Monday, March 02, 2009
May Madness
No, that's not a typo. May is looking to be off the shelf. No, that's not it, rack, off the rack. That is the expression for "unbridled excitement" that I am looking for.
Things are looking pretty good here in March too. Spring is definitely starting to poke its head out and deliver the occasional really nice day. After Saturday's disaster outing I hung around with Alex in Den Den Town, buying myself a joystick for Street Fighter IV (and any other fighting games that may surface this year). I was initially nervous about how to tell Mako given her over-reaction to my video game shopping habits. This is a woman who fretted over my purchase of Noby Noby BOY, a game that costs less than a McDonald's combo meal. In the end, I decided honestly was the best policy and she was not at all concerned by the 4500 Yen expense. Indeed, by framing it as a potential training tool that would make her entry into this world a little easier, she almost seemed excited. Almost.
But this post is about May and the incredible potential it holds for excitement. My uncle* recently told me via Facebook that his son Josh would be coming to "the Orient" in May and would be in Japan at some point. Now I haven't seen Josh in at least six years so I don't know what he's up to or why he would come to Japan or who he is coming with. All I know is he is my cousin and I hope I can be of assistance in some way should he pass through Osaka. I know he likes baseball; perhaps I can score us some Tigers tickets.
*Yes, a surprising number of people in my family are on Facebook, including one uncle, countless cousins, Salena and even my mother! Don't think Dad is going to ever get on board though.
Then, over this weekend, I got an e-mail out of the blue from Michael, a friend of Hyde's who I met a few years ago. Turns out that Michael is getting married soon and has decided to honeymoon here in Japan. It sounds like he is going to see as much of the country as he and his new wife can manage in a week, so I can't be sure how much time he will spend in this area. But I certainly volunteered to show the two of them around should they hit Kansai. At the very least they should see Kyoto; perhaps I can show them around the womb.
But this is all icing on a very, very sweet cake. After years of not-so-quiet encouragement and pleading on my part, The Trout is coming to Japan for the first time! I view this as no mere vacation. It was his (and Scott's) initial interest in Japan and study of Japanese that lured me to take night classes at The Japan Society. This experience led me directly to my initial 2001 visit to Miyagi Prefecture, which in turn planted the seed that eventually grew into a desire to return to college so I could qualify for the JET Programme. This is all in addition to being my friend since elementary school and shaping my personality and sense of humor over the last twenty-plus years. As far as I'm concerned, he is ultimately responsible for who I am today: a happily married man with a steady job teaching English in Japan. Were it not for his interest in Japan, my own buried fascination might never have surfaced.
Now I have no way of knowing how The Trout will react to Japan when he finally sees it with his own eyes. He may be put off by all the noise or the staring (he's 6'5"). He may be underwhelmed by the sights or the people. Whatever his feelings towards Japan are now, they are his own and do not confirm or invalidate mine. But considering the impact he has had on my life, I must admit that I am simultaneously excited beyond all reason and more than a little nervous. I want him to come away from this trip with the best impression possible. Not so he'll feel obliged to come back soon (though he is always welcome), but so he'll see what it is that I love about this country.
In a way (and I know this sounds weird but it's too late to back out now) this is similar to what I felt when my father first came to Japan. He didn't have the same interest in the country, culture or language that I did, but I knew how he loved history, particularly military history, and I felt it was important that I make the trip as interesting for him as I could. I guess I also wanted him to be proud of me for getting by in a foreign country that I had been talking about non-stop for years.
With friends, of course, it's different than with family. I wasn't excited to go drinking with my dad, and I certainly didn't want to facilitate any hook-ups with the natives. Likewise, I don't go out with The Trout hoping he'll be impressed by what I'm up to or proud of what I've accomplished. I just want to have fun with him because that's something we simply don't get to do at all anymore. If I wanted my father to see how far I had come, I want my relationship with my friends to go back to the times when we saw each other constantly rather than once or twice a year. The goals are complete opposites but the anxiety I feel is more or less the same.
So YES, May looks hot. Real hot. So much to consider and plan for. So many questions! Where should we go? What should we eat? How much sleep am I willing to forgo?
Things are looking pretty good here in March too. Spring is definitely starting to poke its head out and deliver the occasional really nice day. After Saturday's disaster outing I hung around with Alex in Den Den Town, buying myself a joystick for Street Fighter IV (and any other fighting games that may surface this year). I was initially nervous about how to tell Mako given her over-reaction to my video game shopping habits. This is a woman who fretted over my purchase of Noby Noby BOY, a game that costs less than a McDonald's combo meal. In the end, I decided honestly was the best policy and she was not at all concerned by the 4500 Yen expense. Indeed, by framing it as a potential training tool that would make her entry into this world a little easier, she almost seemed excited. Almost.
