It was a Giant Robot sort of day

This Friday I did what is quickly becoming my ritual. Friday night Akihabara. A little Border Break here, a little Tekken 6 there, all is right with the world. Not to mention the Cosplaying arcade attendants.

Before I delve into how awesome the night was, I guess I should talk a little about my nerdself. You see, I have this other side I like to call “Nerd Zach.”

Nerd Zach, meet Blog Audience,

Blog Audience, meet Nerd Zach. (Be nice, he doesn't pick up on social cues)

Nerd Zach likes to geek out, A LOT. Every five seconds he is tearing at me wanting to freak out over some little Kingdom Hearts figure or Evangelion Chopsticks he'd found. He's like a little kid in a candy store. You smack him on the head and tell him to be quiet, but nothing shuts him up. To a certain extent, I sort of refuse to keep him quiet anymore. I go to Akihabara as a way to decompress Nerd Zach so that, throughout the week I can function relatively normally. Nerd Zach has this thing where he likes to add “In Japan,” as often as one adds “in bed” to a fortune cookie.

I'm riding the train, IN JAPAN!

I'm Grocery Shopping, IN JAPAN!

I'm in an arcade, IN JAPAN!

I'm at a noodle shop, IN JAPAN!

Seriously, it never gets old with this guy, I'm hoping that by mid February he'll get over himself and we can just get on with our lives.... IN JAPA- err, sorry... Point is, I'm here, here smack dab in the middle of many of my hobbies and obsessions, I may as well geek it up. It's cathartic and to some extent, necessary. If I suppressed his impulses eventually he'd boil over. I'd wake up one morning with ripped purple pants and Eva T-shirt, Covered in Miyazaki Merchandise, horrible self-insertion fanfictions and Pocky. That's a sight no-one wants to see....

So anyway, I went to Akihabara again. We got there after class and went into an arcade. I was on a quest to find the legendary Gundam POD (Panoramic Optical Display) I always knew that arcades were fun, but that day I got to see the real draw of a Japanese arcade. There are several reasons that arcades haven't died out over here. Back home, we don't have a single arcade machine (Aside from possibly Time Crisis 4 and DDR) that was made after 1995. Racing titles and and the railed Light gun shooters are kind of flashy, but if we popped a home version into our 360 or PS3, we'd laugh at the graphics. They're terrible. Here, games are being released and immediately being made into arcade machines. The graphics are fresh, new, and crisp. Another reason is the competitive nature of gaming. Sure in some places in the states, they have machines that have two control consoles, so you can face off against your friends, but here they do things in a genius way. The game machines are not linked side by side, but back to back, meaning there are two rows of machines, and machines from one row connect to the opposite facing other. Benji was playing a little game of Tekken, when he sees, “A NEW CHALLENGER APPEARS!” He looks around, puzzled. Who could it be? I start snooping around, and dart into the other row. Sitting there, with three of his friends watching, is a young Japanese boy. The fight was close, but Benji won, we cheered, and then he moved on to his next matchup. Suddenly, the kid enters another coin, and challenges Benji to a rematch. This time the kid is no-longer underestimating his Gaijin Competitor. He wins. Benji goes over and through rough body language is able to articulate “You got me you brat!” They laugh, and then I see Ben go right back around, and re-challenge the boy! I'm cheering, his friends are cheering, and suddenly I begin to see what makes arcades so popular. It makes gaming into a spectacle of sorts. After blowing 5 dollars, Benji admits defeat, he and the boy shake hands, and we were on our way. Benji hadn't yet eaten, and I knew of only one place I had to check out. There where many oddities I'd heard about in Akihabara, and among them, the infamous Gundam Cafe.

I didn't take this, sadly my camera died while we where inside, but this is what it looks like It's pretty cool. I ordered some ice cream and a latte. They gave me a Haro Latte!

It was as awesome as it was adorable!

We hung out for a bit, and then went searching. Arcade after arcade was fruitless. With each floor I'd get my hopes up, and then they would be crushed into defeat. We went to one or two more and then Benji called it quits and went home, but I trudged on. I checked one more big arcade to no avail, then upon perusing the streets I saw a small two story arcade on top of a Don Quixhote. I Search the first floor and didn't expect much from the second. As I made my way towards the back, I saw a glint of white. I raced to the end and THE GUNDAM POD was there, in all it's glory. There was a bay of about 8 of them set up. After the enlistment of some help from the arcade manager, I was ready to play.

