Porn

The sale of uncensored porn is illegal in Japan.

http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/99933.php

Otsukaresama and Deal with it

Short answer first; there's no way to say "deal with it" in Japanese.

Long answer to follow at a later date.

My Thoughts on Taipei

I went to Taipei recently for a quick four day trip. After doing some research I found out I got ripped off on the flight its only $230 from Osaka (Peach airlines) compared to $450 from Nagoya. Oh well, its a lot easier from Nagoya than having to get to Osaka.

Anyways, I wanted to write this so I don't forget what I saw in Taipei. You can see most of the photos on my facebook.

-Toilet paper: In half the toilets in Taipei (even nice public ones) there is a trashbin for used TP... This is strange but there is a huge "green" movement in Taipei.

-Eco-friendly: Mentioned above, there is a huge movement in Taipei. There are a lot of solar panels, recycling system similar to Japan, TP usage above, and just tons of technology being used (and advertising their use) on/in buildings

-Food: Cheap as fuck and still really delicious.. although some of the places look pretty damn shoddy.

-Women: not as pretty as japanese women and dress rather poorly. I even went to the most expensive malls on a friday and still no one... didnt make it to a club though =(

-Asian culture: similar to japanese where the people just like to hang out at shopping arcades, McDonalds, or a coffee shop.

-Breastfeeding- this is HUGE in Taipei. There are literally more breastfeeding signs on walls and subways then bathroom signs. Why? I have no idea...

-Bball- Taiwanese love themselves some bball. Nike is a huge brand and there are NBA signs everywhere... not to mention Jeremy lin.

-Playboy- Not only is the playboy bunny seen everywhere, and accepted, (clothing/accessories); but it's also the word asians (Japanese and Taiwanese) use for male slut/ player. "player" isnt much different from "playboy" but it just sounds funny coming from asian women.

-Sightseeing- I dont think there was much to really see... there were supposed to be some nice places that you could take a bus to see, but i never really made it there.

Poetry - There was a lot of random poetic plaques found throughout Taipei... Taiwanese seem to enjoy their poetry tons more than Japanese people.

All in all, this place is a great place to just relax, eat, and drink with the locals. They are really nice people and everything is cheap. Mix in some sightseeing, shopping, and local food for an all around good experience.

Thanks Taiwan.

Water Lotion

Apparently "water lotion" is normal in Japan... I wasn't sure if this exists in America because I don't buy cosmetic products often so I asked a girl. She confirmed that she's never seen something so interesting. This bottle is actually a more expensive bottle, but you can buy cheap $1 ones at the convenience store and what not. Let me tell you though, this lotion is no joke. The weather here in Japan ruins my skin (like embarrassing dry red marks on my face) and this lotion is a savior. So don't be put off by its "watery-ness."

Gym Time: Japanese Style

Hello hello hello,

As some of the people who may know me, I'm a bit of a gym enthusiast. I like to try to stay in a certain range of fitness and moving to a new area doesn't always make it easier. That being said, I've managed to find my first fitness center and let me tell you it's nothing like home.

Further, don't be afraid that people saw me taking pictures... I've managed to find an app that works around the mandatory camera noise.

My favorite part about my new gym is that there's this corner of the gym where it literally looks as though all the machines were purchased off of the "as seen on tv" program.  Pictured above, these Japanese are using this 1950's relic of an exercise equipment. This piece is a bit of an upgrade from its predecessor as seen here(1800s).

Next up we have the death bed of balls... really I have no idea what the fuck it is so I had to google it.  (Side note this machine actually came up in the same article as the 1800's piece above hahah) You cant see it that well, but its in the back behind this guy on these stupid circular discs. 


In Japan's defense, I've seen these discs before, but then again they were in the park nearest my house back home.  That park is notorious for massive 20+ people tai chi sessions so I'm going go ahead and call that even.  Regardless, take note of the stupid machine in the background.

Bonus: check out this cool Instagram shot of JC Penney catalog showing the above machines.

Next we have a cool looking wall with buttons... of which I think you play wack-a-mole with them and they tell you your reaction speed or something. Beats me... Japanese are crazy.

This next piece of equipment is an endless supply of LOLs. Apparently the Japanese are huge fans of John Wayne flicks.  This machine was inspired by said movies so as to recreate the feeling from riding a horse all day (please note the stirups). You should see it in action!! Not only does it look retarded, it also happens to be one of the most used pieces of equipment (Young and old alike!). -_- Japanese people please never change.










