Begining to look like Christmas....

During my child hood Christmas of course was  the most look forwarded day of the year. My mother ensured it came with plenty of gifts and many happy moments. Spending time with family in upstate new york was always enjoyable because i would get to see my older cousins and play, for the time being i would have brothers and people to admire until it was back to being a sickly single child.  I don't complain about being only child,  but it is a  bit lonely at times i wonder what its like to have some one to either follow or to lead in such a relationship.  Of course I digress, Christmas now that i have become older and more mature is not  especially big for me anymore.  Yes i do enjoy seeing family but It doesn' t have to be Christmas for that and it shouldn't be just Christmas either.  With that said, it is the day before Thanksgiving and I am away from home for the first time.  I do indeed miss being home and family, but i find myself pre-occupied making plans to travel and and trying to keep busy.

Lately I have been feeling a bit of homesickness , but not everyone has the means nor the time to do what i am doing so i would like to enjoy it too the full while i am in the moment.  As I walk around Yokohama and japan, Christmas decorations are in full force.  As far as i know here  X-mas is more of a passing admiration.  It is not practiced, there is no day off, and more or less is just about a reason just to put lights up and make the city pretty.  Presents are not exchanged for x-mas but for new years in a separate more Japanese holiday.


For Christmas, if all goes right,  i will be in the northern Island of Hokkaido staying in a home stay and experiencing a Japanese x-mas and new year.  Not sure what to expect but the more new things to experience the better...

Do the Japanese know how to welcome you into their country or do they?

I stumbled across this as I am currently sick in my bed with nothing to do.  I was reading a Japanese foreigner website called Gaijin Spot looking for interesting stories and potential things to do. When the title caught my eye...in pure interest i of course had to read on and view the video.

In the video we see a half dress women in what is hard to quantify...the skirt is about 100 -115% normal for what Japanese women wear in real life, they get shorter than that as well.  The top; my god she is showing her navel, shoulders and chest. She must be getting paid a lot of money to do that because that's to embarrassing to do on ones own. What I find out is that it is actually lingerie by the company of the flag she proudly displays.  Specially designed lingerie to welcome visitors of japan at travel destinations.  The goal in essence is to help boost tourism in Japan. All due respect to the gentlemen who thought this up, but this idea doesn't work with Japanese women. I suspect you need to sell this franchise to Brazil and ask for a cut of the proceeding profits.

Starting from around 0:20 seconds to 0:35  she explains that the Top is also able to talk. When you push the center three buttons it says '  よこそう日本’  welcome to Japan, in Chinese, Korean, and English. At about here I must pause for a bit because I fear I have lost some of you at this point if not already. You may ask why doesn't she just memorize the 3 phrases. I have to just re-iterate... your not getting the point.  My only question was...Who pushes the button? Me or her?    At 0:36 seconds　the interviewer Says  "面白いですね’ (interesting,isn't it) and i couldn't help  but think  おじーさん面白いだけ考えた？ and with the awkward laugh the lingerie  maiden gave in reply I feel she felt the same.

Later she shows the skirt accessory which is actually a map. How convenient,  I get lost quite often, if every women had a map attached to her skirt I cant imagine I would get lost less though. Further on describes the spots like onsens and various potential stations for the outfit to be used at. Her speech is very polite and sort of cutey as to be expected.  At one point she mentions Haneda International airport and I quickly realize that my trip to Korea will be through said airport. Whether this will be put in place by the time I do my trip I do not quite know.

And at the end there is the cross leg wave that actually is not bad.  I highly doubt this will go into place as it is just a stunt by the lingerie company. I think japan thinks to much of its image to have these outfits on girls at all there highly honored areas. So the danger is just about at nil... However if on my way back from Korea,  I do happen across said outfit, I wonder if I can press it twice... I am coming from Korea after all.

Halloween...!!