Gundam POD has a 180 degree screen that totally swallows your field of vision. It was loads of fun. I'm going to play it again next week, and try to figure out why my field of vision was restricted.

My next post will probably be about THE GHIBLI MUSEUM. I'm going there this weekend. Will post pics if I'm allowed to take them. Sayonara readers.

~Zach

The Land of Secrets

Okay okay, I'll do another blog post...

It's been quite a stretch since the last one simply because, well... it's the middle of the week, and nothing has really been happening. Me, Ben, and Max went to this gorgeous Buddhist temple, but sadly, I didn't have my camera. I'll return to it before long and chronicle the event with pictures. I figured I'd take this blog post to discuss life, the universe, and everything, minus the last two. Things are finally starting to level out. I'm finally on Japan time, my classes are going smoothly, and oh yeah...

This city is BALLS expensive. It's literally my only qualm with living here. It has many great things, people, sites, experiences, food, but prices aren't among them. I've spent more money than I'd like to mention and it's only my second week in Tokyo. I've been thrown into what I'd like to call budget bootcamp. It's a game like Starcraft, only if I run out of resources I starve and become a burden to my family. So it's basically live cheap or die trying. Wasn't that a movie? Oh well...

100 Yen shops have been my savior. I can by pasta, Tupperware, towels, measuring cups, and all kinds of things at a price that won't break the bank. Tonight I made a ridiculous amount of fried rice. It's enough for the next couple days at least. It will be good for lunch on the go tomorrow. I may be in a dorm, but being in a strange place, and having no school meal plan, It's as if I have to learn to live on my own all over again. I've begun to perfect the art of making a lot of food, so that the preparation time for other dishes to follow becomes shorter. I'm trying to do things when they need to be done, instead of putting them off. It's very much an exercise in self-discipline. Tomorrow I will clean my room.

While I'm on this subject I'd like to take a minute and talk about the Food Markets. Grocery stores are similar to how they are back home, aside from the fact that they're normally several stories high. They are different in one major way. I have never bought a single food item here that wasn't perfectly fresh and outstanding in quality. From the green vegetables, to the onions, to the mushrooms, to the chicken and scallops, everything I've bought so far has been fresh and delicious. One thing that is affordable here is the seafood. I can get a cut of fresh salmon for under 100 yen. (About a buck) A tray of 6 or 8 fresh Scallops will run me maybe 3-5 dollars. Beef is unusually expensive, as it tops the list in prices of meat over here. Anyway, I'm starting to figure this whole budgeting thing out. I want to leave enough room to by the occasional piece of geek memorabilia (there's this Eva model I've had my eye on) or trips like Fuji-Q or the worlds largest aquarium. Money is my single anxiety here. That and maybe offending people or embarrassing myself. I'm still catching on to many of the customs that are very normal here in Japan. Like Eating while walking is considered rude, also on the train. Eating on the go is not something the Japanese take too kindly to. Another example would be surgical masks. I see them everywhere. Apparently, it's polite to wear one if you are sick, therefore keeping your illness to yourself. I find myself in the awkward state of self awareness. Back home, I wouldn't have given a damn. I think it's because the American social barriers are so ingrained in my head that I don't give them a second thought. Here I find I must be much more mindful of my surroundings. I don't want to be just another ignorant Gaijin. I'm putting forth effort to adapt my lifestyle to respect the people of this wonderful country, and I hope that to some extent, that effort is being sensed and appreciated. Every time I say something in Japanese and receive a knowing smile, it's like a leap of progress. Learning which side of the escalator to stand on and which side to walk on, where to eat and where not to eat, these are all rules that are so common sense to so many, the concept of having to learn them must seem alien to them. It's just something they've always known. It's like I'm in a land of secrets, and everything is written in a code everyone but me understands. It's absolutely positively....

Exhilarating.

