A few years back, I was bopping about the Internet, as I am wont to do, and I came across an invitation on Gaijin Pot, or somewhere similar. It was an invitation to what was being dubbed the "Yamanote Halloween Party" – basically a group of foreigners were planning to dress up in costumes and travel around the Yamanote line. At its most basic, it seemed an innocent and playful idea, and at first, even I thought it would be fun to join.
Continue reading 'Halloween craziness'»
Karaoke. Just mentioning the word can strike fear into the hearts of many. And why? Well, mainly because most of us can’t sing for the life of us, and we would hate to embarrass ourselves…
Especially in front of a bunch of strangers… Which leads many (in western countries at least) to wonder — why the hell is karaoke so popular in Japan?
Continue reading 'Why is karaoke so popular in Japan?'»
By now, you’ve possibly seen this – I’ve seen it on two sites I like to visit – but you might not have actually watched it. IT’s a time lapse video of Shinjuku in Tokyo,and it’s REALLY well done. I recommend giving it a quick watch. This was made by Samuel Cockedey but I found the video at the below link, originally. Nice.
TOKYOMANGO: Time lapse video of Shinjuku
I was thinking about my early days in Japan recently, as I occasionally do. I remembered the good times, the strange feelings, the confusion, and it made me wonder… You know, I had a great time while I was there. In fact, sometimes I miss it so much I wonder why I ever came back (but then I realise that my life has changed so much since then — for the better — that things will never be the same). That said, I knew plenty of individuals that hated their time there — the first few wees at least — and some of them left after only a couple of days… But why the hell did I do so well out of my comfort zone, and others just couldn’t cope?
Actually, I’ve thought about this on a few occasions. Sure, I might be awesome, and they might be big lame-o’s, but there must be more to it than that (and there are crazy people that are of the opinion that I’m not THAT awesome). And to put it simply, I think it comes down to the mindset you take with you… the way you relate to others, and the way you react to certain situations.
So I’ve decided to give some pointers on expatriation — just for the first couple of weeks… I don’t want to tell you what to wear, what to see, or whatever — you’re big enough and ugly enough to make your own decisions — but I thought a couple of pointers might help you understand your situation and deal with it better — if you’re moving to another country that is. If not, you’ll need to look elsewhere for someone to explain your situation (and good luck with that — I think you’re pretty awesome, nonetheless, whoever, and wherever you may be)… Continue reading 'How to move to another country and not hate it… (some pointers)'»
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A few years back, I was bopping about the Internet, as I am wont to do, and I came across an invitation on Gaijin Pot, or somewhere similar. It was an invitation to what was being dubbed the "Yamanote Halloween Party" – basically a group of foreigners were planning to dress up in costumes and travel around the Yamanote line. At its most basic, it seemed an innocent and playful idea, and at first, even I thought it would be fun to join. 
Themocracy