Lost...in Kawasaki

Boku wa totemo lucky!!!!
I don't think I've ever been able to bounce back so quickly before, but let's start from the beginning...

So, went to Tracey and Adrian's apartment on Wednesday where we indulged in CoCoIchi Curry, Top Gear, RPG's, World Pizza and Happy Feet. Talked to Joy that night also; when we organised for her, Adrian and I to go to karaoke the next night at King of System in Noborito.
- Flash Forward to Thursday -
So, we'd had a great night so far with 2 hours of karaoke and Joy suggested we grab a drink at our favourite Noborito watering hole - the Antique and Junk (the bar of Matty B performance fame). It was at this bar that the Master (bar owners are always reffered to as Master) introduced me to this extremely fascinating and attractive woman named Hiromi. Within a couple of hours talking to her, I was enthralled! (I think Adrian and Joy were quite happy to leave me to it)
After Adrian and Joy departed, Hiromi invited me to another bar down the street where we talked for so long, that I completely forgot about the train and ended up catching the first train in the morning (she was quite happy to stay with me until said time).
- So Far, So Good -
As I'm obsessed with keeping my timeline intact, let's sidetrack to Friday night.
Friday night was quite fun. Talked with my friend Sunao who introduced me to his friend Kenta,　who seemed pretty cool. We spent the night drinking and talking about all matter of fascinating topics in The Hub, an English pub in Machida.
- Back to the matter at hand -
Saturday night. An excellent night. Hiromi and I first went to The Hub to watch the Liverpool vs. Arsenal game. Which was won by Liverpool 4-1. Very exciting game.
We went to an izakaya afterward, where we indulged in many a food and continued drinking beer and sake. Got waaay too drunk (which there is nothing wrong with).
Spent the whole day with her Sunday, despite feeling sick that day. Went out for lunch in a cafe, watched CSI. Then ventured out again where we met her friend "Saiba" who assisted her in finding a pair of shoes to match the dress she'll be wearing at her friend's wedding on Sunday (I will attend the party after the wedding). All three of us went to an Izakaya afterward, enjoyed many a food and beer, then went to karaoke. Great night again.
- Incredible woman, incredible time! -
Sitting in the Internet Cafe waiting for my weekly dose of TV shows and having lunch. Gonna see Rob tonight to do more music stuff. Speak of the devil, I just got a msg from Hiromi.

Have a good one people!

PS Grand Theft Auto 4 Trailer

Monday night brought another night with Hiromi; this time at the Cherry Blossom Festival and then a bar in Shinjuku. Got fairly drunk again and enjoyed many a food and drink.
Tuesday night, we went to a bar and an Izakaya in Noborito and had fun taunting the staff to give us free drinks since they screwed up our order! LOL
Still having a wonderful time, although I'm not feeling a hundred percent today. Luckily, I only had a half-day at work today, so I can rest up now.
I've got the internet in my place in Machida now, so quite stoked about that.

I gotta stop doing this weekly/bi-weekly post. It's becoming exhausting to do so! LOL

I'm still trying to maintain a correct timeline when I've gone so many days without posting on this thing. So here goes...

I can recall thinking that I lost my leather jacket and my Supercard and becoming quite distressed. Panicked over it for a few days until I finally realized I'd left them at Rob's. Was able to retrieve them after a week or so. It was at this point that I had psyched myself up to play Gyakuten Saiban 4 and then became really disappointed when I realized that this version is not designed for export purpose and therefore has no English option. So apparently, now I'm waiting until September to play the English version of Gyakuten Saiban 3, named Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations. God knows what 4 will be called when it comes out in English since Phoenix Wright is no longer the main protagonist!

The Saturday before the one just gone, I joined Hiromi for her friend Kim's hens night. Drank and ate the night away in an Izakaya with Hiromi, Kim, Kerrie and Leanne. Apparently, I was the male entertainment for the night, a concept I refused to accept LOL. Spent the night at a YMCA hotel, which was pretty damn cheap. Can't actually recall where we were that night.
Went to an Irish pub in Machida with Hiromi the next evening, watched another soccer game and ogled Hiromi's new digital camera.
The following night, was the wedding night of Kim and Kame. I didn't actually attend the wedding, but the second stage party in Harajuku. It was half Japanese/half Australian themed. Had quite a few good chats with people of both creeds. The third stage consisted of a trip to a huge room at a karaoke bar, where partied until the wee hours. The aftermath consisted of a few of us visiting first, a bar in which Hiromi and I promptly fell asleep for an hour and a half after which, we went to Maccas for breakfast.

If I'm correct, I'm up to Monday night now. Treated to Hiromi to a meal at an Izakaya in Machida (the one we dined at with Saiba the previous week).
Caught up with Adrian Tuesday night where we visited TGI Fridays for a hearty meal and afterwards, watched some Aussie TV.

Wednesday was another night of drinking and karaoke with Hiromi in Noborito with two of her friends. That basically took the rest of my energy that was in reserve and made me completely exhausted by the time I got to Thursday night where I just slept and watched WrestleMania 23.

