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They All Look The Same
My time in Japan has given me approximately no advantage over anybody in recognising Japanese from Chinese from Korean.
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Dragons Win
My local team win the baseball, affecting me in unexpected ways.
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Pimps And Hoes
Apropos of nothing, we decide to dress up as Pimps and Hoes and hit the town. Nobody stares.
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Gone And Got Myself Connected
The Internet Arrives. Huzzah!
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The Gaijin Formerly Known As Jamie
In which my name is hilariously mangled by NTT and I have to ask someone over the phone what it is.
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Forces Of Nature
Japan seems to have annoyed Mother Nature and she is responding with prejudice.
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Show Me The Money
Paying for things is ridiculously hard. Japan has the reputation for being hyper efficient in manufacturing. If only they could apply the same expertise to finance.
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The End Of Summer
An explanation of why workmen are never working, and a close to Japanese summer.
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BBQ
A lovely day trip out to the mountains for a BBQ with my Japanese school.
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X-Valid
A simple plugin for WordPress that converts arbitrary HTML to valid XHTML.
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Holiday Allowance
I couldn’t live without holidays, but it seems that Japanese businesses can’t live with them.
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Obon
The Japanese Obon festival is dedicated to the spirits of the ancestors.
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Pachinko
Gambling is illegal in Japan, except where it isn’t. Which is everywhere you can find a Pachinko parlour. Which is everywhere.
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Fire Flowers
With my reading comprehension the way it is, there’s no wonder I didn’t realise that Hanabi literally meant Fireworks.
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Hanabi
The first fireworks festival I’ve seen in Japan puts most English ones to shame.
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Bunch Of Tea Leaves
Just as I was getting to grips with my bike, it’s been nicked. Curses.
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Gallery
Introduction of a hand-cranked gallery to display some pictures from my travels.
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Tentacle Porn
Not all cartoons are for kids. And not all cartoons that are not for kids are like The Simpsons.
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WordPress
The site transitions from Moveable Type to WordPress. You may all return from the edge of your seats.
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Early Bird
No blinds and an easterly view are making me rise earlier than expected.
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Canada Day
Canada Day gives us an (unneeded) excuse to drink by the river.
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Sushi And Studying
A day trip with Kaori including the library and sushi.
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Umbrellas
Umbrellas are the must-have accessory in the rainy season. Just as long as you don’t take them out in the rain and ruin them.
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A Cutting Remark
A slip of the tongue in Japanese class nearly implies a slip of the knife.
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Speed Demon
I got my bike fixed today. Now I remember how much I hate pedestrians…
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Cyclists, Bloody Cyclists
Cyclists are annoying, and in Japan they are legally obliged to use the pavement, not the road.
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Identity Theft
Your signature is no good here. No, we demand you use a rubber stamp to prove your identity!
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Instant Karma
My bike’s got a flat tyre. Now that is instant karma at work. Damn.
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Breakin’ The Law
Having parked my bike illegally, it gets impounded, but without a penalty.
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Suspicious Minds
“A suspect is someone who is innocent until proven guilty”. “Why were they arrested then?” “…”
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Adverts
Adverts in Japan are weird. This one is more normal than most.
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The Name Game
Try explaining how to spell your name to someone where there aren’t just 26 options for each character, but 20,000.
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Howard’s End
Dinner at an Italian restaurant, which was about as Italian as I am, but still tasty.
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Recovery
A good old bender, Japanese style, which means staying in one place and having the beer come to you.
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Watashi No Tanjobi Desu!
My 23rd birthday, celebrated at work 🙂
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The Death Penalty
Suicide is already unpleasant enough, but apparently in Japan, the remaining family is also liable for cleanup costs.
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The Sanyo Ark
The Sanyo Ark is a sculpture outside a factory in Gifu. It sounds like a lovely idea, but it’s also a (not so) subtle message to its employees each morning.
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Nicknames
Nicknames are endearing, right?
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At Long Last
Having sourced some Internets, I can get back on with writing.
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Samba De Amigo
A super cheap arcade and pool room makes me very happy.
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Frido!
Boys night out, starting with deep fried food, and culminating inevitably, in karaoke.
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Steamy Windows
My first taste of the infamous Japanese humidity. With steam rising from the ground, the world seems ethereal.
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New Wheels
An angry red letter explains why I still don’t have internet access, and a new purchase makes me more mobile.
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100 Kanji
A minor but satisfying milestone on the way to Japanese illiteracy.
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Beef And Life
The Kanji (ideogram) for Draft beer is the same as the Kanji for growth, birth or life. Steve, you were right; Beer is life!
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The Naked Truth
Nakedness is a no-no in Japan, except when it’s of a schoolgirl in a cartoon.
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Women’s Lib
Pro-tip. There isn’t any.
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Milk Bottle
A new title to add to the collection – “The Whitest Person I’ve Ever Seen”
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Mormons
I was approached by Mormons today. This was one of my less frustrating interactions with a church.
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What’s In A Name?
I was given a cool, if slightly feminine Kanji name today. Now I just need to remember how to write it!
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Howdy!
Technology and travel stories from a global roaming, kangaroo loving, sake drinking gaijin pom.
Check out my projects and my resume, take a look at some code on Github and feel free to contact me.