UNDERCOVER in NIPPON: September 2005

Thursday, September 29, 2005

WEDNESDAY NITE FOOD

It was a wednesday nite and what better way to spend it than with your elementary school teachers. I was gonna be tame because tomorrow i got class, but the crazy guys of Tsushima and the Terminator were determined to get the beer flowing. So it was good company and good food. Enjoy the pics.

mon chan and yukari chan, two teachers i work with at elem school

mike meets the japanese terminator

me and kiyoku sensei

the remaining party members

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

THE WEATHER

Its finally getting cooler!!!!!!!!! I can open my windows again without it feeling like a sauna.... ahhhhh

Sunday, September 25, 2005

DJ SHADOW aka WEAK ASS SHOW

Decided to venture out of the comfy confines of the little town i live in and go with the crew out to Osaka to see DJ Shadow. Sampled some of his stuff before hand, sounded good to go and was really pumped up. Got to the club, chilled a bit and listened to some DJs i never heard of before tear up the floors. Was having a good time. Then came on Shadow and his buddy, they said "We love music" and we gonna sample some stuff today, and thats why we love it here in Japan. And boy did they sample, old ass funk for 2 hours straight, at first it was cool then after 10 minutes or show it got lame. No mixing, no nothing, just put on a disc and walk away. Had more fun ordering food and drinks and reading what other DJs to go to. What a total disappointment, weak as showing, that wasnt a performance, that wasn't a performer, that was a job that some grandpa could have done. Even after the show we saw Shadow and Mike tried to run up to him and give him some props, but even he didnt even want to have anything to do with anyone, weak with a capital "W". Anyways caught some way betta tunes when the crazy nihon jin DJs came up aka Beat B Boyz .. and tore up the dance floor with their DnB. At least got to hear some good stuff at the end. It was fun overall with everyone, had a good time minus the main act. Early morning train it was, got back around 900am ish ... nice and early to see the sun.

Friday, September 23, 2005

NEW WORDS

Came back from school and met the local elem kids, offered them some potato chips and in exchange they taught me some new and not so new words. Well i guess the gestures helped define the words ... here they are ...

chimpo - penis (i think)
gesture: poke ur butt out and say "chi-m" then thrust forward and say "po!"

hana - nose
gesture: put your finger up your nose

oshiri - butt
gesture: bust your hip to the right "o", then hips to the left "shi", then drop your ass back "ri"

SPORTS DAY @ JR HIGH

Well its my 3rd year, and my 3rd Sports day. And every year it still suprises me. Everyone still asks if we have "taiikusai" aka sports day back home, and nah we dont, i think its purely a japanese thing, dont even think they have it anywhere else. Kids train in grueling heat for about 2 weeks, classes are canceled. Sure doesnt bother me, less classes to teach.

All the parents and friends come out for this crazy event. Most of it consists of class competitions between each other, mostly comprising of relay races, some normal, and some not so normal aka the running of sports uniform and equipment, and the wierd dressing up of teachers (see pictures). Many relay races are by the normal standard of your own two feet and then there are the team relay races such as the ever popular "mukade" race aka centipede, where about 8 or more students are tied by the leg with rope and try to run together around the track without crashing and burning. Unfortunately when they do crash and burn its a painful sight to see. Then there is tons of other fun things they do too, but i will let the pictures do the talking.

Then sometimes they change up things year to year, they didnt have the cool horse battle where a kid jumps on the back of 3 other kids and tries to rip off the headband of another student, darn i liked that one. But then this year they added the human tower. Not quite as exciting, but interesting. Plus every year usually i just watch from the tent, but since i was practicing my photo skills they let me go around the field and be the aka ALT/camera man. So it was fun to take all these cool shots. When i was out there the soccer coach even threw me in to help out some of the 1st graders with a tug a war. Felt like the longest tug a war in my life! The battle was being lost so as anchor i tried to do the WWF Hulkster style and sling that rope over my shoulder the other way, it was working a bit and was quite funny as those funny announcer kids would say "look at cameraman Markane, fight fight fight". In the end our team had to tap out as we got dragged over the field, but hey it was the funnest Sports Day i had at my school.