Friday, I felt obligated to spend the night with Joseph where we went to Moco (Antique and Junk) and met up with Joy, Matt and Hiromi. Had a great night chatting, drinking, eating and playing guitar.
Saturday night, Hiromi and I visited a bar. Last night, went to Hon-Atsugi where I showed her GINA's and then she cooked me dinner (which was great!).

I've gotten back into Animal Crossing: Wild World as of late and I might start playing Pokemon Diamond once I find the leaked the supposed leaked rom.

I just got a haircut from the place right around the corner from my apartment. Was quite stoked about the price: only 2600 yen! If you've never had a haircut in Japan, I encourage you to do so. Not only do you get the standard shampoo and rinse, but you also get an awesome massage. Had fun speaking to the staff in half-japanese/half-english.
I gotta hang up my washing and do my dishes now, but I'll return soon for yet another survey.

In the meantime, here's a hilarious Morning Musume English Lesson.

Tuesday - Did a help-shift in Azamino, which I thought I was going to be far from Machida, but only took me 20 minutes. After work, I paid a visit to the Antique & Junk aka Moco, where I enjoyed a couple of drinks and talked to the owner Taki and some of the regulars.

Wednesday, Adrian came to my apartment. He showed me HomeTown Tales, which is quite interesting. Afterwards, we indulged in The Late Show and the 2007 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala. We then met Tracey at Machida station and proceeded to the Irish Bar in Machida where we saw an interesting Bongo, Bass and Flute trio.
Hiromi then messaged me and invited me to Moco. So, Adrian and I went and met Hiromi and Kim down in Noborito where had many interesting chats. I believe we all got waaay too drunk. I can remember that after Adrian and Kim went home; Hiromi, Akira (another Moco regular) and I went to another bar down the street and played darts.

Thursday, was late for work damnit! Slept in and missed the first lesson. Argghh, my paycheck is gonna pay for that one! On the lighter side, everyone was quite impressed by one of the ties that Hiromi bought for me.
I caught up with some TV that night and saw Hiromi later on. Hiromi is really great, she always makes me laugh and I always have a great time!

Friday, ohhhhh, Friday! The day started off quite well, with my holiday request being approved. So, I'm on vacation during Golden Week. I haven't planned to do anything special and I'm not sure if my budget is going to allow a big trip, but I just need a freakin' break!
During my second-to-last lesson, a student informed me that there had been an incident in Machida. Apparently, a Yakuza dude shot down and killed someone in front of a konbini EXTREMELY CLOSE to my apartment. After learning how close it was to my apartment (We're talking just up the street here, folks!), I was quite apprehensive about going home. As soon as I finished work, the company called me and informed me that they were going to book me a hotel since the police had sealed off the area near my apartment. So, spent the night in the Central Hotel Machida and returned home the next morning.

Saturday night brought me to GINA, where I caught up with Hiromi, Joy, Adrian and Sunao where we all watched Billy Morokawa and Harvest Moon. Caught up with some of the regulars there and enjoyed a few drinks.
Afterward, Hiromi, Joy and I travelled to Noborito for karaoke at the King of System. It must be noted that on the train, Joy got Adrian and I to pose for the evolution of man and comedy, which was quite quite interesting!

Sunday, Hiromi and I made our way to Minami-Machida which, for some reason, isn't right next to Machida! Go figure... Anyway, we went to the Outback Steakhouse (a Australian restaurant owned by Americans. Again, go figure..) and had a massive meal.
I bought Hiromi this really cute ensemble for her to wear at work as well as in casual situations. She was pretty stoked.
Afterward, we went to the Mycal Cinema in Shin-Yurigaoka and watched Night at the Museum. I thought the movie was really funny and the special effects were pretty cool, but the stupid over-the-top happy ending just ruined the overall feel of the movie.

Spent half the day today sleeping and cleaning my house. Now that I'm clean and tidy and have spilled my thoughts onto here, I feel quite content. After doing heaps of overtime the last couple of months in order to gain decent days off like yesterday, it feels really good to finally have a couple of days off to relax and catch up on gaming, TV, internet and music.
Scored myself a copy of Pokemon Diamond (of which the rom leak turned out to be a hoax), will most likely play that along with Animal Crossing. Also, thinking of getting back into Children of Mana.

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following...They MUST be real places, names, things...NOTHING made up! If you can't think of anything, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Your Name: James

Famous Music artist/group: Jimmy Eat World

Street name: James St.

Gifts/present: Jousting stick

Vehicle: Jaguar

TV Show: Jackass

Boy Name: Jebediah

Girl Name: Josephine

Alcoholic drink: Jim Beam and Jolt Cola

Occupation: Judge

Celebrity: Jason Lee

Food: Jalapeno

Something found in a kitchen: Juxtaposition of cooking items

Reason for Being Late: Joker of Batman fame robbed me

Something You Shout: Joke! It was a joke!

