Bloom In Japan

Since I’ve been a major slacker and haven’t uploaded anything new in the past month or so, I figure I will spend some time now and just throw up a bunch of random junk. Let the fun begin…

September 10th, 2007 - The First Day of Work at NOVA

Here are some pics from the morning before my first day at NOVA. Notice how happy (and tired) I look beforehand, and how super-genki I am afterwards. If I only knew then what I know now…

September 13th, 2007 - Missing Last Train in Ikebukuro

Ah, what a wonderful night this was. The roomie Eric and I decided to hang out in Ikebukuro and get shit-faced. When I say shit-faced, I mean drunk to the point of passing out on the street, but more on that in a second. After throwin’ back countless shots and guin-eye (plural for guiness?), we decided to go hitup a ramen shop for some 1AM eats. I don’t remember much, but I do remember only eating about a quarter of the massive bowl of noodles before feeling a little woozy. The chef wasn’t too happy with me when I thanked him and left his masterpiece barely eaten on the counter, but I figure it was better to leave than to give back a slightly used portion of his meal in a disgusting way. Anyways, this was the point that I lost Eric, and began my solo adventure for the night. I remember walking into an alleyway and sitting on a bench next to a fellow drunken salary-man who happened to be reading a manga. Luckily for me there was another issue laying on the ground, and I proceeded to pretend that I could read Japanese fluently for a good 20 minutes before exchanging nods with the gentleman and continuing on my journey. At this point I lose almost all memory, but shortly thereafter I begin to feel quite sleepy. As trains have ceased operations until 530AM, I am desperate to find a cozy spot to catch some Z’s. What better spot to sleep in Tokyo than a small cove between the train tracks and street? It actually turned out to be one of the cleanest and most secluded spots that I could possibly find, and it served its purpose until around 5AM when I woke up to the sound of trains. I proceeded to board my train back home, and promptly passed out. Some time later I was awoken by a slap across my head, and looked up to see Eric with a big grin on his face. We exchanged pleasantries, and both quickly fell asleep once again. By some miracle I awoke 30 minutes later to notice that we had bypassed our home station, woke Eric up, got off at the next stop, and hopped on another train to go back. What do we do then? Of course we pass out again and almost miss our station again. Long story somewhat less long, we finally got back to the apartment at 730AM, and spent the remainder of the morning/afternoon sleeping off our massive hangovers. Good times. Here are a couple cellphone pics from the bar before the stupidness.

September 13th, 2007 - Trip to Ochanomizu to Try and Find a Guitar

So with my supposed salary advance soon to be on its way, Eric and I decided to go in on a guitar together. After asking around and doing some research, I learned about a place in Tokyo called Ochanomizu, which is famous for its guitar shops and other college targeted stores. It turned out to be quite amazing, with a good 30 music stores within a half-mile radius. We searched and searched, and finally found a used acoustic for 8000 Yen ($80), and decided to go get a drink at a local bar before making the purchase. Of course we ended up staying at the bar too late, and by the time I went back to pickup the guitar the place had closed. It turned out to be kind of a good thing though, as my financial situation was not going to be good anytime soon…

September 14th, 2007 - Daytime View from the Front of My Apartment

September 16th, 2007 - First View of the Mountains from My Apartment

September 16th, 2007 - Chilling in a Park in Ikebukuro…The “Bike” Night

I met my roomate Michael and his friend/manager Reiko (the birthday girl from Typhoon night) out in Ikebukuro to have some street beers in the park. It was a pretty chill night, but later on was when I missed my last train home and had to find my way back from a few stations away. Thanks again random stock-boy with bike…

more to come…