-08-09T04:28:00.002-07:002015-08-09T04:29:30.459-07:00Takamatsu Shotengai<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday I taught my first classes alone. They went well. I
teach a range of ages from babies to adults. The kids are pretty fun to teach.
It’s the first time in my teaching career that I’m encouraged, neigh, even
REQUIRED to tickle my students. At first I felt a little strange about it, but
after a little bit it came pretty naturally. The kids warm up pretty easily and
they find the simplest things funny. The toughest student I seem to have at the
moment is a teenager who is very much a teenager. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Saturday I took a bike ride to McDonalds which is basically
the same as it is in the States but more fancy and popular which made me laugh.
And then I went to a local Super Center to find some clothes I need for an
event my school is hosting Monday and Tuesday. Supposed to be an enrollment
drive I think, plus one for the current students called Summer Tour. Its fairy
tale themed which is right up my alley. We’re going to be staying with the kids
for a whole night. While there I saw a whole bunch of entertaining shirts with
strange English phrases on them. Like “Peace and Relax” and so on. I intend to
stock up on those most def. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Today my coworker Leslie and I took the train in to
Takamatsu. There’s a language club there for Japanese speakers and English
speakers on Sundays, and a giant shopping arcade that is supposedly the longest
in all of Japan. They’re like malls, but outdoors, called Shotengai. The
walkways are covered by a glass roof typically. They’re pretty popular in
Japan, and there’s one in Marugame as well, but it’s not nearly as large or
busy. (Marugame, I believe I mentioned, is like Youngstown in the way that it’s
kind of a shrinking city, but to me it still seems rather large and really
beautiful. Plus, that kinda makes it feel more like home.) Wandering through the Shotengai at night is actually a lot of fun. A lot of the shops are closed then, although there are some bars in Marugame's. It feels surreal, like being in a mall at night when you aren't supposed to be. Very Dawn of the Deadish. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Marugame Shotengai at night</span></div>
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We stopped at the International Language Exchange where the
club is, but sadly it isn’t happening on Sunday’s this month. It’ll start again
next month, along with Japanese lessons in October. So we headed down to the
Shotengai. We spent a lot of time there, wandering around the stores. The one
in Takamatsu is three stories high. There were even a couple American/European
stores like Gap and Gucci. When I have some money to burn I’ll probs head down
that way cause there’s some adorable and strange stores there.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Leslie has been teaching and living in other countries for a
while. She went to Korea first, then spent some time in Australia. She gave me
some tips on what social media sites I should join to try and find some
international pals, and we both discussed taking a weekend trip to Tokyo, since
round trip flights are about 100 bucks where we’re at. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After a couple of
hours we headed back home, and I took a walk around a small local park. I’ve
looked it up and there are some fancy gardens in the area I intend to check
out. Plus an art gallery. After Summer Tour there’s a holiday coming up—Obon—which
should be really interesting and give me even more time to explore. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Marugame Park </span></div>
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cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-76970968436119971372015-08-06T22:48:00.001-07:002015-08-13T16:58:15.747-07:00Let's Go To Japan!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So it's almost been a week now since I came to Japan.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I arrived on Saturday, late at night, and meant Leigh and Sam at the airport in Takamatsu. I'm located in Kagawa which is the smallest prefecture on the smallest of the main islands, Shikoku. Marugame is the city I am based out of, which I'm still in the process of learning about, so will most likely devote time talking about it later. To me it seems pretty big, but apparently it is similar to Youngstown in a lot of ways. It's not considered a city really, from my understanding, but rural, and many of the younger people are leaving for bigger cities. They drove me from Takamatsu to Marugame and showed me Don Quixote which is a chain store, kind of like a Wallmart meets a Dollar General with slot machines in the basement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My apartment is called LeoPalace, and its just down the road, and near Marugame station. The place is on the small side, comparable to a studio back in America but set up to make it a little more manageable. Through the front door there's a small hall with the kitchen set to the left side. Mini-fridge, cupboard, and a hot plate and sink. Then past that sunk into a tiny off shoot there's a room with the shower and tub and another room with the toilet. The living room is beyond the hall, and up the wall there is a ladder that leads to a