Godzilla in Tokyo!

Sometimes it is fun to be in the minority and visiting Tokyo with Brian's parents is definitely one of those times.  Brian was lucky enough to get a week vacation while his parents were visiting so we went to Tokyo for a few days before they headed back to the states. 

Where's the gaijin? 

Bill's 6'5" frame in particular drew quite a few stares on the subway, but even in a sea of people, it was always easy to find him!

We saw a lot of fun things and you can go to our flickr site for more photos if you are interested, but here are the highlights:

Imperial Palace East Garden

Tea and Japanese Confection, Nakajima Teahouse, Hamarikyu Gardens

This isn't our video but was taken at the same tea house and explains the rules pretty well:

Sensoji Temple, Asakusa

Imperial Palace, Nijubashi

We also ate at the Outback Steakhouse in Roppongi, which was oishii desu!   As always though, even the "American" restaurants here are strongly influenced by their host country.  All I will say is, in Japan, "Medium Well" sounds an awful lot like "Medium Rare."

Project ADL: Entry 1: Arduino Test

To maintain SOME mental stimulation, I have decided to work on a new electronics project.  I don't want to reveal the exact goal of this project, because that makes it more fun for me.  Brian purchased most of the necessary components for my birthday (much to his surprise!) and now I am ready to begin.

I have decided to use the Arduino Duemilanove as the brains of my device (for now).  Long story short, I have successfully uploaded and run a very simple program and I might be a little too excited about it (see video below).  Not a major accomplishment really, but like I said, I am excited about it, so back off!



Marco wasn't as stoked, but that is because he didn't fully grasp all the implications:

Make It Happen!

So I am a little late with this post, but as many of you may know, I officially completed my 28th year of breathing on 12 Dec.  I am not a big fan of birthday fanfare, but I wanted to thank everyone for the well wishes!  Especially Aunt Rita, who sent Marco and I a "Make It Happen" team uniform.  Since inside jokes don't make friends, I will explain.  "Make It Happen" has become my mantra since moving to Japan because that is how things work here. 

In Japan, you don't try to explain why a two-lane paved road suddenly becomes only one lane, you just keep driving.  And when that road abruptly becomes a dirt road riddled with potholes, you don't stop driving.  You Make It Happen! 

You don't try to explain why it is socially acceptable to stop in the middle of a skinny two-lane road on a bridge when you have an incoming cell-phone call in Japan.  As long as you turn on your flashers, everyone else trying to use the road for its originally intended purpose just has to Make It Happen!

And don't worry about the mess of crossed (but insulated, of course) live wires above your head or the fact that the same road intersects itself in multiple spots (see my post about Hirosaki).  Make It Happen!

I think you can see the pattern.

Thanks AR!

Christmas Time Again!

Although we are in a country where around 85% of the population is Buddhist or Shinto, we are celebrating Christmas with our first real tree!  I am conflicted about my excitement over this, as the logical part of my brain tells me it is beyond extravagant to cut down a perfectly good tree in Oregon, freeze-dry it, and ship it 2000 miles around the world to Misawa, Japan, so that I can hang energy-sucking strings of white lights all over it and enjoy its smell.  However, my American-brain tells me I should push the long-term effects of said behavior out of my mind and cross that impending-environmental-distaster bridge when I get there.  Hmm...well I have given myself a lot to think about. 

ANYWHO, Merry Christmas, everyone!

Marco was very helpful, as always!

I guess Marco is offended by the idea that we might want any gifts other than him, or perhaps we were giving the tree too much attention.  Either way he has decided to make this one of his favorite hang out spots.

Pick Up My Poop, Owner

I really enjoy this sign every time I walk by it with Marco, so I thought maybe it would lighten your day as well.  I am still enjoying a state of semi-blissful ignorance here in Nihon, so I have no idea what the Japanese on this sign says (although I get the general idea).  Given said information gap, this sign causes me to ponder such questions as:   Is that dog crying?   Is that a telephone number in the corner?  Who could possibly want to field phone calls prompted by a sign such as this?  Is this sign available for purchase here?  If so, I imagine all the people in my 'rents' neighborhood might appreciate this on their lawn instead of that ugly yet direct hunched-dog-behind-the-international-"no"-symbol sign they all have.  You know the one:

BOOOR-ING!

Also, apparently I am not the only one who is fascinated with the many forms of passive aggressive human communication when it comes to the inauspicious lack of interest dogs have for using indoor plumbing: http://www.jenlouie.com/category/dog-poop/.  

Hurray for Hulu!

The intellectual property rights fairy has finally come to the rescue!!  Hulu is no longer blocked in Japan!

That is all.  I felt the discovery warranted a blog post.

