Monday, August 31, 2009

Brownie Mountain

Lately I've been watching WAY too much "Tim and Eric" and I thought this clip (mainly the song) is a really accurate portrayal of what it's like to be on psychedelics.



As you can see, this entry was tagged with "wanderlust." Hmm.

Culture shock?

As mentioned in yesterday's update, one of the kids at my high school died in a motorcycle crash.

Today there was an announcement about it at the daily morning meeting, the kids were informed during their homeroom, and then...normal sports day practice as though nothing had happened. With the exception of the student's girlfriend, who stayed in a secluded room all day presumably crying, I saw only one or two kids looking upset. The rest were running around giggling as always. The teachers put on their best poker faces and went about their daily business.

It's the most remarkable cultural difference between USA and Japan. When a teenger dies, USA is like a Jewish funeral, with days of mourning, wailing and weeping. Japan is like...well, Japan. "Too bad. It cannot be helped." And then back to the regularly scheduled program.

One day this society of endless "push on some more" is going to implode and there will be chaos. But until then, I somehow admire the Japanese in their stoicism and tolerance during tough times.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Checking in after a long hiatus?

Sorry I've been absent for months, though I doubt anyone will actually notice ;)

I went to New York for 2 weeks with my friend Miho from Tagawa (the owner of beloved Americana bar/restaurant OLDIES) and we made a mess there with my parents, a bunch of friends, and sightseeing.

Then I went to Germany/Austria for 2 weeks with my mom, where we saw lots of sights, I made a bunch of new friends who want to take me to Wacken next summer, and hung out with Oliver in Mannheim for a few days engaging in hippie activities.

Now I've been back in Japan for a week, and am currently mourning the death of one of my students, who was involved in a traffic accident earlier today.

So much has happened and is still happening. May we all live in interesting times.