~Zach

Akihabara A.K.A. NERD MECCA

Yesterday, I went on an adventure. Me and Benji were discussing his previous trip, and how he backpacked through Japan by himself the first time he went. He said he truly loved it. I figured it was about time I gave a small piece of it a try for myself. You see, I really hadn't yet been out somewhere independent of other people. I had always traveled with someone else. Last night I decided to go out on my own and do a little exploring. I figured if I'm exploring by myself, it may as well be in what is quickly becoming my favorite place on earth. The great Akihabara.



The lights and sounds are simply dazzling. It's like the biggest, flashiest nerd convention every day. Shops upon shops lined with Anime memorabilia and video game stores that are 3 stories high fill the streets. There are also the most flashy and insane arcades you will ever see. I haven't been in one yet that wasn't at least 4 stories high. This place is where dreams are made, and where wallets are emptied. I wasted 6 dollars trying to get an eva figurine in a claw machine. (Their just as much of a rip off here as they are back home, trust me.) They don't put a 20,000 yen prize in a 200 yen claw machine without it being a rip off. The place would never make bank. After doing some googling, I've discovered an arcade machine called the "Gundam P.O.D" that is literally you sitting in the cockpit, surrounded by a panoramic screen. IT LOOKS AMAZING! I haven't seen any yet but I VOW to find them. I WILL PILOT YOU GUNDAM! I found this really cool machine called Afterburner Climax.

You strap in, and the machine moves back and forth with the fighter plane. It's crazy fun, and only cost 100 yen. Believe me, that's the minimum price. I didn't find the elusive Gundam P.O.D. but I did find this.
And yes, that sign on his shoulder has LOLcats potential.


I blew about 10 dollars in the arcade and then went exploring. It was late and I was starving. I began snooping into the secondary streets of electric city to try and find some grub. I past a maid cafe or two, and decided to go into this old-fashioned looking noodle shop. They have these restaurants here that are geniously streamlined. I had never seen anything like it, and as I went into the shop, as the Blog's title suggests, I wasn't really sure of what to do. I saw a man in front of me put money into a machine and then hit a button. Then it hit me. There is a vending machine of sorts with their menu on it in buttons.

You pay at the machine and the machine gives you a ticket. you sit down, give your ticket to the host, and wait to be served. It was an opportunity, and I took it. Seeing as I don't have any major food allergies or pesky dietary restrictions, I have the luxury of picking a food at random and letting the chips fall as they may. I picked one that had a picture of a bowl on it. It was too small to make anything else out. They could have brought me live octopus for all I know. I was a passenger in the front seat, and I was simply along for the ride. The host brings me a big bowl with this strange orange and red liquid in it, topped with bean sprouts and some form of meat, probably pork. The noodles were red, and as I delved in, my taste buds where bombarded with red cayenne pepper. This dish was incredibly spicy, and incredibly delicious.

I'm getting a bit hungry now just thinking about it. Akihabara had Games, Electronics, Anime, oh, and did I mention Porn? LOTS of Porn. It baffles me when people link Porn to Sexual Assault. Same as violent media to violent crime. This country is not only the Capital of weird Porn, but also the heartland of Violent Videogames and extremely violent cartoons. The children here are exposed to it, and there's simply no way of avoiding that. Yet we have one of the safest, most crime free cities in the world. Being here simply solidifies my beliefs about the harmlessness of violence in media. Seeing the proof with your own eyes is far superior than numbers in any study.

This city continues to baffle and amaze me. It is by far my favorite city on earth and it will be a sad day when I have to leave. anyway, I'll be back next week, bringing you more tales from the east. Until then,

~Zach

SO MUCH PAPERWORK

Hello all, here to bring you another post from the WORLD OF TOMORROW! (i.e. Tokyo) Took a trip to the Ward Office today to handle my alien paperwork. I'm now a registered Alien. Now all I need is glowing fingers and Steven Spielberg and I can phone home. It's funny that they call it Alien, since being a foot taller than most, I feel like one. I feel different and I stick out like a sore thumb.