My Isorated Dream

Shopping in Japan is so much fun that I have decided to share bits of it with all of you.
Below is the image of a T-shirt from a store reminiscent of Forever21.

Since it may be hard to decipher, here is the text exactly as it reads on this T-Shatsu:

"BEATING HEART

Labialize

REAL

THE END OF AN

Isorated Dream

NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE

Run in the sky of dreams and phantams go

 through the brightness a trace to

draw beyond a limit now"

Insignificant as these words are individually, they should mean something in toto. I am only human; I must search for meaning even where there is none! Why has someone gone to the trouble of printing these thirty-four words on a cotton-poly blend in various sizes and colors? …these thirty-four in particular, out of the quarter of a million (let’s say) or so that exist?

First, I checked Wikipedia, (of course). It is not a Haiku. Interesting.

Next I decided to look at the word which causes me the most pause in this whole mess, "labialize." Labialize is not a word in my stock vocabulary and its reading was conjuring all sorts of unfortunate images, so I decided to refer to the always-reliable, dictionary.com. Essentially it means to give a round character to a sound. Since we know native Japanese speakers to have some issues with r’s and l’s (one needs not look any further than this very T-shirt for a perfect example) I checked the three other permutations of this word and found that none are legit, so we can safely conclude that this T-shirt is trying to tell us something about pronunciation. Dead end.

If I think about this anymore, my head might explode. Those crafty Japanese…is this a step in their plan for world domination?

My conclusion: This shirt clearly belongs at a poetry reading, Haiku or not.

It's like Colorado, but...

So today I caught a glimpse of the real Northern Japan and I am...well...concerned.

5:50 AM :
I wake up to find white stuff everywhere! 
(If you look closely, you will see a very confused Marco).

 8:46 AM:

Snow-Rain...Ranow?....Snain?...It is both raining and snowing at the same time.  You notice the snow on the ground has melted due to the rain but there are big white flakes in the air.

 

12:06 PM:
No sign of snow or rain 3 hours prior.  I wouldn't have believed me either so I documented it:

1:50 PM: Earthquake, Magnitude 4.1.  I can't capture that with my Olympus, so you'll have to take my word for it.  Or you could check the Japan Meteorological Agency.  My feelings will only be a little hurt.

Japan has been busy today!  I guess that makes one of us.

Fall, Fall, and more Fall

So now that Brian is back, there is no time for jet lag!  The fall colors are in full swing here in Japan, so we have a lot of things to see before the snow starts coming and never stops!

This past weekend we found an Apple Orchard thanks in no small part to the word-of-mouth directions of our friend Sharon.  Once again, you would never stumble on it on your own, but what a great way to spend a fantastic fall Saturday!

Above is the shack that you enter the orchard through.  We paid Y500 per person so that we could eat as much as we wanted for an hour.  Brian took this challenge seriously!

Apparently the apples were so good that Brian couldn't stop eating long enough for us to take pictures...

To get to the apples we had to climb on a steep incline down through some grape vines filled with delicious grapes (these were also included in the all-you-can eat buffet price).

One kind of apple was so sweet and juicy that it had pockets of super-syrupy deliciousness inside.  The apples of Japan are not the same as those in the US!

After we stuffed ourselves like pigs at the apple orchard we headed just up the road to see this "Dragon Ride" which was a four story contraption that you could pay to have your children climb.  Don't worry, they are given helmets a la what you would see on a Japanese game show.  That would surely be enough in the event of a high wind or earthquake should you or your child fall off.

Then one last stop at a three-tiered pagoda/buddhist monastery.

Like I said, a great way to spend a fall day in Japan!

Ahhh, Asia!

I just want to say for the record that I did not doctor this photo in any way.  Your eyes do not deceive you. In Hirosaki, at the intersection of Hwy 31 and Hwy 31, is the electrical rat's nest we were warned against in EEE 360.  Hmm, seems to be working for the Japanese.  It's all fun and games until the Kyoto of the east burns to the ground because a menacing crow lands on the wrong group of wires... 

AR's Visit

I promised to be better about posting now that we live 5000 miles (9260 km) away from most of our friends and family, but alas I have failed.  That is why this is going to be a really long, catch-up-style post:

September 13: Brian headed for Red Flag Alaska for 6 weeks. I left for Colorado for three.

October 1: Aunt Rita and I packed up and headed for Nihon with my pooch.  I am relieved to report that he made the 24+ hour trip with no incidents!  We also had no problems from the AFA vet, the USDA, the Japan Customs agents, the United employees, or the JR rail staff.

