tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54870632011-04-22T14:27:08.430+09:00Illiteracy Rules!!A chronicle of my escapades while visiting Japan for six weeks during this summer. Hopefully, there will be an entry each day, but I make no guarantees. After all, they do sell beer in vending machines here.chrisnoreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1059170764324838192003-07-26T07:06:00.000+09:002003-07-26T07:06:04.316+09:00Added Sunday, July 20, 2003chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1059151292420043412003-07-26T01:41:00.000+09:002003-07-26T01:41:32.350+09:00Added Saturday, July 19, 2003chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1059144215462046322003-07-25T23:43:00.000+09:002003-07-26T01:42:56.660+09:00I plan to stay up tonight to fight jet lag, pull an all-nighter so I can sleep on the plane early and wake up as if it were late Saturday morning. That should kill some of the boredom of a 13 hour flight and put me back on a sleeping schedule concurrent with where I live. It may sound crazy, but I think it might work. Besides, I can get more writing about this past weekend done. Look for chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1058927529802125492003-07-23T11:32:00.000+09:002003-07-26T01:40:18.433+09:00I can't really go back in time and write about my travels this past weekend without Superman or a Delta flight across the Pacific, but I will do my best to make all of this make chronological sense in the blog format. It may be too much of a task to do all of this in a single sitting as well, so you may only find one day at a time added to this post. I will put an announcement up on days when Ichrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1058810492314860242003-07-22T03:01:00.000+09:002003-07-22T03:06:51.346+09:00Four days and no post?!?! Did you miss me?
I spent the last few days taking and reviewing applications for a Japanese girlfriend. Not really, Stephanie, I was just travelling around Japan. I spent Saturday and Monday in Kyoto and Sunday in Hiroshima. It's really, really late right now so I'll have to write about it later. After travelling for the last four hours at an average speed of aboutchrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1058456148691425312003-07-18T00:35:00.000+09:002003-07-18T00:50:15.263+09:00Konnichi wa!
Not too many days left that you will be reading that as my introduction. I only have 1 week left in Japan before I get to come back and enjoy heart-stopping burgers and fries, Atlanta summer smog and those charming Dawg fans. Oh, so much to look forward to! It's sort of sad that the best thing I can say about Georgia is that my wife is there. And, to be honest, she isn't right chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1058276031562912382003-07-15T22:33:00.000+09:002003-07-15T22:36:37.010+09:00Number 2 on the "Why I Love the Japanese List": The Food
Oh man is this food good! They even do Western dishes better than we do. How in the hell is that possible? It seems like there should be some natural law prohibiting something like that from happening. The greatest characteristic of a Japanese meal is the small servings. How does it fill you up, you ask? You get about 10 separate chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1058186373787929262003-07-14T21:39:00.000+09:002003-07-14T22:00:16.873+09:00Ok, I promised the other day and I didn't follow through. It happens. You have to learn to be flexible.
I mentioned last week about visiting a new Japanese home, with all of the amenities that one could expect, including a toilet lid that opens automatically as you enter the house. I have been mulling over the issue after seeing this house and after spending the last few days shopping for andchrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1058010729462091232003-07-12T20:52:00.000+09:002003-07-12T20:52:09.356+09:00Today, I learned I am an ass. I kind of already knew it, but today it was proven to me. I mentioned that I was giving a presentation at Meikei today about high school in Georgia. It went well. Actually, a better turnout than I expected. There were a lot of good questions and hopefully good answers. How does this prove I'm an ass? It doesn't, yet. So, after it's over, I am cleaning up and chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1057934328855223102003-07-11T23:38:00.000+09:002003-07-11T23:38:48.770+09:00Komban wa!
Last two days have been really unexciting. I've been working on another PowerPoint presentation for a deal I'm doing after school on Saturday. Yes, I said Saturday. I guess I had the day off today if you count the fact that I didn't go in to any office, so it evens out, I guess. If you factor in that I was working on this presentation most of the day, you may change your mind. Orchrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1057755519410059672003-07-09T21:58:00.000+09:002003-07-09T21:58:39.280+09:00I apologize to my devoted readers for not posting last night. My brain was a little preoccupied with maintaining balance and vision after my excursion last evening. Let me explain...
Dr. A took me to Tsuchiura, a neighboring town, to see a new construction home that belongs to his friend. Surprisingly, he knows everyone in that town, too, or so it would seem. His friend, Suzuki-san, owns a chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1057580200571112832003-07-07T21:16:00.000+09:002003-07-08T23:33:13.343+09:00As a quick addendum...
I checked out my visitor stats. I've apparently been getting Google and Yahoo! hits for searches about illiteracy. I did a search on 'illiteracy in Japan' and I made the third page. I get first page recognition on Google when you put in 'Japanese illiteracy' or 'illiteracy and beer.' Glad to know I am contributing to society in a positive way.