Oh, and I haven't been to SoftBank to pick up a phone, so I really can't phone home.
WHAT!? a Joke with 2 layers? Look out! Leo Dicaprio's dead wife! A THIRD LAYER? Man, I should charge membership fees. but in all seriousness I do stick out here. People see me and they know I'm not from around here. I don't know how I feel about it. I guess it is what it is. I think I finally beat my Jetlag. I think I am at last on Tokyo time. The thing about travel, the one thing that throws a wrench in the gears, and the only thing that would keep me from it further, is the paperwork. There where times when an incompetent staff member would email me papers due 3 days later. after nearly worrying myself to death, everything was finally behind me! I was on the plane. nothing left to do but wait as Tokyo grew closer and closer. then the flight attendant walks up and hands me.... A soda? A bag of assorted nuts? NO.

More paperwork.

I fill it out begrudgingly and arrive at my destination. I'm incredibly thrilled to be in a new place that's exotic and fresh. But day 2 during orientation we got a little gift. I want you to take a guess what it was. No thoughts? it has to do with work.

It was A LOT more paperwork. FML. now it's all done. I can only hope as I glance behind me in the dark, that history doesn't repeat itself. Class is what it is. I think I'm going to enjoy Art History. And Drawing Workshop. I think those classes will be great. Japanese Elements is going to be a bitch though. Hiragana will be hard to memorize. I'll have to talk about my class scheduling nightmare at a later time. I don't have the energy to Vent. I'll post pics and story from Sunday's day out with Emi, Ben and Alan soon. Time for sleep, I'm exhausted.
~Zach

Sensoji the Magnificent

I keep finding it hard to sit down and Blog. life happens so fast here that it seems like every 1o minutes I have a genuinely new experience. It's hard to believe that in just a few short weeks, this amazing world will seem normal and commonplace. I thought I would step off the Plane and it would hit me like a ton of bricks. "This is it! TOKYO-DESU!" But the reaction has actually been a bit different. Instead of one geek out or realization, it seems to be happening in smaller, stuttered increments. My first convenience store trip, my first time using a Japanese vending machine, my first time swiping my Suica to head to Gotanda Station, these experiences bare with them little bursts of excitement. It's like figuring out a good puzzle. I'm finding absolute joy in the simplest and most mundane of activities. A simple "Sumimasen!" to get someone's attention, or the act of greeting a convenience store clerk and receiving recognition and a smile are hailing achievements. The act of communicating, even through the most simple of terms, "more water please," "Please bring me this," "Good morning," "Thank you," Are like little cracks in the Levi. I feel like the Language barrier is less of a wall and more of a Dam. These simple pieces of genuine human understanding amongst two worlds are the cracks and fissures, bursting with high pressure streams, that eventually lead to the Dam's imminent collapse. I've been all over Tokyo in the past two days, and while I can't possibly cover everything, I will try hard to keep everyone up to date, Starting with Saturday.

When people think of Japan at it's most Stereotypical core, they think of large temples, tori gates, and pegota style architecture. While of course modern Japan looks nothing like this, it's these types of images that helps root one to a place with such a rich and renown history. I got off of the Subway at Asakusa, wondering where exactly we where going. I knew it was a place called Sensoji temple, so I expected a little of what I was just explaining. Hoping for that old Japanese Architecture that is so often replicated in American amusement parks or tourist traps. I walked along the bustling street, and rounded the corner. The first thing I saw was this.


It was Breathtaking. The bright red looked so crisp and beautiful against the cloudless sky. over the course of this blog, I'm going to try as hard as I can not to overuse the word Beautiful. But I fear I will end up using the term more than Stephanie Meyer uses "perfect" to describe Edward's face.
That reminds me, I am SO GLAD to be away from the Twi-Tard craze. No-one here seems to
have ever heard of Twilight. Maybe because they have standards...
Anyway, The gate was huge, and inside the two sides where intricate sculptures. That was a big moment. it was a stark realization. "This is it! THIS is Japan." It was all I could do to stand there with my mouth agape, as hundreds of locals pushed past me to get to the market within. It seems like this trip carries with it random moments of speechlessness. I will be having a conversation and in mid-sentence, I will see something that just takes my breath away. I stepped through the gate and saw the Market at Sensoji.


