like most of the jets who came over here, the first question i had about life here in my local town was "do the local hoodlums have loud cars?" fortunately, the answer to that question was supplied almost immediately my first afternoon by an overthrottled chunk of scrap metal roaring past, leaving an acrid stench for any poor soul who happened to be outside at the time. if i had a cane, i would've gone out on my balcony and yelled "you kids get the hell off my lawn!" (no, i don't have a lawn, but that's really beside the point.)
another interesting feature of life here is the music videos...i was watching last night, and i'm saddened to report that rap videos here lag far behind their american counterparts in exploitative images of women. it's not that there aren't multitudes of women in japanese vids shaking their thangs in front of the camera, it's that japanese women are totally ass-less. not much cleavage either. i mean, how am i supposed to derive the fact that mr. dragon ash or whatever is all bad-ass when the only eye candy he can represent with is twiggy? it's like milli vanilli trying to cop a 'tude.
anyway. i bike to and from work everyday, which is good exercise, and i certainly don't *mind* it, but i feel kind of bad when i come into a formal office environment absolutely drenched. i sit down, and everyone around comments on how hot it must be outside. it was mentioned to me today that it would be alright if i wore jeans and a t-shirt next time i came in...
every japanese i meet seems surprised that i like sushi. they ask if there's sushi in america...bizarre. ditto with chopsticks. for lunch today i had the most delicious bowl of miso ramen. it was only 350 yen, too. and for a massize bowl. i'll have to frequent the gov't building's restaurant again. oh, and they have cold japanese green tea, which rocks.
i went shopping today at the local mall-type place. it's called "cowboy", and it has a bowling center, a department store, various shops, a supermarket, and a food court! the food court, strangely enough has a kfc and a pizza hut. i had a couple of slices today, and though it's typical pizza hut pizza (alright, but not great), it will serve well when homesickness sets in. the rest of the eateries there are japanese stuff, including a sushi place to which i've been taken twice (yum!).
i would be remiss if i didn't mention how cool my immediate supervisor has been so far. yesterday he took me around and opened a couple of monetary accounts for me, picked up my hanko (japanese stamp that's used instead of a signature), bought me lunch, and helped me out with my alien registration. today he picked up my satellite antenna, helped me figure out my electricity bill, and put my electricity, gas, water, and stuff on direct withdrawal from my post office account. so i greatly appreciate him.
now playing - children of bodom - tokyo warhearts (live in japan)