Decided to dig up some old emails from when I first arrived in Japan. Not terribly interesting, but kind of show a retrospective of days gone by. These were both titled:
Internet Ramblings

10th August (Day 2):
Well, its my second day in the japan and I finally found an internet cafe (This tiny little spacebar with an IME key next to it is gonna take getting used to and I cant find the apostrophe key! LOL)
Ive had so much fun getting lost (mustve gotten lost about ten times already) and exploring this tiny, but bloated city.
Had a couple of clumsy ordeals, I went to buy a case and monitor for my computer yesterday, but was lost without any books to help me with my extremely poor japanese. The book store was closed yesterday, so I couldnt do much (Yeah, OK, I forgot to buy books in Australia, but at least thats the only thing I forgot!). Today, I bought some books, but now the computer store that sells cases is closed for some reason! ???
On the brighter side of things, I am confident in ordering food and buying stuff (at least as a gaijin!). Got a jap charger for my Nintendo DS as well as cleaning products. I also worked out how to use the DVD player and TV (something my Dad cant even figure out in English!), got to watch one thing in English (The Truman Show. Dual Audio Television, who wouldve thought?! ;) )
Im hoping one of my room mates will turn up today and Ill have some more assistance with things so I can get my computer and internet up and running. And then...suss out some japanese wrestling to report on!

Sayonara!

11th August (Day 3):
Hey peoples,
Today, I helped my new room-mate register at the city office and I just transferred some money to my credit (debit) card to go and buy a case and a DVD burner. I'll (I found the apostrophe!) get a monitor once I'm on the net, since I just wanna use my 1 Tb of videos and audio that I brought with me on the TV.
I am quite worried about our other room-mate though, he has been in the apartment for two years, but hasn't been there since I arrived and it's been three days! Perhaps he's avoiding the responsibility of helping us out?! LOL
Swaroop and I visited Big Echo Karaoke last night and drank a couple of beers, it was really fun because they have such an amazing catalogue of English songs (way better than the shitey Aussie Karaoke bars).
Apart from that, I just looooove the food here and the adverts on TV trip me out so hard!
My favourite advert so far is for a brand of soy sauce (at least, that's what I think it is). It shows three people with their chopsticks ready to pick up pieces of meat and it counts down '5! 4! 3! 2! 1!'. Then, for some reason, there is a plane flying overhead and it zooms to a window of the plane and shows some british kid yell 'Aaaah!'. It then goes back down and they dip their meat in the sauce and that's it!
The engrish here is also hilarious, one of the arcades I went to was called 'Game Immigrant?', I'll try and remember some more and maybe take some pictures when I work out why my digital camera won't start.
Hope you're all surviving without me! ROFLMAO!!!!
Please write back!
James

Another chapter to add to the collection. I finally found the old Pwinsider.com Elite Message Board, so I was able to dig up all of my ramblings from my Lost..in Atsugi thread.
Lost...in Atsugi

15th August (Day 7):
.Everything here is automatic, except for the doors, which are....ummm......semi-atuomatic. It took me a while to work out I had to touch the handle for it to open! LOL
I'd never seen a bidet before and got the fright of my life!
I've been to Shibuya and Machida so far (as well as another city whose name has I've forgotten).
In Machida, I bought a phone (haven't picked it up yet, they had to order it. The phones that are free here would be worth hundreds in the US or Australia!).
I am doing my training in Shibuya and today will be my second day. There are many girls in the city of Shibuya that like to dress up in outrageous outfits. They bleach their hair blonde and get a really dark tan - I don't really like this look!
I have been having lots of fun eating all sorts of japanese food (ramen is the best!), going to karaoke and generally looking around.

Signing off on my seventh day,
James.

17th August (Day 9):

The other city that I have been to that I couldn't remember is Shinjuku.
I have finished my initial training and feel pretty confident teaching english at the moment (although there is room for improvement). I start work tomorrow at Shin-Yurigaoka.
We met our other room-mate Craig finally a few days ago, he is Scottish. We all get along fine. :D
I reckon I've sussed the train system, which is quite expensive, but we're told that the company will pay for our fares to and from work. I am thankful there is so much english everywhere.
Soon, I hope to begin learning japanese properly, I'm not sure if I want to go to a school or not, as I'm really keen to do language exchange in hopes of meeting a female friend.
I'm told that japanese wrestling is on normal TV, so I just gotta figure out the times from the newspaper and start recording.
Apart from that, we've just been going to karaoke and eating out alot. There was this excellent karaoke bar that Craig took me to in Hon-Atsugi (this is my home-town, the traditional/original part of Atsugi, the non-traditional part of Atsugi is across the river) called U-Style. We paid like 2300 yen each and got unlimited alcohol as well an excellent selection of songs! (Eg. They had two songs from the new Pearl Jam album).
Hopefully today, Craig's friend Masa will be able to help me choose an ISP and get hooked up to the internet.

Hopefully soon I'll have some japanese wrestling reports for you all!
Until next time, sayonara!

The rest of the posts are a big jumble since they are mixed into conversations. So, I'll try to post some more "Letters from the Past" soon.