There are several temples like this all throughout the city. It amazes me that in such a densely populated area, so much space is committed to areas like these. hot-spots of commerce, culture, and beauty. The market within seemed to stretch on forever. It was like looking at an infinite space between two mirrors. I could faintly see the Temple itself at the end, and me and Benji began making our way towards it, all the while taking in the sights and smells of the festival. It's interesting the way the dynamic of temples like this work. There is always a long journey to the Temple. A lot of walking distance between the entrance and the temple itself. It's as if there is a mini Pilgrimage that is made, where the trip there is as rewarding if not more so than the visit to the temple itself.

The Vendors where full of everything you could think of. Masks, toys, noisemakers, and LOTS of food. Me and Benji stopped for some fried Mochi, and I got pumkin flavored. they where delicious. the bean paste inside was subtle but rich and the crispiness was perfect. We then continued on and as we broke free of the Market corridor, a glance to my left rendered me speechless again.

These buildings where elaborate and beautiful. Normally in things like Gothic Cathedrals and elaborate churches, you see tons of intricate sculptures and shapes, all added to decorate the structure. These buildings however occupy space in a much simpler way, and in my opinion MUCH more beautifully. They are only intricate in their structure. Nothing seems tact-on or added, and the perfection of their form seems to speak for itself. It's difficult to find words to express the emotions I was feeling as I walked through that place, but It certainly was a sight that must be experienced.
One final gate, even more elaborate than the last separated me from the Temple. I walked through into the courtyard and saw the structure known as Sensoji Temple.
TA-DAA! Just kidding. This wasn't the temple. this was a smaller building off to the side. it was quaint and lovely, but it was no Sensoji.
I was met with Buddhist Sculptures and several other holy relics. I'm always fascinated by Buddhism as it's one of very few religions that is Atheistic. Buddhists pray to no deity, and they worship no god, they simply live as a once living, physical man had done so. It's beautiful to me that a religion can be so incredibly spiritual and moving, without the need of magic or fairy tales. it makes no claims, challenges no government and requires no blind faith, apart from some harmless superstitions. It is the simple act of following the teachings of an extremely wise man. I find many of the Buddhist philosophies to be incredibly healthy and true.
This is a place to burn incense to pay respects to the dead. You are supposed to waft the smoke to your face and breath it in, as you can see the man in the black and red jacket doing. I was so tall, a gust of wind sent the smoke billowing right into my eyes. So much for wafting.

This was an interesting shot because it illustrates well the general look of Tokyo. There is a constant harmony of old meets new. The two sides don't seem to struggle as much as they just seem to coexist. This dynamic is a stark contrast that I seem to encounter everywhere I go.

There it is. Benji and I walked up the stairs and tossed our coins in and payed our respects, and then wandered to our next destination.
It was an amazing day. We visited another temple that took up even more space for marshlands. It was a beautiful park. We also went to AKIHABARA! My and every nerd's wet dream. Sadly my Camera died, so I will be chronicling my next trip to Nerd Mecca with photos. BY FAR though, the coolest thing I saw all day was this. Are you ready? Are you sure?
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Your not ready. I can tell. I can see it in your eyes.
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Still skeptical as to your readiness...
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Okay. Here you go.



A MONKEY ON MOTHER FUCKING STILTS! What now BEOTCH! My life is complete. See you all next post.
~ZU

The Nippon Daily Grind

Here again to bring you yet another tale from the east. I have a theory. When you get drunk the first time, you wait and you wait, and if you don't overdo it, the first time you don't feel much of anything. Your body's still drunk, but you simply don't know what to look for. The warning signs are an enigma to your fresh, Virgin senses, and the concept of drunkenness eludes you. I've concluded that, although I don't yet know all the warning signs, I am indeed, extremely jetlagged. My day begins at around 5:30, when my body acts like a stubborn child and refuses out of spite to let me get any more sleep. After that it's a process of getting up, doing a SHIT ton of walking, and then wanting to pass out by 8:00. Yesterday I thought my feet where going to break up with my body and seek one that would treat them better. Maybe a Salon owner, then at least they'd get to dress up now and then. Basically, my feet and me where not on speaking terms.