For Halloween I went to Kawasaki to see the parade, and the plan was to go to a few parties after that.  However for the past week I have been hampered with a a pain in my left shin that pretty much hampers my walking.  It's been a a real problem and has kept me out of school for a few days.   However I would not let it keep me from at least seeing some costumes and looking around Kawasaki for the first time.  The day prior I was suppose to meet some friends in Shinjuku for the Shinjuku parade but it rained heavily on Saturday due to a typhoon hitting the Tokyo area , so that sort of hampered my plans as well as the leg.

First off, Kawasaki at a glance is much like every other Japanese hub,  has its area by the JR station where all the shops and restaurants are.  The JR station is pretty big and has a few train lines going through it and has a pretty big main building with a few sit down restaurants, Krispy Kreme, Konbini's etc.  I didn't do much because of the leg so we walked to the parade route which we did not know where it was.  Sort of stumbled across it by dumb luck and by the sheer number of people in that area.


We waded through the massive sea of humanity till we found a decent spot, where i could sort of put my phone up and catch some decent photos. Before we found out sport we wandered down the parade route where we got a look at all the restaurants in the plaza and some of the clubs awaiting the people to come and play in the after hours. It was nice but relatively short. I imagine because of the forecast for further rain due to the typhoon which was still moving. 4 waves of about 200 or 300 costumers, Still is not bad i don't think.





Costumes ranged from a dude with a plastic bag on his head. To like really professional looking Victorian dresses and Japanese Sci-Fi Power Rangers/ Villains.  I don't really have many pics because of the fast movement of the parade, all the pictures sort of turned out blurry due to the crappyness of my phone.

Other than the parade people not much others was dressed up, neither was many children. As the Japanese don't actually trick or treat, it is more of a party and costume holiday. The adults club and the kids dress up for the heck of it, but don't reap the rewards of a massive candy haul.  I bet they don't get as many cavities either, so maybe it works out in the end.

Afterwards Sat down with my friend in a  nice restaurant and due to the leg called a day, bid my farewell afterwards and went back to the dorm to nap.  Other than the nagging shin not a bad day,  would have liked to play more but, It is what it is Weather and my leg would not allow.

Short skirt, Stockings, and High heels.... No Excuses!

I imagine the initial conversation goes like this. "now nami-chan, I will pass down the technique of how to catch the eyes and hearts of men.  From generation to generation, way back from the 1970's when the 'hot pants' and 'thigh high' socks was created,  we discovered if we combine those with loud high heels we can enrapture men in our beauty."   

I don't pretend to know how it came to be like this.  But all you will see is short skirts/hot pants, stockings and high heels in this country.  Age whenever - 30  and it is a bit of a contrast from America. In America its top centered sexuality.  I don't particular care for this as I am not focused on that part of the body (more of white guy thing) but that's the western doctrine. It's bit interesting because there is no variety, its always 2 of the 3 if not all three. And 90% of the time is black stockings. And 100% of the time its a grating audible noise from every, single, stupid, step of the lady in her high heels.

In comparison to western fashion,  it is amazing how i can count on one hand the short sleeve shirts and deep v's  worn by a Japanese women. They will wear nothing waist down, but a fur coat on top, or a see through shirt over like 2 other blouses or something. I don't know what the name of women clothing items. Rather quizzical to me, i know for obvious reasons why there is a compensation for that area, but skin is skin to a man. It's not a plus or minus, and some men actually look for the quality of character rather than looks alone, Shocking but true.

I also don't pretend to not look and enjoy certain specimens.  But as a whole after a month i am rather bored. By far i am not a fan nor do I know a thing about fashion... but the singularity of it all is probably a juxtaposition of the Japanese culture in it self.  Sure a few will venture away, but for the most part all try to find a small variation of the norm. Its a social commentary on its own i believe. I will leave that for a much smarter person then I obviously.

I would love to post pictures here but that would require a sort of clandestine photo escapade and I to be honest am not that perverted.  I do believe I may pick this topic up on another occasion.. possibly.  Till next time.