PS - I also get first chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1057576918225279042003-07-07T20:21:00.000+09:002003-07-07T20:49:52.786+09:00Let me get back to last night. I would have written it then, but for sake of time, I merely ranted about customer service. That went like I had planned, really. Today was kind of boring, so I'm glad I postponed it.
And now, for the rest of the story...
Went to a party at someone's house yesterday. Maybe not most people's idea of a party, but Dr. Koizumi invited us to a get together at his chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1057506672287177952003-07-07T00:51:00.000+09:002003-07-07T00:51:12.330+09:00I don't have a lot of time to give today the credit it deserves. Too many people are waiting to use the computers for me to upload pictures and write all of the HTML tags and whatnot. It shall wait until tomorrow.
Japanese Restaurants
They be illin', yo. No, seriously. Every meal I have had in a restaurant in Japan has been very pleasant, the staff very polite, I felt very relaxed. How manychrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1057419731238604552003-07-06T00:42:00.000+09:002003-07-06T02:01:03.366+09:00What an adventurous day. Dan is going to love me taking up all of his hard drive space with my pictures. Oh, and I fixed a link from yesterday. Sorry, I got lazy with checking my tags again. I have given myself 41 lashes, above and beyond most self-punishing offenders. When most of them go to 40, I go to 41.
I am not so sure if my mpeg worked from yesterday. It was just a crappy bike ride chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1057325552793201242003-07-04T22:32:00.000+09:002003-07-25T11:03:42.800+09:00Even when I go on vacation, I find a way to work. Ok, so maybe this technically isn't a vacation. If you read yesterday, you knew I was teaching a class today. Not so bad if I had to say, but I think I may have been too much for the kids. I definitely didn't get the feeling that they were used to the teacher interacting with them very much and my jokes were definitely better in development chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1057230529480748332003-07-03T20:08:00.000+09:002003-07-03T20:16:14.056+09:00I really didn't realize how much Microsoft influences my life until today. No, I'm not praising Bill Gates for having the most popular OS in the world. Rather, I am just realizing how well I know the Windows system and especially the MS Office software. Let me explain fully.
So, I have been asked to lecture in a chemistry class tomorrow about oxidation / reduction reactions to students the chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1057153233230010472003-07-02T22:40:00.000+09:002003-07-02T22:40:33.126+09:00Why I Love the Japanese
Ok, maybe not love, but definitely a reason I respect their overall culture a hell of a lot more than I do the dominant American culture. In America, if you get busted for doing something bad, you are punished and for those with a conscience, a feeling of guilt typically sets in. For the majority, it seems like the only real punishment is guilt, even if only for being chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1057067180734643792003-07-01T22:46:00.000+09:002003-07-02T22:41:38.840+09:00Missed posting on Monday due to network problems at Ninomiya House. Well, that coupled with the copious amounts of fermented beverages imbibed at dinner.
Dinner last night was awesome. A bunch of people from Meikei took me out to dinner at a true Japanese restaurant. This place was genuine Japanese. Real Japanese home cooking. The place seemed like someone's home, and it very well may have chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1056893984673011952003-06-29T22:39:00.000+09:002003-06-29T22:39:44.593+09:00Holy crap, network just ate all of my hard work. Why did it have to disappear when I clicked on post if the connection was going to time-out? I'll give it another go, but I don't know if it will be as good. I guess I will know to do a copy before clicking on the submit button next time.
What do I have to do to be allowed to pay for dinner around here? Well, barring going by myself, of coursechrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1056829664939120052003-06-29T04:47:00.000+09:002003-07-01T11:19:57.836+09:00Saturday, June 28, 2003
I missed posting on Saturday. Sort of. If you don't consider 3:30 am technically Sunday then I am okay. In reality, I missed posting on Saturday. It was a long week. Getting up at 6 am builds up during the week, not to mention the fact that I bike virtually everywhere and that I literally walked for 10 hours on Friday in Tokyo. Well, I don't know if you remember, butchrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1056728521609263322003-06-28T00:42:00.000+09:002003-06-28T00:44:12.983+09:00Tokyo. Got the crap knocked out of itself in the Second World War. Probably for the better as far as business goes in the long run because it allowed them to turn tons of underdeveloped land into business megaplexes. Today, I experienced Tokyo for the first time. I would say it's like New York, it's probably the closest American analogue that I have witnessed, but in reality, it's nothing chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1056544871539623252003-06-25T21:41:00.000+09:002003-06-25T22:25:40.996+09:00First, to set the record straight, I am usually really good about checking my html, but I really goofed recently when I tried to link to my buddy Josh's page. To make up for the blunder, I've added him to the links section on your right.