cubby area with my bed. If I sit up too quick my head hits the ceiling. I am learning to avoid that. (By the way, I just got done reading Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchmen, where Scout has the same issue with cars. It doesn't feel exactly on par with To Kill a Mockingbird. Like its more of a draft then a finished product? There are some places where the perspective seems to switch in a jarring way, and the pacing seems just a little off. Also I miss Boo Radley. Like there is not one mention of Boo. And I don't think it exactly answers the questions of race that it poses--it kinda starts centering more on Atticus and Scout's relationship, which is okay, but it seemed to end rather quick. I liked it alright, and I think there's a lot of interesting things going on in combination with Mockingbird. Apparently some shady stuff went on anyway with the publication, which could explain some of the issues with the novel. I won't go into it here, but Thug Notes goes over it pretty well here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWiBTrlVQH4)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The station is nearby, as well as Marugame Castle. Marugame Castle was fist in use in 1587, and was home to Ikoma Chikamasa, a dude I know nothing about currently, other than the fact that he eventually built another castle in Takamatsu and gave Marugame Castle to his son. In 1615, however,there was a decree that each providence could only have one castle, and so Marugame was dismantled. Eventually it was given as a gift to Yamazaki Ieharu for his mad bravery in the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637-8, caused when taxes sky rocketed for the building of a new castle elsewhere, and Roman Catholic Christians were tired of being pushed around. Didn't work out so well for 'em though. The leader of the rebellious Christians was beheaded and a prohibition against the religion was strictly enforced until the 1850s. (Btws I'm stringing most of this together through wikipedia articles.) After he was given Marugame Castle along with some other land, he began to rebuild over the ruins. Eventually it was handed over to the Kyogoku clan, and they continued renovations. However, a lot of the castle was lost again when a fire broke out in 1869, and the Imperial Goverment took apart more in 1870 for reasons that are not mentioned on the wikipedia page. I may look in to that more later. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now its declared precious property and won't be messed with. Its one of the few castles left with the original wooden tenshu--or central tower/keep. That's where they keep the museum which I have yet to go in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;">Marugame Castle's Tenshu</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The area the castle is located in is really beautiful. It has a moat surrounding it filled with koi, and some pretty hella big turtles. A few big white geese, and I think I saw a crane. Over a bridge there's a set of heavy wooden doors leading up to a path and another set of heavy wooden doors. <span style="line-height: 17.1200008392334px;">Through the archway there’s a paved road that leads in two directions. One up the mountain towards the castle, the other to the right to what looks like a museum, and some forested walkways. There children were catching insects with little bug nets. </span></span><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There were a few levels of the mountain with observation decks. From up there I could see all of Marugame proper. There are several mountains in the area, and back towards where I came from just beyond my own neighborhood I could see the ocean start. Below to the right there was a baseball field where a few men were playing. To the left there was a park, complete with swingsets and walking paths.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">I figure it's going to end up one of my favorite places to meander around. I'm playing with the notion of jogging there, but I think I may have to wait for the weather to get cooler. It's super humid here. Hot enough that people have to carry handkerchiefs to wipe the sweat off of their faces. Also I lack the appropriate clothes, and they may be hard for me to get my hands on, since tattoos are a big issue here in Japan, and showing them means you risk offending some people. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">So far I haven't had a lot of interactions with many people other than the woman who pulled the sticker off my butt for me in the shopping center, and the fella who approached me when he thought I was lost. A few people have tried to talk to me but all in Japanese. Its funny because when I tell them I don't understand they just keep going friendly as ever so I mostly smile and nod. I'm looking in to lessons soon. I hear there are free ones in Saikade on Sunday. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">I've started kind of teaching. Mostly its young kids, and its basically playing with them while using English. (You have to be really "genki" which is healthy/energetic.) Then there are a few older classes that I have meant. (A group of Japanese adult students called me "sugoi" and "kawaii" and one of them suggested I get a Japanese boyfriend. They were hilarious.) I teach at a couple locations but the trains are surprisingly easy to navigate, and its a nice way to see some really beautiful landscapes. