Finding Japan

Today’s episode is very much like a one-way telephone conversation. Recording with my cellular phone, I do a quick update and introduce a few subjects very briefly, not getting into too much depth. This is more of an experiment than a proper episode. I hope it meets the approval of your ears in terms of quality. What do you think? Is this quality level too annoying? It’s super convenient for commute-casting. Also, there’s something more natural about recording into a cell phone, so strange. I’m undecided.

Show Notes:

* Wednesday = hump day?

* Doing the podcast on my keitai (cell phone)

* Regular schedule in Japan has started

* Will do an entire episode on coffee in Japan

* Will do an entire episode on first week in a Japanese office

* Keeping in touch with friends (Gmail / Keitai symbiosis)

* Getting Things Done

* Vitalist

* Will this be a full episode? – Yes.

(Sorry for the late posting, was on the run to my first day of work this morning!) ^_^

Yes yes, another video episode. I have finally nailed down my video episode creation workflow so this isn’t all that time-consuming to put together anymore. Hopefully I will have time to do more in the future, however with work starting I have a feeling we’ll be getting quite a few more commute-casts in the near future. Anyway, onto the video…

This video contains some various clips of Sakura blossoms I have taken over the past week. Tokyo has had a fairly long (at least from my perspective) cherry blossom viewing season. I believe it peaked early last week, but even this weekend there was some cherry blossoms still out for the viewing. Some of these clips were taken as late as last Friday, when I did the podcast from the park.

As a bonus, I’ve also put in Alex trying a little bit of we dubbed “juice-box sake” (photo above). These are available in almost all convenience stores. I haven’t had any sort of liquid in this type of container since I was a child and I had them put in my lunch box. Drinking sake out of these was quite a weird trip back in time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video. Cheers!

Alternative video link (Google Video)

Take a stroll with me as I take a walk through a park near where I live and talk a bit about lessons in humility. I have a random conversation with a stranger and share some sounds of Tokyo as I walk home. A short episode coming in at 20 mins and little more personal than the rest before. Highly edited due to wind noise however so please bear with me. Hope you enjoy! Mata!

Show Notes:

* Unwinding in the park

* Getting a haircut in Japan

* QB House – 1,000 円 haircut

* Had to fix my own hair, ha!

* Working in Ariake

* The Dream Bridge (picture below)

* Building numbers in Tokyo – why they exist

* Humbleness, humility, and humanity

* Still learning about myself

* Placement tests

* Random conversation with fellow park-walker

* Answering Matt’s question on the JR Rail Pass

* Random sounds and babble for the last 5 minutes on my way home

* I must have a nice ass

* National health insurance

* Japanesepod101.com

* It’s Friday night!

The Dream Bridge in Ariake

Special guests, raw chicken, bicycle skills and more. Get it all in this episode. Tonight Alex (my trackmate, roommate, and friend) takes a seat at the mic with me for a dualing discussion on the finer points of Japan. As we dry off from the monsoon that seemed to appear from out of nowhere earlier today. Today’s episode comes in around 30 minutes long and I even cut out the part about commuting around the city to post on another rainy day. Enjoy!

Show notes and references:

* Intro – Never again will I buy a cheap Chinese umbrella

* Update

* Moved to Sumida-ku

* Hanami last weekend

* Meiji-jingu video is up

* Bicycle Sidewalk – check it out

* Alien registration complete!

* Foreign Exchange

* Japanese Bicycle Skeeels

* Eating Raw Chicken

* Japan is famous for three types of chickens, Alex explains

* 生 -> usually means raw

* 刺 -> but this does too apparently, so watch out!

*

* Things You Will Only See in Japan

* Cute vs. Cool

* Buta-kun

*

* Outro and Thanks

I’m constantly posting from the past it seems. This weekend was busy with hanami activities (and subsequent recovery). I will be posting some video and audio from that as well. However, as promised, here is the Meiji-jingu video from last week.

