Namja Town!

On Friday I went to one of my favorite places in Tokyo: Namja Town. It is a food amusement park created by Namco (yes, the makers of Pacman among other arcade classics). They have Gyoza Stadium, Ice Cream City (complete with an ice cream museum of all the ice cream flavors available in Japan, like octopus, beef tongue, and beer), The Tokyo Republic of Desserts, Curry World, Relax Forrest, and a Haunted path area. As far as I'm concerned: best concept for a theme park, EVER. The wonders of Namja Town are really too great to be expressed in just one blog, and one can never truly understand unless one experiences it for oneself...so I will just point out some highlights from my most recent trip.

First of all, there happened to be some sort of anime-related event going on when we went, so in addition to the "normal" crazy stuff going on, there were a ton of cosplayers there as well...one word: awesome. Also, right now, they are doing a "Mega Food Fest," so they varies food stalls have greated giant "Mega" offerings (like an icecream parfait big enough for 24 people, and costing $350). So of course we had to get in on some of that action...we stuck to the less expensive choices though. First some Mega Gyoza at gyoza stadium.


This gyoza was the size of a plate!

This gyoza was called the "Mega Long." The picture is even funnier when you know that the guy who was working at the stall was watching us take it, laughing, and saying "rongu, rongu" (long, long) over and over again.

We also had a giant ice cream float! This was 1.5 litres of cola with vanilla ice cream on top. In Japan, though, when they make floats they put ice in the soda, and the ice cream on top...which is not what we wanted. So, I asked for it without the ice...which really confused the waitress: "Without ice? But, it comes with ice cream, so do you want the ice cream on the side?" "Um, no, ice cream on top please" "But, if there isn't any ice, and we put the ice cream on top, it will sink." Um...no, it is called an ice cream "float" for a reason...but rather than try to explain how density works to her I just said, "That's OK" and left it at that. To be fair, when you make an ice cream float the ice cream does start to melt and mix in with the soda...which I suppose is kind off like sinking...but not really, and I always thought that was the point of an ice cream float anyway...but apparently in Japan people just like drinking cola while they eat ice cream. At any rate, we got our ice-less ice cream float. Plus, since I'm pretty sure no one had ever ordered it that way, they didn't realize that the ice takes up most of the space in the giant glass, so they still filled it all the way up with cola, so we deffinately had a whole 2 liters of cola for the price of 1.5...sweet!


Props to the waitress for doing the same pose as us for this picture!

Oh, and with three people, we deffinately finished that bad boy!

So, those were the "mega" hi-lights of Namja Town. On a completely different topic. Just an FYI: when you buy feminine hygiene products at a drugstore in Japan, they are so considerate of the possible embarrassment such a purchase could cause that they have special non-see-through bags that are used specifically for those more delicate buys. Yeah...so instead of someone walking behind you happening to see the box of tampons in your shopping bag, now even the dude across the street a block away can see that you bought some period products! Great thinking Japan!!! The only place has a better idea is the convenience store Ministop...there, they put it in an inconspicuous bag labled "hot food"...which incidentally is not the bag they give you when you order something from the hot food box.

For more info on Namja Town: http://www.namja.jp/

Sorry, Japanese only.

Niigata Trip

So I went to Niigata this weekend for a sake festival with some friends. I had one of the BEST weekends ever! It was super fun, and even a little ridiculous. Some hi-lights (aside from the 2 days of all you can drink sake for 1,000yen)were:
1. Seeing a friend I haven't seen in almost 2 years.
2. Going to the Niigata City "Round One"--an entertainment center where you can pay about 1,400yen to use all the facilities (roller rink, shooting gallery, badminton/volleyball/basketball/soccer/etc, mini-bike, karaoke rooms, huge arcade (all free play), massage chairs, comics, internet, and more) from 11:30pm to 6:00am.
3. Winning a bottle of sake in a blind taste test, and all my foreign friends winning as well when most of the Japanese people couldn't do it, awesome!
4. Seeing the original Iron Chef, Rokusaburo Michiba!















5. Meeting a guy over my cellphone email.

Yes, I am serious about the last one. That was the ridiculous part of the weekend, and the topic I would like to expand on for the remainder of this entry.

First off, an explanation: I wanted to send my contact info to my friend and add his to my address book, so I asked my other friend for his info. It is "really easy" because it is just part of the alphabet @cellphone.company.jp (address changed for privacy, but it really is a different part of the alphabet...yeah, he gets a ton of spam mail). So, I put in nopqrstuvw@cellphone.company.jp and mailed my email and number. Then, we realized that his actual email was nopqrstuv@cellphone.company.jp... BUT I didn't get an email from the server saying my mail couldn't be delivered because there was no one with that email. Instead, I got an email from that address saying, "Sorry, but, who is this? How do you know my email?"(in Japanese of course) Well, it was then that my friends and I decided rather than just write back and explain the mix-up, it would be better (ie. more entertaining) to pretend that I knew this person. The following is a translation of our email exchange that night. Please note that the guy was using Kansai-ben (a dialect that is often compared to a "southern" accent in English...but I think that doesn't fit b/c it can be both funny and bad-ass, so maybe, Brooklyn accent? Yeah, imagine this guy using a Brooklyn accent.)

Me: He~y! It's Sarah! my-email-address@japan.ne.jp , TEL: 555555555. Be sure to register me! Love, Winston Churchill (heart icon)
--the last part was really in English, and is an inside joke- I will not go into detail here.