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Covered bridge outside of Takamatsu-chikko station.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">It was while waiting for a train that I had my favorite interaction yet. A young girl approached me at the Kokobunji station yesterday when I was on my way to Marugame, which surprised me because mostly locals just give me my space. She was wearing very Western clothes (most do but these were especially Western in style--purposely stressed and torn jeans, big light brown contacts, Taylor Swift style t-shirt/sweater). She had a pokemon fan and a mole on the bridge of her nose right between her eyes that was just darling. I looked up at her and she said "hello" very enthusiastically. We began to talk--her English was developed enough to have a very basic conversation and my Japanese, of course, is worthless. We exchanged ages--she was 17, a high school student, going to see a friend and obviously thrilled to be speaking in English to a foreigner, and I of course am 26, a teacher, and obviously thrilled to be speaking in English to someone who wants to speak to a foreigner. We both remarked on how hot it was and she taught me the Japanese word for breeze--Kaze--by rolling her finger in a loopty loop in front of her. We rode the train together and she pointed out the direction of her house, her grandmother's house, and a ramen shop. She told me all the station names as we passed as well. She also said she liked Arianna Grande and Taylor Swift when I asked what music she liked. (We got some looks on the train, but I think maybe I was speaking too loud. Thats a thing here, and its a involuntary tick I have when trying to be understood.) Then she told me to switch trains at Saikaide station, where she was disembarking. There are a couple of types of trains going in the same direction, I'd been told before, and I was on a slower one. I decided to do as she said and she told me what time my train would come. When the time came a strange type of train I'd yet to see--single car and packed to the brim with a destination name I did not know--pulled up. For a moment I was worried I had been kinda tricked--I mean, heck, it'd be a pretty funny and easy prank to pull on a foreigner, but I asked the conductor and it was all good, evidently. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> The train, though, was packed, and that's the first time I'd been on one like that. Lots of bumping shoulders, and I think in the end it just saved me maybe ten minutes. </span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Still, she was so excited to give directions I couldn't turn them down. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"> Other than that, </span>I've gotten some good news on the publication front this week! I had a poem published in Gravel the day after I got here, and I've gotten word that my story "Animal Heart" will be in the upcoming anthology put out by For Books Sake, centered on Fairy Tales where young girls are being not such the damsel in distress, but the damsel empowered. (Huzzah.) On top of that things are moving forward with my upcoming publication in Weird City. So far, though, I haven't written much new while being here. Jotted down a quick not so great poem and started a bit of a short story but I'm not sure where its going. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm going to try to come up with a schedule for updating the blog soon. Till then, over and out folks. I gotta go teach some kids (ALL ALONE! OH MY GOSH!)</span></div>
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cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-90254231908081710782015-06-18T08:41:00.001-07:002015-06-18T08:43:00.749-07:00A Kinda OldieIn honor of it being Thursday and the new tradition of throwing things back, check out my story in Deimos Ezine from around two years ago. <a href="https://deimosezine.wordpress.com/issues-2/issue-2-2-june-2013/providence/">Providence</a> was my first real work in Speculative Fiction, which really along with Fabulist tales, has become my genre of choice since I started (and finished) my MFA. Before I wasn't really sure what I was writing or where it fit in. I bounced around a lot as an undergrad from horror, to straight realism, to fantasy, without really knowing what to call myself or my work.<br />
I'm not advocating, of course, for writers to box themselves in and only write to one genre, nothing else ever until the day they die, but I remember being really relieved to find, explore and write Speculative Fiction. Right before I entered the MFA I was worried that I would have to write only realism, slice of life, literary fiction. I kind of forced myself to do this piece on a forty year old man going through some kind of midlife crisis and it just didn't work for me. It was bad. But I was convinced that was what literature and real authors wrote. We go through a majority of our academic careers being exposed to very limited and very specific voices when it comes to literature. (Typically white, typically male, typically with money, typically dead and typically realistic in style.) It was a relief, and a godsend to my lit, to discover other avenues, other ways to tell a story, and the other voices that are available. It worked for me. I found that it was more entertaining, and it opened up a way to talk about social norms and politics in a way that wasn't too heavy handed.<br />