So, the Mudman forecasted pictures for today. Good news is that the forecast came true. After spending countless hours transferring images to the computer chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1056462398917113932003-06-24T22:46:00.000+09:002003-06-24T22:46:38.866+09:00Apparently, my subconcious is not satisfied with my living arrangements. I tried to burn the building down while I was preparing dinner. I guess I could make up a whole bunch of crap about how I was preparing a glorious meal of baked ziti, topped with fresh grated parmesan, with steamed asparagus and carrots seasoned with cloves and honey. The truth is, I was just making toast. Of all of the chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1056366799181621602003-06-23T20:13:00.000+09:002003-06-23T20:19:43.736+09:00Making the current top 10 list of groovy things about Japan: close and open buttons on the elevators that actually work! Still holding on to #1: vending machine beer!
What is it about girls in life science and boys in physics?!? I am a science teacher and I still can't figure it out. In the upper level science classes at Meikei, it's boys in physics, girls in biology. I feel like the answer chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1056262636527645392003-06-22T15:17:00.000+09:002003-06-22T15:19:21.323+09:00This entry will be for both today and yesterday. Sorry I didn't get around to an entry yesterday, but after reading this one, hopefully you will understand why I didn't.
Nathan and I got up early on Saturday morning for a trip to Mt. Tsukuba. We left around 7:30 or so in the morning. I did find a 3-D map online to give you an idea of the area and scale. If you look at the map, we live in thechrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1056118035831338422003-06-20T23:07:00.000+09:002003-06-21T00:04:53.316+09:00First things first, not that it will affect you because I put an automatic refresh in, but I changed the URL of my blog because I was never really happy with the first one. After reading an e-mail from my buddy Josh Auzins, I decided that the URL should be muddysan.blogspot.com I hope that this doesn't cause too much of a problem for you, but if it does, what are you going to do about it? Yeahchrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1056022344116188882003-06-19T20:32:00.000+09:002003-06-19T20:48:45.083+09:00Wow! I feel fat. Maybe thats because I just ate one metric buttload of sushi at a very interesting restaurant. Dr. Ahmadyar treated me to a wonderful meal at a sushi bar near Meikei HS. The coolest part about the restaurant is that you dont really have to order much other than any special items you may want, such as soups. There is a conveyor belt (maybe a job for Stephanie?) that carries chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1055935239519310362003-06-18T20:20:00.000+09:002003-06-18T20:23:43.993+09:00Konnichi wa!
I spent a majority of the day learning some Japanese. Obviously that is an easy one I already knew, but how in the heck am I supposed to start an entry with something like 'Thank you' or ' I'm sorry?' If you haven't watched Japanese Cartoon #2 yet (see links on the right), then this won't make sense, but shoyu is Japanese for soy sauce. I can also say mushiatsui, which means 'hot chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1055859002031616282003-06-17T23:10:00.000+09:002003-06-17T23:42:40.273+09:00I think I am done with the cheating part. Today is today. I feel like a philosophy major now, minus the stench of cigarettes and cheap perfume of the sorority sluts I'm trying to score.
After El Cheap-but-good Japanese Lunch at NIMS (figure out the acronym from the previous posts), Dr. Sekine took me to Meikei High School (English site) where I will be spending much of the next four weeks, chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1055858660505863502003-06-17T23:04:00.000+09:002003-06-18T00:01:18.040+09:00
Monday, June 16, 2003
Last time I will cheat, I swear.
The best thing about Japan so far: vending machine beer. 'Nuff said!
I got to meet my host researcher, Sekine san, today. He does research in shock physics for the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), a government laboratory. He showed us around the laboratory. They have some pretty cool stuff going on there. He is part ofchrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1055857347935768642003-06-17T22:42:00.000+09:002003-06-18T00:00:45.786+09:00Sunday, June 15, 2003
Cheating again...
To avoid jet lag, I deprived myself of sleep on Friday night and during the plane trip. Well, I did get to sleep once on the plane, but having the aisle seat proved to be an insurmountable hazard when nature called for the aforementioned elderly Korean woman. Maybe that two seconds of sleep was when we went through the wormhole, like in that Steven King chrisnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487063.post-1055856155096086482003-06-17T22:22:00.000+09:002003-06-18T00:02:07.800+09:00Saturday, June 14, 2003
Ok, it looks like I may have to cheat since I didn't get this set up from day one. Bear with me as I go waaaaay back in time (insert eerie spacy sound effects here, cue up Huey Lewis and the News' "Back in Time."
Someone should have told Robert Zemeckis. It is possible to time travel. I left Atlanta on a plane at 10:15 am this morning. After a 14 hour direct flight tochrisnoreply@blogger.com0