I can go on forever about this fitness center like how they have a massive gymnasium floor that mixes kendo, judo, hip hop dancing, and MMA-shit; or how they have an archery range, a reserved area for VHS tape stretching routines, and rooms solely for the purpose of table tennis (True story; these old ladies play doubles, do warm-ups, and exercises); but I've grown weary of this post.

Please note that yoked Japanese man in spandex and pink tank tops are not included in each work out.

Wraps on wraps on wraps

Two points for anyone who recognizes this chune.

Japanese culture is a little interesting and by interesting I mean fucking crazy. No, not in a derogatory sense, but in a what the fuck are you thinking kind of sense.

Forewarning: this post will have no photos so you can stop reading now if you like.

Anyways, these Japanese people are obsessed with packaging... It makes no sense why they're so obsessed with packing when they're even more obsessed with recycling.  Anytime you buy something they will bag and tape it. You can buy a fucking pencil at a convenient store and they would bag it  and tape the sides together! They even have tape dispensers in the bagging area of a grocery store for you to use as well and I've seen pretty much every one of the customers use it too.

Example 1: I bought three pastries at a pastry shop. Each pastry was bagged individually, bagged altogether, and then taped. You could have thrown them all in one bag and I wouldn't have thought twice about it.

Example 2: Three ready-made pizzas in a grocery store packaged for sale.  Each pizza is packaged individually (understandable) and then packaged altogether (understandable).  This is good enough, but they decided to add a paper tray to hold all the pizzas....?!? Such a waste.

Example 3:  Condoms come individually wrapped and in a box. Who uses condoms?

Sorry I've been gone lately. Work has been a pain in my ass and as a result my creativity is lacking.

G'day.

Japanese Diet

As with all my previous posts, I've made the statement that I've only been here in Nagoya for so long (3 weeks), but these are the observations I've made.  I will revisit these in the future after I've been living here for a longer...

Regardless, I'd like to touch on the subject of Japanese Diet. For as healthy as these fuckers are, they definitely don't eat that way. I say this for multiple reasons. Instead of trying to approach this subject in a well-mannered organized way, you get my stream of conscious post.

Yes, each region of Japan eats different foods, but then again Nagoya is the 3rd or 4th largest city so I can make the assumption that this city makes up a decent portion of the population. With that said, these bastards never eat any vegetables! When I grocery shop I see old ladies buy bentos (pre-made lunches) and ramen... not fresh vegetables, fruit, or fish.  Further, the native food for Nagoya is miso and curry I think... so basically it's unhealthy food.

I don't eat out much since I'm poor; however, I am a pretty solid window shopper.  Also Japan loves to put plastic replicas of the food in the windows.  Let me tell you that I haven't seen many salads, vegetables, or fruits included in these plates.  The only thing you see is some breaded meat, sauce, rice, and other random items garnishing the meals.  I think it's a pretty pertinent point when foreigner guides for the city specifically mention restaurants where you CAN find salads.

So I'm left to believe that the Japanese are just blessed with amazing fucking genetics to live as long as they do with such shitty diets.  My body is withering away over here as I can never get a balanced diet.  I hear they don't actually eat much throughout the day as they are "too busy to eat." Oh, the Japanese also LOVE sweets.  There is yet another subtraction to a healthy diet.

Besides the amazing genetics, I'd say that the ridiculous amounts of walking helps keep them healthy.

Faces

What up,

So I've been working on this theory about the facial structures of the Japanese. To begin, I haven't had many kids classes, but from what I've seen I've been observing some similarities with the older folk.
I know that this study is by no means "new" but I find it interesting because it seems easier to spot with the Japanese. Further, I feel I can recognize more personality traits.

For starters, the saying about rounder faces still stands strong. I believe that I have heard that the rounder the face the more bull headed/ head strong/ type A/  etc. As witnessed by this stupid fat face brat that wouldn't shut his mouth once he found out my name translated sounds just like the word diarrhea. Looking back right now maybe this doesn't make the most sense but fuck that kid anyways.

The second type of face I've started to recognize isn't really a stereotype of a personality, but more of a prediction. There are these kids that just look like their natural born athletes. It's strange but I can't help but think everyone notices too.

Of course there are the shy nerdy types too but I haven't given much thought to it... Plus my trains up hahah.

Later on guys.