Right now, I've got a lot of irons in the fire. Which means I'm just waiting, really. I finished a lot of fiction recently and I have about seven stories out for review, along with a poem or two and some queries about the novel and the fairy tale collection. So much of moving forward is waiting. Which is cool. Its quiet, and it always means there's something to look towards. Currently I'm writing a piece about a girl gone dead turned to doll, which is also pretty fun. Now that I have a fabulist collection put together, I'm thinking of getting back to some of my roots and working on a speculative one. Could be a good time and a good home for Providence, (kinda) old as it is.cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-45602602521114268132015-06-14T08:12:00.000-07:002015-06-14T08:12:39.475-07:00These Girls, I tell ya. Graduate school is all done now and I'm off in the real world. Planning a hopefully triumphant return to academia in the nearish future. (Chasing that Ph.D!) But until then I am writing a lot, reading a lot, and sending out a lot, just as I've been told I ought to do.<br />
So far I have 45,000 words of a short story collection finished, and it was a real blast to write. Hopefully some snippets of it will start appearing on various lit mags around the web. And I've been reading a lot of fairy tales. No surprise.<br />
There are some that are just so strange. And I don't mean in the magic and beast way. I mean in the women's reactions and motivation way. I've read more than a handful that have left me scratching my head going "huh?" when it comes to what the women in the tale do.<br />
For instance, in "The Man with No Heart" a girl who was setting off with her sisters to get married is taken captive by an old man who turns the rest of the party (all of her known relatives) into stone. And she is totally cool with this. She just lives with him and cares not one iota. Just settles in and is like "cool, you killed all my family basically, but now I'm your wife so whatever." Then a boy shows up and kills him and she is equally cool about this. Basically has the same "well, you just killed my husband, but now I'm your wife, so it's cool. Whatever," reaction.<br />
This isn't the only one where I encountered this kind of lack of care and duplicity on the part of the Princesses. In a Russian fairy tale, this random dude sleeps in a castle, and the Princess of the castle who lives all alone stumbles upon him, and instead of freaking out as she should she immediately says they are married and tells him how to kill her very own brother.<br />
In "The Princess' Chest" the Princess is basically sentenced to death because her father comes to her a day too soon, and she is totally not mad at all at him. She's all like "Oh Dear Father! I love you! But now I'm going to die. So sorry." Then, at the end, she's married off to a stranger after he breaks her curse, and that's totally fine by her.<br />
It's a trend that icks me out. There's a lack of agency, motivation and actual desire in Fairy Tale women and girls that is actually quite alarming when you sit down and think about it. Because now, in the modern day, fairy tales are mostly marketed to young girls. So their view of the world is kind of shaped by these stories. Girls who need rescued, but lack any actual motivation to change their circumstances, and the ultimate key to that rescue is marriage, more often than not to a stranger. Perhaps back when these were handed down orally this was closer to the reality that young girls faced. A restriction in agency and position that could only be alleviated by the right marriage. But that's not how the world is now, and so maybe its time we look into changing them.<br />
Because there is a lot to love about fairy tales. The magic, the pattern, the connection with nature and the intricate but simple, often repeating symbolism. These are things that can really engage and shape imaginations, and they're something that I have loved all of my life.<br />
I am glad that there are people out there working to turn around the lifelessness of the Fairy Tale princess. The collection <i>Tatterhood</i> is a fantastic example of tales that empower young girls rather than use them as props. And even Disney has made a push to include more nuanced and active Princesses.<br />
I know one of my greatest pleasures is plucking apart a tale where the girl is nothing but a cardboard cut out and reworking it so she has some life. So the story is more in her hands.<br />
cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2235097010240925188.post-44765254818557758202015-02-11T07:40:00.001-08:002015-02-11T07:40:21.915-08:00"<em>So storytelling, writing, has always been the way I’ve felt most comfortable interacting with others."</em><br />
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Check out my recent interview with the Vice President of the Student Literary Arts, where I discuss my first publications, and what got me into writing:<em> </em> <br />
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<a href="https://jennyzine.wordpress.com/2015/01/16/friday-feature-interview-with-couri-johnson/">Jenny's Interview with Couri Johnson</a><br />
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<br />cjohnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13157153054547039359noreply@blogger.com0