Mystery Email: Sorry, but who is this?! Why to you know my address?!

Me: You gave it to me... You mean, you don't remember?!(shocked face)

M.E.: Who introduced us?!

Me: Se-cr-et (kissy lips)

M.E.: Whaaaaaat? (smiley face) Well, where are you right now? I'm free, so let's hang out!

Me: Right now, I'm having dinner at a Thai restaurant near the Round One.
--this was not a lie...I just didn't say which Round One...hehe...

M.E.: The R.O. in Hirakata?!
--name of an area of Osaka (where they speak Kansai-ben)

Me: No, actually, the one in Niigata... To tell the truth, I am on a trip right now.

M.E.: Where do you live?

Me: Where do you think I live?

M.E.: Well, Hirakata or Yabata, yeah?(cat face) Otherwise, we can't hang out (thumbs up)

Me: Ooooooh too bad...I live in Tokyo. By the way, do you like comedy? I actually do manzai. If you want to "hang out" you can come to my homepage anytime: http://gaijindantai.blogspot.com/

M.E.: I see (smiley face) Well, if you come to Osaka or Kyoto again, let's hang out! I like manzai (cat face) Good luck (thumbs up)

That was the last email...BUT then he CALLED me!!!!

I ended up telling him about the whole mix-up... And he asked if I ever go to Osaka... I told him, "Since I do manzai, I have to go on business trips to Osaka sometimes" (Osaka is the home of manzai)... So, he said we should deffinately hang out next time I am there, AND he will call his friends and we can have a go-con (a group date that young Japanese people organize)... OH YEAH! I am DEFFINATELY gonna send him an email next time I am going to Osaka.
btw, the caps aren't b/c of sarcasm it is b/c that is totally awesome!

Also, I haven't been able to get a date in forever...and all of a sudden, I pick up some guy with my cellphone...how much more ridiculous can you get?

The Grande Finale

This past Saturday saw the conclusion of One Pound Gospel.

Kamenashi Kazuya ended up telling Sister Angela that he would continue to do his best as a boxer and would wait "in the ring" for her forever. For a minute there, I thought I was going to be surprised and she would stay a nun...but of course, this is a Japanese drama...she quits the nunnery and they get married.

The End

Oh, and everyone else lives happily ever after too.

The weird thing is that anybody who has read Japanese literature, or seen Japanese films (that have gained critical acclaim abroad) knows that they usually revolve around pointing out the futility of life, "it is better to die than to live in this world of neverending sorrow." I guess people in Japan don't like to be depressed when they watch TV. They prefer going to the movie theatre and paying $20 for that pleasure.

Payday!

So there is a town in Japan named "Obama." Can you guess how excited they are about a certain Democratic nominee? So, excited that they sent him some presents to show his support. Rather than explain it, I will just paste an article that was in the Japan Times today:

Obama to namesake town: Thanks for support
From Obama to Obama, thank you.
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, has sent the mayor of Obama, Fukui Prefecture, a letter of gratitude for the city's show of support, city officials said Tuesday.
"We share more than a common name; we share a common planet and common responsibilities," the Feb. 21 letter addressed to Mayor Toshio Murakami says. "I am touched by your friendly gesture, and I wish you all the best."
The letter closes with the candidate's signature.
The city supports the senator because his name, although not Japanese, is coincidentally the same as the city's, officials say. In January 2007, the mayor sent Obama a letter and a local specialty — lacquered chopsticks. Last month, the city sent out another letter and a lacquered "daruma" doll with a wish for Obama's decisive victory in the nomination.

OK. In case you didn't catch it, may I point out the key sentence in this article using capital letters and italics for emphasis? "The city SUPPORTS the senator BECAUSE his NAME, although not Japanese, is COINCIDENTALLY the same as the city's, officials say." That is an absolutely FABULOUS reason to support a candidate! Obama has the same name as our town! It is a miracle! AWESOME!!!!! Guess what, town of Obama in Fukui Prefecture, I have the same name as Micheal Jackson, but that doesn't mean I support sodomy of young boys.

Obama's response to the towns gifts was really great, though. He did a great job of wording it so they would feel good without pointing out how retarded they are. Allow me to translate his response into what he was really thinking: "Um, thanks random town in Japan that has absolutely no say in whether or not I win the primaries...but do you actually know anything about me or my political platform? How about you focus on doing something that is actually productive, like fixing your own country's governmental problems...either that or convincing everyone in the States who is also named Obama that it is a good idea to choose your political representation based on having a shared name."

All that being said, I know a lot of people in the States and other countries end up voting for candidates for stupid reasons, like who is the best looking, or who has the best personality, rather than what their political stance is...but have you ever heard of someone voting because they have the same name. Yeah, it would be great if there was a President Sarah...too bad Clinton's first name is Hillary, otherwise I would deffinately vote for her.

*One Pound Gospel Update*
So, Kamenashi Kazuya fought the reigning Japan boxing champ, Host Boxer, in the title match. I'll give you one guess as to whether or not he won. If you guessed that he lost...you deffinately have never seen a Japanese drama. Meanwhile, Sister Angela decided that she can't face the temptation of being near Kamenashi Kazuya, and she doesn't want him to do things like put himself in danger for her sake anymore, so she asks to be transferred to a different nunnery. Oh no! Will Kamenashi Kazuya ever be able to see her again. Well, considering that Sister Angela walks to the new place...I'm guessing yes. Next week is the final episode. Can Kamenashi Kazuya beat God in winning Sister Angela's heart? Stay tuned.