October:  While Rita was here visiting we got to see quite a bit of beautiful Eastern Japan (some of which Rita may have wished not to see :) )

Oirase Gorge

Mt. Osare--Japan's Mythical Entrance to Hell

Rice Harvesting Season

The Scariest Ocean Overlook Ever.  Somewhat daunting to get to, but totally worth it!

Hirosaki

Eating at what Rita Refers to as "Noodles and Co."

Then Rita went back to the US and Brian came home from Alaska.  They must have crossed each other in the air because they just missed each other...bummer!

Thanks to Rita for putting up with me and the dog for three weeks!  We had a great time and it is so good to have Marco back at home with us now!

Flora and Fauna

I am discovering that Japan has some interesting (read creepy) creatures living here. I suppose if I hadn't grown up in such a dry, land-locked state, I would probably not be so disgusted by the enormous bugs that take up residence near my home. However, we cannot change the past, so...ewwww, gross! As you can see from the picture I have met the largest beetle I have ever seen outside of captivity (okay, so it was dead when I found it but it was obviously alive at one time!). Also, we have a wooly, well-fed, genius of a spider, who has spun a web about 7 feet in diameter (no joke) anchored on ether side by our house and a dead tree behind our house. Sigh. I guess I won't be going back there until it starts snowing.

Since I didn't want to just gross you out, I also posted a picture of the new orchid that was a house-warming gift from some of our awesome new friends in Brian's squadron. I thought I should show it off before it dies at my inept brown-thumbs. I have the internet now though, so I am armed with the collective "knowledge" of any gardener who cares to post about the proper care of plants.

On that note, fiber optic internet rocks! 1 Gbps for less than what I was paying for 12 Mbps in the States?! I will brave the spiders. It is worth it. Now if I just had a US IP address, I could stream HD video from Hulu, Netflix, etc. I guess nothing is ever perfect.

We Have Landed

Three weeks into our Japanese adventure we have finally found a house! I am starting to feel settled again! Maybe too settled.

More things I love about Japan:

5) Onsens (Hot Spring Bath Houses). Wow, I could make this a habit. Gender controlled bathing in your birthday suit in mineral water straight from the ground. There could be no better way to spend an evening. I think I might have been a snow monkey in a previous life.

6) Snow Monkeys. I haven't seen one yet, but I will before I leave! I hear they like to attack women and children but leave men alone...crafty. We shall see my friends...we shall see.

7) The "car bow." This happens daily because driving on the tiny streets of Misawa is a cooperative effort for all involved. I like the car-bow way more than I like being honked at/flipped off/shot at. Perhaps I shouldn't directly compare Misawa to Phoenix anymore. I feel that it might not be fair...low hanging fruit and such.

Category: Old Things That Are New to Me

1. Coffee Jelly Frappuccino. This little delight comes from none other than our friendly neighborhood Starbucks. Apparently in some parts of the world, people like to suck coffee-flavored gelatinous texture through their straw. Oishii desu... ka? Actually it wasn't that bad, though I am quite confident that it will not replace the Latte in world popularity any time soon.

2. Fast Food That Doesn't Make My Stomach Sad. Box lunch available outside Kabuki-za. I love this box lunch thing they have here! All the food is so fresh; no preservatives; just the right amount. Oishii desu. Definitely.

3. Polite People Following Rules and Self-Regulating. Imagine that--self-regulating. Now, I have to assume my primary reader is American, so I feel I should explain what "self-regulation" is: Public areas, including public transportation, well used but super clean! Streets with a million bodies/vehicles all going different directions but merging and coexisting with ease. Natural, orderly lines where appropriate. You know, basically, taking responsibility for yourself. Novel, I know. According to Brian, I should have been born in Japan. I have to say, I do find it to be a comfortable place to exist (obvious communication boundaries aside).

4. Kabuki-za! Standing room only for us, still worth it! The Kabuki we caught was called Kaijin Besso (The Sea God's Villa) and included beautiful staging and dress. Unfortunately, as we do not (yet) speak Japanese, we required an "earphone-guide" which basically told us in English what was going on, but even still, it was great! If you are planning on visiting us and want to go to Kabuki-za, you will need to visit us before May 2010, when, from what I understand, they will tear down the old building and rebuild another Kabuki-za in its place.

Ohaiyo Gozimasu

The view from our hotel room. Yes, the buildings are really that skinny.




We have finally made it to Japan! After enjoying a wonderful week of visiting friends and family in O'ahu, we headed for Japan yesterday. We are staying in Tokyo at The New Sanno for a few days before continuing on to Misawa.

First the Birds, then the Bees...