I shot most of this footage from that day. Meiji-jingu is my favorite place to visit when I need some peace and quiet. Right in the heart of Yoyogi park, it never ceases to have a calming and quieting effect on me. Enjoy!

Alternative video link (Google Video)

First day back with Internet means instant episode for you all, better late than never. I recorded this episode earlier in the week, Tuesday evening to be exact just before my trackmate Alex arrived in Japan. The next few days were spent trouncing around Tokyo looking for basics like bedding, soap, and food. Enjoy this pre-move in episode ne! ^_^

Show Notes

* Long day (late post, will be in the process of moving)

* View from the Tokyo Prince Hotel

* Jisa-boke and how I get over it

* Tokyo Tower / Eiffel Tower

* Moving and dragging my belongs through the streets of Tokyo

* Using GTD and Vitalist

* Cool friends help the Tokyo-transition

* Only in Japan – Egg on pizza is truly incredible (http://www.flickr.com/photos/heavylift/434951327/)

* Small World – Strange people confluences

* Terrance’s Matsuri Post on KobeBeef

* Upcoming Video Posts

Today’s episode is brought to you by this Dr. Pepper Can and the Pepper Chix (http://www.drpp.jp). Woah!

This episode covers a little bit about the website and how to subscribe to the audio versions of this podcast, my trials and tribulations at an Internet cafe in Kamata trying to get some connectivity, Japanese Jehovah Witnesses, the best damn spicy cheeseburger I’ve ever had, a crazy motorcycle helmet, and more.

Also, I divulge a little bit of my Japanese study plan which seems to be working out. Remembering the Kanji, James Heisig, I couldn’t remember the name of this book during the episode.

Don’t know who Oruchuban Ebichu is? Lest your curiosity kill you, find out in this episode.

And of course, a quick roundup of some of the best Japanese living podcasts around. Herro Flom Japan, Kobe Beef Show, Tokyo Calling, and A Year in Japan. Check these out.

Hey everyone, sorry for the hurried posting but I’m currently at an Internet cafe and my access to the Internet has been very very sporadic to say the least. I banged out another episode yesterday and kept it aging for a day until I get could some access. So here you go, enjoy.

In this episode:

* Intro music – “Hologram Jesus” by Pthalo

* Lack of updates – Internet connectivity is down, down I tell you

* Alien Registration Story

* Nintendo DS Kanji Dictionary rules!!

* Found an apartment from TokyoRent.com – yay!

* Excite Train Transfer Application – http://www.excite.co.jp/transfer/

* Shopping in Kawasaki

* Liquor Store Funniness

* Fish Market TV Show Interruption

And as always, more to come soon. Cheers!

Day one in Japan and the first official podcast episode is released. Its nearing the completion of my first full day in Japan, and I’m doing everything I can not to go to sleep while I fight this sore throat.

( photo by Sachama  [original] CC license)

Brief show notes in paragraph form: In the first few hours I randomly met someone who knows a mutual friend of mine, called the Japanese fire department accidentally while trying to place a phone call to a friend, ate cow tongue at a yaki-niku place, and made a few new friends at a tachinomi bar (picture included). Hear about it all in audio form along with my jet-lagged speaking full of uhhs and umms.

A new audio podcast for you all. I ramble on my way to school and talk about how I should talk about this stuff more. Sound redundant? It is. I think this is more for me to get in the habit and work out my audio-workflow before hitting the ground for real in Japan.

Sorry if the audio is a bit wonky. I didn’t even think it would be usable until I listened with headphones today. But alas, it seemed salvageable. So here is Monday’s podcast, today!

Show notes

* T-Minus 25 Days

* Yay, podcasting starts again

* Japanese class update

* Mid-term

* Writing recognition vs. listening comprehension

* Ready for Japan

* Visa is in

* Working in Japan

* Apartment search update

* Weekend with girlfriend

* How I’m studying Japanese

* iFlash

* http://www.loopware.com/iflash/

* Japanese for the Western Brain

* http://kimallen.sheepdogdesign.net/Japanese/index.html

* del.icio.us links

* http://del.icio.us/heavylift/japanese