But this post is about May and the incredible potential it holds for excitement. My uncle* recently told me via Facebook that his son Josh would be coming to "the Orient" in May and would be in Japan at some point. Now I haven't seen Josh in at least six years so I don't know what he's up to or why he would come to Japan or who he is coming with. All I know is he is my cousin and I hope I can be of assistance in some way should he pass through Osaka. I know he likes baseball; perhaps I can score us some Tigers tickets.
*Yes, a surprising number of people in my family are on Facebook, including one uncle, countless cousins, Salena and even my mother! Don't think Dad is going to ever get on board though.
Then, over this weekend, I got an e-mail out of the blue from Michael, a friend of Hyde's who I met a few years ago. Turns out that Michael is getting married soon and has decided to honeymoon here in Japan. It sounds like he is going to see as much of the country as he and his new wife can manage in a week, so I can't be sure how much time he will spend in this area. But I certainly volunteered to show the two of them around should they hit Kansai. At the very least they should see Kyoto; perhaps I can show them around the womb.
But this is all icing on a very, very sweet cake. After years of not-so-quiet encouragement and pleading on my part, The Trout is coming to Japan for the first time! I view this as no mere vacation. It was his (and Scott's) initial interest in Japan and study of Japanese that lured me to take night classes at The Japan Society. This experience led me directly to my initial 2001 visit to Miyagi Prefecture, which in turn planted the seed that eventually grew into a desire to return to college so I could qualify for the JET Programme. This is all in addition to being my friend since elementary school and shaping my personality and sense of humor over the last twenty-plus years. As far as I'm concerned, he is ultimately responsible for who I am today: a happily married man with a steady job teaching English in Japan. Were it not for his interest in Japan, my own buried fascination might never have surfaced.
Now I have no way of knowing how The Trout will react to Japan when he finally sees it with his own eyes. He may be put off by all the noise or the staring (he's 6'5"). He may be underwhelmed by the sights or the people. Whatever his feelings towards Japan are now, they are his own and do not confirm or invalidate mine. But considering the impact he has had on my life, I must admit that I am simultaneously excited beyond all reason and more than a little nervous. I want him to come away from this trip with the best impression possible. Not so he'll feel obliged to come back soon (though he is always welcome), but so he'll see what it is that I love about this country.
In a way (and I know this sounds weird but it's too late to back out now) this is similar to what I felt when my father first came to Japan. He didn't have the same interest in the country, culture or language that I did, but I knew how he loved history, particularly military history, and I felt it was important that I make the trip as interesting for him as I could. I guess I also wanted him to be proud of me for getting by in a foreign country that I had been talking about non-stop for years.
With friends, of course, it's different than with family. I wasn't excited to go drinking with my dad, and I certainly didn't want to facilitate any hook-ups with the natives. Likewise, I don't go out with The Trout hoping he'll be impressed by what I'm up to or proud of what I've accomplished. I just want to have fun with him because that's something we simply don't get to do at all anymore. If I wanted my father to see how far I had come, I want my relationship with my friends to go back to the times when we saw each other constantly rather than once or twice a year. The goals are complete opposites but the anxiety I feel is more or less the same.
So YES, May looks hot. Real hot. So much to consider and plan for. So many questions! Where should we go? What should we eat? How much sleep am I willing to forgo?
Labels: Den Den Town, family, friends, Japan, Osaka, tourism, video games
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Did I tell you Josh came to NY at New Year's? It was really nice to see him after all those years. His girlfriend works for an airline hence all the traveling (he's got lots of pics on Facebook). Also I have to give my full endorsement of the womb! Everyone should experience it. That's awesome that Trout is finally coming to visit...
The best thing about The Womb is that we never would have found it if you hadn't read about it in your Lonely Planet guide. I had gone to that place three or four times already at that point and I never knew it was down there!
DUDE, it's gonna be tight. I can't wait, myself. I think I'm gonna like it just fine. I grew up around The City, and I NEVER get bored of that place. I'm sure they're will be endless amusements...
コメントがあるちゃう？ Type something, please. It's less work for me.# posted by 
: 05 March, 2009 07:23
: 05 March, 2009 07:23When leaving comments, please don't remain Anonymous. Click on "Other" and pick a name!
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