In case there was ever any question that this apartment is in fact the epicenter of the third ring of Hell, I now have the swarm of bees to prove it (okay, maybe flies would technically be more indicative of Hell's exact location...moving on). An apparently very confused group of bees set up shop in a two-inch hole in a stucco wall 4 stories up. I can assure you that there are no live flowers to be found anywhere near this location. It must be hard to make a living as a bee in Tempe. Almost as difficult as I expect it must be for the mountain lion on A-mountain. Sadly, this group of bees met an early demise when the pest removal "experts" that the building manager hired declared them "half African" and they were eliminated. However, I like to think that their lives weren't all for naught...they live on as a cleverly worded blog title (...fine, just a regular blog title). Que sera sera.

Oh, and, as a side note, since it has been so long since my last post, a quick update: we have entered the final 3 weeks of my (2nd) undergraduate college career, Brian will be back from Korea on the 6th of May, our household goods will make their way toward Japan on the 11th of May, my last final will take place on the 12th of May, and Barack Obama is speaking at my graduation on the 13th. Don't expect another blog post in the next month.

"Adventure is just bad planning." --Rould Amundsen

Well, ASU has started classes once again. As Aristotle wrote, "Education is the best provision for old age." I ought to be pretty well provided for by the time I am 27! :)

Before school started I took a trip to CO and visited family and friends. You can see more pics from the visit here. Special thanks to the Lumpps for the wonderful peaches and cream cobbler and to the Floods for the delicious home cooked stew! I definitely won't be eating so well back in Tempe!

Mom and Dad rode with me for a return trip to Tempe. We saw the Grand Canyon and the Petrified National Forest and the Marco picked up some nasty bacteria in Santa Fe (no pictures necessary). I would not recommend staying in the La Quinta there, although the La Quinta in Flagstaff is fantastic.

I came home to find that I have a squatter on my patio, whom I have named Gerdie (see above). This doesn't upset me too much, since the patio is too hot for me to use at the moment (Mom and Dad can attest to this since they were in Tempe for a few hours at the end of our road trip and were entirely too happy to be leaving due to the "oppresive heat"; Coloradans don't know heat!). So back to Gerdie, I guess something in this household will probably be having babies soon (not me!). :) Never can have enough pidgeons in the world right....riiiiight. Lazy bird. Apparently she thinks she doesn't have to build a nest since she found a nice flower pot in which to roost. Sorry for the poor quality photo--I took it through the glass. She looked a little angry, so I didn't want to risk getting pecked!

Even though Tempe is hot right now, at least it isn't in the hot seat! I want to take a moment to send a shout out to everyone involved in the series of unfortunate events I like to call the Democratic National Convention. Sorry AR! Wish you were here!

Quick update on Brian, since he never bothers to post anything: he is busy. He is now one of the schedulers for his squadron so in addition to flying several times a week, he has the full-time, underappreciated, overworked job of scheduling everyone else's flights. To me this is sweet irony for the many years of resistance he has provided to my feable and futile attempts to plan everything! J/K, love ya Brian! I am proud of you! Also, he has a new call sign, "JOKER" and he will be heading to Red Flag Alaska in September so hopefully we will post lots of info/pics about that next month.

Colorado and Invisibility Cloaks

Hey everyone! I am visiting Colorado for a few weeks before school starts again and Mom, Dad, AR and I got to go see the Rockies play the Diamondbacks. Pretty fun!

Also, Invisibilty Cloaks, I knew it was coming!

Inaugural "You're Not the Boss of Me" Road Trip 2008

I decided I had to ditch the Phoenix heat for a while so Aunt Rita joined me for a road trip from Phoenix to Denver via Sedona, AZ, the Petrified Forest National Monument, and Santa Fe, NM. Downtown Santa Fe was probably the highlight of the trip--so beautiful! We had a great time relaxing at outdoor coffee shops and cafes and walking the pedestrianized streets. It felt so good to be in weather that doesn't make you run screaming for the A/C.

You can see more pictures of our adventures here.

New Camera & the Planck Constant

Nothing much happening here in Phoenix other than major heat, so I thought I would tell you all about our new camera. It is a Sony Cybershot DSC-W170 and I have only had it for 2 days, but so far it is fantastic! I took the below picture from my balcony, at night! That is right, completely dark outside...not bad I think for having virtually no available ambient light. Digital cameras these days are amazing! Thank the heavens for Electrical Engineers (and other engineers...I guess, :) ).

In other unrelated non-news, does anyone (besides Brian, put your hand down smarty-pants) know why the electromagnetic spectrum stops at a frequency on the order of 10^25 (Gamma Rays)? Yeah, me either. Apparently it is related to the Planck constant, which is the proportionality constant between the energy of a photon and its frequency. Just something to think about if you are having trouble sleeping tonight! :) It's a real cranium-buster!