I guess I need to talk about RUSH HOUR. Rush hour is normally associated with the morning commute, Traffic, and Reckless Driving. And while the first is true, The Trains are the center stage for rush hour here in Tokyo. If your going to live in this city, I honestly believe that owning a car in Tokyo is more pointless than owning a car in New York. the trains can go ANYWHERE. Basically you get a card called a Suica. You can put money on this card and it's deducted depending on how far you go, how often you travel, ect. Basically every time you enter or exit a platform, you go through a gate that scans the card. All you have to do is plop the card down, be it even in a wallet or a bag, onto the scanner, and the gate traffic calculates your fairs. It's as genius as it is streamlined and efficient. I'm always amazed by this city's solutions for modern living. I keep going off on Tangents. Anyway, Rush Hour is intense, and not for the faint of heart. You know how when your Airliner has a checked bag limit? You bring an extra bag, and, not wanting to go over, decide to take out your personal effects, and violate the other bag's personal space by JAMMING and SHOVING all your T-shirts and Pants into the other bag? It's kinda like that. I swear I'm bearing the child of one of 4 Japanese business men. It's just common Practice over hear. You get on, say nothing, develop a close, uncomfortably personal relationship with a bunch of strangers, and then it's over.

On the Platform on the way home from my excursion today, which will be elaborated on in the next post, I experienced something I never thought I'd see. I reached in my pocket and pulled out my wallet, dropping a 1000 yen bill onto the floor, without even noticing. I turned around to see a modest looking Japanese man holding the bill out with a smile. He was returning the bill, and I could tell by looking in his eyes that the thought of taking it never once crossed his mind. That's the kind of honesty you experience all over Tokyo. From the good people, to the rich cultural heritage, I'm truly in love with this city. I can't wait to get a few weeks into my stay, so I can stop "experiencing" Tokyo, and start "living" here. I'll keep you posted all the way.
~Zach

One small step for Gaijin

Alas readers! I find myself in the land of the Rising Sun! So basically, I'm in Tokyo, and it just might be the best place ever. I think I want to marry this city and consummate our love...

But lets start from the beginning.

It began on a plane. An eternal plane. The longest I'd ever spent sardine packed into a Vehicle, literally chasing the sun and winning. Night? we laughed at night. We traveled up through anchorage and down through Kamchatka to get to Narita Airport in Tokyo. This means we ebbed right on the physical edge of night without ever crossing into the shadow of the Sun. Basically it was day. The Whole Time. It was the longest day of my life. and half of it was on a plane, with children I wanted to drug. Basically, it was unpleasant, long, and uncomfortable. After that we went through Customs, or as a buddy we met on the plane referred to it, "Customized Harassment." Then the Baggage Claim, which I've aptly named the Carousel of Despair. Then we retrieved our Luggage, Exchanged our Currency, and got on the JR line to Tokyo Station.
We arrived at Tokyo Station, flying blind, as of course we didn't have the address of where we were going. We got a bite to eat at a local market. Let me just say, trying to buy food, alone, with dozens of people shouting in a foreign language around you is one of the most Jarring things I've ever done. I pointed to the glass and said "that." it was all I could do, then I fumbled around for the right coins. I couldn't help but feel the women was annoyed with me. but then, I was triumphant.

After about 20 minutes of negotiating with the information center, Benji extracted the Address we needed and the trains we needed to take to get there. Bodys Aching, luggage heavy, we trudged on, hoping beyond hope that someday, we could sleep. We rode a local metro to a designated stop, which was horrible with massive luggage. We got to the first stop and Benji tried to ask a man for help. A Japanese Man. In Tokyo. When that little Gem failed miserably, we decided to do what all Americans in a foreign place do.

"Fuck it, let's grab a Taxi."

We pulled up maybe a little after 6:00 PM, dropped off our stuff, and went to poke around for a convenience store.

WARNING. What I am about to show you might be too Awesome for your eyes, I implore you to look away. you might not be able to handle it.


Yes they are. Those are Gundam Model Kits, IN A FUCKING CONVENIENCE STORE! no Idea why that excites me so much.
This is it. Ontakensan It's quite nice. The remainder of photos where Taken on the trip from the buses to the TUJ campus. So far it's amazing here. People are nice, polite and considerate. Literacy rates are high, Crime rates are VERY low, and the Drinking Age is 20. I am excited to call this place home for a couple of months. Until the next post, I'll see you guys later!
~Zach






Oh.... and we also got dinner at a Noodle Shop. It was mad tasty.